Thoughts from a couple of chaps
Time Moves Faster When You Are Older
As we move steadily into 2017, I know that I am not the first to recognize that we are now 50 years away for the 1967 Summer of Love. Talk to a teen/twenty something ( don’t you just hate those ‘ennial tags?) … and I wonder if they would / could even comprehend what was going on back then.
Sure they listen to the music form that era … but to have a real understanding of Vietnam, The Kennedy and MLK assassinations, Civil Rights Movements et al … might be stretching it.
Why? Well, let’s put it into context.
Back in 1967, the equivalent would be to have that teen/twenty something understand everything that was going on in and around the FIRST WORLD WAR - much less the SECOND WORLD WAR.
In fact - when you think about it, the SECOND World War ended just twenty two years before the Summer of Love.
Twenty Two Years Ago the President of The USA was Bill Clinton and The Prime Minister of England was John Major.
People of my age can remember it all ‘like yesterday’. But for the newly emerging generations that are beginning to shape the future of this world - it all was a very very long time ago.
Which is all good - but let us not forget how we got here. The wars and the sacrifices made by millions. The shared experiences that shaped us.
He isn’t a teen/twenty something, so he should know better (but he doesn’t), but the current president of The USA is rattling his saber at pretty much everyone.
Hopefully, it will continue to just rattle because he won’t be able to work out how to take it out of its scabbard. But if he does ….
Slick By Name ... Slick By Nature
Absolutely brilliant. Back in England - in the middle ages - people would occasionally get ‘hoist by their own petard’ …. I believe Chick-Fil-A have just experienced that delight.
Yes, she is aware that Chick-Fil-A is a famously conservative, Christian-run company that has advocated against same-sex marriage and donated to anti-LGBTQ-rights causes through their charitable wing, The WinShape Foundation. Slick revealed that she explicitly decided to accept the company's offer to use the song so she could donate the proceeds to a charity that works against Chick-Fil-A's convictions: Lambda Legal, a non-profit legal organization working on behalf of LGBTQ community and HIV patients.
The Precursor To The Fall
Oh c'mon!
And for heavens sake grow up.
Conway says she gets 'different set of questions' on TV
Oh and honey, when you say ...
"It's a 'build you up to tear you down' kind of town."
Nobody - repeat NOBODY - 'built you up' - you did that all by your little old self.
And ...
"I'm focused on why we're here."
Can you tell us. Please. WHY are you here? Because I certainly don't see any added value.
Content - don’t you just hate that word ?
Which social network works best for you #discuss
I Don't Even Know What To Write ...
British MPs lined up on Monday to pour scorn on a “racist and sexist†Donald Trump, who they said should not be allowed to come to Britain for a state visit because of the risk it would embarrass the Queen.
... aah yes - your democracy at work ... 1.8 million people in the UK sign a petition that wants the state visit invite to the UK to be revoked - and
the conclusion was ...
... those close to ministers made clear that there would be no rowing back on the invitation to Trump and hit out at MPs.
I found this the most interesting
Labour’s Paul Flynn said that only two US presidents had been accorded a state visit to Britain in more than half a century and it was “completely unprecedented†that Trump had been issued his within seven days of his presidency.
... where a British Maths teacher who is Muslim was escorted off a plane in Iceland bound for New York - despite having all the valid papers and visas necessary for the school trip.
This was on the same day that the TSA let 11 people through screening at the same airport.
Tell me again about National Security Donald ...
Now We Know Where The Line Gets Drawn
After I wrote this at the beginning of the year, where ..
The Chicago Review of Books (had) made the decision to not review any books produced by Simon & Schuster during 2017.
The article asked the question 'Where is the line to be drawn?'
Now we know.
The Guardian today ...
Milo Yiannopoulos book deal cancelled after outrage over child abuse comments.
So actually as usual .. he self-destructed. But I am not sure that we can rely on this - eventually, even a douche like Milo will learn. (^^^ Yes - that is him up there. ^^^)
And Another Example Of Recurring History
Then on reading about who actually built Mar-a-Lago, it is revealed to be Marjorie Merriweather Post - who had some interesting ties back to Russia.
During the 1930s, the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin began selling art treasures and other valuables seized from the Romanov family and former Russian aristocrats after the Russian revolution to earn hard currency for its industrialization and military armament programs. Critics have claimed that these items were expropriated; however, Post and Davies's transactions were from the recognized governmental authority.
#JustSaying
Mar-a-Lago Finally Fulfilling Its Destiny?
Now that is an interesting piece of history - given where we are today ..
Mar-a-Lago is an estate and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, built from 1924 to 1927 by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post. Post envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents and foreign dignitaries, and following her death in 1973 it was bequeathed to the nation. However, successive presidents declined to use the mansion, which was returned to Post's estate in 1980 and in 1985 was purchased by Donald Trump, later 45th President of the United States.
Remember When Serving Your Country Was an Honour ...
.. and not a way to make a quick buck - I offer this as an example.
The U.S. Marshals Service says it is providing security for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos after a handful of protesters prevented her from entering a D.C. middle school.
Quite apart from the fact that the country is paying for security for someone in the Education Secretary role - surely that has to be a first - and reveals how reviled/divisive she must be …. but as I wrote here … she is the brother of Erik Prince … founder of Blackwater and the ‘go to’ guy for security in this fine totalitarian state - sorry - country - we live in.
Given that she, her husband, her brother, her father are all individually billionaires - don’t you think she could provide her own security … or at least pay for it.
AirBNB Facing Significant Law Suit
Denver-based AIMCO, one of the biggest landlords in the US, owns and manages over 50,000 apartments across the country. Real-estate research firm Green Street Advisors told the WSJ that this is the first time Airbnb has been sued by a major landlord. Other apartment owners might now feel emboldened to follow suit if the service refuses to cooperate with them.
The plaintiff says short-term rentals are against their leases, and Airbnb is helping its tenants break that rule. It also says the practice of renting to transients creates unsafe conditions for other tenants and that it has suffered loss of income, property damage, nuisance and disturbance.
Personally, have been waiting for something like this to break for a while. I don’t see AirBNB in the same category as UBER - but they are certainly approaching it. (BTW - that is a category that you do NOT want to belong to.)
Snap - Not just a Company - But A Description Of Market Position
Snap is going to market, trying to pitch itself as a unique blend of Silicon Valley and Hollywood. And no wonder: It has the losses of a tech startup combined with the anemic growth of a media company.
OUCH!
That quote comes from 'The Information'
And The Winner Is Blackwater
When I wrote this, I hadn't seen this ... so I am going with Blackwater.
Jeremy Scahill, editor of the online news publication The Intercept and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army profiles Erik Prince as a “Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,â€
Scared yet?
How about this ...
Erik Prince is allegedly the new ex-officio foreign policy adviser to Trump today!
Erik Prince Is Advising Trump from the Shadows should have red flags going up. Lest we forget, he’s the same man who wants to eliminate Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe.
Scahill spoke with PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) recently.
He mentioned a man by the name of Joseph Schmitz, who too is President Trump’s top foreign policy adviser.
Schmitz worked for Erik Prince’s Blackwater.
Oh - that logo at the top ... Academi, according to Wikipedia
Academi is an American private military company founded in 1997 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince as Blackwater, renamed as XE Services in 2009 and now known as Academi since 2011 after the company was acquired by a group of private investors.
Their name changes faster than leaks out of the Whitehouse. Why would they do that?
Will It Be Amway or Blackwater that drives future Education policy in the USA?
Old pieces now - but let’s not forget the connections that don’t seem to be too much reported by the ‘dishonest media’ on Betsy.
Betsy DeVos's brother, Erik Prince, the founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater, has been quietly advising Trump's transition team, including helping vet Cabinet picks.
from Here and
She is the daughter of Edgar Prince, who founded the Michigan-based Prince Corporation, an auto parts business that sold for $1.35 billion in 1996; she also married into the massive Amway fortune by marrying Dick DeVos, whose father co-founded that company.
Yup, Betsy is married to Amway … bastion of the original pyramid selling scheme and implicated in more global corruption schemes than your average soldier and brother to Blackwater - the private ‘protection company’ that the US government had to extract itself from.
The other common connection?
Both Blackwater and Amway have had to change their names in an attempt to present a more acceptable face to the public after their crimes were unearthed. Betsy - that’s who Trumpette is pointing to in the picture up there … and her connections admitted that as much as $200 million could have been contributed to Trump’s campaign. It’s amazing what money can buy.
If You Are In The US - Replace Dragon With Shark
Great post from the people at Taxi Leaks on Uber's business model ...
Dragon: So you are going to be a taxi company.
Me: No I am going to create a technology company
Dragon: Sorry... I do not understand? You are going to be offering a taxi service to the public?
Me: No.. I am not offering a taxi service to anyone. I want to 'reach out' by offering the technology to connect the public to taxis around the world.
Dragon: So you are going to be a global taxi company?
Me: No.. I want to offer a platform that people who own taxis can connect with the public.
Dragon: So you want to be a global company offering a taxi service?
Me: No... I want to offer a platform that people who own taxis can connect with the public.
Dragon: Ok.. let me put it another way. You want to offer a service where people use your technology to order a taxi.
Me: Yes
Dragon: So you want to be a global taxi company?
Me: No