International

The glories of Socialism are expressed beautifully in Venezuela. The compassion of the leader for his people couldn’t be more apparent. Makes one wonder why the mass of unwashed  aren’t more appreciative of  Dear Leader’s efforts.

Venezuela: Maduro Denies Military Abandoned Him, Vows to Resist ‘Gringo Empire’

Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro denied that he had lost control of the military and vowed to use all his power to crush legitimate President Juan Guaidó in his first public address since the latter called for a nationwide uprising on Tuesday.

“We have been facing various modes of aggression and coups d’etat like has never happened before in the history of Venezuela,” Maduro declared, in a speech flanked by his top military commanders. He blamed “the Venezuelan far right, the Colombian oligarchy from Bogotá, and American imperialism” for Guaidó’s moves to finally replace him. [snip]

Guaidó became interim president of Venezuela in January after Maduro claimed the position despite not being democratically elected. Maduro has rejected the legislature’s appointment of Guaidó, refused to leave the presidential palace, and has largely maintained control of the military through his senior henchmen, making it impossible for Guaidó to exercise his power as commander in chief.

Guaidó announced on Tuesday that he had acquired control of a critical mass of the military, but he needed civilians to support the anti-Maduro troops against their superiors. Maduro rejected the call as a “coup” despite his lack of legitimacy in office. [snip]

A bit of color is necessary to highlight Venezuela so that AOC can find it easily.

The Latest: Venezuela’s top court orders López’s arrest

The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):2:20 p.m.

Venezuela’s top court has ordered the arrest of Leopoldo López, an opposition activist who took refuge in the Spanish Embassy after joining an attempt to topple President Nicolás Maduro this week.

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Thursday instructed police to detain López for violating terms of his house arrest.

On Tuesday, López appeared outside a military base in Caracas with opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who urged the military to overthrow Maduro. When the military did not heed the call, López and his family sought refuge in the Chilean ambassador’s residence. They later moved to the Spanish Embassy. [snip]

Observations

Once more the wonders of sensitive, caring socialism shows the rest of the world how to live. Shades of the Communist USSR starvation of the Ukraine to force submission.

Report: 80 Percent of Venezuelans Short of Food

Around 80 percent of Venezuelans are now short of food, according to the new data compiled by NGO Human Rights Watch on Tuesday.

Following a trip to the Venezuelan border with Brazil by a team of health experts from John Hopkins University, researchers found that malnutrition continues to rise aggressively, with 80 percent of households unable to access enough food and rates of malnutrition among five years now over the World Health Organization’s crisis limit. In 2017, the average person lost around 11 kilos (24 pounds). In 2016, that number was 19 pounds; it is expected to have risen in 2018.

Combined with chronic malnutrition, the report also points to the scale of the collapse of the country’s health system, with practically every major health condition ranging from tuberculosis to malaria reaching crisis levels. For example, the number of malaria cases has risen from 36,000 in 2009 to 406,000 in 2017, while 87 percent of HIV patients now do not receive their necessary drugs.

Most of these conditions are going untreated, mainly due to a lack of necessary medical resources and trained specialists. Experts managed to collect such data by working with local authorities at the Venezuelan’s border with Brazil, where thousands of people are fleeing the country every day, many of whom are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Around 2.3 million Venezuelans have left the country have left the country since 2015, mostly to neighboring Colombia and Brazil and other Latin American countries.

As well as the humanitarian disaster, the country is also seeing a complete collapse of most of its institutions, infrastructure, and public services. Nowadays, essential products and resources including water, electricity, transportation, gasoline, and toiletries are all in scarce supply, with regular blackouts across major towns and cities. [snip]

The regime continues to deny the existence of a crisis. Maduro recently declared at the United Nations General Assembly that his country is “stronger than ever” and blamed any visible difficulties on the supposed “economic war” led by the United States.

As in other countries where socialism is the operating form of government, any and all bad occurrences are to blame on some other scapegoat; never is socialism responsible for the economic and cultural woes.
Note that the leaders praise their work with their mouths full.

Socialism has never worked anywhere it’s been tried. Nevertheless, the mushwts who believe so fervently always refuse to accept their place in the terminal horror that ensues with the collapse.

There is never enough OPM
to make socialism work.

Biased Agendas

Big Spenders

The fools writing this mushwit stuff want YOU to give your money to them. That will make it equal.
Let them give their own money to the slugs, the downtrodden and to life’s maladroit.

Nearly half the world lives on less than $5.50 a day

Despite progress in reducing extreme poverty, nearly half the world’s population lives on less than $5.50 a day, with a rising share of the poor in wealthier economies, the World Bank said Wednesday.

In a twice-yearly report, the bank took a broader look at poverty to see where countries were lagging, even though the share of those living in extreme poverty—defined as earning less than $1.90 a day—has continued to come down in recent years.

Under the expanded criteria for poverty, the report found the number of poor worldwide was still “unacceptably high,” while the fruits of economic growth were “shared unevenly across regions and countries.” [snip]

Yeah, that is tough. Maybe they should change jobs. Rooting around for grubs and tubers with a pointy stick seems to be a limited job field. Perhaps a longer stick would help. Other than that they will need to learn how to say. “You want fries wit dat?”

Those words seem to work with the Snowflakes in their ascendancy to the pinnacle of success: Grill master.
And they want $15/hr for such skilled work They don’t even have to use a pointy stick.

Perspire to inspire and take a bath daily. It is called Capitalism.

London and Gun control

If one needs to see the efficacy of trying to control inanimate objects instead of the wielders of such items, one only needs to look to the UK for how that works.

Teens slash each other with MACHETES in horror Luton knife battle epidemic.

//players.brightcove.net/2540076170001/B1CdpYh2z_default/index.html?videoId=5837944236001#t=8s

Footage shows the moment Che Stephens, LucaSanni and Imani Pobi Da Silva lash out at each other  with huge knives as young children watch on.

The clip then reveals Stephens stabbing Pobi Da Silva, aged 17 at the time, before Sanni lunges at Stephens with a machete.

The youngster is then seen struggling to stand, before passing out and appearing to have a seizure in a pool of blood.

Stephens managed to escape and calmly left the scene as Sanni, who was bleeding heavily, was saved by an ex-Army medic.poi

International

While we are consumed by the Democrat circus in DC, other items of interest and import are wracking the UK and the EU. This can provide some amusement for those aware of the world.

The European Union has to be the worst idea ever conceived is the moldy minds of the Socialists. And it is coming apart either by the UK leaving or the financial debacles of Greece, Italy and Spain. If this doesn’t prove to you of the failure of a collectivist economy, please check into the nearest mental health clinic.

May challenges EU as Brexit talks hit ‘impasse’, sterling tumbles

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that Brexit talks with the European Union had hit an impasse, defiantly challenging the bloc to come up with its own plans a day after EU leaders savaged her proposals.

Brexit

September 21, 2018 / 3:26 AM / Updated an hour ago

May challenges EU as Brexit talks hit ‘impasse’, sterling tumbles

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that Brexit talks with the European Union had hit an impasse, defiantly challenging the bloc to come up with its own plans a day after EU leaders savaged her proposals. [snip]

At a summit in Austria on Thursday, EU leaders rejected May’s “Chequers” plan, saying she needed to give ground on trade and customs arrangements for the UK border with Ireland.

The British media said the response had left her proposals in tatters, and May angrily struck back in a televised address from her Downing Street office, saying neither side should expect the impossible from the other.

“Throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect,” May said. “The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it.” [snip]

May has said her Chequers proposals for trade with the EU, which would resolve arguments over the border of Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic, were the only way forward. EU leaders in Salzburg repeated their view that the plans would undermine their cherished single market.

After the summit, EU leaders said they would push for an agreement next month, but both sides have warned they are planning for a no-deal scenario.

Trump’s tariff talk has the EU going sideways as they attempt to push back against Washington.
They’re between a rock and a hard place which is the delightful definition of Schadenfreude.

Peccable reflections

Corporate suicide isn’t a pleasant thing to watch. But in this case, there is a dark side to Nike’s choices and Kaepernick is the distraction. Nike manufactures product overseas at cheap labor then imports the product for sale at high prices.
This miscue is blown up in their face; they thought it would help mitigate the product production overseas utilizing child labor and underpaid at that. More on this will come out in the next few weeks as the investigating dirt diggers produce their news.

Recently Nike changed corporate leadership with the old farts forced out and this new batch of Poobahs taking the reins. Perhaps they are SJW looking to advance a new image.

Of course Nike is a darling of the Left; they donate and give products to those causes loved by the Left and have grabbed corporate sponsorship of most sports teams,pro and collegiate, making them a household item for the wannabes.

It seems that the mess in the NFL and Kaepernick’s association is producing the smell of burning shoes in the Nike using populace.

Daily Insanity

Here’s some news that the State Owned Media won’t publish and the talking heads on the tube don’t want to know. However they’re sure we don’t need a wall.

4 Illegal Aliens Connected to Mexican Cartel Arrested With Nearly $6M in Drugs, Cash, and Weapons on Hand

Thanks to a combined effort of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lawrenceville Police Department, East Point Police, and the Georgia State Patrol four Mexican nationals have been arrested in Gwinnett County, GA this week for their connection to a Mexican drug cartel. These illegal aliens were found with 5 million dollars worth of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin laced with fentanyl as well as $850,000 in cash and weapons located in a storehouse in the metro Atlanta area.

According to NBC 11 Alive, DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert Murphy said the investigation into the cartel started last year. Friday’s drug bust of the men’s home occurred after a tip came in on Thursday evening. [snip]

According to Murphy, one of the illegals is a previously deported convicted felon while two others have ICE detainers. Although authorities know which cartel these men were working for, they declined to comment which organization was responsible for this massive drug load. Murphy said it was “very large cartel” and “We know who they are, we just don’t want to (say) who they are. But we’re getting ready to take them down.”

“That’s $5 million in drugs on the table and nearly $1 million in cash (from Thursday’s raid),” Murphy added. “There’s going to be some explaining to do.”

Note that one of these fencehoppers has deportation convictions; another two have ICE detainers.

The two with the ICE detainers are roaming the streets because some effete politician in a ‘sanctuary’ place didn’t notify ICE when they were released.

 

Build the Wall!

Ending ‘the toiling in the fields’

Technology comes to the rescue. No more work that Americans won’t do. Years ago tomato pickers were put out of work by a machine. At first the robot damages the tomato crop. Science changed that problem by developing tomatoes with thicker skins. Problem solved.

Next it was lettuce pickers. The new harvester can cut the lettuce, wrap and box the heads for shipping. Now the times, they are a changing again. This time it’s strawberries.

A glimpse of the fruit-ure…

Experts are developing a robot to replace human strawberry pickers as farms struggle to find workers due to Brexit.

Around 20 per cent of soft fruits are going to waste due to a shortage of workers,  University of Essex researchers say.

This will worsen when Britain leaves the EU, scientist claim, which has led to farms looking for alternate solutions to harvest crops.

Dr Vishuu Mohan a computer science and engineering lecturer who is leading the project, said: ‘The challenge is that no two berries are the same – they come in different shapes, sizes, order of ripeness and many are hidden in the foliage. [snip]

Don’t be fooled by the fact this is the UK. American engineers will design a mobile system that will pick and pack in the field and transport the produce to storage.
More than likely an American company will buy the eights to this technology. It won’t stop there.

Laissez le bon temps rouler

Venezuelans are ecstatic, well happy, uh glad to see some food. The arrival of such succulent viands cause far less than unbridled joy.

As electricity fails, desperate Venezuelans buy spoiled meat

In a city once called the Saudi Arabia of Venezuela for its vast oil wealth, residents of Maracaibo now line up to buy spoiled meat as refrigerators fail amid nine months of rolling power outages that recently got worse.

Some people fall ill eating the rotten beef, but at bargain prices, it’s the only way they can afford protein as the country’s crisis hits bottom.

“It smells a little foul, but you rinse it with a little vinegar and lemon,” said Yeudis Luna, a father of three young boys buying darkened cuts at a butcher shop in Venezuela’s second largest city.

Venezuelans are enduring the worst economic downfall in the oil-rich country’s history. Basic services like running water and electricity have become luxuries.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro blames the strife on an economic war waged by the United States and other capitalist powers. The governor of Maracaibo’s Zulia state, Omar Prieto, recently said the rampant blackouts were being repaired, but relief has yet to come. [snip]

One of the benefits to this largess is the citizenry gets to pay outrageous sums for such goodies as beef and toilet paper. Care to see the amount of money necessary to take ownership of said products.