The Bethlehem Doctrine and the New Definition of Imminent

A Political Junkie at Viable Opposition - 23 hours ago

In this posting, I want to take a look at the concept of imminence as it relates to terrorist attacks in specific. While the concept of imminence may seem obvious to most of you, as you will see in this posting, the post-9/11 use of the word imminence (or imminent) is driven by government's desire to justify its extralegal actions against other state and non-state actors. Let's start with this tweet from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Here's Mike Pompeo once again reiterating the imminence of the looming Iranian terror attack while being interviewed on CNN on January 3, 2020: N... more »

Are We Living In The "Capitalocene"?

rosserjb@jmu.edu at EconoSpeak 

I also attended the last session listed in the program at the ASSA at 2:30 on Sunday, an URPE session on "Ecology, the Environment, and Energy," chaired by Paul Cooney. He presented on "Marxism and Ecological Economics: An Assessment of the Past, Present, and Future." Lynne Chester presented on "Energy and Social Ontology: Can Social Ontology Provide Insight?" Finally Ann Davis presented on ""'Home on the Range:' Integrating the Household and Ecology." There were a lot of interesting ideas in these talks, and there was a vigorous discussion about them involving the audience. What... more »

Might We Be On The Verge Of An "Upswing"?

rosserjb@jmu.edu at EconoSpeak 

One of the more dramatic sessions at the just-completed ASSA meetings in San Diego was an AEA panel on "Deaths from Despair and the Future of Capitalism" on Saturday at 2:30. Chaired by Angus Deaton, it focused on the book by him and his wife/coauthor Anne Case with the same title as the panel session. Case spoke on their book. This was followed by Robert Putnam, who spoke on his forthcoming (in about six months) new book, *The Upswing*, which this post will focus on. This was followed by Raghuram Rajan, who spoke about his recently published book, *The Third Pillar: The Communit... more »

The Whole World Is Burning

Cindy A. Matthews at The Revolution Continues - 1 hour ago

*The Whole World is Burning* *--and It's High Time We Did Something About It* *(Before It's Too Late)* *by C.A. Matthews * *Armageddon sells. Red and orange hellish visions of burning fields and forests. Billowing black-gray smoke and horribly injured wildlife. Escaping humans cowering before flames. All these fiery nightmares littered our screens this past week. Australia is burning. * *But so has California, the Congo, Siberia and the Amazon. Outside of a few independent journalists covering the Congo and Siberia, most Americans are only familiar with the wildfires in California... more »

      3D PICTURE OF AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRES 

Fox News display poll that shows Trump is a greater threat to world peace than Iran's supreme leader

Picture: Cristobal Herrera/ EPA/ Twitter

Donald Trump's 2020 has gotten off to a hell of a start as he appears to be leading the United States into a potential war with Iran.

But at least he has the backing of his supporters, right? 

While his devoted fans haven't been complaining too much about the assassination of Iranian military general Qassem Soleimani, some in the media have raised an eyebrow or two. 

When we say media we aren't talking about the likes of CNN or any other "fake news" outlets that Trump likes to attack.

No, it's his favourite network, Fox News which have been questioning Trump's recent actions. 

Firstly, there was Tucker Carlson, a usual supporter of the president, who has been highly critical of the airstrike on Iran, claiming Republicans are ignoring the "decline in our own country to jump into a quagmire for which there is no obvious exit."

Fox News wasn't done there as on Monday they displayed a YouGov poll published by the German website DW on December 26 which found that 41 per cent of people believed that Trump was a bigger threat to world peace than North Korea's Kim Jong Un, China's Xi Jinping, Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Russia's Vladimir Putin. 

While Fox News would have only been reporting on the poll it's still curious that they would show a poll that is so critical and damming of the president that they are so loyal to.Regardless people couldn't quite believe that they were seeing this on, of all places, Fox News.HT Mothership More: Trump just got fact-checked by Fox News and we’re through the looking glass now​

Images from space show that the smoke from the Australian wildfires has now reached South America

Posted 1 day ago by Greg Evans in news

UPVOTE

Picture: NASA

The horrendous wildfires that have been raging in Australia since September have now become some intense that smoke has reached South America, some 12,000 km away.

Footage released by NASA shows that billows of smoke were blown over covering most of Chile and Argentina, as well as parts of Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. 

The smoke had travelled from Australia's east coast with the size of the cloud said to have been bigger than the United States. 

The images were taken by the SuomiNPP satellite on January 1 and had been travelling across the South Pacific Ocean for 10 days before being dispelled by a wind current. 

Picture: NASA

It isn't just South America that has seen the catastrophic effects of the Australian fires. 

Over in New Zealand, which is 2000km away from Australia, the skies in Auckland turned orange creating some truly surreal images. 

It has been reported that a total of 32 people have died as a result of the bushfire, while close to a billion animals have perished due to the blazes and more than six million hectares of land has been decimated. 

HT Daily Mail 

Smoke from Australia bushfires reaches Brazil

AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE/AFP / HandoutThis handout photo taken on January 6, 2020 and received on January 7 from the Australian Department of Defence shows a fire in the distance seen from the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Adelaide ship off the coast in Eden in New South Wales

Smoke from bushfires raging across Australia reached Brazil on Tuesday, an arm of the National Institute for Space Research said on Twitter.

Referring to satellite images, the agency's Department of Remote Sensing said the smoke had arrived in Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul.

Private meteorological company MetSul also tweeted about the arrival of a smoke cloud to Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, but emphasized that "the presence of smoke from Australia in the air is almost imperceptible, despite the satellite showing smoke in the atmosphere over the great Porto Alegre."

Chile's meteorological service said Monday that smoke from the fires was visible in Chile and Argentina.

That means the hazy cloud of smoke, sitting at about 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) in the air, traveled more than 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) to reach South America.

But the drifting smoke won't negatively affect the health of the continent's inhabitants, the Chilean service said.

Fires ravaging Australia since September have left 24 people dead and destroyed some eight million hectares (80,000 square kilometers) of land -- an area the size of Ireland or the US state of South Carolina.

After a catastrophic weekend, Australian firefighters -- supported by US and Canadian forces -- welcomed rain and a drop in temperatures to boost their efforts early in the week before another heat wave is expected in the coming days.

Reserve troops have been deployed to help throughout the country, and the government has earmarked an initial Aus$2 billion ($1.4 billion) for a national recovery fund for devastated communities.

Australian bushfire cloud visible in Chile and Argentina

Japan Meteorological Agency/AFP / HandoutA satellite image on January 3, 2020 shows bushfire smoke (bottom right) drifting off the coast of southeast New South Wales, Australia -- a cloud of smoke from the blazes has been spotted on the other side of the Pacific Ocean

The cloud of smoke caused by raging bushfires in Australia has been spotted more than 12,000 kilometers (7,400 miles) away in Chile and Argentina, weather authorities in the South American countries said on Monday.

In the early hours "the effect was seen in the sun through red tones. This effect was produced by a cloud of smoke that comes from the fires," Chile Meteorology chief, Patricio Urra, told AFP.

The cloud has risen to 6,000 meters (6,500 yards) above sea level and there is no meteorological reason for it to fall back to earth, said Urra.

It poses no threat to Chileans.

The Argentine Meteorological Service published satellite images of the cloud saying it had been "transported by frontal systems that move from west to east."

However, it added that all that would be visible was "a sun that's a little redder."

Regional meteorological company Metsul said the cloud could even reach Rio Grande del Sur state in Brazil.

Catastrophic bushfires have turned swathes of Australia into smouldering, blackened hellscapes and destroyed an area about the size of the island of Ireland, according to official figures.

They have left 25 people dead and authorities warn the disaster still has weeks or months to run.

Farmer: Trump's $28 billion bailout isn't worth the trade war

Adriana Belmonte
Associate Editor
Yahoo Finance January 7, 2020

How global farmers 'will benefit' from the swine fever hitting China

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved $28 billion in market facilitation payments to American farmers to offset negative effects of the U.S.-China trade war, with about $19 billion paid out through the end of 2019 and the rest coming this year.

And according to Hope Pjesky, a rancher and wheat farmer from Oklahoma, not only has that amount not been enough for most farmers — it wasn’t even worth it.

“After all that’s happened with trade recently, I don’t think those will continue in future years,” Pjesky said on Yahoo Finance’s On the Move. “And I don’t think that most farmers really thought that it was worth it. It wasn’t. I know the big overall number looks huge to people, but it really wasn’t enough to help most people.”

View photos
Farmer Isabel Milligan drives a tractor as she weeds and

 transplants crops on the farm in Amagansett, New York, 

U.S., July 11, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Lindsay Morris)

Overall, according to an analysis by NPR, about 100,000 individuals collected roughly 70% of the payments through July 2019. The payments are reportedly based on production, so bigger farms get more money.

“We did get some of the farm aid, but it really wasn’t enough to help very much in either year of it,” Pjesky said. “The first year it was so much for each bushel of wheat that we produced, and it was a very small amount. And then the second year, it was a per-county payment, and I believe ours was $20 or $22 per acre, which is very small as far as what the costs are going into producing the product that we produce.”

A report from Bloomberg noted that the USDA’s calculations “likely overstates the conflict’s financial impact on most other farm products, though for a few commodities it may understate the true impact.”
‘If the government doesn’t pay us, we’re done’

View photos
Farm bankruptcies are up 24% in 2019. (Photo: American Farm Bureau)

Meanwhile, farm debt is at record-high levels as the trade war continues. Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies increased by 24% from 2018 to 2019, and is at its highest level since 2011. The American Farm Bureau is projecting that farm debt will have reached $416 billion for 2019.

Although soybean farmers have arguably been hit hardest by the trade war, other parts of agriculture have also taken heavy blows. Dairy farmers, particularly in Wisconsin, are on the brink of an existential crisis, while wheat farmers have been losing their Chinese customers to countries like Russia.

So as 2020 hits full swing, American farmers are increasingly reliant on a government bailout while business deteriorates further amid the ongoing trade war.

"If the government doesn't pay us, we're done," North Dakota farmer Justin Sherlock recently told Reuters.

Adriana is an associate editor for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at adriana@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.

READ MORE:


Farmer: Trump’s Twitter 'causes a lot of stress in our world'


'The bleeding hasn't stopped yet' for U.S. dairy farmers


There's a much bigger issue playing out in the background of the U.S.-China trade war

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An $80 million bounty on Trump? George Lopez jokes ‘we’ll do it for half’


Published: Jan 6, 2020
GettyGeorge Lopez is in hot water with Trump supporters.


By
SHAWN LANGLOIS
SOCIAL-MEDIA EDITOR


A eulogist speaking at the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani’s funeral reportedly told the crowd that if each of the country’s 80 million citizens contributed $1, there’d be an $80 million reward for “anyone who brings us [Trump’s] head.”

George Lopez says, “We’ll do it for half.”

The 58-year-old comedian, as you can see from the comments in this screenshot from Newsweek, made the crack on this Instagram post:


Lopez immediately became a trending topic on Twitter TWTR, -0.12% , as he had back in 2018 with this viral stunt on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

George Lopez makes a mess all over Trump's Hollywood star! 😱😂 https://t.co/m4zgDA5CPz pic.twitter.com/fn0nX1Fiu2— TMZ (@TMZ) July 12, 2018

Needless to say, Trump supporters weren’t pleased with his recent comment:

Facts:

Between 384 & 807 civilians were killed during 563 targeted strikes by Barack Obama

Trump used one surgical strike to kill the world’s leading sponsor of terror

Which president do you think George Lopez volunteered to assassinate?

🤔— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 6, 2020

George Lopez is a terrorist sympathizer that belongs in prison.— Pastor Greg Locke (@pastorlocke) January 6, 2020

George Lopez just said he’d assassinate President Trump for half of the $80 million dollar bounty.@SecretService should take a look at this.

The Left is sick. pic.twitter.com/hNCsMwOTrV— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) January 5, 2020

On the flip side, Ted Nugent was also trending in light of the comments, as defenders of Lopez launched a counterattack:

Don't forget to report Ted Nugent then as well..#Hypocrite pic.twitter.com/jNUt6yI3oQ— Cory Taylor (@CoryTaylor420) January 6, 2020

Did someone mention Ted Nugent?pic.twitter.com/Qlx1zF9gJq— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 6, 2020

Trump Supporters: We’re not sensitive snowflakes like the left.

George Lopez: $80 million for Trump? We’ll do it for half.

Trump Supporters: pic.twitter.com/TNjVuolZw3— Jahshikage Kira’s Vro ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ (@Yng_Oni) January 6, 2020

And, as they say, there’s a tweet for everything:

Ted Nugent was obviously using a figure of speech, unfortunate as it was. It just shows the anger people have towards @BarackObama.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2012

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Another reason to combat the obesity epidemic: scientists say overeating contributes to climate change

Obesity is blamed for approximately 20% more greenhouse gas emissions when compared to people considered to have normal weight, the study concludes

Getty Images The authors of a new study published by the Obesity Society emphasized that 

it is critically important that this information does not lead to more weight stigmatization. 

People with obesity already suffer from negative attitudes and discrimination, and numerous

 studies have documented several prevalent stereotypes.

By
RACHEL KONING BEALS
NEWS EDITOR

Obesity is complicating the climate-change fight, researchers say, especially as the Earth’s population adds roughly 83 million people of all shapes and sizes every year.

A combination of higher metabolism leading to more carbon dioxide, an additional increase in carbon-dioxide emissions from greater food and drink consumption and the extra output of emissions from fossil fuel-powered transportation, obesity is associated with approximately 20% more greenhouse gas emissions compared to people considered to have a healthier weight.
Researchers in this recent study found that global obesity was estimated to contribute to an extra 700 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, or about 1.6% of all man-made emissions.

Researchers in a recently published study found that global obesity was estimated to contribute to an extra 700 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, or about 1.6% of all man-made emissions. Obesity has been labeled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an “epidemic” that contributes to a higher rate of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer.

“Our analysis suggests that, in addition to beneficial effects on morbidity, mortality and health-care costs, managing obesity can favorably affect the environment as well,” said Faidon Magkos, of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and an author of the paper published by the Obesity Society.

The concern with weight and carbon emissions was chronicled in a paper by the Obesity Society, a scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity and its treatment. The organization has in the past accepted funding from Pepsi Co. PEP, -1.57% and has previously had a close relationship with the soda industry through its now-disbanded food industry engagement council.

Read: The No. 1 most obese state in America

To arrive at the theory, the scientists started with basic biology: Obese people have greater carbon dioxide production from oxidative metabolism than individuals with a so-called normal weight. To determine “obesity,” scientists calculated body mass index (BMI), which is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. The climate/health researchers used the standard definitions of obesity as measured by a BMI of greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 and normal weight as measured by a BMI reading of less than 25.

But there were other factors to consider beyond exhalation: the researchers assert that maintenance of greater body weight requires more food and drinks to be produced and transported to the consumers. Similarly, transportation of heavier people is associated with increased consumption of fossil fuels, basically an assumption of more driving and less walking or bike riding, which may not be true of all obese people.
The authors emphasized that it is critically important that this information does not lead to more weight stigmatization. People with obesity already suffer from negative attitudes and discrimination, they said.

The authors emphasized that it is critically important that this information does not lead to more weight stigmatization. People with obesity already suffer from negative attitudes and discrimination, and numerous studies have documented several prevalent stereotypes.

“This study makes it clear that we pay a steep price for making it difficult to access care for obesity. Not only does obesity affect the health of the individuals who have it, untreated obesity might also contribute to environmental issues,” said Ted Kyle, founder of ConscienHealth, who was not involved in the research, but provided comment for the Obesity journal.

Physical activity is also associated with much more carbon dioxide being produced compared with rest, but no one will ever think of stigmatizing people who exercise for having a negative effect on the environment, added Boyd Swinburn, who works in the school of Population Health at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, in a commentary on the original paper.

The researchers also conceded that their study is built on what they view as a less-than-precise combination of data from the epidemic of obesity combined with physiology, or measuring total energy intake and expenditure, and adding in tracking carbon dioxide emissions, which can come from a variety of sources.

Swinburn said the estimates add valuable information to the growing literature examining the nexus between obesity and climate change. He added, “While the contribution of obesity to greenhouse gas emissions is small, acting on the underlying drivers of them both is of paramount importance.”

Of course, the debate between weight and health is a complicated one, and a strain on society, exclusive of the question of climate impact.

Read: 5 foods to stop eating right now to reduce high blood pressure and risk of heart failure

Most research has shown a consistent association between weight gain and health problems. For example, a 2018 study by the European Heart Journal looked at almost 300,000 people without heart disease who were classified as either “normal” weight, overweight or obese based on their BMI (Find your BMI using this Harvard Medical School calculator.) After four years, the researchers found a direct correlation between higher BMI and a higher risk for heart attacks, stroke and high blood pressure. Of particular concern is the visceral fat stored at waist level, in the abdominal cavity, which can surround vital organs.

What is clear is that the impact of where health meets climate change and vice versa is coming under increased scrutiny. A new report from the World Health Organization warns that the climate crisis is already spreading disease and could also trigger anxiety, depression and PTSD.

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‘Orange is the New Black’ star will move back to Australia to fight climate change: ‘It’s unethical to set up a life in two countries’‘I will be going through the process of giving up my Green Card and saying goodbye to a life in America’


Published: Jan 7, 2020

Getty ImagesYael Stone, who starred on the Netflix series

 ‘Orange Is The New Black,’ says she’s decided to stop

 living in the United States as part of a personal effort

 to combat climate change.


By JACOB PASSY

Australian actress and “Orange Is the New Black” star Yael Stone says she will be “giving up” her U.S. Green Card in an effort to combat climate change.

“After a long considered process we’ve come to understand that it’s unethical to set up a life in two countries knowing what we know,” Stone said in a video she posted to Twitter TWTR, -0.12%. “So I will be going through the process of giving up my Green Card and saying goodbye to a life in America.”

Not environmentally ethical to build a life across two continents. Time to make a sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/4gFVImMeMg— Yael Stone (@YaelStone) January 7, 2020

“Green cards” are the nickname for immigration documents that allow immigrants to live and work permanently in the U.S. Stone will theoretically still be able to travel between the two countries, but to work in the U.S., she would need a visa.

Stone, who played an inmate at a women’s prison on the popular Netflix series NFLX, +0.01%, said the carbon emissions generated by airplane travel played a role in her decision. Flying round-trip from New York City (where Stone previously resided) to Sydney, Australia, in economy class with a layover in Los Angeles produces nearly 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per traveler, according to a carbon-emissions calculator from the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Also see: Climate-change deniers may be propping up home prices in waterfront communities, research suggests

The actress went on to say in the video that she will work to make a difference in Australia upon returning there for good. “This is war and we’ve only got 10 years,” she said. “So let’s make these sacrifices, let’s make these changes.”
‘I’d like to announce that I’m giving up my Green Card. After a long considered process we’ve come to understand that it’s unethical to set up a life in two countries knowing what we know.’—Australian actress Yael Stone

Record heat has caused devastating wildfires to spread across Australia, destroying some 2,000 homes and killing at least 24 people. The wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Maryland thus far. Ecologists have warned that more than 1 billion animals have died in the fires, including half of the population of koalas in some parts of the country.

Of course, there are far less extreme measures people can take to reduce their carbon footprint than giving up their residency in another country. Indeed, traveling by bus or train rather than flying is one choice you can make to be more environmentally friendly. But other lifestyle changes you can make that will protect the environment include everything from turning off the lights when you leave a room to cutting avocados out of your diet.

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Facing criticism over insulin prices, drugmakers launch affordability optionsEli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have separately announced ‘affordability’ options.

Published: Jan 7, 2020

Getty Images

By
JAIMY LEE
REPORTER

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are separately offering help to people who are struggling to pay for their insulin, in a move that underscores how differently drugmakers are approaching the highly politicized topic of drug prices.

The Danish drugmaker NVO, -0.09% last week announced plans to provide a free immediate supply of insulin to people who may be rationing it. It is also offering patients three vials or two packs of its insulin pens for $99 and authorized generic versions of two of its branded insulin medications.

“A lot has changed,” Douglas Langa, Novo’s president, said in a Jan. 2 news release, “and we want to connect people with affordability challenges with a solution.”

Attention to how insulin medicines are priced has become a hot-button topic, standing out even in the broader national debate about how drugs are priced in the U.S.

Read: Cummings, Grassley vow to combat rising drug prices in dueling hearings

A widely cited 2016 studypublished in the medical journal JAMA found that the average list price of insulin nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013. In 2019, congressional hearings with bipartisan support to bring down insulin prices led to bills introduced in both houses that aimed to lower list prices. Meanwhile, Colorado and Illinois have capped insulin co-pays and costs, respectively, in their states.



That pressure is impacting the pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly LLY, +0.20%, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi SNY, -1.00% that count diabetes product revenue as major contributors to their bottom lines.

Lilly’s top-selling drugs for the first three quarters of 2019 were injectable diabetes treatment Trulicity, at $2.2 billion, and insulin Humalog, at $1.2 billion.

Insulin makes up about half of Novo’s sales, and including diabetes treatments like Victoza, that percentage jumps to 79% of total sales for the first three quarters of last year. Diabetes made up about 14% of Sanofi’s total net sales for the first nine months of the year, though diabetes sales fell 8% over this period.

Lilly announced its own set of insulin affordability options in December, saying it has capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $95 a month for the commercially insured and that it is offering half-priced authorized generic insulin and free insulin in some cases, according to CEO David Ricks’ article on LinkedIn.

“The health care system has changed a lot over the last decade, and we’ve heard too many stories about people with diabetes who struggle to afford their insulin,” Ricks wrote. “That needs to change.”

Also last month, Paul Hudson, Sanofi’s new CEO, said that the French drugmaker would make a number of changes to its diabetes business, including halting research into future products and passing on efpeglenatide, its experimental once-weekly treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Hudson also told investors that he would restructure the company’s diabetes joint venture with Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGL, -0.01% health care arm.

“Whilst our diabetes and cardiovascular portfolio is significant, we also have to recognize that it’s declining,” Hudson said at a Dec. 10 Capital Markets Day, according to a FactSet transcript of the meeting. “Now, there are some outstanding performances in major markets in the world, but not forgetting that the pressure in the U.S. has meant some complexity around what we’re able to realize in terms of running our business.”

See also: JAMA study: The cost of brand-name prescription drugs doubles every 7 to 8 years

Drugmakers traditionally raise the prices of branded medicines at the start of each year. So far, there are no reported price increases of insulin products in 2020 from Lilly or Novo, according to Rx Savings Solutions, which markets software to inform people about prescription drug costs, and 3 Axis Advisors, a consulting firm that analyzes inefficiencies in the U.S. drug supply chain. The only increase so far is for the price of Sanofi’s Soliqua, by 4.1%, 3 Axis Advisors said.

A spokesman for Novo said he can’t disclose pricing actions “because of the confidential nature of those decisions.” A Lilly spokeswoman said the company hasn’t increased the prices of Humulin or Humalog in almost three years.

Over the last 52 weeks, Novo’s stock went up 18%, shares of Lilly gained 15%, and Sanofi’s stock jumped 19%. The SPDR S&P Biotech XBI, +0.11% exchange-traded fund has gained 25% over the last year.

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