Tomorrow is my first book signing in Kenai, postponed earlier for health reasons. So, if you read this tonight, I would appreciate your prayers.
Last night the household was invaded by our three sons and some 8 kids. Quick barbecue and 3 1/2 hours later back on the road to return to Anchorage. In that time one child broke a tooth, ice cream got spread all over one of the younger ones and the house was joyfully noisy. The boys and kids just wanted to see the family here, as John Leroy's oldest kids are returning to Montana for school.
Sierra, thanks. You are doing a great job raising these sprouts. It was so good to see them. I think we can get Kira married off to an Alaskan in a few years.
Okay, lets hit the news stories-
Without gaining authorization from Ukraine, Russia went ahead and sent in a convoy of trucks, presumably filled with "aid" for the Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine saw this as an invasion by Russian forces. US military was concerned that any attack by the Ukrainians on non-military trucks in the unauthorized convoy could be looked upon by the Russians as an Act of War and would greatly escalate matters. Ukrainian official called the convoy a "direct invasion" , a move aimed a provoking an international incident. US, EU and NATO condemned Russia's "Aid" convoy and its unauthorized move into the Ukraine. The unauthorized military convoy of Russian vehicles was stopped by Ukrainian artillery and 23 military vehicle were destroyed. But Russia denied the convoy existed.
Ebola virus has spread in Nigeria with confirmation of two new cases, bringing the confirmed cases to 5 patients.
At a Florida Starbucks a very unusual thing happened last Wednesday. At opening time a customer offered to "pay it forward" by buying the coffee of the customer behind them, as well as their own. This started a chain of events that lasted through 379 customers in a role- one unstoppable chain, until one person didn't want to be involved and broke the chain. A Starbucks spokesman said they were "definitely pleased with it and taken back". ( Kindness still exists and a lot of people can still enjoy being involved in such acts.)
The US Government Accountability Office released a 7-page report on Thursday saying that the Obama Administration's Defense Department violated US Law by swapping 5 Guantanamo Bay detainees for American US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, without giving the US Congress advance notice of the transfer. Only a few hours notice was given, while the Law requires a 30-day notification of such transfers, involving moving anyone out of Guantanamo Bay. Section 8111 of the Department of Defense spending bill for 2014 prohibits use of funds for such use without congress being given that 30-day notification. The report also listed a second violation of the Law, by the administration using funds to carry out the transfer when there was no monies appropriated for that purpose. The Administration has said they had to move fast to secure Bergdahl's safety. But Republicans do not accept this this reasoning and say this is only Obama's excuse to bypass congress. ( Still, with everything said in done, it is unlikely anything will come of it as long as the Senate is in the hands of the democrats. The exchange itself, trading 5 senior insurgent leaders for one Army Sergeant appears to be the US now dealing with terrorists. This goes back on established policy where the US would never deal with terrorists, which MAY have led to the beheading of an American journalist very recently.
In Oregon: 19-year old Cinthya Garcia-Cisneros, an illegal immigrant, who came to the US illegally with her parents when she was 4 years old, was convicted of felony hit and run . She drove her car through a pile of leaves, running over and killing a 11 year old girl and a 6 year old girl, who were playing. She then fled the scene and with the help of her boyfriend washed evidence off her vehicle. She was later arrested and the boy friend confessed and made a plea deal. He was sentenced to 2 yrs in jail. Cinthya was not deported, nor was she sentenced to serve any jail time. She was provided with a sentence of 3-years probation and 250 hours of community service. ( Why???? We have women in prison serving 2-5 year sentences for theft and fraud, and serving up to a year for Driving While Intoxicated and property damage resulted and even non-sale/possession of narcotics. This woman, an illegal, killed two little girls and then ran for it- going so far as to wash the evidence off her car. This makes no sense. This is taking the Illegal Immigrant problem to the far-far- left and should not be allowed. Such events can bring out vigilante justice as we have seen in our country's past.)
Since Russia recently closed down 4 of Moscow's McDonald's Hamburger joints, one reportedly to be the busiest McDonald's in the world, the campaign against the iconic US fast food chain appears to have gone viral in Russia. Health and Safety inspections are showing problem areas in McDonald's across Russia and some are already leading to closures. Move has been blamed on politics emanating from widespread anti-American sentiment kindled by crisis in the Ukraine. There are also the US backed sanctions, which has banned numerous items from entering Russia, also meaning food items.
Pentagon says a Chinese Jet/Russian made SU-27, fully armed, flew within 20-feet of a US anti-submarine warfare P-8 over international waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot also displayed his skills by doing a barrel roll over the US aircraft, endangering both aircraft. The US military has called the encounter both "aggressive" and "dangerous", and had filed a protest with Beijing.
New US spy drone can now see what you are wearing from 17,500 feet. ( I doubt its interested in my t-shirt collection. Yet, I wonder what happened to the US satellites that could see the pack of cigarettes in your hand from 100 miles out in space? I saw that one work once, pretty cool.)
A Federal Judge has issued an order for the Justice Department to give Congress a list of documents related to "Operation Fast and Furious". The Obama Administration is withholding the information and using its Executive Privilege to do so. ( Now this is going to be a one-sided tug of war, until the matter possibly goes before the US Supreme Court. A majority vote there can supersede Executive Privilege. I have also noticed the Obama Administration is failing to report on its activities on a day-to-day basis as it used to do, which could be worrisome as people watch the President.)
NATO officials report Russian artillery units manned by Russian personnel, were now moving into the Ukraine in recent days and used to fire upon Ukrainian forces.
Missouri Governor has ordered the release of the states National Guard to return home and pull out of the City of Ferguson. People are still concerned protests and rioting could return if the officer involved in the shooting of Michael Brown is not brought to trial and if he is not convicted. Grand Jury is made up of 3 Black and 9 Whites.
A major cyber attack hits Target stores nationwide, but investigation shows the attack also hit 1,000 other companies. Customer information taken and employees info.
A Cholera outbreak has hit Ghana and has killed 67 people since June 2014.
United Nations raises the estimated dead from the Syrian Conflict since June 2011 to 191,000 killed. The departing UN High Commissioner on Human Rights had harsh words to say concerning the UN Security Council and how its "paralysis" contributed to the heavy toll.
A teenage Monrovia, Liberia boy was shot and killed when he and dozens of youth attempted to break through the barricade that surrounds his slum neighborhood. Police and army troops, working with health officials, have enclosed a slum neighborhood known as West Point. It is believed the 20 confirmed Ebola patients who were removed/ escaped/ taken captive are hiding in West Point. Authorities do not want to take any chances on an Ebola case escaping from the neighborhood and have had to fire upon those crowds trying to break through. Water and food is being supplied.
A New Zealand Research team has filed a paper showing they believe the spread of the "invasive varrua mite" brings new light into the spread of diseases that are ravaging the honeybee population around the world.
China and Mongolia Governments court each other through a series of meetings, giving China a new and strong northern ally to the north. China presented strong development opportunities for Mongolia and its future.
China and Indonesia pledge anti-terrorism cooperation. ( Indonesia, being a very strong Muslim country, has a lot of problems with Christians and their underground churches and Buddhists. Recently the religious wars in Burma grew to involve Indonesia, where Buddhists were attacking the minority religion of Buddhists. It will prove interesting to see just how many troops, aircraft and ships into this area to extend their field of influence.)
China welcomes Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda for official meetings to discuss future between the two countries. ( China is really busy, I wonder what the Obama Administration is doing...beside playing golf.)
World Health Organization (WHO) has devised a strategic Ebola Plan to combat the virus in West Africa for the next 6 to 9 months. This implies WHO does not expect to halt the spread of the epidemic this year.
Moscow has banned the entry of a group of Japanese citizens from entering Russia in retaliation for Tokyo's sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine Crisis.
28 Danish people are now infected with listeriosis from Danish sausage company. 13 of these case resulted in death.
North Korea will be able to test longer-range rockets at its new launching site before the end of the year.
Pakistan Senate supports the sitting Prime Minister and will not give in to the thousands of protestors staging a massive sit-in around the capital to have that Prime Minister ousted. (Unknown at this time if the Army will be called in to remove the protesters and how much violence will erupt. Could turn real nasty and India may or may not take advantage of the moment to stage an attack. Both sides of nuclear weapons.)
Venezuela to start fingerprinting shoppers to control just how much food they buy. (Now is a good time to think about all those store cards you have in your wallet, which offer a small discount when you use them. This provides the stores with information with how much you're spending, what time of day and day of the week you do your major buying, what items you have bought- such as guns, survival supplies and storage food. It can also tell what areas of state are doing the most buying of certain items. Your buying habits can tell a lot and stores routinely use it to help them stock their shelves with wanted items and base their hours of operation. Some of us grew a bit wary when people began putting chips in their handicapped and mentally disabled to show where they are and some also give blood pressure and other health particulars. But scientists now say they will have another chip ready by 2020 that will provide a GPS, medical date, medical records, financial data, possibly faith and used for buying things- money will no longer be needed soon enough. But how long before a new chip comes with a pain switch or a off switch, giving all power to the leaders. It's only a matter of time.
The USDA has banned schools from selling the long beloved "pink cookie" to students from the school cafeteria. All because it fails to meet the new federal standards for "Smart Snacks in School". School snacks now must contain less than 200 calories. Unfortunately, the Pink Cookie recipe calls for one pound of butter and 6 cups of powdered sugar. (Now if I remember right, it was Mrs. Obama was was behind this project. Makes me wonder if she's tasted those new bland snacks the kids are stuck with at school?)
Sacramento, CA patient who was hospitalized and tested for Ebola after returning home from Africa, tested negative for the virus and was released.
US Armed Service Committee member, US Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla) has warned that Islamic State is attempting to develop a weapon capable of blowing up a major US City. ( You will recall a brief done on the Islamic State having taken over the Mosul University in Iraq and removed 90lbs of plutonium. Now I ask, why did a university have 90 lbs of the stuff- that's a lot of plutonium.)
That's it for tonight. Again I wish to thank the kids for visiting last night, I know its a long way to come for a quick dinner. And I appreciate my favorite doughnut. Nice thing about it is how I can consume junk food and still lose weight. My prayers have been answered. Gone from 4 XLT to 2XLT and reduced a 54 to a 42 in waist size. The only sad part is losing my strength too. But I have lots of people around now and I rarely lift anything over 10lbs...or I get shot.
I'll let you know on Sunday how the book signing event went. Bless you all. BILL