Thursday, October 31, 2019
Happy Hallowe'en 1944!
TUE 31 OCT 1944
Pacific
Submarine Gabilan (SS-252) sinks Japanese oceanographic research vessel No. 6 Kaiyo Maru off Murotosaki, Japan, 32°50'N, 134°21'E.
Submarine Guitarro (SS-363) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks cargo ship Komei Maru and army cargo ship Komei Maru off Botolan Point, Luzon, 15°17'N, 119°50'E, and although damaged by the concussion generated by the explosion of one of these two ships, remains on patrol.
Submarine Nautilus (SS-168), en route to Mios Woendi after completing her clandestine mission (23, 24, and 27 October), finishes the destroyction [sic] of submarine Darter (SS-227), aground on Bombay Shoal (09°26'N, 116°56'E) since 24 October, to prevent the boat from falling into enemy hands.
Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Takane Maru, damaged the day before by Salmon (SS-182) and Trigger (SS-237), southwest of Kyushu, 30°09'N, 132°45'E.
British submarine HMS Stoic sinks two Japanese sailing vessels, 07°40'S, 114°13'E, and bombards warehouses and fuel tanks at Jangka Island.
Motor gunboat PGM-9 bombards Japanese targets on Aguijan Island, Marianas.
Other Japanese casualties include landing ship T.131 damaged by aircraft, northeast of Panay; and auxiliary submarine chaser Uruppu Maru is sunk by aircraft, near Mindoro Island.
Letter From Paradise
Sure, he's a fucking idiot who thinks/claims "the left" is The N.Y.T. & The Atlantic, but we'll let that slide ...The political right, of course, has long specialized in the sport of California mockery. But we’re now getting it from the left, as well.
More likely the flyover fucks & Eastern élitists will sink into the ocean, & good riddance to them all.First of all, we may be morons, but we have discovered that it’s possible to drink beverages without plastic straws. Second, I don’t know of anyone, liberal or conservative, who is not bothered by homelessness and the condition of our streets. And the rest of the country should be, too, since a lot of the people sleeping on our streets tell me they’ve come here from somewhere else, like the Midwest, the East and the South.
“California is a failed state,” said Breitbart News, which, as I recall, was founded by a man who lived rather comfortably here in one of the many affluent areas of our failed state.
“As climate change ravages the Golden State, earthquakes could become the least of residents’ concerns,” said The New Republic, which also questioned whether California is still livable.
Among her mother’s frequent warnings, the writer said, were these:
Don’t walk alone at night. Don’t eat processed food. And don’t ever move to California, because, among its myriad other problems, “California’s going to fall off the face of the country and sink into the ocean.”
"Extremely Stable" Genius Bar?
Old & In The Way
Oh, in other Trumpian cybersecurity news:Rich Schapiro / NBC News:
Rudy Giuliani needed Apple genius help to unlock his iPhone after named Trump cybersecurity adviser — Giuliani's handling of the situation calls into question his understanding of basic security measures, two former FBI cyber experts told NBC News. — Less than a month after he was named …
Cristina Cabrera / Talking Points Memo: Giuliani Needed Help Unlocking His Phone Soon After Trump Named Him Cybersecurity Expert
Garrett Ross / Politico: POLITICO Playbook PM: Republicans hang together on impeachment vote
Marcus Gilmer / Mashable: Trump cyber czar Rudy Giuliani had to visit an Apple Store to unlock his iPhone
Gaby Del Valle / VICE: Rudy Giuliani, Former Cybersecurity Adviser to the PRESIDENT, Apparently Doesn't Know How to Unlock His Own iPhone
Casey Tolan / Mercury News: Report: Giuliani went to SF Apple Store to get iPhone unlocked after being named Trump cybersecurity adviser
Sky Palma / Raw Story: ‘Very sloppy’: Giuliani needed an Apple store to unlock his iPhone days after Trump named him ‘cybersecurity adviser’
Kathryn Krawczyk / The Week: Rudy Giuliani reportedly brought his locked iPhone to an Apple store after being named Trump's cybersecurity adviser
Ebony Bowden / New York Post: Rudy Giuliani needed Apple's Genius Bar to unlock iPhone: report
Musical Bonus:Reuters:
Exclusive: WhatsApp hacked to spy on top government officials at U.S. allies - sources — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior government officials in multiple U.S.-allied countries were targeted earlier this year with hacking software that used Facebook Inc's (FB.O) WhatsApp to take over users' phones …
more at Techmeme»
Compare & Contrast: Evacuation
That's all we fucking do around here alright. As if gossiping and namedropping aren't what "reporting" is.Inside L.A.’s High-End Getty Fire Evacuation Center
After fleeing to safety and in fear for their homes, Los Angeles residents hunkered down on uncomfortable cots. It wasn’t long before they were back to gossiping and namedropping.
Never been inside, but in the summer of 2008 I slept immediately south of said Rec Center, under this playground airliner at Aidan's Place. That's the recreation center in the background.Along with roughly 10,000 of his neighbors, Locke fled the area that morning. He headed seven miles south to the Westwood Recreation Center, a sprawling complex situated at the center of a West Los Angeles park. By rec-center standards, the Westwood facility has posh amenities: a pool, a playground, a tennis court, a soccer field, two gymnasiums, indoor racquetball courts, outdoor basketball courts, and the original baseball diamond that inspired The Bad News Bears. It does not, however, have beds. Still, within the span of a few hours, Locke saw the place converted from neighborhood sports center to active evacuation shelter. Volunteers unfolded cots in the gym. Neighbors brought food to the dining hall. Thousands streamed in and out, chatting, drinking coffee, ushering animals into the rooms designated for pets.
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| From the Google Maps or Pictures or something account of one Brandon Miller. |
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| LotsaFunMaps. Slept under the leftmost panel. Only rousted once, when the alarm at the center went off. |
Tarpley Hitt
ReporterWednesday, October 30, 2019
Testify, Brother!!
N.S.F.W., so tell your asshole boss where he or she can shove it too.
watch out now pic.twitter.com/mKT6exsct1— Mike Tunison (@xmasape) October 31, 2019
In Which We Burn Some Sage For Grace Slick & The Airplane
I see via the Bastard that today is Grace "Queen of the Hippies" Slick's 80th anniv. Been contemplating a Jefferson Airplane purification item since this hit us on the telly.Let's cleanse the musical palate w/ the "orginal album version". Make your own pictures in your head.
Yacht At War
MON 30 OCT 1944
Pacific
Carrier Franklin (CV-13) and small carrier Belleau Wood (CVL-24) are damaged by kamikazes, 10°20'N, 126°40'E.
Yacht Argus (PY-14) rescues survivors of U.S. freighter John A. Johnson, which had been sunk by Japanese submarine I-12 the previous day.
Submarine Salmon (SS-182) damages Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.22 southwest of Toizaki, Kyushu, and teams with Trigger (SS-237) to damage merchant tanker Takane Maru, 30°13'N, 132°49'E, but Salmon is damaged by depth charges dropped by the three undamaged escorting coast defense vessels and deep submergence as she evades the escorts, 30°08'N, 132°33'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.
USAAF P-38s (13th Air Force) damage Japanese submarine chaser Ch 36 near Sibitu Passage, 05°27'N, 119°12'E, and sink merchant tankers Kosho Maru and No.8 Nanshin Maru off Sandakan, Borneo, 05°25'N, 119°20'E.
USAAF aircraft sink Japanese ship Chuko Maru off Hong Kong.
USAAF B-25s sink Japanese ship No.5 Uwa Maru off Lomblon Island, 08°25'S, 123°25'E.
Mediterranean
Destroyer Madison (DD-425) bombards and destroys German motor convoy, southern France, and sinks floating mines offshore.
Trump Takes Us To The Toilet
Going down down down down down:
Trade war on America's workers. Can't wait until every moronic Trump voter is living in a van down by the river.Washington Post:
U.S. slowdown deepens as economic growth slips to 1.9 percent pace in third quarter — Business investment contracts for second straight quarter, as companies pull back amid uncertainty — The U.S. economy cooled over the summer, growing at a 1.9 percent annualized pace from July through September …
Kathryn Krawczyk / The Week: Trump celebrates 1.9 percent GDP growth. He blasted the exact same number under Obama.
Anneken Tappe / CNN: The US economy is slowing
Patricia Cohen / New York Times:
G.D.P. Posts 1.9% Rate as Trade Fight and Global Weakness Hit Economy
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Economy Grew At Anemic 1.9% In Third Quarter, Hinting At A Slowdown Ahead
Taegan Goddard / Political Wire: Economic Growth Slows as Trade War Continues
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Chinook
Billings' finest.
Equipped w/ the Water Hog 2600 gallon variable drop bucket for aerial application of water and fire retardant for wildfire suppression.
Not A Cloud, Smoke
Third & Western, 1617 this date.
Four mins. later, Air7HD was hovering.
At 1647, from Third & La Brea (over two miles from Third & Western) Air7 still hovering, no smoke visible.
A minute later it was joined by an unidentifiable blue & green one.
Then I was overwhelmed by a wave of ennui & went home.—30—
Atrocity At Sea
SUN 29 OCT 1944
Pacific
Naval Operating Base, Leyte, and Naval Air Station, Samar, are established.
TG 38.2 (Rear Admiral Gerald F. Bogan) attacks Japanese airfields in the Manila area and shipping in Manila Bay, damaging heavy cruiser Nachi. During Japanese air attacks on the fast carriers operating off Leyte, a kamikaze crashes into Intrepid (CV-11), 15°07'N, 124°01'E.
Japanese guardboat No.3 Kyoei Maru is also lost on this date off Luzon; although the agent of her demise is unspecified, it is most likely Navy carrier-based aircraft, given the level of U.S. naval aviation activity in that area.
PB4Y (VPB 115) sinks Japanese tanker Itsukushima Maru off Brunei Bay, 05°04'N, 119°47'E. Destroyer Shigure rescues survivors.
Japanese army tanker Kokko Maru is sunk by RAAF mine off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01°17'S, 116°48'E.
U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboat No.16 Kiku Maru at Rabaul.
U.S. freighter John A. Johnson is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-12 1,000 miles northeast of Oahu, 29°36'30"N, 141°43'W, and is abandoned when she breaks in two. I-12 surfaces, shells the wreck, setting both halves ablaze, before bearing down on the lifeboats and rafts and firing on them with machine guns and pistols. These brutal actions result in the death of 4 of the 41 merchant sailors, the Army security officer and 4 of the 28-man Armed Guard (see 30 October and 13 November 1944).
Thinks She Can Eat Jewelry
Only the best wives.
Is that a good evangelical hemline? One doesn't see Mother Pence dressed like this.
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| Douglas Friedman / Trunk Archive |
Today In Hunting Witches
Mental Health, Paranoia, & Religious Delusion
Waitaminnit. I thought Trump was the witch being hunted.Witchcraft Panic Fuels Trump Allies’
War on Halloween
[Watching The Insane]Christians who see the holiday as harmless fun are “co-laboring with the works of darkness,” she writes. Essentially they are supporting what DeGraw says are occult practices like having sex with demons and sacrificing babies to drink their blood.
She argues that Christians should repent for past participation in Halloween the same way they’d repent for “pornography, masturbation, rape, stealing, or vulgar language.” DeGraw asks, “Why is Halloween any different?”
Today In Big Brother & Breeding
The Skin Crawls
Crystal Thomas / Kansas City Star:
Missouri health director kept spreadsheet of Planned Parenthood patients' periods — The Missouri state health director, Dr. Randall Williams, testified at a state hearing Tuesday that he kept a spreadsheet to track the menstrual periods of women who visited Planned Parenthood.
[...]
Williams said the spreadsheet was made at his request by the state’s main investigator to identify patients who had undergone failed abortions.
Today In Kushner, The Slumlord
You lying fucking parasite. Why don't you clean up the messes you've made at the slums your family owns?Axios:
Jared Kushner says his White House work is focused on “cleaning up the messes” from Joe Biden — President Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner told me during an exclusive interview with Israel's Channel 13 news that many of his efforts since he started working at the White House were focused on …
Sky Palma / Raw Story: ‘The President is unimpeachable’: Jared Kushner declares that Trump has ‘done nothing wrong’
Axios:
Exclusive: Kushner says Trump's “record of accomplishments is unimpeachable”
Tobias Hoonhout / National Review: Jared Kushner: Time in White House Spent ‘Cleaning Up the Messes’ Left by Joe Biden
Kevin Rector / Baltimore Sun:Death to the fascist insects that prey upon the people!!
Maryland AG sues Kushner apartment company, alleging thousands of violations while renting rodent-infested units
Sky Palma / Raw Story: ‘Serious harm and suffering’: Jared Kushner's apartment management company sued for ‘hundreds of thousands of violations’
Monday, October 28, 2019
Nazis Attacked
SAT 28 OCT 1944
Pacific
TG 38.4 (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) bomb Japanese shipping near Cebu, damaging landing ship T.101 off Ormoc, Leyte, 11°00'N, 123°00'E.
Destroyer escort Dempsey (DE-26), assisted by tank landing craft LCT-406, sinks a Japanese torpedo-carrying craft off the main unloading beach, Peleliu. U.S. freighter United Victory is damaged by gunfire from Japanese surface craft; there are no casualties to United Victory's complement, which includes a 27-man Armed Guard.
Destroyer Helm (DD-388), assisted by Gridley (DD-380) and TBF from small carrier Belleau Wood (CVL-24), sinks Japanese submarine I-46, 120 miles northeast of Surigao, 10°56'N, 127°13'E.
Light cruiser Denver (CL-58) is damaged by kamikaze off Leyte, 10°57'N, 125°02'E. During Japanese air attack on U.S. shipping in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, freighter Cape Romano is damaged by bombs exploding close aboard; bomb fragments injure two of the 26-man Armed Guard and two of the 47-man merchant complement.
Destroyer escort Eversole (DE-404) is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-45 off Leyte, 10° 18'N, 127° 37'E; I-45, however, is in turn sunk by destroyer escort Whitehurst (DE-634) 120 miles east-northeast of Surigao, 10°10'N, 127°28'E.26
Netlaying ship Viburnum (AN-57) is damaged by mine at Ulithi.
Japanese transport Sumatra Maru is sunk by swimmer vehicles ("Chariots") launched from British submarine HMS Trenchant, Phuket Harbor, 07°54'N, 98°28'E.
Japanese merchant tanker Baiei Maru is sunk by Japanese mine in Brunei Bay, 05°0825'N, 115°05'E.
Mediterranean
Destroyer Gleaves (DD-423) bombards troop concentrations, barracks, and gun emplacements; she achieves excellent results. Enemy shore battery fire is inaccurate.
U.S. motor torpedo boats attack northbound convoy--four F-lighters with escorts--and sink two F-lighters.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Men And Supplies Landed
FRI 27 OCT 1944
Pacific
TG 38.3 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) and TG 38.4 (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) attack Japanese ships and installations in the Visayas and northern Luzon area. Navy carrier-based planes sink destroyer Fujinami 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay, 12°00'N, 122°30'E; TF 77 planes sink destroyer Shiranui 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay, 12°00'N, 122°30'E.
Off Leyte, battleship California (BB-44) is damaged by strafing off Leyte, 16°57'N, 125°02'E; submarine chaser (rescue) PCER-848 is damaged by horizontal bomber, 11°11'N, 125°05'E; and motor torpedo boat PT-523 is damaged by dive bomber, 11°15'N, 124°59'E.
U.S. freighter Benjamin Ide Wheeler is damaged by kamikaze that crashes the ship, killing one merchant sailor and one of the 27-man Armed Guard (whose heavy gunfire damages the inbound suicider) and sets fire to the gasoline cargo; salvage ship Cable (ARS-19) comes alongside and extinguishes the blaze while some of the ship's complement and passengers are transferred temporarily to nearby amphibious command ship Wasatch (AGC-9).
Damaged heavy cruiser Canberra (CA-70) and light cruiser Houston (CL-81) (see 13-16 October 1944) reach Ulithi with their supporting ships, their Odyssey over.
Submarine Bergall (SS-320) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks oiler Nichiho Maru and fleet tanker Itsukushima Maru to the west of Balabac Strait, 07°09'N, 116°40'E.
Submarine Cero (SS-225) drives Japanese guardboat No.3 Kyoei Maru ashore, Luzon, 17°00'N, 119°00'E.
Submarine Kingfish (SS-234) sinks Japanese landing ship T.138 and army cargo vessel No.4 Tokai Maru 30 miles north-northeast of Iwo Jima, 25°22'N, 141°31'E.
Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) lands men and supplies on east coast off Luzon.
U.S. motor torpedo boats sink Japanese motor sail ship Kyuei Maru off Ormoc Bay.
USAAF P-38s and P-47s sink Japanese motor sink sail ship Senshin Maru off Mactan Island.
USAAF aircraft (14th Air Force) damage Japanese ship Kashii Maru in South China Sea, 14°25'N, 110°38'E.
They Were Booing Because ...
It's Almost Hallowe'en
President Trump was booed loudly by the fans at Nats Park when he was shown on the big screen.— Adam Longo (@adamlongoTV) October 28, 2019
Then came a loud chant: “Lock him up.” @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/LBbgSAHd6k
Scott Boeck / USA Today:
President Donald Trump greeted with boos at Game 5 of World Series — SportsPulse: This may be the most energetic World Series we've seen in a long time. For both teams, their exuberance on and off the field has been propelled by the joy often seen in Latin baseball culture.
Bill Baer / NBCSports.com: President Trump booed loudly at Nationals Park during World Series Game 5
Bdayktla / KTLA: Boos and ‘Lock Him Up!’ Chants Echo Through Stadium as Trump Attends World Series
Tom Lutz / The Guardian: Donald Trump booed and greeted with ‘lock him up’ chants at World Series
Washington Post:
Trump met with sustained boos when introduced at Game 5 of the World Series — President Trump was booed during Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night when he made a rare public appearance in a luxury ballpark suite in Democrat-dominated Washington. — When the president was announced …
Saturday, October 26, 2019
News From The Proverbial Swamp
It's Business As Usual
Will you dipstick morans be bending over for your betters until the fucking sun explodes?CNN:
Trump ordered Mattis to ‘screw Amazon’ on Pentagon contract, according to new book — (CNN) A new biography of former Defense Secretary James Mattis reports President Donald Trump personally got involved in who would win a major $10 billion contract to provide cloud computing services to the Pentagon …
David Atkins / Washington Monthly: Several New Trump Corruption Stories Ramp Up Pressure to Impeach
Rachel Frazin / The Hill: Trump told Mattis to ‘screw Amazon’ out of Defense contract: book
Chris White / The Daily Caller: Trump Admin Gives $10 Billion Cloud Computing Project To Microsoft
more at Techmeme »Josh Partlow / Washington Post:
Company with ties to Trump's brother Robert awarded $33 million government contract — A company in which President Trump's brother has a financial stake received a $33 million contract from the U.S. Marshals Service earlier this year, an award that has drawn protests from two other bidders …
Cristina Cabrera / Talking Points Memo: US Marshals Service Awarded $33 Million Contract To Firm Tied To Trump's Brother
Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost: Company Linked To Trump Brother Won $33 Million Federal Contract: Washington Post
Vinnie Longobardo / Washington Press: Firm linked to Trump's brother wins lucrative federal contract as rival companies charge nepotism
Rachel Frazin / The Hill: Company with ties to Trump's brother awarded $33 million government contract: report
Orion Rummler / Axios: Rival bidders protest contract secured by firm linked to Trump's brother
Battle Concludes
THU 26 OCT 1944Dr. Farley's takes on the battle.
Pacific
Battle for Leyte Gulf concludes as Navy carrier-based and USAAF land-based planes attack retiring Japanese ships that have survived the previous days' action. TF 38 planes sink light cruiser Kinu southwest of Masbate, 11°46'N, 123°11'E; destroyer Hayashimo 40 miles south of Mindoro, 12°05'N, 121°50'E. Aircraft from carriers Hornet (CV-12) and Wasp (CV-18) sink light cruiser Noshiro south of Mindoro, 11°35'N, 121°45'E; planes from carrier Hancock (CV-19) sink landing ship T.102 in the Guimaras Straits, 11°00'N, 123°00'E; TF 38 planes damage heavy cruiser Kumano; destroyer Okinami in Sibuyan Sea. Planes from TU 77.4.2 sink destroyer Uranami 70 miles north-northeast of Iloilo, Panay, 11°50'N, 123°00'E. USAAF B-24s sink light cruiser Abukuma southwest of Negros Island, 09°20'N, 122°30'E; battleship Haruna is damaged by near-misses. In related action, U.S. cruisers and destroyers sink destroyer Nowaki 65 miles south-southeast of Legaspi, Luzon, 13°00'N, 124°54'E. Motor torpedo boat PT-132 is damaged by dive bomber, 09°00'N, 125°00'E.
U.S. freighter Benjamin Ide Wheeler is attacked by Japanese plane off Leyte, and damaged by near-miss of bomb that wounds three of the ship's embarked troops.
Submarine Drum (SS-228) sinks Japanese transport Tatsura Maru, 19°00'N, 120°45'E, and merchant passenger/cargo ship Taisho Maru and cargo ship Taihaku Maru north of Luzon, 19°21'N, 120°50'E.
Submarine Icefish (SS-367) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Taiyo Maru west of Luzon Strait, 19°04'N,120°36'E, but is damaged by depth charges and is forced to terminate her patrol.
Submarine Rock (SS-274) sinks Japanese merchant tanker No.7 Takasago Maru near Balabac Strait, 10°18'N, 117°47'E.
British submarine HMS Tantivy damages Japanese ship No.2 Katsuma Maru.
U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft sink merchant tanker No.31 Nanshin Maru west of Balabac Strait, 08°22'N, 116°55'E.
Special Air Task Force (STAG 1) operations in the southwest Pacific conclude as four TDRs are flown against lighthouse on Cape St. George, New Ireland. One of the four hits squarely and demolishes the structure.
USAAF aircraft sink merchant cargo ships Kaiko Maru and Doei Maru off South China coast, 20°50'N, 111°50'E.
Other Japanese casualties include merchant cargo ship Seito Maru sunk by Austalian mine off Sumatra, 03°12'S, 116°15'E; and merchant cargo ship Kompira Maru sunk by aircraft, Shimushuri Island.
Beyond Pathetic Humanoid Of The Day
News from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea White House Press Office:
Sober up before it's too late, you alcoholic witch. (Strong language? You be the judge. The Wiki indicates she's a liar & cheat, too. May, of course, all be related. Just saying that somebody has some issues. Get help; don't help destroy the country because your parents made you hate yourself.)The White House shot back at former chief of staff John Kelly who said he had warned President Trump that hiring a “yes man” to replace him would likely lead to impeachment, CNN reports.
Said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham: “I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”
Grisham was charged with driving under the influence, speeding, and driving with an invalid license in 2013. The charges were plea bargained and reduced to reckless driving. In December 2015, Grisham was again charged with driving under the influence, and pleaded guilty to that offense.[23]
The New York Times reported in August 2019 that Grisham had lost a job at AAA Arizona after being accused of cheating on expense reports, and another job at ad agency Mindspace over plagiarism charges.[24]
Rudy Redux
Shorter:Added Idiocy From The Mayor Of 9/11
Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Giuliani Is Drawing Attention to Hunter Biden's Work in Romania. But There's a Problem. — Hunter Biden worked to help a Romanian executive facing corruption charges. But so did the former New York mayor — and a former F.B.I. director. — WASHINGTON — Rudolph W. Giuliani …
Taegan Goddard / Political Wire: Giuliani Ties Hunter Biden, and Himself, to Romania
Leah Barkoukis / Townhall: Trump Campaign Goes After Biden Over Criticism of Ivanka, Jared Serving in WH Positions ‘They Know Nothing About’
Jeff Dunetz / Liberty Unyielding: NBC News: Biden père et fils's Romania dealings raise new conflict of interest questions
Wayne Dupree / LifeZette: Hunter Biden's Legal Work in Romania Now Raises Eyebrows of Ethics Experts
Joseph / CANNONFIRE: Transparent indeed. Plus: Rudy's Romanian Rhapsody!
Zachary B. Wolf / CNN: Articles of impeachment are already taking shape, and other news from the inquiry
Corrupt, nepotistic & incestuous. If the D.C. swamp is ever drained of its mostly white guy denizens, lobbying outfitsGiuliani Ties Hunter Biden, and Himself, to Romania
Rudy Giuliani “signaled this month that he planned to open a new front in his attacks against Joe Biden –work done by Mr. Biden’s son Hunter Biden for a wealthy Romanian business executive facing corruption charges,” the New York Times reports.
“But there’s a problem with that strategy: Mr. Giuliani participated in an effort that would have helped the same executive, and was in fact recruited to do so by Louis J. Freeh, a former F.B.I. director who had been brought onto the matter by Hunter Biden.”
& relationship-based lying & cheating, it still must be 💣nuked💣, & not necessarily from orbit.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Butt-Dialer's Bad Dentures
Maybe Rudy needs all that money for a dental appliance that will match his original lame-brain teeth*.
*
Series 2017
Got two crisp bills in change, assumed they were new & decided to look at them. Another indication of our decline:
No more cursive signatures from the Treasury Secretary.
Not that currency will be around that much longer.
No more cursive signatures from the Treasury Secretary.
Battle Off Samar
WED 25 OCT 1944
Unites States and Great Britain resume diplomatic relations with Italy.
Pacific
Battle for Leyte Gulf continues as TG 77.2 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf), augmented by TG 77.3 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey) and TG 70.1 (39 motor torpedo boats) execute the classic maneuver of "crossing the tee" of the Japanese "Southern Force" (Vice Admiral Nishimura Shoji and Vice Admiral Shima Kiyohide) in the Battle of Surigao Strait. TG 70.1 begins the action against the Japanese ships. PT-137 torpedoes light cruiser Abukuma, but PT-493 is sunk by enemy secondary battery gunfire, 10°15'N, 125°23'E. DESRON 54 (Captain Jesse G.Coward) then attacks; McDermut (DD-677) sinks destroyer Yamagumo, 10°25'N, 125°20'E, and damages destroyers Asagumo and Michisio. Subsequently, light cruiser Denver (CL-58) sinks Asagumo at entrance of Surigao Strait, 10°04'N, 125°21'E. DESRON 24 (Captain Kenmore M. McManes) enters the fray and Hutchins (DD-476) (McManes's flagship) sinks Michisio, 10°25'N, 123°25'E; DESRON 56 (Captain Roland M. Smoot) attacks; Albert W. Grant (DD-649) is damaged by both friendly and Japanese gunfire at this phase of the battle, 10°27'N, 125°25'E. Two Australian warships take part in this fleet action--heavy cruiser HMAS Shropshire (in TG 77.3) and destroyer HMAS Arunta (in DESRON 24)--that see the destruction of battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, 10°25'N, 125°20'E. Heavy cruiser Mogami and destroyer Shigure are damaged.
Meanwhile, the "Center Force" (Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo), which includes four battleships and five heavy cruisers, having passed into the Philippine Sea during the night, surprises TG 77.4 (Rear Admiral Thomas L.Sprague) off Samar. Kurita's force wreaks havoc on the six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts of TU 77.4.3 (northernmost carrier force) (Rear Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague). In this battle, which becomes a precipitate flight in the face of an overwhelming enemy force, Kurita's ships inflict severe damage but emerge bloodied by the Homeric efforts of the "small boys" (destroyers and destroyer escorts) and planes from the escort carriers that compel Kurita to retire, inexplicably, without destroying the CVEs and their consorts in detail. In the Battle off Samar, Japanese surface gunfire sinks destroyers Hoel, 11°46'N, 126°33'E; Johnston*, 11°46'N, 126°09'E; and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), 11°40'N, 126°20'E; and damages destroyer Heermann (DD-523), 11°40'N, 126°15'E; and destroyer escort Dennis (DE-405), 11°40'N, 126°20'E. Johnston damages heavy cruiser Kumano.
Japanese surface gunfire (either battleship Haruna or Kongo) straddles escort carrier White Plains (CVE-66), 11°40'N, 126°20'E, St.Lo (CVE-63), and Kitkun Bay (CVE- 71) but scores no direct hits. Heavy cruisers Chikuma, Haguro, and Chokai; light cruiser Noshiro; and a destroyer sink escort carrier Gambier Bay (CVE-73), 11°31'N, 126°12'E. Japanse surface gunfire also damages Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) and Kalinin Bay (CVE-68), 11°40'N, 126°20'E; the latter claims one hit on a Japanese heavy cruiser with her single 5-inch gun. Navy carrier-based aircraft damage battleships Kongo (from near-misses) and Yamato and heavy cruisers Chikuma, Chokai, and Suzuya.
Subsequently, Japanese planes attack escort carriers of TU 77.4.1 (Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague). Suwannee (CVE-27) is damaged by kamikazes, 09°45'N, 126°42'E, and Santee (CVE-29) by suicide plane and Japanese submarine I-56, 09°45'N, 126°20'E. Kamikazes near-miss Sangamon, 09°45'N, 126°42'E, and Petrof Bay (CVE-80). Destroyer escort Richard M. Rowell is damaged by strafing, 10°05'N, 127°10'E.
Following its ordeal off Samar, TU 77.4.3 (Rear Admiral Clifton A.F. Sprague) comes under Japanese air attack. Kamikazes sink St.Lo, 11°13'N, 126°05'E, and damage Kalinin Bay and Kitkun Bay, 11°10'N, 126°20'E. At the same time, in the Battle off Cape Engano, carrier aircraft from the Third Fleet (Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.) strike the Japanese "Northern Force" (Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo). Planes from carriers Essex and Lexington sink carrier Zuikaku 220 nautical miles east-northeast of Cape Engano, 19°20'N, 125°51'E, and carrier Chitose 235 nautical miles east of Cape Engano, 19°20'N, 125°20'E; carrier Chiyoda, damaged by planes from carriers Lexington and Franklin and small carrier Langley, is sunk by heavy cruisers New Orleans and Wichita and light cruisers Santa Fe and Mobile (CL-63) 260 nautical miles southeast of Cape Engano, 18°37'N, 126°45'E. Carrier Zuiho is sunk by planes from Essex, Franklin, Lexington, Enterprise, and small carrier San Jacinto east-northeast of Cape Engano, 19°20'N, 125°51'E.
U.S. aircraft, during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, damage Japanese battleships Yamato and Nagato and heavy cruiser Myoko in San Jose Strait; battleship Haruna, east of Samar; light cruiser Yahagi off Leyte; destroyer Kiyoshimo off Leyte. Heavy cruiser Chikuma, damaged by carrier-based aircraft (TU 77.4.2) off Samar, is scuttled by destroyer Nowaki, 11°22'N, 126°16'E; heavy cruiser Suzuya, damaged by carrier- based aircraft off Samar, is scuttled by destroyer Okinami, 11°50'N, 126°25'E; heavy cruiser Chokai, damaged by carrier-based aircraft (TU 77.4.2) off Samar, is scuttled by destroyer Fujinami, 11°26'N, 126°15'E; heavy cruiser Mogami, damaged by heavy cruisers Minneapolis, Portland (CA-33), Louisville (CA-28), light cruisers Columbia (CL-56) and Denver, and collision with heavy cruiser Nachi, south of Bohol Island, P.I., is scuttled by destroyer Akebono, 09°40'N, 124°50'E; light cruiser Tama is sunk by aircraft from Essex and Lexington and submarine Jallao (SS-368), east of Luzon Strait, 21°23'N, 127°19'E; destroyer Hatsuzuki is sunk by the gunfire of four heavy cruisers and twelve destroyers east north-east of Cape Engano, 20°24'N, 126°20'E.
Japanese air attacks continue against shipping off Leyte: U.S. freighter Adoniram Judson is attacked by Japanese planes off Tacloban; Armed Guard gunners claim splashing six. One bomb explodes close aboard, causing fragmentation damage and wounding two of the embarked stevedores. There are no casualties to the ship's company: 43 merchant seamen and 28 Armed Guards.
Freighter John W. Foster anchored in San Pedro Bay, is strafed; 7 of the 27-man Armed Guard, three of 170 embarked troops, and one officer, are wounded.
Submarine Halibut (SS-232) sinks Japanese destroyer Akizuki east-northeast of Cape Engaño, 20°29'N, 126°36'E.
Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) lands men and supplies on east coast of Luzon.
Submarine Seal (SS-183) sinks Japanese transport Hakuyo Maru, north of Urup, Kurils, 50°18'N, 150°50'E.
Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Jinei Maru south of Yaku Jima, 30°15'N, 129°45'E.
Fleet tanker Matsumoto Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by submarine Tang (SS-306) in Formosa Strait the day before, 25°07'N, 119°45'E.
British submarine HMS Tantivy sinks Japanese motor sail ship No.47 Tachibana Maru in Flores Sea.
Navy F4Us sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 62 north of Palaus.
Other Japanese casualties include auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 52 sunk at Palau, 07°30'N, 134°40'E; and merchant tanker Shoho Maru sunk by USAAF aircraft in South China Sea, 11°18'N, 114°50'E.
*The Johnston (DD-557) (or perhaps the Hoel) has been located.
Personal Note: "Trader Tex", in the U.P. item above, & his wife were good friends w/ my parental units when Tex & my father (also a Navy vet from Texas) were G.I. Bill students at the University of Southern California in the late '40s/early '50s. And my mother & I stayed w/ the Waldrops in Houston for several months in 1970 & '71 after we returned from France. So you can imagine my surprise when, a yr. or two ago, I read these passages in The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour. (Check it out here.) Had no idea about "Tex", who was known to his intimates as "Monk". Let's just say he was ideal pilot height.US WWII Shipwreck Discovered in the
Philippine Sea is the Deepest Ever Found
John Solomon, Active Russian Agent
Did someone say "fake news"?ProPublica:
Sources: John Solomon, now at Fox, worked closely with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, sharing files and letting him watch an interview with Ukraine source — Lev Parnas, recently indicted for foreign influence in U.S. elections, collaborated closely with The Hill’s John Solomon to fuel spurious allegations involving the Bidens and Ukraine.
Last March, a veteran Washington reporter taped an interview with a Ukrainian prosecutor that sparked a disinformation campaign alleging Joe Biden pressured Ukrainians into removing a prosecutor investigating a company because of its ties to the former vice president’s son. The interview and subsequent columns, conducted and written by a writer for The Hill newspaper, John Solomon, were the starting gun that eventually set off the impeachment inquiry into the president.
Watching from the control booth of The Hill’s TV studio was Lev Parnas, who helped arrange the interview.
Connor Mannion / Mediaite: Fox News Contributor John Solomon Reportedly Coordinated With Indicted Giuliani Ally to Write Ukraine Stories
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico: Lawyers for Ukrainian oligarch have another client: The columnist who pushed Biden corruption claims
J. David McSwane / @davidmcswane: New: Lev Parnas, recently indicted for foreign influence in U.S. elections, collaborated closely with The Hill's John Solomon to fuel spurious allegations involving the Bidens and Ukraine. by @JakePearsonProP, @mikespiesnyc and me https://www.propublica.org/...
@samthielman: like... holy shit pic.twitter.com/vUgbtANgmN
Jennifer Salan / @jensalan: For anyone who's been following The Hill - this isn't a big surprise https://www.propublica.org/...
Oliver Willis / @owillis: he had a stint at the washington post, where he also did this stuff https://www.mediamatters.org/
Jesse Eisinger / @eisingerj: How did Lev Parnas, now indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, get the disinformation campaign on Biden & Ukraine going? By essentially partnering with @jsolomonReports Earlier, the publisher warned Solomon was engaged in “reputation killing stuff.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Nick Schwellenbach / @schwellenbach: Not the first time!! “Solomon was engaged in ‘reputation killing stuff’ by mixing business with journalism” https://www.propublica.org/...
John Harwood / @johnjharwood: conservative writer on working w/since-indicted Rudy associate on anti-Biden, anti-Dem Ukraine stories “No one knew there was anything wrong w/Lev Parnas at the time. “Everybody who approaches me has an angle. My mother has an angle when she calls me” https://www.propublica.org/...
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: “Watching from the control booth of The Hill's TV studio was Lev Parnas, who helped arrange the interview.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: “Solomon recalls first encountering Parnas through Pete Sessions “Sessions ... told ProPublica that he has no connection to Solomon. 'I don't know John,' he said.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Rebranding someone's shitty and unethical reporting as “opinion” and then letting him keep at it is an insult to decent opinion writers everywhere. https://www.propublica.org/... pic.twitter.com/WiND0ZTusZ
Jonah Fisher / @jonahfisherbbc: Why did @thehill continue publishing @jsolomonReports pieces on Ukraine for so long? https://www.propublica.org/...
Nick Schwellenbach / @schwellenbach: From 7 ys ago: an ICIJ staffer “confronted Solomon about his potential financial interest in the business plan...the deal was something Solomon was pushing, but that [CPI's head] and the board opposed it, citing ‘a conflict of interest’” https://archives.cjr.org/...
Eric Umansky / @ericuman: John Solomon's “story” in the @thehill started the disinfo campaign re Ukraine Guess who basically partnered w/ Solomon on story? Rudy buddy Lev Parnas. The indicted Parnas: -swapped files w/ Solomon -helped translate -was literally in control room https://www.propublica.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Eric Umansky / @ericuman: Also: John Solomon engaged in what sure looks like pay-for-play. He made a deal with an advertiser and then inserted a quote from them into a story. “If a media reporter gets ahold of this, it could destroy us,” the Hill's publisher wrote. https://www.propublica.org/... pic.twitter.com/MDUY2Pxj5l
Oliver Willis / @owillis: it bears repeating that john solomon - for years - was a major part of political coverage at ap and *even then* it was clear he was out to get democrats. instead, he kicked around legit journalism forever https://www.propublica.org/...
Behind Closed Doors
Not the closed doors to the secret basement meetings of the angry pack of rabid hyena Dems; Anonymous is about to reveal further self-impeachment by The Donald behind the Executive Mansion's closed doors.
You can imagine the bad words & name-calling to come; maybe even talk of what squealers deserve.
If nothing else, I suspect "bullshit" will replace "fake news", not that I give a flying fuck at a rolling dough-nut about any further coarsening of "the culture".
Sounds like a humdinger, dunnit? What does Lumpy say when he's chewing the Oval Office rug? Does he use "bad" words? Has anyone been grabbed by the ... uh ... you know.Mike Allen / Axios:
Scoop: “Anonymous”
to expose private
Trump conversations
The anonymous “senior Trump administration official” who will release a tell-all book, “A Warning,” next month was a frequent participant in meetings with President Trump and plans to recount specific conversations, sources tell me.
You can imagine the bad words & name-calling to come; maybe even talk of what squealers deserve.
If nothing else, I suspect "bullshit" will replace "fake news", not that I give a flying fuck at a rolling dough-nut about any further coarsening of "the culture".
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Battle Continues
TUE 24 OCT 1944
Pacific
Battle for Leyte Gulf continues as planes from TG 38.2, TG 38.3, and TG 38.4 attack the Japanese "Center Force" (Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo) in the Sibuyan Sea. Planes from carriers Enterprise (CV-6), Intrepid (CV-11), and Franklin (CV-13), and small carrier Cabot (CVL-29) sink battleship Musashi south of Luzon, 12°50'N, 122°35'E. Aircraft from the three task groups also damage battleships Yamato and Nagato, heavy cruiser Tone, and destroyers Kiyoshimo, Fujinami and Uranami. TG 38.4 planes attack Japanese "Southern Force" (Vice Admiral Nishimura Shoji and Vice Admiral Shima Kiyohide) as it proceeds through the Sulu Sea; planes from Franklin sink destroyer Wakaba off the west coast of Panay, 11°50'N, 121°25'E; aircraft from Enterprise and Franklin damage battleships Fuso and Yamashiro. Japanese planes, however, attack TG 38.3; combat air patrol and effective use of rain squalls as cover limits the damage to small carrier Princeton (CVL-23), hit by bomb from dive bomber, 15°21'N, 123°31'E. In trying to save Princeton, however, light cruiser Birmingham (CL-62) and destroyers Morrison (DD-560), Gatling (DD-671), and Irwin (DD-794) are damaged by rolling against the stricken carrier or by fragments from the explosion of Princeton's magazines when fires gain the upper hand; in addition, Morrison's bridge is damaged by a jeep (used to tow aircraft) falling from Princeton's flight deck. Birmingham suffers the greatest destruction because she is alongside the carrier when the latter's magazines explode. The cruiser's decks literally run red with blood: 229 men killed, four missing, 211 seriously wounded and 215 with minor wounds. Ultimately, light cruiser Reno and Irwin scuttle Princeton.
During the aerial action that day, Commander David McCampbell, Commander Air Group 15, flying from carrier Essex (CV-9), again distinguishes himself in combat. With only one wingman, McCampbell attacks what is estimated as being over 60 hostile aircraft and downs nine, breaking up the attacking formation before it even reaches the fleet. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life" on this occasion and on 19 June, McCampbell is awarded the Medal of Honor.
Elsewhere off Leyte, Japanese planes damage destroyer Leutze (DD-481), 10°50'N, 125°25'E; tank landing ship LST-552, 11°11'N, 125°05'E; and infantry landing craft LCI-1065. Oiler Ashtabula (AO-51) is damaged by aerial torpedo, 11°03'N, 125°22'E.
U.S. freighter Augustus Thomas, anchored in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, is attacked by a Japanese plane. The ship's Armed Guard gunfire sets the aircraft ablaze but the kamikaze presses home his attack, a wing striking the stack of the nearby tug Sonoma (ATO-12) before it crashes the freighter's starboard side. The bombs detonate in the water between the two ships, and the exploding suicider sets Sonoma afire. There are no casualties on board Augustus Thomas (41-man merchant complement, 27-man Armed Guard and 480 troop passengers), which is subsequently beached by tugs Chowanoc (ATF-100) and Whippoorwill (ATO-169). Sonoma subsequently sinks off Dio Island, 10°57'N, 125°02'E.
U.S. freighter David Dudley Field is damaged by kamikaze off Tacloban, Leyte; there are no fatalities among the 40-man merchant complement, 30-man Armed Guard, 50 stevedores embarked to work cargo and 10 Army passengers. After repairs, the freighter will resume active service.
Late on 24 October, Commander Third Fleet (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) orders TF 38 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) to proceed north to be in position to strike the "Northern Force" (Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo) on the morning of 25 October, but does not inform Commander Seventh Fleet (Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid) of his action. Unbeknown to the Americans, remnants of the "Center Force" transit San Bernadino Strait and head for Leyte Gulf. Commander Seventh Fleet meanwhile makes his dispositions to meet the expected enemy onslaught: bombardment and support group TG 77.2 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) is augmented by close covering group TG 77.3 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey).
Local airfields, however, are not yet ready to base night reconnaissance aircraft, and the only carrier equipped to operate such planes, small carrier Independence (CVL-22), is proceeding north with TF 38.
Coordinated submarine attack group TG 17.15 (CommanderAlan B. Banister), meanwhile, operates against Japanese shipping in South China Sea west of Luzon Strait: Drum (SS-228) sinks merchant cargo ship Shikisan Maru, 20°27'N, 118°31'E; Icefish (SS-367) sinks army cargo ship Tenshin Maru, 19°31'N, 118°10'E; Seadragon (SS-194) sinks transport Eiko Maru and cargo ship Daiten Maru, 20°31'N, 118°33'E, and merchant passenger/cargo ship Kokuryu Maru, 20°27'N, 118°31'E.
Hospital ship Comfort (AH-6), fully illuminated in accordance with the dictates of the Geneva Convention, is bombed 22 miles southeast of Leyte.
Tank landing ship LST-695 is damaged by Japanese submarine I-56 in Philippine Sea, west of Mindanao, 08°31'N, 128°34'E.
Destroyer escort Richard M. Rowell (DE-403) sinks Japanese submarine I-54, 70 miles east of Surigao, 09°45'N, 126°45'E.
Submarine Besugo (SS-321) damages Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.132 south of Ashizuri Saki, Japan, 30°19'N, 132°49'E.
Submarine Croaker (SS-246) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Mikage Maru and passenger/cargo ship Gassan Maru southwest of Quelpart Island, 33°00'N, 125°49'E.
Submarine Darter (SS-227), damaged by grounding on Bombay Shoal, Palawan Passage, P.I. is scuttled by submarines Nautilus (SS-168) and Dace (SS-247) to avoid the boat's falling into enemy hands.
Submarine Kingfish (SS-234) sinks Japanese cargo ship Ikutagawa Maru east of Chichi Jima, 27°08'N, 143°13'E.
Submarine Shark (SS-314) is sunk, probably by Japanese destroyer Harukaze, in Luzon Strait, 20°41'N, 118°27'E.*
Submarine Snook (SS-279) sinks army cargo ships Arisan Maru, 20°54'N, 118°19'E, and No.1 Shinsei Maru, 20°10'N, 118°17'E. Merchant tanker Kikusui Marusinks as the result of damage inflicted by Snook the day before, 19°46'N, 118°30'E.
Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Ebara Maru in Formosa Strait, 25°03'N, 119°35'E, and damages tanker Matsumoto Maru, 25°04'N, 119°35'E, but is herself sunk by the circular run of one of her own torpedoes, 25°06'N, 119°31'E.
TF 38 planes damage Japanese light cruiser Kinu and destroyer Uranami at Manila, and sink Japanese army ore carrier Fuyukawa Maru off Luzon, 16°30'N, 120°15'E.From Farley.
USAAF aircraft sink army cargo ship Taimei Maru off Sandakan, Borneo, 05°50'N, 118°07'E.
Mediterranean
Motor torpedo boats patrolling off Monte Grosso attack five south-bound targets, firing six torpedoes. No definite claims are made.
Destroyer Woolsey (DD-437) and British destroyer HMS Fortune sink two abandoned German explosive boats 16 miles off Cap Ferrat; Woolsey and minesweeper Sway (AM-120) recover prisoners.
*She is listed as overdue, presumed lost, on 27 November.
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