Causes of the Great Bear/Robot War
Remember, the Robots fired first and they did it twice.
Jul 01 2019
Happy Prime Day
Jul 01 2019
Cartnoon
I don’t know if any of you had the opportunity to attend a full time Summer Camp (as opposed to a Day Camp) as I did.
I acquired a ton of skills, but the best part was since it was not attended by anyone else in my School System I could drop Peer Group expectations and resentments and spend two whole weeks blessedly clear of my reputation as a Nerd (totally misguided, I’m a Geek; oh ok- Nerds know lots of stuff about a particular subject and are not only experts but obsessed to the exclusion of other topics, Sherlock Holmes was a Nerd. Geeks on the the other hand know a lot about a lot of things and like showing off, Richard Francis Burton was a Geek).
Summertime is also the time for travel, at least for me. This means connection availability is unknown and each change in location involves the tear down and setup of my work station which also can be easy enough, but frequently involves delays. My road system is laptop based to be sure but not a particularly light one and I’ve invested in equipment that enhances its capabilities that are not without quirks.
Anyway I do the best I can but publishing is likely to be spotty and erratic.
Jul 01 2019
The Breakfast Club (Intolerance)
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins; The first nuclear weapons test in peacetime; TR’s assault on San Juan Hill; Britain’s Princess Diana born; Hong Kong returned to China; Actor Marlon Brando dies
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other.
Jul 01 2019
Six In The Morning Monday 1 July 2019
Hong Kong: Police and protesters clash on handover anniversary
Police in Hong Kong have clashed with protesters marking the anniversary of its handover from UK to Chinese rule.
In chaotic scenes on Monday, police used pepper spray and batons to contain protesters outside a venue hosting an annual flag-raising ceremony.
A small group of protesters also smashed into the government building.
This is the latest in a series of protests against a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China.
The government has agreed to suspend it indefinitely, but the rallies continue and Chief Executive Carrie Lam is facing ongoing calls to resign.
The Indian state where farmers sow the seeds of death
Cancer rates are the highest in the country, drug addiction is rife, and 900 farmers have killed themselves in two years. How did Punjab turn toxic?
Vivek Chaudhary
The road to Langroya village weaves its way through fields rich with crops that offer a vivid snapshot of India’s kitchens. There is wheat, rice, sugarcane, maize, mustard seed and a rich variety of vegetables that have made this corner of the country India’s most important agricultural region.
Like the majority of their compatriots in Punjab, Langroya’s residents rely on farming for their existence. About three-quarters of the state’s 30 million-strong population is involved in agriculture, with wheat the number one commodity. But while Punjab is known as “India’s bread basket”, there are challenges amid the abundance.
The list of concerns includes withering land, chronic illnesses, water shortages and an opioid drug epidemic that has wreaked havoc on village life. Over the past two years, more than 900 Punjabi farmers have killed themselves, and the state has the highest rates of cancer in India. A government survey estimates that more than two-thirds of households have at least one drug addict in the family. Added to this is the burden of paying off loans that many farmers take out from unofficial lenders at exorbitant interest rates.
Germany records all-time hottest June temperature
The last day of June has beaten all previous temperature highs for the month. Heat-related deaths have been reported in several European countries.
Germany set its all-time highest June temperature on Sunday, with 38.9 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The country has been baking in an early summer heat wave; however, Germany’s all-time high of 40.3 degrees Celsius still stands.
Fifty-seven runners at Hamburg’s half marathon were hospitalized on Sunday after many collapsed in temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius, officials said. Some 141 runners needed treatment in what fire service officials described as “an emergency with mass casualties.”
The secondhand harms of drinking impact 1 in 5 adults, study says
Updated 0417 GMT (1217 HKT) July 1, 2019
About one-fifth of adults in the United States have experienced some form of harm due to someone else’s behavior while drinking.
That’s according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, which found that in 2015, an estimated 53 million adults — or nearly 1 in 5 — said they had experienced at least one harm attributable to someone else’s drinking in the past year. That harm ranged from property damage to physical injury.
‘Millions march’: Sudanese renew protests to demand civilian rule
At least seven protesters killed as tens of thousands take part in mass demonstrations, dubbed the ‘millions march’.
At least seven demonstrators in Sudan have been killed and more than 180 injured as tens of thousands poured onto the streets across the country to pressure the country’s ruling generals to hand over power to a civilian-led administration and seek justice for the scores of victims of a deadly military crackdown.
Dubbed the “millions march”, Sunday’s mass demonstrations were the first since security forces on June 3 killed more than 100 people during the bloody dispersal of a protest camp outside the military headquarters, the focal point of the protesters’ months-long struggle for democracy.
‘Horses**t’: Susan Rice Throws Down On Trump’s Claim About Obama And North Korea
President Donald Trump over the weekend claimed that he accomplished what former President Barack Obama could not when he met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
But some of Obama’s closest advisers said that’s just not true ― and former national security adviser Susan Rice flat-out called the claim “horseshit.”
Trump said before his meeting with Kim at the DMZ:
“President Obama wanted to meet, and Chairman Kim would not meet him. The Obama administration was begging for a meeting. They were begging for meetings constantly, and Chairman Kim would not meet with him.”
Jun 30 2019
Downwind
Over the years I’ve taken a ton of crap about my position that there are fundamental and horrifying similarities between the United States post 9/11 and Nazi Germany in 1933 which I usually express in short hand as “Good German”.
My contention is perfectly rational and well supported by evidence. If you find the comparison offensive I invite a little self examination into how “woke” you really are.
Are you going to wait, all “pragmatic” and “electoral victory” like, until they come for you too?
Who will be left to defend you then?
This is the week it became accurate to compare Trump to Hitler
by Lucian K. Truscott IV, Salon
June 29, 2019
This was the week that three children, including two babies, and a woman were found dead near the Rio Grande River in south Texas, apparently overcome by the heat, according to the Washington Post.
This was the week that we learned that a lawyer from the Department of Justice argued in a case before the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that the federal government, in providing so-called “safe and sanitary” conditions for migrant children being detained, is not necessarily required to provide them with toothbrushes, soap, or even beds.
This was the week that President Trump fired the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection and appointed in his place a man by the name of Mark Morgan, a former Fox News contributor and advocate of Trump’s “tough” policy on the border, who made racist comments about migrant children to Tucker Carlson on his show back in January. This followed an all-out purge of the leadership of every single agency involved in immigration or border protection, leaving all of the agencies from Homeland Security on down with acting leaders who have not been confirmed by the Senate.
This was the week that a “controversy” continued over what to call the facilities where the United States government is housing migrant children who have been separated from their parents in filthy, disgusting, unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Last week, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the detention facilities run by the Trump administration “concentration camps” and was immediately attacked by Republicans like Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming for making light of the Holocaust.
And this was the week that we learned the government is spending $775 per child per day to house migrant children in the temporary tent camps it is running along the border and in southern Florida.
…
I’ve spent my entire life trying to figure out how the entire nation of Germany, all of its ordinary citizens living in cities and towns and villages across the country, could have stood by while their own government rounded up people and stuck them in hastily built, disgusting concentration camps, and then proceeded to kill them by gas or bullets or starvation or overwork or disease or simple filth and neglect.This was the week I think I finally understood it. What happened in Nazi Germany didn’t affect their own lives, it happened away from them, it happened to “others,” to people who were not like them, whom they had been conditioned to hate, and it happened at the direction of a leader they admired and revered. And it happened with the overt or tacit approval of their fellow citizens all around them.
This is what is happening in our country right now, right this minute, right in front of us. We are being shown horrible photographs of death along the border. We are being provided with stories of incredible injustice, like the arrests and prosecutions of people leaving water in the desert for migrants. We are being provided with information like this, from the New Yorker, describing conditions in one of our own government’s camps for migrant children:
“There are some other stories that we’ve heard from the children, such as that one of the guards has an older child, who’s seventeen, serve as the unofficial guard inside the room. So he tells the kids what to do, and he tries to keep the room neat and straighten up the mattresses and everything. Now, the guards reward him with extra food, and when a seven-year-old saw that this older boy was getting extra food by being helpful, he asked if he could help clean up the room and keep it neat so that he, too, could get extra food. And the seventeen-year-old chastised him for this, and then when an older sibling tried to stand up for his little brother, the guard intervened and reprimanded both the little boy and his older brother.”
There is a word for this: Kapo. It’s the German word for a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp picked by guards to watch over other prisoners. Kapos were spared from hard labor and given extra food and blankets and privileges, but if they failed to supervise their fellow concentration camp victims to the guards’ satisfaction, they were reprimanded and returned to the regular camp population.
There it is in black and white, a description of behavior caused and sanctioned by our government that is almost exactly the same as what happened in Nazi Germany. Are we running concentration camps? You damn right we are. Are we killing people? No, but they are dying along our southern border from exposure, from disease, and they’re dying inside our own detention facilities, run by officers of our federal government.
I have been skeptical until now of people who have compared Donald Trump with Adolph Hitler. I’ve scoffed at speculation that Trump will refuse to leave office if he loses the election in November of 2020.
No longer. This was the week that we crossed the line. Things are being done to children in our name that should shame us all. That there is a significant portion of this country, such as the Trump supporter who denigrated and belittled Peter Vu for his proffer of kindness to migrants should give us more than pause. It should scare the shit out of us.
It can happen here. It is happening.
I don’t demand an apology. I’d be content if you’d just open your eyes and see.
And take a deep breath, downwind.
Jun 30 2019
And you think “our” politics is complicated?
I haven’t talked much about Brexit recently and that’s because other than gloating over May’s political demise and watching Boris Johnson emerge as the John Gotti of the Tory Party (which was inevitable).
Boris Johnson’s “No Deal” Brexit policies may mean he never presides over #10.
Boris Johnson ‘might never enter No 10’ if MPs withdraw support
by Michael Savage, The Guardian
Sat 29 Jun 2019
With Tory MPs threatening to withdraw support for the party under his stewardship, Johnson is warned that he could be prevented from ever entering Downing Street should it become clear he cannot command a majority in the House of Commons.
It is the latest sign of the parliamentary crisis that could face Johnson upon his election. It risks involving the Queen in politics and could pull Theresa May back into the Brexit impasse; as the incumbent prime minister, she will be key in recommending to the palace who should be called to form the next government.
Johnson’s legitimacy would be challenged if just a handful of Tory MPs declare that they could not support his administration, according to professors Robert Hazell and Meg Russell from the constitution unit at UCL, University of London. With May already struggling with a tiny working majority, two Tories – Dominic Grieve and Ken Clarke – have already indicated that they would not be able to support an administration that would leave the EU with no deal, which Johnson is willing to do.
The professors conclude Johnson would “not necessarily” become prime minister should he beat Jeremy Hunt and become Tory leader at the end of July. The cabinet manual, which covers changes in government, does not deal with the unusual circumstances that have been created in parliament by the Brexit dilemma.
“The key test is whether the Conservatives’ new leader is able to command the confidence of the House of Commons,” they write. “Whether the new Conservative party leader can command parliamentary confidence is clearly in some doubt given comments from Conservative MPs that they may not be able to support the new government. The government only has a majority of three, including the DUP, so only a very few rebels is enough for it to lose its majority.
“One possible scenario is that a group of Conservative MPs is so concerned about the winning candidate that they declare their withdrawal of support immediately the result of the leadership contest is known – ie, before the new PM is appointed. This would pose a serious dilemma for the Queen and those advising her, because it would not be clear that the new Conservative leader could command confidence.”
One senior Tory said it was simply a statement of reality that Johnson would struggle to form an administration. However, he predicted that Johnson would be allowed to do so at the end of July, but would be likely to face a no-confidence vote when MPs returned from summer recess. “It’s very probable that he will be able to set up an administration and the crunch in terms of his legitimacy won’t come until September,” he said.
In their analysis, Hazell and Russell conclude that the Queen could make the new Tory leader a “provisional appointment” as prime minister, conditional on him demonstrating he has the confidence of enough MPs. “Alternatively, Theresa May could remain in place and facilitate a process in parliament to demonstrate that the winning candidate – or indeed an alternative candidate – can win a confidence vote, before recommending that person to the Queen.”
It is currently unclear who an alternative candidate could be. Labour would not have the numbers to form a government, so some kind of unity-government figurehead could be an option. Many MPs on all sides now believe that the crisis will end in an autumn general election, either called by Johnson or forced upon him MPs unwilling to leave the EU with no deal.
I agree that Johnson will face a vote of No Confidence after his election as Party Leader and I also think it highly likely there will be a General Election before the October Brexit deadline, but what do I know? I’ve been predicting it for 2 years now.
I also think it’s a crapshoot whether the EU will extend it, though they probably will because Parliament could simply rescind the Article 50 resolution it passed and if they do the EU will have to accept them back. On the other hand EU Leaders are exceedingly pissed at May and the Tories and should they be returned to Government I doubt they will be inclined to cut them any slack at all.
Jun 30 2019
The Breakfast Club (Crispy)
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:30am (ET) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
AP’s Today in History for June 30th
Adolf Hitler purges rivals in Nazi Germany; America’s food and drug safety take a big step forward; ‘Gone With the Wind’ published; Tonya Harding banned from figure skating; Singer Lena Horne born.
Breakfast Tune Skating Away – Jethro Tull Banjo Cover
Something to think about, Breakfast News & Blogs below
Top scientist slams OPCW leadership for repressing dissenting report on Syria gas attack
Aaron Maté
Facing a growing controversy, the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has offered his most extensive comments to date on a leaked internal assessment that challenged allegations that the Syrian government carried out a [https://thegrayzone.com/2019/05/25/opcw-syria-gas-attack-staged-theodore-postol/ chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma] in April 2018.
But the remarks from OPCW chief Fernando Arias have done little to address concerns that his UN-backed watchdog suppressed the document and published a flawed report that ignored countervailing data.
In an exclusive interview with The Grayzone, the award-winning rocket scientist and MIT professor emeritus [https://sts-program.mit.edu/people/emeriti-faculty/theodore-postol/ Theodore Postol] accused Arias of badly mischaracterizing the document in order to paper over his organization’s errors.
According to Postol, the OPCW appeared so determined to attribute blame to the Syrian government that it overlooked clear evidence the incident was staged.
In the end, Postol said, the OPCW produced “a product of compromised reporting of the inspection and analysis process by upper level OPCW management.”
…
IT DIDN’T TAKE long for the political classes to decide that the biggest loser in part two of the first Democratic primary debate was former Vice President Joe Biden. California Sen. Kamala Harris ripped Biden for bragging about maintaining relationships with segregationists, leading Biden to bizarrely defend the right of local governments to pursue segregation as a policy. And the moderators raised his vote for the Iraq War while in the Senate.
The most unlikely Biden callout, though, came in the form of a recent history lesson by longshot candidate Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet. Bennet turned one of Biden’s own talking points back on him by pointing out the former vice president’s revisionist version of when he was taken to the cleaners by Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.
Biden attempted to defend his acumen for negotiating with Republicans during Thursday night’s debate by citing his ability in late 2012 to convince McConnell to raise taxes. The problem for Biden was that multiple people on stage had witnessed Biden’s effort, and it was an utter catastrophe for Democrats.
Bennet jumped on Biden, laying out the reality of Biden’s faceplant. The episode was the subject of an Intercept article published earlier this week, drawn from my new book, which looked back at the pivotal “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
Tax cuts from the George W. Bush era were set to expire, which would have brought $3 trillion in revenue to the federal government over 10 years. Biden settled with McConnell for a mere $600 billion, making the rest of the tax cuts permanent.
“I got Mitch McConnell to raise taxes $600 billion!” Biden said.
Bennet wasn’t having it. “The deal that he talked about with Mitch McConnell was a complete victory for the tea party,” Bennet said. “That was a great deal for Mitch McConnell. It was a terrible deal for Americans.”
Fact check: True.
Biden botched the late 2012 talks badly, but the cascading effects of the deal were even more damaging for Democrats. The deal did not address the debt limit and punted what’s known as the sequester — automatic spending cuts — only to March, rather than eliminating it, as Democrats had been pushing for.
…
- Yes, Joe Biden really hated busing in the ’70s: His response to Kamala Harris wasn’t true
IGOR DERYSH
- The Tulsi Effect: Forcing War Onto the Democratic Agenda
Maj. Danny Sjursen
- #Election2020 – Bernie Sanders Sole Candidate to Address the Black Press at NNPA National Convention
Stacy M. Brown
- Tulsi Gabbard Was the Clear Winner of the Democratic Debates
Maj. Danny Sjursen
- Demasking the Torture of Julian Assange
Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
- Lyme Disease Cases Are Exploding. And It’s Only Going to Get Worse.
Alex Bhattacharji
Something to think about over coffee prozac
Researchers Teach Gray Seals To Sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’
David Moye
Continue reading
Jun 30 2019
Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition
Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition“Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
On Sunday mornings we present a preview of the guests on the morning talk shows so you can choose which ones to watch or some do something more worth your time on a Sunday morning.
Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt
The Sunday Talking Heads:
This Week with George Stephanopolis: The guests on Sunday’s “This Week” are: nd Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders {I-VT).
The roundtable guests are: Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ); Democracy for America CEO Yvette Simpson; former DNC Chair Donna Brazile; and National Review Editor Rich Lowry.
Face the Nation: Host Margaret Brennan’s guests are: Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council Director; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MI).
Her panel guests are: Shannon Pettypiece, Bloomberg News;; Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review; Antjuan Seawright, Political Strategist; and Edward Wong, New York Times.
Meet the Press with Chuck Todd: The guests on this week’s “MTP” are: Sen. John Barrasso (R-WI); 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Julián Castro and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
State of the Union with Jake Tapper: Mr. Tapper’s guests are: 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Julián Castro and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
His panel guests are: Mary Catherine Ham, conservative journalist; Bakari Sellers, Democratic strategist; Trumpsster David Urban; and Jess McIntosh, Democratic strategist.
Jun 30 2019
Six In The Morning Sunday 30 June 2019
Donald Trump invites Kim Jong-un to visit US after stepping into North Korea
US president steps over demarcation line as two leaders chat in historic meeting
After announcing that the sides would be setting up new teams to take forward negotiations, Trump was asked during the press conference if he believed that North Korea’s previous negotiators were still alive.
“I think they are.. I know one of them is alive,” he replied.
Meanwhile, Trump talked up the fact that there has been no recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea.
Japan gives Trump colourful map to help him understand its investment in US
‘Kudos to Japan, they figured out how best to interact with a toddler. So sad’
The Japanese prime minister has appeared to reveal a deep insight into Donald Trump’s thinking – when he gave him a colourful chart as a simple visual representation of Japanese investment in the US.
It depicted a map of America, with arrows leading to boxes of information on where and what the investments were.
The headline “Japan has five additional investments in just one month” was in big red letters with the words “five” and “just one month” both underlined and in capital letters – possibly designed to mirror Mr Trump’s liberal use of capital letters in his tweets.
Turkey’s Democratic HopeIstanbul Mayor Poses Existential Threat to Erdogan
After opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu won the first Istanbul mayoral election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had the vote repeated. The new mayor’s second victory heralds the arrival of a great democratic hope for Turkey — and perhaps even the beginning of the end of the Erdogan era.
No matter where Ekrem Imamoglu goes these days, his fans await him: Women with headscarves who want to touch him, teenagers asking for a selfie. That’s the case in Istanbul, where Imamoglu was elected mayor last Sunday by an overwhelming margin, but it’s also true of conservative strongholds like the city of Trabzon on the Black Sea.
Videos recorded in Trabzon shortly before Imamoglu’s election as mayor of Istanbul, show people celebrating him like a savior. They swing flags with this portrait, yelling: “President Ekrem!” His election song blasts from the speakers: “Her sey cok güzel olacak!” All will be good. The Imamoglu hype has swept across all of Turkey.
Sudan braces for ‘million march’ in opposition to military rule
Sudan braced Sunday for a mass protest in the capital against the country’s ruling generals, as calls mounted for restraint to prevent a new military crackdown on demonstrators.
The planned “million-man” march is seen as a test for protest organisers who have been hit by a June 3 raid on a Khartoum sit-in and a subsequent internet blackout that has curbed their ability to mobilise support.
Dozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds wounded when armed men in military fatigues stormed the sit-in outside army headquarters, shooting and beating protesters who had camped there since April 6.
Russia plans to tow a nuclear power station to the Arctic. Critics dub it a ‘floating Chernobyl’
By Mary Ilyushina, CNN
Next month, a floating nuclear power plant called the Akademik Lomonosov will be towed via the Northern Sea Route to its final destination in the Far East, after almost two decades in construction.
It’s part of Russia’s ambition to bring electric power to a mineral-rich region. The 144-meter (472 feet) long platform painted in the colors of the Russian flag is going to float next to a small Arctic port town of Pevek, some 4,000 miles away from Moscow. It will supply electricity to settlements and companies extracting hydrocarbons and precious stones in the Chukotka region.
A larger agenda is at work too: aiding President Vladimir Putin’s ambitious Arctic expansion plans, which have raised geopolitical concerns in the United States.
‘Madrid Central’ protest: Thousands oppose suspension of anti-pollution plan
Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Madrid on Saturday to oppose the newly elected conservative mayor’s decision to reverse car pollution restrictions.
The People’s Party-run city hall has provoked an outcry by suspending a ban on most petrol and diesel cars in Madrid’s centre.
The policy aimed to ensure the city complied with the EU’s clean air rules.
Fines were levied on drivers who broke the rules.
Jun 29 2019
Health and Fitness News
Welcome to the Stars Hollow Gazette‘s Health and Fitness News weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here.
Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt
What To Cook
Oh my gosh! Thursday in the 4th of July. Many folks are lucky enough to take the week off from work of at least Friday to make it a five day holiday weekend. So besides going fishing, swimming, sailing, playing some tennis or kicking the ball around, taking in a ball games or outdoor concert, what are you cooking? Here are some recipes favorites with a twist from Epicurious
You’ll need your favorite seafood seasoning and your biggest pot for this boil (also called Frogmore Stew, One-Pot, or Farmer’s Seafood Boil) brimming with plump shrimp, sweet corn, smoky sausage, and tender potatoes. Call all your friends and spread out some newspaper for a fun, roll-up-your-sleeves meal that will feed a crowd
This luxe burger gets its umami-packed richness from dry-aged steak. Yep, you read that right, we grind beautiful steaks to make a burger. One bite of the juicy patty, steak sauce–flavored onions, and rich herb butter (inspired by Béarnaise sauce, a classic steak condiment) and you’ll know it’s worth every penny.
“Steakburger with Tangy Caramelized Onions and Herb Butter” on FacebookShare “Steakburger with Tangy Caramelized Onions and Herb Butter” on TwitterShare “Steakburger with Tangy Caramelized Onions and Herb Butter” on PinterestShare “Steakburger with Tangy Caramelized Onions and Herb Butter” on Google+Email “Steakburger with Tangy Caramelized Onions and Herb Butter”
Spicy chipotle and zesty lime perk up quick and easy grilled steak. Serve with tortillas and all the fixings for a zero-fuss taco night.
When corn and tomatoes are ripe, let them shine in simple preparations like this refreshing, time-saving dinner, in which the salmon is poached in the same thyme- and garlic-infused water that the corn is boiled in.
You should be grilling flanken-style short ribs this summer: They’re an affordable, quick-cooking weeknight dinner option. The ribs benefit from a bittersweet and mustardy orange marmalade marinade, and those flavors reappear as a dressing on grilled romaine and radicchio. It’s a completely new spin on steak and salad-and perfect for a family feast.
This summery, Greek-inspired dinner comes together in a snap with the help of a grill basket. This recipe can easily be doubled to serve four, either by cooking in two batches or using two grill baskets.
Marinating sliced tomatoes in salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh oregano intensifies their flavor and brings out their rich juices. Serve with crusty bread for mopping it up.
Make this patriotic dessert for the 4th of July, Memorial day, or anytime you want to show your national pride.
Your favorite granola becomes the easiest crisp topping ever in this warming dessert that celebrates the sweet stone fruit. Want to make it even better? Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream alongside.
Jun 29 2019
The Breakfast Club (Promises)
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
The U.S. Supreme Court effectively voids state death penalty laws; Jerusalem reunified under Israeli control after the Six-Day War; Singer Rosemary Clooney and actress Katharine Hepburn die.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it.
Jun 29 2019
Six In The Morning Saturday 29 June 2019
G20 summit: Trump and Xi agree to restart US-China trade talks
The United States and China have agreed to resume trade negotiations, easing a protracted row that has fuelled a global economic slowdown.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached the agreement on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.
Mr Trump said the talks had been “excellent”.
He had threatened to impose an additional $300bn (£236bn) in tariffs on Chinese imports.
However after the meeting in Osaka, he confirmed that Washington would not be adding the additional tariffs, and that he would continue to negotiate with Beijing “for the time being”.
When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: ‘Hope is contagious’
One is America’s youngest-ever congresswoman, the other a Swedish schoolgirl. Two of the most powerful voices on the climate speak for the first time
by Emma Brockes
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez enters a boardroom at her constituency office in Queens, New York, after a short delay which, a political aide hopes, hasn’t been caused by a constituent waylaying her in the corridor. (“They can get really excited to meet her.”) Greta Thunberg is in her home in Sweden, her father testing the technology for the video link while the teenager waits in the background. The activists have never met nor spoken but, as two of the most visible climate campaigners in the world, they are keenly aware of each other.
Sea-Watch enters Lampedusa, captain Carola Rackete arrested
German charity rescue ship with 40 migrants on board docks after ‘tense’ days-long standoff with Italian authorities.
A German charity rescue ship with 40 migrants on board defied authorities and docked in the port of the Italian island of Lampedusa early Saturday, after it was at sea for more than two weeks.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that an Italian customs police boat attempted to prevent the Sea-Watch 3 charity ship from docking on multiple occasions, but had to get out of the way in order to not be trapped against a wharf.
Chinese infiltrators plotting Taiwan takeover
Hands of the United Front seen in false news reports and distortion of results of last municipal elections
ByJONATHAN MANTHORPE, TAIPEI
Beijing’s long-threatened invasion of Taiwan is well underway, but its shock troops are not the foot-soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army. They are the shadowy agents of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “magic weapon,” who over the past decade have infiltrated Taiwanese society and institutions.
Since 2015 Xi has doubled the budget and responsibilities of the United Front, which aims to rally support for Chinese Communist Party objectives at home and abroad, often by creating groups and organizations that have no obvious affiliations with the party.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS PLANNING MASS VIDEO PROCEEDINGS FOR IMMIGRANTS IN TENTS ON THE BORDER
A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION program that banishes asylum-seekers to perilous Mexican border cities could expand exponentially — and disastrously — with a new plan to hold mass video proceedings in tents along the border.
Officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, the Trump program has already pushed over 15,000 migrants seeking asylum out of the U.S. and into areas just across the international line, many of which the State Department advises Americans to limit travel to because they are so crime-ridden. Many immigrant rights advocates call the program the “Migrant Persecution Protocols.”
Ancient palace emerges from drought-hit Iraq reservoir
Jack Guy, CNN • Updated 29th June 2019
A 3,400-year-old palace has emerged from a reservoir in the Kurdistan region of Iraq after water levels dropped because of drought.
The discovery of the ruins in the Mosul Dam reservoir on the banks of the Tigris River inspired a spontaneous archeological dig that will improve understanding of the Mittani Empire, one of the least-researched empires of the Ancient Near East, the Kurdish-German team of researchers said in a press release.
“The find is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the region in recent decades,” Kurdish archeologist Hasan Ahmed Qasim said in a press release.