Iran – Deal or War – Historic Relevance

Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, stands next to a United States flag July 20, 1969 during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the surface of the Moon

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Welcome back My Dear Shoevians to The Other Shoe. Today (July 28^th, 2013)  with this article I will engage and inform you, My Dear Shoevians, in a way and a theater of discussion which we are unaccustomed. I, generally, refrain from writing and publishing articles about domestic and/or foreign policy. In specific, a discussion on American foreign policy and/or international treaties and their content. However, the current ‘P5+1 Iranian Nuclear Deal’ is of such international and historic significance I would be completely socially remiss if I did not share my insights and opinion. Therefore, My Dear Shoevians, I beg your indulgence (this time) while I work to dispel harmful rhetoric, enhance broader understanding and engage the men and women of America and the international community. Thank you for your understanding and support.

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In the following pages I will do my best to explain my support for this historic agreement. I will share passages from the deal, itself, and the history of the partnership that fathered the deal. It is not my; intent, desire or ultimate goal to change, alter or modify anyone’s opinion of this deal. If that were to happen, it would not be; me, my words or my abilities as a writer that changed or altered your opinions it would be the facts. It is the facts that convinced me that this deal was the best possible scenario for; America, England, Russia, China, Germany and Israel. It will be the facts that enhance your, My Dear Shoevians, your understanding of this historic nuclear deal. I am just a messenger with a desire to see the children, and grandchildren, of my family and friends to grow up in a peaceful world.

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I feel that, in order to put this agreement, in the proper light and context I must go backwards in time. I had to go backwards in time to find an analogous situation/setting and international context and framework. Thankfully I did not have to go back very far, and found an analogous circumstance in, what I perceive to be, a mutually common time period. In the later part of World War 2 America started a project code named ‘The Manhattan Project’[1]. The Manhattan projects prime directive was to create, and build, a bomb of mass destruction. The purpose of this weapon of mass destruction was to inflict the greatest amount of human casualties upon Japan, with the minimal amount of American/Allied casualties. This, they believed, would force the hand of the Emperor of Japan, and his war council, and bring about a quick end to the Pacific theater of World War two.

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  The weapon of mass destruction was to be an atomic bomb[2]. The very first atomic bomb was dropped at 8:15AM August 6^th, 1945 on the Japanese city of Hiroshima[3]. The next atomic bomb was dropped at 3:15 AM August 9^th, 1945 on the Japanese city of Nagasaki[4]. These two bombings changed the course of history for mankind, and threw our race into the ‘Nuclear Age’. Here is a, now, famous quote from the lead designer and head of the ‘Manhattan Project’ J. Robert Oppenheimer[5]. Little did they, or all the support personnel and military personnel involved in ‘The Manhattan Project’ (including my father), know that they had just started (what later, and for all of history be known as) ‘The Cold War’[6].

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The ‘Cold War’ was an arms race between the United States and the (then) United Soviet Socialist Republic. This cold war was, in actuality, the single greatest expenditure of money and human effort since the Great Pyramids of Giza[7].This war raged from 1947 to 1991. It is estimated that the total cost of the nuclear devices, built by America, during the Cold War met or exceeded $13.1 TRILLION dollars[8] (in 1996 U.S. dollars). The graphic, below, shows the growing number of nuclear devices during the Cold War.

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U.S. & U.S.S.R. Nuclear Stockpiles 1950-2010

(U.S. & U.S.S.R. Nuclear Stockpiles 1950-2010)

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I realize that the chart above is not very specific, when it comes to megatonnage, so I have included a more accurate chart, below, that show megatonnage by nation from 1964 to 1974.

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Strategic nuclear missiles, warheads and throw-weights of United States and Soviet Union, 1964–1982[16][17]
Year	Launchers		Warheads		Megatonnage
	United States	Soviet Union	United States	Soviet Union	United States	Soviet Union
1964	2,416	375	6,800	500	7,500	1,000
1966	2,396	435	5,000	550	5,600	1,200
1968	2,360	1,045	4,500	850	5,100	2,300
1970	2,230	1,680	3,900	1,800	4,300	3,100
1972	2,230	2,090	5,800	2,100	4,100	4,000
1974	2,180	2,380	8,400	2,400	3,800	4,200
1976	2,100	2,390	9,400	3,200	3,700	4,500
1978	2,058	2,350	9,800	5,200	3,800	5,400
1980	2,042	2,490	10,000	7,200	4,000	6,200
1982	2,032	2,490	11,000	10,000	4,100	8,200

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America and the U.S.S.R. were engaged in the single most (potentially) destructive stockpiling of weapons in the history of our species. Mankind, in 1962, was testing nuclear weapons above ground all over the globe. They tested them above ground, below ground, and under water. Nobody had a clue as to the long-term effects this kind of nuclear weapons testing would have on; the planet, the environment and (ultimately) on the genetic evolution of man. Then, after eight long years of negotiation, on August 5^th 1963 under the direction of President John Kennedy the; United States, United Kingdom and the U.S.S.R. signed the ‘Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty’[9]. This treaty would limit the testing of nuclear weapons; in the atmosphere, in space, and underwater. Further:

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The treaty:

• prohibited nuclear weapons tests or other nuclear explosions under water, in the atmosphere, or in outer space

• allowed underground nuclear tests as long as no radioactive debris falls outside the boundaries of the nation conducting the test

• pledged signatories to work towards complete disarmament, an end to the armaments race, and an end to the contamination of the environment by radioactive substances.[10]

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President Kennedy faced a greatly divided Senate. However, the final vote in the Senate, on September 23^rd, 1963, was 80-19. President Kennedy signed the ratified treaty on October 7^th, 1963.

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President John Kennedy Signing the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963

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(President John Kennedy Signing the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963)

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Thirty-three years later the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty[12].The world, mankind and all of the advanced nations on earth had reached an agreement, and more importantly, and understanding that nuclear testing was bad for mankind. It took many decades and initially there was little support, here in America, for this ban. As is today, many people loudly complained that Kennedy was “appeasing” the U.S.S.R., that the U.S.S.R. “could not be trusted” and that the test ban would be ignored by the Soviets and would leave America behind “in the development of advanced nuclear weaponry”.

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America, now, posses the most advanced nuclear and thermonuclear weapons and technology on the planet. The fears were unjustified, and if we allowed our worst nature to rule our objective actions?

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The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963 was just the very first step, for America and world, in the right direction. I am going to leave out a great many agreements, treaties and the like in an effort to speed this part of the article. Now, I will skip forward to 1993, and the Presidency of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Whereas the treaty of 1963 had greatly limited the testing of nuclear devices and technology, the; United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and the U.S.S.R. were amassing huge stockpiles of nuclear devices of all kinds. From Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles to bombers designed specifically to drop nuclear bombs. The largest ever built, most well known and even featured in a major motion picture directed by Stanley Kubrick – ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’[13]. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress[14] was America’s ultimate high-altitude strategic nuclear bomber.

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Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

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(Boeing B-52 Stratofortress)

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At this point, in the Cold War, America and the U.S.S.R. had nuclear bombs and devices; Flying in aircraft 24/7/365, in nuclear submarines in three to five of the world’s oceans, hidden in bunkers deep under the earth all through the Plains States in America, on moveable ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) launchers all over the Soviet satellite nations and anywhere and everywhere they could house these deadly devices. At the height of this build up, it was theorized, mankind had enough nuclear devices to level the earth “Fifty times over”. This insanity had to stop, and it took a courageous and charismatic leader to accomplish this task.

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The START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty[16]) treaties were first announced, by President Ronald Reagan, in a commencement address at his alma mater, Eureka College, on 9 May, 1982[17]. After nine years of negotiation and debate, and to the consternation of many Republicans (some comparing President Reagan and President Bush’s actions“appeasement the likes of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain”… SOUND FAMILIAR???) on July 31sat, 1991 President George H. W. Bush and Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the START 1 agreement – on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It was a long and hard slog for both of these Republican Presidents. As I mentioned above, much of the very same hyperbolic and inflammatory rhetoric, that we hear directed at President Barrack Obama, was (then) directed at both President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.

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Nobody trusted the United Soviet Socialist Republic… NOBODY! Leaders of many of our European allies were gravely concerned that the USSR would, not only, not honor the agreement, but would use the perceived peace to “build their nuclear capabilities and research and development of new nuclear devices”. However, as President Reagan stated at the signing of the INF Treaty, on 8 December 1987 “”doveryai no proveryai” (trust, but verify)[18]. It took a courageous and charismatic leader to start the process and help guide the next President to the conclusion. It took a leader to lead the world, both free and Russian, to the world we live in today. One, not free of, but with far less nuclear weapon stockpiles.

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My Dear Shoevians, I have taken you all down this historic path for two reasons. One, to show everyone (even President Obama’s detractors) that nobody can ‘see the future’ and that even the terrifying and dark United Soviet Socialist Republic could engage in meaningful diplomacy for the greater good of mankind. That, even though they could not be trusted, that did not stop Republican Presidents from working with our perceived nemesis to broker a deal that made the world a better and safer place for all mankind. Ultimately all the detractors became fan boys of President Reagan and now they point to this accomplishment (which they were convinced was “appeasement”) as the legacy of a great President.

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Well, My Dear Shoevians, I am at a crossroads. It is now 8:00PM PDST here in California. I have yet to eat any dinner, and I had plans of relaxing, tonight, and maybe playing some World of Warcraft. WoW is the only place where I can afford to (and safely) ride a horse, anymore. Where I can hop on a flying mount and go for a leisurely flight over forests and streams. Where I can sit in a pub, listen to music, and relax by an open fire. WoW is very relaxing for me. As well, I can play the game and; fight, battle and engage in Quests that give me gold and armor and glory. I only have about three weeks left of the time Allen purchased for me, at Christmas. When that purchased time has passed, I will be financially unable to purchase more… and further enjoy this relaxing and entertaining game. I do value every moment I can spend in this virtual reality, where I have not been stripped of my ability to walk, where I can safely mount and ride a horse, and sit by a quietly babbling stream and fish.

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Therefore, as I have said, I am at a cross-roads, My Dear Shoevians. Should I end this part of the article. Post these nine pages for everyone to read, play an hour or two of WoW, then get back to finishing this article with ‘Part Two – The Agreement’? My Dear Shoevians, I have already done my homework. I have, right here on the screen in front of me, the agreement. I have passages highlighted, that I want to share. I have passages that I want to use in arguments for this agreement highlighted and copy/pasted. Unlike all too many of our Representatives (of both parties), I have read this agreement. Just today, someone I really do not know, asked me this question:

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“Do you trust Iran?”

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I did not have it ready for a retort to him, right at that moment, but here is my retort… now (this is from the PREAMBLE which IS very IMPORTANT)

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, the

Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the High

Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy)

have decided upon this long-term Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

(JCPOA). This JCPOA, reflecting a step-by-step approach, includes the reciprocal

commitments as laid down in this document and the annexes hereto and is to

be endorsed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

ii. The full implementation of this JCPOA will ensure the exclusively peaceful

nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.

iii. Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or

acquire any nuclear weapons.”

Quote From Preamble of the Iranian Nuclear P5+1 Deal

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So, ‘do I trust’ the Supreme Leader of Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to; go on the airwaves of the state run television and radio and announce his ‘undying love of America/Americans and President Obama’? NO! Do I trust the Supreme Leader of Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to; stop his pronouncements of ‘Death to Americans’ and ‘Death to Israel”?NO! Do I trust the Supreme Leader of Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to; not cheat on his thirteen wives with a chambermaid? NO! Do I trust the Supreme Leader of Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to HIMSELF adhere to the letter of this agreement. NO! But, then again, it will not BE the Supreme Leader of Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that is required to; allow IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. It WILL be the responsibility of the (I will use our Cabinet Level Equal as an example) Secretary of Iran’s Nuclear Facilities to ALLOW IAEA Inspectors inspections as outlined by the agreement. YES!

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Yes, My Dear Shoevians, I do expect that Iran will keep the terms of this agreement. If for no other reason than; they saw what America did when Iraq and Saddam Hussein did not allow IAEA inspectors access to his nuclear facilities. I do think that Iran will adhere to the agreements it has made directly with the IAEA about an inspection schedule.BECAUSE, you see, there are carrots and there are sticks in this agreement. OK… I have decided… I will not be; finishing this article tonight… I need some relaxation. As well, this article is already ELEVEN pages long. I want this article to be of a normal reading length, or no one will take the time and effort to actually read this article.

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I am going to sum up this ‘Part One’ and then I am going to publish it and then relax. Then, tomorrow, I am going to start, and finish, ‘Part Two – The Agreement’. That way I have all the time I need to; quote, highlight, create arguments, answer (stupid) questions, DEBUNK Republican rhetoric, and generally present this agreement in the light it needs and deserves! Then, I am going to send a link to the article to the campaigns of; Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and ALL the Presidential candidates for both parties. I, kind of, doubt that I will hear back from any, but it is worth a try. Oh, and I will send links to; Chris Matthews, ‘Face the Nation’, ‘Meet the Press’, and ‘This Week’.

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My Dearest Shoevians, I have read this agreement. All 159 pages of it… good and bad… procedural and dull… historic and gripping. I keep hearing Republicans saying that “we are giving Iran BILLIONS!!!”. Today I even heard, during the hearing with Sec. Kerry, a Republican say that “We are giving BILLIONS away to Iran… as a SIGNING BONUS!!” Nothing could be more BOGUS!!! What America (and ALL of the P5+1 NATIONS) are DOING is giving Iran ITS money BACK! Yes, we have held billions of; assets, cash, securities and annuities from Iran over the past decade. This is money that Iran EARNED through; the sale of oil, gas and oil leases, property sales and all manner of LEGAL financial transactions. What we are doing is RETURNING the LEGALLY  E A R N E D money back to Iran. Nothing more, and nothing less.

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Well, it is now 9:00PM PDST and another hour has passed. I still have to; upload images, transfer content from Word to FOUR blogs, and then publish this article to FOUR blog locations. I might be done by midnight. So, that brings us to the close of this “Part One – Historic Relevance’ of the article “Iran – Deal or War’. Catchy title, huh? Well, it does pretty much sum up the situation, according to Republicans. I mean, in September ALL the sanctions END! There is NO WAY our intransigent Republican lead Congress can EVER come up with; new sanctions, get approval of a majority of BOTH Houses, get the approved language over to the United Nations Security Council, get the Security Council to VOTE and PASS our new sanctions (without China and/or Russia voting against or abstaining = NON-passage), then DELIVERING the new sanctions to Iran and putting them into effect. ALL by the end of September??? Not bloody likely!!!!

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More of that, tomorrow, My Dear Shoevians. Thank you for dropping by and reading. Again, as always, if you have enjoyed this article, found it of interest or informative? PLEASE ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ this article on your social media. If you liked it, so will your; family, friends, co-workers, and all your extended circles.

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

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© 2010 – 2015 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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P.S. – It is now after 10PM PDST. I am just too tired to; set up the other computer, get the game and add-ons updated, get into the game. = I did NOT get to play WoW tonight, after all. 😦 = Frown.

 

 

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project

[2] http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/atomic-bomb

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cold_War

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza

[8] http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/johnson/milspend.htm

[9] http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty.aspx

[10] http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty.aspx?p=3

[11] http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/jgeh9HdtMkmSv8J_nMDfpg.aspx

[12] https://www.ctbto.org/the-treaty/

[13] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-52H#B-52H

[15] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Usaf.Boeing_B-52.jpg

[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/START_I

[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/START_I

[18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust,_but_verify

News From Around the World – September 25th, 2014

News From Around the World

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Welcome to a revival of ‘News From Around the World’. I haven’t wrote or published any editions of this series for some time. However, I was looking at some news stories, earlier today, and I decided that now was the time for me to revive this series. Now, there are not going to be a lot of stories, in this first edition, but I am hoping to have more with each following edition.

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This is the story that caught my eye, and persuaded me to write and publish this series, again. With all the troubles in our world, from ISIS… ISIL or whatever they call themselves this week, to the growing discontent of America’s minimum wage workers, to the ever advancing effects of ‘Climate Change’. Our world appears to be a planet stuck in some kind of galactic quicksand. Here is the symptom that has me the most concerned, this week. The DJIA lost over 200 points today! As I am writing this article I see that the DJIA has lost 233.77 points equal to about 1.34% of DJIA total volume.

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““To us that would signal a threat from the Kremlin that the Russian-U.S.-Europe conflict economically might take a turn for the worse, should it be enacted. They are signaling that unless concessions or negotiations take place, we’re prepared to do this,” said Jim Russell, senior equity strategist for US Bank Wealth Management. “It’s a turn for the worse, it’s an unwelcome signaling from the Kremlin that this, a limitation on capital flows to Russia, is a possibility. Maybe the markets are reacting to it,” Russell said.””[1].

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This drop comes right on the heals of the S&P 500 jumping the most it has in the past month. Aye, there’s the rub! It might just be me, but when we get “largest drop since___” right after (24 hours earlier) “single one month increase in years…”? Well, that is what I call ‘instability’. Instability in the financial markets. Now where have I heard that before? Oh, yes! I remember now… 2008 – 2011! And, you want to know what doesn’t help? All the nay Sayers and portents of doom coming from a particular network and its affiliates. As I learned when I was a young boy, ‘perception dictates reality’. So, let’s keep track of the pulse of the markets and I will get back to you about this tid-bit of news in October.

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Jumping over to the tech news, we can see that Apple is just not having a good month. YES they did sell something on the order of ten million new iPhones. Then, they (Apple) released a new OS update (iOS 8.0.1) and all the sudden everybody to:

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“The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users who downloaded the iOS update found themselves unable to access cell service or use the TouchID fingerprint sensor,”[2]

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Apple immediately pulled the 8.0.1 update. Here’s the real BITE Apple emailed its users that “”Affected users can reinstall iOS 8 through iTunes,”[3]Which, I mean I don’t know because I do not have any Apple products, but if you just signed a new two year agreement and/or plopped down a big stack o’cash? That is not what I would want to hear from the company I just married my cellular service to for the next two years! Great thing? It ONLY effected the ten million users that just bought iPhone 6!

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Now, as if that is not enough ‘Bad News’ for Apple, seems they have a bug (“Worse than “Hartbleed”) pointed right at its customers. It is called “Bash” and it messed with; Linux, Unix, and MciOS! Here’s the scoop on “Bash”:

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“A major security flaw that could affect Apple’s Mac and Linux operating systems has been discovered, with security experts claiming it to be more dangerous than the recent Heartbleed bug. The Shellshock bug creates a vulnerability in “Bash” — software that controls the command prompt on many computers running the Unix operating system. The Shellshock vulnerability could allow hackers to insert malicious pieces of code from a remote location and potentially take control of a machine. “The difference in significance is that with Heartbleed, what somebody could grab credentials of a user and do what they wanted, but in this case, if somebody is vulnerable, it potentially allows someone to get full system control of a victim’s system,…”[4]

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That was a quote from David Emm senior security research at Kaspersky lab. Kaspersky has been outing Apple for its security faults and holes for the past three years. Just last year, at a computer security conference in Japan Kaspershy founder Eugene Kaspersky blasted Apple for being “A decade behind Windows OS when it comes to system security…”[5]

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So, in just a matter of a week Apple has ten million brand new iPhone 6 users unable to make phone calls, a brand new bug “Bash” knocking a hole in the Apple iOS, and there lack of focus on system security plaguing them in the tech world. I just cannot be thankful enough that I do not have an iPhone, and iPad, or any other ‘i’ device. However, My Dear Readers, if you do have and use Apple? All I can tell you is that I think there is a Kaspersky product for use on Apple iOS. If there is? BUY IT… INSTALL IT… USE IT! I would hate for any of My Dear Readers have the identity stolen, the bank account drained, or their iPhone high jacked by some high schooler in Russia! I have nothing against ‘i’ products, I just learned and have worked on PC hardware and software since the late 80’s and I just love using a OS I know.

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Now from ‘i’ stuff and Apple to… light bulbs! Well ‘Smart Light Bulbs’. I just caught an article on this all new ‘Smart’ light bulb being developed by “Ex-Tesla and NASA Engineers…”[6] This is not just some gimmick to sell more compact fluorescent bulbs. This is an actual ‘Smart’ device that:

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“work autonomously, both by adjusting light output based on sunlight and by learning and adapting to its owners’ household habits.”[7]

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As device creator, Neil Joesph, see it this is the next step up from Philips Hue and the LIFX. The product is named Alba (alba is Italian for sunrise). Alba uses embedded diodes that work as sensors for; movement, ambient light, occupancy and can even (over time) adapt to the usage patterns of the user. Remembering things like, when a person gets up each day, when they are out of the home for work, and when they arrive back home from work. They speculate that these ‘Smart’ bulbs could cut energy usage by 60% to 80%! Now, that translates to paying for 80% less electricity for lighting you home! That could be tremendous savings in larger homes and businesses. This could be the wave of the future of light sources.

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Finally, we go to Japan for the… well the worst of all the stories I have shared with you, My Dear Readers, today. In the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama… the yearly… dolphin hunting has begun. This is just (for me) a fancy… and culturally allowed yearly slaughter of dolphins!

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“Local fishermen are permitted by the Wakayama prefectural government to hunt an annual quota of nearly 2,000 dolphins and porpoises from seven different species, in accordance with what the government says is traditional practice.”[8]

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Now, My Dear Readers, I cannot even put into words just how much this sickens me. That, each and every year, these people have “a quota of 2,000 dolphins, and porpoises from several different species…”[9] I understand that this is part of a historic ritual, and rite of season that has gone on for hundreds of years prior to understanding what we now do about dolphins and porpoises. However, isn’t it the duty of man to apply knowledge to ancient and barbaric practices… and be learning, end them? Is not that they way mankind grows and develops? Are we not, by allowing and even condoning this activity, hampering the social growth of this community?

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By allowing this to happen, by looking the other way… are we not damning these people to being backward and barbaric? Is it not the responsibility of the larger international community to temper behavior with knowledge? It seems to me, that by allowing this sick and barbaric practice to continue we are relegating these communities to a ‘social Dark Ages’. That it is our responsibility as international neighbors to make sure that sick and barbaric practices, like this one, are ended? Not only for the benefit of the animals, but for the social growth and responsibility of the people.

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Honestly, there is just no ‘Good Reason’ to do this. There is nothing that they ‘get’ from porpoises and dolphins (nutritional wise) that they cannot get from other foods or nutritional supplements. Let me put it another way. Let’s say suddenly we find out that turkeys are highly evolved animals. That they have the potential for language and interspecies communication. I would be The First Son-of-a-gun to STOP eating turkeys! Now, My Dear Readers, I just LOVE turkey meat. Especially the dark meat, right? However, if I were to find out that these turkeys were just as smart as dolphins. Had the capability of language just like dolphins… and started looking as cute as dolphins… (OK, drop the last one there). I seriously would be the first in line to STOP EATING TURKEYS!

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So, again, WHY are we giving the Japanese communities a pass on killing these sentient creatures? If I had the money… the ability to travel… and someone to help me. I would go there and throw myself between these barbarians and the dolphins! Period!

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Well now, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of this revival of ‘News From around the World’ here at The Other Shoe. As most of you are aware, I am running a running campaign at Indiegogo to help me with the mounting costs of battling my cancer. Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund at Indiegogo is now in its FINAL WEEK! That’s right only seven more days for me to raise as much money as I can! I hate to be so brutally honest, but I am a ‘man on a mission’. A mission to raise money to help me with; transportation costs, pharmacy costs, treatment costs, and home care costs.

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I only hope that you, My Dear Readers, take a moment to two and look at the campaign web site. Read some of the materials. Look at some of the images and scans pics. The give so that I might live cancer free, someday. I am working as hard as I can. Often writing and publishing TWO ARTICLES A DAY! I would not ask if this were not a life-or-death situation. Please understand that I do need your help.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!
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Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund @ Indiegogo

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PLEASE Shop at The Other Shoe eBay Store!

PLEASE SHOP at The Other Shoe eBay Store!

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PLEASE DONATE to

Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund @ Indiegogo

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Danny in Rolling Hills Estates August 12, 2014

PLEASE GIVE!?!

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© 2010 – 2014 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

News From Around the World – August 28th 2014

News from Around the World

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today I am going to share an article series that has been strangely absent from this blog. ‘News From Around the World’ made its first appearance, earlier this year, then vanished recently. Fact of the matter is, between my battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, my (thwarted) attempt to raise the support I need to fight my cancer, and my ongoing battle with pain? I just paired down the number of articles I publish within a given week, and ‘News From Around the World’ found itself on the chopping block.

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Last week, in this spot on my blog, ‘The Horror in Smithville’ made its appearance. However, I am still working out some edits for ‘Part 14-B’ so our tale of the adventures of Timmy & Archer will reappear in its old slot tomorrow, Friday. My sincere apologies to all of you, My Dear Readers, which are fans of ‘The Horror…’ for bumping this week’s ‘Part –B’ to Friday. However, fear not you will have another entertaining and exciting episode right here tomorrow afternoon. Here’s a little teaser. In tomorrow’s episode we learn the fate of on Barry Gartuska after he pounds the daylights out of (our hero) Timmy! Let’s just say that… well, his much deserved trek to county lock-up is… derailed, by a rather ‘tall’ character. 😉

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For now, it’s on with the show for ‘News From Around the World’! Our first stop is still within the bounds of America. It seems that ‘the South’ takes, yet another, hit in the ‘bad living conditions’ genre! “My apologies” to all of My Dear Readers that live down South, but I only calls them the way I ‘sees’ them. It appears that an extremely rare “brain-destroying amoeba”[1]was found in the drinking water supply of 12,577 residents of; Reserve, Garyville and Mt. Airy Louisiana. The Naegleria fowleri bug was confirmed, today, within the drinking water supply to the above named parishes. A representative for ‘St. John the Baptist Parish, one Paige Falgoust, released an extremely intelligent statement.

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That, in part, warned all 12,577 residents to “avoid allowing water to go up your nose while bathing or swimming in a pool,” [2]

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I am certain that all 12,577 residents will ‘get right on that’ by wearing those wickedly pink ‘nose squishers’ (from the 50’s and 60’s) whenever they; take a bath, take a shower, go swimming (outside the bayou), run through sprinklers, or play with their water-wiggles. They are, just now, adding chlorine to the water (something most states and major cities have been doing for the better part of the 20^th century). Could this be a ‘partial explanation’ of the popularity of Fox ‘News’ in the South? Moving on!

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NEWS from the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) said, in a news release this Tuesday, that the current outbreak of the ebola virus “could eventually infect more than 20,000 people – more than six times as many as doctors currently know about”[3] OK, so.. like, 600% MORE victims of this ‘please turn my blood into water’ virus? (ebola is a hemorrhagic pathogen that destroys your body’s ability to clot blood, resulting in profuse bleeding from; ears, nose, eyes, and ALL mucus membranes[4])

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For those that entertain their impulses to, well, panic at the slightest provocation? This would be a really god reason to bring out your panic button and your Xanax scrip! All we, here in America, need is for, let’s say, a half-dozen people in, well, a half-dozen airplanes to disembark in six major cities while in the initial stages of this virus. Once, here in America, this pathogen could spread faster than a wildfire in Texas or California. ‘Worst Case Scenario’ would be that the six planes with the six ebola infected passengers would land at; LAX (Los Angeles), LaGuardia (New York), Hartsfield/Jackson (Atlanta), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston), Denver International Airport (Denver), and MIA (Miami International Airport) and America could see the biggest outbreak of a deadly pathogen in the history of our nation. Groovy!

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In better news on the ebola front? The National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) has just announced that “human clinical trials” of “an ebola vaccine” will start… wait for it… … … this fall[5]. Let’s all just hope that they can get that vaccine through trials and into production before those planes land. Am I right, or what? That news would have to fall into the better late than never category. Moving on!

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Now, to move out from these United States and into news from the Middle East. It was reported today that yesterday ““During a period of increased fighting beginning yesterday between armed elements and Syrian Arab Armed Forces within the area of separation in the Golan Heights”[6]

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That “43 peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were detained early this morning by an armed group in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah,”[7] That was the quote from the news release from the United Nations press office. I have nothing more on the status of these peacekeepers, their current whereabouts, or the condition of the captives. However, I will do my best to keep you, My Dear Readers, apprised of this situation as it unfolds. This is a terrible situation, when militant combatants refuse to honor the safety of U.N. peacekeepers and commit these kinds of war crimes. My heart goes out to the friends and families of all the 43 that have been taken hostage.

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In lighter news, and back here on the home front. Scientists have finally unraveled the mystery that is the “Mystery of Death Valley’s Moving Rocks”! If you have Netflix, and like to watch obscure scientific documentaries, then you will have heard of the ‘Sailing Rocks of Death Valley’. I was made aware of these mysterious and intrepid travelers a few months ago. I was wandering through the voluminous collection of documentaries at Netflix when I ran across a whole documentary about these sailing stones.

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“For a century, these eerie rocks and their long, graceful trails have stumped visitors and scientists. The boulders of black dolomite appear to move on their own, sliding uphill across the playa’s flat lakebed. The trails are the only evidence the rocks move. No one has ever seen them set sail.”[8]

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That is until now! I am going to provide you, My Dear Readers, with a link to the video that shows how these rocks… “sail”. However, I am going to break the news to you, right now. It appears that these sailing stones’ are actually gliding on soggy soil as they are pushed by sheets of ice!

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“Jagged plates of thin ice, resembling panels of broken glass, bulldoze the rocks across the flooded playa, the scientists reveal today (Aug. 27) in the journal PLOS One. Driven by gentle winds, the rocks seem to hydroplane atop the fluffy, wet mud.”[9]

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Wow what a let-down! You see, My Dear Readers, when I was watching the documentary? It occurred to me that, like, ice and wet soil was/is the answer. I am so relieved that my grasp of basic science encompasses the mundane. JOY!

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OK… we ‘did’ hemorrhagic fever outbreak (POSSIBLE)… we did the ‘sailing stones’… we did the upcoming clinical trials of the vaccine for the hemorrhagic fever… What’s left, My Dear Readers? Oh, YEAH! It ‘seems’ that “hackers in Russia” have successfully hacked; J.P.Morgan Chase, and four others “major financial institutions”… “last month”![10]

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‘They’ are not sure if; personal account information was stolen, pin numbers where stolen, account IDs were stolen, account numbers where stolen, and/or if (basically) ALL your personal account information was stolen during a huge hack of some of the top financial institutions in America. ‘They’ “think” that it orioginated from Russia… and they “wonder” if it is “retaliation for the sanctions lead by President Obama against Russia…” What is ‘their’ advice for us; account holders, credit card holders, and Debit Card holders? “Report any suspicious activity to your bank…” BRILLIANT or what? I was, like, on the edge of my seat, till the end, with that one!

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Now, for our final story of the day, I stay here on the domestic front (things are just all too, like, bloody and violent outside America…). Just when Governor Chris Christie thought it was ‘safe to come out and solicit donations’ he gets bonked ‘back into the box’ with “all new subpoenas” in the ‘BridgeGate’ investigation. For those of us that have, like, moved on from news from months ago? This is the ‘Debacle on the George Washington Bridge’ where, it is alleged, that Gov. Christie used shutting down all the lanes inbound to New York as some sort of ‘political revenge’ on a Mayor that was ‘not playing ball’ with the Governor’s office the way they wanted.

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These new subpoenas are requesting “a month of data, including text messages, sent or received by Regina Egea”[11] It seems that, while under oath, Regina testified that she “texted the governor her thoughts about December testimony on the bridge probe but later deleted the messages.”[12]

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If this is true, it could be a possible lead directly to the Governor’s office. Governor Christie has adamantly denied, from the very beginning, of any knowledge of ‘Bridgegate’ prior to… him seeing it on television… to him giving instructions to his staff to not talk about it… to “sometime earlier this year, I do not remember exactly when”. Yeah, I just love all the gray area in the Governor’s statements. See, the thing is? Nobody has, yet, to put Governor Christie under oath!

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Now, I am just a little old blog writer but until we get Governor Christie sworn in and under oath? The ‘goal posts’ on the ‘truth’ are just going to keep moving with the headlines. I am old enough to have seen this all before, and until the ‘Fat man sings’ nothing has really been learned. I think that, before the Republican Presidential Primary, that should happen! The American people deserve the truth, and the Republican party needs the truth! This man could be a viable alternative to Hillary. However, that will never happen with this hanging over his head. He needs to get under oath, answer all the questions and put this behind him and the Republican party!

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Well, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of this edition of ‘News From Around the World’! I hope that you all have enjoyed your stay, learned a little bit, and had a few laughs. I know I have. As always, it brings me great joy to share time with you, My Dear Readers, and to share some of the stories ‘that you might have missed’ right here at ‘The Other Shoe’. I look forward to seeing you all, right here, tomorrow for ‘The Horror in Smithville – Part 14-B ‘. Already, I have given a bit of a teaser about what is to come, tomorrow. That is all you are going to get until you, My Dear Readers, return tomorrow!

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In closing, My Dear Readers, I am never ‘one to judge the actions or inaction of others’. However, I will be quite frank in telling you, My Dear Readers, that I am… well, a bit discouraged by the… well, lack of support I can’t help but see. See in the lack of donations to my Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund @ Indiegogo[13].

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I do not want to ‘judge’ anyone. It is not anyone’s responsibility to help anyone… else. Yet, I had hoped for… well, better. I know that My Dear Readers are not ordinary people. You are, by virtue of reading my blog, a better cut of cloth. I know that you long for better news, information, stories, and content. That is what brought you to ‘The Other Shoe’. As well, that is what keeps you coming back. Maybe I am ‘jumping the gun’ too much. We are only ¼ of the way through the campaign. Yet, My Dear Readers, the financial drain is already here. As well, and I admit this with great hesitancy… I am scared. Scared that, well, the treatment is within reach… but that the means for me to obtain the treatment? Is not. Aye, there’s the rub!

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I want you all to know, that it is with great trepidation and hesitation that I make this request for assistance. I do not take your readership or being “My Dear Readers” lightly. I respect you, and do not want to do anything that would offend you, My Dear Readers. I just need this help, and I do not know of any other way of getting the assistance I direly need. Again, I apologize for interrupting your time, here at this blog. However, if it were not for the thin line that separates me for my goal? I would not be asking for your time and help.

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Go and follow the link below to my campaign at Indiegogo. Go and check out and read Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund. Then, decide. Decide if you can donate, do I deserve to get the cancer treatment that will (ultimately) save my life. If you go there and read. Once, having read that you, My Dear Readers, decide that I have ‘made my case’? Then, donate. Then and only then… Donate.

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But… PLEASE… Give me THAT chance. K?

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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PLEASE DONATE to

Danny’s Cancer Treatment Fund @ Indiegogo

Danny in Rolling Hills Estates August 12, 2014

PLEASE GIVE!?!

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© 2010 – 2014 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

 

 

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[1]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-brain-amoeba-found-louisiana-parish-water-n190821

[2]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-brain-amoeba-found-louisiana-parish-water-n190821

[3]http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/who-west-africa-ebola-outbreak-could-infect-more-20-000-n190811

[4]http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

[5]http://www.today.com/video/today/55946803#55946803

[6]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/militants-fighting-against-syrian-army-seize-u-n-peacekeepers-golan-n191056

[7] Ibid

[8]http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/last-scientists-unravel-mystery-death-valleys-moving-rocks-n190441

[9]http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/last-scientists-unravel-mystery-death-valleys-moving-rocks-n190441

[10]http://www.today.com/video/today/55946758#55946758

[11]http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/NJ-Suboenas-Christie-Phone-Records-273007801.html

[12] Ibid

[13]https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/danny-s-cancer-treatment-fund/x/753895

A Week in Review – 500th Articles A Week’s Celebration!

                Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. For the past two days I have been completely waylaid by pain and fevers. All day Saturday and Sunday I was completely unable to; get out of bed, raise my hands or arms, eat or pretty much anything. Today, I am feeling less pain, but I am still without the strength to do anything. However, I see that my blog traffic is down to TEN PEOPLE! My heart weeps, seriously. I am fairly upset that my pride and joy has fallen this far… and there is little I can actually do to change this.

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So I decided to write an edition of ‘A Week in Review’ to cover the week of celebratory articles for the publication of my FIVE HUNDREDTH ARTICLE! Yeah, I am very proud to have reached this milestone in publication. I do not know of many other people that have written and published over five hundred articles… much les in just four short years. IT was my pride that pushed me to write so very much last week. I am pretty certain that the push to publish is the reason for my woes.

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Honestly? IF I thought I could take a week… rest? I would! I really need some time off. However, each and every time I take even two days off… my blog’s traffic tumbles and suffers. My little personal hell. Anyways, here is a review of the week of review articles!

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• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES a Review & Celebration! #1 Redux : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. It is my sincere hope that everyone had a very safe and fun July 4^th weekend! This is the very heart of our ‘American Summer’ season, and one of the favorites for American children all over our great nation. I remember sitting atop the Herman Professional Building, right across the street from the Herman Zoo and Herman Park watching the 4^th fireworks while sitting in an air-conditioned office. Sitting and eating orange slices with my face (nearly) plastered to the doctor’s office window. What a great way to start a summer vacation!” This was the second time I published this article. NEITHER time did I realize that I misspelled the word ‘Review’ in both! One would think that somebody that reads my blog… and cares would have told me I made this mistake. Yeah… I am REALLY depressed… and it is only getting worse. Here is the first of the five articles I wrote to (try to) celebrate the publication of my 500^th article here at The Other Shoe. This review is of the wondrous article series ‘Lost In Space’! For the past year this article series has shared incredible images from the Hubble Space Telescope (and other sources) that have literally taken the breath away form hundreds of readers. Quickly ‘Lost In Space’ has driven large amounts of traffic to this blog. Wonder and spectacle are the hallmarks of this series. I hope to continue publishing this wonderful series of articles… just as soon as I am feeling better.
• FIVE HUNDRED Articles – #2 – The Mars Report : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is a continuation of the celebration of the publication (lots o’ations… there) of my Five Hundredth Article here at The Other Shoe. Yesterday we celebrated this auspicious occasion with a review of ‘Lost In Space’! With less than one year in publication, this article series enjoys a large following and handsome traffic numbers. I greatly increased its readership and traffic numbers, two weeks ago, by starting the ‘Tour of Our Solar System’ mini-series.” This is the second article of this celebratory series of articles, showcasing the terribly popular article series ‘The Mars Report’! My Dear Readers, “The Mars Report’ is the single most popular science based article series ever, for this blog. Over the past two years this single article series has driven thousands of readers to this blog. Combining cutting edge science with incredible and breathtaking images from Mars, this article series is one of the linchpins of my blog(s) and written works. Each week I publish this article it beings me tremendous pride and joy to thousands of readers.
• FIVE HUNDRED Articles – Part Three – MMORPGs And YOU! : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Here we are, My Dear Readers, well into our ‘Celebration and Review’ in honor of the publication of my Five Hundredth Article here at The Other Shoe. I really feel that I am hitting my stride, with this series. Especially since, yesterday, I spent most of the day; with my head in one imaging tube or another, getting off or on various and sundry mass transit and getting any number of steel needles plunged into the veins in both arms. There is a very good reason I avoid; doctors, hospitals and all medical facilities. Seems once they have me in their grasp… they just do not want to let me go!” Now, My Dear Readers, we come to the crux of my writing and my love! I just love playing GAMES! Right now MMORPGs are my favorite genre of game to play. I am very fortunate that I still have a working ‘Gaming PC’, as this affords me the opportunity to play these wonderful games. Just recently I was given a present… the newest MMORPG – ‘Elder Scrolls Online’! I have been playing the game and this week I am going to make w few In-Game Videos to share right here with you! I am putting together the videos and some ingame screenshots so that I can share with you, My Dear Readers, the wonder that is this new game. This (the THIRD) review article is all about the wonderful article series ‘MMORPGs and YOU!’.
• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES – Part Four – Politics and Editorial(s) : “Nothing highlights this more than two occasions when words I wrote found voice on a nationally viewed political news show. Most Americans will live out their entire lives without once their words reaching beyond the limits of their personal world. A handful, even a smaller group than previously mentioned, will have the honor and privilege to hear words they wrote spoken on a national broadcast television show. On July 31^st, 2011 I (Daniel Hanning) joined that small and vocal group of Americans.” TWICE, in my short life, I have had the great honor to hear MY WORDS SPOKEN on national television. This article is a celebration and review of the articles I wrote to celebrate the occasion of my words on national television. Just check out this article and it will tell you all about my moments of pride.
• FIVE HUNDRED ARTICLES – Part FIVE – The Horror in Smithville : “Now, My Dear Readers, I have always wanted to pen horror. Since a boy, reading horror stories late at night under the covers of my bed, desperate to not have my mother find out just what I was reading. I have yearned to write and publish a work of the horror genre. Today, I can cross that off my ‘Bucket List’! Not only have I wrote and published a work of horror… if I may say so myself… I have delved deep into the dark and murky waters of horror itself.” Horror! In all the years I have written, I have always wanted to write horror. Long have I longed for the challenge that is writing in the genre of horror. Now… I have! This article series is the most recent addition to my blog. The most recent and the most talked about, by far! In the coming weeks, and months, Timmy and Archer will take us on a journey to other worlds, other places, and bear witness to great suffering and horror. We last left, our intrepid heroes, Timmy lay unconscious in Archer’s lap. We left the story with Timmy’s father driving (rather recklessly, I might add) the trio (Timmy, Archer and Timmy’s Dad) to the Smithville County Hospital. Timmy had been (what appears as) severely beaten by the ‘school bully’ (I have often wondered… WHY? In our modern society… with school shootings and incredible scholastic standards putting tremendous pressure son children… WHY is it that we still allow ‘School Bulllies’? Certainly we can eradicate them via incarcerartion of violent offenders in ALL grades… RIGHT? Why don’t we DO that and be RID of them? ). This week… if I am feeling up to it… I will publish the next installment of this wonderful horror serial. I, really have about twenty pages already written… It is just a matter of proofing the pages, uploading and publishing. I am hoping that I feel ‘up’ to that task, later this week.

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That, My Dear Readers, brings us to the end of this week’s review… and brings us to the end of the ‘FIVE HUNDREDTH Article a Celebration and Review’. Over the past week I have worked, very had, to present an overview of the past five hundred articles, and four years, here at ‘The Other Shoe’. I have worked, every single week… through much pain and suffering, to bring the very best I have to offer. I do not have ‘a staff’… writers… assistants… publishers… an editor. Each and every week what you see is what I have managed to write, edit and publish… solo!

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Many weeks, like last week, I work through great waves of pain. My Dear Readers, I am not just so sure that I can continue. I just love writing… and I just love ‘seeing’ the traffic numbers… the ‘Visit Counter’ (on the blog) goes from 10… to 20… to 30… to 50! Yes, when it (and it does) hit FIFTY! I am so very deeply moved! Moved that fifty people, every week, are dropping by and READING MY WORK!

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So, I am sure you understand how… when, this week, I see the counter at ten. I am deeply depressed and heart broken. To expend so much effort… to endure so much pain and see my traffic fall? It just breaks my heart. I know that the blog’s web master… the server are having “problems”. I see that I cannot, or have real problems publishing… Still… it hurts.

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I am going to get some rest, later today. Rest and consider… if I am to continue… I want to go on and write and publish… another Five Hundred articles. I want to write for another four to five years. AM I a ‘terrible person’ for wanting… longing for… needing… recognition? That is all I have ever asked… that is all I have ever desired.

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I hope that everyone has enjoyed this ‘Look Back’ at the past Five Hundred Articles here at ‘The Other Shoe’.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

 

A Week in Review – June 28th, 2014

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                  Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. If it is Saturday, then it is time for ‘A Week in Review’! I am proud to announce that with the publication of this article, I have reached the lofty goal of, publishing eight articles in the past seven days! It is not only the number of articles, MY Dear Readers, but this week I published the single most; intense, violent, suspenseful and horrific episodes of ‘The Horror in Smithville’… ever!        

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Now, I know that some of you have been hesitant to read this episode. Fear not, it is not as frightful as I portray. Yes, I am hyping this episode. It is just that this episode is some of the best writing I have ever published. For those that have hesitated? Please, take a moment and give it a read. You will not regret it!

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Now, My Dear Readers, without further adieu I give you ‘A Week in Review’!

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• Sunday Funnies – June 22nd, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As well, this is a little ‘Welcome Back’ of/to ‘Sunday Funnies’! It has been several weeks since I last published this weekend treasure. In an effort to return normalcy and some regularity to my blog, I return with a short video if Prince Alexander.” I just love Prince Alexander! In this week’s ‘Sunday Funnies’ we catch Prince Alexander getting his weekly Sunday bath! He just loves playing in the water, running around and getting all clean for the upcoming week! Just to help him to relax, and enjoy his bath, I put Epsom salt in the bath water. It leaves his coat very smooth and soft. If you have a small pet, you might want to try this tip, too!

• The Mars Report – June 23rd, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, I welcome you to the single shortest edition of The Mars Report, EVER! I am not too sure just what is going on, with the rover Curiosity but NASA/JPL have not posted any kind of update in the past six days! The very last Twitter update, from Curiosity on Mars, was back on June 17^th, 2014. I keep going back, to the NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory web site, and all they have posted are ‘RAW Images’.” Well, My Dear Readers, the NASA/JPL web site was quite bereft of ‘new’ images from Curiosity. So, Danny not to be detoured, I started rummaging through the vast stores of ‘RAW’images. That is where I found the images for this edition of ‘The Mars Report’. Readers? If y9ou want to know just what these images are? You will just have to click on the link at the beginning of this review! ENJOY!
• Lost in Space – Tour of Our Solar System #3 : “We leave the orbit of the planet of our birth, to pull our Ship of the Stars into orbit of our nearest planet. Now, as many of you, My Dear Readers, know we visit this planet every single week. We visit with my series of articles names ‘The Mars Report’. Just click on the link, behind you, and check out the latest edition of this wonderful series. Now, we leave the orbit of Mars, headed for our next solar destination. However, to get to our next destination of Jupiter we must pass through the ‘Asteroid Belt’!” My Dear Readers, this is a very special of ‘Lost In Space’! Instead of spending the next several editions on; Earth… Mars… I have decided to take our ‘Ship of the Stars’ to the furthest edge of our solar system. YES! My Dear Readers, there is a LOT to share at the very edge of our solar system! Want to know… what? Click on the link at the beginning of this article and take a journey of imagination!
• News from Around the World – June 25th, 2014 : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. First, I would like to take a moment and say ‘Thank You!” to everyone that enjoyed yesterday’s gargantuan article ‘Lost in Space – Tour of Our Solar System #3’ which, at last count, had nearly 20 ‘Likes’ already! I really poured my best into that article, hoped for the best and you My Dear Readers appreciated my efforts. For next week’s edition I will be writing about the ‘Dwarf Planets’ that exist at the very edge of the Kuiper Belt. Now back to today’s article and some startling news out of Iraq!” My Dear Readers, I cannot tell you just exactly how happy I am that this series of articles have found there success! Each and every week I scour through the week’s news and find articles that many have missed! I take these ‘missing’ articles and bring them to you, My Dear Readers. If you haven’t? Take a moment and read! ENJOY!
• Notes from Behind the Keyboard – Editorial : “The last couple of news cycles have been bloated with hype that Speaker Boehner is going to “Sue President Obama”. Sue our sitting President over, allegedly, his “misuse of power via ‘Executive Orders’”. OK… hang on… give me a minute to stop laughing. There, that’s better. OK…Seriously? Speaker of the House of Representatives is so ‘free’ of other obligations… The House of Representatives have so much ‘free time’… They have ‘finished their homework’? Oh… MERCY! I do take exception to that assertion. Let us review…” My Dear Readers, this is a rarity, for me. It is not often, anymore, that I share my opinion on news and politics. I know… some people are upset by my views. That makes me sad! My views are my own. My Dear Readers, I read a lot… and research… and read some more. Then, I sit down and.. think. Alone! Alone, with my thoughts, is where I make my decisions on what I think band how I feel. That is what I share, here, for you. Enjoy!
• I Believe in America : “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Earlier, today, I penned an Editorial. In the, nearly, five years of publication here at The Other Shoe I have rarely published an Editorial. I wrote and published this editorial for one reason, and one reason only. I am concerned about my country. Concerned about our ‘National Political Dialogue’. As the title of this article indicates;…” Watch… and ENJOY!
• The Horror in Smithville – Part Thirteen : “Many of the teachers had moved to the very front of the crowd, almost like they had initially felt a responsibility to act. Only to, either, be transfixed by their fear of what they bore witness. Some, halted in their advance to help by their own gnawing fear that Barry night well do the same to them, too. Either way, nobody was moving stop Barry or come to Timmy’s rescue. There must have been more than thirty; teachers, students and bus drivers all gathered just a few scant feet away from Timmy’s, now, deformed head.” That came directly out of the story. If you want to read more? Click the link and READ! ENJOY!

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With that, My Dear Readers, we come to the end of this week’s review. This has been a very exciting week, here at ‘The Other Shoe’. I have written and published a record number of articles, we have ventured to the very edge of our solar system, and we (together) have taken a step into a truly horrific turn of events in ‘The Horror in Smithville’.

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Will Timmy be alight? What will become of Barry? Where is Principal Marsch? Where will this story take us next? Well. Honestly? I have already written the next several episodes. I know how things turn of with Timmy. You won’t want to miss what happens with Barry. And DearPrincipal Marsch? Well, My Dear Readers, you get to find that out, in next week’s episode!

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My Dear Readers, the fun has just begun. I look forward to seeing you all, right here, next week! Until then?

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

News from Around the World – June 25th, 2014

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News from Around the World

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  Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. First, I would like to take a moment and say ‘Thank You!” to everyone that enjoyed yesterday’s gargantuan article ‘Lost in Space – Tour of Our Solar System #3’ which, at last count, had nearly 20 ‘Likes’ already! I really poured my best into that article, hoped for the best and you My Dear Readers appreciated my efforts. For next week’s edition I will be writing about the ‘Dwarf Planets’ that exist at the very edge of the Kuiper Belt. Now back to today’s article and some startling news out of Iraq!

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ISIS Control Areas in Iraq

(ISIS Control Areas in Iraq)

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In an unexpected escalation of the conflict in Iraq, Syrian warplanes have attacked targets within Iraq![1] Now, I have confirmed this news from three news sources; CNN[2], ABC News[3], and The Wall Street Journal[4]. All three are reporting the, in essence, same tory that on Tuesday June 24, 2014 several Syrian Warplanes did carry out attacks in western Al Anbar. The target of the Syrian warplanes was ISIS forces that, just recently, moved into the area bordering with Syrian. This is no only an escalation of hostilities; this action puts Syrian President Assad backing “Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated government fight*(against) Sunni insurgents”[5]. The attacks have, reportedly, killed 50 or more people and injured up to 132. At first Iraqi news agencies reported that “U.S. air strikes had hit ISIS forces at the Iraqi Syrian border.”[6] Rather rapidly the Pentagon denounced these reports as “false”.

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In other news from Iraq, Tuesday saw the arrival of the first 130 members of American Military Advisors to Baghdad. That is 130 out of a potential 300 America military advisors headed for Iraq and Baghdad. Tuesday also saw the arrival of Iranian troops. Iranian ‘Special Forces’ were deployed to help protect the capital (Baghdad) as well as the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, which Shiites revere[7].

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Map of Iraq’s Ethnic Divisions

(Map of Iraq’s Ethnic Divisions)

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My Dear Readers, looks like everybody now has their fingers in the Iraqi pie. To many Conservative; writers, anchors, and pundits this is a “terrible development” and Rush Limbaugh has said that “the Obama administration is giving out engraved invitations for Iran to take over Iraq…”[8] It is my humble opinion that, with all the different forces currently in Baghdad, it would be pretty darn difficult for that scenario to take place. The proof is in the pudding… meaning nobody is going to know how this is all going to turn out… well, until it does. ‘Reading Tea Leaves’, at this point in the game, would be difficult at best and disingenuous at worst.

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My two cents? This just might be an opportunity for; Syria, Iran, Iraq and America to find some… solidarity. Seems we all have the same goals in mind:

1) Repel the forces of ISIS

2) Keep the current (elected) government in power in Iraq.

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Shared misfortune makes for strange bedfellows. I reserve my judgment on just how this situation plays out, however, My Dear Readers, I will do my best to keep you informed.

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Spain’s Princess Cristian de Borbon

(Spain’s Princess Cristian de Borbon)

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Last week I wrote about Spain’s former King, Juan Carlos, abdicating so that his son, King Felipe VI, could take over the Monarchy. These actions were meant to ‘shore up’ Spain’s faltering economy and overall approval of the Monarchy. Well, the paint on King Felipe VI’s ‘royal portrait’ is not even dry, and there is trouble in the court. Seems that Princess Cristian de Borbon, sister to King Felipe VI, is now facing corruption charges in Spain![10]

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Princess Cristian de Borbon Leaving Court Saturday

(Princess Cristian de Borbon Leaving Court Saturday)

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The image, above, is of the Princess leaving the court in Palma de Mallorca, capital of the Balearic Islands on Saturday morning after answering questions. The charges are that she, and her husband Urdangarin (a former Olympic handball player), used their ‘royal influence’ for graft and theft. These accusations, and some of the ways the two are responding to the charges, have caused the new King’s national approval ratings to plummet. Nearly two-thirds of Spaniards want the new King to abdicate and hand the crown over to his son. I’ll keep you posted on this palace intrigue.

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It seems that the U.S. Supreme Court has given a ‘death Blow’ to Aereo’s ‘Streaming TV Service’ in several major American city’s outlets[9]. Started just about a year ago, Aereo offered a service whereby a (paid @ ~ $8 a month) subscriber could stream broadcast programs on their mobile device(s). Immediately the nation’s major broadcast networks filed suit claiming that Aereo infringed on their copyright protections by illegally retransmitting their cotnent without paying. BINGO! IN a 6/3 ruling the court sided with the nation’s broadcasters and Aereo is (now) a thing of the past. My Two Cents – You can’t get something for nothing, Aereo!

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Now, yesterday’s gargantuan seventeen page edition of ‘Lost in Space’ really ‘put the hurt’ on yours truly. I really wanted to get out this edition of ‘News from Around the World’. Having done, I will be cutting things a little short, here today. Again a BIG “Thank YOU!” to everyone that came by and ‘Like(d)’ my gargantuan edition of ‘Lost In Space’ (click there < to see!). It made my heart beat pitter-patter to see all of those many ‘Like(s)’! I was very moved by your show of appreciation for my efforts. I worked rather hard, on that edition, I tried something new… and I am glad I made the gargantuan effort, and took the chance. “Thank YOU!”

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That will wrap it up for this edition of ‘New from Around the World’. If anything… more happens? I will work to bring it to you, My Dear Readers, right here at ‘The Other Shoe’!

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

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[1]http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/25/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=wo_c1

[2]http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/25/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=wo_c1

[3]http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/06/syrian-war-planes-strike-isis-targets-in-iraq-us-says/

[4]http://online.wsj.com/articles/sunni-rebels-take-complete-control-of-iraqs-largest-oil-refinery-1403605510

[5]http://online.wsj.com/articles/sunni-rebels-take-complete-control-of-iraqs-largest-oil-refinery-1403605510

[6]http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/06/syrian-war-planes-strike-isis-targets-in-iraq-us-says/

[7]http://online.wsj.com/articles/sunni-rebels-take-complete-control-of-iraqs-largest-oil-refinery-1403605510

[8]http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/16/Rush-Limbaugh-Obama-Administration-Giving-Out-Engraved-Invitations-To-Iran-to-Take-Over-Iraq

[9]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-supreme-court-pulls-plug-aereos-streaming-tv-service-n140486

[10]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/spains-princess-cristina-faces-trial-corruption-charges-n140526

A Week in Review – June 21st, 2014

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

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                Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Saturday, is a great day for all of you, My Dear Readers, to catch up. Catch up on reading all the great articles that I have written, and published, right here at The Other Shoe over the past seven days. I know that a great may of you do not have the ‘free time’ to read my articles (and storied) during the workweek. That is THE reason I (originally) created ‘A Week in Review’ and why (today) I continue to write and publish this weekly review.

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For my blog, and all of you My Dear Readers, it has been a ‘good’ and productive week. Including this article I have written and published seven articles in seven days. Now, I have read comments that ‘that really isn’t all that much writing…’ Rest assured when I tell you that is a good deal of writing! Not just anyone can sit behind a keyboard and, in just seven days, produce more than seventy pages of; stories, articles; on Space Exploration, Hubble images from far-flung universes, current affairs and international news, political logjams’ and achievements, and a horror story.

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‘The Horror in Smithville’ (alone) is well over 95 pages in length, 220, 000 characters and 50,000 words. Each, and every, ‘A Week in Review’ is over ten pages long and contains nearly a dozen links to other content. As well, My Dear Readers, it is not just the writing. During the week I research many topics, sift through dozens of images (for ‘Lost in Space’ and ‘The Mars Report’), and work and rework political articles in an effort to be as factually correct as possible and to try to not offend ANY of my readers.

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Please do not get me ‘wrong’, I am not complaining… I am just explaining. The work I do is very tiring and, more times than not, makes my pain condition worse never better. Yet, I do not know what I would do with my time if I wasn’t working on these articles, stories and reviews. I just love the work I do here at The Other Shoe. The pain I experience, the physical limitations I have and the declining nature of my disease state causes a great deal of depression. I take ‘medications’ for my depression, but the one thing that works better than any/all my anti-depression medications? A single; comment, question, ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and/or ‘Kudos’ on any of the articles I write and publish each week.

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Every time I go to the primary location for my blog (www.theothershoe.blog.com) and see the counter has gone above 50!?! I am just ecstatic! To think that more than fifty people, in the last week, have come to my blog and looked at or read my work? Makes me feel like I just might be able to make a difference in the world I live in, still! That I might, still, be able to make people laugh! And, to think for just a moment… just a single moment that my words light help another person see and issue through the eyes of another? THAT gives my life new meaning!

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So, you now have a better idea just why it is I do all this writing and publishing. I want to help to inform and entertain people; family, friends, loved ones and all my followers here at The Other Shoe and Facebook. Yes… and someday…of course… I would just love to have something of my own to be published in a book or magazine! That will always be the dream, My Dear Readers!

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Now that I have shared a little of what drives me, and keeps me writing and publishing every week. It is time for another edition of ‘A Week in Review’.

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• Notes From Behind the Keyboard – June 16th, 2014: “Yet, today was different. I was extremely panicked upon waking and asked Allen to “turn on the lights… something is wrong!” Much to my chagrin, and Allen’s surprise, when he turned on the lights he discovered that my lips were blue… as was much of my facial complexion. So much so that Allen (usually stoic… almost indifferent) actually gasped when he looked at my face, with the light turned on. Allen then informed me “Danny… I think you stopped breathing. I heard you gasping, again, and I got up to wake you up.” Allen is visibly… shaken; this gave me the chills because Allen just doesn’t show emotions, like, ever.” To this day I have NO idea just what is going on with me at night. Allen has worked every single day since that hospital visit, I hope that soon he can help me get to the doctor I as given a referral. Barring that, I just sleep as light as I can… and (most of the time) sleep with one eye open. Allen is not sleeping very heavy, either. In just the past two nights I have had three bouts of the ‘gasping while sleeping’ and BOTH time Allen awoke quickly and came right over to my bed to check on me! I simply do not know what I would do without Allen. I not only love him more than anyone or anything in the world… I trust him with my very life! This was NOT a good way to start the week… and, looking back, I am really surprised that I manage to finish seven articles in the same week Monday started this way!
• Lost In Space – Tour of Our Solar System – #2 Venus : “Venus is known as the ‘Sister Planet’ of Earth. This is due to the fact that Venus is closest to Earth in; size, orbit of the sun, gravity and bulk composition. Venus orbits the sun in just 224.7 days. Now, most planets in our solar system rotate, on their axis, in an anti-clockwise direction, also known as a retrograde rotation or ‘orbit’. Further, Venus rotates the slowest of all the planets taking a full 243 Earth Days to complete on rotation. That means that a single day on Venus would last 243 days.” Well, My Dear Readers, this ‘Solar System Tour’ is being very well received by you! It is a lot of work, every week. Sorting through dozens of pages of images, picking which images I think will go best with the article. Downloading the images on to my computer, then resizing the images so they ‘fit’ on the blog page, uploading the images to my blog, then adding them to the text of the article. There is, also, writing of the dozen of so pages of information, news, and background information on each of the planets. However, you would not believe just how much I am LEARNING while I am writing and publishing this ‘Tour of OUR Solar System’! Next week… MARS!
• The Mars Report – June 18th, 2014 : “On April 18^th 2014 Opportunity managed to get some great landscape images of Endeavour Crater Rim from ‘Murray Ridge’. You, My Dear Readers, are very fortunate in that I have downloaded, and am going to share, two different versions of this wonderful landscape image. The difference between the two images is that one (the first) is in ‘True Color’. Meaning, in natural daylight on the Martian surface, the image has been enhanced for better viewing. The second image is done in what is called ‘False Color’. This means that the good people at NASA/JPL have done their best to reproduce the image in ‘Natural Earth Light’. So, if we were to ‘see’ this landscape on Earth, the second image is how it would look here in Earth light.” When I started writing the very first edition of ‘The Mars Report’ (I must admit) I had NO idea that I would still be writing and publishing this series three years later. I started this series with Opportunity and Spirit rovers. Took a bit of a break when Spirit ‘died’, then came back to this series with renewed vigor when Curiosity landed at ‘Bradbury Landing’! Now, each and every week I really look forward to going to the NASA/JPL web site and scouring the site for new and interesting images. Sometimes the number of images are few, but some real science has happened, since the last article. I have a ‘Good Feeling’ about this series, now. I have a feeling that I will be writing and publishing this series when we celebrate the Second 500 articles!
• Notes from Behind the Keyboard – June 19th, 2014 : “Since my neurosurgeon did not order the correct number of bone graft pieces prior to surgery, one or more bone grafts were not properly prepared prior to implantation into my neck. As seen in follow-up X-Rays the “bone grafts did not fully knit” the my bones. This is the reason that, now, seven years later I still have popping, and grinding sounds coming from my cervical spine, shooting pains in; my upper chest, face, upper left arm, lower left arm, left hand. What this means is that the bone grafts never “completely knit” with the surrounding bone (mine), that the structure is not solid and “durable”.” Long story short? (TOO LATE!) My neurosurgeon underestimated the extend of damage my degenerative disc disease had actually caused to my cervical spine, discs and nerve roots. This caused him to enter the OR less prepared than he need to be, and more overwhelmed by the severity of my condition. Combine that with an untrained vendor representative from the ‘Bone Growth Stimulation’ device and (unknown at the time) a severely diminished level of Vitamin ‘D’ in my blood stream? = Poorly knit bones, unstable construct resulting in spinal stenosis, more nerve root damage and possible growing pressure on my spinal cord. The last neurosurgeon I had a consult with, told me that ‘your condition will, likely, NEVER improve… you will spend the rest of your life on pain medications… you will loose more and more bodily functions until you will be unable to walk, use the bathroom, take a bath or brush your teeth without assistance…” That is NOT my image of what one’s ‘Golden Years’ should be like. I have no choice; I just pray and work hard so that just maybe I will earn enough money to make this terrible future more bearable.
• The Horror in Smithville – REVIEW – First Eleven Episodes: “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. I would like to extend a deep and heartfelt “Welcome!” to everyone! To this, the third review of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. Today I am here to present; a short introduction, a little teaser, and a link to all of the First ELEVEN Episodes of this wonderful tale. Now, if you are just now joining the ranks of My Dear Readers, you might not know that this is my very first venture into the genre of horror. I have chosen to make this first, a story for young people. However, from what I am hearing (from many of you, My Dear Readers) is that this tale is enjoyed by adults and young adults, alike.” Twice a month I will publish another review, just like this one. This will enable people ‘new’ to the blog and this story a quick and easy way to catch up with the story. My Dear Readers, HONESTLY… when I started this episodic horror story? I NEVER imaged that so many people, from all over the world, would enjoy it SO much! As well, this story has… GROWN on me. Timmy and Archer have GROWN on me… and this whole story just keep getting bigger and bigger in my mind and in my heart. I am, already, ‘seeing’ more and more books! I can see this one story ending… then US returning to Timmy and Archer just a couple or a few years down the line, for yet another adventure in their alternate world! A couple of things… I am still working on the name of the other world. Two, the Latin in this story is giving me FITS! I have not ‘used’ Latin since High School. I used to be fairly versed in the Latin… not anymore. Just as soon as possible I WILL have all the Latin worked out for the; spells, enchants, and ceremonies. My Dear Readers, I want you to know that I am having a WONDERFUL time bringing this horror story to you, and yours!
• News From Around the World – June 19th, 2014 : “Now, let us proceed with this edition of “News from Around the World’. Today were are going to drop by L.A., Spain, Washington state, and Washington D.C. for a jaunty romp through the headlines. Every week I rummage through headlines to find some of the stories not covered by the network news, and a new take on some that were. Honestly, there were more stories to cover this week, than I had time to properly prepare the article. So, let’s jump right in and get our feet wet!” This is another article series that I started on a lark, which has managed to work its way into the rotation as a ‘regular’. It was worked its way into my mind and into my heart. This is another way for me to share some of my humanist views, without getting all political. Don’t get me wrong! I very much enjoy politics. However, at this point in time politics is being used all to often to DIVIDE people. Therefore, I am doing my best to address POLICY and leaving POLITICS off to the side! Thank you Kathye Warfiedl Rogers for YOUR input on that, it was instrumental in me finding a way to have a voice on policy without upsetting the people I respect and love! Thank you!
• The Horror in Smithville – Part TWELVE! : “The adventures of Timmy and Archer are as real, and come from my own personal experiences, as any thing I have ever written. There are moments, several of them, which you will be reading today that were literally taken out of my memories as a young man. As an extra special treat, for everyone out there from Pearland Texas, (and everyone that has known me and my scholastic life) there is a very special ‘Guest Appearance’ in today’s episode by someone we all dearly loved.” It is with GREAT pride that I present to you, My Dear Readers, THIS the 12^th episode of my wonderfully entertaining FIRST venture into the Horror Genre; “The Horror in Smithville’! With each and every passing week, I am continually amazed at what situations Timmy and Archer get themselves involved… then, just how they manage to extricate their happy butts! I refuse to tell you anything from this episode! There is just no way I can share… without ruining the suspense and thrills that are this episode. However, I will tell you that I have included (in this episode) a Very Special ‘Guest Appearance’ by someone that everybody knew and respected back in Pearland, Texas. I am very proud that he is making an appearance in this story! I REALLY hope that EVERYONE that I know, from Pearland, makes the time to come and read this episode and see ‘who’ it is that I picked for this Special ‘Guest Appearance’. Thanks!

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That, My Dear Readers, brings us to the end of another edition of ‘A Week IN Review’ right here at ‘The Other Shoe’! I am thrilled to have managed to write and publish another full week of seven articles in seven days. I really hope that everyone takes the time… makes the time to look over all of these fine works. To; look at the pictures, enjoy the stories, be challenged by the information and view into the lives and worlds of others.

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Yet, if I had but one wish? I would be to do all this work… and be more comfortable, in less pain, get more sleep, and have the means to enjoy the life I have… left. I refuse to beg for that which would make my life more livable. What little I have I thank God for his kindness in giving. I work just as hard as I possibly can, with the physical and neurological limitations I now experience. I do my best to keep my pain out of mind, and be thankful for every moment of life I have left.

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If I may? I would please, My Dear Readers, ask (respectfully) would you please ‘SHARE’? Share my work on Facebook. Share my posts on Facebook or My Space or Pinintrest or Tumblr. I do NOT do this out of vanity. Rather I do this because I DO believe that my work… is enjoyable and I have a genuine desire to entertain! As well, the more people my stories reach? The more likely it is that… someday I might be able to help to financially support myself!

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I am, physically, unable to return to work. As my last neurosurgeon told me and documented? It is completely unlikely that I will ever be able to return to the work force. That my condition will only worsen, and that in the coming years… I will loose more and more physical abilities, and neurological abilities. (I will feel less, have les control over my body) I would just like it if I was in a better financial position… when that happens. I think that any/all Americans would want the same for themselves and their loved ones.

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My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of the week, the end of this article, and the end of another full week here at The Other Shoe!

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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News From Around the World – June 19th, 2014

News from Around the World

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As well, welcome to the June 19^th, 2014 edition of ‘News from Around the World’. Just moments ago I published a review of the first Eleven episodes of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. Just click on that link, just behind us at the end of the last sentence, and you can get caught-up on all the action and thrills! Then, come back right here tomorrow (Friday June 20^th, 2014) and read the twelfth episode!

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Now, let us proceed with this edition of “News from Around the World’. Today were are going to drop by L.A., Spain, Washington state, and Washington D.C. for a jaunty romp through the headlines. Every week I rummage through headlines to find some of the stories not covered by the network news, and a new take on some that were. Honestly, there were more stories to cover this week, than I had time to properly prepare the article. So, let’s jump right in and get our feet wet!

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Our first story for the day, takes us to L.A. and a law that found its way on to the books, back in 1983. For more than two decades it has been illegal for residents from using their vehicles as; ‘living quarters, both day-to-day, overnight and otherwise’[1]. I know, from personal experience, that in the city of Los Angeles this law is; rigorously, dutifully and sometimes zealously enforced. Today, June 19^th 2014, a Federal Appeals Court ruled that this law is “unconstitutional” as it targets the homeless and the poor.

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Car Sleeper Palo Alto CA

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In the decision the judge made this observation;

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“Is it impermissible to eat food in a vehicle? Is it illegal to keep a sleeping bag? Canned food? Books? What about speaking on a cellphone? Or staying in the car to get out of the rain?” Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the panel. “These are all actions plaintiffs were taking when arrested for violation of the ordinance, all of which are otherwise perfectly legal.”[2]

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This decision helps to highlight a divide happening all across Los Angeles. On one hand the city council of L.A. is working to pass a new ordinance that would make it illegal to ‘feed the homeless, while in the city limits of Los Angeles…’ and on the other hand courts are striking down old discriminatory ordinances and laws. What we have here is a genuine conflict between the will of the wealthy, and the needs of the poor and underserved. Whereas a good many of the wealthy citizens of Los Angeles are going weary of ‘seeing’ the least advantaged and feel that they detract from the natural beauty of Los Angeles’, the courts are actively protecting the rights of the poor and homeless.

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Living in the Car

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For the past thirty years Los Angeles has had a growing homeless population. With the growing inequality, and a recovery that is helping only those that already ‘have’. The L.A. elite (some, in the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills) have grown too weary from having to actually see the results of overt greed and avarice. They have, in turn, turned to the local municipalities (Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills) and become involved in local politics for one reason, to have the poor and homeless ‘removed from site’.

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While the city councils and Mayors are, at times, all too happy to serve this minority (the wealthy) and help pass discriminatory laws against the rights of the least among us; the poor, the homeless, transients and the rest. At the same time the local courts have been awaken by local civil rights organizations. These organizations want to work with local governments, yet there exists a conflict of interests. The local governments figure if they just ‘make life for the poor unbearable in our city, they will leave’, they are (in fact) violating the civil rights of American citizens. This battle is long from being done, and I fear that things for the least among us will only get worse, before it gets better. I will follow in future editions, this battle between rights and wealth.

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Now we will take a journey of several thousand miles to the country of Spain. I am very happy to share this news item, from today’s news. Spain has just gained its newest King! Seventy-six year old King Juan Carlos abdicated his crown, so that the Spanish Monocracy could gain younger blood. Today King Felipe VI was sworn in, in front of the entire nation, in the royal palace in Madrid.

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Spain’s new King Felipe VI, his wife Queen Letizia, Princess Sofia and Princess Leonor attend the swearing-in ceremony at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, June 19, 2014.

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It is the hopes of the Crown, and elected officials, that this ‘new blood’ will (somehow) help with the terrible financial problems. Spain is beset with crippling financial problems, and very few solutions. On the up-side the country, and the people, are gaining a very handsome ‘Royal Family’. Ending the long rein of the 76 year old sovereign, just may not have the desired results on their economy. I have shared a couple of the images I have picked up on line, of the searing in ceremony, and the new King. I just thought it was a nice turn from the opening article, and a little light on an otherwise gloomy day.

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Spain’s King Juan Carlos (R) places the Sash of Captain-General on new King Felipe VI

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Next, well if you are anything like me (a news junky) you know that President Obama has addressed the nation, and taken many questions, on the current situation in Iraq. Now, My Dear Readers, if you have read my article from last Thursday (News From Around the World – Iraq Update) then you are fully aware of my position on this Iraqi situation. If not, here it is in a ‘nutshell’. What we are witnessing, in Iraq, is the results of a blood feud between the (in power) Shiite population and the (not in any power positions) Sunni population. This is exactly what many American foreign affairs experts feared, when we stormed into Iraq under President Bush and Dick Cheney.

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At this point in time most American people realize that the ‘War in Iraq’ was a war of choice. Meaning, Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11, there are no credible evidence of ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ in Iraq (at the time we attacked). There really was no logistic or ‘National Security’ reason for America to go into Iraq, at that time. Many foreign affairs experts, most notably among them Henry Kissinger, to go into Iraq would be to ‘destabilize the whole region for generations to come…’. We were not “Greeted as liberators’ in 2005 the insurgency was not “in the last throes”[3]as Dick Cheney stated.

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Now, Iraq is being torn in twain and there is blood running in the streets. The war hawks that pushed us into the original conflict, are doing double-time on television and the air waves pushing for us to throw more American lives into this meat grinder. For a growing number of Americans, this is not a reasonable solution. We have, already, lost trillions in national treasure, and thousands of American lives. This brings me to the national televised decision of President Obama that we America will not put boots on the ground in Iraq, again.

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That he is sending over military advisors, to help the Iraqi Generals regain control over their forces (in their first clashes with ISIS troops the Iraqi Army threw down their arms… and ran). I am not overjoyed that President Obama said “the United States is prepared to take “targeted and precise” military action against Islamist militants in Iraq”[4] Even though he did say that American forces “will not be returning to combat.”[5]

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Again, My Dear Readers, I will be tracking and writing about this topic as the story unfolds. It is just that this is NEWS and it is so rarely that I have the opportunity to share real news in a timely fashion, and today I have that opportunity. I stand behind Presindet Obama’s choice to not spill more American blood in the sands of Iraq. This is just a ‘family thing’ between Sunnis and Shiites and the best thing America can do, at this point in time, is to just keep our boots out of that sand!

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While strolling through the news, one day, in the very merry month of… June. I came across a very disturbing news story. I am not of the time, or the knowledge, to ding into this story the way I usually do. Yet, I just could not turn away so I am going to share this news story in the hopes that I can help bring the story of this tragedy to more Americans. There is a very perplexing cluster of birth defects in Washington state. I just read about this today, and I am sharing this news as I am learning about it. Please be aware that I am on a bit of a learning curve on this story, that I usually do not find myself.

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It just called out to me… cried out for attention… and ink. Since 2010 forty-two (42) babies have been born with “so-called neural tube defects … … … including 32 with a fatal condition in which they’re born missing parts of the brain and skull”[6]

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Now, comes (what I find) to be the most disturbing aspect of this cluster of illness. More than half of these babies were born to Mexican-American mothers. Now, from my experience working in pharmacology, I can tell you that birth defects, of this nature, generally point to low levels of folic acid in the mother’s diet during gestation. My Dear Readers, this was a known problem among mother’s of European decent, in the early part of the 20^th century.

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Newborn baby

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The FDA came in and we added Iron supplements to all breads, as a part of an international effort, in the 1940’s. This was labeled ‘Enriched Flour’[7] and we see this all over our markets, today. It is in nearly all of our breads and most of our flours. However, the Hispanic population does not eat much of our enriched flour breads and enriched flour products. As a part of their normal (regional based) diet they eat corn mesa (corn flour), which is not enriched with; folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine and calcium.[8]

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Now there is a petition, calling for the fortification of corn mesa, that has been sitting with the Food And Drug Administration for the past two years. It is my humble opinion that more Americans need to get behind this effort to have corn mesa fortified, just the way our flours have been for the past seventy years. It is not fair to these families, to these mothers, and to these babies to not have fortified Corn Mesa available for them to purchase and use in the diet.

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Nursing Baby

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These neural tube birth defects can be quite costly, to the family and in poor families this cost is passed on to the community as a whole. It really is in the best interest of our society that we make sure that these foods get the proper fortificationof the vitamins and minerals that we, Americans of European decent, get every single day. That’s My Two Cents for this week.

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That, My Dear Readers, brings us to the end of ‘News from Around the World’ for this week. I hope that every one of my readers is in good health, and fine spirits. If you read my ‘Notes from Behind the Keyboard’ (This week) and/or watched the video… well, then you know my current health condition, and the complications that lay ahead for me. Moving on… I hope that everyone has enjoyed the news articles I have brought here, today. Each week I look and look for news and articles that I think might be of interest, and that many (of not most) news media outlets have missed.

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As always, I have enjoyed our time together and look forward to seeing you here tomorrow for… … … “The Horror in Smithville – Part Twelve’! Matter of fact, as soon as I rest my neck and back… get a handle on the pain, I will be right back behind this keyboard taking Timmy, Archer, David (Mr. Champion) and US for another adventure in Smithville. Until then…

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

 

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[1]http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Los-Angeles-Sleeping-Living-in-Vehicles-Cars-Law-Court-Ruling-Appeal-263860741.html

[2]http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Los-Angeles-Sleeping-Living-in-Vehicles-Cars-Law-Court-Ruling-Appeal-263860741.html

[3]http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/19/Megyn-Kelly-to-Dick-Cheney-History-Has-Proven-that-You-Got-It-Wrong-as-Well-in-Iraq-Sir

[4]http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/obama-u-s-prepared-take-targeted-action-iraq-n135621

[5]http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/obama-u-s-prepared-take-targeted-action-iraq-n135621

[6]http://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/mystery-birth-defect-cluster-diet-blame-n135026

[7]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_flour

[8]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_flour

News From Around the World – Iraq Update

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News from Around the World

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 Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. While I was looking to the stars, yesterday, I missed out on reporting what was likely one of the major stories of the day. Militant troops, claiming to be the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have taken over major cities in Iraq. Now, before we get into the logistics of this attack I want to give you a breakdown of the players. In the country of Iraq there are, basically, three individual geo-political groups. Currently in control of the government of Iraq, and the military, are the Shiites.

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Iraq Religious Ethnic Map 2013

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When America invaded Iraq we helped shift the power from the Ba’athist party (Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party) and helped shift the government of Iraq to the Sunni party. The third ethic/religious group is mostly in northern Iraq and is the Kurds. When the dust settled after the American invasion of Iraq, nobody… no single group was ‘happy’ with the division of power and geography. To be honest? There really isn’t enough land in Iraq to make all these ethic/religious groups happy. This understanding of the age-old blood/religious differences in this part of the world was the big reason a lot of us never wanted to get into Iraq .

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To their credit the Kurdish people of Iraq have never really wanted all the power in Iraq. For the most part these Kurdish people are happy to remain in the northern parts of Iraq that border Turkey. (See maps in this article) Back to the results of the American war in Iraq; America came in and removed all the Ba’athists in power… from the top down by removing Sad am Hussein. Then, America made the deliberate decision to place the Sunni populous in the power of Iraq. Yes, there were elections… but we all know how elections in ‘Third-World’ countries work out. There were elections and the (largest demographic group) Sunnis took the Presidency and with it the reins to the Iraq government.

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As one can well imagine, this was never ‘OK’ with the Shiite population. The Shiites have ties into; Iran, Syrian and North Africa. OK… My Dear Readers, this (pretty much… as a thumbnail of this situation) we have an ancient blood-feud between Sunni and Shiite. America handed Iraq over the Shiite population and the Sunnis got the short end of the stick. In Syria, the tables are reversed! Syria has a Sunni controlled government and a large Shiite population. What has happened? Syrian Sunni rebels (with the help of Iran and Syria) have now flooded into Iraq. The ISIS has taken the key cities of Mosul and Tikrit. Not wanting to stop while they are ahead, they are claiming they will soon march on Baghdad, the capital of Iraq and seat of the current Shiite government.

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Iraq Ethnoreligious groups 2003-2013

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My Dear Readers, put aside the spin! This blood-feud has be raging for, well, thousands of years. There is nobody that could have predicted this happening, today. There is nothing any ‘Western’ government could have done (short of occupying Iraq for generations) to stop the current bloodbath. It is my humble opinion… do not get involved. There need be no more American blood spilled in the sands of Iraq. Honestly? This is the Crusades of the twenty-first century. Only, there is no Holy Grail for us to bring home, in the end.

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If flying over with bombers… we can help the Iraqi army/military keep or return control of areas… MAYBE. I am just not too thrilled about spending one thin dime on Iraq… ever again. We did our part. The Shiites said ‘we got this… get out’ and we did. There will never be enough for one simple reason. This is a blood feud between two geo-political-religious sects that has raged for more than a thousand years. God couldn’t settle this dispute, what makes us think America, can?

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Iraq Provinces Map

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Now, My Dear Readers, I am going to try to work on this week’s episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. I am in some pretty severe pain, but I am going to rest a little and then get up and work at providing you, My Dear Readers, with Part Eleven.

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe – May 6th, 2014

News from Around the World

           Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today, Tuesday, should be a day for political faire, here at The Other Shoe. I have scanned the political headlines, and all things being equal, I just could not find anything in our nation’s politics that caught my attention. Yes, Rep. Paul Ryan is suggesting another austerity-based budget for Congress. One that continues the slashing of aid to American’s least advantaged while continuing in his ill advised (ill advised by dignitaries such as Pope Francis) ‘Voo-Doo’/’Trickle-Down’ economics by funneling even more money to the wealthiest Americans. Most likely, this ‘voo-Doo’ budget will get resounding support by Congressional Republicans, pass the House strictly along party lines, then die I silent and irrelevant death in the Senate.

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Just as the Founding Fathers designed. Yes, the Senate is the Elder body of our Congress, in that it is the senior and most reasoned body. The Founding Fathers knew (foresaw) that destructive populist movements might well gain a majority in the lower house of Congress. As a boy, and young man, I read “The Federalist Papers’ and ‘Articles of Confederation’. It was in these documents that our nation’s democracy were brought to fruition. They outlined how the lower house of a Congress was ‘The People’s House’ and, as such, could easily fall prey to populist ideals that ran contrary to the continued health of our democracy and our Republic. 

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Why, just this morning, one of the basic tenants of our Republic came under attack in our Supreme Court. Today the Supreme Court heard arguments in “Perkins vs. Federal Trade Commission,” a case brought by billionaire venture capitalist Thomas Perkins. His case is in support of ‘proportional voting’ for all Americans and American Corporations. It goes a little something like this; if a person pays a million dollars in taxes, that equates to that individual having “one million votes to cast” in elections. That corporations, since they now have free speech, which means that they too should each have votes proportional to taxes paid.

. Yeah, I haven’t stopped laughing yet, either. England has been a democracy for… well, since 1376 making it the oldest democracy on this planet. (Hang on the Isle of Man… The Althing… 930AD. Yeah, but let’s let the Brits’ take this one for the sake of argument. Now, in all that time our brethren ‘across the pond’ have not attempted to devolve democracy in this heinous manner. If one were to read; ‘The Federalist Papers’ and ‘The Articles of Confederation’ (now you have to read all the way to the end) . One would understand that our Founding Father’s actually considered this idea of ‘proportional voting rights’ during the great intellectual deliberations they engaged.
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Considered and discarded this idea. Why? One should really read this for oneself. However, when the intellectual exercise was over? They all came to the same conclusion, ‘proportional voting’ would result in… … … … (drum roll, please!) another Monarchy in the Americas. That, in time, would result in the creation of an Aristocracy just like the one America was fighting against! BINGO! Hundreds of years ago, the greatest minds of the time, the men that gave birth to this great nation, rejected this very notion. Oh, it took some time.. and lot of argument, and in the end a handful of them stood by their mistaken ideals. The majority agreed on ‘One MAN, One VOTE’, PERIOD.

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Little known to many Americans that, in our first elections only landowners were allowed to vote. Women were not allowed to vote until ‘Women’s Suffrage’ and the Nineteenth Amendment ratified in 1919. African Americans did not have the right to vote until 1965. American history is a story of expanding voting rights to the individual, not corporations. Our very Founding Fathers understood that ‘proportional voting’ would lead to an American Monarchy, and that would defeat the very purpose for American’s birth.

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Now that I have given you, My Dear Readers, a more complete understanding of the why of our voting rights in this Republic, let me share some words… from the bench, from today.

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“Sounds sensible, If you pay a million dollars in taxes, you should get a million votes, just like an investor in a corporation. That was the original intent of the Founding Fathers.” said Justice Antonin Scalia.

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“Obviously, if a corporation has First Amendment free speech rights, a corporation that pays taxes should have voting rights and in proportion to how much it pays in taxes.” Justice Samuel Alito

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Clarence Thomas, who rarely speaks, was jubilant and nearly shouted… “No taxation without representation!”

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I am bloody amazed that Supreme Court Jurists would express opinions that run so fundamentally contrary to the will of the Founding Fathers. This makes it abundantly clear that our Supreme Court Bench has been deeply corrupted by politics. Proof my opinion comes from the words of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg;

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“This must be an April Fool’s joke.”

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This, certainly, can be nothing more than a joke… right?

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Leaving the shores, and the insanity, of America behind us we venture down south to moderate climates of Venezuela. What, pray tell, brings us to this South American country? Huge social changes that could be precursors for American change. You see the distribution of wealth in Venezuela is even more striking than here in America.

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This week the Venezuelan government introduced a new voluntary ID card system. This card will track family grocery purchases in order to address the hoarding engaged in by the wealthy. You see in Venezuela the cost of groceries is subsidized by the government, due to rampant inflation placing food out of the reach of millions of families. These wealthy families would purchase the same items, day after day, at the subsidized prices. Later, they would see these groceries at greatly inflated prices.

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“”The rich people have things all hoarded away, and they pull the strings,” said Juan Rodriguez to the Associated Press.[1]

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Now, on the housing front there is a new law that focuses on improving ownership in Venezuela. Any resident, of an apartment, living in the same apartment for twenty years now has a new right. The right to purchase their apartment from the owner, at a ‘fair price’ set by the government. Landlords will have 60 days to offer up the apartment, or face a financial penalty of $40,000.00. This measure will, hopefully, increase ownership and result in ‘the pride of ownership’ by residents.

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Both of these measures are meant to improve the lives of the majority of citizens and bring equality. Here Venezuela is taking important steps to address the great financial inequality that has gripped the nation. The rampant inequality has resulted in violent riots, by the poor and disadvantaged, which have plagued this nation. America would do well to keep an eye on this nation, and the changes there to address their financial inequality.

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Finally, today, I have a disconcerting story out of Africa. Today, the Centers for Disease Control (here in America) have sent a team of five experts to Guinea[2]. They are there to evaluate an outbreak of Ebola! The Ebola virus is a virulent hemorrhagic virus that causes violent and deadly bleeding. Resulting, so far, in seventy deaths in just the past week.

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There is no treatment or cure for this type of infection. Patients infected with this virus bleed profusely and die from shock. There is little concern for the virus spreading outside this African nation. Most infections come from direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.

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This outbreak is particularly troublesome for two reasons. First, this breakout has happened at the border of three nations. This could result in a rapid spread of the virus, outside of Guinea, prior to the other nations make appropriate preparations. Second, this particular strain is an especially deadly strain of the virus. I will be watching this story, closely.

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That brings us to the end of this, the very first edition of ‘News from Around the World’. Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to read. Thank you for your support.

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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read my work.

Thank YOU!

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The Other Shoe eBay Store

http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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The Other Shoe’s Daniel Hanning February 2014

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[1]http://www.nbcnews.com/#/news/world/venezuela-issues-voluntary-id-cards-stop-hoarding-n68746

[2]http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/u-s-sends-team-fight-african-ebola-outbreak-n68776