The Sky This Week from July 28 to August 4: Starting with a Super Moon

August opens with a Full Super Moon just a few days after the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks from July 28 to August 4.

By Alison Klesman | Published: July 28, 2023

Sunday, July 30

The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks today, although the brightening Moon will make spotting shower meteors a challenge. Fortunately, the Moon sets about three hours before sunrise, providing a short but effective window for trying to catch early-morning meteors.

An hour before sunrise, the radiant is some 25° above the southwestern horizon. The Southern Delta Aquariids’ radiant lies in Aquarius, about halfway between the star 3rd-magnitude Skat and the similarly bright star Deneb Algedi in eastern Capricornus. This year, however, there’s another landmark to help you find it: Magnitude 0.5 Saturn is about 7° above (northeast of) the radiant. So, you can find Saturn in the sky and drop down a little to locate the point from which shower meteors will appear to radiate.

However, once you’ve found this point, look a little south or west of it — this is where you’re likely to spot the best meteors with the longest trains, rather than at the radiant itself. The Southern Delta Aquariids are expected to produce roughly 25 meteors per hour around the peak, so while it’s not going to be a stunning show, you can expect to catch at least a few bright shooting stars.

This site is great, it shows events of every night of the Super Moon

https://www.astronomy.com/observing/the-sky-this-week-from-july-28-to-august-4-2023/

>>19270929

Hmmm

This guy is insane, or very stupid

30 Jul, 2023 19:20

Nuclear war no worse than climate change – Blinken

Warmer temperatures are the number one “existential threat” to the world, the US’ top diplomat has claimed

The threat of nuclear annihilation is no more serious than the threat of climate change, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed. Blinken’s critics argue that Washington is risking nuclear war by arming Ukraine.

In an appearance on 60 Minutes Australia on Sunday, Blinken was asked whether nuclear war or climate change represented “the greater threat to humanity.”

“Well, you can’t, I think, have a hierarchy,” he replied. “There are some things that are front and center…including potential conflict, but there’s no doubt that climate represents an existential challenge to all of us.”

“So for us, this is the existential challenge of our times,” he continued, adding that this “doesn’t mean that in the meantime there are not severe challenges to the international order like Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

With July set to go down as the hottest month in history, the UN has called for “accelerated action” to reduce carbon emissions, including a global end to coal use by 2040. Earlier this summer, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry demanded an overhaul of the world’s agricultural system to reduce carbon emissions from farming in a bid to avert “half a degree of warming by mid-century.”

In Ukraine, however, President Joe Biden’s administration continues its policy of open-ended support for Kiev’s military. The US and its NATO allies have armed Ukraine with long-range missiles and are currently discussing the supply of American-made fighter jets to Kiev, amid repeated warnings from Moscow that such weapons dramatically raise the chances of an all-out war between Russia and the West.

Kiev’s forces have also made repeated attempts to target Russian nuclear power plants, the Kremlin warned earlier this month, accusing Ukraine and its sponsors of “nuclear terrorism.”

In the US, warnings about the imminent threat of nuclear conflict have primarily come from the isolationist wing of the Republican Party. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former President Donald Trump have been two of the loudest voices calling for an end to the US’ support for Kiev, with Trump declaring in April that the world was facing “the most dangerous period” in history because of nuclear weapons and “incompetent”leadership in Washington.

“Every day this proxy battle continues, we risk global war,” Trump said in March, arguing that “we should support regime change in the United States” to avert this risk.

https://www.rt.com/news/580573-nuclear-war-blinken/

30 Jul, 2023 20:18

Ukrainians are Germany’s biggest foreign welfare recipient group – media

People from Ukraine account for almost 30% of all foreigners getting welfare payments in Germany, Bild has reported

Ukrainians residing in Germany have emerged as the biggest grouping of foreign nationals relying on government welfare payments, the tabloid Bild reported on Saturday, citing data from the German Federal Employment Agency (BA).

Out of 5.5 million welfare recipients in Germany, only about half are German citizens, the media outlet reported. As of March 2023, almost 2.6 million people getting “standard benefits” from the state were foreigners, according to BA’s Migration Monitor program.

Ukrainians constitute the largest proportion of non-German welfare recipients, amounting to about 30% of their number. Syrians form the second-largest group, accounting for another 20%. According to government data, as many as 65.6% of Ukrainians living in Germany – or 707,700 people – receive financial aid from the government.

More than half of all Syrians residing in the country, as well as 47.1% of Afghans living there, are also dependent on the German welfare system, Bild reported, adding that, among Germans themselves, 5.3% are on welfare.

People entitled to welfare payments get an average of €502 ($554) for a single person and €451 ($497) per person for a couple each week. Persons with kids get an additional €318 ($350) and €420 ($463), depending on the child’s age. The state also pays for the rent, heating and education of eligible persons.

Asylum seekers and people with the so-called “tolerated stay” status could get between €369 ($407) and €410 ($452) weekly, depending on the circumstances, plus an additional €278–€364 ($306–$401) per child if applicable. Only those who are officially granted asylum in Germany could then apply for “standard benefits.”

This rule does not affect Ukrainians, though. Under the existing regulations, they do not apply for asylum and are automatically entitled to regular welfare payments, according to Bild. Berlin allocated a total of €43.8 ($48.3 billion) for welfare payments and associated costs within this year’s budget, the media outlet reported.

The existing scheme sparked criticism from Carsten Linnemann, the general secretary of Germany’s biggest opposition party – the Christian Democratic Union. The conservative politician demanded a “fundamental” overhaul of the welfare system, which he said should be more focused on the immigrants’ “integration”into the German labor market.

“We have a shortage of skilled workers and some 2.5 million unemployed at the same time, as well as a high level of immigration into the social system,” he said, demanding the government do more to “get as many people as possible out of the social assistance [system] and into the job market.”

A recent survey conducted jointly by several German research institutions and the federal migration agency showed that only 18% of Ukrainian refugees in Germany had found a job.At the same time, 44% of them said they would like to stay in the country. The number of those willing to remain has grown by five percentage points, up from 39% in a poll conducted last summer.

Germany has accepted more than one million Ukrainians since the outbreak of the conflict a year and a half ago. The large influx of Ukrainians placed a strain on the EU’s biggest economy. In October 2022, 23 municipal leaders across the country warned that local authorities had exhausted all resources to aid new arrivals. In February 2023, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for a more even distribution of Ukrainian refugees among EU member states.

https://www.rt.com/news/580574-ukrainians-germany-welfare-recipient-group/

30 Jul, 2023 22:20

Ukraine to start talks with US on ‘security guarantees’ – Kiev

The security arrangements are to stay in placeuntil Ukraine joins NATO, President Vladimir Zelensky’s aide, Andrey Ermak, has said

Kiev and Washington are to enter into talks on future "specific" US security guarantees for Ukraine in early August, an aide to President Vladimir Zelensky, Andrey Yermak, told journalists on Sunday. The negotiations are expected to start as early as next week, he added.

Yermak described a set of security arrangements as a temporary measure needed until Ukraine joins NATO, which he called "the most reliable security guarantee."According to the presidential aide, the set of measures, which is to be listed in a future bilateral agreement between Kiev and Washington, would involve military and financial assistance for Ukraine as well as "sanctions and punishment for the aggressor."

The supposed treaty would include "clearly defined forms and mechanisms of support,"Yermak said, without naming any of such mechanisms. According to the head of the presidential staff, Kiev expects the guarantees to ensure Ukraine’s "ability to win" the ongoing conflict with Moscow and "contain" what he called "Russia’s aggression" in the future.

Zelesnky’s aide also said that agreements with the US and other Western nations, which are supposed to follow Washington’s example, are to be based on a joint declaration issued by Ukraine and the G7 nations in Vilnius in mid-July. Yermak claimed that more than a "dozen"other nations had already joined this declaration as well but did not name any of them.

The Ukrainian media reported, though, that the deal reached byUkraine and the G7 nations does not involve any specific support mechanisms but only some "framework"agreements.

The text of the July declaration states that the G7 nations "will each work with Ukraine to establish specific, long-term bilateral security commitments and arrangements," including security assistance with "modern military equipment", support for Ukraine’s defense industry, training for Ukrainian troops, as well as information exchange and cyber defense aid.

Under the deal, Kiev is expected to "contribute positively to the security of partners" as well as continue the reforms demanded by its Western backers.

Neither the US nor any other G7 nations have commented on the alleged future bilateral security agreements with Ukraine so far.

In mid-July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow has nothing against security guarantees for Ukraine as long as its own security is not compromised. "There is just one restriction," he said, adding that "ensuring one nation’s security should not pose a threat to another nation’s security."

"As for Ukraine’s NATO membership, we have repeatedly stated that it creates a threat to Russia’s security," the president said, adding that it was one of the very reasons that prompted Russia to launch its military campaign in Ukraine in the first place.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580576-ukraine-us-security-guarantees-talks/

>>19270993

God damn them, how long did they know this, for fucking years!

There is a Reason Ron DeSantis Keeps Talking About Georgia

July 30, 2023 | Sundance |

There’s a great inside baseball discussion linked and embedded down below talking about Georgia Republican Politics. However, before getting to that video some background context is needed.

There are states where the professional [GOPe] republican grip is tight, and there are states where the MAGA insurgency has gained strength loosening that corporate club grip.Georgia is a state where the party apparatus is gripping the reins tight and not willing to let the populist movement impede their professional political stranglehold.

Governor Brian Kemp is to Georgia in 2024 as Govenor Haley Barbour was to Mississippi previously. Kemp controls the party machinery and Kemp has always despised the popular support for Donald Trump, an unacceptable republican in the eyes of the party apparatus. It is not coincidental that Sea Island Georgia is the epicenter of the Wall Street assembly against the populist insurgency. Georgia is a battleground state for Republican power and control.

Before going further, watch this 20 second clip of MeAgain Kelly interviewing Ron DeSantis recently. Notice the mindset, the point of reference for DeSantis, when Kelly pokes him about his distant polling to President Trump. Notice the state he references {Direct Rumble Link} WATCH:

I’m not going to repeat the examples of the Sea Island reference points, the Mike Pence rally to support Kemp, George W Bush rallying support for Kemp, the intentional non requests for Trump ’22 campaigning, True the Vote’s Catherine Englebrecht documenting the systemic vote system corruption by Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp and his entire administration, or the MSM push to use Kemp as an example of a Trump slayer.

Additionally, you guys already know the background of Georgia grassroots activists booing Kemp at the state convention, and the recent issue of Brian Kemp adviser Cody Hall joining team DeSantis while remaining a Kemp advisor.

Instead, this recent discussion which outlined details of “Closed-door Meetings Held Between DeSantis, Georgia Leadership and Kemp Immediately Following Legislative Session” warrants some attention.

[Via Georgia Record] – […] Brian K. Pritchard disclosed the meetings during his comments on The Georgia 2024 Show today. Mr. Pritchard explained that the day after the Georgia legislative session ended Gov. Ron DeSantis showed up in The Georgia Capitol building and was ushered into a series of closed-door meetings. These included a session with Republican Senators, a meeting with a group of Georgia House Members and House Leader Jon Burns, and a private lunch with Gov. Brian Kemp.

The subject of each of these discussions has been kept private, but clearly there was a reason and agenda for DeSantis to visit the Georgia Capitol.

Watch the video beginning at 29:00 {Direct Rumble Link}.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/07/30/there-is-a-reason-ron-desantis-keeps-talking-about-georgia/

https://rumble.com/embed/v30vst5/?pub=4

The losers cannot gather 200 people when the speak, but they tow the party line, because they are losers

30 Jul, 2023 19:03

Republican rivals circle around ‘low energy’ Trump

The former US president’s mounting legal issues are hurting his candidacy for president, a GOP rival has warned

Donald Trump’s deepening legal woes have rendered him a far less compelling candidate for president, Republican rival Chris Sununu has warned, as several top GOP figures spoke out against the former reality TV star’s campaign for re-election to the White House on Sunday.

“This is not the Donald Trump of 2016, don’t fool yourself,” New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu – a noted Trump critic – said during an interview with ABC on Sunday. “He doesn’t have the energy, he doesn’t have the fastball.”

Sununu, who is not running for president in 2024, added that Trump’s candidacy effectively boils down to him “droning on for 90 minutes in his long-form speeches about his legal battles, as opposed to talking about the future of the country.”

Polling data indicates that Trump tops the list of Republican contenders vying to challenge presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden next year, even as the former president remains mired in various legal issues.

However, Sununu suggests that Trump’s consistent claims of witch-hunts and political persecutions are beginning to sound hollow. “Ever seen a soap opera?” he said to ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “They get kind of boring. The only thing worse is the re-run of the soap opera. And that is what he is bringing.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also joined in on the Trump pile-on. Speaking to CNN while referencing Trump’s federal indictment for allegedly illegally retaining classified government documents at his Florida estate and the subsequent claims of obstruction of justice, Christie said that “these guys were acting like the Corleones with no experience.”

Trump is also heavily linked to a separate federal indictment linked to his actions ahead of the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol. He denies all wrongdoing.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate 40 years Trump’s junior, also spoke to CNN on Sunday but said that, should Trump be convicted in the classified documents case, he would move to pardon the former president from what he described as a “politicized prosecution.”

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley toed a similar line on CBS on Sunday. Trump’s alleged actions, if proven true, were “incredibly dangerous to our national security” but that a presidential pardon under her administration could be in the best interests of the country.

However, addressing the charges against Trump – and perhaps even the ex-president himself – Haley added that “we have to move forward. We’ve got to quit living in the past.”

And in comments seemingly aimed at Ramaswamy’s apparent fealty to Trump, Haley added that “anybody who promises pardons during a presidential campaign is not serving our system of justice.

(It’s almost unbelievable at that absolute ingratitude they have, but its not!)

https://www.rt.com/news/580572-us-trump-republican-criticism/