October 19th, 2017 • 2h 59m

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Rainsticks

Atmospheric river to wallop Northwest with rain, snow

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 14:47

An atmospheric river that stretches from Asia to North America will pelt the Northwest with rain and snow. (Photo: NASA)

An atmospheric river is poised to funnel gigantic amounts of rain and snow to the Northwest over the next few days.

As much as 15 inches of rain is forecast in the mountains along with several inches in coastal areas, including Portland and Seattle. It could be Seattle's wettest weather since February, the National Weather Service said.

There is also a risk of flash flooding in western Washington and northwestern Oregon on Thursday as a result of the heavy rainfall, the weather service warned.

Snowfall will expand throughout the Washington and Oregon Cascades and parts of the northern Rockies on Thursday '-- with some light snowfall in higher elevations of northern California. By Friday, snow will continue across the Cascades and throughout the northern Rockies.

On the very tops of the Cascade mountains, a whopping 9 feet of snow could fall, the weather service said.

Some of the rain will make it down to fire-ravaged California in the next few days. However, while a few periods of rain are in store for northern California late Thursday through Friday, a widespread, fire-quenching rainfall is not expected, AccuWeather said.

Another one of these rivers in the sky could funnel rain into Oregon by the weekend.

A Seahawks flag flaps in the wind and rain in Seattle. A potent storm is forecast to pelt the Northwest over the next couple of days. (Photo: KING-TV)

Atmospheric riversMade visible by clouds, the ribbons of water vapor known as atmospheric rivers can extend thousands of miles from the tropics to the western USA. They provide the fuel for the massive rainstorms and subsequent floods along the U.S. West Coast.

The one that's fueling the storms this week stretches some 5,000 miles, all the way from Asia.

Though beneficial for water supplies in the western USA, these events can wreak havoc on travel, bring deadly mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

One well-known nickname for an atmospheric river is the "Pineapple Express," which occurs when the source of the moisture is near Hawaii. A single strong atmospheric river can transport up to 15 times the water vapor compared with the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.

Last winter, an onslaught of atmospheric rivers knocked out the five-year drought in Northern California. Much of the Sierra Nevada saw its rainiest and snowiest October-February period on record, the weather service said.

Warmer, drier next weekThe cooler, damper weather will likely be short-lived. Another warm, dry pattern is forecast for next week in the West, especially in southern California.

"A strong upper ridge building across the southwestern U.S. should bring some record warmth to the region early next week," the weather service said. "Current forecast highs above the 100 degree mark over Southern California may break some daily records." Hot, dry, breezy conditions could spur on a fire weather risk during the period.

High temperatures are expected to soar as much as 30 degrees above average in Southern California, with the worst heat arriving Tuesday.

Almost the entire state of California will see highs in the 80s and 90s by early next week.

''Record heat is forecast for early next week,'' the Los Angeles office of the weather service said.

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F-Russia

Firm Behind "Trump Dossier" Refuses To Comply With Congressional Subpoena | Zero Hedge

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:34

The three co-founders of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm responsible for overseeing the creation of the infamous ''Trump dossier'', will refuse to comply with a subpoena ordered by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, according to a letter from their attorneys originally obtained by Business Insider.

But experts say the argument their lawyers are using to ask that they be excused relies on shaky legal grounds, and is unlikely to hold.

Attorneys from Cunningham, Levy & Muse said in a letter that, if called to testify, their clients planned to invoke their first amendment rights to exempt them from answering questions. The move - which has all the hallmarks of a stalling tactic - is the latest attempt by the firm's founders, who reportedly were aware that not all of the allegations contained in the dossier were credible before turning it over to the FBI, to forestall delivering public testimony. Glenn Simpson, a former WSJ investigative reporter and one of the firm's three founders, met privately with the Senate Judiciary Committee for ten hours over the summer. Afterwards, a group of senators, including Democrat Richard Blumenthal, pushed for Simpson's testimony to be made public, and the committee is reportedly still mulling whether to release it.

However, Simpson and his fellow Fusion GPS co-founders Thomas Catan and Peter Fritsch, plan to invoke constitutional privileges and decline to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, their attorney wrote in a letter obtained by Business Insider on Monday.

"We cannot in good conscience do anything but advise our clients to stand on their constitutional privileges, the attorney work product doctrine and contractual obligations," wrote Fusion GPS counsel Josh Levy in response to subpoenas issued earlier this month by the committee's chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes.

Levy argued that complying with the subpoenas would violate "the First Amendment rights" of the cofounders "and would chill any American running for office ... from conducting confidential opposition research in an election."

"Should you compel any of our three clients to appear at the scheduled deposition, they will invoke their constitutional privileges not to testify," Levy wrote. "Since that will be the case, we ask that the Committee excuse them from appearing."

Imprisoned former Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli pled the fifth '' the right against self-incrimination '' when he appeared before a Congressional panel about prescription-drug pricing in February 2016. At the time, he had been indicted on eight counts of fraud.

Though he officially resigned from the investigation in April following his decision to brief Trump and the press about classified intelligence without first informing his fellow committee members, Nunes has helped steer the committee's inquiry toward ''unmaskings'' ordered by Susan Rice and the credibility of the dossier. Many of the dossier's most egregious claims '' such as one alleging that the Russian government was in possession of an embarrassing video of the president '' have been debunked.

Levy contended in the letter that Nunes' "unilateral issuance of these subpoenas violates your recusal and further undermines the legitimacy of this investigation."

Nunes reportedly issued the subpoenas just 24 hours after Fusion's counsel met with "majority and minority staff" for approximately an hour to discuss "a way forward for voluntary cooperation."

"Based on this Committee's bad faith interactions with the undersigned counsel and its pattern of unprofessional conduct exhibited during different points throughout this investigation, you have left us with no choice but to advise our clients to assert their privileges in the face of these subpoenas," Levy wrote.

Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, told Business Insider that Fusion's ''novel'' legal strategy was unlikely to succeed.

"That is probably why the attorneys have emphasized other arguments, like Nunes' apparent lack of authority to issue the subpoenas and the fact that Congress didn't authorize the investigation he's conducting on his own," Mariotti said.

"Those arguments have more merit, and they draw attention to Nunes' zarre behavior over the past month '-- including his subpoenas to the DOJ," he added. "That said, if the subpoenas issued by Nunes are valid, then I expect these individuals will be held in contempt if they refuse to testify as ordered."

Republican Rep. Mike Conaway, who is now heading the committee's investigation, reportedly approved Nunes' subpoenas to Fusion GPS, but House Intelligence Democrats told BI that they weren't consulted.

Nunes reportedly turned his attention toward Fusion after the FBI refused to turn over documents pertaining to the dossier that were requested by Nunes. The chairman says he's seeking the documents to help determine how the dossier played into the DOJ's decision to launch multiple investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election '' including claims that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to sway the vote in Trump's favor.

DOJ has maintained that publicly disclosing the information that Nunes is requesting could compromise an ongoing investigation.

Last month, Senate Intel Committee Chairman Richard Burr said the committee's investigators had ''hit a wall'' in their efforts to verify the claims contained in the dossier, in part because investigators couldn't convince former British spy Christopher Steele, the man hired by Fusion to compile the dossier, to meet with them. However, CNN later reported that special counsel Robert Mueller had managed to interview Steele. While it's unclear which, if any, of the claims contained in the dossier are true, the US intelligence community opted to omit the allegations from a crucial report released in January.

In summary, after months of resisting investigators' overtures, it looks like the men behind Fusion GPS will finally be forced to answer some uncomfortable questions about the role they played in fostering the current climate of anti-Russia hysteria. We look forward to hearing what they have to say.

Read the letter below:

361738857-2017-10-16-Letter-to-Chair-D-Nunes by zerohedge on Scribd

Former Clinton Strategist: $100,000 Worth Of Russian Facebook Ads Could Never Buy The Presidency

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:11

"... doing some back-of-the-envelope math, it's clear this was no devilishly effective plot."By Chris Agee

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A political strategist who worked on multiple campaigns for both former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently penned an editorial with a surprising new take on the 2016 election.

In the op-ed, Mark Penn explained why he is not overly concerned about allegations that Russian operatives worked to tilt the 2016 presidential election in favor of then-GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, he listed several reasons why he does not think foreign interests played a decisive role in the election.

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''The fake news about fake news is practically endless,'' he wrote, referencing recent revelations that Facebook ran about $100,000 in largely pro-Trump sponsored content paid for by individuals tied to Russia.

Though many Americans, including a number of Democrat lawmakers, have taken these reports seriously and are demanding investigations, Penn explained why he does not think any foreign plot was either funded or planned effectively to leave any real fingerprint on the election.

''Analyzing the pattern of expenditures, and doing some back-of-the-envelope math, it's clear this was no devilishly effective plot,'' he wrote.

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Penn further noted that more than half of the ads ran after the election, and many ran in Democrat strongholds like New York and California '-- or Republican-leaning states like Texas '-- instead of swing states whose residents would cast the decisive votes.

After accounting for the fact that Russian-backed ads began in June 2015 '-- well before Trump was the nominee '-- and many did not offer direct candidate endorsements, Penn determined the calculable influence in the election was a far cry from $100,000.

''The actual electioneering then amounts to about $6,500,'' he wrote.

Penn then contrasted that amount with the $40 million in ads Facebook displays daily, or the $1.4 billion that Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton had in her campaign budget.

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''Even a full $100,000 of Russian ads would have erased just 0.025% of Hillary's financial advantage,'' he wrote.

He also cited a minor scandal from former Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election bid in making the case that $100,000 in foreign money '-- in that case from China '-- was not enough to influence that election either. Penn had been the chief strategist for Clinton during that campaign.

''There were congressional investigations, and several fundraisers were prosecuted, but Attorney General Janet Reno rejected calls for an independent counsel,'' he wrote. ''Campaigns tightened up their donor-validation procedures, and life moved on. The same is called for here.''

''Internet companies should improve their screening of electioneering ads, impose clearer standards on all ads, and do a better job weeding out phony accounts,'' he said.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.

McCain: Russian Internet trolls say I staged ISIS executions - Middle East - Jerusalem Post

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:44

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REAL

ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS

More from Newsweek

On what should happen if the unthinkable happens '' Lessig '' Medium

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 23:48

There's a bunch of chatter about imminent action by the special prosecutor. Some of that chatter suggests evidence of a real tie with Russia during the election. By ''real tie'' I mean more than that the Russians tried to help. A ''real tie'' would be real evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

I don't know if I believe it. I certainly haven't seen clear evidence of it. And I don't think it's appropriate to speculate about whether there is clear evidence of it or not. But I get tons of emails from people asking, ''what if there was a conspiracy?''

It's a fair question. We ought to have a clear answer.

What if there were a conspiracy?This ''if'' has got to be specified very precisely. The question is not whether Trump obstructed justice, or is guilty of tax evasion, or has violated the Emoluments Clause or done any other act justifying impeachment. The ''if'' here is quite specific: It relates explicitly to the validity of the election. The question I'm asking here is what should happen if Trump conspired with a foreign government to get elected? If he did that, then what should happen.

If that is shown, then the first step is obvious. Trump should resign or, if he doesn't, he should be impeached.

The second step should be obvious as well: Pence should resign or, if he doesn't, he should be impeached. He benefited from the criminal (and treasonous) conspiracy just as much as Trump. He shouldn't benefit even more by becoming the residual President.

Under the law as it is, this leaves Paul Ryan as President. And the hard moral question that Ryan would then face is whether he should remain as President. By hypothesis, we're assuming the office was effectively stolen from the legitimate winner by a criminal and treasonous act of the (previous) leader of Ryan's own party. Ryan's being President is just the fruit of that poisonous tree. So should he just ignore that? Or should he acknowledge the wrong, and act to make it right?

There's no mechanism in American law for a new election. Nor is there a mechanism for correcting the criminal results of the previous election. The Electoral College was meant to be the check, but most in the chatterati resisted the idea of the Electoral College exercising a substantive check, and insisted that its vote must be automatic. So, constitutionally, we've passed the moment when this crime could have been constitutionally corrected. And no court is going to step in and do anything about it now, regardless of what the evidence now proves.

Fixing it, politicallyBut that doesn't mean this crime couldn't be fixed politically. And recognizing just how it could is something we should be talking about right now.

President Ryan would have the right to nominate a Vice-President. That right is specified in the 25th Amendment. That nominee then becomes Vice-President once confirmed by a majority of both houses. That's how Gerald Ford became Vice President. And that's how he eventually became President without ever running for that office.

If Ryan became President because the Trump/Pence campaign committed treason, who should he nominate as his Vice President? The answer seems unavoidable: He should nominate the person defeated by the treason of his own party, and then step aside, and let her become the President.

Of course, this is the sort of thing that's unimaginable in Washington today. But that's why we need to start imagining it, now. The nation won't have months to deliberate the matter in the urgency of a treason-driven impeachment. It's the sort of truth we should have resolved to long before it is needed.

And it is the sort of truth we all should embrace: If you steal an election, neither you or your party should benefit from that theft. Even more so if you steal it in conspiracy with a foreign government. Everyone should be able to agree with this fundamental principle. The only question then is whether that principle would guide in this particular case.

Without doubt, if Ryan did the right thing, that would be the most extraordinary event in the history of America since the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter. But unlike that, this event would build the union, not divide it. And if he did it, then Clinton should embrace the spirit of cross partisan decency and nominate Ryan, or a Republican, as her Vice President. At least for the balance of her first term, the frame of adults-behaving-like-adults could live.

Body Doubles!

Melania Trump Uses Body Doubles, Latest Trump Conspiracy Theory Claims

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JFK CIA

CIA Urges Trump To Delay Release Of 3,000 Never-Before-Seen Documents On JFK Assassination | Zero Hedge

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:01

Authored by Alex Christoforou via TheDuran.com,

More than 3,000 never-before-seen documents from the FBI, CIA, and Justice Department on the assassination of John F. Kennedy are scheduled be released, with many experts fearing that such a large release of secret JFK assassination documents will spur ''a new generation of conspiracy theories.''

According to Roger Stone, the CIA is urging President Donald Trump to delay disclosing some of the files for another 25 years.

Roger Stone said in a post on his website'...

''They must reflect badly on the CIA even though virtually everyone involved is long dead.''

Newsmax reports:

More than 3,000 never-before-seen documents from the FBI, CIA, and Justice Department are set to be released, along with 30,000 that have only been partially released in the past. The document dump ''will simply fuel a new generation of conspiracy theories,'' write Philip Shenon and Larry J. Sabato.

Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of ''The Kennedy Half-Century'' and Shenon is a former reporter for the New York Times and author of, ''A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination.''

The CIA is urging President Donald Trump to delay disclosing some of the files for another 25 years according to friend and political adviser Roger Stone but the National Archives would not say whether any agencies have appealed the release of the documents.

According to The Gateway Pundit Roger Stone and Gerald Posner, two New York Times bestselling authors who are polar opposites about who killed JFK, have joined together to urge Donald Trump to release all the remaining classified files on Kennedy's assassination.

About 3,100 files are still sealed in the National Archives. Under the 1992 JFK Records Act, the Archives have until October 26 to decide which of those files to publicly disclose.

Some of the classified documents include a CIA personality study of Oswald, top-secret testimony of former CIA officers to congressional committees, transcripts of interrogations with Soviet defector and Oswald handler Yuri Nosenko, letters about the case from J. Edgar Hoover and Jackie Kennedy, the CIA file on Jack Wasserman, the attorney for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, and the operational file of E. Howard Hunt, career spy and Watergate burglar.

Roger Stone, in his bestselling 2013 The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ, set forth the case that LBJ was the mastermind of plot that included the CIA, the Mob and Big Texas Oil to kill Kennedy.

Gerald Posner, in his 1993 bestselling finalist for the Pulitzer for History, Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK, concluded that the Warren Commission conclusions are correct and Oswald acting alone had killed Kennedy.

While they might not agree on who killed Kennedy, Stone and Posner are longstanding advocates for the release of all the government files on the assassination.

''These files should have been released long ago,'' says Posner. ''The government does this all the time, over classified documents and then holds on to them for decades under the guise of 'national security.' All the secrecy just feeds people's suspicions that the government has something to hide and adds fuel to conspiracy theories.'' Posner is convinced the case will still be closed when the last document is made public.

''I know CIA Director Pompeo is urging the President to delay release of these records for another 25 years,'' said Stone. ''They must reflect badly on the CIA even though virtually everyone involved is long dead.'' Stone believes the evidence supporting the case in his book is still hidden somewhere in government files.

Both authors called on President Trump '' who is empowered to make the final decision should the National Archives or CIA balk on releasing all the files '' to opt for transparency.

Hurricane Harvey

Corey Feldman told cops he was molested and named his abusers but they did nothing | Daily Mail Online

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Sun, 15 Oct 2017 21:08

Corey Feldman starred in hit movies Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, Gremlins and The GooniesIn new book Coreyography, he recalls how he and Haim were told by trusted adults that it was normal for older men and young boys to have sexual relations in HollywoodHe described his rough home life left him searching for strong role models who often turned out to be pedophilesHe spiraled into drug abuse, having regular 'coke-off challenges' with friends and doing heroinWrites that his relationship with Jackson was the healthiest in his life and that he never abused himBy Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 10:27 EDT, 1 November 2013 | Updated: 16:44 EDT, 1 November 2013

Child actor Corey Feldman told police he was molested and who his abusers were more than 20 years ago but they did nothing about it, it was claimed today.

The Goonies actor has opened up about the sexual abuse he suffered for years at the hands of 'older men in Hollywood' after his book Coreyography was released recently.

A recording of Feldman speaking to Santa Barbara sheriffs recorded in December 1993 when the actor was 22 was obtained by RadarOnline.

Opened up:The Stand By Me actor insists that Michael Jackson did not molest him

Tragic: Corey Feldman, center, has opened up about the sexual abuse he and fellow child actor Corey Haim, left, suffered in Hollywood

Feldman was being questioned in relation to the molestation charges brought against MIcahel Jackson by Jordy Chandler and his family. In his book the Stand By Me actor said his relationship with the pop king was one of the healthiest he had.

In the recording, Feldman can be heard telling Sgt. Deborah Linden and Detective Russ Birchim, 'I myself was molested' before going on to name his abusers.

The detectives expressed little to no concern but continued to keep the focus on Jackson.

'I know what it's like to go through those feelings and believe me, the person who molested me, if this was him that did that to me, this would be a different story.

'I would be out there, up front, doing something immediately to have this man given what was due to him.'

He alluded to this interview recently after a fan on Twitter asked him why he did not report the men to authorities.

'All names were given to police before statute had run out but they did zero,' he answered.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office did not respond to requests for comment.

Memoir: In a new book, Coreyography, pictured, Corey Feldman, from hit movies 'Stand By Me,' 'The Lost Boys,' 'Gremlins' and 'The Goonies,' recalls being told by trusted adults that it was normal for older men and young boys to have sexual relations in the industry

In the book, Feldman recalls his often twisted friendship with fellow child star Corey Haim and how the pair were told by trusted adults that it was normal for older men and young boys to have sexual relations in the industry.

He named their abusers as Ron, Tony, Burnham and Crimson '-- all pseudonyms.

The Lost Boys actor also explains his family life wasn't happy: his former Playboy model mother dyed his hair blonde at age four and tortured him about his weight, force-feeding him diet pills.

Meanwhile, his father only seemed to care about him when they were getting high together, he writes.

By the age of seven, Feldman was the family breadwinner, working as a commercial actor, and his mother banned him from riding a bicycle because she said he couldn't afford to get hurt.

'You have responsibilities now,' she said, according to excerpts of the book in The New York Post.

When he began acting out on the set, and was fired from one TV movie, his mother was furious.

'"How could you f****** do this to me?" she screams. She is out of control, wild-eyed, like an animal. Her face is bright red and blotchy, her cheeks are streaked with mascara,' he recalls. '"You know I need this f****** money. I will kill you. I will f****** kill you, you worthless piece of s***."'

Naturally, he sought out adult role models at work. And while Steven Spielberg, who hired him for the first time for 'Gremlins,' became a trusted friend, other grown ups took advantage of him, he writes in the book.

An assistant his father, who managed him for a time, hired called 'Ron' took him out on the town as a teenager and introduced him on to new drugs.

One night, after taking a cocktail of pills 'Ron had made up', the man, in his early 20s, placed a hand on Feldman's thigh.

Ron ended up having oral sex with the 'petrified' and 'revolted' Feldman that night, the teen too frightened to say no.

'I don't know why I couldn't confront Ron, but I was consumed with guilt. I felt like the whole thing was my fault,' Feldman penned.

'I desperately wanted him to stop, but I was afraid of losing my friend.'

His relationship with Ron lasted several years but Feldman also formed relationships with other adults who reached out during this time. Sadly, these men, in many instances, turned out to be pedophiles.

One picture in the book shows Feldman and Haim at the former's 15th birthday party flanked by five older men who at the time were abusing them.

'Slowly, over a period of many years I would begin to realize that many of the people I had surrounded myself with were monsters,' he writes.

Interestingly, the only safe place he knew was with Michael Jackson.

'I was shattered, disgusted, devastated. I needed some normalcy in my life. So, I called Michael Jackson,' he recalls. The pair had been introduced by Spielberg.

'Michael Jackson's world, crazy as it sounds, had become my happy place. Being with Michael brought me back to my innocence. When I was with Michael, it was like being 10 years old again.'

He insists in the book that Jackson never abused him or tried to touch him sexually.

Death: Corey Feldman, left, and Corey Haim, right, starred in a TV series called 'The Two Coreys' in 2007 before Haim tragically died in 2010 following a long battle with drug addiction

During their first meeting, on the film The Lost Boys, Haim confided in his new friend that on the set of the 1986 film Lucas, 'an adult male convinced him that it was perfectly normal for older men and younger boys in the business to have sexual relations, that it was what all the guys do. So they walked off to a secluded area between two trailers... and Haim (was) sodomized.'

The friends made nine films and starred in one TV series together and partied heavily, their increasingly damaging antics driven by the horrors of their abuse.

After discovering his mother's stash of cocaine, Feldman's developed a dependance on drugs. He found himself snorting an eighth of an ounce every two days and bales of weed in his trailer.

He recalled having 'regular coke-off challenges' with friends. Later he moved onto heroin.

Haim was even more dependent.

With his career all but over, Haim relapsed several times before dying of pneumonia in 2010 aged just 38.

Feldman relapsed in 1995 but he said since then he's been clean. He now works on low budget horror films and has a 9-year-old son with ex-wife Playboy model Susie Sprague.

But Feldman is adamant he will not be encouraging his son to follow him into child acting.

'People always ask me about life after childhood stardom. What would I say to parents of children in the industry?' he writes. 'My only advice, honestly, is to get these kids out of Hollywood and let them lead normal lives.'

Harvey Weinstein: Woody Allen 'sad' for producer over sexual assault allegations - BBC News

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Sun, 15 Oct 2017 21:22

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Image caption Woody Allen has worked with Harvey Weinstein, pictured together in 2008, on many films Woody Allen has said he is "sad" for Harvey Weinstein as the producer faces numerous allegations of sexual assault.

The filmmaker said he had heard rumours but not "these horror stories" after a number of women came forward to accuse Weinstein of assault.

Weinstein was voted off the board behind the Oscars on Saturday as a result of the allegations.

Allen faced his own sex claims; accused of molesting his adopted daughter - a claim he has always strongly denied .

Weinstein has been credited with reviving Allen's career after Allen was accused of abusing Dylan Farrow, his daughter with actress Mia Farrow.

The allegation emerged in the early 1990s following Allen's separation from Farrow.

The actress left Allen after discovering he was having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.

But despite working with Weinstein on a number of films - including the Oscar-winning Mighty Aphrodite - Allen said he had never heard any of allegations of rape and sexual assault.

"No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness," Allen told the BBC. "And they wouldn't, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie.

"But you do hear a million fanciful rumours all the time. And some turn out to be true and some - many - are just stories about this actress, or that actor."

Image caption On some red carpets, Harvey Weinstein is not a welcome subject "The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved," he added. "Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up.

"There's no winners in that, it's just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that."

Allen said he hoped the revelations, which emerged after an investigation by the New York Times, would lead to "some amelioration", but said: "You also don't want it to lead to a witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself. That's not right either.

"But sure, you hope that something like this could be transformed into a benefit for people rather than just a sad or tragic situation."

Among those who investigated Weinstein were Allen's own son, Ronan Farrow, who spoke to 13 women who said the producer had sexually harassed or assaulted them.

Weinstein, 65, insists any sexual contacts he had were consensual. His spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister said earlier this week: "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein."

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Bob Weinstein Accused of Sexual Harassment by TV Showrunner '' Variety

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Tue, 17 Oct 2017 23:43

'Game of Thrones' Star Lena Headey Says Harvey Weinstein Sexually Harassed HerBert Fields, a lawyer for Bob Weinstein, also issued a strong denial on Weinstein's behalf.

''Variety's story about Bob Weinstein is riddled with false and misleading assertions by Ms. Segel and we have the emails to prove it, but even if you believe what she says it contains not a hint of any inappropriate touching or even any request for such touching,'' Fields said. ''There is no way in the world that Bob Weinstein is guilty of sexual harassment, and even if you believed what this person asserts there is no way it would amount to that.''

A rep for the Weinstein Co. denied that Glasser was contacted by Segel's lawyer, a source close to Glasser said in fact the COO had communicated with Segel but his involvement in addressing the situation was minimal.

Spike TV in a statement said: ''We take all allegations of this nature very seriously, and are investigating.''

Segel's revelation about her experience with Bob Weinstein comes on the heels of explosive allegations of sexual assault and harassment by his older brother and longtime business partner, Harvey Weinstein. More than 30 women have come forward with allegations that paint a pattern of behavior by Harvey Weinstein as a serial sexual predator. The scandal resulted in Harvey Weinstein being fired by the board of the Weinstein Co. and has sent the company into a tailspin, with creative partners and networks working to distance themselves from the company.

Meanwhile, this week, Bob Weinstein has publicly decried his brother's actions and claimed that he was unaware of the severity of the allegations, which include at least two allegations of rape. But the disclosure from Segel raises serious questions about Bob Weinstein's comportment with female colleagues. Segel's experience on ''The Mist'' left her shaken and angry.

The intense media focus on disturbing allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein sparked renewed frustration for Segel. She knows from previous experience that sexual harassment and discrimination against female writers is widespread in television. After much consideration of the potential risk to her career, Segel decided to go public with her Bob Weinstein experience in an effort to help raise awareness of the extra burden that women often face and to encourage the industry to put a stop to behavior that has too often been seen as part and parcel of the high-pressure business of producing a TV show.

Segel's discomfort with Bob Weinstein began in June 2016 when he invited her out to dinner in Los Angeles, at Dan Tana's restaurant. Segel had been told by coworkers that Bob Weinstein had inquired with them whether she was single. She agreed to go to dinner with him in an effort to establish a professional relationship with the head of the company behind ''The Mist.''

During the dinner, Weinstein asked Segel highly intimate questions and made romantic overtures to her, according to Segel. He wanted to know her age because he told her he didn't want to date anyone younger than his daughter. He told Segel that he was staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel because his daughter was staying at his home in Los Angeles.

About halfway through the dinner, Weinstein asked Segel if she would drive him back to the hotel so that he could let his driver go for the night. Segel agreed. When she took him to the Sunset Boulevard hotel, he asked her to come up to his room. She declined.

After that night, Weinstein began sending emails to Segel with questions that were outside the scope of work on ''The Mist.'' He said he wanted them to be friends. She said that was possible but in a non romantic way, and reiterated that she was not open to dating.

In a scenario that echoes some of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Segel asserts that during this period Bob Weinstein invited her to a house he'd rented in Malibu for a party. When he called Segel to tell her the address of the house, she gathered that it was not a party but an invitation for the two of them to be alone. She did not attend.

Bob Weinstein continued to ask Segel out to dinner between June and August of 2016 joking at times that he was her boss and could fire her if she didn't agree. Segel agreed to another dinner with him in which she was accompanied by ''Mist'' executive producer and writer Christian Torpe. Weinstein was clearly unhappy with Torpe's presence at the dinner, according to Segel.

Eventually, Weinstein stopped the unwanted attention toward Segel. During a notes conference call with network executives about the show, Segel says Weinstein became angry and screamed at Segel over a production issue that she says was out of her control. When questioned about the outburst by others on the call, Segel expressed her view that she had been sexually harassed by Weinstein for three months. After that incident, Segel had her lawyer contact TWC executives with the ultimatum that she would leave the show if Weinstein did not stay away from her.

After much back and forth between Segel, her lawyer and TWC executives, an agreement was reached that Segel would continue her work on the show but arrangements were made that she was never to be in the same room as Weinstein or on telephone calls with him, an agreement that was honored by Weinstein. It was also agreed that TWC would let Segel out of its option to keep her on the show if it was picked up for a second season.

Fox declined to comment, citing ''the possibility of litigation involving the Weinstein Company.''

''The Mist,'' a fantasy thriller based on the Stephen King novella, had a 10-episode run that wrapped in August. The show was not renewed by Spike TV for a second season.

At present, Segel is working on a new series, in a work environment she described as pleasantly low-key, and focused on developing her own projects.

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Carrie Fisher gave predatory producer a cow's tongue in a box

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Source: Culture | The Guardian

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:03

'The next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box' '... Carrie Fisher. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/EPA

Carrie Fisher once hand-delivered a cow's tongue wrapped in a Tiffany box to a predatory Hollywood producer, a friend of the late actor has claimed.

Screenwriter Heather Robinson said that Fisher had intervened after the unnamed executive, identified as an Oscar winner, had tried to force himself on Robinson while in his car.

Robinson told Arizona radio station 94.9 MixFM that two weeks after recounting the incident to Fisher, she received an email from the Star Wars actor saying that she had personally delivered a Tiffany box to Sony studios, where the executive was based.

''It was a cow tongue from Jerry's Famous Deli with a note that said: 'If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box,''' Robinson recalled.

Robinson said that she had never spoken of the incident, which took place in 2000, because of fear of retribution. ''It happened so quickly that I was ashamed of myself. I thought that I had done something wrong. I thought that, having lunch or dinner with him, I was asking for it. So I stayed quiet for years, because I didn't want the retribution,'' she said.

The screenwriter added that the current scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein was just part of a larger culture of abuse in Hollywood. ''It happens all the time,'' she said. ''There's a very well-known director who I've been friends with for a long time. I thought that he was amazing. I got a message from somebody that said 'I just wanted you to know that I appreciated you speaking up and this person raped me and you should know that.'''

Weinstein, who was sacked by the board of The Weinstein Company last week, has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than 40 women. Sallie Hofmeister, a spokesperson for Weinstein, said: ''Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein. With respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.''

Fisher died in December 2016 after suffering a medical emergency on an international flight. The actor was best known for her role as Leia Organa in the Star Wars film series and appeared in a number of other films including The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally... and Hannah and Her Sisters.

Reese Witherspoon alleges sexual assault by director when she was 16

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Source: Culture | The Guardian

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:03

Witherspoon in her latest film Home Again. Photograph: Karen Ballard/AP

Reese Witherspoon has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a director when she was 16, but was told to remain silent by agents and producers.

The actor made the claims during a speech reflecting on the problems faced by women in the film industry at the Elle Women in Hollywood event on Monday, People reports. Witherspoon did not name the director in question but said that the incident was the first of many experiences of ''harassment and sexual assault'' throughout her career.

''I have my own experiences that have come back to me very vividly and I find it really hard to sleep, hard to think, hard to communicate a lot of the feelings that I've been having about anxiety, the guilt for not speaking up earlier,'' she said.

''[I feel] true disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old and anger at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment. And I wish that I could tell you that was an isolated incident in my career, but sadly it wasn't. I've had multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault and I don't speak about them very often,'' she added.

Witherspoon said that she was prompted to speak up after hearing other accounts of sexual assault faced by women in the film industry. ''After hearing all the stories these past few days and hearing these brave women speak up tonight about things that we're kind of told to sweep under the rug and not to talk about, it's made me want to speak up and speak up loudly because I actually felt less alone this week than I have ever felt in my entire career,'' she added.

The actor's comments come at a time when Hollywood is reckoning with a culture of abuse in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Weinstein has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than two dozen women over four decades. The producer has ''unequivocally denied'' allegations of nonconsensual sex, and denies many of the claims of sexual harassment made against him.

The allegations made against Weinstein have prompted a wider discussion on sexual abuse inside and outside the film industry. On Monday actor Alyssa Milano encouraged women on Twitter to speak out about their own experiences of harassment by using the #MeToo hashtag. Among those responding to Milano's call-out was Ugly Betty actor America Ferrera, who said that she was sexually assaulted when she was nine years old. ''I told no one and lived with the shame and guilt thinking all along that I, a nine-year-old child, was somehow responsible for the actions of a grown man,'' Ferrara wrote on Instagram.

Also speaking at the Elle event, Jennifer Lawrence shared her own experiences as a young woman in the film industry. The actor revealed that on one early production she was made to take part in a naked lineup with other female actors, an experience she described as ''degrading and humiliating''.

Vegas Massacre

Vegas shooting survivor, California charity co-founder dies suddenly

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Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:41

Kymberley Suchomel died early Monday at her home.

By Rene Ray De La CruzGatehouse Media California APPLE VALLEY, Calif. '-- About a week after surviving the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Kymberley Suchomel has died.

Suchomel, 28, who was not injured during last week's shooting, died early Monday at her Apple Valley home, according to her grandmother, Julie Norton, the co-founder of the High Desert Phoenix Foundation.

Norton found Suchomel just after 8:30 a.m. when she arrived to care for her 3-year-old great-granddaughter, Scarlett. She believes Suchomel may have died in her sleep after her husband, Mike, left for work at 4:30 a.m.

''Kymberley had epilepsy and she's always been prone to seizures '-- she told her friend that she recently had three focal seizures,'' Norton told the Daily Press. ''I believe the stress from the shooting took her life.''

Days after the shooting, Suchomel explained to the Victorville Daily Press how she and her friends escaped with their lives as a gunman, perched from a hotel suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, opened fire on some 20,000 concertgoers on Oct. 1.

With 58 people killed by the gunman and nearly 500 wounded, the Las Vegas event is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

''That was the night that my life, and the lives of my friends, and so many others were changed forever,'' Suchomel told the Daily Press the day after the shooting. ''I might have escaped unharmed, but I know that I've been emotionally and mentally scarred for life.''

Suchomel, who was taking medication for a pituitary tumor, shared her fear of trying to fall sleep at night as the ''sounds of gunfire'' become louder in her head and the images of ''broken and bloody bodies'' flashed through her mind.

She also took to Facebook to share how the ''most ridiculous things,'' such as the sound of her alarm or loud voices, would send her heart racing in fear. She also shared how fear would sweep over her when her daughter would toss her toys, move too quickly or begin talking loudly after being quiet.

In one post, Suchomel said she overcame her fear for a moment by venturing out of her house to have lunch with her friend. She also explained how she was able to focus on the pain caused by a tattoo gun and forget the pain ''caused by the horrific event'...''

Suchomel's final Facebook photos are a pair of cowboy boots with an American flag and her new Harvest 91 Festival tattoo that includes the date of the shooting and the text ''Country Strong.''

Suchomel and Norton created the Phoenix Foundation nearly 10 years ago after family friends Bodhisattva ''Bodhi'' Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Helendale, and Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley, were murdered in an abandoned military bunker near Helendale. Over the years, the foundation has helped many High Desert residents who have suffered a tragedy with financial help and services.

Phoenix Foundation supporter and community leader Thurston ''Smitty'' Smith said he was shocked by the news of Suchomel's passing.

''Kymberley was such a wonderful wife, mom and granddaughter,'' Smith said. ''She loved life and was very instrumental in the success of the Phoenix Foundation.''

Smith said he's asking the public to support and to pray for Suchomel's family, and for backers of the nonprofit to make a ''large contribution'' to the Phoenix Foundation.

''This family has been there for the community in good times and hard times,'' Smith said. ''I think it's time to be there for them.''

Services for Suchomel are being planned. For contribution and general information on the Phoenix Foundation, visit www.hdphoenixfoundation.com.

Rene Ray De La Cruz is a reporter for the Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press.

Lame Cherry: World War Las Vegas

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Tue, 17 Oct 2017 04:47

As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.

On July 17th 1996, in the year of our Lord, Iranian sponsored terrorists downed TWA Flight 800 as it departed New York, with surface to air missiles. The event triggered in the Clinton White House an operation where the FBI engaged in witness intimidation and the Mockingbird media went into full smear mode to cover up this terrorist attack upon the United States, as at the time Clinton knew it had to be one of two sources in Iraq or Iran, and noting it was probably Iran, the Clinton regime initiated a cover up, as admitting this terror event would have meant the American public would have demanded a declaration of war with Iran. A war followed on September 11th, 2001, in another terror event.

The situation in Las Vegas Nevada in the massacre there, involving another cover up of growing proportion and a like story falling apart, is a like reality of TWA 800, as the reality has pinpointed the following:

In reverse speech on this event, Donald Trump referenced world war connected to this event.

David John Oates Reverse Speech: Trump links Las Vegas to Mideast and World WarA Trump campaign official who was correct on Paul Manafort, stated that Stephen Paddock had posted a video of being pro Islamic ISIS.

... House that Las Vegas massacre gunman StephenPaddock made an ISIS propaganda tape and that ... a video, this video ... Trumpsupporters. Just ... https://www.infowars.com /former-trump-campaign-official-c There are more than enough eye witness accounts to prove that there were more shooters than the one being blamed on Stephen Paddock. Las Vegas was a coordinated event, with an immense cover up, as the industry there is protecting it's tourist trade from falling off and those involved in this in law enforcement are protecting their connection to this event.

To put this all plainly in a what if scenario, equal to 9 11:

What if Stephen Paddock, whose foreign Filipino girlfriend was immediately cleared by the FBI, meaning they knew who she was, that the FBI was at least aware of who Paddock was, was involved in a sting operation against terrorists, as the Clintons were in the Oklahoma City bombing, as the Obama regime attempted to set up Hutatree innocents, and as Eric Holder was gun running to Mexican mafia, and his Boston Bombing "got away from him" in this being a North Korean operations a World Net Daily reported and two Chechens had to be scapegoated to stop another nuclear war, and in this operation Stephen Paddock might have been an asset, moving these guns and laundering money for Eurasian groups into American casinos.

What if this operation like losing the 9 11 terrorists "got lost", and as it had been tracked and planned for other venue from Boston and Chicago, that this time a disconnect took place as the terrorists figured out they were being played.

What if in this Stephen Paddock, being unaware of other shooters, was busy delaying the operation by drilling holes, and went across the hall to open a door, which would trigger a security alarm, so Mandalay Security would arrive, and Paddock would fire at the guard and call the police.

Instead the guard ran for his life and hid, and on the strip in Las Vegas an assortment of Mexican mafia and John McCain's ISIS were awaiting the signal of firecrackers to open fire.

Paddock was pressed in the rooms into action, perhaps warning the crowd as Aldean was in the last set. What if Paddock which evidence proves, shot over the crowd in an attempt to disperse it, but instead what took place was a triangulation as in the JFK assassination which started a murderous fire on the crowd, which reported multiple shooters.

We still do not know the fate of Stephen Paddock, as the photo released was staged, and appears to place a scenario in the press that he is dead, and thereby those criminal elements he was involved with would not be looking for him or his family.

What if the above is the scenario as the actions of Stephen Paddock, were like he was two different men, like he was not intending to do any harm, but to keep harm from happening.

All of this compounds as every "new" story contradicts the original story. On the orginal series it was reported that Stephen Paddock had two BUMP STOCKS, which appeared to be found at his residence in the raid there. A week later though, the last report was 12 bump stocks in the hotel rooms.

It is this continuous litany of "crafting information" to fit the number of shots fired, is like the Warren Commission's JFK report in the magic bullet, but with Stephen Paddock, it is the magic bump stock.

The gunman who unleashed hundreds of rounds of gunfire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas had two "bump-stocks" that could ... AP that Paddockhadtwobumpstocks.From cnn.com: Twelvebump fire stocks were found on firearms recovered from Paddock's hotel room, said Jill Snyder, the special agent in charge of the Bureau of ... thetruthaboutguns.com /2017/10/daniel-zimmerman/stephen- Stephen Paddock's private life fits a government mole. His brother defended him as being a private person and a person who was not posting three hundred photos of himself on Facebook every day.

If one looks at Stephen Paddock from an undercover persona, his wiring 100,000 dollars to the Filipino, and his closing things down, could be a suicide, but with an agency photograph of his death, been preparation of shutting this operation down, where Paddock's death would be faked and the terrorists would have all been apprehended.

When one begins looking at this from a law enforcement operation, Stephen Paddock's actions all fit into a profile of an undercover asset who was about to move on after a dangerous operation.

We know from the Trump supporter who stated he was told the government had a ISIS video of Paddock, like the fake John McCain ISIS videos of beheadings, that the reason this was clamped down on hard, was there were other operational cells which would be triggered over this operation, meaning the FBI knows of active cells of Muslims inside America.

Hackers Claim JohnMcCain Knew ISIS Execution Videos ... The video appears to be an attempt to replicate one of the "Jihadi John" beheadingvideos ... Why fake a ...South America is overflowing with Iranian, Hezbollah and Latino Narco communists. This group tried to bomb the United States under George W. Bush in FARC with a nuclear device, and the Bush administration under Dick Cheney sent in hit teams to end FARC over this. The California burnings of 2009 are another example of Muslim Mexican terrorism in America. It is not that far of reach in Venezuela using sonic devices in Cuba to harm Americans, with Iranian involvement, that Las Vegas was another Flight 800 operation, and that Mr. President is aware of it and if this information was to get out, it would mean a nuclear war, so what is initiated is Mr. President rescinding the Obama Iranian nuclear deal to weaken Iran and another cover up of a terrorist event.

The public is being lied to again, and this is again shattering public trust, as the police state is providing cover for commerce again, instead of protecting the American public in preserving the public trust.

Why do too many facts make it appear that Stephen Paddock was an employee as thousands of moles are by the police state and why are the conclusions in this that this administration is involved in a cover up of a terrorist event which would spark a world war, if the details came out. What if not one war, but two. What if this was Mexican terrorists and Muslim terrorists, and that would mean instead of a wall, there would be US troops across the Rio Grande and US troops fighting not a war in Afghanistan by Iran. what if the money interests only meant to sell security equipment, but again just like 9 11, the bad guys got intelligence from all the Muslims and Mexicans inside the swamp Mr. President has not drained, and tied this to the tail of the US government again like TWA 800, and America is involved in another cover up, by the evidence.

Just keep watching the girl, instead of asking the questions.

Once again, another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.

agtG

Las Vegas Massacre Chess

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Archived Version

Source: Lame Cherry

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:52

As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.

From the beginning of the massacre in Las Vegas, I could sense something was wrong, and that things did not add up. The more that I observed the propaganda and the information from people in Las Vegas in their insights, the more Inspiration led me to the conclusion that there were many levels and facets of this operation. In that, one of the key elements of this operation was it appears someone involved in this, has as their chief motive financially is to seize control of the gaming industry in Las Vegas. I will quote this in future posts which are already written, but in this, my posts are moving around as new features appear, so that some things will be out of sequence.

This though all begins with the tease by Sara Carter of Circa News, concerning the bribes of the Russian government and Russian finance to Americans, in order to gain control over the uranium corporation Uranium One, with definite links to the Obama regime and the Clintons in turning over almost a quarter of United States strategic uranium assets to Russian control.

What the Lame Cherry will lay out in matter anti matter exclusives is a thread that connects the Malheur Refuge protests with the Massacre in Las Vegas.

Sean Homo Hannity stated that after the revelations of Sara Carter, which can not be found on her website, that he could name three people who should be indicted over Russian bribes, and they were Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Eric Holder.

Zerohedge reports on the developing story'...

As the mainstream media continues to obsess over $100,000 worth Facebook ads allegedly purchased by Russian spies in 2016 seeking to throw the presidential election, we're almost certain they'll ignore the much larger Russian bombshell dropped today in the form of newly released FBI documents that reveal for the very first time that the Obama administration was well aware of illegal bribery, extortion and money laundering schemes being conducted by the Russians to get a foothold in the atomic energy business in the U.S. before approving a deal that handed them 20% of America's uranium reserves'...and resulted in a windfall of donations to the Clinton Foundation.As we pointed out last summer when Peter Schweizer first released his feature documentary Clinton Cash, the Uranium One deal, as approved by the Obama Administration, netted the Clintons and their Clinton Foundation millions of dollars in donations and 'speaking fees' from Uranium One shareholders and other Russian entities.

There has been a massive land grab, since Jimmy Carter began it under the guise of legacy and nature, when Carter stole from the People of Alaska almost half of their state in wilderness areas. Bill Clinton was using the same guise to enrich the Riyadi family in Indonesia when Clinton seized in Utah the largest hard coal reserve in the United States, as Indonesia had a huge hard coal reserve for export.All of this has been about forcing Americans off their land, removing raw material wealth from the American People, and crating a monopoly to drive up prices.

Research Lithium sometime and you will discover the same monopoly control of that grease and batter element.

During the Obama years, there was wholesale carnage of the murder of American ranchers in Nevada, Utah and Oregon, in people driven off their land by this "wilderness mandate". Ranchers who had free range for the entire American history, suddenly were having their herds seized by the BLM and having BLM and other federal agencies pointing weapons at them. That is what was at the heart of the Bundy Stand Off in Nevada. It was free access to public land in Nevada and the Obama regime driving ranchers and their cattle from that land.

This situation moved to Oregon in the Stand Off there, when again corporate interests has gained control of mining rights for gold an uranium, namely Uranium One, with the Russians bribing the Clintons, which led to the murder of LaVoy Finicum by the FBI, under Robert Mueller and James Comey.

The Real Reason Robert LaVoyFinicum was Murdered ... Burns Oregon Hillary Uraniumdeal ... and Arikara tribal lands were over valued in the amount of oil ...Does Hillary Clinton Have LaVoyFinicum's ... behind the death of LaVoyFinicum ... of Americas uranium resources to the Russians. The deal was ... https://medium.com /@gigibowman/does-hillary-clinton-have-lav.. What was lost in Uranium One and the Russians, again which is not being covered by Sara Carter nor Sean Homo Hannity, is George Soros has a history of buying up companies under distress, and like Warren Buffett then using the Obama regime to create a monopoly, as Obama did for Buffet trains moving North Dakota crude when Obama shut off all the pipelines.

George Soros: Distress buying of mining companies. ... According to the mining investment news site Mineweb, ... invested in the worlds largest uranium miner, ...It's one of my favourite ways to invest in the mining sector '-- and apparently legendary investor George Soros ... investment now totals nearly 2.6 ... The Motley ...Cameco is important in this, because Cameco is the largest uranium supplier in the world, and the Chicoms are now in the market buying uranium to build into bombs to bomb the United States with. Remember what was stated in this was all about monopolies, and driving up prices. Vladimir Putin and Russia have a history of gaining monopolies. The Kremlin gained a monopoly on lead in the 1970's and were engaged in the same effort with uranium. The point is, it does not matter of Moscow has the monopoly, as long as Soros owns uranium, as his prices go through the roof, and in turn Moscow gets blamed and Soros gets the fortune.

That is where the tale of the Wall Street tape begins showing itself, in it is reported that Soros made a fortune from the Las Vegas massacre. It would be a matter of Soros buying into another distressed business, and suddenly there is a violent act which Soros profits off of, while everyone else was selling stock in Las Vegas, Soros invested in MGM.

These reports beg some questions: 1) Why did SorosInvestment Fund buy PUTS on 1.35 MILLION MGM Shares when it showed ZERO interest in MGM in the past? viralnewsnetwork.net /george-soros-made-73-million-las-vegas Now for the Lame Cherry connect the dots. Nevada is a state which is owned by the federal government. Nevada is an occupied state where the federal government owns all the natural resources, under all of those BLM federal lands. 86% of Nevada is federal dictatorship.

Executive Summary. The federalgovernment owns or controls 86 percentof the land in Nevada and even more '-- 89 percent '-- in Clark County. The tight federal grip ...The gaming industry in Las Vegas has been experiencing massive losses for a number of years. As one can understand by the casinos shutting down the multiple shooters for lone wolf Paddock, the person who controls the casino industry in Las Vegas, controls the police in Las Vegas, and as Clark County is the largest population in Nevada, it literally controls the government of Nevada.That is the way Harry Reid stole the election from Sharon Angle, in it was unions who cheated and stole the election from Angle, and those unions are all casino employed.

Nevada'scasino industry lost $662 million last year, and has been in the red consistently for six years. ... according to the state's Gaming Control Board. money.cnn.com /2016/01/08/news/vegas-nevada-casinos-loss. You will be reminded again that the casinos in Nevada are going bankrupt, but George Soros was investing right before the slaughter. Soros has a most interesting history in doing this across the globe. As I stated from the beginning of this, I had the feeling that someone was making a move on Nevada gaming to control Las Vegas in this massacre, as it controls all of Nevada.

Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,951,269, with an estimated population of 2,114,801 in 2015. It is by ...If you remember the 2007 grain price spikes, when that idiot Mark Levin was blaming ethanol for the Koch Brothers propaganda, but it was George Soros gaining control over 1/3rd of the us food supply, which is what stressed America for the 2008 Obama Global Collapse.

Ms. Barnhardt also makes the stunning connection of GeorgeSoros and a ... him control of "the third-largest grain ... control the food supply and are ... https://www.prisonplanet.com /george-soros-feds-seize-contro If you remember the Georgian conflict of Russia in South Ossetia, that was again George Soros involved in almost starting world war, again over resources in Georgia and control of that nation.

... (St George's Day in Georgia). Soros installed Shevardnadze ... SouthOssetia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s and ... GeorgeSoros, and his ...If you remember, the war in Ukraine which now has Donald Trump dumping in tank columns into occupying Poland, once again it is George Soros after Russian raw resources, and attempting a coup against Vladimir Putin.

GeorgeSoros told CNN's Fareed Zakaria over the weekend he is responsible for establishing a foundation in Ukraine that ultimately contributed to the overthrow of the country's elected ... civil society groups in eastern Europe ... Are you doing similar things in Ukraine?" Zakaria asked Soros. https://www.infowars.com /soros-admits-responsibility-for-coup- If you remember the anti Trump protests of 2016, the Antifa, the BLM, the 2017 Summer of Resistance, once again, this is the work of George Soros, setting a definitive pattern of Soros invests, Soros has a political candidate, and suddenly a nation is ripped by violence and explodes into civil unrest.

Some of the anti-Trumpprotests in the US have been organized by groups that were sponsored by Clinton sympathizer and billionaire GeorgeSoros. thegatewaypundit.com /2016/11/soros-funded-orgs-behind If you remember, Barack Hussein Obama who is a Soros kindler, set up for 2017 an entire resistance, and that included an element of MS 13, thee most established organized crime gang in Latin America.

It is this gang which is behind the opium epidemic in America, as a major profit making margin for those laundering money.

And who is behind protecting MS 13 from deportation? None other the Soros people again.

Jun 21, 2017 · One of the two attorneys who helped fight for the MS-13 gang member's release, ... has ties to globalist billionaire GeorgeSoros. ...The Lame Cherry was the first in matter anti matter to point to the security guard appearing with Stephen Paddock did not add up, that someone was wrong, and now this illegal disappeared.

This blog first alerted everyone to the Muslim Hezbollah and Iranian connection in South America, and how this first emerged with Eric Holder in the Mexican Mafia helping to start the California wildfires of 2009 with al Qaeda, and how those same infernos are again burning in California in 2017 AD in the year of our Lord.

This blog informed you of the union of Iranian uranium bomb making material to FARC in South America, set off hit squads from President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney as that attack was meant for the United States in it being a nuclear incident.

Now all of this is is merging, and appeared in Las Vegas, the Saudi's own the top 5 floors of Mandalay Bay where Stephen Paddock was, gun running and money laundering for vested interests, with the lead being this was for arming ISIS in the FBI was tracking Paddock's movements as he was an asset for the FBI, and it appears that Paddock had been undermining various attack scenarios from Boston to Chicago, but in Las Vegas it all caught up with Stephen Paddock, as the Obama McCain terror groups of ISIS and MS 13 merged with Soros funded groups in Antifa, for this "war against White Americans", which is now being covered up.

Jim Murren is donating MGM shareholder money to CAIR. They were named by the Justice Dept. as ''an unindicted co-conspirator to Muslim terrorism.''

The FBI produced charts showing CAIR was created to support the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.

Jim Murren is affiliated with the darkest groups in America. Murren put MGM in business with an organization with ties to Islamic terrorism, namely, the Southern Poverty Law Center and its creation, Antifa. Yes, you read the above paragraph correctly. I just got off the phone with an ex-CIA operative, whom I have known for several years and he told me that Murren and colleagues are deep into Antifa (George Soros and the Southern Poverty Law Center).

Antifa is making good on its promise to start an American civil war. Further, seven full hours before I went on the air last Sunday evening, I was told by a source that Antifa had joined forces with MS-13 and ISIS.

What if once again, the FBI as on 9 11, got caught as in Oklahoma City, the Boston Bombing, the Branch Davidians, Ruby Ridge, Gun Runner, Fast and Furious, in the Eric Holder sphere were found to be managing terrorists again, who outsmarted the FBI, because there are assets in the regime who work for the financiers, who understand that a crisis is to be profited off of.

What would the reaction of the American People be, if an event had been known and the FBI blew it again, and it caused all of these deaths, because a bigger deep state operation was being carried out, and one of the corner facets was someone figured out that in this, they could use terrorists to gain control over Las Vegas gambling near bankruptcy in the way Goldman Sachs swooped in after the 2008 meltdown and picked up lesser Jewish financial houses like Lehman Brothers.

Las Vegas is in a meltdown. It is trying to bring in the Oakland Raiders with a billion dollar plus stadium, and running these tourist trap concerts which got people killed, as all that is playing the slots in this 95 million Americans unemployed while foreigners all have the jobs and are sending the money overseas, are people playing the quarter slot machines.

Someone took the step to go after Vegas gambling, and will then control the Nevada government, which in the right political arena, will control from Washington DC most of that State with trillions of dollars in raw resources.

The U.S. State Department has greenlighted a Northern Nevada nonprofit to help resettle refugees ... 07:34:49 Gird your loins Nevada: Ready or not Muslim ... drrichswier.com /2016/05/15/gird-your-loins-nevada-ready-o. The MS-13 gang, known for cutting off victims' limbs, murder and drug trafficking, has about 100 members in Southern Nevada, but they're not as active as other ... https://www.reviewjournal.com /news/lv-police-ms-13-has-100 As one can discern, Nevada already has an army. Is it to become the Kosovo of America? It has MS 13 and ISIS, as the attacks in Las Vegas proved with great coordination.

We know that MS 13 was imported by Obama interests to run the American opium trade and ISIS was created by John McCain to run the oil concerns for the black market.

I close this with another interesting Lame Cherry experience in bringing you this exclusive in matter anti matter. As I was typing this, I lost internet connection, not from the internet, but his computer. It literally shut down the wireless adapter and signaled that none existed. It then in repair froze and would not reactivate.

I saved most of this as I surmised something was taking place again, and I found the bottom third of this post was gone.

Windows refused to shut down and I had to manually shut down this computer on the reboot.

Does that sound like what you are reading is something on the right track eh?

Kosovo Bay

Soros aided CIA operations in Balkans and Moldova ... CIA worked closely with GeorgeSoros-financed non-governmental ... in the northern part of Kosovo. ... https://www.infowars.com /soros-aided-cia-operations-in-bal agtG

SJW BLM LGBBTQQIAAP

George Soros Transfers $18 Billion to His Foundation, Creating an Instant Giant - WSJ

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 09:43

George Soros, who built one of the world's largest fortunes through a famous series of trades, has turned over nearly $18 billion to Open Society Foundations, according to foundation officials, a move that transforms both the philanthropy he founded and the investment firm supplying its wealth.

Now holding the bulk of Mr. Soros's fortune, Open Society has vaulted to the top ranks of philanthropic organizations, appearing to become the second largest in the U.S. by assets after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, based...

Police Officers Called To School After 9-Year-Old Says The Word 'Brownies'

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Tue, 17 Oct 2017 23:53

Police were called to a New Jersey elementary school after a 9-year-old student said, "Brownies," while talking about snacks, his mother alleged.

Another student reportedly misinterpreted the comment and thought it was said in a racist way, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. A teacher subsequently called police.

''He said they were talking about brownies,'' Stacy dos Santos, the child's mother, said. "Who exactly did he offend?"

Dos Santos added that the incident has made her think twice about sending her child back to the school in the fall.

''I'm not comfortable with the administration; I don't trust them, and neither does my child,'' she said. ''He was intimidated, obviously. There was a police officer with a gun in the holster talking to my son, saying, 'Tell me what you said.' He didn't have anybody on his side.''

Officers also spoke to the children's parents, and the incident was reported to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey stated during a meeting with school officials that they should report incidents to police, including cases ''as minor as a simple name-calling incident that the school would typically handle internally.''

Police also said they were advised to refer almost every case to Child Protection and Permanency.

This policy was a shift from the previous one under the Memorandum of Agreement between the police and schools in New Jersey, under which incidents were reported only when deemed serious enough. Such action was typically taken in cases involving drugs, weapons or sexual assault.

Since the meeting, officers have been called to the school as often as five times per day.

''Some of it is just typical little-kid behavior,'' teacher Megan Irwin said. ''Never before in my years of teaching have I felt uncomfortable handling a situation or felt like I didn't know how to handle a situation.''

The mayor, police and Camden County Prosecutor's Office ultimately arranged a meeting to discuss incidents.

''In our discussion today, you and your staff made it abundantly clear that our recent meeting was to reinforce the applicability of the Memorandum of Agreement, but not to expand its terms,'' Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley wrote in a letter to the prosecutor's office, the Collingswod Patch reported.

Ahead of Halloween, universities nationwide tell students what not to wear - The College Fix

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:13

Ahead of Halloween, universities nationwide tell students what not to wear

Throughout October, universities across the nation are warning their students against Halloween costumes some consider offensive.

Gone are the days when college students could dress up without fear of being reported to a bias response team. In recent years, more and more campus leaders have made it their mission to warn students what not to wear.

Fliers, memos, workshops and more impart the admonitions.

''Unacceptable costumes'' listed on a University of St. Thomas diversity flier are ''wearing Native American headdresses, dressing up as a 'Mexican' by wearing a sombrero, dressing as a 'geisha,' any form of blackface.''

''Cultural appropriation is defined as 'the act of taking intellectual and cultural expressions from a culture that is not your own, without showing that you understand or respect the culture,''' explains a University of St. Thomas diversity memo to students.

''This can be as simple as wearing a Dashiki without knowledge or respect to West African culture, and as serious as wearing a fake Native American headdress without any regard of its sacredness,'' adds the memo. ''It generally incorporates a history of prejudice and discrimination by perpetuating long-standing stereotypes.''

At UC Santa Barbara, a social justice workshop set for Tuesday will delve into how Halloween costumes abuse ''indigenous wear'' and teach students how to ''spot appropriation with the help of bell hooks' essay 'Eating the Other.'''

At a ''Conversation Circle'' at Princeton University this Sunday, students will ''engage in a dialogue about the impact of cultural appropriation, Halloween, and why culture is not a costume.''

MORE: Campus police to probe 'offensive' Halloween costumes, students told

A guide put out by Northern Arizona University's Housing and Residence Life warns against African-inspired get ups, a Pocahontas costume, Asian rice hats and more.

A workshop scheduled for Tuesday at the University of Southern Indiana will include a discussion of cultural appropriation in Halloween costumes and culminate with an opportunity for students to make their own costumes that

are ''culturally appropriate,'' according to an online event description.

An October letter written by members of University of Utah's student affairs diversity council states: ''As you get ready for Halloween here are some tips you can put into practice. Think to yourself: 'Does the actual name on the costume packaging say 'tribal' or 'traditional'? Does the costume include race related hair or accessories (dreads/locs, afros, cornrows, a headdress)? Does the costume play into racial stereotypes? '... If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should rethink the costume and try again.''

Meanwhile, a ''Not Your Festival Wear'' workshop is slated for Oct. 24 at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Vanderbilt feminists will help to lead an event about cultural appropriation ''just in time for Halloween,'' its website states.

A ''Halloween and Cultural Appropriation Tabling'' at Goucher College earlier this month explained to students that the ''scariest thing about your costume isn't what you think,'' and a cultural appropriation diversity workshop already took place at Texas A&M University on Oct. 9.

The University of New Hampshire went so far as to host an entire cultural appropriation ''teach in'' last week that didn't just stick to Halloween but also included Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos.

MORE: Here come the warnings about 'proper' Halloween attire

IMAGE: Northern Arizona University screenshot

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About the Author

Fix Editor

Jennifer Kabbany is editor of The College Fix. She previously worked as a daily newspaper reporter and columnist for a decade in Southern California, and prior to that held editorial positions at The Weekly Standard, Washington Times and FrontPageMagazine. She is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship recipient and has contributed to National Review.

EuroLand

Wounded and weakened, Merkel starts coalition talks with awkward partners

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Archived Version

Source: The Local

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:45

Chancellor Angela Merkel, damaged by poor election results, will from Wednesday seek to forge an unlikely governing coalition from a motley crew of parties that span the political spectrum.

Merkel's conservatives, who won a September 24th vote without a clear majority, will hold exploratory talks with the liberal and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) from 12pm and then the left-leaning and environmentalist Greens from 4.30pm.

To avoid a breakdown that would force new elections, all sides will in coming weeks have to hammer out tough compromises on thorny topics from immigration to EU reform and climate policy.

If the initial talks Wednesday go well, all sides will meet jointly on Friday to launch negotiations that could form a government by perhaps January in the biggest EU economy.

READ MORE: These will be the likely conflict points in building a Jamaica coalition

The delicate negotiations come as Merkel, who has long ruled as a presidential-style chancellor, is increasingly described as a lame-duck leader in her final term, past the zenith of her power.

Critics are snapping at the heels of the veteran leader for delivering the worst poll result since 1949 for her Christian Democrats (CDU), followed by a state election loss last Sunday.

The usually pro-Merkel Bild daily condemned her insistence that she bore no blame for her party's defeat in Lower Saxony state, charging that she and her CDU "refuse to see what they've done wrong".

"Up until two years ago Merkel appeared untouchable," said the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.

"That aura of invincibility is now gone. Her power, too, is on the wane. If the CDU had any kind of challenger waiting in the wings, Merkel would have reason to worry."

'Massive hurdles'

If trouble is brewing in Merkel's party, her more conservative Bavarian allies the CSU are in open disarray, fearing another poll drubbing in state elections next year.

Having long railed against Merkel's decision to allow in more than one million asylum seekers since 2015, the CSU has signalled a sharp shift to the right to win back voters from the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The CSU's Alexander Dobrindt said Sunday's Austria election win of right-wing candidate Sebastian Kurz showed that the CDU/CSU must "position ourselves as a conservative force in these negotiations".

Such talk only heightens distrust with the Greens, a party that emerged out of the 1960s and 70s protest movement against the Vietnam war and nuclear weapons, and which favours a multicultural society that welcomes refugees.

Greens leader J¼rgen Trittin pointed to growing right-wing populist tendencies in the CDU/CSU bloc and warned that their hardline demands on the refugee issue would present "massive hurdles".

Dobrindt, for his part, days ago warned that his party would tolerate no leftist "nonsense" from the Greens.

'Power crumbling'

The other partner in the coalition talks, the FDP, are an easier fit, having previously served with the conservatives for lengthy stretches, until they humiliatingly crashed out of the Bundestag at the last election in 2013.

Its youthful leader Christian Lindner, who led the party back into the Bundestag, has presented his own tough demands as he eyes the powerful finance ministry.

On the eve of the talks, Lindner even cautioned Merkel to refrain from any bold moves at the EU level, especially if it cost German taxpayers, before a new government is formed.

"I expect that Merkel ... makes it clear that her government is only performing a caretaker role," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"Germany is currently not in a position to take decisions."

Given the competing interests, and weeks of haggling over posts and policy ahead, news site Spiegel Online predicted that "with a bit of luck, Germany may have a new government by January."

"Germany is experiencing a strange phenomenon," said the commentary.

"A new coalition is being negotiated by parties who don't really want it, while the aura and the power of the former and future Chancellor Angela Merkel is crumbling."

Alt Right

Urban Dictionary: Christofascist

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Archived Version

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:04

Top Definition

Christian religious extremist. Often a person who believes in forcing a right-wing Christian agenda on the rest of the world. Also known as a 'fundamentalist' or more recently 'evangelical'.Since many Christofascists bristle at the term 'fundamentalist' there has been a movement to get the media to refer to them as 'evangelicals.' However the term 'evangelical' is a misleading one as many Christian sects are evangelical in nature and not all evangelical Christians have such extremem views or political agendas. Christofascist is a more descriptive term for these right-wing extremists.

James Dobson's Focus on the Family is a Christofascist hate group bent on banning abortion and opressing homosexuals.

A super nationalistic fundamentalist Christian.

The christo-fascists want to get rid of sex on cable TV.

Hypocritical bigots who reject any alternative view to their own. Believing in cencorship of freedom of thought and speech. Are prejudice to people who do not follow christianity, that they are bad people. Basically, a not very nice bunch of people who will be held responsible for the downfall of planet earth.

Athiest: You know what, the bible actually is a load of crapChristofascist: YOURE GOING TO HELLZ OMG. PRAISE THE LORD. ALLOW JESUS INTO YOURE LIFE PLEASE. IGNORE THE BIBLE, WELL CONTINUE TO ADD MORE TO THE BIBLE UNTIL EVENTUALLY IT ACTUALLY IS IN ALIGNMENT TO SCIENCE AND EVOLUTION. THE MORE WE KNOW THE LESS WE MAKE SENSE BUT IM GONNA SUC K GODS ASS TO GET TO HEAVEN SO I CAN NOT FUCK ANYONE FOR ALL ETERNITY. WOOO YEAHH. RELIGION MAN.

War on Men

Tesla Sued For "Hostile Work Environment" After "Racist Drawings, Epithets" Appear In Factory | Zero Hedge

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Archived Version

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:05

Poor Elon Musk just can't catch a break. After admitting that his company hasn't yet figured out how to weld (a fairly critical task for auto OEMs), blowing through Model 3 production deadlines (which probably had something to do with rumors that 'the most advanced auto OEM in the world" was making components by hand), and firing 100's of employees, the embattled company now finds itself locked in yet another employee lawsuit...this time alleging racial discrimination.

The lawsuit, filed by 3 workers in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that Tesla effectively contributed to the creation of a "hostile work environment" in which supervisors routinely used racial slurs and drew racist graffiti around its factory. Here is more from Mercury News:

Three former Tesla factory workers charge in a new suit the company's factory is a hostile environment for black workers, adding to earlier accusations of racial harassment.

The men, who are African-American, claim in a new complaint filed Monday in state court that Tesla supervisors and workers used racial epithets and drew racist graffiti on cardboard boxes.

The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, claims Owen Diaz and his son, Demetric, were called the N-word while they worked at the Fremont factory, and supervisors did little to stop it. A third man, Lamar Patterson, also claims he was subjected to insensitive racist remarks.

Demetric Diaz complained about the regular use of epithets to the staffing agency and another supervisor, the suit said. The supervisor told him he was just a replaceable temporary worker. Diaz was dismissed less than a week later in October 2015.

One of the defendants recalled having to break up a dispute between his son and a Tesla supervisor who was shouting racial slurs. After complaining about the event, Owen Diaz says he began to receive "poor work evaluations" and ultimately left in May 2016.

One afternoon, Owen brought lunch to his son's work station and interrupted a dispute between Demetric Diaz and his son's supervisor, according to the suit. The supervisor cursed and used a racial slur.

''This is supposed to be a professional work environment,'' Owen Diaz said in an interview. He felt crushed. ''There was nothing I could do.''

Owen Diaz continued to work as an elevator operator. But over time, the suit claimed, the harassment grew worse. A co-worker regularly used the N-word. Diaz found an offensive ''pickaninny'' cartoon with the caption ''Boo!'' drawn on a bale of cardboard.

Owen Diaz also got into a heated argument with the supervisor who drew the cartoon, the suit said. He complained about the incident, and started to receive poor work evaluations. Diaz left Tesla around May 2016.

Patterson worked as an elevator operator between January and August 2016, and also claims in the suit to have been the exposed to epithets and hostility.

Of course, while Tesla acknowledges receiving a complaint from Owen Diaz in October 2015 about a "belligerent co-worker," the company says the complaint made no mention of "racist language or epithets."

A Tesla spokesman denied the suit's allegations and said the men never raised the complaints to the company during their brief time at the plant.

''Given our size, we recognize that unfortunately at times there will be cases of harassment or discrimination in corners of the company,'' the spokesman said. ''From what we know so far, this does not seem to be such a case.''

The Tesla spokesman said discrimination complaints typically first are filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. None of the former employees filed a claim with these agencies during their time at the plant.

The company received a complaint from Owen Diaz in October 2015 about a belligerent co-worker. But, the company said, ''that email made no mention of the use of any racist language or epithets.''

Meanwhile, as plumes of smoke seem to be emanating from every corner of Tesla's factory, at least one group doesn't seem to be that worried by the barrage of awful news lately: TSLA shareholders.

Puerto Rico

Please cancel your ARRL membership

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Archived Version

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:09

I have had a very rewarding time in Puerto Rico. I honestly could only control what happened in my circle and in my area. We had lots and lots of issues because of the ARRL and certain members that came.

We were chosen to come to support the Red Cross. The Red Cross basically said they were done with the ARRL and said they would not extend the need of our support anymore. We had tons of freelancers. We only had 22 members go. But, at least 5 of those members decided they would rather be famous than help people. Three of the members completely abandoned the Red Cross and tried to go to FEMA as "liaisons" leaving us with less resources. FEMA already had tons of resources for communication. But, the members from ARRL were more concerned about making a name for themself than doing any work. We were promised we would not be sent out alone. Then, they pulled us all back to send us out across the island and other islands alone with zero support.

Net control would abandon the station at times. I was told they were turn off the volume at times. They were supposed to be there 24 hours a day for emergencies. They started closing at 7pm without notifying anyone of changes. I would call for help and my calls went unanswered. They would not respond to emails for support. They would skip the Red Cross and forward messages directly to FEMA. Red Cross would be often unaware of issues we faced. Red Cross would be unaware of request for service from the communities we were in.

They expected me to pull down my antenna in a thunderstorm off a metal roof. When I was four hours late they emailed me and lied to say they needed me back in San Juan to do a news interview. I had made the Red Cross completely aware of what was going on but the ARRL was acting independently of the Red Cross. I would of never left the island I was on with such haste. The community is still in dire need. The mayor was excited that they might get some exposure to get assistance. This was all a complete lie. They honestly said they thought they would have to send the MPs to get me.

I guess they never got the memo that we are in a free country and I am just a volunteer. They were complete amateurs. I know some of the people here on reddit do not know me. I will fill you in on some things. I am a veteran. I was in the 101st Airborne. I was a medic in the Navy Reserves after I got out of thr army. I have been a firefighter in the inner city of Kansas City for 13 years. I am very active in Boy Scouts.

I have zero tolerance for liars or people of poor character. I do not like people with no integrity.

When I got back to San Juan another member of our group said that the ARRL was upset that I got so much accomplished and they wanted to stop it. I don't even comprehend this logic. I guess they thought I was stealing the limelight. I don't think this is a ARRL problem across the board. I think this is more of an issue with the ARRL members they sent down.

Another issue we faced was ZERO members from the actual ARRL leadership came down. They were trying to dictate what we did when they had no idea what we were even doing. They weren't there.

One of the ARRL members that was "concerned" that they couldn't get in touch with me said they had tried repeatedly. This was not true. I literally have zero emails from anyone on winlink other than one email saying they wanted me to be at a dock at 1230. There was no repeated attempts. No messages to my personal email. Maybe someone here knows someone from winlink to verify my story. I don't lie.

The last conversation I had with the ARRL members said they didn't want me to tell the Red Cross what had happened because they didnt want to get embarrassed by their behavior.

The truth is the ARRL jeopardized missions in Puerto Rico. The honestly put lives at risk. There was good things that were done but it was my the average people that wanted to go down to Puerto Rico to help. Not the ARRL leadership that wanted to act like they were some superior group that had saved the whole government from chaos. They really just added to the chaos. I am ashamed to be associated with that group.

I am not going to publically name anyone. But, I think the ARRL needs to stay away from this in the future. The Red Cross could use Hams again. But, hams need to remember we are their to support missions. We are just one part of a huge picture. We are not their to make our own missions and go rogue. We pass traffic. We don't coordinate efforts.

We actually had a member of our group that we found out had paid a VE friend to give him a license. He didn't even know how to use the radio.

If there is any question about the hard work I did down there just Google my call sign. It really hurts me to expose them in such a public way but what they did was terrible.

My wife has already talked to a local reporter here in Kansas City. They want to talk about this on the news tomorrow. I am debating how far I want to push this.

NS0S

I will be completely upfront and honest if anyone has any questions. So, ask away. I also really don't care if this is downvoted. I want the people here I consider my friends to be completely aware of what happened down here. Certain ARRL members really embarrassed hams.

NA-Tech News

Snap, NBCUniversal Form Studio Joint Venture, Tap Duplass Brothers for Original Shows '' Variety

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Archived Version

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:44

Snapchat Launches Location-Based 'Context Cards' With Uber, Goop, TripAdvisor and OthersThe new studio '-- which doesn't have a name yet '-- will be overseen by Mills and and Maggie Suniewick, president of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises.

Over the past year, Snapchat has worked with NBC as well as other networks and media companies to produce original, short-form shows for its platform. Those have included NBC News' ''Stay Tuned,'' E!'s ''The Rundown,'' and NBC's offshoot of ''The Voice'' on Snapchat '-- which garnered an Emmy nomination.

For NBCU, the high level of engagement of Snapchat's audience on the shows it has produced convinced the media company to go forward with the plan to form a scripted-programming studio, Suniewick said. For the second quarter, Snapchat had an average of 173 million active daily users.

''This is really about figuring out what resonates on the platform,'' Suniewick said.

Another reason NBCU is throwing in with Snap: The app maker, unlike Facebook and other digital platforms, lets the media company sell advertising against the content it distributes on Snapchat.

The new studio will be housed in a separate office in Santa Monica, close to Snap's headquarters in Venice and NBC Entertainment's in Burbank, Calif.

The formation of the studio joint venture comes after NBCU invested $500 million in Snap earlier this year as part of Snap's initial public offering. Suniewick said the amount NBCU is investing in the studio JV is separate from that. The companies declined to disclose the level of investment in the JV, or how many staffers they expect to bring on board under Anderson's purview.

Meanwhile, Snap is continuing to work with partners on scripted programming. Those include Time Warner, which pacted to develop and produce up to 10 shows per year for Snapchat from across its divisions, including those with scripted drama and comedy formats.

The Duplass brothers, among other projects, are co-creators of the HBO original series ''Room 104'' and ''Togetherness'' and inked a four-movie deal with Netflix two years ago.

For Snapchat, Mark Duplass said he and his brother have about a half-dozen concepts for scripted and unscripted shows, including comedy, drama, horror and documentary genres. The deal with NBCU and Snap doesn't specify a total number of series or amount of content the Duplass brothers will produce. They're targeting 8-10 minutes per episode, with the first series to debut in 2018.

''We're definitely thinking about their user base, what would appeal to their core group of users, who are essentially millennials,'' Mark Duplass told Variety. ''If we make one show and it's really doing well, we might just stick with that '' and do 100 episodes of that show.''

As to what the shows will be about, Snap and NBCU ''are wildly trusting,'' said Mark. ''They let us know in no uncertain terms, 'You go be you.''' The Snapchat shows will come out of the Duplass Bros. Productions' Donut shingle, an in-house branded-content agency the duo set up this year.

In general, Mark Duplass said, he has concerns about producing content for digital and mobile platforms: ''There's just too much shit,'' he explained. ''If we're going to do something, I hope it's additive '' and it's something people will come to watch.''

The Snap-NBCU offer was attractive because they gave the Duplass brothers assurances that their work would be featured as part of a select group of creators. ''They said, 'We're going to work with only a few partners, we're not going to buy 1,000 shows. We're going to put you front and center,''' Mark Duplass said.

The interesting challenge in producing Snapchat shows will be shooting in the vertical-frame format, he added: ''It's an exciting process of discovery: How do I use this frame in an interesting way to tell a story?''

Snapchat has focused on creating an artificial-scarcity model when it comes to shows, and the new studio is following suit. Instead of opening up the platform to any and all comers, as YouTube and Facebook do, it has cut deals with a limited set of media partners.

''It's not about licensing things that are being shopped out there,'' said Snap's Mills.

So far, the roster of companies producing Snapchat shows include NBC, ESPN, the NFL, ABC, BBC, A+E Networks, Discovery Networks, Turner, Scripps Networks, Vertical Networks, Vice, MGM Television, and CBS.

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The 30-Year AI Scare Cycle | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com

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Archived Version

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:37

We're seeing the same mania over AI that has happened before and will happen again.

PCMag reviews products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Artificial intelligence might seem like Silicon Valley's latest obsession, but it's nothing new. I went through AI mania the first time around 1981, when robots and AI were all anyone talked about. This continued until the middle of the decade and died for good when the Japanese economy tanked and took with it the so-called Fifth Generation Computer.

I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened again. Though Elon Musk is concerned that AI could rise up and kill everyone under some imaginary circumstance, he's really just been reading too much science fiction.

Currently, AI can barely do optical character recognition; I have yet to see text analysis worth a powder. Until AI can translate French to English flawlessly, I'm not buying any of it. Hitting 99 percent is not good enough, not in OCR or AI. I'm reminded of the airline that made the proud claim that 99 percent of all luggage got to its destination as promised. But that means three people on a plane with 300 passengers routinely lose their luggage. That's terrible.

One of the bulwarks of the current AI craze is IBM's Watson. I've discussed it in the past, but in the 1980s, the same AI technology was all over the place. It was called an "expert system" back then and was supposed to, among other things, perform medical diagnosis'--just like Watson.

Lately, every new startup pitch mentions AI. For example, if I went out looking for venture money, I'd put together a business plan for a new email client that took advantage of both POP and IMAP using AI to categorize, prioritize, and sort messages. The AI component would kick spam into its own bin. It would quarantine all links and attachments into a sandbox where everything would be opened and examined for ransomware and trojans.

Does any of this require actual AI? Or is this just clever coding of endless IF-THEN statements that I just decide to call AI?

A genuine artificial intelligence should spend its spare time tracking down people who send email viruses, independently call the FBI, and report the evil-doer without my knowledge. This not happening anytime soon.

The AI mania of the 1980s faded because it produced nothing of any commercial value. After the collapse, everything AI was spun down, forgotten, and discarded, because nothing had come from it. A similar excitement happened 30 years earlier in 1956 with the invention of IPL (Information Processing Language), which quickly morphed into LISP. This could easily be a 30-year cycle. The next appearance of this nonsense should be around 2045.

As a cycle, it's hard to take seriously until there is a true breakthrough, which I have yet to see. In the meantime, don't fret over AI "taking over" and being much of a threat to humanity. But maybe next time!

TopPrevious :It's Time for the 'Smart Gun' Debate25 Years of ThinkPadNext :John Dvorak is a columnist for PCMag.com and the host of the weekly TV video podcast CrankyGeeks. His work is licensed around the world. Previously a columnist for Forbes, Forbes Digital, PC World, Barrons, MacUser, PC/Computing, Smart Business and other magazines and newspapers. Former editor and consulting editor for Infoworld. Has appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, SF Examiner, Vancouver Sun. Was on the start-up team for CNet TV as well as ZDTV. At ZDTV (and TechTV) was host of Silicon... More >>

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War on Weed

Toke the good with the bad: Marijuana saves lives & alters brains, studies show '-- RT America

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Archived Version

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 19:27

A new study finds the legalization of cannabis in Colorado was associated with ''a statistically significant reduction'' in opioid-related deaths. Another study shows that long-term use of marijuana changes the brain at a cellular level.

On Monday, researchers from Brigham Young University's neuroscience department published a study in the journal JNeurosci that found long-term use of cannabis depressed gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cell activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which they said was ''necessary for reward behavior with dopamine cells critically involved in reward signaling.''

In their study, researchers injected adolescent mice with THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, and found that the drug triggers cellular-level changes in the VTA of teenage mice, making them dependent on the drug.

After one week of daily injections, researchers found that THC affected the function of GABA neuron cells in the mice, making it harder for them to reach the same high without the use of greater amounts of marijuana.

Mice that only received one injection did not show the same changes, leading researchers to conclude that persistent consumption of THC may affect the function of the brain over time.

''Marijuana use and legalization is a pressing issue for many states. Although marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug, the implications of legalized, widespread or continued usage are speculative,'' one researcher wrote.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. California has legalized weed for recreational use, with markets set to open in January 2018.

The legalization of marijuana in Colorado has led to a 6 percent reduction in opioid-related deaths in the state, according to a new study published online last week in the American Journal of Public Health.

''After Colorado's legalization of recreational cannabis sale and use, opioid-related deaths decreased more than 6 percent in the following two years,'' said the team of investigators from the University of North Texas School of Public Health, the University of Florida, and Emory University concluded, according to the Washington Post.

The authors of the study said that the reductions in opioid-related deaths were related to ''a reversal of the upward trend in opioid-related deaths.'' However, they stressed that the results were only preliminary, given that they only studied data from the two years after recreational marijuana was legalized in 2014.

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to chart the number of opioid-related deaths each month from 2000 to 2015.

From 2000 to the end of 2013, the study claims that Colorado saw a steady increase in the number of opioid-related deaths. According to the study, that trend was ''reversed'' in 2014, when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana.

This is the first study to look at the correlation between recreational marijuana and opioid deaths. The study states that their research ''extends'' on prior studies ''on the potential protective effect of medical cannabis legalization on opioid-related deaths.''

Researchers isolated the effects of legalized recreational cannabis by comparing data from Colorado and Nevada, since both states legalized medical marijuana in the same year, but Nevada did not legalize recreational weed use until 2017.

Opioids killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, according to the CDC. Half of those deaths involved a prescription opioid.

The CDC does not include any statistics for marijuana-related deaths. However, it states that cannabis use can lead to addiction, and adversely affect brain health, lung health, heart health and mental health.

In their study, the researchers warned that even though they found health benefits from reducing the number of opioid-related deaths, they noted that ''expanded legalized cannabis use is also associated with significant potential harms.''

''For policymakers to balance the potential beneficial and deleterious effects of these laws, researchers must continue to examine the full range of health effects in both clinic- and population-level research,'' they concluded, according to WXYZ.

War on Ca$h

Chicago Politician Pushes Ban On Businesses Banning Cash

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:56

In July, Visa officially entered the global 'war on cash', adding to a long list of academics, elites, and bankers urging the removal of one of the last freedoms 'for the good of the rest of us'. However, if Alderman Edward Burke has his way, that 'war on cash' will end in Chicago after he submitted an ordinance at last week's City Council meeting to ban businesses from banning cash.

According to the ordinance, "credit card giant Visa announced it is 'launching a major effort to encourage businesses to go cashless," through a campaign called the Visa Cashless Challenge offering $500,000 for 50 businesses to go cash-free.

As DNAInfo.com reports, the ordinance cites Argo Tea, SweetGreen, Epic Burger and Goddess and the Baker as Chicago businesses that have already gone cashless, but the stores themselves don't seem to have had any issues...

Xuan Tea, a shop at 1816 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Bucktown, opened in September and is credit card-only.

"It's been working out fine. Some are taken aback initially, but we haven't had any problems with it," manager Will Quanstrom said.

"Mostly everyone has a credit card in their pocket, even if they're just out for a jog. It's easier and it's simpler for us. We don't have to go to the bank, or count drawers out." The tea shop has a sign at the front counter that says it only takes credit cards.

Nevertheless, as DNAInfo.com notes, the ordinance, however, points out that credit card companies typically tack on a 1 percent to 3 percent fee on transactions, "a business cost typically passed on to consumers via increased pricing."

Burke called his ordinance a "fair and equal access" issue and calls out Visa's repression of the poor and young...

"A 'no cash' sign is a 'not welcome' sign for many without ready access to credit, including those who are low- or fixed-income, homeless, undocumented, young or victims of identity theft," he said.

It adds that those under 18 can't apply for credit cards, making a cash ban "de facto age discrimination," while many low-income families can't even afford to open a bank account.

The ordinance would make it illegal to decline cash as payment at any business in retail sales or food and drink, under the penalty of fines starting at $1,000 and up to $2,500 a day.

* * *

As we noted previously,this ongoing push for a cashless society in Europe, Asia, and the Americas is about much more than just phasing out paper money - it's about central planners solidifying control over the public's wealth. This ongoing merger of corporate and government interests is the definition of crony capitalism. Regardless of the blatant collusion, the choices individuals make will still ultimately decide the direction for the future. Buying material goods on credit has become a lifestyle for millions, but the long-term costs of those decisions must be understood if there's any chance for progress.

Americans have made a huge mistake by running up a staggering $1 trillion dollars in credit card debt with an average interest rate of over 16%. Thanks to the Federal Reserve system, companies like Mastercard, Discover, and American Express can issue bonds paying extremely low-interest rates to the investors while simultaneously lending that money out to credit card holders at sky high rates. Companies will always take advantage of opportunities to increase profits, but the people's willingness to keep borrowing from them is at the core of the problem.

Access to cheap capital has been extended to the largest corporations for over a decade, but when it comes to small businesses or individuals there is a completely different set of standards. The pressure to consistently increase revenues and stock prices has led to an unnatural parasitic relationship between these companies and their customers. Cash is one of the last options that allows people a way to avoid dealing with this kind of shakedown.

More than 30% of all payments in the U.S. are still conducted in cash, but financial intermediaries that charge processing fees are joining with the State and central banks to ensure the public has no room to innovate.

Prof TedK

Child safety smartwatches 'easy' to hack, watchdog says - BBC News

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:10

Image copyright NCC Some smartwatches designed for children have security flaws that make them vulnerable to hackers, a watchdog has warned.

The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) tested watches from brands including Gator and GPS for Kids.

It said it discovered that attackers could track, eavesdrop or even communicate with the wearers.

The manufacturers involved insist the problems have either already been resolved or are being addressed.

UK retailer John Lewis has withdrawn one of the named smartwatch models from sale in response.

The smartwatches tested essentially serve as basic smartphones, allowing parents to communicate with their children as well as track their location.

Some include an SOS feature that allows the child to instantly call their parents.

They typically sell for about £100.

The NCC said it was concerned that Gator and GPS for Kids' watches transmitted and stored data without encryption.

It said that meant strangers, using basic hacking techniques, could track children as they moved, or make a child appear to be in a completely different location.

Image copyright NCC Image caption The NCC plans a social media campaign to publicise its findings Consumer rights watchdog Which? criticised the "shoddy" watches and said parents "would be shocked" if they knew the risks.

Spokeswoman Alex Neill said: "Safety and security should be the absolute priority. If that can't be guaranteed, then the products should not be sold."

John Lewis stocks a version of the Gator watch, although it is not clear whether it suffers from the same security flaws as the watches tested.

The firm said it was withdrawing the product from sale "as a precautionary measure" while awaiting "further advice and reassurance from the supplier".

GPS for Kids said it had resolved the security flaws for new watches and that existing customers were being offered an upgrade.

The UK distributor of the Gator watch said it had moved its data to a new encrypted server and was developing a new, more secure app for customers.

CLIPS & DOCS

VIDEO - Courtney Love Warning Actresses of Harvey Weinstein in 2005 - YouTube

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:11

VIDEO - The Other Brother: Bob Weinstein Was an Abusive Boss - WSJ

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:00

Over the years, movie producer Bob Weinstein has belittled and bullied employees, shoved an executive's spouse and pressured a subordinate to date him, people who worked for him said.

Bob Weinstein hasn't been accused of the kind of severe sexual misconduct that led to the ouster of his brother, Harvey, from Weinstein Co., the film and television studio they jointly ran. Instead, according to multiple former employees and business associates, he was a volatile executive whose behavior, which went on for years at his companies,...

VIDEO - In attempt to sow fear, Russian trolls paid for self-defense classes for African Americans - Oct. 18, 2017

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 14:52

"Be ready to protect your rights... Let them know that black power matters," the group, known as Black Fist, wrote on its website promoting the events.

The group appears to have been set up in January 2017, and it ran events before stopping at some point this year, evidence that Russia's attempts to use social media to meddle in American affairs have extended far beyond the 2016 presidential election.

The events, which appear to have been designed to suggest a connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, were -- unbeknownst to the trainers who led them -- likely conceived by the Russian government-linked Internet Research Agency.

Related: Exclusive: Even Pok(C)mon Go used by extensive Russian-linked meddling effort

The site lists Facebook and Instagram pages that CNN is told were removed as part of Facebook's investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. politics, a source familiar told CNN.

The mysterious effort matches other previously discovered Russia-connected efforts to engage in U.S. social issues, including promoting rallies for a fake secessionist group in Texas and protests and demonstrations that were, like Black Fist, supposed to seem connected to Black Lives Matter.

Black Fist reached out to Omowale Adewale, a martial arts instructor Brooklyn, in January 2017.

Adewale said he ran more than a dozen events for Black Fist between January and May, never suspecting that the Russian group was behind them.

Omowale AdewaleThe group first contacted him on Instagram, he said, and he eventually spoke by phone to a man who introduced himself as "Taylor."

Over the course of five months, Adewale would speak to "Taylor" numerous times by phone. Adewale said the man asked him to collect the names and contact details of people attending the events. Adewale said he doesn't believe he handed over anyone's contact details.

Adewale said "Taylor" asked for photos and videos from the events, he assumed to prove they were taking place. Adewale provided the material and the group used it on its Facebook and Instagram pages for further promotion, he said.

Adewale received calls from the group from a U.S. phone number. The number, however, is registered to an internet phone service provider and could be used from outside the U.S. Multiple calls to the number went unanswered on Tuesday.

Adewale said he thought the man's accent sounded "continental African," but he assumed it was someone who had moved from Africa to the US.

Adewale said that although Taylor did not seem particularly well-versed in American politics, or the Black Lives Matter movement, he wasn't too suspicious about the group.

"Every time I kind of raised an eyebrow they immediately had something else," he said. They paid him on time. They continued to promote his events.

Adewale still has some voicemails from "Taylor," and provided them to CNN.

Adewale promoted the event using his own Instagram page. Black Fist also promoted the events on Facebook, Instagram, Eventbrite and MeetUp.

Eventbrite removed the events from its platform after CNN contacted the company on Tuesday. "Fraudulent or illegal activity has no place on Eventbrite. We remain vigilant and will continue to remove any bad actor engaged in this behavior," the company said in a statement.

The company said it has not been contacted by the FBI or Congressional investigators.

The group's MeetUp event page is no longer live.

"Meetup aggressively monitors for suspicious behavior.... We also use third party technology services that specialize in identifying suspicious account creation and behavior, including rules that focus specifically on Russian IP addresses and activity," Meetup's communications director, Kristin Hodgson, told CNN.

"In this instance specifically, there was a Meetup group called Black Fist Self Defense Project created in February 2017 and closed six months later. The account was created with a Russian IP address, which was noted and reviewed several times. The group itself did not appear to be in violation of our community guidelines, so was approved and allowed to remain on the platform. Based on our comprehensive monitoring, and the nature of our business, Russian interference in political matters is not a problem on Meetup."

Adewale said he was paid $320 a month by the group, first through Google Wallet and later by PayPal, until the group abruptly stopped all contact in May.

That wasn't the only way that Black Fist appears to have used PayPal. It also used the name of a real woman from North Carolina on a PayPal page linked from the "Donate" section of its web site. The woman, who asked that her name be withheld, had never heard of the Black Fist site before being contacted by CNN and said she was shocked and frightened to see her name associated with it.

"I had nothing to do with this," she said.

Asked for comment, a PayPal spokesperson told CNN, "PayPal works to combat and prevent the illicit use of our services and to protect our customers. We devote significant resources to these efforts and work closely with law enforcement officials to identify, investigate and stop improper or potentially illegal activity."

Google Wallet did not respond to CNN's request for comment. However, a researcher at Google in New York did reach out to Adewale on Tuesday after his story was first reported by RBC.

Related: Exclusive: Fake black activist accounts linked to Russian government

Chuck Jetton Jefferson says he also ran courses for the group in Tampa, Florida.

Like Adewale, Jefferson said the group first contacted him on social media before following up with calls.

"They reached out to me and explained the program. The organization was dedicated to teaching self-defense in low income communities," he told CNN, adding that he thought it sounded like a "great idea."

CNN played the voicemails left on Adewale's phone for Jefferson, and Jefferson said he believed it was the same person who spoke to him.

Jefferson said he was paid $100 per class over the course of four months, and that normally 8-12 people attended.

"They wanted reports of how many people showed up and videos of the classes. I would send them updates," he said.

Jefferson said he had viewed the group as an authentic charity even though some of these interactions seemed strange.

"When you have somebody that is going to pay you to do something you love, it's hard to see it like a negative thing, but... it was weird," he said.

The Black Fist page also lists trainers and events in California and Michigan. CNN has reached out to the trainers listed.

Black Fist is one of a series of campaigns run from Russia designed to look like part of the American Black Lives Matter movement. CNN first reported last month on Blacktivist, a campaign whose Facebook page had more than 300,000 followers on Facebook.

Black Fist's use of Eventbrite and MeetUp adds the two companies to a growing list of organizations utilized by Russian trolls in their attempt to sow discord in the U.S. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and even Pokemon Go were also employed in various ways.

CNNMoney (New York) First published October 18, 2017: 4:34 PM ET

VIDEO - BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Hillary Clinton, Dany Cotton, Ibeyi

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 13:26

Hillary Clinton gives her verdict on why she lost the US presidential election to Donald Trump and tell us what it's like to live with the defeat of failing to give the country its first female president.

Dany Cotton is the first female Commissioner of London Fire Brigade. She has become a recognisable public figure since the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower in West London. That fire, which is currently being investigated by police, put her in front of the world's cameras. This week she's won the Prudential Women of the Year Leadership Award, in recognition of her career achievements but also her honesty about her own mental health challenges. She talks to our reporter Siobhann Tighe about the toll Grenfell has taken on her; about what it was like to start working as a fire-fighter in the 80s, and why she hates the word "fireman".

Ibeyi are twenty-two year-old French-Cuban twins Lisa-Kaind(C) and Naomi Diaz. Since the release of their critically-acclaimed, self-titled first album they have been captivating audiences with their unique blend of pop, hip-hop and electronic influences with the traditional sounds of Yor¹b. They've now released a second album 'Ash'. They join Jane to discuss and perform live in the studio.

Presenter Jane Garvey

Producer Dianne McGregor.

VIDEO - Watch: Hot Mic Catches Mystery Voice Telling LV Sheriff to Not Say Too Much

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:41

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The mysteries swirling around the deadly Las Vegas incident continue to leave people baffled.

In many cases of a mass shooting or terrorist attack, within several weeks the missing details have been filled in and at least a generally understandable picture of what happened is available.

However, with each passing day after the Las Vegas tragedy, it seems that there are more unanswered questions than ever before.

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First, there were numerous reports from people on the ground in Vegas about multiple shooters and other unexplained factors. Then, the investigators in the case modified the timeline of events several times, and seemed to contradict themselves on numerous occasions.

Now, a strange piece of audio has started to receive attention.

During one of the press conferences held by Sheriff Joe Lombardo and the FBI, a reporter asked a seemingly straightforward question about whether or not a car had been staged for the shooter to escape.

As soon as the question was asked, however, an off-camera whisper appears to come from someone near the podium says, ''Don't go there.''

Immediately after this quiet audio is heard, the sheriff's demeanor changes rapidly. He appears immediately agitated and defensive, and chastises the reporter for asking a completely logical and relevant question.

It should be pointed out that investigators have already admitted that alleged shooter Stephen Paddock may have intended to escape the hotel after the deadly incident, and had a plan in place to do just that.

With that fact already known, it seems very bizarre for law enforcement to push back against a reporter for simply asking about a car that may have been part of that escape plan.

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Now, it is also possible that the audible whisper picked up somebody talking about something completely unrelated. However, the microphones are in the front of the briefing room, where Lombardo is flanked by many federal officials, many of whom are there to ''oversee'' the investigation and essentially look over the Las Vegas Police Department's shoulder.

It is absolutely plausible that a reporter inadvertently stumbled upon a key part of Paddock's escape plan'... or even a new element of the case that has so far been hidden from the public.

If nothing else, the high number of inconsistencies and strange elements are causing the American people to lose faith in law enforcement.

There are legitimate reasons to withhold information during an investigation, but enough time has passed and so many questions remain that investigators should start seriously re-thinking their apparent strategy of vagueness.

In a tragedy of this scale, where political decisions and even the Constitution are being debated in its wake, the American people deserve the truth.

Please press ''Share on Facebook'' if you have questions about what we're being told!

VIDEO - Brexit news: Bill Clinton MOCKS Brexit voters with scathing speech in Dublin | World | News | Express.co.uk

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:36

The former president hit out at those who support the UK's departure from the European Union, saying it was ridiculous to think that differences were more important that what people have in common.

And he claimed some Brexit voters may only now be realising the impact of their decision.

Speaking at Dublin University yesterday as he accepted an honorary doctorate, Mr Clinton even went so far as to mimick a Brexit voter as he warned inequality and division was taking over the UK.

He said: ''Now there are lots of people who think they are less human.

PA'IG

Bill Clinton mimicked Brexit voters in a patronising speech Related articles Boris Johnson slams EU chiefs for not being 'serious' in Brexit talks Boris Johnson brands Labour 'invertebrate JELLIES' in new rant PA

Bill Clinton mimicked a Brexit voter in the shocking speech "Now given the economic inequalities and the rapid pace of social change and all the upheaval that's going on .... people are reassessing whether what we have in common is more important than our differences.

"A lot of people begged to differ. That's really what the Brexit vote is all about."

Mimicking a voter, he said: "I'm sorry we can't stay together, we had a disagreement. Oh my God, I didn't know I was going to lose that customs thing and all these economic benefits.

"Oh, why didn't anyone tell me that?"

Bill Clinton was speaking at Dublin City University After being honoured by the university for his work on peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, Mr Clinton said he used the example of the Good Friday Agreement shamelessly around the world.

But he warned that the Brexit vote was about people thinking differences are more important that what they have in common.

He said: "If we approached families the way we approached this whole debate all over the world, people would run fleeing from their homes the minute parents gave an instruction they didn't like, or people made a mistake.

''All partnerships that are community-based are held together not because everybody agrees with everybody else, not because we don't still have our particular identities, but because co-operation is better than conflict or isolation in any environment in which you must be in touch with others.

Brexit negotiations: UK's key policy positions Wed, September 13, 2017 Getty Images

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"It's a simple proposition. But we are re-litigating it now."

Mr Clinton was awarded an honorary doctorate of philosophy, DCU's highest honour.

In his speech, he also reflected on his own legacy with the Good Friday Agreement, signed in Belfast in 1998, mid-way through his two terms in the White House.

Ultimately the accord was brokered after he took a more hands-on approach to US diplomacy on the island of Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Mr Clinton later travelled direct to Northern Ireland for private meetings with politicians after the ceremony - his intervention in the political stalemate delayed by a day because of Storm Ophelia.

VIDEO - MGM Resorts Says 'Missing' Security Guard Isn't Missing, Will Tell Story At Time Of His Choosing

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:11

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Jesus Campos, the hotel security guard who may have been the first person shot by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock on Oct. 1, will reappear eventually, the parent company of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Hotel implied in an email Tuesday.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong provided a written statement revealing that Campos is not missing.

''Jesus Campos wants to tell his story at a time and place of his choosing,'' DeShong stated. ''He's asked that everyone respect his request for privacy. We could not be more proud of Jesus.''

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Police refused to comment on Campos' whereabouts.

''He is a victim in this and we don't discuss victims,'' Las Vegas police officer and spokesman Larry Hadfield said on Tuesday.

As reported by Fox News, Campos has not been seen in public since Thursday, when he was honored by the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America, which represents the security guards at the hotel where Campos works.

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Union president David Hickey said that when he went into a meeting in a hotel suite that Campos was in an adjacent room with another union member, but was gone when he came out.

''When I got in touch with the other union member, I was told Campos was taken to the Quick Care'' health clinic, Hickey said.

''We have had no contact with him,'' he added. ''Clearly, somebody knows where he is.''

Campos was shot in the thigh by Paddock, who left what some accounts have said were 200 bullet holes in the door of the hotel suite he occupied.

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Information about exact moment when Campos was shot has been changed twice. Initial timelines said he was shot during Paddock's attack and shortly before the shooting stopped. That was later revised to six minutes before the shooting began, and then again to just seconds before Paddock opened fire on the concert-goers below.

It has not been fully explained why the unarmed guard was outside the door of Paddock's room when no shots had been fired. Although Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Campos was investigating an alarm that was triggered by a door left ajar on the 32nd floor, Fox News quoted a past Mandalay Bay employee as saying no such system existed.

Hotel and police have credited Campos with reporting Paddock's location to police. However, other accounts show that first responders were unsure of the shooter's location.

Existing timelines do not outline when the hotel notified authorities of Paddock's location.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.

VIDEO - Holy Cow '' The Official Mandalay Bay Massacre Narrative Just Completely Changed '' Latest Presser Video'... | The Last Refuge

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Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:05

Well, well, well'... the entire previous weeks claims about the timeline and structure of Stephen Paddock and how he carried out the Mandalay Bay Massacre just changed a full 180 degrees today when Sheriff Joseph Lombardo dropped a statement that Paddock did not begin shooting until his advanced preparation was interrupted by Mandalay Bay security officer Jesus ''Jose''' Campos.

According to the latest stunning revelation by Sheriff Lombardo, security guard Campos was responding to a door alarm notification, presumably from a fire exit door being opened by suspect Paddock on the 32nd floor. Upon reaching the floor, Campos noticed the hotel room suite door was ajar, and heard the sound of drilling (he didn't knock).

Paddock was drilling a hole in a door (''adjacent room'') when Campos walked in at 9:59pm. That's when Paddock opened fire on Campos wounding him in the leg. Immediately thereafter is when Stephen Paddock broke out the windows and opened fire on the crowd below.

This latest revelation is explosive because it shows Paddock was interrupted in the act of preparing for the attack, and not during the commission of the attack itself.

This explains a great deal about the event and why so many advanced preparations appeared not to have been utilized. Unused ammunition, body armor, weapons etc.

This latest crucial bit of information is also explosive in that it may indicate there were other participants that might have been present, later, if the attack plan had proceeded without being interrupted by the security guard (the need for 23 firearms etc.).

Within these latest developments it is entirely possible that Paddock would have had a great deal more effectiveness in the overall attack if he had finished the preparation prior to carrying out the shooting.

The hurried need to carry out some level of the attack despite the interruption might also explain why Paddock just smashed out the windows to begin firing etc. He may indeed have had a much more substantive plan, but was forced to drop that approach by the unexpected interruption prior to the shooting.

This new information essentially changes everything. It is also most likely the reason why the LVMPD have stated they will not hold another presser until Friday.

The bigger problem for Las Vegas Police, FBI, DHS etc. is that this change is far more substantial than just the timeline. This ''new narrative'' stinks to high heaven.

Think about this. Not only are they saying the security guard encountered Paddock prior to the shooting of the crowd, which is fundamentally and factually different from their prior claims, but the essential points of how Campos engaged with arriving law enforcement is now entirely different.

Previously LVMPD stated: a 2nd guard met Campos at the elevator (seconds after reporting he'd been shot). Then, moments later, Campos and LVMPD stayed and cleared rooms taking their time because no shots were being fired at that time. Now they want to say Campos was shot and what?'... He sat there by the elevator for 10 minutes before LVMPD arrived at the elevator while the shooting was ongoing?

This is not a timeline issue. No way can this current explanation square with all the previous details, which were stated as facts day-after-day well into their fourth and fifth day press conferences.

Lombardo and the FBI were telling a story that they now admit was demonstrably false. It's not just getting the timeline wrong, it's refuting all of the prior conversations these investigative officials claimed to have had with the responding officers. That's not a mistake, that's a fundamental admission they were telling us false information.

Sheriff Lombardo is not only completely changing the shooting timeline as it relates to the responding security guard, he is entirely contradicting the investigations assertions and statements of investigative fact for the events.

Here's the presser video with my notes bullet-pointed below:

Paddock's brother is in town and being questioned.No evidence of a 2nd shooter. (yet)Approximately 200 of Paddock's prior visits to Las Vegas and surrounding area tracked down '' No other contacts identified.Still no motive.FBI begins releasing some property. See FBI.GOV website for more details.Anticipate one more week investigating physical site of attack.Anticipate one more week investigating hotel room.Investigation is very complicated. ''Complicated event reconstruction''No further press conferences until Friday (October 13th)Some evidence of medication in room. No details provided.No note left in room. Would not discuss night stand note and numbers.Sheriff Lombardo very confrontational with questioning.Security Guard heard drilling in room. Drilling of ''adjacent door'' interrupted by security guard and not completed.Security guard did not knock on hotel suite door. Door was party ajar.Security guard shot (at 9:59pm CST) prior to the mass shooting of the crowd at 10:05pm CST. Repeat: PRIOR TO THE SHOOTING OF THE CROWD.Guard was responding to alarm of ''open door'' (likely emergency stairwell)Paddock had body armor and ''self defense equipment''.Paddock check in date at hotel Sept 25th (parking), but did not occupy hotel suite until September 28th. Time between 25th and 28th is deepest investigative period officials cannot explain Paddock activity.Paddock did plan to escape. No details provided.Multiple cell phones in room. No details provided. (FBI Interruption)Lots of electronic equipment were in the room. Forensics ongoing.Paddock disguised his movements in the periods immediately prior to the shooting date of October 1st. Investigators perplexed by thoroughness of Paddock disguising his activity.Sheriff Lombardo very aggressive, curt and short-tempered with this press conference.No further press conferences scheduled until Friday October 13th.How can investigative officials so clearly mislead the public on the timeline of the shooting itself as it relates to the security guard?'.... and still hope to retain credibility with the public? '... this makes no sense.

The disinformation previously provided on the exact shooting timeline itself was not accidental. That affirmed timeline, and the statements of facts occurring within it, was provided FOUR DAYS after the attack. More than enough time to have the timing and sequencing accurate. The motive for misinformation is troubling.

The security guard (Jose Campos) being shot at 9:59pm would explain the quick response of LEO. It wasn't their magnanimous Las Vegas LEO ability. Presumably Jose Campos was the reason they knew where the shooter was and got them there so quick.

Additionally, people are confused on the door(s). Campos was responding to an automatic security notification of a security exit (fire stairwell) door being opened. That's typical. Almost all fire exits are wired to central alarms and give monitors signals when opened.

That door alarm was obviously (seems obvious) triggered when Paddock (shooter) drilled plates in the door frame to secure the door closed. Obviously this was anticipatory for SWAT arrival via the stairwell. And that's exactly what SWAT did. SWAT needed a prybar to open the door (CBS interview).

Security Guard Campos arrived on the floor to check the emergency door alarm only to see Paddock's suite door (that's the 2nd door) slightly ajar, and hear drilling inside. Campos unexpected entry into the suite is what caused Paddock to fire upon him (notice the bullet holes in the door) and then kicked off the next 15 minutes of action (random firing into the concert crowd).

LEO stated the door drilling was inside the suite and likely for placement of a camera etc. and noted all of the electronic equipment.

Natural question becomes: What was the original target? What was the original plan if it wasn't interrupted by Campos. What would the event have looked like if carried out according to plan?

Assuming, based on what did take place, Paddock needed approximately 30 more preparatory minutes for the full monty'.... what would that have been?

How would successful preparations have changed the ultimate attack?

Nothing in any of those questions would lead a person to believe he planned to leave or escape. Indeed, even if he did ''escape'', it would be silly with all those registered guns, and the room in his name, that Paddock would escape without anyone knowing who carried out the attack. Common sense tells you he didn't plan to exit.

There's nothing in evidence so far that looks like this wasn't ultimately a suicide mission. Body armor and defensive equipment would only realistically be for a showdown gun battle with the arriving cops. [The only thing that would change that reality would be if the investigators found a parachute in the room '' Highly unlikely].

If no exit plan, then what was all that stuff in the car for?

Was it a matter of bringing everything on September 25th with grand plans, and then reducing the plan according to reality he encountered with the venue? Most plausible explanation would be yes. ie. he modified his plan based on events he encountered and didn't need all he brought.

He parks the car at Mandalay on Sept. 25th and then goes about gambling etc. His physical location between 9/25 and 9/28 is unknown by investigators (or so they claim). Obviously he wasn't sleeping in his car'... so where did he sleep on 9/25, 9/26 and 9/27?

That puts him checked into the suite on Sept. 28th (per Lombardo) and taking 3+ days to get all the gear into place and begin setting up the attack plan. However, there's hotel in-room-dining receipts from September 27th. Again, more false statements?

However, with all the meticulous planning itself in those preparatory days, did Paddock just misjudge the end time of the concert, or was there something else he had in mind that would come later? Was a more substantive attack (if plans were not interrupted) supposed to start at the conclusion of the concert?

Lots of questions.

However, knowing that Campos interrupted the plan, while it was in process, changes the dynamic of the attack narrative by a considerable amount.

974: iPoop

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