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Steve Aftergood: CRS on Taxpayers Who Pay Nothing

Corruption, Government
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Steven Aftergood

Taxpayers with Zero Income Tax Liability: Trends Over Time and Across Income Levels

An estimated 44% of U.S. households will pay no federal income tax in 2016. Some individuals or households do not pay federal income taxes because their income was below the filing threshold. Other individuals or households filingfederal income tax returns pay no federal income tax due to either structural features or special provisions in the tax code. A 2011 analysis found that of nontaxable “tax units,” about half were made nontaxable by tax expenditures (special provisions in the tax code such as credits and deductions). The other half were made nontaxable by structural features of the income tax system, namely the standard deduction and personal exemptions.

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Mongoose: Violent “American Spring” Looms as “A Legacy of Blood” is Plotted

Cultural Intelligence, Peace Intelligence
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Mongoose

A “Legacy Of Blood” – Obama, Clinton, And Lynch Plotting A Violent Uprising Against Trump

Sultan Knish: Obama's Third Term is Here

Expert: 60% of pro-Obamacare comments are posted by paid trolls

The American Media Hide From The Truth

See Also:

When ‘Disinformation’ Is Truth

President Trump's Lawyers Plan a White House Legal Attack on Federal Agency Power

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Marcus Aurelius: President Trump Executive Order on Shrinking the Federal Government

Ethics, Government, Office of Management and Budget
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Marcus Aurelius

Presidential Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch

The proposed plan shall include, as appropriate, recommendations to eliminate unnecessary agencies, components of agencies, and agency programs, and to merge functions.  The proposed plan shall include recommendations for any legislation or administrative measures necessary to achieve the proposed reorganization.

The Director shall publish a notice in the Federal Register inviting the public to suggest improvements in the organization and functioning of the executive branch and shall consider the suggestions when formulating the proposed plan described in subsection (c) of this section.

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ZeroHedge: Michael Snyder on Global Debt Bomb

Commercial Intelligence
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$21,714 For Every Man, Woman And Child In The World – This Global Debt Bomb Is Ready To Explode

According to the International Monetary Fund, global debt has grown to a staggering grand total of 152 trillion dollars.

We are living during the greatest debt bubble in the history of the world, and our financial engineers have got to keep figuring out ways to keep it growing much faster than global GDP because if it ever stops growing it will burst and destroy the entire global financial system.

Bill Gross, one of the most highly respected financial minds on the entire planet, recently observed that “our highly levered financial system is like a truckload of nitro glycerin on a bumpy road”.

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Mongoose: Trump “Team” Out of Control on Russia

Cultural Intelligence, Government, Ineptitude
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Mongoose

Trump administration | Conflicting views on Russia

Donald Trump, US President: “The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defence – and, if not, the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves.” “If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing really great things?”

James Mattis, US Secretary of Defense: “Strengthening our alliances requires […] living up to our treaty obligations. When America gives its work it must mean what it says.” (confirmation hearing) “There are a decreasing number of areas where we can co-operate, and an increasing number of areas in which we will have to confront Russia. […] The most important thing is that we recognise the reality of what we deal with, with Mr Putin, and we recognise that he is trying to break the North Atlantic Alliance.”

Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State: “Russia today poses a danger […] It has invaded Ukraine […] and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war. Our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia.” (confirmation hearing)

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA: “[Russia] reasserted itself aggressively, invading and occupying Ukraine, threatening Europe, and doing nothing to aid in the destruction and defeat of ISIS.” (confirmation hearing)

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Stephen E. Arnold: Big Data is Art Not Only Science

Advanced Cyber/IO
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Stephen E. Arnold

Big Data Requires More Than STEM Skills

It will require training Canada’s youth in design and the arts, as well as STEM subjects if that country is to excel in today’s big-data world. That is the advice of trio of academic researchers in that country, Patricio Davila, Sara Diamond, and Steve Szigeti,  who declare, “There’s No Big Data Without Intelligent Interface” at the Globe and Mail. The article begins by describing why data management is now a crucial part of success throughout society, then emphasizes that we need creative types to design intuitive user interfaces and effective analytics representations. The researchers explain:

Here’s the challenge: For humans, data are meaningless without curation, interpretation and representation. All the examples described above require elegant, meaningful and navigable sensory interfaces. Adjacent to the visual are emerging creative, applied and inclusive design practices in data “representation,” whether it’s data sculpture (such as 3-D printing, moulding and representation in all physical media of data), tangible computing (wearables or systems that manage data through tactile interfaces) or data sonification (yes, data can make beautiful music).

Infographics is the practice of displaying data, while data visualization or visual analytics refers to tools or systems that are interactive and allow users to upload their own data sets. In a world increasingly driven by data analysis, designers, digital media artists, and animators provide essential tools for users. These interpretive skills stand side by side with general literacy, numeracy, statistical analytics, computational skills and cognitive science.

Emphasis added. Read full post.