DOJ Won't Prosecute VA Execs Accused Of Lying To Congress | The Daily Caller: "The House Committee on Veterans Affairs asked the DOJ for a perjury investigation in 2016, as the committee believed executives were misleading lawmakers to cover up exploding costs for the facility under construction, but the DOJ maintains there is not enough evidence to move forward with prosecution, the Associated Press reports.
Lawmakers wanted the DOJ to look into Glenn
Haggstrom and Stella Fiortes, specifically.
At the time, Haggstrom served as principal executive director of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction (OALC) and Fiortes worked as director of the VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management.
Haggstrom was well aware the Aurora hospital would balloon in cost, but elected to keep that information from Congress in 2013 and 2014, according to the VA inspector general.
The report blamed the cost on mismanagement, inexperience and bad decision-making.
“I think that there is clear evidence that they intentionally misled Congress,” he said.
What this decision now means is that not a single person has been fired or charged in connection with cost overruns at the Aurora VA hospital under construction in Colorado.
The total costs involved have skyrocketed to $1.7 billion, which is nearly three times as much as the original estimate..."
Trump said he saw the binders laying out plans for an 18-mile road at a round table with transportation leaders before his event
He skimmed the binders and made jokes about their content as he threw two of them on the floor
Binders laid out plans for the Intercounty connector (ICC) running between I-270 to US 1 in Maryland and detailed a controversial environmental impact study
'They spent $29 million dollars for an environmental report weighing 70 pounds and costing $24,000 per page,' Trump said from the podium
On his way back to mic, Trump told the crowd, 'Better make sure I move it, I don't want to trip on the way out. That would be a big story'
Responding to a story about a college professor who said the GOP should be “lined up and shot” for passing the Obamacare replacement bill, the Young Democratic Socialists upped the ante on social media."
The Course Catalogue at Evergreen State College Is Bonkers | Heat Street:
"...For starters, students at ESC don’t receive grades—they receive “narrative evaluations” that give them feedback on their performance while preserving their self-esteem.
...Students also take only a single set of classes each year.
There are no semesters (that’s probably sexist anyway), and students plan their own path to their chosen major. This coming fall, for example, you can take a number of classes that count as biology, but actually aren’t biology at all.
They include, as the Daily Caller found, Reproduction: Gender, Race and Power, but also Dancing Molecules, Dancing Bodies, where you’ll use the art of dance to communicate with your body and understand the chemical processes within.
If that’s not up your alley, perhaps you would prefer Actions and their Consequences, which will “examine local, national, and international policy issues of the postcolonial and neocolonial world in education, health care, social welfare and environmentalism” through a series of “interdisciplinary” lectures.
That class will eventually gather and design “projects to address issues of unequal distributions of power.”
If math and economics are more your style, there are plenty of social justice-tinged options for you. Advocating for Sustainable Culture is considered a math course (you even get to do field trips!), as is Dimensions for Inequality and Options for Change.
And lest you think you’d have to abandon your progressive politics for a class in something seemingly objective, like physics, fear not!
Under the “physics” catalog offerings, there’s Defending Mother Earth: Science, Energy and Native Peoples..." Read on!
Diminishing solar activity may bring new Ice Age by 2030 – Astronomy Now
"The arrival of intense cold similar to the one that raged during the “Little Ice Age”, which froze the world during the 17th century and in the beginning of the 18th century, is expected in the years 2030—2040. These conclusions were presented by Professor V. Zharkova (Northumbria University) during the National Astronomy Meeting... It is known that the Sun has its own magnetic field, the amplitude and spatial configuration of which vary with time. There are several cycles with different periods and properties, while the 11-year cycle, the 90-year cycle are the best known of them.
...Its 90-year variation is associated with periodic reduction in the number of spots in the 11-year cycle in the 50-25%.
In 17th century, though, there was a prolonged reduction in solar activity called the Maunder minimum, which lasted roughly from 1645 to 1700.
During this period, there were only about 50 sunspots instead of the usual 40-50 thousand sunspots.
Analysis of solar radiation showed that its maxima and minima almost coincide with the maxima and minima in the number of spots..." In this 1677 painting by Abraham Hondius, “The Frozen Thames, looking Eastwards towards Old London Bridge,” people are shown enjoying themselves on the ice. In the 17th century there was a prolonged reduction in solar activity called the Maunder minimum, which lasted roughly from 1645 to 1700. During this period, there were only about 50 sunspots recorded instead of the usual 40-50 thousand. Image credit: Museum of London.
Donald Trump -- FBI Investigation, Chuck Schumer & Elizabeth Warren | National Review "There are a number of important takeaways from today’s Comey hearings, but one of the big ones elaborated on a point I hit yesterday in discussing Comey’s prepared statement: Trump was never under FBI investigation during the time that Comey headed the FBI, Comey personally told Trump that three times, and Trump grew increasingly frustrated that Comey wouldn’t clear the “cloud” over his head by publicly saying so. Indeed, Trump’s explanation to Lester Holt of why he fired Comey is entirely consistent with this. But with Comey’s repeated and emphatic testimony that Trump was not under investigation, we have some new revisionist history: wildly backtracking liberals and Democrats claiming that nobody ever said Trump was under FBI investigation. And this is simply untrue. Here’s a sampling of what Democrats, liberals, and the media were saying back when Comey was privately reassuring Trump that he wasn’t under investigation:
Salon, January 20 headline: “The FBI is leading an investigation into Donald Trump’s connections with Russia” — first line, “The FBI is leading a multi-agency investigation into possible links between Russian officials and President-elect Donald Trump.”
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, March 20: “The FBI is investigating a sitting President. Been a long time since that happened.”
The New York Times March 20 headline: “F.B.I. Is Investigating Trump’s Russia Ties, Comey Confirms”
"“The suit, filed in federal court in California on Monday alleges that the defendants ‘have subjected UC Berkeley students and invitees who do not subscribe to the radical, left wing philosophies sanctioned by Defendants to severe violence and bodily harm for merely expressing a differing viewpoint, in clear contravention of their rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,’” reported SF Gate on Tuesday. “In addition to the UC Berkeley Regents, the suit’s many defendants include UC president Janet Napolitano, the UC Berkeley police department, the Berkeley police department, frequent conservative target George Soros and California representative Nancy Pelosi.”"
History for June 10 - On-This-Day.com Andre-Marie Ampere 1836 - Developed technology for measuring electricity, Saul Bellow 1915, Judy Garland 1922 Nat Hentoff 1925 - Columnist, F. Lee Bailey 1933 - Attorney, Eliot Spitzer 1959 - Governor of New York 1801 - The North African State of Tripoli declared war on the U.S. The dispute was over merchant vessels being able to travel safely through the Mediterranean. 1903 - Binney & Smith Company began developing a product line of wax crayons. The product was named Crayola. 1909 - The SOS distress signal was used for the first time. The Cunard liner SS Slavonia used the signal when it wrecked off the Azores. 1916 - Mecca, under control of the Turks, fell to the Arabs during the Great Arab Revolt. 1920 - The Republican convention in Chicago endorsed woman suffrage. 1935 - Alcoholic Anonymous was founded by William G. Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith. 1943 - Laszlo Biro patented his ballpoint pen. Biro was a Hungarian journalist. 1948 - Chuck Yeager exceeded the speed of sound in the Bell XS-1.
"But under the Obama administration, the Justice Department disregarded this separation of powers by repeatedly directing defendants to ‘donate’ hundreds of millions of dollars to the administration’s friends and allies, including those that Congress took deliberate steps to defund. These practices usurped Congress’s spending authority and opened wide the door for misuse of government funds—all without any oversight mechanisms/"
Chelsea Clinton and the Democrats' Dullard Dynasty - Reason.com:
"Fundamentals suggest that this should be a golden moment for the Democratic Party.
...Within his first three months in office, Trump already surpassed the lowest-ever Gallup numbers of predecessors Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower.
...The donkeys may be picking themselves up off the mat, but don't confuse that for voter enthusiasm.
Political self-identification as measured by Gallup was stuck down at 30 percent for Democrats (and 26 percent for Republicans) as of March; the party has failed to attract even one-third of Americans to its label for four long years now.
Why the reticence? For one of the main reasons, just consult any recent edition of The Hill.
There, since the beginning of the year, the Washington, D.C., political newspaper has published scores of items noodling on the relentlessly banal musings of a person who has never held a job remotely near government: Chelsea Clinton.
There was "Chelsea Clinton fuels speculation of political run," "Chelsea Clinton plans new children's book," and—God help us—"Chelsea Clinton knocks ObamaCare replacement plan."
...This 100 percent top-down campaign to whip up enthusiasm for Clinton 3.0 reached a low point with a Los Angeles Times op-ed by Ann Friedman featuring the gag-me headline, "Just like her mother, Chelsea Clinton never gets a break." Yes, the poor dear had to scratch and claw for every penny of the $600,000 annual NBC News salary she received to produce an estimated 58 minutes of programming between 2011 and 2014.
Like former first lady Michelle Obama, whose name has also been whispered fervently by would-be queenmakers, Chelsea Clinton could exist as a hypothetical candidate only in a party that has run out of both ideas and talent.
Surely there are more interesting politicians in this country of 320 million than rich, platitude-spewing amateurs with drearily famous last names."
London Teacher Knifed, Beaten By Three Women 'Chanting from the Koran' | Heat Street:
"A nursery school teacher has been beaten and knifed in a London street by three women who chanted from the Koran. Colleagues of the victim, who is in her 30s but has not been named, said the attack took place on Wednesday morning when she was on her to work at the Little Diamonds nursery in east London.
She was taken to hospital but her injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
Karrien Stevens, who runs the nursery, said she was “horrified”.
She said: “A staff member was coming to work when three Asian girls came up behind her chanting the Koran. “They pulled her to the ground, kicking and punching her.
One of them got the knife out and cut her arm.
They were shouting about Allah, that and the Koran.”
...Despite the allegation that those who carried out the attack may have had some kind of religious motivation, police said they are not treating the incident as a potential terror threat.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told the London Evening Standard: “The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command has been made aware of the incident but is not investigating at this time.”
"According to Military Times, the move is on hold “as senior leaders within each of the services voice lingering concerns about the Obama-era policy intended to end discrimination but dismissed by critics as social experimentation.” Those critics have it exactly right.
Folks, we have to accept the fact that the United States military — and any other military for that matter — is created for one purpose, and that is to neutralize enemies that are deemed a threat."
'Show Your Rump to Trump' Plans Nationwide Mooning During President's UK Visit | Heat Street "The President may not be anticipating a full moon for his state visit to the UK, but he may get one anyway.
A few, actually.
Donald Trump is scheduled to make a state visit to Britain later this year, but preparations are already underway for a massive campaign designed to embarrass the American President by inundating him with naked rear ends everywhere he goes.
“Show your rump to Trump,” was born on social media, but the idea has quickly caught on."
Study finds difference in height of Children consuming cow’s milk or milk substitutes | PerfScience "Consumption of non-cow’s milk or plant-based substitutes for milk has been linked to lower height in a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study team reported that children consumption cow’s milk regularly, had better measurement of height.
The study team compared height for children at early age and found that children consuming cow’s milk were 0.2 centimeters taller than average for each daily cup of milk, at age of three years.
Children consuming milk-substitutes were 0.4 centimeters than normal.
The height difference between cow milk consuming and non-consuming kids was 1.5 centimeters at age of three years for kids consuming three cups of milk per day..."
"The House Committee on Veterans Affairs asked the DOJ for a perjury investigation in 2016, as the committee believed executives were misleading lawmakers to cover up exploding costs for the facility under construction, but the DOJ maintains there is not enough evidence to move forward with prosecution, the Associated Press reports.
"The House Committee on Veterans Affairs asked the DOJ for a perjury investigation in 2016, as the committee believed executives were misleading lawmakers to cover up exploding costs for the facility under construction, but the DOJ maintains there is not enough evidence to move forward with prosecution, the Associated Press reports.
This coming fall, for example, you can take a number of classes that count as biology, but actually aren’t biology at all.
...Its 90-year variation is associated with periodic reduction in the number of spots in the 11-year cycle in the 50-25%.
Trump was never under FBI investigation during the time that Comey headed the FBI, Comey personally told Trump that three times, and Trump grew increasingly frustrated that Comey wouldn’t clear the “cloud” over his head by publicly saying so. 
Trump was never under FBI investigation during the time that Comey headed the FBI, Comey personally told Trump that three times, and Trump grew increasingly frustrated that Comey wouldn’t clear the “cloud” over his head by publicly saying so. 
"“The suit, filed in federal court in California on Monday alleges that the defendants ‘have subjected UC Berkeley students and invitees who do not subscribe to the radical, left wing philosophies sanctioned by Defendants to severe violence and bodily harm for merely expressing a differing viewpoint, in clear contravention of their rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,’” reported SF Gate on Tuesday. “In addition to the UC Berkeley Regents, the suit’s many defendants include UC president Janet Napolitano, the UC Berkeley police department, the Berkeley police department, frequent conservative target George Soros and California representative Nancy Pelosi.”"
"But under the Obama administration, the Justice Department disregarded this separation of powers by repeatedly directing defendants to ‘donate’ hundreds of millions of dollars to the administration’s friends and allies, including those that Congress took deliberate steps to defund. These practices usurped Congress’s spending authority and opened wide the door for misuse of government funds—all without any oversight mechanisms/"
For one of the main reasons, just consult any recent edition of The Hill.
For one of the main reasons, just consult any recent edition of The Hill.
Colleagues of the victim, who is in her 30s but has not been named, said the attack took place on Wednesday morning when she was on her to work at the Little Diamonds nursery in east London.
"According to Military Times, the move is on hold “as senior leaders within each of the services voice lingering concerns about the Obama-era policy intended to end discrimination but dismissed by critics as social experimentation.”
"The President may not be anticipating a full moon for his state visit to the UK, but he may get one anyway.
"Consumption of non-cow’s milk or plant-based substitutes for milk has been linked to lower height in a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Consumption of non-cow’s milk or plant-based substitutes for milk has been linked to lower height in a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.