Trump’s Lawyer: It’s Time to End the Mueller Probe

The president’s personal attorney hopes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein follows ‘the brilliant and courageous example’ of Sessions, who just fired Andrew McCabe.

President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, told The Daily Beast on Saturday morning that he hopes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will shut down Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s election interference.

Reached for comment by email about the firing of former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Dowd sent The Daily Beast the text of Trump’s most recent tweet on the subject, which applauded the dismissal.

“I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier,” Dowd then wrote.

John Kelly: Rex Tillerson Was on the Toilet When I Told Him He’d Be Getting Fired

The White House chief of staff shared the story with a room of reporters and Trump administration officials Friday.

Reporters gathered at the White House on Friday were stunned when Chief of Staff John Kelly shared a very embarrassing story about outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The reporters were there with senior White House officials for an off-the-record meeting with Kelly, who was attempting to tamp down speculation about an impending administration staff purge. The Daily Beast was not invited, but was briefed on its contents by three sources with knowledge of the meeting.

According to those sources, Kelly recounted a very awkward conversation with Tillerson during which he informed the secretary that President Donald Trump would very likely soon fire him. The awkwardness was less a result of the contents of the conversation than its setting.

Putin is getting slammed for saying Jews might have interfered in the US election

• Russian President Vladimir Putin made controversial statements about Jews and several other groups in Russia, shifting the blame to them for Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election.
• Jewish groups condemned Putin’s remarks.
• Putin also suggested that it was unclear who was financing the interference, and maintained that they had no ties to the Russian state.
• The main financier of the Russian effort is a close Putin ally, US intelligence agencies have said.

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President Vladimir Putin of Russia elicited sharp blowback when he claimed that even though individuals with Russian citizenship may have worked to interfere in the 2016 US elections, they may not actually have been Russian because of their Jewish faith.

‘The Sopranos’ Prequel Film Confirmed: David Chase’s ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’ Takes Shape at New Line

David Chase is officially returning to the world of “The Sopranos.” Deadline confirms Chase and Lawrence Konner’s screenplay for their “Sopranos” prequel film has been purchased by New Line. The working title for the prequel is “The Many Saints of Newark.” Chase created the HBO series, which ran for six seasons, and Konner served as a writer.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is set during the 1960s riots in the New Jersey city between the African-American and Italian communities. The war between the cultural mobs turns especially lethal. According to Deadline, the prequel film will include characters that appeared on the HBO series, most likely younger versions of Tony Soprano’s father and mother, played in the original series in flashback by Joseph Siravo and Nancy Marchand. Tony’s uncle Junior is also expected to appear.

‘He doesn’t follow anyone’s advice’: Trump’s conversations with witnesses about the Russia probe may have opened him up to 3 major risks

• President Donald Trump’s reported decision to speak to witnesses in the Russia probe about their interviews with special counsel Robert Mueller indicates a previously unseen level of involvement in the investigation.
• If Trump did discuss matters relevant to the investigation with critical witnesses, there are three major risks he could be opening himself up to.
• It could be perceived as an attempt to interfere with the investigative process.

A critical Russia probe witness may have poked a huge hole in the Trump team’s story about a mysterious Seychelles meeting

• George Nader, a little-known but critical witness in the Russia probe, has reportedly contradicted key portions of Trump associate Erik Prince’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee last year.
• Prince told lawmakers that his meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of a sanctioned Russian investment fund in the Seychelles in January 2017 happened by chance, and that he was introduced to the Russian by potential business customers in the United Arab Emirates.
• Nader, meanwhile, has reportedly told prosecutors that the Seychelles meeting was set up in advance to open a Trump-Russia back-channel, and that the Emirates were not the ones who introduced Prince and Dmitriev.

South Korean leaders announce unprecedented invitation for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

• North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has invited US President Donald Trump to meet, and said his country would refrain from further nuclear and missile tests.
• The announcement was delivered by South Korean national-security officials on Thursday evening after they briefed their US counterparts about their recent trip to North Korea.
• Trump agreed to meet Kim Jong-un “to achieve permanent denuclearization.”
• The White House says a timeline for such a meeting has not yet been determined.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has invited US President Donald Trump to meet and said his country would refrain from further nuclear and missile tests.

Heather Locklear’s home searched after threatening to ‘shoot’ police

Police searched Heather Locklear’s home after she threatened to “shoot” police if they returned to her home during her arrest last week on charges of domestic violence and assault on three police officers.

Police obtained a search warrant to the former “Melrose Place” star’s home to address “specific threats” she made to Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies at the time of her Feb. 25 arrest.

Locklear told deputies she would “shoot them if they ever came to her house again.” However, police did not find the gun registered in Locklear’s name at her residence. She is due in court on March 13.

The actress is seeking treatment at a rehabilitation center, according to E! News.

A rep for Locklear did not return Fox News’ request for comment.

Locklear has struggled with substance abuse in the past and most recently had entered rehab last year.

Global stocks tumble as Gary Cohn’s White House exit kicks trade war fears into overdrive

• Global stocks dropped Wednesday as investors digested the news of Gary Cohn’s White House departure.
• Cohn’s exit reignited fears of a global trade war as traders worry other nations may retaliate against US measures.
• The former Goldman Sachs executive is a proponent of free trade, and butted heads with President Donald Trump in his final days over recently announced tariffs.

Stocks around the world were sharply lower Wednesday after Gary Cohn’s exit from the White House spurred fears of a global trade war.

Highly classified Israeli army systems revealed in Defense Ministry document posted online

‘Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States,’ Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer says

At Least 31 Suspected Militants Killed In Afghanistan, Army Says

At least 31 suspected insurgents, including Islamic State militants, were killed over the past 24 hours in ground and air strikes launched by the Afghan Army in different parts of the country, the Defense Ministry said on March 6.

Seventeen suspected militants were wounded and two were arrested, the ministry said in a statement. At least 13 air strikes were carried out across the country to target suspected insurgent hideouts and weapons caches, the statement said.

Operations were conducted in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Ghazni, Paktika, Kandahar, Zabul, Farah, Badghis, Kunduz, Takhar, Faryab, Nimroz, and Helmand provinces.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week is Here and We’re Excited

Love soul food and need a new place to go? We’ve got a city and a time for you. The destination? Memphis, Tennessee. When? March 5-11, 2018 for Memphis Black Restaurant Week.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week (MBRW), if you couldn’t tell by the name, is an opportunity for Black-owned restaurants to offer dining deals, bring in new customers, and raise awareness.

The first run, started by Cynthia Daniels (pictured above) in 2016, featured eight restaurants (DeJavu, HM Dessert Lounge, Onix, Evergreen Grill, Mot & Ed’s, The Bistro, Scoops Parlor, and The Office @ Uptown) and was developed while Daniels was employed as the social media manager for HM Dessert Lounge.

In her capacity there, Daniels says she was able to see behind the curtain and understand the difficulties that restaurants face when they don’t have the budgets to advertise.

This Dashing Typewriter Can Compose Digital Works

If you’ve ever written on a typewriter, you probably cringe every time you use a normal laptop or modern computer. The sound, the feel — there’s no comparing the two. Unfortunately in the real world, using a typewriter to draft emails and complete expense reports is impossible … until now.

Launched in 2014 on Kickstarter, Qwerkywriter ($299) is a vintage-feel mechanical keyboard inspired by the classic typewriter. The main difference: it wirelessly connects to your devices —  tablet, monitor, or even iPhone — and functions as a keyboard.

“It started out in my garage as a simple passion project,” says Qwerkywriter creator and founder of Qwerkytoys Brian Min. “I was discontent with the vanilla aesthetic of most electronic products I used so I thought, why not make my own?”

British intelligence reportedly told the CIA months before the election that Trump’s campaign had illicit contacts with Russia

• Well before the 2016 presidential election, the CIA received intelligence from the UK about President Donald Trump’s communications with Russia during his presidential campaign.
• Shortly afterward, they also received a confidential package containing information about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s involvement in Russia’s hacking and online influence campaign during the election cycle.
• Then-President Barack Obama was well aware of these threats before the election, but his administration did not take much decisive action in time to prevent Russia’s effort from influencing the election.

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Over two months before the 2016 presidential election, the head of British intelligence flew to Washington to brief then-CIA Director John Brennan on intercepted communications between the Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government, according to a report from the New Yorker.

Critically ill man is former Russian spy

A man who is critically ill after being exposed to an unknown substance in Wiltshire is a Russian national convicted of spying for Britain, the BBC understands.

Sergei Skripal, who is 66, was granted refuge in the UK following a “spy swap” between the US and Russia in 2010.

He and a woman, 33, were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping centre in Salisbury on Sunday afternoon.

The substance has not been identified.

Police are investigating whether a crime has been committed, following the incident at the Maltings shopping centre.

Col Skripal, who is a retired Russian military intelligence officer, was jailed for 13 years in 2006 for spying for Britain.

A man tried to steal Frances McDormand’s Oscar at an aftershow ball

• A man tried to steal Frances McDormand’s best actress Oscar award at an aftershow ball, according to a tweet from a New York Times reporter.
• USA Today reported Sunday night that McDormand was eventually “reunited” with her award after “a scary post-show celebration separation.”

An unidentified man tried to steal Frances McDormand’s best actress Oscar award at an aftershow ball, according to a tweet from New York Times reporter Cara Buckley.

USA Today reported Sunday night that McDormand was eventually “reunited” with her award after “a scary post-show celebration separation.”

The Mysteries and Tragedy of Russia’s Bottomless Karst Lake (PHOTOS)

The water is serene but deathly cold – and danger lurks beneath its surface. Yet, in the aquatic depths the promise of discovering hidden underwater caves and relics of our past awaits. Here, beauty and allure belie risks – but risks that some are prepared to take.

“A sapphire in a ring of green trees.” That’s how this stunning lake has been described. Even on overcast days, the water has a deep, crystal blue color like the gemstone to which it has been compared.

But there is much more than splendor to this lake. Beneath its smooth surface lie mysteries as yet unsolved. And some of these are secrets that the lake will not easily give up; at least, not if the recent tragic death of one diving explorer and the hospitalization of another are read as telltale signs.

9 Magical Zen Gardens

Zen garden is an interesting and deeply spiritual aspect of Japanese gardening traditions. The typical Zen garden consists of an enclosed and shallow sand box of sorts which features predominantly sand or gravel with rocks of various shapes and sizes.

The rocks and sand (or gravel) are the chief elements of the garden, which generally creates the scene of islands in the sea. The sand or gravel in a Zen garden represents the sea or ocean and is used instead of water. It will be carefully raked by tending monks to create the impression of waves on the surface of a body of water.

The rocks themselves represent islands or rock formations jutting out from the water. The overall goal is to create a small-scale recreation of an aerial or cliff-top view of an intricate coastal scene. One of the primary differences between a Zen garden and most other varieties is the lack of living elements. Although grass may sometimes be included, no other plant or flower species will be found in a classic Zen garden.

This can be both unusual and exotically appealing to people with no past experience with the history and meaning of a Zen garden.

The world’s most extraordinary hotels in pictures

Mihir Garh, Rajasthan 
“The fort sits in splendid isolation amid the Thar Desert near Jodhpur. It looks like an enormous sandcastle, a mirage, and is not just a unique place to stay; it’s a shrine to the artistic and architectural traditions of Rajasthan in general and Jodhpur in particular.”

Planet Baobab, Botswana
“Botswana’s Makgadigadi Pan comprises the world’s largest network of salt pans – a thirsty, mirage-inducing landscape of flat, shimmering expanses under hard blue skies. Halfway along the sole tarred road through this arid moonscape, a statue of an anteater towers at the dusty verge. It is a surreal sight, and an appropriate signpost for the distinctive Planet Baobab.”

Prendiparte B&B, Bologna, Italy
“A medieval high-rise turned romantic hideaway, the Torre Prendiparte is unlike anywhere else you’ll ever stay. The living area is on the first two floors and comprises a snug, classically-furnished living room, mezzanine bedroom, and kitchen. Above this is the former jail where you can still see graffiti left by prisoners on the 2m-thick walls.”

Qasr al Sarab, UAE
“Rising from the shifting sands, Qasr Al Sarab appears like a mirage on the edge of the vast Empty Quarter desert. Outside high crenellated walls echo fortresses of old. Inside rooms continue the dream of Arabian Nights with sumptuous fabrics, carved Islamic designs, woven rugs, wooden doors and metalwork lanterns.”

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, Tasmania, Australia
“A stay at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge plunges you into the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness, with luxury that feels as organic as your surrounds. The cabins are nestled privately in the bushland, with wallabies bounding past the windows and wombats shuffling amid the trees.”

Free Spirit Spheres, British Columbia, Canada
“Suspended in the trees on sturdy guide ropes, Vancouver Island’s Free Spirit Spheres look like giant eyeballs peering deep into the British Columbia woodlands. Step inside and the handmade orbs – accessed via spiral rope staircases or slender steel bridges – are lined like comfy boat cabins with built-in beds and cabinets.”

Taskonak Hotel, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
“Göreme has dozens of beautiful cave-hotels but Taşkonak manages to dish up the cave-suites and stupendous views Cappadocia is famous for without breaking your budget.”

Thonga Beach Lodge, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
“One of few such lodges within the extraordinary 328,000 hectare iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a Unesco world heritage site.”

Saugerties Lighthouse, New York state, USA
“Saugerties Lighthouse is a historic 1869 landmark that makes a wonderful base for exploring the scenic Hudson valley. It is 100 miles north of New York City, and the red brick building has played a pivotal role in safely guiding steamboats, barges and other vessels safely along the Hudson river over the years. More recently (in the mid 1990s), the lighthouse was transformed into a two-room B&B, providing safe haven of a different sort.”

The Gibbon Experience Treehouse, Bokeo Reserve, Laos
“The tree houses erected by conservation group Animo are a thing of architectural wonder, straddling the giant trunks of strangler fig trees. But more extraordinary still is that to reach these vertiginous eyries you’ll have to trek through the fecund realm of the tiger, then catch a series of exhilarating zip lines strung across the forest canopy, before flying into your night’s accommodation.”

Amazing color pictures from 1960s Budapest

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National Geographic Photo Contest

 

 

 

 

100 years old pictures in colours before World War I

Türkei, Bursa, Ladengeschaeft einer Confiserie, Auguste Leon, 1. Juni 1913

Vietnam. Tonkin, Leon Busy, 1914

Indien, Statue des Heiligen Stiers, Stephane Passet, 29. Januar 1914

Österreich, Wien, Judengasse, Fotograf unbekannt, 23. April 1913

Mongolei, nahe Ulaanbaatar Urga, Stéphane Passet, 23. Juli 1913

Irland, Galway, Marguerite Mespoulet, 26. Mai 1913

Indien, Uttar Pradesh, Agra. Mausoleum Taj Mahal von Shah Jahan für Mumtaz Mahal, Stéphane Passet, 19.-21. Januar 1914

Indien, Amritsar. Marmorne Strasse zum Goldenden Tempel, neben den rituellen Reinigungsbecken, dem Darbar Sahib und dem Hari Mandir, Stéphane Passet, 15. Januar 1914

China, nach Kalgan. Nomadenlager, drei Männer und ein Junge vor einer Jurte, Stéphane Passet, 18.-21. Juli 1912

Water pipe smoking. Samarkand

Mongolei, Ulaanbaatar. Der Finanzminister des unabhängigen Staats Mongolei auf dem Marktplatz, Stéphane Passet, 22. Juli 1913

Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On (feat. MØ)

Listen To A Rare 1965 Recording Of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Profound Interview

When physicist and renowned author Jeremy Bernstein (born December 31, 1929) penned a terrific piece on 37-year-old burgeoning director Stanley Kubrick for The New Yorker, the story gained so much attention that Bernstein was commissioned to write an even more elaborate profile of the legendary filmmaker. Normally Kubrick would have flat-out refused, however, he agreed due to the fact that he shared a common passion with Bernstein — chess. When Bernstein travelled to Oxford, England for the conversation on November 27, 1965 it was also captured on tape. The interview remains to this day one of the most profound conversations with Kubrick ever recorded, and you can listen to it in full below.

Helios – Hope Valley Hill (Arms and Sleepers Remix)

Keith Kenniff – Helios

Mac DeMarco // “Brother” (OFFICIAL SINGLE)

 

Alan Watts: Sense of Nonsense

November 27, 1965: A Rare Recording of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Revealing Interview

“People react primarily to direct experience and not to abstractions; it is very rare to find anyone who can become emotionally involved with an abstraction.”

George Orwell on how to make the perfect cup of tea

Excerpt from Orwell’s fantastic 1946 essay outlining his 11 “golden” rules of tea /

Harald Grosskopf’s 1979 Masterpiece “Synthesist” Is 7 Minutes Of Pure Amazingness

Yesterday TEEN DAZE released a new mixtape which you can stream and download by visiting ThePlayground.co.uk.  The 8-track collection provides a perfect ambient backdrop for pretty much any situation, but the crown jewel of the mixtape is unquestionably Harald Grosskopf’s brilliant track “Synthesist”.

Shanghai Tower (650 meters)

Raskalov and Russian photographer Vadim Mahora broke into and climbed the Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower, soon to be China’s tallest and the world’s second tallest skyscraper at 632 meters (2,074 feet) high. Although the tower will eventually boast the world’s fastest elevators (reaching 40mph), the pair had to climb the 120 flights of stairs by foot (taking them about two hours); they then spent another 18 hours sleeping and waiting for the weather to clear. The staggering resulting images show not just the dizzying heights, but also fantastic views of the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center (together, the trio of buildings that are re-defining the Shanghai skyline).

Adam Magyar – Stainless, 42 Street (excerpt)

High speed video recording in NYC at Grand Central station.

Tolkien & Sendak On The Psychology Of Fantasy & The Powerful Effect Of Fairy Tales On The Adult Mind

In March 1939, renowned fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien penned an essay enitled “On Fairy-Stories” which explores the nature of fantasy and the cultural role of fairy tales. His argument is the same — that there is no such thing as “writing for children.” Tolkien writes: “A ‘fairy-story’ is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. Faerie itself may perhaps most nearly be translated by Magic — but it is magic of a peculiar mood and power, at the furthest pole from the vulgar devices of the laborious, scientific, magician. There is one proviso : if there is any satire present in the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away.”

Tolkien adds: “Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else … may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds.” You can read more excerpts from Tolkien’s essay by visiting BrainPickings.org.

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food by “Aqualibrium”

The fish in the self-cleaning aquarium in the bottom chamber of the Aqualibrium Garden provide the nutrients that feed the plants in the self-watering grow space in the upper chamber. This cycle… like nature herself… is automatic, providing the potential to grow an abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs and flowering plants all year.

The Real Walter White (VIDEO)

When AMC’s Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, one of Alabama’s most successful meth cooks was already knee deep in building a massive meth empire. His name? Walter White. In this documentary, Walter tells us the secret behind his product, how he stacked up thousands of dollars per day, and why his partner is now serving two life sentences.

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

Awesome pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope

 

 

 

 

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

http://vimeo.com/103807651

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse

17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey.

GoPro: Wild Downhill Ride with Claudio Caluori

Claudio Calouri and Will Longden takes us on a wild run through the UCI Downhill Course at Leogang in Austria.

World’s smallest cat – Big Cats

森の木琴

TOUCHWOOD SH-08C http://answer.nttdocomo.co.jp/touchwood/

“TRUMP ANTHEM” — A Bad Lip Reading of Donald Trump

Snow falls in the Sahara desert

The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week – and even snow.

Snowfall is very rare in the Sahara, despite the fact that it can be cold at night – because there’s rarely enough water around for any kind of precipitation.

Unbelievable Unlikely Animal Friendships Compilation 2017

Winds on this mountain in the US will make it feel like -67C

Temperatures on a mountain peak in the US state of New Hampshire could fall so low you risk getting frostbite in just a couple of minutes.

Micro Wind Turbine

Oxmo Puccino – 365 Jours

The Future Of Transportation

The World in 2050