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01/08/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Chicken and Waffles Served At Obama’s Star-Studded Party With Jack-Asses

Inside the Obamas’ final star-studded party: White House bash goes on until 4am with Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and SJP on the dance floor and chicken and waffles for breakfast

Kelly Rowland, Wale and Nick Jonas, Paul McCartney among stars to arrive to White House party on Friday
Jill Scott, Terrence J, La La Anthony and Jordin Sparks also posted photos and selfies as they arrived
Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Tyler Perry were in attendance
Beyonce and Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen, and Oprah Winfrey were invited to attend President Obama’s party
Chance the Rapper confirmed his attendance, writing: ‘Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @POTUS’
Earlier Friday the First Lady gave final White House speech and Obama will give his farewell address Tuesday

Dozens of celebrities turned out to party until 4am at the White House in a farewell bash that saw the likes of Paul McCartney, Meryl Streep and SJP tear up the dancefloor.

The strictly VIP guestlist were banned from recording inside the party where Barack and Michelle served chicken and waffles to weary partygoers in the early hours of Saturday morning.

But that didn’t stop A-list attendees from spilling the beans and their selfies to social media revealing how many of the Hollywood elite turned out to say goodbye to the beloved first family.

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Celebrity couples John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are pictured alongside Jerry and Jess Seinfeld in a photo posted by DJ Cassidy with the caption: ‘The one party we’ll wait in line to get into’

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Pictured left to right is actor and comedian Jay Pharoah, Kelly Rowland, Wale, Usher and La La Anthony

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Model and actress Olivia Wilde posed for a black and white selfie with partner Jason Sudeikis after declaring they ‘stumbled’ out of the White House at 4am and ‘celebrated 8 incredible years’

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Solange is pictured here rehearsing for the event, and stated it was ‘truly the ultimate, ultimate honor. Can’t even put into words. Really. We will miss your excellence, your grace and the phenomenal legacy you have let us all share. #obamaout’

Pharrell and Solange were said to have performed at the event and President Obama was rumored to have dominated the dance floor with the likes of Robert De Niro, Common and Usher.

Solange, the sister of Beyonce, said that it was ‘truly the ultimate, ultimate honor.’

She continued: ‘We will miss your excellence, your grace, and the phenomenal legacy you have let us all share.’

The bash was well attended by artists, philanthropists, activists, and executives, many of whom made the trip to Washington D.C. just to saw their farewells.

Guests snacked on chicken and waffles until 4am while the likes of Bradley Cooper and Magic Johnson chatted beneath a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

Producer Will Packer is pictured with Terrence J, Steven Spielberg, and Taraji P Henson at the star-studded bash

Tom Hanks was spotted at the party sporting a full grey beard and spectacles. He was described by the woman he posed for pictures with as a ‘very nice guy’

La La Anthony posted a photo with Terrence J of TV show 106 & Park, Newscaster, and Tom Hanks, her ‘favorite actor ever’

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Samuel L. Jackson (right) and his wife LaTanya (seocnd right) were spotted at the party with former LA Laker Magic Johnson (top left)

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Johnson (left) a 12-time NBA All Star, also partied with Hall of Famer and his fellow Dream Team teammate Charles Barkley (second from right with his wife)

The evening was likely bittersweet for the first family, with Donald Trump‘s inauguration less than two weeks away.

‘It’s something that they’ve done in the past and something I anticipate they’re going to do again tomorrow,’ White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday.

‘Over the years, the President and first lady have on occasion – not frequently, but on occasion – they’ve hosted parties at the White House for their friends,’ he continued.

‘And I anticipate this will be the last one that they have. They’ve got some packing to do.’

Many stars found the evening emotional as they faced the impending loss of Obama in the oval office.

Comedian and TV host Billy Eichner posted a touching tribute to the President in his Instagram post, after getting the opportunity to discuss Obama’s work with the LGBT community last night.

‘He told me it was one of the things he’s most proud of. I told him we will love and appreciate him forever. He told me there’s a lot of work we still need to do,’ Eichner said.

‘Setting aside for a moment the sadness and anger I feel about the next administration, this was one of the greatest moments and nights of my life.’

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Comedian and TV host Billy Eichner (right) posted a touching tribute to Obama in his Instagram post, thanking the President for his work for the LGBT community. He posed alongside Robin Lord Taylor, one of the stars of Fox show Gotham

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Chance the Rapper is pictured, right, who has become close with the first family and hails from their hometown of Chicago

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Singer Nick Jonas also arrived at the White House and showed off in a dark grey suit with a black turtle neck underneath. Jonas posed with his former Kingdom co-star Jonathan Tucker

Rapper Wale and songstress Kelly Rowland were among the first to post photos on social media as they arrived at the White House Friday night to bid the Obamas farewell.

The pair posed with host and actor Terrence J, film producer Will Packer and TV personality La La Anthony before the doors opened at 8.30pm.

Singer Nick Jonas also showed off in a dark grey suit with a black turtle neck underneath.

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And singer Jordin Sparks gushed about bringing her father to the White House

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President Barack Obama and the First Lady are saying their final goodbyes with one final star-studded party. From (l-r) La La Anthony, Terrence J, Kelly Rowland, Will Packer and rapper Wale all posed for a group photo as they prepared to boogie down with the President and First Lady

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Actress Lana Parrilla gives Honest Abe a peck while posing next to his bust in the White House

Singer-songwriter Jordin Sparks gushed about bringing her father to the White House in a sweet Instagram post.

‘Getting to take my Dad to the White House…Priceless. Soooo excited! Cheers! *drops mic*,’ Sparks, 27, posted on social media with their selfie.

Jill Scott also posed for a photo as she made her way to the White House festivities.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Meryl Streep, Al Sharpton, Tyler Perry, Chris Rock, David Letterman, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were also in attendance.

Star Wars directors George Lucas and JJ Abrams arrived to the party as well shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Questlove, who deejayed the evening.

Writer Tom Healy posted a reflective paragraph on social media about his evening with the Obamas.

The Obamas also invited Beyonce and Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, and Oprah Winfrey.

The party would have been a sad moment for both the President and his wife as well as many of the guests, who have given their open contempt for Donald Trump, will not likely head back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for at least four years.

And those hoping for a glimpse of Obama getting down in the Oval Office are out of luck as cell phones will be strictly prohibited and checked at the door.

The Washington Post reported that Samuel L Jackson and Gayle King were also among the guetes.

Chance the Rapper confirmed he would be in attendance when he tweeted Wednesday: ‘Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @POTUS.’

Obama and the First Lady have become incredibly close with the 23-year-old rapper, who hails from their hometown of Chicago.

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En route: Chance the Rapper confirmed his attendance, writing: ‘Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @POTUS’

The Obamas are believed to have footed the bill for the party themselves.

The soiree was one of his last as president. He is now preparing to head to Chicago where on Tuesday he will deliver his farewell address after two terms in office.

The party guests will no doubt stay far away when Trump is inaugurated on January 20, an event that has failed to draw any of the big names Obama did during his two ceremonies.

In 2013, Obama was sworn into office at a ceremony that featured Beyonce performing The Star Spangled Banner and Kelly Clarkson singing My Country ‘Tis of Thee.

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Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and Baptist minister, attended the all-night bash which will likely be the Obama’s last

Trump will have the incredibly talented but much lesser known teenage singer Jackie Evancho performing at his inauguration, and she is the lone name of note confirmed for the event.

Among those who attended the final White House party, none has been more vocal about their disdain for Trump’s policies and rhetoric than Springsteen.

The New Jersey rocker appeared on an episode of WTF With Marc Maron that was released on Tuesday, and during the hour-long podcast he spoke about his fears and concerns about the future of the country during and after a Trump presidency.

‘I’ve felt disgust before, but never the kind of fear that you feel now,’ Springsteen said of Trump and the administration he has been building over the past month.

‘It’s as simple as the fear of, is someone simply competent enough to do this particular job? Forget about where they are ideologically. Do they simply have the pure competence to be put in the position of such responsibility?’

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Actor Robert De Niro was spotted arriving to the White House Friday night

Tracee Ellis Ross was seen arriving to the White House. The actress comedienne tweeted earlier Friday that she will ‘miss’ First Lady Michelle following her final White House speech

Earlier on Friday, First Lady Michelle delivered her final speech in the East Room, where she hosted 50 school counselors and several stars at the 2017 School Counselor of the Year event.

She choked back tears while addressing the young people of the audience, saying: ‘Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.

‘Empower yourself with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of you boundless promise. Lead by example with hope; never fear.’

She also said that her time spent as the First Lady has been ‘the greatest honor’ of her life, and to her supporters, she hoped to have made them proud.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4097492/Inside-Obama-s-final-star-studded-party-Bash-goes-2am-Meryl-Streep-Mccartney-SJP-Chance-Rapper-dance-floor.html

01/02/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Donald Trump Blasts Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Over Record-setting 762 Homicides

These 2 Clowns Are Such A Damn Joke. How Is Gun Control Working In Chicago?

One of the most violent years in Chicago history ended with a sobering tally: 762 homicides, the most in two decades in the city
‘Chicago murder rate is record setting – 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016,’ Donald Trump tweeted on Monday
‘If Mayor [Rahm Emanuel] can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!’
Emanuel and Trump met December 7 in New York City but reportedly talked about illegal-immigrant ‘dreamers,’ not gun violence
The nation’s third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015
The increase in homicides compared to 2015, when 485 were reported, is the largest spike in 60 years

Donald Trump used his Twitter bully pulpit on Monday to blast Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for allowing his city’s murder and firearms shooting rates to spiral out of control.

‘Chicago murder rate is record setting – 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016,’ Trump tweeted.

‘If Mayor can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!’

2016 was one of the most violent years in Chicago history with the most homicides in two decades – more than New York and Los Angeles combined.

The nation’s third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015, according to data released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department.

President-elect Donald Trump weighed in Monday on Chicago’s spiraling murder rate, putting Mayor Rahm Emanuel on the hot seat

If Emanuel can’t turn his city’s crime wave around, Trump tweeted, ‘he must ask for Federal help!’

Mayor Emanuel spoke to the media after meeting with Trump on December 7; he reportedly pressed the president-elect about illegal immigration, not gun violence

Emanuel, a former Barack Obama White House chief of staff, visited with Trump at his Trump Tower office on December 7.

The pair reportedly talked about the mayor’s concern that Trump would deport ‘dreamers,’ children brought to the U.S. illegally who have commit no crimes during their years-long unauthorized stays.

Chicago’s statistics underline a story of bloodshed that has put the city at the center of a national dialogue about gun violence.

The numbers are staggering, even for those who followed the steady news accounts of weekends ending with dozens of shootings and monthly death tolls that hadn’t been seen in years.

The increase in homicides compared to 2015, when 485 were reported, is the largest spike in 60 years.

Police and city officials have lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city, and the crime statistics appeared to support their claims: Police recovered 8,300 illegal guns in 2016, a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.

The Chicago mayor presided over Chicago’s bloodiest 12-month in 20 years

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson (pictured in September) said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seek a spike in violence, including in attacks on police

Police are pictured in Chicago on Sunday investigating the scene of a shooting

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seek a spike in violence, including in attacks on police.

He said anger at police, including in the wake of video released that showed a white Chicago officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, has left criminals ’emboldened’ to violent crimes.

He also said it’s becoming clearer to criminals that they have little to fear from the criminal justice system.

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Reverend Jesse Jackson (pictured left) on Saturday led hundreds of people as they marched in downtown Chicago to commemorate homicide victims in the city this past year

Jackson said he was ‘honored’ to join Rev. Michael Pfleger who marched alongside the famed civil rights activist

‘In Chicago, we just don’t have a deterrent to pick up a gun,’ he said. ‘Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender, something is wrong.’

Johnson, who has for months complained about Illinois’ lax gun laws, said he thinks more and more gang members are arming themselves because the price for being caught is small compared to other large cities.

He said gang members he has spoken to consider the court system ‘a joke’.

The bulk of the deaths and shooting incidents, which jumped from 2,426 in 2015 to 3,550 last year, occurred in only five of the city’s 22 police districts on the city’s South and West sides, all poor and predominantly black areas where gangs are most active.

Police said the shootings in those areas generally wasn’t random, with more than 80 percent of the victims having previously been identified by police as more susceptible because of their gang ties or past arrests.

The city has scrambled to address the violence. Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last year that 1,000 officers would be added to the police department.

At the same time, police officials have been trying to figure out why homicides and shootings – which began climbing the year before – suddenly surged.

On Sunday, Johnson said he hoped several initiatives – including more street cameras in some of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods, and the expansion of gunshot-detection systems – would lead to more arrests and drive down the violent crime rate.

Johnson has said several factors have contributed to the increased violence.

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Women embrace in front of a cross bearing the name of murder victim Louis Antonio Torres who was shot dead while he was driving in November

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People are pictured during the march honoring the victims

He noted 2016 was the first full year since the city was forced in November 2015 to release video of the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, the black 17-year-old boy who was shot 16 times by a white police officer.

The video cost former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy his job, sparked major protests around the city, and led to federal and state investigations of the police department.

It also left Johnson with the task of trying to restore public trust in what appeared to be a weakened police force, a perception that was only buttressed by a dramatic drop in the number of arrests in 2016.

The police department has cited several factors for the declining numbers, including a concerted effort not to make minor drug arrests and focus on gun violence.

Johnson pointed to gun arrests and gun seizures as evidence that his officers are aggressively fighting crime.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4080790/Chicago-records-762-homicides-2016-making-bloodiest-12-months-20-YEARS-Windy-City.html

01/02/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

ISIS Is Responsible for Istanbul Nightclub Shooting Spree

The Islamic State said in a statement on Monday that it was responsible for a New Year’s shooting spree at an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, while authorities were still searching for the gunman.

The terror group said through its Aamaq News Agency that the attack was carried out by a “heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.”

How could any woman support these animals.

Turkish authorities believe that the gunman came from a Central Asian nation and is likely to either be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, Turkish media reported citing unnamed sources.

Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same ISIS cell could have carried out both attacks, the papers reported.

The unidentified gunman, who is still at large, killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing at about 600 revelers partying inside with an automatic rifle.

“Unfortunately, (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year’s and have fun,” Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters.

Nearly two-thirds of the victims were foreigners, many from the Middle East, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. The report said the bodies of 25 foreign nationals killed in the attack would be delivered to their families later Monday.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned “the terror attack in Istanbul’s Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017” and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including the “foreign guests.”

Among the dead were an 18-year-old Israeli woman, three Indians, three Lebanese, a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship and her Tunisian husband, two Jordanians, a Belgian national, a Kuwaiti citizen and a Canadian, according to those countries’ governments and a diplomat. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry earlier said three of its citizens had been killed, but revised that, saying there was confusion over the nationality of one victim.

A U.S. State Department official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said one American man was among those wounded. Turkey’s minister for family and social policies, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those injured.

NTV news reported that the assailant was wearing a Santa Claus outfit when he entered the nightclub on the shore of Bosporus straight, on the European side of the city – a claim Prime Miniser Binali Yidirim denied.

Sickening video from the scene shows what appeared to be a man dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera inside Reina shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by “taking advantage of the chaos” that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.

Mehmet Dag, 22, said he was passing by the club when he saw a man shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the attacker then targeted security guards, gunning them down and entering the club.

“Once he went in, we don’t know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion,” Dag said.

Turkish media said the local victims included a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club.

One was given a funeral Sunday in Istanbul, where his two sons joined the mourners gathered around the flag-draped casket, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Ayhan Arik, a tourism company employee who had taken foreign guests to the nightclub, was shot in the head, the news agency said.

On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub. The entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police also patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.

Crime scene investigators were seen inside the nightclub searching through mingled piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests.

There were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where the dead were taken for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul’s iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people.

In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to “conquer” Istanbul. Turkey’s jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.

The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Turkey’s leader, saying that “it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations.”

“However, terrorists don’t share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists’ aggression,” Putin said.

The White House condemned what it called a “horrific terrorist attack” and offered U.S. help to Turkey. The U.N. Security Council condemned the “heinous and barbaric” assault in the “strongest terms.”

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/02/isis-claims-responsibility-for-istanbul-nightclub-shooting-spree.html

01/02/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

America Dollar Doing Well Because Of Trump So World Look Out

Is The Dollar Doing Well Because Of Donald Trump?

On Wall Street, the rising dollar has been one of the most visible signals of growing optimism in the U.S. economy; for many other countries, it spells trouble.

IRA IOSEBASHVILI

Updated Jan. 1, 2017 10:03 a.m. ET

85 COMMENTS

On Wall Street, the rising dollar has been one of the most visible signals of growing optimism in the U.S. economy. For many other countries, it spells trouble.

Most analysts expect the U.S. currency to strengthen in 2017, extending a gain that has boosted the value of the dollar by more than one-third since the U.S. credit downgrade in 2011.

That expectation is mostly because a strengthening economy appears likely to enable the Federal Reserve to enact its plan for multiple rate increases in 2017. Higher rates make it more attractive to hold dollar-denominated assets, attracting money into the U.S.

“Right now, there is an incredible amount of pressure to sell just about every type of currency and buy the dollar,” said Christopher Stanton, chief investment officer at Sunrise Capital LP, which manages $700 million.

Mr. Stanton recently bet that the U.S. currency will appreciate against the Australian dollar, Japanese yen and euro in the next few months.

A stronger dollar raises the buying power of U.S. consumers and businesses by making imported items cheaper and reducing the costs of traveling abroad. By the same token, however, it hurts U.S. exporters by making their goods less competitive overseas, cutting into corporate earnings and potentially weighing on stock prices.

In emerging markets, sustained dollar strength could undercut prices for oil and other dollar-denominated commodities, pressuring developing economies that export raw materials. Emerging-market companies and governments that have borrowed heavily in the U.S. currency will also find their debt more difficult to service.

For China, the rising dollar is exacerbating capital outflows and tightening liquidity, shaking markets that had enjoyed a period of relative stability for most of 2016. Chinese bond markets plunged in reaction to December’s Fed meeting, at which the U.S. central bank decided to lift rates and signaled several more boosts. Chinese regulators injected money to allay a possible credit squeeze, while stocks also fell.

China’s central bank has also had to drain $300 billion of its reserves in the first three quarters of the year, more than it spent in all of 2015, as it fought to slow the yuan’s decline against the dollar. China’s currency is down 4.3% against the dollar since October, falling to a record low. Other emerging-market currencies have been hit far worse: the Turkish lira is off nearly 15% in the last three months of the year.

Expectations of fiscal stimulus under President-elect Donald Trump “have absolutely re-energized the dollar,” said Alan Ruskin, head of G10 foreign exchange strategy at Deutsche Bank. “This is a major shift in policy dynamics.”

The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which measures the dollar against a basket of 16 currencies, rose 3.1% in 2016 on a late-year surge against the euro, yen and emerging markets.

Roughly 60% of clients surveyed by Citigroup believe the dollar will be either “moderately higher” or “sharply higher” against developed and emerging market currencies next year.

Some worry, however, Mr. Trump’s proposals on infrastructure spending and tax cuts may not come to fruition. And past fiscal expansions have had mixed effects on the U.S. currency.

The ICE Dollar Index rallied more than 80% between 1981 and 1985, driven by a mix of fiscal stimulus pushed through by then-President Ronald Reagan and a series of rate increases by the Federal Reserve in the decade’s early years.

But tax cuts under President George W. Bush failed to boost the dollar in the 2000s, as they were accompanied by a dovish Fed and uncertain equity markets, a Deutsche Bank report said.

Investors also expect the Fed to keep a close eye on the currency’s ascent, and raise rates at a slower pace if the dollar’s rally appears to be bruising the U.S. economy.

Thanos Bardas, a portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman overseeing $255 billion, said he took profits in December on bets that the dollar will rise against the yen, wary that the U.S. currency has risen too quickly in a short period of time.

“The markets have an extremely rosy outlook,” he said. “The smart trade is to trust but verify.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/re-energized-dollar-looms-over-the-rest-of-the-world-1483272003

12/31/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Obama’s Cold War Directive Shuts Two Russian Country Clubs In US For Spies

Secret world of Russian spies living in the US has been revealed after Obama lifted the lid on two ‘spy bases’
The Maryland property is a luxurious, 45-acre compound just 30 minutes’ drive from Washington D.C.
There have been suspicions about the property since it was bought by the Soviet government in 1972
Other compound reported to have been shut down by is Killenworth on the North Shore of Long Island
Used as a vacation retreat by Soviet diplomats and personnel who were stationed at the United Nations
President ordered operatives out of the country as part of sanctions for their alleged role in hacking Thursday

Why Was This House In Maryland.

The ultra-luxurious secret world of Russian spies living in the United States has been revealed, complete with million-dollar mansions, ‘vodka parties’ and sprawling estates.

The lifestyles were uncovered after President Barack Obama lifted the lid on two ‘spy bases’ and ordered operatives out of the country as part of sanctions announced for their alleged role in hacking during the election.

Obama outlined the punishments in a statement released on Thursday, for what he said were the country’s attempts to ‘interfere with democratic governance’ and harassment of U.S. diplomatic officials in Russia.

The President all but named Putin in his statement – saying hacking was ‘ordered at the highest level’.

In the hours since the announcement, further details on the extravagant Russian compounds have emerged, after White House officials said they are: ‘recreational but also used for intelligence activities’.

The Maryland property is a luxurious, 45-acre compound that is located in Pioneer Point, according to The Washington Post.

It is believed to have been used as a vacation spot for Russian diplomats looking to get away, though there have long been suspicions it was used for much more nefarious means as well.

This Is A NY Spy House For Russia. Why are they here?

The compound is just 30 minutes’ drive from Washington D.C., and is believed to have been a center for espionage.

There have been suspicions about the property since it was bought by the Soviet government in 1972.

The sprawling property hosts a brick mansion that has now been converted into 12 apartments, as well as a dozen cottages, each with four apartments. In total, the compound can accommodate 40 families at a time.

Photographer Gary Landsman went inside the lavish home, snapping shots of exactly what it was like behind closed doors. The compound featured massive dining rooms, one with bright red walls, impeccably decorated lounge rooms and entertaining areas, as well as a carefully landscaped garden.

Former Russian ambassador Yuri Ushakov – who was in the position from 1999 to 2008 – and his family officially called the complex home for a time, according to Washington Life magazine. The ‘dacha’ as the magazine called it, also has a hunting lodge that was used to ‘host special visitors’.

‘No one really hunts but that’s what we call it,’ Ushakov told the magazine while laughing at the time of the interview.

The magazine said the compound was also home to: ‘Anatoly Dobrynin, who was the Soviet ambassador during the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations until he returned to Moscow in 1986.’

Russian activity at Killenworth has been controversial since it has long been rumored to house Soviet spies.

In 1982, the local council clashed with the State Department after it banned Russian diplomats from the beach as retaliation for what they said was Moscow’s spying on Long Island defense industries, according to The New York Times.

Local officials objected to the Soviets enjoying tax exempt status on the home, which deprived Glen Cove of revenue that it usually generated from property taxes.

The Glen Cove City Council angrily told the Reagan administration that it was ‘still offended that the Soviets are here spying and not paying taxes, and a little offended by the callousness, condescension and almost browbeating coming from Washington.’

Some have reacted angrily to the news that the American government allowed the spy bases to remain operational, without informing locals.

‘Even scarier, I live down the road from the compound,’ Maryland resident Billy Ross wrote.

‘I’ve been living on Eastern Shore of Maryland for just over two years now,’ Chris Sabas, who did not know about the alleged base, wrote.

‘This is like 20 minutes from my house,’ Julia Girasole said of the Maryland compound.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4074720/Inside-luxury-resorts-Russian-spies-roamed-free-decades.html

12/28/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

LGBT and Transgender Freaks Mad Because Boy Scouts Says Boys and Girls Are Different

I don't want this freak near my children DAMIT. — I don’t want this freak near my children DAMIT.

The Boy Scouts of America once again landed under the harsh glare of the media spotlight for their policies on LGBT children.

Recently, a woman from New Jersey has been speaking to local media about how her transgender son was removed from his local Boy Scout troop because of his gender identity.

Kristie Maldonado, of Secaucus, N.J., told the Record newspaper that none of the children in Cub Scout Pack 87 had a problem with her 8-year-old son’s participation — but their parents did.

“Not one of the kids said, ‘You don’t belong here,’” she said.

Back in the old days we knew the difference between boys and girls. Not anymore.

Her son, Joe, said, “I had a sad face, but I wasn’t crying. I’m way more angry than sad. My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. It’s right to do.”

The brouhaha finds the Boy Scouts in familiar territory in which the LGBT community and its allies take issue with traditional institutions they consider to be antiquated and in need of reform. To these advocates, a ban on transgender membership is a discriminatory policy and should not be tolerated.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts prepare to lead marchers while waving rainbow-colored flags at the 41st annual Pride Parade in Seattle in June 2015, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide. (Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP)

Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, a leading transgender rights nonprofit, said the Cub Scouts is not the place where children should be taught to discriminate. Instead, she said, they should be taught about discrimination and how to welcome people.

“This child seems like so smart and awesome. We’ve seen this a million times in schools and Cub Scouts: It’s always parents claiming to speak for their children,” Keisling told Yahoo News. “C’mon, it’s an 8-year-old. Let kids be kids.”

Keisling, who was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout in her youth, said it’s sad that the Boy Scouts did not learn their lesson after excluding gay people. She said it’s great that the Boy Scouts recognize that gay rights and transgender rights are two different issues, but also highlighted what she considers their similarities.

“I’ll tell you what’s the same about them: whether or not you’re an inclusive, welcoming organization or a stuck-in-the-past exclusionary, unwelcoming organization, the Boy Scouts seem set on being the latter,” she said.

The Boys Scouts grant youth membership to boys who are in first through fifth grades or between 7 and 10 years old, and revealed — amid the controversy — that the group defers to the child’s biological sex as recorded on his or her birth certificate.

When contacted by Yahoo News, the Boy Scouts of America shared a statement from the director of communications, Effie Delimarkos, declaring that Joe does not meet the organization’s requirements for eligibility.

“If needed, we defer to the information provided for an individual’s birth certificate and their biological sex,” Delimarkos said. “Scouting teaches its youth members and adult leaders to be respectful of other people and individual beliefs.”

The Boy Scouts are no strangers to controversy over gay rights. The group’s previous bans on gay adults and children on joining the organization generated tremendous outrage as the nation increasingly embraced liberal perspectives on LGBT issues.

But Joe’s removal is likely to be the first high-profile case of someone being removed from a troop because of gender identity.

In May 2013, the Boy Scouts’ national council voted to remove the ban on membership for gay youth. This was followed two years later with the organization lifting its ban on openly gay adult leaders.

According to Delimarkos, the group was unaware that the child was not born with male biological sex characteristics when the family started the registration process for Cub Scouts.

“During this process, it was brought to our attention that their child does not meet the eligibility requirements to participate in this program, so Boy Scouts of America [BSA] leadership reached out to the family to inform them and share information on alternative programs,” Delimarkos said.

The group suggested that the family could look into the organization’s co-ed programs, such as Learning for Life, STEM Scouts and Venturing.

A spokesperson for the Scouts for Equality advocacy organization said the organization is deeply disappointed in the decision to remove Joe from scouting and hope that it will be reversed quickly.

“This is the first time a youth has been removed from the BSA because of his gender identity, and the BSA now finds itself at a pivotal moment as an organization,” the spokesperson said via email. “We hope they will choose to be on the right side of history. Joe is not the first openly transgender Cub Scout, and he will not be the last. We urge BSA president Randall Stephenson to take immediate action to end this discrimination before it’s codified into a formal policy.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-scouts-on-transgender-youths-we-defer-to-birth-certificates-175737451.html

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