'Real Housewives of NJ' Couple Handed Prison Sentences

By Lesley Messer, Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin

Joe Giudice and Teresa Giudice appeared at a courthouse in Newark, N.J., yesterday to face sentencing in their fraud case.

Teresa Giudice was sentenced to 15 months in prison, beginning Jan. 5, and $414,000 in restitution. She will also face two years of supervised release. Teresa Giudice's time behind bars will be staggered with her husband's, who was sentenced earlier today to three-and-a-half years in prison. Whether or not he will be deported will be determined after he serves his time. Joe Giudice is not a U.S. citizen.

Before the judge handed down her sentence, the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star sobbed and said she was "humbled" by the experience.

"I'm so scared," Giudice said. "I need to learn to do things for myself. ... I need to wake up."

Upon sentencing Teresa Giudice, the judge said she considered probation "for a moment" but then determined the fraud "merits incarceration."

Although she believed the reality TV star showed "genuine remorse," she added, "my gut tells me Teresa Giudice deserves to be in jail."

The reality TV stars were charged with several counts of loan and bankruptcy fraud last year. They pleaded guilty this past March.

At their sentencing, the Giudice's defense team argued that "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" does not show Joe Guidice for who he really is. They criticized the reality show for "editing situations to create fake drama" and said that they advised the couple to stop appearing on the show, but because the Giudices lacked an alternate source of income, they did not listen. In the end, the attorneys asked for leniency, saying a harsh sentence would cause "untold trauma on the children."

However, prosecutors noted that in her pre-sentencing list of assets, Teresa Giudice failed to include several cars, ATVs and other items, claimed no jewelry and said her $3 million home is filled with just $25,000 worth of furniture. Meanwhile, Joe Giudice failed to file tax returns for the last several years, despite the requirement to do so in his plea agreement.

As a result, U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas declined to be lenient with sentencing. "It feels," she said, "like things have been hidden."

"I do wish you luck," Salas told Joe Giudice after she announced the sentence. "You have made some serious mistakes and you have to pay for them. But you have a lot to live for."

Salas also gave both Joe and Teresa Giudice advice after the defense argued that the fraud happened, in part, because the couple tried to keep up appearances with their circle of friends.

"Your four daughters need to understand discipline. If you don't have it you shouldn't spend it," she said. "If they won't like you because you're not driving a Benz or walking on Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks then they're not your friends."

NBC cameraman tests positive for Ebola in Liberia

NEW YORK (AP) — An American cameraman helping to cover the Ebola outbreak in Liberia for NBC News has tested positive for the virus and will be flown back to the United States for treatment.

NBC News President Deborah Turness said Thursday the rest of the NBC News crew including medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman will be flown back to the U.S. and placed in quarantine for 21 days "in an abundance of caution."

NBC identified the freelance cameraman on its website as 33-year-old Ashoka Mukpo. He has been working in Liberia for three years for Vice News and other media outlets, and has been covering the Ebola epidemic, according to the network. He began shooting for NBC on Tuesday.

He began feeling tired and achy Wednesday and discovered he had a slight fever. He went to a treatment center Thursday to be tested, and is being kept there, said Snyderman, who was interviewed Thursday night on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC.

Snyderman said she believes Mukpo's exposure to the virus happened sometime before he started working with the NBC crew, since it is usually eight to 10 days before the first symptoms are seen.

"The good news is this young man, our colleague, was admitted to the clinic very, very early," she said. "I spoke with him today. He's in good spirits. He's ready to get home — of course, appropriately concerned. But he will be airlifted out soon."

She said that neither she nor the other three NBC employees has shown any symptoms or warning signs of Ebola infection.

"We observe the custom now, which is to not shake hands, to not embrace people, to wash our hands with diluted bleach water before we enter the hotel," she said. "We dip our feet in bleach solution."

Obama administration urges calm over US Ebola case

And, uh, we, ah, are to believe this, coming from the epitome of honesty, the man with the most "open" and "truthful" administration in our nation's history. I honestly think that anyone who does not see the need for EXTREME CAUTION regarding this potentially disastrous epidemic in out nation's history, and he has the bold faced audacity to  say there is no reason for concern.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Friday urged calm over the single case of Ebola in the United States, seeking to reassure the American public that there is little chance of an outbreak of the illness in this country. The Pentagon said it had begun the long-awaited aid to disease-ravaged Liberia, with medical testing at two new labs and construction of treatment centers.

The administration has long contended that the best way to contain Ebola is to attack it at its source. The Pentagon's spokesman said Friday that up to 4,000 troops could be deployed to West Africa, a number that has been slowly climbing as military leaders arrive and assess the need.

But in the U.S., "we need to get the information out because there is a lot of fear," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases chief at the National Institutes of Health.

"Our health care infrastructure in the United States is well-equipped to stop Ebola in its tracks."

The unusual high-level briefing at the White House Friday reflected the administration's urgency in seeking to reassure the public that a wide-spread outbreak of Ebola in the U.S. was unlikely.

Fauci was one of five senior administration officials who briefed reporters Friday, including Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's top homeland security advisers.

Monaco said the U.S. was not considering a travel ban to prevent people from the hardest-hit West African countries from coming to the U.S. and said efforts were instead focused on identify high-risk individuals before they leave the outbreak zone. Dozens and dozens of people have been stopped from getting on flights in the region, she said.

"The most effective way to go about controlling this is to prevent those individuals from getting on a plane in the first place," she said.

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar

UPDATE....I've had several people ask me how my arm was doing....For those of you who are unaware of what happened....I seen what I thought was a "pretty white caterpillar"...so I picked it up and put it on my arm...I was unaware that this was actually a very poisonous " White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar"...and this is the reaction I had to picking it up. Parents please keep a close eye on your children, this is very painful and I would hate for a child to have to experience this.... Please...share this post so people can see what these caterpillars could possibly do to you or your children if handled...

Patient with Ebola-like symptoms treated at Howard University Hospital in D.C.

A patient who recently traveled to Nigeria is being treated at a Washington hospital with Ebola-like symptoms, according to NBC Washington.

The report says the patient was admitted in stable condition and has been isolated and tested.

“In an abundance of caution, we have activated the appropriate infection control protocols, including isolating the patient,” hospital spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement, according to NBC. “Our medical team continues to evaluate and monitor progress in close collaboration with the CDC and the Department of Health.”

Nigeria is among the African countries that have been affected by the Ebola outbreak.

The first case to be diagnosed in the U.S. is roiling the Dallas area, but other parts of the nation are on high alert, particularly when treating patients who recently traveled in West Africa.

Asked about the patient’s travels and whether he or she would be tested for the Ebola virus, Ms. Hamilton said in an email she “cannot provide additional details at this time.”

Dr. Joxel Garcia, director of the D.C. Department of Health, said in a statement: “The District of Columbia Department of Health has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Howard University Hospital to monitor any patients displaying symptoms associated with the Ebola virus. At this time, there are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the District of Columbia.”

Things I didn't use to worry about ...........

Passwords, I am now concerned about passwords. If, and it happens in old people, of which I am one, my memory starts to fade a bit. I think I will try to change all of my various passwords to just one, then I can write that somewhere. How awful it would be to not be able to get in to my bank account, or, our bank account.

My "password" cleverness has changed over the years. When I first started doing computers, many years ago, I used one for everything. Since then, I have used a dozen new ones, always cleverer than the last, but, there are some things now that I can't open .... because of my cleverness.

I don't buy anything that will last a long time. Nothing with a "lifetime" guarantee, waste of money. I have run out of after shave. Aqua Velva I have used for many years. I have used the last I had, and used it sparingly, no "splashing" as it shows in the ad. I was going to buy some at Walmart the other day. It was the day before my birthday, I was entitled to it. It was in the cart, ready to  buy .... as I pushed the cart, with a bad, noisy wheel, which I always get .... I remembered how long I had the last bottle, a few years .... I put it back on the shelf. I now use some sort of a moisturizer stuff in a tube, it also give me a "glow." My grand daughter, Mandy, gave me some after shave butter stuff in a tube, love it, but ran out. I knew I would not get all of the use out of the Aqua Velva.

I started using Aqua Velva at Lake Tahoe, bought my first bottle at a drug store that used to be on the North end of the lake. Whenever I put it on, I thought of Lake Tahoe, a walk down memory lane every time I shaved, but, no more, five bucks was too much. It is a shame I was not in that mindset many, many years ago, and it shows that my "spendthrift" ways are changing, a bit late..

So I sit here, glowing, ready to face the day, digging for thoughts, trains of thought, anything to make an interesting blog. The weather is gloomy, my mood is gloomy, but, I am "glowing."

10/3 Friday Morning

Rain in Ohio, poured briefly, now stopped. Cool weather ahead, must be Fall in Ohio.

I've checked over the news. nothing new. Some guy in New Jersey and his wife are leaving their "mansion" and going to jail. That happens a lot of New Jersey, no news there.

Ebola has become a great "keyword" ....

Halloween, merchandising wise, is becoming what Christmas was a few years ago. A great deal of merchandise in the stores. Marketing, merchandising, advertising and TV are wonderful things, they make the world go round. When I was a kid, we bought a "mask." We cut down old clothes to come up with something, used shoe polish on the face and hands, and were "creative" in what we came up with. A pumpkin with a candle in it was about the only decoration on the front porch.

The kids went out on Beggars Night, the parents had a party on Halloween, and that was it. Beggars night was, I think, the night before Halloween, whenever that might be. And, no set hours. It started at dusk and ran till it stopped, all on the same day.

The "take" was not at all like today. Popcorn balls, some made fudge, some candy bars and that was it. I have mentioned before, one house on Chestnut Street ..... gave out .... Pennies. It was a real "treasure" then. Probably a dollar today, not the new dollar coin, no "In God We Trust" on it, they are trying to boycott it because of that. And, we did our own neighborhood, I don't think any kid was driven to a more highly populated neighborhood.

I must admit I didn't watch "Thursday Night Football" last night, or, the two college games, or, the high school game ... all were on. Monday Night Football gets little  publicity. I think there are too many good shows on Monday night, not as many on Thursday night. Or, they just want to have a "big" game on, every night. I used to be lucky to get a game on the old Philco radio. Generally Notre Dame games were broadcast, I think with Bill Stern announcing. Just think what TV has done for football, a whole new industry, new stadiums, analysts, thousands of analysts, and old coach graveyard of opportunity.

I remember many years ago, as an experiment, they televised a football game, no analysts or announcers or broadcasters. It failed, I liked it, no one else did. Most games now, I turn the sound off, much more enjoyable. Even better, record it, then watch it, fast forward the commercials.

My wife records two Perry Mason shows that are on late at night. Then, after the news the next night, we watch Perry and Della and Paul, fast forward the commercials, much better .............

10/3/14

UN Fears Ebola Could Go Airborne

The longer the Ebola epidemic continues infecting people unabated the higher the chances it will mutate and become airborne, the UN’s Ebola response chief has warned.

Anthony Banbury, the Secretary General’s Special Representative, has said there is a ‘nightmare’ prospect the deadly disease will become airborne if it continues infecting new hosts.

His comments come as organisations battling the crisis in West Africa warned that the international community has just four weeks to stop it before it spirals ‘completely out of control’.

And the British nurse who survived the disease said the ‘horror and misery’ of watching young children die from the disease must be avoided ‘at all costs’.

A good "political" example

Franklin County Ohio Auditors Race ...

Clarence Mingo, Present Auditor
Ethics commission to look at contract County Auditor Mingo awarded former chief of staff

He was accused by an Aide of harrassment, she left, Mingo gave her a HEFTY consulting contract, some called it "hush" money. In my opinion, he is guilty, slippery, wealthy and ...... a politician.

He is running against .............. Mike Schadek

A number of questions about his financial problems in his personal life and some other things he has supported.

Look at those "smiles" on those two politicians ... stare at those two photos for 20 seconds ..... chills will run up and down your spine.

Say a prayer for the nice folks in Franklin County, Ohio.

A One Party system ....... "Let's Party"

I've commented before, but, I really wonder, by voting, in the General Election, coming up in November, regardless of who I vote for, am I, somehow, endorsing, or giving my approval to what is happening in this country. I have heard many state that they were voting .... "for the lesser of two evils." Or, they wish that there was an option, "None of the above."

There is NO .... politician today that I like or approve of. By the very nature of their choosing to be a POLITICIAN ... they have taken the wrong path. Once decided, any person, any person, changes their lifestyle and their goals and aspirations. There is a Jekyll/Hyde transition. Their dedication to "friends" and acquaintances change. Their "sights" are trained on a new path, and their sincerity to friends changes and is directed toward those who can assist and aide in those NEW goals.

I think the major altering factor, they are now spending someone money that is not theirs, it belongs to someone else, and when that occurs, an entire different outlook. Lying becomes a way of life, Image, self image, is all that matters. Their goals and ideals can be of the highest, until they get elected, and then a metamorphosis occurs .... and a different person emerges ..... a politician.

In my years I have seen much, I have seen high ranking government officials "owned" by casinos, financially backed to insure the "right" legislation gets approved. I have seen irreversible damage done to a city, for one reason or another. I have seen what a politician is capable of in keeping their name and image in front of the public. I have seen the "clever" image "tricks" used to be projected on the public. And, possibly the worst, negative campaigning ... little "seeds" planted to defame an opponent, some of the little "tricks" used .... a word dropped here and there, an insinuation, lighted like a fire. It is akin to saying, "I know an honest criminal, a truthful liar ..... etc."

I am undecided about voting next month, I am having trouble supporting any "politician."

Maybe we could simplify it, have a "One Party" system, one candidate for each office. The only decision to make on Election Day, which party to go to. Just think of the party they could put on, all that money for campaigning, millions, perhaps trillions, could go towards the party. 

At lease, we could all be happy, for one day ....................... Republican? Democrat? No I am a member of the ........................ "LET'S PARTY"

Where would we be without Henry Ford?

No vehicles at all, just bicycles and horses, no airplanes. Well, I was sitting out on the porch, drinking coffee and enjoying this beautiful Fall morning weather, a little chilly but nice. I looked out at our apartment parking lot ..... seventeen cars.

One took her boy to school, another a student heading to school, the bus, taking a load of kids to school, Charmaine, heading to work, the lady in the back, coming home from he job, and others, coming in and going out. Just got me wondering .... then, the realization, would not be sitting here, drinking coffee, if it had not been for Henry Ford.

I would probably still be in Dayton, working on the farm, or a clerk in a store, or something. None of this would have happened, little to no progress, without Henry. And, let's not forget Orville, he had a little to do with progress also. I guess it is progress.

I still find myself marveling at all that has happened during my lifetime. All that progress, in all areas, and what is tops on the news, a disease, Ebola, that is killing thousands, and, if it gets out of control, well, who knows. Many disasters happening today, have nothing to do with Henry or Orville, weather, fires and disease. All of our progress all of our advances, and Mother Nature still has her way with us. In some ways, no progress at all.

Civilization has somehow survived all of the disasters of the past, and hopefully we will all survive so that we do have ....... a future.

I imagine that Org, sitting outside his cave, gazing up at the sky, thought it was all ending, when he saw a meteor shower, or the Aurora Borealus .. "Maug, the world is ending" he shouted to his mate in the cave, who was busy trying to figure out how to prepare a 200 pound Brontosourus for dinner. She thought to herself, "I wish I had a bigger oven ...... oven ...... what is that?"

Secret Service Chief Quits After White House Break-In

"The president concluded that new leadership was required," 

the White House press secretary said Wednesday

"He lettin them guys run cross the grass an rite in a the building...

we coulda been kilt" ... he was quoted as saying.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned Wednesday, a day after bitingly critical questioning by Congress about a White House security breach. There had been increasing calls for her departure during the day.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday that Pierson offered her resignation, and he accepted it.

"The president concluded that new leadership was required," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at Wednesday's press briefing.

Pierson will be replaced for the time being by Joseph Clancy, a former special agent in charge of the president's protective detail who retired in 2011. He will serve as acting director until permanent replacement for Pierson is found.

Pierson had spent 30 years with the Secret Service. She took over the embattled agency last year after embarrassing incidents involving misconduct by officers and agents, including the 2012 Colombia prostitution scandal.

Her resignation came one day after she testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a congressional hearing focused on recent security lapses at the White House.

High-ranking lawmakers from both parties Wednesday had been urging her to resign, as support for her eroded in the wake of her poorly received testimony about the White House break-in earlier this month.

"There has to be accountability when that is not the case," added House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who also backed calls for an independent investigation.

The Sept 19. incident involving a Texas Army veteran who jumped the White House fence and was able to make it deep into the Executive Mansion before being stopped is now just one of several embarrassing disclosures about lapses in presidential security involving the Secret Service.

The alleged intruder, Omar J. Gonzalez, pleaded not guilty through his attorney Wednesday in federal court.

Worker hid $1,200 worth of meat in pants

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (AP) — A New York supermarket employee has been accused of leaving the store with $1,200 worth of meat hidden in his pants.

State police say Gregory Rodriguez, of Ossining, is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

Rodriguez works at the A&P in Croton-on-Hudson. Police were called Monday about the theft. Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday.

A state police spokeswoman, Trooper Melissa McMorris, says the theft occurred in one day. She did not know if it involved more than one trip to the store.

Rodriguez was arraigned Tuesday night in Cortlandt and sent to the Westchester County Jail. The court clerk says no lawyer was present and no plea was entered.

Rodriguez is due back in court with an attorney on Friday.

This might have been newsworthy a few years ago, in today's economy, it could have been a few items, a few steaks, some lamb, bacon. At Walmart, years ago, right before Christmas, a lady took a "football" ham out of the case, cut it in half and stuffed the halves into her bra. An employee saw her, asked the manager what to do .... "If she needs them that bad, let her have them," and they let her walk out the door.

US hospital bungled report of Africa travel in Ebola case

The man, whose identity and nationality have not been released by health authorities, flew from Liberia, the hardest hit nation in West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak, to Texas to visit family.

An apparent miscommunication among hospital staff left the man in the open community and contagious for four days, and he even came in contact with schoolchildren before he was finally isolated in a hospital, officials said Wednesday.

"I know that parents are being extremely concerned about that development," said Texas Governor Rick Perry.

"These children have been identified and they are being monitored and the disease cannot be transmitted before having any symptoms."

He arrived in Texas on September 20 and did not exhibit symptoms until September 24, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Tom Frieden said Tuesday.

He sought medical care on the 26th, but was sent home because the medical team "felt clinically it was a low-grade common viral disease," said Mark Lester, executive vice president of Texas Health Resources.

"He volunteered that he had traveled from Africa in response to the nurse operating the checklist and asking that question," Lester added.

"Regretfully, that information was not fully communicated throughout the full team."

He was returned via ambulance to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas on September 28, and was placed in strict isolation.

The patient is currently in serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

I wonder what happened to Joe Goss?

Joe Goss was a Nevada figure for me, I heard his name often, it was a generic name for .... the boss, the top man, the head man ............ the Joe Goss.

Joe Goss did all of the hiring in the Casinos. If you went looking for a job, you had to see ..... the Joe Goss..

He was the owner, floor boss, shift manager, etc., etc.

It took me a while to learn about him. I heard much about him, heard that name bantered around, and finally realized just who ..... he was, THE guy to see, the guy ..... with the "power." I wanted to get "comps" to go see Mathis at the South Shore Room up at lake Tahoe. I didn't ask for the Shift Manager at Harrah's, no one in the "cage," no Floor Bosses, I wanted to get right to the point. I inquired, got a name and got the "comps" from him ..... HE was the Joe Goss, the man to see, the man to get things done, and he did.

So Joe was the person to see, to get things done .... the Joe Goss.

Then, I got on a train and returned to Ohio. Settled in a bit, got a job at Southgate Men's Shop, did some training and getting acquainted with the store, where everything was, and, with John Slanker and Kenney Alspach and Bill Clutter and Dale Hahn.

My first day on the floor, a lady came in to purchase some things for her husband, We found the things she wanted, went to the register counter.

"Put it on my husband's Charge Account."

"And, his name," I asked.

"Joe Goss."

Finally, and here he was, in Newark, Ohio.

Half the World's Wildlife Has Disappeared in Just 40 Years

Global wildlife populations have declined by a stunning 52 percent over the past four decades, and humans are largely to blame.

That's according to a newly released study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London, which analyzed an index of 10,000 different animal populations (referred to in the study as the Global Living Planet Index) comprised of more than 3,000 species of vertebrates, a group of animals that includes mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and birds.

The report attributes this insane drop almost entirely to human activity, including overfishing, unsustainable agriculture, a dramatic loss in natural habitats, and—of course—climate change.

The most severe decline was experienced by freshwater species, whose populations fell a shocking 76 percent—nearly twice the rate experienced by marine and terrestrial species (both of which dropped by 39 percent). The most significant reductions in wildlife occurred largely in the tropics, especially in South America.

"This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live,"said the Zoological Society's Ken Norris, according to the AP. "There is still hope. Protecting nature needs focused conservation action, political will and support from industry."

While Norris' message leaves room for a bit of encouragement, it remains to be seen if the WWF's latest data will spur significant political action, particularly in light of the upcoming United Nations climate change and sustainability meeting in 2015.

Cover Michelle Obama’s Speech and What She Says an Aide Told Her Had Her ‘Creeped Out’

Meg Kissinger is a seasoned reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin’s well-known newspaper. She’s seen a lot in her days. But what she said happened at a speech by Michelle Obama in the state on Monday left her utterly “creeped out.”

Kissinger took to her Facebook and Twitter page to describe what happened. In short, she said, aides for both the first lady and Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor, Mary Burke, told her she was banned from talking to members of the crowd.

Kissinger was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, covering the first lady’s speech in which she was stumping for Burke.

“[A]ssigned to cover Michelle Obama’s speech today and was told by a Mary Burke aide and one for the White House that I could not speak to the people in the crowd,” she said on her Facebook page. 

“To say that I was creeped out is an understatement. This is what reporters do in America: we speak to people. At least that’s how I’ve been doing things — at all kinds of political events — since 1979.”

She recounted the same events on Twitter:

The odd encounter did make it into her story for the Journal Sentinel.

At the Burke event, a number of people in the crowd were upset about a lack of seating. Several people, including a woman using two canes, complained that she had nowhere to sit.

Reporters and photographers were cordoned off in a central area with chairs and tables. Several people in the crowd asked if they could have extra chairs reserved for the media — but reporters were initially forbidden from handing them over. Eventually, some of the Burke staff gave the extra chairs to attendees.

Burke and White House staff also told reporters not to talk to people in the crowd before the event.

Kissinger’s encounter bolsters charges by the media that the administration is one of the most guarded ever.

Pilot Steers Hot Air Balloon Through Giant Underground Cave

Hot-air balloons are known for floating gracefully into the wild blue yonder and giving passengers a spectacular view of the horizon unfolding beneath them. This picturesque tradition is what makes Austrian Ivan Trifonov's balloon exploit such a head scratcher. 

Rather than vault into the air, Trifonov took his balloon, complete with custom-made seat, into the depths of a cave. In a feat of aerial precision, Trifonov slowly descended into the Mamet Cave in Croatia, which is 675 feet deep. Video of the event, filmed on Sept. 18, was taken from all angles and looks stunning if claustrophobia-inducing.

The trip is being reviewed by Guinness World Records to verify that it is a new record (Trifonov figures it is). Of course, the boundaries of this cave are very difficult to maneuver for just about any pilot, so if verified, this world record will probably stand for quite a while.

But even if it isn't confirmed, Trifonov already has four world records to his name, including having been the first to balloon over both of the Earth's poles, the Mediterranean Sea, Jerusalem, the Great Wall of China, and the Kremlin. What's more, Trifonov accomplished his balloon-spelunking mission at the age of 70.

It's just proof that age doesn't have to slow you down, even if you are traveling slowly down.

Navy sailors mistrust leaders, 90 percent see admirals as ‘risk averse’e

“Sailors feel strongly about their distrust of senior leadership, and believe the Navy has a significant risk-averse culture and zero-defect mentality,” the report says. 

“Officers in particular hold an incredibly negative view of the current state of affairs, 

with vast majorities decrying the 

overwhelming perception of a risk averse and zero-defect mentality culture.”

Navy sailors harbor “widespread mistrust” in the admirals who command them, complaining of poor leadership and a disciplinary environment that tolerates absolutely no mistakes, says a survey of the fleet. The disgruntlement runs deepest in the officer corps, where scores of commanders have been relieved of duty in recent years.

I have read this a few times ... still not sure what it states. My only comment, that carrier seems like it should be "listing to starboard." What is on the port side to compensate and balance all the weight on the other side, the bridge, etc. If anyone can offer me a simpler interpretation of the above, feel free to do so.