RIP: Kriss Alexander Lambert

Kriss Alexander Lambert died unexpectedly at home in Puyallup, Washington this week. He was 57. 

Kriss was born on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and lived & worked in Lake Placid NY, Florida & the Carribean, Oklahoma, Japan, Maui, the Kona coast, the Pacific Northwest, etc. He was a serial entrepreneur with many licenses & professional qualifications. He worked many years as a ship's captain, and held a US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master license w/ 100 ton Sailing & Towing endorsements. Kriss was an accomplished musician, with many other hobbies & skills (such as woodworking), but is best remembered as outstandingly open-hearted. Friends recall "He gave good hugs!" 

Kriss worked for the International Olympic Committee as the Official Mascot of the 1980 Winter Olympics (XIII Olympic Winter Games) at Lake Placid, New York, USA. He did many months of prior promotional work at venues such as the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Orange Bowl, etc. in character as Roni Raccoon, and was rinkside for the historic "Miracle on Ice" hockey game when the USA team beat the USSR (actively directing assorted cheers while officially neutral). His photo and uniform hang in the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.
  
Kriss leaves behind his beloved & gracious wife Pam, many friends around the world, and close family in Puyallup & Washington state, in Hawai'i, on Cape Cod, in Sweden, and elsewhere. He was proud of family, and his comforting, lively home was always inviting. We each share shock & great sadness, but Kriss wanted us all to Celebrate Life. 

Friends of Kriss Lambert, thank you for your prayers. Please Share in coming weeks or years if you recall stories involving Kriss or Kriss-themed anecdotes: inspiring, funny, loving, goofy or otherwise. Welcome!

Military Playgrounds

Do you try to ignore unpleasant places? Afghanistan has been an imperial boneyard for millennia. Korea is well into its second century of being occupied, abused, divided, and further despoiled. Common folk in too many other places suffer terribly, controlled by militarism.

The population of the USA is partly at fault. Our costly adventurism overseas crippled what might have been. We now choose to watch dancing cute cats on the internet, believing a warm & cozy feeling proves we're kind & good, regardless of the bullets and hellfire we rain on innocent people, and the deadly corruption and tortures we fund round the world.

Keep American forces home.

Militarism is only one of many possible economic engines. Militarism is painful and dirty; with a corrupt entrenched system. We could be investing in creating a better living environment, or in housing, or in better health for all. But American citizens are suckered persuaded to invest endlessly in a huge & wasteful military.

This week we're told taking away DACA from 800,000 undocumented or illegal migrants (link) is "absolutely counter to what we stand for as a nation." But rhetoric is cheap as we continue to dodge fundamental injustices. Can you handle the truth?

What does the US Government stand for as a nation?
-- USA stole lands from native people, without compensation
-- Military bases (incl. golf courses) occupy ancestral lands
-- Extraction industries now rape our homelands
-- Yankee "owners" of our resources fund agents to subdue us

Protecting the Robber-Barons

The US military is posted around the world to further expand American influence, and to protect extractive industries.

We the People don't directly profit from empire. We should not foolishly pay the high costs of overseas "defense" ... Let the richies pay themselves.

We should not pay for fancy alarms on their many homes and yachts. They should pay more in taxes.

Our American armed forces should be based at home, on continental USA.

Basic Lessons for the TMT

TMT: Just Say No?

Lessons from the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope
Major construction for Hawai'i's great mauna?

-- Tactics 101: Don't give-up the high ground!

-- Astronomy 101: We know Edward Snowden was working in Hawai'i, so how many installations now monitor us earthlings under cover of science?

-- History 101: On O'ahu, concession of a coaling station at Pu'uloa quickly morphed into the sprawling Pearl Harbor US military complex. Public access strictly controlled.

-- Economics 101: Technological spillover effects are promised, yet still now thousands in nearby Puna have almost no public infrastructural services: no public running water, poor internet, some without mains electricity, no public roads to their home. This is 21st century Hawaii - the astronomical colony at the top of Mauna Kea (and of course the US military installations on the island) have modern infrastructure, as common people root in the mud with guard dogs, roosters, little fire ants & rat lungworm disease.

-- Religion 101: When Yankee claims unique insight, it's bullshit.

Apex Predator ?

Capitalism sales pitch claims "Nothing's better"...
But violence & deception are basic to capitalism.
Let's invest in a more peaceful, sustainable system.
Oversight has a cost, but surrendering law is more costly...

Are you The Apex Predator ?
Otherwise you're part of the food chain ... 

Rotten in Seoul

Samsung's Lee Jae-yong (이재용 often "Jay Y. Lee") will undergo a sentencing hearing later today in Seoul for assorted counts of corruption. It's being widely argued his conviction could be costly for both the company & for Korea.

Surely corruption has been part of the system under the previous regime of former President Park Geun-hye. And it's highly probable systemic corruption was rife in Korean political economy from long before that as well. Samsung's Lee Jae-yong is somewhat unfortunate to have been nabbed at a time of transition.

But this case is nasty because of both criminal detail and lack of remorse. Among other transgressions, Samsung secured an expensive show horse in Europe for Korean President Park's buddy's daughter (정유라), and then attempted to hide details when the purchase was linked to administrative oversight of Samsung's corporate amalgamation favoring Mr. Lee.

Claiming aides and associates were wholly responsible for any transgressions, Lee has thus far evaded all responsibility in these affairs.

President Park was vindictive and anti-democratic. She interfered in the livelihood of thousands of artists and entertainers by reportedly placing them on a blacklisted enemies list (link). Her right-wing government declared the 60,000-member Korean Teachers’ & Education Workers’ Union (KTU) illegal (link), and systematically sought to destroy it.

Who were the strategists forcing Park's dark right-wing regressive agenda?

Park was partly propped-up by her crony Choi Soon-sil (최순실). But corporations such as Samsung also supported the regime, and perhaps steered it. Others may be at least partly responsible... What did Yankee know and when did they know it? America's key position in Korea requires knowledge of all such dirt.

Are there any lessons here that might be relevant to the corrupt overlap of business & politics now developing around Donald J. Trump and his family? As Korea moves forward toward more transparency, America becomes more opaque -- allowing collusive relationships to take root.

It may be Lee & Samsung had little choice but to payoff President Park and her cronies. Lee's defense, that he's a poor little rich boy who knew nothing, is incredible. In Korea, gestation adds a year to one's age - he's 50 years old. He studied at Seoul National University (backdoor admission?), Japan's Keio University for a Master's degree, and Harvard Business School. Few Korean people will believe he's absolutely uninvolved & innocent. Let's hope the search for justice finds proper answers, but long-suffering Koreans know: the innocent often suffer most.

We hijack inheritance NOW

Colonizers stupefy with New World imagery
("New" world?) to overlook genocide of natives and violent theft of local homelands!

The continent was not NEW, nor was it empty. Colonists killed the native peoples. Many decades later, those profiting try whitewashing history. It's unacceptable.

Please disallow inheritance hijacking & condemn those denigrating "redskins" / native peoples!

Hundreds of Tribal Nations are native to North America
- see map by Aaron Carapella (.pdf link)

Let My People Go

America's people are corrupted & beggared by the global munitions industry and militarism. It's past time America's soldiers are returned home where they belong.

American politicians & generals hold the world hostage at too high a price. Many decades of overseas adventurism cost trillions of dollars while America's communities starve for funding.

Each wounded warrior is part of an injured family. Every combat fatality, at home & abroad, does violence to harmony. Peace!

Trump Hates Us

Trump promised VIOLENCE

"In the Good Old Days they used to treat them Very, Very Rough!"

"Knock the Crap out of Them ... I Promise You, I will pay the legal fees."

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Has Donald Trump has been racist all his life?

One disturbing article lists at least two dozen well-known cases (link) where Trump mocked or belittled minorities prior to being elected US President in 2016, thus asserting Trump supporters decided "racism isn't a deal-breaker"...

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Now ultra-right TRUMP® people threaten lives & property. Minorities are unsafe. Tourists are targeted for harassment by both government & racist American terrorists. America disintegrates under the BLOOD & SOIL solution of Republican Donald J. Trump, King of neo-Nazi resurgence and Made in America hate crime.

Liberation

Very Best wishes & ALOHA this week to the many celebrating National Liberation Day in Korea, and the 70th anniversary of Independence Day for Pakistan and India.

Please consider peoples still peacefully working for decolonization.

Japanese Fungus !

A tenacious fungal infection made headlines in a nasty way.

Candida auris has "developed some resistance to the drug doctors normally use against it" according to the BBC (link)

Reportedly nobody in the UK has died from this infection.

But it's causing huge trouble: because the BBC labeled it a:
Japanese fungus

Why's this fungus labeled Japanese?
Is it reasonable to scare the world about Japan?
Can a potentially deadly fungus hinder the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Negative publicity harms efforts marketing Japan.

Japanese medical practitioners in 2009 first described the fungus:
Satoh, K., et al., Candida auris sp. nov., a novel ascomycetous yeast isolated from the external ear canal of an inpatient in a Japanese hospital. Microbiol Immunol, 2009. 53(1): p. 41-4.

But the earliest known strain of Candida auris dates to 1996 in South Korea (the 1996 patient recovered while two later Korean cases described in the same study died):
Lee, W.G., et al., First three reported cases of nosocomial fungemia caused by Candida auris. J Clin Microbiol, 2011. 49(9): p. 3139-42.

Perhaps it's a
Korean fungus ?

Infections have been reported in the United States (predominantly in New York state), Canada, India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela, Columbia, Israel, Oman, Kuwait, Kenya, South Africa, Norway, Germany, and Spain, as well as the UK. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states "Because identification of C. auris requires specialized laboratory methods, infections likely have occurred in other countries but have not been identified or reported."
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/candida-auris-alert.html

The CDC (link) notes that "C. auris has emerged independently in multiple regions at roughly the same time."

Exceptional hospital hygiene is very important. How much should we worry? Should we stay away from the above nations, or especially avoid Japan?
No - anyhow don't change your travel plans due to this fungus.
There are many worse dangers, e.g. from ticks or mosquito bites.

National governments might pressure medical researchers to avoid publication if such findings become a national problem or an economic liability. Negative media can quickly become bad for us all when public health problems are misreported.

This BBC scare headline is bad journalism.

 http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40934190

Yankee Lies

The present antagonism with North Korea DPRK is largely generated by the USA, representing munitions & weapons industries.

For the past 60 years, the USA has interfered and invaded dozens of nations around the world. The North Koreans have stayed on their own peninsula.

Provocation is triggered by US-led military "exercises" along the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea. In recent months, American deployment of THAAD armaments in US-occupied South Korea has alarmed China (PRC) and Russia.

Japan also has much at stake if there is war from Korea. Japan is mortified by how they might cope with millions of warfare refugees. More worrying, a direct attack on long-term rival Japan might be somewhat celebrated by all Koreans -- especially if the wind's blowing east.

How are we to believe Guam is being targeted? Claiming "only" Guam's at risk is ridiculous... Have we suddenly gained perfect intelligence about North Korea's strategic plans? Or is this media barrage bullshit designed to confuse & scare our own people?

It's ludicrous to target far-away (3300km) Guam when sigint / military bases are much closer at Wakkanai & Kawakita (Hokkaido) or Yokosuka as well as throughout both Japan and South Korea. North Korea can cripple Seoul with a nuclear device fired directly over the horizon and timed to explode over the city. Low apogee = indefensible.

Remember the Iraqi nuclear tubes US Sec. of State Colin Powell vowed were a clear threat to American life? We've been down this path of lies before...

Imperialism is globally unpopular - but America persists. The USA suffered huge intervention costs following the French into Vietnam. After the Soviet Union's defeat in Afghanistan, we've wasted a fortune there and our continuing destruction helps the worst elements. America's blunders with war in Iraq cost huge numbers of lives and a trillion dollars. Washington DC politicos are directly responsible for violence, injury & impoverishment in uncountable towns & homes. This is not imaginary -- America's idiotic leaders have saddled our communities with debt, and our aggression's resented everywhere.

America's leaders propagate WAR

Poisoning Athletics, London 2017

The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Athletics Championships are now being held in London during August 2017. Fans of track & field throughout the world are excitedly watching.

But much of the competition is being corrupted by Lord Sebastian Coe's IAAF bureaucracy. Far too much intervention has no basis in measurable data, and instead amounts to politicized interference in the competition.

Most Russian Federation team members were not allowed to compete. Those banned did not test positive for doping. Rather, the Russian bureaucracy was ostracized for systematic problems with poor security and deliberate efforts to bypass anti-doping procedures. In our modern technical world, however, there are ample ways to avoid collective punishment -- the bureaucrats (and most Brits) seem satisfied to ban the innocent, though this belittles the competition & medals.

Let's not forget Sebastian Coe won his first two Olympic medals (including the 1500m Olympic Gold Medal) at the boycott-ridden 1980 Moscow Olympics. It's highly unlikely I myself might have challenged or beaten him, but there was no chance -- US President Carter forbid American athletes from competing in that Olympics.

This London 2017 fiasco is also marred by infectious disease. Isaac Makwala of Botswana was unreasonably "quarantined" from competition as potentially infected. He missed the chance to contest the Men's 400m Final, and only when his federation issued a strong appeal was he allowed to run his heat for the 200m alone, in cold & rain. Terrible!

Poor old Grandpa?

US-friendly predator?

Revived South Korea dictatorship 유신 (十月維新) rejected.

Kim Ki-choon 김기춘 has been dangerous for 50 years...
- Chief of Staff for President Park Geun-hye
- former Attorney General & Justice Minister
- former Prosecutor & KCIA officer
Always Beware -- DANGEROUS Snake

Crushing artists, suppressing teachers,
but 3 years quiet prison life ahead.

Speculative Dangers in Hawaii

Many island communities control non-resident land speculation, as do Australia, New Zealand, British Columbia & Singapore. But far-away Washington DC forbids such policy in Hawaii. Glen Kila & Chris Oliveira are two of my friends working to preserve the Hawaiian countryside.

Nice article here on saving Hawai'i:

http://tinyurl.com/y8m8czn4

Every Divot Hurts

SEVEN military golf courses scar Hawai'i's Oahu. The worst, at Mōkapu, is built on thousands of Hawaiian graves. Ghastly & insulting! These occupation forces dishonor the USA.

Make America Healthy Again

Too many Americans are in ill health; too many more can't afford getting sick or injured.

Making America Great Again is a grand dream.

Healthy America is essential. And it's Good Business.

Make America Healthy Again !   MAHA

Bad-Bad !

Take millions or billions -- a $1000 penalty's nothing. Мелочь !

Hawaiian Decolonization

American barons managing extractive industries spend heavily to justify their "rights" to natural resources, often located on lands stolen from native peoples.  Seeking to infiltrate and stifle native rights efforts, their huge wealth buys the services of so-called "free-enterprise" institutes, mercenary commentators, and for-hire puppets. I believe Keli'i Akina in Hawai'i is one such toady. The Native Hawaiian community has rights to stolen land -- these are not entitlements granted by aggressive American government. Treaties and international law are being violated. Carpetbagger Americans (especially military) must stop plundering our inherited assets.  

America's rich people carefully protect their own inheritance, but collude to dispossess indigenous people of inherited lands. Failing to consult with indigenous communities on development projects is aggressive colonialism and endangers the natural environment.

What can be done?

Evaluate opposition (Recognize that earth-moving equipment, unscrupulous speculators, the US prison system, for example, are not gentle)

Organize support (Decolonization struggles unite indigenous peoples; our peaceful quest for justice & local community survival can mobilize & unite worldwide support systems)

Fight cheerfully (After great individual effort, invader's boot still crushing your throat? Find strength in our bountiful environment & continue peaceful engagement -- Always remember we natives are forces of nature)

Trumporee Ensnares Scouts

Reminding the world of Hitler Youth ... Sad!

The Mooch?

Behold the new White House Communications Director & Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Anthony Scaramucci a.k.a. The Mooch. Our bosses brought quality entertainment and brassy vanity to the White House podium.

"Scaramucci is a used car salesman trying to sell us all a Ferrari with no VIN [Vehicle Identification Number] and a weird stain in the trunk."
  -- Common Dreams

Read more here ...

America's Owners: Selecting a Leader

A small set of people control America. They're mostly Republicans, but their defining characteristic is great wealth. Their predominant ideology is protecting their own wealth & power.

These people live wholly different lives from worker people.

Their challenge is to keep the rabble away from their wealth.

They've successfully found & developed a ruling bourgeoisie of minor capitalists and people such as US House Speaker Congressman Paul Ryan, along with other up-and-coming Republicans and hired thugs.

But how to create a leader palatable to America's hungry dumfux masses? 

They chose foolishness.

Look carefully at the last two Republican rulers: George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump.

Each is often pictured as a buffoon. 

But we are the fools ... Under the manipulative greed of America's owners, we are literally fighting for our lives. American criminality runs deep, with many aggressive continuing wars & overseas occupation serving our rulers (not needy foreign masses, and certainly not our soldiers). Don't wait till the shower-room doors close upon you, your family and friends -- you're not scheduled to return from their delousing process.

Firmly & peacefully resist their lies. NOW

Won More Weasel

Bold brash Korea has struggled with many dirty elements, some described here before (link).

Won Sei-hoon 원세훈 headed South Korea's feared National Intelligence Agency. Convicted of undermining Korea's 2012 Presidential election (where Park Geun-hye attained power), his crimes & punishment have slithered half-hidden through Korea's justice system -- probably in part because he helped the candidate who subsequently became President.

New evidence (link) includes an audio tape purportedly of National Intelligence Agency boss Won instructing his subordinates to wage "psychological warfare on the public"...

Now Won, Park and her cronies are disgraced, and some justice is promised. But in fact, surely Won was doing dirty work for other more powerful people ("helping" far beyond mere politicians, and possibly beyond the borders of the ROK). His stories are valuable, but seem likely to remain hidden.

Implosion

Soap opera star Donald J Trump has begun whinging petulantly & attacking those he's cast in supporting roles.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is the latest victim of our prima donna's wrath. AG Sessions now must step carefully to avoid the fate of his völkisch predecessor Ernst Röhm.

US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster reportedly seeks more caution with Russia (link), but our volatile Führer Trump claims better foresight & supreme abilities.

How long can the Republican establishment continue kissing Trump rump? This bloated "Republican" bully is increasingly costly & dangerous to the world.

Trump® Sells-Out America

"Made in America Week" began Monday -- the same day 15,000 more foreigners grabbed American jobs under the H-2B temporary guest worker program thanks to Pres. Trump. Their cheaper labor undercuts the wages for US domestic workers, and raises the H-2B foreign workforce to 81,000 total fresh visas for 2017.

This is not at all to say H-2B workers are bad people. They love their families, they work hard, and they serve the employer well - as do scabs who break workers unions.

The President, Ivanka, and the Trump® organization continue to buy cheap and sell high... maybe it's The American Way.... But they counsel BUY AMERICAN when they don't...

Where I come from, we sniff out & avoid a lyin' sack of shit.

Swamp Baron

US President Donald J Trump has given-up America.

"Drain the Swamp" he pledged (link)...

Trump words = Bullshit. 

Trump promises are swamp farts.
SWAMP critters control our world... more than ever.

The deadly hippo ...

Save American Brains

The Battle for Net Neutrality is severe. Most of the USA is already a captive audience sewn-up by cable / communications companies charging monopoly prices. Much of America, regrettably, is already a dumbed-down market of deeply frustrated sheeple.

But until now, public access to internet was open.

Imagine if web surfing were only possible with Verizon's permission, or through AOL's homepage, Comcast's interface, or within Yahoo. Manipulative & Terrible!

Don't allow corporate power to control access: to charge extra for those sites they do not recommend. Dear slaves: your masters plan to disallow access to content which doesn't pay them.

Americans are already lame from decades of poor leadership and substandard general education.

Save Net Neutrality!

(descriptive video on this link)

BattlefortheNet.com

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The draft Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been agreed at the United Nations, and 122 nations voted positively in support (more detail here). The Treaty will open for signatures 20 Sept 2017 and will enter into force 90 days after the fiftieth nation deposits ratification or acceptance - so possibly operational by end 2017.

What's promised?

The Treaty prohibits nations to "Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."

Nations must "declare whether there are any nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices in its territory or in any place under its jurisdiction or control that are owned, possessed or controlled by another State."

The nuclear weapons states have criticized the Treaty, joined by satellite governments (such as Japan) that tacitly allow nuclear weapons of military allies to be based on their territory.

Remember that Nuclear Non-Proliferation has been based on a fundamental agreement -- that the nuclear states would cut-down and eventually eliminate their nuclear arsenals. In exchange, other states agreed not to seek nuclear weaponry. But little has been done to cut nuclear stockpiles. Nuclear-armed states have refused to disarm. Perhaps the new treaty will help draw attention to nuclear bullying and make our world safer.

https://www.un.org/disarmament/ptnw/index.html

http://www.undocs.org/en/a/conf.229/2017/L.3/Rev.1

Seven US sailors missing off Japan

Seven US naval personnel are missing & many injured in a major shipping collision that happened in clear & calm weather conditions off Japan at about 2AM local time this morning.

[ Update: the seven Americans were found dead in a flooded segment of the warship. Tragedy; Rest In Peace ]

Collision was 10 nautical miles SE of Shimoda, Japan (vicinity 34 32N, 139 05E) involving United States Navy guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (154m / 505ft) vs. ACX Crystal  (222m / 730ft) - an NYK / Nippon Yusen-operated Filipino-flagged container ship traveling between Nagoya & Tokyo. Tonnage reports estimate the USS Fitzgerald at approx. 9000 tons, less than one-quarter the dwt 39,565 ton ACX Crystal.

The USS Fitzgerald, with its highly-advanced navigation, warfare & defense systems valued upward of US$1.5 billion, has a normal complement of 281 naval personnel. The ACX Crystal crew of 20 reportedly escaped injury, and their ship was comparatively lightly damaged.

Top-level liaison is said to be complicated (as the Trump administration hits its half-year mark) by continuing lack of a US Ambassador to Japan, nor is the Secretary of the Navy job finalized. Reports now claim the container ship was 'doing doughnuts' in the hour before the crash. But such a ship turns very slowly due to huge mass and length (730 feet), with limited visibility. Bullshit story? Is it even relevant? 

The USS Fitzgerald was hit in the quadrant termed "the danger zone" where oncoming shipping typically has the right-of-way. (Specifics of this accident, however, remain to be determined).

Cause unknown, but basic seamanship rules don't favor the Fitz.

Lessons? London Broil 2017

This week's Grenfell Tower tragedy was HORRIBLE.

British Prime Minister Theresa May states (video) ... "An investigation will take place into the cause of the fire, and if there are any lessons to be learnt."  Of course there are lessons Madame Prime Minister. For example, reportedly:

- the building required no sprinkler system
- there was only a single stairwell
- new cladding was not fireproof
- cheap cladding nonetheless made the building "look good"

There's no "IF" in the need PM Theresa May learn a few lessons. How about understanding that even with poor safety standards, rich toffs push the limits of minimal investment, unwilling to recognize critical safety requirements protecting poor folk. Midnight London Broil among the working class ... tragic & unnecessary.

©photo by Jeremy Selwyn