Trump’s Secret Saudi Nuclear Tech Transfer

Secretary of Energy Rick “Oops” Perry secretly authorized seven U.S. companies to export nuclear energy technology and services to Saudi Arabia. This came to light last week when Mr. Perry testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Trump Adminstration has been working on these deals in secret for over a year, without consulting Congress, which is not pleased.

Hey, what could possibly go wrong?

More:

“Trump administration authorized nuclear energy companies to share technological information with Saudi Arabia,” Steven Mufson, Washington Post

“If You Cannot Trust Saudis With Bone Saw, Says US Lawmaker, ‘You Should Not Trust Them With Nuclear Weapons,'” Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams

“A Saudi nuclear deal is causing lawmakers from both parties to worry,” Rachel Oswald, Roll Call

Updates:

“Report: Saudi Arabia Making Brisk Progress on Experimental Nuclear Reactor,” Tom McKay, Gizmodo

“Why Is President Trump Attempting to Build Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Energy Program?” Kate Wheeling, Pacific Standard

______________

Short Link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-sUw

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

The Secret Chambers of King Tut’s Tomb

Remember when Egypt experts were “90 percent positive” that there’s a secret hiding place in King Tut’s tomb, maybe Nefertiti’s burial chamber?

Oops. A third radar scan conclusively shows there are no additional chambers behind its walls.

More:

“In King Tut’s Tomb, Hope For Hidden Chambers Is Crushed By Science,” Vanessa Romo, NPR

“There’s No Secret Chamber Behind King Tut’s Tomb, Investigation Concludes,” George Dvorsky, Gizmodo

________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-rC5

Image by Mike Licht (with apologies to Nicolas Reeves). Download copies here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Just A Dream

“Just a Dream,” by Nelly, joined here by vocalist Sherine.

__________________________

Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-nMJ

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

King Tut’s Secret Chamber

Scientists using ground-penetrating radar and x-ray specs have discovered two secret chambers in the tomb of ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun. One is thought to be be the burial place of Queen Nefertiti and the other is clearly King Tut‘s Man Cave:

Refugees

Thousands of desperate Syrians are fleeing their war-torn homeland for Europe, and Europeans react with grief or fear or shame or sympathy. But while their governments may be slow to help the new arrivals, families and churches are not:

“Germans Open Their Homes To Refugee Roommates,” Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News

“Why Austrians are opening their homes to refugees,” Maddy French, Aljazeera

“Activist convoy picks up migrants,” BBC News

“Amid unabated refugees crisis, pope calls on parishes to take in families,” Anthony Faiola and Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post

“Migrant crisis: the volunteers stepping in to help,” Joel Gunter, BBC News

“Finnish PM offers his home to asylum seekers,” Umut Uras, Aljazeera

“Bayern Munich donate $1.1 million to help refugees,” Tom McGowan, CNN

“Pope: Vatican will shelter 2 families fleeing war, hunger,” Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press

“Chile mulls plan to take in Syrian refugees,” Reuters via Jerusalem Post

“IOC sets up $2m fund for refugee crisis,” Aljazeera

“City of Sanctuary: Bristol rallies to help refugees as aid network swells,” Alexandra Topping, The Guardian

“Icelandic generosity could potentially help thousands of Syrian refugees,” Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post

“Munich mayor: I don’t think about numbers, only refugees’ safety,” Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian

“Google donates €1 million to help refugees in need,” Mark Wilson, BetaNews

“No ‘upper limit’ on number of refugees Ireland will take,” Sarah Bardon, Irish Times

“Australia ready to take more refugees from Syria, Tony Abbott says,” Sydney Morning Herald

“Some Israelis want to take in Syrian refugees. Netanyahu says no.” Ruth Eglash, Washingtton Post

“Syrian refugees challenge us to be better,” Tim Rogers, Fusion

The Google Camel

How do you take Google Street View photos of the Arabian desert? You can’t cruise the dunes in a camera-mounted car without damaging the delicate sand structures, so you put your camera on a camel. A female dromedary, actually (one hump, not two) named Raffia.

Laptop of Doom

A unit from a moderate Syrian rebel force raided an ISIS hideout earlier this year and found a Dell laptop. It appears to have belonged to a former Tunisian university student who dropped out to fight for the Islamic State in Syria. Documents hidden on the hard drive indicated the owner was trying to teach himself how to weaponize bubonic plague.

Is this an active threat? It sounds pretty grave, but this is a drop-out we’re talking about …

More:

“Found: The Islamic State’s Terror Laptop of Doom,” Harald Doornbos and Jenan Moussa, Foreign Policy

“Recovered ISIS Laptop Reveals Terror Group’s Bio-Warfare Plans,” Andrew Tarantola, Gizmodo

_____________

Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-jQt

Image (“Blogging the Dunes, after René Péan) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Becoming Sumo

Sumo wrestler Ōsunaarashi Kintarō (大砂嵐金太郎) was born Abdelrahman Shalan in Egypt. In 2011 he came in third place at an international junior championship and moved to Tokyo to become a pro Sumo wrestler. His ring name means “Great Sandstorm.” After a 7–0 performance in a recent tournament, he advanced to the jūryō division. In July he will compete in a 15-day tournament while he fasts during Ramadan.

KFC Cancels Syria’s Order

“In 2006, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened Syria’s first American restaurant in Damascus. The franchise weathered more than two and a half years of war, but this month, it became one of the last foreign businesses in the country to close its doors.”

 — Adam Heffez, “What KFC’s Exit From Syria Says About the Country’s Horrifying Food Crisis,” The Atlantic

___________________

Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-hJm

Image (“Arabian Delights, after Ludwig Deutsch”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Gohmert Claims American War Hero Supports Al Qaeda

The Honorable The Congress-Clown representing the Piney Woods of East Texas, Louie Gohmert (R, TX-1), claims that fellow Republican Senator John McCain (R-AZ) supports al Qaeda terrorists. You may recall that Senator McCain flew a Navy jet during the Vietnam Conflict and was shot down and held as a prisoner of war for 6 years in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison. Mr. Gohmert is also a distinguished veteran, having gallantly served as a peace-time defense lawyer at Fort Benning in the perilous jungles of Columbus, Georgia.

Senator McCain had, in fact, traveled to Syria and met with rebels, but they were the U.S.-backed Northern Storm Brigade, a faction often attacked by al Qaeda affiliated groups. Not that facts have ever concerned Louie Gohmert.