Huhn. "Now a pair of Harvard researchers are raising the possibility that Oumuamua is an alien spacecraft." And the paper they published. "However, recent observational and theoretical studies imply that 'Oumuamua is not an active comet. We explore the possibility that the excess acceleration results from Solar radiation pressure… For a thin sheet this requires a width of ≈ 0.3 − 0.9 mm. We find that although extremely thin, such an object would survive an interstellar travel over Galactic distances of ∼ 5 kpc, withstanding collisions with gas and dust-grains as well as stresses from rotation and tidal forces. We discuss the possible origins of such an object including the possibility that it might be a lightsail of artificial origin. Our general results apply to any light probes designed for interstellar travel." Rama? Of course Occam's Razor and all.
"The spacesuit-wearing mannequin and its red Tesla Roadster have now sped beyond the orbit of Mars after launching into space in February aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the aerospace manufacturer said Nov. 2 in a tweet."
And now we go to Wisconsin and their economic miracle of Foxconn. "And while many - including this site - accused the project of being a giant taxpayer-funded boondoggle, calculating that every job created would cost some $230,000 in incentives, a little over a year later and even more disturbing "glitch" in the plan has emerged: according to the WSJ, instead of hiring local talent, Foxconn is considering bringing in personnel from China 'to help staff the large facility under construction in southern Wisconsin as it struggles to find engineers and other workers in one of the tightest labor markets in the U.S.'" Con, it's right there in the name. (Grokked in a roundabout way from Xeni Jardin)
And then, "Mason reiterated Foxconn’s promise that it will eventually create thirteen thousand 'permanent' jobs in Wisconsin. But the company recently changed the type of factory it plans to build, downsizing to a highly automated plant that will only require three thousand employees, ninety per cent of them 'knowledge workers,' such as engineers, programmers, and designers. Almost all of the assembly work will be done by robots." That's a fairly long article that discusses a lot of other "changes" Foxconn demanded, the government running roughshod over their citizens, and how a large corporation could bend a weak conservative government to their will all for a good photo op. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"President Donald Trump's move to deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border is so far shaping up to have a cost of $220 million, according to two U.S. defense officials who were not authorized to speak publicly." Party of fiscal responsibility my Aunt Fanny. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"Two Elkhart, Indiana, police officers who punched a handcuffed man in the face more than 10 times will face criminal charges — 11 months after the fact, and only after The South Bend Tribune requested video of the incident as part of an ongoing investigation with ProPublica." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"(The shooter) was described as a brooding military veteran and former teacher, who appeared to have made videos detailing his hatred of everything from the Affordable Care Act to girls who’d allegedly mistreated him in middle school. The videos were posted four years ago, and were removed from YouTube after the shooting." A student attacked the shooter with a broom, got the gun away from him, but then lost the gun back to the shooter which was when the shooter took his own life.
"(SCOTUS) on Monday rejected appeals from the telecommunications industry seeking to throw out a lower court ruling in favor of the “net neutrality” rules. The Federal Communications Commission under President Donald Trump has rolled back the rules, but the industry also wanted to wipe the court ruling off the books."
"As the first active-duty military troops sent to the U.S. border with Mexico installed coils of razor wire on a bridge and a riverbank Friday, a sense of unease spread across Texas’ Rio Grande Valley… President Donald Trump’s portrayal of a border under siege by drug smugglers and other criminals is at odds with what residents in towns along the 1,954-mile (3,126-kilometer) divide with Mexico see in their daily routines, with U.S. border towns consistently ranking among the safest in the country." Wag the dog, baby. And once again, seeking asylum is a legal activity and a legal way of entering a country.
"A change this year in federal contracts has left some farmers market operators and advocates nervous. A company that has long provided the technology to 1,700 farmers markets across the country that accept benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, says it is pulling out of the business. And that could jeopardize recipients' access to fresh food."
"After CNN, NBC News, Fox News and Facebook either refused to run or stopped running a racist ad funded by his 2020 reelection campaign, President Donald Trump was dismissive Monday."
"False claims that ICE is interfering at polling locations have cropped up intermittently over the past two years. In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, for example, an image spread on Twitter appearing to show an immigration officer arresting someone in line to vote. The image was a hoax." Because even ICE knows that despite conservative hysteria to the contrary, undocumented immigrants don't vote. Basically this is a scare tactic to keep hispanics from voting.
The president says, "toughest sanctions ever." The world says, "Iran's oil exports have fallen sharply since President Donald Trump said he would re-impose sanctions on Tehran earlier this year, but with waivers in hand, the Islamic republic's major buyers could scale up orders as soon as next month."
Remember the "Russians don't seem to be interfering in this election" stories? "The hackers have targeted voter registration databases, election officials, and networks across the country, from counties in the Southwest to a city government in the Midwest, according to Department of Homeland Security election threat reports reviewed by the Globe. The agency says publicly all the recent attempts have been prevented or mitigated, but internal documents show hackers have had 'limited success.'" (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Following last year’s tax cut, Republicans have been plotting to cut social insurance in the name of debt reduction — but wanted to wait until after the election to do so." Again, you pay separate taxes to support those. But in this age of not actually getting a check and most people rarely check their stubs online, most people don't realize that. These programs have nothing to do with the debt (except that they've been financing the debt for a long time, as any excess these taxes brought in were spent on buying government bonds). "If Republicans hold onto Congress — or even if they keep one chamber — threats to social insurance will loom over every fiscal deadline, every behind-the-scenes congressional huddle." Note the next fiscal "cliff" is December 7th.
"Fox News primetime host Sean Hannity made a cameo appearance on stage Monday night at President Donald Trump's final midterm rally, going back on the pledge he had made hours earlier not to appear on stage with the president." Because of course he would.
"The crowd at President Donald Trump’s rally in Missouri on Monday evening began singing "Amazing Grace" after a woman collapsed and needed medical attention." And then the Fox Article goes on to explain "Amazing Grace" as a song. First class journalism right there, folks. And a prime example of why the evangelicals love Trump, a serial adulterer, con man, and liar.
"As I go from door to door, I have started telling the Democrats what I learned in my decades working for Republicans. Republicans win because they never, ever give up, and because Democrats do. But maybe, after Kavanaugh, Democrats will realize it’s time they change their tactics." (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)
"Under normal circumstances, America's midterm elections tend to elicit shrugs outside the U.S. The world usually focuses on U.S. elections when the president's name is on the ballot. But if you're an American overseas these days, you may be quizzed on what will happen in Tuesday's midterms." And it's not for good reasons. The rest of the world is wondering if we'll come to our senses.
And here let me remind everybody that even if the Democrats take back the House today, Trump will not be impeached. If the the House would approve articles of impeachment, to actually remove him from office requires a super-majority of the Senate. Even if the Democrats won every single Senate seat up for election this year, they wouldn't have enough. And good luck getting Republicans to see the sense in removing Trump.
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