November 5, 2016

NASA images show Utah’s Great Salt Lake shrinking dramatically

The good folks at NASA never miss a chance to let us know when vital bodies of water around the world are shriveling up and vanishing. First it was Lake Mead. Then it was the Aral Sea.

Now it’s poor Utah’s turn.

Earlier this week, NASA’s Earth Observatory posted satellite images showing the dramatic decline of Utah’s Great Salt Lake over the past five years. As the two images below from 2011 and 2016 show, water levels at Farmington Bay have plummeted, exposing three-fourths of the lakebed and threatening a key waterfowl habitat:
(NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)

Suffice to say, that’s not good. The Great Salt Lake is one of the natural wonders of the West. It’s a terminal bay, which means rivers and streams flow in, but there’s nowhere for water to leave — except through evaporation. As a result, the minerals left behind just keep piling up. Today, the lake’s water is three to five times saltier than the ocean’s, creating a rich ecosystem that sustains brine shrimp, millions of migratory birds, waterfowl hunting, and so on. Mineral industries rely on it. It’s a key part of Utah’s economy, worth some $1.2 billion per year.

http://www.vox.com/2016/11/5/13528698/great-salt-lake-drying

November 5, 2016

Watch Episode One: The Messy Truth - Van Jones talks to Trump supporters about Civil War

http://addictinginfo.org/2016/11/05/van-jones-has-powerful-conversation-with-trump-supporters-about-the-possibility-of-civil-war-video/

The possibility of a civil war has been on a lot of people’s minds as the election gets closer. CNN’s Van Jones decided to sit down with a family of Trump supporters to discuss this very issue. Fittingly, the family he met with lived in Gettysburg, the site of the bloodiest battle of Civil War.

November 4, 2016

Citi predicts possible 5% drop for S&P 500 if Trump wins, warns on recession

A Donald Trump win could spark an immediate sell-off of up to 5 percent for the S&P 500, according to analysts at Citi, who also warn on slower growth or even recession for the U.S.

A survey run in September by the U.S. investment bank showed Wall Street strongly believes Hillary Clinton is set to clinch victory in next week's vote but the poor performance of U.S. equity markets in the wake of last Friday's news of the latest FBI probe into the Democratic candidate's emails, shows concerns of a Trump win are mounting.

According to the latest note out from global equity strategists at Citi Friday, fears for stocks after a Trump victory are two-fold.

In the longer-term says the research team, "A Trump win risks slower growth or recession if trade is restricted and fiscal expansion plans curtailed. Uncertainty alone could hit the economy. Global growth will also be impacted if uncertainty rises, U.S. growth is hit and U.S. financial conditions tighten."

Yet even in the immediate aftermath of the vote, markets could drop, according to Tobias Levkovich, the chief U.S. equity strategist at Citi.

"If Donald Trump were to win, that outcome would have been unexpected and thereby may cause a jump in the equity risk premium with negative P/E (price –to-earnings) multiple repercussions. We think a Trump victory could spark a 3-5 percent setback in the S&P 500," summarizes the Citi note.

The price-to-earnings ratio is a key valuation metric for stocks which gauges how much an investor must pay on the stock market for each cent of earnings.

The overwhelming majority of commentators also see the same trajectory for the S&P 500, with analysts at Barclays warning markets could drop between 11 and 13 percent in the case of a Trump win as opposed to a 2 to 3 percent bounce if Clinton emerges victorious.



However, in a New York Times article on Monday, Lawrence G. McDonald of ACG Analytics reportedly suggested there was a silver lining to all the current apprehension and negativity.

According to McDonald, "Trump will create a colossal panic, but the relief rally will be outstanding."

"Trump's bark found in his anti-globalization position in reality will be a lot worse than its bite in terms of actual implementation," he continued.

November 4, 2016

Starbucks Cup Panic Is the Apex of Christian Entitlement

In what is fast becoming a festive year-end tradition, many people took to social media on Wednesday to express their outrage over a new Starbucks cup. Not only was it not Christmas-y enough for them, but it also pushed an evil liberal agenda of — wait for it — unity. Like, with other people. Who may not even be white Christian Republicans. Quelle horreur!

Conservative outpost The Daily Wire said that Starbucks was “at it again,” perhaps deliberately trying to court controversy by not giving the people the holiday cup they want and deserve. Which I can only assume has a Nativity scene on it so that a foam Jesus may rise from within.

Of course, the outraged was misplaced. It turns out this is just a temporary cup and that new super holiday-y cups will come out in a few weeks. And they will indeed be red. CRISIS AVERTED!

We’ve all been spared from yet another Joshua Feuerstein video.

There’s a saying — I’m not sure who originated it. Probably just someone on the internet — that goes like this: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” In this situation, certain Christians feel that if they’re not made to feel special (i.e. being the only religious group ever honored in store displays or cups or festive toilet paper or what have you), they must be oppressed. That if everyone doesn’t pretend to be a Christian, it’s an attack on their faith.

By suggesting a somewhat cheesy celebration of the unity of all people, Starbucks somehow insulted those people… because, I guess, if everyone is included then no one is special. How long will it take for those Christians to find a better way to feel special that doesn’t require so much validation from paper coffee cups?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/11/03/starbucks-cup-panic-is-the-apex-of-christian-entitlement/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/starbucks-green-cup-holiday-design-unity-twitter-politics_us_5819f0c1e4b01f610e3934d2

November 3, 2016

Notes on the 10th day of early voting in Florida

good stuff:

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/226239-steve-schale-notes-tenth-day-early-voting-florida

November 3, 2016

Trump Probably Avoided His Medicare Taxes, Too

In the final debate, Hillary Clinton said she would secure Social Security and Medicare by raising taxes on high-income earners, including herself and her opponent, Donald J. Trump, “assuming he can’t figure out how to get out of it.”

As we’ve learned in the past few weeks, Mr. Trump has used all kinds of extravagant maneuvers to get out of paying taxes. Without Mr. Trump’s returns, we can’t know for certain whether he figured out a way to get out of paying into Medicare and Social Security. But we have some clues.

The only public information he has offered about his finances is buried in the 2015 Financial Disclosure Form 278e that he filed when he entered the Republican primary. According to his financial disclosure, Mr. Trump owns and controls an extensive business empire.

Given that, it seems incredible that he reported only $14,222 in total salary on his 2015 financial disclosure form, all of it paid by 208 Production LLC, which made his reality show “The Apprentice.” He claims that the other part of the form, which asks about “Sources of Compensation Exceeding $5,000 in a Year,” is “not applicable.”

That means that he was paid no salary by the more than 200 corporations that he owns and runs — corporations that own or manage businesses having more than a billion dollars in value and hundreds of millions of dollars in income.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/opinion/trump-probably-avoided-his-medicare-taxes-too.html?emc=edit_th_20161103&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=50533710&_r=0

November 3, 2016

Maybe The Military Will Arrest Hillary Clinton To Save The Republic

Direct from the nut-sack, far-right, alt-universe:

Far-right radio host Rick Wiles insisted yesterday that Americans shouldn’t count out the possibility that the military will arrest Hillary Clinton in the week before the presidential election in order to avert a “constitutional crisis” involving an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server and “save the republic from a collapse.”

Wiles insisted that the 650,000 emails found on the laptop of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of a top Clinton aide, some of which may have some connection to Clinton, “potentially have enough evidence to bring down the entire political establishment, including the Republican Party.”

When asked by one of his cohosts if “realistically” anything could “happen in seven days” before the election, Wiles responded that the military could well start making arrests in order to save America.

“The U.S. military may make arrests. Don’t count that out,” he said. “This is a constitutional crisis. The U.S. military could act in order to save the republic from a collapse.”

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/rick-wiles-maybe-the-military-will-arrest-hillary-clinton-to-save-the-republic/

November 3, 2016

Jesus Told The FBI Where To Find Those Emails Because Everybody Prayed!!

White Jesus totally directed the FBI to those emails on Huma Abedin’s computer. Kyle Mantyla has the quote at Right Wing Watch:

“I think so many people have been praying and fasting and I think God is revealing the hidden things and the hidden motives at this crucial point so people can understand truth,” she said. “I think God has His way. He has His ability to reveal truth and the truth is a glaring spotlight where the general population can see this and they can make their voice known at the ballot box next Tuesday.”

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/michele-bachmann-credits-god-with-the-discovery-of-emails-on-anthony-weiners-computer/

November 3, 2016

NASA’s Largest Space Telescope Completed

The largest space telescope built by NASA so far is finally complete, 20 years after the project began. The James Webb Space Telescope will now undergo testing and is scheduled to be launched in October 2018.

Compared to its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope — which has a 2.4-meter diameter mirror — Webb’s primary mirror has a diameter of 6.5 meters. The telescope can see in both visible light and in infrared. The mirror is comprised of 18 hexagonal segments, made of ultra-lightweight beryllium, which will unfold and adjust after the telescope has launched.

The most significant feature of the Webb telescope is a five-layer sunshield the size of a tennis court that “will prevent the background heat from the sun from interfering with the telescope’s infrared sensors.” Made from kapton, each of the layers has the thickness of a human hair. “The layers work together to reduce the temperatures between the hot and cold sides of the observatory by approximately 570 degrees Fahrenheit.”

James Cooper, Webb telescope sunshield manager at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement: “All five layers are beautifully executed and exceed their requirements. This is another big milestone for the Webb telescope project.”

The sunshield was designed by Northrop Grumman, NASA’s main industrial partner for the space observatory, while the membrane layers were designed and built by NeXolve Corporation, a process that took over three years. After its launch, Webb will be managed by the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Jim Flynn, Webb sunshield manager at Northrop Grumman, said: “The groundbreaking sunshield design will assist in providing the imaging of the formation of stars and galaxies more than 13.5 billion years ago.”

November 3, 2016

Exorcisms Are On The Rise

Priest Who Performs Exorcisms Says Number Of People Requesting Them Is Increasing

With a sudden increase in the number of people interested in the concept of Satanism and the “knowledge of the hidden,” there has also been a dramatic rise in the demand for real-life vanquishers of evil spirits — commonly referred to as exorcists — according to a Brownsburg, Indiana, priest.

Father Lampert, a Roman Catholic priest who has been appointed to serve as an exorcist at St. Malachy Parish by bishops, told WRTV, a local affiliate of CNN, that the number of people who wanted to undergo exorcisms in his area had hit “an all-time high.”

“An exorcism at it’s very core is a prayer,” said Father Lampert, stressing that people choose their path on the basis of faith in God, “So there does seem to be a correlation with people who believe they are experiencing evil in their life at the same time where faith in God is less relevant.”

Father Lampert said he receives almost 20 requests for an exorcism every week, of which only 10 percent of the people need to undergo the process. He added, “Most people by the time they call me they've already diagnosed themselves.”

While there were only 12 bishop-appointed exorcist priests in the U.S. at one point of time, the country now has over 50. This stems from the sharp spike in the demand for exorcisms. Pope Francis has routinely mentioned the subject, which was once a taboo, regularly, adding that it was the Church’s duty to guard against the work of the devil.

“This generation, and many others, have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil,” Francis said in a Mass shortly before Halloween 2014. “But the devil exists and we must fight against him.”

The pressure the exorcists have to deal with is also mounting with weight of their evil-fighting duties.

“I am a full-time pastor and this is a very intense ministry,” said the Rev. Gar Thomas, the official exorcist of the diocese of San Jose, California. “Almost every free night that I have is taken up with exorcisms.”

“After one here in Indiana on the way home, you asked how do I unwind,” Father Lampert said. “I stopped at Dairy Queen and had a chocolate shake on the way home.”