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Thursday, 25 May 2017

Prostate - Guys go for annual check up or will regret later

Useful for all over-40 guys

A useful article / talk on Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or in simple terms, Enlarged Prostate. Diet is the most important part of this talk which is something within our control; and it works.

FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS LECTURE

*MEN MUST READ*

Gentlemen,

I am here to speak with you on Prostate. The topic is misleading. Is prostate strictly for men? Yes, ONLY men have prostate and ONLY men over 40 years but the healthcare enlightenment is for everyone. There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above, father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbour, colleague...

Essentially what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide three things:

1. Information
2. Reassurance
3. A plan of action.

Let me start with a background on prostate health.

Everyone has a pair of kidneys. The job of the kidney is to remove waste. It is the LAWMA (waste management company) of your body. Everyday your blood passes through the kidney several times to be filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed and stored in a temporary storage tank called the urinary bladder.

If there were to be no urinary bladder, as a man walks on the road, urine will be dropping.

Now think of the plumbing work in your house. Think of the urinary bladder as the overhead storage tank. From the storage tank, a good plumber will run pipes to other parts of the house, including the kitchen. God in His wisdom ran pipes from our urinary bladder to the tip of the penis. The pipe is called the urethra. Just below the bladder and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the prostate gland.

The prostate gland is the size of a walnut and weighs about 20grams. Its job is to make the seminal fluid which is stored in the seminal vesicle. During sexual intercourse, seminal fluid comes down the urethra and mixes with the sperms produced in the testicles to form the semen. So semen technically is not sperm. It is sperm + seminal fluid. The seminal fluid lubricates the sperm.

After age 40, for reasons that may be hormonal, the prostate gland begins to enlarge. From 20 grams it may grow to almost 100 grams. As it enlarges, it squeezes the urethra and the man begins to notice changes in the way he urinates.

If you have a son under 10, if he has a little mischief like we all did at that age, when he comes out to urinate, he can target the ceiling and the jet will hit target. Call his father to do same, wahala dey. His urine stream is weak, cannot travel a long distance and sometimes may come straight down on his legs. So he may need to stand in awkward position to urinate.

Not many men will be worried their urine stream cannot hit the ceiling. Toilets are on the floor and not on the ceiling. But other symptoms begin to show.

*TERMINAL DRIPPLING:*

The man begins to notice that after urinating and repacking, urine still drops on his pants. This is the reason why after an older man urinates, he has to ring bell. A younger man simply delivers to the last drop and walks away. Just see an older man coming from the bathroom. Sometimes he may clutch the newspaper closely to hide the urine stains, particularly on plain colored trousers.

*HESISTANCY*

At this point you wait longer for the urine flow to start. There are 2 valves that must open for you to urinate – the internal and external sphincters. Both open but because of obstructions in the urethra, you wait longer for the flow to start.

*INCOMPLETE EMPTYING*

You have this feeling immediately after urinating that there is still something left.

As all these things happen, the bladder begins to work harder to compensate for the obstruction in the urethra. The frequency of urination goes up. Urgency sets in. Sometimes you have to practically run into the toilet. Nocturia also becomes common. You wake up more than 2 times at night to urinate. Your wife begins to complain.

Men being men may not talk to anyone even at this point. Then the more serious complications start.

Stored urine gets infected and there may be burning sensation when urinating.

Stored urine forms crystals. Crystals come together to form stone either in the bladder or in the kidney. Stones may block the urethra.

Chronic urinary retention sets in. The bladder stores more and more urine. The size of the bladder is 40 - 60cl. A bottle of coke is 50cl. As the bladder stores more urine it can enlarge up to 300cl. An overfilled bladder may leak and this leads to wetting / urinary incontinence. Also the volume may put pressure on the kidney and may lead to kidney damage.

What may likely bring the man to hospital is acute urinary retention. He wakes up one day and he is not able to pass urine.

Everything I have described above is associated with prostate enlargement, technically called benign prostate hyperplasia.

There are other diseases of the prostate like:

1. Prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate

2. Prostate cancer – cancer of the prostate.

This discussion is on prostate enlargement.

I have bad news and good news.

The bad news is that everyman will have prostate enlargement if he lives long enough.

The good news is that there are life style changes that can help the man after 40 to maintain optimum prostate health.

*NUTRITION*

Look at what you eat. 33% of all cancers, according to the US National Cancer Institute is related to what we eat.
Red meat everyday triples your chances of prostate disease. Milk everyday doubles your risk. Not taking fruits / vegetables daily quadruples your risk.

Tomatoes are very good for men. If that is the only thing your wife can present in the evening, eat it with joy. It has loads of lycopene. Lycopene is the most potent natural antioxidant.
Foods that are rich in zinc are also good for men. We recommend pumpkin seeds (ugbogulu).
Zinc is about the most essential element for male sexuality and fertility.

Men need more zinc than women. Every time a man ejaculates he loses 15mg of zinc. Zinc is also important for alcohol metabolism. Your liver needs zinc to metabolize alcohol.

*ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION*

As men begin to have urinary symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, it is important they look at alcohol consumption. More fluid in means more fluid out.

Drink less. Drink slowly.

*EXERCISE*

Exercise helps build the muscle tone. Every man should exercise. Men over 40 should avoid high impact exercise like jogging. It puts pressure on the knees. Cycling is bad news for the prostate. We recommend brisk walking.

*SITTING*
When we sit, two-third of our weight rests on the pelvic bones. Men who sit longer are more prone to prostate symptoms. Do not sit for long hours. Walk around as often as you can. Sit on comfortable chairs. We recommend a divided saddle chair if you must sit long hours.

*DRESSING*

Men should avoid tight underwear. It impacts circulation around the groin and heats it up a bit. While the physiological temperature is 37 degrees, the groin has an optimal temperature of about 33 degrees. Pant is a no - no for men. Wear boxers.  Wear breathable clothing.

*SMOKING*

Avoid smoking. It affects blood vessels and impact circulation around the groin.

*SEX*

Regular sex is good for the prostate.

Celibates are more prone to prostate illness. While celibacy is a moral decision, it is not a biological adaptation. Your prostate gland is designed to empty its contents regularly.
__________________________

*Thought:* when someone shared something of value with you and benefit from it. You have a moral obligation to share it with others because someone in your friends list might be saved.
Forwarded as received💪�💪�💪

Intent to stop this Blog

I intend to close this blog as I do not get feedback or comments . The readerships is Low as not r aching the mainstream because readers do not make it viral


It is thankless work and see next course if actions


Any comments appreciated on the blog

20 surprising and controversial things you didn't know about United Airlines

 Oliver Smith, digital travel editor
12 APRIL 2017 • 11:37AM

United Airlines is facing a barrage of criticism for dragging a paying passenger off a flight to make room for its own staff - but we’d wager that the majority of UK travellers have no experience of flying with them. So here’s a little introduction to the world’s third largest airline.

1. It earns more from extra charges than any other airline

According to an annual report by Idea Works, an aviation industry analyst, United collected the most in "ancillary" revenue (defined as everything not included in the airfare) in 2015: a whopping $6.2bn (£4.8bn), followed by American $4.7bn (£3.6bn) and Delta $3.8bn (£2.9bn). Ryanair, despite recent efforts to upgrade its reputation for extra charges, comes sixth, with $1.7bn (£1.3bn), while easyJet, with $1.46 (£1.09bn), is eighth.


2. It’s no stranger to criticism - and charges passengers to use overhead lockers

Last year United sparked anger by launching a new “basic economy” fare. Those who opt for the cheapest ticket are allowed to travel with a single small item of luggage, measuring no more than 9” x 10” x 17” (23cm x 25cm x 43cm), but they must place it under a seat and not in the overhead bins. United claims the move does not amount to a new fee. Those who want to stow their hand luggage overhead can still do so if they choose the standard economy fare, it says.

But those who choose the cheapest fare are unlikely to make any savings. According to Reuters, basic economy fares are “comparable to low fares it now charges for the economy cabin, but with more restrictions”.


3. And its customer service department is known to make a hash of things

Back in 2014 United delivered what might be the least sincere apology letter of all time. “Dear (CUSTOMER NAME),” it began, with staff having forgotten to fill in the case fields. “Your comments regarding (SPECIFIC EVENT) will be used for coaching and training our employees. To encourage you to fly with us again and as a tangible means of acknowledging your disappointment, enclosed is (SPECIFIC ITEM).

“(CUSTOMER NAME), I ask that you allow us another opportunity to serve you, as we consider it our privilege to have you aboard.”

Later that year it was at it again, sending an email apology to Chris Chmura, a US passenger, but referring to him as “Mr Human” on three occasions.

“Dear Mr Human. Thank you for contacting us at United Airlines, Customer Care Department,” it began, before adding, rather ironically: “Mr Human, your email clearly expresses your disappointment and I would like to extend a sincere apology…”

4. A song was written about them

Dave Carroll, a Canadian musician, wrote a protest song in 2008 called “United Breaks Guitars”. You can guess what inspired it.

5. It hired the world’s first female flight attendant

While traditionally considered a role for women, the first flight attendants were all male. The first "stewardess" was hired by America’s United Airlines in 1930 and soon female flight attendants, or "air hostesses", became the norm.


Flight attendants were once only male CREDIT: GETTY

6. Beards are frowned upon

In its physical requirements for cabin crew, United takes a strong stance on facial hair, saying "trendy facial hair styles are not permitted (e.g. small patch of hair growing below lower lip)" and "mustaches may not extend more than ¼ inch below the sides of the mouth". It also outlines that finger nails "may be no longer than ½ inch measured from the fingertip and should be even in length and shape".

7. It’s big

United is the third largest airline on the planet by several measures, including revenue ($36.5bn) and fleet size (a whopping 738 aircraft). It is also the third most valuable aviation brand name, according to a recent report.


8. And has a UK presence

United flies to 78 domestic destinations and 108 overseas, including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London (Heathrow) and Manchester. It previously flew to Belfast and Newcastle.

9. It’s as good as Ryanair

Skytrax, the aviation ratings website, gives United three stars out of five, along with 106 other airlines, including Ryanair, easyJet, WOW, Wizz, Norwegian, Thomas Cook, Monarch, Jet2 and American. Nine carriers (ANA, Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines) boast five stars and there are 40 with four.

10. And has a novel way of boarding

Research suggests that it is around 35 per cent quicker when passengers board a plane according to column, rather than row number. Those with a window seat should go first, followed by those in the middle and, finally, those in the aisle. It has been dubbed the “WilMA” method – window, middle, aisle – and United is one of the few carriers to have embraced its. It asks passengers with window seats to board first (once premium customers and families have taken their seats).


Most airlines board their planes all wrong CREDIT: © IMAGE SOURCE PLUS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/IMAGE SOURCE PLUS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
11. More than 1,000 United passengers have died in plane crashes

On a rather sombre note, the Aircraft Crashes Record Office reports that 1,211 have died in United crashes since it was founded in the Thirties, the fifth most of any airline. Topping the all-time list is Aeroflot, with 8,231 deaths; Air France is next with 1,783, followed by Pan Am (1,645) and American (1,442).

12. But it’s now one of the safest carriers on Earth

AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety and product rating website, includes United in its list of the world’s 20 safest airlines.


13. It’s old

Founded on April 6, 1926 as Varney Air Lines, United took its current moniker in 1931.

14. Its first transatlantic flights took 20 hours

Using a Boeing 247, United was able to conquer the Atlantic in 20 hours by 1933 - far faster than its rivals.

15. It pioneered the use of flight simulators

United paid $3m for the first modern flight simulator with visual, sound and motion cues for training pilots. Before long all major airlines were doing likewise.

United's training methods have been cutting edge for decades CREDIT: MIRKO - FOTOLIA
16. Boeing is its best mate

William Boeing ran United until 1934, when legislation barred aircraft manufacturers and airlines from common ownership. But the firm’s close links never stopped - United was the launch customer for modern Boeing aircraft, including the 767 (1982) and the 777 (1995).

17. Its slogan looks a little ironic right now

"Fly the Friendly Skies" was introduced in 1965.

18. The views are great from its HQ

The Willis Tower, 442 metres above Chicago, is where United’s honchos call home. It’s also a sponsor of six of Chicago's seven professional sports teams — the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Fire, Sky and White Sox.

United's home city


19. It has nine hubs

In addition to Chicago, they are Houston, Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Tokyo and - rather surprisingly - Guam.

20. But doesn’t fly to Africa

Services to Accra and Lagos (both launched in 2010) were scrapped in 2012 and 2016, respectively.

United Airlines apologises to dad after detaining him for 'touching' son's lap


This is not how anyone deserves to be treated' Henry Amador-Batten - right - with Ben and Joel
 Natalie Paris, travel writer 25 MAY 2017 • 11:44AM

United Airlines is facing fresh criticism for mis-treating customers after cabin crew accused a father of touching his son inappropriately during a flight.

Henry Amador-Batten was travelling with his 5-year-old son son Ben back to North Carolina, in the US, from Puerto Rico on May 19, where Henry had been dealing with the death of his father.

When the pair went to get off the United Airlines flight at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, they were stopped by authorities following a complaint by a crew member about the way Amador-Batten had laid his arm across the boy's lap.


The Amador-Battens are hoping to adopt a second child


The incident made Amador-Batten fear that his son might be taken away from him.

Joel Amador-Batten, Henry's partner, wrote on a Facebook page for gay fathers, DADsquared: “My husband was detained after disembarking because a member of the flight crew made an accusation that my husband's hand/arm laying across my sleeping son's lap was too close to the 'child's genitalia'."

He said Henry was detained for almost an hour due to the “misguided” accusation, and made to feel “like a criminal” in front of other passengers.


“This is not how anyone deserves to be treated,” he continued on Facebook. “This is not something that should have happened in front of my son. This is not something that anyone should have to worry about happening to them on a flight just because someone might not like the looks of them.”

'Ben is having nightmares and still has not slept in his own bed'

Ben had fallen asleep on Amador-Batten’s shoulder during the flight and he had later put his hand on the boy’s lap to comfort him.

Henry Amador-Batten told Telegraph Travel: "I honestly believed that they would/could at any point take my son away for questioning or worse. Being questioned made me feel, targeted, shamed, isolated, vulnerable and helpless.

"I was also extremely fearful and and still am that these allegations could affect our pending second child's adoption."


The couple are currently in the process of adopting their second son and Joel said they have the responsibility themselves for reporting any abuses they suspect are going on with children they come into contact with.

The airline apologised for the incident when the story went public.

"Our customers should always be treated with the utmost respect," United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said in an email that was published by the News & Observer.

'I know he's processing something and it breaks my heart,' Henry Amador-Batten said of his son after the incident

"We have followed up with the customer directly and we apologised for the situation."

United has been contacted by Telegraph Travel for comment. Amador-Batten is reportedly considered pursuing legal action over the incident.

United’s publicity engine has only just recovered from putting out the fire that followed the decision to drag one of their passengers off a flight that was overbooked, last month.

Mr Dao, a 69-year-old Vietnamese-American doctor, was injured when Chicago police removed him from his seat and then dragged him from the plane to make space for four crew members on the flight from O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr Dao and the airline have since reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum.

Malaysian Woman’s Cheap Breast Implants Burst On The Dance Floor!!

Getting cosmetic surgery is not a playing game, although the cheaper options are attractive you should refrain from it! Do not ever go for the cheaper price, because this is your body you’re putting under the knife here, you only got one body. Do you really want to risk your life?

A 23-year-old woman who is a local Kuala Lumpur resident, often visits nightclubs, being a girl who loves to party, she wanted to enhance her features. She got her breast augmentation procedure done in Thailand with a cheap price.

One unfortunate night, her breast implants burst on the dance floor of a popular KL nightclub on Saturday night, May 20. The club was crowded with hundreds of guests on Saturday night when the incident occurred.

A number of witnesses who were at the club spoke to local media to share their accounts.

“I was quite close to her on the dance floor. For most of the night, she’d been dancing with this tall foreign guy and the pair had their hands all over each other. I think they were pretty intoxicated.”

According to the male witness, the pair were not shy in their display of physical affection for each other as the foreign man reached under her skirt and under her top several times. They were even told to get a room by people nearby who weren’t really comfortable with the scene.

The witness recalled that around 1.30 am was when the whole fiasco happened.

“I saw the guy put his hand up her top again, and it looked like he was squeezing her breasts. I guess he must have squeezed too hard because the next minute we were covered in a spray of liquid and the woman started screaming so loud we could hear her over the music.”

Those who were on the dance floor panicked as the woman collapsed to the ground, many thought she was attacked because her top was stained with blood. The venue’s security team rushed to provide first aid and medical help was called.

So far, the woman is said to be in a stable condition at the hospital as surgeons attempt to repair her damaged breasts, investigations are ongoing.

While surgeons are hopeful the woman’s breast can be completely repaired, the scars physically and emotionally will last for quite some time.

Let this lady’s experience be a lesson to all of you who are thinking about getting breast augmentation, or going under the knife. You should always do your research before getting anything done, do your surveys and find a really good surgeon.

Heck if you really want it so bad, go to South Korea! They have great cosmetic surgeons there! Be safe people!

A Singaporean Man’s Penis Is Officially The World’s Longest Penis!!

The new record holder of the world’s largest penis goes to a 26-year-old Singaporean man who requested to be identified only as Daniel to protect his identity after he was measured by the world record authority at his home in Bukit Panjang earlier this week.

Daniel told journalists at a press conference held after the measurement ceremony that he is thrilled at the record as everyone can imagine.

“For years, I have been researching supplements and exercises that are rumored to boost penis length, and a few months ago I finally hit upon something that really worked!”

For obvious reasons, Daniel declined to reveal what his secret is, but it certainly paid off. But I am still puzzled as to why would anyone want to have such a long penis for?

The former record holder of the world’s longest penis was by American man Jonah Falcon. He set the record with a measurement of 13.5 inches (34 cm) when fully erect back in 1999. Since then, many men have tried but no one has taken the throne until now.

Shockingly, Daniel’s penis was officially measured at 13.9 inches (35.3 cm) when fully erect by the world record judges, earning him the title of the world’s longest. To Daniel, it was a remarkable achievement as he has not always had such a long penis.



“In my younger days, I had a fairly average penis. It wasn’t particularly short, but it was definitely not as long as it is now. Unlike a lot of previous world record holders who won the genetic lottery and were already born with large packages, I’ve had to work really hard to achieve this.”

You’d think that it is a blessing to have an extra long penis but it really isn’t as Daniel revealed that it has made some aspects of life a bit harder. His girlfriend broke up with him because it was too big for her. So finding a suitable partner is going to be pretty tough, but he has high hopes for a girl who can handle his size.

Personally, I don’t know any girl who can actually take a penis longer than my red and white, 30 cm Faber-Castell ruler into her golden gates, I don’t think the ‘tunnel’ is that deep for him. Sad news dude, you might just have to give up on penetration.

Daniel told the journalists that he was considering a career in pornography.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the recent JAV auditions in Singapore, but I do plan to go to the KL casting next month.”

He even has a backup already planned if his initial plan doesn’t work out, he may travel to the United States as he already received some offers from leading adult movie producers ever since the world record was announced.

“My preference is definitely to become a JAV actor, but I’m definitely open to other opportunities.”

OMG Full Grown Lizard Found In Crab Curry At A Restaurant In Bandar Puteri Puchong!

Four hours ago (at the time of press), Shanthini Subramaniam shared her awful dining experience on Facebook claiming that a full grown size lizard was served on her plate!

According to her post, this incident occurred during her visit at the Maalini Curry House at Bandar Puteri Puchong, though she did not exactly state when.

She even took a picture of the disgusting meal. Those who are in disgust with lizards, please look away now!

Also, Shanthini claimed that none of the workers or the cashier (who Shanthini assumes to be the daughter of the owner) apologised instead they simply walked away.

Which eventually led her to the conclusion that probably their crab curry tasted that good because of the ‘special’ ingredient.

She also had a special request from the public to viral her post til it grabs the attention of the authorities…emmm…lady, I think for that you can file your own report. You don’t have to make things viral to get a matter reported to the police.

Though she did have a picture of a lizard drenched in curry on her banana leaf plate, we can’t for sure claim that it did happen at this particular restaurant. There are even claims in her post that she is just trying to defame the mentioned restaurant.

Morgan Major: Accident does happen, If you are unsatisfied you should proceed to the police station or related Jabatan. Not like this tarnishing their business and kill their reputation. This is very cheap and unprofessional….INDIAN KILL INDIAN…nande katha….please be matured….

According to one commenter by the name of Vasumathi Balaiah, this allegation is untrue, though there isn’t really a clear picture either of who made the public announcement.



However, what it is clear is that Maalini Curry House does serve awesome crab curry according to these PEOPLE!

Pigeon Found Carrying Drugs Into Kuwait

Little did you know! You could use birds to smuggle drugs now in order to avoid customs! Except customs won this one. Sorry smugglers, but you’ll have to do a better job than you have done. Long story short, instead of planes, people use a pigeon to smuggle their illegal items now.

It appears that the customs in Kuwait seized 178 pills wrapped around a homing pigeon in a small bag, taped to the bird’s back. The employees of the department followed a homing pigeon that was flying from Iraq and finally caught it on the roof of a building near the customs’ department, according to Al-Rai, a Kuwaiti newspaper. As for how they would have known that the pigeon came from Iraq, it is assumed that pigeons fly very much like crows, thus follow a certain direction, making little to no turns.



In the past, homing pigeons were used to carry letters and notes as messenger pigeons and they were known to have crossed a distance of approx. 100 miles. (~161km)

Initially they only delivered letters one-way, but after training, men trained them to deliver messages back and forth between two locations, for more than once a day if needed.

This whole story feels a little sad that an innocent bird was used for the crime of another human being…

Survey Shows Women In India Are Using Old Nokia 3310s As Dildos

Nokia 3310s were the greatest phones ever…

They were just the right size. They had ever-lasting batteries. They had a vigorous vibration. It’s because of all those incredible features, they’re now apparently serving an alternative use: as dildos. Yes, you read that right!

According to a tiny study of 100 Indian women by sex-positive group, Agents of Ishq, women are using their Nokia phones as a substitute for hard-to-find sex toys.

And obviously, it’s doing the rounds on the internet because we all want to believe that those nostalgic bits of technology gold are getting people off.


‘The old Nokia vibrating phone made several appearances on this survey!’ the group says.

‘We have no idea why the company is not the market leader after this!’

One woman surveyed told the collective: ‘A group of three of us decided to masturbate with the old Nokia phones to show a fourth how pleasurable masturbation can be.

‘We switched off the lights to reduce her discomfort and got into our beds. Only, when we switched on vibration, the screens lit up showing off our vaginas!’

What happened to the phones isn’t clear as they’re not waterproof – unlike today’s iPhone 7, which is undoubtedly a far more sophisticated tool.

The survey also claims that 54% of the women surveyed said they used domestic appliances to masturbate with. That included vegetables, toothbrushes and bottles (sort of standard fodder), as well as beds (what?), pillows (how?) and sofas . Errr

Dependable dildos are apparently quite difficult to get hold of in India but if anyone knows how you can jerk off using a pillow, then please let us know.

Stone Pelters Could Be Biggest Threat To Amarnath Pilgrimage


IANS, 24 May, 2017

The Jammu and Kashmir government has sought around 27,000 security personnel from the central government, mostly Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.


Read more on Amarnath Temple

Stone pelting mobs and terrorists pose equal threat to the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that begins June 29, a senior official said today.

More than 27,000 security personnel will be deployed along the route to ensure that all goes peacefully, he said after a high-level meeting to discuss security arrangements for the pilgrimage to the high-altitude shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and attended by top officials of the state and central governments.

"There are equal threats from militants and stone pelters. All threats are being taken care of," Advisor in the Home Ministry Ashok Prasad said when asked whether stone pelting mobs could be the biggest threat to the 40-day pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine located at a height of 3,888 metres.

Security forces will take into consideration all issues before finalising the security plan, he said in response to a question on the possible impact of the destruction of Pakistan Army posts by the Indian Army.



"Definitely, we will make all efforts to ensure a peaceful pilgrimage," Mr Prasad said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has sought around 27,000 security personnel from the central government, mostly Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

Last year, around 20,000 paramilitary personnel besides state police personnel were deployed along the route.


Though there are no specific threats to the pilgrims, the central and Jammu and Kashmir governments are taking no chances and ordered all possible steps to ensure foolproof security, officials said.

During the meeting, Mr Mehrishi is said to have directed all agencies concerned to keep a close watch and maintain effective coordination to ensure all goes smoothly.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B B Vyas, Director General of Police S P Vaid and top officials of the home ministry attended the meeting.



Notwithstanding the continuing unrest in the Kashmir Valley, there has been no drop in the number of devotees who have enrolled for the arduous trek, an official said. So far, around 1.80 lakh pilgrims have registered.

Around 2.20 lakh pilgrims had offered prayers at the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam last year. The shrine is located 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.

The Amarnath yatra will conclude on August 7.

Jammu and Kashmir has seen protests and violence since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July last year. There was massive violence during the April 9 bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in which eight people lost their lives in more than 200 incidents.

The Election Commission had cancelled the May 25 bypoll to Anantnag Lok Sabha seat saying the situation was not condusive to holding elections.

Slain Pakistani Sufi Singer's Family Seeks Protection


IANS, 19 May, 2017
Slain Pakistani Sufi Singer's Family Seeks Protection

The family of famed Sufi Qawwal singer Amjad Sabri, who was shot dead in Karachi last June, has requested the Pakistan government to provide them security, a media report said.


 Amjad Sabri last naat full must watch



Talking to media along at Karachi's Press Club, Amjad Sabri's brother Talha demanded that the culprits behind the murder be brought to justice. He also asked the authorities to return the mobile phones and car of the singer that were confiscated for investigation, Dunya News reported.

To reports that the family wanted to leave the country as they feel "unsafe", Sabri's mother said they only wanted to go abroad for excursion and didn't have any plans to leave Pakistan permanently. She said they have given the name of ‘urs' to the first death anniversary of Amjad Sabri.



Sabri was gunned down by two bike-born assailants while he was travelling in a car along with a friend in June 2016.

Tribute To Late Qawwal Amjad Sabri  Best Islamic Sufi Urdu Qawwali  TAJDAR-E-HARAM


The accused, Asim Capri and Ishaq Bobby, later said that they killed Sabri as he had committed ‘blasphemy' on a television show.

Sabri regularly performed on a morning television show during Ramadan and had won many admirers for his devotional music, humble lifestyle, and charitable work.

Gay Indian-Origin Miniter Leo Varadkar Leads Race To Become New Irish Prime Minister


Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 May, 2017

Welfare Minister Leo Varadkar is leading the race to succeed Enda Kenny as Ireland's first Indian-origin and also openly gay Prime Minister or the Taoiseach, the media reported.

The 38-year-old will face Housing Minister Simon Coveney after nominations closed for the leadership of the governing centre-right Fine Gael party, reported Sky News on Saturday.

Varadkar is favoured to take over from 66-year-old Kenny, who is stepping down after six years as Taoiseach and 15 years at the helm of Fine Gael.

Kenny's successor is due to be elected in the June 2 general elections and Ireland's Parliament will vote for Prime Minister a few days later.


Varadkar has won early support for his leadership bid from several senior cabinet members and a majority of his parliamentary colleagues have publicly backed him.

The Dublin-born son of an Indian immigrant father and Irish mother, Leo Varadkar became the first openly gay cabinet minister in Ireland after coming out in 2015, reports Sky News.

He has campaigned on same-sex marriage and liberalising abortion laws and is an advocate of tight fiscal restraint.

He was a doctor before winning a seat in Parliament in 2007 and has rapidly risen through the ranks, holding several ministerial portfolios.

Ahead of the deadline for leadership nominations, Varadkar had secured 45 of 71 available votes from members of Fine Gael's parliamentary party.

They account for 65 per cent of the electoral college, with 22,000 ordinary party members sharing 25 per cent. County councillors account for the remaining 10 per cent.

Pakistan 'Harbouring Terrorists' In Afghanistan To Counter Indian Influence: Top US Official


IANS, 24 May, 2017



Pakistan is "harbouring terrorists" and using them as "reserve" in Afghanistan, a top US intelligence official has told lawmakers.

Pakistan wants to see an Afghanistan that "does not have heavy Indian influence," Lt Gen Vincent Stewart, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency told members of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on worldwide threats.

 "They (Pakistan) view all of the challenges through the lens of an Indian threat," Lt Gen Stewart said.

"So they (Pakistan) hold in reserve terrorist organisations -- if Afghanistan leans towards India, they will no longer be supportive of an idea of a stable and secure Afghanistan that could undermine Pakistan's interest," Lt Gen Stewart said.



The top defence official said that Pakistan needs to be told very clearly that Afghanistan's security and stability is in the interest of all, and does not pose a risk to Pakistan.

"We've got to convince Pakistan that if they're harbouring any of the Haqqani network members, that it is not in their interest," he said. "We ought to be working together to go after those 20 terrorist organisations that undermine not just Afghanistan, not just Pakistan, but the entire region," Lt Gen Stewart said. "And so we have to make sure we're pushing them (Pakistan) to do more against the Haqqani network."

So, we've got tell Pakistan "that the status quo is not in their best interest," he said.

Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence said there is a need to evaluate how to address the situation of Pakistan harbouring terrorist. "I think certainly an evaluation of how we work with Pakistan to address the situation of the harbouring of terrorist groups would be essential to a strategy that affects Afghanistan, going forward in Afghanistan," he said in response to a question.

"Because that is potentially a very disrupting situation, putting our own troops at risk and undermining the strategy of dealing with the Taliban and local groups that are trying to undermine the government," Mr Coats said.

Boeing beats out competitors to build hypersonic space plane


By: Jill Aitoro, May 24, 2017


The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected Boeing to design its Experimental Spaceplane, or XS-1, a new class of hypersonic aircraft that can launch to low Earth orbit in days, rather than months or years, the agency announced Wednesday.

“The XS-1 would be neither a traditional airplane nor a conventional launch vehicle but rather a combination of the two, with the goal of lowering launch costs by a factor of ten and replacing today’s frustratingly long wait time with launch on demand,” said Jess Sponable, DARPA program manager. “We’re very pleased with Boeing’s progress on the XS-1 through Phase 1 of the program and look forward to continuing our close collaboration in this newly funded progression to Phases 2 and 3 — fabrication and flight.”

Boeing Experimental Spaceplane XS-1 (Phantom Express spaceplane) 


XS-1 aims to provide short-notice, low-cost access to space by way of aircraft that combines the best of a spacecraft with a jet. In Phase 1 of the XS-1 program, prime contracts were awarded to three companies to pitch concepts, working with commercial launch providers: Boeing with Blue Origin; Masten Space Systems with XCOR Aerospace; and Northrop Grumman with Virgin Galactic.

Now with Phase 2, Boeing will design, construct and test the technology demonstration vehicle through 2019. It calls for initially firing the vehicle’s engine on the ground 10 times in 10 days to demonstrate propulsion readiness for test flights, DARPA noted in the announcement. Phase 3 objectives include 12 to 15 test flight, currently scheduled for 2020. Among those would be 10 flights over 10 consecutive days, at first without payloads and at speeds as fast as Mach 5, then as fast as Mach 10, and delivering a demonstration payload between 900 pounds and 3,000 pounds into low Earth orbit.

Ultimately, DARPA envisions from the XS-1 a fully reusable unmanned vehicle, the size of a business jet, which would take off vertically like a rocket and fly to hypersonic speeds.

“Demonstration of aircraft-like, on-demand, and routine access to space is important for meeting critical Defense Department needs and could help open the door to a range of next-generation commercial opportunities," said Brad Tousley, director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Gerakan so worried now wants to Compel coalitions to name PM candidate, EC told

I do not blame Gerakan Youth chief Tan as he is also worried that for sure his boss Najib is going to lose the elections big time and going forward now wants to know who from PH will be PM and at least can be at ease with himself.


Gerakan Youth chief Tan says voters need to know such vital information to make the right choice for Malaysia


KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang today urged the Election Commission to make it compulsory for any political coalition that wishes to contest at least two-thirds of the parliamentary seats to name its prime minister candidate before the next general election.

“Gerakan Youth believe the voters have a right to know who will be a political coalition’s choice as prime minister should they win the next general election.

“This is one of the most important and fundamental information that a voter needs to know before making the right choice for our country.

“As such, we hope that the Election Commission would consider making it compulsory for any political coalitions which wish to contest at least two-thirds of the parliamentary seats to name their designated prime minister before the upcoming general election,” said Tan in a statement.

He said this would protect voters from being misled by any political party and would enable the people to make a more informed decision before casting their votes.

“We urge the Election Commission to take up the task to protect the voters from being hoodwinked by any political coalition. The voters deserve to know such important and fundamental information to make the right choice for Malaysia,” said Tan.

He said such a move would clarify the “massive public confusion” as to who is Pakatan Harapan’s actual prime minister candidate as several names have been mooted.

At the recent PKR Congress, Anwar Ibrahim was announced as Pakatan’s choice for prime minister but Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad and president Muhyiddin Yassin, who were present, did not show support for the idea.

Subsequently, several Pakatan leaders including DAP’s Zaid Ibrahim and PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman questioned the move to name Anwar as Pakatan’s prime minister candidate.

“As was correctly pointed out by Amanah’s deputy president Salahuddin Ayub yesterday, this issue could have been easily resolved by holding a Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting to decide on the matter.

“Question is why Pakatan Harapan refused to announce their designated prime minister?

“At this juncture, there is massive public confusion as to who is actually Pakatan Harapan’s designated prime minister. Several names had been mooted, including Bersatu’s Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin, PKR’s Azmin Ali, Wan Azizah and even DAP’s YB Lim Kit Siang,” said Tan.

Poll surveys and pollsters done if the world is flat or you will be PM or are you God


Survey Poll done by the Public for idiocy institute of Mental health if I am indeed God or Satan. The survey was conducted among 1,000 mental patients and ex-patients of the famed Mental Institute of Tanjong Rambutan and Tampoi. The survey sample finding finds that 33% finds me as God 33% finds me as Satan and 34% finds me as the next prime Minister and no country mentions. This is a certified survey poll done and was creditable and does this make it more believable that Najib should be my DPM or the other survey polls says Anwar will be PM and Mahathir will be DPM. Do the 1000 or so speak for all Malaysians

So Surveys done are nothing more than printed toilet paper to wipe your bum


If Plan A fails there is Plan B or C or D and on and on

NAJIB STARTS TO FEEL FEAR: IF PAKATAN WINS GE14, IT IS THE GOVT – IF NAJIB REFUSES TO HAND OVER, HE IS THE ANARCHIST NOT GUAN ENG OR DR MAHATHIR



Apparently on the 10th December 2014, Tokong Lim suggested that if the Barisan Nasional wins the next general elections when it does not get the popular votes, the change must be done from the streets.

He was speaking at the Lecture Theatre, Student Wing, Block S3.1 Level B3, Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.


If the following recording is authentic then the Tokong is not just a corrupted politician and ex-convict, but also an agent provocateur for inciting an undemocratic method to change His Majesty’s government.

LIM GUAN ENG’S SPEECH


“We know that Barisan Nasional are sore losers. They are really sore losers and they will not give up power that easily. Now, what will happen if they refuse to give up power? And I think this is one very important question in people’s minds, especially in the last election when we won the popular mandate but not the number of seats, we can see the huge mess if this issue comes out.

Now, if we win power, both in terms of popular votes, that means the popular votes, but (also) in terms of the number of seats, and then we are not allowed to take power, I think the matter has to be resolved on the streets and it will be resolved on the streets.”


TERJEMAHAN UCAPAN LIM GUAN ENG

“Kita tahu bahawa Barisan Nasional adalah jenis yang tidak berpuas hati jika kalah. Mereka adalah jenis yang sangat tidak berpuas hati jika kalah dan mereka tidak akan menyerahkan kuasa dengan mudah.

Sekarang, apa akan berlaku jika mereka enggan menyerahkan kuasa? Dan saya fikir ini adalah satu soalan yang sangat penting dalam minda rakyat, terutamanya dalam pilihan raya lepas bila kita menang mandat popular tetapi bukan bilangan kerusi, kita boleh lihat kacau-bilau besar jika isu ini timbul.

Sekarang, jika kita mendapat kuasa, di dalam kedua-dua dari segi undi popular, maknanya tentunya undi popular, tetapi (juga) dari segi bilangan kerusi, dan kemudian kita tidak dibenarkan untuk mengambil-alih kuasa, saya fikir perkara ini mesti diselesaikan di jalan-jalan raya dan ia akan diselesaikan di jalan-jalan raya.”

This is what the law says:


PENAL CODE




130G. Whoever knowingly— (a) incites or promotes the commission of a terrorist act; shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to thirty years, and shall also be liable to fine.

153. Whoever malignantly or wantonly, by doing anything which is illegal, gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause the offence of rioting to be committed, shall, if the offence of rioting is committed in consequence of such provocation, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both; and if the offence of rioting is not committed, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine or with both.


DEFINITION OF TERRORIST ACT


(3) An act or threat of action falls within this subsection if it— (a) involves serious bodily injury to a person; 90 Laws of Malaysia ACT 574 (b) endangers a person’s life; (c) causes a person’s death; (d) creates a serious risk to the health or the safety of the public or a section of the public; (e) involves serious damage to property; (f) involves the use of firearms, explosives or other lethal devices; (g) involves releasing into the environment or any part of the environment or distributing or exposing the public or a section of the public to— (i) any dangerous, hazardous, radioactive or harmful substance; (ii) any toxic chemical; or (iii) any microbial or other biological agent or toxin; (h) is designed or intended to disrupt or seriously interfere with, any computer systems or the provision of any services directly related to communications infrastructure, banking or financial services, utilities, transportation or other essential infrastructure; (i) is designed or intended to disrupt, or seriously interfere with, the provision of essential emergency services such as police, civil defence or medical services; (j) involves prejudice to national security or public safety; (k) involves any combination of any of the acts specified in paragraphs (a) to (j), and includes any act or omission constituting an offence under the Aviation Offences Act 1984 [Act 307].

The police must act on this lunatic.


– https://seademon.me/

Japanese Fashion Craze: Fake See-Through Skirts!

Japanese Fashion Craze: Fake See-Through Skirts!

by David Emery

Is there a fashion craze in Japan dating back to February 2003 in which women's skirts are designed to look like they're transparent — though they really aren't?

ARE JAPANESE SEE-THROUGH SKIRTS REAL?


This rumor appears to be false as there isn't a single legitimate press report to back up the claim and substantiate these images which have been Photoshopped.

In every one of the photos, the contours of the "imitation" legs and panties match the poses of the models exactly — which shouldn't be the case if they're printed on the surfaces of the skirts.


What we see instead are passable representations of what it might look like if the clothing were transparent.

Secondly, whoever manipulated these images made subtle errors, most notably in Photo #5; when the image is enlarged, lines and shadows belonging to the superimposed legs and panties cut visibly across the model's purse straps (see detail at right). All the examples, when examined closely, give the impression that the panty images were overlaid directly onto the photographs, not imprinted on the clothing.

Japanese fashion designers do have a reputation for cutting-edge ideas, but ersatz see-through clothing isn't one of them. At least not yet.


As the Toronto Star reported:



Can't Wait Till These Hit The Stores 

"They (the pictures) are quite common in Japan. There are a lot of cheap porno magazines that use them," Kjeld Duits, 43, says in an interview from Ashia, near Osaka, Japan, where he works as a journalist and runs a street fashion/trend Web site called japanesestreets.com.

"The only time you see these scenes are in photographs in porno magazines. There's nothing like this in the street," Duits says.

The magazines use a computer graphics program to combine the image of a skirted woman with another wearing just underwear. The end result looks as if the skirt is see-through.

According to Duits, the magazines will usually claim to have taken the pictures using a special camera lens that allows them to shoot through clothes.


JAPANESE BREAST SCARVES


In addition to the see-through skirts, Japan has also been a hotbed for some other unusual fashion items that have been looked on with fascination including the eye popping "breast scarves" which were widely covered by Western news media. The scarves were actually part of an art exhibition and weren't widely sold to consumers.


FASHION HOAX UPDATES


Fashion Hoax Fools People Worldwide
From Japanese Streets, an ezine devoted to street fashions in Japan: "Thousands of people worldwide are being fooled by a clever fashion hoax which plays on people's secret desires...." (22 Feb. 2003)


Queensland Tabloid Bites on Hoax

Does the article headlined "A Cheeky Skirt?" which ran in the Feb. 16, 2003 edition of The Sunday Mirror authenticate this tall tale — the answer is no, it does not. Evidently the Mirror copped the story (and one of the photos) from the viral email, which had already been circulating for several days at that point (Feb. 16, 2003).

Money Money and spend like nobody's business

SHOCK EXPOSE: NAJIB SPLURGED OVER HALF A BILLION OF STOLEN 1MDB MONEY TO BUY THE ‘LOYALTY’ OF UMNO DIVISION CHIEFS – & KEPT THE REMAINING BILLIONS FOR ‘SHOPPING’ FOR HIMSELF & ROSMAH?
Politics | May 25, 2017 by | 0 Comments

Sarawak Report now has comprehensive figures, showing exactly how Prime Minister Najib Razak distributed the money he stole from the 1MDB Development Fund during the period of the last 2013 election.

Apart from tens of millions spent on luxury goods, jewellery shops, motor-car retailers and the odd handout to family members, associates and consultants, the majority of the spending went on UMNO and its political allies.


The handouts total over RM600 million, which Najib himself dished over in a series of more than 130 cheques signed out of the accounts into which he had been ploughing 1MDB money since 2011. 

Nazri Admits He Got RM1 Million From Najib, Says Muhyiddin And Shafie Apdal Received Much More

 The majority of these cheques went to divisions of UMNO in the days immediately running up to the election and it is believed that the Prime Minister was attempting to buy personal loyalty through handing out the money himself.


One of Najib's smaller cheques was to Sarawak's SUPP for RM500,000


One of Najib’s smaller cheques was to Sarawak’s SUPP for RM500,000 – date April 5th 2013
Cheque of April 5th was transacted thee days later on 8th


Cheque of April 5th was transacted thee days later on 8th
Election Bonanza

Nazri: RM600 million price tag for BN in last general election

Our data, obtained from the task force investigations, shows the transaction dates on those cheques, the amount and the recipients. It also shows the accounts from which the money came and all have been established as being in the name of Najib himself, funded by money traced to 1MDB.  In particular, AmBank account number 211 202 2009694 was the account that received US$681 million from Tanore Finance Corporation in March 2013 – money identified as having come from 1MDB by the US Dept of Justice:

1MDB financed account from which the handouts were made


1MDB financed account from which the handouts were made
The pre-election cash bonanzas included a RM100,000,000 cheque handed to ‘Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Malaya Bersatu (UMNO)’ 11th April 2013 a week after the election had been announced.  On 22nd April UMNO Malaysia again received two further cheques of RM50 million each.

Individual cheques were also handed out to all UMNO and related BN divisions, for example Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri Pahang received RM15 million on 18th April and the following day, April 19th, UMNO Penang received RM5 million. Kelantan division received RM5 million on 10th April.

Amongst the many other similar payments was RM5 million both the UMNO state party of Kedah and the MCA Selangor Liason Committee on 8th April and RM20 million to UMNO Selangor on April 24th.  UMNO Perak received its handout on April 29th of RM25 million with another five million each going to UMNO Selangor and the MCA Selangor Liason Committee again the following day.  Also on 30th April Johor UMNO received RM25 million, less than a week before the election.

Familliar signature for all these cheques

Familliar signature for all these cheques
The UMNO womens’ divisions also received significant pay outs, signifying the party’s appreciation of the importance of ‘winning’ the female vote: Pergerakan Puteri UMNO Malaysia received a RM5 million cheque 27th February and Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Selangor RM1.1 million 22nd March and Wanita Barisan Nasional Selangor RM1 million on 17th May.

Allied parties also received big money, for example the Liberal Democratic Party received RM1 million 5th April, the Malaysian Indian Congress received RM10 million on the 18th April and a further RM5 million 26th April. SUPP received RM2 million 20th March.  The previous year UPCO had received RM2 million, indeed over the election huge sums were dished out to Sabah and particularly Sarawak (of which more later).


Saudi story


Since all this money came from stolen public funds, borrowed at punishing rates of interest under false pretenses, the ultimate cost to the Malaysian taxpayer will be at least double the sums handed out in this exercise to buy votes for the ruling party, who was abusing its position in such a spectacular fashion.

Furthermore, as Najib was operating a secret slush fund, which his Deputy Muhyiddin and others who were senior in the party at the time say they were entirely unaware of, there appears to be no official record relating to who received and handled the money and what it was actually spent on. Clearly, these staggering sums were distributed over and above UMNO’s official party funds for the election.

Najib has attempted to legitimise this money by claiming that it was all donated to him personally by an anonymous Saudi royal, in order to make sure he could ‘win’ the election in order to promote ‘moderate Islam’.  ‘Moderate Islam’ is not generally regarded as the Saudi trademark, yet an even more absurd excuse was then spun in the western media (BBC and Telegraph) claiming that the money was focused on ‘projects’ in Sarawak ‘to prevent the uptake of Islamic extremism’ in the majority Christian state.

The fact that such levels of expenditures and foreign interference is plainly illegal appears a lesser evil to the Prime Minister, rather than admitting that the money was stolen from 1MDB.  However, money trails released by the US Dept of Justice demonstrate that this was where the money came from.


How could they spend the money?


The major part of these sums was handed out in the form of cheques during the closing days of the election campaign.  Between April 8th and the election 5th May around RM400 million was signed out. The question therefore has to be asked what was the money actually for?

There are limited ways in which local political parties might be able to spend such vast quantities of last minute cash.  It appears the party received this last minute injection therefore just in the final closing hours of the campaign.

Advertising is not really an issue for BN, since they control the entire state and private mainstream media, which acts as an obedient propaganda tool for the party in return for their privileges and licences.  Given the lack of records it would also appear impossible to prove how much of the money reached its intended purpose, as opposed to buying the loyalty of the trusted intermediaries who handled it. So, what was this money for?

One obvious allegation that begs investigation is vote buying.





Sequence showing money being handed out to voters by BN stall outside polling station in Perak


Sequence showing money being handed out to voters by BN stall outside polling station in Perak
Anecdotes abound, backed by solid photographic evidence in some cases, of cash being handed out to voters outside polling booths by UMNO workers, who were clearly distinguishable by their flags and logos.  Despite numerous complaints the courts have refused to entertain a single case and the Election Commission also has refused to acknowledge or tackle Malaysia’s problem with blatant ‘money politics’.

People are entitled to assume that a man who is willing to raid his country’s development fund, as well as the civil servant pension fund, the prilgims’ fund, the farmers’ fund and doubtless other sources of public money, is unlikely to hesitate to attempt to bribe voters with a little of that money back in the form of payment for votes.

If the Prime Minister has another explanation for these last minute cheques, Sarawak Report would be happy to publish it.  His PR man Paul Stadlen has our email.

– http://www.sarawakreport.org

EMPTY BEDS AT EMPTY HOTEL

Business at Trump's hotel in the trendy neighborhood of SoHo is suffering — and layoffs are looming anymore?


RACHEL LEAH


TOPICS: DONALD TRUMP, KOI, MAR-A-LAGO, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL WASHINGTON D.C., TRUMP SOHO, POLITICS NEWS, ELECTIONS NEWS, BUSINESS NEWS, NEWS


Does anyone want to stay at Trump's Manhattan hotel anymore?


Trump SoHo is in trouble. Five months into President Donald Trump’s polarizing presidency, the lower Manhattan hotel is experiencing a decline in corporate events, and hotel layoffs are coming. At least in New York City, the Trump marquee is turning people away.

At its peak, one could spend $700 a night to stay at the five-star hotel, but now rooms have dropped to nearly half that—well below surrounding five-star hotels in the area, and even bordering the four-star hotel price range. Koi, the restaurant that was located on the ground floor of Trump SoHo has closed, citing a decline in business, and the election of Trump as the turning point.


“Before Trump won we were doing great. There were a lot of people we had, our regulars, who’d go to the hotel but are not affiliated with Trump,” former Koi busser and host Jonathan Grullon told GrubStreet. “And they were saying if he wins, we are not coming here anymore.” The lobby space where the restaurant had previously occupied is now locked and empty.

Business throughout the hotel is also suffering. Out of a staff of 80, 12 room attendants are to be laid off, turn-down service will be slashed, and a mere 11 corporate events were booked in the hotel since January, according to WNYC.

“I have to believe that a lot of organizations would not want to have meetings at a Trump Hotel just to not have to deal with it,” Jan de Roos, professor at the Cornell Hotel School, told WNYC. And this includes potential hotel guests. Players of the Cleveland Cavaliers made news back in December, when Lebron James and others refused to stay in the Trump hotel that was booked for them on a trip to New York.

This isn’t the first time Trump’s hotels have been in jeopardy, nonetheless, The Trump International Hotel in Washington is thriving, and CNBC reported that Mar-A-Lago membership fees have doubled. For the locations where Trump is known to frequent, access is priceless.

Jason Chaffetz May Be Leaving Office As Early As Tomorrow (UPDATE)


Congress and the GOP are losing a powerful voice and the entire DC area is utterly confused. Who are we talking about? Pitbull chairman of the House oversight committee, Jason Chaffetz (aka @jasoninthehouse) is apparently not going to in the House for much longer.

Yesterday news broke that he would not be seeking re-election in 2018. Reminder that Chaffetz and Nunes were tasked with investigating Trump/Russia. Nunes stepped aside after his crazy, straight out of a Mr. Bean movie, midnight rendezvous on the White House grounds shenanigans where he was trying to cook up *proof* of Obama wiretapping came to light. Now Trump is losing his other best friend. But WHY??

While we were all sitting around playing armchair detective, even more craziness came to light today:

Now, reports are surfacing that Chaffetz may be leaving his role before his term is even up:
BREAKING NEWS: @jasoninthehouse tells KSL's @DougWrightShow he might not finish his Congressional term.
The Hill reports that Chaffetz told KSL Radio: "I will continue to weigh the options, but I might depart early" on Thursday.

And literally as I was typing this post, these tweets starting blowing up my feed:
Word on the ground from Utah:

Chaffetz will be doing announcement tomorrow that he is stepping down from Congress
Analysis | Jason Chaffetz and Devin Nunes both faced investigating Trump. Now both are stepping...
The most thankless job in Washington?


No one knows what the heck is going on. Chaffetz used the tried and true "desire to spend more time with his family in Utah and return to the private sector" excuse that is most often cited.

The most odd part - there are 19 months left before the midterms. To run out the door so soon speaks to something possibly more sinister. Is he compromised in some way? Do the Russians have kompromat on him? No one knows for sure...but the timing sure is suspicious.


Will his new handle be @JasonInTheBigHouse one day?

It appears that Chaffetz is using his remaining time in office to leverage a juicy TV gig or some wingnut welfare, according to Politico.

“I started poking around to see what I might be worth and what sort of possibilities are there,” Chaffetz said in a phone interview with POLITICO Thursday afternoon. “And I got a series of ‘Let us know when you’re serious.’ Well now I can say, ‘Can you tell I am serious?’… I’ll take a little bit of time to sort out. I’d be thrilled to have a television relationship. But there’s a number of things I’d like to do.”

...

“I might depart early,” he said in the interview. “It’s not tomorrow, it’s not next week. If it is, it’s going to be in the months to come.”

Asked if he is resigning because of a yet-to-be revealed scandal, Chaffetz said, “Absolutely, positively not.

“Not in any way shape or form,” he said. “I’ve been given more enemas by more people over the last eight years than you can possibly imagine. From the Secret Service to the Democratic Party. I am who I am. If they had something really scandalous, it would’

AND

Utahns Puzzled by Rep. Chaffetz Decision to Quit Congress


by CORKY SIEMASZKO


Not everybody in Utah is thrilled that Rep. Jason Chaffetz is coming home so soon.


The powerful chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who surprised his constituents last week by throwing in the towel after more than eight years in Congress, has become the subject of speculation — and is even taking some flak back in Utah — for his sudden decision.

Even some Chaffetz supporters in a reliably red state that has regularly reelected him by huge margins are having trouble wrapping their heads around the timing of this move.

"For nearly a decade Chaffetz has been a mainstay of Utah political life," the conservative Deseret News wrote in an editorial last month thanking him for his service. "Yet, he also has been a lightning rod."

"Clearly, Chaffetz is unafraid of criticism, which has added fuel to the speculations as to why he made this announcement nearly two years before his term ends," the paper stated.


 Rep. Jason Chaffetz speaks during a town hall meeting at Brighton High School, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.


In a decidedly harsher editorial, the Salt Lake Tribune asked "why now?" and then came up with some possible reasons: Chaffetz is "intimidated" by the prospect of running against a well-funded Democratic rival in 2018; he was rattled at the raucous Town Hall meetings where he was heckled by constituents yelling "Do your job!"; he was taking too much heat from both Democrats and Republicans for refusing to investigate the Trump Administration and potential Russian involvement in the presidential election.

"He promised to be a 'kid in a candy store' while investigating a Trump presidency," the paper stated. "We haven't seen anything close to that."

That was followed-up by a column in the Salt Lake Tribune by the Democrat that Chaffetz trounced in his last election who accused the congressman of "hypocrisy and moral cowardice."

"Rep. Jason Chaffetz's recent announcement that he intends to leave office early is equivalent to a soldier abandoning his post because he finds his duty too hard," declared Stephen Tryon, a retired Army officer. "This decision demonstrates the truth of what I told Chaffetz to his face during our debate last October. He is a man who puts his personal interests first, his political fortunes second, and his duty to our country a distant third."

The broadside from Tryon, who Chaffetz bested in 2016 with a solid 74 percent of the vote, came a week after the high-profile congressman announced he would not seek reelection in 2018.

That was followed with another surprise announcement — that Chaffetz was flying back to Utah for surgery on a foot that he injured a dozen years ago and had been held together at one point by 14 screws and a metal plate.


Billboard in Utah County on I-15 between Center Street and University Parkway on April 11, 2017 in Provo, Utah. File Steve Griffin / AP


He has since returned to Washington, the stated reason being his intention to cast his vote in favor of the GOP's latest version of an Obamacare repeal.

Asked for a response, a Chaffetz spokeswoman said they have no comment.

But Chris Karpowitz, a political science professor at Utah's Brigham Young University, said there is genuine consternation in Utah about Chaffetz, who nevertheless remains a popular political figure in the state.

"I think people are more puzzled than anything else, puzzled about the timing of Chaffetz's decision," said Karpowitz. "It's been an open secret that he eventually wanted to come back to Utah and run for statewide office. But he has said for years he basically wanted to serve out this term, so it's hard to know what to make of it."

Chaffetz is a Mormon and a Republican in a state where 75 percent of the voters are Mormon and vote Republican. And he's never faced a serious challenger in any of his elections.

Now, however, there are "plenty of warning signs" that Chaffetz might have trouble with a well-funded Democrat like Kathryn Allen, who is vying for his seat, said Karpowitz.

Dr. Kathryn Allen
Utah democratic U.S. House candidate Dr. Kathryn Allen speaks during an interview at a clinic on March 14, 2017 in Salt Lake City. File Rick Bowmer / AP

While many Republicans cheered Chaffetz on when his congressional committee went after Hillary Clinton, some of those same Republicans are troubled by the "double standard" he appears to be applying to Trump.

"He promised years of investigation in Clinton," Karpowitz said. But "he has not figured out how to be chair of the oversight committee under a Republican administration."

Jason Perry of the non-partisan Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah said Chaffetz "represents one of the safest Republican districts in the country."

"And he came home to a town hall with people booing," he said. "That's the mood of the country right now."

No doubt some of Chaffetz's constituents were taken aback by the timing of his announcement, but others "are taking him at his word that he's doing this for his family and already thinking about who his successor will be," said Perry.

Chaffetz, 50, did not give a specific reason for why he was quitting Congress early beyond wanting to spend more time at home with his family — and less time sleeping on a cot in his Washington office. But last year he telegraphed his eventual exit in an interview with The Deseret News in which he also said he might run for Utah governor in 2020.

"I'm not going to be here forever," he told the paper. "I would take a serious, serious look at running for governor."

Lauren Littlefield, the head of the Utah Democratic Party, said the first thing she thought when Chaffetz made his announcement was, "Oh, he's really going to run for governor in 2020."

"Nobody here expects Jason Chaffetz to be done with his political career," she said. "But when we heard he was going to resign early, then of course all the rumors started to swirl around. There were some outlandish ones about him and there was talk about how he was leaving Washington because the Russians knew about them all."

Littlefield said neither she nor most Utah Democrats put much stock in the rumors.

"We respect the guy," she said. "But we certainly disagree with him on everything."

Utah state Sen. Deidre Henderson, who got her start in politics working on a Chaffetz campaign, said "anyone who knows Jason knows that those theories are ridiculous."

"Despite what you may read elsewhere, if Jason were to run again next year, he would win decisively," she wrote in an email to NBC News. "A recent Utah Policy poll shows his approval rating as high now as it was before his announcement."

Raised Jewish, Chaffetz father's first wife was Kitty Dukakis — who later married failed Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis — and his grandfather was an FBI agent.

Chaffetz became a Mormon while a student at Brigham Young University. Before he got into politics, he was a spokesman for the Utah-based Nu Skin Enterprises, a personal care and dietary supplement company that had been accused in the past of being a pyramid scheme — and which now operates abroad in countries like Russia and China.

While Chaffetz no longer works for Nu Skin, records show the firm was his biggest campaign contributor.

Longtime observers of the Utah political scene said it would not surprise then if Chaffetz returned to Nu Skin.

"From there he could make a run for governor," said one, who asked not to be identified. "He does have ambitions to run for governor."

Nu Skin spokesman Scott Bisang said that while Chaffetz remains good friends with the founders of the company they have heard nothing about him being back on the payroll

AND
14 reasons why Jason Chaffetz must leave Congress immediately


After 16 years in Congress, including two as chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee, it's time for Rep. Jason Chaffetz to leave Capitol Hill. An accident that occurred during the W. Bush administration makes his departure not only necessary but urgent.

As the Utah Republican packs his bags, he can only blame himself for his own clumsiness. "Almost 12 years ago," Chaffetz explained in a statement Wednesday night, "I shattered several bones in my foot which required 14 screws and a metal plate to repair."


In the most dad-explanation ever, Chaffetz said he wishes the injury was the result of something cool like "cliff diving in Mexico." In reality, the blundering Republican fell off a ladder in his garage. Now University of Utah doctors "recommend immediate surgery to remove all the hardware or I could be at risk for serious infection."

Chaffetz will be off his feet and out of Congress for several weeks during recovery, missing work until at least mid-May.

After the announcement, an army of trolls became sudden experts in podiatry. In addition to the expected quips about pre-existing conditions, several questioned why Chaffetz needed the surgery all these years later. While that decision should be made between a man and his doctor, this type of operation doesn't seem that uncommon.

The more interesting question is what Chaffetz stands to gain by leaving Washington for a while. By design or by accident, the foot surgery could give him a leg up in the long run. Specifically, he might miss critical and controversial votes.

While Utah never set up an exchange, the red state has experienced a surge in Obamacare signups. Last year enrollment grew by more than 12 percent, the New York Times reported in March, an increase of about 197,187 Utahns. While in recovery, Chaffetz wouldn't have to vote on repealing Obamacare and wouldn't risk alienating those voters.

The foot injury could let Chaffetz sidestep a controversy that could hurt him if he decided to run for governor in 2020. Either way, hopefully, the surgery goes off without a hitch.

AND THEN 


Why is Jason Chaffetz leaving Congress? There are a bunch of conspiracies swirling around


The Utah Republican spread all sorts of crazy ideas about Barack Obama. Now others are doing it to him

MATTHEW SHEFFIELD

Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz is no stranger to conspiracy theories. But now that he’s announced that he’s not going to run for re-election, he has become the subject of conspiracy theories rather than the one spreading them.

Of course, there are more rational explanations for why the ultra-ambitious Republican would abandon a high-profile office and walk away from the television cameras he so loves. Being the chairman of the House Oversight Committee of the same party as President Donald Trump is surely an uncomfortable position. And it’s probably not what Chaffetz was expecting, as the Utah-based Deseret News reported earlier on Friday:

This became most apparent when he parlayed his rising visibility into a chairmanship of the House Oversight Committee, which he used to go after Planned Parenthood, Hillary Clinton and other favorite punching bags of the right. He became the most high-profile antagonist of the Obama administration, the tormentor-in-chief, and in the final weeks of the campaign he vowed that he would continue to investigate Hillary Clinton for using an unclassified email server, improperly staffing the embassy in Benghazi, and any other possible crimes, whether she won re-election or not.

Then Donald Trump got elected and everything changed.

“Trump getting elected was the worst possible thing for him,” says one Utah political insider. “Under a Hillary Clinton presidency, he would have had a nightly gig on Fox News. It would have been Crooked Hillary every night. Instead he got Trump.”

Had Clinton won, Chaffetz would have used the platform to attack the administration at every turn, the subpoena power literally resting in the pen in his pocket. But now, he was suddenly limited by demands to play team ball for a team that was already struggling, fumbling healthcare right out of the gate. And whatever Trump and the fractious House Republicans did, he would be held accountable, even though he would have little control.


Being in charge of investigating allegations of government impropriety against the famously vindictive Trump is bad enough. Add to that fact that 97 percent of Republicans in a recent survey still support him and that alone could account for Chaffetz’s desire to get out.

The self-aggrandizing congressman might also have gotten tired of the humble image he’s created for himself by refusing to rent or purchase a house in the D.C. area. Instead, he sleeps in his office.

“I’m turning 50 and I’m sleeping on a cot,” he told the Deseret News. “Maybe it’s time to reevaluate my life.”

Other legit theories are that Chaffetz is getting ready to run for Utah governor in 2020 or Utah senator in 2018, although he has denied such claims. He has, however, registered web domains in the event that he chooses to do so.

But the abruptness of Chaffetz’s withdrawal has also generated some alternative and unbelievable explanations. Louise Mensch, a former Conservative British member of Parliament who has somehow transformed herself into a hero for anti-Trump conspiracy theorists, has been testing out various allegations against Chaffetz on Twitter.

He’s certainly been on her mind for quite some time.


“I think Chaffetz may be gay and in the closet. Would hurt with his base,” Mensch wrote on Twitter Feb. 1. “Nothing at all wrong with being gay. but exposure might hurt Chaffetz politically,” she added.

“I’m totally serious. Chaffetz acts like a man being blackmailed,” she wrote a few days later.

Mensch also appeared to believe that the FBI is investigating Chaffetz for using an illegal private mail server like former secretary of state Hillary Clinton did.

On Thursday she cited someone else claiming that Chaffetz was being blackmailed by the Russian government for allegedly having an affair. That couldn’t be true, Mensch said, because the Russians allegedly have evidence for Chaffetz’s being involved in a money-laundering scheme.

No one has presented any evidence for these claims and it’s unlikely that someone will. But it is certainly a karmic reversal to see Chaffetz, one of the foremost propagators of the Benghazi conspiracy theory, getting a taste of his own medicine.

 Matthew Sheffield

A writer, web developer, and former tv producer, Matthew Sheffield covers politics, media, and technology for Salon. You can email him via m.sheffield@salon.com or follow him on Twitter


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