Daily Archives: April 17, 2017

US must strike deal with North Korea to stop WW3 but ‘nobody knows what Kim wants’ – Express.co.uk

Posted: April 17, 2017 at 1:02 pm

But any diplomatic agreement seems unlikely as no one knows what hermit leader Kim Jong-un actually wants, Bill Richardson said.

North Korea's defiance to carry out missile tests should be of grave concern to the whole world, Mr Richardson chillingly warned.

The United States and South Korea today launched a joint air force military exercise in response to the reclusive nationals provocations over recent weeks.

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He doesnt talk to anybody, he just conducts a lot of missile tests

Bill Richardson

The US says it is also working on a range of options with China, Pyongyangs sole ally, to find a solution to end the current crisis.

However, even with Americas ability to align itself with the Chinese, a former US diplomat warns it may not be enough to stop North Koreas crackpot leader.

Speaking on Radio 4 on Monday, Bill Richardson said: China is moving in the direction of pressuring North Korea a lot more than it has in the past and it may make a small difference.

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I believe its going to take a deal between the United States and North Korea to bring the missile tests to a standstill, perhaps a moratorium involving South Korea, Japan.

A multi-party deal that in exchange for a moratorium, North Korea might get some energy assistance, maybe some lifting of sanctions, some humanitarian assistance.

Mr Richardson, who has visited the reclusive nation eight times and negotiated prisoner release talks, warned of the risks dealing with the unpredictable Kim Jong-un.

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You dont know what he wants, he continued. He doesnt talk to anybody, he just conducts a lot of missile tests, nuclear weapons tests.

So its a very uncertain, a very unstable situation in the Korean peninsula that should be a concern for the entire international community.

North Koreahas held a series of large-scale parades in the past week, including a huge celebration and military ceremony on Saturday.

And on Sunday, the secretive state carried its latest missile test which failed after an explosion was heard seconds after launch.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 US airmen and fighter jets partnered with the South Korean Air Force in a joint training exercise on Monday, according to Pacific Command.

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Codenamed Max Thunder, the allies undertook the military exercise in an effort to ensure theyre ready to combat the Norths provocations.

Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, 7th Air Force commander, said: Exercise Max Thunder serves as an invaluable opportunity for US and South Korean forces to train together shoulder-to-shoulder and sharpen tactical skills vital to the defence and security of the Korean Peninsula.

This exercise will rigorously test our aerial combat capability and highlights the ironclad commitment between the U.S. and (South Korea), and the multifaceted capabilities we possess in this theatre.

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WW3 weapons: Donald Trump’s deadly arsenal that could WIPE OUT North Korea – Daily Star

Posted: at 1:02 pm

DONALD Trump has just dropped the Mother of All Bombs and these are some of the deadly weapons he could use to wipe out North Korea.

America launched its most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever to obliterate ISIS militants in a cave in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

Some 36 jihadis were killed by the Massive Ordinance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) just months after Trump vowed to bomb the s*** out of ISIS.

It is the second time he has flexed his military muscles in just over a week after launching 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian airbase.

His huge U-turn came as revenge for Syrias chemical attack which saw 79 adults and children choke to death in suspected sarin gas attack.

With war tensions raging between America, North Korea and Russia in the past few weeks, these are just some of the weapons Trump has in his back pocket.

As Donald Trump has promised to start an arms race, we take a look at the futuristic weapons being developed for the US military.

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The Lockheed Martin HULC is an exoskeleton that allows soldiers to carry loads of up to 200lbs for long distances

The pressure would send shockwaves through the tunnel systems and would kill everyone

Nuclear weapons

As of last year America had an arsenal of just over 4,000 nuclear warheads ready for use against enemy states and around 2,800 set to be dismantled.

And Trump has the power to launch a nuke strike in just four minutes.

After being inaugurated, he was given the nuke codes printed on a small, credit-card size plastic tab which are kept in a briefcase named the nuclear football and carried by a security official by the president's side.

In the event of an attack Trump must call a press conference with his advisers but it can last as little as four seconds and only the President has the final say.

Expert Dr Alan Mendoza, from the Henry Jackson Society, told Daily Star Online: "Its the presidents choice at the end of the day. If he says were going in then youre going in."

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Tomahawk missiles

Trumps Tomahawks rained down on an Syrian airfield last week after being launched from a warship in the Mediterranean sea.

The missile is known for its precision and ability to reduce collateral damage something that was vital given the risk of hitting Syrian civilians or Russian fighters.

The US army is continually working to improve and update the Tomahawk, which is often the first weapon used in an attack.

Some $439 million has been requested by the Navy to develop the software to be able to launch a Tomahawk attack effectively on a moving maritime target.

Weighing around 3,500lb the missiles can travel at speeds of up to 550mph with a range of more than 900 miles.

And theyve been used for decades by the US army in Iraq and Libya.

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While tourists are free to visit the secretive state as part of strictly controlled tour groups, they are told to never take photos of soldiers by their handlers. These images taken by photographer Eric Lafforgue show the truth behind North Korean military service: a life of hard physical labour with the perks of visits to the nation's capital

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Many soldiers are used as a labor force to compensate for the ineffective North Korean economy, so the army is not only about military organization.

AH-64 Apache helicopter

Dubbed one of the best weapons in America's land force, the Apache is a force to reckoned with.

Armed with Hellfire missiles, a cannon and advanced sensors, the helicopter combines speed, accuracy and fire power to wipe out enemies.

But the Apache could have competition, with developers planning a new attack chopper which is quieter, faster and has a longer range.

Skorksy Boeing has released a new CGI video of his Sb>1 Defiant as part of the bid to introduce a next generation of helicopters to the US army.

Originally introduced to the US in 1986, the Apache has been a key weapon in Afghanistan, Iran and the Gulf War.

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Virginia-class Attack Submarine

At 377 feet long and 34 feet deep, this submarine is classed as one of the most successful weapons programmes of the post cold-war period.

It's equipped with a dozen Tomahawk missile and torpedo launchers, as well as the most developed sonar technology around.

America has vowed to aggressively increase the size of its fleet of Virginia-Class Attack Submarines to keep up with Russia and China's submarine boom.

The newest submarine technology has just undergone sea trials, with the shipbuilders Newport News saying the new designs performed "exceptionally well".

The company said: "The submarine submerged for the first time and operated at high speeds on the surface and underwater.

"Washington will undergo a round of acceptance trials before delivery to the Navy."

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MQ-9 Reaper drone

Experts say the US is the leading nation in drone weapons after a decade of innovation in design and technology.

From stealth drones to to high altitude surveillance drones, America has been relentless in its pursuit of the latest drone warfare.

But drone strikes have been surrounded by controversy since their use in the War on Terror, with many innocent civilians killed as a result.

The US has retired its MQ-1 Predator, used since the Balkan wars in the mid-1990s, and replaced it with the more powerful MQ-9 Reaper drone.

The Reaper can carry four Hellfire missiles for 1,150 miles and hit top speeds of 230mph.

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The Mother of All Bombs

The MOAB, also known as Massive Ordinance Air Blast Bomb,outweighs both the Little Boy atomic bomb which devastated Hiroshima in 1945 and the Fat Man which destroyed Nagasaki days later.

Once it hits, the MOAB unleashes a devastating fireball that incinerates anything within 30 feet.

In the seconds after the bomb hit the tunnel in Afghanistan, all air would have been sucked out leaving ISIS terrorists suffocating to death as their lungs imploded.

Finally a fiery shockwave would radiate outwards for up to a mile, destroying everything and everyone in its path.

Thursday marked the first time the MOAB had been used in combat, in an unprecedented show of force from America against ISIS.

Military analyst Col Rick Francona said that it would "feel like a nuclear weapon to those in the area".

He said: "The pressure would send shockwaves through the tunnel systems and would kill everyone."

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End of times is near! Mystic who predicted Trump’s presidency reveals exact day of World War 3 – TUKO.CO.KE

Posted: at 1:02 pm

- Man who predicted Trumps reign predicts exact date WW3 will explode

- Horacio Villegas claims he is the true messenger of God

- Interesingly, he predicted Trumps attack on Syria before it actually happened

- He believes Trump will lead the world into WW3. But when?

The mystic man who in 2015 accurately predicted that Donald John Trump would become Americas 45th president has made yet another mind-boggling prediction.

Horacio Villegas, a self-proclaimed messenger of God, has predicated when World War Three (WW3) will start and end and who will be fighting.

According to Villegas, President Trump will become the king of Illuminati and will play key role in the looming WW3.

READ ALSO: Preparing for the APOCALYPSE! See where world's super rich leaders will meet Jesus Christ (photos)

Horacio Villegas predicts date of World War 3.

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Interestingly, Villegas also reportedly predicted that President Trump will attack Syria, just before it happened last week.

Villegas further claims that the attack on Syria would eventually draw Russia, North Korea and China into the bloody conflict.

He predicts that May 13 will mark the day WW3 will begin. It will be on the 100th anniversary visitation of Our Lady of Fatima (the Virgin Mary) and mother of Jesus Christ.

The main message that people need to know in order be prepared is that between May 13th and October 13 2017, this war will occur and be over with much devastation, shock and death! Villegas claims.

Villegas, who reportedly relies on prophets, philosophies and bible references in his studies, also predicts that there will be a false flag that will lead to a spate of devastating attacks carried out under incorrect information. These attacks, he claims, will occur between April 13 and May 13 and will include North Korea and Syria.

After the US bombed Syria last week and dropped what CNN described as the mother of all bombs on Afghanistan, Villegas predicts North Korea is next on target list.

As to whether or not these wars will escalate into full blown world war, only time will tell.

READ ALSO: We all die in 2017! Natural disasters, earthquakes and solar eclipses will DESTROY Earth Christians claim

Watch video of the 'mother of all bombs' dropped in Afghanistan:

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End of times is near! Mystic who predicted Trump's presidency reveals exact day of World War 3 - TUKO.CO.KE

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Bureau of Sabotage Set to Rock for Resistance at Bicycle Day and Beyond – PopMatters

Posted: at 1:02 pm

The counterculture holiday known as Bicycle Day rolls around on April 19th with 2017 representing the 74-year anniversary of the historic day in 1943 on which Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman first intentionally ingested LSD, after inadvertently discovering the substances mind-bending effects three days prior. Hoffmans surreal bike ride home convinced him that LSD was worth exploring further. The substance would go on to play a pivotal role in human evolution some two decades later when it became a catalyst for the socio-cultural revolution of the 1960s.

The San Francisco Bay Area was a key flashpoint for explorations of higher consciousness, with the trailblazing Acid Test parties held by author Ken Keseys Merry Pranksters and a buzz band named the Grateful Dead giving rise to a cultural wave of spiritual awakening. Many Americans remain unaware of how Uncle Sam played a key role in developing LSDs usage through a secret CIA project codenamed Operation MK-Ultra, which experimented with LSD and other substances on unwitting citizens because the agency saw LSD as useful as a truth serum of sorts and even for potential mind control purposes.

One of the places where such experiments took place was at a VA hospital near Stanford University where Kesey and future Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter were among those who signed up as research volunteers to try experimental drugs for $75 per session under the watch of Stanford scientists. The cosmic cat was soon out of the bag, and the world has never been the same. LSD has continued to influence the awakening of successive generations of youth, despite an oppressive crackdown from Uncle Sam. The psychedelic experience remains a spiritual coming of age ritual, particularly within the improvisational music scene that the Dead pioneered.

The 2017 Bicycle Day event at the Midway in San Francisco will celebrate the heritage of Hoffmans paradigm shifting work with a multi-faceted lineup of artists and musicians headlined by renowned psychedelic artists Alex Gray & Allison Gray, along with new jam rock supergroup Bureau of Sabotage. Just formed in 2017, the quartet features bassist Oteil Burbridge (Dead and Company, Allman Brothers Band), guitarist John Kadlecik (Furthur), keyboardist Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits), and drummer Jeff Franca (Thievery Corporation.) One of the BuSabs first gigs was an Anti-Ball benefit show in Washington D.C. on January 20 where they played in opposition of Donald Trumps inauguration to help raise funds for Planned Parenthood, MoveOn.org, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. With a repertoire heavy on the Grateful Dead, theyre a natural fit for a Bicycle Day show in San Francisco.

PopMatters caught up with Burbridge and Franca last week to talk about Bicycle Day and BuSabs efforts for a musical revolution in the era of Donald Trumps foul domain of greed and avarice. BuSab started because a friend called me about a gig she had for me at Sundance Film Festival this year. I was on the lookout for chances to play with John Kadlecik, so I called him first. We bounced around a few names of cats we wanted and just started calling to see who was free on that date. It was a one-off gig, but the lineup feels so great that were starting to get other offers. What a sad and tragic day. Im so glad I spent it with Bureau of Sabotage, Oteil Burbridge says of the D.C. show, noting that Kadlecik was the one who arranged the gig and who came up with the name of the band. In a lot of ways I feel like a student of John Kadleciks. He knows as much about the Grateful Dead as anyone besides the original members. He knows a lot about a lot of things. What an incredibly intelligent human being he is. Hes one of the most evolved people I have ever met.

Kadlecik, who played alongside Dead bassist Phil Lesh and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir in Furthur from 2009 to 2013, is clearly a savvy fan of visionary political commentary in science fiction. At BuSabs Washington DC show, he explained how the band name comes from stories by Dune author Frank Herbert, in which the Bureau of Sabotage begins as a resistance organization against an out of control government thats become so terrifyingly efficient in cutting red tape that laws are conceived, passed, funded and executed within mere hours, creating a reckless governmental juggernaut that threatens society. The BuSab acts to frustrate the workings of the system to give people a chance to reflect on and deal with changes, ultimately becoming recognized as a necessary check on the power of out of control government.

Burbridge says fans can expect to see the BuSab take risks as they seek to be fully in the moment, following in the tradition of the original Acid Test parties where the fledgling Grateful Dead werent even necessarily required to play. Drummer Jeff Franca concurred, saying People can expect a funky psychedelic set of jams, tunes youve heard before but presented in a different way. He noted that he and Burbridge and Kadlecik first got to play together at the Jungle Jam in Costa Rica last year and that the chemistry was automatic.

When I got the call to play with John and Oteil I was very excited to find out that Aron Magner was going to fill out the band on keys. We all bring our influences to the table to create a fresh take on some classic music, Franca says. He and Burbridge both indicated that theyre eager to check out Alex and Allyson Grey in person at Bicycle Day. I have always loved Alex Greys art. I have done shows where he has spoken and presented his works, but I have never seen him paint live, so that will be cool, Franca says.

I really love what they are doing with the Chapel Of Sacred Mirrors [an art sanctuary and trans-denominational interfaith church founded by the Greys in Wappingers Falls, New York], Burbridge adds. Its so sad to me that there is this antagonism between science and spirituality. But the recent history between the two is what it is and takes some time to work itself out. In my opinion, love and art are two of the best doorways to the mystical. The idea of creating a sacred space that honors all things sacred and mystical through creating art of all varieties is just the coolest thing to me.

Burbridge has made a name for himself playing with some of the top psych-rock outfits in music history, including his current gig filling Phil Leshs shoes alongside original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann in Dead and Company since the fall of 2015. But he says most of his psychedelic experiments were confined to his younger years.

I did the vast majority of my psychedelics when I was 17 to 19 years old. I grew up in a house that was half mystical because of my mom and half atheist because of my dad. From a very young age, Ive had mystical things happen to me like precog dreams. So I didnt need LSD to be shown that theres more to reality than what we can see even with an electron microscope. But it did provide me with some formative philosophical conversations that shaped what I believe even to this day. I always did low dosages with one exception, and that was a really bad experience. Thats what you get when you dont treat it with the proper respect, Burbridge says with a cautionary note, similar to Timothy Learys admonitions about the importance of mindset and setting when engaging in explorations of higher consciousness.

Franca says psychedelics have been more instrumental in learning life lessons than in his musical development and that most of his psychedelic experiences have been as a fan of music, rather than as a performer. Since I was very young, I have always been into trippy music. Growing up I was mainly into Pink Floyd, especially the album Atom Heart Mother. The A-side being an epic symphonic work full of concrete sounds as well as groovy synth work and dark spaces where time seems to stand still. The rest of the songs on the album to me are the final steps of the bridge that connects the more classic psychedelic sound of the Syd Barrett era to the more polished Waters/Gilmore era Floyd, Franca says of the Pink Floyd influence he shares with so many music fans.

When I started taking psychedelics I realized that patterns in nature and visual rhythms are what I find most trippy and that things that were already trippy without the enhanced effects of various substances remained so, but more so made me realize that the creators of the art or music I was into were also experimenting with psychedelics, Franca continues. This is why the 60s era Bay Area sound is interesting to me because the original sounds of Jefferson Airplane and the Warlocks and early Dead were still very in the box production wise, with sounds they were choosing and still heavily based on the blues and rock n roll. I feel like once everybody experienced the more traditional sounding music on psychedelics, they then took those sounds that they heard/felt and started to put them into the production and general musical style of what they were creating from the start.

Regarding the early years of LSD, Burbridge went on to note a recent viewing of a Canadian documentary on Youtube about the birth of LSD and how it was focused on straight looking academics from the the late 40s and 50s trying to find a cure for headaches [something that the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is still working on.]

They said that they realized that there was a great potential to treat things from alcoholism to psychological traumas with it. The military wanted to weaponize it, but the experiments made the troops want to quit the military, so they discontinued it! None of them were down with killing people anymore, Burbridge points out regarding Uncle Sams sad hypocrisy regarding psychedelics. These academics said that is was unfortunate that white culture had no way of integrating it into society. They said the best way to do it would be like Native Americans and other tribal cultures did it, which is through their religion. They said that a religious ceremony that involved trance catalyzed by drums, dance, music, etc., was the most effective way. I thought to myself, Yeah! Like a Grateful Dead concert! What a great honor it is to be such a big part of one of the Wests only psychedelic traditions! I hope to encourage more of the sacred use of it in favor of the use of it for entertainment.

While many artists are gun shy about expressing socio-political sentiments for fear of alienating fans on another side of the political spectrum, Burbridge says hes too angry with the current state of affairs to sit quietly. He offered some insightful sentiments on public affairs that resonate with those of seminal musical truth tellers like John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.

I guess I should be more shy about it, but Im so pissed off. Donald Trump will do whatever the Overlords tell him to do just like Clinton, Bush, Obama and all the rest of them. He went from Drain The Swamp to Cutting Out The Middle Man overnight. Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State? Wow. Remember the Wiki-leak that showed Obama got his entire cabinet handed to him by Citi-Group? Presidents are low in the hierarchy. If they really do the right thing, theyll end up like Kennedy, Burbridge points out in pithy references to 2008 and 1963. Well have a real revolution soon. Ironically, all we have to do is just say no. Say no to killing. If everyone, all the militaries everywhere, did it at the same time then these assholes would have to fight their own wars. I fully support our troops, but Im wholly against the Congress that would send them to kill. I dont trust them. They have a totally different idea of what American Interests constitute than I do.

Just getting warmed up, Burbridge went on to point out some of the contradictions and hypocrisy that have increasingly infected American government over the decades. Im still trying to pin down what America is. If its the government, then I feel no allegiance. That allegiance has to be two-way, and its not anymore. The government is not by or for the people anymore. It might still be of the people but looking at Congress these days you would have to loosen your definition of person . If America means the people of America, then I feel an allegiance to those that want to live in harmony with me. If America means the Constitution, then I have mixed feelings there as well. It used to say that I was only three-fifths of a person. What kind of fucking bullshit is that? Besides, what President abides by the Constitution anymore? None of them. Its all a popularity contest and identity politics these days. Weve been sold out. I do like the idea of the Constitution though. Its great that we used to be able to use the document to make the country live up to it. I fear that possibility doesnt exist anymore.

Franca expressed similar sentiments, making it clear that Bureau of Sabotage is a band of brothers in solidarity for peace. As Fela Kuti twice said, music is our weapon. I am fully on board with that. I believe that we as musicians have a responsibility to document the vibrations of our time here on Earth, musically and culturally. Thievery has always taken a burn Babylon stance in their music. My own project Congo Sanchez also takes that stance with our music and message at our shows. It is very important to me to use the gift that has been given to us as musicians for good and for positive motion. Sometimes that means directly calling out the government because as Oteil will tell you, I am anti-government. Meaning that the people that reside in any specific place are not necessarily in agreeance with their elected government, Franca says. The drummer went on to point out a recent controversial example from the Trump regime.

I was just walking down the street yesterday thinking what a beautiful day. Then I thought about the MOAB bomb and was like damn, Im here walking down the street just for a breath of fresh air while my country is bombing innocent people. I am not bombing anybody myself, but as an American, I am included in that somehow. So we use music to make our stance known and so that free thinkers all across the globe can be aware that we are not the only ones!!

The Bureau of Sabotage is only just beginning their national campaign for musical truth and justice. It will be quite interesting to see how many other musicians and artists will enlist in the creative resistance as the Trump regime cranks up its assault on American democracy and the environment.

Greg M. Schwartz has covered music and pop culture for PopMatters since 2006. He focuses on events coverage with a preference for guitar-driven rock 'n' roll, but has eclectic tastes for the golden age of sound that is the 21st century music scene. He has a soft spot for music with a socially conscious flavor and is also an award-winning investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @gms111, where he's always looking for tips on new bands or under the radar news items.

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Bureau of Sabotage Set to Rock for Resistance at Bicycle Day and Beyond - PopMatters

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What are "Nootropics"? Smart Drug Smarts

Posted: at 1:01 pm

Nootropics is an umbrella term for a class of chemicals some naturally-occurring, some manmade that give cognitive benefits to the human brain.

To get really technical, in order to be a nootropic, a substance must meet five criteria set by Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea, the man who coined the term nootropic. The substance must

This is a pretty hefty list of requirements for any chemical. In fact, anything that meets this full definition, could equally well be called a miracle drug, not just a nootropic.

However, normally when you hear the term nootropickicked around, people really mean a cognitive enhancer something thatdoesbenefit thinking in some way (improved memory, faster speed-of-processing, increased concentration, or a combination of these, etc.), but might not meet the more rigorous definition above. Smart drugs is another largely-interchangeable term.

With this looser definition, discussions about nootropics can range from innocuous everyday substances like caffeine and Omega-3 fatty acids to regulated (and deservedly so) substances like Adderall.

For a more visual definition of nootropics, check out our infographic What Are Nootropics?

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PROGRESS: CF Industries officials glad to be done with major expansion – Sioux City Journal

Posted: at 12:57 pm

SERGEANT BLUFF Greg Kennette only took three days off of work last year, one of which was to witness the birth of his son.

Kennette is the commissioning superintendent for CF Industries. His previous around-the-clock work schedule is similar to the experience of just about everyone who had a hand in building or developing thenitrogen-based fertilizer manufacturer's$2 billion expansion to its Port Neal complex south of Sioux City.

That was everybody, said Nick DeRoos when told about Kennette's schedule. We were out here starting up in the middle of winter, right? Christmas was out here for a lot of people and thats something. The commitment of the people involved in this was just extraordinary.

DeRoos is the general manager of the CF Port Neal complex and served as the project director of the expansion, which at one time was the largest single private capital investment in Iowa history.

Ground broke on the mega expansion in fall 2013 and it required more than 5,300 construction workers to complete. Crews erected 33 new buildings, built a temporary jetty on the Missouri River and added 8.5 miles of rail line over a 350-acre site, which occupies a little more than three times the acreage of CFs original plant south of the expansion.

Some of the most prominent additions are a new administration building, a state-of-the-art shipping and weighing center for trucks, a new ammonia plant, a new granular urea plant and a third-of-a-mile-long granular urea warehouse, which CF officials noted is one of the largest facilities of its type in North America.

The new plants became operational late last year and expand the regional production capabilities of CF, which is based in Deerfield, Illinois.

The ammonia plant, which began production in late November, has operated at about its nameplate capacity of 2,425 tons per day, while the front end of the plant produces carbon dioxide used to manufacture urea in an adjacent plant.

With the additional facilities operations, total annual gross ammonia capacity at the CF complex is now 1.2 million tons, more than triple the 380,000 tons previously. Output from the new ammonia plant will largely be upgraded to urea, and total annual urea capacity at Port Neal is now 1.4 million tons, up from 50,000 tons previously.

DeRoos is excited about the additions and noted his crew is starting to adjust to operating the new facilities.

The guys are getting more accustomed to operating an operating plant versus still starting up the startup is unique, but they want to be operating, he said. They want the plant up, making product, lined out and basically predictable, reliable operations and thats where we're at today.

While CFs large-scale investment in itself is expected to aid the business, it also proved to be a major economic boon for the region during and after construction.

We worked with planning group, Woodbury County and a number of regional municipalities just anticipating that there were going to be some impacts, but the impact was more than we could have imagined at the time, DeRoos said. We didnt fully appreciate the scale of the project that we were doing until we got farther along.

Thousands of the construction workers came from out of state, and DeRoos noted that the taxes collected from the contractors plus the money they spent while here is almost unquantifiablebut significant.

It was good for the whole area; businesses thrived, he said. Our suppliers, we had all kinds of people, businesses in the area helping supply either directly or indirectly the materials and products and even services for the plant.

CF worked with more than 100 local vendors during the expansion and at least 700 local indirect jobs were created to support the endeavor. DeRoos said it was great to see the region come together to complete something this large.

It gave this whole area a great manufacturing facility for years to come, he said.

Additionally, CF brought on 125 new full-time employees to man its upgraded operations, increasing the total workforce of the complex to 270.

The majority of those people are local and they came from all walks of life teachers, accountants, car salesman all kinds of people joined us, DeRoos said of the new hires. The jobs that we are offering are very high-paying jobs.

With one major undertaken complete, CF plans to upgrade the ammonia converter system at its original nitrogen production plant over the next couple of years.

This project will cost about $25 million and require about 500 contractors to complete. Additionally, components of the upgrade are being shipped from Italy and will be barged to the site via the Missouri River this spring.

DeRoos noted its pretty standard for CF to upgrade equipment every couple of years and predicts that within the next decade a turnaround a process where a facility is completely shut down for maintenance activities will be required for the new plants.

However, with the newer project still a few months away, DeRoos still takes solace in the completion of CFs recent 10-digit undertaking.

Were glad its behind us, DeRoos joked. Were thrilled to be making product."

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PROGRESS: CF Industries officials glad to be done with major expansion - Sioux City Journal

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Kivi Park hosts annual CF walk – The Sudbury Star

Posted: at 12:57 pm

The local chapter of Cystic Fibrosis Canada invites Sudbury residents to the Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History at Kivi Park on Sunday, May 28.

Sudburians will join thousands of Canadians on this day as they participate in community walks across the country to celebrate fundraising efforts and support Cystic Fibrosis Canadas mission to end cystic fibrosis. Money raised goes to world-class research and to advocate and support high-quality individualized CF care.

This is the first year the walk will take place at Kivi Park, 4472 Long Lake Rd., and organizers are aiming to increase participation and awareness surrounding this fatal disease that affects children, adolescents and adults.

Kivi Park has more than 300 acres of space, which makes it the ideal location for us, Chantal Filion, president of the local chapter, said. There is more than enough space to accommodate our CF community and supporters, as well as abide by the infection control policy.

People living with CF are at greater risk of getting lung infections than those who dont have the disease. For this reason people living with CF must keep a distance of six feet from each other at all times.

In Canada, it is estimated that one in every 3,600 children born has CF, a disease that has various effects on the body, but mainly on the digestive system and lungs. Currently, there is no cure.

This is the reality for more than 4,100 Canadians who attend specialized CF clinics and the reality for the Filion family in Sudbury.

Filions sister, Megan, is the treasurer of the Sudbury chapter. The sisters have organized the Walk since 2014, during which time they have raised more than $52,000.

Megans daughter, Janessa, was diagnosed with CF at the age of one.

These local fundraising efforts will benefit my family and provide funds for research and care to others who live with CF across Canada, Megan said. Hopefully one day we will find a cure so my daughter and others affected can live a long and healthy life with less worry.

Janessa is 15 now and follows a strict daily routine in order to stay healthy. To keep her lungs clear, airway clearance techniques are administered a few times a day for 20-30 minutes at a time. Janessa must take many medications to ensure her digestive system remains healthy, too. Janessa is in Grade 9 and fortunately is able to attend high school. She visits the CF clinic at Health Sciences North every three months.

Participants will enjoy full use of Kivi Park, although the 3.5 km Green Trail, also known as the Wishing Tree Trail, will be dedicated to the walk.

We are excited to be able to support groups like Cystic Fibrosis Canada and their effort to raise money and awareness about our countrys most common fatal genetic disease, Melissa Sheridan, park leader, said.

The Sudbury Cystic Fibrosis clinic in NEO Kids at Health Sciences North is the only CF clinic in Northern Ontario, attracting patients from as far as Timmins, Sault Ste Marie, Temiskaming and Parry Sound.

According to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry, there are 30 children and 43 adults that attend the clinic in Sudbury.

Catherine Watsons two children, Braeden, 14, and Parker, 8, both live with CF.

Both boys are extremely active in most sports, which can make it that much more difficult for them to cope when not feeling well, she said. They often push through how they are feeling in order to remain active and accomplish what they have set out to do. They are determined not to let cystic fibrosis define the way they live.

The Watson family has attended every CF Walk in Sudbury over the past six years.

Walk day is an emotional day for me especially when you see the large groups of family and friends making their way to the start line, Watson said. The walk is a reminder that we are not alone while dealing with a disease that can be very isolating at times.

The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is at 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 11 a.m. Food and entertainment will follow. To register for the May 28 walk, visit cysticfibrosis.ca/walk.

Sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca

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Kivi Park hosts annual CF walk - The Sudbury Star

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Stock Showing Surging Activity: CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) – HugoPress

Posted: at 12:57 pm

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF)

Goldman Sachs Upgrades CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF)s stock to Buy with no specific Price Target. This rating was issued on 3/20/17. The stock recently closed its previous session at $28.42 by showing a percentage change of -0.7% from its previous day closing price of $28.62.

Price Target is basically a projection of future price of a companys stock by the expert analysis of investment analysts or investment firms. There may be various price targets for a stock. These analysts and investment firms use various valuation methods to decide a price target for a stock.

Several investment firms issued their expert ratings on CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) in which Cowen & Co. Upgrades CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) to Market Perform with no specific Price Target on 1/24/17. UBS Downgrades the stock to Neutral on 1/10/17 by stationing a price target of $35. Barclays Downgrades the companys stock to Equal-Weight on 12/12/16 with no specific Price Target. RBC Capital Downgrades CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) to Underperform with no specific Price Target.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) currently has a consensus Price Target of $32.24. While some analysts have a High Price target for the stock of $42 and a Low Price Target of $24.

Several sell side analysts reviewed their recommendations on CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) where 1 analyst have rated the stock as Strong Buy, 5 analysts said its a Buy, 10 rated the stock as Hold, 1 analysts reported Underperform and 0 analysts gave their recommendations as Sell. (Current Month Yahoo Finance Ratings)

Zacks Investment Research also rated the stock with a value of 3. This scale runs from 1 to 5 where 1 represents Strong Buy and 5 represents Sell.

In the last Quarter, CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) reported its Actual EPS of $-0.39/share. The analysts offering Earnings Estimates for the company were believing that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) could bring EPS of $-0.05/share. The difference between Actual EPS and Estimated EPS was -0.34 Percent. Thus the company showed an Earnings Surprise of -680 Percent.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) has a market capitalization of 6.63 Billion. The stock traded with the volume of 2.7 Million shares in the last trading session. The stock touched its high share price of $36.86 on 01/25/17 and the stock also touched its Lowest price in the last 52-weeks of trading on 08/04/16 as $20.08. The company has a 1 Year high price target of $32.94. The stock is currently trading with a distance of 20-Day Simple Moving Average (SMA20) of -3.47%. The Moving Average SMA50 is -9.41% while SMA200 is 3.11%.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) is currently showing its ROA (Return on Assets) of -1.8%. The Return on Investment (ROI) is at 0.4% while its Return on Equity (ROE) value stands at -7.3%. The stock currently shows its YTD (Year to Date) performance of -8.97 percent while its Weekly performance value is -4.18%. The Monthly and Yearly performances are -1.49 percent and -2.96 percent respectively. The Relative Volume value measured for CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) is 0.52. The Average Volume (3 months) is 5.22 Million.

The stock currently has its Annual Dividend of $1.2 and an annual Dividend Yield of 4.22 Percent. CF has P/E (Price to Earnings ttm) value of 0, Forward P/E of 28.19, P/C (Price to cash per share) of 0 and Price to Free Cash Flow (P/FCF) value of 0. The stock is showing its Operating Margin of -0.9 percent.

Company Profile:

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for the operations of CF Industries, Inc. CF Industries, Inc. is a major producer and distributor of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products. CF Industries operates world-scale nitrogen fertilizer plants in Louisiana and Alberta, Canada; conducts phosphate mining and manufacturing operations in Central Florida; and distributes fertilizer products through a system of terminals, warehouses, and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the midwestern United States.

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Stock Showing Surging Activity: CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) - HugoPress

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Cristiano Ronaldo rested, Gareth Bale out for Real Madrid CF in La Liga clash – Hindustan Times

Posted: at 12:57 pm

Gareth Bale has been ruled out for Real Madrid C.F.s match against Sporting Gijon due to injury while Cristiano Ronaldo has been rested as he prepares for the Champions League.

Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrids trip to Sporting Gijon on Saturday and faces a race against time to be fit for Reals Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Bale had to be replaced for the final half hour of Madrids 2-1 win in Munich on Wednesday after aggravating an ankle injury that saw him miss nearly three months earlier this season.

The Welshman is just one of seven first team regulars not included in Zinedine Zidanes squad with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema also rested.

He will not be with us tomorrow, that is clear, after that we will see, Zidane said on Friday. It is a muscular problem, it is where he had his operation. When he started to play again it has bothered him. It is true that I am concerned. I dont like to see my players injured and even more so in the final straight of the season.

As in recent away games at Eibar and Leganes, Zidane is backing the strength in depth of his squad to get the job done with the second leg against Bayern in mind.

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas is also rested, whilst Dani Carvajal is suspended and central defensive duo Pepe and Raphael Varane miss out due to injury.

Real have made a positive start to a huge April with Barcelona also visiting the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend.

Zidanes men have opened up a three-point lead over Barca at the top of the table and have a game still in hand.

Meanwhile, they remain on course to become the first team to retain the Champions League in 27 years.

I think it is the DNA of this club, the more difficult the matches, the more the players respond, added Zidane. We are all happy when the end of the season arrives with important matches.

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Cristiano Ronaldo rested, Gareth Bale out for Real Madrid CF in La Liga clash - Hindustan Times

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Daibhe Baker: Old-time religion vs. political correctness – Ocala

Posted: at 12:56 pm

By Daibhe BakerSpecial to the Star-Banner

Fullness of Truth was the theme of a weekend conference held by Catholic Evangelization Ministries during Lent in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 4-5. The focus of its seminars was to coordinate efforts to reverse the swing of the pendulum of the political correctness movement, which has undermined much of the conservative ideology that formed the core of our parents generations moral value system; and to reestablish the practice of modeling the example of the Holy Family unit in our homes and communities on a daily basis.

The family unit is the basic DNA that enables human society to establish ethical and moral standards in our culture, and has facilitated the logical development of Christian civilization on this blue water world, circling a modest star, two-thirds of the way out along a spiral arm of this rather average galaxy we call the Milky Way.

From the mists of antiquity, our civilization has emerged from its humble origins, through a continuing series of challenges from sinister foreign elements that have called upon rough men to stand watch through the night and to defend the borders of our ancestors historic lands like when a few good men stood in the pass at Thermopylae, four centuries before the Magi visited the little town of Bethlehem.

When Ive been asked my religion (for the record), when entering critical care units at hospitals, or having applied for visas to countries that require such information, my typical answer has always been, Greco-Roman Catholic. Which, if examined closely, would likely cause your priest to brand me as a heretic who, during the Middle Ages, would have been burned at the stake. But, during the past 50-plus years that I have been replying thus, my definition has so far passed the muster of all those inquiring minds who asked.

I believe the origins of the early Christian Church were created as a result of St. Paul incorporating the teachings of Jesus into the pre-existing logic-train of philosophical beliefs that were held by congregations in those cities in the Roman Empire whose populations were ethnically Greek, i.e. most of the New Testament, after its first four Gospels.

The unique element of this Christian life-path model was that women were not considered, nor treated, as chattel, as is common among so many foreign credos. Rrather, our Christian family unit is a partnership of co-equals, each sharing a common vision, but with separate spheres of personal responsibility in the union.

Man (an alpha male) is the provider of sustenance for and the protector of woman and child, even to the extent it may require him to sacrifice his own life, as a last resort.

Woman, on the other hand, gives birth to and nurtures Child thru infancy and beyond, creating the next generation of life as we know it, and ensuring the future continuation of our culture, our Christian civilization and our God (consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

My observation of the current Political Correctness movement, in both America and Europe, indicates it is focused upon implementing constraints and regulations intended to domesticate and tame those aggressive instincts and tendencies that have fostered the natural, God-given behavior pattern of alpha males, since mortals first walked, talked and made love with gods on Mount Olympus.

Further, I believe the recent emphasis by the Political Correctness movement, celebrating and encouraging acceptance of the moral standards of the LGBTQ community, is clearly accelerating the decline of Americas historical Olde Time Religious value system. And it is effectively neutering our cultures supply of alpha males by reducing our young men to the status of relatively impotent, beta males, more commonly referred to as metrosexuals in politically correct social circles in this country and Europe.

[Refer to the CBS-TV series Blue Bloods.] The family dinnertime experience of my youth (Im 78), held at a fixed time each work day, has become lost, as extracurricular activities, sports and societal expectations for women to pursue heretofore male career paths have replaced the professional homemaker, which our mothers considered their first calling.

Our mothers taught their daughters homemaking skills. For example, when fathers came home from work each day no squalling babies, no Hi, Daddy greetings from pre-adolescents and no short-shorts, pedal pushers, jeans nor housecleaning attire was worn. If possible, fathers first activity was either to shower and change into clean clothes, or at least freshen up. Mother would always wear either a dress or skirt and make-up, and would meet father in the parlor or den, and the next 15 to 20 minutes was their time to review their day privately. Only after this parents conference would the whole family unit sit down at a formally set table, say grace and discuss mutual topics of interest while eating.

That was the way it was. (An olde ethnic wives tale said, If Stanislaw has something to come home to, he wont sit in a bar and drink.) And the Fullness of Truth seminars reminded us, Olde Time Religion taught us that families that pray together and eat together, stay together.

Daibhe Baker is a retired engineer and serves on the Star-Banners Readers Advisory Board. He lives in Dunnellon.

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Daibhe Baker: Old-time religion vs. political correctness - Ocala

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