A Mongolian couple have died of the bubonic plague after eating raw marmot kidney, triggering a quarantine that left tourists stranded in a remote region for days.
The ethnic Kazakh couple died on 1 May in Mongolia’s westernmost province of Bayan-Ulgii, which borders Russia and China.
Tuesday, May 07, 2019
Whoa
Guardian UK: Mongolian couple die of bubonic plague after eating marmot - Six-day quarantine declared in region, preventing tourists from leaving
Bigots
NY Times: Trump Helps Bigots Go Viral - As Facebook tries to ban extremists, the president amplifies them. By Michelle Goldberg
That wasn’t all; Trump also tweeted an Infowars video, as well as retweeted a message from a conspiracy account that said, “The ‘elite’ proclaim America must submit to Islam or else!!!”
Trade War
NY Times: Trump Advisers Accuse China of Reneging on Trade Commitments By Ana Swanson and Keith Bradsher
Mr. Trump, angry that China is retreating from its commitments just as the sides appeared to be nearing a deal and confident the American economy can handle a continuation of the trade war, will increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on Friday morning, his top advisers said.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 8:40 a.m. ET DOW futures are -152 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is set to tank at the opening bell.
CNN: Global stocks jittery after Trump administration says China reneged on trade promises By David Goldman
CNN: Global stocks jittery after Trump administration says China reneged on trade promises By David Goldman
Monday, May 06, 2019
Thoughts And Prayers
Guardian UK: ‘The NRA is in grave danger’: group's troubles are blow to Trump's 2020 bid
"The strongest NRA states are the swing states. Trump realizes that NRA support in those swing states is more important than political party affiliation for winning.” Trump’s tweet, he added, amounted to “telling the children to stop throwing food across the table at each other and get down to business"
Extinction
Guardian UK: Human society under urgent threat from loss of Earth's natural life - Scientists reveal one million species at risk of extinction in damning UN report
From coral reefs flickering out beneath the oceans to rainforests desiccating into savannahs, nature is being destroyed at a rate that is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the last 10m years, according to the Global Assessment Report by the United Nations.
Impeachiest
NY Times: Trump’s Other Impeachable Offense - As Nixon learned, Congress will not abide a president who defies its subpoenas. By James Reston Jr. - Mr. Reston is the author of “The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews.”
Now, with President Trump and William Barr, his attorney general, refusing to cooperate with congressional investigations, the Democrats in the House should take yet another lesson from Watergate. They are reportedly already preparing impeachment articles on obstruction of justice; they should add failure to comply with Congress to the list.
Trade War
NY Times: Trump’s Trade War Threat Poses Problems for China and Investors By Keith Bradsher
The prospect of a wider trade war between the United States and China sent global financial markets whipsawing on Monday and could force Beijing to make difficult decisions if it hopes to preserve its nascent economic recovery.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 9:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -480 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to completely tank at the opening bell, hold onto your hats.
CNN: Dow braces for 500-point drop on return of trade war fears By Matt Egan and Anneken Tappe
CNN: Dow braces for 500-point drop on return of trade war fears By Matt Egan and Anneken Tappe
Contest
NY Times: Pelosi Warns Democrats: Stay in the Center or Trump May Contest Election Results
“Own the center left, own the mainstream,” Ms. Pelosi, 79, said.
“Our passions were for health care, bigger paychecks, cleaner government — a simple message,” Ms. Pelosi said of the 40-seat Democratic pickup last year that resulted in her second ascent to the speakership.
Friday, May 03, 2019
Rather
Vulture: Dan Rather, Still Fighting The former CBS News anchor opens up about Les Moonves, the state of TV news, and Trump’s war on the press. By Josef Adalian
Ask Dan Rather for his reaction to the Mueller Report and he does not hold back. “What’s revealed is absolutely damning,” the former CBS News correspondent and anchor says, his familiar baritone slightly faded but still plenty strong in his 87th year of his life. “There’s never been anything like it in the history of the American presidency.”
'Shadows And Light'
Joni Mitchell with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius
****** 6 stars Sande - this is stunningly and painfully brilliant.
****** 6 stars Sande - this is stunningly and painfully brilliant.
Nixon Vs Trump
NY Times: What Watergate Prosecutors Had That Mueller Didn’t - In the Trump-Russia investigation, the special counsel did not have the leverage of physical evidence. By Nick Akerman - Mr. Akerman was an assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force.
With the hacking of D.N.C. computers, Mr. Mueller did an impressive job of compiling a strikingly detailed narrative of thieves and their methods. Twelve Russians were indicted, but none have been arrested. That is because the Russian hackers were not physically present at the D.N.C., but were thousands of miles away, often sitting at computer terminals in an office building in Moscow out of the reach of American law enforcement.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 9:10 a.m. ET DOW futures are +142 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: US jobs report; Buffett likes Amazon; Adidas accelerates By Charles Riley
CNN: US jobs report; Buffett likes Amazon; Adidas accelerates By Charles Riley
Thursday, May 02, 2019
Of Course
Politico: Trump erases offshore drilling rules enacted after BP oil spill By BEN LEFEBVRE and ERIC WOLFF
The Trump administration on Thursday dismantled safety rules for offshore drilling put in place by the Obama administration after the disastrous BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico nearly a decade ago.
Sad Reality
Guardian UK: Suicide attempts by poisoning rising among young people in US, study says - More than 1.6 million children and young adults aged 10 to 24 attempted suicide by poisoning between 2000 to 2018
There was a significant increase in the rate of attempts between 2011 and 2018 that was driven predominantly by girls and young women. A total of 71% of all cases reported in the study involved girls and women.
Snitty
Guardian UK: A ‘snitty’ day: five takeaways from Barr's testimony on the Mueller report - William Barr faced criticisms of false or misleading answers as he testified on his handling of the Mueller report
William Barr: Trump’s lead defense counsel
As the head of the US justice department, Barr swears an oath to the US constitution. Yet at key points in his testimony he let his guard down, speaking as though he were the legal representative of the president.
Lost
NY Times: Reimagining America - Admitting the truth is the first step toward our country’s restoration. By Charles M. Blow
America, as we knew it, is lost.
Not completely gone and not irrevocably ended, but forever altered. Or, maybe it is fair to say that our concept of America itself was a concoction, that it was always one solid body blow away from buckling at the knees.
The Letter
We are into some extremely sketchy territory with a very lawless president and his reckless cronies. This is about as serious as it gets. We've never been here before where the president of the United States is blatantly lawless to the extreme degree that Trump is.
NY Times: Bob Mueller’s Extraordinary Letter to Bill Barr - The special counsel publicly upbraided the attorney general for his sketchy summary of the Trump investigation. By The Editorial Board
NY Times: Bob Mueller’s Extraordinary Letter to Bill Barr - The special counsel publicly upbraided the attorney general for his sketchy summary of the Trump investigation. By The Editorial Board
Mr. Mueller’s tone and tenor are remarkable — and a sharp rebuke to Mr. Barr.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are -28 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower.
CNN: With cash dwindling, Tesla will raise $2 billion Chris Isidore byline By Chris Isidore
CNN: With cash dwindling, Tesla will raise $2 billion Chris Isidore byline By Chris Isidore
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Lied
Vice News: “You lied”: Watch Sen. Hirono tell Barr to his face he should resign - “You lied”: Watch Sen. Hirono tell Barr to his face he should resign By Rex Santus
“Being attorney general of the United States is a sacred trust. You have betrayed that trust. America deserves better. You should resign.”
Comey On Trump's Amorality
NY Times: James Comey: How Trump Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr - Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive this president. By James Comey - Mr. Comey is the former F.B.I. director.
Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from. It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.
It starts with your sitting silent while he lies, both in public and private, making you complicit by your silence. In meetings with him, his assertions about what “everyone thinks” and what is “obviously true” wash over you, unchallenged, as they did at our private dinner on Jan. 27, 2017, because he’s the president and he rarely stops talking. As a result, Mr. Trump pulls all of those present into a silent circle of assent.
Mowing
NY Times: I’m Done Mowing My Lawn - A manicured swath of grass may be the ultimate symbol of suburbia, but perhaps it shouldn’t be.
Americans are devoted to their lawns, planting enough sod to cover the state of Florida, making turf grass the largest irrigated crop in the country. To keep the grass green, some of us pump our landscapes full of pesticides, chemicals that potentially harm our children, pets and waterways. We use 7 billion gallons of water a day on our yards, wasting half of it to runoff, over-watering and evaporation.
Coulage
Coulage
"A coulage is a kind of automatic or involuntary sculpture made by pouring a molten material (such as metal, wax, chocolate or white chocolate) into cold water. As the material cools it takes on what appears to be a random (or aleatoric) form, though the physical properties of the materials involved may lead to a conglomeration of discs or spheres. The artist may use a variety of techniques to affect the outcome."
"This technique is also used in the divination process known as ceromancy."
"A coulage is a kind of automatic or involuntary sculpture made by pouring a molten material (such as metal, wax, chocolate or white chocolate) into cold water. As the material cools it takes on what appears to be a random (or aleatoric) form, though the physical properties of the materials involved may lead to a conglomeration of discs or spheres. The artist may use a variety of techniques to affect the outcome."
"This technique is also used in the divination process known as ceromancy."
Have An Excellent Wednesday May 1st
work by Max Ernst - the painting is titled 'Vox Angelica'
"Vox Angelica is a culmination of the techniques the artist pioneered throughout his career, intermixing panels of grattage, collage, and decalcomania. Made while Ernst was in New York, Vox Angelica typifies the sort of work the artist was creating while exchanging ideas with young Abstract Expressionists such as Pollock."
"Vox Angelica is a culmination of the techniques the artist pioneered throughout his career, intermixing panels of grattage, collage, and decalcomania. Made while Ernst was in New York, Vox Angelica typifies the sort of work the artist was creating while exchanging ideas with young Abstract Expressionists such as Pollock."
Anti-Semitism
NY Times: A Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism - By publishing a bigoted cartoon, The Times ignored the lessons of history, including its own. By The Editorial Board
The Times published an appalling political cartoon in the opinion pages of its international print edition late last week. It portrayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a dog wearing a Star of David on a collar. He was leading President Trump, drawn as a blind man wearing a skullcap.
Impeach
NY Times: As Trump Family Sues to Block Subpoenas, Democrats Ponder Impeachment By Glenn Thrush and Nicholas Fandos
The Trump family lawsuit to block oversight of its finances has House Democrats scrambling to confront what many see as the gravest threat to congressional independence since the Nixon era, reviving internal debate over the ultimate weapon in the Democrats’ arsenal: impeachment.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 9:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are +82 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: iPhone trouble; Fed decision; Facebook's future By Charles Riley
CNN: iPhone trouble; Fed decision; Facebook's future By Charles Riley
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