The Saudis Blink: Going to Cut Production After all

Well time for those oil stocks to head higher.

The decision at this week’s meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Algiers to cut production was necessitated by Saudi Arabia’s tattered finances. The kingdom has the highest budget deficit among the world’s 20 biggest economies, it’s enduring a delay in its first international bond issue and now faces fresh legal uncertainty as the U.S. Congress voted Wednesday to allow Americans to sue the country for its involvement in 9/11.

I think they are tired of running a deficit to try to put those US shale companies out of business. Market share is worthless if it leads you to financial ruin in the meantime.

Okay Saudi's: Advice for a Major Play in the "Great Game" Buy Out American Shale Companies

I think the Saudi's should seriously consider dipping into ARAMCO and start buying out big shale players in Oklahoma and Texas. Since they couldn't put them out of business to hold onto market share they can simply buy them out instead.

There are a few companies that should be on their shopping list. First of all the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund is about $2 Trillion so they have a huge war chest. They can first buy EOG which has a $51 billion market cap. That is 10% of Texas output right away. Then buy Devon which has a market cap of $21 billion which will give them 5% more oil and 8.8% of the natural gas. Then buy Chesapeake for a song at $300 million which given them access to the Utica shale in Ohio. Finally buy Whiting which is worth $2.2 billion and you have access to the Bakken shale.

So for about $90 to $100 billion when you add a 30% markup they would control quite a bit of the shale production in the US. Even if they just bought out just one of these companies, and aggressively bought shale assets around their headquarters, it would go a long way to controlling the market share that they don't have access to.

You would think this would never pass muster with the White House. But remember Hillary can be bought. If she wins they can peel off $1 billion of those investment assets and send it right to the Clinton Foundation. Suddenly Treasury and the EPA will look the other way on any Saudi buyouts. Then they can protect their main assets by slowing down shale production in the US. A Saudi owned EOG will suddenly find that "some of their projections on shale were greatly exaggerated" so there must be production cuts. That is how they need to play the "Great Game." Exploit the greedy Clinton's to protect your major assets. Its a no brainier play.

Traditionally Republican Arizona Republic Chooses Hillary #DumpTrump

Well it seems that quite a few people are on that #NeverTrump bandwagon.

In a passionate editorial, the largest newspaper in Arizona argued that Republican Donald Trump was fundamentally unfit for the presidency. It was the first time the Republic had endorsed a Democrat.

“Trump’s inability to control himself or be controlled by others represents a real threat to our national security. His recent efforts to stay on script are not reassuring. They are phony. The president commands our nuclear arsenal. Trump can’t command his own rhetoric,” the paper opined.

The "controlled by others" part sounds a bit ominous but other than that I agree 100%. He cannot control himself and tries to wing everything. This is not an era of "winging it" with threats from ISIS, Russia, China, North Korea etc. Add this to a global sea change in the world economy and we need smart steady people in charge and not "shoot-from-the-hip" types.

Gigi Hadid Elbows Some Prankster Scumbag in the Face: Good for Her

Lucky thing she wasn't packing or that guy might have gotten more than an elbow in the face.

Luckily, it turned out to be an obnoxious prank, and Hadid acknowledges the fact that it could have been worse. “I know people are put in much worse situations every day and don’t have the cameras around that provoke social-media support,” she wrote.

But there was no way for her to have known that. “I remember taking the time, as it all felt slo-mo, to look at him, a stranger, and my first reaction was: ‘Get me out of this situation.’” Her gut instincts kicked in, and we are glad they did because it proved any member of that squad — Hadid included — will always be safe with those reflexes around. But, more important, it sent a powerful message to young women that, famous or not, prank or not, no one has a right to touch your body without your permission. 

She is 100% right about this. No one should put their hands on you and not expect some kind of violent response in return. I know this Vitalii Sediuk asshole thought she is just some little model so he can do whatever he wanted. Just lift her up and carry her around like a mannequin. Instead he got more than he bargained for.

The Debate looks Like a Record Setter at 80.9 million but Doesn't Beat Super Bowl's 100 Million

I guess people thought it would beat the Super Bowl but I guess they were wrong.

Some 80.9 million Americans watched the first, raucous, U.S. presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump on television, smashing a decades old record for such events, CNN said on Tuesday.

The figure includes the approximately 45 million who watched the 90-minute debate on the four main TV networks, as well as millions more who watched cable channels, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and other smaller outlets, CNN said.

If confirmed, the audience, due to be finalised later on Tuesday, beat the 80.6 million record set by the Jimmy Carter-Ronald Reagan TV presidential debate in 1980 but fell short of the 100 million viewers some analysts had predicted for the face-off.

That 80 election was a sea change as well. The malaise of the Carter years (with Islamic terror/race riots) vs. the optimism of the Regan decade. I guess we have the malaise of the Obama years (with Islamic terror/race riots) vs. the optimism/fear-mongering of Trump. History sure rhymes sometimes.

Kite Blasts Higher After Great Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Data Released #CAR-T

Now this is some great data.

Some 76 percent of patients taking the drug, called KTE-C19, showed significant tumor shrinkage, including 47 percent who had no remaining signs of cancer at least three months after receiving the treatment, Kite said.

So that is a 50-50 chance of complete remission after three months of treatment? That is an incredibly good deal. I am convinced CAR-T and immunotherapy are going to lead to a cure for cancer in the next decade or so.

I'm Sorry Lester Holt Was a Terrible Debate Moderator

I like Lester Holt the newsman but Lester Holt the debate moderator was awful.

In the early going, it looked like it was going to be an ideal, Jim Lehrer-style performance from Lester Holt, the “NBC Nightly News” anchor. Lehrer was so boringly nonpartisan, so unwilling to play gotcha that he was always hotly in demand to moderate debates. For the first half or so, Holt gave simple, broad, open-ended questions and let the candidates go at it. He didn’t venture into live fact-checking, didn’t much quarrel with the nominees, didn’t ask persnickety questions.

I do not agree with this at all. He lost control in the beginning and Trump and Hillary just talked over each other without any moderation at all. Holt said you have 2 minutes on such-and-such topic and Hillary or Trump went way past the time. I really hate when people talk over one another so-much-so I usually change the channel when it happens on Fox News. I should have done it for the debate because the beginning was just the candidates talking at the same time with Holt sitting there and letting it happen.

As to the debate, it looked like Trump was flustered and unready while Hillary was smug and smarmy. The whole time I was thinking I wish it was Jeb Bush against Joe Biden. That would have been a decent choice instead of these two train wrecks. Also Trump kept sniffing so much I thought he did a little cocaine before things got going. In any case I'm going to watch the next debate but I really hope Martha Raddatz and the Town Meeting Format does a much better job on Oct. 9th.

Well I Guess Im on the Same Side as a Lot of Hollywood Actor Types: The Avengers are Officially Anti-Trump

Well the people that play the Avengers anyway:

I Guess I'm on the Same Side as Clooney on Hating Trump #DumpTrump

I guess welcome to the #DumpTrump wing of the political debate.

“It’s a very funny thing, odd for me to be on the same side of an issue as Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer and George Will and people like that,” Clooney said in an interview with Chris Wallace for “Fox News Sunday” set to air this weekend. Clooney’s understatement about the conservative commentators: “Usually we’re not on the same side.”

This is the reason why I think Trump is going to lose in a landslide. We have the mainstream GOP allied with a Hollywood liberal like Clooney to make sure Trump loses. Very strange company indeed.

I Have to Agree: Hillary Needs to Aim her Economic Plan at the Middle Class

I think these are great ideas for an economic plan.

What could Clinton do differently? Plenty. She could join a majority of economists in defending free trade, as she did not so long ago. Instead of flip-flopping on deals such as the Trans Pacific Partnership, which she used to support but no longer does, she could explain with authority why such deals are in our interest and back it up with new ways to help those disenfranchised by trade and present a small number of big ideas for making America the world’s most desirable economy (again). She could steal Trump’s good idea about growth: Set a target of 4% annually and declare it a national priority akin to winning a war. And then demand that we change the rules so every talented émigré in the world wants to come to America, and can.

The first part will probably be problematic because Unions hate free trade because it makes their jobs go to other countries and thus depresses their revenue from dues. If Hillary gets back to how she was before people "Felt the Burn" Unions would jump all over her. It's not like they would suddenly back Trump so maybe she could get away with it.

The second thing would be a great idea. The "4% GDP Moonshot" would be a great economic slogan and if America achieved it there would be prosperity all over the country. Hell, if she got 4% GDP growth anytime in her 4 years she would easily be remembered as one of the best economic Presidents we could have hoped for. Also if she got away from the rhetoric that 4% GDP growth only helps the wealthy since it would go a long way toward the idea that high growth will lift all boats.

Entitlement Alert: Time to Avoid Ashly a Freshman at UCLA #ToxicPeople

Wow, I guess people like this is what safe-spaces and such are made for.

“Okay so I’m not sure why neither of you responded back to my emails, but I don’t really care as long as you both know this and understand that I’m not going to settle for anything less than what I’m gonna tell you that I’m gonna get once I arrive in the dorm. I’ll take the top bunk. I DO NOT want the single bunk where it has a desk underneath the top bunk so don’t try to leave me that. I’m also taking one of the white closets. There should be two white closes and I’m taking one of them. I don’t care which one it is, just know I’m taking one of them.

“I want the desk that’s near the window. Plain and simple. I don’t care about who gets the bottom bunk but just know that what I stated above is what I’m expecting once I arrive at the dorm and I won’t be in the mood for any arguing or other nonsense because one of you two decided to deliberately disregard this email. IF needed be I’ll turn it into a bigger situation so don’t try me.

“Sorry but not that sorry for the attitude. I don’t like being ignored because that’s just rude but that’s what you both decided to do so I decided to make it clear now on the kind of person I am and what I will and will not take.

“So as a final reminder: I am getting the top bunk of the bunk bed with the bed on the bottom, I am getting one of the white closes and I’m getting the desk near the window. That’s fair enough to ask considering that I’m giving up fighting for the top bunk.”

That last paragraph is something a sociopath would write. No arguing or compromise just taking or it will "turn it into a bigger situation so don't try her." I would move out on this monster so fast it would make your head spin.

Here is a Deal: Trump Should Release Tax Returns in Exchange for the Clinton Foundation's Returns

I think it is idiotic the whole idea that anyone needs to release their tax returns and I agree with this assumption by Donald Trump Jr.

When asked why his father has not released his tax returns as presidential candidates have traditionally done, Trump Jr. said, “Because he’s got a 12,000-page tax return that would create … financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from (his father’s) main message.”

Yeah pretty much. People will comb through the thing for anything funky and make that a big deal. So this same scrutiny should be paid to the Clinton Foundation. Have everything right out in the open so both sides can look for discrepancies. Hillary's personal tax return is nearly worthless compared to the Foundation's which will probably have a ton of scary stuff in it. It could conceivably exonerate her if it doesn't contain anything but that is not very likely.

Obama Relaxes Hatred of Israel with $38 Billion Military Aid

I wonder if there will be Iranian military aid to keep a detente in the region?

The United States agreed Wednesday to provide Israel a record $38 billion in new military aid over the next decade. The pact is a sign of the two nations' close alliance despite major differences over Iran's nuclear program and other policies.

Although like all Obama White House plans there are strings attached

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a critic of the memorandum of understanding between the two allies, called it important but slammed a provision that would limit Israel from seeking additional U.S. funds except in times of war.

Oprah is $117 Million Poorer as Weight Watchers Stock Down 66%

She must feel like Bill Ackman and his Herbalife shares. She should have sold a while back when the stock was at $28 in November of last year. (I know she cannot since selling such a large position would have moved the stock downward right away) In any case she is still up from when she bought it.

The media mogul and 10% owner of Weight Watchers has seen $117 million in wealth vanish as shares of the company have crashed 66% from their high notched November 2015 on enthusiasm over her involvement with the company. Shares of Weight Watchers are down another 68 cents, or 6.6%, to $9.68 Tuesday after the company said it is replacing its CEO. The value of the company has dropped $1.2 billion in value since the peak hit after Winfrey came on board.

At Last: Economic Good News: People have More Money in Their Paychecks

At last some good news.

After eight lean years, Americans finally got fatter paychecks in 2015 — their first significant hike since 2007 and the biggest since record keeping began in 1968. The U.S. median household income rose 5.2% to $56,516, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Hopefully, they put some of that money in a rainy day fund so they can get through the next recession.

I Agree with Tim Gunn: The Fashion Industry Needs to Design for Size 12 and Up Women

I have to agree with this assessment.

Gunn, one of the biggest names in fashion, wrote in a Washington Post essay that designers “refuse to make clothes to fit American women,” calling it not just a poor business decision, but also “a disgrace.”

“Actually I’ve been saying this for a very long time,” Gunn, 63, said today on “Good Morning America”. “Christian Siriano and his work for Leslie Jones for the premiere of ‘Ghost Busters’ was really the catalyst for this Washington Post article. I’ve been an advocate for women who are larger than a size 12 for many, many, many years. And there are 100 million of them, so why doesn’t this industry wake up?”

I think it might just be easier to design for human coat-hangers because designers have been doing it for decades. It takes the skill of someone like Siriano to design for a bigger woman. I think there is just too many Karl Lagerfelds with his fat shaming.

Brainard Walks Back Rate Hike: Can't they Speak with One Voice?

Well I guess it is "No Rate Hike" in September.

Fed Governor Lael Brainard — a voting member of the central bank's policymaking committee — said in a speech that, while economic progress continues, it would be wise for the Fed to keep monetary policy loose.
"She resurrected some of the concerns for why the Fed shouldn't raise rates," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. "We now go back to a thesis where the Fed wants to raise rates for other reasons," She also said "it's hard to see Janet Yellen come out and raise rates" next week. 

I guess peace will reign until some other governor opens his/her big yapper and the market will head lower again.

SAS Sniper Pulls off God-shot out of an Action Movie to Slay ISIS Executioner

Now this guy is a bad-ass that needs to have a movie made after him.

A sharpshooter killed a top ISIS executioner and three other jihadists with a single bullet from nearly a mile away — just seconds before the fiend was set to burn 12 hostages alive with a flamethrower, according to a new report.
The British Special Air Service marksman turned one of the most hated terrorists in Syria into a fireball by using a Barett .50-caliber rifle to strike a fuel tank affixed to the jihadi’s back, the UK’s Daily Star reported Sunday.
The pack exploded, killing the sadistic terrorist and three of his flunkies, who were supposed to film the execution, last month, the paper said.

Now that is an awesome shot. One shot 3 targets eliminated and 12 people saved. This guy needs to be put up for the Victoria Cross.

The FED Governors Need to STFU: Market Slides 394 Points on Their Loose Lips

I'm tired of these un-elected officials roiling the market on their loose talk.

The speculation has been driven by divergent Fed speak over recent days despite the disappointing economic reports. Most recently, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren, another usually reliable dove, said the the central bank risks financial instability if it keeps rates anchored so low. San Francisco Fed President John Williams, a policy kindred spirit for Yellen, called for hiking "sooner rater than later."

I'm so tired of this game of "raising rates in September or December or both or neither" that markets keep playing. Can't the FED speak with one voice? I don't remember a time when they would pop off like this under Ben Bernanke or Alan Greenspan. Maybe Yellen just runs a loose ship where everyone can just say whatever they want when ever they want without consequences.

The problem is the FED is so mealy mouthed. Just say we will raise rates in September and December. Or just come out with some sort of game plan so the markets can adjust. Just say they want rates at 4% by 2020 or something. Or come out with a statement at the beginning of the year saying "we will raise rates 4 times by 1/4 point" in 2017. Take away all this idiotic uncertainty so people can make decisions.

The "Never Date a Feminist Guy" Dave Hon Will Probably Not Be Dating Anyone Soon #TeethCleaning

Well this article is raising some hackles.

If you look for a reason to hate men, chances are you’re going to find it.

The truth is, I don’t blame women, (especially in my generation) for hating men. They’ve been told there’s a wage gap (I disagree). That there’s a culture of rape on college campuses (I also disagree). And the patriarchy is keeping them oppressed in almost every facet of their lives (I really, really disagree.)

I don't think this guy needs to worry about feminists because he is not a good looking fellow. I wonder if he thinks that women who won't date him hate all men or just hate the particular man they see before them? In any case maybe some teeth whitening would be a good start. 

Richard Sherman is A Very Intelligent Fellow but This Statement is Just Ignorant

This has got to take the cake for just spouting uninformed statements about the US.

“But I think there is also things in this nation that people need to remember and need to take heed of and also acknowledge. This country is the same country that had ‘Whites’ and ‘Colored’ signs on the bathroom. We are still in that country. We are still in that nation. And that needs to be acknowledged and that needs to be changed; that mentality still exists. And that needs to change…

Um no this is not the same country that had segregation it is a totally different one. Just like China of today should not be colored by the millions and millions of people that died under Mao. Or Germany of today has to be colored by the Holocaust. The people that did those atrocities are almost all dead. They will eventually join them on the ash heap of history.

I agree that our racist past should be acknowledged but the great strives we have done in the present should not be diminished my them. That's why saying we are still in a nation of segregationists is ignorant. There is still might be that mentality somewhere in America but it is no longer in a position of power.

The most powerful man in America and the attorney general are both black. There are many black governors, mayors, and police chiefs etc. Saying we are still the same nation as the one in the past discounts everything we have done to change that situation. There are no longer "White" and "Colored" signs up over any bathroom in this country and there hasn't been for 30 years.

Now the Seahawks want to Join Colin Craper-nick in Kneeling/Sitting Protest Against the National Anthem?

I guess it is contagious.

Not only is Baldwin considering a protest during the anthem, it sounds like others on the Seahawks might be as well.

“Our locker room has discussed it so we’ll see,” Baldwin said, according to Condotta.

Baldwin’s teammate, cornerback Jeremy Lane, sat down during the national anthem in Seattle’s final preseason game and said he’ll continue to do so. Kaepernick was also joined in his protest by 49ers safety Eric Reid. Kaepernick’s protest has drawn a ton of attention, both positive and negative.

What exactly is the end-game to this protest? If all racism in America is eradicated. That means Craper-nick and the Seahawks will be sitting for decades. Do they want police to stop carrying guns? I guess that would get lots of cops killed just to make them feel better. 

Do they want black people in power? I mean the President and the Attorney General are both black. Also nearly every Police Chief that I have seen where there were riots were black. So institutional racism in the police department does not seem to be happening at the top cop level. 

In any case I guess these protestors will be sitting/kneeling for a very long time. Just like the Occupy Wall Street crowd they do not have a list of things that need to happen to end the protest. It's just airy ideas that do not get down to concrete solutions at all.

Hillary Just Can't Stop Lying Even when it Comes to Whether she Follows Polls of Not

I think her reflex action is to lie.

Speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane Tuesday, Clinton shrugged off a question about the CNN/ORC survey.

"I really pay no attention to polls. When they are good for me -- and there have been a lot of them that have been good for me recently -- I don't pay attention," Clinton said. "When they are not so good, I don't pay attention. We are on a course that we are sticking with."

If you don't pay attention how would you know if they were good or bad? She should have said "whether the polls are good or bad we really don't care." That would mean she sees the polls and they are "still on the course that they are sticking with." 

Maybe this is old school Clinton-speak. It matters what "I don't pay attention" means. Hillary doesn't pay attention at all but her body-person Huma or her similar Clinton-istas whole job revolves around it. Get ready for 4 years of this kind of thing. Maybe the old Kremlin-oligists can teach the new people following the Clintons.  

Can th 49ers trade Colin Craper-nick for the Ravens Ben Watson?

Now this is sentiment that I can believe in.

Before competition, as I stand in shoulder pads and cleats, my helmet in my left hand, adrenaline flowing and my heart raging under my right, I never forget the ills of America but for a moment I envision its potential, remember its prosperity and give thanks to God for the land He has placed me in and the people I love who live in it.

I stand, because this mixed bag of evil and good is MY home. And because it's MY home my standing is a pledge to continue the fight against all injustice and preserve the greatest attributes of the country, including Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel.

The whole thing should be read. Hell, I would vote for Ben Watson for President over the Crazy Person and the the Crooked One if he were old enough to run.

Great! Another thing to be Afraid of: The Dreaded Carrington Event #Disaster

Add this to the pile of scare tactics people seem to throw at us daily.

The best available estimates suggest a modern Carrington Event would cost humanity $1 trillion to $2 trillion in the first year and take another four to 10 years to achieve full recovery. A 2007 NASA estimate found that the damage to the satellite fleet would cost between $30 billion and $70 billion. 

What this is is a massive solar flare that would take out nearly every power grid, satellite, and cellphone and GPS device all at once. We would only have a few hours to a day of warning as well before everything gets fried by energetic particles. Time to buy that emergency food that Right-wing talk radio keeps touting.

Interesting Vanity Fair Article on Theranos Strangely Injects Race and Sex into Issue.

I love these postmortem articles on "where it all went wrong" with various companies. This one by Vanity Fair was on Theranos. It was a great article full of the kind of behind the scenes stuff I like. But this part I found strange.

It generally works like this: the venture capitalists (who are mostly white men) don’t really know what they’re doing with any certainty—it’s impossible, after all, to truly predict the next big thing—so they bet a little bit on every company that they can with the hope that one of them hits it big. The entrepreneurs (also mostly white men) often work on a lot of meaningless stuff, like using code to deliver frozen yogurt more expeditiously or apps that let you say “Yo!” (and only “Yo!”) to your friends. The entrepreneurs generally glorify their efforts by saying that their innovation could change the world, which tends to appease the venture capitalists, because they can also pretend they’re not there only to make money. And this also helps seduce the tech press (also largely comprised of white men), which is often ready to play a game of access in exchange for a few more page views of their story about the company that is trying to change the world by getting frozen yogurt to customers more expeditiously. The financial rewards speak for themselves. Silicon Valley, which is 50 square miles, has created more wealth than any place in human history. In the end, it isn’t in anyone’s interest to call bullshit.

So in this paragraph he adds white men over and over to imply some sort of bias I guess. Since the CEO was a white woman the white men were supposed to be enchanted with her or something? I have no idea why this little bit was injected into the article over and over. Does he imply that if the tech press was comprised mostly of Asian women they would have caught her? Or if the venture capitalists were all Uighur men they would not have invested a cent with her?

It is almost as if an article about a Hip-Hop music company kept adding black male over and over to imply something. I guess this guy is implying that race had something to do with this issue when it clearly does not. It was the case of a person who was overly secretive heading a company that made crazy "Silicon Valley claims." The person was then found out by a white male named John Carreyrou. I guess white male Nick Bilton the author of the article has some problem with white males. Or maybe it was a Vanity Fair editorial decision to race-bait like this.

Trump Continues Fight: Not Against ISIS, High Taxes, or Terrorists but Mika Brzezinski

This is really getting old. You hate her we got it. Why does this take up so much of his thought process?

Just heard that crazy and very dumb @morningmika had a mental breakdown while talking about me on the low ratings @Morning_Joe. Joe a mess!

Yeah low ratings and she is crazy and dumb. Does he keep tuning in over and over just to keep saying this? What a moron.

Burning Man Live Stream is Mesmerizing

I have been watching this thing off and on and it is just fascinating. Lots of people on bicycles driving around aimlessly. Every now and again a car shaped like a fish or a Mad Max style vehicle tools by. It is all under a pall of dust covering everything.

Foot Locker Doing Great While Nearly Everyone Else Struggles

It seems like they have the secret sauce they need to beat Amazon at the retail game.

In the past year, CitySports and Sports Authority both filed for bankruptcy and began the process to liquidate all their stores. Vestis Retail Group, which owned the chains EMS, Bob’s Stores and Sport Chalet, filed for bankruptcy. Quiksilver filed for bankruptcy; Aeropostale is bankrupt; Finish Line will close 150 stores.

Foot Locker has bucked the trend. This month it beat expectations with its Q2 earnings of 94 cents per share and revenue of $1.78 billion, both figures up from the year before. The company forecasts a profit in 2017 while many of its longtime competitors are gasping for air. The stock (FL) is up 15% in the last two years, and 235% in the last five.

They seem to be listening to their demographics quite well.

It’s all because the chain keeps “listening to the kid,” says Jacobs. “The kid is different today than they were in the past… it’s more of a storytelling game.” The new flagship store isn’t as obvious an example of that—it only has one modest area for children’s footwear, because there is a Kids Foot Locker just one block away—but the average Foot Locker brick-and-mortar visitor is between ages 14 and 25.

I guess they just don't want to buy shoes online and like the idea of waiting in lines for exclusive sneakers. 

I have bought sneakers from Foot Locker for a while and never really thought about buying them from anywhere else. The problem is that I rarely wear non-work sneakers so my Nikes last a very long time. 

One thing is interesting is as more players like Sports Authority are swept off the board companies like Foot Locker and Dick's Sporting Goods become more and more valuable. People like athletic wear and sneaker culture is a billion dollar business and there are just fewer places to buy them. Also millennials as a group seem much more health conscious then other age cohorts. Foot Locker seems to be aiming right at them in their strategy going forward.     

Strange Signal Sent from HD 164595 a Sun 94 Light Years Away

I wonder what this signal is supposed to mean?

"The signal from HD 164595 is intriguing, because it comes from the vicinity of a sun-like star, and if it's artificial, its strength is great enough that it was clearly made by a civilization with capabilities beyond those of humankind," astronomer Douglas Vakoch, president of METI International, which searches for life beyond Earth, tells CNN. 

You add this to the potentially Dyson Sphere-covered sun and we are getting some interesting readings from just outside our solar system. Time to make that solar sailed powered space probe.

Olympics Ratings Terrible: Down 17% from London: NBC sucks at the Olympics

NBC needs to make some drastic changes here because watching the games on NBC really sucks. It is a bunch of smarmy vignettes bracketed around matches that you can get the results of with a few taps on your phone. I knew the "Final Five" won the team competition hours before it aired on NBC. Also there are so many commercials that it makes a few taps on the phone much more bearable. If I have to see that Pizza Hut commercial for the dipping box one more time I'm going to plotz.

Also I have no idea what is live and what is on tape or even when things are supposed to air. I wanted to watch wrestling but I have no idea when the matches are supposed to be on. I tune into NBC Sports Network and I lucked out being able to watch the womens matches but missed Helen Maroulis gold medal winning match. I then wanted to watch the match again at night on NBC but men's diving was on. I have yet to see what will probably be a historic match and probably won't get a chance to.

In any case, to fix things, they first they need to embrace digital viewership with both arms.

The bigger story here is that digital viewership is up, up, up. In the first week of these Games, online users streamed 1.86 billion minutes of NBC’s coverage, handily beating streams for the Olympics in London and Sochi. Last Saturday, NBC boasted in a press release, was the best day ever for NBC Olympics on digital platforms, with 155 million live streaming minutes, up 263% from the comparable day at London in 2012.

However, I did not stream the games at all because of this:

But they still had to have a cable login, and therein lies the problem. By requiring cable login credentials, NBC didn’t do enough to pull in cord-cutters, or “cord-nevers” (those who never paid for cable in the first place).
I whole bunch of people did not watch the Games at all because they are in this category. 

As soon as I saw the cable login thing I uninstalled the app. I have cable but why should I have to be tethered to it just to watch some obscure sports that I enjoy. CBS was smart when they allowed free streaming of the NCAA championship and I figured NBC would follow suit but I was wrong.

They should have put the big stuff like USA basketball, swimming, and gymnastics on NBC at night and put wrestling, shooting, etc on the digital app. Instead we are still tethered to the cable box which is something I dislike a lot. In any case NBC botched Rio and I'm not looking forward to how they handle Tokyo in 2020.

Well the Obama White House Just put a Price on Hostages: $100 Million each

It looks like they took every stop they could to get that deal passed. I wonder what else is lurking in that thing?

"We had concerns that Iran may renege on the prisoner release," Kirby said, citing delays and mutual mistrust between countries that severed diplomatic relations 36 years ago. As a result, he explained, the U.S. "of course sought to retain maximum leverage until after the American citizens were released. That was our top priority."

Both events occurred Jan. 17, fueling suspicions from Republican lawmakers and accusations from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump of a quid pro quo that undermined America's longstanding opposition to ransom payments.

Shipping piles of money in different types of currency in the middle of the night do a great deal to "fuel suspicions."

Aly Raisman Looks Like a Hobbit Compared to this Basketball Player

Gymnasts are pretty small.

On Wednesday, Aly Raisman took to Instagram to share a picture of herself and Australian basketball player Liz Cambage, along with a caption reminding fans that, depending on the sport, sometimes it pays to be on the shorter side. The resulting photograph is absolutely incredible, and the height discrepancy is so extreme that it almost looks like an optical illusion: At 6-foot-8, Liz is laughably taller than Aly's 5-foot-2

Wait: Climate Models Don't Take into Effect Clouds?

This is why it is so hard to say that Climate Science is "settled science."

Climate models have failed to account for mid-level clouds in the tropics. New satellite analysis of tropical clouds has revealed their ubiquity, as well as their underappreciated cooling effect. Thin, tropical clouds form at an altitude of roughly three miles, often near convective clouds. The latest analysis suggests they help cool the climate.

You would think that these clouds would be really hard to model and I guess that is what happened. That's why predictions of 10 degrees of warming or whatever in 100 years are so hard to swallow for many. If it is hard to model the climate now how are we supposed to take these numbers 100 years into the future? There might be man made warming but we need more information before we change societies and keep the Chinese and Indians in poverty indefinitely. 

Another Climate Scientist Lets the Mask Slip: Wants "Wholesale Transformation" of Economies and Society

Now this should make every person in the West shudder.

Brazilian scientist Thelma Krug, who will lead the Geneva meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said a "wholesale transformation" of economies and society will be required to achieve the Paris targets.

What exactly does that mean? Moves toward socialism, authoritarianism, or destruction of human rights? Keeping the Chinese and the Indians from realizing a middle class existence that Europe and the US enjoys? Forced sterilization to prevent more people using more energy so that this group can "achieve Paris targets?"  What is on and off the table for Ms. King?

This is why climate change is scary. Un-elected Climate officials trying to do a "wholesale transformation" of economies and societies. That almost always results in death and destruction and a large scale as the Khmer Rouge would attest.

Hope Solo Calls Swedes "Cowards" for playing Defensively

Hopefully, this will be the last we will hear about her for years barring a movie career or more run-ins with the law.

She told reporters that the U.S. had played “a courageous game.” That the U.S. had “showed a lot of heart” and “American heart.” And that Sweden had been “a bunch of cowards” because “they didn’t want to play great soccer.”

They played defensive soccer from all accounts. If they played wide open like Solo wanted they probably would have lost. Instead they had the gall to play to their strengths and beat the whiny Americans in PKs. Also it doesn't matter if the "best team did not win" the US still lost and the US Gold Medal Tour can be officially cancelled. 

Arrogant, Whiny American Womens Soccer Team Loses to Sweden

Well looks like they finally got their comeuppance.

The Americans were the towering favorites. Sweden had managed just two goals in its three group stage goals, and one of those had come in a 5-1 hammering at the hands of the hosts Brazil – which the U.S. was widely expected to face in Tuesday’s semifinal.

But whereas the Americans reportedly already had a plan outlined for another post-championship victory tour, Sweden had a plan for this game.

Don't plan the tour until you win the hardware. I was a big fan of them up until they were scheduled to play in Hawaii and did this.

If there is a legal fight, it could get messy quick. U.S. Soccer made two separate agreements, one with Stadium Authority and one with the Hawaii Tourism Agreement. The Stadium Authority relationship called for the USWNT to play rent-free, collect ticket revenue and control broadcast and photo rights. Stadium Authority's revenue would be made off food, beverage and parking.

Stadium Authority gave U.S. soccer a seven-day window to inspect the field -- but they didn't.

This is the same field that a high school football team played on the night before and the Pro Bowl would play on in a month. The problem I had was that it was cancelled at 9pm the night before the event. They had 7 days to inspect the field and cancel but they waited until the last possible moment to pull out so the field could not get fixed in time. 

So Hawaii had all sorts of egg on their faces and we didn't get a chance to see the heroic US Womans World Cup winning team. People had their tickets refunded but they were out their travel expenses or hotel room bills. Also Hope Solo tweeting a pic of the turf being pulled up in the link above was actually on the sideline and not on the playing field I remember hearing on the news.

In any case they complained about the field yet again this time in the Olympics.

The USA, having complained about the state of the field ahead of the game, quickly threatened when an Alex Morgan header was cleared off the line and a Morgan Brian shot saved by Hedvig Lindahl in the third minute. But their attack soon fizzled as the Swedes consolidated their defense.

The Swedes didn't complain about the field and they still won on PKs. 

I really loved the USWNT when they won the World Cup and I believe they should be paid the same as the men's team. However, with Hope Solo's many legal troubles then whining about Zika and Abby Wambach getting arrested for DUI they just look terrible. Maybe losing to Sweden a year after the World Cup will provide a wake up call for them.

 

Reince Priebus cut Off Trump Funding and Use it for Congressional Races

I have to agree with this letter.

“Given the catastrophic impact that Donald Trump’s losing presidential campaign will have on down-ballot Senate and House races, we urge you to immediately suspend all discretionary RNC support for Trump and focus the entirety of the RNC’s available resources on preserving the GOP’s congressional majorities,” the letter says.

They are afraid that Trump will cause them to lose the House and the Senate which would be terrible for the GOP. 

Trump Will Now Lose the Election: Admits that He will Not Change Idiodic Style to Win and Instead Go Down in Flames

Well Hillary can really start measuring the drapes because Trump does not want to change is style to win.

Republicans have long hoped Trump will pivot on his behavior, but in the "Squawk Box" interview, he said:

"I'm a truth teller. All I do is tell the truth. And if at the end of 90 days, I've fallen short because I'm somewhat politically correct even though I'm supposed to be the smart one and even though I'm supposed to have a lot of good ideas, it's OK. I go back to a very good way of life." 

He is looking at getting back to his post election life. That means he thinks it is over and Hillary has it sewed up. This is confirmation of all the conspiracy theories about him not wanting to actually govern as the President and instead just wanting to win the job as a jewel in the crown.

He will now say it is rigged and a few months later will launch the Trump News Network and the Trump Media Group. His next billion is now in the bag and he doesn't even have to deal with contractors, cement costs, or build any new high rises. The jokes on the GOP and the American people. 

Draconian Insanity Watch: NBC Edition: Wait you Cannot Use the Theme Song or Rings in News Coverage?

I haven't been paying attention but I guess this is why ESPN SportsCenter's top plays are all baseball and no Olympics at all.

Tomasulo lamented the lack of WGN Chicago’s Olympics coverage, which, per NBC’s rules, can include only two minutes of video and must contain a three-hour gap between programs. And those minuscule video rights are just the beginning.

“We’re not even allowed to use the Olympic theme song this year,” Tomasulo said. “Did you know that? And we can’t even incorporate the Olympic rings in any of our unique graphics. We have to show the whole thing or not at all.”

So they can show a 2 minute highlight and then wait 3 hours? And you cannot use the symbol or the theme song at all? Now that is getting pretty stupid.

Trump has Built in Excuse for Potential Epic Loss: "It Was Rigged"

I mean he has to blame someone.

The poll of North Carolina voters, which showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton up by 1 percentage point, found that 69% of Trump's supporters thought that if Clinton wins the election, it will be because it's rigged. Just 16% thought it would be because she got more votes than Trump.

Among all of those surveyed in the poll, 51% said a Clinton victory in the election would be because she won more votes, while 36% said it would be the result of a rigged election. The remaining 13% were unsure whether a Clinton victory would be the result of election rigging.

That is a pretty wide margin and it would effect Hillary governing. I mean if the idea of an illegitimate President who "stole the election" catches on good luck getting that 36% to back anything she does.

Hillary Pulls Away in Latest Polls: I Blame Trump Going After Gold Star Family

I think Trump is cooked. He picked a fight with the wrong people at the wrong time. This will be his "49% moment" or the "Dean Scream"

The poll shows Clinton leading Trump, 46 percent to 34 percent, among registered voters and finds a similar margin for Clinton among likely voters

A double digit lead would be very hard to overcome especially with these factors.

Trump is losing by a wide margin among white women with a college degree, a typically Republican group. Mitt Romney won this group by 6 percentage points in 2012, but Clinton leads Trump among this group, 57 percent to 27 percent.

He is getting smashed in this group that is traditionally GOP. I think they just don't like how he treats women and how he treats people in general. It's hard to back a loudmouthed bully.

Another warning sign for Trump: 2 in 3 voters say Trump lacks the temperament to be president. Only 27 percent say he has the right temperament for the job — a new low for the candidate in Monmouth’s polls.

I think this is a direct result of him going after the Gold Star family after the Democratic Convention. I read that 60% of Republicans disapproved of him doing that and some wide margin "strongly disapproved" of the action. It was a huge unforced error and I think it will cost him the election. I think only Putin can save him from a record defeat and maybe only if Hillary is perp-walked.

This should be changed to "Kid Potentially Ruins Life By Going to Cornell at 12"

I really think this is a bad idea.

Twelve-year-old Jeremy Shuler will attend Cornell University this fall, The Ithaca Journal reported.

The preteen genius, from Lubbock, Texas, plans to major in engineering, the same field in which both of his parents work.

"I was excited when I found out I got accepted to Cornell,” Shuler told Texas Tech Today. “It is the best choice for me.”

No the best choice is to stay in high school and graduate with the rest of your class while interning or taking courses on the side. This might be part of why he is leaving early. The "history factor."

Perhaps even more astonishingly, if he graduates on time at 16, he will be the youngest student ever to graduate from Cornell.

Yay! He will have a college degree at 16 then wait 4 years or more to get a job. Who would hire a 16 year old engineer? He would not have the maturity or people skills to work with people that will probably be in their mid to late 20s working at an engineering firm. Hopefully he goes on the Doctorate tract so he can stay in school until he is in his 20s.

One bad thing is he gets to miss everything about high school that would give him the shared experience of his peers. So no prom, no first girlfriend so no first kiss, no first high school party, no sports or extra curricular activities with other kids his age like marching band or football. He passes all of that up to be able to go to college 8 years early and have to go to class with 18 year old freshmen who will probably strait-up ignore him. I'm pretty sure you don't want the 12 year old at the dorm mixer anytime soon. He's going to be the loneliest kid on earth.

Wow if this is True Trump is More Dangerous then He Looks #HeWantstoDroptheBomb?

Now this is a person living in his own private world.

“Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump, and three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons," Scarborough recalled. "Three times, he asked, at one point, ‘If we have them, we can’t we use them?’… Three times, in an hour briefing, ‘Why can’t we use nuclear weapons?' "

The answer "orange hairpiece" is that if we drop the bomb when conventional weapons are an option it shows the rest of the world that option is now on the table. It makes the world as dangerous as it was in the 60s. It also shows the naivete of Trump on the world stage. Hopefully the GOP will not be too damaged by Trumps flaming loss.

Wall Street Abandons Trump

Well it seems that Hillary might run away with this thing at least with Wall Street types.

Back in May, I surveyed more than 50 financial professionals across the board. And the overwhelming majority said they were secretly planning on voting for Trump come Election Day. But that was two months ago and now the tides have turned. With the last piece of convention confetti dropped and all of the red and blue balloons popped, I decided to check back in with the financial folks a few days ago. And now, Wall Street is leaning toward Hillary Clinton.

I would say roughly 60 percent of the people I spoke to in my (highly unscientific) poll said if the election were held today, they'd vote for Clinton.

Our F-35s cannot even be Seen By Our Own SAM Batteries?

I guess warplanes are now much better than the defenses nowadays.

The F-35 has hit yet another snag. During a recent exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, US Air Force F-35A pilots set out to practice evading surface-to-air missiles, but they could not, because the SAM radars on the ground could not even find the ultra-stealthy planes.

"If they never saw us, they couldn't target us," said Lt. Col. George Watkins, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, told the Air Force Times.

To participate in the exercise as planned, the F-35As had to turn on their transponders, essentially announcing their presence so the SAM sites could see and engage them. 

So they had to turn on the "shoot-me" sign or they would have never even got the missiles to lock on? I would hate to be any other country right now. We can essentially fly in and evade any SAMs and then fly out without them even knowing. I guess death by totally stealthy warplane might be yet another way for us to kill ISIS terrorists.

Idiot Trump Continues to Go After the Parents of Dead Soldier and Shows How Pathetically Thin Skinned he Is

What is wrong with this Orange Orangutan?

“Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same,” he tweeted. “Nice!”

Why is he fighting with the Khans for? This is ridiculous even for him. At least the Khans are fighting back.

“This candidate amazes me,” Khan said on NBC. “His ignorance — he can get up and malign the entire nation, the religions, the communities, the minorities, the judges and yet [as] a private citizen in this political process … I cannot say what I feel? That proves the point, he has not read the Constitution of this country. Had he read that, his behavior would be different.”

I'm sure Trump is thinking of some bombastic comeback to this slight or he will whine that he is "being treated unfairly" or some other nonsense. Of all the people he could have written a comeback to at the Democratic Convention these parents should have been the very last ones. Instead he looks like a fool instead of talking back to Hillary. 

Holy crap! Rio's Water is Super Contaminated even Now: Olympic Paddlers Beware

Maybe they should think about cancelling anything that takes place in the open water because this is just scary.

Sampling at the Lagoon in March 2015 revealed an astounding 1.73 billion adenoviruses per liter. By this June, adenovirus readings were lower but still hair-raising at 248 million adenoviruses per liter. By comparison, in California, viral readings in the thousands per liter set off alarm bells.

The Olympic officials better have lots of porta-potties on standby.

The first results of the AP study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7 million times what would be considered worrisome in the United States or Europe. At those concentrations, swimmers and athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and more rarely heart and brain inflammation - although whether they actually fall ill depends on a series of factors including the strength of the individual's immune system.

So swallow some seawater accidentally and its time for the trotts. Sailing is not for the faint of heart.

Wow Hillary is Even More Untrustworthy Than Trump?

Yeah this is a real problem for a candidate.

This focus on trust is aimed squarely at a worrisome statistic for the Clinton campaign. In a recent CNN poll, only about 30 percent of American voters said they found Clinton trustworthy — a smaller share of voters than trust Trump. That’s down 20 points from March, when 50 percent said they thought she was honest. Clinton’s trust drop-off was fueled by a bruising primary during which Sen. Bernie Sanders painted her as a creature of Wall Street, as well as a now-closed FBI investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

She did this to herself with her constant lying and email deleting.

Ice Bucket Challenge is Paying Dividends

I think we need more of this kind of cooperation.

John Landers, co-author of the study and associate professor of neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, explained that the funding helped create an international network of researchers to take on ALS.

“Global collaboration among scientists, which was really made possible by ALS Ice Bucket Challenge donations, led to this important discovery,” Landers said in a statement. “It is a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS. This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed.”

Can't beat everyone pulling those oars together to get something done.

The Last Gasp of The Sandernistas

I guess you could call this the "Chopper on the American Embassy Moment" for the Sandernistas.

Minutes before Hillary Clinton was officially nominated on the floor at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, a group of pro-Sanders protesters stood outside the security perimeter attempting to persuade delegates to change their minds. They stood pressed against the black metal barricades that encircle the convention and shouted inside at everyone they saw passing by.

Some of the protesters attempted to guilt-trip the delegates.

“How can you sleep at night?” asked a woman sitting in a beach chair next to the fences.

“Don’t call yourselves Americans!” shouted another woman.

Others resorted to threats.

“Your names are public!” a man screamed. “We’ll find you!”

One protester simply insulted the people inside the fence.

“You’re so old! Look at you!” they said.

I would have been mad too because these people were strait-up disenfranchised by the DNC. Maybe they will break off and form the "Liberal Party" that the Dems will have to placate. 

Trump Asks Russians if they Have Hillarys 30,000 deleted emails: Reply is probably "Da"

Poor Hillary. This should be a triumphant moment but she looks more and more like a wounded beast.

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican presidential nominee said, staring directly into the bank of television cameras set up at a golf course he owns outside Miami, Fla. “I think you will probably be mightily rewarded by our press.”

It was a striking moment in an election that has consistently broken the barriers of political tradition. It came after Trump faced intense questioning from reporters over his relationship to Russia amid allegations the country might be trying to influence the outcome of the presidential election on his behalf.

Um what is striking is the Secretary of State had an unsecured email server that was being hosted in a bathroom closet. That "didn't have to carry two devices thing" is such a lie as well. It is the job of her "body people" to actually carry things for her. She had a server so she could do dirty dealings with the Clinton Foundation on behalf of foreign dictators and authoritarian regimes. Now it is all coming back to haunt her

She thought she had the fix in with the Attorney General and the FBI Director but it seems the Russians keep backups. Is it too late to run Joe Biden or maybe her Veep could run at the top of the ticket? 

Hillary is So Out of Touch: The Hillary Standard? I Can't Believe she is playing the Victim Card

She is seriously playing the victim card?

"I often feel like there's the Hillary standard and then there's the standard for everybody else," the presumptive Democratic nominee said in the interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes."

Clinton explained that there has been a "concerted effort" by Republicans to portray her in a negative light, and described the double standard she believes is set for her as “unfounded, inaccurate, mean-spirited attacks with no basis in truth, reality, which take on a life of their own." 

Yeah she is right about a standard for her and one for everyone else. The problem is that FBI directors and Attorney Generals go out of their way to cover her ass. 

If any other person would have had their own unsecured email server with classified material on it they would have gone right to jail years ago. Instead everyone closed ranks and made deals with the White House and now she is free and clear. That is the "Hillary Standard." I mean she got her husband, the former President, to cut some kind of back-room deal with the Attorney General. Who else could make that happen? 

It wasn't Karl Rove who set up that server so she can cut million dollar deals with countries with abysmal human rights records in the dark of night. It wasn't Paul Ryan who deleted 1000s of emails that could have made her look bad or might have been outright illegal. It wasn't Newt Gingrich who told her to keep her totally unsecured server in the bathroom closet of some loft. I love how the Clintons blame their own messes on the GOP when they know full well that it was all their fault. Same old Hillary.

In Stunning Move toward Diversity: Hillary Picks boring White Guy for Veep #CandidatesSoWhite

The so-called "party of diversity" went out of their way to pick a boring white Senator from Virginia.

Kaine, 58, a former governor of Virginia, brings a number of credentials to the ticket and has been widely viewed as a safe pick. In the Senate, he serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, giving him national security and foreign policy experience. He also speaks fluent Spanish, and would help Clinton in his home swing-state of Virginia. 

Well at least he speaks fluent Spanish so he can talk to Latinos about how boring he is. I guess the "party of diversity" couldn't find any actual diversity when push came to shove.

Cruz Just Commited Political Suicide

Serves old batboy right. You are at a nominating convention and you don't endorse the nominee? What a moron. Stay home if you don't want to participate.

Cruz's rebuke ignited a hot scene around the senator as soon as he left the stage. People averted their eyes from Cruz and his wife as they walked with their security detail on the skybox level of boisterous Republicans.

On the donor suite level, people approached Cruz and insulted him, a source told CNN's Dana Bash. One state party chairman reacted so angrily that he had to be restrained.

They should have let whatever state's party chairman thrash his ass. It would have wiped that perpetual smirk off of his face. In any case this will , thankfully, be the last you hear of Ted Cruz. He will smirk his way into some cozy job but at least he will be removed from the national scene at last.

Don't Talk Trash About Jiang Zemin’s Hair You Might Get Banned in China

I think Jiang's hair looks perfectly fine but Communist party types will have none of it.

At the peak of her WeChat blogging career, Laura Lian was earning about $7,000 a month. Writing satirical articles for more than 220,000 fans, she won backing from an investor and quit her public-relations job.

Then it all came tumbling down. Internet authorities shut down her blog, called Shameless China , with no warning. It happened just after she posted an article mocking Chinese men’s hairstyles , including former President Jiang Zemin’s slick-backed coiffure.

I guess Party Officials don't like being made fun of for having weird hair. I wonder if Trump will take a page out of their book if by some disaster he becomes President?

Coup D'Etat in Turkey?

You can't keep the military down for too long in that country.

The military said it seized control "to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated."

The military statement went on to say that "all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue."

I think this was a reaction to the move to "Islamicise" the country by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I read an article about how the country was moving in that direction a while back. Hopefully, there won't be any bloodshed going forward. 

I Have to Agree with the Dallas Police Chief: Cops are Taking on Too Much

I have to agree with this assessment.

“We’re asking cops to do too much in this country,” Brown said at a briefing Monday. “We are. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cops handle it. Here in Dallas we got a loose dog problem; let’s have the cops chase loose dogs. Schools fail, let’s give it to the cops. That’s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.”

That mental health part is especially correct. There needs to be more money used to try to tackle that issue. You know the dog thing is because there was probably a funding cut to whatever state agency took care of those stray dogs. 

I also think cops should not pull anyone over for having a broken tail light. That is just a revenue issue and that Philando Castile fellow seems to have been killed because of it. Let cops investigate violent crimes and all that other stuff can be handled by someone else.

Trump Clashes with Arizona Senator at Closed Door Meeting of the GOP

Whenever I read something like this I always think Hillary can start measuring the drapes in the White House.

He was referring to Trump’s comments last year when the real estate mogul questioned whether senior Arizona Sen. John McCain was a war hero because he had been captured.

“When he attacks the other senator from Arizona, John McCain, and attacks his war record by saying I don't respect people who get captured, that's -- what an awful, awful thing to say about a war hero, a true war hero,” Flake said.

Trump then predicted that Flake wouldn’t win his re-election bid, despite him not being up for re-election in 2016. 

That last statement sums up Trump in a nutshell. Lash back without the facts as always instead of trying to mend some fences. Trump could have at least apologized for the "not a war hero if you are a POW" idiotic statement. Instead double down and act like a fool.

Time to Buy Deutsche Bank?

The stock hit a 30 year low today so it might be time to pull the trigger and buy them on the cheap.

Germany's Deutsche Bank (DB) plunged further on Wednesday, at one point slipping to a record low  €11.370 ($12.57), down 6.7% on Tuesday's already weak closing price of €12.13. The continued fall, as the share plumbs depths unseen for 30 years, comes as Barclays analysts reduced their earnings per share target for Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse (CS) and UBS (UBS) , citing capital gaps and restructuring challenges as the dominant issue.

One of their subsidiaries failed the Treasury Stress tests thus making them drop like a rock. Also you add Brexit fears and you get a perfect storm of a 30 year low. The interesting part is that DB has $1.7 trillion (with a T) in cash on hand. So they could recapitalize that DB Trust unit that failed the stress test if they have to. Also I have to agree with Cramers statement:

"Do you think that the richest country on Earth, Germany, is going to let Deutsche Bank be Lehman? Do you think they are going to teach Deutsche a lesson, the way that Hank Paulson thought might be the right thing to do when Lehman was on the ropes? I think they ARE Deutsche Bank," said Cramer.

I have to agree that if DB fails Germany fails. From what I read DB is tangled quite a bit in the German economy by holding the debt of many things in Germany. Thus if they fail it means recession time for Germany. I'm sure Merkel would not let that happen since they are pulling the European sled. Too bad you don't get any dividend to help you wait out any further problems though.