UK defense collapse-----Wheels are literally falling off the MoD thanks to lack of cash • The Register

Wheels are literally falling off the MoD thanks to lack of cash • The Register
"British military helicopters are at risk of crashing while wheels are literally falling off Army Land Rovers thanks to poor maintenance and funding cuts, according to a damning report by the Defence Safety Authority.

The DSA's six-monthly report, published earlier this week, is a blistering look at Ministry of Defence safety systems. 
Lieutenant General Richard Felton, who recently took post as the director-general of the DSA, took no prisoners in his first report.

He found, among many other things:

• Cuts to the defence budget are causing the irreparable loss of helicopter flying skills
• "Repeated incidents of Landrover wheels falling off"
• Increasing skills shortages within critical frontline engineering trades
• "Embryonic and fragile" safety management systems in RAF flying training units
• A shortage of nuclear-trained personnel in the Defence Nuclear Regulator
• Failures to inspect a naval fuel depot in Singapore for safety led to it being partly shut down

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#1 This day 1953-----"Vaya con Dios" Les Paul and Mary Ford

Natural Hazard? Study Says Farming Marijuana Hurting Environment « CBS Philly

Natural Hazard? Study Says Farming Marijuana Hurting Environment « CBS Philly
CBS Local — Marijuana activists may argue that the plant is a natural remedy with many uses, but a new report is claiming that farming the drug has another harmful side-effect: it’s destroying the environment.
Researchers from Ithaca College say that the growing number of small pot farms being planted in remote forest areas are having a major impact on the local environment. The New York team points to forest fragmentation, soil erosion, and landslides as the main side-effects of inserting pot farms into the forest.
The college has previously outlined how commercial marijuana farming was poisoning forest animals with pesticides and dewatering streams by improper irrigation in states like California.
...The study’s co-author added that while the lumber industry still has a larger impact on the size of forests, the impact over a smaller area by marijuana crops was even more destructive..."
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Here's What 'Allahu Akbar' Really Means | Daily Wire

Here's What 'Allahu Akbar' Really Means | Daily Wire:

"When the terrorist (ISIS, an Islamic extremist group, has claimed responsibility) jumped from the vehicle, witnesses say he yelled, "Allahu akbar!" CNN likes to translate this phrase as meaning "God is great." The New York times does, too, as in this passage from its front-page story on Wednesday, when it said the terrorist "ran up and down the highway waving a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great....""

Millennials: Communism sounds pretty chill - MarketWatch

Millennials: Communism sounds pretty chill - MarketWatch
"According to the latest survey from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a D.C.-based nonprofit, one in two U.S. millennials say they would rather live in a socialist or communist country than a capitalist democracy.

What’s more, 22% of them have a favorable view of Karl Marx and a surprising number see Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong Un as “heroes.”

“Millennials now make up the largest generation in America, and we’re seeing some deeply worrisome trends,” said Marion Smith, executive director of the organization. 

“Millennials are increasingly turning away from capitalism and toward socialism and even communism as a viable alternative.”

But do they even know what it is?

The survey, which was conducted by research and data firm YouGov, found that millennials are the least knowledgable generation on the subject, with 71% failing to identify the proper definition of communism.
Smith explained that this “troubling turn” highlights pervasive historical illiteracy across the country and “the systemic failure of our education system to teach students about the genocide, destruction, and misery caused by communism since the Bolshevik Revolution one hundred years ago...”

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AM Fruitcake

History for November 3

History for November 3 - On-This-Day.com
John Montague 1718, William Cullen Bryant 1794, James Reston 1909
  

Charles Bronson 1921, Micheal Dukakis 1933 - Politician, Dennis Miller 1953 - Radio talk show host, actor,Comedian ("Saturday Night Live")


1507 - Leonardo DaVinci was commissioned by the husband of Lisa Gherardini to paint her. The work is known as the Mona Lisa.


1793 - Stephen F. Austin was born. He was the principal founder of Texas.


1796 - John Adams was elected the 2nd U.S. President.


1892 - The first automatic telephone went into service at LaPorte, IN. The device was invented by Almon Strowger.


1911 - Chevrolet Motor Car Company was founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.


1941 - U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Grew warned that the Japanese may be planning a sudden attack on the U.S.


1957 - Sputnik II was launched by the Soviet Union. It was the second manmade satellite to be put into orbit and was the first to put an animal into space, a dog named Laika.


1998 - Minnesota elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former pro wrestler, as its governor.

RIGGED: Donna Brazile Claims Team Clinton Bought Off DNC | Daily Wire

RIGGED: Donna Brazile Claims Team Clinton Bought Off DNC | Daily Wire:

"Thursday morning, former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile eviscerates her predecessor, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and accuses Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of rigging the primary process against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Brazile writes that when she took over the DNC — after Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign — she promised the progressive Democratic challenger Sanders that she'd "get to the bottom" of allegations that Clinton had stacked the deck inside the DNC."

Report: NYC Foreign Terror Suspect Entered U.S. with 'Diversity Visa' Trump Wants to End - Breitbart

Report: NYC Foreign Terror Suspect Entered U.S. with 'Diversity Visa' Trump Wants to End - Breitbart:

"The suspected foreign national terrorist behind the New York City attack that has left at least eight individuals dead came to the United States years ago through the Diversity Visa Lottery, a program that President Trump and pro-American immigration reformers have demanded an end to.
According to ABC New York, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov — the man who allegedly mowed down pedestrians in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City — entered the U.S. in 2010 from Uzbekistan under the Diversity Visa Lottery before obtaining a Green Card."

The way we were-----Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli - Time to Say Goodbye (1997) [720p]

Boob-tube-----Funniest Live Interviews - WHEN LIVE TV GOES WRONG

2020 Census to cost $107 per household, $15.6 billion, most ever

2020 Census to cost $107 per household, $15.6 billion, most ever:

The 2020 Census is expected to cost $15.6 billion, more than three times the 2000 survey and about $107 per household, according to the Senate committee overseeing the effort.

“Although the Census is constitutionally mandated, the cost to count our population is increasing faster than the population itself,” according to Sen. Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

In the opening statement he plans to give at Tuesday’s hearing on the Census, Johnson added, “The 1970 Census cost $17 per household in inflation adjusted dollars. 

The Department of Commerce estimates that the 2020 Census will cost $107 per household..."

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BUCK: Americans Are Sick and Tired of 'Importing' Terrorism into the US | Buck Sexton

BUCK: Americans Are Sick and Tired of 'Importing' Terrorism into the US | Buck Sexton:

"National radio host Buck Sexton weighed-in on the despicable terror attack that took place in New York City on Tuesday, saying it’s time for liberals and progressives in the United States to understand that Americans no longer want to “import” terrorism into their society.
“One of the problems that the left has never figured out about this whole issue of terrorism, is that we understand when it comes to American citizens who engage in criminal activity or terrorism, that we try to limit that, we punish it, we do what we can to prevent it, but that will be with us; no society will be perfect,” said Buck."

Marion Barry memorial statue, what to expect - Curbed DC

Marion Barry memorial statue, what to expect - Curbed DC:
"Marion “Mayor for Life” Barry is known for many things. 
He’s known for being elected mayor four times, his time in the D.C. Council, and a scandal that led to him being convicted of a misdemeanor cocaine possession. 
In November 2014, Barry passed away at the age of 78, and since then, there have been plans to memorialize him with a statue.

The statue is commissioned by the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM) in partnership with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and the Marion Barry Commission. 

...The $300,000 project is expected to meet the deadline with an unveiling scheduled for March 6 of next year, Barry's birthday. 

The placement of the statue will be outside the John A. Wilson Building along Pennsylvania Avenue NW..."

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DISGUSTING!!!-----Latino Victory Fund Ad Features Gillespie Voters Hunting Minority Children In The Streets

Latino Victory Fund Ad Features Gillespie Voters Hunting Minority Children In The Streets
"The Latino Victory Fund released an ad Monday portraying supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie as racist terrorists who hunt minority children in the streets.
This is quite possibly the worst political ad ever made.

[Update: They pulled the ad after a Muslim turned it into a reality in New York.]
From the Free Beacon:

The ad shows a man driving a large pick-up truck with a Gillespie campaign sticker, a Tea Party front license plate, and a Confederate flag on the back as he chases down a pair of Latino boys, an African-American boy, and a Muslim girl wearing a hijab. The children run into an alley and attempt to climb a fence as the truck charges them, but they wake up and reveal the ordeal to be a nightmare before the vehicle hits them."..."

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Lunch video-----Millennial International: Sponsor a Millennial Today

Noon-toon

Obama's IRS ... The Other Scandal | Daily Wire

Obama's IRS ... The Other Scandal | Daily Wire:

"Lost in the never-ending Russia-gate saga the past few days was one of the most grossly under-reported stories by the mainstream media (which may as well be Obama's Praetorian Guard). The DOJ has settled with several conservative groups who rightfully claimed they'd been specifically targeted by the IRS for harassment and frivolous yet expensive and time-consuming actions, as well as denial or delay of tax-exempt status due to their political leanings in opposition to the Obama administration."

Surprise! Traffic Fatalities Involving Marijuana Skyrocket in Weed Legal States. The Numbers... » Louder With Crowder

Surprise! Traffic Fatalities Involving Marijuana Skyrocket in Weed Legal States. The Numbers... » Louder With Crowder:
"Is marijuana bad for you? 
It is if you’re fatally hit by someone who’s driving while stoned… 
Which seems to be happening much more frequently.
According to the Washington State Marijuana Impact Report, the incidents of marijuana-impaired driving are increasing dramatically. 
Fatal driving accidents have risen 122 percent between 2010 and 2014, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.
The traffic safety organization AAA has its own reports on marijuana use among drivers in fatal crashes, and the picture is equally bleak..."
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Our "moral betters"-----After He Flew With Bill Clinton on ‘Lolita Express’ Kevin Spacey Started Group to Groom Child Stars | The Daily Sheeple

After He Flew With Bill Clinton on ‘Lolita Express’ Kevin Spacey Started Group to Groom Child Stars | The Daily Sheeple:
"Actor Kevin Spacey became the latest alleged sexual predator in Hollywood on Monday after he was publicly accused of attempting to sexually assault a 14-year-old boy. 
Not only is this not the first time Spacey has faced such allegations, but it calls his past into question, which includes his foundation that specifically works with children.

The Kevin Spacey Foundation is an organization of “mentors, advocates and educators” who work with hopeful emerging artists to “discover, fund and co-produce transatlantic musical, dance, theater and film projects,” according to its website, which features a photo of Spacey surrounded by eager children hoping to break into the entertainment industry.

...As Spacey was making his name on Broadway, another actor was doing the same on the play Precious Sons. 
Anthony Rapp was just 14 years old at the time, and he is now speaking out and accusing Spacey of attempting to sexually assault him during an after party for the two casts in 1986.

“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he lays down on top of me…He was trying to seduce me…I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

While Rapp’s story of his encounter with Spacey may influence parents to keep their children as far away from the Kevin Spacey Foundation as possible now, this is not the first time the actor’s name has been among a list of sexual predators.
In January 2015, at the same time Spacey was promoting his foundation and searching for eager children, a report was published revealing that Spacey’s name was alongside former President Bill Clinton on the logs of visitors who flew on the “Lolita Express.”

The private jet was owned by sexual predator and wealthy Wall Street hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein. 
He was found guilty of sex-trafficking girls as young as 12 years old to facilitate rape parties with his wealthy friends.
Spacey and Clinton appear to be just two of those “wealthy friends” who received favors from Epstein. 
While Spacey flew on the plane during a trip to Africa, Clinton’s name was listed on the passenger logs 26 times between 2001 and 2003, revealing that he flew on the plane at least once a month during the two-year period..."
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#1 This day 1957-----Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock

Navy crews at fault in fatal collisions, investigations find

Navy crews at fault in fatal collisions, investigations find:
"...USS McCain
The complete breakdown in Navy norms on Fitzgerald stands in sharp relief to the accident on McCain, where the commanding officer presided over the whole incident.
It was just before dawn when the McCain headed into the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest waterways in the world.
The ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo Sanchez, had been on the bridge overseeing navigation in the heavily trafficked area near Singapore for more than four hours when the accident occurred at 5:23 a.m.
The failures on McCain began hours before accident.
Sanchez had decided to give his crew some extra rest and delayed orders putting his crew on what is known as sea and anchor detail, which requires more sailors and puts the ship at a higher state of readiness.
That includes a bulked up navigation team, a full suite of lookouts and a master ship driver on the bridge.
Sanchez ordered the crew to set sea and anchor detail at 6 a.m. instead of an hour prior, when the ship entered the shipping lane heading into the Strait of Malacca.
The ship’s operations officer, executive office and navigator had all recommended the ship set sea and anchor at 5 a.m. for safety reasons.
The critical failure came when the current was pushing the ship left and Sanchez noticed the helmsman — usually a junior sailor charged controlling the ship’s steering and speed when ordered by the officer of the deck or conning officer — was having trouble keeping the ship on course.
The master helmsman who would perform these tasks during a sea and anchor detail was still in the chow line at the time.
At 5:20 a.m., Sanchez ordered a second watch-stander to help run the controls to steer the ship, letting the helmsman keep control of the rudder while giving the second watch-stander control of the speed and position of the ship’s two propellers — a position known as the lee helm..."

You ought to know!

Planner of Benghazi Attack Captured? What About the Video? | The Rush Limbaugh Show

Planner of Benghazi Attack Captured? What About the Video? | The Rush Limbaugh Show:

"Now, wait a minute. I know when you hear things go by, it’s tough enough to have things register if you’re reading, but let me read this again and see if there’s anything that jumps out at you. ABC News bulletin, this was yesterday afternoon about 4:30. “Just in: U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted raid in Libya that captured a planner of the 2012 Benghazi attack, officials tell ABC.”
Does this mean that U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted a raid on Libya that captured the guy who planned the video that Obama and Hillary said caused the protest at the consulate? Remember, Obama and Hillary said there was a horrible video and that we couldn’t do anything to the guy because of our laws. But we found this poor guy, Nakoula Nakoula, whatever his name was, we put him in jail and Hillary and Obama tried to live off this lie that a video had caused this."

A Few Simple Charts Spell Disaster For Public Pension Ponzi Schemes | Zero Hedge

A Few Simple Charts Spell Disaster For Public Pension Ponzi Schemes | Zero Hedge
A Few Simple Charts Spell Disaster For Public Pension Ponzi Schemes

"Earlier today, Milliman released their 2017 Public Pension Funding Study which explores the funded status of the 100 largest U.S. public pension plans.  
Not surprisingly, this study only served to confirm many of the rather alarming trends surrounding public pension ponzi's that we discuss on a regular basis.

Starting with a high-level status update, Milliman figures the largest 100 public pensions were roughly just as underfunded on June 30, 2017 as they were on June 30, 2016...not an encouraging development given that the S&P 500 surged 15% over that same period...

The Total Pension Liability reported at the last fiscal year ends totaled $4.72 trillion, up from $4.43 trillion as of the prior fiscal year ends. We estimate that the Total Pension Liability has increased to $4.87 trillion as of June 30, 2017. The aggregate underfunding as of the last fiscal year ends stood at $1.53 trillion, but we estimate that the underfunding has narrowed to $1.43 trillion as of June 30, 2017.

Meanwhile, 32% of the top 100 plans were less than 60% funded..."

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AM Fruitcake