TODAY’S MIX: Sad Lovers And Giants – Epic Garden Music…
September 18, 2019
Number of abortions in US falls to lowest since 1973…
September 18, 2019
The report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, counted 862,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2017. That’s down from 926,000 tallied in the group’s previous report for 2014, and from just over 1 million counted for 2011... The new report illustrates that abortions are decreasing in all parts of the country, whether in Republican-controlled states seeking to restrict abortion access or in Democratic-run states protecting abortion rights. Between 2011 and 2017, abortion rates increased in only five states and the District of Columbia... One reason for the decline in abortions is that fewer women are becoming pregnant. The Guttmacher Institute noted that the birth rate, as well as the abortion rate, declined during the years covered by the new report.
Facebook auto-generating pages for Islamic State, al-Qaida…
September 18, 2019
The new details come from an update of a complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission that the National Whistleblower Center plans to file this week. The filing obtained by the AP identifies almost 200 auto-generated pages — some for businesses, others for schools or other categories — that directly reference the Islamic State group and dozens more representing al-Qaida and other known groups.
Russian Orthodox priests spray holy water from plane to stop ‘alcohol use’ and ‘fornication’…
September 18, 2019
On Sept. 11, Sobriety Day, an unofficial Russian holiday, the priests carried 70 liters (about 18 gallons) of holy water onto the aircraft. Once the plane reached an altitude of 200 to 300 meters (approximately 800 feet) the blessings began. Clergymen held a prayer service before pouring the holy water out of the plane’s open door. Priests tipped the water out from a large chalice in an attempt to heal those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction...
Air pollution particles have been found on the foetal side of placentas, indicating that unborn babies are directly exposed to the black carbon produced by motor traffic and fuel burning…
September 18, 2019
The research is the first study to show the placental barrier can be penetrated by particles breathed in by the mother. It found thousands of the tiny particles per cubic millimetre of tissue in every placenta analysed.
Pennsylvania state lawmaker arrested on child pornography charges…
September 18, 2019
Republican Michael J. Folmer, 63, was charged with possessing child pornography, sexual abuse of children and criminal use of a communications facility, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement... Prosecutors said they were initially tipped off to the case after the microblogging network Tumblr discovered an image of child pornography had been uploaded to the site in late 2017. The Tumblr account was traced to Folmer, prosecutors said, and authorities who seized the politician’s phone found two additional images of child pornography, according to the criminal complaint.
Intelligence chief won’t turn over whistleblower complaint to House committee…
September 18, 2019
The acting director of national intelligence is withholding a secret whistleblower complaint from the House intelligence committee because it involves conduct by someone outside the spy agencies and doesn’t meet the legal requirement for disclosure to Congress, according to letters obtained by NBC News. But in doing so, acting DNI Joseph Maguire acknowledges he is overruling the intelligence community’s independent watchdog, which thinks the complaint should be turned over.
Chinese woman pleads guilty to running ‘birth tourism’ scheme in US…
September 18, 2019
Dongyuan Li, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and visa fraud on Tuesday, the prosecutors said. Li, who lived in Orange County, admitted in her plea agreement that from 2013 until March 2015, she ran a “birth tourism” business in Irvine and in China called “You Win USA Vacation Services Corp,” investigators said, adding that the business would help pregnant women, typically from China, travel to and stay in the United States to give birth... Li raked in millions through her business over the course of two years, where mothers-to-be paid between $40,000 and $80,000 each to come to California, stay in an upscale apartment and give birth, investigators said. A January 2019 federal grand jury indictment against Li said she used 20 apartments in Irvine to house pregnant clients.
Russian coastguards say they have seized two North Korean boats and more than 80 crew members…
September 18, 2019
Russia said the ships were engaged in illegal fishing off its coast, and that one of the vessels launched an "armed attack". Three Russian border guards were reportedly wounded in a clash. North Korea has yet to comment on the incident, but Russia's Foreign Ministry has expressed "serious concern" and summoned the country's top diplomat...
Democratic donor Ed Buck arrested and charged with operating drug house…
September 18, 2019
...with prosecutors calling him a violent sexual predator who preys on men struggling with addiction and homelessness... Buck was charged with one count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Buck is accused of injecting a 37-year-old man, who overdosed but survived, with methamphetamine on Sept. 11. That latest incident comes after two men were found dead in his Laurel Avenue apartment in Hollywood.
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Prosecutors said Buck lures his victims into his home, baiting them with drugs, money and shelter...
Pompeo departs for Jeddah to discuss drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities…
U.S. citizens warned over traveling to Saudi Arabia...
Iran's Rouhani says Yemenis attacked Saudi oil sites as a 'warning'...
September 18, 2019
Mexican authorities said on Tuesday they had found 29 bodies, packed in more than a hundred plastic bags, dumped in a clandestine grave…
September 18, 2019
Murders in Mexico jumped to the highest on record in the first half of the year, putting the cartel-ravaged country on track to surpass the 29,111 recorded last year... The body count could go up as the investigation progressed, according to a source at the state attorney general’s office who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media...
Six French Nuclear Reactors Suffering Quality Issues…
September 18, 2019
Electricite de France SA said it found manufacturing deviations on equipment at six of its 58 nuclear reactors in the country, though it believes the issue doesn’t require immediate attention. The French nuclear safety authority, which said Sept. 12 that at least five reactors were affected after EDF disclosed that it was investigating the issue two days earlier, will have to decide whether the units need to be halted for repairs. EDF, which is France’s largest power generator, produced 72% of the country’s electricity last year from its nuclear plants.
Facebook Enlists Ray-Ban Maker To Help Develop Secret ‘Orion’ Smart Glasses…
September 18, 2019
Facebook has been working to develop augmented reality glasses out of its Facebook Reality Labs in Redmond, Washington, for the past couple of years, but struggles with the development of the project have led the company to seek help. Now, Facebook is hoping a partnership with Ray-Ban parent company Luxottica will get them completed and ready for consumers between 2023 and 2025... The glasses are internally codenamed Orion, and they are designed to replace smartphones,
Two computers stolen from Atlanta polling site contain statewide voter data…
September 18, 2019
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the computers were used to check in voters and contained names, addresses, birthdates and driver’s license information for every voter in the state, but not social security numbers... The computers were stolen from a locked and sealed case and have yet to be recovered. They are password protected and the password for them changes for every election. Poll workers discovered the burglary early Tuesday morning.
Photos Emerge Of New Supersonic Spy Drone At Chinese Military Parade Rehearsal…
September 18, 2019
Observers across the city were able to take pictures of advanced weaponry and share them on social media platforms, domestically and internationally. The photos sparked a firestorm of conversation on social media platforms, partly due to an unassembled supersonic DR-8 reconnaissance drone was spotted on the back of a military truck. The drone has never been seen before in public. The South China Morning Post said the DR-8 would play a vital role if a shooting war breaks out with the US in the South China Sea or Western Pacific...
McCabe says he won’t take a deal if he’s indicted…
September 18, 2019
In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on "Cuomo Prime Time," McCabe ruled out the possibility of taking a deal, which could be a way to reduce any possible charges he'd face or lead to a guilty plea that would avoid a trial. McCabe's assertion Tuesday night means that if he's indicted, he will almost certainly contest the charge before a jury in federal court.
New Zealanders Face 5 Years In Jail For Not Handing-In Banned Firearms…
September 18, 2019
Pay Attention America!
Six months after Christchurch massacre, a farewell to firearms in New Zealand
If New Zealanders fail to turn in their banned weapons by Dec. 20, they could face 5yrs in prison.
This is gun confiscation and confiscation is what Democrats want in America! pic.twitter.com/CnYUonxMB5
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) September 17, 2019
“The ‘Bots Are Coming For The Priests”…
September 18, 2019
- A mechanical ‘priest’ has recently begun conducting Buddhist prayers in Japan. It is not the first attempt to deliver religious teachings and advice through the use of a programmed machine.
- And Catholic Christians may soon find spiritual advice from a tiny 40-cm robot SanTO, developed by Gabriele Trovato, a roboticist and assistant professor at Japan’s Waseda University, after Trovato finishes perfecting his device in Peru.
- In Germany, there is a BlessU-2 robot that looks like a hybrid between an ATM terminal and US comic Jeff Dunham’s puppet of Ahmed the Dead Terrorist. The robot is reportedly designed to engage in philosophical debates about the future of religion and the potential of artificial intelligence.