The Evening Blues - 10-1-15

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features jazz cornet player, singer, composer and bandleader King Oliver. Enjoy!

King Oliver - Riverside Blues

“We’ve ended two wars.”

-- Barack Obama


News and Opinion

U.S. Bombs Somehow Keep Falling in the Places Where Obama “Ended Two Wars”

New York Times, today, headlined: “U.S. Planes Strike Near Kunduz Airport as Fight Rages On”

American warplanes bombarded Taliban-held territory around the Kunduz airport overnight, and Afghan officials said American Special Forces were rushed toward the fighting. … The situation for the Afghan forces improved somewhat toward midnight: American warplanes conducted airstrikes at 11:30 p.m. and again at 1 a.m. on Taliban positions near the airport, an American military spokesman said. … Around the same time, soldiers with the American Special Forces headed out toward the city with Afghan commandos, according to Afghan government officials.

How do you know when you’re an out-of-control empire? When you keep bombing and deploying soldiers in places where you boast that you’ve ended wars. How do you know you have a hackish propagandist for a president? When you celebrate him for “ending two wars” in the very same places that he keeps bombing. ...

Russia today announced that its upper Parliament approved its own imperialistic intervention and bombing campaign inside Syria, and that legislative body was widely (and not inaccurately) derided by U.S. commentators for being what the New York Times called a “rubber stamp.” The Obama administration, by contrast, does not even bother with the empty ritual of Congressional approval for its bombing campaigns; the president proved he is even willing to bomb a country after Congress rejected his authorization to do so, as happened in Libya.

Rashid Khalidi on Syria: The Beginning of This Mess was the 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq

After Denying Claims They're Killing Civilians, Russia Has Launched Fresh Airstrikes in Syria

Russia launched fresh airstrikes on rebel positions in Syria on Thursday, having already been forced to deny the country's first wave of attacks have killed 36 civilians.

The latest bombardment from Russia's military comes the day after the US raised concerns those being targeted were opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — rather than Islamic State (IS) militants.

The strikes were reportedly targeting areas including rural areas near the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, held by an alliance of insurgents including al Qaeda's Nusra Front, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV said, according to Reuters.

Two members of a rebel brigade operating in Talbiseh told VICE News via phone that fast jets of a kind they'd never seen before hit the town between 1pm and 2pm causing dozens of casualties including civilians and children.

"The regime has bombed this area many times before, but not heavy like yesterday," one said, adding that the attack was of a severity they hadn't experienced before. "We didn't guess that it would be this strong. We knew there would be bombing from Russia, but we didn't think it would be like this." ...

A Syrian government military source said on Thursday that Russian military support would bring a "big change" in the course of the four-year war, particularly through advanced surveillance capabilities that could pinpoint insurgent targets.

"There will certainly be a big change on the course of field developments, by virtue of the advanced technologies and weapons the Russian army has ... particularly in surveillance and identifying targets," the source said.

Information warfare: Russia accused of killing civilians in Syria

US-Funded NGO in Syria Uses Old Photo to Claim Civilian Death in Russian Airstrikes

From the moment the first Russian warplanes started launching attacks inside Syria, a new campaign in the information war was also launched, with various groups trying to get their stamps on conflicting stories about what exactly Russia attacked, whether they hit ISIS, ISIS allies, pro-US rebels, or just random Syrian civilians.

At the center of one of the bigger controversies was the “White Helmets” organization. Formerly known as the Syria Civil Defense, the group is heavily funded by the US State Department, and while the group claims to be purely an aid group, and not to be taking any side in the war, their statements overwhelmingly tow the official US line, leading to allegations that the group is little more than a “propaganda outlet.”

Early in the day, the group claimed Russia killed 33 civilians in its attacks, including three children, and attached a photo to the story which was quickly pointed out to be from an incident five days prior, which had nothing to do with Russia.

US-backed Syrian rebels say they have been hit by Russian airstrikes

US-backed rebels in Syria say they were hit by Russian airstrikes on Thursday, on the second day of Russia’s air campaign over the country.

The commander of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group, which has received training by the CIA, says a training camp in Idlib province was struck by about 20 missiles in two separate sorties.

Hassan Haj Ali, a Syrian army captain who defected after the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, said some of the guards of the facility were slightly wounded in the attack. ...

The Russian defence ministry said its planes hit 12 Islamic State targets, including a command centre and two arms depots, although the areas where it said the strikes took place are not held by Isis.

Syrian activists reported a number of airstrikes in the country’s north and centre, including in the province of Hama, which they said hit locations controlled by another US-backed rebel group, Tajamu Alezzah.

Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese pro-Assad TV channel, separately reported that Russian aircraft had launched 30 fresh airstrikes against Jaysh al-Fateh, a powerful rebel coalition that includes Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida affiliated al-Nusra Front.

US Dismisses ‘Doomed’ Russian Strikes in Syria, Warns Them Not to Attack Non-ISIS Rebels

With the introduction of Russian warplanes carrying out airstrikes in Syria, the US is dramatically ratcheting up its rhetoric against the involvement of anyone not formally part of their coalition in the conflict, saying that Russia is “doomed to failure” in their attempts to fight ISIS.

That might be dismissed simply as sour grapes, as America’s own war against ISIS is already going extremely poorly and they’re loathe to see anyone achieve their military goals against ISIS as a consequence. At the same time, however, State Department officials warn they view Russia’s involvement with “grave concern” and are demanding that Russia not launch any airstrikes against non-ISIS rebel forces.

Even with US officials wringing their hands about Russia’s involvement in the war, State Department officials are saying that it won’t impact America’s war in Syria, and that they’re going to continue attacking targets in Syria.

This statement too is a confusing one, as Russia never called on the US to stop attacking ISIS, it was the other way around. Russia, indeed, has suggested the two nations should coordinate in fighting ISIS, something the US has rejected doing.

Iraqi PM happy to have the Russians on board, doesn't appear too worried about US concerns.

Prime Minister Abadi: Iraq welcomes Russia in Islamic State fight

A Game of Dice With Russia: “Do You Realize What You Have Done?”

... On his return to Russia on 29 September, Putin gathered the permanent members of the Russian Federation’s advisory council on security to discuss the fight against extremism and terrorism. On Wednesday, upon recommendation of the advisory council, the Russian Parliament (higher chamber) approved the use of Russian armed forces on foreign soil. President Assad formally requested Russian military assistance in fighting ISIS, thus making Russia’s defensive intervention in Syria the only one based on legality—unlike the aerial strikes conducted by the US, joined lately by France, and being considered by Australia and other countries, which violate international law, as noted by Sergei Ivanov, Kremlin spokesman. ...

Foreign Minister Lavrov added that Moscow is preparing a UN resolution proposing a coalition against the Daesh. Will the United States expose its cheating hand by voting against it in the Security Council? We are living in interesting times. Russia is sending to Syria from forty to sixty—Su-24, Su-25, and Su-34—airplanes and two battalions. Russian strikes have already hit near Homs, as reported by CNN. The US has not heeded Russia’s request to keep clear of Syria’s aerial space during these initial operations, thereby increasing the risk of “confliction,” a military term meaning an incident SNAFU of international proportions.

Whatever happens next, the US is on notice to stop playing with fire. Let’s hope, as Otto von Bismarck said, that “there is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, and the United States of America.”

Youth's Imminent Crucifixion Shines Light on 'Cozy' Ties Between Saudis and the West

The imminent public execution of 21-year-old Saudi activist Ali Mohammed al-Nimr has sparked worldwide condemnation while, at the same time, shining a light on what rights groups say is the brutal impunity under which the Saudi Arabian government operates, thanks to its "special relationship" with Western leaders.

The Saudi government sentenced al-Nimr to death by "crucifixion" in May 2014 after advocates say the then-17-year-old was imprisoned and tortured into confessing to a series of anti-government crimes, including sedition, rioting, and "breaking allegiance" to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. With the ruling upheld by an appeals court last week, al-Nimr will be executed as soon as the king ratifies the sentence.

Supporters say that his execution would "violate international law" and that the youth has been unfairly targeted because authorities "dislike" his uncle, the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who has also been sentenced to death. ...

It was revealed on Tuesday that in 2013 the UK government covertly helped the Saudi government secure a seat at UN Human Rights Council.

As for the U.S., the country's relationship with Saudi Arabia stretches back generations and includes robust oil and weapons trades as well as military backing, including for the ongoing Saudi-led coalition attack on Yemen. In 2014, Saudi Arabia was the number one weapons trading partner with the United States.

As Palestinian Flag Is Raised at UN, Abbas Says PA Not Bound by Deals Israel "Continually Violated"

Abbas: Palestinians No Longer Bound by Pacts With Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today announced that the Palestinian Authority no longer considers itself bound by existing agreements with Israel because the Israeli government keeps violating those pacts. ...

Saying that the status quo can no longer continue, Abbas declared that Israel should consider itself obliged to fulfill all the responsibilities of an “occupying power” in the Palestinian territories. This would include ensuring food and medical supplies are provided to those living under occupation, and explicitly forbids settlements.

Israel's new UN ambassador is a rightwing thorn in Netanyahu's side

Danny Danon, Israel’s young, sharply dressed new ambassador to the United Nations, has plenty of friends in high places. But they do not include his own prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.

Danon, a former minister in Netanyahu’s government, has long found a warm welcome in the corridors of the US Congress. ... The 44-year-old secularist is a favourite of America’s Christian evangelicals after his book Israel: the Will to Prevail invoked religion to argue against a Palestinian state and for Israel to retain control of most of the occupied territories. ...

He calls territorial concessions to the Palestinians “dangerous”, has pronounced the Oslo peace accords to be dead and argues for Israel to annex the occupied territories and impose a form of apartheid.

He has also advised his own prime minister, due to address the UNGA on Thursday, not to worry what the rest of the world thinks. An Israeli Labor party member of parliament described Danon as “a rightwing extremist with the diplomatic sensitivity of a pit bull”.

But Palestinian officials are not displeased with the appointment. While his predecessor, Ron Prosser, is known as a prickly defender of Israel’s interests but a seasoned and professional diplomat, they say Danon is the true face of Netanyahu’s government with the diplomatic pretence stripped away.

Latin American Leaders Demand UN Reforms

Secret Service tried to discredit US lawmaker

Scores of U.S. Secret Service employees improperly accessed the decade-old, unsuccessful job application of a congressman who was investigating scandals inside the agency, a new government report said Wednesday. An assistant director suggested leaking embarrassing information to retaliate against Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House oversight committee.

The actions by the employees could represent criminal violations under the U.S. Privacy Act, said the report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, John Roth. "It doesn't take a lawyer explaining the nuances of the Privacy Act to know that the conduct that occurred here — by dozens of agents in every part of the agency — was wrong," the report said....

Employees accessed Chaffetz's 2003 application for a Secret Service job starting 18 minutes after the start of a congressional hearing in March about the latest scandal involving drunken behavior by senior agents. Some forwarded the information to others. At least 45 employees viewed the file. ...

One week later, Assistant Director Ed Lowery suggested leaking embarrassing information about Chaffetz in retaliation for aggressive investigations by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee into a series of agency missteps and scandals, the report said. Days later, on April 2, the information about Chaffetz unsuccessfully applying for a job at the Secret Service was published by The Daily Beast, an Internet publication.

"Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out. Just to be fair," Lowery wrote March 31 in an email to fellow Assistant Director Faron Paramore.

Jason Leopold scores again... this time it's a FOIA about the Stingray mass surveillance/rights violation device. Here's a taste:

DC Police, the FBI, and Their Secret Agreement to Hide Cell Phone Spying

In August 2012, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC entered into a secret agreement with the FBI.

The MPD was promising not to disclose any details about its use of a highly controversial antiterrorism surveillance technology known as a Stingray. About the size of a suitcase, the Stingray simulates a cell phone tower and intercepts mobile phone calls and text messages.

The MPD also agreed that if the department learned that any technical details about the surveillance technology was at risk of being exposed during a judicial proceeding, MPD would contact the FBI so the bureau could ask MPD to "seek dismissal of the case" in order to continue protecting the overall secrecy of the Stingray.

The unusual and potentially illegal arrangement between the FBI and MPD was memorialized in a six-page non-disclosure agreement (NDA) signed by MPD Assistant Chief Peter Newsham [pdf at the end of this story] after the police department requested "certain wireless collection equipment/technology" — what is commonly called the Stingray — manufactured by Harris Corporation, a Florida-based defense contractor. ...

"These NDAs are the keystone in this very corrosive regime of secrecy that both interferes with the public's ability to know what their local police departments are doing, but also interferes with defendants' due process rights in individual cases," said Nathan Wessler, an attorney with the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project. "So it is significant when Metropolitan Police Department releases this document, because that will give public defenders in the city a better sense of why they haven't gotten disclosures in individual cases when Stingrays may have been used. It will give members of the public the basis of which to question their local government's secret activities. Every new disclosure sheds light and makes it more likely that local police will be held accountable." ...

Wessler said last year that the Fourth Amendment rights of tens of thousands of DC residents are likely violated whenever DC police use Stingray, which sends out a more powerful signal than a cell tower and forces all mobile devices to report back serial numbers and locations.

A Critical Look at VICE's Story on Mass Imprisonment with Obama and Holder

Elizabeth Warren lobbying query leads Brookings Institution fellow to quit

The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has prompted the resignation of a high-profile Brookings Institution fellow after accusing him of failing to fully disclose industry funding tied to a study that criticized the US Labor Department’s plan to regulate brokerages.

Tuesday’s resignation of Robert Litan came just one day after Warren, a Democrat, sent Brookings’ president a letter demanding to know more about the thinktank’s policies on financial conflicts and details about the communications between Litan and Capital Group, an investment firm that funded his research paper.

“He has acknowledged that he made a mistake in not following Brookings regulations designed to uphold the independence of the institution,” Brookings’ president, Strobe Talbott, said in a statement provided to Reuters.

Warren’s concerns center on a study that Litan and researcher Hal Singer jointly conducted which examined a controversial plan by the Labor Department to try to rein in conflicts posed by brokers who offer retirement advice.

The proposal has garnered fierce opposition from Wall Street, and Litan’s study concluded that the plan could harm consumers.

Litan testified about the study’s findings in a July hearing before a US Senate panel, in which he represented himself as a fellow at Brookings.

Looks like the Canadian elites have a firm grip on the strategy of dividing the voting public with emotional appeals to racism and xenophobia that have been perfected right here in the USA.

Veil debate becomes big issue in Canada election, putting Conservatives into lead

Zunera Ishaq describes her choice to wear a veil in public as a “trivial and minor issue”.

But for 35 million Canadians, this woman’s stubborn insistence on her right to conceal her face has become a central issue in the ongoing election campaign, giving a late boost to a Conservative government that had previously seemed doomed to defeat.

A 29-year-old mother and teacher who was accepted as an immigrant to Canada in 2008, Ishaq first came to attention when she went to court to challenge a new government regulation that sought to prevent Muslim women from covering their faces during their citizenship ceremony.

She won handily, and won again early this month when a second court rejected the Harper government’s appeal against the earlier decision.

But with every victory for Ishaq, the government opposing her becomes more popular. After announcing this month that it would go to the supreme court of Canada to appeal its second defeat, the Conservatives moved from third to first place in polls tracking opinion prior to the October election.



the horse race


The Milkman of Human Kindness has ceased deliveries to the Trump residence...

'They could be Isis.' Donald Trump warns against taking Syrian refugees

Donald Trump has warned that Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the US could be a fifth column sent by Isis.

In a speech in Keene, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, Trump expressed his revulsion at the idea that the US would take in 200,000 Syrian refugees, warning that “they could be Isis. They are all men and they are all strong.” In the opinion of the Republican frontrunner, the ongoing refugee crisis in the Middle East could be “one of the great tactical ploys of all time”. Trump pledged that if elected, he would send any refugees admitted to the US back to their homeland. “If I win, they’re going back,” he proclaimed.

Bernie Sanders edges close to Clinton with record $26m in small donations

A record 1.3m small donations have propelled Bernie Sanders to within sight of Hillary Clinton’s once commanding fundraising lead, according to preliminary estimates of third-quarter campaign receipts.

The independent Vermont senator, who has rejected support from unlimited Super Pac donors in favour of capped contributions from individuals, received $26m during the three-month period to midnight on Wednesday.

That compared to $28m raised from similar sources by Clinton, down from the $47.5m the former of secretary of state raised in the first two-and-a-half months of her campaign, last quarter.

Clinton campaign officials put a brave face on their candidate’s haul, which matched a similar slide in opinion polling over the period, saying it came from “hundreds of thousands” of supporters.

Official filings will be made to the Federal Election Commission before its 15 October deadline, and it is possible the gap between the two campaigns will be even closer when spending figures are included.

Clinton has been spending heavily on a much larger campaign staff and despite holding many more fundraising events than Sanders may not have that much more to show for it.

David Axelrod, a former campaign adviser to Barack Obama, described the Sanders numbers as “remarkable” and a sign that he possibly now has more cash on hand than Clinton.

Hillary Clinton: Russia-linked hackers tried to access private email five times

The risks posed by Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while US secretary of state have been dramatically underscored by the disclosure of five attempts to break into her computer by hackers apparently based in Russia.

Disguised as New York City parking tickets, the malicious emails were contained in the latest tranche of records released by the State Department amid growing concern that Clinton’s decision to avoid using government servers may have made classified information vulnerable to exposure.

There is no indication that this particular attempt was successful or that the suspicious zip files were opened by Clinton, but her personal email address was a tightly held secret and the attempt raises the question of whether she was specifically targeted.

The five emails do not contain identifying marks beyond the fake New York police address but include the instructions “to plead, print out the enclosed ticket” and an attached file named “Ticket-728-2011.zip”.


The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the zip file contained malicious software, directing an infected computer to transmit information to three addresses overseas, including one in Russia.

Email to Hillary Clinton Shows Effort to Quash Story About WikiLeaks and Turkey

An email sent to Hillary Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state shows that government officials tried to pressure the Washington Post into suppressing details about a WikiLeaks cable that revealed information about the US cooperating with Turkey to share intelligence about Kurdish militants.

The message, released by the State Department on Wednesday in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by VICE News, was forwarded to Clinton on September 9, 2011. Cheryl Mills, Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department, passed along an email that had originally been sent to 14 State Department officials, including Mills.

"Despite our efforts, WaPo will proceed with its story on US-Turkey intel cooperation against PKK," the message said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party. "They will not make redactions we requested so expect the Wikileaks cables to be published in full."

The message said other Clinton advisers had been briefed on the situation, and that the State Department was "working with EUR and NEA press, we're deploying guidance below, including our standing Wikileaks guidance." It ended by thanking others in the State Department for their work, and the line, "wish I had better news to share." ...

ncluding the cache of messages released on Wednesday, more than 19,500 pages of emails sent by Clinton during her time at the State Department have now been made public. The correspondence suggests a relentless focus by Clinton's team on WikiLeaks, and concern about the potential fallout from the disclosures.




The Evening Greens



A healthy environment is a human right

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals summit failed to introduce the idea of a right to a clean environment. We must fix that.

Achieving the United Nations’ ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, which include universal water access, eliminating hunger, and reducing inequality, will take more than increased funding, better aid programming and good governance. Environmental human rights, which guarantee breathable air, safety from toxic exposure and a voice in environmental decision making, are crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty, vulnerability and unsustainability in which too many of the world’s people are trapped.

Last weekend, member states of the United Nations gathered in New York put the finishing touches on the Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, they set the course for development efforts, including priorities, targets and funding, for the next 15 years. The goals include noble aspirations to protect the world’s oceans, reduce pollution, provide clean water and lift the world’s poor from poverty through sustainable livelihoods. But even as they adopted the SDGs, governments sidelined one of the UN’s strongest tools: the idea that a safe and healthy environment is a human right.

The idea of the environment as a human right has been grinding its way through the United Nations system since the 1980s, repeatedly tabled by governments for further study.

Environmental protection works best when citizens’ rights – to have access to information, to participate in decision making and to press claims for redress when rules aren’t followed – have real meaning in the corridors of environmental policy, project planning and economic decision-making. ... Rights-based approaches make it possible for people to secure access to natural resources for sustainable livelihoods. Despite the popular notion that poor people speed the destruction of forests and coastlines, the opposite is far more often the case: livelihood rights help to protect those resources from ill-conceived extractive schemes that typically enrich only a select few.

The global recognition of a human right to safe and healthy environment can empower “naming and shaming” campaigns to hold governments and corporations accountable for rhetorical commitments they make in international forums.

New Report Exposes Yet Another Big Oil Subsidy

Add it to the list of subsidies enjoyed by Big Oil: royalty-free "flaring" on public and tribal lands.

A new report from Friends of the Earth reveals that oil producers are burning, or flaring, millions of dollars of gas byproduct on publicly owned lands—exacerbating climate change without paying a dime. 

"When companies are unwilling to invest in the infrastructure to capture and sell gas, the cheapest option is often to simply burn it at the wellhead, sending planet-warming CO2 directly into the atmosphere and producing air pollutants like black carbon and volatile organic compounds," explains the report, entitled A Flaring Shame: North Dakota and the Hidden Fracking Subsidy (pdf).

The boom in domestic drilling, driven by new technologies like fracking, has also triggered a boom in flaring, the study points out.

But the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which regulates the leasing of public and tribal lands for fossil fuel extraction—and therefore also flaring and venting of excess fuels—hasn't kept up. "[A] combination of both outdated rules and lax enforcement is allowing millions of dollars worth of resources to be burned away without taxpayers or tribes seeing a dime in royalties," states the report.

Coal Mining CEO Defends Financing Harassment of Climate Scientists

In August, The Intercept revealed that Alpha Natural Resources, one of the largest coal mining companies in America, has been secretly financing think tanks and political organizations that deny climate change. One of the people they funded, attorney Chris Horner, is well known for hounding climate scientists across the country.

The payments were exposed in the firm’s bankruptcy filings last month.

On Monday, when I asked Kevin Crutchfield, the chief executive officer of Alpha Natural Resources, about his company’s support for Horner and his aggressive investigations of climate scientists, he was unapologetic.

“It should come as no surprise to you that we support those with like-minded philosophies,” Crutchfield said. ...

The bankruptcy filings named recipients of Alpha Natural Resources’ money, but did not provide dollar amounts for the contributions. I asked Crutchfield how much he has given to Horner and other groups that work to deny the existence of manmade climate change.

“I don’t know the numbers. We believe in transparency,” he retorted, and began walking away.

I asked if he believes that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to climate change. “It doesn’t matter what I believe because the bus has left the station seems like,” Crutchfield said, smiling. By then, a group of men with earpieces surrounded the Alpha Natural Resources CEO, blocking me from asking any more questions. 

North Carolina Fines Duke Energy a Measly $7 Million for Coal Ash Contamination — And Environmentalists Are Pissed

Duke Energy will pay North Carolina about $20 million for contaminating state waterways with coal ash, a settlement environmentalists call a sweetheart deal for the largest US utility.

The settlement includes a $7 million fine and $10-15 million to speed the cleanup of groundwater around four coal-fired power plants, the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced this week. ...

But regulators initially sought to fine Duke Energy $25 million for contaminated groundwater at one power plant, near Wilmington. Duke challenged the fine in court, arguing the state failed to follow a 2011 policy by giving the company the chance to clean up its own mess before hitting it with penalties. The resulting $7 million covers all 14 of the utility's coal-ash sites — and environmentalists say the state took a dive. ...

Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins said this week's settlement is "grossly undervalued" and showed that DEQ failed to learn anything from the Dan River spill.

"Our ultimate goal is we want to see these old, unlined, leaking sites be moved to a new, lined location away from water," Perkins said. "If it was a small fine, but the agreement was to truly clean up all 14 sites, I think you'd see pretty unequivocal support for that." But this deal, he said, amounts to "putting a rug over a mess."

DEQ, until recently known as the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, had proposed an earlier settlement with Duke over coal ash that would have totaled only $99,000 — a proposal withdrawn after the Dan River spill amid heavy public criticism.

Holleman said the law center and its clients are still trying to figure out their options after this week's announcement. But he said the deal has "no impact whatsoever" on the cases the law center is pursuing in federal court and will challenge any attempt to invoke it in state cases.

"We will fight that and continue to fight, even if the state does not," he said.


Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Report: Matching Funds Would Give Huge Boost to Sanders, Cruz and Carson

Report Examines Widespread Attacks On Palestinian Human Rights Activists On College Campuses

Pepe Escobar: Putin and Obama - Checkmate

Putin’s Blitz Leaves Washington Rankled and Confused

The Most Exceptional Thing About America Is Our Paranoia

They’re Shouting from the Rooftops About Junk Bond Dangers – $2.2 Trillion Too Late


A Little Night Music

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - Shake It And Break It

King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators - Aunt Hagar's Blues

King Oliver - Struggle Buggy

King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopaters - West End Blues

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - Dippermouth Blues

King Oliver - Chimes blues

King Oliver - Wa Wa Wa

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - Sobbin' Blues

King Oliver - Canal Street Blues

King Oliver - Can I Tell You

King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators - Slow And Steady

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band - Buddy's Habits

King Oliver - Bimbo

King Oliver - Doctor Jazz

King Oliver - High Society



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Giving up on getting rich

Young Americans’ incomes are depressed, their retirement nest eggs are microscopic, and their rate of employment is weak. The trend lines aren’t promising, either, which likely explains why there’s no shortage of pessimism out there. In a Bloomberg poll of Americans age 18 to 35—the millennial generation—47 percent said they do not expect their cohort to live better than their parents. For one thing, it’s hard to imagine outdoing your parents if you’re still sleeping under their roof. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 15 percent of people age 25 to 34 were living with their parents last year, up from 10 percent 30 years earlier. High home prices and strict mortgage lending standards are prime reasons for many millennials’ failure to launch. “They are priced out of the kind of housing that they grew up in,” says Richard Portes, an economist at London Business School.

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However, not all young people are going to give up without a fight.

When the U.S. Department of Education announced in June the creation of a formal process for students defrauded by their college or university to seek loan forgiveness, it was a victory for the activist group Debt Collective. The impact of the policy could be huge: Granting forgiveness to everyone who in the past five years attended Corinthian Colleges—the for-profit company that filed for bankruptcy in May amid charges of predatory behavior—would wipe out $3.2 billion in debt owed to the U.S. government.
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NCTim's picture

Income inequality, global warming, perpetual war, institutional racism, broken judicial system, militarized police, Citizens United, corporations are people too my friend serf, cost of education, broken healthcare system, big pharma, self absorbed parents, the surveillance state, ...

I wouldn't want to be a teen or twenty something

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

mimi's picture

...nothing but a bunch of crooks. Fat belly up top. Fat dumb and happy to abuse others. These people aren't belly-up they are greedy and thriving.
...Ok I am working for free. Got to go, I am on camera.

Some people are in their forties ... I am in my sixties... and I don't want to live and work with those thoughts in my mind.

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joe shikspack's picture

indicate and all gains from productivity going to greedy rich people, it's not a great time to be trying to break into the job market and make your way in the world. those figures look somewhat more optimistic than the market suggests people ought to be without significant change.

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Apple

Freelance journalist and data artist Josh Begley has been methodically recording U.S. military drone activity for years. Every week or so — whenever the strikes occur — Begley will post a news story from the @dronestreamTwitter account, identifying when and where drone strikes have occurred before feeding the results into an app called Metadata+.
But on Sunday, Dronestream tweeted that Metadata+, which sends out push notifications every time there is a U.S. drone strike, had been removed from the App Store after seven months of being openly available.
Earlier this month, Apple censored a journalistic app that took you to the scene of the Ferguson, Missouri, shooting of Michael Brown. The tech giant has also taken down educational apps that depicted the Confederate Flag in its historical context. All while allowing for apps that include violence and graphic depictions of war, like Hitman: Sniper and Zynga’s Empires and Allies.
Then again, those apps all include in-app purchases from which Apple collects revenue. And none of them is offensive to the United States government.

Don't think different.

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joe shikspack's picture

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NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

joe shikspack's picture

here he is with wynton and the gang (white gets to playing about 3 minutes in):

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MarilynW's picture

about the shooting and the bravery of the victims who tried to protect other victims. The music made me feel it more and yet sustained me while reading.
Amazing!

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To thine own self be true.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

drive-by due to the weather, and the need to walk 'the B' before it gets worse.

First, the "Tragic" News:

Fifteen dead, 20 wounded in shooting at Oregon college
Reuters

and,

Second, the "Odd Ball, and Funny" News:

Stubborn goat 'arrested' after refusing to leave Saskatchewan Tim Hortons
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Monday, September 28, 2015 6:24PM EDT

Thanks for the excellent roundup, Joe.

Great news for Bernie!

As for FSC--for the life of me, I'm not sure 'why' she doesn't just hang it up! Wink

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

Bye

Mollie


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller
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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

joe shikspack's picture

i suspect that clinton will be in it until the bitter end because the party is wired for her to win and she knows it.

have a great time walking the dog.

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mimi's picture

I am a little too down and upset at the moment to say more than thank you, especially for the blues tonight. The older, the better, at least to me.

Keep your minds clear and your hearts loving. Good Night for today.

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joe shikspack's picture

take it easy and enjoy the music. i have loved old new orleans jazz from the moment i heard it as a little kid. there's just something about it that is totally irresistible.

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Another big fine, but no jail time

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is set to pay almost a third of a $1.86 billion settlement to resolve accusations that a dozen big banks conspired to limit competition in the credit-default swaps market, according to people briefed on terms of the deal.

JPMorgan is paying $595 million, with the lender’s portion of the accord largely based on the plaintiffs’ measure of market share, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the firms haven’t disclosed how they’re splitting costs. The settlement also enacts reforms making it easier for electronic-trading platforms to enter the CDS market, according to a statement Thursday from attorneys for the plaintiffs, which include the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association.

Morgan Stanley, Barclays Plc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are paying about $230 million, $175 million and $164 million, respectively, the people said. Plaintiffs’ lawyers disclosed the approximate size of the settlement in Manhattan federal court last month, saying they were still ironing out details. They updated the total Thursday.

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joe shikspack's picture

the bankers profit from crimes and the shareholders and the taxpayers pay the fines.

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NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

gulfgal98's picture

I do not post a lot of personal stuff but the last week has been a lot of personal stuff. Last night, our male springer and our male pom, Willie Bear, got into a fight. This is the first time this has happened and I did not see it, but my husband did. Our pom (who is a very svelte 22.5 pounds now) had a small puncture would on his lip, but he had hurt his leg. It was not a bite, but some other sort of injury, so this morning I took him in to the vet. Apparently during the tussle, he hurt his knee on one of his hind legs. The vet remarked that for a 13 year old dog, he had excellent muscle tone. Smile Any way, Willie Bear is going to be okay but we need to keep him from using his leg too much.

Yesterday, my husband and one of our friends came back to Brevard after abandoning the ride. I have been washing more wet and nasty clothing from the ride ever since. Everything got wet even if he had not worn it.

This morning, my husband took our friend back over to the Carolina coast to pick up his car so he could drive home to Florida. Then he headed back to Lumberton where the other two guys were spending the night. Tomorrow my husband is driving those two guys, who had continued on the ride until it was called off, back to Brevard. One of them and his wife will be staying with us tomorrow night. I have never done so much laundry in one week. Hopefully, after Saturday morning the gg B&B will be closed for a while. Wink

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

joe shikspack's picture

sorry to hear about willie bear's injuries. i hope that he will rebound from them quickly. glad to hear that the bike racers are all safe and none the worse for wear.

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for a good long while, for gg's sake.

I do wonder that you don't outsource
at least some of the laundry work -
perhaps to those who got it all dirty?

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Only connect. - E.M. Forster

shaharazade's picture

of laundry in my basement 'laundry room'. We both do laundry duty but hey those who got it dirty are busy doing anything but laundry. We do outsource husband's shirts as I do not iron and he is a dapper dude with light starch. I'm the one who gets it really dirty cloths wise and yet the piles keep piling up. Good thing is that when we catch up with the laundry we have a whole new wardrobe to pick and chose from.

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shaharazade's picture

Sounds like your ready for a little solitude. After major home projects, the floor and the new roof, to be running a B&B seems beyond the call of duty.Makes me tired just reading about it On the other hand at least your being productive and living an active life. We went through pet trauma with one of our old cats recently. She injured her hind left leg, god knows how, no wound, no infection, no broken bones but she was in debilitating pain. She basically wanted to lay low and heal from what ever injury she had. Soft tissue? I helped her by building a nest in the bathroom towel closet shelf and put Arnica in her water. She has completely healed in about 2 weeks. It was a good lesson for my human self as she did whatever she needed to heal. Then again she doesn't have to do anything to survive and thrive other then be a great cat in a family that loves her as she is the queen bee of her domain. I hope WillieBear recovers and heals quickly. He does have a home and family who will allow him to just chill and heal. Your life is inspiring to me as a it's a story that is familiar and yet different. Keep on moving and writing regardless of it being personal it's meaningful life.

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gulfgal98's picture

Your comment touched me very deeply. Give rose

As long as Willie Bear (my baby dog) is fine (and he is doing much better) this evening, I am good.

The B&B thing was simply the circumstances, but I am definitely ready for this to be over. I would say that my husband owes me big time. Even though I am fairly outgoing, being a hostess is not something I am very comfortable with. The one good thing about the B&B is that it forces me to keep everything immaculate (for the time being). Wink

BTW, it took me a while to remember this. But our favorite technical pens way back in the prehistoric graphics era were K&E's. Kohinoor's (Rapidographs) were second.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

joe shikspack's picture

I would say that my husband owes me big time.

i hope that he doesn't try to make it up to you by doing another home improvement project. Smile

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gulfgal98's picture

I think you got that right. Blum 3

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Unabashed Liberal's picture

pretty tough to have held his own with a male Springer.

Sometimes, after we entertain a lot, or have a heavy spate of guests, we take off for a couple of days to recoup. One of our favorite outings is going to a Zoo, even though there are no really major Zoos in our immediate area. But, hey, even a second rate one can be a really enjoyable distraction.

Wink

So, hope you're able to catch up on your rest, real soon.

I'd probably keep my eyes peeled regarding a newly developing 'feud.' We had to nip this type of behavior in the bud--not physically, of course, but by strong verbal reprimand--when our little old pint-sized Springer was about 16 years old (she lived another 18 months). And, our observation is that rivalries are often worse between same-sex dogs.

At any rate, the youngest dog at the time (there were three--all female) was beginning to try to challenge the oldest dog's Alpha position (growling, mostly). That was also about the time that the oldest dog's PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) had resulted in almost total blindness.

Luckily, for all of us, the challenging dog was also one of the most gentle dogs that we'd ever had--so a few scoldings reined in her behavior, before it ever became a real problem, or threat to 'Chena.' Literally, after 2 or 3 scoldings, we had no further incidents. So, good luck!

Mollie


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller
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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

gulfgal98's picture

Our vet once told us that it seemed as those female dogs were much more aggressive than neutered males.

Thanks for the well wishes. Willie Bear is going to recover fully. Smile

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

lotlizard's picture

Who got in the best "sound bite" today?

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shaharazade's picture

I really like King Oliver. Never heard this music before but it's a real treat. The 20's and 30's art, politics and general culture have lately been on my mind as I watch the world moving and weaving through era's that we all thought were long gone. They are more relevant then ever when you think about where we are headed in this upside down way forward.

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joe shikspack's picture

the 20's and 30's music and art is really interesting. it was created in a period of really enormous social, political and economic change which i think is reflected in the works. for music, the 20's especially was an interesting time because of the growth of the recording industry which documented enormous amounts of really diverse music from rustic delta blues musicians and highland hillbillies to refined urban jazz performers.

glad that you're enjoying the music!

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enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

joe shikspack's picture

always a pleasure. have a good one!

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shaharazade's picture

on to Sidney Bechet via your King Oliver post which I liked a lot. Never knew about this guy either. Like his jazz blues New Orleans sound.

More Sidney

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joe shikspack's picture

you might check out kid ory, too, while you're at it.

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MarilynW's picture

is not that big in BC. It is being blown up by the Conservatives and used as a political football. It's not a controversial issue for the other parties and the rest of us who know that the Federal Court found a ban against the niqab to be unlawful. The woman in question is refusing to remove her veil in a public ceremony which will be televised. She has already removed her veil in private for her VISA/passport identification and according to Canadian human rights laws and the Federal Court, she has a right to keep in on in public.

The poll being quoted is questionable, it was a tax-payer funded poll ordered by Harper earlier this year and kept secret until the election started. There was data added to the poll as well. Harper is running on protecting us from terrorism and that pleases the conservatives who are mostly anti-muslim.

Where I live, the Conservatives are not showing up for debates or all party meetings because they have so little support here. Therefore we hear nothing about the veil issue. We see Stephen Harper going against the Federal Court of Canada to please his anti-Muslim supporters. Now Zunera Ishaq is worried that she will not be able to vote in the upcoming election, October 19 because of Stephen Harper.

Stephen Harper’s government took on the wrong woman when it decided that Zunera Ishaq must remove her niqab if she wanted to receive Canadian citizenship. Ms Ishaq’s niqab – the face covering worn by many Muslim women – has become a symbol in pre-election Canada of the ruling Conservative party’s obsession with Muslim practices.

But it would be naïve to dismiss this very Canadian affair as a Conservative storm in an Islamic teacup. Set against the Harper government’s dour and initially mean response to the largely Muslim refugee crisis in Europe, the campaign against Ms Ishaq – for that is what it is – smells like another attempt to mould the word “security” around the religion of Islam; the government’s initial hints that a partially veiled woman might not be fully identifiable – and thus a security risk – has now been dropped. But it seems inexplicable that Mr Harper – better known as an ardent supporter of the Israeli government than a defender of civil rights – should have responded to the appeals from Canadians to help Syrian refugees trekking into Europe by frittering away his time on a nonsensical case which could prevent a young mother from receiving the citizenship for which she has already qualified.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/niqab-row-canadas-gover...

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To thine own self be true.

joe shikspack's picture

thanks for the update! i don't follow canadian politics as closely as i ought to considering that we're neighbors and all, but it looks like your conservative infestation is as nasty as ours. i'm glad that they are pretty much a non-entity in your province.

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Crider's picture

Love that music and still listening. It reminds me of the my favorite cartoons when I was little. It is so light-hearted.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohLZ5ZkhIck width:420 height:236]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cICBwyJtJkU width:420 height:236]

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joe shikspack's picture

i used to love cartoon music when i was a kid, the cartoons made in the 20's - 50's especially had some really great scores.

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Real expensive

You definitely have to be a multi-billionaire to play Batman according to comic historian Thaddeus Howze for MoneySupermarket.com. Howze has calculated that playing Batman costs Bruce Wayne exactly $682,450,750.

That astronomical figure takes into account one time reconstruction of the Batcave and Wayne Manor which was destroyed in Batman Begins. If you remove the cost of rebuilding Wayne Manor and the Batcave (which wouldn’t make any sense since you can’t be Batman without a Bat Cave), the cost is cut by 85% to $83 million including the suit, training, equipment, gadgets, and, of course, a trusty manservant.

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hecate's picture

that job. To be paid to tote up the expenditures of non-real beings. ; )

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mimi's picture

MarilynW's picture

just the thought of what the "great powers" have done to Syria and its people can break your heart.

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To thine own self be true.