Frame...

The framework of Trumps's tax reform, is lowering the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. On the other hand, many of deductions that corporation enjoy, can be eliminated as such.

The plan eliminates state and local tax deductions, meaning taxpayers in states with high taxes will lose out on the write-off. This impacts those in mostly blue states, such as California and New York. So the door for states to tax its citizens become difficult. People and businesses may leave states with high State taxes for other much lower ones..

Streamline the tax process will lead less people to hire tax accountants, lawyers and firms.

Domestic spending, welfare programs and education, etc. could take a hit as money is reassigned.
Yet all in all, businesses and corporation will expand greatly benefiting all.

H3-N2

 

Doctors say the worst flu season could be heading our way. The strain causing fear is H3N2, and doctors are urging people to get vaccinated before it begins to spread.

This year  Australia has been rather heavy and intense and they've had a much bigger flu season more than we normally expect. What happens in the southern hemisphere usually comes up to the northern hemisphere.

Most people think of the flu as an inconvenience of being sick for 3-5 days, but there are still a significant number of people that will be hospitalized who will die from influenza," said Dr. Davenport..

Even if you get vaccinated, there's always a chance you can still come down with the flu because strains are always mutating.

Common signs of the virus include an abrupt onset of fever, muscles aches, sore throat, and cough. And there's more...

The Rain...

Protesting...

Equality...

 


If you walk along the National Mall this November, you'll see the Smithsonian Museums, the Washington Monument, Capitol Hill, and, possibly, something else: a 45-foot tall nude sculpture of a woman.

The Amazonian figure would tower over the National Mall next to the Washington Monument, directly facing the White House until March 28 to promote women's equality.

The sculpture was created by artist Marco Cochrane as part of The Bliss Project. He said the sculpture was meant to combat a culture that increasingly dehumanizes women and sexualizes the female form.
R-Evolution is just one of three giant nude female sculptures Cochrane created with his model and collaborator Deja Solis.

Play...

Playboy is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.

^[3] Notable for its centerfolds of nude and semi-nude^[4] models (Playmates), Playboy played an important role in the sexual revolution^[5] and remains one of the world's best-known brands, having grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with a presence in nearly every medium.^[6] In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide.

De-Escalation...

 

Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed to establish “de-escalation zones” in Syria, signing on to a Russian plan under which President Bashar Assad’s air force would halt flights over designated areas.
Safe zones would bring relief for hundreds of thousands of civilians and encourage refugees to return.

The opposition is protesting Iran’s participation at the conference and role as a guarantor of the agreement, accusing it of fuelling the sectarian nature of the conflict that has killed some 400,000 people and displaced half the country’s population.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States has “reason to be cautious” about the chances for success of the deal, though it appreciates the efforts by Russia and Turkey to help lower violence in Syria. She added that U.S. has concerns, including about Iran’s “guarantor” role in the Kazakhstan deal.

Who is backing up the opposition?   How far are we behind them? What is the max destruction and loss of lives that the Arab world willing to accept?

Tinder...

Seven armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery -- all involving dating apps -- have been reported within 10 days in Omaha, Nebraska, and police say the incidents appear to be related.

In all eight incidents -- which involved the use of either Tinder or PlentyOfFish -- a male victim set up a date with someone presenting as female on the dating app, Omaha Police Department.

The latest of the robberies was this morning. The 19-year-old victim told police when he arrived at a location to meet someone from online, he went to the front door and told the person he was there. The individual replied "I'm coming," but the victim said the situation felt "sketchy," according to the incident report.

When the victim started walking back to his car, an armed man pulled out a gun and told him "empty your pockets and lay it on the ground,".  

The police department said it "encourages the public to utilize personal safety practices when meeting unknown parties on social media."

Fearless...

A new statue of a resolute young girl staring down Wall Street's famous Charging Bull was erected by a major asset managing firm for International Women's Day to make a point: There's a dearth of women on the boards of the largest U.S. corporations.

1/8...

The "Veep" star tweeted that she has been diagnosed with the disease and pleaded for universal health care to help others going through similar battles.

"1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one," she wrote. "The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality."

Hugh...

Hugh Hefner is an American publisher and playboy. He was best known as the editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, which he founded in 1953.^[2] An advocate of sexual liberation and freedom of expression, Hefner was a political activist and philanthropist in several other causes and public issues.

An advocate of sexual Liberation and Freedom of Expression.         Just a thought.

Awful...

Kim...

"I always remember that horrible day that we ran from life to death," says Kim Phuc, the girl in that iconic photo. Now 52, she lives just outside Toronto, a wife, mother and survivor inextricably linked to a photograph that dominated front pages in 1972, seven months before the signing of Paris Peace Accords led to the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from South Vietnam.

The Vietnam War on PBS.  

Referendum...

 

The Iraqi government escalated its confrontation with its northern Kurdish region, threatening to send troops and seize oil fields and taking steps to shut down international flights in the region.

The moves came in retaliation for a referendum in which the region, Iraqi Kurdistan, voted decisively to seek independence from Iraq. Nearly 93 percent of voters approved the referendum, which aims to create an independent state for the Kurds, an ethnic minority in Iraq.

Iraq’s Parliament asked the country’s prime minister to deploy troops to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, and to take control of all oil fields in the Kurdish region.

Iraq has called the vote illegal and has vowed to ignore the results. The vote has also provoked the Kurdish region’s two powerful neighbors, Turkey and Iran.

All three countries have been conducting military exercises near the border of Iraqi Kurdistan this week.

Quality...

 



New Jersey Governor Chris Christie held the third formal meeting of President Trump's ongoing Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis.

NIH Director advised the commission that the agency is looking to build partnerships with researchers across academia, government, prescribers and patients to "cut in half the time needed to make available prescriptions that are non-addictive." And developing "potent but non-addictive drugs" for pain relief .

PhRMA CEO announced another significant step in the effort to curb the abuse of opioid prescriptions, telling the commission that the company will support limiting the supply of opioids to 7 days, as opposed to the traditional 30-day supply.

However, The 7 days supply suggested by the pharma manufacturing, will increase the healthcare cost by requiring frequent visitation to the Medical offices, and the pharmacies.  In addition, will reduce the quality of life of many of the patients who need assistance to reach medical office.

Get something new without multiplying the cost.   Just a thought.

Resist...

The book tour by Hillary is not really to document why did she loose. That is a one page summery. It seems to me that Hillary is campaigning for something in addition to money.

Schumer and Pelosi's cooperation with Trump will hurt even more as Trump's agenda of Tax reform, Immigration,.. etc takes place. So here it is, Resist....

Resistance...

There were more cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported last year than ever before.
Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis  three of the most common S.T.D.s  grew for the second consecutive year. And while all three diseases are treatable with antibiotics, most cases continue to go undiagnosed, potentially causing infertility and other problems.

The syphilis rate rose most sharply, by 19 percent. Public health officials are particularly worried about an increase in the number of babies whose mothers are passing it to them in utero, which can cause stillbirths and infant deaths. Progress in the fight against S.T.D.s has “unraveled,” according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Young people, minorities and men who have sex with other men are at most risk of getting an S.T.D.  Chlamydia rates are highest among 15-to 24-year-olds, who accounted for nearly two-thirds of diagnoses last year, and among blacks. While chlamydia disproportionately affects women, the rate of reported cases among men grew more sharply last year.  

Most of the new gonorrhea and syphilis cases were among gay men, although rates are climbing for women, too. Public health officials are worried that gonorrhea is becoming resistant. Although gonorrhea rates are highest among blacks, they have jumped over the last few years among whites. 

Chauffeur...

Saudi Arabia said today that it will issue driver's licenses to women for the first time.

The announcement follows years of criticism of the conservative kingdom by human rights groups.

The move will come into effect on June 23, 2018. A committee consisting of representatives of several ministries will first study how to implement the change in accordance with religious and regulatory standards.

The shift comes several months after the Saudi king named a new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The 32-year-old heir to the throne has pushed a program of reform in the country.

State Department spokeswoman called the change "a great step in the right direction."

No more chauffeur.

Waterway...

Archaeologists believe they have solved one of history's most puzzling questions - how the ancient Egyptians transported over 170,000 tons of limestone to build the Great Pyramid at Giza.

New findings at the site on the outskirts of Cairo have revealed purpose-built boats were used to transport the huge stones. The findings shed new light on how King Khufu’s tomb, built over 4,000 years ago in about 2550 BC, was built.

Archeologists have long known that some rock had been extracted eight miles from Giza in a place called Tura, while granite was quarried from over 500 miles away.

The 2.5-ton blocks were ferried through a system of specially designed canals before arriving at an inland port built just yards away from the base of the Great Pyramid.
The papyrus scroll is the only firsthand record of how the pyramid was built, and was written by an overseer named Merer.
He explained in detail how the limestone was moved from the quarry in Tura to Giza using the Bronze Age waterways.

Archaeologist Mark Lehner has also uncovered evidence of a waterway underneath the plateau the pyramid sits on.

The Guy...*

Former Subway restaurant pitchman Jared Fogle is set to plead guilty to having had sex with minors and distributing and receiving child pornography. The plea agreement says Fogle traveled to New York for sex with at least two minors between about 2010 and 2013 at the Plaza Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

He has an approximate net worth of $15 Million.
By the time he was 20 years old, his weight had ballooned to over 400 pounds.  He survived on copious amounts of pizza, ice cream, burgers, French fries, and more junk food. Consuming over 10,000 calories per day.

The Subway sandwiches in conjunction with an exercise routine led to him losing over 200 pounds. After the student newspaper published a story about his remarkable weight loss Subway executives took notice of the story.......  Didn't end well.

The End...

I watched the interview with Charlie Rose regarding the new book. Most of it was talking about how bad is Trump rather than a respective analysis to what happened.

From the discussion, it is obvious that the new means of communication, Face Book, and others  had a great effect on the process.   Just a thought.

Lips...*

Posted one year ago.

Re-shape...*

Brazil overtook the United States as the world leader for cosmetic operations.  With less than 3% of the world’s population, Brazil accounted for 12.9% of the cosmetic operations performed.

This included breasts reshaped, faces tweaked, tummies tucked, vaginas reconstructed, penises enlarged and buttocks augmented. The growth of the latter category was particularly spectacular with a near doubling in the past four years.

One doctor stressed the idealistic potential of his profession as “artists of the living form, dealing with body and soul”.  “it will be clear that aesthetic surgery brings the desired serenity to those that suffer by being betrayed by nature”.

Exploitation...

There's been a lot of fuss over a Russian group buying Facebook ads in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, to the point where it's handing the ads to Congress as it investigates the scope of Russia's influence campaign.

Washington Post sources say that the 3,000 ads were built to exploit American social divisions. Some championed activist groups like Black Lives Matter, while others portrayed them as existential threats. Others aimed to split opinions through hot-button issues like Islam, LGBT rights, gun rights and immigration.

I suggest to investigate the exploitation of the American people through the healthcare medications, diagnosis, and treatment.   Just a thought.

Ballooned...

Irma-Geddon...

Trouble...

New Jersey's senior senator, Bob Menendez, is facing a dozen counts of bribery, conspiracy, and fraud charges in a corruption probe involving one of his close friends.

Prosecutors at the Justice Department accuse Menendez of accepting lavish gifts in exchange for using his political influence to help friend and Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen.
But Menendez denies the charges, claiming he was only doing what he would do for any constituent.

The indictment outlines the alleged scheme: Melgen flew Menendez around on his private jet, paid for luxury trips to Paris and the Dominican Republic, and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions that benefited Menendez.

In exchange, the government claims, Menendez intervened on Melgen's behalf to sort out a shipping contract, secure immigrant visas for Melgen's girlfriends, and settle a multimillion-dollar Medicare billing dispute involving Melgen's ophthalmology practice.

Is not what he did, it's what he took.  Just a thought.

Split...

In a bold step toward an uncertain future, the Kurdish people living in northern Iraq are heading to the polls today to cast their ballots in a referendum for independence.

Every one of Kurdistan’s neighbors, plus some of the world’s leading nations including the United States and the United Kingdom, have condemned the referendum. Even bitter rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran are in agreement over this one.

It’s a regionwide referendum in the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region to gauge national support for an independence movement from Iraq. The vote is nonbinding.

United States and United Kingdom were the two powers that cause the disintegration of  Iraq. The latest is a new outcome of the Iraq War. More problems to come.

Best Job...

Web...

Image is not related.

Former Rep. Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl in a case that rocked Hillary Clinton's campaign for the White House in the closing days of the race and may have cost her the presidency.

The FBI was investigating Weiner's contact with the high school student when it came across emails on his laptop between Abedin and Clinton, prompting then-FBI Director James Comey to announce in late October 2016 that he was reopening the probe of Clinton's use of a private computer server.

Another...

 

British police have arrested a 20-year-old man in Wales in connection to the recent bomb attack on the London subway.   The suspect is being questioned under the Terrorism Act.

He was arrested in Cardiff, 150 miles west of London. Police say an address there is being searched.

Police last week charged 18-year-old with planting the bomb at Parsons Green station on Sept. 15. The bomb partially exploded, injuring 30 people.

Police say three suspects remain in police custody including the last man arrested.   

Knees...

"Tonight, I'm taking a knee for America. But not just one knee, I'm taking both knees," Wonder, 67, said onstage Saturday. "Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe."     Explain it the way you see it yourself.

Short...

Citron Research's Andrew Left, who gained notoriety for successful bets against companies such as Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

He called Ubiquiti Networks a "fraud" during a televised interview Monday.  "The word 'fraud' I use very judiciously," the short-seller said in an exclusive interview on CNBC's "Halftime Report."

Left said it will be interesting to see what happens next month when Robert Pera has an option to buy the rest of the Grizzlies NBA team, which will require more due diligence on his company by the league.

"The more sunlight you put on a fraud, the more chance it has of being exposed," Left said.Shares of Ubiquiti plunged 10 percent after the short seller released his bearish report on the company Monday morning.
The company makes wireless networking products.  

Target...

 

The moving target is the wrong item to focus on. All politicians know that. The goal is to reduce the inflated cost of healthcare and medications' outrages pricing. If that happen, then it is easy to have more people insured.  Just a thought.

Environment....

The U.S. will still meet environmental goals from the Paris climate agreement with or without the help of the Trump administration, former Vice President Al Gore said.

Administration officials in recent days have indicated that the White House instead will seek a deal with less stringent requirements but remain within the pact.

Either way, Gore said the global effort is on the right track. Gore spoke at the United Nations Private Sector Forum.

"But whether that happens or not, U.S. states and cities and businesses and industries are moving forward," Gore said. "The projections now indicate that the United States will meet the commitments made at Paris whether it is affirmed by the federal government or not."

He pointed out the ferocity of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, noting the rarity of storms with such intensity.

When mother earth instructs you to live somewhere else, Do it.

Bombshell...

A sharp rise in the number of sexual assaults reported in Bavaria Germany, this year and many of the accused offenders are foreigners.

It is rare that a cabinet meeting in the Bavarian chancellery makes headlines across Germany. And when the state's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, presented Bavaria's latest crime statistics on September 12, they seemed quite positive: fewer break-ins, less theft.

But then came the bombshell. The number of rapes reported in the first half of 2017, had increased by some 50 percent. Herrmann reported that 685 cases had been filed since the beginning of the year and that 126 of those involved foreign attackers.

That particular statistic represents a rise of 90 percent over the same period last year, with 60 more cases having been registered in 2017.

Those are shocking numbers indeed, but criminologists are not entirely willing to accept them as reliable. "The numbers are astonishing," said Ralf Kölbel, a criminal justice expert at Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University.

New Idea...*

On September 17, 2016 at about 9:30 a.m., a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can along the route of a U.S. Marine charity run in Seaside Park.

Later that day, at about 8:30 p.m., a homemade pressure cooker bomb exploded on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea - Manhattan. Thirty-one civilians were injured.

A second pressure cooker bomb, with wires and a mobile phone attached, was discovered by authorities on West 27th Street, four blocks away. He placed five additional pipe bombs the next day.

The complaint says Mr. Rahami was motivated by an extremist terroristic ideology that he recorded in a notebook he had with him when he was shot,  before being taken into custody.

Comments:
The suspect attempted to kill hundreds of people. In return, his citizenship should be revoked. He is not an American.

What built on his false pretenses as a good citizen is false, all those who benefited of him being a citizen should be stripped from this privilege.
Just ta thought.

Mis-Fit...**

A bright child, skipped two grades during his early education. In 1958, he entered Harvard University at the age of 16 on a scholarship. He earned his doctoral degree in 1967 and taught at the University of California Berkeley.

Then he built himself a small cabin in the wilderness and lived in isolation.
He mailed his bombs to universities and airlines, killing three people and injuring 23 more.

Hate consumed his energy, emotion, years and finally his life. It turned him from a professor, shaping the mind of students, to a terrorist hiding, planning to kill others who are building their lives and their communities.

In his trial he insisted he is not mentally ill.         His brother, who reported him, helped saved him from a well deserved death raw.

A sad story indeed.... but it is very similar to other terrorist. Just a thought.

Snugness...*

Danes don’t have a pessimistic disposition, merely realistic expectations. Excellent contemporary urban design, a strong architectural heritage, cutting-edge Nordic cuisine, low crime, and a social welfare safety net as givens, perhaps having normal expectations does make you happy!

A modern welfare state, with low income inequality and well-funded social services which allows us to take bigger risks with what we want to do with our lives.

Low expectations: we wake up expecting clouds and rain and then the sun shines! This lack of entitlement in terms of having a good career, satisfying social life, and so forth means we are rarely disappointed and, often, pleasantly surprised.

Denmark is known for rainy days, but we are not afraid of the weather, and love to be outside year-long.  “there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes.”  Danes sitting outside at restaurants with a lap blanket, leaving a baby warmly tucked into their stroller outside a cafe, and biking through wind, rain, and snow.

With more hours of darkness in winter,‘coziness’ or ‘snugness’  holds a special place in the hearts of Danes. In fact 50% of Copenhagen’s urban commuters travel by bike.

Denmark is the happiest place on earth. Think about it.

Waste...

A federal appeals court has denied white supremacist Dylann Roof's request to replace his Jewish and Indian lawyers who are appealing his death sentence for a racist massacre in South Carolina a day after he filed it.  The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a one-page, 11-word denial.

Roof's handwritten appeal filed earlier. He wrote: "It will be impossible for me to trust two attorneys that are my political and biological enemies."

Roof was sentenced to death in January after being convicted of hate crimes in the killings of nine black worshippers at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church in June 2015.  In denying Roof's requests, the judges wrote: "The court denies the motion for substitution of counsel on appeal."

Roof, an avowed white supremacist, gunned down nine people during a Bible study, a study he sat through for 40 minutes before opening fire. Despite the bloodshed, the Church has continued using the room for Wednesday study -- even the week after.  

Resettlment...

An 18-year old man who has been arrested as surveillance footage shows him leaving the foster house just 90 minutes before and carrying the bomb used in the attack.

The home is owned by an elderly couple, Penelope and Ronald Jones, who were honored by the Queen for serving as foster parents for young men, including some from Iraq and Syria.

“He was a lovely young man,” Tabitha Jenkins said. “You wouldn’t suspect anything from him. He was polite, courteous to the old couple. They wouldn’t know anything about him.”

A second man, 21, was arrested nearby, a displaced Syrian who lived in London, though his family is spread throughout Europe and Egypt as they await resettlement.

Officials say the forensic evidence raises new questions about the attack, such as whether the bucket bomb used in the attack was a type of explosive designed to release deadly chemicals.
The absence of any metal that could turn into shrapnel suggests to bomb experts that the goal instead was to achieve a release of deadly chemicals.
Where did these young people learn to hate those who supported their lives? 

Over See..

The Senate passed a roughly $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act.  The final vote was 89 to eight. It required a simple majority to pass the Senate.

The 2018 bill also authorizes just over $141 billion for military personnel costs, including costs of pay, bonuses, benefits and moving expenses. It provides a 2.1 percent increase in pay for troops.

The legislation includes money to increase troop numbers above the White House's request, adding thousands of new members to the Army and Marine Corps as well as boosting reserve totals.

The final Senate version includes a base budget of $640 billion and another $60 billion for the so-called Overseas Contingency Operations war funding, which includes money for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations.

 Does this make US more aggressive against poor countries in the Middle East?

Hut Tub...

A complaint filed with the  (EEOC) calls Florian Jaeger a "manipulative sexual predator." It also accuses university officials of retaliating against faculty who complained about his conduct. A university investigation cleared him of wrongdoing.

The probe into the university's investigation and overall handling of the case will be led by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White.

According to EEOC complaint filed, Jaeger hosted hot tub parties, used illegal drugs with students and sent one unwanted pictures of his genitals.

"At least eleven female students and post-docs at University of Rochester actively avoided working with Jaeger because of his constant sexual innuendos, pressure to sleep with students, power plays and other unprofessional behavior, which created a taxing, strange and unequal environment in which to pursue their education," the complaint said.   

Speech...

Russia...

The Media's dream wish.

Revolving...

The immigration policies, the wall, the loud talk of some, and the revolving doors, are the issues preventing a decent resolution of illegals in this country. Just a thought.

Weather...

Climate change may be real... May be. Just a thought.

Ops...

Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered a lashing message to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo  from a camera-packed subway car in Brooklyn: You fix this. And don’t ask the city for any more money

The blunt words, delivered by a sweaty mayor in a train that ran smoothly for the four stops he traveled, was the most public attempt yet by Mr. de Blasio to show that he understands the problems faced by New Yorkers coping with a transit system plagued with delays.

The chairman of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Joseph J. Lhota, countered soon after. “What we need is leadership, not photo ops,” Mr. Lhota said in a statement. “The mayor’s comments today were completely disingenuous, knowing that the M.T.A. is set to present its 30-day overhaul plan this week.”

Change...

Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis suggested that New York City could help the state-run subways by diverting rainy-day money the de Blasio administration has stocked away.

Malliotakis, who said she would accede to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s demand for half of an $800 million interim repair plan, criticized incumbent Bill de Blasio for failing to contribute enough to the ailing subway system.

Criticizing de Blasio for increasing spending every year since taking office in 2014, however, the subway deteriorates on a daily bases.

Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute, said the city has about $2 billion in reserves.

Two Million New Yorkers are inconvenient on a daily basis, spending more time in the subway system than being at home with their families. Time for a change.

Drills...

China and Russia began naval drills near North Korea amid continuing tensions over the isolated state's nuclear ambitions and ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting this week, where North Korea is likely to loom large.

The drills are the second part of China-Russian naval exercises this year, the first part of which took place in the Baltic in July. The report did not directly link the drills to current tensions over North Korea.

Both China and Russia have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution and talks to resolve the issue.
China has urged the United States to refrain from making threats to North Korea.

We need both countries to be on our side.

Pitch...

Everyone is doing something to repair the damage.  Just a thought.