Tuesday, November 20, 2018
History for November 20
History for November 20 - On-This-Day.com
Edwin Hubble 1889 - American astronomer, Alistair Cooke 1908 - British journalist, television personality, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) 1925 - Politician
Richard Dawson 1932 - Actor, comedian, game show host, Joe Biden 1942 - U.S. Vice President, Bo Derek 1956 - Actress ("10")
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis ended. The Soviet Union removed its missiles and bombers from Cuba and the U.S. ended its blockade of the island.
1993 - The U.S. Senate passed the Brady Bill and legislation implementing NAFTA.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Mexico files human rights complaint against U.S. over asylum crackdown: Report - Washington Times
Mexico files human rights complaint against U.S. over asylum crackdown: Report - Washington Times:
Mexico and three Central American countries have filed a protest with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over President Trump’s new asylum policy, arguing their citizens should be allowed to flee their countries to find refuge in the U.S.
The complaint, reported by El Universal, a Mexican newspaper, was filed by the human rights ombudsmen for Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The complaint says migrants who make it into the U.S., even if entering illegally, must be allowed to demand asylum in the U.S.
Mexico and three Central American countries have filed a protest with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over President Trump’s new asylum policy, arguing their citizens should be allowed to flee their countries to find refuge in the U.S.The complaint, reported by El Universal, a Mexican newspaper, was filed by the human rights ombudsmen for Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The complaint says migrants who make it into the U.S., even if entering illegally, must be allowed to demand asylum in the U.S.
Inside the Beltway: 'I watched the president unite people' - Washington Times
Inside the Beltway: 'I watched the president unite people' - Washington Times:
Multiple polls have revealed that Americans are tired of political discord and partisan attacks, which started when President Trump ran for office, and continue as he approaches his second anniversary in office. The public associates this rigid negativity with the “do-nothing Congress” and gridlock. Civility — which often proves more efficient and productive than combat in fostering compromise — is rare indeed.
Donald Trump should apply Teddy Roosevelt's monopoly busting to tech
Donald Trump should apply Teddy Roosevelt's monopoly busting to tech
"President Donald Trump has an opportunity to follow in former President Teddy Roosevelt’s footsteps.
Will Donald Trump follow TR’s lead?
...Roosevelt built a strong reputation by going after the trusts, huge combinations that placed control of entire industries in the hands of one or a few men.
He broke up John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, the Google of its day.
He shut down J.P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Co., which would have monopolized rail transportation in much of the United States.
And he pursued numerous other cases (45 in all) that broke up monopolies and returned competition to markets.
...Monopolies are an economic and political threat
Big monopolies aren’t just an economic threat:
They’re a political threat.
Because they’re largely free of market constraints, they don’t have to put all their energy into making a better product for less money.
Instead, they put a lot of their energy into political manipulation to protect their monopoly.
...Today, things look a lot like Teddy Roosevelt’s era.
A few monopolies occupy much of the tech world: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — FANG, as they’re often abbreviated.
They gobble up potential competitors, as Facebook did with WhatsApp and Instagram.
...Facing a similar situation, Roosevelt declared, “When aggregated wealth demands what is unfair, its immense power can be met only by the still greater power of the people as a whole.”
...With today’s economy dominated by the FANG companies, will Donald Trump — another brash New Yorker who found himself in the White House — follow TR’s lead?
Perhaps a better question is, why wouldn’t he?"
Read all!
"President Donald Trump has an opportunity to follow in former President Teddy Roosevelt’s footsteps.
Will Donald Trump follow TR’s lead?
...Roosevelt built a strong reputation by going after the trusts, huge combinations that placed control of entire industries in the hands of one or a few men.
He broke up John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, the Google of its day.
He shut down J.P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Co., which would have monopolized rail transportation in much of the United States.
And he pursued numerous other cases (45 in all) that broke up monopolies and returned competition to markets....Monopolies are an economic and political threat
Big monopolies aren’t just an economic threat:
They’re a political threat.
Because they’re largely free of market constraints, they don’t have to put all their energy into making a better product for less money.
Instead, they put a lot of their energy into political manipulation to protect their monopoly.
...Today, things look a lot like Teddy Roosevelt’s era.
A few monopolies occupy much of the tech world: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — FANG, as they’re often abbreviated.
They gobble up potential competitors, as Facebook did with WhatsApp and Instagram.
...Facing a similar situation, Roosevelt declared, “When aggregated wealth demands what is unfair, its immense power can be met only by the still greater power of the people as a whole.”
...With today’s economy dominated by the FANG companies, will Donald Trump — another brash New Yorker who found himself in the White House — follow TR’s lead?
Perhaps a better question is, why wouldn’t he?"
Read all!
K-12: Six Steps to Reform Education Right Now
K-12: Six Steps to Reform Education Right Now
"Whenever people gather to discuss problems in education, we hear the same list of issues and solutions.
We hear about poverty and the need for bigger budgets at all levels, more self-esteem, professional teacher corps, charter schools, vouchers, tutoring and remediation, new literacies, better assessment, year-round schools, pre-K, schools that are more permissive or more strict, the effects of drugs, the impact of violent sports, and the perpetual need for more and more money.
Any talk show or other group will invariably touch on the exact same items.
The participants will seem pleased that they are having an in-depth discussion of the options.
But are they?
My suspicion is that you could mandate all these items, served up on a platter with all the trimmings, and nothing would change.
...Public schools are full from basement to roof with dysfunctional gimmicks that never worked.
To improve the public schools, the path to success is simple.
Get rid of the counterproductive ideas, i.e., the methods that seem to be designed, from conception to implementation, to subvert education...
...Here's a simple six-point list of what we must do differently, a list that even self-described "dummies" can instantly act on..."
Read on!
"Whenever people gather to discuss problems in education, we hear the same list of issues and solutions.
Any talk show or other group will invariably touch on the exact same items.
The participants will seem pleased that they are having an in-depth discussion of the options.
But are they?
My suspicion is that you could mandate all these items, served up on a platter with all the trimmings, and nothing would change.
...Public schools are full from basement to roof with dysfunctional gimmicks that never worked.
To improve the public schools, the path to success is simple.
Get rid of the counterproductive ideas, i.e., the methods that seem to be designed, from conception to implementation, to subvert education...
...Here's a simple six-point list of what we must do differently, a list that even self-described "dummies" can instantly act on..."
Read on!
Mexican Protesters in Tijuana March to Kick Out Migrant Caravan
Mexican Protesters in Tijuana March to Kick Out Migrant Caravan:
Mexican protesters took to the streets on Sunday to protest the growing influx of Central American migrants who have made their way to the border city of Tijuana
Mexican protesters took to the streets on Sunday to protest the growing influx of Central American migrants who have made their way to the border city of Tijuana
The Late Great (Again) Planet Earth | Unexamined Premises
The Late Great (Again) Planet Earth | Unexamined Premises
"George Monbiot, the man who gave his name to the term "moonbat," is back, like some hair-shirted lunatic screaming on a street corner, saying that we're all doomed:
It was a moment of the kind that changes lives. At a press conference held by climate activists Extinction Rebellion last week, two of us journalists pressed the organisers on whether their aims were realistic. They have called, for example, for UK carbon emissions to be reduced to net zero by 2025. Wouldn’t it be better, we asked, to pursue some intermediate aims?
A young woman called Lizia Woolf stepped forward. She hadn’t spoken before, but the passion, grief and fury of her response was utterly compelling. “What is it that you are asking me as a 20-year-old to face and to accept about my future and my life? … This is an emergency. We are facing extinction. When you ask questions like that, what is it you want me to feel?” We had no answer.Softer aims might be politically realistic, but they are physically unrealistic. Only shifts commensurate with the scale of our existential crises have any prospect of averting them. Hopeless realism, tinkering at the edges of the problem, got us into this mess. It will not get us out.
Now that there is some prime moonbattery, even by Monbiot's soaring standards. What a 20-year-old female knows about anything is moot, but her notion that she is "facing extinction" is beyond delusional; in fact, it's the product of having her head stuffed with the most self-evidently arrant nonsense of the modern era: "climate change."...
Read all.
One in five Army generals were not cleared for combat in 2016
One in five Army generals were not cleared for combat in 2016:
"WASHINGTON – One in five Army generals could not deploy in 2016 for medical reasons, according to data obtained by USA TODAY, a troubling trend in the military's readiness to fight that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has vowed to fix.
Overdue medical and dental exams were the primary reasons for what the Army refers to as medical readiness in 2016.
The deployment rate has improved to nearly 85 percent, according to Brig. Gen. Omar Jones, the Army's top spokesman.
"The Army's top priority is readiness and soldiers are expected to be world-wide deployable to ensure our Army is ready to fight today and in the future," Jones said.
"The data from 2016 does not reflect recent improvements in medical readiness for the Army as a whole and for the general officer corps specifically."...
Read all.
"WASHINGTON – One in five Army generals could not deploy in 2016 for medical reasons, according to data obtained by USA TODAY, a troubling trend in the military's readiness to fight that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has vowed to fix.
The deployment rate has improved to nearly 85 percent, according to Brig. Gen. Omar Jones, the Army's top spokesman.
"The Army's top priority is readiness and soldiers are expected to be world-wide deployable to ensure our Army is ready to fight today and in the future," Jones said.
"The data from 2016 does not reflect recent improvements in medical readiness for the Army as a whole and for the general officer corps specifically."...
Read all.
Sinema Breaks Word On Opposing Senate Minority Leader Schumer | The Daily Caller
Sinema Breaks Word On Opposing Senate Minority Leader Schumer | The Daily Caller:
Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat who won a narrow victory to represent Arizona in the Senate, reportedly won’t oppose the continued leadership of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Despite promises to the contrary, Sinema is saying that she won’t oppose Schumer because he is not facing any opposition, according to Politico.
Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat who won a narrow victory to represent Arizona in the Senate, reportedly won’t oppose the continued leadership of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Despite promises to the contrary, Sinema is saying that she won’t oppose Schumer because he is not facing any opposition, according to Politico.
‘It’s a Crisis of Civilization in Mexico.’ 250,000 Dead. 37,400 Missing. - WSJ
‘It’s a Crisis of Civilization in Mexico.’ 250,000 Dead. 37,400 Missing. - WSJ
EL FUERTE, Mexico—One recent day, a line of grieving mothers armed with picks and shovels worked their way across a muddy field looking for Mexico’s dead and missing, their own children among them.
“It smells bad here,” said Lizbeth Ortega, a member of Las Rastreadoras de El Fuerte, or the Trackers of El Fuerte, a group of mothers who look for missing people.
...Some 37,000 people in Mexico are categorized as “missing” by the government.
The vast majority are believed to be dead, victims of the country’s spiraling violence that has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2006.
The country’s murder rate has more than doubled to 26 per 100,000 residents, five times the U.S. figure.
Because the missing aren’t counted as part of the country’s official murder tally, it is likely Mexico’s rate itself is higher.
The killing and the number of missing grow each year.
Last year, 5,500 people disappeared, up from 3,400 in 2015.
Mexico’s murders are up another 18% through September this year..."
Read all!
EL FUERTE, Mexico—One recent day, a line of grieving mothers armed with picks and shovels worked their way across a muddy field looking for Mexico’s dead and missing, their own children among them.
“It smells bad here,” said Lizbeth Ortega, a member of Las Rastreadoras de El Fuerte, or the Trackers of El Fuerte, a group of mothers who look for missing people.
...Some 37,000 people in Mexico are categorized as “missing” by the government.
The vast majority are believed to be dead, victims of the country’s spiraling violence that has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2006. The country’s murder rate has more than doubled to 26 per 100,000 residents, five times the U.S. figure.
Because the missing aren’t counted as part of the country’s official murder tally, it is likely Mexico’s rate itself is higher.
The killing and the number of missing grow each year.
Last year, 5,500 people disappeared, up from 3,400 in 2015.
Mexico’s murders are up another 18% through September this year..."
Read all!
Michigan's New Dem Governor Is Already Flooding Her Administration With Corporate Interests
Michigan's New Dem Governor Is Already Flooding Her Administration With Corporate Interests
"Democrat Gretchen Whitmer beat Republican Bill Schuette last week in the Michigan gubernatorial election.
...In February, we reported that Whitmer’s campaign benefitted from a letter sent by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, encouraging its employees to support Whitmer by donating to their PAC.
This act of generosity appears to have paid off, at least for those at the top.
Last week, Whitmer appointed BCBS of Michigan CEO Dan Loepp to her transition team.
Loepp was, according to Whitmer herself, the first person to suggest she should get into politics. Whitmer’s father was CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield from 1988 to 2006, when Loepp succeeded him.
BCBS of Michigan raised more cash from its employees, at one single fundraising event, for Whitmer than any candidate for governor in the past decade, according to the Detroit Metro Times; which was also “three times the amount of Blue Cross PAC’s largest contribution this election cycle.”
...There are two major reasons this appointment sucks.
Read all.
"Democrat Gretchen Whitmer beat Republican Bill Schuette last week in the Michigan gubernatorial election.
...In February, we reported that Whitmer’s campaign benefitted from a letter sent by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, encouraging its employees to support Whitmer by donating to their PAC.This act of generosity appears to have paid off, at least for those at the top.
Last week, Whitmer appointed BCBS of Michigan CEO Dan Loepp to her transition team.
Loepp was, according to Whitmer herself, the first person to suggest she should get into politics. Whitmer’s father was CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield from 1988 to 2006, when Loepp succeeded him.
BCBS of Michigan raised more cash from its employees, at one single fundraising event, for Whitmer than any candidate for governor in the past decade, according to the Detroit Metro Times; which was also “three times the amount of Blue Cross PAC’s largest contribution this election cycle.”
...There are two major reasons this appointment sucks.
- First, it indicates that Whitmer’s policy preferences on healthcare are squarely in the “what works for insurance companies” camp...
- Second, it is absolute garbage politics.
- Whitmer was already battered with ads by her Republican opponent accusing her of being “bought and paid for” by Blue Cross..."
Read all.
How many years you got?-----Retirement & Survivors Benefits: Life Expectancy Calculator
Retirement & Survivors Benefits: Life Expectancy Calculator
Retirement & Survivors Benefits: Life Expectancy Calculator
Feinstein Urged Obama To Use Presidential Power To Limit Immigration: ‘No Legislation Necessary’ | The Daily Caller
Feinstein Urged Obama To Use Presidential Power To Limit Immigration: ‘No Legislation Necessary’ | The Daily Caller:
Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein encouraged then-President Barack Obama to use the “very broad power” granted to him by Congress to limit immigration in any way he saw fit, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Feinstein sent the letter to Obama in July 2014, in the midst of an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration by family units and unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, across the southwest border.
In her note, Feinstein referred to Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which grants the president the authority to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”
Feinstein sent the letter to Obama in July 2014, in the midst of an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration by family units and unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, across the southwest border.
In her note, Feinstein referred to Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which grants the president the authority to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”
The New Norm: Crime, But Not Punishment
The New Norm: Crime, But Not Punishment
"In the title of his magisterial book, Fyodor Dostoevsky paired “Crime and Punishment,” not crime and pardons, or crime and “Civics lessons,” amnesty and asylum.
Punishment must closely follow a crime in order to be both effective as a deterrent, as well as to serve as a public declaration of values and norms.
In explaining Texas justice and its attendant values, stand-up satirist Ron White performed the public service no politician is prepared to perform. “In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it.
If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back.”
So, where’s such clarity when you need it?
...The home of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is surrounded by a small, if menacing, mob, and his family threatened.
Before dinging the man’s front door, the assailants chant out their criminal intentions:
“Tucker Carlson, we will fight. We know where you sleep at night. We know where you sleep.”
To which other talkers, even the wonderful Tucker, respond by vaporizing about rights to speech and protest vs. some or other watered-down peace and security to which private property owners are entitled.
Nobody alludes to the rights of private property or to the fulcrum that is law-and-order.
No demands for arrests are issued or voiced, publicly.
No expectation for retribution is set-up.
Follow-up is nonexistent in media.
Police do not publicize any arrests.
If they make them, none are reported by media.
No teachable moments occur..."
Read all!
"In the title of his magisterial book, Fyodor Dostoevsky paired “Crime and Punishment,” not crime and pardons, or crime and “Civics lessons,” amnesty and asylum.
Punishment must closely follow a crime in order to be both effective as a deterrent, as well as to serve as a public declaration of values and norms.In explaining Texas justice and its attendant values, stand-up satirist Ron White performed the public service no politician is prepared to perform. “In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it.
If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back.”
So, where’s such clarity when you need it?
...The home of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is surrounded by a small, if menacing, mob, and his family threatened.
Before dinging the man’s front door, the assailants chant out their criminal intentions:
“Tucker Carlson, we will fight. We know where you sleep at night. We know where you sleep.”
To which other talkers, even the wonderful Tucker, respond by vaporizing about rights to speech and protest vs. some or other watered-down peace and security to which private property owners are entitled.
Nobody alludes to the rights of private property or to the fulcrum that is law-and-order.
No demands for arrests are issued or voiced, publicly.
No expectation for retribution is set-up.
Follow-up is nonexistent in media.
Police do not publicize any arrests.
If they make them, none are reported by media.
No teachable moments occur..."
Read all!
History for November 19
History for November 19 - On-This-Day.com
James Garfield (U.S.) 1831, Tommy Dorsey 1905, Indira Gandhi 1917
Larry King 1933, Ted Turner 1938, Meg Ryan 1961
1863 - U.S. President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.
2007 - The Amazon Kindle was first released.
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