Putin Stole the Show

New York Times 08/18/2018)-- " On Saturday, that command was on display again, this time as the Russian leader made a brief personal appearance in the Styrian Alps at the wedding of Austria’s foreign minister, before continuing north to Germany where he was to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel... After the ceremony, the deep voices of a Cossack choir that the Russian president flew in with him as a wedding gift, could be heard ringing across the rolling hills of the Southern Alps."

So while Trump was tooling around Bedminster, New Jersey this morning Putin made himself busy partying in Austria. By the way Austria's 2nd largest trade partner is the United States--tied with Italy-- both behind Germany. Putin's next stop is Germany both a NATO member and Russia's largest importer-- Russia's 3rd largest for exports. Although Germany's exports to Russia ranks #14 and imports from Russia rank #26 doesn't mean Putin isn't swooping in trying to court them for a larger share. This during a time when Trump continues to chill our relations with them.

Ranking of Germany's trading partners in Foreign Trade
Year 2017 (preliminary results)
Looking at those tables if Trump wants to play hardball with Germany both China & France combined already do more business with it then the United States. So it isn't like we're the only game in town. Don't think China nor Russia aren't aware. Both have been hard at work with our trade partners. Germany's trade with China increased 35 percent in 2017. Fact is according to this publication both Berlin and Beijing are seeking a closer alliance and a coordinated strategy in response to US President Donald Trump’s protectionist agenda.

I think it should be quite easy to understand why. As Trump puts the squeeze on them with tariffs and sanctions against other countries why wouldn't they team up to get around them. It would be pretty stupid not to. If Donald keeps going around kicking everybody's ass it won't be long before the United States will be on the outside looking in.

One Day All The Stars Will Disappear

Forbes
The Universe Is Disappearing, And There's Nothing We Can Do To Stop It "..the farther away a galaxy was from us, the faster it appears to recede.... as time goes on, individual galaxies will appear to recede away from us faster and faster. In time, they'll become unreachable, even if we journeyed towards them at the speed of light... "

Which brings me to the theory I've always held about the universe being only 13.8 billion light years old. Could it just be trillions of other stars lie beyond. Ones which sped up to such a speed light from them wouldn't be able to reach us?

We measure how fast light can travel in time. Therein lies the problem--- "TIME". What is it? Can anything exist beyond our present understandings of TIME? Does TIME even exist holistically? If TIME is limited to a measurement between events we observe can THINGS exist beyond those we can not?

Yeah, then there's that :-)

Mueller's Potential Witness List?

Business Insider
Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of 6 other US intelligence veterans — some of whom are his most vocal critics

300 Pennsylvania Catholic Priests Sexually Abused Over 1,000 children

VOX: 300 Pennsylvania Catholic priests sexually abused over 1,000 children

Yeah, But.... According to Wikipedia--"From 2001 to 2010 the Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church, considered sex abuse allegations involving about 3,000 priests dating back fifty years." Yet as of February 2018 only 24 "Catholic priests were convicted of child sexual abuse."

In my opinion the church could never have covered this up without government prosecutors' and investigators' cooperation. I'd bet more then a few prosecutors avoided these pervert priests because they were deathly afraid of losing a bunch of catholic votes. Hence I feel the blame falls equally both on the church and government's role in the cover-up.

Isn't it amazing how prosecutors have always gone after teachers compared to priests?

I'm reading at WFMZ how the grand jury made recommendations but amazingly not a single indictment was made. Imagine sitting on the grand jury for months listening to the heartbreaking stories only to learn not a single charge would come from the time they were forced to spend. It's been said grand juries could hand down an indictment even against a cheeseburger.

In my opinion at the end of the day the only thing this report does is confirm how miserably the system failed and continues to do so. This because of it's continued failure to bring a single charge against those accused. Instead dropped a bunch of recommendations on reluctant legislators who won't want to lose voters if they go after the church either. Let's just call this what it is. Another example of government patronizing gullible voters into believing everything is going to change without actually changing a damn thing. There sure are a hellva lot of accusations and finger pointing but where's the punishments.

File this under...

Aretha Franklin Performance At White House 2015

Is The World We Know An Illusion?

Yeah I'm thinking too much again! Would all so-called realities exist if a single awareness didn't observe and/or acknowledge their existence?

When this single entity became aware how did it happen to him/her/it in the first place?

Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Could this single awareness be nothing more then reflections of itself appearing to have billions of individual consciousnesses as a result of it's own self generated images of many realities seeking answers for it's existence?
Somehow it seems the creator is as perplexed and helpless as the rest of us. No matter how many individual consciousnesses he/she/it creates through untold numbers of realities it still doesn't explain the fundamental question-- what's going on here?

It seems quantum physics helps explain this dilemma. Every time a phenomena is observed another is created. Thus creation will be forever chasing his/her/it's own tail for the eye cannot see itself.

So I suppose the answer is enjoy the ride while it last. If the hour comes awareness no longer exist- for either our creator nor individuals- all will be as it is/was. Whatever the hell it is (or isn't)


So if we experience a after life or all things come to naught none of this means a damn thing in the end does it?

Have a good day :-)