Links 1/16/17

Never built New York: the city that might have been – in pictures Guardian

How Clare Hollingworth defied the stereotypes about women and war New Statesman

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to End Its 146-Year Run NYT

Class Warfare

A General Logic of Crisis: Adam Tooze on How Will Capitalism End? by Wolfgang Streeck London Review of Books

Ikie’s College Dream Chronicle of Higher Education. Take 7 minutes to watch this video clip. Pity that those in the Acela corridor have so little awareness of what’s going on in the place John Denver once described as “Almost Heaven”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hits out at ‘rigged system’ Sky News (UserFriendly)

Public trust in media at all time low, research shows FT

New index of economic marginalisation helps explain Trump, Brexit and alt.right The Conversation

Call of the wild: can America’s national parks survive? Guardian

Kaziranga, India’s rhino paradise, has a poaching problem that’s proving hard to combat Scroll.in

Gandhi flip flops sold on Amazon cause anger in India BBC.  Amazon’s latest misstep, following its recent offer of an Indian national flag doormat (when incidentally, IIRC it’s illegal to make an Indian flag out of anything other than khadi — the homespun cotton cloth that was a central symbol of the India’s Independence movement).

BlackRock demands end to excessive executive pay FT

#NoDAPL

When the Indians Defeat the Cowboys Jacobin. Unfortunately, not likely for long.

Questionable “Young Blood” Transfusions Offered in U.S. as Anti-Aging Remedy MIT Technology Review

PETER THIEL MIGHT RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA Vanity Fair

The story behind Janis Joplin’s landmark hit ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ San Francisco Chronicle

Does your smartphone make you less likely to trust others? The Conversation

2016 Post Mortem

Why Clinton’s Slogans Failed (Hard): A Persuasion Analysis ExtraNewsfeed. For those of us who routinely interrupt ourselves, this entry in the same series might be even more apropos: Trump’s Self-Interruptions: a Persuasion Tactic

Democrats Found Out This Week That Bernie Supporters Are Not Going Away Any Time Soon Inquisitur (furzy)

David Brock Is Ready to Monetize the Resistance New York Magazine (UserFriendly). “Is ready”? I assume he was from the get go.

The Rules of the Game: A New Electoral System NYRB

Why Bernie Sanders Came Up Short—and How That Lesson Can Fuel Future Progressive Victories AlterNet

EgyptAir Flight 804 Investigation: Did Co-Pilot’s Overheated iPhone And iPad Trigger Fire Before Crash? International Business Times

Treasury Bears Beware: Explosive Short-Covering Rally Coming Up Michael Shedlock (furzy)

New McCarthyism

On “Fake News” empty wheel (RK).

New Cold War

Facebook rolls out fake-news filtering service to Germany FT

Head of MI6 used information from Trump dossier in first public speech Independent

The greatest hackers of the first world war Spectator

IS A TRUMP-PUTIN BROMANCE ENOUGH FOR A MIRACLE IN US-RUSSIA TIES? SCMP

CIA director warns Trump to watch what he says, be careful on Russia Reuters

Obama Legacy

White House Justifies Possible Commutation For Chelsea Manning Kevin Gosztola, Shadowproof (furzy)

The President Who Wasn’t There: Barack Obama’s Legacy of Impotence Counterpunch

With days left in office, President Obama ushers in dozens of policies. But will they stay seated? WaPo

Trump Transition

Apple in Trumpland: How the new administration could upend Apple’s business Ars Technica

Donald Trump: I’ll do a deal with Britain The Times. An exclusive interview with Brexit Svengali Michael Gove.

Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in Obamacare replacement plan WaPo. Another exclusive.

Trump slow to vet ultra-rich ambassador candidates Politico

How will Mexico deal with The Donald? The Conversation

Trump in Latin America Jacobin

Davos Chief Heeds Trump Win With Pledge to Tackle ‘Silent Fear Bloomberg

Davos elites struggle for answers as Trump era dawns Reuters

BuzzFeed’s Golden Showers Washington Babylon

Like clockwork, Trump rips ‘Saturday Night Live’ on Twitter NY Post. He really needs to grow a thicker skin.

Does The United States Really Need To Improve Its Image Abroad? FiveThirtyEight

Syraqistan

Why is Turkey so divided? TLS

Turkey offers citizenship to foreign property buyers Al Jazeera

Antidote du jour

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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244 comments

    1. Bev

      No mention of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?

      https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKDay?src=hash

      Martin Luther Kings, Jr.
      “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
      ……….
      https://twitter.com/HiddenFigures

      The inspirational film Hidden Figures is now playing in theaters everywhere. Directed by Theodore Melfi. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe.
      ……

      Dear Producers, Director and Stars of the inspirational film, Hidden Figures, please support the funding, production and spreading of another important film based on the truth of mathematics and human justice. Hidden Figures meet Open Figures by Greg Palast.

      via: http://www.forums.mlb.com/discussions/Chicago_Cubs/_/Jill_Stein_Recounts_Necessary_Because_Electronic_Voting_Invites_Tampering_Hacks/ml-cubs/449203.1?nav=messages
http://www.gregpalast.com/election-stolen-heres/


      The Election was Stolen – Here’s How…
      Before a single vote was cast, the election was fixed by GOP and Trump operatives.

      ….

      https://twitter.com/Greg_Palast

      Greg Palast ‏@Greg_Palast
      Join me in DC tonight for a screening & post-film discussion on strategies to combat the attacks on democracy and voting rights! #Crosscheck
      #MLKday2017: FREE screening of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy in DC on Jan 16 — Presented by @NAACP @NAACPNVF

      https://www.facebook.com/events/340894082970497/

      Monday, January 16 at 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM EST
      Starts in about 1 hour
      625 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017-1775

      Details

      Honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday and support voting rights by attending a viewing and discussion of Greg Palast’s documentary, “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires and Ballot Bandits.”

      Investigative reporter Greg Palast exposes the new Ku Klux Klan — the billionaire bandits that are behind the successful scheme to supress millions of votes by people of color.

      Palast will be present to discuss his film and book and strategies to combat the coordinated attacks on democracy and denial of the constitutional right to vote.

      The environment for minority voting rights has not been this hostile since the end of Reconstruction. The orchestrated systemic voter suppression schemes used to successfully disenfranchise millions of minority voters is the biggest untold story of the 2016 election.

      Presented by The NAACP, National Voter Fund, and The Civil Rights Law Center.

      Film starts at 6:30 p.m. Discussion 8:15 p.m.

      Location: Busboys and Poets – Takoma Park
      625 Monroe Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20017

      Tickets: Free

      Register here: eventbrite.com/e/the-best-democracy-money-can-buy-film-and-discussion-with-greg-palast-tickets-30931230142
      ………

      Greg Palast ‏@Greg_Palast Jan 14
      Greg Palast Presents… A Facebook LIVE Event Thursday, January 19 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET #TrumpStoleIt https://www.facebook.com/GregPalastInvestigates/videos/10154917384607128/

  1. dontknowitall

    In “Reuters: Davos elites struggle for answers as Trump era dawns”…

    Reuters says: “Moises Naim of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was even more blunt: “There is a consensus that something huge is going on, global and in many respects unprecedented. But we don’t know what the causes are, nor how to deal with it.” What??

    How blind do you have to be to not see that 8 billionaires owning has much in resources as the bottom 50% of the world’s population is an humanitarian disaster…It is not a mystery why and talk to Sanders for the solutions…Moises Naim you need to grow a pair and tell truth to power

    1. NotTimothyGeithner

      It’s the obvious problem, and the simple solution is the elimination of the billionaire and near billionaire
      class. The rest is the billionaires trying to figure out how to keep the money and not give people ideas about the obvious solutions.

      1. WheresOurTeddy

        Being a billionaire is a character flaw.

        Wealth cap. Wealth tax. Maximum wage. 1950s top income tax rates.

        The wealth never “trickles down”. You have to hold the pitchfork to their neck.

        1. OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL

          Thank you, that any of these 8 men can sleep at night is testimony to the depravity of their souls. Gates does lots of giving but he had to be shamed into it. The others give too: but with an actual functioning *conscience* you might keep 1 or 200 *million* for yourself and shower the rest around as fast as you could. Their monstrous egos and utter lack of civic-mindedness indicates a deep-seated hatred of their fellow man. “I am the ubermensch” said Mr. Z, as he formulated a new plan to steal from the poorest people on the planet (India didn’t work out so he has set sail for other terrains to exploit).

          1. hunkerdown

            Au contraire, the duty of the kings in enforcing their divine right and the Order of the Realm is a terrible burden imposed upon them. Statecraft is grim work. All those commodities and privileges are just palliatives.

        2. Chris

          Well wait a minute, the wealth trickled down in a golden shower all over Asia, and especially in China. It just didn’t do squat here except make a few people very wealthy.

      1. PlutoniumKun

        I believe his lawyers are very active in arguing that most of his holdings are vested in a charitable foundation which he merely runs, not owns, so he’s not actually very rich. At a wild guess I’d say Forbes was on the end of some nasty legal correspondence.

    2. Harry

      I think you might be asking Moises to understand something that his pay check requires him not to understand.

    3. clarky90

      “Moises Naim of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace”.

      Using a rule of thumb that I learned here at NC (hat tip to that brilliant member of the commentariat); Political Foundations typically do the exact opposite of what their name implies .

      Therefore, Moises Naim of The Carnegie Endowment for Warfare Against the International Lower and Middle Classes

      1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

        Also this from the link:

        Suma Chakrabarti, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), believes a “modern version of globalization” is possible but acknowledges it will take time to emerge.

        It has emerged. And it’s nasty.

        The not-modern version of globalization would be the Mongol conquest of half of the known world.

        Then, there, you find Arab tax farmers in China, and Persian artisans at the porcelain making center, Jingdezhen. Many died to bring about that version. When establishment, it was milder than today’s version…the opposite of our modern version. Therein lies a lesson for us.

        And the lesson is, a thing is not itself good or bad, depending on the amount.

        Too much water when under waterboarding, you suffer. Here, you’re not anti-water..

        Too much immigration, not good either. Here, you’re not anti-immigration.

        Too much globalization, people become deplorables. Here, you’re not anti-trade.

        Those in the fake news and fake editorial business will say you’re all three.

    4. integer

      Moises Naim of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was even more blunt: “There is a consensus that something huge is going on, global and in many respects unprecedented. But we don’t know what the causes are, nor how to deal with it.”

      There once was a man named Naim,
      who should have just died from shame.
      How he loved billionaires,
      for what’s fair, not a care.
      But the people are ready to reclaim.

      Limericks!

        1. integer

          There once was a man named 0bama,
          who earned himself really bad karma.
          Eight years of no-thing,
          so Trump became king,
          now zero is out causing drama.

  2. Roger Smith

    RE: Why Bernie Sanders Came Up Short—and How That Lesson Can Fuel Future Progressive Victories AlterNet

    Can someone please refresh my mind, are the authors here (Becky Bond, Zack Exley / Chelsea Green ) the group of Sanders’ staff that left the campaign mid-way through because of differences with the upper administration?

      1. aliteralmind

        Source please? I thought they left to form Brand New Congress, without any drama.

        I know at least Exley was out of the campaign long before Our Revolution launched. If that’s what you’re talking about.

        1. Elizabeth Burton

          They may have left to join Brand New Congress, but BNG was up and running before the primaries were done when it became clear Bernie didn’t have a prayer.

        1. Katharine

          Much depends on the quality of the call. I think most of the scripted ones, with inexperienced and awkward callers, probably are, but I’ve known a few gifted and courteous people who could enter into a conversation and do real persuasion. If that could be the norm, calls would be more valuable than they are.

          Door knocking is said to be far more effective. That might be because personal contact tends to promote more natural communication, including listening.

          1. Procopius

            Personally, I have a thing about telephones. Probably neurotic (is that a thing any more?) I would prefer to walk a couple of kilometers to speak to somebody than call them. In the case of congressional offices, of course that’s not possible, if that’s what we’re talking about.

        2. HopeLB

          There was an ex-Congressional staffer who came here in comments and said phone calls in which you actually talk to a staffer are the most effective way to get your Representatives’ attention. And she said to call all of their offices.Oh, the power of ringing bells!

  3. integer

    David Brock Is Ready to Monetize the Resistance

    There once was a man named Brock,
    who thought Hillary was a lock.
    The deplorables spoke,
    so he snorted more coke,
    but now he is in for a shock.

  4. allan

    “Young blood” transfusions:

    With an MD but no license to practice medicine, Karmazin is conducting the trial with David C. Wright, a 66-year-old physician with a private intravenous-therapy center in Monterey. Wright offers “alternative” IV infusions of antibiotics, vitamins, and other treatments; they’re popular among people suffering from conditions with nebulous symptoms, such as chronic fatigue syndrome or “chronic” Lyme disease. In January 2015, he was disciplined by the California Medical Board for administering antibiotic infusions to a patient who didn’t need them and ended up in an emergency room.

    Does anybody know where can I invest in litigation futures on this?

      1. Vatch

        Maybe if a vampire gets young people’s blood instead of old people’s blood, he’ll be more resistant to the effects of sunlight. Perhaps Peter Thiel wants to be a daywalker.

    1. Portia

      Peter Thiel is gay, and I am wondering if he is using “young blood transfusions” (tested, of course) as a treatment for being HIV positive or having AIDS. It would be bad for business of course if he came out and admitted this.

      1. NotTimothyGeithner

        People use to peddle petroleum as a cure all. There isn’t a need to find reason to why Peter Thiel does what he does because he’s rich.

        1. Pat

          Not saying why he buys into this fish oil nonsense, but it isn’t as if being rich stops you from being a sucker. From the recent art and wine fraud cons we have finally been told about to Steve Jobs trying anything and everything but the usual chemo and radiation to treat his cancer, we have lots of evidence they are just as much suckers as anyone else.

          (Although I’m so old that HIV didn’t enter into my hypothetical list of reasons, I wondered what drug he might be addicted to.)

      2. windsock

        Something about your comment disturbs me. He’s gay, so he’s likely to be HIV+ ? Being gay is bad for business? Being HIV+ is bad for business?

        I would have thought being a straight up dickhead is bad for business. Why look for hidden meaningless extras?

        1. hunkerdown

          The Russell Conjugation: “My concerns are meaningful, your concerns are flawed, their concerns are meaningless”

          He’s of an age where he could have acquired the virus a long time ago through standard social contact, supported his health through conventional treatments for as long as that worked, and needs further support now.

          Besides, businesspeople are not righteous Philosopher-Kings by virtue of mere identification. There is no reason to assume he’s telling us the truth in any matter at all when his material interests oppose most people’s.

      3. Marco

        Oh lighten up folks. I’m gay and do not take offense at this line of speculation. Most of my gay friends are poz and hate taking their meds (after a decade or two the side-effects start to pile up). I wouldn’t put it past the wealthier ethically-challenged homos to consider blood transfusions as a “holistic” supplement to their current regimen.

    2. susan the other

      I had a complicated hysterectomy at 40 and told my Dr. I wanted to donate my own blood. He humored me and said OK. So I waited 10 days to get over my cold and then I donated 2 pints the following week and then off to surgery where, as I knew I would, I bled my brains out and had to take both my pints back. When I went to pay the bill at the blood office they asked me how I was feeling and I said, “I feel great – I got the tail end of my cold back – it was unmistakeable.” So my thoughts on young blood – it’s prolly full of viruses in various stages of being vanquished and it might make you feel good because it is aggressive – but it doesn’t last long. You’ll promptly go back to your old boring blood.

      1. aab

        This would not be the first time the wealthy got worse medical care because nobody will say no to them.

  5. Jim Haygood

    Italy’s sovereign debt downgraded:

    Canadian rating agency DBRS on Friday cut Italy’s sovereign credit rating to BBB (high) from A (low). DBRS, previously the only major agency with a rating in the A band for Italy, said its decision reflected uncertainty over the country’s ability to pass reforms, continuing weakness in the banking system, and fragile growth.

    The downgrade will mean Italy’s banks will have to pay more to borrow money from the European Central Bank when they use the country’s sovereign bonds as collateral.

    Italy’s public debt, at around 133 percent of national output, is the highest in the euro zone after Greece’s.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/italy-debt-dbrs-downgrade-idUSL5N1F34YF

    DBRS assigns the same BBB (high) rating to Mexico and Peru. B-B-B-Bad!

    1. Christer Kamb

      Mmmm…… yeah but maybe Italy will follow Greece in the name of ELA sooner or later?

      Turkey constantly living beyond it´s means also but it´s Lira has been devalued something like 99.9xxx% against the $ since the 90´s. Internal devaluation will not do the trick in Italy in the medium term. Altar offerings continues in the name of ordinary people.

    2. Alejandro

      WRT credit agencies, it’s incredible that they’re still credible…”opinions, a–hole’s, sh-t dumping” and all that…
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bumfpo4FW0I
      If a debt can’t be serviced, how would raising the {cost} of servicing change that? If “debts that can’t be paid, won’t be paid”, why pretend otherwise?

      A monetary euro zone without a fiscal euro zone, i.e., a ECB without a European ‘Treasury’…it would be great if they could all be net exporters, but without a European ‘Treasury” to spend where AND when needed, it’s just a matter of time before net importers are subjected to crises and pain(mostly unnecessary)…AND pacman gobbles everything up…

      1. polecat

        I seem to remember the rating firm, Egan Jones, being slapped, HARD, for some faux-pas, by some folks in D.C., shortly after issuing a down-graded rating to the U.S., while the rating agency ‘Big Boys’ were given a pass …..

        Funny (NOT !!) how that works …..

    3. alex morfesis

      Ratings are of no concern to intelligent sovereigns…italy only sells 40% of its debt to outsiders…its average maturity is over 6 years…we are in the 10th year of a superdown cycle…the great depression did not continue much after ww2…so max down in the last 100+ yrs globally was 16 years…

      an adjustment of rates in new 10y auctions from 200 basis points to 1000 in a total route would add about 14 billion euros per year in external payables…for a country which is at about 1.8 trillion per year gdp…three years at 14 billion…(+/-45 billion) is a rounding error…as against a total outstandings of 2.2 trillion…with italian banks only holding about 425 billion in italian govt debt…

      Italian treasuries are lent out on a large scale for counter party collateral…some money will be made from adjustments by some based on needed additions to positions…but…

      Maria Cannata has been laughing at frankfurt and the schauble kyffhauser post-westphalia krewe for over 15 years…she’s been there, done that, got the tee shirt and mug…tee shirt wore out…mug broke…went back and got another set…

      1. OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL

        The British Empire was ruled with “consols”, bonds that had no maturity date, they just rolled. And the BIS noticed that the $1T year-end bond selloff did not cause a rise in bond mkt volatility, they postulate that is because 40% of guvvies are now held by an entity not subject to regular “performance” and “mark-to-market” pressures (the Fed).
        So the (upward wealth concentration) party can continue indefinitely…eventually 1 guy will own half the world’s assets, we can just strangle him in the bathtub, redistribute, and have an economic boom of epic proportions.

    4. hunkerdown

      uncertainty over the country’s ability to pass reforms, continuing weakness in the banking system, and fragile growth

      B ratings: the new “deplorable”. This is blackmail and a covert op shouldn’t be out of the question.

  6. plataoplomo

    mexico-trump:
    in addition to the neoliberal stupidity of the current government i would not be surprise if their response is partly explained in next article about trump and latin america.
    in latam as a leader cia gives you the offer plata o plomo.
    cia is the key driver of destabilizing mexico by arming and training the drug cartels. they even manage the drug trade to the us – the very agency that is supposed to keep the americans safe is the one that is drugging down the country.
    on that note: fun fact – only after bolivia threw out dea and cia could they actually lower the drug production.

    1. craazyboy

      Also, Mexican drug lords are undercutting “medical marijuana” prices. Medical MJ priced at $250/oz for the prole priced product locally grown and sanctioned in AZ. “Up market” strains available at much higher prices and bearing fashionably creative, trendy designer names.

      Besides, marijuana rhymes with Tijuana. Isn’t that copyright violation?

      1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

        With a little more inflation, it will be more expensive than gold.

        It’s already more expensive than silver, though comparable to saffron. For Paella, I’d still go with saffron.

        1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

          Me too re saffron. Magic paella, or paella w/ added silver or gold– not so nice.

          1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

            There used to be a sushi place frequented by the rich (let’s just say where stars gathered here in LA) that served sashimi sprinkled with gold dust or topped with a gold leaf, I believe.

  7. Steve H.

    : Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to End Its 146-Year Run

    P.T. Barnum considered running for office but decided not to. Instead he stuck with the Greatest Show on Earth, parading elephants to the masses

    Now his circus is ending, and his spiritual successor leveraged the elephant party with promises of Make America Great Again.

    “There’s a sucker born every minute” is apparently misattributed to Barnum. Fake news is nuthin’ new.

    But if you want a circus, do go to D.C. this weekend. Most people I know who are going seem to anticipate a Circus Maximus atmosphere. But I am gently suggesting they be prepared for the Hippodrome, circa 532, January 13.

    1. footnote4

      The lightbulb went off, and the rest is history?

      Commonly attributed to Barnum, there is much testimony of contemporaries that he never actually said [“There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute”]. R. J. Brown asserts that it actually originated with a banker named David Hannum, in regard to one of Barnum’s hoaxes: a replica of the Cardiff Giant. https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum

    2. ambrit

      I dunno there. America does not have a general, or lower rank, with the talent and sagacity of Belisarius. Indeed, the opposite appears to be true. Also, I doubt if the new “Greens” are as potent a force as of old. We have the Reds and the Blues, which, being of intermixed blood, become a pseudo-syncretic Purple.
      We plan to stay home this upcoming weekend.

      1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

        Yes, that’s true about America lacking a Belisarius. But to be fair, how often does a general with his talent and sagacity appear? I think you’re setting a rather high standard.

        1. Steve H.

          Reframe the question to, how often does someone with his talent and sagacity become a general? For example. Col. John Boyd formulated the Desert Storm strategy, but was never made a general. The usual explanation is that he was a reformer and would have disturbed the weapons-buying bezzle that defines the Pentagon.

          1. River

            He was retired at the time of Desert Storm, but he wasn’t made a general because he chose to do things rather than be someone. Doing things, made him a pain it the ass for the higher ups.

            Too true on the buying of bezzle weapons. Even the F-16 he was angry when it was “gold-plated”

            1. Steve H.

              All true. I’ll refine the Desert Storm comment, as Cheney went to him privately and Boyd cooked up the plan, while Schwarzkopf wanted a full-frontal attack.

          2. Vatch

            Thanks for the Boyd reference. Here’s a quote from the Wikipedia article about him:

            Boyd concluded that to maintain an accurate or effective grasp of reality one must undergo a continuous cycle of interaction with the environment geared to assessing its constant changes.

            Great advice for myself, and all of us, including the President-elect. We need to constantly expose ourselves to new ideas that might conflict unpleasantly with our current opinions.

        2. ambrit

          Mz. Scofield;
          I’ll cop to the “setting a high standard” charge. However, in my defense, setting high standards is often used as a way of forcing the eventual result of the process into a higher range. The secret, from my perspective, is flexibility in managing the process of getting from “here” to “there.” As a comment below informs, a Colonel is responsible for the strategy that won the Desert Storm campaign. Said Colonel hasn’t been upgraded for what are probably political reasons. Thus, multiple “standards” are in use. What is the rarity is a “superior” officer attaining high rank, and influence. So, I should not have made my disparagement a blanket indictment. The probability of there being a talented pool of junior officers available tends to reinforce my observation that many revolutions and coups are carried out by junior officers.
          What makes Belisarius of interest to today is the fact that he served an Empire facing decline. He saved the day for Byzantium for a generation. Ultimately, his tragedy was that the very Imperial edifice that he saved, destroyed him. So, my question, modified by feedback would be; “Where is the “superior” person or institution that will save America from itself?” We are seeing the departure of a pseudo-Lincoln. He is being replaced with a “crypto-manager” type. With all the mediocrity in politics we have become used to over the last several decades, why not aspire to greatness?

          1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

            I should point out that achieving high rank isn’t nearly enough. Even Belisarius was reined in by the mediocre, jealous Justinian. Belisarius might have achieved far more– and not suffered such a tragic end– but for that obstacle.

            1. ambrit

              True that. I’m reminded that today, the stakes are a lot higher than back in the past. When the end of life on the planet can reasonably be part of the “hazard” of a Great Captain’s gamble, as is the case today, mayhaps mediocrity is the more rational choice.

          2. hunkerdown

            And what good was Byzantium to those 35000 people?

            And why accept “ungreatness” as some original sin to be repented?

            A lack of desired response to crimes against humanity acts of statecraft isn’t exactly a problem with the people. If the liberal drama is old and busted, maybe it’s time to stop making excuses for arrogance and ambition and willful material insufficiency.

        3. Harry

          Bear in mind that Belisarius ‘ s state pension left a lot of be desired. Ultimately he needed to crowd fund his retirement.

          There is no money in being a Belisarius.

          1. Andrew Watts

            Or Flavius Aetius for that matter. You have to watch out for the inevitable stab in the back no matter how successful you are.

        4. witters

          With Morality and with Generals, high standards is what you want.

          Robert Graves’ “Count Belisarius” is a wonderful read (RG wrote the Claudius novels).

          1. ambrit

            Graves had experienced the horrors of the Western Front in WW-1. He was also a “true” poet. Even his second rate stuff is worth reading. I like his “King Jesus.”

          2. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

            I agree, a wonderful read, but his portrayal of Belisarius was a trifle one-note for my tastes. I mean, didn’t Belisarius have any flaws? Not one?

            1. Harry

              To break the habit of a lifetime and be briefly serious, Belisarius’s perfection was a literary device to make him a messianic figure – but also he had a clear flaw. He would not break the chain of command because of his arrogant belief in his own goodness. Graves portrays him as not of this world or a holy fool.

              Now back to normal service. Ever heard the song cowboys Are frequently secretly fond of each other? Is it the same for cavalry archers?

              1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

                I understand why Graves wrote the book the way that he did– but as much as I enjoyed it, I found Belisarius’s perfection to be tedious and irritating after a while. I’m looking for someone to write Belisarius: The Untold Story (title to be refined perhaps), a three-dimensional portrayal to include all the bits that Graves left out.

                1. Harry

                  “My nights of passion under the stars with Belisarius, by Octar the Hun.

                  Whenever I see a mullet haircut, I remember Graves’ description of the “Hunnish style”. Apparently the American heartlands are great admirers of hunnish haircuts.

    3. Bob

      Wikipedia disagrees. He ran for and was elected to the Connecticut state legislature and Mayor of Bridgeport, CT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum
      “Phineas Taylor “P. T.” Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American politician, showman, and businessman….”
      “Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut legislature in 1865 as a Republican for Fairfield (Connecticut)….Elected in 1875 as Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, he worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting to streets, and enforce liquor and prostitution laws.”

  8. EndOfTheWorld

    “CIA director warns Trump to watch what he says.”—Luckily Brennan will be gone within days and nobody really cares what he says about anything.

    1. phred

      If we’re lucky, Brennan will piss off Trump sufficiently to find himself prosecuted for war crimes.

      Brennan, just another epic failure of the Obama presidency.

        1. Watt4Bob

          Are Presidents Afraid of the CIA?

          Do bears sh*t in the woods? /snk>

          To be more clear; yes, for some reason, ever since 1963.

          1. OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL

            Presidents naturally have lots to fear, Jackson got shot at but fought back. Lincoln feared Jesuits…rightly so it turned out, the papists got him in the end.

            1. EndOfTheWorld

              The Donald has ordered a 90 day review of all intelligence. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just abolishes the CIA. Or guts it, anyway.

              That’s if he’s still alive at the end of the 90 days.

        1. hunkerdown

          Whoever got that OPM list has a bloody revolution right in their hand. The only difference between the CIA and any Mexican warband is sovereign immunity. Without that, foreign target countries find themseives in possession of a lot of precious credential-holders whose careers of subversion will at the very least come to an abrupt end.

      1. Alex morfesis

        Brennan was a failure before obama started law school.

        khobar ??
        9-10 ??

        Brennie seems to be around when bad things happen…bad luck, bad timing or just plain bad…

        That he and the rest of the “post westphalia” krewe are flipping out is a sign of extreme weekness on their part…

        1. integer

          It is certainly consistent with what we’ve been seeing in the Middle East, as well as the CIA’s campaign against Trump. While it is not the first time I have read about this, I appreciate the link. Thanks!

    2. Michael

      It sounds like Trump wants the US and Russia to strike deals in which both sides get something, whereas Brennan wants to treat Russia as an enemy.

  9. Ptui!

    Perhaps public trust in media will be improved by lots of mawkish bullshit about MLK. Fun fact: the historical precedent for erecting a tongue-in-cheek statue of a murdered political enemy was Patrice Lumumba.

    1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

      Very few saints or infallible humans. We know people cheat on their spouses all the time, and we are open to take in such news.

      The Trump dossier reminds of the smearing of MLK with muddled recordings.

    2. Alex morfesis

      Ptui…seriously…how many people walked right into j edgars office and basically laughed at him and told him to “take your best shot punk” as MLK did ???

      Who would do that today…

      oh ye of giant koe jones..

        1. alex morfesis

          Trump is just owning the narrative…mary carter paint company of tampa…it is all a really big shoe…

  10. RenoDino

    When the Indians Defeat the Cowboys Jacobin. Unfortunately, not likely for long.

    I agree with the editorial comment “not likely for long” as it applies to this specific case concerning the pipeline. It was Obama’s last desperate attempt to secure his legacy that resulted in the temporary suspension of the project for now. Had Clinton won, he probably would have let the project continue to completion. Such is his cynicism and opportunism.

    But in the grand scheme of things, I believe that Trump’s victory was due in large part to the successful greater recolonization of North America by indigenous people. His “Wall” is nothing more than the acknowledgement that the Indians are winning. White settlers are just that, transplants, while the indians are reclaiming their ancient territory by the sheer force of record migration. In the end, I think they are better suited to live here having adapted for thousands of years.

    Sorry for the Facebook link:
    https://www.facebook.com/notes/brown-continent/mexicans-are-indians-will-the-real-illegal-aliens-please-stand-up/466715553409848/

    1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

      “The sheer force of record migration.”

      Potentially, the Chinese, the Indonesians or the India Indians can be the ultimate champions of that great game.

    2. Synapsid

      RenoDino,

      Where does one draw the lines in “reclaiming their ancient territory” thinking?

      The Lakota have been in the area of the pipeline dispute for about two hundred years; the Mandan since at least the 13th century. That was Mandan land when Lewis and Clark came through, and spent the winter with them; the Mandan and other agriculturalists had been under Siouan attack for at least a generation by then.

      1. RenoDino

        White Americans, and the black Americans we enslaved and brought here, have been squatting on this land for a mere 500 years. The fact that these races are poorly suited and adapted to this land is evident by the fact that the country is is now being repopulated by migrants from Central and South America who are the direct descendants of the original indian population. Their numbers are rising rapidly while the non-indian populations is declining. The fact they are taking back the territory without firing a shot is the most amazing aspect of this phenomena. It’s such a powerful force, Trump made it the central tenet of his campaign. Good luck stopping it.

        No one owns the land. It’s only borrowed temporarily.

  11. Jim Haygood

    The monetary revolution has been postponed, comrades:

    (CNN) Higher denominations are coming Monday, but the 100-bolivar bill, the highest note in production, will remain spendable for at least five more weeks, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said during his Sunday state-of-the-union address.

    This marks the third time the government has extended use of the bill, owing to Venezuela’s inability to distribute larger denominations of its embattled currency.

    New denominations will enter circulation Monday, Maduro said. The 100-bolivar bills will remain in use until February 20, he said.

    Venezuela’s minimum wage, including food subsidies, is rising to 104,358 bolivars a month.

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/15/americas/venezuela-nicolas-maduro-extends-bolivar-notes/

    Fantastico — even minimum-wage employees in the Bolivarian Workers Paradise make over a million a year!

    1. Alejandro

      Cold-turkey withdrawal symptoms from an oil {price} jones…why would they have their paper currency printed by a {private} company in Sweden?

      Eventually, most will recognized that what is consumed and not produced must be imported. If the means to settle imports have been depleted, then adjustments must be made. Whether those adjustments are autonomous or heteronomous, remains to be seen, but it seems that parasitic rentiers, usurers and profiteers are a global affliction.

      1. OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL

        Especially those with an exorbitant privilege that lets them print barrels of oil and bushels of wheat

    2. hunkerdown

      Is this your homework, Jim Haygood?

      The government announced the arrest of an opposition deputy found transporting explosives as part of an alleged destabilization plot.

      During a nationally broadcast press conference on Wednesday, Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami announced the break-up of a violent destabilization plot and the arrest of right-wing opposition deputy Gilber Caro on charges of terrorism.

  12. urgot

    Re: Ikie’s College Dream

    Watching the video made me think back on ‘Things Fall Apart’ Chinua Achebe.

  13. reslez

    Trump on SNL:

    Trump’s entire MO requires him to have a thin skin. What he does is hit back, hard, no matter the target but it seems like he’s satisfied to leave it there. Since all he’s doing is complaining and using words (as opposed to putting the show’s cast on a secret watch list, telling his supporters to beat them up, or leaning on GE to get them canceled) I don’t think anyone cares a bit.

    Besides: Trump is right. SNL has been pretty terrible lately, especially when it comes to Trump. Its Trump skits are awful. (The Bernie ones were great, though!) My dad told me one of the main reasons he chose to vote for Trump was to get some good late nite skits out of it. (Since a Trump presidency was bound to be ridiculous.) Sadly SNL has fallen down on the job. Its clear the cast and writers not to mention Alec Baldwin loathe Trump on a visceral, personal level and it leaks out all over the show. If you go back to Darrell Hammond’s Clinton or Will Ferrell’s W Bush, they were portrayed as flawed but human. And they were funny. Baldwin’s Trump is a leering, grasping-fingered bozo. It’s terribly one note, and it’s not entertaining. I support Trump’s efforts to up their game.

    1. Katniss Everdeen

      Trump vented about the skit — which included a torrent of urine-related jokes by impersonator Alec Baldwin…….

      For a program with the comedy tradition of Roseanne Roseannadanna, John Belushi’s Samurai everything, and the Coneheads to name only a very, very few, I’d say Trump’s criticism was not only reserved, but incredibly well-deserved.

      Pee jokes are not exactly comic genius. Any second grader can do it, and most of them do. alec baldwin must really need the money, and lorne michaels’ Alzheimers is becoming an all too visible american tragedy./s on the alzheimers.

      1. NotTimothyGeithner

        Bill Simmons (??? I believe it was Simmons) described Lorne Michaels as having become the kind of guy he use to hate in the 70’s around the time of the GE purchase of NBC.

        1. Katniss Everdeen

          SNL reminds me of the democratic party. Present day hacks trying to cash in on the reputation and accomplishments of past geniuses, without having the talent or commitment to deliver the goods.

            1. reslez

              Black Jeopardy is great but suffers from the usual establishment Democrat blindness of confusing being black with simply being poor. That’s why the Tom Hanks skit worked, because it pointed out that 90% of the jokes apply equally to working class whites. But they just can’t stop themselves from dividing people along racial lines.

        2. craazyman

          nobody on earth was funnier than Eddie Murphy.

          What a effing genius that dude is.

          He’s a great songwriter too. Like this classic . . .

          Kill The White People Lyrics by Eddie Murphy

          I live in a shanty in the shantytown.
          We have no money so we had to sleep on the ground.
          I played the music. My father he dig a ditch.
          My mother she do laundry life sure was a bitch.

          But ’till we killed the white people. Ooh we gun make them hurt.
          Kill the white people yea. But buy my record first.
          Ooh yea. Why don’t you buy my record?

          We sing of freedom and ooh equality.
          But we really don’t care we just want money money money.
          We want to drive in a big black limosine.
          Get so high off ganja we can’t even see.
          And then we kill the white people. Ooh we gunna make them hurt.
          Kill the white people. Yea. Ooh but buy my record first ooh.

          When you go in the record store. We gunna wait outside.
          We gunna hit them in the head with a bat and make them cry.
          But ’till we kill the white people.
          Yea but buy my record first.

          Chris Rock is hilarious too. Some people might call these dudes “African American comedians”. That would be hilarious. They are comedians and they’re hilarious. Genius stuff. Really genius stuff — both of them.

          I bet both of them voted for, well, Not Her. haahahahahahah.

          I bet they did! OK, maybe they’d have been Bernie Bros like me (I gave Bernie $300). I was running a psychological experiment yesterday in the peanut gallery about AGW. it was quite an interesting result — the experiment that is. Mostly youze guys are total savages. A few of uz can think but lots of uz are like “woooo woooooo woooooooo”. That’s what the computer said when I put all the data in and pushed the button.

          Ambrit if you’re reading this . . . whoa! I checked out the Newton Knight shlt. Whoa that’s some heavy shlt. Interesting as all hell. Very interesting stuff. Incredible that his descendants don’t speak wtih each other and feud like hill billies. fkk if I had to go through something like that I think I’d be ded in about 20 minutes. You gotta be tough in this world, and I’m not. ecce homo sed Fred.

          1. Liberal Mole

            Okay, you’re brilliant. And the “Free State of Jones” story is incredibly interesting.

          2. neo-realist

            Early to Mid 70’s Richard Pryor might beg to differ. Check out the lp “That N*****’s Crazy” if you can find it, or check out clips on “the tube” from his brilliant, but short lived NBC show–check out Reverend James L. White and Black President.

            They knew Murphy was kidding, but Pryor was using humor to talk deep politics and cut like a hot knife through butter at his best.

            Pryor made a film called Blue Collar, directed by Paul Schrader. Strong working class struggle film.

        3. craazyman

          I’m suffering from moderation. A’hem. This is an insult. Last time it took several hours to release the caged thoughts so they could breath the air of freedom and erudicity. I hope that was just a lapse — not the erudicity but the two hours.

          This is really a genius level comment — that is being censored — (or at least a good one) [[or at least it’s OK]] ([or at least it achieves readability, which isn’t entirely commonplace]).

          Hopefully somebody has nothing better to do than post it immediately. I’m actually working today — on Deep Thoughts stuff — so have a moment to contribute to the intellectual evolution of mankind.

    2. armchair

      No, Alec Baldwin is hilarious as Trump. I know lots of people who laugh themselves silly at those skits, and yes, they all loathe Trump. Loathing Trump is popular. Here’s a pro-tip: if you’re too much of an obvious rear-end-kisser, Trump will be turned off by the blatant obsequies. Remember that.

      1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

        Hillary is hilarious as Hillary.

        Obama is hilarious as Obama.

        Trump is hilarious as Trump.

        I am sure Alec Baldwin can hilarious as Alec Baldwin….maybe he already is.

      2. reslez

        Your life pro tip needs some work, here’s a better one: Narcissists like Trump are never turned off by blatant ass-kissing. Try it at your workplace, maybe you’ll get that promotion you’re hoping for.

        Chappelle was their best show this season, the rest has been garbage. Glad you’re enjoying it though!

        1. lyman alpha blob

          Yeah the Chapelle and Chris Rock skit making fun of the privileged white person butt hurt was the best of the season.

    3. Alex morfesis

      Alec baldwin is doing trump ?..I thought he was being himself…can never tell with baldwin…like deniro…its always the same stuff with different scripts…

  14. nippersdad

    These two articles seemed good additions for the Obama legacy section: First he proves Lambert’s contention that all Obama thought was necessary to further his agenda was better PR:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-public-opinion_us_587bd478e4b09281d0eb7453

    And then he lies about what he is/was willing to do:

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/barack-obama-farewell-speech-233457

    I found his point about publicly supporting a better alternative (single payer using budget reconciliation, perhaps?) to what he actually did with Obamacare particularly egregious. Wasn’t the time for that when he was labelliing those in opposition to his Heritage Foundation written plan “sanctimonious purists”? It sounds like he is going to spend his post presidency trying to repair the damage he did to the Democratic Party, but with lame efforts like these he may only do worse damage to their image than he already has.

    1. Steve C

      Obama’s actually going to spend his post presidency undermining those trying to rebuild the Democratic Party. The neoliberal project is just too important to him.

      But he’s going to do it with his trademark smoothness and calls for unity. Obama’s actions against Ellison show him to be a force for division rather than the unifying figure his p.r. So energetically portrays.

      1. ChrisAtRU

        #Concur

        … but then again, isn’t he teaming up with Eric “Inaction Jackson” Holder?

        So I guess, there is hope that he’ll actually get squat done.

        #Amen

    2. Knot Galt

      In this new season, I feel we all need to be much more critical of Mr. Obama.

      I would really like to see Progressives and other lefties start holding Obama accountable for his pathetic policies(re: neoliberalism). At least Bush had the decency to disappear and pick up painting. Obama should perhaps consider crocheting. That’s about all that I’m expecting he’s worth post presidency.

      1. reslez

        Sadly this is never going to work because criticism of Obama always gets conflated with racism on the left. This is what crippled Sanders’ argument during the campaign — he couldn’t attack the corporatist policies of the President without attacking the President. The shadow of Obama protecting his “legacy” will prevent the left from making any gains in the Democrat establishment. We’d be better off if he disappears into venture capital land to collect his billions and leaves us the hell alone, but I think he’s too vain to do that.

        If you want meaningful populism in the US you’re stuck with the right, unfortunately. The left will remain a quagmire of identity politics and people tearing each other down. There could be movement on individual economic issues but that will require leadership from gifted individuals starting on a local level. And that can’t be predicted in advance.

        1. lyman alpha blob

          On a related note Trump is getting lots of pushback for having the temerity to criticize John Lewis. “He was one of the big 6 civil rights leaders, you can’t denigrate him, racist blah blah blah.”

          That guy passed his sell date a long time ago. Who knows what MLK would be doing today but I have a hard time believe he’d be shilling for the likes of the Clintons.

          As you said populism only comes from the right. I suspect Sanders would like to let Lewis have it too right about now but it’s not going to happen publicly at least.

          1. aab

            That’s the point of identity politics. Corrupt a few people of color and marginalized identities — preferable people with symbolic value, like Lewis — and then use them as a shield to hide behind. Joan Walsh has a picture up of Lewis as her Twitter banner, as she asserts that he cannot be criticized, despite copious evidence of his deceit and corruption.

            I don’t think populism only comes from the right. I’m not even sure what that means. The Democratic Party has kept a lid on it in terms of populists gaining formal power, but that is not the same thing. Isn’t Fight for 15 populist? Occupy? BLM? Not everybody in BLM has been co-opted.

            1. Lambert Strether

              > despite copious evidence of his deceit and corruption.

              Got a link? BAR doesn’t seem to have an aggregation, which I would have expected.

              And yes indeed, not all BLM has been co-opted; I’d argue most haven’t. It’s only the people at the tippy-top that get to go to the White House and be on the cover of Vogue (TFA alums, naturellement, and all conspicuously silent on DeVos).

              1. aab

                There’s his smear of Bernie Sanders in the primary and equally false claim that Bill and Hill were active in the civil rights struggle, for a start. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/politics/john-lewis-bernie-sanders-civil-rights/

                He didn’t meet the Clintons until decades later, and we all know the Goldwater Girl wasn’t storming the barricades. Why, she spent her nights at college counseling people NOT to protest the war.

                There’s his take-down of close personal friend Julian Bond.by springing his cocaine use on him in a debate in their congressional fight. (I just spent a couple of minutes looking for the link to the brutal discussion in the book by (IIRC) Bond’s son and couldn’t find it, but there are references to what happened even in sanitized MSM pieces on them.)

                He’s apparently got a “foundation” filled with dark corporate money, and his constituents are worse off than the rest of Georgia by various important metrics, although not by that much. Still — shouldn’t they be BETTER off? He’s got more clout than most Congressmen, doesn’t he?

                Most of his campaign money is from wealthy individuals out of state: http://maplight.org/us-congress/legislator/341-john-lewis

                He just lied about never having skipped an inauguration before. He skipped Bush II’s (that one seems reasonable to boycott, IMO.)

                I honestly thought it was well-known on the left that he’s a major player in the misleadership class. Glen Ford certainly thinks so, although this is only a passing reference: http://www.blackagendareport.com/movement_needs_to_say_what_it_wants

                He’s fine with apartheid in Israel: http://www.blackagendareport.com/cbc_in_israel%27s_pocket

                If you use an outside search engine, you can find more from BAR. I’m happy to paste in more links. I can also start saving what comes across Black Left Twitter, if you want. It’s hard to find that stuff on conventional search engines, because all the hagiography takes up pages and pages. Let’s just say that the criticism I read of John Lewis doesn’t generally come from right wing sources.

                He was a brave young man. He did important things back then — he risked his life and health in ways I never have. But who he is now is not who he was then, and allowing himself to be used as a shield to enrich himself by those same forces that immiserate black people is disgusting.

                  1. aab

                    I saw that “answering machine” piece when I did my search, but I didn’t include it because I thought it was skewed in favor of Lewis.

                    I get him wanting to take down the pretty rich boy. I get him wanting to “get his.” But the problem with doing that is that you tend to lose yourself over the long run. Or perhaps he didn’t. Perhaps he never really cared about other black people, he just wanted equality for himself, like Hillary Clinton’s feminism. But whoever he was long ago, now he’s corrupt to the core. He had an opportunity to redeem himself. All he had to do was not lie about Sanders. He could still have endorsed Hillary, without lying about them both. But that’s not what he did. And now the lives of black Americans, immiserated by both parties, will continue to be immiserated. It didn’t have to be that way.

        2. clinical wasteman

          All true regarding US Democrats, European/colonial socialdemocrats, etc., but ‘meaningful right-wing populism’ is the mostly the same thing — i.e. professionally-led identity politics laying cynical claim to class anger. Both pseudosides (eg. European Commission vs. Le Pen/AfD-type parties) love ‘competitiveness’, they just disagree on the size and make-up of the ‘We’ — in Europe a continental business unit or a ministate, in the US contending ideas of a non-Deplorable plurality — that constitutes the Competitor and eats its human constituents in the process.
          As others have rightly pointed out here, there is also a fractional surviving ‘left’ that doesn’t play that game, however narcissistic and wildly unpopular it may be otherwise. Probably a similarly self-hamstrung but insightful ‘right’ out there too. (‘American Conservative’, taken seriously by A.Cockburn?) But NC is one of the only sustained attempts to get over both the political ping-pong AND the specialist solipsism.

          1. clinical wasteman

            Also, sorry if this sounds pedantic, but Trump’s rhetoric (i.e. all we have to go on so far) is not ‘worse’ than Obama’s deeds (comparing apples & hand-grenades,etc.), but it is more ‘Corporatist’ in the sense that spans FDR, Mussolini & Atlee – cross-class National bonding leaving a nice average rate of profit intact – than Obama/Clinton/Blair/Reagan et al, who all seem more like latter day (H.)Hoovers, i.e. ‘laissez-faire’ for juridical persons, hellfire policing for physical ones except for a few special cases.

    3. carycat

      No, no, no. The big O will be trying to repair the damage to his grifting opportunities because not enough voters survived the immiseration of their lives that he enabled to be with HER. It is not always just PR with him. Secret dealings to make RommeyCare even more industry friendly says it all about his legacy (which the PR flacks will spin as the greatest achievement since the Civil Rights Ac. Well, they can’t very well trumpet his record of aiding and abetting the banksters while dronning away at innocent children and hospitals.)

  15. Linda

    While sitting outdoors at a park table on a sunny day, listening to music on an iPad, it suddenly stopped playing. I looked over at it and written very large across it was “TEMPERATURE.” I closed the cover and put it in the trunk. Checked it out much later at home and it was fine.

    Thought it was nice it has this overheating precaution built in. Seems to have shut itself down, (but not sure how it displayed “Temperature” if it was shut down).

    1. craazyman

      Maybe it was Bigfoot that did it while you weren’t paying attention for a second. It sounds spooky. This is a Scooby Doo moment. Or it was anyway. If I were you I’d run as fast as possible to the nearest safe space — like a wine bar or restaurant of some kind. Or a Wal-Mart if you’re in Redneck country.

      Bigfoot was seen in North Dakota recently by reputable witnesses. This isn’t fake news, it’s real.

      http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/region/4196676-ellendale-man-believes-huge-footprints-belong-bigfoot

  16. dk

    Joe Soss (@jbsoss) debunks NYT SNAP=soda article:
    https://www.facebook.com/joe.soss/posts/10209924428939404

    NYT article: In the Shopping Cart of a Food Stamp Household: Lots of Soda
    (ran on homepage yesterday, has been edited without note since original posting):
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/well/eat/food-stamp-snap-soda.html

    Actual report:
    https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased.pdf

    Different analysis, brief and worth reading:
    https://theshriverbrief.org/snap-a-key-ingredient-to-ending-hunger-b94b488f610#.nogqmyjas

    1. Knot Galt

      SNAP= Starvation. Sorry, but I have a difficult time trusting what the USDA reports. The USDA is self serving and by constantly failing to raise the standard just lowers the criteria, or redefines it.

      And that’s not considering the difficulty in getting accepted for SNAP.

    2. Waldenpond

      That was interesting…. it isn’t an analysis of SNAP spending. They don’t have data on SNAP spending. It is SNAP households. I thought that there were items the program included and excluded and only items included apply to the snap card but this tracking has been outsourced to corporate stocking systems and includes all expenditures demonstrating a refusal to track SNAP expenditures.

      I would rather see a card with pounds etc that reflect daily nutritional recommendations rather than an amount.

      Pet peeve: grocery stores that put the SNAP label on shelves for two sizes of the same item and the non-SNAP item is less per ounce.

    3. reslez

      “There were no major differences in the expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP
      households, no matter how the data were categorized.”

      I’m sure Congressional Republicans will find a way to use this data to cut SNAP benefits, though.

  17. Robert Hahl

    re: why Clinton’s slogans failed,

    “I’m With Her” sounds exactly like “I’m wither.”

    This factor only seems plausible if you have read and believe every word of Pre-Suasion, which is a worthwhile book, but my reaction to “I’m With Her” was to examine my own feelings, and thereby decid that “I’m Not With Her.”

    I really think that that was what sealed it for me. But I didn’t consciously decide not to vote until election day.

    And the problem with “Love Trumps Hate” is that it is just dumb. It sounds like a 10 year old trying to make puns for the first time.

    1. Katniss Everdeen

      I remember a criticism of “I’m With Her,” at the time, was that it seemed like builder-grade clinton narcissism, as opposed to saying “She’s For You” or “She’s With Us.”

      1. craazyboy

        Yeah, my first thought was Focus Group cleaned up the, “Don’t F*ck This Up For Me” Onion headline.

      2. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

        You’re right to point out the contrast with ‘She’s For You.”

        “I Am With Her,’ implies that I am the active party. It is I who need to act – in this case, to be with her. There is nothing about her doing anything but to receive you, to receive your being ‘with her.’ It also implies she has finished doing what she needs to do, except just to sit there, waiting for you to go over to her, to be with her.

        Perhaps that’s how Bill courted her.

        “Bill, what are you going to do to impress me? All the other boys are trying to let me know that they are with me.”

        1. Pat

          Not that Clinton could have done much of anything to get me to embrace her campaign, but “I’m with Her” struck me as wrong and distasteful from the get go. Largely because it screamed that I was to pledge my allegiance to HER, when in reality the whole point of campaigning is to convince voters that you are pledging your allegiance and service to them. Not to mention it made it all about Clinton, once again not the voters.

          Mind you as I keep looking back at the Clinton campaign for someone whose relationship with truth and honesty was as fluid as Clinton’s there were all these moments of unintentionally telling the public the truth. The campaign was all about HER. She didn’t give a crap about any jobs lost from eliminating coal. Working class voters who might have real economic gripes are deplorable and need to shut up. Her treatment of the non celebrity Black Lives Matter activist…Over and over.

          1. barefoot charley

            To me her slogan (and the graphic!) stank of “I’m with Stupid.” Even Mr. Stupid used to know that “It’s the Economy, Stupid.”

      3. Christopher Fay

        Connecticut for Lieberman, not Lieberman for Conn. Then he saddled up and rode off to lobbygrift.

    2. River

      I still don’t understand the Love Trumps Hate slogan. If you loved Trump’s hate you should vote for him?

      Was it a last word Obamaism said with solemnity? My fellow Americans in addition to water being wet, love trumps hate.

      1. Andrew Watts

        Hmm. I think it’s more of an emotional manipulation technique. LOVE = GOOD FEELINGS and HATE = BAD FEELINGS and you want to feel good about who is elected president, right? It’s the kind of pop psychology thing that appeals to idiots.

        That’s why I blame Russia for Hillary’s loss. /sarc

        1. OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL

          Yes but isn’t the verb “Trumping”? So Trump is the one taking action?
          And it shortens to LOVE TRUMP
          Or decomposes to “(I) LOVE TRUMP’S HATE”

          1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

            The generalized form is this: I love hate.

            The opposite of ‘I hate love.’

            Of course, the risk is that one could love hate so much that one becomes hate itself.

    3. curlydan

      yeah, the author lost me on “I’m wither”. I’m With Her didn’t work because of the “Her”. It makes it sound like the only reason a you’re voting for HRC is because she’s a “Her”, ignoring any substantive issues.

      Obama downplayed his race in 08, and it worked out pretty well for him. HRC took an opposite tack, and it turned too many people off.

      1. NotTimothyGeithner

        The problem isn’t “her.” The slogan could of been “she’s with us” but rather they selected a slogan which revealed Clinton Inc desires nothing more than the trappings of office.

    4. Anne

      People should have known from the slogans themselves, to the fact that they kept trying out new ones, that Clinton and the people advising her really had no clue about the voters, and what they wanted and needed.

      “I’m With Her” could not have screamed “THIS IS ALL ABOUT ME!!!” any louder if they’d used rock concert-grade amplifiers; “Love Trumps Hate” felt more like “Looking For Love In All the Wrong Places” – it was just wrong – it felt like one of those ideas that a group of sleep-deprived campaign aides came up with at 3 am, thinking it totally brilliant, and no one noticed that in the cold light of day, it was anything but. And they apparently were never able to perceive that it never caught fire with voters.

      “I’m With Her” would have made a cute t-shirt for Bill to wear as he and Hillary power-walked the local mall, but as a campaign slogan? Not so much.

    5. nippersdad

      I had the same problem with the “I’m with her” slogan when Clinton used it as when Obama did, the sexual connotations really turned me off. Not only was I not “with her,” it creeped me out even suggesting that I would be.

      I don’t want to sleep with these people, I just want them to represent us equitably. This they routinely failed to do, and any message more personal is, frankly, out of bounds as far as I am concerned.

    6. vidimi

      for me, the problem with love trumps hate was that it was a reminder that in no way did clinton peddle “love” and, hence, was a testament of her chutzpah and mendacity.

  18. DJG

    Talk about fake news: Obama to commute Chelsea Manning’s sentence? After allowing Manning to be tortured? All the while trying to bury the Senate Torture Report? (Let alone the insistence by Obama and Clinton (let alone the egregious Pompeo, soon to implode) that Snowden had to return to the U S of A for “trial.”)

    What is it about liberals and the intense desire to have a fan club? (Being a leftist, I have learned that someone like Gramsci didn’t have time for the fan-club stuff.) Obama the Pardoner?

    So, to be rather snide about it, what with Obama having a week to effect the commutation, should we have a betting pool? Which day? Friday?

    1. Pat

      Right after he unleashes the liberal lion he has kept caged for his entire administration. I know it is coming, I’ve been told it is coming. There really is nothing else left Republicans can do to stop him, it will be here any day now.

  19. craazyboy

    From the “Pin The Tail [Tale] On The Expendable Donkey” genre courtesy of the nothingburger news services
    ===========================
    BuzzFeed’s Golden Showers Washington Babylon (see Links above)
    =================================

    Waste of time, but he starts out by lauding Glen Simpson, without further mentioning any background about this dude, like everyone knows who he is. Except me. So I did a google and found this link. More details on how the Steele 35pg “research” got to DeeCee. Simpson was at least one of the major conduits involved. Tho at this point I’m yearning for someone to make a workflow diagram of this showing names, timelines, milestones and forks and branches. Gantt or Pert chart kinda thingy. This article shows how easy it is to omit 98% of the story and “move along”. But the 98% is what we have been calling “clarifying” around here.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ex-mi6-spy-troubed-findings-trump-worked-free-article-1.2946322

    1. bwilli123

      from BuzzFeed’s Golden Showers Washington Babylon

      …I’d also note here one peculiar, and possibly unethical, thing about the New York Times’ behavior here. The Times, like everyone but BuzzFeed, didn’t publish the report but they wrote quite a bit about it. In an early story it said that they would not identify the research firm behind the leaked memos because of “a confidential source agreement with The New York Times.” Then it revealed the firm’s name in a later story and edited the earlier one to take out the line about their confidential source agreement….”

      1. craazyboy

        The thing we heard a lot most of the year was “Russia is (backing Trump, undermining Hillary). Russia is (hacking, influencing) our election.”

        We heard it from Rs, Ds, Obama, CIA leaks and official word, 17 Intel Agency “consensus” reports and they all had sources they claimed credible but had to keep anonymous. One would get the impression everyone in the Kremlin had something on Trump, and was holding news briefings with Western intel and media.

        They turned it into Urban Legend. I’ll be disappointed if Hollywood doesn’t do the movie.

  20. BeliTsari

    David Brock has been monetizing Yuppie fear and loathing from jump. The smack-down of dissent on the Liberal blog-aggregators was even less subtle than the DNC’s smack-down of loyal, Keynesian Democrats during the primaries. Demonizing these last few blogs as “Fake News,” financed by the Kremlin is almost verbatim, from Rick Berman’s accusations Hillary included in a speech to TD Bank, denigrating concerns about bitumen, clathrate, oil and gas fracking expansion. One by one we’ve seen CTR trolls return to K Street’s big lies on the big lefty blogs, as articles reflect neo-liberal tropes and comments or links awakening cognitive dissonance are quickly removed. David has destroyed the final, nascent bastion of dissident information for those in media deserts and has sold it to the highest bidder. The Guardian, MoJo, Kos, C&L, Wonkette, Alternet… nobody seems to be willing to say so

        1. BeliTsari

          And all this time I figured it stood for Chew The Rug? http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-clinton-operatives-20161104-story.html ExxonMobil, Monsanto/ Bayer, several banks, the fracking Ponzi scheme speculators… weren’t just going to chance being dragged into court, unless it was their own ISDS tribunals, suing to deregulate or shake-down sovereign states. Monopoly media has been their unremitting infomercial for three decades, but they had to find a way to silence (or disappear) the spread of dissident truth. Google SEOs truth down their memory hole, Wikipedia edits-out inconvenient facts, Snopes, PolitiFact & other fact checking sites were cheap enough to flip. Billionaires bought dying newspapers. That left the big lefty blog aggregators; especially the comment threads, where lots of us turned for links to nascent attempts at actual journalism (ProPublica is one fine example, Naked Capitalism is another). Stories that nobody would cover, by writers nobody would dare publish. Before Disqus, we’d whine, bitch, argue… then READ, check as possible and clutch at one link, then another, to verify, evaluate and perhaps reconsider our silly, media-conditioned prejudices & brainwashed delusions… this obviously has no place in our brave new world? After the NY & Acela Primaries most blogs would simply remove any comments or links questioning Robby Mook, Debbie Wassermann Schultz or David’s stomp-down of dissent (most of which came from life-long, dedicated Democrats, who’d lived through Black delegates from Mississippi being banned in ’64 & Mayor Daley unleashing his churls on us in ’68… women, LGBT… heck, EVERYBODY in the face of Reagan. We recognized the K Street troll’s playbook, since we’d just watched Rick Berman BRAG about using the same lies against “environmentalists” the very same lies Hillary joked about, speaking to her banker friends, promoting gas-oil-bitumen speculation in a speech we’ve only read about, thanks to Wikileaks. Soon, ALL of this will disappear. Bloomberg/ Guardian will sell us geo-engineering to save us from Trump, Bayer (or whomever comes out on top) will sell you 30% THC dope. Shared-economy share cropper credits will set you FREE from cash; troubling cognitive dissonance will just go away.

    1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

      There’s also a brown-winged kingfisher. Easy to see in the Sundarbans (I’ve seen it on each of four visits to the Indian side): gold head and body, brown wings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-winged_kingfisher

      And also the pied, and the crested, each black and white, the pied smaller, and the crested, larger.

      The Sundarbans are a wonderful place for spotting kingfishers: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/travel/india-and-bangladeshs-mysterious-mangroves-the-sundarbans#full

    1. MyLessThanPrimeBeef

      This is 2017 and der Lebensraum ist not to be found in the Eastern Front.

      Plenty of room to house jobs and workers in the Rust Belt.

  21. Andrew Watts

    RE: Head of MI6 used information from Trump dossier in first public speech

    Good. More information about the role of British intelligence in this anti-Trump disinformation campaign.

    The information Mr Steele, who had been hired by political opponents of Mr Trump, gave to MI6 was disseminated through the UK’s intelligence agencies including GCHQ who provided assessment to their American counterparts, the National Security Agency (NSA).

    First of all, congrats to Britain for getting America’s political donor class to subsidize your intelligence apparatus. Not as impressive as getting American taxpayers to pay for GCHQ operations but still laudable. The other thing worth pointing out was the fact that the NSA had deemed this information least credible out of the agencies mentioned in the declassified report about Russian hacking. I believe the exact term used was “moderate confidence”. It kinda depends on what your definition of moderate is. It could go either way. In the English language this definition ranges from somewhat spicy to the head chopping jihadi variety.

    1. craazyboy

      Then it’s becoming pretty clear Steele got his “intelligence” from Ukraine Nationals and “Eastern Intelligence Agencies”, if those really are in fact independent sources.

      But it gets presented as “creditable Russian intel” from MI6. James Bond himself personally wrangled it out of Putin. Or not. Perhaps some Ukies made it up out of whole cloth over beer and brats at the Kiev Bürgerbräukeller.

          1. craazyboy

            Nancy also said 31=10

            Then from the source detail list we know now that (31=10) have been near or in the Kremlin for various unspecified timeframes and self identify as Russians, according to Western Intelligence sources.

            That plus leaks plus the Pentagon gets you tanks in Poland.

            1. craazyboy

              Woops. I meant Marcy not Nancy. Getting tired. She did say she determined the 30 sources are really 10 physical people. Maybe that’s normal in the spook world with disguises and stuff, but to us saying it’s 31 sources sounds like stretching the truth.

      1. Andrew Watts

        Not necessarily. It could’ve originally come from the anti-Putin opposition. It’s also possible Steele was just making stuff up. Which could’ve been based on some trashy novel. Another famous British disinformation campaign during WWII (Operation Mincemeat) was inspired by some Sherlock Holmes-esque detective novel.

        The most outlandish and humorous speculation I have is that the Russians began fabricating these wilds stories about Trump once the DNC hacking was blamed on Russia/Putin. The Russians then made sure they were leaked to the British and other adversarial intelligence agencies. In which case the Russians are probably howling about all this in private since they made such fools out of both the American/British intelligence agencies.

        Actually, that doesn’t sound so crazy after my brain vomited it all out.

        1. craazyboy

          I’ve been hearing all of DeeCee howl Russia, Russia, Russia ever since the first Republican primary debate. Almost like someone had a big megaphone or something.

            1. craazyboy

              Began around 1995, IIRC, slowly building since. Exponential recently. Winning the Cold War gave us about 4 years of “world peace”. I feel cheated.

        2. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

          Have you read Ben Macintyre’s Operation Mincemeat book ? A cracking good read.

          1. Andrew Watts

            Yup. I enjoyed reading it back in 2011/2012. I wrote down some of my favorite quotes from the book and there are several. I also remember who wrote those crappy detective novels that Mincemeat was based on. They were written by Basil Thomson who was a former cop and then intelligence officer during war. A lot of the BSC/intel guys later turned into novelists besides Ian Fleming but Thomson was actually a novelist before the war.

            1. Jerri-Lynn Scofield Post author

              Macintyre turns out a book every or every other year now, and I’ve enjoyed several, Double Cross especially and also Agent Zigzag. His Kim Philby book was interesting– but didn’t really break much new ground IMHO. Just finished his latest, on the WWII history of the SAS, beginning with the Egyptian campaign– completed that just before returning to Egypt for a visit over the hols.

  22. Andrew Watts

    The dodgy Donald Trump dossier reminds me of the row over Saddam Hussein and his fictitious weapons of mass destruction

    Patrick Cockburn’s take on the super-ultra-reliable British spook’s dossier. The best part was…

    I obviously failed as a correspondent when I was in Russia because it turns out that Moscow is choc-a-bloc with fellows in senior positions willing to blow the gaff on the Kremlin’s deep laid plans. A and B, despite achieving high rank, apparently remain touchingly naive and more than willing to make revelations that, if known, would get them imprisoned or shot in short order.

    So modest too. Haha!

  23. optimader

    Never built New York: the city that might have been – in pictures Guardian

    Fantastic..

    I love these illustration styles and font from this era.

    I have a collection of 20s 30s 40s Popular Science and Popular Aviation magazines that I found in a friends parents farmhouse attic that are a treasure trove of content like this. I guess they were preserved due to being stacked in a dry environment? They are fragile but the content is otherwise unfaded

    They represent a historical time-line snapshots world events and progress. even in the context of the magazines themselves, they are the eras analog to the PC, .. capturing the development of color printing. from the older black & white content to the introduction of chromolithography color printing for highline advertising , then its progress to three/four color printing of all content. And the tinkering projects..

    Originally if you wanted a new fangled radio receiver, you’d likely be challenged to building it from pieces, following a Popular Science or equivalent series of “how to” articles before the consumer infrastructure developed en-masse.

    These historical magazines and others are now available on line organized by Decade.

    Fun reading and fantastic research tool, whether you pick a historical event and dive in at that point in time, or you want to find some arcane piece of documentary information. What’s tie proper graphic on a 1938 Rearwin Speedster Wheel spat??

    https://books.google.com/books?id=xCkDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science&as_brr=1&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1
    Popular Science

    https://books.google.com/books/about/Flying_Magazine.html?id=iRqI-1xucWgC
    Popular Aviation

  24. financial matters

    “””The incoming Trump administration is considering moving White House press briefings out of the West Wing to accommodate more than the “Washington media elite,” President-elect Donald Trump’s press secretary said.

    Involving more people, including bloggers and others who aren’t from the mainstream media, “should be seen as a welcome change,” he said.”””

    https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-01-15/trump-team-may-move-briefings-from-west-wing-to-accommodate-more

    1. Jess

      Okay, time for a special NC fundraiser to support a correspondent in DC who can attend these expanded press conferences. Boy, would I like to see someone of Yves or Lambert’s caliber asking questions. Hoo boy!

      Or maybe we just lobby to have someone like Chris Hedges included? Jeremy Scahill? The floor is open for nominations. (Too bad David Dayen is in Cali and unlikely to pull up stakes.)

      1. aab

        Yves could just take the train down for press events. It wouldn’t be all that expensive, but I get the feeling she wouldn’t enjoy it. She’s not a reporter (neither are most of the White House press corp, but that’s a different problem); it’s a specific skill. Were you on the Crimson, Yves?

        Jeremy Scahill is a working journalist, so I vote for him. It’d be great to have someone from the Intercept crew there. Hedges obviously has a long resume as a working journalist, but I’m not sure he’d want to jump back into the scrum.

      2. HopeLB

        Yes! We could crowdfund those trotsky bunny slippers, t-shirts with that ” workflow diagram of this (Russian Prop) showing names, timelines, milestones and forks and branches. Gantt or Pert chart kinda thingy ” or one showing how “easy it is to omit 98% of the story and “move along”, mugs with the people who should have had their mug shots taken (but obummer). I think Craazyboy would best represent NC because he is the one sure to develope an instantaneous cult following and then a big hit TV show.

    2. carycat

      Brilliant. The slap in the face is not just giving out additional membership passes to the MSM’s exclusive club but the implicit demotion of status of being out of the West Wing.

      1. polecat

        And just imagine what ol’ Dianne Feinstein will have to say about Trump inviting all those ‘uncredentialed’ ‘fake-news’ folks to the pressers ??

          1. HopeLB

            Trump should give all the organizations listed by Propornot the best seats. Maybe, he could even bring back a cut out of Helen Thomas and seat “Helen” in the front row (if Kuchner will allow it) and run contests so the cutout could ask the most popular question in Helen’s real voice.

    3. 3.14e-9

      financial matters: Good link. Most of yesterday’s headlines were screaming that Trump was “evicting” the media from the White House to shut down criticism. I sent a link to one of the better stories to Lambert but I hadn’t seen this one.

      Bloomberg quotes the Correspondents’ Association spokesman as saying White House press briefings are open to “all reporters who request access,” but that is disingenuous, given that the current briefing room has fewer than 50 seats. In a recent article for Columbia Journalism Review, former press secretaries for Clinton and Bush-43 note the space limitation:

      As for the briefing room itself, it’s time to open it up to other reporters. While some 750 reporters are credentialed to cover the White House, there are only 49 seats in the briefing room, almost all assigned to the legacy mainstream media that dominated coverage in the 1990s. It’s time to democratize the room and let others in.

      We think the current White House press corps has a role to play, but not an exclusive one. We recommend a revolving group of reporters be assigned to those seats. For instance, on Mondays, it could be the current White House press corps. On Tuesdays, it could be the business press, including online media. On Wednesdays, it could be foreign journalists. On Thursdays, the seats would go to liberal and conservative dot-com outlets. We like the idea of Think Progress and Breitbart sitting next to each other. On Fridays, attendees could be Washington-based reporters from newspapers and websites around the country.

      http://www.cjr.org/covering_trump/white_house_press_corps_trump.php

      In addition to the press briefing room, there are work stations for White House correspondents in the West Wing. No one has suggested yet that the work space be moved, although Reince Priebus apparently has been noncommittal when asked directly.

      Depending on which Executive Office Building they’re talking about, it may not even be “across the street,” as Bloomberg says. The New EOB is a block away, but the Old EOB is right next to the White House and connected via underground tunnel. It would be no big deal to have daily briefings there, and maybe even provide “overflow” work space for alternative media.

      Anyway, Bloomberg’s story is overall more balanced. Thanks again for the link.

  25. oho

    ‘Why Clinton’s Slogans Failed (Hard): A Persuasion Analysis ExtraNewsfeed. ‘

    while I’m very sympathetic to, and want to believe in, the idea of “priming”—the empirical evidence behind priming is arguably thin. We ain’t taking about Einstein General Theory of Relativity here.

    And if one is to the highlight the lame slogans, one should also highlight Hillary’s awful wardrobe choices….what’s so awful about wearing boring traditional (male/female) business suits?

    There’s a reason why no person—man or woman—goes to work in monochrome bright canary yellow, white or gray Dr. Evil/Mao/Benny Hinn suits.

    You look ridiculous.

    1. aab

      But, but…you can’t build an unquestioning cult of personality around someone in normal business attire. That’s not special.

      Or at least, it’s more of a challenge.

  26. Jim Haygood

    Holy sh*t, we invaded Norway:

    Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway’s Arctic neighbor Russia.

    Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina landed a little after 10 am CET at a snow-covered Vaernes airport near Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city, where temperatures were reaching -2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit).

    U.S. troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-usa-military-idUSKBN1501CD

    You’d think a rich country like Norway would object to being occupied by foreign troops. But our euro-puppet who heads NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is from Norway.

    When America orders “Ten-huttt!” Jens stiffens his spine like a good dog.

    1. Massinissa

      How is it surprising? Its Norway, home of Vidkun Quisling, the famous Nazi collaborator. That’s where the word ‘quisling’ comes from, which means “someone who cooperates with an occupying force”.

      1. Jim Haygood

        Good point. And the Norwegians hand out the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

        Since awarding one to Barack Obama proved to be a monumental error, the avoidance of cognitive dissonance now requires Norway to invite in foreign troops and indulge in saber rattling against the Russians.

        If their provocations fail to start a shooting war, Norwegians can award the Peace Prize to their goodselves.

        https://www.flickr.com/photos/expd/31366226903/in/photostream/lightbox/

  27. hunkerdown

    John Robb finally climbed out of the underground SCIF with a message: “The Race to Weaponize Empathy“. “Fake news” is the third person Russell Conjugation of “real news” I guess. Context-seeking (which sounds a bit like desiring-machines) is also mentioned:

    This is also true with news in a fragmented society. Most people go to news sources they trust to find out more than the facts. They want to find out how they should feel about a fact (or whether they should reject that fact) from people they consider to be leaders of their social network.

  28. susan the other

    Thanks for the LRB article on Wolfgang Streeck re his “How Will Capitalism End.” I like Streeck better than all the other economists I scan combined. But this article asked the question (in the argument about which is the most important, society or economy) “Who or what is the social?” Which is a really good question. Discussion of Streeck’s theory about the Marktvolk v. Staatsvolk sounded a lot like Marx’s 2 types of money – use money and exchange money. There seems to be an emerging phrase to describe economic complexities these days, “complex economic geometry.” Or have I been in my usual fog? Anyway an occasional link on Streeck would be nice, just to keep up.

  29. nothing but the truth

    conservative islam (is there any other kind) insists on living in the 7th century arabian desert. their idea bof a good human life is killing, raping and destroying other religions.

    there is no way these people can coexist peacefully in the the modern society.

  30. witters

    Try saying “sufism’. And what on earth makes you think YOU can “coexist peacefully in modern society”?

    1. nothing but the truth

      sufism is the fringe in islam. it is a very small minority (albeit by far the favourite of the non muslims – as these are the only ones with whom there can be any dialogue). and sufism owes its roots to buddhist influence from central asia. it is only a matter of time before it is under the cross hairs of the conservatives (it is already happening in pakistan and bangladesh).

      secondly sufism can mean many things, from a friendly mystical religion to baying for the infidels blood variety.

      this is an issue that is personal. Ethnic cleansing (primarily by the muslims) is still going on in the subcontinent.

      If you feel muslims are such well meaning people, just follow the news out of pakistan and bangladesh about minorities. if you really want i can post links here. It is painful.

      1. alex morfesis

        Nothing btt…so…you do realize muslims pray 5 times a day for the return of the son of mary…they just think he was taken up to heaven the moment before he took his last breath…and they are not with the only begotten thingee…

        but you go ahead and keep the hate…

        cause you do realize the u.s. of a is the biggest caliphate prisoner holding state in the globe…imprisoning non believers who are then raped in those prisons…

        it’s just that the mammonite caliphate has criminalized poverty…

        being rich is their religion…

        or maybe it’s your religion too…

  31. robnume

    On Davos’ disconnect: I had to ROFL as I read Klaus Schwab’s declaration that this was not a gathering of the elite for it’s own sake and the line about “…keeping salaries for executives ‘competitive’ so as to attract ‘talent.'” These gatherings are, in fact, echo chambers and guilt pressure valves for the richest people on this planet, nothing more and nothing less. I wish these fidouchebags would follow Lambert’s neoliberal rule no. 2!

  32. Kim Kaufman

    “Like clockwork, Trump rips ‘Saturday Night Live’ on Twitter NY Post. He really needs to grow a thicker skin.”

    Not necessarily. When Trump crazy tweets, we should start looking at what else is going on that he’s trying to divert attention from. Headline on HuffPo right now: “Chuck Schumer Renews Call On Ethics Office To Look Into Tom Price’s Stock Purchases”

    Price is Trump’s pick to head Health & Human Services.

    1. Lambert Strether

      As I keep saying, the real issue is that oligarchs — Trump being one, and Trump’s cabinet being full of them — have ethics and conflict problems by definition. Rule by the rich and the use of public office for private gain are synonymous, and the latter is Zephyr Teachout’s definition of corruption.

      As usual, the liberals are making this about individual failings, so they can have a nice satisfying round of fingerpointing and frothing and stamping and emergency fundraising, as opposed to problems with a system in which they, too, are deeply implicated.

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