Thursday, July 20, 2017

Have you been paying attention to the other scandal? The Trump unmasking investigation...

via Free Beacon.
Former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power's involvement in the unmasking by former Obama administration officials of sensitive national security information is raising red flags over what insiders view was an attempt by the former administration to undermine President Donald Trump and key figures on his team, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the situation.

Power appears to be central to efforts by top Obama administration officials to identify individuals named in classified intelligence community reports related to Trump and his presidential transition team, according to multiple sources.

The names of Trump allies in the raw intelligence reports were leaked to the press in what many in Congress and the current administration claim is an attempt by Obama allies and former officials to damage the White House.

The House Intelligence Committee, which is spearheading the investigation into these efforts, has issued subpoenas for Power and other top Obama administration figures, including former national security adviser Susan Rice, as part of congressional efforts to determine the source of these leaks.

Power's role in this unmasking effort is believed to be particularly questionable given her position as the U.N. ambassador, a post that does not typically require such sensitive unmasking activities, according to former U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter.

"Unmasking is not a regular occurrence—absolutely not a weekly habit. It is rare, even at the National Security Council, and ought to be rarer still for a U.N. ambassador," according to one former senior U.S. official who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.
Story here.

Everyone was making excuses saying people were crazy for thinking that former Obama administration officials had the long knives out for Trump.

What were they smoking?

Where I went wrong is that I thought they kept it close to the inner circle. To think that Susan Powers was the primary is both interesting and troubling. The scheme probably extended all the way thru the administration to include many civil servants that remain in place.

The deep state is real.

Pic of the day. Spanish Army Centauro (VRC-105) and Tigre Attack Helicopter on exercise!


Amphibious Assault School Battalion...We Make The Marine Corps Amphibious - vid by Lance Cpl. Dylan Chagnon

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Mark this under weird news. Cop captures himself on bodycam planting evidence.

via Gizmodo.
On Tuesday, Baltimore news outlets shared footage from a January drug bust where an officer appeared to record himself planting drugs he would later say belonged to a suspect. The video, posted by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, is staggering:
Story here. 

I am speechless.

No one can be this stupid. Why would a cop carry around baggies with crack inside?

I want the whole story on this one.

Fitness Tips. What to take, what to avoid...

Yeah guys...hitting another period of "enhanced" workouts so I've been checking the web for the latest and greatest on supplements.  Check out the article I found (below) that gives some of the skinny on what works and doesn't.
Sorting Out Fitness Supplements

There are many different fitness supplements on the market. There are also many claims about these supplements. Some of them are wonderful and can do wonders for your overall fitness, including boosting your efforts and making it easier for you to build muscle and get in shape. However, there are just as many supplements that are nothing but useless junk. In some cases, there are some that could even be harmful.

If you are considering taking supplements to boost your diet and exercise routine, then you need to get informed before ingesting anything. Taking supplements without doing research can be very bad. In most cases, the worst that will happen is you waste your hard-earned money, but there is also the chance you could harm your body.

Top Options

In general, the top options in supplements are going to be backed by science. They will be natural products that are pure and not mixed with unknown ingredients. They usually feature one main ingredient that is well-researched and proven to help the body in some way. They also are usually the most popular items you hear top weightlifters and athletes are using. However, not every supplement that fits these criteria will be genuine, so here are a few you can trust.

Protein powder, which is quite popular in the gym, is a perfectly fine supplement. It uses science-backed ideology. Protein is an essential build block in the body for strong and healthy muscles. In your daily diet, you may not be eating enough protein, so supplementing with a powder is a good way to go. Protein can assist with building and repairing muscles.

Creatine is another great option. It is touted as being the best choice. If you only take one supplement, then this is the one to choose. It is well-researched and has many proven benefits. It can aid with endurance, muscle repair, strength, and building. It is a natural product and produced in the body, but diet alone often doesn't allow for enough production, so you can supplement.

Beta-Alanine is an amino acid that is not created by the body. However, it does get created in the body through certain reactions. To boost the beta-alanine in your body, you can supplement. This has been shown to help with preventing muscle fatigue, which can enable you to workout stronger and longer.

Ones to Avoid

As pointed out by Supplement Critique, there are some supplements that are little more than junk. These are often touted in fake news articles as being the easiest and best way to build muscle and lose weight. They are often written about in a way that suggests top athletes use them, even though this is completely false. They are sold using tricky methods and deceptive fake news reports. Generally, when it comes to supplements, if it seems too good to be true, then it is. You will never be able to take a pill and magically become fit. It always takes work. Here's a look at three top culprits trying to trick you into believing they are amazing supplements.

Acai Berry has been seen online a lot. It has been stated that it is a miracle weight loss drug. However, there is no science to back this up. Furthermore, there is no proof. Millions of people took this supplement with no results.

Gardenia Cambogia is another supplement that was said to produce amazing results. Just as with the acai berry, it is worthless. There is no science behind it. It also doesn't work as proven by the many people who fell victim to the deceptive ads.

Green coffee extract seems like it is a good supplement. It comes from coffee beans and contains caffeine, which has been proven to help with weight management. However, it hasn't been shown to be effective, and any research into it was done by the people selling it.

When it comes to supplements, you should look at them as something to help, not a solution. Any supplement making outrageous claims is likely fake. You always have to work to get healthy and build muscles. It won't happen from taking a pill, which should be obvious. If that was really possible, then everyone would look great and obesity would be a thing of the past. So, choose your supplements carefully and watch out for the signs of a bad supplement.
Personally I'm amazed.  Gardenia Cambogia is the latest "hotness" and almost every female I know is drinking that stuff down like it's water. Can't wait to tell them that it's worthless!  Same with green coffee extract.

Could all these people be operating under a placebo effect and just fooling themselves into believing that it works?

Regardless its good to know that protein and creatine does the job, 'cause they're staples in my supplement line up.

Blast and cruise guys, blast and cruise....turn up the volume on your workouts and then turn it down a bit but keep churning...that's how you keep from burning out as we chase the fitness thing!

Chinese Type 52 shows up off the coast of the UK!


via Defense Aerospace.
 The Royal Navy scrambled a warship to shadow a Chinese flotilla as it steamed through the English Channel on route to meet Russian vessels for manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea.

The trio of Chinese warships passed through the Strait of Dover under the watch of the HMS Richmond, a Type 23 frigate, at the weekend.

They then headed across the North Sea, where they were spotted being escorted by Dutch vessels earlier this week ahead of manoeuvres with Vladimir Putin’s navy which begin on Friday. 
Story here. 

Nothing to see here.  Just the Chinese Navy morphing within the blink of an eye from being a brown water joke into a true blue water behemoth.

But ignore that.  Continue with the Russia is coming insanity instead of focusing on the real threat.

"I may be stupid, but I know when I'm being had," ...French Army Chief resigns over budget cuts!

via UPI
French military chief Gen. Pierre de Villiers resigned Wednesday after a public clash with President Emmanuel Macron over defense funding.

De Villiers, upset by $980 million in proposed defense budget cuts, said in a statement that he could no longer command an army that's "necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people."

At a parliamentary committee meeting last week, de Villiers said he would not allow the French armed forces to be "screwed" by budget cuts.

"I may be stupid, but I know when I'm being had," he said.

Macron responded in a meeting with military leaders on Friday that, "I am your president," and encouraged loyalty and acceptance of his directions.

De Villiers, in a later Facebook post, did not name Macron but commented, "No one deserves to be blindly followed."

Macon was criticized by some for his public dressing down of his country's chief of military staff.

De Villiers' resignation comes before France faces its first military crisis under Macron, who was elected in June.
Story here. 

Sea Dragon 2025 weapon systems and gear .... pic by Lance Cpl. Justin X. Toledo

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, execute firing drills utilizing their Sea Dragon 2025 weapon systems and gear during a live-fire range at Range G-6, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 12, 2017. 

All this is beyond cool but I wonder.  How much does all this weigh?  For every weight reduction effort the Marine Corps starts they always seem to add it back with some newly found requirement.

They're trying hard but I just don't think the code will be cracked on weight until someone gets pure medieval about the issue.  Squad support vehicles might carry rucks and baseplates but if your first and second line gear is still approaching 50 plus pounds you're still dealing with a hefty load.

Turkey deploys artillery to Qatar via Jane's 360


Story here.

Is this thing going beyond saber rattling?  I still can't figure out the endgame here.  I just can't see a shooting war breaking out, but Zero Hedge is saying that the real issue is over natural gas so maybe its just that critical.

Who knows.  There are some serious games being played in the Middle East and everyone seems to be on the verge of going full retard.

Australian Defence Force’s Amphibious Ready Group (vid)



What exactly are they talking about when they say "Amphibious Ready Group"?

The Aussies bought a couple of surplus Brit LPDs if I recall correctly so are they planning on combining them with the LHDs and putting half their Army on them?

If true that's interesting.

One thing I failed to consider is that the Aussies have enough amphibious capability to float almost 2 battalions if I'm counting correctly.  It would be high density but its possible.

Excuse me.  Time to take a hard look at Australian amphibious ships, see what their loadout is and how they plan on using their forces.

Your Daily Motivational. 0311 and Proud!

Thanks to Terrence for the link!


0311 and Proud.
Do I look like I’m enjoying it?

Hell, yeah! There’s no amount of time, money, wine or women that I would trade for being an 0311. Earning the title of Marine was cool and all that and I’m proud to be a Marine but I swear to the ghost of Chesty Puller and Dan Daly that being an 0311 is the best job in the world.

Where can you shoot guns, drink endlessly, hang out with all your closest friends, rip cigs, party, workout, hate yourself and everything around and still somehow laugh about it?

That’s right, being a damn 0311. For me being an 0311 was like being a member of a cult. An underpaid, oversexed, overworked, overseas cult.

The worst times I had (that last picture was definitely high on the list) were the best moments of my life. -35 and the worst blizzard to hit Hokkaido in 20 years? Bring it on Mother Nature, get ready to piss your panties ’cause nothing is holding us back. 130 degrees of hellish heat? They call us Devil Dogs for a reason, we come from what your nightmares are made of. Might as well call me Noah because I’ve been through 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

You might ride in a car everywhere you go but I’ll be reppin’ them brown Cadillacs.
Go here to read it all!  YOU MUST read this all....good stuff! 

Open Comment Post. July 19, 2017