China hunts for 'manipulators' as stocks tumble
Chinese stocks tumbled again on Friday, taking the week's losses to more than 10 percent, as the securities regulator said it was investigating suspected market manipulation and announced a slew of measures aimed at heading off a full-blown crash.
U.S. Army munitions technology experts are choosing five companies to help design and build new technologies for next-generation Army armaments and munitions, ranging from precision-guided munitions, warheads, fuzes, mortars, and different kinds of conventional ammunition. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., have selected the five companies to compete over the next five years for munitions technology projects involved in the Rapid Prototyping & Technology Initiative-Generation 2 (RPTI-GEN2). The five contractors will help the Army Armament, Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) design, build, and test new munitions technologies for new and emerging Army requirements.
The companies are:-- Universal Technical Resource Services Inc. in Cherry Hill, N.J;-- TRC Defense Systems LLC in Madison, Ala.;-- Savit Corp. in Rockaway, N.J.;-- Middle Bay Solutions LLC in Huntsville, Ala.; and-- Subsystem Technologies Inc. in Arlington, Va.
From the Daily Collectivist: "Michael Moore Nails Every Racist, War-Mongering, Pseudo-Christian, RW Gun Extremist - In One Tweet."
Michael Moore: "One proud White American, in less than 2 minutes, has killed TWICE as many Americans as ISIS has in 2 years. White Terrorists."
Six days ago, I asked in relation to the the removal of the Forrest statue in Memphis, "Will someone explain to me the functional difference between the cultural cleansing advocated by the mayor of Memphis and that of the Khmer Rouge, the Taliban and ISIS?"
Now we have this: Birmingham city officials take steps to remove Confederate monument at Linn Park
I wonder when the collectivist bastard is going to get around to asking all the white folks to leave town?
US blocks attempts by Arab allies to fly heavy weapons directly to Kurds to fight Islamic State
The United States has blocked attempts by its Middle East allies to fly heavy weapons directly to the Kurds fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, The Telegraph has learnt. Some of America’s closest allies say President Barack Obama and other Western leaders, including David Cameron, are failing to show strategic leadership over the world’s gravest security crisis for decades.They now say they are willing to “go it alone” in supplying heavy weapons to the Kurds, even if means defying the Iraqi authorities and their American backers, who demand all weapons be channeled through Baghdad. High level officials from Gulf and other states have told this newspaper that all attempts to persuade Mr Obama of the need to arm the Kurds directly as part of more vigorous plans to take on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) have failed. The Senate voted down one attempt by supporters of the Kurdish cause last month. . .
The Peshmerga have been successfully fighting Isil, driving them back from the gates of Erbil and, with the support of Kurds from neighbouring Syria, re-establishing control over parts of Iraq’s north-west. But they are doing so with a makeshift armoury. Millions of pounds-worth of weapons have been bought by a number of European countries to arm the Kurds, but American commanders, who are overseeing all military operations against Isil, are blocking the arms transfers. One of the core complaints of the Kurds is that the Iraqi army has abandoned so many weapons in the face of Isil attack, the Peshmerga are fighting modern American weaponry with out-of-date Soviet equipment.
You'd think the NRA would learn. I guess not. Gun-rights lobby now OK with Kasich despite 1994 weapons-ban vote
Ex-state Sen. Leland Yee pleads guilty to racketeering in corruption case
The pleas entered Wednesday by Yee; his political fundraiser and consultant Keith Jackson; Jackson’s son, Brandon Jackson; and sports promoter Marlon Sullivan bring an end to one of two cases connected to a massive federal probe that initially targeted a Chinatown figure known as “Shrimp Boy,” now accused of organized crime activities. . . Known as a gun control advocate in the Legislature, Yee, 67, was also accused of offering — in exchange for campaign donations — to broker a major weapons sale between a gun dealer and an undercover agent claiming to be a member of the New Jersey mob.
So, the other morning I was walking into Lowe's looking for some lumber when I got up to the door and had to sit down. Classic symptoms of a heart attack -- stabbing pain in the heart radiating down the left arm, indigestion, numbness. Holy crap, I thought, I've never had one of these before. Since I wasn't far from Rosey's work, I called her to come and get me to take me to the ER (acting on previous experience of a friend that it takes the EMT's out that way at least five minutes to drop their doughnuts and get behind the wheel of their vehicle).
So, I get there and they agree with me that it is classic symptoms, but the EKG is (more or less) normal. They admit me for observation. That night, someone comes into my room and hangs a bag of magnesium solution in my IV. What's that? I ask. They tell me. Why do I need that? The nurse tells me they have discovered from my bloodwork that I have an acute magnesium deficiency.
Hypomagnesemia (or hypomagnesaemia) is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of magnesium in the blood. . . Hypomagnesemia may result from a number of conditions including inadequate intake of magnesium, chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, alcoholism, chronic stress, and medications such as diuretic use among others. . .
Of course, I have to take diuretics every now and then to ward off water build-up that might lead to congestive heart failure and the trip to Washington had my legs and feet swollen so I was taking it again. I have also been struggling with chronic diarrhea and as far as stress, well, it comes with job. Magnesium is needed to help the smooth muscles, like the heart, fire in proper order. Lack of it can simulate a heart attack, which I discovered quite by accident.
Deficiency of magnesium causes weakness, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, increased irritability of the nervous system with tremors, athetosis, jerking, nystagmus, and an extensor plantar reflex. In addition, there may be confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, depression, epileptic fits, hypertension, a fast heart rate, and tetany.
The Albino: Well, the Prince and Count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken.Westley: So it's to be torture?The Albino: [nods enthusiastically]Westley: I can cope with torture.The Albino: [shakes head enthusiastically]Westley: Don't believe me?The Albino: You survived the Fire Swamp, so you must be very brave, but no one withstands The Machine. -- The Princess Bride, 1987.
Well, I sure had weakness and irritability on the WA trip, although I guess I should be grateful that I didn't get too deep down the well until my little "heart attack." Of course the cardiac docs, being cardiac docs and having me in their clutches, scheduled me for a stress test anyway yesterday morning, although because they didn't make early morning rounds I hadn't had a chance to discuss the fact with them that given the magnesium deficiency it probably wouldn't tell us anything. So, off I went to meet The Machine.
My heart has been gradually slowing down over the years until the usual resting rate is between 40 and 50 beats a minute. I also have a chronic arrhythmia that is not particularly worrisome, but something to keep an eye on. So, they tell me I've got to do the treadmill until the heart rate gets up to their standard written down on this piece of paper (they actually point to the piece of paper) -- 130 beats per minute. I last until I get to 102 and I'm throwing PVCs with abandon then, on the verge of a real heart attack, I quit on them. They're upset. They write down that I quit on them and they're very disappointed. I later find out from the cardio doc that he would have been happy to see what it was like at 102. Well, I said, you need to get that across to the violators of the Geneva Convention downstairs. Anyway, he agrees that whole exercise, while not exactly pointless, was probably not needed since we have accidentally discovered that it was an acute magnesium deficiency all along. Gee thanks, Doc.
So they discharged me late this morning with magnesium pills and advice to go easy on the diuretic (easier said than done) and the chronic diarrhea (like I could turn THAT off). Sorry I was unable to post while there because the hospital had my site blocked for "no security certificate" and "inappropriate content" (it seemed to alternate excuses, strangely enough).
Anyway, I'm back and I'm sorry I gave the One Hundred Life and Casualty Company consternation at my unexplained absence.
