Society's ChildS


Attention

Trump's national security plan makes sense only by seeing the world as a zero-sum game

Jonah Shepp
Daily Intelligencer
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 08:52 UTC
Trump
© AOL.com
On Monday, President Donald Trump laid out a national security strategy for a world in which all Republican shibboleths are true: The U.S. economy is fueled by tax cuts for the wealthy, drilling in the Arctic will solve our energy problems forever, and building a 2,000-mile wall is a cost-effective and worthwhile solution to the problem of "bad people" entering the country. If you believe all this, you likely thought Monday's speech was pretty good.

It also listed some grandiose firsts that Trump had no business claiming credit for, like "for the first time, American strategy recognizes that economic security is national security," and "for the first time ever, American strategy now includes a serious plan to defend our homeland." Again, this makes sense if you believe any plan to defend our homeland that does not include a massive border wall and an inhumane approach to immigration enforcement is fundamentally unserious. Trump also asserted that his Afghanistan strategy (refusing to communicate a plan and letting the generals handle it) is working, even though ISIS is now carrying out more terrorist activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan, after its much-touted defeats in Iraq and Syria.
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Snakes in Suits

'Russiagaters' convinced Green Party ran its presidential candidate due to Kremlin conspiracy

Caitlin Johnstone
Medium
Sat, 16 Dec 2017 00:00 UTC
putinflynn
© Newsweek.com
I just wanted to have a quick rant about how Russiagaters are so f**king stupid that they still to this day think that the Green Party ran a presidential candidate in 2016 because of a Kremlin conspiracy.

This might seem like a weird thing to kvetch about at this point in the game, but anyone who talks about this stuff regularly knows that it is impossible to mention Jill Stein online without some Clintonite posting the above picture and making an obnoxious insinuation, and it's just now finally gotten to me. How f**king stupid do you have to be to believe that a party which has out of necessity run a candidate every presidential election since 1996 only ran one in 2016 because of some kind of nefarious Kremlin plot, and how f**king stupid must your echo chamber be to have fostered such a belief?

How f**king stupid do you have to be to believe that a candidate who received one percent of the popular vote (less than half of what Ralph Nader received in 2000) despite running against the two least popular mainstream candidates ever was only able to achieve this via Kremlin collusion? How f**king stupid do you have to be to never bother to research the perfectly reasonable explanation that Jill Stein has given for the picture in question?

Comment: See also:

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Airplane

What was in Israeli plane that flew out of Atlanta airport during major power outage?

Rachel Blevins
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 20:55 UTC
flight record
The world's busiest airport experienced an unprecedented power outage that seemed to defy all of the precautions put in place to prevent it, and during the 11-hour ordeal, internet users noted that only one mysterious plane was allowed to leave the airport.

Over 1,000 flights were canceled when the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost power around 1 p.m. on Sunday, causing a chaotic situation as thousands of travelers were affected. While Georgia Power claimed that the power outage was the result of a small fire, it left many wondering why the generators and backup systems available to prevent such an emergency were not utilized.

All flights were grounded during the power outage-or at least that is what the public was told. According to the air traffic website, FlightRadar24, there was at least one flight that landed at the airport right before the power went out and then left in the middle of the ordeal. A Boeing 747, with the tail number 4X-ICB, is a cargo plane that landed in Atlanta from Mexico City at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Despite the fact that Atlanta officials claim the next flight did not leave the airport until 12:26 a.m. on Monday, after the power was restored, the records from 4X-ICB show that it departed from Atlanta at 6:27 p.m. on Sunday-right in the middle of the outage.
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Monkey Wrench

Anarchists tweeted in April about sabotaging railroad tracks to block fracking

Debra Heine
PJ Media
Mon, 18 Dec 2017 10:46 UTC
amtrack train crash
© AP Photo/Elaine ThompsonCars from an Amtrak train lay spilled onto Interstate 5 below alongside smashed vehicles as some train cars remain on the tracks above Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, in DuPont, Wash.
ISIS shouldn't be the only terrorist group under suspicion for the Amtrak derailment in Washington this morning.


The anarchist group "It's Going Down" last April bragged online about sabotaging railroad tracks in the Pacific Northwest to block fracking equipment from getting to its destination. The group has since deleted the post, possibly in reaction to today's Amtrak disaster.

Comment: So far it doesn't appear that Antifa (nor ISIS) were involved in the Amtrack derailment. According to the latest updates:
The Amtrak that derailed Monday morning in Washington State, killing three people and injuring dozens more, was traveling at a speed of 80 mph (130 km) in a 30 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed.

The data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train's speed, NTSB board member Bella Dinh-Zarr said during a press conference. "It's too early to tell" why the Amtrak 501 train was travelling so fast or why it derailed on its inaugural ride, Dinh-Zarr added.

The train engineer was supposed to slow down when approaching the curve where the train was crossing the interstate, the Seattle Times reported, citing state transportation department spokeswoman Barbara LaBoe.

The speed limit signs are placed ahead of the zone, one two miles ahead and another just before the curve. "Engineers are trained to slow trains according to posted speeds," she said.

At the time of the crash the technology, called positive train control, wasn't activated, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson said. The system can automatically slow down and stop a train to prevent an accident, with GPS tracking the train's location and activating the brakes if the speed is excessive.

"There is a thorough investigation underway to determine what happened," the Amtrak statement read, going on to discourage speculation into the accident's causes


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Heart - Black

Appalling: Residents in upscale UK town install anti-bird spikes on trees to keep bird poo from landing on their precious BMWs

Kerry-Anne Mendoza
The Canary
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 18:30 UTC
pigeon spikes trees
© Twitter/@JMAGarrett
Residents of the wealthy Bristol district of Clifton have installed anti-bird spikes to the trees that line the streets. A local confirmed they had effectively banned the birds from the trees to prevent bird poo landing on their BMWs and Audis.

Outrage

The public were first made aware of the spikes through social media, when a Twitter user posted them online:

The Bristol Post picked up the story and spoke to a local resident to get more details. The anonymous local argued that the spikes were no big deal, and that people were just "looking for something to get upset about". The resident added:
The spikes are solely to protect the cars, there is no other reason.

There is a big problem with bird droppings around here. They can really make a mess of cars, and for some reason they [the birds] do seem to congregate around this area.
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Eye 2

They grow them big in the Far North! Police discover five-metre long python blocking road in Queensland

Mark Molloy
The Telegraph
Wed, 13 Dec 2017 00:00 UTC
Scrub python Queensland
© Queensland Police / FacebookActing Senior Constable Chris Kenny of Queensland Police stands next to a scrub python

Police in Australia joked they were "going to need a bigger ladder" after encountering a five-metre long python blocking the road.

Queensland Police officers encountered the amethystine python, also known as a scrub python, near the small community of Wujul Wujul, located 345km north of Cairns.

Officers on a night patrol had to wait for the slithering reptile to cross the road, giving them enough time to capture a photo which has racked up over 50,000 shares and likes on Facebook.

"They breed them big in the Far North!" explained Senior Constable Heidi Marek.
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Road Cone

At least 6 people killed as Amtrak train derails onto highway outside Seattle, Washington (VIDEO) - UPDATES


RT
Mon, 18 Dec 2017 19:04 UTC
Train derailment
© Pierce Co Sheriff / Twitter
Six people have died after an Amtrak train with over 70 people on board and 5 crew derailed on a bridge in Washington state, according to authorities. The train was making its first-ever run along a faster new route.

Seventy-eight passengers and five crew members were aboard the Cascade 501 train when it was moving at more than 80 mph derailed about 40 miles from Seattle before 8 am, Amtrak said, according to the Associated Press.

The death count is expected to rise, a US official told AP.

The Pierce County sheriff's office has released photos of the mangled train cars dangling off the overpass and blocking the highway.

Comment: President Trump tweeted that the accident shows the need for the administration's infrastructure plan.

Udate: Amtrak train confirmed traveling at 80 mph in 30 mph zone
The Amtrak that derailed Monday morning in Washington State, killing three people and injuring dozens more, was traveling at a speed of 80 mph (130 km) in a 30 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed.

The data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train's speed, NTSB board member Bella Dinh-Zarr said during a press conference. "It's too early to tell" why the Amtrak 501 train was travelling so fast or why it derailed on its inaugural ride, Dinh-Zarr added.

The train engineer was supposed to slow down when approaching the curve where the train was crossing the interstate, the Seattle Times reported, citing state transportation department spokeswoman Barbara LaBoe.

The speed limit signs are placed ahead of the zone, one two miles ahead and another just before the curve. "Engineers are trained to slow trains according to posted speeds," she said.

At the time of the crash the technology, called positive train control, wasn't activated, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson said. The system can automatically slow down and stop a train to prevent an accident, with GPS tracking the train's location and activating the brakes if the speed is excessive.

"There is a thorough investigation underway to determine what happened," the Amtrak statement read, going on to discourage speculation into the accident's causes
Update 2: Mayor warned about new Amtrak line before derailment
The mayor of a city near the scene of Monday's deadly train crash in Washington state warned earlier this month that the start of high-speed service was bound to end in disaster.

During a Dec. 4 meeting of the Lakewood City Council, Mayor Don Anderson blasted plans by the Washington State Department of Transportation to let Amtrak trains travel through the city at up to 79 mph without first installing overpasses or other means of keeping motor vehicles and pedestrians away from the tracks.

"Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens," Anderson said, according to video posted online by KOMO Radio.

The state DOT established a new Amtrak route from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, to help shave 10 minutes off the trip.

"We want to make sure as many people as possible understand what's going on, understand we are starting a new service on December 18th and ensure that they know how to stay safe around the railroad tracks," DOT official Janet Matkin said during the Dec. 4 meeting.

At least three people were killed, and more were injured, when Amtrak's 501 train derailed and plunged off an overpass near Lacey, about 20 miles southwest of Lakewood, during its inaugural run.


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Family

Poll finds Americans don't trust their government and they're angry about It

Charles S. Clark
Government Executive
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:45 UTC
Protesters
© Michael Candelori/Shutterstock.comProtesters march through Washington during the Women's March the day after President Trump's inauguration
Public trust in government's ability to solve major problems remains near a historic low, according to a new national poll by the Pew Research Center.

Only 18 percent of 1,500 respondents nationwide in late November and early December said they trust the federal government to do the right thing "just about always" or "most of the time," a share that has remained steady for more than a decade.

What is new in the Trump era is a rise in anger at government among Democrats, some 29 percent of whom expressed anger, compared with only 19 percent of Republicans.
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Brick Wall

Freakonomics and the fear of terrorists in America

Todd R. Miller
The Huffington Post
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:10 UTC
lightning
© CCO
There is a clear and present danger in America.

Over the past decade, it has taken over ten times as many American lives as immigrant Islamic jihadists.

Neither candidate for president will discuss it publicly. They don't have talking points, much less a plan to protect the American people from this dire threat.

I am referring to lightning.

Over the past ten years, lightning has killed an average of 31 Americans annually. That's 310 lives snuffed out by thunderbolts, compared with only 16 killed by radical Islamic terrorist immigrants in the same period.


Comment: Record 350 people died after being struck by lightning in 2016 across Bangladesh

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Arrow Down

Better to burn it! France declares Marquis de Sade manuscript a 'national treasure' to prevent sale

Antoine Froidefond, Fiachra Gibbons
Yahoo News
Mon, 18 Dec 2017 00:00 UTC
manuscript marquis de sade
The manuscript of "The 120 Days of Sodom" was written by the Marquis de Sade while he was imprisoned at the Bastille in 1785
The French government stepped in Monday to declare the manuscript of the Marquis de Sade's "120 Days of Sodom" a national treasure as it was about to be sold at auction in Paris.

Officials ordered that the 18th-century erotic masterpiece be withdrawn from the sale, along with Andre Breton's "Surrealist Manifestos", banning their export from France, the Aguttes auction house told AFP.

They were part of a vast sale of historic documents owned by the French investment firm Aristophil, which was shut down in scandal two years ago, taking ($1 billion) of its investors' money with it.

"120 Days of Sodom" was expected to go for up to six million euros on Wednesday, while Breton's highly influential manifestos on modern art were estimated at around four million euros.

Comment: Another indication of the rapid decline of French society:

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