umbertino

White House threatens to suspend CNN reporter's pass again when order expires Trump administration sent Jim Acosta a letter saying credentials are set to be pulled when 14-day order is over, CNN reported Joanna Walters in New York Mon 19 Nov 2018 14.02 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/nov/19/jim-acosta-white-house-press-pass-trump-administration-suspend-letter

Fox News and other outlets join CNN fight over press access to White House By Brian Stelter, CNN Business Updated 1943 GMT (0343 HKT) November 14, 2018 Vid https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/14/media/cnn-lawsuit-support/index.html

I remember "The Producers" with a stunning Dic.k Shawn act.......One could laugh so hard and get an heart attack " Hey Hitler, Man...."

Also a great track imo

Magnificent imo

From their best album "Deep Purple In Rock"...JMHO All below songs are performed by the classic / epic somehow DP lineup ( Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head albums etc.) Ritchie Blackmore – guitar Jon Lord (RIP) – keyboards, organ Ian Paice – drums, percussion Ian Gillan – lead vocals Roger Glover – bass This lineup ( the second one in the band's history) then crumbled after a few years mainly because there was a bad fight going on for quite some time between vocalist Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore ( acknowledged by many as a great guitarist but also crazy like a horse) They had gotten to the point of beating each other in a few occasions........ Can't recall exactly...But one of those 2 (or both maybe) left the band https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Purple

Sorry...I meant to say above that The East is certainly no better that the West

Weekend Wanderlust: Inside San Marino, Europe’s least-visited country What to expect when you visit the curious mountaintop capital of this ancient independent city-state, surrounded by Italy Clare Speak clare.speak@thelocal.com clarespeak 16 November 2018 14:49 CET+01:00 How can you be in Italy, but not in Italy? No, I'm not talking about the Vatican. There's another miniature country on the peninsula which is at least equally as fascinating. The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is a mountainous microstate on the border of Le Marche and Emilia-Romagna, just a 40 minute drive from Rimini. There’s no hard border or Vatican-style security check, but you can get your passport officially stamped - for five euros. San Marino is an echo from an era when city-states proliferated across Europe, the sole survivor among the independent states that madeup the Italian peninsula before the unification of Italy. It’s the world's oldest republic and Europe's third smallest state. The imposing hulk of Mount Titano, part of the Appennine range, dominates San Marino's landscape and the Unesco-listed capital San Marino City, or Città di San Marino, is draped right across the top of it. As we approached from the road, Mount Titano loomed ahead, jutting improbably out of the rolling green landscape. As we got closer I could see that it was crowned by a ring of battlements linking what looked like three small castles, each set on a rocky outcrop. It’s a slightly surreal sight as you approach from the road, and driving almost all the way to the top seemed improbable. But you can, and we did, along a series of steep roads with hairpin bends and incredible views across a green patchwork landscape. You can park up next to a piazza about halfway up and take a toy train the rest of the way into town, but the long queue convinced us to keep driving and cross our fingers for a parking spot further up. Also because we were told that the train only takes people up, and never back down. When I asked why the attendant just shook his head grimly, saying “it’s a long story.” The city itself, which feels nothing like a city, sits at 700 metres above sea level, higher than any in Italy. The narrow streets were packed with tourists; mostly Russians staying in Rimini, or Italian families on day trips. I wouldn’t have believed it then, as people jostled me with selfie sticks and bags full of duty-free alcohol, but apparently San Marino is the least-visited country in Europe. It only gets 60,000 visitors per year. The state of San Marino covers 61 square kilometres, but 99.9% of visitors do as we did and head straight for Città di San Marino, which is only seven square kilometers. The Vatican City meanwhile covers a tiny 0.44 square kilometres, and packs in more than five million visitors a year. San Marino only has 30,000 inhabitants, meaning it has more vehicles than people. But none of the cars are allowed within the old city walls. The three towers are the symbol of the city (and the national flag) and also the main attraction, though you can only visit two of them; Guaita and Cesta. The Montale tower, the smallest, has the best view of all but is sadly off-limits . The views from the other two towers are impressive enough, and you can explore all of 11th-century Rocco Guaita, briefly used as a prison, right up to the tiny top floor of the tower reached by rickety steps. The second tower, Castello della Cesta, is a bigger structure which is home to a Museum of Ancient Weapons. As we were leaving, an outdoor concert was starting in a tiny piazza next to the castle. We stopped for a while to listen, and I was told that in summer such performances happen several times a week, beginning in the late afternoon or early evening. After the castles, the second biggest draw in San Marino seemed to be the tax-free shopping. As well as the usual tourist gift shops San Marino is packed with perfume, jewellery, designer sunglasses and, more disturbingly, numerous gun shops. I was told that the guns were all replicas, just here to attract tourists, and that buying a gun is as illegal in San Marino as it is anywhere else in Europe. One thing that's definitely not a bargain here however is bottled water, or drinks of any type. They seem to carry a huge premium at every shop in town, so make sure you bring your own. The republic finally did become serene at around 5pm when the crowds seemed to vanish and we suddenly found ourselves more or less alone, wandering the narrow cobbled streets. The historic centre is as pretty as you’d expect any medieval Italian town to be. There’s plenty of atmosphere and almost the entire centre is pedestrianised. You can also walk along some sections of the city walls, and sights include the city’s tiny parliament building and the Basilica di San Marino, a Roman-style church. It's hard to see why San Marino gets so few visitors. While some travel blogs excitedly call it a 'hidden gem' it's far from unknown, as one one look at the large number of souvenir shops will tell you. The location, far from the biggest tourist hotspots in Italy and really requiring a car - though there are some buses from Rimini - probably doesn't help. Maybe all those replica gun shops are putting people off - or the peculiar one-way train. But there are plenty of good reasons to visit. While the historic centre of San Marino City gets busy in summer, it’s nowhere near the severe overcrowding in Florence and Venice, or the hordes flocking into the Vatican. Plus there’s cool, fresh mountain air, tons of history and those incredible views over Le Marche. And if you don’t mind the cold, visiting out of season means the same fantastic views and no crowds at all. umb's note: I visited eons ago and it was indeed a pretty little city-state...Besides it became also a sort of tax haven...Especially for non-Italians...there are restrictions for Italians to do banking there ( since it'd be too easy with no borders at all so Gov'ts in the past applied restrictions.....) but real Foreigners shouldn't have any problem ( I suppose...but not 100% sure though) Many pics A local's guide to Lake Como There's more to Como than ritzy villas and celebrities. Head off the beaten path and you'll find a lake for all budgets and all seasons Rachael Martin news.italy@thelocal.com thelocalitaly 15 November 2018 09:53 CET+01:00 Lake Como – Liberty Style villas and gardens, pastel-coloured villages and mountains that plunge down into the lake. Pliny the Younger, Bryon, Stendhal, Goethe, Mark Twain, Gianni Versace and George Clooney all loved or love it. Yet it’s not just a playground for the wealthy and famous. Get off the usual tourist trail and there are pleasant surprises galore. And don’t stick to just visiting in summer: granted, a lot of places close during winter, but you can always ring in advance or take a picnic for a day trip. The mood of the lake changes according to the season. Autumn seems more melancholy, spring shows more promise, and nothing beats the beauty of snow-topped mountains against clear blue skies in winter. Read on for a local’s guide to the lesser-known parts of Lake Como. Alessandro Manzoni (Italian novelist of the past) describes the eastern branch of Lake Como at the beginning of his novel The Betrothed. This is the land of those uninterrupted chains of mountains, numerous bays and inlets as you go south towards Lecco and Mount Resegone above it. This side of the lake is famous for its 45 km-long Sentiero del Viandante – the old mule track stretching back as far as Roman times – that goes from Abbadia Lariana to Colico and offers great walking in any season. The Viandante begins near the chapel of San Martino south of the small hamlet of Borbino, and passes through the pretty hamlets of Linzanico, Crebbio and Maggiana with watchtowers along the way. Abbadia Lariana (literally, 'the abbey of Lake Lario') is the first village, popular for its white pebbly beach and holiday atmosphere, and a lakeside walkway that’s lit up at night. For food, go to Camping Spiaggia or the “campeggio” – the campsite, as it’s known amongst the locals, for drinks, cocktails, bar food, pizza in the evening and live music. It gets busy, so book in advance. Further up is Mandello del Lario below the Grigna mountain massif, home of Moto Guzzi motorbikes. Not just a pretty open lakefront, it’s worth walking up to the centre of town to explore its narrow streets. Take the road upwards to the pretty medieval hamlet of Maggiana that’s built around the Torre del Barbarossa, the tower and residence of Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor. Near here Osteria Sali e Tabacchi has an excellent reputation for local food, while Mamma Ciccia is a café bistro, B&B and cookery school just off the marina. The road from here goes up through Varenna until you reach Bellano, a pleasant town known for its Orrido, which is actually a gorge but with a name that means 'horrific' in reference to the howling echo it makes. Drive up above Bellano to Crotto di Biosio restaurant in the hamlet of the same name for, amongst other local dishes, chisciöi – fried buckwheat pancakes filled with local Casera cheese. Behind the lakeside terrace lies a crotto – or grotto – typical of the area that functions as a natural fridge. Cold air comes out of the mountain and maintains a temperature of between 4 and 8 degrees. Originally known as Crott de Balin, for decades the restaurant has been a stop-off point along the Viandante for a glass of wine, a couple of slices of salami and a game of cards. To pick up the Viandante, turn right as you’re facing the crotto southwards down the lake, up through a cluster of houses and keep going. You’ll walk above the lake with views to soothe any soul. Take the SP36 state highway as far as Colico, to the northern area of the lake known as Alto Lario. Then turn left along the top of the lake through the Natural Reserve of Pian di Spagna and Lago di Mezzola. This natural plain at the base of both the Valtellina and the Valchiavenna lies between the northern end of Lake Como and Lake Mezzola, both connected by the River Mera. It’s an area of wetlands, and a migratory bird environment where birds both rest and nest. It’s also a great place for walking and mountain biking. For information about the reserve and itineraries, see the reserve's website Dascio is a hamlet of the village of Sorico on the opposite side of the River Mera to the wetlands. It’s a quiet spot at the end of the Roman way known as the Via Regina, one of the oldest trade routes that linked Italy and Switzerland. For lunch, both Hotel de Mera and Hotel Berlinghera are family-run hotels each with their own restaurant serving lake fish and traditional dishes from the Valtellina. Then walk it all off up to the Sasso di Dascio for views of the Pian di Spagna and the lake. Sorico is known for its wide sandy beach, one of the best on the lake and is a popular place for windsurfing, kitesurfing and sailing thanks to the Breva wind that generally gets up around midday. Tourism is based around family-run campsites and camper vans with an easy and relaxed atmosphere, with an emphasis on water sports, walking and cycling. Lakefronts are wide and spacious, great for just wandering along and soaking up all those mountain views. The cycle path from Sorico (Ponte del Passo) to Domaso is 9 km long and goes firstly alongside the River Mera and then by the lake. Stop at the town of Gravedona with its white pebble beach and lido, and visit the beautiful 12th-century Romanesque church of Santa Maria del Teglio. William Wordsworth came to Gravedona and got lost in the mountains above; he found a rock to sit on and just wait for morning, and then wrote about the whole experience in The Prelude. You could a do lot worse here than just finding your own rock and if not quite waiting for morning, just whiling away a half hour or so. Take it slowly, savour those views and just enjoy being in one of the most beautiful destinations Italy has to offer. Many pics umb's comment: pretty lake and places no doubt...But imho it's somehow overrated also due to the fact that lots of celebrities bought villas there ( including George Clooney)...Cost of living and / or vacationing is sky-high.... I personally deem Lake Garda ( biggest lake in Italy) much better and with more interesting and beautiful villages all around it...Also much more affordable as per costs ( hotels, renting home, etc)....JMHO

That's obviously a ( to put it mildly) stupid and really immature, ignorant and childish statement coming from dictator Putin....The East is certainly no worse that the West when it comes to horrendous things ( paedophilia and everything else).... Good and bad people are fairly scattered all over the planet, logic would dictate.... Besides ( not paedophilia proper but bad homicidal and brutal instinct anyway) one of the worst world mass murderers of all time was a Russian gentleman ( NOT) called " the Rostov (city) monster" by the name of Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo... For a long time the (at the time Soviet regime) DENIED vehemently the existence of mass murderers in the USSR ( it's only a Western problem...they would state..Nothing like that in the Soviet Union)....Then....the undeniable evidence came out and so the big shots had to admit it...Like it or not https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Chikatilo

'He can kiss my red xxx': California fire evacuees give Trump visit short shrift Hundreds displaced by wildfires who are gathered in a parking lot have more pressing concerns than the president’s comments Dani Anguiano in Chico, California Sun 18 Nov 2018 12.42 GMT Vid https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/17/california-fire-evacuees-trump-visit 'I don't agree with his statements': residents react to Trump's California wildfire visit – video The US president has visited the devastated sites of California's deadliest wildfire, again blaming forest mismanagement, which has drawn criticism from some residents...... Source: AP/Reuters Sun 18 Nov 2018 12.39 GMT First published on Sun 18 Nov 2018 12.39 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/nov/18/i-dont-agree-with-his-statements-residents-react-to-trumps-california-wildfire-visit-video

Trump refuses to listen to audio tape of Jamal Khashoggi's 'vicious' murder Turkish defence minister says killers of Khashoggi may have taken his dismembered body out of Turkey in a luggage David Taylor in New York and agencies Sun 18 Nov 2018 16.51 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/18/jamal-khashoggi-killers-may-have-taken-body-parts-out-of-turkey-in-luggage Republicans and Democrats pressure Whitaker not to interfere in Mueller investigation Democrat Adam Schiff: Matthew Whitaker appointment is ‘unconstitutional’ Republican Lindsey Graham: Shutting down inquiry would be a ‘disaster’ for the party David Taylor in New York Sun 18 Nov 2018 18.23 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/18/republicans-democrats-matthew-whitaker-mueller-investigation Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls for election and takes defence portfolio Israel’s prime minister says going to the polls would be ‘irresponsible’ Associated Press in Jerusalem Sun 18 Nov 2018 19.28 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/18/netanyahu-israel-prime-minister-meets-with-coalition-partner-to-stop-government-collapse Trump considering changing 'three or four or five positions' in staff shake-up Chief of staff John Kelly and Homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen believed to be vulnerable as president continues to stoke speculation David Taylor in New York Sun 18 Nov 2018 21.56 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/18/trump-senior-staff-shake-up-john-kelly-kirstjen-nielsen Migrants fleeing Libya refuse to leave ship and be sent back to camps A total of 81 people on the cargo ship, some from Sudan, say they are staying put Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo Sat 17 Nov 2018 18.03 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/17/migrants-fleeing-libya-refuse-to-leave-ship-and-be-sent-back-to-country 'This is not a concession speech': Stacey Abrams announces lawsuit – video The Democrat says she will file a federal lawsuit to challenge the 'gross mismanagement' of Georgia's elections....... Source: AP Sat 17 Nov 2018 12.43 GMT Last modified on Sat 17 Nov 2018 12.45 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/nov/17/this-is-not-a-concession-speech-stacey-abrams-announces-lawsuit-georgia-election-video Is Donald Trump an authoritarian? Experts examine telltale signs Are those who compare the president to anti-democratic strongmen overreacting or should we already be worrying? Tom McCarthy in New York Sun 18 Nov 2018 06.00 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/18/is-donald-trump-an-authoritarian-experts-examine-telltale-signs 'A dangerous precedent': Texans outraged at prospect of tent cities for migrants Soldiers based at Fort Bliss believe construction of detention center is imminent as locals speak out against Trump’s crackdown Edwin Delgado in El Paso Sun 18 Nov 2018 07.00 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/18/texas-fort-bliss-migrant-cities-of-tents-locals-outraged