Re: Vietnam

Seems to me that over time systems evolve to become efficient out of necessity.  The ATP cycle in biology involves more than a dozen steps to get the maximum energy from a single electron.  The first biological organisms probably only had one step, but they were replaced by organisms that stumbled onto how to be more efficient.  

On Jul 29, 2014, at 12:48 PM, "<larry.r.trout wrote:

 

'Ho Chi Minh would be appalled if he could see Vietnam now.

 

Well, perhaps not appalled—he was less doctrinaire than the likes of Vladimir Lenin and Fidel Castro, and even hard-line ideologues can become more flexible over time—but he certainly wouldn't recognize it.

 

The Doi Moi market reforms that began in 1986 (a mere eleven years after the fall of Saigon and national unification under the Communist Party) and a general slackening of state micromanagement have transformed the country out of all recognition.

 

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/welcome-vietnam

 

 

 

 

Iraq

'Mosul's remaining Christians were fleeing the city yesterday after the brutal ISIS occupiers told them to convert to Islam or face summary execution. In a statement read out at the city's mosques, the Islamists told Christians that they had until midday to either convert or pay a "jizya" – a tax on non-Muslims. Those who refused to comply would be killed.

 

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/20/Mosul-s-Christians-Ordered-to-Convert%20as-Militants-Burn-Down-Cathedral

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2698114/Thousands-Iraqi-Christians-pour-Mosul-ISIS-jihadis-deadline-convert-pay-face-death.html

 

Fwd: Cancer Test

'A simple blood test that can be used to diagnose whether people have cancer or not has been devised by researchers. The test will enable doctors to rule out cancer in patients presenting with certain symptoms, saving time and preventing costly and unnecessary invasive procedures such as colonoscopies and biopsies being carried out. Alternatively, it could be a useful aid for investigating patients who are suspected of having a cancer that is currently hard to diagnose.'

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140728094410.htm

 

Is Apple’s iOS Backdoor Not a Backdoor?

Is Apple's iOS Backdoor Not a Backdoor?

TODAY’S ISIS HORROR: MANDATORY FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

TODAY'S ISIS HORROR: MANDATORY FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Fwd: Iran

'Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Wednesday that the only solution for the region is the destruction of Israel, and that the armed confrontation must expand beyond Gaza.

 

Meanwhile, revolutionary guards announced new missiles which could destroy Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.

 

http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/23/iran-supreme-leader-the-only-solution-for-crisis-is-israels-destruction/#ixzz38P3hzQLF

Fwd: Iraq

'There is a mass exodus of Christians from the Iraqi city of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. The Muslim fanatics who have taken over the city, calling themselves the Islamic State, issued an ultimatum to the city's Christians earlier this month, saying that if they did not leave by Saturday, July 19, they "must convert to Islam, pay a fine, or face 'death by the sword.'" As of Tuesday, most of the city's estimated 3,000 Christians had fled.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/383493/christian-genocide-symbolized-one-letter-christine-sisto

Russians are living in an alternate reality.

Russians are living in an alternate reality.

15 Times World War 3 Nearly Started

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJwwurU-HqM

25 Alarming Reasons That Sitting Down All Day (AKA Your Office Job) Is Killing You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMQWqW4r7xo

25 Quickest Ways To Get In Trouble (Or Offend People) While Travelling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSiLzSXNr-M

Assassination threats against Barack - Death ray

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_threats_against_Barack_Obama#Death_ray_plot

Fwd: Ecudor

'In 2008, Ecuador's National Assembly approved a new constitution that
recognizes unfettered mobility across borders as a basic human right,
advocating "the principle of universal citizenship, the free movement
of all inhabitants of the planet, and the progressive extinction of
the status of alien or foreigner as an element to transform the
unequal relations between countries, especially those between North
and South."…

First, in June of 2008, he announced the abolition of visa
requirements so that anyone could enter Ecuador for up to 90 days. But
rather than encourage reciprocity from other countries, as expected,
the measure unintentionally benefited human smugglers. By December of
that year, almost 12,000 Chinese had entered Ecuador—roughly six times
the volume during the first half of the year. Many were headed to the
U.S. via human-smuggling networks.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/how-not-to-design-a-world-without-borders/374563/

Fwd: Highest paid actors

'For the second year in a row, "Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr. tops the
Forbes annual list of highest earning actors with an estimated $75
million since June 2013, the same amount that Forbes estimated the
year before.

Both Downey Jr.'s "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3" crossed the billion
dollar threshold.

http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/movie_news/2014/07/robert_downey_jr_tops_forbes_highest_paid_actors_list_for

Fwd: Gaza

'The IDF on Monday released declassified photos showing how Hamas uses hospitals, mosques, and playgrounds as rocket launch sites.

 

The images were taken from the northeastern Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaia, which was the scene of heavy fighting in recent days.

 

Israel's army said it had been targeting militants in the clashes, charging that they had fired rockets from Shejaia and built tunnels and command centers there. The army said it had warned civilians to leave two days earlier.'

 

http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/IDF-shows-photos-of-alleged-Hamas-rocket-sites-dug-into-hospital-mosques-368307

Fwd: Airport Security

'The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is allowing illegal immigrants go around airport security to catch planes without a photo identification required of all other passengers, a high-level DHS source tells Judicial Watch.

 

It appears to be part of an Obama administration plan to expedite the transfer of tens of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)—mostly from Central America—that have entered the country through Mexico in the last few months. They are mostly coming in through the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and authorities there are incredibly overwhelmed by the sudden influx.

 

To ease the load, the Obama administration is transferring the UACs—more than 53,000 by the government's count—to other parts of the country, including Florida, Nebraska and Massachusetts. Apparently a large number of UACs are being transported to their new destination on airplanes. Most don't have a valid identification and are being allowed to board aircrafts with a slip of paper, JW's Homeland Security source says.

 

Specifically, JW's government source reveals that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is letting the illegal aliens surpass security at the El Paso airport in Texas. "They are catching airplanes at EP Airport, TSA is letting them go around security," the DHS official confirms. "No picture ID, just a slip of paper." This indicates that the passengers' true identity has not been clearly established. It's not unreasonable to conclude this could present a national security threat.

 

In the meantime, American citizens and legal residents must present a valid photo ID, provided by a certified government agency, before setting foot on a plane at any airport in the United States. The TSA, the famously inept agency created to protect the nation's transportation system (mainly airports), after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, also makes law-abiding passengers take off their shoes, jackets and empty their pockets. We have come to accept this as a necessary national security measure.

 

Exempting illegal immigrants whose true identities are unknown to federal authorities seems irrational to say the least. In the last few weeks JW has reported, based on information provided by inside government sources, some of the desperate measures taken by the administration as it tries to cope with the barrage of UACs. From the start the influx created an out-of-control disaster with jam-packed holding centers, rampant diseases and sexually active teenagers at a Nogales facility, according to JW's sources.

 

Military bases—including Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and the Ventura County Naval Base in Southern California—across the country are being used as makeshift shelters and infectious diseases largely eradicated in this country are spreading like wildfire. This includes swine flu, dengue fever Ebola virus and tuberculosis, according to a U.S. Congressman who is also a medical doctor. JW obtained a letter that the lawmaker, Phil Gingrey of Georgia, wrote to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlining the "severe and dangerous" crisis and demanding information on how the agency is handling the situation.'

 

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2014/07/dhs-source-tsa-lets-illegal-aliens-surpass-airport-security-board-planes/

 

Fwd: oil

'The Eagle Ford in Texas has surpassed the Bakken as the nation's second most productive oil field and is closing in fast on the Permian, which stretches across Texas and New Mexico. All this is occurring as Texas has surpassed Iraq, OPEC's second largest oil producer, and the U.S. is closing in on Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer.

 

The fracking technology that has made the U.S. the world's leading producer of natural gas is having the same impact on oil. Almost half the country's oil now comes from North Dakota and Texas, where fracking and horizontal drilling are now the predominant technology. At 8.4 million barrels per day, we have now returned to the levels we were at just after crossing "Hubbert's Peak" in 1970. To date the rate of growth shows no sign of slowing down.'

 

http://www.realclearenergy.org/charticles/2014/07/14/texas_eagle_ford_surpasses_the_bakken_107893.html

Fwd: Russian Training

'While that remains to be seen, in June, NATO's top general said that Russia had provided "anti-aircraft" training inside Russia for Russian separatists that involved "vehicle-borne" surface-to-air missiles.

At a June 30 Pentagon news conference, NATO Supreme Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said Russia had been providing air defense training to Russian separatists on its side of the border with Ukraine that focused on "vehicle-borne" surface-to-air missiles. A vehicle-borne capability would involve a surface-to-air missile with a longer range than portable shoulder-fired missiles known as MANPADS.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/07/nato-general-warned-of-russian-anti-aircraft-training-for-separatists/?google_editors_picks=true

Fwd: Ukraine

'Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday blamed the Ukrainian
government for the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, saying the
state bears some responsibility for fighting that may have led to the
jet's apparent downing by a surface-to-air missile.


"I would like to point out in this regard, that this tragedy would not
have occurred if there was peace in that land, at least, if
hostilities had not resumed in the South-East of Ukraine," Putin said.
"And without question, the state over whose territory this took place,
bears responsibility for this awful tragedy."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-plane-crash/putin-says-ukraine-bears-responsibility-malaysia-flight-jet-crash-n158901

Fwd: From Russia with love

'Multiple videos posted on YouTube and appearing in Russian-language media today apparently depict militants firing Grad rockets into Ukraine from Russian territory.

Grads are Soviet-developed rockets sometimes fired from a truck-mounted missile battery. They can carry warheads weighing up to nearly 40 pounds a distance of up to 13 miles, although next-generation grads can travel nearly 25 miles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/world/europe/ukraine-says-russian-plane-shot-down-its-fighter-jet.html?_r=0

25 Ways The World Around You Isn't What You Think It Is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vFR0yBm8x0

Headlines

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/hundreds-of-fish-fall-from-the-sky-51029

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/not-seen-in-over-80-years-50906

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/watch-man-get-hit-by-lightning-51025

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/deer-attacks-woman-51057

 

 

Cartwheeling motorcyclist may be the luckiest person on earth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kGJ09S0qm0&list=PLlvHlI3rc2tNe2zzPopyOBOQSLDTbvKMY&index=7

Headlines

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/if-you-fly-you-dont-want-to-see-this-50831

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/yikes-this-jet-is-way-too-close-50799

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/reporter-pummeled-by-haboob-50875

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/sea-of-slithering-snakes-50805

 

http://www.weather.com/video/news-41/top-stories---extended-782/inside-the-espn-body-issue-50872

 

 

Fwd: Sudan

I am concerned that the article doesn't say who has been doing the killing.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <larry.r.trout

'"Patients have been shot in their beds, medical and humanitarian
staff have been killed, and hospitals, ambulances and medical
equipment have been burnt, looted and otherwise destroyed," MSF said
in a report entitled South Sudan Conflict: Violence Against
Healthcare.



"An already fragile healthcare system has been destroyed in areas
affected by conflict and largely neglected in other areas, leaving
hundreds of thousands of people without medical care at a time when it
is critically needed," the report says.



Patients, including women and children, were shot in their hospital
beds, and medical and humanitarian staff were killed, MSF said.



Raphael Gorgeu, the MSF head of mission in South Sudan, listed the
total fatalities: 25 of the people killed in attacks on hospitals were
patients, 27 were people seeking shelter in the hospitals, two of them
were ministry of health staff and 4 were unidentified people.'



http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-health-care-msf-report/1948585.html

Fwd: Ukraine

'The agreement comes after five Ukrainian troops and hundreds of pro-Russian separatists were killed as government forces engaged in more than 100 clashes since late Monday night when Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ended a unilateral, 10-day cease-fire…

 

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said Russian cooperation will be needed to enforce any cease-fire and stop the fighting…

 

Pyatt repeated U.S. assertions that Russia has provided fighters, tanks, anti-aircraft missile systems and other equipment to insurgents in east Ukraine. Those supplies began after Feb. 24, when former president Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine to Russia, Pyatt said.

 

"This is a manufactured insurgency supported by the Russian government against Ukraine," Pyatt said. The cease-fire agreement "is only going to work if there are two parties," Pyatt said, referring to Russia and Ukraine.'

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/02/talks-as-ukraine-fighting-worsens/12033425/

 

If you are able to kill hundreds of insurgents and only lose 5 soldiers, you should keep doing what you're doing until the other side lays down arms…

Ethanol may be causing elevated air pollution in Brazil, scientists report in a peer-reviewed study. The study may have public policy implications in the United States, where federal law requires the transportation fuel mix to contain approximately 10 percent ethanol.

Ethanol may be causing elevated air pollution in Brazil, scientists report in a peer-reviewed study. The study may have public policy implications in the United States, where federal law requires the transportation fuel mix to contain approximately 10 percent ethanol.