Sunday, April 16, 2017

In the news, Sunday, April 2, 2017


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APR 01      INDEX      APR 03
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from The Atlantic (CityLab)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Government Paid for Poor Citizens' Health Care Some 300 Years Before Obamacare
The British colonists brought taxpayer-funded services with them to North America. For centuries after, government’s role in serving the needy wasn’t questioned.

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from BBC News (UK)

Would you risk jail for a cup of tea?
A boat beaches in a lonely cove at night, the crew hurriedly unloading its cargo of tea to waiting men and pack horses while armed lookouts stand guard against a surprise swoop by the revenue men. It may be a stereotypical image, but in the 18th Century, a cuppa was in such high demand that many Britons were willing to risk jail for the privilege. In fact, this kind of smuggling was a vital part of Britain's economy for some 200 years. It was a trade triggered by increasingly high tariffs or duties, taxes a merchant would have to pay to legally import tea. The duties on importing tea reached a staggering 119% in the 1750s - which meant that if you could avoid paying the tax, the cost of your brew dropped by more than half.

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from Business Insider

'There is a crisis — on many fronts': Matt Drudge says he suspects Congress is sabotaging Trump
Conservative internet news mogul Matt Drudge said he thinks the Trump administration is in a crisis "on many fronts" in its early days, partly due to deliberate obstruction from the Republican-controlled Congress. "Donald Trump has been dealt a very bad hand here. Does the audience understand that? He has a bad hand and that’s just the way it is," he said.

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from CNSNews.com (& MRC & NewsBusters)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

FDR and Trump: From Radio to Twitter
Over at Reason (unfortunately behind a paywall here) University of Alabama professor of history David T. Beito has written a fascinating look at “Roosevelt’s War Against the Press”. The telling subtitle? “FDR Had His Own Breitbart, and Radio Was His Twitter.”

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Meals on Wheels Outrage is Based on a Lie
It made for a great news story, but it was false, and it wouldn’t have taken long for reporters to find out why and explain. Funding has not been cut for Meals on Wheels

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from The Hill

Tech faces public anger over internet privacy repeal
“No one is saying there shouldn’t be any rules,” wrote Bob Quinn, AT&T senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs. “Supporters of ... [repeal] all agree that the rescinded FCC rules should be replaced by a return to the long-standing Federal Trade Commission approach. But in today’s overheated political dialogue, it is not surprising that some folks are ignoring the facts.”

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from Indian Country Today Media Network
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Native History: Ponce de Leon Arrives in Florida; Beginning of the End
This Date in Native History: On April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the southeastern coast of Florida, claiming the territory for the Spanish crown and forever changing life for Florida tribes. With Ponce de Leon's arrival came Native slavery, disease and death

Passports Needed for Canada and Mexico
For those who have not visited Canada since the U.S. decided that terrorism is like a country and you can have a war with it, please be advised that you now need a passport. All of Canada and Mexico, most of the Caribbean islands and a few Central American countries used to be free travel zones for anybody who could prove U.S. citizenship by very loose standards—a driver’s license or a similar ID would do it, and often just verbalizing U.S. citizenship would get you passed with a friendly wave.

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from Intellihub
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Gingrich: All of the real evidence on real money and real influence buying by the Russians relates to Democrats
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News Sunday to question the credibility of the House Intelligence Committee and media’s narrative on so-called Russian interference with U.S. electoral systems.

Google has been recording your conversations and logging your history for future use
It’s no surprise to most that we are being spied on regularly now by many agencies in both the private and governmental sectors.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Giant drill boring Seattle tunnel nears finish line
Twenty-nine months late, the massive drill boring a new Highway 99 tunnel below Seattle is almost done with its work. The Seattle Times reported that the drill, known as “Bertha,” is expected to chew through a concrete retaining wall in the next few days and emerge into daylight, ending a 1.75-mile dig that’s part of a project to replace the elevated, earthquake-prone Alaskan Way Viaduct along the city’s waterfront. Litigation is underway to determine who will pay for close to $500 million in cost overruns.

Here are the names of Spokane County residents killed in World War I
This list was compiled by John Tuft, a former Army Reserve officer, former county parks program director and self-described history buff. It was completed about 2003.

James Reilly, who helped Gonzaga University to NCAA boxing title, dies at 88
Perhaps you saw the obituary on Sunday: James Patrick Reilly passed away March 23 at age 88. The timing seems especially poignant, because 67 years ago, Jim Reilly won an NCAA championship for Gonzaga University.

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from Sputnik
(Russian government-supported propaganda channel)

An unstable Pakistan-India border region and rumblings among former officials has given Islamabad reason to fear that New Delhi is reconsidering its long-held nuclear weapons doctrine of ‘no first use.'

Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office has ordered the re-arrest of 21 journalists who were supposed to be released from detention by order of an Istanbul court. The journalists had been detained in connection with the failed coup attempt in Turkey last year.

US President Donald Trump is granting more and more freedom to the Pentagon in conducting US military operations and silently increasing the number of US troops around the world.

Russian Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov pointed out on Sunday differences between the Russian operation in Syria’s Aleppo and the US-led coalition’s operation in Mosul, saying that Russia did not use the Aerospace Forces and focused on humanitarian issues.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has warned of an alarming rise in the popularity of Salafism in recent years, the German newspaper Rheinische Post reports. German intelligence has identified 10,000 current followers of the radical Islamist movement, a figure which has more than doubled over the past decade.

'EU is a Christian Union': Erdogan Explains Why Turkey Can't Join the Bloc
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spelled out the main reason why the Middle-Eastern state's accession to the European Union has been stalled. "Do you know why Turkey has not been able to enter the EU for 54 years? The reason is absolutely clear: the EU is a Christian union," Erdogan said at a rally in Ankara on Sunday.

Got Fascism? Animal Rights Group Claims Milk a Symbol of White Supremacy
PETA, for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has a laudable goal that few would dispute: animals should be treated fairly, kindly if possible, and with some respect. But PETA's methods have drawn criticism, to understate the organization's history.

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