90 Miles From Tyranny : 2019-08-11

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Grassley names Hunter Biden in probe of transfer of sensitive technology to China during Obama administration

Hunter Biden, son of former VP Joe Biden, now a leading 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has been named as a source of a potential conflict of interest in a probe initiated by Sen. Chuck Grassley involving the purchase of an American company that made anti-vibration technologies by a state-owned Chinese aviation company and an investment firm with ties to the Communist Party.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dated Aug. 14, Grassley said he wants a copy of the National Security Threat Assessment linked to the sale and transaction. In addition, the Iowa Republican is seeking details about the approval timeline while inquiring about whether the White House was briefed on the relevant deliberations.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which has its origins in the Obama administration, approved the transaction when Joe Biden was still serving as vice president.

Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, son of former U.S. senator and Obama Secretary of State John Kerry, each had financial stakes in Bohai Harvest RST, the China-linked firm that acquired Henniges, the maker of the anti-vibration technology.

“The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns,”...

North Carolina Sanctuary Releases Honduran Charged with Rape and Child Sex Offenses



Nine months after new Sheriff Garry McFadden implemented sanctuary policies in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, his jail released a previously-deported Honduran man charged with rape and child sex offenses.

Oscar Pacheco-Leonardo, 33, was arrested by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for first degree rape and two counts of indecent liberties with a child on June 14.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it issued a detainer on June 15, requesting custody, or for the jail to notify the agency when Pacheco will be released, but he was released from Mecklenburg County custody on June 16 with no communication to ICE.

“This is yet another example of a clear public safety threat being released onto the streets of Mecklenburg County rather than into ICE custody due to the current sheriff’s policy on ICE non-cooperation,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Atlanta Field Office Director Sean Gallagher.

Pacheco was at large for two months before ICE tracked him down and arrested him.

“By releasing a previously deported alien facing serious criminal charges, Mecklenburg County chose to release a serious public safety threat onto the streets of Charlotte where he was free to potentially harm others for nearly two...

Huawei Has Been Helping African Countries Spy On Political Opponents: WSJ Investigation





  • Huawei employees helped African officials spy on political opponents, The Wall Street Journal reported.
  • Officials in Uganda and Zambia hired Huawei employees who used their own technology along with products from outside companies to hack into the social media of political opponents.
  • Huawei officials have denied the reports, saying the company does not have the “contracts, nor the capabilities, to do so.”
Huawei, a Chinese tech company President Donald Trump placed sanctions on, helped African countries spy on political opponents in at least two instances, The Wall Street Journal found.
Intelligence officials in Uganda and Zambia hired technicians from Huawei to support domestic spying using the company’s technology and other companies’ products, WSJ reported Wednesday.


Huawei dominates Africa’s digital industry as the country’s most successful supplier of 4G and 5G mobile networks and government surveillance systems.

In Kampala, Uganda, WSJ found that six intelligence officials working for President Yoweri Museveni, who has held his position for more than 33 years, allegedly recruited Huawei technicians to hack into the Skype and WhatsApp accounts of Museveni’s opponent.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) invites Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (L) to view an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony inside the Great Hall of the People on March 31, 2015. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

“The Huawei technicians worked for two days and helped us puncture through,” said one senior officer at the surveillance unit.

The Chinese employees reportedly used Israeli-made spyware purchased by the Ugandan government to encrypt communications from Bobi Wine, a pop-star-turned-politician with U.S. support — and Museveni’s most threatening...

Six-Year-Old Saying, 'Why Don't We Just Give Everything Away For Free?' Surges To Top Of Democratic Polls



U.S.—A new candidate has come out of nowhere to surge in the polls in the Democratic primary, and she’s only six years old. Susie Peters of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was on a local news segment where children gave their opinions on world problems, and she asked, “Why can’t we just give everyone everything they want for free?” The message quickly went viral and really resonated with Democratic voters, propelling Susie from unknown to third in most polls, ahead of Bernie Sanders and just behind Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

"She really has a plan for everything,” said Melinda Carlson, one of Susie’s enthusiastic supporters. “While Elizabeth Warren only has a plan for getting people free health care and free college, Susie has a plan to get everyone free everything. She’s truly a visionary.”

Her new candidacy has upset some of the other candidates, with Bernie Sanders accusing Susie of stealing all his ideas. Others say the math in her plans doesn’t add up, to which Susie says she doesn’t like math and instead likes “Twilight Sparkle.” And President Trump has taken notice, vowing to trounce Susie in the general since Trump himself can “read and write at the level of an eight-year-old.” There are also concerns Susie may be gaffe-prone like Joe Biden, as one day at school Susie referred to her teacher as "Mommy" by mistake, prompting a round of laughter from her classmates.

Still, Susie has unveiled her new popular campaign slogan, “But I want it!” and has already qualified for the next Democratic presidential debate, though she may not be able to attend since it will be on past her bedtime.

Former FBI Official: ‘Trump Supporters Are Like Terrorists’


“If you call Trump followers racist en masse, they simply coalesce around each other”

Former FBI official turned MSNBC analyst Frank Figliuzzi, who sees Hitler in everything Trump does, stated on a live broadcast this week that Trump supporters are a lot like terrorists rallying around a figurehead.

The former Assistant Director for Counterintelligence at the FBI, was discussing racism (shocker) with MSNBC host Chris Jansing, when the pair suggested that it would be a good idea for Democrats to keep accusing Trump supporters of being racist.
Jansing spewed:
“I think one of the things, Frank Figliuzzi, is that this president has always, from anyone who was around him, Anthony Scaramucci knows this as well as anybody else, demanded this blind loyalty, right? ‘I say it, it must be so. Or even if you don’t think it’s so, you don’t criticize me for it.’”
And Figliuzzi responded:
“Well, this is why it’s so important to look through the lens of radicalization when you look at this president and then apply counterradicalization techniques. Because you’re right, attacking his followers is going to be counterproductive. He demands that loyalty, and they are loyal. So if you call Trump followers racist en masse, they simply coalesce around each other and become even more defensive and protective of the leader, just as they would in, say, a terrorist organization …”


That was enough to get the attention of Fox News analyst Dan Bongino, who said “I can’t believe this guy is still allowed on the air.”

“MSNBC is willing to put complete lunatics on the air who will say absolutely anything at any time, as long as it makes...

10 Rare Artifacts With Fascinating Backstories

Like a shadow, history is attached to every pot shard, pebble, and bone. Nothing on this Earth is without a backstory. Archaeology is all about finding these missing shadows and sewing them together to better understand bygone times.Rare stories are particularly valuable. They offer glimpses into the personal lives of ancient business owners and why neighboring cities fought. Unique finds also solve mysteries, create new world records, and even challenge the current timelines.

10Earliest Down Syndrome

Photo credit: Live Science
The genetic disorder known as Down syndrome is ancient. Throughout the centuries, artists have depicted the condition in paintings and sculptures. The oldest case involving human remains came from France. A necropolis in the northeast produced 94 skeletons, and one of them was a child. Found in 1989, it was determined that the youngster was between five and seven, gender unknown, and lived during the fifth or sixth century.Preliminary analysis suggested that the child had Down syndrome, although it was never confirmed. Modern technology gave scientists that chance. A scan of the skull found strong signs of the condition—extra bone, abnormalities with the sinuses and teeth, thin cranium, and flattened base.The findings offered a unique opportunity to see how an ancient community treated the child. Everyone in the necropolis was buried with a certain body posture, including this youngster. This suggested that he or she was neither discriminated against in life nor ostracized in death.[1]

9Ediacaran Mystery Solved

Photo credit: Live Science
The Ediacaran period ran from 635 to 541 million years ago. From this era, a fossil type stumped the scientific community. Nobody could agree on its nature. Some felt that Palaeopascichnus linearis was fossilized poop. Others voted for ancient organisms or the markings left by them. Getting a clear answer was difficult since many Palaeopascichnus sites were protected areas.In 2018, scientists caught a break. Over 300 specimens were discovered in Siberia, plus an extra batch was found in old collections from the 1980s. This combined cache allowed researchers the chance to dismantle the mysterious fossils.After they were sliced, diced, and viewed under microscopes, the truth dawned. They were exoskeletons. Remarkably, this “armor” was made of sediment and served as extra protection for a sea-dwelling species.Dating between 613–544 million years old, P. linearis became the oldest, non-microscopic critters with skeletons. The organisms could have been amoebas since they resemble xenophyophores, living amoebas that build their own sandy exoskeletons.[2]

8Ancient Hashtag

Photo credit: sciencealert.com
Archaeologists who love cave doodles recently enjoyed two milestones. In 2015, they discovered the oldest art made by humans. Then, in 2018, they found the (slightly younger) oldest figurative art. The latter turned up in Borneo.[3]The image, a cow of some sort, was large and painted between other colorful endeavors, including ancient hand stencils. Tests pinpointed the bovine creature’s creation between 40,000 and 52,000 years ago. While that wins the trophy for the world’s oldest figurative drawing, the most ancient human art came from South Africa.In the past, Blombos Cave had already produced notable hominid artifacts. More recently, researchers puttered through Blombos sediment when they found a small flake. Incredibly, around 73,000 years ago, somebody used red ocher to draw something resembling a hashtag.Although this is a stunning find, the oldest-known art does not belong to humans. That honor goes to a Homo erectus local in Indonesia who engraved zigzags on a shell 540,000 years ago. 



7Oldest Footprints

Photo credit: Live Science
The planet is crisscrossed with ancient tracks. The oldest was found in 2018 and belonged to a mysterious animal. Around 551–541 million years ago, a creature traipsed around modern-day China. Today, the site is known as the Dengying Formation, but back then, the region was an ocean.While paddling near the seafloor, the animal left behind two rows of footprints. There is only so much that spoor can reveal, but researchers determined that the creature was a bilaterian species. As strange as it sounds, that means the animal had a head on one end, a bum on the other, and symmetrical left and right sides.In addition, the marine wonder had appendages that left the prints. These limbs are the main suspects in the creation of several burrows found nearby. The fossilized grooves suggested that the creature dug to satisfy a need, perhaps looking for food.[4]Not only does the mud-scooping thing beat all dinosaur tracks by millions of years, it also proved that limbs evolved much sooner than previously believed.

6Unique Sumerian Artifact




Photo credit: Smithsonian Magazine
After being forgotten for 150 years, a pillar recently resurfaced at the British Museum. The marble was inscribed with Sumerian cuneiform and told the story of...

The 90 Miles Mystery Video: Nyctophilia Edition #19



Before You Click On The "Read More" Link, 

Please Only Do So If You Are Over 21 Years Old.

If You are Easily Upset, Triggered Or Offended, This Is Not The Place For You.  

Please Leave Silently Into The Night......

The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #716


You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside? 
It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific, 
from the beautiful to the repugnant, 
from the mysterious to the familiar.

If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed, 
you could be inspired, you could be appalled. 

This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. 
You have been warned.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Volkswagen Commercial Banned in UK Because it Shows Woman Caring For a Baby


“The ad presented gender stereotypes in way that was likely to cause harm.”

A Volkswagen commercial has been banned in the UK for violating “gender stereotypes” because it showed a woman caring for a baby.

Yes, really.

The ad shows a scene of a woman and a man in a tent on a cliff face, two male astronauts floating in a spaceship and a male para-athlete with a prosthetic leg doing the long jump.

At the end of the clip, a woman is seen sat on a bench next to a pram.




The commercial was banned by the UK Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) after just three people complained, with the ASA asserting that it violated gender stereotyping rules.

“By juxtaposing images of men in extraordinary environments and carrying out adventurous activities with women who appeared passive or engaged in a stereotypical care-giving role, we considered that the ad directly contrasted stereotypical male and female roles and characteristics in a manner that gave the impression that they were exclusively associated with one gender,” said the ASA. “We concluded that the ad presented gender stereotypes in way that was likely to cause harm and therefore breached the Code.”

Volkswagen tried to explain the meaning behind the ad, but it was to no avail.

“The core message of the ad was centred on the ability of the human spirit to adapt to challenges and change brought about by circumstances. They illustrated that through a number of different scenarios featuring various characters so that as diverse an audience as possible would be able to identify with the message.”

“They included the final scene of the woman in the park as a relatable example of adaptation to change, as they believed that welcoming a newborn into the...

#MeToo Cow insemination is rape, milking is sexual assault says researcher



A research paper currently being pushed by a researcher at the College of Brockport Gender Studies program wants society — feminists — to talk about the unseemly “sexual exploitation” of dairy cows in order to “fully fight gendered oppression.”

The author claims the dairy industry is rife with ‘sex-based discrimination’ (of cows), and compares insemination of the cattle to “rape.” The milking of cows is, of course, “sexual assault.”

This isn’t satire, so be careful, if you start buying into this, you too could be assimilated.

According to Campus Reform:

A paper currently being promoted by a New York University calls on society to consider the rampant “sexual exploitation” of dairy cows by the milk industry in order to “fully fight gendered oppression.”

Specifically, the author compares cattle insemination to “rape” and the milking of cows to “sexual abuse.” The researcher believes “the dairy industry is a host for sex-based discrimination.”

Titled “Readying the Rape Rack: Feminism and the Exploitation of Non-Human Reproductive Systems,” the paper was published Friday in a journal called Dissenting Voices, which is published and edited by the Women’s and Gender Studies program at the College at Brockport State University of New York.

The published piece aims at discussing the “sexual exploitation of non-human bodies, specifically dairy cows.” The author notes that “as a vegan and animal rights activist,” she feels compelled to reveal the “feminist aspects of animal agriculture,” a topic she says is unfortunately “under-researched,” but is nonetheless important because “the same way women’s health has been at stake for years, a dairy cow’s reproductive system has been poked and prodded.”

According to the publication, “the dairy industry is a host for sex-based discrimination,” and a “site where sexual assault and objectification based on...

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg’s Yacht Trip to America More Harmful to Environment Than Flying



Six members of her team have to fly back to Germany from New York.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg’s virtue signalling trip on a $4 million dollar yacht to lecture Americans about climate change will be more harmful to the environment than if she had flown via aircraft.

Thunberg and her team set sail on the Malizia II for a voyage that will take 2 weeks to reach New York.

The mode of transport was deliberately chosen so Thunberg could relentlessly virtue signal about the evils of air travel.

But the entire trip is a complete farce.

As the German newspaper Taz points out, the yacht trip means more CO2 will be released into the atmosphere than if just Greta and her father had traveled by air because six members of her team have to fly back to Germany from New York.

related: Germans Display ‘F*ck You Greta’ Bumper Stickers to Protest Being Lectured About Global Warming
“The sailing trip triggers at least six climate-damaging air travel across the Atlantic. If Thunberg had flown with her father, only two would have been necessary to come to New York,” reports Taz.

Indeed, a single flight from New York to Hamburg releases 1,800 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which equates to more than three quarters of what each person is entitled to a year if global warming is to be halted at 2 degrees.

As James Delingpole asks, besides the rank hypocrisy of her attention grabbing yacht trip, how exactly did Thunberg come to be the lecturing face of the environmentalist movement?

“A lecture, furthermore, from a child who hasn’t finished her schooling, whose frontal lobes haven’t formed, who has no...

Jeffrey Epstein’s gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell spotted at In-N-Out Burger in first photos since his death

Jeffrey Epstein’s former gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell isn’t holed up in her British manor or summering on the Massachusetts coast.

The Post found the socialite hiding in plain sight in the least likely place imaginable — a fast-food joint in Los Angeles.

Maxwell, 57, the alleged madam to the multimillionaire pedophile, was scarfing down a burger, fries and shake al fresco at an In-N-Out Burger on Monday while reading “The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives,” a nonfiction best seller by journalist Ted Gup.

Sitting alone with a pet pooch, she was surprised to be found and told an onlooker, “Well, I guess this is the last time I’ll be eating here!”

Maxwell, accused in court papers of providing sex slaves for Epstein and engaging in threesomes with the financier and underage girls, had not been photographed in public since 2016.

The daughter of the late, disgraced publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell has not been charged with any crimes but could find herself in the feds’ crosshairs fol
owing Epstein’s apparent jailhouse suicide Saturday.


 Attorney General William Barr declared on Monday, “Any co-conspirators should not rest easy.”

Enlarge ImageGhislaine Maxwell pictured at In-N-Out burger in Los Angeles on Monday August 12, 2019. NO CREDIT.

One of Epstein’s accusers, Jennifer Araoz, on Wednesday sued his estate, as well as Maxwell and three unidentified women for conspiring “to make possible and otherwise facilitate the sexual abuse and rape of...

Women Who Don't Believe Israel Has Right To Exist Not Sure Why They Got Banned From Israel



WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar reported Thursday they were bewildered that they got banned from Israel, a country they seem to believe shouldn't exist at all.

"It's racism," said Omar in a press conference. "It's all due to racism. Well, that and a Jewish conspiracy. The Jews are behind this, for sure." (The evidence indicates she's correct on this assertion, a first for her accusations against Jews).

Tlaib agreed, saying she wanted to ask Jews about the Holocaust so she could relax and get a "calming feeling" while she was there.

"It just doesn't make much sense for this country that shouldn't even exist to ban us," she said. "What have we ever said against them, besides suggesting they are terrorists who deserve to be pushed into the sea?"

The women said they now had to change their vacation plans from hanging out with people they hate in a country they hate to somewhere less "Jewy."

China’s Xi to Trump: Help us save face

China has upped the ante in its trade dispute with America. By allowing the yuan to fall on foreign-exchange markets, Beijing has shown how far it will go in response to existing US tariffs on Chinese goods, as well as additional ones now threatened by President Trump.

But China’s moves also signal weakness: Beijing can no longer play the tit-for-tat tariff game. And because the devaluation has raised the risk of capital flight from China, the currency move also hints at desperation.

With or without the devaluation, Beijing is in a tough spot. On one side, the Communist Party can ill afford a trade war, since it has an implicit contract with the Chinese people to deliver prosperity in exchange for autocratic rule. But Beijing cannot countenance Washington’s demands that China import more from the United States, cease cyber theft and let Americans do business in China without Chinese partners.

These aren’t new demands, but the Trump White House wants them guaranteed in Chinese law. This last point, China’s leadership claims, is an affront to the country’s sovereignty — already a sensitive issue, given the turmoil in Hong Kong.

China has always held the weak economic hand in this dispute. Its export-dependent economy needs overseas sales, which comprise one-fifth of its gross domestic product. More than a quarter of those exports go to the United States, meaning 5% of China’s economy is exposed in this trade dispute. By contrast, the United States counts on exports for about 12% of its GDP, and barely 8% of its total exports go to China, leaving just 1% of the US economy exposed.

Moreover, some 30% of US goods sold in China are off limits to tariffs, as they constitute components, mostly to computer and iPhone assemblies, that support Chinese exports.

These relative disadvantages showed themselves early in the dispute. American firms began moving their operations elsewhere, while many Chinese firms have decamped to other Asian countries, in large part to avoid the American levies. Even the perennially upbeat (and suspect) official Chinese government statistics show that the economy is suffering — China’s GDP during the second quarter grew in real terms at its slowest rate since 1992.

Export volumes appear to have dropped more than 4% in the past year. Imports have also declined by more than 5%, indicating a drop in employment and consumer spending. While official figures still suggest a robust Chinese jobs market, surveys of Chinese media show a marked drop in...

The 90 Miles Mystery Video: Nyctophilia Edition #18



Before You Click On The "Read More" Link, 

Please Only Do So If You Are Over 21 Years Old.

If You are Easily Upset, Triggered Or Offended, This Is Not The Place For You.  

Please Leave Silently Into The Night......

The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #715


You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside? 
It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific, 
from the beautiful to the repugnant, 
from the mysterious to the familiar.

If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed, 
you could be inspired, you could be appalled. 

This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. 
You have been warned.