Prank Provokes Prompt Precipitation Plowing by Putin Pals

If you haven't monitoring the weather in Russia, I can tell you that it has been snowing. A lot.

Moscow received  more than 15 inches of the fluffy stuff in the first few days of the month-- the heaviest recorded snowfall to happen in the Russian capital since 1957 and it has resulted in major problems for the residents of the city.

Unfortunately, some residents have been waiting for weeks for the snow to be cleared by local authorities--  but some people have found a unique solution to the problem.  Journalist Mikhail Kozyrev suggested on his Facebook page that people write the name "Navalny" on the snow, which might prompt workers to get rid of the snow more quickly.

Navalny refers to Alexi Navalny, the leader of the opposition party in Russia and an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin.   Sure enough, when members of a local community group in the Nagorny district wrote the name in the snow, it was soon cleared away.

Before too long, dozens of coals began reporting that their use of the "Navalny method" was successful-- with snow sometimes being removed just four hours after the name was written.

Chinese Racism In The Spotlight Again

A skit on China's biggest Lunar New Year TV show has sparked widespread criticism and accusations of racism.

In a comedy routine celebrating Chinese-African ties, an Asian actress appeared in blackface and with exaggerated buttocks.  The annual state media variety show is hugely popular, and has up to 800 million viewers.

The controversial sketch was part of the four-hour CCTV New Year Gala - also known as the Spring Festival Gala. By some estimates, the annual show is the most watched entertainment program on earth.

This is not the first time Chinese entertainment shows have caused controversy due to their racist overtones  Last year, Chinese state media released a propaganda video that lambasted India over a border dispute.  The clip, accusing India of committing "sins", featured a Chinese actor in a Sikh turban and cartoonish mustache, who spoke in a mockingly Indian accent..

In 2016, a TV advertisement for a laundry detergent featured a black man with paint stains on his face who gets put into a washing machine by a young Chinese woman and ate re-emerges as a fair-skinned Chinese man.

 

The skit on state media last night featured a young black woman who asks a Chinese man to pose as her husband when meeting her mother.  While the young woman is played by a black actor, her mother was an Asian actor in blackface make-up, donning a traditional outfit complete with huge fake buttocks.   She walked on stage carrying a fruit plate on her head and was accompanied by a black actor in a monkey suit, carrying a basket on his back.

Chinese users on the country's biggest social media website Weibo condemned the program.  Comments included "it's full of racism," that "it makes me feel like I'm living in the last century," and that "we are going to lose face internationally".

One user asked "if an American white person painted yellow, says I love the USA and recites some Trump quotes while pulling his eyes, how would you feel?"

Unsurprisingly, Chinese articles criticizing the annual gala  were blocked overnight, as have some critical comments on Chinese social media sites.

Trump Starts Blaming Others For Mass Shooting

After yet another mass school shooting (the 18th this year alone), Trump had tweeted his “prayers and condolences” to the families of those murdered, adding: “No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.”

In response, chaddiedabaddie, which purports to belong to a girl attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Fort Lauderdale, replied: “I don’t want your condolences you fucking [piece] of shit, my friends and teachers were shot."

“Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again.”





This morning, Trump immediately tried to shift blame away from the GOP by implying that neighbors and friends should have done more:

Maldives Plummets into Political Crisis

Maldives police have arrested the country's chief justice of the Supreme Court as a political crisis worsens in the Indian Ocean nation.

Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested hours after the government declared a state of emergency.  No details were given about the investigation or any charges.

The turmoil began when President Abdulla Yameen refused to obey a judicial  order from the Supreme Courth to release a group of opposition politicians. It also ruled that the 2015 trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who is living in exile, had been unconstitutional.

The country's police commissioner said he would enforce the court's ruling - in response, the government of President Yameen sacked him.  The army has now been ordered to resist any attempt to impeach or remove President Yameen.

The exiled Nasheed called on India and the U.S. to help remove President Yameen, who had "illegally" declared martial law, he said.  In a tweet, Nasheed asked for India to send an envoy to help release the political prisoners, and the US to impose financial sanctions on the Maldives' leaders.

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has allied himself with the opposition, was detained at his home. 

Since President Yameen took power in 2013 the country has faced questions over freedom of speech, the detention of opponents and the independence of the judiciary.

The U.S. State Department said it was "troubled and disappointed" by the developments.

Poetic Justice For Victims of Gun Violence

Gun manufacture Remington Outdoor Company is facing serious financial difficulties, as it struggles to find a way out from under a crushing $950 million pile of debt.  Credit funds and banks have balked at coming to Remington’s aid because of the reputation risk associated with such a move.

Remington  was abandoned by  private equity fund investors after one of its Bushmaster rifles was used in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting that killed 20 children and six adults.

It is ironic that the gun industry has experience unprecedented sales declines and financial difficulties after its successful campaign to elect a slew of Republican candidates in 2016.

Gun giant Smith & Wesson, which has renamed itself American Outdoor Brands, said that its quarterly net sales had declined nearly 40% in the fiscal quarter ending July 31.   Remington’s sales have also been experiencing the “Trump slump," with a 78% decline in earnings.

The “Trump Slump” in gun sales has had a punishing effect on the stocks of US-based firearms manufacturers. Publicly-traded Sturm Ruger & Co and American Outdoor Brands have shed 27% and 43% in market capitalization, respectively, since mid-June, as consumer urgency to stockpile has receded under the unified Republican-led administration and Congress.

Trump Blocks Democratic Memo Based On Information Already Declassified

Donald Trump showed himself to be a true hypocrite by blocking the release of a memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a Republican document that he had declassified last week.

That Republican memo seemingly supported the idea that the FBI and Justice Department acted with bias against Trump in the early stages of the federal probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.  But Trump has refused to release the Democratic rebuttal memo, citing national security concerns.

However, the Democratic memo is based on the same information that formed the basis of the Republican memo that Trump deemed to be safe to national security concerns.  House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the White House move is "part of a dangerous and desperate pattern of cover-up on the part of the president."

The GOP-controlled House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Monday to release the Democratic memo, but they needed Trump to official declassify the document.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and has read the classified information both memos are based on, tweeted that Trump's blocking the memo is 'hypocrisy at its worst.'

Florida Student Kills Emotional Support Animal After Being Denied Boarding

An emotional support dwarf hamster named Pebbles was killed by its owner after she was told it would not be allowed on an airplane to Florida. 

21-year-old college student Belen Aldecosea was scheduled to fly home for Thanksgiving and wanted to take her pet hamster Pebbles with her.  She called Spirit Airlines in advance of the flight and was advised that the hamster would only be allowed on the aircraft as an "emotional support" animal. 

When Aldecosea arrived at the gate, however, her pet was denied passage and she could not figure out any other way to get home.  Aldecosea claimed that an airline employee told her that she could either flush the animal down the toilet or let it loose outside. 

After unsuccessful attempts to rent a car, the 21-year-old student (who supposedly needed emotional support in order to fly) chose to kill the hamster by flushing it down the toilet. 

"She was scared. I was scared. It was horrifying trying to put her in the toilet,” Aldecosea claimed afterwards. “I sat there for a good 10 minutes crying in the stall."

Derek Dombrowski, spokesman for Spirit Airlines, acknowledged that the company had mistakenly told Aldocosea that the hamster was permitted to fly, but denied that killing the animal was their idea.  “At no point did any of our agents suggest this guest should flush or otherwise injure an animal,” Dombrowski said in a statement. “It is incredibly disheartening to hear this guest reportedly decided to end her own pet’s life.”

Richard Pryor's Widow Confirms He Slept With Marlon Brando

Quincy Jones had a wild and wide-ranging interview with Vulture magazine this week--  in which he claimed to have dated Ivanka Trump 12 years ago and that he knew who assassinated JFK.

He also described Michael Jackson as a thief who stole a lot of songs, said Elvis couldn't sing and stated that the Beatles were among the worst musicians in the world.  He also confessed to have bought drugs from Malcolm X and accused Prince of trying to run over Michael Jackson in a limo.

But one of the most outrageous stories shared by the multi-Grammy-winning producer involved legendary actor Marlon Brando, whom Jones said would fuck anything.  "Anything! He’d fuck a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye."

Shockingly, Richard Pryor's widow later confirmed her late husband did indeed have sex with Marlon Brando.

Jennifer Lee Pryor, who was married to Richard twice from 1981 to 1982 and again from 2001 to 2005, corroborated the story saying, "It was the '70s! Drugs were still good, especially quaaludes.  If you did enough cocaine, you'd fuck a radiator and send it flowers in the morning."

Jennifer Pryor said Richard documented his sexual escapades extensively in his diaries, which she plans to publish later this year.

Trump Aide Force To Resign Amid Allegations of Physical Abuse

Senior White House aide Rob Porter has announced his resignation amid reports that he mentally and physically abused two former wives.

Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby have made public allegations of abuse during their prior relationships with the soon-to-be-former White House staff secretary.  Willoughby, who divorced Porter in November 2013, decided to go public about the allegations after facing pressure from Porter to issue a statement that she felt “minimized” her experiences in their marriage.  Holderness, Porter’s first wife, described their relationship as “verbally, emotionally and physically abusive” in an interview with the Daily Mail.

According to sources, these reports of abuse against his previous wives have been holding up his

security clearance for the past year.  Porter is still working in the White House-- with access to sensitive documents in and out of the Oval Office-- based on an "interim" background clearance granted when he came on board early in the Trump Administration.  It is rare and very unusual for a federal employee to continue to work for the government on an interim clearance for such a long period.  As soon as background investigators became aware of the abuse allegations, it would have been standard procedure for Porter's supervisor in the White House to be made aware of the allegations, as it would make him a prime target for blackmail and potential compromise.  What John Kelly and/or Trump knew and when they knew it will become a serious issue as the story develops further.

The White House and Porter deny all allegations, of course.   Porter is rumored to be dating White House communications director Hope Hicks, so her role in the affair is also sure to come  under scrutiny as well. 

Trumps Calls For A Second Govt Shutdown

Trump has called for yet another shutdown of the federal government.  At a meeting today at the White House, Trump said to those present, "If we don't change it, let's have a shutdown," Trump said of the nation's immigration laws. "We'll do a shutdown and it's worth it for our country. I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this stuff taken care of."

The comment  was not well received in the room. Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Virginia Republican who represents a district with thousands of federal workers, confronted Trump about the remark and urged him to avoid a second Trump shutdown.

He added: "If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don't want safety, and unrelated but still related, they don't want to take care of our military, then shut it down. We'll go with another shutdown."

The government will run out of funding Thursday if negotiators can't strike a deal. Several Republican aides working on the budget deal have voiced concern that the President's comments about a shutdown may cause things to fall apart.

The President's remarks happened at the same time Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in separate news conferences, touted the progress on the talks and made clear a deal was close. The talks also separate the issue from immigration altogether-- long the GOP goal-- making the President's comments somewhat confusing.

"Things are in a good place, but also fragile," another GOP aide said, noting all of the moving parts in the talks. "We could do without anything inflammatory for a couple of days."

Anti-Vax Fears Spread to the Philippines

Fears over a dengue vaccine in the Philippines have led to a big drop in immunization rates for other  preventable diseases, according to officials.  Health Under-Secretary Enrique Domingo said many parents were refusing to get their children vaccinated for polio, chicken pox and tetanus.

The fears center on Dengvaxia, a drug developed by French company Sanofi.  Sanofi and local experts say there is no evidence linking the deaths of 14 children to the drug.  However, the company had warned last year that the vaccine could make the disease worse in some people not infected before.

Dengue fever affects more than 400 million people each year around the world, and is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in many Asian and Latin American countries.   Dengvaxia is the world's first vaccine against dengue.

"Our programs are suffering... (people) are scared of all vaccines now", Secretary Domingo warned.  He added that vaccination rates for some preventable diseases had dropped as much as 60% in recent years - significantly lower that the nationwide target of 85%.

Vaccination campaigns have been the source of much controversy across the world, beginning with a 1998 paper (later widely-discredited)  falsely linking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. This led to a drop in immunization rates in the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland.

"Anti-vax" movement: activities in the past few years by fringe campaigners against immunization - particularly for measles - lead to falling immunization rates in France, Italy and the U.S.

Islamist militants in Pakistan have carried out attacks against workers vaccinating children in recent years. The militants say immunization is a Western campaign to sterilize Pakistani children. 
 

Ass-Kisser Piers Morgan Depicted as Ass-Kisser

Piers Morgan launched a blistering on the BBC after it aired a cartoon depicting the British journalist with his nose up President Trump's backside.   Morgan's recent interview with Trump was widely considered to be ass-kissing of the highest order.

A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC has a rich heritage of satire and The Mash Report takes a satirical and surreal look at the week's big stories. This brand of humour is well known to BBC Two audiences who tune in to watch the program."

Morgan retweeted the cartoon a number of times, prompting critics to ask why.  "I want everyone to see exactly what the BBC did & share it,' he wrote in response.

Bachman Waiting For a Sign From God-- He Delivered.

Nutcase and former congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, stated last month that she was considering running for Al Franken’s U.S. Senate seat. In an interview, she admitted that she was turning to God for the answer:  “I’ve had people contact me and urge me to run for that Senate seat, and the only reason I would run is for the ability to take these principles into the United States Senate.  The question is, should it be me? Should it be now?”

Bachmann confessed that she is hoping God will provide an answer. “So the question is, am I being called to do this now?” she said.  Well-- based on billboards appearing around Minneapolis, it seems that God is telling her "No."

Reviews Are In For Piers Morgan's Trump Interview