"A mix of wintry weather conditions is bringing warnings and advisories for some 150 million people, stretching from the Northwest down to the Texas border into the Northeastern U.S. early into the week."
"A winter storm dropping snow and ice also sent temperatures plunging across the southern Plains, prompting a power emergency in Texas a day after conditions canceled flights and impacted traffic across large swaths of the U.S."
"The lions are thought to bring good luck and prosperity for the Lunar New Year. And as they strutted and danced in the streets of Chinatown, decorated with silver bells and fur trim, they passed Rose Wong who was walking inside a wearable red and gold lantern she created as an artwork and symbol of hope for the neighborhood." Happy Year of the Bull.
"Perseverance, NASA's most sophisticated rover to date, is expected to land on the surface of Mars on Thursday, February 18, around 3:55 p.m. ET."
So what do we mean by a carbon tax and why is it necessary? "Air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil was responsible for 8.7m deaths globally in 2018, a staggering one in five of all people who died that year, new research has found… Countries with the most prodigious consumption of fossil fuels to power factories, homes and vehicles are suffering the highest death tolls, with the study finding more than one in 10 deaths in both the US and Europe were caused by the resulting pollution, along with nearly a third of deaths in eastern Asia, which includes China. Death rates in South America and Africa were significantly lower." Besides being tragic, these are "costs" being incurred by the rest of us to support the profits of industry. Your health insurance is higher, Medicare payments are increased, the loss of productivity because of illness, all of this is a cost borne not by the industry that caused it. A carbon tax attempts to make industry pay the full cost of their actions.
"Drilling through half-a-mile-thick ice and peering beneath Antarctica's Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, researchers have accidentally stumbled upon strange creatures lurking on a rock beneath the icy continent. Using a GoPro, a team of polar scientists with the British Antarctic Survey examined a boulder at a depth of over 4,000 feet and found it was alive with alien stalks."
"For the first time since November, average new daily coronavirus infections in the U.S. fell under 100,000--well below the average infection rate in December and January, according to data from Johns Hopkins University… The seven day average of new infections dropped below 100,000 on Friday, continuing at that level through Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Researchers reported 83,321 new infections and 3,361 new deaths Sunday."
"Researchers have discovered seven variants of the coronavirus in the US, with a mutation in the same genetic letter, a new study found… They were discovered in states across the country and it's not yet clear if the strains are more contagious, but researchers are concerned." Concerned scientists are concerned.
"The first travellers required to stay at quarantine hotels have begun arriving at Heathrow Airport… All British and Irish citizens and UK residents who arrive in England after being in a high-risk Covid country now have to self-isolate in hotels."
John Oliver's Last Week Tonight on the Next Pandemic. Winter is coming.
"For people suffering addiction, (seeking treatment) can be a life-or-death moment. Studies show that getting high-quality medical care can make a huge difference, leading to long-term recovery and a healthier life. So what Beetham's team found was troubling… According to their peer-reviewed study, published in the February issue of the journal Health Affairs, many for-profit rehab programs charged inflated fees and used misleading sales practices to attract patients without evaluating their actual medical needs."
"There’s no question that the pandemic has been hard on children, whether or not their schools have reopened. A flood of research in recent months has found alarming spikes in depression and anxiety among children and their parents. Multiple studies have found that students — especially those with disabilities and from low-income families — are learning less than they should… But a new study from NBC News and Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education, is one of the first to shed light on the differences between students whose classes have been exclusively online and those who’ve been able to attend in person at least one day per week." And this is part of the reason why the bungling of the pandemic is as terrible as we say it is. You can count the cost in the dead and sick, the direct medical expenses and calculate the continuing expenses for those who now have chronic conditions due to COVID (as we're discovering more long last effects of this disease), but then there are the hard to evaluate costs of lives disrupted, thrown off the rails, the costs of having depended on schools to deliver vital social services to those in need and what happens when that support is cut.
"The United States Coa(s)t Guard is searching for 16 people who have gone missing from two separate boats off the coast of Florida. Officials said 10 people went missing near Key West while six others disappeared off the coast of Fort Pierce."
"Some industries are thriving and eager to hire, which should be welcome in an economy that has recovered only a little over half of the 22 million jobs lost during the coronavirus pandemic… Data from the Labor Department this month, for example, showed job openings at a five-month high. Meanwhile, job search site Indeed said recently that job postings are back to pre-pandemic levels." Pay. Living. Wages. Understand that when this owner says "increased wages" he means $11/hr (most likely, looking at local business, which oddly, we have a lot of plastics manufacturers in the area, most of which pay less than $10/hr).
"The rally in commodities that some say is the start of a supercycle continued on Monday, buoying resource stocks… The West Texas Intermediate contract, the leading benchmark for oil in the U.S., topped $60 a barrel for the first time since Jan. 2020. Middle East tensions and an unusual cold snap in Texas that could cause supply disruptions was credited with moving prices higher. Other commodities including platinum also advanced."
"Even before taking office, former President Donald Trump's administration obsessed over the U.S. census… From a failed bid for a citizenship question to a presidential memo about unauthorized immigrants that was fast-tracked to the Supreme Court, its moves over the past four years followed a playbook first drawn up more than four decades ago by the Federation for American Immigration Reform." Again, Trump isn't an aberration, he is the culmination of 50 years of conservative politics.
"More than 46,000 Missourians have also gotten letters demanding repayment. The state says it paid out more than $150 million last year to people who it later determined weren't eligible. The federal COVID-19 relief package passed in December gave states the power to forgive overpaid federal unemployment benefits. Many states, such as Illinois and Colorado, have decided to offer waivers — but not Missouri."
"Business and civil rights groups in California are demanding action after a recent surge of xenophobic violence against Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area left one person dead and others badly injured… The brazen, mostly daylight assaults have rattled nerves in communities ahead of (last) Friday's Lunar New Year holiday."
Trying to make it Biden's fault. "President Joe Biden kept his head down during the impeachment trial of his predecessor, which ended Saturday afternoon with Donald Trump’s acquittal… And now he can’t move on fast enough… Biden is traveling to Wisconsin and Michigan this week as he presses ahead on the challenges that will make or break his own presidency: defeating the pandemic and reviving the battered economy."
"Democratic and Republican lawmakers have issued fresh calls for a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to investigate why government officials and law enforcement failed to stop the attack on the US Capitol in January, following Donald Trump’s acquittal in his impeachment on charges that he incited the insurrection."
"Sen. Lindsey Graham is taking aim at Vice President Kamala Harris with a warning that she could be impeached if Republicans take over the House of Representatives in 2022." Serious eye roll. Yes, this is how conservatives think. Sure, the president standing before a crowd, telling them to march on the Capitol and fight like hell which lead directly to an insurrection just a few minutes later is exactly the same as :: checks notes :: contributing to a bail fund which also inadvertently released someone who then committed a violent crime a few days later. And yes, conservatives do think it's the same thing.
"But now the decades-long love affair is over. After a member of Publix’s founding family donated $300,000 to the Donald Trump rally that preceded January’s deadly Capitol riots, Mize is pulling out of what she says has become 'an abusive, dysfunctional relationship', and joining others in a boycott of the Florida-based grocery chain that operates more than 1,200 stores across seven south-eastern states."
Monday, February 15, 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Linkee-poo Valentines
"Remnants of planets with Earth-like crusts have been discovered in the atmospheres of four nearby white dwarf stars by University of Warwick astronomers, offering a glimpse of the planets that may have once orbited them up to billions of years ago."
"The Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover resumed activities on Feb. 6 after hibernating during the severe cold of lunar night, according to the Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua. But one lunar day earlier the rover came across a curious rock specimen which the Yutu 2 drive team began to refer to as a 'milestone.'"
"A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan, close to Fukushima, late Saturday evening leaving at least 12 people injured… The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 11:07 p.m. local time (9.07 a.m. ET), was located 45.9 miles (73.9 kilometers) northeast of Namie, a coastal town 60 miles from Fukushima, according to the United States Geological Survey."
"Gina Carano isn't apologizing for her controversial social media posts that led to her departure from The Mandalorian… On Friday, the actress and former mixed martial artist hit back at critics and revealed a new movie project with The Daily Wire, a conservative news and opinion website founded by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro."
"Amid the swirling controversy over whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration knowingly undercounted deaths among nursing home residents during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, a top aide for the governor apologized to Democratic lawmakers, saying the administration "froze" when initially asked by state legislators back in August about the issue… Which is a stunning admission. And seems to jibe with a report released last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James that suggested that Cuomo's administration undercounted deaths among nursing home residents by as much as 50%." So you know all those people who were saying the counts were wrong? They were just wrong in the opposite direction.
"Many Europeans are desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. But not just any vaccine."
"A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention roadmap for reopening the nation’s schools during the Covid-19 pandemic got a passing grade Friday from powerful teachers unions… 'Today, the CDC met fear of the pandemic with facts and evidence,' said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement. 'For the first time since the start of this pandemic, we have a rigorous road map, based on science, that our members can use to fight for a safe reopening.'" Let the intentional misunderstanding of the guidelines begin.
"Crowds are usually welcome and even encouraged in tourist-dependent New Orleans in the days leading up to Mardi Gras but as the final weekend of the 2021 season began Friday, police warned that crowds won’t be tolerated amid efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus."
"What happened to Kelvin was the result of a vast gray area: For years, Californians could legally possess medical marijuana, but stores weren’t allowed to sell it—in fact, the whole supply chain bringing it to them was considered illegal. Now, even though the city and the state are licensing cannabis shops, Los Angeles continues to struggle with its legacy of legal confusion and selective enforcement. Businesses can appear legitimate, and even exist for years, without any legal license to operate. Many of the illegal shops are in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with their employees vulnerable to arrest while owners are shielded behind shell companies. So as police and prosecutors attempt to crack down on unlicensed dispensaries, they appear to be reproducing the very social inequalities that legalization was supposed to fix."
"Under the plan advancing in the House Ways and Means Committee, the next stimulus bill would send $1,400 to eligible people, as well as expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Altogether, the three programs would provide a 33% boost to the pre-tax incomes of the poorest 20% of Americans — or a $3,590 hike per family — according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy."
"The budget gambit Democrats are embracing to fast-track President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid plan will trigger billions of dollars in cuts to critical programs… Top Democrats are already shrugging off the threat, insistent that Congress will once again act in time to head off the slashing to programs like Medicare and farm subsidies — a byproduct of using the reconciliation process. But in that high-stakes trust fall, Democrats will be relying on the Senate Republicans they are now spurning." Remember when everybody said sequestration would be enough of a threat to get conservatives to go along? Conservatives want to cut Medicare, and their willing to blame Democrats for cutting farm aid.
"White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo announced Saturday that he is resigning for the 'abhorrent, disrespectful, and unacceptable' threats he made to a female reporter in January. Ducklo's resignation comes one day after he was placed on a one-week suspension over the incident." Looks like someone had a talking to.
The moment when… "While scores of Capitol rioters flaunted their role in the January 6 attack, a growing number of insurrectionists are accused of covering their tracks by destroying cellphones, wiping social media posts and threatening witnesses… After the sugar high of storming the Capitol wore off, about 30 of the known rioters facing charges allegedly tried to destroy evidence or sanitize their social media profiles, according to a CNN review of FBI affidavits and court documents filed by the Justice Department."
"Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler backed reports late Friday that said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke with then-President Donald Trump as a mob was attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and that the president seemed unconcerned about the riot." Everybody knew the Trump called for the riot, launched the riot, and was responsible and could have called it off.
"After lawyers for Trump finished their defense of his impeachment for inciting the insurrection, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) questioned the timing of Trump's 'disparaging tweet' about Pence during the attack. At 2:24 p.m., 11 minutes after Pence was escorted from the chamber as Trump backers stormed the building, Trump tweeted that Pence 'didn't have the courage to do what he should've done' and somehow object to the election results. Despite the implication of the certification process already being over (it wasn't), Trump's lawyers said he had not been informed Pence was in danger when it happened."
"Ivanka Trump reportedly urged her father, former President Donald Trump, to make peace with former Vice President Mike Pence after the deadly Capitol riots, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post… A growing rift had emerged between the two leaders after Trump had publicly denounced Pence and encouraged a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and stop the vice president from verifying the election results."
"The Senate voted Saturday morning to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump… The vote, which was 55-45, throws a new wrinkle into the proceeding, which had been on a fast track, with many Senators from both sides of the aisle anxious to put it behind them and move on." And then they rolled over. "The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump won't be hearing from witnesses after all."
"President Biden responded to the Senate's acquittal of Donald Trump on Saturday by reminding Americans that truth must be defended, saying the impeachment of the former president was a stark illustration of the danger posed to democracy by lies, misinformation and extremism… And Biden said that although Trump was acquitted, his actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 insurrection were not 'in dispute.'" And yet, in a month's time, it will be disputed on every talking-head show.
"U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Donald Trump 'practically and morally responsible' for his supporters' deadly attack on the Capitol, only moments after voting to acquit the Republican former president on an impeachment charge of inciting the melee." McConnell is trying to have it both ways. If he felt this was true, he would have voted to impeach. This is him trying to shake himself and the Senate GOP free from his vote to acquit. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. If he really believe this, McConnell has also failed his oath of office, failed to protect and uphold the Constitution, and should be removed.
"Former President Donald Trump's lawyers mounted an aggressive defense Friday in Trump's second impeachment trial -- and made multiple false and misleading claims to bolster their case."
"The Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover resumed activities on Feb. 6 after hibernating during the severe cold of lunar night, according to the Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua. But one lunar day earlier the rover came across a curious rock specimen which the Yutu 2 drive team began to refer to as a 'milestone.'"
"A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan, close to Fukushima, late Saturday evening leaving at least 12 people injured… The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 11:07 p.m. local time (9.07 a.m. ET), was located 45.9 miles (73.9 kilometers) northeast of Namie, a coastal town 60 miles from Fukushima, according to the United States Geological Survey."
"Gina Carano isn't apologizing for her controversial social media posts that led to her departure from The Mandalorian… On Friday, the actress and former mixed martial artist hit back at critics and revealed a new movie project with The Daily Wire, a conservative news and opinion website founded by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro."
"Amid the swirling controversy over whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration knowingly undercounted deaths among nursing home residents during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, a top aide for the governor apologized to Democratic lawmakers, saying the administration "froze" when initially asked by state legislators back in August about the issue… Which is a stunning admission. And seems to jibe with a report released last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James that suggested that Cuomo's administration undercounted deaths among nursing home residents by as much as 50%." So you know all those people who were saying the counts were wrong? They were just wrong in the opposite direction.
"Many Europeans are desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. But not just any vaccine."
"A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention roadmap for reopening the nation’s schools during the Covid-19 pandemic got a passing grade Friday from powerful teachers unions… 'Today, the CDC met fear of the pandemic with facts and evidence,' said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement. 'For the first time since the start of this pandemic, we have a rigorous road map, based on science, that our members can use to fight for a safe reopening.'" Let the intentional misunderstanding of the guidelines begin.
"Crowds are usually welcome and even encouraged in tourist-dependent New Orleans in the days leading up to Mardi Gras but as the final weekend of the 2021 season began Friday, police warned that crowds won’t be tolerated amid efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus."
"What happened to Kelvin was the result of a vast gray area: For years, Californians could legally possess medical marijuana, but stores weren’t allowed to sell it—in fact, the whole supply chain bringing it to them was considered illegal. Now, even though the city and the state are licensing cannabis shops, Los Angeles continues to struggle with its legacy of legal confusion and selective enforcement. Businesses can appear legitimate, and even exist for years, without any legal license to operate. Many of the illegal shops are in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with their employees vulnerable to arrest while owners are shielded behind shell companies. So as police and prosecutors attempt to crack down on unlicensed dispensaries, they appear to be reproducing the very social inequalities that legalization was supposed to fix."
"Under the plan advancing in the House Ways and Means Committee, the next stimulus bill would send $1,400 to eligible people, as well as expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Altogether, the three programs would provide a 33% boost to the pre-tax incomes of the poorest 20% of Americans — or a $3,590 hike per family — according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy."
"The budget gambit Democrats are embracing to fast-track President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid plan will trigger billions of dollars in cuts to critical programs… Top Democrats are already shrugging off the threat, insistent that Congress will once again act in time to head off the slashing to programs like Medicare and farm subsidies — a byproduct of using the reconciliation process. But in that high-stakes trust fall, Democrats will be relying on the Senate Republicans they are now spurning." Remember when everybody said sequestration would be enough of a threat to get conservatives to go along? Conservatives want to cut Medicare, and their willing to blame Democrats for cutting farm aid.
"White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo announced Saturday that he is resigning for the 'abhorrent, disrespectful, and unacceptable' threats he made to a female reporter in January. Ducklo's resignation comes one day after he was placed on a one-week suspension over the incident." Looks like someone had a talking to.
The moment when… "While scores of Capitol rioters flaunted their role in the January 6 attack, a growing number of insurrectionists are accused of covering their tracks by destroying cellphones, wiping social media posts and threatening witnesses… After the sugar high of storming the Capitol wore off, about 30 of the known rioters facing charges allegedly tried to destroy evidence or sanitize their social media profiles, according to a CNN review of FBI affidavits and court documents filed by the Justice Department."
"Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler backed reports late Friday that said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke with then-President Donald Trump as a mob was attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and that the president seemed unconcerned about the riot." Everybody knew the Trump called for the riot, launched the riot, and was responsible and could have called it off.
"After lawyers for Trump finished their defense of his impeachment for inciting the insurrection, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) questioned the timing of Trump's 'disparaging tweet' about Pence during the attack. At 2:24 p.m., 11 minutes after Pence was escorted from the chamber as Trump backers stormed the building, Trump tweeted that Pence 'didn't have the courage to do what he should've done' and somehow object to the election results. Despite the implication of the certification process already being over (it wasn't), Trump's lawyers said he had not been informed Pence was in danger when it happened."
"Ivanka Trump reportedly urged her father, former President Donald Trump, to make peace with former Vice President Mike Pence after the deadly Capitol riots, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post… A growing rift had emerged between the two leaders after Trump had publicly denounced Pence and encouraged a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and stop the vice president from verifying the election results."
"The Senate voted Saturday morning to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump… The vote, which was 55-45, throws a new wrinkle into the proceeding, which had been on a fast track, with many Senators from both sides of the aisle anxious to put it behind them and move on." And then they rolled over. "The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump won't be hearing from witnesses after all."
"President Biden responded to the Senate's acquittal of Donald Trump on Saturday by reminding Americans that truth must be defended, saying the impeachment of the former president was a stark illustration of the danger posed to democracy by lies, misinformation and extremism… And Biden said that although Trump was acquitted, his actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 insurrection were not 'in dispute.'" And yet, in a month's time, it will be disputed on every talking-head show.
"U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Donald Trump 'practically and morally responsible' for his supporters' deadly attack on the Capitol, only moments after voting to acquit the Republican former president on an impeachment charge of inciting the melee." McConnell is trying to have it both ways. If he felt this was true, he would have voted to impeach. This is him trying to shake himself and the Senate GOP free from his vote to acquit. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. If he really believe this, McConnell has also failed his oath of office, failed to protect and uphold the Constitution, and should be removed.
"Former President Donald Trump's lawyers mounted an aggressive defense Friday in Trump's second impeachment trial -- and made multiple false and misleading claims to bolster their case."
Friday, February 12, 2021
Linkee-poo Friday Feb 12
Chick Corea, and so it goes.
"A dense clump of stars a few thousand light-years away has been harbouring a surprise in its core. Rather than one relatively chunky black hole, astronomers have found that the globular cluster NGC 6397 is wrapped around a cluster of smaller, stellar-mass ones… This could not only help us better understand the formation of larger black holes, it suggests that globular clusters could be of great interest to gravitational wave astronomy as the black holes inevitably draw closer together towards collision."
"And now (researchers) have succeeded in growing human brain organoids, or 'minibrains,' that contain the Neanderthal variant of a gene called NOVA1, a team reports in the journal Science."
"In a day of confusion and frustration, Los Angeles vaccination sites that were slated to close Friday due to supply shortages ran out of doses sooner than expected and had to turn people away Thursday."
"Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday that the statewide curfew has expired and is no longer in effect… He made the announcement during Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing."
"Former President Donald Trump's condition after testing positive for Covid-19 became so concerning last October that there was talk of putting him on a ventilator, according to what Trump told one person at the time… The detail raises questions about whether the former President's condition was worse than officials were willing to publicly acknowledge, a development first reported in detail by The New York Times on Thursday."
"A massive crash involving more than 130 vehicles on an icy Texas interstate left six people dead and dozens injured Thursday amid a winter storm that dropped freezing rain, sleet and snow on parts of the U.S."
How goes Brexit? "The U.K. economy contracted by 9.9% in 2020, its largest annual contraction since the Great Frost of 1709, as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged economic activity… In the final quarter of the year, gross domestic product grew by 1%, according to the Office for National Statistics, as the country reimposed nationwide lockdown measures in a bid to combat a resurgence of Covid cases." Granted some of that is COVID related.
"There is a 'very credible case' that the Chinese government is carrying out the crime of genocide against the Uighur people, according to a formal legal opinion newly published in the UK… It concludes there is evidence of state-mandated behaviour showing an intent to destroy the largely Muslim minority in north-western China."
"A group of 60 House Democrats urged the Biden administration on Thursday to end programs at the Department of Homeland Security that allow for state and local police officers to take on the role of federal immigration enforcement… The push comes as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under recently-confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is set to release new guidelines on how the agency will handle enforcement after four years of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda."
About that "free speech" argument… "A North Carolina man has been charged with making threats to kill President Joe Biden, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in court Thursday… David Kyle Reeves, 27, of Gastonia, North Carolina, was arrested February 5 for knowingly and willfully making threats to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the President, according to newly unsealed court documents."
"Military officials overseeing the authorization process to launch nuclear weapons were unaware on January 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence's military aide carrying the "nuclear football" was potentially in danger as rioters got close during the violent Capitol insurrection, according to a defense official." Mostly it was because the people involved, Pence's team, didn't know the full situation.
"Over two days of testimony, the Democrats asserted that Trump deliberately ordered his supporters to 'fight like hell' and 'go by very different rules' or they 'wouldn’t have a country anymore.' They bolstered their case with accounts from the rioters themselves, some of whom said they were acting on Trump’s orders."
"A trio of Republican senators allied with former President Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again… Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump's lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments." The fix is in.
"Only hours before his defense team was set to take to the Senate well to begin his defense, former President Donald Trump is reportedly hoping attorney David Schoen takes the lead following a disastrous performance from his other attorney, Bruce Castor, on Tuesday… Trump, according to ABC News, is also hoping Castor won’t speak at all."
"On Thursday, the House impeachment managers wrapped up their case for the conviction of Donald Trump for inciting the US Capitol riot on January 6, centering their argument on connecting the former President's words in advance of the riot and the actions taken by his supporters on that day."
"The mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol may have been a fringe group of extremists, but politically motivated violence has the support of a significant share of the U.S. public, according to a new survey by the American Enterprise Institute… The survey found that nearly three in 10 Americans, including 39% of Republicans, agreed that 'if elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves, even if it requires violent actions.'"
"A dense clump of stars a few thousand light-years away has been harbouring a surprise in its core. Rather than one relatively chunky black hole, astronomers have found that the globular cluster NGC 6397 is wrapped around a cluster of smaller, stellar-mass ones… This could not only help us better understand the formation of larger black holes, it suggests that globular clusters could be of great interest to gravitational wave astronomy as the black holes inevitably draw closer together towards collision."
"And now (researchers) have succeeded in growing human brain organoids, or 'minibrains,' that contain the Neanderthal variant of a gene called NOVA1, a team reports in the journal Science."
"In a day of confusion and frustration, Los Angeles vaccination sites that were slated to close Friday due to supply shortages ran out of doses sooner than expected and had to turn people away Thursday."
"Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday that the statewide curfew has expired and is no longer in effect… He made the announcement during Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing."
"Former President Donald Trump's condition after testing positive for Covid-19 became so concerning last October that there was talk of putting him on a ventilator, according to what Trump told one person at the time… The detail raises questions about whether the former President's condition was worse than officials were willing to publicly acknowledge, a development first reported in detail by The New York Times on Thursday."
"A massive crash involving more than 130 vehicles on an icy Texas interstate left six people dead and dozens injured Thursday amid a winter storm that dropped freezing rain, sleet and snow on parts of the U.S."
How goes Brexit? "The U.K. economy contracted by 9.9% in 2020, its largest annual contraction since the Great Frost of 1709, as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged economic activity… In the final quarter of the year, gross domestic product grew by 1%, according to the Office for National Statistics, as the country reimposed nationwide lockdown measures in a bid to combat a resurgence of Covid cases." Granted some of that is COVID related.
"There is a 'very credible case' that the Chinese government is carrying out the crime of genocide against the Uighur people, according to a formal legal opinion newly published in the UK… It concludes there is evidence of state-mandated behaviour showing an intent to destroy the largely Muslim minority in north-western China."
"A group of 60 House Democrats urged the Biden administration on Thursday to end programs at the Department of Homeland Security that allow for state and local police officers to take on the role of federal immigration enforcement… The push comes as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under recently-confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is set to release new guidelines on how the agency will handle enforcement after four years of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda."
About that "free speech" argument… "A North Carolina man has been charged with making threats to kill President Joe Biden, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in court Thursday… David Kyle Reeves, 27, of Gastonia, North Carolina, was arrested February 5 for knowingly and willfully making threats to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the President, according to newly unsealed court documents."
"Military officials overseeing the authorization process to launch nuclear weapons were unaware on January 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence's military aide carrying the "nuclear football" was potentially in danger as rioters got close during the violent Capitol insurrection, according to a defense official." Mostly it was because the people involved, Pence's team, didn't know the full situation.
"Over two days of testimony, the Democrats asserted that Trump deliberately ordered his supporters to 'fight like hell' and 'go by very different rules' or they 'wouldn’t have a country anymore.' They bolstered their case with accounts from the rioters themselves, some of whom said they were acting on Trump’s orders."
"A trio of Republican senators allied with former President Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again… Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump's lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments." The fix is in.
"Only hours before his defense team was set to take to the Senate well to begin his defense, former President Donald Trump is reportedly hoping attorney David Schoen takes the lead following a disastrous performance from his other attorney, Bruce Castor, on Tuesday… Trump, according to ABC News, is also hoping Castor won’t speak at all."
"On Thursday, the House impeachment managers wrapped up their case for the conviction of Donald Trump for inciting the US Capitol riot on January 6, centering their argument on connecting the former President's words in advance of the riot and the actions taken by his supporters on that day."
"The mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol may have been a fringe group of extremists, but politically motivated violence has the support of a significant share of the U.S. public, according to a new survey by the American Enterprise Institute… The survey found that nearly three in 10 Americans, including 39% of Republicans, agreed that 'if elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves, even if it requires violent actions.'"
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Linkee-poo Thursday Feb 11
"China is falling in love with space, inspired by the ruling Communist Party’s increasingly ambitious plans over the past two decades to launch humans into orbit and explore the moon and Mars."
The Two Nurses Talking substack… "But what happens IF the vaccines work and then we return to normal? We’re in crisis mode now, but when the crisis abates, the trauma won’t." The hospital I work at isn't as bad as this, but we're close. Last week I worked with severe achilles tendon pain. Why? Because you have to. I picked up 6 extra hours one day because there was a call off and someone needed to work it or there would be a single tech for the entire hospital (and they're a newbie, and it was only 6 because the hospital doesn't want to pay for a single-second of overtime that they don't absolutely have to). Which, btw, I'm looking at 2 hours this Friday night where I will be that single tech, me and a student who I can't have exposed to COVID because 1) she's a student and if a student gets COVID our "teaching hospital" days are done and 2) she's also a coworker at the front desk looking to retrain. And I'm still being pressured to pick up more time to help the nurses. Have I mentioned I already work 60+ hours a week between my two jobs? The hospital is offering us a full year of a "meditation/wellness" application subscription. And in case you think she's being hyperbolic about people even now saying it's a hoax or just a bad flu, she is understating it.
"People who have received the full course of Covid-19 vaccines can skip the standard 14-day quarantine after exposure to someone with the infection as long as they remain asymptomatic, US public health officials advised."
"First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 793,000 last week as declining Covid-19 cases provided little relief for the jobs market… The total for the week ended Feb. 6 was above the 760,000 forecast from economists surveyed by Dow Jones but a slight decrease from the previous week’s upwardly revised total of 812,000."
"Automakers across the globe are expected to lose billions of dollars in earnings this year due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, a situation that’s expected to worsen as companies battle for supplies of the critical parts."
"Dan and Grace Porte worked together for decades… In the 1970s, they started a paint and wallpaper business. Then, after the housing bubble burst in the Great Recession, the couple delivered cars for Enterprise. Five years later, they were fielding customer returns at Target… But the pandemic brought that to an end. Now, in their mid-80s, the Portes are unemployed." Social Security is not enough.
"Saudi Arabia has released jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul, best known for leading the campaign to legalize driving for women in Saudi Arabia, according to her family. She was held for nearly three years."
"Democrats are confronting a growing intraparty dispute over whether the Covid-19 relief bill they are crafting should include a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, a top progressive priority for years… Two disagreements are brewing between Democrats: first, a procedural dispute over whether Senate rules even allow them to include it in the coronavirus relief bill. And second, a policy division over whether a nationwide wage floor of $15 an hour is too high."
Jim Wright on combat fatigue of the last four years.
"A group of more than 100 former Republican officials have discussed the possibility of forming a conservative party due to their unhappiness with the direction of the GOP under former President Donald Trump and the likelihood he'll be acquitted at the end of his second impeachment trial, according to Republicans who participated in the conversation." If they do it correctly, they may engage many who have left the political scene for the past 3 decades, the so called "independents." But I don't give it much of a chance. For forty years the two parties made sure a third party faced too many hurdles to get started.
"Federal prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the release of a Pennsylvania woman accused of using a large pipe to break a window in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. and giving directions to fellow insurrectionists about how to take the building." But yet they let another go on vacation in Mexico.
"New security footage of the Capitol assault presented Wednesday by House impeachment managers showed Officer Eugene Goodman directing Senator Mitt Romney to turn to safety on January 6. Romney appeared to be heading in the direction of the rioters when Goodman steered him away."
"House Democrats leading the prosecution of former President Trump wrapped up the second day of his impeachment trial on Wednesday by calling into question what Mr. Trump was doing while the Capitol was under attack on January 6."
"Former President Donald Trump's legal team isn't discouraged over graphic, never-before-seen video that House impeachment managers used in a detailed play-by-play of the violent riot that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on January 6… 'I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know,' Trump attorney Bruce Castor told reporters Wednesday during a brief break after senators saw several close encounters with the rioters. 'We know a mob breached the Capitol and wreaked havoc in the building. I'm waiting for them to connect that up to President Trump and so far that hadn't happened.'" And while it's true they showed a lot of footage of the attack, they also showed how the president planned and encouraged this attack preparing the ground for over a year.
The Two Nurses Talking substack… "But what happens IF the vaccines work and then we return to normal? We’re in crisis mode now, but when the crisis abates, the trauma won’t." The hospital I work at isn't as bad as this, but we're close. Last week I worked with severe achilles tendon pain. Why? Because you have to. I picked up 6 extra hours one day because there was a call off and someone needed to work it or there would be a single tech for the entire hospital (and they're a newbie, and it was only 6 because the hospital doesn't want to pay for a single-second of overtime that they don't absolutely have to). Which, btw, I'm looking at 2 hours this Friday night where I will be that single tech, me and a student who I can't have exposed to COVID because 1) she's a student and if a student gets COVID our "teaching hospital" days are done and 2) she's also a coworker at the front desk looking to retrain. And I'm still being pressured to pick up more time to help the nurses. Have I mentioned I already work 60+ hours a week between my two jobs? The hospital is offering us a full year of a "meditation/wellness" application subscription. And in case you think she's being hyperbolic about people even now saying it's a hoax or just a bad flu, she is understating it.
"People who have received the full course of Covid-19 vaccines can skip the standard 14-day quarantine after exposure to someone with the infection as long as they remain asymptomatic, US public health officials advised."
"First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 793,000 last week as declining Covid-19 cases provided little relief for the jobs market… The total for the week ended Feb. 6 was above the 760,000 forecast from economists surveyed by Dow Jones but a slight decrease from the previous week’s upwardly revised total of 812,000."
"Automakers across the globe are expected to lose billions of dollars in earnings this year due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, a situation that’s expected to worsen as companies battle for supplies of the critical parts."
"Dan and Grace Porte worked together for decades… In the 1970s, they started a paint and wallpaper business. Then, after the housing bubble burst in the Great Recession, the couple delivered cars for Enterprise. Five years later, they were fielding customer returns at Target… But the pandemic brought that to an end. Now, in their mid-80s, the Portes are unemployed." Social Security is not enough.
"Saudi Arabia has released jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul, best known for leading the campaign to legalize driving for women in Saudi Arabia, according to her family. She was held for nearly three years."
"Democrats are confronting a growing intraparty dispute over whether the Covid-19 relief bill they are crafting should include a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, a top progressive priority for years… Two disagreements are brewing between Democrats: first, a procedural dispute over whether Senate rules even allow them to include it in the coronavirus relief bill. And second, a policy division over whether a nationwide wage floor of $15 an hour is too high."
Jim Wright on combat fatigue of the last four years.
"A group of more than 100 former Republican officials have discussed the possibility of forming a conservative party due to their unhappiness with the direction of the GOP under former President Donald Trump and the likelihood he'll be acquitted at the end of his second impeachment trial, according to Republicans who participated in the conversation." If they do it correctly, they may engage many who have left the political scene for the past 3 decades, the so called "independents." But I don't give it much of a chance. For forty years the two parties made sure a third party faced too many hurdles to get started.
"Federal prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the release of a Pennsylvania woman accused of using a large pipe to break a window in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. and giving directions to fellow insurrectionists about how to take the building." But yet they let another go on vacation in Mexico.
"New security footage of the Capitol assault presented Wednesday by House impeachment managers showed Officer Eugene Goodman directing Senator Mitt Romney to turn to safety on January 6. Romney appeared to be heading in the direction of the rioters when Goodman steered him away."
"House Democrats leading the prosecution of former President Trump wrapped up the second day of his impeachment trial on Wednesday by calling into question what Mr. Trump was doing while the Capitol was under attack on January 6."
"Former President Donald Trump's legal team isn't discouraged over graphic, never-before-seen video that House impeachment managers used in a detailed play-by-play of the violent riot that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on January 6… 'I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know,' Trump attorney Bruce Castor told reporters Wednesday during a brief break after senators saw several close encounters with the rioters. 'We know a mob breached the Capitol and wreaked havoc in the building. I'm waiting for them to connect that up to President Trump and so far that hadn't happened.'" And while it's true they showed a lot of footage of the attack, they also showed how the president planned and encouraged this attack preparing the ground for over a year.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Linkee-poo Wednesday Feb 10
I wasn't going to say anything, but… an 8-year old questions NPR's All Things Considered for the lack of dinosaur coverage.
"An expert from a World Health Organization team investigating the origins of Covid-19 on the ground in China has lashed out at US President Joe Biden for posturing against Beijing, and taken a shot at the credibility of US intelligence agencies after the State Department expressed uncertainty over the team's initial findings."
"Quaker Oats cooked up a new image for an old, offensive brand Tuesday. PepsiCo Inc. the parent company for Quaker Oats, announced it's rebranding Aunt Jemima, the popular pancake and syrup brand, retiring the racist stereotype used for the product's image… PepsiCo will replace Aunt Jemima with the Pearl Milling Company in June — one full year after the company first announced plans to do away with the Aunt Jemima brand."
"U.S. consumer prices rose 0.3% in January, led by a surge in energy. But even though the gain was the biggest monthly increase since July, inflation gains over the past year have remained modest."
On the loss of tax dollars from restrictions in oil and gas leasing on federal lands. "While the state is developing renewable energy, it's currently only a fraction of the tax revenue that fossil fuels bring in. Economists say you'd have to increase wind energy production by 100 times just to match what Wyoming currently brings in from coal alone. State lawmakers are poised to make draconian cuts to state services, with public schools bearing the brunt at up to a forecasted $100 million in losses." Note the problem here isn't actually the new restrictions, these places have been seeing declining revenue for years now. And of course the schools always take it the hardest. Not because of anything other than conservative politicians are assholes and we, as a country, don't value education. As to the local politicians "not seeing this coming", sorry, ignorance is not an excuse and if you didn't see these cuts coming, it was willful ignorance. Fossil fuels are boom and bust. Welcome to the second part of that.
"The 'lookback' rule allows taxpayers to use either their 2019 or 2020 income, whichever is most beneficial, in order to get the most out of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. These are considered the two most valuable tax credits for low- and moderate-income working families."
"'Oh my God, I think we found the Goonies treasure.'… That's what David Whitcomb thought late last year when he discovered what appeared to be a secret attic of a building he'd just bought in Geneva, N.Y. There, he found century-old photographs and equipment — and a mystery."
"France’s government wants to set the age of sexual consent at 15 and make it easier to punish long-ago child sexual abuse, amid growing public pressure and a wave of online testimonies about rape and other sexual violence by parents and authority figures." France currently has no age of consent.
"The vote by the (Chicago Teachers) union’s roughly 25,000 members ends the possibility of an immediate teacher lockout or strike. The agreement follows months of negotiations — which had intensified in recent weeks — with plans that included more teacher vaccinations and metrics to allow school closures when COVID-19 infections spike."
"Larger numbers of immigrant families have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the first weeks of President Joe Biden’s administration. Warning signs are emerging of the border crises that marked former President Donald Trump’s term: Hundreds of newly released immigrants are getting dropped off with nonprofit groups, sometimes unexpectedly, and accounts like Nailet’s of prolonged detention in short-term facilities are growing."
"A hacker’s botched attempt to poison the water supply of a small Florida city is raising alarms about just how vulnerable the nation’s water systems may be to attacks by more sophisticated intruders. Treatment plants are typically cash-strapped, and lack the cybersecurity depth of the power grid and nuclear plants."
"Authorities in Wright County, Minn., say that a local man is suspected in Tuesday's shooting at a health clinic that wounded five people, one of whom later died at a hospital."
"The panel met Tuesday to craft its portion of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that tracks with Biden’s plan for battling the pandemic and reviving a still staggering economy. Democrats hope to rush the bill to Biden for his signature by mid-March, using a special budget-related process allowing certain legislation to be approved by a simple majority."
"Michigan's highest ranking Republican leader was caught on video calling the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol a "hoax" and espousing other conspiracy theories related to the siege." It's a cult. And he's claiming the "passionate speech" defense. Severe eye roll.
"The top prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, has opened a criminal investigation of a January phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger by then-President Donald Trump, who urged the official to “find” him enough votes to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden."
"Fox News has been stoking rage on the right for decades. As the former president faces an impeachment trial for his role in the invasion of the Capitol, some are asking whether Fox News also bears responsibility for the violence. On this week’s On the Media, a look at the arguments for and against the de-platforming of Fox News."
"Trump’s attorneys sought to halt the trial on constitutional grounds, but lost that bid on Tuesday. Their arguments were meandering at times, leaving Trump fuming over his lawyers’ performance and allies questioning the defense strategy. Some called for yet another shakeup to his legal team."
Fact checking Trump's defense.
"Attorneys for former President Donald Trump were defending him not only on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday in his second impeachment trial, but also in Palm Beach, Florida, at a town council meeting… On Capitol Hill they were fighting for his legacy; in Florida the fight was for his right to live full time at Mar-a-Lago, the club he owns and manages in Palm Beach. In doing so, his lawyer described Trump as the 'mayor of Mar-a-Lago.'" The emperor of Elba.
What to do with Nazis? "German prosecutors have charged a 100-year-old man with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served during the second world war as a Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin."
"An expert from a World Health Organization team investigating the origins of Covid-19 on the ground in China has lashed out at US President Joe Biden for posturing against Beijing, and taken a shot at the credibility of US intelligence agencies after the State Department expressed uncertainty over the team's initial findings."
"Quaker Oats cooked up a new image for an old, offensive brand Tuesday. PepsiCo Inc. the parent company for Quaker Oats, announced it's rebranding Aunt Jemima, the popular pancake and syrup brand, retiring the racist stereotype used for the product's image… PepsiCo will replace Aunt Jemima with the Pearl Milling Company in June — one full year after the company first announced plans to do away with the Aunt Jemima brand."
"U.S. consumer prices rose 0.3% in January, led by a surge in energy. But even though the gain was the biggest monthly increase since July, inflation gains over the past year have remained modest."
On the loss of tax dollars from restrictions in oil and gas leasing on federal lands. "While the state is developing renewable energy, it's currently only a fraction of the tax revenue that fossil fuels bring in. Economists say you'd have to increase wind energy production by 100 times just to match what Wyoming currently brings in from coal alone. State lawmakers are poised to make draconian cuts to state services, with public schools bearing the brunt at up to a forecasted $100 million in losses." Note the problem here isn't actually the new restrictions, these places have been seeing declining revenue for years now. And of course the schools always take it the hardest. Not because of anything other than conservative politicians are assholes and we, as a country, don't value education. As to the local politicians "not seeing this coming", sorry, ignorance is not an excuse and if you didn't see these cuts coming, it was willful ignorance. Fossil fuels are boom and bust. Welcome to the second part of that.
"The 'lookback' rule allows taxpayers to use either their 2019 or 2020 income, whichever is most beneficial, in order to get the most out of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. These are considered the two most valuable tax credits for low- and moderate-income working families."
"'Oh my God, I think we found the Goonies treasure.'… That's what David Whitcomb thought late last year when he discovered what appeared to be a secret attic of a building he'd just bought in Geneva, N.Y. There, he found century-old photographs and equipment — and a mystery."
"France’s government wants to set the age of sexual consent at 15 and make it easier to punish long-ago child sexual abuse, amid growing public pressure and a wave of online testimonies about rape and other sexual violence by parents and authority figures." France currently has no age of consent.
"The vote by the (Chicago Teachers) union’s roughly 25,000 members ends the possibility of an immediate teacher lockout or strike. The agreement follows months of negotiations — which had intensified in recent weeks — with plans that included more teacher vaccinations and metrics to allow school closures when COVID-19 infections spike."
"Larger numbers of immigrant families have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the first weeks of President Joe Biden’s administration. Warning signs are emerging of the border crises that marked former President Donald Trump’s term: Hundreds of newly released immigrants are getting dropped off with nonprofit groups, sometimes unexpectedly, and accounts like Nailet’s of prolonged detention in short-term facilities are growing."
"A hacker’s botched attempt to poison the water supply of a small Florida city is raising alarms about just how vulnerable the nation’s water systems may be to attacks by more sophisticated intruders. Treatment plants are typically cash-strapped, and lack the cybersecurity depth of the power grid and nuclear plants."
"Authorities in Wright County, Minn., say that a local man is suspected in Tuesday's shooting at a health clinic that wounded five people, one of whom later died at a hospital."
"The panel met Tuesday to craft its portion of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that tracks with Biden’s plan for battling the pandemic and reviving a still staggering economy. Democrats hope to rush the bill to Biden for his signature by mid-March, using a special budget-related process allowing certain legislation to be approved by a simple majority."
"Michigan's highest ranking Republican leader was caught on video calling the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol a "hoax" and espousing other conspiracy theories related to the siege." It's a cult. And he's claiming the "passionate speech" defense. Severe eye roll.
"The top prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, has opened a criminal investigation of a January phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger by then-President Donald Trump, who urged the official to “find” him enough votes to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden."
"Fox News has been stoking rage on the right for decades. As the former president faces an impeachment trial for his role in the invasion of the Capitol, some are asking whether Fox News also bears responsibility for the violence. On this week’s On the Media, a look at the arguments for and against the de-platforming of Fox News."
"Trump’s attorneys sought to halt the trial on constitutional grounds, but lost that bid on Tuesday. Their arguments were meandering at times, leaving Trump fuming over his lawyers’ performance and allies questioning the defense strategy. Some called for yet another shakeup to his legal team."
Fact checking Trump's defense.
"Attorneys for former President Donald Trump were defending him not only on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday in his second impeachment trial, but also in Palm Beach, Florida, at a town council meeting… On Capitol Hill they were fighting for his legacy; in Florida the fight was for his right to live full time at Mar-a-Lago, the club he owns and manages in Palm Beach. In doing so, his lawyer described Trump as the 'mayor of Mar-a-Lago.'" The emperor of Elba.
What to do with Nazis? "German prosecutors have charged a 100-year-old man with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served during the second world war as a Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin."
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Linkee-poo Tuesday Feb 9
Sorry, was only able to get through NPR this morning, so all except the first link are NPR stories. Not that that's a bad thing.
For young genre writers… "To apply to Alpha, you will need to submit an original short story and a $10 application fee. The tuition for the workshop will be $300, and will only be collected upon acceptance. Scholarships and financial aid are available for accepted students, and if the $10 fee presents a barrier to application, please contact us. The application form and additional details are below." Applications open January 4th until March 14th. This will again be a virtual workshop (not ideal, but better than nothing), and the first guest lecturer is DongWon Song. Alpha is run by Parsec who host the Confluence con every summer in Pittsburgh. This is a long running group with great credentials. Part of the workshop experience is meeting other writers at your level and the bonding and community you build with them. I'm not sure how well that will work virtually, but you're only young once.
I think I linked to a different article about this, but in case I didn't… "Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would increase wages for at least 17 million people, but also put 1.4 million Americans out of work, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office released on Monday." For context, in the month of January we averaged 1 million new unemployment claims every single week. By keeping the status quo the job losses have been multiples of 1.4 million.
"Many school districts across the country have reported big drop-offs in attendance as they've shifted to remote learning. Some students, like Ducharme, dropped off the map entirely… In response, some schools have been calling, texting and even knocking on doors to try to connect with students." This is why the failure fo the Trump administration and conservatives is so damning. Yet another generation fucked over.
"A judge has barred Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón from implementing a significant piece of his criminal justice reforms, ruling the progressive's policy to end sentencing enhancements in criminal cases is unlawful… Monday's ruling comes after the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles sued their boss over the changes. The union challenged Gascón's directives, which he issued after taking office in December. The deputy attorneys argued that Gascón's orders posed serious ethical issues for deputy district attorneys." Yes, we must change the laws.
The Planet Money podcast with… "When you commit a crime, yes, you are entitled to an attorney, but you don't get a free attorney. You have to pay for it. You pay for a stenographer to type up your court minutes; you pay to maintain the court website and law libraries." And you pay for programs that state legislatures are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for. This is unconscionable.
"The Biden administration will start the transition process for Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys as early as Tuesday, but expects to keep in place two prosecutors leading high-profile, politically sensitive investigations, a senior Justice Department official tells NPR… The transition process is routine for an incoming administration, although there were questions — particularly from Republican lawmakers — about what the Biden team would do about both the Hunter Biden and the Durham probes."
"A constitutional law professor whose work is cited extensively by former President Trump's lawyers in their impeachment defense brief says his work has been seriously misrepresented." Reading comprehension is not a conservative value.
"Nearly every day since insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, the list of those charged in the attack has grown longer. The government has now identified more than 200 people for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 rioting, which ended with five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer… As Congress considers a presidential impeachment related to the attack, those criminal cases provide clues to questions surrounding the incident: Who exactly joined the mob? What did they do? And why?" While there is some historical, criminal, and future intelligence value in understanding the thought process and motivation of these people, sometimes I can't help but think, "I am not concerned with the thoughts of the enemy" as I pull the trigger. There is a need to know, to pull into the light all their connections for prosecution, to dissuade others and to destroy their organizations and salt the earth in which they grew. To be alert to the seeds these mental aberrations may have spread beyond the fields we can see, to recognize the poisonous weed before it takes root elsewhere.
"When websites flooded with hate speech or harmful disinformation become too radioactive for the Internet, the sites often turn to one company for a lifeline… That company is run by Rob Monster, a 53-year-old Dutch-American." It's good money from clients who have no other resource.
For young genre writers… "To apply to Alpha, you will need to submit an original short story and a $10 application fee. The tuition for the workshop will be $300, and will only be collected upon acceptance. Scholarships and financial aid are available for accepted students, and if the $10 fee presents a barrier to application, please contact us. The application form and additional details are below." Applications open January 4th until March 14th. This will again be a virtual workshop (not ideal, but better than nothing), and the first guest lecturer is DongWon Song. Alpha is run by Parsec who host the Confluence con every summer in Pittsburgh. This is a long running group with great credentials. Part of the workshop experience is meeting other writers at your level and the bonding and community you build with them. I'm not sure how well that will work virtually, but you're only young once.
I think I linked to a different article about this, but in case I didn't… "Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would increase wages for at least 17 million people, but also put 1.4 million Americans out of work, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office released on Monday." For context, in the month of January we averaged 1 million new unemployment claims every single week. By keeping the status quo the job losses have been multiples of 1.4 million.
"Many school districts across the country have reported big drop-offs in attendance as they've shifted to remote learning. Some students, like Ducharme, dropped off the map entirely… In response, some schools have been calling, texting and even knocking on doors to try to connect with students." This is why the failure fo the Trump administration and conservatives is so damning. Yet another generation fucked over.
"A judge has barred Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón from implementing a significant piece of his criminal justice reforms, ruling the progressive's policy to end sentencing enhancements in criminal cases is unlawful… Monday's ruling comes after the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles sued their boss over the changes. The union challenged Gascón's directives, which he issued after taking office in December. The deputy attorneys argued that Gascón's orders posed serious ethical issues for deputy district attorneys." Yes, we must change the laws.
The Planet Money podcast with… "When you commit a crime, yes, you are entitled to an attorney, but you don't get a free attorney. You have to pay for it. You pay for a stenographer to type up your court minutes; you pay to maintain the court website and law libraries." And you pay for programs that state legislatures are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for. This is unconscionable.
"The Biden administration will start the transition process for Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys as early as Tuesday, but expects to keep in place two prosecutors leading high-profile, politically sensitive investigations, a senior Justice Department official tells NPR… The transition process is routine for an incoming administration, although there were questions — particularly from Republican lawmakers — about what the Biden team would do about both the Hunter Biden and the Durham probes."
"A constitutional law professor whose work is cited extensively by former President Trump's lawyers in their impeachment defense brief says his work has been seriously misrepresented." Reading comprehension is not a conservative value.
"Nearly every day since insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, the list of those charged in the attack has grown longer. The government has now identified more than 200 people for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 rioting, which ended with five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer… As Congress considers a presidential impeachment related to the attack, those criminal cases provide clues to questions surrounding the incident: Who exactly joined the mob? What did they do? And why?" While there is some historical, criminal, and future intelligence value in understanding the thought process and motivation of these people, sometimes I can't help but think, "I am not concerned with the thoughts of the enemy" as I pull the trigger. There is a need to know, to pull into the light all their connections for prosecution, to dissuade others and to destroy their organizations and salt the earth in which they grew. To be alert to the seeds these mental aberrations may have spread beyond the fields we can see, to recognize the poisonous weed before it takes root elsewhere.
"When websites flooded with hate speech or harmful disinformation become too radioactive for the Internet, the sites often turn to one company for a lifeline… That company is run by Rob Monster, a 53-year-old Dutch-American." It's good money from clients who have no other resource.
Monday, February 8, 2021
Linkee-poo Monday Feb 8
"Yet some scientists believe that these samples could answer an even bigger question: Did life on Earth originate on Mars?" Panspermia raises it's hoary head again. I think the major breakdown is if you believe life is easy or life is hard.
"South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant coronavirus variant."
"A woman has contracted Ebola and died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking the first case since the Central African country ended its last outbreak last year, the health ministry said on Sunday."
"And, they and others say that Alzheimer’s is just the beginning. People with a wide variety of neurological illnesses have distinctive language patterns that, investigators suspect, may serve as early warning signs of their diseases." Yeah, Imma going to go with this study is way too small to have any validity, but might be key to other aspects of the disease.
The prank continues… "Turkish authorities are investigating the appearance of a mysterious monolith in southeastern Turkey."
"That’s a danger police nationwide are facing: As outdoor surveillance cameras now protect about half of U.S. homes from criminals, the criminals are using them to get a jump on officers about to raid theirs. Some doorbell cameras even have motion sensors that alert owners when anyone comes within 100 feet (30 meters)."
"A 26-year-old Michigan man was killed over the weekend by an explosion at a baby shower, according to police… Michigan State Police said a Genesee County homeowner fired a small cannon-like device during the shower Saturday evening. The cannon blew up and sent shrapnel flying into three parked vehicles and a garage where guests were congregated, striking the victim, who has been identified as Evan Thomas Silva, police said." It's becoming time to start a conversation about the stupid use of dangerous objects.
"Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the U.S. will reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council, marking another reversal of Trump administration policy… The U.S. will engage initially with the council in an observer status, not one of the full members on the board, which are elected by the UN General Assembly. Observer status will allow the U.S. to speak with the council, partner with other nations to introduce resolutions and participate in negotiations."
"China has formally arrested a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas, Australia's foreign minister said Monday… The arrest of Cheng Lei last Friday starts an official criminal investigation and came six months after she was detained."
"It is the first closely watched Holocaust speech case since Poland sought to pass a law in 2018 that would have criminalized the act of falsely blaming Poland for Germany’s Holocaust crimes. Those criminal penalties were dropped in favor of civil penalties after the legislation sparked a major diplomatic dispute with Israel." When truthful research into the past is made illegal. Sort of the same fight between the NYT 1619 Project and Trump's 1776 initiative, but only with legal consequences (in this case, $27,000).
"Two days after removing a terrorist designation for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Biden administration criticized the militant group for its continued attacks in Saudi Araba and in Yemen." Yes, Virginia, it's possible to do both.
"Tax cuts for the wealthy have long drawn support from conservative lawmakers and economists who argue that such measures will "trickle down" and eventually boost jobs and incomes for everyone else. But a new study from the London School of Economics says 50 years of such tax cuts have only helped one group — the rich." Between countries that cut taxes for the rich and those that didn't, GDP growth remained the same, about the only thing that changes was how much wealth was consolidated in the upper 1%. I know, it's like conservative politics since at least the 80s has all been a grift meant to bolster the rich at the expense of everyone else.
"Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pat Toomey, who is retiring… In a video released Monday announcing his campaign, Fetterman said, 'I’m going to fight not for one part of Pennsylvania, not for one party of Pennsylvania, but for one Pennsylvania.'" It's going to be on like Donkey Kong.
"The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins this week as Senate leaders are closing in on an agreement that would give each side up to 16 hours to present their cases and the potential for a debate and voting on calling witnesses if the House impeachment managers seek it, according to a person familiar with the talks." Call. Witnesses.
"South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant coronavirus variant."
"A woman has contracted Ebola and died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking the first case since the Central African country ended its last outbreak last year, the health ministry said on Sunday."
"And, they and others say that Alzheimer’s is just the beginning. People with a wide variety of neurological illnesses have distinctive language patterns that, investigators suspect, may serve as early warning signs of their diseases." Yeah, Imma going to go with this study is way too small to have any validity, but might be key to other aspects of the disease.
The prank continues… "Turkish authorities are investigating the appearance of a mysterious monolith in southeastern Turkey."
"That’s a danger police nationwide are facing: As outdoor surveillance cameras now protect about half of U.S. homes from criminals, the criminals are using them to get a jump on officers about to raid theirs. Some doorbell cameras even have motion sensors that alert owners when anyone comes within 100 feet (30 meters)."
"A 26-year-old Michigan man was killed over the weekend by an explosion at a baby shower, according to police… Michigan State Police said a Genesee County homeowner fired a small cannon-like device during the shower Saturday evening. The cannon blew up and sent shrapnel flying into three parked vehicles and a garage where guests were congregated, striking the victim, who has been identified as Evan Thomas Silva, police said." It's becoming time to start a conversation about the stupid use of dangerous objects.
"Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the U.S. will reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council, marking another reversal of Trump administration policy… The U.S. will engage initially with the council in an observer status, not one of the full members on the board, which are elected by the UN General Assembly. Observer status will allow the U.S. to speak with the council, partner with other nations to introduce resolutions and participate in negotiations."
"China has formally arrested a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas, Australia's foreign minister said Monday… The arrest of Cheng Lei last Friday starts an official criminal investigation and came six months after she was detained."
"It is the first closely watched Holocaust speech case since Poland sought to pass a law in 2018 that would have criminalized the act of falsely blaming Poland for Germany’s Holocaust crimes. Those criminal penalties were dropped in favor of civil penalties after the legislation sparked a major diplomatic dispute with Israel." When truthful research into the past is made illegal. Sort of the same fight between the NYT 1619 Project and Trump's 1776 initiative, but only with legal consequences (in this case, $27,000).
"Two days after removing a terrorist designation for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Biden administration criticized the militant group for its continued attacks in Saudi Araba and in Yemen." Yes, Virginia, it's possible to do both.
"Tax cuts for the wealthy have long drawn support from conservative lawmakers and economists who argue that such measures will "trickle down" and eventually boost jobs and incomes for everyone else. But a new study from the London School of Economics says 50 years of such tax cuts have only helped one group — the rich." Between countries that cut taxes for the rich and those that didn't, GDP growth remained the same, about the only thing that changes was how much wealth was consolidated in the upper 1%. I know, it's like conservative politics since at least the 80s has all been a grift meant to bolster the rich at the expense of everyone else.
"Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pat Toomey, who is retiring… In a video released Monday announcing his campaign, Fetterman said, 'I’m going to fight not for one part of Pennsylvania, not for one party of Pennsylvania, but for one Pennsylvania.'" It's going to be on like Donkey Kong.
"The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins this week as Senate leaders are closing in on an agreement that would give each side up to 16 hours to present their cases and the potential for a debate and voting on calling witnesses if the House impeachment managers seek it, according to a person familiar with the talks." Call. Witnesses.
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Linkee-poo Weekend Feb 7
Christopher Plummer, and so it goes.
"A massive search-and-rescue operation was underway Sunday in northern India for at least 140 people missing after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off, triggering an avalanche of rock, mud, water and debris that swept away a hydroelectric dam… Video recorded by witnesses from across a valley showed a torrent of water and debris break through a dam that's part of the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project, more than 300 miles north of New Delhi."
"The skies above Mars will witness some startling aeronautical displays in the next few days when three rival space robot probes reach the red planet after journeying for millions of miles across space… The United Arab Emirates’ probe Hope orbiter will arrive first, on Tuesday, followed by China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft the next day. Finally, the US rover Perseverance will make its dramatic descent to the surface of Mars on 18 February."
"Between October 1 and January 30, just 155 Americans were hospitalized with the flu, compared to 8,633 during roughly the same time frame a year ago. That's a 98% decrease." Wearing masks and social distancing work. Also (said in a whisper) schools are super spreaders of the flu.
"A small Georgia city was still in shock Friday, days after state health workers raided the busiest medical clinic in the county and seized its Covid-19 vaccine supply because staffers had given doses to teachers."
"But the COVID infection never went away — for 154 days. 'He was readmitted to the hospital several times over the subsequent five months for recurrence of his COVID-19 infection and severe pneumonia,' says infectious disease doctor Jonathan Li at Harvard Medical School who helped to treat the man… So extraordinary in fact, that this man's case is offering scientists surprising clues about where the new coronavirus virus variants emerged, and why they're causing explosive outbreaks on three continents." In other news, doctors are surprised evolution actually happens.
"Kroger has joined a growing list of large US grocery store chains offering incentives for workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine… The company announced that its associates would get a one-time $100 payment if they show proof that they've received the full manufacturer-recommended doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Workers that can't get the vaccine for health or religious reasons can get the payment if they take an educational health and safety course, the company said in a news release."
"Here’s how executive compensation breaks down at the 82 largest non-profit hospitals using the IRS 990 informational returns and auditing the latest year available… 13 organizations paid their top earner between $5 million and $21.6 million… 61 organizations paid their top executive between $1 million and $5 million… Only 8 organizations paid their top earner less than $1 million (which proves it’s possible)." Just wait until they do health insurance executives' salaries.
"Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday the US could see full employment next year if Congress passes President Joe Biden's proposed stimulus package, but warned the country's unemployment rate would remain elevated over the next few years without the additional $1.9 trillion in federal support." Imma not going to go that far. But yes, what we learned from the Great Recession was "go big."
"Today on the show: how a standoff between big market movers and an irreverent community of anonymous traders erupted into an epic showdown that is changing the way people think about power on Wall Street." The Planet Money podcast breakdown what happened and why different moves were made, explaining how the market works and the psychology behind the stock play.
"She's just one of the many young people who aren't as car crazy as members of their parents' or grandparents' generation. According to a University of Michigan study, the number of people under 30 with driver's licenses has been steadily declining… Santa Maria belongs to a public transit fan page on Facebook, called New Urbanist Memes for Transit Oriented Teens, with more than 200 thousand members. They call themselves NUMTOTS — and they share funny posts but also they debate transportation policies and fantasize about a world in which nobody needs a car."
"A divided Supreme Court blocked California's Covid-related ban on indoor worship services in a late-night order Friday but allowed other restrictions affecting houses of worship to remain in place."
"The Biden administration is ending agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that the Trump administration said were meant to help drive down the number of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border."
"Around 5 a.m. Friday in the nation's capital, bleary-eyed senators who had spent hours debating a COVID relief bill looked up to see Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the chamber… Within minutes, she would cast two important, tie-breaking votes on a budget resolution, clearing the way for what Democrats hope is the quick passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package that President Joe Biden sees as necessary to ramp up vaccine distribution and get America back on its economic feet."
"Fulton County employees, as well as election workers around the country, are still grappling with the emotional and psychological trauma they suffered as a result of Trump's disinformation campaign about the 2020 election, and it may have lasting consequences for recruiting and retention in the vital, but often under-appreciated field."
"After an election that saw record voter turnout, with many of those voters casting their ballots early and by mail, some Republican state lawmakers are proposing a wave of new voting laws that would effectively make it more difficult to vote in future elections… The proposals come in the aftermath of the unprecedented onslaught of disinformation about the conduct of the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and some of his allies in the Republican Party." Shocked, shocked I am…
"Election technology company Smartmatic filed a massive lawsuit Thursday against Fox News, saying the network and some of its biggest on-air personalities made it into a villain and perpetuated false claims about the recent election… The suit names Fox stars Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, as well as Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell."
"Fox Business Network's 'Lou Dobbs Tonight,' whose host has trumpeted unfounded assertions of voter fraud in the 2020 election, has been canceled. Fox News Media said in a statement Friday the move was part of routine programming alterations that it had foreshadowed in an announcement last fall."
"A man charged in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot made racist and xenophobic remarks during a public hearing before the Maine legislature in 2017… Video obtained by CNN shows Kyle Fitzsimons referring to immigrants as "replacements," echoing White nationalist rhetoric that immigrants to America are coming to wipe out White people." I know, it's like it's all about how the white nationalists feel they have a right to keep in charge and are mentally unbalanced enough to be a problem.
"As prosecutors from the House of Representatives prepare to present their case against Donald Trump at his impeachment trial next week for incitement of insurrection, supporters who heeded his call on 6 January to “fight like hell” and went on to storm the Capitol Building are finding themselves in far greater legal peril."
"Allies of former President Donald Trump are imploring his impeachment team to avoid one specific topic when they defend the ex-president at his Senate trial next week: the deadly riot that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol… Despite Trump’s likely acquittal on charges that he incited an insurrection, some of his most ardent supporters fear the trial could further damage his reputation if his attorneys wade into the events of Jan. 6, when five people were killed — including a Capitol police officer — after pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the halls of Congress." I'm sure it's a winning strategy to avoid talking about :: checks notes :: the direct results of the crime you've been charged with.
"A massive search-and-rescue operation was underway Sunday in northern India for at least 140 people missing after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off, triggering an avalanche of rock, mud, water and debris that swept away a hydroelectric dam… Video recorded by witnesses from across a valley showed a torrent of water and debris break through a dam that's part of the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project, more than 300 miles north of New Delhi."
"The skies above Mars will witness some startling aeronautical displays in the next few days when three rival space robot probes reach the red planet after journeying for millions of miles across space… The United Arab Emirates’ probe Hope orbiter will arrive first, on Tuesday, followed by China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft the next day. Finally, the US rover Perseverance will make its dramatic descent to the surface of Mars on 18 February."
"Between October 1 and January 30, just 155 Americans were hospitalized with the flu, compared to 8,633 during roughly the same time frame a year ago. That's a 98% decrease." Wearing masks and social distancing work. Also (said in a whisper) schools are super spreaders of the flu.
"A small Georgia city was still in shock Friday, days after state health workers raided the busiest medical clinic in the county and seized its Covid-19 vaccine supply because staffers had given doses to teachers."
"But the COVID infection never went away — for 154 days. 'He was readmitted to the hospital several times over the subsequent five months for recurrence of his COVID-19 infection and severe pneumonia,' says infectious disease doctor Jonathan Li at Harvard Medical School who helped to treat the man… So extraordinary in fact, that this man's case is offering scientists surprising clues about where the new coronavirus virus variants emerged, and why they're causing explosive outbreaks on three continents." In other news, doctors are surprised evolution actually happens.
"Kroger has joined a growing list of large US grocery store chains offering incentives for workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine… The company announced that its associates would get a one-time $100 payment if they show proof that they've received the full manufacturer-recommended doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Workers that can't get the vaccine for health or religious reasons can get the payment if they take an educational health and safety course, the company said in a news release."
"Here’s how executive compensation breaks down at the 82 largest non-profit hospitals using the IRS 990 informational returns and auditing the latest year available… 13 organizations paid their top earner between $5 million and $21.6 million… 61 organizations paid their top executive between $1 million and $5 million… Only 8 organizations paid their top earner less than $1 million (which proves it’s possible)." Just wait until they do health insurance executives' salaries.
"Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday the US could see full employment next year if Congress passes President Joe Biden's proposed stimulus package, but warned the country's unemployment rate would remain elevated over the next few years without the additional $1.9 trillion in federal support." Imma not going to go that far. But yes, what we learned from the Great Recession was "go big."
"Today on the show: how a standoff between big market movers and an irreverent community of anonymous traders erupted into an epic showdown that is changing the way people think about power on Wall Street." The Planet Money podcast breakdown what happened and why different moves were made, explaining how the market works and the psychology behind the stock play.
"She's just one of the many young people who aren't as car crazy as members of their parents' or grandparents' generation. According to a University of Michigan study, the number of people under 30 with driver's licenses has been steadily declining… Santa Maria belongs to a public transit fan page on Facebook, called New Urbanist Memes for Transit Oriented Teens, with more than 200 thousand members. They call themselves NUMTOTS — and they share funny posts but also they debate transportation policies and fantasize about a world in which nobody needs a car."
"A divided Supreme Court blocked California's Covid-related ban on indoor worship services in a late-night order Friday but allowed other restrictions affecting houses of worship to remain in place."
"The Biden administration is ending agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that the Trump administration said were meant to help drive down the number of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border."
"Around 5 a.m. Friday in the nation's capital, bleary-eyed senators who had spent hours debating a COVID relief bill looked up to see Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the chamber… Within minutes, she would cast two important, tie-breaking votes on a budget resolution, clearing the way for what Democrats hope is the quick passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package that President Joe Biden sees as necessary to ramp up vaccine distribution and get America back on its economic feet."
"Fulton County employees, as well as election workers around the country, are still grappling with the emotional and psychological trauma they suffered as a result of Trump's disinformation campaign about the 2020 election, and it may have lasting consequences for recruiting and retention in the vital, but often under-appreciated field."
"After an election that saw record voter turnout, with many of those voters casting their ballots early and by mail, some Republican state lawmakers are proposing a wave of new voting laws that would effectively make it more difficult to vote in future elections… The proposals come in the aftermath of the unprecedented onslaught of disinformation about the conduct of the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and some of his allies in the Republican Party." Shocked, shocked I am…
"Election technology company Smartmatic filed a massive lawsuit Thursday against Fox News, saying the network and some of its biggest on-air personalities made it into a villain and perpetuated false claims about the recent election… The suit names Fox stars Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, as well as Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell."
"Fox Business Network's 'Lou Dobbs Tonight,' whose host has trumpeted unfounded assertions of voter fraud in the 2020 election, has been canceled. Fox News Media said in a statement Friday the move was part of routine programming alterations that it had foreshadowed in an announcement last fall."
"A man charged in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot made racist and xenophobic remarks during a public hearing before the Maine legislature in 2017… Video obtained by CNN shows Kyle Fitzsimons referring to immigrants as "replacements," echoing White nationalist rhetoric that immigrants to America are coming to wipe out White people." I know, it's like it's all about how the white nationalists feel they have a right to keep in charge and are mentally unbalanced enough to be a problem.
"As prosecutors from the House of Representatives prepare to present their case against Donald Trump at his impeachment trial next week for incitement of insurrection, supporters who heeded his call on 6 January to “fight like hell” and went on to storm the Capitol Building are finding themselves in far greater legal peril."
"Allies of former President Donald Trump are imploring his impeachment team to avoid one specific topic when they defend the ex-president at his Senate trial next week: the deadly riot that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol… Despite Trump’s likely acquittal on charges that he incited an insurrection, some of his most ardent supporters fear the trial could further damage his reputation if his attorneys wade into the events of Jan. 6, when five people were killed — including a Capitol police officer — after pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the halls of Congress." I'm sure it's a winning strategy to avoid talking about :: checks notes :: the direct results of the crime you've been charged with.
Friday, February 5, 2021
Linkee-poo Friday Feb 5
"In North Carolina, the health secretary has said more than half of nursing home workers are declining the vaccine. A national survey found that 15% of health care workers who had been offered the vaccine said no, with nursing home personnel more likely to refuse than hospital staffers." Vaccine resistance. There are many reasons, and I can tell you the abundance of reactions to the Moderna second shot has caused a great deal of conversations in workrooms. Full disclosure, I've had COVID and I've received both shots. With COVID I had a runny nose and a little tiredness. With the second shot I had full body aches for a day.
"Over the summer, you could almost hear a sigh of relief rising from the portion of the research community that was tracking the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Viruses, especially those new to their hosts, often pick up mutations that help them adapt to their new habitat, or they evade drugs or immune attacks. But SARS-CoV-2 seemed to be picking up mutations at a relatively sedate pace, in part because its virus-copying enzymes had a feature that lets them correct some errors… But suddenly, new variants appear to be everywhere, and a number of them appear to increase the threat posed by the virus." Evolution is a kick in the pants.
"The US recorded more than 5,000 Covid-19 deaths on Thursday… The surge, the highest number to date, seems to be largely due to a backlog of data that was just released from Indiana, adding 1,500 deaths to the countrywide number, according to the Wall Street Journal. Though cases have otherwise been slowing down, the death toll is often a reflection of what happened in the weeks prior, since it’s usually a lagging indicator of the virus spread. Yesterday, there were 5,077 US deaths in total, according to John Hopkins University data, and 122,473 new cases." So many deaths it's hard to keep up with the tally.
Who needs regulations? "Baby food from several of the country's largest manufacturers are 'tainted' with toxic heavy metals, according to a disturbing new government report… The report, released Thursday morning, says those baby foods have 'significant levels' of substances including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. The metals can be especially dangerous to babies' and toddlers' brain development."
"The increase of just 49,000 positions in January made scarcely any dent in the nearly 10 million jobs that remain lost since the virus intensified nearly a year ago. The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April." Best economy ever.
"Now, simple tax forms — barely enough to fill a half-sheet of paper — are revealing the extent of the identity theft that made state-run unemployment offices lucrative targets for fraud after millions of people lost their jobs during the pandemic."
"Life for civilians in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region has become “extremely alarming” as hunger grows and fighting remains an obstacle to reaching millions of people with aid, the United Nations says in a new report."
"The International Criminal Court convicted child soldier-turned-Lord's Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen of war crimes and crimes against humanity Thursday. Ongwen, was the first LRA commander to face trial for its campaign of terror and violence in the early 2000s. The charges include numerous crimes against girls and women, including forced pregnancy."
"Wednesday's indictment came shortly after the Justice Department made clear it had taken more investigative steps against Proud Boys affiliates related to the insurrection. The Proud Boys are a far-right group known for their clashes with Antifa and general support of former President Donald Trump, who even mentioned them in a presidential debate, telling them to 'stand back and stand by.'"
"Parler, the far-right-friendly social media site that was knocked offline after the violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, has fired its CEO… In an interview with NPR, Matze claimed that there was a dispute with Mercer over just how far Parler would take its openness to free speech. He said that if the company wanted to succeed, Parler would have crack down on domestic terrorists and any groups that incite violence, including the Trump-supporting conspiracy theory QAnon."
"The Canadian government designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity on Wednesday, noting they played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6."
"Prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday for a new arrest warrant for an Illinois teen charged with shooting three people, killing two of them, during a protest over police brutality in Wisconsin after he apparently violated his bail conditions… Kyle Rittenhouse failed to inform the court of his change of address within 48 hours of moving, Kenosha County prosecutors allege in a motion filed with Judge Bruce Schroeder. The motion asks Schroeder to issue an arrest warrant and increase Rittenhouse's bail by $200,000." How about revoking bail for the little shit.
"House Republicans have decided to keep Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role during a secret ballot vote Wednesday night, NPR's Kelsey Snell has confirmed. 145 members voted to keep her in the role, with 61 members voting to strip her of the position."
"A fiercely divided House has tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories."
"The seemingly conflicting moves signal that Republican leaders, particularly in the House, are betting they can return to political power by cobbling together a coalition featuring both pro-Trump extremists and those who abhor them. The votes also suggest that Washington Republicans are unable, or unwilling, to purge far-right radicals from their party, despite some GOP leaders’ best wishes."
"The Senate early Friday approved a measure that would let Democrats muscle President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan through the chamber without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first."
"The town attorney of Palm Beach, Fla., John Randolph, has sent a memo to the mayor and Town Council backing former President Donald Trump's claim that nothing prevents Trump from living full time at his private club, Mar-a-Lago." Dear Palm Beach, you knew he was a snake when you let him in. Always get agreements in writing. If you want Trump to move, change the name of the road the club is on to Black Lives Matter Way and paint a large Black Lives Matter on the road right outside the gate. Although the microwave barrier sounds fantastic.
"Over the summer, you could almost hear a sigh of relief rising from the portion of the research community that was tracking the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Viruses, especially those new to their hosts, often pick up mutations that help them adapt to their new habitat, or they evade drugs or immune attacks. But SARS-CoV-2 seemed to be picking up mutations at a relatively sedate pace, in part because its virus-copying enzymes had a feature that lets them correct some errors… But suddenly, new variants appear to be everywhere, and a number of them appear to increase the threat posed by the virus." Evolution is a kick in the pants.
"The US recorded more than 5,000 Covid-19 deaths on Thursday… The surge, the highest number to date, seems to be largely due to a backlog of data that was just released from Indiana, adding 1,500 deaths to the countrywide number, according to the Wall Street Journal. Though cases have otherwise been slowing down, the death toll is often a reflection of what happened in the weeks prior, since it’s usually a lagging indicator of the virus spread. Yesterday, there were 5,077 US deaths in total, according to John Hopkins University data, and 122,473 new cases." So many deaths it's hard to keep up with the tally.
Who needs regulations? "Baby food from several of the country's largest manufacturers are 'tainted' with toxic heavy metals, according to a disturbing new government report… The report, released Thursday morning, says those baby foods have 'significant levels' of substances including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. The metals can be especially dangerous to babies' and toddlers' brain development."
"The increase of just 49,000 positions in January made scarcely any dent in the nearly 10 million jobs that remain lost since the virus intensified nearly a year ago. The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April." Best economy ever.
"Now, simple tax forms — barely enough to fill a half-sheet of paper — are revealing the extent of the identity theft that made state-run unemployment offices lucrative targets for fraud after millions of people lost their jobs during the pandemic."
"Life for civilians in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region has become “extremely alarming” as hunger grows and fighting remains an obstacle to reaching millions of people with aid, the United Nations says in a new report."
"The International Criminal Court convicted child soldier-turned-Lord's Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen of war crimes and crimes against humanity Thursday. Ongwen, was the first LRA commander to face trial for its campaign of terror and violence in the early 2000s. The charges include numerous crimes against girls and women, including forced pregnancy."
"Wednesday's indictment came shortly after the Justice Department made clear it had taken more investigative steps against Proud Boys affiliates related to the insurrection. The Proud Boys are a far-right group known for their clashes with Antifa and general support of former President Donald Trump, who even mentioned them in a presidential debate, telling them to 'stand back and stand by.'"
"Parler, the far-right-friendly social media site that was knocked offline after the violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, has fired its CEO… In an interview with NPR, Matze claimed that there was a dispute with Mercer over just how far Parler would take its openness to free speech. He said that if the company wanted to succeed, Parler would have crack down on domestic terrorists and any groups that incite violence, including the Trump-supporting conspiracy theory QAnon."
"The Canadian government designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity on Wednesday, noting they played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6."
"Prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday for a new arrest warrant for an Illinois teen charged with shooting three people, killing two of them, during a protest over police brutality in Wisconsin after he apparently violated his bail conditions… Kyle Rittenhouse failed to inform the court of his change of address within 48 hours of moving, Kenosha County prosecutors allege in a motion filed with Judge Bruce Schroeder. The motion asks Schroeder to issue an arrest warrant and increase Rittenhouse's bail by $200,000." How about revoking bail for the little shit.
"House Republicans have decided to keep Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role during a secret ballot vote Wednesday night, NPR's Kelsey Snell has confirmed. 145 members voted to keep her in the role, with 61 members voting to strip her of the position."
"A fiercely divided House has tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories."
"The seemingly conflicting moves signal that Republican leaders, particularly in the House, are betting they can return to political power by cobbling together a coalition featuring both pro-Trump extremists and those who abhor them. The votes also suggest that Washington Republicans are unable, or unwilling, to purge far-right radicals from their party, despite some GOP leaders’ best wishes."
"The Senate early Friday approved a measure that would let Democrats muscle President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan through the chamber without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first."
"The town attorney of Palm Beach, Fla., John Randolph, has sent a memo to the mayor and Town Council backing former President Donald Trump's claim that nothing prevents Trump from living full time at his private club, Mar-a-Lago." Dear Palm Beach, you knew he was a snake when you let him in. Always get agreements in writing. If you want Trump to move, change the name of the road the club is on to Black Lives Matter Way and paint a large Black Lives Matter on the road right outside the gate. Although the microwave barrier sounds fantastic.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Linkee-poo Wed Feb 3
Hal Holbrook and Capt. Sir Tom Moore,and so it goes.
Life Kit on impostor syndrome/phnemonenon.
"Federal scientists have confirmed that 2020 basically tied with 2016 for the hottest year recorded since 1880. The Earth is about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer today than it was in the mid-20th century. Scientists warn that humans must keep global temperatures from rising more than about 3 degrees Fahrenheit in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change." We're boned.
"Scientists warn that the coming decade will be critical for slowing heat-trapping emissions, potentially keeping average annual global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the mid-19th century. Right now, the world is on track for an increase of 3 degrees Celsius, a level that ensures more destructive wildfires and hurricanes, devastation for coral reefs and rising seas flooding the coastlines." Also, notice the difference between C and F in these two stories.
"Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown, a new study found." Uh, no. This is another "pollution is good for you" story. It's bullshit propaganda.
"Although both companies will need to significantly increase the number of weekly doses they release to the government to reach those goals, Moderna has made significant progress in the last week."
"The Biden administration has made a $231.8 million deal with an Australian company to boost availability of the first at-home rapid test for the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 that is available without a prescription. The test, made by Ellume, can send results to a smartphone within 15 minutes of receiving a sample." You know, there's a lot of infrastructure being built out for something that most people think we will be over with within a year. Looks knowingly into the camera.
"Turns out, for the variants from South Africa and Brazil, the mutations change the shape of the virus's spike in a way that's double trouble for the cell. The new shape that helps the virus bind more tightly to ACE2 also prevents some of the antibodies from sticking to the spike. Some antibodies no longer fit well to the end of the spike, so they can't form the little caps that block viral infection. The virus is free to bind to ACE2." A visual guide (well, a visual representation) to what is happening. BTW, this is the "oh fuck" moment. Why? Because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on the spike protein.
"Public Health England is investigating cases of coronavirus with 'worrying' new genetic changes that have been found in some regions of the UK… Tests show they have a mutation, called E484K, that is already seen in the South Africa variant… Although this change may reduce vaccine effectiveness, the current ones in use should still work, say experts."
"Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will step down as the company's chief executive officer this summer, after more than a quarter-century at the helm of the retail, logistics and tech powerhouse." Don't worry, he'll still be chairman of the board, so his 100+ billion dollars is safe.
"American factories continued to expand in January, but at slower pace than December."
"As Washington debates sending checks to Americans and increasing the minimum wage, a new study offers evidence for how such policies could help eliminate poverty. Obviously, giving more money to people without much money helps them with money problems. But the study adds to a growing body of research that says that money really does help workers earn more money." More evidence on how being poor drains more than pocketbooks. As anyone who has been poor can tell you.
"President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers are making a push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25. Some lawmakers and business owners who are against the idea say it would create harmful effects, including business closures, job loss and an acceleration of the shift toward automation… But those effects didn’t materialize in a five-year analysis of the impacts of minimum-wage increases at state and local levels as evidenced at more than 10,000 McDonald’s locations in the U.S." And then there's this, "Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency, estimated that raising the wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would result in a median of 1.3 million job losses…" Sounds dire, right? Um, that's basically been the weekly job loss for the past year.
"Grocery giant Kroger Co. will close two of its stores in Long Beach, Calif., after the city council passed an ordinance last month requiring some supermarkets to pay employees an additional $4 an hour."
"The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to delay consideration of two major cases that are scheduled for oral argument in the coming weeks. One involves funding for former President Trump's border wall construction, and the other, the so-called "remain in Mexico" policy… If the Supreme Court agrees to postpone consideration of the cases, as expected, at some later date they very likely will be pronounced dead as a legal matter."
"Two FBI agents are dead and at least three others are wounded after a raid on a home in Sunrise, Fla., turned violent early Tuesday. The suspect reportedly barricaded himself in his home, where agents were serving a search warrant as part of a "violent crimes against children case," the FBI said in a statement. The suspect is also dead."
"President Joe Biden is continuing to unravel the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies but has been unable to stop the deportation of hundreds, including a woman who witnessed the 2019 anti-Latino mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart store."
"During one of the most politically divisive years in recent memory, the number of active hate groups in the U.S. actually declined as far-right extremists migrated further to online networks, a move that has made it harder to track adherents of white nationalist and neo-Nazi ideologies."
"Instead the law center, which is based in Montgomery, Ala., said that new white nationalist and neo-Nazi organizations have become more diffuse in their membership."
"Brian Sicknick, the slain U.S. Capitol Police officer whose was given the rare distinction of laying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, is receiving a final tribute by lawmakers Wednesday."
"A deal has been reached in the Senate in principle on a power-sharing agreement that had precluded Democrats from taking control of the committees, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday morning."
"The House Republican Conference will meet in person on Wednesday and is expected to discuss the fates of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, two Republicans with drastically different loyalties to former President Donald Trump."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused Democrats of a double standard as they seek to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments… He also said that he thinks the public is growing tired of a double standard where Democrats try to paint Republicans as instigators. He pointed to how Democrats did little to speak out against the riots last summer. He did not mention anyone by name, but Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in August that there should be 'unrest in the streets.'" Yes, because you know, :: checks notes :: mostly peaceful protests by BLM is exactly the same as attempted violent overthrow of a duly elected government.
"The FBI recently raided the homes of two men who sponsored an invective-laced rally near the US Capitol a day before the deadly insurrection, the first known search warrants involving people who organized and spoke at rallies preceding the attack… CNN learned of the raids through an eyewitness account, public records, a lawyer representing one of the rally organizers and an FBI spokeswoman who confirmed details of the searches."
"Hundreds of Democratic staffers from both chambers of Congress are pleading with senators to convict former President Donald Trump in his upcoming impeachment trial for his part in the events leading up to the deadly riot at the Capitol last month."
"The Georgia secretary of state's office is investigating allegations that Lin Wood, a high-profile pro-Trump attorney who launched fruitless challenges to election results and pushed baseless conspiracies of fraud, may have illegally voted in the November general election. Wood played a crucial role in former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the election." The company you keep.
"Brian Sicknick, the slain U.S. Capitol Police officer whose was given the rare distinction of laying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, is receiving a final tribute by lawmakers Wednesday."
Life Kit on impostor syndrome/phnemonenon.
"Federal scientists have confirmed that 2020 basically tied with 2016 for the hottest year recorded since 1880. The Earth is about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer today than it was in the mid-20th century. Scientists warn that humans must keep global temperatures from rising more than about 3 degrees Fahrenheit in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change." We're boned.
"Scientists warn that the coming decade will be critical for slowing heat-trapping emissions, potentially keeping average annual global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the mid-19th century. Right now, the world is on track for an increase of 3 degrees Celsius, a level that ensures more destructive wildfires and hurricanes, devastation for coral reefs and rising seas flooding the coastlines." Also, notice the difference between C and F in these two stories.
"Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown, a new study found." Uh, no. This is another "pollution is good for you" story. It's bullshit propaganda.
"Although both companies will need to significantly increase the number of weekly doses they release to the government to reach those goals, Moderna has made significant progress in the last week."
"The Biden administration has made a $231.8 million deal with an Australian company to boost availability of the first at-home rapid test for the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 that is available without a prescription. The test, made by Ellume, can send results to a smartphone within 15 minutes of receiving a sample." You know, there's a lot of infrastructure being built out for something that most people think we will be over with within a year. Looks knowingly into the camera.
"Turns out, for the variants from South Africa and Brazil, the mutations change the shape of the virus's spike in a way that's double trouble for the cell. The new shape that helps the virus bind more tightly to ACE2 also prevents some of the antibodies from sticking to the spike. Some antibodies no longer fit well to the end of the spike, so they can't form the little caps that block viral infection. The virus is free to bind to ACE2." A visual guide (well, a visual representation) to what is happening. BTW, this is the "oh fuck" moment. Why? Because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on the spike protein.
"Public Health England is investigating cases of coronavirus with 'worrying' new genetic changes that have been found in some regions of the UK… Tests show they have a mutation, called E484K, that is already seen in the South Africa variant… Although this change may reduce vaccine effectiveness, the current ones in use should still work, say experts."
"Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will step down as the company's chief executive officer this summer, after more than a quarter-century at the helm of the retail, logistics and tech powerhouse." Don't worry, he'll still be chairman of the board, so his 100+ billion dollars is safe.
"American factories continued to expand in January, but at slower pace than December."
"As Washington debates sending checks to Americans and increasing the minimum wage, a new study offers evidence for how such policies could help eliminate poverty. Obviously, giving more money to people without much money helps them with money problems. But the study adds to a growing body of research that says that money really does help workers earn more money." More evidence on how being poor drains more than pocketbooks. As anyone who has been poor can tell you.
"President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers are making a push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25. Some lawmakers and business owners who are against the idea say it would create harmful effects, including business closures, job loss and an acceleration of the shift toward automation… But those effects didn’t materialize in a five-year analysis of the impacts of minimum-wage increases at state and local levels as evidenced at more than 10,000 McDonald’s locations in the U.S." And then there's this, "Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency, estimated that raising the wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would result in a median of 1.3 million job losses…" Sounds dire, right? Um, that's basically been the weekly job loss for the past year.
"Grocery giant Kroger Co. will close two of its stores in Long Beach, Calif., after the city council passed an ordinance last month requiring some supermarkets to pay employees an additional $4 an hour."
"The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to delay consideration of two major cases that are scheduled for oral argument in the coming weeks. One involves funding for former President Trump's border wall construction, and the other, the so-called "remain in Mexico" policy… If the Supreme Court agrees to postpone consideration of the cases, as expected, at some later date they very likely will be pronounced dead as a legal matter."
"Two FBI agents are dead and at least three others are wounded after a raid on a home in Sunrise, Fla., turned violent early Tuesday. The suspect reportedly barricaded himself in his home, where agents were serving a search warrant as part of a "violent crimes against children case," the FBI said in a statement. The suspect is also dead."
"President Joe Biden is continuing to unravel the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies but has been unable to stop the deportation of hundreds, including a woman who witnessed the 2019 anti-Latino mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart store."
"During one of the most politically divisive years in recent memory, the number of active hate groups in the U.S. actually declined as far-right extremists migrated further to online networks, a move that has made it harder to track adherents of white nationalist and neo-Nazi ideologies."
"Instead the law center, which is based in Montgomery, Ala., said that new white nationalist and neo-Nazi organizations have become more diffuse in their membership."
"Brian Sicknick, the slain U.S. Capitol Police officer whose was given the rare distinction of laying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, is receiving a final tribute by lawmakers Wednesday."
"A deal has been reached in the Senate in principle on a power-sharing agreement that had precluded Democrats from taking control of the committees, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday morning."
"The House Republican Conference will meet in person on Wednesday and is expected to discuss the fates of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, two Republicans with drastically different loyalties to former President Donald Trump."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused Democrats of a double standard as they seek to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments… He also said that he thinks the public is growing tired of a double standard where Democrats try to paint Republicans as instigators. He pointed to how Democrats did little to speak out against the riots last summer. He did not mention anyone by name, but Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in August that there should be 'unrest in the streets.'" Yes, because you know, :: checks notes :: mostly peaceful protests by BLM is exactly the same as attempted violent overthrow of a duly elected government.
"The FBI recently raided the homes of two men who sponsored an invective-laced rally near the US Capitol a day before the deadly insurrection, the first known search warrants involving people who organized and spoke at rallies preceding the attack… CNN learned of the raids through an eyewitness account, public records, a lawyer representing one of the rally organizers and an FBI spokeswoman who confirmed details of the searches."
"Hundreds of Democratic staffers from both chambers of Congress are pleading with senators to convict former President Donald Trump in his upcoming impeachment trial for his part in the events leading up to the deadly riot at the Capitol last month."
"The Georgia secretary of state's office is investigating allegations that Lin Wood, a high-profile pro-Trump attorney who launched fruitless challenges to election results and pushed baseless conspiracies of fraud, may have illegally voted in the November general election. Wood played a crucial role in former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the election." The company you keep.
"Brian Sicknick, the slain U.S. Capitol Police officer whose was given the rare distinction of laying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, is receiving a final tribute by lawmakers Wednesday."
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Monday, February 1, 2021
Linkee-poo Monday Feb 1
Kathleen Ann Goonan, and so it goes.
"Captain Sir Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, his daughter said… The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing, Hannah Ingram-Moore said on Twitter." You may remember Cpt. Moore from his NHS fundraiser, which he did laps around his garden using his walker.
"A leading infectious disease expert predicted on Sunday that the deadlier British variant of Covid-19 will become the dominant strain of the virus in the US and could hit the country like a hurricane."
"The global rollout of coronavirus vaccines was never going to be easy. But it quickly descended into frustration at home and nationalistic acrimony abroad as countries around the world deal with a maelstrom of logistical and political challenges… All 50 states in the U.S. are reporting shortages as America's fragmented administrative and health care systems struggle to distribute even the limited vaccine stocks that have been produced." There was no plan.
"Philly Fighting Covid's promise of efficiently vaccinating the population was an alluring one as city leaders were desperate to pull out the pandemic. Doroshin told NBC's Today show that his company didn't think like a traditional medical institution. 'We're engineers, we're scientists, computer scientists, we're cybersecurity nerds. We think a little differently than people in health care do.'" And the plan went down in flames. How's your "disruption economics" working now?
"Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this month. Lynch is one of several members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks." Yes, the vaccine is not 100% protection. There's still a chance you will get sick. And then there's the language of the press releases where the vaccine "prevents severe symptoms" in patients.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a sweeping order late Friday requiring the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation Monday as the country continues to report thousands of daily COVID-19 deaths." Wear the goddamn mask.
"The average number of Latino residents dying from coronavirus each day in Los Angeles county has increased by more than 1,000% since November, according to county public health officials… Los Angeles is battling one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the US, amid a winter surge that has left hospitals across the region overwhelmed. LA county’s Latino population has faced the brunt of the crisis." The virus may not be racist, but it will exploit the disparities of a racist system.
"AstraZeneca will deliver nine million additional doses to the European Union in the first quarter of this year, bringing the total number of doses to 40 million, but falling well short of earlier supply promises." Not to harsh anyone's mellow, but they couldn't make their previous numbers.
"Police in Rochester released two body-camera videos Sunday of officers restraining a distraught 9-year-old girl who was handcuffed and sprayed with what police called a chemical 'irritant.'… The Democrat and Chronicle reported that prior to the release of the videos, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren expressed her concern for the 'child that was harmed during this incident that happened on Friday.'"
How's Brexit working out? "The European Union reversed a brief decision to try to restrict the export of COVID-19 vaccines across the border from Ireland into Northern Ireland… European vaccination campaigns have been struggling as supplies of vaccines on the continent have run low. The decision to invoke an emergency protocol of the Brexit deal was seen as an effort to keep supplies from going from the EU to Britain."
"Since the Robinhood mobile trading app temporarily blocked its customers from buying stock in GameStop (GME), AMC (AMC) Entertainment, and 11 other companies last Thursday, it has been hit with at least 33 federal lawsuits across the country. Filed in 10 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, and New York, most seek class action status and allege violations of securities laws or consumer protection statutes."
"The meteoric rise in GameStop's stock price is being called a short squeeze by most. But that's not what's happening, says one expert, and that could mean that if and when the short squeeze does come GameStop's price could soar significantly higher than current levels." GameStop is now being shorted even more than before. Now it becomes a game of "who has more money." If I had helped GameStop beat the first short sellers and the price was above my entry point, I would get out. Because even if this movement is able to bankrupt these short sellers, it's doubtful they could hold up the 3rd round.
"Move over GameStop, Reddit mania is spreading to the precious metals market… Silver futures surged as much as 13% to Monday, touching five-month highs. That follows a 6% rally last week." I would beware these moves at the moment as they may have started as a benign way to lose money (and much money will be lost, and not just by the hedge funds) and stick it to "the man", the scene is now set for long time pump and dumpers to get involved.
"A critical shortage of containers is driving up shipping costs and delays for goods purchased from China… The pandemic and uneven global economic recovery has led to this problem cropping up in Asia, although other parts of the world have also been hit. Industry watchers said desperate companies wait weeks for containers and pay premium rates to get them, causing shipping costs to skyrocket."
"Thousands of Hong Kongers have already made the sometimes painful decision to leave behind their hometown and move to Britain since Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the Chinese territory last summer. Their numbers are expected to swell to the hundreds of thousands."
"Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's civilian government, urged people across the country to oppose a military takeover of the country on Monday… Suu Kyi and other leading officials were detained the day before legislators elected in November were due to start a new parliamentary term in office."
"Myanmar's military says it is taking control of the country in a coup against the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other National League for Democracy leaders on Monday… The army said that power would be transferred to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, in a statement broadcast on military-owned television that also declared a one-year state of emergency, Reuters reported."
"Thousands of people took to the streets Sunday across Russia’s vast expanse to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, keeping up a wave of nationwide protests that have rattled the Kremlin. Over 1,000 were detained by police, according to a monitoring group." Stay safe, my Russian friends.
"An investigation into what sickened 11 soldiers who ingested an unauthorized substance shows they drank an industrial compound found in antifreeze believing it was alcohol following a 10-day field training exercise at Fort Bliss in Texas, U.S. Army officials said Friday."
"A Dutch court has delivered a major victory to a group of Nigerian farmers in their 13-year-long effort to hold Shell's Nigerian subsidiary accountable for oil spills on their lands… The Court of Appeal in The Hague sided with farmers and environmentalists on most of their legal claims, ruling that the Nigerian subsidiary owes the farmers financial compensation for the oil spill pollution in two villages."
From the middle of last month, so some of what they discuss, especially GOP members positions, is outdated, but still worth it. "Evidence shows that insurrectionists used the walkie-talkie app Zello to help organize the riot at the capitol. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how the platform has resisted oversight, despite warnings that it was enabling right-wing extremism. Plus, how to sniff out the real corporate boycotts from the PR facades. And, how to build social media that doesn't exploit users for profit." And then, from just after the attempted insurrection, "On this week’s On The Media, journalists struggle to find the words to describe what happened at the capitol on Wednesday. Was it a riot? A mob? An insurrection? Plus, why supporters of the president’s baseless election fraud theories keep invoking the 'lost cause' myth of the confederacy. And, taking a second look at 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.'"
"And by cleaning house, Pascrell says everyone — the six current members of the board of governors, and the Postal Service's top leadership, including Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — should be removed."
"It's a last-minute, last-ditch effort at bipartisanship coming just days before House and Senate Democrats were expected to move on the first step of their efforts to pass a coronavirus relief bill along party lines… The bottom line: The chances that President Joe Biden's meeting with 10 Republican senators changes the final trajectory of Biden's first big legislative push are slim."
"GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff allegedly 'berated' House Democrat Cori Bush of Missouri, who said Friday she’s moving her office away from Greene’s 'for my team’s safety.'… Bush also said in a tweet that the Georgia Republican 'targeted me & others on social media.'"
"Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has removed dozens of Facebook posts from 2018 and 2019 in which she endorsed fringe conspiracy theories and repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians… Searches of Greene's Facebook show the posts from 2018 and 2019 have been removed. Links saved by CNN's KFile during a review of hundreds of posts and comments from Greene's Facebook page are no longer available." Blame it on the intern.
"The list is long of the baseless conspiracy theories that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has embraced. She's denied that a plane hit the Pentagon on Sept. 11; supported the idea that the Parkland school shooting was a 'false flag' operation meant to usher in tighter gun laws; seemed to agree that Hillary Clinton was recorded 'filleting' a child's face."
"With just over a week before his second impeachment trial begins, former President Donald Trump's legal defense team is in flux after at least two key departures… Two of his lead impeachment lawyers, Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, and Trump parted ways, a source familiar with the matter told NPR. The South Carolina-based lawyers' departure was a 'mutual decision,' the person said, but no explanation was given." Remember when Butch Bowers was brought on and how that was a major change. Could be with the vote to dismiss narrowly loosing, Trump is cutting his expenses.
"Former President Donald Trump has named two new attorneys to head up his impeachment defense ahead of next week's trial in the Senate… Trump was in need of new representation following the reported departure of all five members of his defense team this weekend. Now leading the team are attorneys David Schoen and Bruce Castor Jr. — both experienced in criminal defense." Notice how Trump, from his team, is not referred to as "the former president", but instead "the 45th President." It's ego and a need for validation. It's also a direct attack on the democratic process. Trump is no longer president.
"Donald Trump may have left the White House, but his shadow still looms large in Washington and the Republican party as the Senate prepares for his second impeachment trial… The 50 Republicans in the Senate are grappling with how to appease Trump’s supporters, who still make up a hefty share of the party’s base, while acknowledging that the former president incited the 6 January attack on the US Capitol."
"Dozens of Republicans in former President George W. Bush's administration are leaving the party, dismayed by a failure of many elected Republicans to disown Donald Trump after his false claims of election fraud sparked a deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol last month… These officials, some who served in the highest echelons of the Bush administration, said they had hoped that a Trump defeat would lead party leaders to move on from the former president and denounce his baseless claims that the November presidential election was stolen."
"In the week from Jan. 6 through Jan. 12, about 4,600 Republicans changed their party status in Colorado, according to a CPR News analysis. There was no comparable effect with any other party. CPR News was able to contact dozens of them by tracking changes in the state's voter file."
"Active military personnel and veterans are over-represented among the first 150 people to be arrested and have records released for federal offenses in the violence and insurrection at the US Capitol."
"Many involved in the insurrection professed to be motivated by patriotism, falsely declaring that Trump was the rightful winner of the election. Yet at least eight of the people who are now facing criminal charges for their involvement in the events at the Capitol did not vote in the November 2020 presidential election, according to,/a .an analysis of voting records from the states where protestors were arrested and those states where public records show they have lived." Doesn't really mean anything, but it's an interesting anecdote.
"Captain Sir Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, his daughter said… The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing, Hannah Ingram-Moore said on Twitter." You may remember Cpt. Moore from his NHS fundraiser, which he did laps around his garden using his walker.
"A leading infectious disease expert predicted on Sunday that the deadlier British variant of Covid-19 will become the dominant strain of the virus in the US and could hit the country like a hurricane."
"The global rollout of coronavirus vaccines was never going to be easy. But it quickly descended into frustration at home and nationalistic acrimony abroad as countries around the world deal with a maelstrom of logistical and political challenges… All 50 states in the U.S. are reporting shortages as America's fragmented administrative and health care systems struggle to distribute even the limited vaccine stocks that have been produced." There was no plan.
"Philly Fighting Covid's promise of efficiently vaccinating the population was an alluring one as city leaders were desperate to pull out the pandemic. Doroshin told NBC's Today show that his company didn't think like a traditional medical institution. 'We're engineers, we're scientists, computer scientists, we're cybersecurity nerds. We think a little differently than people in health care do.'" And the plan went down in flames. How's your "disruption economics" working now?
"Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this month. Lynch is one of several members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks." Yes, the vaccine is not 100% protection. There's still a chance you will get sick. And then there's the language of the press releases where the vaccine "prevents severe symptoms" in patients.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a sweeping order late Friday requiring the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation Monday as the country continues to report thousands of daily COVID-19 deaths." Wear the goddamn mask.
"The average number of Latino residents dying from coronavirus each day in Los Angeles county has increased by more than 1,000% since November, according to county public health officials… Los Angeles is battling one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the US, amid a winter surge that has left hospitals across the region overwhelmed. LA county’s Latino population has faced the brunt of the crisis." The virus may not be racist, but it will exploit the disparities of a racist system.
"AstraZeneca will deliver nine million additional doses to the European Union in the first quarter of this year, bringing the total number of doses to 40 million, but falling well short of earlier supply promises." Not to harsh anyone's mellow, but they couldn't make their previous numbers.
"Police in Rochester released two body-camera videos Sunday of officers restraining a distraught 9-year-old girl who was handcuffed and sprayed with what police called a chemical 'irritant.'… The Democrat and Chronicle reported that prior to the release of the videos, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren expressed her concern for the 'child that was harmed during this incident that happened on Friday.'"
How's Brexit working out? "The European Union reversed a brief decision to try to restrict the export of COVID-19 vaccines across the border from Ireland into Northern Ireland… European vaccination campaigns have been struggling as supplies of vaccines on the continent have run low. The decision to invoke an emergency protocol of the Brexit deal was seen as an effort to keep supplies from going from the EU to Britain."
"Since the Robinhood mobile trading app temporarily blocked its customers from buying stock in GameStop (GME), AMC (AMC) Entertainment, and 11 other companies last Thursday, it has been hit with at least 33 federal lawsuits across the country. Filed in 10 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, and New York, most seek class action status and allege violations of securities laws or consumer protection statutes."
"The meteoric rise in GameStop's stock price is being called a short squeeze by most. But that's not what's happening, says one expert, and that could mean that if and when the short squeeze does come GameStop's price could soar significantly higher than current levels." GameStop is now being shorted even more than before. Now it becomes a game of "who has more money." If I had helped GameStop beat the first short sellers and the price was above my entry point, I would get out. Because even if this movement is able to bankrupt these short sellers, it's doubtful they could hold up the 3rd round.
"Move over GameStop, Reddit mania is spreading to the precious metals market… Silver futures surged as much as 13% to Monday, touching five-month highs. That follows a 6% rally last week." I would beware these moves at the moment as they may have started as a benign way to lose money (and much money will be lost, and not just by the hedge funds) and stick it to "the man", the scene is now set for long time pump and dumpers to get involved.
"A critical shortage of containers is driving up shipping costs and delays for goods purchased from China… The pandemic and uneven global economic recovery has led to this problem cropping up in Asia, although other parts of the world have also been hit. Industry watchers said desperate companies wait weeks for containers and pay premium rates to get them, causing shipping costs to skyrocket."
"Thousands of Hong Kongers have already made the sometimes painful decision to leave behind their hometown and move to Britain since Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the Chinese territory last summer. Their numbers are expected to swell to the hundreds of thousands."
"Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's civilian government, urged people across the country to oppose a military takeover of the country on Monday… Suu Kyi and other leading officials were detained the day before legislators elected in November were due to start a new parliamentary term in office."
"Myanmar's military says it is taking control of the country in a coup against the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other National League for Democracy leaders on Monday… The army said that power would be transferred to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, in a statement broadcast on military-owned television that also declared a one-year state of emergency, Reuters reported."
"Thousands of people took to the streets Sunday across Russia’s vast expanse to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, keeping up a wave of nationwide protests that have rattled the Kremlin. Over 1,000 were detained by police, according to a monitoring group." Stay safe, my Russian friends.
"An investigation into what sickened 11 soldiers who ingested an unauthorized substance shows they drank an industrial compound found in antifreeze believing it was alcohol following a 10-day field training exercise at Fort Bliss in Texas, U.S. Army officials said Friday."
"A Dutch court has delivered a major victory to a group of Nigerian farmers in their 13-year-long effort to hold Shell's Nigerian subsidiary accountable for oil spills on their lands… The Court of Appeal in The Hague sided with farmers and environmentalists on most of their legal claims, ruling that the Nigerian subsidiary owes the farmers financial compensation for the oil spill pollution in two villages."
From the middle of last month, so some of what they discuss, especially GOP members positions, is outdated, but still worth it. "Evidence shows that insurrectionists used the walkie-talkie app Zello to help organize the riot at the capitol. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how the platform has resisted oversight, despite warnings that it was enabling right-wing extremism. Plus, how to sniff out the real corporate boycotts from the PR facades. And, how to build social media that doesn't exploit users for profit." And then, from just after the attempted insurrection, "On this week’s On The Media, journalists struggle to find the words to describe what happened at the capitol on Wednesday. Was it a riot? A mob? An insurrection? Plus, why supporters of the president’s baseless election fraud theories keep invoking the 'lost cause' myth of the confederacy. And, taking a second look at 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.'"
"And by cleaning house, Pascrell says everyone — the six current members of the board of governors, and the Postal Service's top leadership, including Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — should be removed."
"It's a last-minute, last-ditch effort at bipartisanship coming just days before House and Senate Democrats were expected to move on the first step of their efforts to pass a coronavirus relief bill along party lines… The bottom line: The chances that President Joe Biden's meeting with 10 Republican senators changes the final trajectory of Biden's first big legislative push are slim."
"GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff allegedly 'berated' House Democrat Cori Bush of Missouri, who said Friday she’s moving her office away from Greene’s 'for my team’s safety.'… Bush also said in a tweet that the Georgia Republican 'targeted me & others on social media.'"
"Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has removed dozens of Facebook posts from 2018 and 2019 in which she endorsed fringe conspiracy theories and repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians… Searches of Greene's Facebook show the posts from 2018 and 2019 have been removed. Links saved by CNN's KFile during a review of hundreds of posts and comments from Greene's Facebook page are no longer available." Blame it on the intern.
"The list is long of the baseless conspiracy theories that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has embraced. She's denied that a plane hit the Pentagon on Sept. 11; supported the idea that the Parkland school shooting was a 'false flag' operation meant to usher in tighter gun laws; seemed to agree that Hillary Clinton was recorded 'filleting' a child's face."
"With just over a week before his second impeachment trial begins, former President Donald Trump's legal defense team is in flux after at least two key departures… Two of his lead impeachment lawyers, Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, and Trump parted ways, a source familiar with the matter told NPR. The South Carolina-based lawyers' departure was a 'mutual decision,' the person said, but no explanation was given." Remember when Butch Bowers was brought on and how that was a major change. Could be with the vote to dismiss narrowly loosing, Trump is cutting his expenses.
"Former President Donald Trump has named two new attorneys to head up his impeachment defense ahead of next week's trial in the Senate… Trump was in need of new representation following the reported departure of all five members of his defense team this weekend. Now leading the team are attorneys David Schoen and Bruce Castor Jr. — both experienced in criminal defense." Notice how Trump, from his team, is not referred to as "the former president", but instead "the 45th President." It's ego and a need for validation. It's also a direct attack on the democratic process. Trump is no longer president.
"Donald Trump may have left the White House, but his shadow still looms large in Washington and the Republican party as the Senate prepares for his second impeachment trial… The 50 Republicans in the Senate are grappling with how to appease Trump’s supporters, who still make up a hefty share of the party’s base, while acknowledging that the former president incited the 6 January attack on the US Capitol."
"Dozens of Republicans in former President George W. Bush's administration are leaving the party, dismayed by a failure of many elected Republicans to disown Donald Trump after his false claims of election fraud sparked a deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol last month… These officials, some who served in the highest echelons of the Bush administration, said they had hoped that a Trump defeat would lead party leaders to move on from the former president and denounce his baseless claims that the November presidential election was stolen."
"In the week from Jan. 6 through Jan. 12, about 4,600 Republicans changed their party status in Colorado, according to a CPR News analysis. There was no comparable effect with any other party. CPR News was able to contact dozens of them by tracking changes in the state's voter file."
"Active military personnel and veterans are over-represented among the first 150 people to be arrested and have records released for federal offenses in the violence and insurrection at the US Capitol."
"Many involved in the insurrection professed to be motivated by patriotism, falsely declaring that Trump was the rightful winner of the election. Yet at least eight of the people who are now facing criminal charges for their involvement in the events at the Capitol did not vote in the November 2020 presidential election, according to,/a .an analysis of voting records from the states where protestors were arrested and those states where public records show they have lived." Doesn't really mean anything, but it's an interesting anecdote.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)