Month: March 2019

Master impressionist Jim Meskimen reads “The Night Before Christmas” as 27 different celebrities, including Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, and Robin Williams.

Meeting with the reporters for the first time since assuming office Jan. 1, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan touched on the Syria withdrawal, success in Afghanistan, the U.S. Space Force, and his role as the head of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Shanahan, who had served as deputy defense secretary until the first of the year, said that from his new position, “the terrain is not different.” What has changed, he told reporters, is that he sees the president more often, and works more closely with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Cabinet members and defense counterparts in Europe and Asia.

As acting secretary, he said, he expects to travel less, and to “drive more integration between the services and the combatant commands.”

On Syria:

• • Shanahan said the withdrawal is in the early stages. “We’re on a deliberate, coordinated, disciplined withdrawal,” he said.
  • ISIS is no longer able to govern in Syria, he said. “ISIS no longer has freedom to amass forces. Syria is no longer a safe haven. We’ve eliminated a majority of their leadership. We’ve significantly diminished their financial capabilities,” Shanahan said. “The way I would probably characterize the military operations conducted in Syria is that the risk of terrorism and mass migration has been significantly mitigated.”
  • Inside Syria, he said, “99.5 percent plus” of territory controlled by ISIS just two years ago has been returned to the Syrians. “And within a couple of weeks, it’ll be 100 percent,” he added.
  • Along Syria’s northeastern border, some 3.5 million Syrian refugees are in Turkey, Shanahan said, and significant numbers of internally displaced people are on the Syrian side of the border. To ameliorate this crisis, he said, military-to-military conversations are happening, and the State Department is involved as well, looking for solutions. “There are very important dialogues going on in major capitals in Europe about support to that portion of Syria, as well as very important discussions with our [Syrian Democratic Forces] counterparts there in northeastern Syria,” he added. “The discussions hold real promise.”

On Afghanistan:

• • Coalition forces and Afghan national security forces “have been doing a tremendous job,” the acting defense secretary said.
  • There is no change to the “realign, reinforce, regionalize, reconcile and sustain” plan, known as 4R+S, he said.
  • Discussions are now between Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban. Khalilzad is the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. “The talks were encouraging,” Shanahan said. “I would just add to that, we have to give people time.”
  • The acting secretary noted “a new level of energy” in the situation. “The reconciliation portion our 4R+S is working,” he said. “Now we need to give the diplomats time and space to advance those conversations.”

On Space Force:

• • The Defense Department is looking at some individuals who might lead U.S. Space Command, Shanahan said.
  • The Space Force will focus on faster development of technology, faster delivery of technology, and leveraging of commercially available technology, he explained.
  • Concerns on Capitol Hill involve avoiding unnecessary cost and not growing a bureaucracy, he said. His  idea of Space Force is that it have a small footprint, he told reporters. “That’s why I recommend it sits under the Air Force,” he said.

Source: Department of Defense

LUBBOCK, Texas, Sept. 11, 2012  — If you started retirement planning early in your career, it’s good news by the time you hit your 40s. But for those 40-somethings just thinking about retirement – it’s like halftime in a football game.

Since football season is upon us, we’ll use the gridiron analogy. Let’s face it; working in your 40s really is like halftime in the big game. Your career is about half over, and it’s time to stop the game, assess where you are and make any necessary adjustments to your plan. You have 20 years of work behind you, and roughly 20 years of work ahead. If you haven’t been saving for retirement, it’s time to get started. If you’ve been socking money away for years, then it’s a good time to reassess where you are, and what you need to do over the next 20 years.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to have both an offensive and a defensive game plan,” said Brian Pitaniello, a partner with PFG Advisors. “In your 40s, you still need to have an offensive strategy to continue building dollars for the future. On the flip side, a defensive strategy is still just as important to have in place for the possibility of premature death, disability, economic crises and other unforeseen financial needs.

“Just like any football game, you have to have that half-time ‘locker-room talk’ about preparing for the worst but hitting the field with the mentality – and the tools – for ultimate success.”

Pitaniello explained that if you’ve been ignoring retirement for some reason, or delayed facing the reality that you may one day be retired, then now is the time to act. It’s halftime. It’s time to regroup and prepare yourself for the second half of your career. No matter the age you begin, Pitaniello and PFG Advisors recommend the following checklist in creating a retirement strategy:

• Plan – At this point in your career, you should have an excellent feel for when you’d like to retire, how much you need in those retirement years, and where your current career is likely to take you. For that reason, you should be able to create a very accurate retirement plan.
• Do – At 40-something there is simply no time to waste. Once you’ve figured out what you need to do; just do it.
• Check – If you’re playing catch up, then you’re going to need to check your retirement plan every two years or so. Because of the relatively short time between now and when you retire, you need to pay close attention to things such as the return on your investments to make sure they agree with your planning assumptions.
• Act – As you check your plan, you may need to make adjustments to things such as retirement age and your rate of savings. Since you have half your career behind you, during each of these cycles you should only be tweaking your retirement plan.

Maddie & Tae perform “Fly” from their Start album live at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital At Vanderbilt.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz criticized a newly released United Nations report on Monday that concluded Israel committed war crimes against Palestinians during a 2018 protest despite Hamas’s use of human shields.

“This U.N. report is on its face absurd and dishonest and we know because they have been doing it for a long time,” Cruz said on a telephone call hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. “Hamas and Hezbollah use human shields as a deliberate tactic. They use innocent Palestinian civilians, to put them in harm’s way, because they intend to exploit those human shields for when they are injured or killed when Israel defends itself.”

The United Nations Human Rights Council determined in the report that Israel used “excessive force” during the nine-month period in question. Over that time, Israeli security forces shot and wounded 6,016 protesters in Gaza and “there was no justification” for Israel’s use of force. The report did acknowledge Hamas encouraged Palestinian protesters to cause use incendiary kites, which caused “fear among civilians and significant damage to property in southern Israel.”

“The United Nations long has been a reservoir of deep anti-Israel animus,” Cruz continued. “This report today is yet another example of that.”

The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in May 2018 after President Donald Trump relocated the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that inspired thousands of Palestinians to riot and ultimately storm the Gaza-Israel border.

Hamas preemptively offered compensation to the families of Palestinians who were injured or killed during the demonstration — a spokesperson for the terrorist organization revealed the payment rates would be as high as $3,000, reported The Jerusalem Post. Humans were also reportedly used as shields, a concept that Cruz acknowledged.

“It is a repeated and deliberate strategy of Hamas to use human shields,” the Texas senator said. “The U.N. report ignores that reality.”

United States officials have maintained that Israeli Defense Forces acted appropriately.

“America stands with Israel for many reasons, but none more important than standing with Israel furthers our own national security interests,” Cruz added.

Women’s March co-chair Linda Sarsour on Monday night attacked Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as a “typical white feminist upholding the patriarchy doing the dirty work of powerful white men,” in response to a House resolution condemning anti-Semitism.

House Democrats announced the resolution on Monday after Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s latest anti-Israel comments, which critics — including other Democrats — have denounced as anti-Semitic.

“This is why we wanted Congresswoman Barbara Lee to be the Speaker of the House and ‘progressives’ were like nah, Pelosi is a leader and omg you should see how she claps. What a clap!” Sarsour wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.

“Nancy is a typical white feminist upholding the patriarchy doing the dirty work of powerful white men. God forbid the men are upset – no worries, Nancy to the rescue to stroke their egos,” she wrote.

Sarsour accused Democratic leaders of responding more quickly to anti-Semitism than to anti-Muslim rhetoric and claimed the resolution would only help Republicans.

“Democrats are playing in to the hands of the right. Dividing our base and reinforcing their narrative and giving them an easier path towards 2020,” Sarsour wrote.

“I reject this. I will speak out. I won’t be silent. I am not following this. They don’t speak for me as a Democrat. No more double standards.”

Women’s March has been plagued by its own anti-Semitism issues, including its leader’s support of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a notorious racist and anti-Semite.

An investigation published by Tablet Magazine in December revealed Women’s March leaders repeatedly made anti-Semitic remarks, including spreading conspiracy theories about Jews being responsible for the slave trade.

The investigation also found that Women’s March used Nation of Islam members for their security.

Sarsour was unapologetic about the Farrakhan controversy as recently as January when she taped a podcast with left-wing media outlet Democracy Now

I’m a music fan and have posted Pentatonix before on CDN Music Night, but this is their most powerful performance so far.

Where to see Pentatonix in concert:

10/22/2016 – Maverik Center – West Valley City, UT
10/24/2016 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD
10/26/2016 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
10/27/2016 – Allstate Arena – Rosemont, IL
10/29/2016 – State Farm Center – Champaign, IL
10/30/2016 – Value City Arena, Schottenstein Center – Columbus, OH
11/3/2016 – FedEx Forum – Memphis, TN
11/6/2016 – The Palace of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI
11/7/2016 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, Canada
11/9/2016 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
11/10/2016 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
11/12/2016 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
11/13/2016 – Liacouras Center – Philadelphia, PA
11/15/2016 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, SC
11/16/2016 – Infinite Energy Arena – Duluth, GA
11/17/2016 – U.N.O. Lakefront Arena – New Orleans, LA
11/19/2016 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK
11/20/2016 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
11/22/2016 – Toyota Center – Houston, TX

Where to find them on social media:

http://www.ptxofficial.com
http://www.twitter.com/ptxofficial @ptxofficial
http://www.facebook.com/Pentatonix
http://www.instagram.com/ptxofficial @ptxofficial
http://www.snapchat.com/add/PTXsnap

With businesses struggling, a run on ATM’s, banks and other cash deposits, central bank calling back cash and every day people defaulting on every day credit – yeah, another global depression might be closer than thought.

Americans are suddenly defaulting on their personal debt at an alarming rate. Heck, even the American icon Colt is considering some form of bankruptcy.

Greece just pulled back every single bank’s reserve cash stockpile – just to keep them solvent. It won’t last long and the Greek people will soon want their money from those banks that now have no way to refund it. Bank run!!!!  (it’s not a new movie)

What’s going on in America?

Well, banks are starting to put in cash controls, businesses are struggling to increase sales and energy stockpiles are growing from a lack of consumption.

Bank of America now charges a “cash handling fee” if a business or individual deposits a lot of cash.

Chase is reportedly forbidding its customers from storing cash in safety deposit boxes or using cash to pay bills:

As of March, Chase began restricting the use of cash in selected markets, including Greater Cleveland. The new policy restricts borrowers from using cash to make payments on credit cards, mortgages, equity lines, and auto loans. Chase even goes as far as to prohibit the storage of cash in its safe deposit boxes .

 

 

In a letter to its customers dated April 1, 2015 pertaining to its “Updated Safe Deposit Box Lease Agreement,” one of the highlighted items reads: “You agree not to store any cash or coins other than those found to have a collectible value.” Whether or not this pertains to gold and silver coins with no numismatic value is not explained.

Petroleum reserves grew another 5.3 million barrels even though production has slowed. Companies aren’t using as much energy to make/grow, transport, package and sell their goods because demand is dying – consumers are flat broke and running out of credit.

Producer after producer, company after company is reporting dropping top-line numbers.

Top line revenue represents money coming in before expenses – and it is dropping RAPIDLY.

Construction giant Caterpillar has had 28 months of declining sales.

The only choice American companies have is to reduce expenses to meet the reduction in income. People and services (advertising, cleaning, driving, inventory management, sales, etc) are their greatest expense and are going to take the brunt of the hit while companies are forced to get more competitive.

The way companies meet the need for efficiency is through automation – not hiring. The HUGE U6 unemployment figure is just the start as Google, Amazon and other monopolistic giants hire armies of robots to do the jobs Americans used to do – but it is necessary.

Asia has Alibaba and soon other nations will have something similar. That’s global competition.

Google may struggle with international relations and Chinese regulatory obstacles. A Chinese firm, Baidu, is replicating the Google model and is able to include billions of Chinese consumers while Google is shut out of the EU due to regulation and relegated out of Asia due to the great Chinese Firewall.

Consider the Chinese controlled and funded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which replaces the IMF and World Bank in the global community, it won’t be long until the Chinese can ignore the rest of the world completely (especially the U.S.)

As China’s numbers keep coming in so weak, one has to imagine – what happens if both America and China’s economies go south .. right.. fricking .. now?!?

Kind of hard to imagine this happening without a plan… just .. so .. hard.

Wonder Woman is in theaters June 2, 2017.

Survey results released on Sunday from Rasmussen Reports shows that the bailout of GM and Chrysler has left the bailed-out with a poor public image while Ford, the only major American car maker not to take public money, is enjoying rising popularity.

When 1,000 people were asked if they viewed each of the car makers as very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable, Ford came out strong.

44% of respondents said they looked favorably upon Ford, while only 12% and 13% said the same of Chrysler and GM respectively. When looking at all positive responses, 78% of responses were positive for Ford, 54% for GM and 43% for Chrysler.

The unfavorables are equally as enlightening. Ford saw only 13% unfavorable ratings, GM 45% and Chrysler 43%.

The assumption would be that the bailouts hurt the car companies that took them, but why work from assumption? The survey then asked respondents how the bailouts affect their impressions of the big three.

The President and V.P. have been out campaigning hard on the auto bailout. On Sunday the President used his weekly address to remind Americans that it was a major achievement. 55% of respondents said that the bailouts were a bad idea. 57% said it made them more likely to buy a Ford and 52% said it made them less likely to buy a car from GM. 17% said they knew someone that bought a Ford simply because the automaker did not take tax payer money to weather the recession.

Perhaps the auto bailout is not something the President should be touting so loudly.