I'm going to abort the usual rigmarole because I'm not married to it. I'm not asking for a divorce, either, I just want to be free the rest of the day to work on a few things.
You know who is on top of the world, literally and figuratively:
"We believe that entrepreneurs can win where politicians have failed. We hope that working together, learning about each other, and developing a shared future will effectively catalyze the stalled movement toward peace. Our goal is to create a sustainable and prosperous future in Israel and Palestine, for this generation and for generations to come, before it is too late...."
It might be either way if prophecy is considered. If Trump pulls it off, given his personality, he very well may declare himself a god. Then he would be the third in a line of three, blah, blah, blah.
"Trump sent an envoy, Jason Greenblatt, to the region in March to open talks and has met with both Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House. Previous presidents, including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, pledged to move the embassy, only to abandon the idea in the face of political reality. A move would also be costly: The United States doesn’t own a facility in Jerusalem large enough to house its embassy and would have to build a secure compound at considerable expense...."
More importantly, they “not looking to provoke anyone when everyone’s playing really nice,” so I gue$$ Israel is not too po'd (have you seen his picks for new FBI director and personal counsel to president? All the drama is upstaging the behind the scenes negotiating and housecleaning. Trump should still be worried, because they still looking to burn him at the stake).
Nor should they be based on what is happening on the battlefields:
SYRIA
"Islamic State attacks Syrian state-held areas, 52 killed" by BASSEM MROUE Associated Press May 19, 2017
BEIRUT — The group that calls itself the Islamic State attacked several government-held villages in central Syria on Thursday, capturing at least one of them in violence that left 52 people dead, including more than two dozen women and children, some of whom were beheaded, state media and a monitoring group said.
The attack in the central Hama province targeted villages where most residents belong to the Ismaili branch of Shi’ite Islam, raising fears the extremists might massacre them, as they have in other places.
The villages are located near Salamiyeh and the highway that links Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo.
The attacks come as government forces are on the offensive in other parts of Syria, mostly in the province of Aleppo and the central Homs region. US-backed and Kurdish-led forces are meanwhile marching toward the extremists’ de-facto capital of Raqqa.
The head of the National Hospital in Salamiyeh, Dr. Noufal Safar, said the hospital received 52 bodies, including 11 women and 17 children. He said some of them were beheaded and others had their limbs amputated.
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IRAQ
"Airstrikes fuel Mosul gains as Iraq pushes for victory in Mosul" by Susannah George Associated Press May 19, 2017
MOSUL, Iraq — Military operations like the one in al-Rifai this week are accelerating in Mosul as part of a drive to retake the handful of districts still under Islamists control before the holy month of Ramadan begins at the end of May. And despite recent allegations of increased civilian casualties, advances on the ground continue to be backed by heavy airstrikes and artillery.
Launched in mid-February, the fight for Mosul’s western sector has been marked by some of the most difficult fighting and catastrophic destruction yet in Iraq’s war against the militants. The brutality of the operation was highlighted by a single incident just a month into the operation — a US airstrike on March 17 that killed more than 100 people sheltering in a home, according to residents and other witnesses interviewed.
Just after 4 a.m. it was still dark, and about 40 minutes later the first US-led coalition airstrike hit. Over the next 12 hours, more than 10 coalition airstrikes hit....
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There might be one minor complication:
"Turkey seeks ouster of US envoy; US war strategy in Syria behind latest tensions" by Kareem Fahim Washington Post May 19, 2017
ISTANBUL — In Turkey’s vigorous but so far faltering attempts to shift US policy, the government has increasingly taken to blaming disagreements with the Trump administration over Syria on President Barack Obama and, specifically, holdovers from the Obama administration, including US envoy Brett McGurk, who has served as the president’s envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition since November 2015.
Trump needs to get all these Obama people OUT!
US military officials in both the Trump and Obama administrations have concluded that there is no effective alternative to the military plan that relies on the Kurdish fighters, despite Turkey’s insistence that it could muster an equally effective force with Syrian Arab fighters.
The unusually pointed Turkish attack on an American official came days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a trip to Washington that was marred by a shockingly violent coda: an attack on protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington on Tuesday....
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**********
"Brazil crisis deepens with probe of president, top senator" Associated Press May 19, 2017
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s political crisis deepened sharply on Thursday with corruption allegations that threatened to topple the president, undermine reforms aimed at pulling the economy from recession, and leave Latin America’s largest nation rudderless.
Stocks plunged, both chambers of Congress canceled sessions, and the office of President Michel Temer canceled his planned activities in the wake of a Globo newspaper report that he had been recorded endorsing the bribery of a former lawmaker.
Protests were planned in several cities, and opposition politicians took to Twitter and news outlets to call for Temer to resign or be impeached, arguing that his government no longer had legitimacy.
‘‘I can’t see how Temer survives this,’’ said David Fleischer, a political science professor at the University of Brasilia. ‘‘There are just too many people against him now.’’
I'm sure the U.S. has another puppet waiting in the wings after running Rousseff out.
The country’s main Ibovespa stock index dropped 10 percent within 90 minutes of opening, and trading was stopped for 30 minutes. The Brazilian Real lost 8 percent of its value against the US dollar in the first half of the day.
Who is pulling capital out of Brazil?
The scandal deepened as police searched the Rio de Janeiro home and Brasilia office of Senator Aecio Neves.
Neves is being investigated in several corruption cases related to the ‘‘Car Wash’’ probe involving kickbacks to politicians. He has denied wrongdoing.
See: Brazilian Car Wa$h
You come out $oiled at the end.
Late Wednesday, Globo reported that Neves had been recorded asking JBS meat-packing company executive Joesley Batista for $700,000 to pay for his ‘‘Car Wash’’ defense. On Thursday, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the country’s highest court, suspended Neves from office indefinitely.
That's ju$t na$ty.
Globo also reported that Batista had recorded Temer endorsing a bribe to silence former speaker of the House Eduardo Cunha. In a statement late Wednesday, the president’s office denied the allegation.
He should resign right now.
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Also see: Suspected cases of Ebola rise to 18 in Democratic Republic of Congo The Zaire strain outbreak was reported in a densely forested part of Bas-Uele province, near the border with the Central African Republic.
We are all one world.... and maybe you should consider having an abortion.
If not, you would surely not turn him away, would you?
I'm sure you would take him to your heart and make Tom Brady happy (I broke that a bit too soon, but I predict it will happen someday). He is actually a real strong argument for staying in school, working hard, and getting your degree. Someone can put in a word for you so you will be able to make lots of money (so much for the drop) during a long and distinguished career. Maybe you even marry into a prominent family with lots of wealth and live happily ever after. If not, you are free to talk a walk.
"Chris Cornell, 52, singer and founder of Soundgarden, Audioslave" by Caryn Ganz and Christopher D. Shea New York Times May 19, 2017
NEW YORK — Chris Cornell, the powerful, dynamic singer whose band Soundgarden was one of the architects of grunge music, died Wednesday night in Detroit. He was 52.
In a statement released Thursday, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the death was a suicide. It said a full autopsy had not yet been completed.
Dontae Freeman, a spokesman for the Detroit Police Department, said in an interview that officers responded around midnight at the MGM Grand casino to the apparent suicide. He would not confirm the victim’s name.
Freeman said that the victim’s wife had called a family friend to check on the man; the family friend forced his way into the man’s room at the casino and found him unresponsive on the bathroom floor.
Mr. Cornell had acknowledged in interviews to struggling with drug use throughout his life. In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, he described himself as a “pioneer” in the abuse of the opiate OxyContin, and saying that he had gone to rehab....
Unfortunately, such things are all to common in the music industry.
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All I can say is thanks for showing us how to live as we all roll down the highway of life, and I'll see you in the end.
Also see: Celebrities mourn the passing of Chris Cornell
I saw Amanda Palmer (that is her, isn't it?) and David Ortiz there, among other big names, but there were a few missing faces.
Oddly enough, I will read the Sports today. Might even go to a movie or do a crossword.
