The expose' starts after the intro. Massive corruption if they are only half right.
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The expose' starts after the intro. Massive corruption if they are only half right.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
So here's Grand St. just after 10 this morning. Kind of goes along with this view from couple of days ago. Ghost town: Downtown Croton 3PM Friday
The "iconic" downtown Croton island traffic light (you used to be able to get a tie with the traffic light image on it - someone should bring it back...)
And what's this? See the car on the move! Heading away from me ...
Brigid selfie, off to Shoprite - that's an N 95 mask she was given when she was furloughed from her "artistic carver" position at The Blaze.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wonders never cease. I've been following what Cuomo's been saying and paying no attention to de Blasio, who others tell me is not doing very well with the situation (UPDATE: The head of the Army Corp of Engineers was very complimentary about de Blasio). March 13th - two days after the NBA cancelled their season - he was still urging people to go out and have a good time.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
And he was only 49.
“This is a sad day and a tremendous loss for the Diocese of Brooklyn,” said Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “Father Jorge was a great priest, beloved by the Mexican people and a tireless worker for all of the faithful in Brooklyn and Queens.”
According to a Diocese spokesman, he did have an underlying condition.
Monday, March 30, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Excellent. She is the White House coronavirus response coordinator. Dr. Birx also said States should copy New York on medical preparations
Monday, March 30, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Yes I know; it's only a joke. Where would we be without Cuomo and Trump. Don't get bent out of shape.
Monday, March 30, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, March 29, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (3)
And I don't doubt the final amount will be way over $2 trillion. The pending budget was "only" around $4.2 trillion, so we are looking at an astounding budget deficit (but had to be done). As details come out I am going to post them - especially how small businesses (under 500 employees) can get aid from the SBA (Small Business Administration) in the form of "forgivable" loans. It looks like the will be available even for individual proprietors running their own small business or profession with no other employees.
Saturday, March 28, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (2)
This was live at 1PM yesterday. Brigid watched the entire thing and said it was very moving. I only saw the first five minutes on the video yesterday evening, as he walks to the center of St. Peter's Square. I intend on seeing it in it's entirety. And here is the full text of his "Urbi et Orbi" address.
Saturday, March 28, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
An industry bailout may be necessary.
While shirts are still somewhat popular, pants have taken a blow from the new telecommuting paradigm and have been found to be completely unnecessary articles of clothing and are thought to even restrict creativity and productivity. “Pants are a bane to a worker’s existence,” said Spencer Neal, an accountant. “Culturally, you have to wear them around other people, but now that we’re by ourselves, goodbye, pants!”
Pants manufacturers are attempting to fight back. Levi's has introduced the new slogan “God is always watching” to try to shame people back into their pants, but so far it has been ineffective. Even President Trump has been trying to prop up the dying industry, saying at a press conference, “Pants are great! Very necessary article of clothing. People should wear them all the time.” When a reporter pointed out that Trump was not wearing pants, he said he thought the press conference was only going to be "from the waist up.”
Friday, March 27, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The rise erases some of the horrendous losses. Belski is right, stick with quality large, well-capitalized companies, and funds or ETF's that buy them. Apple, Visa, Microsoft, Moody's ...
Friday, March 27, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
I am in favor of this; but it's sure to cause inflation. Beware! This is off CNBC.
In a letter to colleagues Wednesday night, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the chamber will convene at 9 a.m. Friday to consider the bill. The Maryland Democrat said that “in order to protect the safety” of representatives and staff and “prevent the further spread of COVID-19,” he and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., expect the House will take a voice vote.
“Members who want to come to the House Floor to debate this bill will be able to do so. In addition, we are working to ensure that those who are unable to return to Washington may express their views on this legislation remotely,” he wrote.
Thursday, March 26, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, March 23, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, March 22, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Then, in a follow-up tweet, Omar quoted Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), saying "unprecedented times require unprecedented leadership" — to which Omar added, "we are seeing that in our country right now."
"Finally, we should never let politics get in the way of good policy," Omar stated. "This is a great start and hope others will be part of a united front to push for good policies that will help us work through the economic anxiety the country is feeling right now."
Sunday, March 22, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, March 21, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Saturday, March 21, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
This guy has a pretty fascinating life story. Excerpts below, but worth hitting the link for the whole article.
Mr. Habib is stepping away from his political life to join the Catholic Church’s largest religious order. Founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540, today the Jesuits total about 16,000 members, though, like most religious orders in the church, the society’s numbers have been declining both in North America and around the world in recent decades.
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“For the last few years, I’ve come to know Cyrus Habib and have witnessed his deep desire to know Christ and to serve him as a Jesuit priest,” Christopher Nguyen, S.J., vocations director for the Jesuits West province, said in a statement to America. “Cyrus has gone through many challenges in his life, which have brought him closer to Christ. I know he will use his blindness and battles with cancer as a means to minister to others who suffer in the world.”
Raised by what he calls “generically—but seriously—monotheistic” parents, Mr. Habib converted to Catholicism at the age of 25 while studying at the University of Oxford, after meeting Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., and the other Dominicans at Blackfriars Hall. (His mother, Susan Amini, who is a product of Catholic education in Tehran and is now a King County Superior Court Judge, would later also convert to Catholicism.)
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Frustrated by his prayer life in the face of personal crisis, he went to his spiritual mentor, the longtime pastor of Seattle’s St. James Cathedral, the Rev. Michael G. Ryan, who handed him James Martin, S.J.’s The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, which introduced Mr. Habib to the Jesuit charism in a deeper way.
Mr. Habib did not seriously consider a vocation, however, until his father passed away in 2016, just a few weeks before he was elected lieutenant governor.
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...Mr. Habib has decided to abandon further political accomplishment in exchange for vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. “I have done the work of discerning that [the political life is] not the path to happiness for me…. I could become [U.S.] secretary of state and there would still be this thing in me that I would try to fill with accolades and titles and media,” Mr. Habib said. “There would be this hunger, this thirst, this thing that would be unquenched.”
Friday, March 20, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The two of them better come up with some good answers quick; this certainly looks like trading on inside information - a serious felony.
And -
Sen. Kelly Loeffler Dumped Millions in Stock After Coronavirus Briefing
She also bought two stocks and here is one of them -
One of Loeffler’s two purchases was stock worth between $100,000 and $250,000 in Citrix, a technology company that offers teleworking software and which has seen a small bump in its stock price since Loeffler bought in as a result of coronavirus-induced market turmoil.
Thursday, March 19, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (5)
From the Wall Street Journal. Money market funds normally don't need a backstop - they cannot invest in any instruments beyond one year in maturity and usually keep the maturity much less than that. But the fer is a run on the funds as people need cash and they may not be able to sell their holdings readily. It's a necessary move.
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it would launch a new lending facility to backstop the money-market mutual-fund sector as part of a broadening effort to calm turmoil sparked by the novel coronavirus epidemic.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Link is to the NY Times - text below the link is from the Wall Street Journal.
From the WSJ -
Matt Murray, editor in chief of the Journal, said in a tweet: “China’s unprecedented attack on freedom of the press comes at a time of unparalleled global crisis. Trusted news reporting from and about China has never been more important. We oppose government interference with a free press anywhere in the world.”
“Our commitment to reporting fully and deeply on China is unchanged,” Mr. Murray added.
The Journal had previously condemned the expulsion in February of three reporters over an opinion headline, “the real sick man of Asia”—a phrase used historically to refer to the exploitation of a weakened China by European powers and Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. China’s Foreign Ministry and state-media outlets had repeatedly called attention to the headline, which prompted widespread anger in China, and threatened unspecified consequences.
Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron said the paper condemned Tuesday’s expulsion of U.S. reporters.
“The Chinese government’s decision is particularly regrettable because it comes in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, when clear and reliable information about the international response to covid-19 is essential. Severely limiting the flow of that information, which China now seeks to do, only aggravates the situation,” Mr. Baron said.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
This is a study done at Loughborough University in the UK. Could save us all a lot of sweat...
Cycling resulted in more calories being burned compared with a hot bath, but bathing resulted in about as many calories being burned as a half-hour walk (around 140 calories). The overall blood sugar response to both conditions was similar, but peak blood sugar after eating was about 10 percent lower when participants took a hot bath compared with when they exercised.
We also showed changes to the inflammatory response similar to that following exercise. The anti-inflammatory response to exercise is important as it helps to protect us against infection and illness, but chronic inflammation is associated with a reduced ability to fight off diseases. This suggests that repeated passive heating may contribute to reducing chronic inflammation, which is often present with long-term diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on the village website but not much information and no name.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
They can't keep up with the demand! This is off CNBC
Amazon encouraged employees in other industries whose jobs were “lost or furloughed” as a result of the coronavirus to apply, including members of the hospitality, restaurant and travel industries. “We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back,” the company added.
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Amazon has been hit with a wave of delivery delays and product shortages. The continued spread of the coronavirus has meant consumers are increasingly relying on online retailers as they avoid going outdoors and face low inventory at physical stores.
On Saturday, Amazon said some popular brands and items in the “household staples” categories were out of stock, while some of its “delivery promises are longer than usual.” Amazon added a notice to the top of its marketplace this weekend that reads: “Inventory and delivery may be temporarily unavailable due to increased demand. Confirm availability at checkout.”
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Amazon has faced increased demand from customers on multiple fronts amid the coronavirus outbreak. With shoppers stocking up online, services like Prime Now and the Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service reported limited availability for several days or told shoppers they were unable to make deliveries.
The company has been working to avoid disruptions in its supply chain, while some factories in China and elsewhere remain offline. Third-party sellers have also been working to keep up with demand, with many saying their inventory is running low.
Additionally, some fulfillment center employees may not be showing up to work. Earlier this month, Amazon relaxed its attendance policy for warehouse workers, allowing them to take unlimited unpaid time off through the month of March.
Earlier this month, Amazon moved to address the unique needs of fulfillment centers and delivery by launching a $25 million relief fund. The “Amazon Relief Fund” will allow these employees to apply for grants that are equal to or up to two weeks of pay if they’re diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to order residents to stay at home except for essential needs.
The order, announced by Mayor London Breed on Twitter Monday, begins at midnight. Ms. Breed said that “necessary government functions” and “essential stores” will remain open.
San Francisco health officials have confirmed 40 cases of coronavirus in the city. There have been no reported deaths due to the virus in San Francisco. New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are also instituting a recommended curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Coronavirus deaths outside China surpassed those inside for the first time on Monday. More than 3,800 people from countries including Italy, Iran and Spain had died from the virus as of early Monday, compared with around 3,200 in China, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Similarly, the 81,000 total cases of infection in China have been surpassed by the almost 98,000 outside the country. The first cases of coronavirus infection were reported in the central Chinese province of Hubei in December.
After initially being caught off guard by the virus’s rapid spread, countries have enacted blanket bans or severe restrictions on visitors, and reordered local life with limits on movement.
The European Commission proposed an unprecedented 30-day restriction on nonessential travel to the European Union. The World Health Organization has called Europe the new epicenter of the pandemic, as the continent experiences a surge in new cases and deaths.
The U.S. already had imposed travel bans on foreigners coming from much of Europe, the U.K. and Ireland. Germany partially shut its borders and announced new wide-raging restrictions on public life including the closure of all nonessential businesses and a ban of religious services. Spain and Italy, home to the continent’s biggest outbreaks, have both imposed nationwide lockdowns. France has closed down restaurants, bars and all nonessential shops.
Monday, March 16, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
From the BB -
"It's the hottest product on the streets right now," said Carlos "13-ball" Lopez, a dealer in Albuquerque. "Everyone's hooked on it -- we got grandmas, housewives, even school kids wanting a taste. Your first hit is free but after that you're ours, yo."
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One cartel has begun producing what the DEA is calling the purest, most addictive hand sanitizer yet, "Blue Sky." The Blue Sky hand sanitizer kills 99.99999% of germs, while less pure versions of the drug only kill 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
"The spread of this dangerous new gateway drug is an epidemic," said a DEA agent as he held aloft a small plastic baggy containing a small drop of Blue Sky hand sanitizer. "Just last week, we stopped a truck destined for a chicken restaurant here in New Mexico, but the buckets of chicken actually contained thousands of kilos of hand sanitizer."
Monday, March 16, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
We have chinchilla pets that are smarter than Brian, and with better senses of humor.
NEW YORK, NY—Reliable reporter and decorated Iraq war veteran Brian Williams has been tapped to host a new game show on MSNBC: Are You Smarter than a Journalist? Contestants will be put up against our nation's elite journalists with questions like "Is $500 million enough for everyone to get $1 million?"
"Want to see regular Americans test their intellect against journalists on tough topics like basic math and geography? Then join us on Fridays at 8/7 central for Are You Smarter than a Journalist?!" Williams says in a promo for the show. "The pilot episode was simply a delight to film. I know -- I was there."
Participants will get access to a few lifelines, such as "Dox a Friend," "Make up an Anonymous Source," and "Gaslight the Public" to help even the playing field. Those who manage to outsmart journalists from reputable outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Teen Vogue on topics like economics, addition, subtraction, and basic morality will have a shot at the grand prize of $10 million.
Unfortunately the show was canceled after one episode as the contestant, a "dumb hick farmer" from Iowa, was able to guess that Mike Bloomberg could not have given every American $1 million and walked away with the $10 million prize.
Monday, March 16, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (2)
And here, about Bethel -
Sunday, March 15, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Garth Strudelfudd, a BB correspondent, always on his game. Hit the link, he's great.
Many have claimed they want someone who is a woman, qualified, honest, and likable, but when they’re given a choice of someone who is one out of four, we see that sexism still rules, as they vote for a man instead. “I just want someone who doesn’t make my skin crawl when I think of her,” they say, placing, once again, impossible standards on the most horrible women in human society.
In 2016, people had Hillary Clinton, someone so politically maladroit she barely seemed human, one of the most blatantly dishonest people anyone had ever seen, and someone people only ever heard of because of who her husband is. But she was a woman. And that just wasn’t good enough. And now we had Elizabeth Warren, an off-putting, nakedly political hack who lied about her heritage and has a bunch of unworkable plans with price tags beyond human comprehension. Though she may only be 1/1024th Native American, she is 99.9% woman. Still, people said they wanted more. Like anything more.
Sunday, March 15, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Saturday, March 14, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Haha. I failed to post this Rolling Stone article when it came out, almost a year ago. Still interesting though.
The site received more than 200,000 unique visitors in its first 10 days, with users making 230,000 logos and 20,000 custom playlists. The “biggest uplift” was from White’s playlist, branded as “Led Zeppelin x Jack White,” which drew thousands of users each day — which translates to hundreds of thousands of streams, which translates to a steady stream of cash to Warner and Led Zeppelin without the band lifting a finger.
Below, Jimmy Page describes how Stairway to Heaven was written. This may still the most requested rock song on FM stations. From Wikipedia - "Since 2001, the New York City-based classic rock radio station Q104.3 has ranked "Stairway to Heaven" no. 1 on their annual "Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time"."
Saturday, March 14, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Friday, March 13, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The candidates, who are old and may collapse to the ground at any moment, will be able to press the button should they suddenly have a heart attack or just have no idea where they are. Aides will then be able to come up and either stand them back up and hold them upright for the duration of the debate or tell them, "Hey, Joe, the year is 2020 and you're running for president. Joe! Speak to me Joe! JOOOOE!!!"
"Help! I've fallen and I can't rebut!" Biden shouted during a test run of the new podiums, as he was both unable to stand back up or respond to Sanders in any kind of coherent manner. "Also, who is the current president and who are all these little Oompa Loompas dancing around me in this mushroom forest? Flibberdoodle!"
Later on during the test run, Biden brought up Sanders's three houses in a rare moment of lucidity, and a panicked Sanders smacked the button rather than actually address the fact that he's a very rich socialist.
Friday, March 13, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Brigid and I - and quite a few of our friends - know this area quite well (See the pictures below, way back from 2007!). The first video (2 & a half minutes) is off CBS. A woman almost lost her house. Hikers who were on Breakneck or Sugarloaf lost their cars ...
Second video is from the Highlands Current. 4 and a half minutes.
Here Tom, Brigid and hiking buddy Jeanne Marie are partway up Breakneck - way back on August 8th, 2007. And then four more pictures -
What a shame. I'm sure Breakneck and Sugarloaf just north of it, will be shut down for awhile.
Thursday, March 12, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (2)
"In real news that totally actually happened ..."
Trump has been a divisive figure in the past, but so far everyone has agreed with this move. The New York Times, which usually opposes absolutely everything Trump does, wrote an editorial in support of canceling the election. “It’s a smart, science-driven move,” the editorial said. “As important as democracy is, it’s just not worth dying over.”
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders also seemed very relieved by the announcement, as they’re both very tired and worried about getting sick. Sanders was especially happy, telling the press, “You know, for a few moments there, it really seemed like I might win, and I didn’t know what was going to happen if people actually expected me to follow through on all that free stuff.” Sanders is now deciding in which of his three houses to self-quarantine.
Thursday, March 12, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wow. You have to hit the link to see all the photos and video. The picture below was taken at 9:30 in the evening from the other side of the Hudson. Thanks Karen for sending this. Very sad.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
From the reliable BB. Obama and his supporters give Obama the credit for the economy up until two weeks ago - but now it's Trump's ...
"All the gains were mine -- Trump didn't build that -- but this crash is all on Trump," Obama said as he admired the ocean, which will consume his home in fewer than twelve years. "My responsibility for the great economic gains in this country ended the moment the stocks started to tank this morning."
The former president said that he does reserve the right to reverse his stance and reclaim credit for any economic gains realized after the market turns around, whenever that may be.
"As soon as this thing stabilizes, I'll be there, claiming credit for things I didn't do."
Obama also assured panicked Americans that if they like their economy, they can keep their economy.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
But is this a surprise. Not at all. Two slimy people. Verging on the gleeful.
Others are also on the bandwagon -
Wallace wasn’t the only journalist eager to make this morbid comparison. According to a keyword search through DVR-recording system Snapstream, Obama’s ebola czar made it on CNN and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes did as well in his own scathing segment. At least two MSNBC panelists on Saturday did too. Monday morning, CNN’s chief business correspondent Christine Romans ripped Trump for “really downplaying” the virus, gushing “some say now looks like a Hurricane Katrina moment.”
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (7)
Great Britain has recently had some bad regional flooding. Here's a short video interview with the British Prime Minister. Also London is one of the four cities (the other three - NY, Tokyo, Miami) featured in the PBS Series Sinking Cities. You can watch that episode here - London - Sinking Cities.
And here's Boris -
Monday, March 09, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, March 09, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Stupid Sad very stupid sad. The actual number is $1.53. Only off by a million per person. MSNBC and the NY Times ... This is so consoling to those of us who think both organizations went off the rails years ago.
Sunday, March 08, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Saturday, March 07, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
A touching story from BB.
The Cherokee expressed mixed emotions at seeing Warren return, from "Who are you?" to "How many times do we have to tell you that if you're not gonna play some slots at the casino, then you're gonna need to leave?"
Warren nodded, accepting her banishment from her once-great place among the Cherokee people. "I accept my punishment and vow never to return until the sun once again never sets on the Cherokee Nation. As I depart, let me simply ask you if you have ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grins?"
"Wait, now you're just quoting Pocahontas," one tribal security guard said....
At publishing time, Warren had sought advice from Grandmother Willow as to who it is that she should endorse.
Saturday, March 07, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Thursday, March 05, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
UPDATE: Schumer issued a half apology - "I shouldn't have used the words I did."
The tape of Schumer's remarks is at the end of the video. He's pretty hepped up. What's the fuss? A Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the abortionist's "place of business." Seems to be a common sense requirement if you are concerned about the woman - but I guess not. Exposes the real reason white liberals hate Trump and will do anything to stop him - his Supreme Court nominees.
Thursday, March 05, 2020 | Permalink | Comments (0)
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