Category Archives: Fail!

Donald Trump says US should let China keep the drone – Times of India – Those who voted for him and those who did not vote – time to cringe yet?

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday on Twitter that the United States should let China keep the US Navy’s unmanned underwater glider that it seized in the South China Sea.”We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back- let them keep it!” Trump tweeted a few hours after the US military announced it had reached an understanding with China for the return of the underwater glider.

Source: Donald Trump says US should let China keep the drone – Times of India

German police arrest neo-Nazis after occupation of Dortmund church | News | DW.COM | 17.12.2016

The neo-Nazi group barricaded themselves in the steeple of the Lutheran church on Friday at 6:40 p.m. (1740 UTC), Dortmund police said in a statement.They hung a banner from the tower parapet, lit flares and shouted right-wing slogans down at the bustling Christmas market crowd below using a megaphone. The neo-Nazi group also appeared to light fireworks from the steeple in a picture circulating on social media.Police used force to break through the barricade with the help of Dortmund’s fire department and ended the illegal occupation, a police statement said.Authorities also took action against other far-right extremists who were gathered around the outside of the church, some of whom were passing out flyers.Eight of the right-wing extremists in the church tower, who were already known to police, were arrested but later let go from police detention.

Source: German police arrest neo-Nazis after occupation of Dortmund church | News | DW.COM | 17.12.2016

vintage everyday: Titanic Survivor’s Letter Reveals Harrowing New Perspective on the Tragedy of the ‘Unsinkable Ship’

Towards eleven o’clock: Mrs. Stone and I went to bed.Three quarters of an hour later, as the liner was cruising at full speed, a terrifying shock threw us out of bed.We were intending to find out what was happening, when a passing officer told us “It is nothing, return to your cabin.” I answered “Listen to that loud noise, it sounds like water is flowing into the ship.”Upon our return to the cabin I saw that our [female] neighbor from across the passageway had gone back to bed.Her daughter arrived in a panic, yelling “Mommy, quick quick, get up it’s very serious.”I helped Mrs. Stone to dress, she took her lifebelt and told me “come quickly.”I was trembling, and still in my dressing gown, I took a coat, my lifebelt, and followed her on deck.

Source: vintage everyday: Titanic Survivor’s Letter Reveals Harrowing New Perspective on the Tragedy of the ‘Unsinkable Ship’

From IT specialist to guerilla fighter: Estonia’s citizen army gears up to deter Vladimir Putin’s war machine – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Estonians eye Russia’s annexation of Crimea and United States President-elect Donald Trump’s comments about reining in NATO spending, which provided a bulwark against Russian expansion during and after the Cold War.Now thousands of Estonians, many without previous military experience, have flocked towards the EDL for specialised conflict training.They learn to fire weapons, recognise Russian armoured vehicles, and live in the country’s vast forests.Some of the more experienced recruits are given instructions on how to make roadside bombs. Others learn how to run a field kitchen capable of feeding thousands of people.The EDL chief, Commander Meelis Kiili, puts it simply — “if you want peace prepare for war”.

Source: From IT specialist to guerilla fighter: Estonia’s citizen army gears up to deter Vladimir Putin’s war machine – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

FBI backs CIA view that Russia intervened to help Trump win election – The Washington Post

FBI Director James B. Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. have backed a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the presidency, according to U.S. officials.Comey’s support for the CIA’s conclusion suggests that the leaders of the three agencies are in agreement on Russian intentions, contrary to suggestions by some lawmakers that the FBI disagreed with the CIA.“Earlier this week, I met separately with (Director) FBI James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election,” CIA Director John Brennan said in a message to the agency’s workforce, according to U.S. officials who have seen the message.

Source: FBI backs CIA view that Russia intervened to help Trump win election – The Washington Post

Siri Hustvedt: ‘Trump was elected because misogyny is alive and well’ | Books | The Guardian

“He was elected because his exploitation of the big lie technique worked, because misogyny is alive and well among women and men,” she says. “He was elected because, as a study at Yale demonstrated, when faced with an identical description of an ambitious politician, both men and women respond to a female candidate with feelings of ‘moral outrage’, but have no such feelings for a power seeking male candidate.” It goes back to what she has been saying about the science of perception, the kinds of expectations we have for men versus those for women. “If she’s emotional, then she’s like a woman. If she’s not emotional, then she’s cold and heartless,” she says of Clinton. “Whereas Trump actually has played the female role: the out of control, angry hysteric. And yet, he has been perceived as a robust, masculine figure by a large portion of the US public. The possibilities for a woman are infinitely more narrow.”

Source: Siri Hustvedt: ‘Trump was elected because misogyny is alive and well’ | Books | The Guardian

Man, 73, Shot Dead by Officer Had a Crucifix, Not a Gun, Police Say – The New York Times

“Explains everything – a non-Hispanic calls police and claims he thinks there is a Mexican with a gun across the street – so of course – when police arrive he is shot and killed – no questions asked…” So this is not new, happens dozens of times a year. It is a shame and should not be the automatic but it is. When will whole community say – NO MORE!

According to the police, a woman who lives across the street from Mr. Serna was removing items from a vehicle outside her home when she noticed a man standing behind her. He turned out to be Mr. Serna. She said he asked if he could get in the car. He was allowed only to look into the vehicle, and the woman went inside her house, the chief said.The woman later said she had believed that Mr. Serna had a firearm because his hand was in his jacket, and she saw an object with a handle, the chief said. She told her husband about the encounter, and he called the police to report a man outside with a gun.“He is brandishing a firearm,” the husband said, according to a recording of the 911 call, which was published by KERO television station. He said the man was an “older Mexican gentleman” and that it looked like the firearm was a revolver. “He could be the neighbor across the street or a visitor; I am not for sure.”When officers arrived, the woman pointed out Mr. Serna as he left his house, Chief Martin said. The police said they shouted to Mr. Serna to take his hands out of his jacket and to stop walking toward them. But he continued and entered the woman’s driveway, officials said.

U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in Hack

Ultimately, the CIA has assessed, the Russian government wanted to elect Donald Trump… ‘It is most certainly consistent with the Putin that I have watched and used to work with when I was an ambassador and in the government,’ said Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.’He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011. He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order. And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump’s views on Russia,’ McFaul added. Clinton cast doubt on the integrity of Russia’s elections.”If this were a plot for a movie, it’d be rejected for its sheer petty absurdity. The GOP never, ever gets to invoke the name of their beloved St. Ronnie Raygun again, not after they gleefully supported Putin’s lapdog. Jesus Christ.

Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines President, says he personally killed people when he was a mayor – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account,” Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty’s director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.”President Duterte should be fulfilling his obligations by ordering investigations into these killings and bringing those responsible to justice, not claiming a part in them.”Statements like these continue to give everybody, including the police in the Philippines, a license to kill in the knowledge that they are protected by the President.”Mr Duterte, who took office in June, has been widely criticised for his brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 suspects in gun battles with police.About 3,000 other drug-related killings are being investigated by authorities to determine if these were related to the illegal drug trade.

Source: Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines President, says he personally killed people when he was a mayor – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Violence against women: Mexican senator vows to fight gender violence after vicious attack | In English | EL PAÍS

This is a cowardly act,” said Guevara, unable to hold back tears. “I have always been a simple person, I don’t have a chauffeur or bodyguards. I am always encouraging civic behavior among people. I believe in my country and this is where we have to do our work.”Guevara, known to Mexicans for earning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the 400-meter dash, said she did not identify herself as a senator while she was being attacked.“It was hard for them to identify me because I was wearing glasses and my helmet… I took every single blow they delivered.”

Source: Violence against women: Mexican senator vows to fight gender violence after vicious attack | In English | EL PAÍS