Alligators overboard.
"Stephen Colbert honored President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at the age of 94, with some old clips…" (and while taking a swipe at Trump).
"Olivera was in her last semester of nursing school, and she was assigned to visit a support group that had meaning for her life. She chose a support group for polio survivors, since her son's disease (AFM) and polio are similar."
"A rare polio-like disease is affecting more people around the country, in fact there are six cases in Wisconsin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of November 2018, there are 116 confirmed cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) across 31 states. Studies on the disease began to ramp up in 2014 though the CDC, thus, not enough definitive information is available." Only 90% of AFM cases are children. (Note, several typos in the article.)
"Be it fate, or a stroke of good luck, Daniella Anthony and John Drennan are soon to be reunited with their precious piece of jewellery." Hint to those proposing, get the exact ring size first.
"Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges related to a corruption case involving Israel’s telecom giant, prompting immediate calls for his resignation."
"France’s prime minister on Tuesday suspended planned increases to fuel taxes for at least six months in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, the first major U-turn by President Emmanuel Macron’s administration after 18 months in office."
Just keep this in mind when conservatives say "elections matter." "Wisconsin Republicans, just weeks away from losing control of both the governor and attorney general's offices, planned dramatic lame-duck votes Tuesday on a sweeping attempt to limit the powers of incoming Democrats, a move that opponents decried as a last-gasp power grab and attempt to invalidate the election." They don't believe it at all.
"In a letter sent to the board of elections, North Carolina's Democratic Party made claims of wrongdoing. The Washington Post reported that the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement has already collected at least six sworn statements from voters in Bladen County alleging that people came to their doors and urged them to hand over their absentee ballots." Heinous fuckery most foul. (Grokked from Kelly Link)
"Ginger Eason told WSOCTV, a local news station in Charlotte, that Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr. paid her between $75 and $100 to pick up completed absentee ballots for North Carolina's 9th District, the results of which are being officially investigated… Dowless… has been named twice in sworn affidavits as someone who worked for Republican candidate Mark Harris's campaign against Democrat Dan McCready." Looks around for the usual suspects shouting "Voter Fraud" and alls I sees are crickets (to mix my metaphors).
"Former FBI James Comey retreated from his demand for an open hearing before the House Judiciary Committee and reached a deal to testify in private, his lawyer said Sunday."
"Special counsel Robert Mueller is set to reveal the extent of Michael Flynn's cooperation and insights into the dealings of Russians with the Trump campaign and administration… In the court filing due by midnight Tuesday, Mueller's team could also nod toward the next criminal indictments in its sights."
"An angry President Donald Trump on Monday called for his ex-personal lawyer Michael Cohen to receive a stiff prison sentence for his admitted crimes, as he accused Cohen of making up 'stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself… Trump in a Twitter tirade also accused special counsel Robert Mueller of seeking 'lies' from witnesses about Trump — and praised his longtime associate Roger Stone as having the "guts" to withstand pressure from Mueller's prosecutors to 'make up stories' about the president." Michael Cohen, if what he has said is true and can be backed up, implicates the president in campaign finance fraud (as well as corroborating the stories about Trump's deals with the Russians to build a hotel in Moscow). I'm sure there's more that "the president's fixer" knows, which is why Trump is acting frightened. It's because he is. Stone has been skirting the legal system for decades, my guess is Mueller will come after him with a sheaf full of indictments should he refuse to cooperate. And my guess is, Mueller might just throw Stone to the courts first and wait until he begs to cooperate. The circle tightens.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Monday, December 3, 2018
Linkee-poo finally got the Xmas decorations up
Alligator quotient, eyeball level it is. Sorry, I know lots of stuff happening, but baby's gotta eat, ya know.
Not sure if I linked to this before, John Hodgman interviews GRR Martin.
"I spent 15 years sanding and grinding mussel shells to create my sculptures. Then I was diagnosed with heavy-metal poisoning." On creating art and subliming one's life to that art. For most of the visual arts, there are many professional and occupational hazards. For graphic design it includes carpel tunnel, poor eyesight, kyphosis, as well as chemical poisoning (although it's now less with the advent of direct to press technology and other advances, like low organic solvent inks). There are several older books on color theory which are now handled as toxic items (because of the solvents and ingredients of some of the inks). (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"NASA has picked nine companies, ranging from startups to aerospace giants, to be eligible for future contracts to deliver payloads to the surface of the moon, but with no guarantee of business for any of them."
"Two more women, including a fellow astronomer, say Neil deGrasse Tyson is guilty of inappropriate sexual conduct." (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"Since millennials first started entering the workforce, their spending habits have been blamed for killing off industries ranging from casual restaurant dining to starter houses. However, a new study by the Federal Reserve suggests it might be less about how they are spending their money and more about not having any to spend." And we have a new runner up for the "Duh" Awards! Also, so what the headlines should have been is, "Capitalism is killing capitalism." Because it does. Oh, BTW news media, the Gen X-ers weren't that much better off. All the trends you see squeezing the Millennials started just as we came to the age where we should have been piling the money away. "The researchers also examined debt between each generation. While the comparisons were 'somewhat mixed,' researchers said it 'seems fair' to conclude that millennials have levels of debt about the same as Generation X and more debt than baby boomers." There's nothing "fair" about it, assholes. (Grokked from Mur Lafferty)
"Allegations of voting irregularities in and around Bladen County swirled on Thursday, with the North Carolina Democratic Party calling for an official hearing and a flurry of affidavits surfacing involving absentee ballots… The allegations are apparently behind this week’s decision by the State Board of Elections and Ethics Reform to not certify the results of the congressional race in the 9th District." Voter fraud, it's amazing how it's mostly the GOP committing it. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Stock markets across the world rose Monday after the United States and China agreed to a temporary truce in their trade war, negotiated over dinner in Argentina on Saturday… But stark differences in the language used by Washington and Beijing in announcing the deal could spell trouble as both countries begin negotiations aimed at striking a permanent end to trade tensions." It's not a truce, it's a status quo agreement.
"She said she met Epstein only once, but she often helped arrange for girls — many of them underage — to be sent to his homes in New York, Palm Beach and his island in the Caribbean for parties. She heard salacious rumors about Epstein’s parties, but testified she had no firsthand knowledge about whether they involved sex." A sex scandal involve trafficking young girls to have sex with powerful or well connected men. Many of whom you might recognize from their positions in the current administration and Fox News. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin, I think)
"Last week’s admission by Michael Cohen that he lied to Congress about a Trump Organization real estate project in Moscow suggests the Russian government may have damaging information about President Trump, a top Democrat said Sunday." And now the GOP has rallied around the narrative that "sure he was doing business with Russia" completely forgetting the (now) president adamantly denied having any business dealings with Russia. Also, now that the president has admitted these dealings, if they are true, spell big problems for the president. First, as a part of the deal they were offering Putin a $50M penthouse apartment for free (apparently unaware that Putin has more trust issues than the president and wouldn't live in a building with other people around him) which is a direct violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Also the Trump organization was negotiating funding from VTB bank, which was (and still is) under US sanctions. Those sanctions forbid any US entities from doing business with them.
Not sure if I linked to this before, John Hodgman interviews GRR Martin.
"I spent 15 years sanding and grinding mussel shells to create my sculptures. Then I was diagnosed with heavy-metal poisoning." On creating art and subliming one's life to that art. For most of the visual arts, there are many professional and occupational hazards. For graphic design it includes carpel tunnel, poor eyesight, kyphosis, as well as chemical poisoning (although it's now less with the advent of direct to press technology and other advances, like low organic solvent inks). There are several older books on color theory which are now handled as toxic items (because of the solvents and ingredients of some of the inks). (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"NASA has picked nine companies, ranging from startups to aerospace giants, to be eligible for future contracts to deliver payloads to the surface of the moon, but with no guarantee of business for any of them."
"Two more women, including a fellow astronomer, say Neil deGrasse Tyson is guilty of inappropriate sexual conduct." (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"Since millennials first started entering the workforce, their spending habits have been blamed for killing off industries ranging from casual restaurant dining to starter houses. However, a new study by the Federal Reserve suggests it might be less about how they are spending their money and more about not having any to spend." And we have a new runner up for the "Duh" Awards! Also, so what the headlines should have been is, "Capitalism is killing capitalism." Because it does. Oh, BTW news media, the Gen X-ers weren't that much better off. All the trends you see squeezing the Millennials started just as we came to the age where we should have been piling the money away. "The researchers also examined debt between each generation. While the comparisons were 'somewhat mixed,' researchers said it 'seems fair' to conclude that millennials have levels of debt about the same as Generation X and more debt than baby boomers." There's nothing "fair" about it, assholes. (Grokked from Mur Lafferty)
"Allegations of voting irregularities in and around Bladen County swirled on Thursday, with the North Carolina Democratic Party calling for an official hearing and a flurry of affidavits surfacing involving absentee ballots… The allegations are apparently behind this week’s decision by the State Board of Elections and Ethics Reform to not certify the results of the congressional race in the 9th District." Voter fraud, it's amazing how it's mostly the GOP committing it. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Stock markets across the world rose Monday after the United States and China agreed to a temporary truce in their trade war, negotiated over dinner in Argentina on Saturday… But stark differences in the language used by Washington and Beijing in announcing the deal could spell trouble as both countries begin negotiations aimed at striking a permanent end to trade tensions." It's not a truce, it's a status quo agreement.
"She said she met Epstein only once, but she often helped arrange for girls — many of them underage — to be sent to his homes in New York, Palm Beach and his island in the Caribbean for parties. She heard salacious rumors about Epstein’s parties, but testified she had no firsthand knowledge about whether they involved sex." A sex scandal involve trafficking young girls to have sex with powerful or well connected men. Many of whom you might recognize from their positions in the current administration and Fox News. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin, I think)
"Last week’s admission by Michael Cohen that he lied to Congress about a Trump Organization real estate project in Moscow suggests the Russian government may have damaging information about President Trump, a top Democrat said Sunday." And now the GOP has rallied around the narrative that "sure he was doing business with Russia" completely forgetting the (now) president adamantly denied having any business dealings with Russia. Also, now that the president has admitted these dealings, if they are true, spell big problems for the president. First, as a part of the deal they were offering Putin a $50M penthouse apartment for free (apparently unaware that Putin has more trust issues than the president and wouldn't live in a building with other people around him) which is a direct violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Also the Trump organization was negotiating funding from VTB bank, which was (and still is) under US sanctions. Those sanctions forbid any US entities from doing business with them.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Linkee-poo and when you lose control you'll reap the harvest you have sown
"Since 2002, no other cases of paternally inherited mtDNA have been reported in humans, despite several research groups actively looking. But a paper in this week’s PNAS reports mtDNA inherited from both parents in 17 different people from three families. This kind of inheritance is still extremely rare and seems potentially linked to mitochondrial disease, but the robust confirmation of it in humans is huge news for biology and medicine." Something new has been added. Although, please note that the cases that have been found have been because of mitochondrial diseases. (Grokked from John)
"In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump cited his own 'high levels of intelligence' when asked why he was skeptical of the report, which was prepared with the input of 13 different federal agencies and 300 scientists. 'One of the problems that a lot of people like myself — we have very high levels of intelligence, but we’re not necessarily such believers,' Trump said… The full, rambling, hardly-coherent digression that followed has to be read to be believed…" In the next revision of the dictionary, for the Dunning–Kruger Effect they'll just have a picture of Trump. Which really isn't true, because for Dunning-Kruger you have to have some intelligence, just not a lot. Our president has none. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"The total figures are inconceivably large. From 1998 to 2015, the Pentagon made at least $21 trillion worth of unaccountable transactions (some of these were on the positive side of the ledger) -- five times the annual US GDP!" And yet the party who always shouts that we have to root out fraud an inefficiency is also hellbent on just increasing the Pentagon's budget and not increasing budgetary controls. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"President Donald Trump arrives here for a G20 summit Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping — and their eye-for-an-eye trade dispute — at the top of his dance card, a scheduled talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin below it and a possible encounter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman not yet penciled in… Most of the action will occur on the sidelines of the official meetings in this European-style capital city that features narrow brick roads, Spanish and Parisian architecture, and cafes on nearly every street corner." I hope the administration remembered to book a room for the president this year.
"President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement — or USMCA — in Buenos Aires Friday, using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors." I wonder if he knows he needs to get the Senate to ratify it?
"With President Trump — who has spent much of the week defiantly defending his zero-tolerance immigration policies, angry over his coverage in the news media and insistent on the innocence of his incarcerated former campaign hands — it has been abundantly clear that not even the frothiest of White House holiday events would be carried off without an icy airing of Festivus-like grievances." Petulant is the word you're searching for.
"Trump’s anger over the Mueller investigation — and his compulsion to publicly declare his innocence — threatens to overshadow the Argentina trip, which will feature several important policy-related events, including a Friday morning signing of a new trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico."
"Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman and associate of President Donald Trump, confirmed Friday that the Trump Organization was pursuing a deal with a sanctioned Russian bank at the height of the 2016 election." Whelp, there's another crime. We'll just add it to the pile, shall we? (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"President Donald Trump told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, nor was he told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son, campaign officials and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, according to two sources familiar with the matter… According to many lawyers who have experience in cases such as this, adding the caveat that he has no recollection, as the President apparently did with these written answers to Mueller, is standard procedure as a way to try to shield a client should their recollections be challenged."
"Escalating his attacks on the special counsel investigation, President Trump said on Wednesday that a presidential pardon for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is 'not off the table,' casting him and other subjects of the inquiry as victims of prosecutorial abuse." And here we begin to see the latest public defense, that Mueller is pressuring people to lie and accuse other of Trump's associates with crimes. And that it's the people who refused to bend who are being prosecuted.
"President Trump on Wednesday defended sharing an image on Twitter showing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein along with Trump critics behind bars."
"Right-wing author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi said on Thursday that he intends to file 'criminal charges' against special counsel Robert Mueller." Conservatives are so cute when they're so dumb. Considering this fuckwhit doesn't know the difference between complaint and charges, or even civil versus criminal (note, a civilian can not file "criminal charges" against someone) I'mma going to go with the concept that he doesn't know WTF he's talking about and can't tell shit from shingle. But also, just to be clear, what this fucktard is expressing is exactly what criminals say when they're dealing with honest police officers.
But then, "Right-wing conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump ally Jerome Corsi wants you to believe that God, not Julian Assange or any other human source, provided him with foreknowledge about WikiLeaks’ plans to publish emails hacked from the Clinton campaign in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election." So, take into account his inability to make coherent statements. Plus there's also this, "If Stone passed along Corsi’s information to Trump during that conversation or at another time, that could directly involve the president in a criminal conspiracy meant to swing the election in his favor." Of which Corsi would be a part of that criminal conspiracy. Also note the president has gone from "completely never did that," to "by his recollection he never…".
"President Trump on Friday defended his pursuit of a real estate project in Russia at the same time he was securing the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, saying it was 'very legal & very cool.'" Remember when the president said (both in the election and afterward) that he never tried to build a hotel in Russia, didn't know anyone there, and so didn't have any connection to Russia? Good times.
"In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump cited his own 'high levels of intelligence' when asked why he was skeptical of the report, which was prepared with the input of 13 different federal agencies and 300 scientists. 'One of the problems that a lot of people like myself — we have very high levels of intelligence, but we’re not necessarily such believers,' Trump said… The full, rambling, hardly-coherent digression that followed has to be read to be believed…" In the next revision of the dictionary, for the Dunning–Kruger Effect they'll just have a picture of Trump. Which really isn't true, because for Dunning-Kruger you have to have some intelligence, just not a lot. Our president has none. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"The total figures are inconceivably large. From 1998 to 2015, the Pentagon made at least $21 trillion worth of unaccountable transactions (some of these were on the positive side of the ledger) -- five times the annual US GDP!" And yet the party who always shouts that we have to root out fraud an inefficiency is also hellbent on just increasing the Pentagon's budget and not increasing budgetary controls. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"President Donald Trump arrives here for a G20 summit Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping — and their eye-for-an-eye trade dispute — at the top of his dance card, a scheduled talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin below it and a possible encounter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman not yet penciled in… Most of the action will occur on the sidelines of the official meetings in this European-style capital city that features narrow brick roads, Spanish and Parisian architecture, and cafes on nearly every street corner." I hope the administration remembered to book a room for the president this year.
"President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement — or USMCA — in Buenos Aires Friday, using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors." I wonder if he knows he needs to get the Senate to ratify it?
"With President Trump — who has spent much of the week defiantly defending his zero-tolerance immigration policies, angry over his coverage in the news media and insistent on the innocence of his incarcerated former campaign hands — it has been abundantly clear that not even the frothiest of White House holiday events would be carried off without an icy airing of Festivus-like grievances." Petulant is the word you're searching for.
"Trump’s anger over the Mueller investigation — and his compulsion to publicly declare his innocence — threatens to overshadow the Argentina trip, which will feature several important policy-related events, including a Friday morning signing of a new trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico."
"Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman and associate of President Donald Trump, confirmed Friday that the Trump Organization was pursuing a deal with a sanctioned Russian bank at the height of the 2016 election." Whelp, there's another crime. We'll just add it to the pile, shall we? (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"President Donald Trump told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, nor was he told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son, campaign officials and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, according to two sources familiar with the matter… According to many lawyers who have experience in cases such as this, adding the caveat that he has no recollection, as the President apparently did with these written answers to Mueller, is standard procedure as a way to try to shield a client should their recollections be challenged."
"Escalating his attacks on the special counsel investigation, President Trump said on Wednesday that a presidential pardon for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is 'not off the table,' casting him and other subjects of the inquiry as victims of prosecutorial abuse." And here we begin to see the latest public defense, that Mueller is pressuring people to lie and accuse other of Trump's associates with crimes. And that it's the people who refused to bend who are being prosecuted.
"President Trump on Wednesday defended sharing an image on Twitter showing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein along with Trump critics behind bars."
"Right-wing author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi said on Thursday that he intends to file 'criminal charges' against special counsel Robert Mueller." Conservatives are so cute when they're so dumb. Considering this fuckwhit doesn't know the difference between complaint and charges, or even civil versus criminal (note, a civilian can not file "criminal charges" against someone) I'mma going to go with the concept that he doesn't know WTF he's talking about and can't tell shit from shingle. But also, just to be clear, what this fucktard is expressing is exactly what criminals say when they're dealing with honest police officers.
But then, "Right-wing conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump ally Jerome Corsi wants you to believe that God, not Julian Assange or any other human source, provided him with foreknowledge about WikiLeaks’ plans to publish emails hacked from the Clinton campaign in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election." So, take into account his inability to make coherent statements. Plus there's also this, "If Stone passed along Corsi’s information to Trump during that conversation or at another time, that could directly involve the president in a criminal conspiracy meant to swing the election in his favor." Of which Corsi would be a part of that criminal conspiracy. Also note the president has gone from "completely never did that," to "by his recollection he never…".
"President Trump on Friday defended his pursuit of a real estate project in Russia at the same time he was securing the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, saying it was 'very legal & very cool.'" Remember when the president said (both in the election and afterward) that he never tried to build a hotel in Russia, didn't know anyone there, and so didn't have any connection to Russia? Good times.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Linkee-poo Wednesday
Alligators still on overload. Heck, I'm still dealing with yesterday's alligators.
"A new government watchdog memo says the Trump administration waived rigorous background checks for all staff working at the nation’s largest detention camp for migrant children… None of the 2,100 staff has gone through FBI fingerprint checks either, but the Tornillo contractor says staff are vetted in other ways." WTF? Full disclosure, I had to be fingerprinted to take x-rays (but then I'm already in the federal databases from my AF days). (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"For the first time in nearly a decade, the number of uninsured children in the United States increased. Recently released data shows an estimated 276,000 more children were uninsured in 2017 than in 2016… Three-quarters of the children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage to parents and other low-income adults. The uninsured rates for children increased at almost triple the rate in non-expansion states than in states that have expanded Medicaid." This is not a good thing. (Grokked form Xeni Jardin)
In related news, "Life expectancy in the United States declined again in 2017, the government said Thursday in a bleak series of reports that showed a nation still in the grip of escalating drug and suicide crises… The CDC issues its health statistics report each December. The 2017 report is the third in a row to show a decline in life expectancy." We're the only industrialized nation where life expectancy is decreasing. Funny that we're also the only one that doesn't have universal healthcare and we have the largest income/wealth disparity as well. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Ivanka Trump says she was heartbroken after seeing images this week of US border patrol agents firing tear gas into crowds that included migrant children… But when asked about the president’s recent decision to authorize the military to use lethal force on migrants, the first daughter—who serves as a senior adviser to her father—appeared to be learning the news for the first time. Visibly perplexed, she also suggested it was likely untrue… 'He’s not talking about innocents,' she added. 'So, he’s not talking about innocent asylum-seekers.'" Yes, they don't know what the fuck they're doing or talking about. Also, Dear First-Daughter and senior advisor, CBP are not part of the armed forces. Your Dad's position as CnC has diddly to do with this. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A new government watchdog memo says the Trump administration waived rigorous background checks for all staff working at the nation’s largest detention camp for migrant children… None of the 2,100 staff has gone through FBI fingerprint checks either, but the Tornillo contractor says staff are vetted in other ways." WTF? Full disclosure, I had to be fingerprinted to take x-rays (but then I'm already in the federal databases from my AF days). (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"For the first time in nearly a decade, the number of uninsured children in the United States increased. Recently released data shows an estimated 276,000 more children were uninsured in 2017 than in 2016… Three-quarters of the children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage to parents and other low-income adults. The uninsured rates for children increased at almost triple the rate in non-expansion states than in states that have expanded Medicaid." This is not a good thing. (Grokked form Xeni Jardin)
In related news, "Life expectancy in the United States declined again in 2017, the government said Thursday in a bleak series of reports that showed a nation still in the grip of escalating drug and suicide crises… The CDC issues its health statistics report each December. The 2017 report is the third in a row to show a decline in life expectancy." We're the only industrialized nation where life expectancy is decreasing. Funny that we're also the only one that doesn't have universal healthcare and we have the largest income/wealth disparity as well. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Ivanka Trump says she was heartbroken after seeing images this week of US border patrol agents firing tear gas into crowds that included migrant children… But when asked about the president’s recent decision to authorize the military to use lethal force on migrants, the first daughter—who serves as a senior adviser to her father—appeared to be learning the news for the first time. Visibly perplexed, she also suggested it was likely untrue… 'He’s not talking about innocents,' she added. 'So, he’s not talking about innocent asylum-seekers.'" Yes, they don't know what the fuck they're doing or talking about. Also, Dear First-Daughter and senior advisor, CBP are not part of the armed forces. Your Dad's position as CnC has diddly to do with this. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
For your consideration, a sociological statement
Dogs, Animals by Pink Floyd, David Jon Gilmour and Roger Waters, 1977.
Remind you of anyone?
"Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead."
Remind you of anyone?
"Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead."
Linkee-poo can ruin your faith with her casual lies
Alligator overload, both professional and personal. So not a lot of stuff today.
Worldbuilders is back with their annual fundraiser for Heifer International.
"An effort to describe the diversity of birds led to one of the first modern color systems. Published by Smithsonian ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1886, A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists categorizes 186 colors alongside diagrams of birds." Ah, color history. Almost as fun as color theory and color physics. (Grokked from John)
"For more than fifty years, he’s traveled deep into the heart of America. But with his new Netflix special—a film of his intense, powerful one-man show on Broadway—Bruce Springsteen reveals that his bravest journey has been wrestling with his own mental health." (Grokked from Delilah S. Dawson)
"The National Rifle Association of America reported $98 million in contributions in 2017, down from nearly $125 million in 2016, according to new tax records obtained by The Daily Beast. Nearly a fifth of its contributions last year came from a single anonymous donor, who chipped in nearly $19 million to the group." For the math challenged, that's almost 20% of their fundraising from one person. I wonder whom it may be? But don't cry for them, Argentina, that's only just the fund-raising, they also have membership dues and magazine sales. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
Hey, remember Chief Justice John Roberts talking about there being no "Bush", "Obama", "Clinton", or "Trump" judges? Yeah, its' bullshit. "Senate Republicans are working to soon fill the nation's longest judicial vacancy with a North Carolina lawyer whose nomination has raised objections from black lawmakers and civil rights groups concerned about his work defending state laws found to have discriminated against African-Americans." Funny how not being a racists himself, he has often found himself working for racists and working on campaigns that have included racial intimidation. It's almost like a pattern. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
Manafort might think his only liability is to the crimes he's already copped to. He's wrong. "Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign, the Guardian has been told." Mueller is going to make an example out of him. Hang on folks, it's going to get bumpy from here on out. Manafort might have misgambled against drinking polonium tea (but then he also probably figures he'll have enough money just to keep his mouth shut and won't need to work again, this is also a bad bet). (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"A reporter earned praise Monday after she called out President Donald Trump, over one of his more questionable claims, right to his face." We praise this as extraordinary, but I remember a time when this was normal. The problem is, not many people have either the depth of knowledge to do this (or the time to do homework), or they're very busy trying to make their own point. Also this is one way to lose a press pass (see Jim Acosta) or lose access to "sources" (note those sources don't meet with reporters in darkened garages, but typically are behind a podium). It also comes off as "accusatory", and in the age of "balanced" coverage reporters try not to be. The people who claimed the press was biased are the ones using this desire to appear fair to their own advantage. So good on Paula Reid of CBS. Hey all you other people, you may want to follow this example. Don't let the bald-faced lies get past you. And then we can start working on the "disingenuous" comments.
Worldbuilders is back with their annual fundraiser for Heifer International.
"An effort to describe the diversity of birds led to one of the first modern color systems. Published by Smithsonian ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1886, A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists categorizes 186 colors alongside diagrams of birds." Ah, color history. Almost as fun as color theory and color physics. (Grokked from John)
"For more than fifty years, he’s traveled deep into the heart of America. But with his new Netflix special—a film of his intense, powerful one-man show on Broadway—Bruce Springsteen reveals that his bravest journey has been wrestling with his own mental health." (Grokked from Delilah S. Dawson)
"The National Rifle Association of America reported $98 million in contributions in 2017, down from nearly $125 million in 2016, according to new tax records obtained by The Daily Beast. Nearly a fifth of its contributions last year came from a single anonymous donor, who chipped in nearly $19 million to the group." For the math challenged, that's almost 20% of their fundraising from one person. I wonder whom it may be? But don't cry for them, Argentina, that's only just the fund-raising, they also have membership dues and magazine sales. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
Hey, remember Chief Justice John Roberts talking about there being no "Bush", "Obama", "Clinton", or "Trump" judges? Yeah, its' bullshit. "Senate Republicans are working to soon fill the nation's longest judicial vacancy with a North Carolina lawyer whose nomination has raised objections from black lawmakers and civil rights groups concerned about his work defending state laws found to have discriminated against African-Americans." Funny how not being a racists himself, he has often found himself working for racists and working on campaigns that have included racial intimidation. It's almost like a pattern. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
Manafort might think his only liability is to the crimes he's already copped to. He's wrong. "Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign, the Guardian has been told." Mueller is going to make an example out of him. Hang on folks, it's going to get bumpy from here on out. Manafort might have misgambled against drinking polonium tea (but then he also probably figures he'll have enough money just to keep his mouth shut and won't need to work again, this is also a bad bet). (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"A reporter earned praise Monday after she called out President Donald Trump, over one of his more questionable claims, right to his face." We praise this as extraordinary, but I remember a time when this was normal. The problem is, not many people have either the depth of knowledge to do this (or the time to do homework), or they're very busy trying to make their own point. Also this is one way to lose a press pass (see Jim Acosta) or lose access to "sources" (note those sources don't meet with reporters in darkened garages, but typically are behind a podium). It also comes off as "accusatory", and in the age of "balanced" coverage reporters try not to be. The people who claimed the press was biased are the ones using this desire to appear fair to their own advantage. So good on Paula Reid of CBS. Hey all you other people, you may want to follow this example. Don't let the bald-faced lies get past you. And then we can start working on the "disingenuous" comments.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Linkee-poo winter is here
Alligator quotient growing. Everybody must have recovered from their turkey comas, because damn.
Jim Hines on World Fantasy Con Guests of Honor lack of diversity and their lame excuse. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)
NPR's Book Concierge guide to 2018's great reads.
"NASA’s InSight landed safely on Mars on Monday afternoon, with scientists now hopeful they’ll get a below-the-surface look at the Red Planet." (Grokked from Dan)
"Watch a rocket launch from space." Wow.
"Rice University has launched an investigation into one of its professors after reports surfaced that he is connected to alleged genetic editing in China that resulted in the birth of two babies with altered DNA."
"In the past decade or so, China has been expanding its commitment to scientific research, and it shows. Chinese researchers now produce more scientific publications than U.S. scientists do, and the global ratings of Chinese universities are rising." Because they value science and are willing to fund research as well as putting few ideological barriers on the extent of the research. America isn't about to fall behind, we've already fallen behind the rest of the world.
"President Donald Trump responded on Monday to the bombshell climate assessment released by his administration on Friday, saying he doesn't believe the economic impact it's predicted to have on the US." Water is wet.
Who needs regulations? "Every year, federal OSHA conducts an audit of all 28 state plans to ensure they are 'at least as effective' as the federal agency at identifying and preventing workplace hazards… According to this year's audit of Kentucky, which covered fiscal year 2017, KY OSH is not meeting that standard… The audit was sharply critical, depicting an understaffed, under-resourced agency that's failing to protect Kentucky's workers. It also included a special study exclusively examining how Kentucky falls short at investigating deaths on-the-job." And people are dying as a result of it. Yes, the "no regulations" (typically phrased in "fewer" regulations, or "light" regulatory atmosphere) is about profit over the lives of workers and the general populace.
How's that promise of "moar jobs" doing? "General Motors Co said on Monday it will cut production of slow-selling models and slash its North American workforce in the face of a stagnant market for traditional gas-powered sedans, shifting more investment to electric and autonomous vehicles." What the article doesn't tell you is American automakers (the traditional Big 3) have let their offerings of smaller cars rot on the vine, which is one reason sales are down. Add that to the US consumers' traditionally short memory and the temporarily low gas prices all contribute to sales shifting to larger vehicles. Sort of like 2005-2007. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"U.S. President Donald Trump demanded General Motors Co add a new product to replace a plant in Ohio that the company said it planned to close next year due to lagging small-car demand." That and a ten-dollar bill might get you a cup of coffee.
"On Monday, GM kicked off plans to close five plants, including the Detroit factory that built the Chevy Volt and the Ohio factory that built the Chevy Cruze compact car. It will kill those cars, and a few others, after the assembly lines shut down.Thousands of American workers are likely to lose their jobs, from the factories that are closing and from the parts suppliers, transportation workers and the like whose jobs support the assembly plants… We know what that's like in this country. We've seen it before." The Volt was an amazing car and the technology was a good mix. However, just like other great cars (like the Saturns), GM let it rot on the vine. They did little to sell it, did little to keep it fresh, basically didn't do much after the launch.
"North American customers want SUVs, crossovers, hatchbacks and trucks. Sedans have fallen out of favor." Well, one, that's what the car companies advertise (because they make a lot of money). Two, I remember another time when the "car is dead." That was right before $4 gasoline. The American consumer is notoriously short sighted.
How go the Trade Wars? "Wisconsin dairy farmers barely hanging on as crisis deepens with no end in sight." (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels near Crimea is an 'outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory,' says U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, calling it 'another reckless Russian escalation' in a deadly and years-long conflict." Ukraine declares Martial Law in the border provinces. But they know this president won't do anything.
"Kushner, in a bid to symbolically solidify the new alliance between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia while claiming a victory on the president's first foreign trip to Riyadh, pushed State and Defense officials to inflate the figure with arms exchanges that were aspirational at best, the officials said. Secretary of Defense James Mattis supported Kushner's effort and ultimately endorsed the memorandum, according to a former NSC official familiar with the matter." Ah, fake news from the headquarters of fake news, the Trump family (aka the administration). This is the car salesman asking if you'd like tires on that new car you bought. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"'The president's behavior towards me made me wonder, what did he have to gain by saying such a thing about a fellow Republican?' (Representative Mia) Love said. 'It was not really about asking him to do more, was it? Or was it something else? Well, Mr. President, we'll have to chat about that. However, this gave me a clear vision of his world as it is — no real relationships, just convenient transactions. That is an insufficient way to implement sincere service and policy.'…cLove then tore into Republicans for their treatment of minority voters before vigorously defending conservative policies as more beneficial to all Americans." But of course she wonders why minorities don't wake up and vote conservative.
"As incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi works to consolidate votes for her leadership bid, a group of largely centrist House Democrats have remained holdouts. Publicly, they’re pushing for tweaks to House rules once Democrats take over the chamber in January. But behind the scenes, a leading advocacy group that has helped organize this coalition of moderates has been itching to make life hell for Pelosi." Yes, the left has it's own power hungry jerks who only care for themselves. The good thing is they aren't the entirety of the party, or diving the agenda. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"A Republican who will soon step down as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives tax committee late on Monday released a sweeping, nearly 300-page tax bill that he said would affect Americans’ retirement savings, numerous business tax breaks and redesign the Internal Revenue Service." One last "fuck you" to the American people.
"Manafort lied 'on a variety of subject matters,' violating his plea agreement, prosecutors said in a three-page filing signed by both the defense team and prosecution. Both sides ask the judge to now move his case toward sentencing." Someone's betting on a pardon. Either that or they really aren't as smart as I give them credit for. Or, as some people have mentioned, he's worried about a radium sandwich or slippery door knob (either himself or his family). (Grokked in a roundabout way from Jim Wright)
Jim Hines on World Fantasy Con Guests of Honor lack of diversity and their lame excuse. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)
NPR's Book Concierge guide to 2018's great reads.
"NASA’s InSight landed safely on Mars on Monday afternoon, with scientists now hopeful they’ll get a below-the-surface look at the Red Planet." (Grokked from Dan)
"Watch a rocket launch from space." Wow.
"Rice University has launched an investigation into one of its professors after reports surfaced that he is connected to alleged genetic editing in China that resulted in the birth of two babies with altered DNA."
"In the past decade or so, China has been expanding its commitment to scientific research, and it shows. Chinese researchers now produce more scientific publications than U.S. scientists do, and the global ratings of Chinese universities are rising." Because they value science and are willing to fund research as well as putting few ideological barriers on the extent of the research. America isn't about to fall behind, we've already fallen behind the rest of the world.
"President Donald Trump responded on Monday to the bombshell climate assessment released by his administration on Friday, saying he doesn't believe the economic impact it's predicted to have on the US." Water is wet.
Who needs regulations? "Every year, federal OSHA conducts an audit of all 28 state plans to ensure they are 'at least as effective' as the federal agency at identifying and preventing workplace hazards… According to this year's audit of Kentucky, which covered fiscal year 2017, KY OSH is not meeting that standard… The audit was sharply critical, depicting an understaffed, under-resourced agency that's failing to protect Kentucky's workers. It also included a special study exclusively examining how Kentucky falls short at investigating deaths on-the-job." And people are dying as a result of it. Yes, the "no regulations" (typically phrased in "fewer" regulations, or "light" regulatory atmosphere) is about profit over the lives of workers and the general populace.
How's that promise of "moar jobs" doing? "General Motors Co said on Monday it will cut production of slow-selling models and slash its North American workforce in the face of a stagnant market for traditional gas-powered sedans, shifting more investment to electric and autonomous vehicles." What the article doesn't tell you is American automakers (the traditional Big 3) have let their offerings of smaller cars rot on the vine, which is one reason sales are down. Add that to the US consumers' traditionally short memory and the temporarily low gas prices all contribute to sales shifting to larger vehicles. Sort of like 2005-2007. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"U.S. President Donald Trump demanded General Motors Co add a new product to replace a plant in Ohio that the company said it planned to close next year due to lagging small-car demand." That and a ten-dollar bill might get you a cup of coffee.
"On Monday, GM kicked off plans to close five plants, including the Detroit factory that built the Chevy Volt and the Ohio factory that built the Chevy Cruze compact car. It will kill those cars, and a few others, after the assembly lines shut down.Thousands of American workers are likely to lose their jobs, from the factories that are closing and from the parts suppliers, transportation workers and the like whose jobs support the assembly plants… We know what that's like in this country. We've seen it before." The Volt was an amazing car and the technology was a good mix. However, just like other great cars (like the Saturns), GM let it rot on the vine. They did little to sell it, did little to keep it fresh, basically didn't do much after the launch.
"North American customers want SUVs, crossovers, hatchbacks and trucks. Sedans have fallen out of favor." Well, one, that's what the car companies advertise (because they make a lot of money). Two, I remember another time when the "car is dead." That was right before $4 gasoline. The American consumer is notoriously short sighted.
How go the Trade Wars? "Wisconsin dairy farmers barely hanging on as crisis deepens with no end in sight." (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels near Crimea is an 'outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory,' says U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, calling it 'another reckless Russian escalation' in a deadly and years-long conflict." Ukraine declares Martial Law in the border provinces. But they know this president won't do anything.
"Kushner, in a bid to symbolically solidify the new alliance between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia while claiming a victory on the president's first foreign trip to Riyadh, pushed State and Defense officials to inflate the figure with arms exchanges that were aspirational at best, the officials said. Secretary of Defense James Mattis supported Kushner's effort and ultimately endorsed the memorandum, according to a former NSC official familiar with the matter." Ah, fake news from the headquarters of fake news, the Trump family (aka the administration). This is the car salesman asking if you'd like tires on that new car you bought. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"'The president's behavior towards me made me wonder, what did he have to gain by saying such a thing about a fellow Republican?' (Representative Mia) Love said. 'It was not really about asking him to do more, was it? Or was it something else? Well, Mr. President, we'll have to chat about that. However, this gave me a clear vision of his world as it is — no real relationships, just convenient transactions. That is an insufficient way to implement sincere service and policy.'…cLove then tore into Republicans for their treatment of minority voters before vigorously defending conservative policies as more beneficial to all Americans." But of course she wonders why minorities don't wake up and vote conservative.
"As incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi works to consolidate votes for her leadership bid, a group of largely centrist House Democrats have remained holdouts. Publicly, they’re pushing for tweaks to House rules once Democrats take over the chamber in January. But behind the scenes, a leading advocacy group that has helped organize this coalition of moderates has been itching to make life hell for Pelosi." Yes, the left has it's own power hungry jerks who only care for themselves. The good thing is they aren't the entirety of the party, or diving the agenda. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"A Republican who will soon step down as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives tax committee late on Monday released a sweeping, nearly 300-page tax bill that he said would affect Americans’ retirement savings, numerous business tax breaks and redesign the Internal Revenue Service." One last "fuck you" to the American people.
"Manafort lied 'on a variety of subject matters,' violating his plea agreement, prosecutors said in a three-page filing signed by both the defense team and prosecution. Both sides ask the judge to now move his case toward sentencing." Someone's betting on a pardon. Either that or they really aren't as smart as I give them credit for. Or, as some people have mentioned, he's worried about a radium sandwich or slippery door knob (either himself or his family). (Grokked in a roundabout way from Jim Wright)
Monday, November 26, 2018
Linkee-poo back to work
"A Chinese researcher has claimed he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls born this month that represent perhaps the next monumental test of science and ethics." Well, 1) someone had to be first, but 2) the technology isn't all that mature to really do this experiment. And 3) it's not like China doesn't have a history of "advances" that turn out to be nothing.
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas said a new experimental Alzheimer's disease vaccine showed promising results during recent testing in mice and are hopeful the vaccine will make it to human trials." Unfortunately we don't really understand the relationship of amyloid plaques and tau to Alzheimers.
"For more than a decade, it’s been clear that there’s a gaping hole in American food safety: Growers aren’t required to test their irrigation water for pathogens such as E. coli… After several high-profile disease outbreaks linked to food, Congress in 2011 ordered a fix, and produce growers this year would have begun testing their water under rules crafted by the Obama administration’s Food and Drug Administration… But six months before people were sickened by the contaminated romaine, President Donald Trump’s FDA – responding to pressure from the farm industry and Trump’s order to eliminate regulations – shelved the water-testing rules for at least four years." How's that "less regulation" thing working out for us? (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
How goes the economy? "The total debt shouldered by Americans has hit another record high, rising to $13.5 trillion in the last quarter, while an unusual jump in student-loan delinquencies could provide another signal that the nation's economic expansion is growing old." So when you hear about comparing how a government is run as compared to personal or business finances (as a way of saying no to debt), just remember how much we all are in debt. And two, it's almost as if we're about to hit a recession again. I can't wait to hear how it's the Democrats' fault.
"Migrants approaching the U.S. border from Mexico were enveloped with tear gas Sunday after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"President Trump on Monday urged Mexico to deport Central American migrants who are attempting to reach the U.S., and threatened to permanently shut down the southern border." Yeah. That'll work. It'll play well to his base, though.
"A major US-Mexico border crossing in San Diego was closed for hours on Sunday after a group of migrants on the Mexican side rushed the border area, leading US Border Patrol agents to fire tear gas at the group." The border was closed before the incident. This was manufactured.
"A Fox News guest on Monday brushed off worries about using pepper spray on migrant women and children, while suggesting that it was so harmless that it could be used as a condiment on snacks… 'It’s natural,' he insisted. 'You could actually put it on your nachos and eat it! So it’s a good way of deterring people without long-term harm.'" Okay Ronald Colburn, President of the Border Patrol Foundation, I fucking dare you to do this. Not what you think it is, but the actual component used in pepper spray. And oh, by the way, we have photos of the empty canisters, you racist moose-dropping. (Grokked form Laura J Mixon)
"Ohio is poised to become the first state to allow businesses to pay taxes with bitcoin in a new initiative that may become available to individual taxpayers as well." Why? Because we're stupid. Or at least our lawmakers are stupid.
"When federal agents searched the Washington, DC, house of two brothers they had linked to the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, they found a troubling scene… There were hollow-point bullets, 'ballistic vests and helmets,' a 'marijuana grow' operation, and a Nazi flag. A noose dangled from a bunk bed, a small toy hung by its neck, and a flyer was found promoting the neo-Nazi organization known as Atomwaffen Division." Again, can't wait for the NRA to defend this jerk (one brother killed himself) for his high-capacity magazine. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Republicans are plotting a strategy to vigorously defend President Donald Trump amid a barrage of expected Democratic investigations into the President, with some of Trump's allies urging the White House to resist cooperating with Democrats at all costs." The strategies are firming up.
"Nine Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are urging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to back three rules changes as she aims to drum up enough support to take over the Speakership in the next Congress."
"'Justice Roberts can say what he wants,' Trump tweeted, referring to a rare statement from the top-ranking member of the Supreme Court defending the independence of the judicial branch of government, 'but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster.'" All those talking heads who say the Democrats should work with conservatives to find the middle ground. Tell me again where the middle ground is here, because I've seemed to have lost it again by the "with us our our enemy" stance of conservatism. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina and the head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Sunday he believes former FBI Director James Comey's planned testimony to Congress should be videotaped and made public. Appearing on 'Face the Nation,' Gowdy said he does not agree with Comey's insistence that he should testify in a public hearing." Why do it this way instead of having an opening meeting? Because written testimony and video can be redacted… to leak information in the same way as Comey has accused Congress of doing.
Why would Putin want a weakened West? "Russian warships seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Sunday in a narrow waterway that provides access from the Black Sea to the much smaller Sea of Azov near Crimea, ramping up already bitter tensions between the two countries… Trump has not commented on the incident."
Just because I've seen this "argument" come up. "What's True… President Obama attempted to delegitimize Fox News by calling their oppositional stance 'destructive' for the country, took questions from Fox News correspondents less frequently than he did from those of other major networks in press briefings, and his administration expressed a willingness to exclude Fox reporters from interviews with top officials… What's False… The Obama administration never rescinded the press passes of Fox News reporters nor ejected or banned them from White House press conferences."
"The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to file felony domestic violence charges against attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday, choosing instead to refer the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office for consideration of misdemeanor charges." This really doesn't mean anything because domestic abuse often isn't prosecuted to the fullest extent of the (already weak) laws. It doesn't argue for innocence or guilt. But just part of the continuing drama. What I think is interesting is the fact that Avenatti is still married (while in the process of divorce) and the women he's been living with since January 2017 is still married ("separated") to someone else. Even ten years ago that would have been the scandal.
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas said a new experimental Alzheimer's disease vaccine showed promising results during recent testing in mice and are hopeful the vaccine will make it to human trials." Unfortunately we don't really understand the relationship of amyloid plaques and tau to Alzheimers.
"For more than a decade, it’s been clear that there’s a gaping hole in American food safety: Growers aren’t required to test their irrigation water for pathogens such as E. coli… After several high-profile disease outbreaks linked to food, Congress in 2011 ordered a fix, and produce growers this year would have begun testing their water under rules crafted by the Obama administration’s Food and Drug Administration… But six months before people were sickened by the contaminated romaine, President Donald Trump’s FDA – responding to pressure from the farm industry and Trump’s order to eliminate regulations – shelved the water-testing rules for at least four years." How's that "less regulation" thing working out for us? (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
How goes the economy? "The total debt shouldered by Americans has hit another record high, rising to $13.5 trillion in the last quarter, while an unusual jump in student-loan delinquencies could provide another signal that the nation's economic expansion is growing old." So when you hear about comparing how a government is run as compared to personal or business finances (as a way of saying no to debt), just remember how much we all are in debt. And two, it's almost as if we're about to hit a recession again. I can't wait to hear how it's the Democrats' fault.
"Migrants approaching the U.S. border from Mexico were enveloped with tear gas Sunday after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"President Trump on Monday urged Mexico to deport Central American migrants who are attempting to reach the U.S., and threatened to permanently shut down the southern border." Yeah. That'll work. It'll play well to his base, though.
"A major US-Mexico border crossing in San Diego was closed for hours on Sunday after a group of migrants on the Mexican side rushed the border area, leading US Border Patrol agents to fire tear gas at the group." The border was closed before the incident. This was manufactured.
"A Fox News guest on Monday brushed off worries about using pepper spray on migrant women and children, while suggesting that it was so harmless that it could be used as a condiment on snacks… 'It’s natural,' he insisted. 'You could actually put it on your nachos and eat it! So it’s a good way of deterring people without long-term harm.'" Okay Ronald Colburn, President of the Border Patrol Foundation, I fucking dare you to do this. Not what you think it is, but the actual component used in pepper spray. And oh, by the way, we have photos of the empty canisters, you racist moose-dropping. (Grokked form Laura J Mixon)
"Ohio is poised to become the first state to allow businesses to pay taxes with bitcoin in a new initiative that may become available to individual taxpayers as well." Why? Because we're stupid. Or at least our lawmakers are stupid.
"When federal agents searched the Washington, DC, house of two brothers they had linked to the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, they found a troubling scene… There were hollow-point bullets, 'ballistic vests and helmets,' a 'marijuana grow' operation, and a Nazi flag. A noose dangled from a bunk bed, a small toy hung by its neck, and a flyer was found promoting the neo-Nazi organization known as Atomwaffen Division." Again, can't wait for the NRA to defend this jerk (one brother killed himself) for his high-capacity magazine. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Republicans are plotting a strategy to vigorously defend President Donald Trump amid a barrage of expected Democratic investigations into the President, with some of Trump's allies urging the White House to resist cooperating with Democrats at all costs." The strategies are firming up.
"Nine Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are urging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to back three rules changes as she aims to drum up enough support to take over the Speakership in the next Congress."
"'Justice Roberts can say what he wants,' Trump tweeted, referring to a rare statement from the top-ranking member of the Supreme Court defending the independence of the judicial branch of government, 'but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster.'" All those talking heads who say the Democrats should work with conservatives to find the middle ground. Tell me again where the middle ground is here, because I've seemed to have lost it again by the "with us our our enemy" stance of conservatism. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina and the head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Sunday he believes former FBI Director James Comey's planned testimony to Congress should be videotaped and made public. Appearing on 'Face the Nation,' Gowdy said he does not agree with Comey's insistence that he should testify in a public hearing." Why do it this way instead of having an opening meeting? Because written testimony and video can be redacted… to leak information in the same way as Comey has accused Congress of doing.
Why would Putin want a weakened West? "Russian warships seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Sunday in a narrow waterway that provides access from the Black Sea to the much smaller Sea of Azov near Crimea, ramping up already bitter tensions between the two countries… Trump has not commented on the incident."
Just because I've seen this "argument" come up. "What's True… President Obama attempted to delegitimize Fox News by calling their oppositional stance 'destructive' for the country, took questions from Fox News correspondents less frequently than he did from those of other major networks in press briefings, and his administration expressed a willingness to exclude Fox reporters from interviews with top officials… What's False… The Obama administration never rescinded the press passes of Fox News reporters nor ejected or banned them from White House press conferences."
"The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to file felony domestic violence charges against attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday, choosing instead to refer the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office for consideration of misdemeanor charges." This really doesn't mean anything because domestic abuse often isn't prosecuted to the fullest extent of the (already weak) laws. It doesn't argue for innocence or guilt. But just part of the continuing drama. What I think is interesting is the fact that Avenatti is still married (while in the process of divorce) and the women he's been living with since January 2017 is still married ("separated") to someone else. Even ten years ago that would have been the scandal.
Friday, November 23, 2018
Linkee-poo Noir Friday
"Participating in the ritual known as årsgång, or 'year walk,', promised information about the future—if a walker followed the rules and reached the local church or graveyard." (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)
"As many CPAP users discover, the life-altering device comes with caveats: Health insurance companies are often tracking whether patients use them. If they aren't, the insurers might not cover the machines or the supplies that go with them. And, faced with the popularity of CPAPs — which can cost $400 to $800 — and their need for replacement filters, face masks and hoses, health insurers have deployed a host of tactics that can make the therapy more expensive or even price it out of reach… Patients have been required to rent CPAPs at rates that total much more than the retail price of the devices, or they've discovered that the supplies would be substantially cheaper if they didn't have insurance at all." That was certainly true in my case. While the machine I have isn't WiFi or Bluetooth compatible, every month I'd have to send off the data card if I wanted to keep covered. However I did convince the insurance company to buy the machine (after I "successfully" used it for 6 months). And yes, the "lease" would have paid for the machine by that time (although the insurance was paying the lease to a subcontractor, I started using a BiPAP about 8 years ago)). And I now buy my masks myself. For the one I like, it's cheaper, and I don't have to constantly send the data card in. Also, if you do have to use CPAP, and you can tolerate it, I highly recommend buying the machine and not using the insurance's supplier. There are plenty of places to purchase machines (including Amazon, although they often don't have the best price). It's a little more hassle that way, but you can save a lot of money. The one thing I haven't done is have a followup sleep study.
"The Intercept has published slides from Partnership for America’s Health Care Future -- a lobbying group representing the for-profit health-care sector -- detailing the organization's plan to kill Medicare for All." Their plan includes using several former Democratic officials who are now paid lobbyists and spokespeople for the health insurance industry. You know, for an idea that they say would create a terrible system, be horrible for patients, and cost way too much they seem awfully afraid of the prospect of that competition. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A milestone oil development project in Alaska's Arctic waters is having to extend its construction timeline to accommodate the warming climate. The recently approved Liberty Project — poised to become the first oil production facility in federal Arctic waters — has altered its plans due to the shrinking sea ice season… To get at the oil targeted by the Liberty Project, Texas-based oil company Hilcorp is planning to build a gravel island about five miles from shore… In order to build that island, Hilcorp needs to use what's called landfast sea ice, or ice that attaches to the coast each winter. Hilcorp would build an ice road on top of it, and transport the gravel in dump trucks." Um, I think I see karma warming up on the side-lines.
"But when farmers in Punjab set fire to leftover rice straw, smoke wafts across northern India – poisoning the air 200 miles away in Indian capital, New Delhi, and beyond. It's even visible in NASA photos taken from space. The Indian government estimates that more than 103 million acres of land in Punjab are under cultivation – about 83 percent of the total land area."
"President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving video teleconference call with U.S. troops in which he gave himself credit for allowing them to win was 'somewhat insulting,' a retired lieutenant general said." It's sad that I give the president points for at least making a call. (Grokked from someone, sorry, lost the link)
"The Trump administration allowed troops to engage in some law enforcement activities and potentially to use deadly force, according to a report by Military Times on Wednesday… The order, which loosens the engagement restrictions on military personnel at the southwest border, was not signed by President Trump, but by White House chief of staff John Kelly." That should go over well. I can't wait to see the world's reaction as we shoot asylum seekers because they got a little rowdy at being forced to wait for hours in line only to be told to come back next week. Dear Congress, it's your goddamn job to roll this back. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"President Donald Trump withdrew from a planned meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team after his lawyers saw the list of questions the president would be asked, according to a new report released by The Associated Press." I can just imagine the conversation, "Oh shit, he's on to us." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"As many CPAP users discover, the life-altering device comes with caveats: Health insurance companies are often tracking whether patients use them. If they aren't, the insurers might not cover the machines or the supplies that go with them. And, faced with the popularity of CPAPs — which can cost $400 to $800 — and their need for replacement filters, face masks and hoses, health insurers have deployed a host of tactics that can make the therapy more expensive or even price it out of reach… Patients have been required to rent CPAPs at rates that total much more than the retail price of the devices, or they've discovered that the supplies would be substantially cheaper if they didn't have insurance at all." That was certainly true in my case. While the machine I have isn't WiFi or Bluetooth compatible, every month I'd have to send off the data card if I wanted to keep covered. However I did convince the insurance company to buy the machine (after I "successfully" used it for 6 months). And yes, the "lease" would have paid for the machine by that time (although the insurance was paying the lease to a subcontractor, I started using a BiPAP about 8 years ago)). And I now buy my masks myself. For the one I like, it's cheaper, and I don't have to constantly send the data card in. Also, if you do have to use CPAP, and you can tolerate it, I highly recommend buying the machine and not using the insurance's supplier. There are plenty of places to purchase machines (including Amazon, although they often don't have the best price). It's a little more hassle that way, but you can save a lot of money. The one thing I haven't done is have a followup sleep study.
"The Intercept has published slides from Partnership for America’s Health Care Future -- a lobbying group representing the for-profit health-care sector -- detailing the organization's plan to kill Medicare for All." Their plan includes using several former Democratic officials who are now paid lobbyists and spokespeople for the health insurance industry. You know, for an idea that they say would create a terrible system, be horrible for patients, and cost way too much they seem awfully afraid of the prospect of that competition. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A milestone oil development project in Alaska's Arctic waters is having to extend its construction timeline to accommodate the warming climate. The recently approved Liberty Project — poised to become the first oil production facility in federal Arctic waters — has altered its plans due to the shrinking sea ice season… To get at the oil targeted by the Liberty Project, Texas-based oil company Hilcorp is planning to build a gravel island about five miles from shore… In order to build that island, Hilcorp needs to use what's called landfast sea ice, or ice that attaches to the coast each winter. Hilcorp would build an ice road on top of it, and transport the gravel in dump trucks." Um, I think I see karma warming up on the side-lines.
"But when farmers in Punjab set fire to leftover rice straw, smoke wafts across northern India – poisoning the air 200 miles away in Indian capital, New Delhi, and beyond. It's even visible in NASA photos taken from space. The Indian government estimates that more than 103 million acres of land in Punjab are under cultivation – about 83 percent of the total land area."
"President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving video teleconference call with U.S. troops in which he gave himself credit for allowing them to win was 'somewhat insulting,' a retired lieutenant general said." It's sad that I give the president points for at least making a call. (Grokked from someone, sorry, lost the link)
"The Trump administration allowed troops to engage in some law enforcement activities and potentially to use deadly force, according to a report by Military Times on Wednesday… The order, which loosens the engagement restrictions on military personnel at the southwest border, was not signed by President Trump, but by White House chief of staff John Kelly." That should go over well. I can't wait to see the world's reaction as we shoot asylum seekers because they got a little rowdy at being forced to wait for hours in line only to be told to come back next week. Dear Congress, it's your goddamn job to roll this back. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"President Donald Trump withdrew from a planned meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team after his lawyers saw the list of questions the president would be asked, according to a new report released by The Associated Press." I can just imagine the conversation, "Oh shit, he's on to us." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Linkee-poo and straight through the barnyard gate
"At an event promoting the new National Geographic Channel’s series 'Mars,' scientist and science educator Bill Nye spoke about the Red Planet’s future…'This whole idea of terraforming Mars,” said Nye, “As respectful as I can be, are you guys high?'"
Speaking of high, "The review, which is expected to begin next year and take months to complete, was spurred largely by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's behavior on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast in September, three unnamed officials told The Washington Post's Christian Davenport."
Oh science, you silly rascal. "Three jugs placed as offerings in a roughly 3,600-year-old tomb in Israel have revealed a sweet surprise — evidence of the oldest known use of vanilla… Until now, vanilla was thought to have originated in Mexico, perhaps 1,000 years ago or more… 'It’s really not surprising that vanillin reached Bronze Age Megiddo given all the trade that occurred between the [Middle East] and South Asia,' says archaeologist Eric Cline of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. But no evidence exists of trade at that time between Middle Eastern societies and East Africa, says Cline, who did not participate in the Megiddo research." What they meant to say was "use of vanilla was thought to have originated in Mexico" since vanilla is produced in both Africa and SE Asia. As to evidence of trade… seriously? After all the discoveries in the past half-century of the interconnectedness of the world you still don't think these things happened?
"For some two decades, Eliot has pondered and researched the origins of gender differences between boys and girls. She says she didn't start by looking at boys' brains and girls' brains. She started with an insight about all brains. More than any other organ, the brain is uniquely adaptable, designed to change in response to the environment." The Hidden Brain podcast on gender.
"A global diabetes epidemic is fuelling record demand for insulin but tens of millions will not get the injections they need unless there is a dramatic improvement in access and affordability, a new study concluded on Wednesday."
"The Centers for Disease Control is advising U.S. consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce in response to a new multi-state outbreak of illnesses caused by a dangerous type of E.coli." Here we go again. I guess they didn't solve the problem of the upstream cattle feedlot. That's just speculation, I don't know if we've changed where our lettuce comes from to Yuma yet.
"About 2,000 parents answered the online poll in October. The top three reasons parents gave for not getting their children a flu shot are concerns about side effects, beliefs that the shot doesn't work very well, and they say their healthy child does not need to be vaccinated." You all are fucking high. You know what are good reasons? Your child is allergic to eggs, your child has a weakened immune system, your child has had a past reaction to the flu shot, you can't afford medical care, there's a history or concern for Guillain-Barré Syndrome. But you know how I really know you all are high? Because I see kids in the ER every damn weekend with flu or flu-like symptoms who have high temperatures, whose lungs are filling up or are having problems breathing because of other effects of the flu. The flu doesn't give a shit how healthy you are (in fact several years ago the strain of flu going around was worse for "healthy" young adults), what your income level is, where you live, or how clean you keep your house.
"Perhaps as a result, demand for exorcisms—the Catholic Church’s antidote to demonic possession—seems to be growing as well. Though the Church does not keep official statistics, the exorcists I interviewed for this article attest to fielding more pleas for help every year." (Grokked from Kelly Link)
On the Media podcast with segments on "the conspiratorial buzz around the Florida recounts and how right-wing media is fueling doubt" and the anti-trust activities of Amazon and their HQ2 search. The GOP has been working hard to weaken our trust surrounding our elections. This is exactly the effect our Russian Friends (waves) have been working hard to instill. Collusion much, Mr. President (and the GOP)? And a lot about the machinations of Amazon and their business practices. Full disclose, I sell shirts on Amazon.
"China has installed a new platform on a remote part of the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea which could be used for military purposes, according to recent satellite images reviewed by a U.S. think tank."
"An American is believed to have been killed by an isolated Indian island tribe that is known to fire at outsiders with bows and arrows, police said Wednesday." What is it about "hostile to outsiders" that they didn't understand?
"US oil prices plummeted nearly 7% on Tuesday to $53.43 a barrel. That marks the cheapest closing price since late October 2017… The latest deep selloff coincided with more mayhem on Wall Street. The Dow shed more than 600 points on Tuesday as fears about slowing earnings and economic growth deepen." Hmm, much uncertainty.
"In their only debate Tuesday night, when pressed, Hyde-Smith did apologize to 'anyone that was offended by my comments,' emphasizing that 'there was no ill will, no intent whatsoever in my statements' and saying, 'I've never been hurtful to anyone.'" Who among us hasn't joked about public hangings in a Southern state with a large black population and history of racist attacks? And she misspoke. What she meant to say was she would be in the front row with a torch if Colin Hutchinson invited her to an old-fashion cross-burning, she has that much regard for him.
"Arthurs said the apartment had served as a nerve center for Atomwaffen Division, a white supremacist organization of 60 to 70 people that has spoken openly of its hopes of igniting race war in the United States. If the authorities could access the group’s encrypted online chats, Arthurs said, 'it’d be easy to track down each member.' The interrogation was videotaped, and a recording was obtained by ProPublica and Frontline." Instead the government decided to disarm itself by disbanding task groups assigned to right-wing terrorism. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Rachel Martin talks to Pro-Publica's A.C. Thompson about his latest documentary: Documenting Hate: New American Nazis, which airs on PBS' Frontline Tuesday night." I'm not saying Trump is a racist and a Nazi, I'm saying racists and Nazis think he is one.
The documentary online. "In the wake of the deadly anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, FRONTLINE and ProPublica present a new investigation into white supremacist groups in America – in particular, a neo-Nazi group, Atomwaffen Division, that has actively recruited inside the U.S. military."
Atomwaffen is very small, but the way they are going about this is very different from other supremacists groups. They accept that they are terrorists and have bought into the whole terrorism mindset. Their goal is to overthrow the US government and while doing so instigate a race war. They have studied terrorism tactics and goals and have the ability to adjust them to the peculiars of the American system (whether or not they've realized they have to isn't clear to me yet). It also is yet to be seen if they will try to tie into the disruption al Qaeda already started and push it along (yes, I'm tired of discussing 9/11, but we're still dealing with the aftermath of some very stupid decisions made back then), or if they'll start from square one. It could also be that the group is so small and so little is known about them that there is too much mystery here to make adequate judgements and they may be just like the others. But never underestimate your enemy. This group could probably withstand the standard disruption the FBI does to many other groups, if the FBI is still working on domestic terrorism. IMHO they need to be rooted out and burned to the ground (jail is a large recruitment pool for groups like this). And that should be done before such action would play into the narrative they want to sell, not after they start acting on a larger stage. I doubt it will happen, though, given the current political leadership.
"President Trump vowed to stand by Saudi Arabia, whatever the CIA concludes about the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi." The president is voting on who is a person and has just cheapened out claim on the moral high-ground.
"The White House has been struggling to square a widespread sense the crown prince directed the killing with the administration's desire for Saudi support for its foreign policy priorities and a need to manage close relationships between bin Salman, the Trump administration and members of Trump's family." Well, that's one way to say "compromised."
"Trump's 'Operation Faithful Patriot' was a $200,000,000 exercise in which 6,000 US troops were deployed within the USA, to the US/Mexico border, nominally to repel the migrant caravan of desperate, poor, terrified asylum seekers." Party of fiscal restraint and "good businessman" my Aunt Fanny. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"US President Donald Trump has submitted his written answers to the special counsel over alleged Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential campaign… Mr Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said some of the questions posed by special counsel Robert Mueller had gone 'beyond the scope of a legitimate inquiry'." What Giuliani meant to say, "We didn't want to answer those questions." Funny how the person being investigated doesn't have control on what the investigator may ask about. Basically he wants to set the precondition that whatever charges Mueller may bring against the president (or, technically, report to the AG) were not a legitimate area of inquiry and should have been out of bounds. Good luck with that argument. I have no doubt Fox News will support you.
"At the very least, the latest developments underline how Trump's senior subordinates may have shielded a President unschooled in constitutional norms from disastrous steps that could have put his presidency in peril… They also raise questions about the capacity of a now-understaffed White House and legal counsel's operation to protect the President from current or future transgressions."
Just a general note, even though Russia helped place the president in office, their objectives of weakening the West would also be served by impeaching Trump or coercing his resignation from office. The only way Russia loses here is if we're somehow able to make lemonade out of this lemon. And most paths (including him staying in office) don't run that way.
Speaking of high, "The review, which is expected to begin next year and take months to complete, was spurred largely by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's behavior on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast in September, three unnamed officials told The Washington Post's Christian Davenport."
Oh science, you silly rascal. "Three jugs placed as offerings in a roughly 3,600-year-old tomb in Israel have revealed a sweet surprise — evidence of the oldest known use of vanilla… Until now, vanilla was thought to have originated in Mexico, perhaps 1,000 years ago or more… 'It’s really not surprising that vanillin reached Bronze Age Megiddo given all the trade that occurred between the [Middle East] and South Asia,' says archaeologist Eric Cline of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. But no evidence exists of trade at that time between Middle Eastern societies and East Africa, says Cline, who did not participate in the Megiddo research." What they meant to say was "use of vanilla was thought to have originated in Mexico" since vanilla is produced in both Africa and SE Asia. As to evidence of trade… seriously? After all the discoveries in the past half-century of the interconnectedness of the world you still don't think these things happened?
"For some two decades, Eliot has pondered and researched the origins of gender differences between boys and girls. She says she didn't start by looking at boys' brains and girls' brains. She started with an insight about all brains. More than any other organ, the brain is uniquely adaptable, designed to change in response to the environment." The Hidden Brain podcast on gender.
"A global diabetes epidemic is fuelling record demand for insulin but tens of millions will not get the injections they need unless there is a dramatic improvement in access and affordability, a new study concluded on Wednesday."
"The Centers for Disease Control is advising U.S. consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce in response to a new multi-state outbreak of illnesses caused by a dangerous type of E.coli." Here we go again. I guess they didn't solve the problem of the upstream cattle feedlot. That's just speculation, I don't know if we've changed where our lettuce comes from to Yuma yet.
"About 2,000 parents answered the online poll in October. The top three reasons parents gave for not getting their children a flu shot are concerns about side effects, beliefs that the shot doesn't work very well, and they say their healthy child does not need to be vaccinated." You all are fucking high. You know what are good reasons? Your child is allergic to eggs, your child has a weakened immune system, your child has had a past reaction to the flu shot, you can't afford medical care, there's a history or concern for Guillain-Barré Syndrome. But you know how I really know you all are high? Because I see kids in the ER every damn weekend with flu or flu-like symptoms who have high temperatures, whose lungs are filling up or are having problems breathing because of other effects of the flu. The flu doesn't give a shit how healthy you are (in fact several years ago the strain of flu going around was worse for "healthy" young adults), what your income level is, where you live, or how clean you keep your house.
"Perhaps as a result, demand for exorcisms—the Catholic Church’s antidote to demonic possession—seems to be growing as well. Though the Church does not keep official statistics, the exorcists I interviewed for this article attest to fielding more pleas for help every year." (Grokked from Kelly Link)
On the Media podcast with segments on "the conspiratorial buzz around the Florida recounts and how right-wing media is fueling doubt" and the anti-trust activities of Amazon and their HQ2 search. The GOP has been working hard to weaken our trust surrounding our elections. This is exactly the effect our Russian Friends (waves) have been working hard to instill. Collusion much, Mr. President (and the GOP)? And a lot about the machinations of Amazon and their business practices. Full disclose, I sell shirts on Amazon.
"China has installed a new platform on a remote part of the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea which could be used for military purposes, according to recent satellite images reviewed by a U.S. think tank."
"An American is believed to have been killed by an isolated Indian island tribe that is known to fire at outsiders with bows and arrows, police said Wednesday." What is it about "hostile to outsiders" that they didn't understand?
"US oil prices plummeted nearly 7% on Tuesday to $53.43 a barrel. That marks the cheapest closing price since late October 2017… The latest deep selloff coincided with more mayhem on Wall Street. The Dow shed more than 600 points on Tuesday as fears about slowing earnings and economic growth deepen." Hmm, much uncertainty.
"In their only debate Tuesday night, when pressed, Hyde-Smith did apologize to 'anyone that was offended by my comments,' emphasizing that 'there was no ill will, no intent whatsoever in my statements' and saying, 'I've never been hurtful to anyone.'" Who among us hasn't joked about public hangings in a Southern state with a large black population and history of racist attacks? And she misspoke. What she meant to say was she would be in the front row with a torch if Colin Hutchinson invited her to an old-fashion cross-burning, she has that much regard for him.
"Arthurs said the apartment had served as a nerve center for Atomwaffen Division, a white supremacist organization of 60 to 70 people that has spoken openly of its hopes of igniting race war in the United States. If the authorities could access the group’s encrypted online chats, Arthurs said, 'it’d be easy to track down each member.' The interrogation was videotaped, and a recording was obtained by ProPublica and Frontline." Instead the government decided to disarm itself by disbanding task groups assigned to right-wing terrorism. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Rachel Martin talks to Pro-Publica's A.C. Thompson about his latest documentary: Documenting Hate: New American Nazis, which airs on PBS' Frontline Tuesday night." I'm not saying Trump is a racist and a Nazi, I'm saying racists and Nazis think he is one.
The documentary online. "In the wake of the deadly anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, FRONTLINE and ProPublica present a new investigation into white supremacist groups in America – in particular, a neo-Nazi group, Atomwaffen Division, that has actively recruited inside the U.S. military."
Atomwaffen is very small, but the way they are going about this is very different from other supremacists groups. They accept that they are terrorists and have bought into the whole terrorism mindset. Their goal is to overthrow the US government and while doing so instigate a race war. They have studied terrorism tactics and goals and have the ability to adjust them to the peculiars of the American system (whether or not they've realized they have to isn't clear to me yet). It also is yet to be seen if they will try to tie into the disruption al Qaeda already started and push it along (yes, I'm tired of discussing 9/11, but we're still dealing with the aftermath of some very stupid decisions made back then), or if they'll start from square one. It could also be that the group is so small and so little is known about them that there is too much mystery here to make adequate judgements and they may be just like the others. But never underestimate your enemy. This group could probably withstand the standard disruption the FBI does to many other groups, if the FBI is still working on domestic terrorism. IMHO they need to be rooted out and burned to the ground (jail is a large recruitment pool for groups like this). And that should be done before such action would play into the narrative they want to sell, not after they start acting on a larger stage. I doubt it will happen, though, given the current political leadership.
"President Trump vowed to stand by Saudi Arabia, whatever the CIA concludes about the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi." The president is voting on who is a person and has just cheapened out claim on the moral high-ground.
"The White House has been struggling to square a widespread sense the crown prince directed the killing with the administration's desire for Saudi support for its foreign policy priorities and a need to manage close relationships between bin Salman, the Trump administration and members of Trump's family." Well, that's one way to say "compromised."
"Trump's 'Operation Faithful Patriot' was a $200,000,000 exercise in which 6,000 US troops were deployed within the USA, to the US/Mexico border, nominally to repel the migrant caravan of desperate, poor, terrified asylum seekers." Party of fiscal restraint and "good businessman" my Aunt Fanny. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"US President Donald Trump has submitted his written answers to the special counsel over alleged Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential campaign… Mr Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said some of the questions posed by special counsel Robert Mueller had gone 'beyond the scope of a legitimate inquiry'." What Giuliani meant to say, "We didn't want to answer those questions." Funny how the person being investigated doesn't have control on what the investigator may ask about. Basically he wants to set the precondition that whatever charges Mueller may bring against the president (or, technically, report to the AG) were not a legitimate area of inquiry and should have been out of bounds. Good luck with that argument. I have no doubt Fox News will support you.
"At the very least, the latest developments underline how Trump's senior subordinates may have shielded a President unschooled in constitutional norms from disastrous steps that could have put his presidency in peril… They also raise questions about the capacity of a now-understaffed White House and legal counsel's operation to protect the President from current or future transgressions."
Just a general note, even though Russia helped place the president in office, their objectives of weakening the West would also be served by impeaching Trump or coercing his resignation from office. The only way Russia loses here is if we're somehow able to make lemonade out of this lemon. And most paths (including him staying in office) don't run that way.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Linkee-poo Tuesday
"'The landing site in Jezero Crater offers geologically rich terrain, with landforms reaching as far back as 3.6 billion years old, that could potentially answer important questions in planetary evolution and astrobiology,' said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate."
"This image of a dusty, gas-rich nebula looks pretty, but appearances can be deceiving. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star system, it’s poised to unleash a catastrophic gamma-ray burst when it finally goes supernova. What’s remarkable about this particular Wolf-Rayet system, however, is that it’s the first to be discovered in our own galaxy." Gamma-ray burst which come from supernova like this (and the x-ray jets coming from blackholes) are thought to be able to "sterilize" whole systems.
"In the not-too-distant future, disasters won't come one at a time. Instead, according to new research, we can expect a cascade of catastrophes, some gradual, others abrupt, all compounding as climate change takes a greater toll." We're boned.
"What’s the benefit of cleaner air? An extra two years of life for the average person in the world, a new study finds." Say, did I mention that as a part of the Trump administrations plan on reducing regulation, they're looking at rolling back rules made under the Clean Air Act?
"These days a restaurant like Tacolicious in San Francisco’s Mission District can be really busy but look really slow. That’s because much of the food is now being sent to customers through third-party delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Caviar." What I love about this is the pervasiveness of the thought, "OMG, there's money on the table, I must go after it" is in business. We are watching the "Amazon-ization" of food. You have to get in now, even though you won't make money, even though there is no real plan to make money, and this might not be the actual best solution to the problem. Yes, delivering hot prepared meals could work, but outsourcing that function may not be the best choice.
"The FBI describes the group Proud Boys as an 'extremist group with ties to white nationalism' in a document provided to reporters by law enforcement in the state of Washington."
"Flags outside a Chicago police station have been lowered to half staff Tuesday in honor of a fallen police officer killed in a shooting at Mercy Hospital Monday afternoon on the Near South Side. An ER doctor and a hospital worker killed in the shooting are also being mourned… The other victim, killed in the parking lot, police say was Doctor Tamara O'Neal. Dr. O'Neal was an emergency room physician at Mercy. A family member said she was engaged to the shooter for about a year, but called off the wedding in September." The shooting started with Dr. O'Neal, but you have to get to the 3rd to last paragraph to find that out and even learn her name. The listed her after the pharmacy resident who was killed. In case you ever wondered why Black Lives Matter. Seriously, she is the story here, the pharmacy resident and police officer killed, while news, were secondary or incidental targets. This is a domestic violence story.
And then a few hours later, "One person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting in downtown Denver late Monday afternoon, authorities said. The shooter or shooters remained at large Monday night." (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
How bad could gerrymandering be? "Popular vote versus seats won in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina." Now we should have a nuanced discussion on the use of gerrymandering that can help minorities gain representation, but should be the exception to the map, not the rule of the map. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A voter in Chatham County, Georgia, had a mail-in ballot returned and listed as 'undeliverable' even though it was addressed to a county-approved P.O. box." It was in a pre-printed envelope.
"The Justice Department has discussed the possibility that federal law protecting the confidentiality of responses to the U.S. census may eventually be reconsidered, an internal Trump administration email shows." Oh fuck no. "'There is no debate about whether to keep census information protected — census confidentiality is protected by law,' said Vanita Gupta in a written statement. Gupta is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a former acting head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division under President Obama. 'The Justice Department's failure to confirm that guarantee is cause for great alarm,' she added." The problem here is the administration is the enforcer of the law.
"The 5,800 troops who were rushed to the southwest border amid President Donald Trump’s pre-election warnings about a refugee caravan will start coming home as early as this week — just as some of those migrants are beginning to arrive." Why it's almost like it was a political stunt or something. Can't wait for all the stories about people running into the concertina wire (or more likely animals running into it).
"The message for the migrant caravan was clear from marchers on Sunday in Tijuana, Mexico: We don't want you here." Nationalism is contagious.
"U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, preventing the Trump administration from following through with its latest efforts to crack down on immigration at the southern border."
But here emails… "Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser of President Trump, sent hundreds of emails to government officials through a personal email account last year, according to The Washington Post." Let's see, what was that thing Ivanka's daddy encouraged his followers to think of when they thought of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server? Oh yes, "lock her up."
"U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke blamed the (California's) fires on 'radical environmentalists' who he said have prevented forest management." Note in this case, "forest management" equals "clear cut." Also, this is my favorite part… "'It's not time for finger-pointing,' Zinke said. 'We know the problem. It’s been years of neglect, and in many cases it’s been these radical environmentalists that want nature to take its course.…You know what? This is on them.'" It's not a time for finger-pointing but those fuckers are responsible. Please feel free to fuck off, Secretary Zinke. Say, aren't you still mired in budgetary scandals?
"The worst fear they have is that there could be another election meltdown in two years, when the state could again be instrumental in deciding the presidential race." Better get your act together, Florida. One of the problems is that in Florida county election supervisors are an elected position (IIRC).
"The Democrats organizing an effort to block Nancy Pelosi from retaking the House speaker's gavel have finally gone public." This is a protest without any real goal. They have no alternative candidate. This is Tim Ryan puffing out his chest.
"'Ronald Reagan in 1987 was technically the first president to use the word "pardon" about a turkey, but it was really just a way to deflect questions about the Iran-Contra scandal and whether he would pardon key players involved — Oliver North and John Poindexter. The bird, "Charlie," was already headed for a petting zoo, but after Sam Donaldson of ABC News pressed Reagan on whether he'd pardon North and Poindexter, Reagan responded, "If they'd given me a different answer on Charlie and his future, I would have pardoned him."'" Same as it ever was.
"This year, Arkansas became the first state to roll out the requirement. It — so far, it affects a small percentage of those who got Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act. But more than 12,000 people have lost their coverage for not complying, and thousands more are expected to follow suit." Work requirements are not about "dignity" and making sure "those who deserve it, get help." They're about adding complicated rules which are difficult to follow. "Users or their authorized designees then have to record that time in an online-only portal. That portal shuts down every night at 9:00 until 7:00 the next morning. And Arkansas has the lowest household Internet access of any state." There's no fucking reason the portal should shut down. It's all an attempt to throw people off the roles. Besides being intentionally cruel, it's wasteful. "Without his meds, he landed in the hospital multiple times and missed a lot of work. His supervisor tried to accommodate him, but he wasn't healthy enough to perform his job. So he lost it." So for saving $420 of medication, we now will have to cover his multiple hospital visits (more than likely through the ER, which is already the most expensive way to get care) and now we have to cover other support costs for him. "On the day we visited, he opened bills totaling more than $4,000… But even if he can get his meds, and the state covers the backlog of bills, and he gets his job back, his health may be permanently damaged." (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"An influential eastern Ohio Republican leader says he has deleted an 'inartful' image he’d published to his Facebook page that said the ongoing California wildfire was 'God’s punishment to Liberal California.'… 'Look, that’s a meme. And it’s how I feel about liberals, but did I mean that God is going to punish everyone who lives in California? No. It’s a figure of speech, and I probably shouldn’t have done it. But I did, and it doesn’t change how I feel about what’s happened in California,' Johnson said." You're all going to burn in Hell, it's a figure of speech. Sure. And he's sorry if anyone is offended. Dear Columbiana County Republican Party Chairman Dave Johnson, please fuck off and die. It's a figure of speech. Sorry if you were offended.
"This image of a dusty, gas-rich nebula looks pretty, but appearances can be deceiving. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star system, it’s poised to unleash a catastrophic gamma-ray burst when it finally goes supernova. What’s remarkable about this particular Wolf-Rayet system, however, is that it’s the first to be discovered in our own galaxy." Gamma-ray burst which come from supernova like this (and the x-ray jets coming from blackholes) are thought to be able to "sterilize" whole systems.
"In the not-too-distant future, disasters won't come one at a time. Instead, according to new research, we can expect a cascade of catastrophes, some gradual, others abrupt, all compounding as climate change takes a greater toll." We're boned.
"What’s the benefit of cleaner air? An extra two years of life for the average person in the world, a new study finds." Say, did I mention that as a part of the Trump administrations plan on reducing regulation, they're looking at rolling back rules made under the Clean Air Act?
"These days a restaurant like Tacolicious in San Francisco’s Mission District can be really busy but look really slow. That’s because much of the food is now being sent to customers through third-party delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Caviar." What I love about this is the pervasiveness of the thought, "OMG, there's money on the table, I must go after it" is in business. We are watching the "Amazon-ization" of food. You have to get in now, even though you won't make money, even though there is no real plan to make money, and this might not be the actual best solution to the problem. Yes, delivering hot prepared meals could work, but outsourcing that function may not be the best choice.
"The FBI describes the group Proud Boys as an 'extremist group with ties to white nationalism' in a document provided to reporters by law enforcement in the state of Washington."
"Flags outside a Chicago police station have been lowered to half staff Tuesday in honor of a fallen police officer killed in a shooting at Mercy Hospital Monday afternoon on the Near South Side. An ER doctor and a hospital worker killed in the shooting are also being mourned… The other victim, killed in the parking lot, police say was Doctor Tamara O'Neal. Dr. O'Neal was an emergency room physician at Mercy. A family member said she was engaged to the shooter for about a year, but called off the wedding in September." The shooting started with Dr. O'Neal, but you have to get to the 3rd to last paragraph to find that out and even learn her name. The listed her after the pharmacy resident who was killed. In case you ever wondered why Black Lives Matter. Seriously, she is the story here, the pharmacy resident and police officer killed, while news, were secondary or incidental targets. This is a domestic violence story.
And then a few hours later, "One person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting in downtown Denver late Monday afternoon, authorities said. The shooter or shooters remained at large Monday night." (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
How bad could gerrymandering be? "Popular vote versus seats won in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina." Now we should have a nuanced discussion on the use of gerrymandering that can help minorities gain representation, but should be the exception to the map, not the rule of the map. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A voter in Chatham County, Georgia, had a mail-in ballot returned and listed as 'undeliverable' even though it was addressed to a county-approved P.O. box." It was in a pre-printed envelope.
"The Justice Department has discussed the possibility that federal law protecting the confidentiality of responses to the U.S. census may eventually be reconsidered, an internal Trump administration email shows." Oh fuck no. "'There is no debate about whether to keep census information protected — census confidentiality is protected by law,' said Vanita Gupta in a written statement. Gupta is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a former acting head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division under President Obama. 'The Justice Department's failure to confirm that guarantee is cause for great alarm,' she added." The problem here is the administration is the enforcer of the law.
"The 5,800 troops who were rushed to the southwest border amid President Donald Trump’s pre-election warnings about a refugee caravan will start coming home as early as this week — just as some of those migrants are beginning to arrive." Why it's almost like it was a political stunt or something. Can't wait for all the stories about people running into the concertina wire (or more likely animals running into it).
"The message for the migrant caravan was clear from marchers on Sunday in Tijuana, Mexico: We don't want you here." Nationalism is contagious.
"U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, preventing the Trump administration from following through with its latest efforts to crack down on immigration at the southern border."
But here emails… "Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser of President Trump, sent hundreds of emails to government officials through a personal email account last year, according to The Washington Post." Let's see, what was that thing Ivanka's daddy encouraged his followers to think of when they thought of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server? Oh yes, "lock her up."
"U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke blamed the (California's) fires on 'radical environmentalists' who he said have prevented forest management." Note in this case, "forest management" equals "clear cut." Also, this is my favorite part… "'It's not time for finger-pointing,' Zinke said. 'We know the problem. It’s been years of neglect, and in many cases it’s been these radical environmentalists that want nature to take its course.…You know what? This is on them.'" It's not a time for finger-pointing but those fuckers are responsible. Please feel free to fuck off, Secretary Zinke. Say, aren't you still mired in budgetary scandals?
"The worst fear they have is that there could be another election meltdown in two years, when the state could again be instrumental in deciding the presidential race." Better get your act together, Florida. One of the problems is that in Florida county election supervisors are an elected position (IIRC).
"The Democrats organizing an effort to block Nancy Pelosi from retaking the House speaker's gavel have finally gone public." This is a protest without any real goal. They have no alternative candidate. This is Tim Ryan puffing out his chest.
"'Ronald Reagan in 1987 was technically the first president to use the word "pardon" about a turkey, but it was really just a way to deflect questions about the Iran-Contra scandal and whether he would pardon key players involved — Oliver North and John Poindexter. The bird, "Charlie," was already headed for a petting zoo, but after Sam Donaldson of ABC News pressed Reagan on whether he'd pardon North and Poindexter, Reagan responded, "If they'd given me a different answer on Charlie and his future, I would have pardoned him."'" Same as it ever was.
"This year, Arkansas became the first state to roll out the requirement. It — so far, it affects a small percentage of those who got Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act. But more than 12,000 people have lost their coverage for not complying, and thousands more are expected to follow suit." Work requirements are not about "dignity" and making sure "those who deserve it, get help." They're about adding complicated rules which are difficult to follow. "Users or their authorized designees then have to record that time in an online-only portal. That portal shuts down every night at 9:00 until 7:00 the next morning. And Arkansas has the lowest household Internet access of any state." There's no fucking reason the portal should shut down. It's all an attempt to throw people off the roles. Besides being intentionally cruel, it's wasteful. "Without his meds, he landed in the hospital multiple times and missed a lot of work. His supervisor tried to accommodate him, but he wasn't healthy enough to perform his job. So he lost it." So for saving $420 of medication, we now will have to cover his multiple hospital visits (more than likely through the ER, which is already the most expensive way to get care) and now we have to cover other support costs for him. "On the day we visited, he opened bills totaling more than $4,000… But even if he can get his meds, and the state covers the backlog of bills, and he gets his job back, his health may be permanently damaged." (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"An influential eastern Ohio Republican leader says he has deleted an 'inartful' image he’d published to his Facebook page that said the ongoing California wildfire was 'God’s punishment to Liberal California.'… 'Look, that’s a meme. And it’s how I feel about liberals, but did I mean that God is going to punish everyone who lives in California? No. It’s a figure of speech, and I probably shouldn’t have done it. But I did, and it doesn’t change how I feel about what’s happened in California,' Johnson said." You're all going to burn in Hell, it's a figure of speech. Sure. And he's sorry if anyone is offended. Dear Columbiana County Republican Party Chairman Dave Johnson, please fuck off and die. It's a figure of speech. Sorry if you were offended.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Heads up
Just a general heads up that with the holiday this week that posting may be light toward the end of the week. Also, there will be days of outages in December. Especially as we hit the middle of the month.
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