Thursday September 13th – Open Thread

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

11:00pm Update Hurricane Florence – Slight Weakening as Storm Stays On Predicted Course…

According to the 11:00pm advisory Hurricane Florence has weakened to a Category 2 storm with winds at 110mph.  Forward speed is still around 17mph and it is located approximately 280 miles east south-east of Wilmington North Carolina. [16 hrs away]

Time Lapse Forecast Map Available Here


At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 32.0 North, longitude 73.7 West. Florence is moving toward the northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h), and this general motion, accompanied by a gradual decrease in forward speed, is expected to continue through Thursday. A turn to the west-northwest and west at an even slower forward speed is expected Thursday night and Friday, and a slow west-southwestward motion is forecast Friday night and Saturday.
On the forecast track, the center of Florence will approach the coasts of North and South Carolina on Thursday, then move near or over the coast of southern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the hurricane warning area on Thursday night and Friday. A slow motion over eastern South Carolina is forecast Friday night and Saturday. (read more)
(more…)

Washington Post: President Trump is "Complicit" in Creating Hurricane Florence…

Just when you think we might have reached peak Trump Derangement Syndrome; along comes an even bigger nut to raise the bar on crazy:

Tweet LinkArticle Link

Apparently President Trump is such a significant presence he now commands control over planetary meteorology.  Who knew?

Hurricanes – Mostly The Aftermath…

As many long-time readers will know, we do have a little bit more than average experience dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes.  I ain’t no expert in the before part; you need to heed the local, very local, professionals who will guide you through any preparation, and neighborhood specific guidelines, for your immediate area.

But when it comes to the ‘after part’, well, as a long-time CERT recovery member perhaps I can guide you through the expectation and you might find some value.  Consider this little word salad a buffet, absorb what might be of value pass over anything else.
When the winds reach around 40mph, the utility company will likely, proactively, shut down the power.  This makes things a heck of a lot safer in the aftermath; and much easier and safer during the rebuild.  Don’t expect the power to be turned back on until it is safe.
Hurricanes can be frightening; downright scary.  There’s nothing quite like going through a few to reset your outlook on just how Mother Nature can deliver a cleansing cycle to an entire geographic region.
(more…)

President Trump Hosts Reception for Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients…

President Trump delivers remarks at a celebration to honor a reception for Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. In addition to remarks for the audience, President Trump also mentions the preparation and concern for those in the path of Hurricane Florence.


.
[Transcript] East Room – 5:59 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. Please, please. A lot of very brave people in this room. I have to start off by saying that. And I’m truly thrilled to welcome back all of you folks to the White House. Thirty-three recipients — our nations highest military award: the Congressional Medal of Honor.
(more…)

5:00pm Update Hurricane Florence: Slight Weakening But More Concerning Projected Path….

The 5:00pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center shows the massive storm has lost a little internal power but the forecast path is now considerably worse.  The projections put Florence actually making near landfall and simultaneously shifting south buzz-sawing both the North Carolina and South Carolina coast with hurricane winds.
The projected path is incredible.  SEE HERE (hit play) a hurricane paralleling the coastline while retaining strength is one of the most damaging outcomes possible.  This also increases the storm surge potential with multiple tide cycles.

Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area late Thursday or Friday. Winds are expected to first reach tropical storm strength on Thursday, making outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.
At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 30.9 North, longitude 72.5 West. Florence is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion, accompanied by a gradual decrease in forward speed, is expected to continue through Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Florence will approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina in the hurricane warning area on Thursday and Friday, and move slowly near the coastline through Saturday.
(more…)

Small Business Optimism Reaches Highest Mark in 45 Year History….

MAGA Winnamin Alert – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) just released another survey.  The Small Business Optimism Index has soared to 108.8 in August; that’s an all-time record in the survey’s 45-year history, topping the July 1983 highwater mark of 108.  This incredible surge in economic outlook began with the era of President Donald J Trump.

According to the release:

“At the beginning of this historic run, Index gains were dominated by expectations: good time to expand, expected real sales, inventory satisfaction, expected credit conditions, and expected business conditions,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.
“Now the Index is dominated by real business activity that makes GDP grow: job creation plans, job openings, strong capital spending plans, record inventory investment plans, and earnings. Small business is clearly helping to drive that four percent growth in the domestic economy.”

(more…)

Big Club Makes It's Move – Chinese Funded U.S. Lobbyists Move For "Public Fight" Over Tariffs….

It was virtually guaranteed to happen, the only unknown was the actual timing of when they would execute their self-interested plan.  Remember, there are trillions at stake and the multinationals will not give up their power, influence and control over the U.S. economy.

The media are reporting on a “group” of lobbyists “uniting” in a common strategy to oppose President Trump, ahead of the mid-terms, based on Chinese tariffs.  Those who have followed this “group”, also known as “the big club”, for decades know full well the lobbyists are financed through Wall Street multinational corporations and foreign money (hint: China).  The foreign funding is passed through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Tom Donohue, who then organizes the lobbying strategy to target politicians.
President Trump has made it a pillar of his presidency to reset the global trade relationships and stop the trade imbalance that previously caused the destruction of the U.S. manufacturing base and the collapse of the middle-class.  The America-First trade initiatives are adverse to the interests of the multinationals (globalists) and the control mechanisms within the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Money and economic control is the real battle-space within the American political system. This latest move is only the beginning of that will follow in the next 56 days, as they to try and eliminate Trump by targeting republicans. The Big Club is the financial mechanism that constructed the UniParty in Washington DC.
(more…)

Jim Jordan Discusses The FBI "Media Leak Strategy" Under Director Comey and Deputy Director McCabe…

Representative Jim Jordan, member of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, appears on Fox News to discuss revelations about how the FBI used the media to support their investigative purposes.  In essence this “Media Leak Strategy” issue lies at the heart of the controversy behind the redacted “Sources and Methods” the FBI continues to hide.
The “sources and methods” within the FBI investigative material (now classified) reflects intentional leaks by the FBI to media, and journalists writing articles to bolster the investigation which were then cited as supportive material to continue the investigation.


.
Frustratingly, what no-one seems to mention -during these debates- is how the Inspector General has already outlined the FBI ‘media leak strategy’ when he published his report on FBI conduct. There are two chapters of the IG report dedicated to outlining how grossly negligent FBI officials were collaborating with the media.
(more…)

A Message From President Trump About Hurricane Florence…

The next advisory from the National Hurricane Center is 2:00pm today.  President Trump delivers a strong message of caution and concern ahead of the storm’s arrival.


.
On the forecast track, the center of Florence will approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina in the hurricane warning area on Thursday and Friday and move slowly near the coastline through Saturday. Florence is still forecast to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast.
(more…)