“I’ve worked with murderers and rapists. I can recognize dangerousness from a mile away. You don’t have to be an expert on dangerousness or spend fifty years studying it like I have in order to know how dangerous this man is.” – James Gilligan, psychiatrist and professor at New York University School of Medicine
Donald Trump has 'dangerous mental illness', say psychiatry experts at Yale conference
Donald Trump has a “dangerous mental illness” and is not fit to lead the US, a group of psychiatrists has warned during a conference at Yale University.
Mental health experts claimed the President was “paranoid and delusional”, and said it was their “ethical responsibility” to warn the American public about the “dangers” Mr Trump’s psychological state poses to the country.
Speaking at the conference at Yale’s School of Medicine on Thursday, one of the mental health professionals, Dr John Gartner, a practising psychotherapist who advised psychiatric residents at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, said: “We have an ethical responsibility to warn the public about Donald Trump's dangerous mental illness.”
[...]
James Gilligan, a psychiatrist and professor at New York University, told the conference he had worked some of the “most dangerous people in society”, including murderers and rapists — but that he was convinced by the “dangerousness” of Mr Trump.
“I’ve worked with some of the most dangerous people our society produces, directing mental health programmes in prisons,” he said.
“I’ve worked with murderers and rapists. I can recognize dangerousness from a mile away. You don’t have to be an expert on dangerousness or spend fifty years studying it like I have in order to know how dangerous this man is.” [Source]
New York Magazine: At Yale, Psychiatrists Cite Their ‘Duty to Warn’ About an Unfit President
Amid the often jarring inconsistency of President Trump’s foreign policy, one thing has always been crystal clear: He loves a big show of American military force.After the Washington Post posted the story on its FB page, one reader left this comment:
“You gotta knock the hell out of them — Boom! Boom! Boom!” Trump said of Islamic State terrorists at a January 2016 rally in Iowa, punctuating each “boom” with a punch of his fist.
That same impulse has been apparent over the past 10 days as Trump pummeled a Syrian air base with cruise missiles, threatened military action against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program and praised the U.S. military’s first-ever use of a massive 11-ton bomb, nicknamed the “mother of all bombs,” to kill Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.
“So incredible. It’s brilliant. It’s genius,” Trump said Tuesday of the missile strike in Syria. “Our technology, our equipment is better than anybody by a factor of five.” [Source: Washington Post]
This guy's like a toddler at Christmas with his new toys:
Look mommy! I sit on the big truck! Vroooom vroom!
See! I push the button whoosh! Boom!
No! I don't want to sit with my friend Angela! I don't want a picture with her! She has cooties!
Oooh! The nice man from China's really smart! I won't say bad things about him any more, I promise mommy. He's my friend now. But still don't like North Korea! No! I think they're bad! Gonna push my button and make them go away.
Mommy! I'm tired of playing president. I wanna go home and go play now. No! now!
President Trump has requested a ride with Queen Elizabeth II in a gold-plated carriage during his visit to the United Kingdom this October, according to a report by The Times of London. [Source: The Hill]
Breathes there a man with a soul so dead that he doesn’t want a loyal dog or faithful feline trotting beside him when he mounts that lonely staircase to the venerable Master Bedroom?
Apparently, yes.
It seems emblematic of President Trump’s blaring tone-deafness for the office that he doesn’t even feign interest in recruiting a furry, fowlish or finny friend. Pets reap vast, humanizing rewards for presidents, as almost every one of his predecessors has discovered.
[...]
What is that great line? Once you’ve learned to fake sincerity, the rest is easy. Once Donald Trump learns to pretend to love animals, he can move on to pretending to love the human race. [Source: New York Times]
A kid asks Trump to sign his hat at the White House Easter Egg Roll. The president signs ... and then tosses the hat into the crowd. pic.twitter.com/7ExdhpO97H— POLITICO (@politico) April 17, 2017
But he wasn't always so complimentary when talking about the military or its leaders.
A small sampling....
Trump remembers details of cake he was eating while launching missiles, but not which country he was attacking. pic.twitter.com/TYfqXXDeCZ— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 12, 2017
THE GUY LITERALLY DID AN AD FOR HIS PRIVATE CLUB'S DESSERT OFFERINGS WHILE DESCRIBING A MISSILE STRIKE
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) April 12, 2017
Alisyn Camerota: "Josh, what grade to you give President Trump?"
Josh Youssef: "I give President Trump an 'A.' "
Camerota: "Based on what? What accomplishments do you think he can hang his hat on."
Josh: "I think it's premature to ask that question."
Trump voters give the president a grade after his first months in the White House https://t.co/KuQFSDlrCV— New Day (@NewDay) March 30, 2017
Ford announced on Tuesday the company would invest $1.2 billion in three facilities in Michigan where it will build trucks and SUVs, and store electronic data.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to link the news to his efforts to increase manufacturing by automakers within the US.
The problem? The investment announced on Tuesday actually stemmed from a 2015 deal negotiated between Ford and the United Auto Workers union.
Under that 2015 collective bargaining agreement, Ford committed itself to investing $9 billion in US plants with the expectation of creating or retaining 8,500 jobs across a number of states, including Michigan.
NBC News: After Just Ten Weeks, Trump Teeters on the Brink
Texting and walking is just as dangerous as it sounds. After years of research, FIU has come up with a solution.
Miami New Times, April 9, 2008: Miami Herald Cutting Staff via Buyouts
Miami New Times, March 11, 2009: Miami Herald Cuts 175 Jobs, About 50 in Newsroom
From: Hirsch, Rick
Date: Fri, Mar 24, 2017 at 12:07 PM
Subject: Linda Robertson taking on Miami Aggravations
To: MIA Newsroom
Staff:
Linda Robertson, who has distinguished herself as a reporter and narrative writer in our Sports department for many years, is taking on a new beat.
We're calling it Miami Aggravations, a fast-moving daily beat that designed to demystify, explain and shine light on the aspects of South Florida life that perplex and puzzle all of us who live here. It can range from why DOT closes I-95 lanes when the big game is letting out from Dolphin Stadium to the backstory on expensive valet parking cannibalizing the best places you'd normally want to park.
We think this work will strike a nerve with our South Florida audience, driving interest and discussion about what we love and love to hate about living here. We think that Linda, who grew up in South Florida and has spent her journalism career reporting here, is especially well-suited to find the stories this beat demands.
But to do this well, Linda will need your help. She'll be soliciting ideas from the staff as well as from South Floridians at large as she digs in.
Linda will begin this new assignment on April 3, reporting to Jay Ducassi.
Rick and Mindy
Rick Hirsch
Managing Editor
Note to Linda Robertson: Here's an idea for your first column: After more than 100 years in business, why can't the Miami Herald figure out how to get papers delivered on time, AND ON A DAILY BASIS to its loyal subscribers??? How that's for aggravation!
____________
From: Hirsch, Rick
Date: Fri, Mar 24, 2017 at 12:08 PM
Subject: Rene Rodriguez to cover real estate
To: MIA Newsroom
Staff:
Starting April 3, Rene Rodriguez will become our full-time real estate reporter on the business desk, filling the position that opened when Nick Nehamas moved to the investigative team.
Rene's a good match for this task, with a reporting background that began on the City Desk (writing obits and covering breaking police news), and has included, in addition to film, covering arts and the business of entertainment for the Business Desk. He's a smooth writer and a fast study.
In looking to fill this job, we wanted someone who reported aggressively and could deliver exclusive, news-breaking reporting on a beat that affects us all, from renter to homeowner to high-end condo gawker. We think Rene will give us the combination of enterprise and quick-hit coverage that enlightens readers and keeps them coming back for more.
The change in Rene's assignment obviously means that he will no longer be working as a film critic. That decision is one of several coverage shifts we've made to reflect what our audience is telling us about the news they value most. Rene has had a remarkable run as a critic, and there may be times when we'll call on his expertise and sourcing to inform our coverage of the movie and entertainment industry in South Florida.
Rene will be closing out some film related work next week before starting his new beat a week from Monday. He will report to Jane Wooldridge.
Rick and Mindy
Rick Hirsch
Managing Editor
 |
| Photo by George Martinez/Miami New Times |
“EDM is over — it’s like disco,” says Vanessa Menkes, former head of communications for the now disbanded Opium Group, whose clubs including Mansion and Set dominated South Beach nightlife for years. “In 2005, you could open your doors on a random Saturday night and make $150,000. Those days are not coming back.”After watching some of the acts on YouTube last night, I tried to broaden my understanding of the genre by reading this review of a Day Two performance by Miami New Times' Jose Duran:
[...]
Fans like Annie Tomlinson, 22, an ardent Ultra attendee when she could get a one-day ticket for around $100, are opting out. She last went to the festival in 2013, though she says her peak experience was the year before.
“I still like the music,” Tomlinson says. “But it’s not worth it for the money anymore. It’s so hyped up and I’ve already experienced it.
"Unlike the Carl Cox stage, the Spider provided virtually no shield from the rain. However, techno fans didn't let that stop them from enjoying Dubfire's set. The Iranian DJ's music was the perfect sound track for the apocalyptic setting that included plenty of standing water even after the skies cleared. And instead of avoiding the muddy mess, the audience kept stomping to the beat. The flames seemed to go into overdrive, which was a welcome surprise thanks to the chill that hung in the air"Jose's an excellent writer, but his review left me with more questions than answers.
 |
| Photo by Matias Ocner/Miami Herald |
"I make deals." @AC360's mashup of Trump talking about his negotiating skills https://t.co/OIp9CRB5pr— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 25, 2017
Dear @realDonaldTrump: All this "winning" is, truly, exhausting. No wonder you have to vacation every week. #KillTtheBill pic.twitter.com/FSB0Cjgrkk— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) March 24, 2017
We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me. We will save $'s and have much better healthcare!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2016
This is Trump's regular answer when asked what he'll replace Obamacare with: “You’re going to have plans that are so good.”— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 10, 2016
FLASHBACK TRUMP: "On DAY ONE, we will repeal ObamaCare."— Keoni Tyler's Public (@KeoniTylerPub) March 24, 2017
COMING UP NEXT:
"SECRET" PLAN FOR ISIS - Know more than the Generals
Running the Executive Branch is a lot more challenging than performing on reality TV.— John Schindler (@20committee) March 24, 2017
Who knew?https://t.co/WT9Vq9eEFx
"With the gubernatorial field beginning to take shape, Democrats should be asking themselves whether they really want a nominee whose temperament draws comparisons to that of President Donald Trump."
"Journalists have graduate degrees, wear clean suits and sip cappuccino at the Starbucks. Newspapermen generally attended high school, sometimes wear clean shirts, especially on Mondays, and, not so long ago, stashed booze in their desks." -Martin Merzer, Miami Herald, Aug. 22, 2000.
By Marty Merzer
New York newspaperman Jimmy Breslin died today at age 88. He was my professional idol and role model. Not that I placed myself in his league, just that...I strived to do so.
I've always tried to emphasize this to newbies: If you want to be a good newspaper writer, you must read good newspaper writing. And, boy, did I.
Growing up in New York City in the 1960s, I was blessed to be surrounded in print by some of the best newspaper writers ever to pound typewriters and yell, "Copy!" Among them: Pete Hamill, Jack Newfield, Nora Ephron, Red Smith, Dick Schaap, Tom Wolfe, Gail Sheehy and, chief among them, Jimmy Breslin.
Later in life, I got to know Hamill and Breslin a bit, but that wasn't as important as...hearing their voices as I wrote, and employing what I learned from reading their work.
That meant finding an original angle, even if that required looking along the edges of an event. Noticing and employing telling detail. Using plain language in a...voice...that's appealing, welcoming, but doesn't get in the way.
Breslin and Hamill and the others. They were enormous influences on my life, and consequently on the lives of my family. I thank them for that.
Below [this post] are some of Breslin's best-known pieces. Look at the detail, the storytelling. Sense the humanity, the empathy. Listen to the voice. But also make no mistake about it - every one of his pieces was worth your time. He never bagged a story or a column. He knew that his name would be atop it and that carried real responsibility. (That's another thing I try to tell newbies: Never, ever bag a story. For god sakes, your name is on it.)
I'll never forget Jimmy Breslin. My fingers never will stop hearing his voice.
ORLANDO, Fla. – It looked like a risky maneuver, but Cody Gribble barely even blinked.
Gribble was in the midst of a tough round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he snuck up on a gator sunning itself just left of the sixth fairway at Bay Hill. With a swift thwack on the tail, Gribble startled the gator and then nonchalantly watched it jump back into the water lining the hole.
“The gator looked like he needed some exercise,” Gribble said after closing out a 5-over 77. “I guess I was trying to get some adrenaline going somehow, but I wasn’t really afraid of it.”
Gators need exercise too, no biggie guys. https://t.co/K97j4WHuVP— Cody Gribble (@CodyGribble) March 17, 2017
....Because there might be a former deputy sheriff working as a security guard who actually knows how to use a gun.
_____________
A bank security guard in Illinois who fatally shot an armed would-be robber will not face charges, authorities said Tuesday.
Brian Harrison acted heroically, authorities say, as he pulled his weapon and fired repeatedly at suspect Laurence Turner at the Alpine Bank in Rockford on Jan. 20. The dramatic incident was caught on surveillance video. [via New York Daily News}
 |
| Laurence Turner waves gun inside the Alpine Bank in Rockford, Illinois. (Scroll to 4:30 on the video to see this angle.) |
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| Turner falls to floor after being shot dead by former deputy sheriff Brian Harrison. |
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| I said, “Be careful, his bow tie is really a camera.” "America" —Simon & Garfunkel. |
Q: Do you know if Trump Tower was wiretapped?— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 13, 2017
Kellyanne: There was an article this week—you can be spied on via a camera in your microwave pic.twitter.com/rObFkIrLGG
WATCH: Yet again, Fox News' Shep Smith -- "Fox News can now confirm microwaves heat food, cameras take pictures" pic.twitter.com/C4HAT5Vkyn— Yashar (@yashar) March 13, 2017
 |
| Washington Post, March, 13, 2017. |
Is this what Spicy Sean Spicer means when he says "Trump didn't mean that Obama personally wiretapped on him?" pic.twitter.com/bMjCmmBX7x— RogelioGarcia Lawyer (@LawyerRogelio) March 13, 2017
Professor Robert Kelly was speaking with the BBC [via Skype] about the ousting of South Korea's president when his office door opens up and a toddler stomps in jovially and taps dad on the arm, eager to play. "I think one of your children's just walked in," the BBC interviewer says, stifling a laugh.
As Kelly tries to nudge the child away with a swipe of the arm, a second child pops into the room. It's an infant sibling obliviously scooting through the door on a rolling walker. "Pardon me, pardon me," Kelly says, while closing his eyes in frustration, clearly conflicted between the urge to laugh or cry. "My apologies."
This guest managed to keep his composure when his children interrupted his live @BBCWorld TV interview pic.twitter.com/3x5tgsVR8R— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 10, 2017
Never give a shit pic.twitter.com/sfW6a9Gr10
— Joe Skrebels (@2plus2isjoe) March 10, 2017
Due to numerous requests, the once wildly popular Random Pixels feature known as the Lunch Hour Time Waster returns today with this video of a kitten playing with a dog's tail.
Journalists know: When leaders go berserk, furiously denying there's anything going on, blaming others--that's when you're getting close.— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) March 4, 2017
He’s going down, and in the not-too-distant future. Though the technological details are more modern, this is all very Nixonian. The patterns - denial, then weak and partial actions in failed attempts to quell the scandal, then total psychosis ahead of capitulation - are precisely the same. [Emphasis added]
- Beginning at 6:26 a.m. today and continuing throughout the early morning, the Minority President postedfivesixseven bizarre - even by his standards - tweets. The activity was clearly manic.
- As you read the rest of this, keep in mind that the Minority President has a long history of accusing others of doing precisely what he has done. Psychologists call it “projection.” It's the "So's your mother" form of debate.
- In this morning’s series of tweets, the Minority President accused President Obama of undermining “the very sacred election process.” He said: “This is Nixon/Watergate.” These are precisely the accusations and comparisons being made about the Minority President and the scandal that is closing in on him.
- He accused Obama of wiretapping him at Trump Tower. (Point of fact: No president can order a wiretap.) He said: “This is McCarthyism!” Again, that’s precisely a charge that has been leveled against him. In addition, one of the Minority President’s early and most influential mentors was the notorious Roy Cohn, who served as McCarthy’s chief counsel during the infamous Army-McCarthy hearings.
Click here to continue reading.
.@MalcolmNance on Trump: "He knows something's going on...if he thinks his phones were tapped, then he believes we know everything." pic.twitter.com/Kbd1rNZbuK— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 4, 2017
William H. McRaven, a retired four-star admiral and former Navy SEAL, defended journalists this week, calling President Trump’s denunciation of the media as “the enemy of the American people” the “greatest threat to democracy” he’s seen in his lifetime.
That’s coming from a man who’s seen major threats to democracy.
McRaven, who was commander of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, organized and oversaw the highly risky operation that killed Osama bin Laden almost six years ago. The admiral from Texas had tapped a special unit of Navy SEALs to carry out the May 2011 raid on the elusive terrorist’s hideout, a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
In my sixty years, most of the serious threats to our nation have come from the outside: the Cold War, the Vietnam War, terrorism and the wars that followed. While at times, these external pressures encouraged some within our government to adopt a barricade mentality – hiding information from the public, acting secretly outside the bounds of the law, and encouraging behavior that had an extralegal feel to it – never has the government openly challenged the idea of a free press.
Each of us in government swears an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." The first amendment to that constitution assures freedom of speech and of the press.
The news media have not always been kind to me. However, I can tell you – as someone who has been to 90 countries and spoken to the press in almost all of them – the United States has the finest press corps in the world, bar none.
[...]
But what makes journalism so essential to our democracy is that – when done right – it holds all of us accountable, to our country, to its ideals, and to each other. As an Admiral, and now as a Chancellor, I haven’t always enjoyed being asked tough questions. But being held accountable by the press has only made me and the organizations I lead better.
Just as it has made America better.
My message to our aspiring journalists, and journalists everywhere: We need you more than ever.
Start each day with a task completed. Find someone to help you through life. Respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often. But if take you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up — if you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today.
And what started here will indeed have changed the world — for the better.
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| Donald Trump placed planters in front of his Fifth Avenue building to discourage veterans - some disabled war vets - from setting up pushcarts. (via Google Maps, August 2013) Click image to enlarge. |
On Tuesday [May 31], Donald Trump announced that he'd given away the last of the $5.6 million that he raised four months ago, at a benefit for veterans' causes in Iowa. In a bitter, combative press conference, Trump made clear that he'd been pressured into giving up these details by the news media, including The Washington Post.
[...]
How many new donations were announced on Tuesday?
By The Post's count, 18 new gifts, totaling about $1.5 million.
In each case, Trump was giving away other people's money. Other donors, both large and small, had entrusted this money to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, on the understanding that Trump would then distribute it to veterans.
[Trump] called a news conference ostensibly to answer questions about his fund-raising for charities that benefit military veterans. But Donald J. Trump instead spent most of his time on live television Tuesday berating the journalists covering his presidential campaign in unusually vitriolic and personal terms.
“You’re a sleaze,” he told a reporter for ABC.
“You’re a real beauty,” he told a reporter for CNN, snidely denigrating the man’s competence.
For 40 minutes, Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, assailed those reporting on his candidacy with a level of venom rarely seen at all, let alone in public, from the standard-bearer of a major political party. Then he warned that a Trump White House would feature more of the same.
Historians reached back to the Nixon administration, with its reporter-stocked enemies list, for a fair comparison. Other scholars and political analysts suggested that Mr. Trump failed to appreciate the role journalists play in scrutinizing candidates as surrogates for the public, or drew connections to his denunciations of other adversaries and critics — like a federal judge in a case where Mr. Trump is being sued, or the Republican governor of New Mexico, whom Mr. Trump denigrated while campaigning in her state last week.
“While disabled veterans should be given every opportunity to earn a living, is it fair to do so to the detriment of the city as a whole or its tax paying citizens and businesses?” Trump wrote in a 1991 letter to John Dearie, then-chairman of the state Assembly’s Committee on Cities.
