https://dbdailyupdate.com/
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Good news from Israel. (See 1 edited below.)+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Schiff . (See 2 below.)
And:
Ten reasons why she likes Trump.
What radicals cannot bring themselves to admit is though they hate Trump the messenger they cannot ignore/deal with the fact the deplorables like the message. (See 2a below.)
Finally:
Troubled waters (See 2b below.)
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Another Rant. (See 3 below.)
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Is Soros America's evil Svengali?(See 4 below.)
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DORIS
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1)This week's positive Israel newsletter is "awash" with articles and innovations that will help clear up many illnesses and resolve wastewater contamination, air pollution, water shortages, driver fatigue, agriculture inefficiencies, access to nature, and misconceptions about Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Jewish State in general.
Please visit www.IsraelActive.com and use the SEARCH box to retrieve archived articles on subjects that are of interest to you.
Important - If this email arrives in your spam / junk folder, please mark it as "not spam".
Best regards
Michael
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Good results in sepsis treatment trial. As reported previously (see here) Israel’s Enlivex Therapeutics has developed Allocetra which rebalances the immune system. Allocetra was given to six patients suffering from severe sepsis at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. All survived.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/
Amazing medical innovations. Great video by Naftali Hananya about Israeli medical innovations previously reported in this newsletter. It highlights nano eye drops to restore vision (see here); Savicell’s lung cancer test (see here); the multiple myeloma treatment XPOVIO (see here); and Relivion’s migraine headset (see here);
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Teva launches anti-cancer treatment. Israel’s Teva is launching Truxima, a biosimilar for Rituxan - Roche’s oncology treatment. It is initially targeted at non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patients but also could treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Early diagnosis of autism. Professor Ilan Dinstein of Israel’s Ben Gurion University has developed a method of detecting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the early age of 18 months. He tracks eye-movements of children watching films. ASD children have significantly more idiosyncratic gaze patterns.
https://aabgu.org/bgu-
Another discovery about memory. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University working with Spanish scientists have discovered that single-cell organisms such as amoebas are capable of developing memory capabilities. The breakthrough could help treat patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
https://aabgu.org/memory-
https://www.ynetnews.com/
Seven joint UK-Israel medical projects. The British-Israel research organization BIRAX is granting funds of £2.8 million to seven, new, three-year bilateral scientific research projects in the field of ageing. These focus on vascular, brain and eye diseases, plus diabetes and involve precision medicine and Artificial Intelligence.
http://www.israelnationalnews.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Sheba’s Innovation Center. (TY Stuart) Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has launched its ARC Innovation Center, with world-class medics plus top technology experts developing new approaches for treatment and rehabilitation. It is the first hospital in the world to provide a virtual reality rehab facility.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The robot will see you now. Israeli startup Diagnostic Robotics has developed an Artificial Intelligent Emergency Room triage robot that assesses the urgency of each patient to determine their priority in seeing a human doctor. The robot also provides the doctor with a preliminary diagnosis and recommendations.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Playschool for 3,000 on Gaza periphery. Just before Islamic Jihad began firing rockets against Israel, the Eshkol Regional Council bordering Gaza broke ground on a new safe playschool and learning center. Thanks to JNF USA and philanthropist Pastor Jentezen Franklin, it will serve more than 3,000 children from the region.
https://www.jns.org/
A Druze Arab Sheikh speaks out. (TY Avi) Druze Sheikh Salim Abu Salah tells of his hopes for the future.
https://israelunwired.com/a-
Israeli Arabs are flourishing. (TY Hazel) Incredible article in Haaretz. Since 2007 Israeli-Arabs in high-tech increased 18-fold. Arab civil servants doubled to 11.3%. 15% of Israeli doctors are Arab. Israeli-Arab schools are receiving unprecedented levels of funding. And a third of new students at Israel’s Technion are Arab.
https://www.haaretz.com/
Israel helps diabetics everywhere. This video for World Diabetes Day on 14th Nov, features 4 Israeli innovations for diabetics. It includes the online site Sehatuna (Arabic for “our health”) where Israel’s Sheba Medical Center provides diabetes advice to patients across the Middle East including Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Fixing children’s hearts despite no diplomatic relations. (TY Hazel) Doctors at the Edmond J. Safra International Congenital Heart Center at Sheba hospital have repaired the hearts of some 80 children from Gaza, Syria and Iraq during the past year. They were brought to Israel by Christian organization Shevet Achim.
https://sputniknews.com/
Israelis win robotics medal and friends in Dubai. Israeli students won a silver medal at the First Global Challenge Robotics Olympiad in Dubai. Of the 191 countries competing, Israel finished the preliminary stages with the highest points ranking. It also won a special prize for its extraordinary assistance to other groups.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
Israel & USA conduct cyber defense exercise. The IDF and US Cyber Command recently held their fourth Cyberdome exercise, preparing for attacks from hackers threatening the national security of both countries. The event constitutes part of the strategic partnership in cyber-security defense between Israel and the US.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Water from the air to Uzbekistan. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Watergen has signed a deal to provide thousands of its Gen-M atmospheric water generators to towns and cities facing water shortages in Uzbekistan. Each generator can make as much as 800 liters of water per day from moisture in the air.
http://nocamels.com/2019/10/
South African President praises Israel. South Africa’s new President, Cyril Ramaphosa, recently expressed hope that his nation can emulate Israel’s approach to economics and technology. He saw Israel as a shining beacon of progress, incentivizing its citizens to innovate and create through special “challenge funds.”
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Israeli solar power for space station. (TY INN) NASA is set to send a prototype of an Israeli-developed miniaturized solar-power generator to the International Space Station. Designed by scientists at Ben Gurion University, it has been hailed as a “major step forward for commercial space missions”
https://nocamels.com/2019/11/
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/
Government tech investment. Israel’s Innovation Authority (III) is to pay up to NIS 2 million per year over 3 years to multinationals and Israeli startups to develop and implement specialized Artificial Intelligence (AI) training programs. It will also pay up to NIS 15 million to local institutional investors to recruit tech specialists.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Matching technology with art. TechnoArt is an Israeli Venture Capital fund and incubator. It set up a $5 million micro-fund and startup accelerator in 2015 that has launched Israeli startups Playit (event production) and Markers (connects advertisers with artists). It now aims to raise a further $75 million.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://technoart.live/ http://playit.live/ http://markersart.com/
Fifty years of Technion Computer Science. Thousands of alumni celebrated the 50th anniversary of Israel Technion’s Computer Science faculty. Its scientists have invented the Zip compression algorithm, 3D camera technology, AI and computer learning innovations, cyber security protection and much more.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
Thousands attend Tel Aviv next-generation drone event. (TY I24 News & UWI) Israel recently hosted the annual International Conference on Unmanned Vehicles. It attracted international leaders in the field to see Israel’s cutting-edge drone technology. And Israel’s Skylock has just sold an anti-drone system to Thailand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Vegan honey. Students at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed synthetic honey that has never been near a bee. They manipulated the bacterium Bacillus subtilis in the lab to produce the same enzymes that occur in the bee’s stomach. Their innovation won gold at MIT’s international iGEM competition for synthetic biology.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://worldisraelnews.com/
Hydrogen is the fuel of the future. As reported previously (1st Oct) Israeli startup H2PRO extracts Hydrogen from water to generate a cheap, non-polluting fuel. A spin-off from Israel’s Technion, one of H2PRO’s main investors is Hyundai Motors. Here is H2PRO’s latest video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Jerusalem R&D center for auto brake company. Rassini, a leading manufacturer of braking systems for GM, Ford, Toyota etc. is opening a research center at the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT). Its aim is to help formulate future strategy. Rassini’s CEO said, “Israel is known as an epicenter for research and development”.
http://www.israelnationalnews.
Constant checks for cybersecurity weaknesses. Israeli startup Pcysys develops cybersecurity software that enables enterprises to continuously test their network to detect security vulnerabilities. Automatic and self-learning, Pcysys has just raised $10 million of funds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Removing formaldehyde pollution. Cancer-causing formaldehyde is released in many industrial processes. Scientists from Israel’s Technion have developed a new process to purify formaldehyde contamination in wastewater. It combines an innovative absorbent clay with resistant bacteria discovered in the Negev desert.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
Another award for deep learning chip. (TY OurCrowd) As reported previously (see here) Israel’s Hailo manufactures microprocessors designed to run AI applications. Having won a Red Herring award in June, it has now been recognized as a CES 2020 Innovation Awards Honoree.
https://www.ces.tech/
Three promising “upstart” startups. There are 3 Israeli cybersecurity companies in “Upstart 100”, an annual list of 100 promising startups to watch by US business TV channel CNBC. Cheq uses AI to detect Ad fraud; Cylus protects railways (see here); and Silverfort develops agentless multifactor authentication.
http://nocamels.com/2019/11/
https://www.cheq.ai/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.silverfort.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Walking the dog – on a bike. (TY Ronnie) Israeli startup Malabi was founded by dog owners who happen to be Engineers. Their quality dog exercise equipment includes the innovative EasyRide – a dog biking leash that is safer for cyclists and more enjoyable for their dogs. Note the scenes from dog-friendly Tel Aviv.
https://easy-ride.co.uk/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
It’s getting easier. Israel leapt 14 places to number 35 in the annual World Bank survey of the ease of doing business in 200 countries. Israel even beat Switzerland in the process.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
State of Arizona opens Israeli trade office. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has announced the opening of a trade and investment office in Tel Aviv. Trade between Arizona and Israel totaled more than $460 million in 2018 – double that in 2010. Governor Ducey led the first ever Arizona trade mission to Israel in 2015.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
http://www.israelnationalnews.
Direct flights to/from Chicago. El Al has announced the launch of nonstop flights between Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion and Chicago’s O’Hare Airports from 22nd March 2020. The service will operate three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) flying passengers on a 282-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-
Amazon launches in Hebrew. On-line giant sales company Amazon has launched a new Hebrew-language interface. It comes with a limited time offer of free shipping to Israel for some 50 million “eligible items”.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Keeping more drivers alert. As reported previously (see here), Israel’s Eyesight Technologies is helping SEAT, LG Electronics, Samsung and Exsun keep drivers’ eyes on the road. Eyesight has just won a $15 million order to integrate its DriverSense software into two new car models of a “well known” US car manufacturer.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Crossix exits for $430 million. Israel’s Crossix Solutions provides data analytical marketing tools for the top 25 pharmaceutical companies. Its Safemine product helps healthcare companies plan, target and measure their marketing campaigns. Crossix has just been acquired by New York-based Veera Systems for $430 million.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://crossix.com/the-
Riskified becomes a Unicorn. Israeli fraud detection startup Riskified was reported here briefly previously (Feb 2016). It has just raised $165 million, valuing the company at over $1 billion. Riskified’s 2018 revenue surpassed $100 million and it is preparing to open offices in Shanghai to add to those in Tel Aviv and NYC.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Supporting farmers in 20 countries. (TY Hazel) Since Israel’s Agritask was last reported here (Jan 2017) it was improving farming efficiency in seven countries. That has now almost tripled to 20 and Agritask has just raised $8.5 million of funds to continue its expansion.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
More from the Jerusalem Biennale. (TY Sharon) As reported previously (16th Oct) the Jerusalem Biennale (“For Heaven’s Sake”) continues until 28 Nov. Here are some of the 17 murals painted by International street artists. Unlike other exhibitions, the art will be permanently displayed, leaving a lasting impression on the city.
http://rjstreets.com/2019/11/
Jerusalem – one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Flight Network included Jerusalem in its report of the World’s 50 most beautiful cities. The guide was compiled by more than 1000 international travel writers, travel bloggers and travel agencies. https://www.flightnetwork.com/
UK newspaper recommends Tel Aviv. (TY Hazel) The UK Telegraph wrote a feature article recommending Tel Aviv “Why this Mediterranean city should be your next destination for winter sun”. It highlighted its marvelous coastline, a growing crop of culinary hotspots and a dynamic and buzzing nightlife scene.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Why not the whole country? (TY Hazel) Condé Nast Traveler ranked Israel 15th in “Top 20 Countries in the World: Readers’ Choice Awards 2019,” Four Jerusalem hotels appear in the “Top 15 Hotels in the Middle East”. Some 600,000 readers submitted comments for the 2019 awards.
https://www.israel21c.org/cn-
Hi-tech visitor center opens in Hula Valley. Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper opened the Stephen J. Harper KKL-JNF Hula Valley Visitor and Education Center in Northern Galilee. It features the latest virtual reality, multimedia and interactive exhibits on bird migration and the restored Hula Valley marshlands.
https://www.cjnews.com/news/
https://www.jns.org/new-hula-
Zero One. (TY Sharon) “Zero.One” (27-28 Nov) is a Digital Art Festival in Jerusalem which explores the connection between human artistry and technology. It centers on the connection between light and shadow, between past and future, between actual and virtual. The Tower of David will be covered in lights from 7pm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Iron Maiden to perform in Israel. Heavy metal giants Iron Maiden have confirmed their first concert in Israel in 25 years will be at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium on May 30th, with Israeli heavy metal band Orphaned Land opening the show. Iron Maiden has sold over 100 million albums and played over 2,000 concerts.
http://www.israelnationalnews.
Jerusalem to host Euro U18 Athletics Championships. The European Athletic Association has chosen Jerusalem as the venue of the 2022 Under 18 European Championships for light athletics. Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor said it was an expression of confidence and support from European countries in the status of Jerusalem.
http://www.israelnationalnews.
Record breaking marathon runner loves Jerusalem. UK’s Nick Butter has just completed a marathon in every country in the world. Due to concerns, he left Israel almost until last. However, Israel’s Daniel Pearlman (originally from the UK) helped organize Nick’s Jerusalem run and Nick was delighted with the experience.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
THE JEWISH STATE
30 orphans celebrate Bat and Bar Mitzvot with Israeli President. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hosted 30 children celebrating their Bat / Bar Mitzvah. All 30 had lost a parent who had been serving in the IDF. The President noted that they had grown up much quicker and that their event was celebrated by the whole country.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Nurse saved by stem cell donor. It’s personal stories that illustrate the amazing impact of Israeli bone marrow database organization Ezer Mizion. In this case, a medic finds herself on the receiving end of medical attention.
http://www.ezermizion.org/
Don’t stop the weddings. Israel couples in Southern Israel continued with their weddings, despite rocket fire from Gaza terrorists. One even took place in a bomb shelter. And when Eurovision 2018 winner Netta Barzelai saw on TV that Efrat and Eliran were downsizing their Beersheba wedding, she rushed over to entertain them.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-
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2) Adam Schiff, Founding Father
The chief impeacher tries to redefine ‘bribery’ under the law.
The Editorial Board
We didn’t realize Mr. Schiff was a constitutional “originalist,” but note his legal sleight-of-hand. Mr. Schiff is not accusing Mr. Trump of bribery based on a current statute. He’s trying to broaden its meaning to fit his current impeachment purposes—supposedly with a James Madison stamp of approval.
He’s wrong about the law and constitutional history. The Founders understood bribery then, as we do now, as involving the offer or acceptance of a quid pro quo. A friend of ours who knows this history supplied us with details from the period.
William Blackstone, the preeminent English law expert of the day widely admired by the Founders, wrote that bribery “is when a judge, or other person concerned in the administration of justice, takes any undue reward to influence his behavior in his office.”
Jacob’s Law Dictionary defined bribery this way: “taken largely it signifies the Receiving, or Offering, any undue Reward, to or by any Person concerned in the Administration of publick [sic] Justice.” That is, a quid pro quo.
At the constitutional convention, Gouverneur Morris discussed the meaning of bribery and used the example of King Charles II taking money from King Louis XIV in return for supporting French policy in Europe.
Mr. Schiff’s problem is that he still hasn’t found a quid pro quo in the Ukraine episode that fits this traditional definition of bribery. Here he is on NPR again: “Well, bribery only requires that you’re soliciting something of value. It doesn’t have to be cash. It can be something of value. And clearly, given the concerted effort that was brought about to get these investigations going by the President, by Rudy Giuliani, by Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland, by others, this was something of great value to the President.”
Sorry, but bribery requires a specific quid pro quo. Mr. Trump asked Ukraine’s President to investigate corruption, including Joe and Hunter Biden. No such investigation began. There was no “quo.” Even if an investigation had started, it is unlikely to qualify as a quo under the bribery law because it isn’t a specific and tangible enough benefit like money.
By Mr. Schiff’s definition, “something of value” is anything that might benefit Mr. Trump politically. But Mr. Trump couldn’t know a Ukraine investigation’s result or even how it would proceed. Every President asks foreign leaders for actions or policies that would benefit him politically in some way. None of this absolves Mr. Trump of rotten judgment in all of this, but it doesn’t qualify as bribery.
The reason bribery is now the Democratic impeachment word of choice has less to do with the law than with politics. The Washington Post reports that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently conducted focus groups in key House battleground districts to test “messages related to impeachment.” Voters were asked whether “quid pro quo,” “extortion” or “bribery” were more compelling. “The focus groups found ‘bribery’ to be most damning,” according to the Post.
Democrats got the message because last weekend they began using “bribery” almost in unison to describe Mr. Trump’s conduct. Mr. Schiff’s NPR riff is an attempt to make the non-crime fit the political spin.
All of which means that, after the first week of public hearings, we are left more or less where we were before. Democrats are exposing details of Mr. Trump’s Keystone Kops diplomacy that was stymied by internal Administration opposition. Mr. Trump committed another own-goal Friday when he used Twitter to attack former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch as she was testifying. He should take Bill Clinton’s advice that the best impeachment defense is to do your job as President.
Americans should by all means consider all this in their voting calculations next year. But on the public evidence to date, there was no crime, much less bribery, that warrants ousting a President months before Election Day.
Donald Trump is the perfect president to counter the D.C. swamp and the foreign policy blob.
As a voter who lives far away from the Beltway bubble, I increasingly find myself harboring an uncomfortable secret: I like Donald Trump, and think he's the perfect president for these times.
Now, I know that's a big no-no. In fact, I probably should keep it to myself. After all, the mainstream media has been working non-stop to make me and countless others hate the president and see him as Public Enemy No. 1.
I'm also decidedly not the kind of voter who is supposed to like Trump; in fact, all my intersecting identities are supposed to hate Trump with a vengeance: I'm a woman, a legal immigrant, a person of color (never liked the term), a former Democrat, and a third-party voter in 2016.
Liking Trump openly is very difficult these days, and it is not recommended that you do so. It's especially difficult in the social circles I move in.
If you've noticed, even some Trump voters and Trump-supporting commentators say things like, "I don't like Trump, but I like his policies," or "He has flaws, but." which is a neat way of putting distance between oneself and the president.
Enumerating the reasons Trump is alright is especially necessary because of the constant vituperation he faces everyday from different liberal quarters. Here are 10 reasons I like Trump.
First, he is sui generis, a singularly unique individual who has single-handedly transformed almost everything about American politics, by sheer force of his personality and ideas. Presidents dream of being transformational, and Trump has transformed politics in ways many presidents can only dream about.
He has transformed both political parties, the mainstream media, and the presidential campaigns, and moved the Overton Window on many issues. He has shown many of our institutions for what they actually are and for what we suspected them to be, and broken their brains in the process. His methods may not always be good, but the results have been okay.
Second, by loudly questioning everything in his unorthodox way he has made us re-examine many things: our bloated bureaucracy, some of our egoistic federal civil servants who believe they're in charge of our republic, the much-vaunted liberal international order, our awful elites and the meritocracy that produced them. Most important, his foreign policy ideas and actions have generated a long- overdue discussion on America's global policeman role and its unsustainable costs to our people.
Third, he loves America, and his love is genuine, palpable and almost retro. We could do with a little of that nowadays, swimming as we are in a sea of self-loathing, self-flagellation, and history-rewriting from the left. America, of course, has its flaws and sins, but it is refreshing to be reminded by our president that it still stands tall.
Fourth, he says what he thinks, is remarkably accessible, and is probably the only president who can't seem to resist answering questions thrown at him. In this, he demonstrates a guilelessness and, shall we say, honesty quite unlike any politician, past or present. It gets him into trouble, of course, but also gets him admirers.
His rhetorical style is, to say the least, unconventional but often effective. By talking like a real person and not trafficking in platitudes and liberal pieties, he has made it difficult for conventional politicians to do their thing.
Fifth, he is clearly a non-ideologue and pragmatic, shown in spades in the way he has refashioned the Republican Party's orthodoxies on trade, immigration, and foreign intervention.
Sixth, his care for American voters seems genuine, especially toward the people who voted for him and show him unflagging support. He is indeed an odd president: a Manhattan billionaire who has a "blue collar sensibility" and relates to voters who've suffered bipartisan neglect from D.C. politicians for decades.
And may I say that his rallies are a thing to behold: all camaraderie and affection between Trump and the crowd, characterized by his playful, extemporaneous riffs, funny and sarcastic, with the underlying theme being a conspiratorial partnership against the smug, self-dealing ruling class and media elites that need to be defeated. No wonder Democratic leaders are anxious about the 2020 election-they can't compete with Trump's offbeat charisma.
Not to mention that he's funny, but you need a special sensor to appreciate it, which the dour, humorless left doesn't have anymore.
Seventh, he has had the greatest influence, perhaps, in transforming how we talk about needless, endless foreign military incursions. He expresses in clear, succinct terms why America's global policeman role is getting to be untenable, as in his press conference after the raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, when he stated, "But the United States taxpayer is not going to pay for the next fifty years (for endlessly staying in the region).”
One of his finer moments came when he mused movingly during a recent campaign rally about being present at Dover Air Force Base, seeing caskets return from war zones and witnessing the families' grief. Would that we have more commander-in-chiefs caring-and publicly at that-about dead American soldiers more than gallivanting around the Middle East looking for civil wars to support endlessly.
Eighth, he has challenged China, our most important geopolitical threat, and done what hasn't been attempted in our status quo politics so far.
Ninth, he says he's "president of America and not president of the world," and that American citizens have to be taken care of first before we take care of the world. What a novel idea. This should be said and practiced more often.
In a sane, common-sense world, Trump's recent United Nations address touting these ideas would be lauded; instead they were pilloried as isolationist and dangerous. But that is the cognitively dissonant media world we live in now-what is pragmatic is framed as radical and transgressive.
Tenth and lastly, I like his chutzpah and pugilistic style, with its underlying theme of "Honey Badger don't care." It's perfectly suited for this moment, where the overarching issue is: Who is really in charge in this republic, the voters or arrogant, un-elected federal bureaucrats who think they know best and try to override the will of voters? He seems uniquely suited to take on the combined onslaught coming from many quarters.
Obviously, I don't like or agree with everything Trump has said and done. Equally obviously, he has moral and ethical failings like many in D.C., but with a difference: he's no hypocrite and has never pretended to be something he's not, which can't be said of his many critics and adversaries. But his flaws and missteps are small potatoes compared to the decades-long, monumental corruption and dishonesty of our ruling and media elite, and the contempt they have toward voters.
The most fun and illuminating part has been watching the mainstream media, academia, Hollywood, and the Democratic Party rip their tolerant masks off and show themselves for what they actually are: vicious, intolerant people who are dangerous when backed into a corner.
I'm now squarely in the camp who believes that Trump is alright, and that nothing he says or does is worse than what the ruling class and media elites do and are capable of. He is far better-or at least far less worse-than them. Truly, as someone said, the office sought the man.
Saritha Prabhu is a freelance writer.
2b)Our Troubled Waters
By Salena Zeto
“Water safety doesn’t pick and choose who it impacts. It is an issue rural people, city people, suburban people, ex-urban people, Democrats, progressives, Republicans, and conservatives are affected by.”
“Nobody is immune because it turns out that every city has got contaminants in their water. It affects the national health profile and the national intelligence. When people are drinking leaded water, it is a confirmed fact that it reduces the IQ of the people who drink that water. And it is confirmed that you are more likely to drop out of high school, that you’re more likely to get involved with crime if you have been drinking leaded water.”
3) In case you missed out, we are now in the longest and biggest bull market run in history. On March 9, 2009 the S&P hit 676.5 and the Dow 6457. The S&P is up 457%, and the Dow up 425%. That happens to be the day I went back in the market, all in. I am still all in. That was the same day Obama met with the CEOs of all the major banks, which to me was the moment Obama decided to let the banks make money again. That was why I went back in. That meeting. Sometimes there is an event like that which seems not to be so critical, but it is a turning point. Right now it is signing a deal with China, and signing USMCA. Both events are coming before Christmas.
The Horowitz report will be out shortly, and that will change the media dialogue, and off the Schiff show. The Schiff show will end, and Graham will announce that there are no grounds for impeachment, or some other similar statement, or the Republicans will drag it out into primary season just to screw with the Dems. But it will be over. The market in January will rise further on historic holiday sales. With very low cost debt and high stock prices, the cost of capital is at an all-time low, so there will be some increase in cap ex after trade deals signed. Barring a black swan, year end will be another goldilocks inflection moment.
2020 can be summed up in the events of two days: A. the Trump Economics Club speech, B. The impeachment hearings that changed nothing, but showed Trump likely did what the Dems claim, but it can't be proven, C. Deval Patrick entered the race and is a likely compromise candidate-black, moderate, strongly backed by Obama, but nobody outside of Mass ever heard of him, and he has no announced policies. And he said capitalism needs revisions. Bloomberg is already under attack and has no chance. Summary: It is the economy stupid, and Trump has great numbers on jobs, minority unemployment, wages, consumer spend, taxes and the stock market, which will continue into 2020. The majority of the voters care far more about A than B, and will completely tune out B now, Trump wins rust belt and TX and FL with the China deal, and wins electoral college with 47%-48% of popular vote. C shows the Dems know they have no chance due to A, and are desperate, but Patrick is unknown and likely will not get the radical left to the polls. A and B combined creates strong chance R's take back House. Everything else is just noise and a waste of time. Few average people care about the impeachment hearings anymore. It is over except for more waste of time hearings and media blather about this or that supposed "bombshell".
If Trump was a normal person, he would win with 70% of the vote, but if he was normal maybe he would not have taken on China, and rebuilt the military, which will be the defining issues and major moment in history for the next 50 years. Three years ago I said "he is a really bad person, but maybe we need our own really bad guy to take on Xi, Putin, Kim and the mullahs." Like him or not, he is changing world history. Hopefully it all works out. Under Obama the country was headed far left, the economy and the world were headed to disaster, and it would have been far more dangerous today if Hilary won.
The insanity of the gig economy startups is dead. We Works, Uber, Lyft, food delivery , and many others have been shown to be unsustainable business models trying to make ordinary businesses, where it is really all about cost control, and make them appear to be some sort of internet cool idea, which they are not. This was Dotcom II with a new crop of kids playing at business, and arrogant venture guys who know nothing about how to run a basic real business thinking they are so smart. Luckily it was not played out in the public markets, so the only ones to really lose are the venture guys on Sandhill Rd. (Silicon Valley) and Softbank. Maybe some of these companies will survive, but as ordinary landlords, and taxi companies. The food delivery companies, and other dumb ideas will likely go away for the most part.
We are now in the critical moment with China. They want tariffs lifted, and Trump knows he has them on the edge, and he will not cave. There will likely be a suspension of the Dec 15 tariffs, but not a rollback until true IP and enforcement changes. That will be gut wrenching for China, and may delay Phase II until 2021. In the end there may be a deal, but the Chinese will cheat because that is their culture, and they got away with it for the past 25 years very successfully. They simply do not understand how to play by the rules. They just take advantage of western naiveite as with WTO.
The EU is done. They really do not matter much anymore. They accomplish little, and are weak. They have no Silicon Valley. They have no leaders, just bureaucrats. They let the mullahs cheat and they do nothing. They are not willing to take on China. Vast over regulation is strangling their economy, and once the UK is out, they lose a big piece of economic value. They are being overrun by Muslims, and that will change the politics and demographics of the region forever for the worse. Rising crime, political dissension, far right groups gaining strength, and Brussels controlling everything. At some point the Eastern bloc may want out, but that will be years away. Almost all of Latin America is in chaos with deadly riots everywhere, and almost all the economies in total collapse. The narcos are trying to get control. This is an existential war for democracy, or narco criminality on our border. Trump needs to pay good attention to Latin America, not just immigration, very soon, or it will just collapse in a mess, and that means many more immigrants and drugs and violent crime to the US border. The Dems absolutely do not seem to have a clue with demands for no wall and open borders. Unfortunately, college kids are being brainwashed to believe all out immigration is a good thing and ICE is bad. 10% of DACCA kids now have felony records.
Bottom line- the US is alone in the world as a safe haven and prosperous nation. The problem is, because of this, and higher rates here, the dollar is high relatively, and that inhibits exports, but it mitigates inflation. It poses a real issue for dollar denominated debt in other countries. This has a good chance of a crisis sometime in the future as the huge excess debt being incurred now at low rates, begins to default when rates eventually rise and cannot be paid off or refinanced. The amount of debt in the world is already at very dangerous levels, both sovereign and corporate. It is now at $250 Trillion and rose $7.5 Trillion in just the first 6 months of 2019. The world is building a debt crisis every day this continues. When rates finally rise-which may be several years from now, you may want to be in cash or gold. But we are years away from then. In the meantime take advantage of the equity markets.
Cap ex is likely to remain slow into 2020. A deal with China and USMCA will be a big good help, but the rig count in shale is declining, and that was a big piece of cap ex in 2017 and 2018. Boeing and GM also did not help. The weak economies in the EU and elsewhere have a big impact because there is weak demand for US industrial equipment, so why build a new plant for export manufacturing. Lastly, there is no labor left to hire for a new factory, so that has been a major factor on restraining building new facilities. Better to use overtime than to not have enough workers to staff a new facility.
Hong Kong is on the edge of complete collapse as a functioning financial capital and tourist center. Xi will need to do something, but is unlikely to do the right things, as he needs to be seen to be in control, and not tolerating revolt. This is going to get even uglier with ramifications that are unpredictable. This is not going to end well for anyone. I expect were it not for the trade deal, we would already have seen a massive crackdown. This is a real inflection point in Asia. Hong Kong is the key capital market. It is like London being in chaos and revolution. It is that monumental for Asia. Capital is now starting to move out. If that becomes a massive flood, then it will disrupt Asian markets, and potentially all financial markets. Emerging markets might have a risk if Hong Kong gets worse.
We hear very wealthy guys say on TV they would be willing to pay more in taxes. Nice PR to avoid getting smacked by the press and online, but it completely misses the real issue. It is really an issue of allocation of capital, and who can put it to use most efficiently and effectively. The answer in every case is not the government. Wealthy guys make far better use of their excess cash than the government ever can. The government needs taxes to pay for certain things, but they already waste trillions, so the far better approach would be to make the current tax dollars work much more efficiently and effectively, and let the private sector invest and give away to charity, the excess. Paying more in tax will only waste more precious capital now used for start ups and charities. If corporations have to pay a lot more tax, the less they have for critical cap ex, higher wages and benefits. The more incentive to move jobs out.
There is a revolution in the works now in healthcare. There is a major move to AI for diagnosis and research. It will yield better outcomes and treatment, and less errors by doctors, and much more effective drugs. It is also allowing seniors to remain in their home instead of in senior living through use of sensors, Alexis type communications, and same day delivery of drugs, and cooked food etc. There will also soon be more robotic types of devices to assist with reminders to take drugs each day, chores, ordering pre-cooked food and cooking. These things have already led to many fewer people moving to senior assisted living. This technology has just begun. There are vast opportunities to invest and profit in this industry, and to improve the lives of seniors.
The homeless situation on the west coast is now a crisis, and at some point, the normal people will leave, or vote Republican again. San Francisco just proved with their election of a radical nut as DA, that it has lost all sense of reality. It shows what the brainwashing on campus does when it comes to a city. That is what you are witnessing. San Fran is filled with young college grads who were taught ICE is bad, sanctuary cities is good, and enforcing quality of life laws is unfair. At some point, these kids will have families who are afraid to go out of the house due to high crime and unsanitary conditions on the street. They will move out, or wake up and realize we have laws and borders, and quality of life laws for a reason. Meantime the rest of us can just avoid going to SF, LA, Seattle, Oakland and Portland, and welcome the white middle class refugees. The governor of TX realized what was happening and acted, luckily for Austin. Austin is another city filled with recent college grads indoctrinated in left wing ideology of the campus. There is a good chance a moderate Republican will be the next mayor of NYC after DeBozo has screwed it up so badly.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg missed court due to a stomach problem. There is a growing chance she will not be on the court by March.
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4) The Curious Activity of George Soros in Virginia
By Daniel Bobinski
In my previous column on George Soros’ connection to the impeachment effort, I pointed out that his name is associated with progressive political agendas, and with good reason. According to the Forbes 400, Soros has donated more than $32 billion dollars over the course of his life – nearly 80 percent of his life’s income – to advance progressive causes.
You’d think that by so generously “investing” (as Soros puts it) in political candidates and causes, he would receive more positive attention in the media. Truth is, Soros knows the majority of America does not want what he’s selling, so he tries not to call attention to himself.
Soros also knows populations are easily influenced by impressive-sounding names and that most people don’t investigate things beyond a surface level. Therefore, he sets up and funds shell-organizations to elect marionettes who will vote and make policy in ways Soros wants.
The Soros Shell Game
In 2017, the year Trump took office, Soros, then 87, moved $18 billion of his $26 billion fortune into his Open Society Foundation, the organization Soros started and personally funds so he can influence governments and society. This is the mother lode that funds hundreds of left-wing PACs, Super PACs, left-leaning candidates, and other progressive causes.
Below are only four of more than 200 organizations in the United States that receive funds from the Open Society Foundation. At first glance, the names of these organizations would appeal to any true Constitutional patriot – those whom Hilary Clinton refers to as “deplorables.”
- American Constitution Society for Law and Policy
- American Family Voices
- Campaign for America’s Future
- Faithful America
These organizations look reasonable, but let’s take a closer look.
The goal of those who founded the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, as revealed by DiscoverTheNetworks.org, was “countering what they saw as the corrupting influence that the conservative views of the Federalist Society were having on young law students from coast to coast.” I don’t know about you, but countering conservative views is hardly what I think of when I see the name, “American Constitutional Society.”
American Family Voices (AFN) sounds like an organization with solid, traditional values, doesn’t it? But AFV founder and president Mike Lux says, “funding for the organization [is] derived from ‘your classic progressive donors.’” For the record, Lux is a Democratic strategist and author of “The Progressive Revolution.”
Campaign for America’s Future (CFA) might sound pro-American, but they certainly don’t support a Constitutional Republic. Nearly 25 percent of the 131 people who founded the organization were active in the Democratic Socialists of America. According to their own website, CFA heavily promotes wealth redistribution, increased social welfare programs, and they strongly endorse the Green New Deal.
Faithful America sounds like an organization that supports Biblical values. Quite the contrary. It’s an effort to influence American churches with progressive thought. They seek to influence followers of Jesus to support government-run healthcare, expand “rights” for people entering the country illegally, and yes, redistribute wealth.
We’ll look at an impressively named PAC in a minute, but do you see that these Soros-funded organizations actually work against the principles set forth by our founders?
Is Soros a Talking Snake?
The Open Society Foundation website portrays George Soros as a caring philanthropist who fights for “freedom of expression, accountable government, and societies that promote justice and equality.” It sounds good on the surface, but if you’re an American Patriot who A) values the principles espoused in the United States Constitution, and B) has done any research into what Soros truly wants, hearing the George Soros story is kind of like listening to a talking serpent selling you on the idea that “you will surely not die” if you eat from that one tree in the middle of a garden.
Said another way, the ideas being peddled by Soros will not take America (or any other country) to a good place.
G. Edward Griffin, publisher of American Media, Inc., says these Soros-funded organizations, “have mission statements that sound high minded and worthy of support, but all of them are committed to goals and projects that are based on the leftist model of collectivism.”
Collapsing America from the ground up
Recently, Soros seems interested in backing candidates who apply the law rather than create it. He has funded many district attorney and other prosecuting candidates in at least ten states. Taking note of this, Cheryl K. Chumley wrote a piece for the Washington Times, titled, “George Soros, buying a district attorney near you.” In that piece, Chumley writes,
It’s one thing to exercise one’s First Amendment rights to support candidates with similar political leanings. It’s another thing entirely to try and collapse a limited government republic, from the bottom up, and implement, in its place, a judicial branch filled with people who twist the Bill of Rights into something it’s not, the Constitution into something it was never intended to be, and the rule of law into a mocking tool for far-left gain.
Soros unashamedly brags about taking advantage of loopholes to get his way. In the case of US elections, Soros has learned how to game the system by using PACs. And, he knows he can use those PACs to elect local district and county attorneys – those who decide how laws get interpreted and enforced.
Soros and the Virginia Elections
This most recent election was no different for Soros. In Virginia, he backed four candidates for county prosecutor positions, and all four won.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, “In addition to the $1.2 million in funds Soros spent on House of Delegates and Senate races in the commonwealth [of Virginia], he funneled an additional $2 million to four Democratic prosecutor candidates” [emphasis mine].
This was curious news to me. Why would Soros be concerned about county attorneys in Virginia? What’s more, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the winning candidate in Loudoun County, Buta Biberaj, received nearly $850,000 in donations from the Justice & Public Safety PAC. They also stated the PAC is “financed by Soros.”
At first I was skeptical. I thought, “Just how much of that $850,000 came from Soros? Is this merely over-dramatic journalism?” After all, I’ve become skeptical of broad-stroke, summative statements. You’ve probably seen it before. A hypothetical conservative candidate collects a hypothetical $8.50 each from 100,000 people, for a total of $850,000. Later, if it’s learned that just one of the $8.50 donors is a pedophile, suddenly it’s a scandal and news outlets everywhere report the candidate is being funded by pedophiles.
So yes, I’m skeptical of broad, summative statements. Therefore, to address my curiosity, I did some research into this particular PAC. Here’s what I found.
- The Justice & Public Safety PAC was founded and incorporated in February, 2017 by Jonathan S. Berkon, a Democratic election lawyer with Perkins Coie.If you don’t know, Perkins Coie is the main legal counsel for the Democratic National Committee. Also note the timing: Donald Trump had been inaugurated only a month earlier.
I then dug a little deeper and found something else:
- According to Federal Election Commission records, the ONLY person who donated money to the Justice & Public Safety PAC was George Soros.
I had to look twice, but my eyes were not lying: Soros was the ONLY person who gave money to the PAC.
I confess, I’ve been hearing “George Soros = bad” ever since Obama began his run for the Presidency. I heard the name so much, I’d fight rolling my eyes whenever someone mentioned him.
I confess and now repent. Right there in black and white, in the Federal Election Commission records, George Soros is listed as the ONLY person who donated to the Justice & Public Safety PAC. And he gave them $1,085,000.00.
This is the new state of politics? Hire a Democratic election lawyer from Perkins Coie to create a Super PAC and be the only person who donates? Since when does ONE person get to fund a PAC just to circumvent election laws, and give $850,000 to a single candidate? Oh, I forgot. It’s George Soros, and he’s exploiting loopholes.
Soros buys attorneys in three contiguous counties
Buta Biberaj was not the only commonwealth’s attorney who won using Soros’ money. Steve Descano (Fairfax County) received more than $600,000 from the Justice & Public Safety PAC (aka George Soros), and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (Arlington County) received nearly $400,000.
Questions: Why is Soros buying these attorney seats in Virginia? Why give $600,000 to an extremely inexperienced Descano when the incumbent was an experienced liberal attorney? What upcoming legal decisions will be on the table in Virginia that Soros wants decided his way?
When interviewed by LoudounNow about why Soros would pour so much money into her campaign, Biberaj said the super PAC was only supporting the message she was already promoting. I say she can claim that all she wants, but she won her seat by a very slim margin, so without Soros’ $850,000, she’d be shopping her resume about now. She owes him and she knows it. The question remains: What does Soros want in Virginia?
Violations of law?
By law, Super PACs are not supposed to coordinate activities with political parties or candidates. As I looked over the Justice & Public Safety PAC’s disbursements in their their FEC filings, I saw a lot of activity that would require coordination with candidates. Expenditures like $27,000 for video production just don’t happen without contacting a candidate’s campaign.
Also, if super PACs are not supposed to be coordinating with candidates and vice versa, why does the Justice & Public Safety PAC Facebook page say it is “Authorized by Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney”? Here’s a screen shot I captured on Nov. 14, 2019:
I believe Soros and his shell organizations are crossing some lines here, but no doubt Soros can claim immunity because of his shell game using super PACS to violate federal election laws.
The problem? Soros will laugh it off because nobody will do anything about it. And even if they did, would the attorneys who got elected get removed from office? Hell no.
If I may borrow a line from William Shakespeare, it seems something is rotten in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
And also in the enforcement of our Federal Election Laws.
I don’t think I’m done talking about this guy. More on Mr. Soros in the days to come.
Note: Tracy Beanz contributed to the research for this article.
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