Definitely the best game of the Championship so far. Played in Cardiff; the highlights don't do justice to the match. If I find longer ones, I will post.
December 2019
Leftist cant
Mainstream conservative
Talk radio
Libertarian
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Thursday, February 28, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Spring training is here! Time lapse of painting the Yankee Logo
Yes, we love the Yanks.
All six Democrat Presidential candidates voted pro-choice on infanticide
Along with 38 other Democrats who also filibustered the Bill to ban it. only three Democrats - Joe Manchin, Bob Casey and Doug Jones - voted to end the filibuster and require a vote. Here are five of the pro-infanticide Democrat Presidential candidates -
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
New head of the Democratic Party: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!?
This guy has a point. The Republicans must be just eating this up.
CNN: Chicago police chief details Jussie Smollett case
Pretty good interview.
Anthony Weiner out of jail; going into the marijuana business.
Ocasio-Cortez asks: "Is it okay to still have children?"
She really did. Because, umm, you know, climate change. If you hit the link you'll also find she wasn't too impressed with Senator Feinstein - Senator Feinstein takes on young students over "Green New Deal" as Feinstein thought that after 31 years Feinstein knew a few things.
"Our planet is going to hit disaster if we don't turn this ship around and so it's basically like, there's a scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult," Ocasio-Cortez said while chopping up food in her kitchen during an Instagram live video. "And it does lead, I think, young people to have a legitimate question, you know, 'Is it okay to still have children?'"
Monday, February 25, 2019
Bill Gates on the reality of wind and solar power.
The text below this 2 minute youtube video: "When the world’s richest entrepreneur says wind and solar will never work, it’s probably time to listen."
Sanders disappointed to learn $6 million in donations are in Venezuelan money
But that does make sense...
The press marveled at how, in just 24 hours after Bernie announced his 2020 bid for president, his contributions reached such high totals. “The Bernie Bros are definitely the most passionate bunch in the progressive party,” said political analyst Doug Parson, “but typically they take other people's money, not voluntarily donating their own."
“It was quite the letdown,” said Sanders’ campaign manager Faiz Shakir. “That country hasn’t been doing us a lot of favors lately, but this takes the cake. Technically, we just spent our entire war chest on this morning’s parking,” he fumed.
The Bernie campaign did reach out to Comcast to inquire about how much commercial ad space $6 million in Venezuelan bucks would get them. “Nothing,” said a Comcast official. “But because we’re Bernie fans, we’ll give you a flicker. Remember those subconscious flickers in Flight Club? We’ll give you a few of those”.
At first, Bernie himself seemed unfazed by the news, apparently because he doesn't really know what things cost. “We can probably afford a presidential campaign on $22, right?” he asked his volunteers while waving his arms around. When an intern told Bernie her last Starbucks run cost about that much, Bernie briefly lost consciousness. Upon waking, Bernie softly whispered, “Blast that Howard Schultz”.
While Bernie has now learned $22 won’t go very far in America, he was upbeat about the shopping spree he would now get to take on his next trip to Venezuela.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Senator Feinstein takes on young students over "Green New Deal"
I am no fan of Dianne Feinstein, the Senator from California, but she certainly gets it right in this dialogue with these mislead children, and their brain-dead teachers. Sad as they take a leaf from the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handbook: "World is ending in 12 years", etc. The video was taken by the "Sunrise Movement" and is off The Guardian (UK).
1 minute video from K2 - the most dangerous Himalayan mountain
This is a breathtaking 1 minute vid. How is K2 the most dangerous mountain? Based on the % of climbers who've died climbing compared to the # who've actually reached the top. It's the second tallest and technically extremely hazardous - much more dangerous than Everest.
I believe the weird sound is the climber breathing through his oxygen device.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
BB Study: Calling other person a Nazi is best way to promote dialogue
From the BB syndicate.
“The data is clear: calling someone a Nazi is a persuasive, compelling way to communicate ideas,” he added.
According to university researchers, screaming at the top of your lungs that the person you are conversing with is “literally Hitler” is similarly effective.
Friday, February 22, 2019
To be more inclusive - students drop "Vagina" from "The Vagina Monologues"
I thought this was a joke when I first saw the headline - but it's not.
The piece further explains that “having a vagina and being a woman are not mutually exclusive, and lessons learned during the performance are important for everyone, no matter their gender identity.”
“By . . . rebranding from ‘Vagina Monologues’ to ‘[Blank] Monologues,’ this performance was welcoming to a more diverse group of viewers,” the piece continued. “This move was deliberate and effective, as more students than ever felt deeply affected by the words spoken.”
If you hit the link you will find more "interesting" variations on the theme, like this -
Washington University is far from the only school where students have taken issue with The Vagina Monologues. In 2015, Whitman College replaced its performances of VM with Breaking Ground Monologues. Also in 2015, Mount Holyoke College — an all-women’s school — canceled their performance of it altogether on the grounds that it was not inclusive to women without vaginas. In 2016, American University did the same thing for the same reason. The same year, Southwestern University in Texas canceled theirs for a different reason: Because a white lady wrote it, and that meant it would automatically not be inclusive to women of other races.
And this -
People who identify as women but do not have vaginas absolutely deserve acceptance and respect. However, this performance doesn’t have to be about them any more than Starry, Starry Night has to also be about the sunshine during daytime. As I wrote in a column when American University canceled its performance of VM, “Complaining because a show centered around a specific experience doesn’t also include your experience makes about as much sense as walking into a gynecologist’s office and demanding a prostate exam.”
Truth, stranger than fiction.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Jimmy Fallon - Tonight Show - gets 20 millionth youtube subscriber
Amusing, Monday night. By comparison, Stephen Colbert - Late Show - has 8 million. FULL DISCLOSURE: I subscribe to both but rarely watch either of their youtube channels.
Here's Fallon - goin' a bit crazy...
Three Freshman Congressman - picture says it all
Sent to me by my friend Alicia. Commentary below the picture - maybe from Alicia, not sure.
"Jim Baird, Republican from Indiana, lost his left arm in Vietnam. Brian Mast, Republican from Florida, lost both legs in Afghanistan. Dan Crenshaw, Republican from Texas, lost his right eye in Afghanistan. All three of these men are Purple Heart recipients. How often have you seen them on the evening news? How often have we seen the two Muslim women and the communist from NY all blabbering vulgarities and spouting out anti-Israel/anti-American insults? Such appreciation for real service to our nation!!"
Pope Francis: "You cannot pray like parrots. We must be aware that God loves us"
His catechesis on the Our Father. "You must enter into the mystery."
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Democrat strategist says it will be Sanders v. Trump in 2020
I think he's right for all the reasons he gives in this brief video. If I was bettingI'd say Sanders will win the Dem nomination.
Embedded below, but you may have to use this link if the embed doesn't work. https://youtu.be/Y_gExamTC2I
BB: "Jussie Smollett Offered Job At CNN After Fabricating News Story Out Of Thin Air"
It's a perfect fit!
CNN producers were reportedly impressed throughout the ongoing saga of Smollett's apparent hoax attack on himself. They realized early on the facts didn't add up but were fascinated with how well the actor kept the narrative going. ...
"Smollett has exactly the kind of skills we look for at our fine organization," said CNN correspondent Brian Stelter. "He picked a narrative, made up all the relevant facts and details, and stuck with his story in spite of glaring holes in the plot. It's hard to find people who understand our core values here at CNN, but Smollett seems to be just the guy for us."
"What happens when the President declares a National Emergency?" - 2 minute vid
Off the Business Insider website.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
How big are collegiate shot put athletes?
Pretty big. Tim is 5'9" and a wide body - here he is with Rickssen Opont, his STAC (St. Thomas Aquinas College) shot put teammate. Tim is a good shot putter, but Rickssen is one of the best collegiate throwers in the Country! In fact this past summer Rickssen (who is a great kid) represented Haiti in the Caribbean Championships and came 8th overall. The men ahead of him were mostly on the professional track and field circuit. Pretty awesome for a college senior. The pictures are from the STAC track and field awards dinner Sunday night.
Something's funny...
And here's Rickssen with Brigid - hahaha. he outweighs her by 160-170lbs!
Yes, Rickssen is a big dude. Here he is the day before at the Conference Indoor Championship. He needs to do more work on his thighs...
Seven UK members of parliament resign from Labor Party; charging anti-semitism and racism
This is pretty stunning. And while the British politicians are stumbling around over the Brexit issue. Video below the link.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Like art? Feast day today - Blessed Fra Angelico
Ahhh... Brigid and I have been to the Friary of San Marco in Florence. Heavenly. Here is his Annunciation, painted in one of the friar's rooms. Below it a link to other art (some by his students) and a bio.
Bl. Fra Angelico (1387-1455) was born Guido di Pietro in Tuscany, Italy. Little is known of his early life, but he became a famous early Italian Renaissance master painter. Fra Angelico would pray earnestly before he painted, being convinced that in order to paint Christ perfectly, one must also be Christlike. His paintings then became tools for contemplating the theological mysteries hidden in the biblical events he depicted. He joined the Dominican Order in 1407 and was given the name Brother John, often called "Angelic Brother John", or Fra Angelico (Angelic Friar) because of his holiness. He lived and worked in several friaries until moving to the Friary of San Marco in Florence. While in Florence he was surrounded by an artistic community, and, due to his great talent, gained the patronage of the famous Medici family. In 1445 he was summoned to Rome to work on St. Peter's Basilica in various chapels. From 1449 until shortly before his death, Fra Angelico was also prior of the convent in Fiesole. He passed away while working again in Rome and is buried in the Dominican church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Fra Angelico was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II and he is the patron saint of Catholic artists. His feast day is February 18.
The first Jewish President could be ... Ivanka Trump
Seems she and her message were well received in a speech she gave in Munich to world leaders. She converted to Judaism when she married Jared. The article is from the Daily Mail (UK).
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on what she would tell Trump
UPDATE: Once you hit the arrow, you must click on the line saying Watch on youtube.
An under 2 minute video by an eminent Presidential historian. Find her book they are discussing here. Hope to read it in the next few months.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
"2 Westchester Towns Top Bloomberg List of Wealthiest Communities"
Scarsdale (2) and Bronxville (9). Major $$$. Larchmont (15) and Rye (29) also made the top 50. Enough to make you a socialist....
Scarsdale residents reported an income increase of $30,000 on average last year, surpassing Cherry Hills Village, CO to claim the title of second wealthiest community in the whole of the United States. Averaging a household income of $417,335 in 2018, Scarsdale is now second only to the Silicon Valley adjacent Atherton, CA. With a margin of only about another $30,000 it is conceivable Scarsdale could be making a play for the top spot some time in the near future.
Also breaking the top ten, Bronxville clocked in at number nine, reporting an average household income of just over $340,000. (Bronxville dropped one place from last year as Darien, CT leapfrogged up from the number ten spot.)
Interestingly, Westchester County itself notably made the list. While the report discovered roughly 40% of the wealthiest communities could be found in one of just six counties — also including Bergen County, NJ; Fairfield County, CT; Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County, IL; and Montgomery County, MD — a whopping nine percent of the top 100 were exclusively in Westchester County, NY.
WSJ: "Ilhan Omar’s History of America"
The Congressperson from Minnesota. Anti-Jewish and anti-American.
The United States as Cold War villain.
Not that it will make Israelis feel any better, but Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) doesn’t seem to like America all that much, either.
Shortly after apologizing for anti-Semitic comments, the House freshman Democrat set about trashing America’s conduct during its successful Cold War against the Soviet empire.
Rep. Omar’s views may not have been entirely clear to Minnesota voters last November. A public broadcasting report shortly before her November election to the U.S. House described her this way:
Omar fled her native Somalia when she was 8 years old and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya. She came to the US as a 12-year-old and eventually settled in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, which has long been a first stop for new arrivals in the US. There, she “fell in love with democracy” and started spending time as a community organizer until she ran for office.
... For Omar, the inspiration to get involved in politics came from her family, who were always talking about politics, world news and democracy over meals.
But in a New York Times report almost two months after last year’s election, her experience in America didn’t exactly sound like a love affair:
Her arrival in this country was the first time, Ms. Omar has said, that she had confronted “my otherness” as both a black person and a Muslim. She became a citizen in 2000, when she was 17. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, she decided to wear the hijab, as an open declaration of her identity. But from “the first day we arrived in America,” she said, she concluded that it was not the golden land that she had heard about.
“I think back to the orientations I went through a little over 20 years ago in the process of coming to this country, and in those orientations they did not have people who were homeless. There was an America that extended liberty and justice to everyone. There was an America where prosperity was guaranteed regardless of where you were born and what you looked like and who you prayed to,” she said, adding, “I wasn’t comfortable with that hypocrisy.”
Many Americans are no doubt sorry our country didn’t live up to her expectations. But if Ms. Omar thought prosperity in America was guaranteed, the fault lies with those expectations. The real guarantee that has inspired millions of people to come to this land is the freedom to succeed or fail.
And while Rep. Omar may claim that she “fell in love with democracy,” recent events suggest it was at best a temporary crush. How else to explain her recent tweet echoing the propaganda of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as he presides over a humanitarian disaster and prevents the restoration of that country’s democracy? Wrote Rep. Omar:
A US backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face. Trump’s efforts to install a far right opposition will only incite violence and further destabilize the region. We must support Mexico, Uruguay & the Vatican’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful dialogue.
There is no U.S.-backed coup. As the Journal’s Mary Anastasia O’Grady explained recently, the Venezuelan constitution gives the democratically elected National Assembly the power to declare Mr. Maduro’s 2018 re-election invalid. “It did so at the time because the election didn’t meet minimum democratic standards. The Lima Group of Latin American nations, Canada, the Group of Seven leading industrial nations and the European Union all refused to recognize the election for the same reasons,” noted Ms. O’Grady, adding:
As a result, when Mr. Maduro’s first term expired on Jan. 10 there was no legitimately elected president and the seat was legally vacant. According to the constitution, the job then fell to the president of the National Assembly, Mr. Guaidó. The U.S. didn’t “anoint” him president, nor did he anoint himself; he is constitutionally obligated to accept the role for an interim period and organize a new election.
Dozens of democracies around the world have recognized Mr. Guaidó’s government, called for a new presidential election, or both. He has the backing of the Organization of American States, the Lima Group and the European Parliament.
The Venezuelan people are desperate to end the era of misery and hyperinflation. But this week Rep. Omar used an appearance on Capitol Hill by Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela, to try to score political points on behalf of Mr. Maduro. RealClearPolitics has a video of the amazing exchange at the House foreign relations committee in which Rep. Omar essentially expressed the Marxist view of the Cold War. She attacked the former Reagan administration official for a 1982 atrocity in El Salvador by U.S.-backed forces that massacred hundreds of people. She didn’t mention that during the Cold War America’s communist foes massacred a hundred million people in atrocities too numerous to count.
Here’s RealClear’s transcript:
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): ...You later said that the U.S. policy in El Salvador was a fabulous achievement. Yes or no do you still think so?
ABRAMS: From the day that President Duarte was elected in a free election to this day, El Salvador has been a democracy. That’s a fabulous achievement.
OMAR: Yes or no, do you think that massacre was a fabulous achievement that happened under our watch?
ABRAMS: That is a ridiculous question.
OMAR: Yes or no?
ABRAMS: No.
OMAR: I will take that as a yes.
ABRAMS: I am not going to respond to that kind of personal attack, which is not a question.
Rep. Omar wasn’t done. “Yes or no, would you support an armed faction within Venezuela that engages in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide if you believed they were serving U.S. interests, as you did in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala?” she asked.
Whose interest is Rep. Omar serving?
Friday, February 15, 2019
Westchester Mag on Amazon pulling out of the Queens, NY "HQ2" deal
I'm glad. Too many giveaways by the state and NYC.
The Jeff Bezos led company attributes the decision to opposition by what it says are a minority of state and local politicians.
The proposed campus was planned to bring approximately 25,000 jobs to the metro area, in exchange for around $3 billion in state and city tax incentives. Interestingly, Amazon states it is not currently planning on reopening the HQ2 search, but will instead proceed with just the two remaining proposed sites in Tennessee and Virginia.
Read the statement released by Amazon:
After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.
We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture — and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.
We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.
We do not intend to re-open the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.
John Ravitz, Executive Vice President and COO of the Business Council of Westchester, reacted to the news by issuing a statement lamenting the economic setback of the news. "Beyond being a huge loss for the entire region, Amazon's exit sets a terrible precedent for other corporations looking to relocate or expand here," Ravitz says. "We do not want to send the message to these companies that they are not welcome. This perception is something that we will now have to work even harder to dispel."
Ted Cruz 1st speech of his 2024 Presidential campaign
In El Pasoa few days ago as he warms up the crowd for Trump. He's an ambitious guy and no doubt will run in 2024. His Senate seat will also be up for re-election at that time - will he run in both or have the integrity to just go after the Presidency?
Thursday, February 14, 2019
WSJ: "Vote on the Green New Deal. Every Member of Congress should step up & be counted."
Indeed! Let's see where Congresspersons - and people running for the Presidency - stand on it. True socialism - a government takeover of everything.
The 10-year Green New Deal calls for generating 100% of power from renewables and removing greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and transportation—to the extent these goals are “technologically feasible.” Hint: They’re not.
The plan also calls for “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort and durability, including through electrification.” That’s all existing buildings, comrade.
Millions of jobs would have to be destroyed en route to this brave new green world, but not to worry. The resolution says the government would also guarantee “a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States.” Good that they’re starting small.
Sorry to mention unhappy reality, but renewable sources currently make up only 17% of U.S. electric-power generation despite enormous federal and state subsidies. Wind and solar energy have become more competitive over the last decade as costs have plunged. But without subsidies, solar costs remain about 20% higher than natural gas while offshore wind is two-thirds more expensive. The bigger problem is solar and wind don’t provide reliable power, so backup plants that burn fossil fuels are required to run on stand-by.
**************
The Green New Deal means that all of this carbon energy and all of these jobs would have to be purged—at least in the U.S. China would suffer no such limits on its fossil-fuel production. Conservatives have long suspected that progressives want to use climate change to justify a government takeover of the free-market economy, but we never thought they’d be this candid about it.
Yet, remarkably, the Green New Deal has been met with hosannas from liberal interest groups and in Congress. It already has 67 co-sponsors in the House and the support of 11 Democrats in the Senate including presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.
So let’s not hesitate. Take the Green New Deal resolution and put it to a vote forthwith on the House and Senate floor.
BBC: "Invasion of the polar bears"
If you like polar bears -
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Cuomo approval rating drops; maybe infanticide is unpopular?
This has been publicized in a few places - here it is in a local weekly paper. Not mentioned - Cuomo's fanatical support for third trimester abortion and infanticide. Thanks to Jessica for sending this to me.
The governor also saw his job rating plummet, with only 35 percent of voters rating his performance as “good or excellent,” compared against 64 percent who graded him as “fair or poor.” In January, 43 percent approved his job performance against 56 percent who viewed him negatively.
“Politically, Cuomo’s ratings drop is across the board, as he fell with Democrats, Republicans and independents. Geographically, his drop was much bigger downstate – New York City and the suburbs – than upstate, where his ratings were significantly lower previously,” Greenberg said. “The 43 percent of voters who view Cuomo favorably matches exactly the 43 percent of voters who view the State Assembly favorably, and the State Senate.”
Lindsey Vonn retires - the greatest American downhill skier
Lindsey Vonn missed a number of racing seasons - including the 2014 Olympics - due to injuries. She is 34. Here's her last race in the World Championships a few days ago. She ultimately got the bronze medal in this race. Below her last race is the video of her fall in the Super-G, a few days earlier in the Championship.
Here's her crash, but then able to win a medal a couple days later!
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Rugby: Ireland v. Scotland, 6 Nations Championship
Played in Edinburgh -
"Misidentified Covington Catholic student helps raise $21K for refuge: 'I'm going to be optimistic'"
Thanks to Maria for sending me this LoHud article. The best way to respond to haters - be generous.
What the strangers didn't know: Hodge's passion for the culinary arts had led him last summer to prepare and serve meals to food-insecure individuals at Mary Rose Mission, a Catholic nonprofit in Florence, Kentucky.
And about six years earlier, Hodge's father, John Hodge, had offered engineering and architectural advice and a free inspection through his company, Century Construction Inc., to Mary Rose during the renovation of a 100-year old structure.
The nonprofit at first relied solely on volunteers for the project.
"They (John Hodge's company) always answered," said Cindy Carris, the executive director of Mary Rose. "A lot of people at that time knew it was me and they would go dark."
**********
"We were in such a bad spot, so negative for so long," said John Hodge. "My wife said, 'What can we do to change this? Make some good out of this?' "
They mulled creating a fundraiser for Mary Rose, to channel the attention away from hate. They feared it would create more unwanted attention, but ultimately decided to go through with it.
With donations made by check and through GoFundMe, the family raised more than $20,000. The Hodges made a $250 anonymous donation themselves and later donated $600 more to offset a GoFundMe service fee.
On Friday, the family presented a $21,170 check to Carris and Mary Rose.
**********
Michael Hodge said Cincinnati State officials assured him that the misidentification won't affect his application. He's awaiting a response and applying for scholarships.
He said the atmosphere at Covington Catholic has mostly returned to normal.
"I'm going to be optimistic," he said. "Just with anything, good can come out of it."
Monday, February 11, 2019
Interesting suit against a Trump Company; I know the lawyer
Thanks to Ray for sending me this. Tough to collect from a bankrupt company.
Mortgage broker Jennifer McGovern (second from the left) landed a major mortgage deal with a Trump company, it went bust and they stiffed her on the commission.
Long Island mom spent 10 years chasing Trump mortgage company for $300G commission
And Jennifer McGovern, 46, says she’s not going to give up on getting the money she’s owed. Her lawyer renewed her claim against Trump Mortgage LLC last week — and with three kids ready for college, she says the cash would come in handy.
*************
McGovern’s lawyer, Raymond Nardo, filed an additional claim last week to ensure she has claim to any of the company’s remaining assets.
“The wealthy elites who ran the company acted like predators and cheated a humble, hardworking mother out her wages, while the company benefited from her hard work,” Nardo said. “While the judgment is valid for 20 years, my client is renewing it, after 10 years, so that it will act as a lien on any real property that Trump Mortgage, LLC owns.”
McGovern’s still hoping there’s something left — she’s already got the money spent.
“I'd like to get paid,” she said. “I earned that money. It would help us tremendously. I have a son about to start college and two more on the way.”
Cardinal Dolan's WSJ op ed: "Abortion's Dred Scott Moment"
In case you forgot the Dred Scott decision in 1857, it was a 7-2 Supreme Court decision that made permanent (they thought) that slaves were simply property. "The court held that the law must therefore continue to treat African-Americans as 'unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.'" Roe v. Wade (also 7-2 decision) has frequently been compared to Dred Scott.
Here's Dolan WSJ op ed -
Overreach in New York and Virginia has inspired a backlash across the country.
In a particularly vicious decision, the court held that the Scotts were not human persons, and thus had no rights. The 7-2 opinion said the Constitution’s framers considered blacks to be an “inferior class of beings who had been subjugated by the dominant race.” The court held that the law must therefore continue to treat African-Americans as “unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” The institution of slavery outlived Scott, and in the eyes of the law he remained the chattel of his master.
This decision, according to Civil War scholar Shelby Foote, backfired. Slave owners were subject to a public outcry as they were forced to admit the logical corollary of slavery: The slave was not human, but property, with no rights. Even those defending slavery thought again, admitting that their argument had gone too far. The ruling emboldened abolitionists, re-energizing their decades-old project to defend the human rights of the black slave.
In the past few weeks, as the constant debate around abortion has become especially heated, I’ve continually thought about Dred Scott. Like slavery did 150 years ago, abortion has deeply divided the U.S. and raised fundamental questions about the nature of our society.
Last month New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the Reproductive Health Act—grisly legislation that permits abortion in many cases up to the moment of birth. It eliminates legal penalties on abortionists who allow an aborted baby, who somehow survives the scalpel, vacuum and dismemberment, to die. It also permits these perilous procedures to take place without a physician present. This was perhaps expected in a state completely dominated by a party that has become increasingly intolerant of pro-life Americans.
Yet a similar bill was introduced in purple Virginia and gruesomely defended by the ostensibly moderate Gov. Ralph Northam. This bill was killed in committee, suggesting many Americans are nauseated by abortion-on-demand. Indeed, a Marist College survey last month showed that 75% of Americans—and 61% of those identified as “pro-choice”—want some form of restrictions on abortion. Is the U.S. having a Dred Scott moment on abortion?
Even some defenders of abortion acknowledge they may have gone too far. See the repugnance expressed at New York’s governor celebrating the morbid bill with a party. He also ordered the Freedom Tower to be illuminated in pink—shining on the names of 11 pregnant women who perished with their preborn babies on 9/11. A former Virginia governor and a sitting U.S. senator from the Old Dominion, both staunch abortion supporters, disavowed the radical bill in their state. It seems that some abortion supporters no longer hope it is safe, legal and rare. Rather, it’s celebrated, unregulated and frequent.
The most destructive war in U.S. history settled the questions raised by Dred Scott. The U.S. won’t go there on abortion—God forbid. But the horror of New York’s extremism and Virginia’s flirtation with the same will spur determined but temperate resistance.
For instance, left and right can work together for more accessible adoption policies. Conservatives should be more willing to support financial assistance and counseling for struggling expectant moms before and after birth. Liberals should acknowledge the reasonableness of restrictions on abortions of viable babies. Add in conscience protection for health-care providers who find abortion repugnant, and these policies would form a great start.
I won’t rest until all life is protected from the womb to the tomb, but right now I will at least work hard to enact these reforms as soon as possible. It could help the fever here in this country go down some.
Maybe those politicians who passed the law in New York and tried to do the same in Virginia unintentionally did the country a favor. Today more Americans are admitting, “My God, that’s sure not what we wanted. Doesn’t the baby have any rights?” Perhaps soon, some of many saved babies could be named Dred or Harriet Scott.
Cardinal Dolan is archbishop of New York.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Wonderful!! Troy, Michigan HS Symphony Orchestra - "Last of the Mohicans"
A beautiful 11 minutes - gets better as it goes along.
Saturday, February 09, 2019
Cardinal Dolan on Cuomo's stupid effort to label Dolan as "right wing"
Cuomo did it in a NY Times op ed which I didn't bother to read since I knew what it would say. But I did read it before I posted this - and I was right - knew exactly what Cuomo would say - down to the line about him being an altar boy and Catholic values are his values ... Farcical.
This is from the Cardinal's own blog - I've put the text below the link and here is a NY Post commentary on it - Cardinal Dolan rips Cuomo over ‘religious right’ remarks in op-ed
Today, with a home field advantage in the New York Times, Governor Cuomo linked me with the “religious right.”
This is something new from the governor. He did not consider me part of the “religious right” when seeking my help with the minimum wage increase, prison reform, protection of migrant workers, a welcome of immigrants and refugees, and advocacy for college programs for the state’s inmate population, which we were happy to partner with him on, because they were our causes too. I guess I was part of the “religious left” in those cases.
The civil rights of the helpless, innocent, baby in the womb, as liberal Democrat Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey once remarked is not about “right versus left, but right versus wrong.”
The governor also continues his attempt to reduce the advocacy for the human rights of the pre-born infant to a “Catholic issue,” an insult to our allies of so many religions, or none at all. Governor Casey again: “I didn’t get my pro-life belief from my religion class in a Catholic school, but from my biology and U.S. Constitution classes.”
Yes, religion is personal; it’s hardly private, as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and struggle for civil rights so eloquently showed. Governor Cuomo’s professed faith teaches discrimination against immigrants is immoral, too. Does that mean he cannot let that moral principle guide his public policy? Clearly not.
Debate abortion on what it is. Don’t hide behind labels like “right wing” and “Catholic.”
Friday, February 08, 2019
St. Josephine Bakhita, Feast Day and quotes
I've posted several times about this former Sudanese slave who ultimately became a Catholic sister in Italy. Here is the first time in 2008 St. Josephine Bakhita - saint of Darfur.
And today - February 8th, the day she died in 1947 - is her feast day. Canonized in 2000, a great Saint for this century.
I love this - too bad Stephen Hawking never read this.
"Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself, ‘Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?’ I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage."
— St. Josephine Bakhita
And this -
Here she is in stained glass - portrayed with chains.
AOC: "The Green New Deal" to save us all in a mere ten years
Thank God for this great Saint of the century, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is actually able to break the laws of physics to save us. Pdf. of her 14 page plan is linked below. I will read & report back...
Here's NPR on the great Bronx 29 year old Congresswoman. They treat it seriously - which says much for NPR.
Thursday, February 07, 2019
Trump SOTU speech; things Democrats don't cheer for
Amazing what they are not happy about - like record low African-American and Hispanic unemployment
A Bishop (finally) says pro-abortion politicians cannot take communion
I suppose this has been said in the past by a few Bishops; still waiting to hear it from the NY Cardinal Dolan, since it only applies in Daly's Diocese.. See here Cardinal Dolan's pathetic TV interview about his joke of an interview a few days ago. As soon as I can locate it online I will post the Cardinal's letter that was read in every church this past Sunday.
This is the Archbishop of Spokane, Washington and is off a new website, Complicit Clergy.
Bishop Daly Bars ALL Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians From Receiving Communion
In response to the heinous abortion law recently enacted in the state of New York, Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane, Washington today issued a pastoral letter in which he instructed all unrepentant pro-abortion politicians in his diocese to refrain from receiving holy communion. In the letter, Bishop Daly states:
Politicians who reside in the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, and who obstinately persevere in their public support for abortion, should not receive Communion without first being reconciled to Christ and the Church (cf. Canon 915; “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion. General Principles.” Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2004).
The Church’s commitment to the life of every human person from conception until death is firm. God alone is the author of life and for the civil government to sanction the willful murder of children is unacceptable. For a Catholic political leader to do so is scandalous. I encourage the faithful to turn to our Lord in prayer for our political leaders, entrusting them especially to the intercession of St. Thomas More, a public servant who preferred to die at the hands of civil authorities rather than abandon Christ and the Church. Let us also keep the unborn, as well as all pregnant mothers, in our prayers.
Bishop Daly’s action will hopefully act as a catalyst to encourage the Bishops of New York to follow his lead. You can read Bishop Daly’s entire letter here.
TAKE ACTION: Ask the Bishops of New York Follow Bishop Daly’s Example with Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians in Their Dioceses
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
Rugby: England v. Ireland, 6 Nations Championship
Played in Dublin. These games are now on NBS Sports network. Here's a link to this weekend schedule. nbcsports.com
Further proof women are smarter then men
Of course I've known this for years... decades.
Scientists found that healthy women have a “metabolic brain age” that is persistently younger than men’s of the same chronological age. The difference is apparent from early adulthood and remains into old age.
The finding suggests that changes in how the brain uses energy over a person’s lifetime proceed more gradually in women than they do in men. While researchers are unsure of the medical consequences, it may help explain why women tend to stay mentally sharp for longer.
“Brain metabolism changes with age but what we noticed is that a good deal of the variation we see is down to sex differences,” said Marcus Raichle, a neurobiologist at Washington University school of medicine in St Louis. “If you look at how brain metabolism predicts a person’s age, women come out looking about four years younger than they are.”
***********
“The great mystery is why,” said Raichle. The researchers suspect something other than hormonal differences are at work because the difference in metabolism stays the same when women enter the menopause.
“I refer to things like this as the curve balls of Mother Nature,” said Raichle. “Maybe women start off with this difference and it’s perpetuated throughout life.”
It is not clear what the difference means. The scientists are keen to investigate whether people with low glucose metabolism in particular parts of the brain are more prone to memory loss, learning problems and neurodegenerative diseases as they age.
“Is lower metabolism in such and such an area predictive of a particular event down the road? We don’t know,” said Raichle. “But if aerobic glycolysis is protective in some way, and the brain loses some element of it, that could be a problem.” Details of the study are reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mani Goyal at the university’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology and first author on the paper, said men’s brains were not ageing faster than women’s. “They start adulthood about three years older than women and that persists throughout life,” he said. “What we don’t know is what it means. I think this could mean that the reason women don’t experience as much cognitive decline in later years is because their brains are effectively younger.”
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Farandaville - Chinchilla romance
Sort of. Now that Rylai and Spiderman have been separated from their daughter Buffy (living in an adjoining cage) they are spending quality time together.
Rylai the Mom is light gray and actually a bit bigger than her darker significant other, Spiderman.
Note the cute and delicate paws. ... And whiskers. And Rylai's hairy ears!
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