Hump Day Art

The Art 

of 

Victor 

Delhez 

 

Everyone Needs a Conspiracy

Bill and Hillary Clinton have long believed in a unified-field theory about their opponents — one that she memorably dubbed a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” And they have their own theory of the moment it all began.

The former president, who is about to take a more visible role in his wife’s presidential campaign, told the tale again in a broadcast over the weekend, in which he described getting a menacing phone call from inside the George H.W. Bush White House. 

It was 1991, as the then-Arkansas governor was mulling whether to challenge a popular incumbent president, he said. 

The caller said, “‘We’ve looked at the field. You’re the only one who can win,’” Bill Clinton recalled in an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN. “‘The press has to have someone every election. We’re going to give them you. You better not run.’”

Except that the man whom Clinton claims was on the other end of the line insists nothing of the kind ever happened.

Former President Bill Clinton is interviewed by Becky Quick of CNBC at the Clinton Global Initiative Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 in New York. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

“There is no shred of truth to it whatsoever. I never made any such call,” said Roger B. Porter, a mild-mannered policy wonk who at the time was assistant to the president for economic and domestic policy, and who now is a professor at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward also investigated the story for his book “The Agenda,” about the turbulent early years of the Clinton White House. 

Although both Clintons have told “nine or 10 versions” of the phone call, Woodward too is convinced that “there is nothing to it” — and went so far on Monday as to call it “preposterous.”

The former president, who has stayed largely offstage during his wife’s second run for the presidency, plans to step up his campaigning on her behalf.      Read More:

Polluted Lake Burns

Residents in Bangalore, India, were alarmed earlier this week when a local lake caught fire.

For several weeks, Bellandur Lake has been covered with several feet of toxic foam that some have said resembles snow from far away, according to The Hindu.

Beneath the snow-white lather, the water has turned black from chemicals and sewage.

Over the years, the 9,000-acre Bellandur lake in India's technology capital has been polluted by chemicals and sewage.

Bellandur Lake which lies to the southeast of the city of Bangalore, and is the largest lake in the city. 

It is a part of Bellandur drainage system that drains the southern and the southeastern parts of the city. 

The lake is a receptor from three chains of lakes upstream, and has a catchment area of about 148 square kilometres (37,000 acres). 

Water from this lake flows further east to the Varthur Lake, from where it flows down the plateau and eventually into the Pinakani river basin. 

It is currently highly polluted with sewage, and in May 2015 the foam covering the water surface caught fire and burned for hours. 

What will it take for the world to realize that pollution is harmful to our survival?

France Targets Syria

PARIS — French warplanes have struck targets in Syria for the first time, President François Hollande’s office said Sunday.

The strikes were launched against targets identified during reconnaissance missions flown by the French airforce over the past two weeks, in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition bombing Islamic State of Syria and the Levant, or ISIL, a statement from the presidency said.

It did not specify how many strikes were carried out, or against which type of target.

The strikes confirm the extension of France’s air campaign against ISIL from Iraq, where France’s efforts were originally contained, to Syria, as Hollande announced two weeks ago.

“We will strike every time our national security is threatened,” the statement said. “But the Syrian chaos must have a global solution.

Civilian populations must be protected against all forms of violence, those of Daesh (ISIL), but also against the murderous bombardments of [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad.”

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said this month that France was launching strikes in Syria to prevent ISIL from mounting terrorist attacks in France, and because the group had advanced more than expected in Syria.      Read more:

Republican Meltdown Feared

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is warning Republicans to act wisely following the impending departure of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), which he fears could lead to a party "meltdown" in 2016.

“It’s a fresh start, and what’s the goal here? The goal here is to move the needle,” the presidential contender told reporters at the Values Voter Summit on Saturday, ABC News reported.

“I hope we can have a relationship with the new Speaker that will allow us not to shut down the government, keep the conservative agenda alive, and focus on winning in 2016."

Graham characterized the worst-case scenario as GOP lawmakers taking actions that "hurt our brand even further."

“I hope that we’ll look at winning the presidency in 2016," he said, which would depend on "our actions in the House and the Senate."

Boehner shocked Washington on Friday by announcing he would leave Congress at the end of October. 

The Speaker had clashed with conservative members of his conference and some had floated trying to oust him in a fight over funding for Planned Parenthood.

Graham praised Boehner's tenure as Speaker.

"I don't know what's going to happen. One, I think him for his service. I think he's been a good friend for over twenty years. I think he did a good job as Speaker to build a strong majority," he said, according to NBC News.

"Now we've got to keep it."

Putin Says US Support for Syria Illegal

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday branded U.S. support for rebel forces in Syria as illegal and ineffective, saying U.S.-trained rebels were leaving to join Islamic State with weapons supplied by Washington.

In an interview with U.S. networks recorded ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Putin said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad deserved international support as he was fighting terrorist organizations.

Obama and Putin are scheduled to talk on Monday after Putin addresses the United Nations, although White House and Kremlin officials have disagreed on what the two leaders will discuss and even who initiated the meeting.

"In my opinion, provision of military support to illegal structures runs counter to the principles of modern international law and the United Nations Charter," he said in an excerpt of an interview with U.S. television networks CBS and PBS released by the Kremlin.

Russia has stepped up its military involvement in Syria in recent weeks, with U.S. officials accusing Moscow of sending combat aircraft, tanks and other equipment to help the Syrian army.

Russia's sudden military build-up this month in support of Assad and a refugee crisis that has spilled over from the region into Europe have lent new urgency to attempts to resolve the Syria conflict.   Read More: 

Sunday Funnies

TOO CUTE

T. G. I. F. Solitude

The Holy See Speaks to CONGRESS

YESTERDAY and speaking to Congress (FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER), Pope Francis is calling for an end to the death penalty in the U.S. and across the world.

Francis says that every life is sacred and society can only benefit from rehabilitating those convicted of crimes.

The pope noted that U.S. bishops have renewed their call to abolish capital punishment. That idea is unpopular, however, with many American politicians.

The pontiff did not specifically mention abortion — a particularly contentious issue in Congress at the moment that threatens to force the shutdown of the U.S. government next week.

Still, his remarks referred to the Catholic church's opposition to abortion. He urged lawmakers and all Americans to "protect and defend human life at every stage of its development."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pope Francis summoned U.S. lawmakers Thursday to defend and preserve the dignity of all Americans, introducing himself as "a son of this great continent" as he became the first pontiff in history to address a joint meeting of Congress.

Entering a House chamber packed with Supreme Court justices, Cabinet officials, and lawmakers of both parties, Francis united the often-warring factions before he opened his mouth as the crowd stood to deliver a standing ovation.

The sergeant at arms intoned "Mr. Speaker, the pope of the Holy See," and Francis made his way up the center aisle in his white robes, moving slowly as lawmakers applauded enthusiastically, some inclining their heads in bows.

The Argentine pope spoke from the same dais where presidents deliver their State of the Union speeches. Behind him sat Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner, the first and second in line to the presidency, both Catholics. Read More: 

Retiring Comfortably

copyright provided by cnbc

In the past year alone, 15% of Americans dipped into their retirement fund to pay for an emergency, according to a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 adults in the U.S. by personal finance site Bankrate.com released Wednesday — that’s 30 million Americans, if you extrapolate the survey data onto the entire U.S. population. 

Other studies reveal a similar predilection towards tapping into the retirement well too soon. Nearly one in four workers ages 20 to 60 have either taken a loan or early withdrawal from their retirement fund, according to the 16th annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of Workers, released in May. 

And a study published this year in the journal “Contemporary Economic Policy” revealed that more than 15% of taxpayers under 55 withdrew money from their retirement accounts early in 2010 alone.

Many workers are tapping their retirement funds for emergencies for one simple reason: They don’t have an emergency fund. 

Nearly one in three Americans has no emergency savings at all, according to a survey released by Bankrate this year — the highest rate in the five years Bankrate has been doing the survey. 

What’s more, fewer than one in four has more than six months of income (that’s what many experts consider an ideal amount of emergency savings) in their emergency fund. 

“Americans are woefully under-saved for emergencies — and lacking that cushion, they far too often resort to [tapping] their retirement accounts,” says Greg McBride, the chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com.      Read More:

Say Cheese: A Selfie Conflict

A rare crested macaque monkey who snapped a well-known, grinning "selfie" should be declared the photo's owner and receive damages for copyright infringement after it was used in a wildlife book, animal rights activists argued in a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

Naruto, a six-year-old macaque who lives free in the Tangkoko Reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, took the image and several others about four years ago using a camera left unattended by British photographer David Slater, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in the suit.

The so-called Monkey Selfies that resulted came from "a series of purposeful and voluntary actions by Naruto, unaided by Slater," said the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

"Naruto has the right to own and benefit from the copyright ... in the same manner and to the same extent as any other author," the suit said.

Slater told Reuters he felt "rather bemused" and persecuted by the lawsuit, which he said seemed to be a publicity stunt.

He said he was very disappointed not to have been contacted by PETA in advance, and described himself as a low-paid wildlife photographer who has been struggling to earn a living.

"I am sympathetic in my book for animals having rights to property in some circumstances, but in no way do I mean copyrights," Slater said in an e-mail. Read More:

Hump Day Art

The Photos 

                                   of   

Ian Bramham

 

What To Do With'um All

European Union interior ministers are meeting to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis today, as hundreds of refugees camp at the Turkish border with Greece, hoping that a meeting of European leaders Wednesday will result in an agreement to let them into the EU.

The mainly Syrian refugees are staying at a wrestling arena in the city of Edirne, about 5 miles from the Greek border, in the hope of moving on to Greece or Bulgaria and avoiding the alternative and dangerous sea voyage to Greece, the Associated Press reported.

Wednesday, EU leaders will gather for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on how to deal with Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II, after hundreds of thousands fled conflict in counties including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

The UN Refugee Agency says 477,906 people have arrived in Europe by sea this year and is calling for the EU to take in another 120,000 refugees and migrants "for any relocation program to be credible."

British Prime Minister David Cameron called German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to discuss Wednesday's summit, his office said.

The two leaders both agreed the EU should "consider its broader response to the crisis, particularly what more it can do to enable Syria's neighbors to cope with the influx of refugees; how it can support a political process in Syria; and what further assistance can be provided to strengthen Europe's external borders," the statement said.

The statement added that Cameron will discuss the same issues with French President Francois Hollande as he visits Britain on Tuesday.      Read More: