February 15, 2019

Trump Declares National Emergency To Fund the Wall

Source: CNN


"So the order is signed. And I'll sign the final papers as soon as I get into the Oval Office. And we will have a national emergency," Trump said.
After he signs national emergency and executive action paperwork, Trump said, "We will then be sued," rattling off a possible chain of events, which included bad ruling in the 9th Circuit Court, which he has previously lamented.

"We will possibly get another bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling, and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court," Trump said, comparing the process to challenges to his administration's travel ban.

"And then, hopefully, we'll get a fair shake."


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/government-shutdown-february-2019/h_5d79d10c37871f1c1a9d1b7992c3c763

February 14, 2019

About Norman Goldman and his show. I heard him just now on " Nicole Sandler"'s radio show.

..The interview ended about 5 minutes ago. (about 9pm eastern time) .. I do not know when it was made but was broadcast today. I am reasonably sure that it was recorded today, It could have been live and a
co-broadcast on Norman's show, which broadcasts from 6pm to 9pm ET_
...Evidently the "Nicole Sandler" show is out of the Miami area. I have listened to Norman Goldman since he was with Ed Schultz more than 10 years ago. I came upon this show through the internet trying to find out what was going on with Norman stopping his broadcast in a couple of weeks. It was pure luck.
..During the interview that I just heard, Norman told the audience that he went into the business with open eyes and knew what he was getting into. During the last 10 minutes of the interview, he admitted over the air, to everyone, that he and his wife were financing the show, and that they were losing $10,000. a month in the process. That's it
..That is from their own funds, their own money. He did say that 3 or 4 years ago, the show just about broke even, but that the business model that they worked with did not work. It got worse and worse. They talked about the changes that talk radio has made in the last 30 years, Air America, and so on. I was lucky to hear this, and understand why this show is going off the air. I am sad, not just that the show is going off, but that Norman is a class act. There is something special listening to him, and I will miss his show. I sure hope that he comes back with another show sometime in the future. He did say that he needs some time off and will stay in touch with listeners through his web sites on Facebook and others that he has. No, I did not record the interview, but I think it would be available by looking for the, "Nicole Sandler" Show. or just looking for "Nicole Sandler." I am guessing that there will be links to the show that I just heard. It is her show from 2/13/2019..
Norman comes on after about a half hour. I am not sure exactly, since I just put on my earphones to listen.
But I am guessing if you miss the first half hour when Norman is not being interviewed, it will be ok..This is indeed a special interview for those who enjoy and respect Norman Goldman..

February 13, 2019

"Gratitude". Adult language, a little crude, just a little....but honest.

Am I grateful for today?.
.I hear that one all the time.
Most of the time, the answer is NO !!!
I AM ANGRY ABOUT THIS OR THAT..
TRUMP, or the news, or the winter, or stupid Republicans...

In between the anger, I had to get up from this place and go to the bathroom
I needed to pee. (Yes, that happens to all of us)...
and then, I stopped to think about that.

There was a time, when I had prostate problems..
And that thing that men have, didn't work.
So, I had surgery and they fixed that.

So I was walking fast to get to the bathroom,
And after my effort there...then..
I stopped for a moment to think about that..
I had 2 hip surgeries, cause my hips didn't work too well.
And they fixed those hips. (so I could walk fast to the bathroom, I guess)

I was also little winded cause I had walked up the stairs in order to get
back to the computer after messing around in the kitchen.
(Yes, those are the same stairs I talked about before )
But this time...after walking up those stairs...and was winded, and
I stopped to think about that.
Yes, I was "winded"...I was breathing hard.
But that pump in my chest was working pretty well, and
I recovered rather quickly.

Yes...I had a surgery to fix that pump cause it wasn't working very well..
And they repaired that pump, and it works pretty well now..
Yes, there is even more,
But that is enough for today.
As I write these words,
I need to stop and think about all of this.

Do I have some gratitude for all of this?
That I can get up those stairs, and take a pee,
That the pump in my chest is still working, and the prostate works.
and that I see the computer.
And all the rest. My mind still works. My fingers work to type these words?
And, .I did recover from all of that, and much more..

So..Where is the gratitude?.
Sometimes it gets lost, in a closet, and I forget about it.
Because I am in too much in a rush..to do this or that.
Or, I am too mad because of this or that.
Or, something else isn't working..this or that.

But where is the gratitude..?? Ops, I just found it, and even though it is very cold outside,
and I am angry about this or that, and feel sorry about mistakes I made.
Or I feel very sad about some losses that I have had.
.....The gratitude is still there.......................
It was lost in a closet, or in a pile of old books that need to be tossed,
but it is still there....
What I need to do is think about it, and for a while it is back.
Then I am grateful for this day, and this moment..because that is what is important..
It is not about tomorrow or yesterday, It is about what I have right now..
And that is what I have, today. Then I am thankful just for today...

Ops, I got to get up and go to the bathroom again
If you got this far, thank you for reading this..........

February 13, 2019

Trump's Payback to Payday Lenders, NY Times Editorial: 2/12/19.. (in yesterday's paper)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/opinion/trump-payday-loans.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=undefined

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau betrayed financially vulnerable Americans last week by proposing to gut rules conceived during the Obama era that shield borrowers from predatory loans carrying interest rates of 400 percent or more. The bureau’s proposal is based on a legally dubious rationale that will surely be challenged in federal court. The agency’s abdication of its mandate to protect consumers underscores the need for state usury laws, which have passed in 16 states and offer the surest path to curtailing debt-trap lending.

Payday lenders promote “easy” loans for workers who run short of cash between paychecks and who typically promise to repay the debt within two weeks. But voluminous data collected by the consumer protection bureau showed that the industry’s business model — in which a $500 loan could cost a borrower $75 or more in interest just two weeks later — was built on the presumption that customers would be unable to pay at the appointed time and would be forced to run up the tab by borrowing again.

A 2014 bureau study of 12 million similar loans found that over 60 percent went to borrowers who took out seven or more loans in a row. In fact, a majority of loans went to people who renewed so many times that they ended up paying more in fees than the amount of money they originally borrowed. Among those trapped in this debilitating cycle were many people scrimping by on disability income.

After years of research, the bureau in 2017 issued sensible regulations governing loans that lasted 45 days or fewer. The cornerstone rule required payday lenders to determine whether the borrower could repay the debt while still meeting living expenses. The point was to create a supply of small-dollar loans that allowed lenders to earn a reasonable profit without driving borrowers into penury.

This strategy was clearly working. But the Trump administration established from the start that it was more interested in rewarding the lending industry than protecting borrowers. Mick Mulvaney, as the bureau’s acting director, sided with the lenders last year when they went to court to block the regulations. The bureau’s new director, Kathleen Kraninger, has now proposed hollowing out nearly all of the meaningful requirements in the rules.......

(Rest of editorial at link)

February 12, 2019

What the "Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmn Loera" guilty decision means to me.

...In Latest Breaking News, "Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmn Loera" well known drug kingpin who thought he was above the law, evidently will get a long sentence in prison. Perhaps a "life sentence." He is 61 and even 30 years might be life. Not going into details, what this means to me, is simply that "No One Is Above the Law." https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142264446
...I doubt that this bright fellow ever thought he would face that moment. He certainly thought that he wouldn't be caught, tried and sentenced to a long prison term, if not "life." Yes, he is smart, because he got away with it for many years. No he is not that smart because he is probably going to jail for the rest of his life...

...But my guess is that staying out of prison for so long doing what he did in some ways, shows he could be smarter than the current occupant of the White House. That current occupant has declared bankruptcy a number of times, and many other minor issues. But there is some evidence that there was some kind of "collusion with a foreign country during the last election". Currently, an individual named Robert Mueller, former head of FBI, is investigating the current occupant of the White House. Here is my point, if they got "Guzmn Loera" who was pretty sure they would never get him, I think they will get Mr. Trump's gang who conspired with Russia. Why do I think that?
....Well my guess is that the FBI, and the CIA were watching Mr. Trump very closely as he had "deals" with some very high Russian officials. And, if there was something "illegal going on" then the FBI and CIA have solid evidence of that illegal "something."

"Joaquin" "El Chapo" Guzmn Loera" today is in a place he thought he would never be: captured, tried, convicted on a number of counts of crime. He thought he was smarter than "the law". Mr. Trump I believe thinks the same thing. "I am smarter than the law."..But his lawyer, who used to help him is not, "smarter than the law." Some of his campaign people thought the same thing and they are not smarter than the law." And in the end, I personally believe that Mr. Trump and his gang are...not smarter than the law.Mr Trump and his gang may indeed think they are smarter than the law, but I am sure that "El Chapo" Guzmn Loera" thought the same thing. But he is NOT smarter than the law, and neither is Mr. Trump and his gang. No matter what his position is/was/ or will be. The law will get Mr. Trump as the law got "El Chapo."

February 11, 2019

Will Mr. Mueller get Mr. Trump?

I am trying to think this one through and want to share some questions I ask myself with you

1. Who is more experienced on their present job, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
2. Who is more honest over all, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
3. Who has a more honest team working with him, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
4. Who's overall record of following legal procedures is better, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
5. Who is more respectful of others, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
6. Who has a better reputation for excellence, Mr. Trump or Mr. Muller?
7. Who has worked themselves up from a lower level on the job to the top? Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
8. Who does the public respect more, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
9. Who is more likely to lie to the public, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
10,. If we had to guess who would win this battle, would it be Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
11. After this present difficulty is over, in your/opinion , who will be respected more,
Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
12. In dealing with the press, who does a "better job", Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
13. Over all, who seems to be less sophisticated, or more sophisticated, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
14. Whose team of people working with them seems to be more dedicated to their leader, Mr. Trump or Mr.
Mueller?
15. Who over all seems to be more loyal to the U.S.A., Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
16. Who do you think history will be kinder to Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
17. Whose family is likely to be prouder in the end, Mr. Trump's or Mr. Muller's?
18. Who do you trust more, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
19. Who seems to lead a healthier life, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?
20. Who is a walking advertisement for McDonalds, Mr. Trump or Mr. Mueller?

...............Questions are over. When I look at these, and remember them, perhaps I can calm down.. And in my heart, I know the answers to most of these questions. In writing them, I do think they have helped.
Thank You for reading them...

February 10, 2019

An Educational Experience Happened here at DU at 1:00pm ..

..It happened to me as I was doing research on a video. Because of the programing in my computer, I will post this in parts to save the information.. I was interested as to when a particular video that is playing in the General Discussion Group was made. When was Trump giving the testimony shown in the video?
___________________________________________________________________________________

As I watched the video below, it showed a much younger Donald Trump. So I hit the video itself and then I watched on YouTube. When I got to YouTube, I searched for more information about the video itself and how it got into circulation again. I found almost immediately, that the video was from an article at the Washington Post. The article was titled................
....................How Donald Trump’s 1993 comments about ‘Indians’ previewed much of his 2016 campaign
...................and the story was published on July 1, 2016..as part of the 2016 election.
....................the story was written by ...
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,By Philip Bump , July 1, 2016


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/01/how-donald-trumps-1993-comments-about-i
ndians-previewed-much-of-his-2016-campaign/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eef4748a8a05

It is a story from the Washington Post..published in July 2016..But the video itself was made in 1993 during some kind of hearing..The Washington Post..did the research and printed the content of that part of the hearing where Trump makes a stupid statement about Indians
_________________________________________________________________________________

BUT...WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS POST???.....why bring this up here and now???
__________________________________________________________________________________

Here is the point, it is simple. The ability to do research has changed dramatically in 30 years. It isn't a question of a little change. It is an incredible HUGE.. change in how a person does research to find information....

There are people who do not understand what research is about. Google Search eliminates the work. I know that the original research to find this video, at the Washington Post took some more time. Perhaps this video was in some group of videos that had Donald Trump speaking about issues. Or perhaps the author looked in a number of places to find that video. Videos are stored at different sites and collected in different ways.. They are categorized and put in order for different searches. Like videos are together for questions of government taxes...and another location might be "Donald Trump" interviews, and another might be "Interviews that contain information and statements about Native Americans"...

More important The steps that we used to take to find information are/were totally eliminated as we read the story and viewed the video..so what are those steps?

1. Go to the library.
2. At the library, go to reference section..(where reference materials are kept)
3.. Look into reference search vehicles such as:...Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.. New York Times Index..any other references that contain older search entities. I would have searched for terms and entities that contained Donald Trump statements or the name "Donald Trump
4.. Maybe I would have to look for testimony that Trump made to Congress as a separate issue.
5. Once I found that information, I would have to copy that either by making a copy, or writing that information on a study sheet..with comments, and dates as well as information on the video itself.
6. After getting a number of comments by Trump, and getting copies of that, I would have to eliminate those that were not important to what I was interested in presenting.
7. After eliminating those that did not meet my needs, then write the story. with references.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now, the author of that particular article at the Washington Post, did some of those steps..But, in order for me to find that video, and find the date and content of the story, and information about that story and that video..background info, like I wrote above...in the first part of this post............................here is the point..
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I did not have to get up from this computer to find any of that information.

1..I did not have to search the library, or the Readers Guide, or Newspaper Index. or anything...
2. The Google Search did it all, and if I wanted to note the exact articles and dates of articles and authors of articles.......then I could find those too.... without getting up off my rear end from this computer

It is almost as if a person does not need to go to a library ever to get important reference materials or see past publications on important issues or events. As long as the printer works, or if you have a pad of paper that you could write information on next to the computer....I don't have to get up at all. If I need to print something off of the printer..I may need to stand up to operate the printer, but that is it. Out comes the copy, and there are the materials for my research, or whatever you want to call it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Again, here is the point: as I sit here in my bathrobe, contemplating the world, I do not have to get up to get information on this issue. Reference points, much writing, walking around looking for sources, looking for actual newspapers or magazines with actual stories are totally eliminated. I can see those magazines, and articles without even leaving this chair. I don't need to ask the librarian, where are the old newspapers or magazines?I do not need to put some kind of audio or video tape into a machine to view some old reference stuff, or ask anyone anything. It is all here on the internet, at this computer, and with the printer. Yes, the machines needs to be hooked up, and the electricity needs to be on, and I need to know how to type..(which I learned over 50 years ago in high school) but that is it. If I want to listen to Trump talk from that 1993 interview, I might put on my earphones, or just listen to it loud. So, here is the point again..in doing research ...........Times have CHANGED.....IT AIN'T THE SAME...IT IS A NEW AND DIFFERENT WORLD...

....................MAYBE....I need to take a break..and watch a movie...ok...you know..there are some full length movies at You Tube...for free...is that true?...for free..? You Tube??? what is that ???

February 9, 2019

Here is why Trump & Co. may be totally clueless..

..Trump has always had "fixers." That is people who fixed things for him. Got him out of real trouble in what ever way necessary. Bankruptcy, paying people off, hiding, whatever the fixers suggested, that is what he did and it worked, sort of.
..Now, one of the fixers, has turned into a "get him." To save himself, and maybe clear his guilty mind, Michael Cohen has switched from a fixer to a "get him." And with all his knowledge and background, Cohen is the perfect one to "get him." Along with Cohen there are others in that group. But, "others in that group." is for another post.
..Another "get him." is "Robert Mueller". He isn't just any "get him." Mueller has a history of getting big crooks. Some of the biggest. But Trump stands above them all. And Mueller's team is second to none. It looks like on the outside that Mueller is aiming to get Trump and his family. One at a time, the way an experienced, "get him." operates.
..A third part of "get him" group is the Democratic Majority in the House of Representatives with the power to subpoena. That group is exceptionally powerful, and it is just starting to exert that power.

Yes, Donald Trump has faced problems before, but this time he is up against 3 incredibly strong forces that will bring him down. And there is another force and it just as important. That one is Trump's inherent belief that he can say and do whatever he wants. He shows no caution or restraint in his tweets, and some of his actions. He is totally unconcerned that some actions may hurt others, but he is "clueless" in the idea in hurting others, he is setting himself up to get hurt in the end. Proof is simple: He cannot shut up. In some ways, he is his own worst enemy.

One last short idea, none of this has anything to do with his "New York" problem often discussed here and elsewhere.

And that is it. Trump has overcome trouble in the past, and gotten away with plenty. But not this time. He may think he is sure that he can get away with "it", but even that thought adds stupidity to his situation. If he operated with total "caution", things might be better for him. The opposite is true. And he is clueless and arrogant. So was Nixon.

.

February 9, 2019

An old one - 2014..not Florida, but/ France buys trains that are too fat for 1,300 station platforms

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-rail-operator-orders-hundreds-of-new-trains-too-big-for-platforms-9412274.html

15 Billion Dollar Order...

_________________________________________________________________________________________
The country that brought the TGV high-speed train to Europe has accidentally created another first – the TFT, or the Too Fat Train.

More than 2,000 new regional trains ordered by the French state railways company, the SNCF, are too wide to enter the old, rural stations that they are supposed to serve. To the indignation of national and local politicians, 1,300 platforms have to be rebuilt at a cost of at least €50m. (about $100 million in our money)

“It’s like ordering a big, new car without checking the width of your garage,” said Emmanuel Grondein, of the SUD-Rail trade union.

February 9, 2019

Enjoy this strange story...".A slab of seal poo used for scientific research has found??...

(hit the link, and you will see, how crazy things can be..) sorry, had to do this..(weird news)
you can ignore this if you want, but...??man this one is crazy...weird news...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/110315624