Tom Faranda's Folly

Excellent explanation of short selling/short squeeze, hedge funds and GameStop

This is a pretty accurate explanation of how a short sale, and then a short squeeze works. Left out is the point that the short seller (hedge fund) usually does this on 50% margin (borrows the money) which doubles his possible gain as well as the possible losses. you can be sure it wasn't just small investors who caused the short squeeze; the big hedege funds and institutions would have seen the opportunity and jumped in.

Spot the hidden mountain lion!

Thanks to Jessica for sending me this. Hit the link and see how long it takes to find ...

A wildlife conservation scientist in Nevada took this picture in Washoe County, prompting the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ask people to see if their eyes were sharp enough to spot the hidden mountain lion

UPDATE: Kong's real nemesis - Godzilla vs. King Kong movie... Just what the world needs now!

UPDATE: See the true King Kong nemesis below the video

The official trailer - been seen over one million times in the first 24 hours it was posted on youtube - so somebody's interested.

 

Nancy and Paul Pelosi "Bought More Than $1 Million In Tesla, Disney And Apple Calls In December"

From my friend Laura. This is what a call is.

Paul Pelosi purchased LEAPS in Tesla, Apple and Disney and shares in AllianceBernstein on December 22, the disclosure revealed. In other words, it's not just clueless retail Robinhood investors that are speculating; it's also clueless politicians.

But the article is wrong to say they are clueless. The Pelosi's are worth $114 million. You don't get that by being clueless.  Here's a further excerpt from the article which points to the real problem.

He purchased 100 $100 strike Apple calls that expire in January 2022 and paid between $250,000 and $500,000 for them. He also bought 25 in the money Tesla calls, selecting the $500 strike calls with a March 2022 expiration, according to the report. Those cost between $500,000 and $1 million. Finally, he bought between $500,000 and $1 million in Disney options, buying 100 calls at a $100 strike that expire in January 2022. 

He also "paid $500,001 to $1 million for 20,000 shares of global investment firm AllianceBernstein," putting his average price around $33.37.

Obviously, the call option purchases are worth noting - not only because they are leveraged investments and are far more risky than buying outright stock - but because the Speaker now clearly has a vested interest in the success of names like Tesla, whose trajectories as public companies can be altered drastically by government decisions. 

 

George Stephanopoulos vs. Rand Paul on election integrity

"Nothing to see here". Worth watching the full six minutes. I'm sure there will be a thorough investigation and Rand Paul points out he did vote to certify the election.

Despair! Godiva to close all outlets in NY!

Not only NY - throughout North America. A sad day for chocolate-lovers.

NEW YORK — Chocolatier Godiva became the latest victim of the pandemic, announcing plans to close its 128 North American stores, including stores throughout New York.

The international chocolatier announced the move Sunday less than two years after initiating a major push to open 2,000 cafes worldwide, Business Insider reported. However, the pandemic stymied those plans as customers shifted their dining habits to take-out and their shopping online.

Godiva will keep its brick-and-mortar locations open through Valentine's Day, the busiest time of the year for Godiva sales.

Wall Street drop today: "Payne sounds off ... all this whining makes me sick"

He's 100% right. 

The market drop today - down 2.05% - was caused by a short squeeze involving GameStop and a few other companies like AMC that had been sold short by certain hedge funds. I love this explanation/rant by Charles Payne of FOX Business. 

 

CNN: Portland protestors explain why they are rioting

They want to make the world a better place. The second speaker - while she doesn't destroy property, it's OK if others of her ilk do. Draw your own conclusions on this video, which has had well over one million views since it was posted January 22nd.

 

How the Croton face mask law works

Tied in with the NY State Law. "Unlikely Village Justices will impose a fine exceeding $250." YIKES! on the picture.

Seems you'd have to be deliberately flouting the law to have a problem.

Don’t Wear a Face Mask in Croton-on-Hudson? Here’s What You Could Be Fined

The law requires face masks and coverings be worn on public, private, and commercial properties when unable to maintain a six-foot distance from another person who is not a member of the same household.

Residential property is exempt from the law.

Other exemptions to the law are children under the age of two or anyone who is unable to medically tolerate a face covering and drivers traveling alone or exclusively with members of their households in a car.

 

 

 

"Good Bye Mr. Trump" - from my buddy Graham -

Who I met long ago in Jamaica - he is an engineer - originally Canadian. Living in the USA now. Likes to send amusing stuff around. Here's what he said in his email -

I promise no more trump funnies

Best regards

GrahamB

Pretty good!

 

 

"Women Who Made Bernie's Mittens Was PUT OUT Of Business By Policies Like His"

FULL DISCLOSURE: I only saw Sanders mittens when I saw this video. My #1 kiddo, who's something of a libertarian, sent it to me. I still need to watch Biden's inaugural speech - haven't seen it yet.  You don't need to watch the whole video to get the point. Tim Pool is a popular alternative media/journalist. A bit simplistic on their understanding of economics.

"Tim, Ian, Luke, and Lydia reflect on the cruel irony of the woman who made the mittens that Bernie Sanders made famous being driven out of business by policies that Bernie favors."

"Barstool Sports" aiding two Westchester businesses.

I never heard of Barstool Sports until the owner, Dave Portnoy, started giving interviews months ago. I guess it's a sports & pop trends website? Portnoy on his own started raising money for small businesses that were heading for failure in the pandemic. So far he's raised $29 million and carefully vets the businesses he helps.

This is from Westchester Magazine a couple of days ago. Hit the link for the whole story and some pictures - it's a pretty cool short article.

Barstool Sports Is Helping Save Two Westchester Businesses

Unionville Tavern and Events to Remember are getting some much-needed pandemic assistance thanks to the everyman media empire’s small business fund.

*************

Those funds, Krueger (Unionville Tavern) says, will go directly to paying workers’ salaries and paying off a few vendors. “Our first priority is making sure our staff are taken care of.”

************

Unionville Tavern isn’t the only Westchester business feeling some relief this month. Thanks to The Barstool Fun, Events to Remember, an events planning and public relations firm started by 914INC. Women in Business honoree Chereese Jervis-Hill, will also be receiving a much-needed infusion of funding.

“Running an event management firm when you are mandated by the state not to plan large in-person events … It has been a really rough 10 months, and the fund has given me a sense of relief that I have not had in almost a year,” Jervis-Hill says.

Like Krueger, Jervis-Hill will be utilizing the bulk of the funds to pay her staff and cover office rent. “I am full of gratitude for Dave, his team, and all of the donors,” she says.

President Biden discovers recent signage change for Presidential rest room

WASHINGTON, D.C.— ... the White House has undergone unusual changes that may be an ominous warning for Joe Biden. White House construction workers have now remodeled the Presidential restroom ...

“Hey! There goes the Presidential urinal!” shouted a frustrated Joe Biden. “Barack never let me use that, even as Vice President. What gives?!”

The construction crew ignored him and continued working silently.

“C’mon, man, I’m supposed to be the President. What kinda malarkey is this? Why is there a women’s restroom here now?” continued Biden trying to piece together what was happening.

According to an anonymous source who could not stop cackling for a single sentence, these changes were just a necessary precaution ...

Despite it being mere days before becoming President, Biden fears he may never get to use the historic urinal. Making matters worse, Biden also noticed that the seat had been permanently attached in the down position, never to be lifted again. “KAMALAAAA!!” shouted the President-elect. ...

At publishing time it was reported that the Oval Office was being repainted and redecorated, complete with essential oil diffusers and a purse rack instead of a coat rack.

"Canadian PM Trudeau ‘disappointed’ in Biden plan to revoke Keystone XL permit"

From the NYP.

In a statement issued following Biden’s inauguration, Trudeau said he “spoke directly” to Biden about the $8 billion project in November, and other Canadian officials “made the case” in favor of it “to high-level officials in the incoming administration.”

“While we welcome the President’s commitment to fight climate change, we are disappointed but acknowledge the President’s decision to fulfill his election campaign promise on Keystone XL,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau noted that “Canada is the single-largest supplier of energy to the United States, contributing to U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness, and supporting thousands of jobs on both sides of the border.”

*******************

TC Energy also said it was suspending construction of the 1,280-mile pipeline and warned that thousands of union workers would be laid off if Biden doesn’t change course, Canada’s Financial Post reported.

Cancel Culture: "Two, four, six, eight, this Church teaches hate" - disruption of Respect Life Mass @ Ohio Cathedral.

This is sad. Deluded, angry peopIe. I took the whole thing below off the LifeNet blog. Below the video I added a commentary from St. Paul.

As suggested in the video "A taste of things to come." Maybe. invasion of the Cathedral. This is the protesters own video - very proud of themselves.

"On January 22, 2021, pro-abortion protesters disrupted the Respect Life Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in downtown Columbus Friday, where Bishop Robert Brennan was presiding at an event marking the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Just a taste of things to come."

 

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you." Corinthians 2, chapter 4

Marianacci’s in Port Chester has reopened; 70 years operating restaurant

YIKES! I can recall going there to eat with my family when I was 20.

Jim Marianacci, owner of Marianacci’s, “A Westchester Landmark for 70 Years” and Port Chester’s popular Italian restaurant, just announced that the beloved eatery will re-open for dinner on Friday, January 22, 2021, after being closed due to New York State restrictions since November. “We've been here for 70 years. COVID won't stop us now! We can’t wait to open and see all our wonderful customers. Once we re-open on Friday we will pick up where we left off.”

 

Feast Day today - Saint Marianne Cope

Her canonization was quite recent - 2012. She worked with Saint Father Damien in Hawaii.

St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918), also known as St. Marianne of Molokai, was a German-born American immigrant. She worked in a New York factory before entering the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse. She spent her early years serving as a leader in health care and education. When the Hawaiian government was searching for a religious order to run a station for victims of leprosy, the Syracuse sisters volunteered immediately. Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii in 1883. She devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in Molokai, Hawaii. She also opened a hospital and a school for girls on the island of Maui, and took charge of the home St. Damien of Molokai established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, dignity, and fun into the colony. Despite her direct contact with leprosy patients over many years, she was not afflicted by the disease, which some consider miraculous. She was canonized in 2012 and her feast day is January 23.

Larry King

UPDATE: Bill Donohue of the Catholic League disagrees with me that Larry King was a softball interviewer. He would know much better than I since he was interviewed many times by King and knew him well. And I hardly ever watched Larry King.

Pretty famous CNN host - his show ran 25 years. 87 years old and had COVID. I don't think I watched his show more than a handful of times. Well known for his T ball questions - "President Clinton... how's your family?" "President Bush, how is your new boat?" Also famous for being married seven (or was it eight?) times.

While a cause of death was not given, King was hospitalized with the virus in late December. He had faced a number of health issues over the years, including prostate cancer, type-two diabetes, multiple heart attacks, a lung cancer diagnosis, and a stroke.

 

HA! Amazon wants no mail-in ballots for a unionization vote.

Suddenly, they are against mail-in ballots. I wonder why ... Wait til the Babylon Bee gets hold of this.

Amazon Seeks to Postpone Alabama Unionization Vote. Tech company pushes for in-person union ballot in place of mail-in option allowed due to pandemic

The company Thursday filed an appeal to a decision by the National Labor Relations Board, which is allowing a mail-in process due to Covid-19 risks instead of the in-person elections that are typical in such unionization votes.

The ballots are set to be mailed to about 6,000 workers associated with its Bessemer, Ala. facility on Feb. 8. In its petition, Amazon said the board’s decision was flawed in part because it had not adequately defined an outbreak, among other objections.

Workers are seeking representation from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. A majority of ballots cast would have to choose unionization to gain representation. Hourly Amazon workers have never previously formed or joined a union in the U.S.

*************

Amazon’s appeal is one of a number of steps the company is taking to challenge the election. Amazon also launched a website called DoItWithoutDues.com. On the site, the company asks workers why they would pay a union for benefits such as high wages and health care that the company says it already provides.

Organizers say they are fighting for better working conditions. They have said a union would give workers more leverage in any disputes with the company and allow them to collectively bargain over safety standards, training, breaks, pay and other benefits.

*************

The union vote is emerging as one of a number of labor battles for Amazon, the nation’s second-largest employer with more than 800,000 employees in the U.S., the majority of whom work at warehouse and delivery facilities. While none of its hourly U.S. employees have union representation, it is common for the company across Europe.

************

Organizing efforts gained momentum. Workers at several warehouses have held walkouts or other protests in response to what they said were inadequate safety practices. Amazon in October said more than 19,000 of its workers had tested positive for the coronavirus. Some employees have also alleged they were wrongfully terminated.

New York City last spring opened an investigation into Amazon for their firing of an employee at its Staten Island facility who had spoken out about worker safety. In December, California sued to force Amazon to comply with subpoenas related to an investigation by the state into the company’s coronavirus safety protocols at its warehouses.

Amazon has said it made hundreds of adjustments to make its work environment safer at warehouses, including regularly testing workers for Covid-19, providing temperature screenings and implementing social distancing practices.

Hank Aaron: "didn’t want to be remembered for his home runs"

But he sure could play baseball.

Career: 755 HR (2nd), .305 BA, 2297 RBI (1st), RF/1B, HOF in 1982, 1957 NL MVP, 25xAllStar, 3xGG, Braves/Brewers 1954-1976, b:R/t:R, 4x RBI Leader.

And if you take away his 755 homers, he still had 3016 hits!

“I want to be remembered as someone who was able to — forget about baseball, to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, but forget about baseball — but be able to help mankind, help other people, to do things that necessarily would help people that didn’t have the ability or the know-how like I did,” Aaron said, per USA Today.

News Flash: "Joe Biden Wins Nobel Prize For His Incredible First Day As President"

So he's won it even faster than Obama did! Funny that Trump got nothing for helping to broker the four peace agreements in the Middle East over the last year.

SWEDEN—According to sources in the media, President Biden had an incredible first day in office. After signing executive orders to end racism, global warming, and Republican domestic terrorism, the Norwegian Nobel Committee agreed that this was possibly the best first day in office of any president in history. To recognize this groundbreaking achievement, Biden will be awarded the Nobel Prize in all 6 categories:

Physics - For miraculously causing the sea levels to lower by signing the Paris Climate Accord

• • Chemistry - For his incredible chemistry with the American people 
  • Medicine - For administering life-saving vaccines to millions of people after Trump selfishly hoarded them in his basement 
  • Literature - For writing some of the most compelling speeches and most beautiful tweets ever written
  • Peace - For ensuring a peaceful transfer of power with 30,000 National Guard troops
  • Economic Sciences - For raising the minimum wage-- something no one has ever tried before

"This is astounding. It feels so good to finally have a competent president again," said White House Correspondent Jim Acosta with a tear in his eye.

 

Keystone pipeline cancellation; not impressed and neither is the WSJ

Who needs jobs and energy independence? Note the non-impact on the environment or emissions. I am going to do a 2nd posting on this over the weekend.

Biden’s Keystone Pipeline Kill. On his first day he insults Canada and ends thousands of jobs.

The Obama State Department found five separate times that the pipeline would have no material impact on greenhouse gas emissions since crude would still be extracted. Shipping bitumen by rail or tanker would result in 28% to 42% higher CO2 emissions and more leaks. No matter. President Obama in 2015 rejected the permit as an oblation to the Paris Climate accords.

President Trump gave the right of way, but legal challenges by anti-fossil fuel groups marooned the pipeline and ran out the clock on the Trump years. Now Mr. Biden is yanking Keystone’s permit and rejoining the Paris agreement. Neither action will matter to the climate.

Since 2000 the U.S. has led the world in energy-related emissions reductions as natural gas from shale hydraulic fracturing has replaced coal in power production. China’s Paris commitment doesn’t require it to cut emissions for another decade. Russia’s are set to rise for years. Last November Russian oil giant Rosneft launched a massive exploration project in the Arctic. “Mineral resources will remain a competitive advantage of Russia’s economy, and will determine the place and role of the country in the world,” Russia’s strategic mineral plan says.

Killing Keystone won’t keep fossil fuels in the ground. It will merely strand billions of dollars in Canadian investment and kill thousands of U.S. jobs while enriching adversaries and alienating an ally. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has promised to “use all legal avenues available” to protect its Keystone investment if Mr. Biden killed the pipeline.

TC can avail itself of Nafta’s investor-dispute settlement provision until June 2022, which would allow it to recoup its investment. The company also has a strong legal case that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the President, power over foreign trade and that Mr. Biden’s reversal violates due process.

A source says TC and unions tried to persuade the Biden team by explaining Keystone’s benefits to progressives, including 10,000 American union construction jobs; steel pipe made in the U.S.; a $10 million Green Job Training Fund; $500 million for indigenous suppliers and jobs; and 100% renewable power to operate the pipeline.

No luck, and so TC announced layoffs on Wednesday. On day one Mr. Biden has already managed to kill high-paying, working-class jobs. ...

Mr. Biden is sending an early signal that the climate panic will trump nearly everything else in his Administration. The unstated but operative message from the Keystone kill is that he will use regulation and permitting to do the dirty work.

 

NR: "The March for Life Is a March for Truth"

An editorial from last year, on the 47th anniversary of Roe V. Wade. Of course the March for Life this year will be a Virtual March - and it's next Friday the 29th.

Pro-lifers are marching today, as they do every year, to commemorate a great evil that was done in January 1973 and to express solidarity with its innocent victims. The Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade eliminated legal protections for unborn children in all 50 states, and did so without any justification in the text, original understanding, or history of the Constitution. Since that time, more than 60 million have perished in abortions.

When the Supreme Court issued its diktat, the New York Times called it a “historic resolution of a fiercely controversial issue.” It is to the great credit of pro-lifers that they refused to let the issue be resolved in this unjust and authoritarian way — and instead protested, argued, organized, voted, and litigated to set it right.

Republican presidents and senators, including President Trump and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, have advanced that work a great deal by putting conservative jurists on the bench, and especially on the Supreme Court. That court is hearing a case this year about abortion regulations in Louisiana. It should uphold those regulations, as the Constitution says not a word to suggest that states lack the authority to enact them. As it upholds them, it should declare that it no longer intends to serve as a review board for state legislation on the subject. It should reverse Roe and its successor cases.

That will not be the end of pro-lifers’ work: far from it. But it will be the end of a sad era in which our government treated vulnerable human beings as unpersons as though it were part of our fundamental law. 

Our abortion regime depends on lie after lie: the lie that an unborn child is something other than a living member of the human species; the lie that the Constitution excludes them from the possibility of protection; the lie that abortion is necessary for women to flourish. The March for Life is also a March for Truth, and it is time for the justices finally to speak it.

"Broadchurch": detective drama/murder mystery is great!

I rarely post anything like this but on the very offhand recommendation of Joe we watched the eight part British Series "Broadchurch". Actually only season one - there are two more for us to look forward to...

Great story, great acting, great writing. One catch - it's on Netflix, so if you don't have Netflix, not sure where else you can see it. Each episode is 45 minutes so we watched two a night. Can't see how anyone who starts watching could not follow it all the way through. The two lead actors are David Tennant and Olivia Colman (who won Academy Award, Best Actress as Queen Anne in the 2018 movie The Favourite). They are both fantastic, as is the whole ensemble cast. Slight spoiler - the killer is found at the end of season one (good luck figuring it out) so we are not sure where the next two seasons go - but are looking forward to them.

XTRA - Three of the people in the show have been Dr. Who in the British science fiction Dr. Who series.... and one of them is the current Dr. Who.

Inauguration Poem - 22 yo Amanda Gorman

Amazing. I couldn't do this in a million years. She is the first "Youth Poet Laureate", named such in 2017 when she was 19. I put the text from the end of the poem (the best part I think) after the video.

 

But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change, our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
With every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the west.
We will rise from the wind-swept north-east where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked south.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
In every known nook of our nation, in every corner called our country,
our people, diverse and beautiful, will emerge, battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.

The Inauguration today

I didn't vote for Mr. Biden but here's hoping he will represent the entire country and have a unifying vision - with policies and not just rhetoric. I can't remember the last time I watched an Inauguration and I won't break my streak, but I will see the speech on youtube sometime during the day or evening. And then no doubt listen to a few pundits put their own spin on it. It will be weird having a virtual Inauguration. Very glad Trump suggested praying for Biden and his administration.

WSJ: "First conspiracy charges filed over riot"

Really bad, really dumb. Shameful.

FBI says communications among alleged Oath Keepers showed talk of ‘sticking together and sticking to the plan’; directions for making explosives with bleach found in one home

WASHINGTON—Prosecutors filed conspiracy charges related to the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, saying in a new complaint that three rioters had acted in an “organized and practiced fashion” and communicated before the breach to create a plan. A search of one of their homes had turned up directions for making explosives from bleach, according to the complaint.

The three were allegedly part of a group that approached the east side of the Capitol and tried to push their way through a set of center doors in between the House and the Senate wings as a separate mob of pro-Trump supporters battled a thin line of police officers on the west entrance during the riot. The complaint marks the first time conspiracy charges have been filed in connection with the events of Jan. 6.

Around eight to 10 people wearing helmets, reinforced vests and clothing with paraphernalia identifying themselves of the right-wing militia group Oath Keepers moved in a tactical fashion and forced their way to the front of the crowd, a video cited in the complaint shows.

During the breach, one of the members allegedly communicated: “We have a good group. We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan,” the new complaint said.

Cable News race: FOX news trails CNN & MSNBC for 1st time in 20 years.

Ouch! Actually a blow out and I think they just revamped some of their line-up. Chris Cuomo and Company will be happy.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fox News Channel, which ended 2020 as the most-watched network in all of basic cable, finished third among cable news channels last week as power shifted in the U.S. Senate and rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Nielsen data showed on Tuesday.

AT&T Inc’s CNN topped cable networks with roughly 2.8 million viewers per day from Jan. 4 through Sunday, and 4.2 million in primetime, according to the ratings data.

For that same period, Comcast Corp’s MSNBC attracted 2.3 million per day and 3.8 million in primetime. Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp, drew about 1.7 million per day and 3.2 million in primetime.

 

Some video from "mostly" peaceful protests at Trump's 2017 inauguration

So, as they say in school let's do a "compare and contrast" with tomorrow's inauguration. No doubt all the media outlets will be looking for violent demonstrations. There will be 26,000 armed National Guard there.

How the President-elect is spending MLK Day

A good start and nice tone to the next several days. Harris and her husband are doing the same thing as another location.

 

On MLK Day, a look at Antifa book burners

A short video. The location is a long-serving independent bookstore in Portland, where the author Andy Ngo, a descendant of Vietnamese immigrants would have expected his soon to be released book Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy would be sold. Ngo was beaten up in Portland last summer by Antifa mostly peaceful protestors. He had a mild subdural hemorrhage (Mild? Because it wasn't my head). You would think the bookstore would of course sell his book, but after days of harassment by Antifa types they announced they would not. Here's a brief video of a melee outside the bookstore several days ago. Antifa in black.

“Beard assailant is ‘norfjordan’ also known as Jordan Fletcher while the gold spiked mask is ‘ikechibeats’ AKA "warlxrd_mxrpheus" AKA Icky the Nasty on OnlyFans AKA Leonard Houston” [Twitter: @AlanBings]"

Breakfast

YIKES! Will keep the person who sent this to me a secret...

Former AG (under Bush) Michael Mukasey on impeachment

Mukasey, who has had along and distinguished career as a lawyer and judge.

"Out-Of-Work Waitress Excited To See Congress Spend Time Impeaching Trump Again"

BB - how true!

SAINT PAUL, MN—With Democrats in control of Congress, Americans are looking forward to seeing their elected representatives put the needs of the American people first. Democrats have responded by pursuing the one thing every American affected by devastating lockdowns needs: another Trump impeachment.

According to experts, there are millions of struggling Americans-- many of whom are completely destitute-- wondering where their next Trump impeachment is coming from.

Local unemployed waitress and single mother Alissa Martins spoke to reporters, saying she is "very happy" about this development.

"I haven't made a dime in over 3 weeks," said the struggling young mother. "But I'm so glad Congress came through to provide the one thing that can sustain me through this difficult time: impeaching Trump again! Trump impeachment is the sustenance I need right now. I used to think food and shelter were essential, but now I realize that impeaching Trump is so much more important. Thank you, Nancy Pelosi!"

Democrats in Congress have announced many more crowd-pleasing impeachments of Trump in the future. Sources close to Nancy Pelosi say they will likely work to impeach Trump several times over the next two years.

Feds now say no evidence Capitol rioters meant to 'capture and assassinate' officials

Well, glad to hear it.

Federal authorities said Friday that there is "no direct evidence of kill and capture teams" among the Capitol rioters, walking back claims outlined in court documents that attackers sought to apprehend and "assassinate elected officials."-assassinate-officials/4174807001/

Bus accident in the Bronx -amazing no one killed

Wow. Here is a brief video from the Guardian (UK) and then a longer one explaining what must have happened.

Here's perhaps what happened

 

China "Belt & Road" initiative: "trading infrastructure for influence"

Part of China's ongoing effort to become the dominant economic (and military) force in the world.  I almost didn't watch this - though it was too long. BUT well worth watching. The world our children/grandchildren may be inheriting. And here's an excellent book on the subject - China's Vision of Victory.

Twitter insider video of CEO Jack Dorsey - more censorship coming

He mentions Q Anon a tiny group of far right conspiracy nuts, but not Antifa a much bigger and more threatening group. I wonder why? That's a rhetorical question...

 

PBS lead attorney fired; said children of Trump supporters should be put into "re-education camps"

Did he think  he was being funny? No. I heard the video, he wasn't joking around about re-education camps - did laugh about throwing molotov cocktails at the White House if Trump won.

He also called them "enlightenment camps" and said that "they're nice. They have Sesame Street characters in the classroom, and they watch PBS all day."

 

A PBS staff attorney is out of a job after saying on a secretly recorded video that the federal government should take children away from people who voted for President Donald Trump and put them in "reeducation camps."

The very liberal Glenn Greenwald on parler and the Washington Capitol riot

At least according to Greenwald (no supporter of Trump and he won the Pullitzer Prize for helping Edward Snowden reveal the scale of US Government surveillance programs) most of the organizing was done on the other social media.

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1348619731734028293

The Chinese developed vaccine is rubbish

A report from the Wall Street Journal -

Brazilian researchers testing China’s Sinovac Vaccine said that full data showed it to be 50.38% effective against Covid-19 in late-stage trials, almost 30 percentage points lower than previously announced, as concerns grow over the study’s transparency.

SÃO PAULO—China’s effort to boost its image by providing Covid-19 vaccines to the developing world suffered a setback after one of its leading inoculation candidates turned out to be 50% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed.

While Sinovac’s CoronaVac efficacy rate still meets the 50% threshold the World Health Organization considers good enough for widespread use, scientists said a lack of transparency about the data risks damaging the credibility of a vaccine Brazilians and others world-wide are already reluctant to take.

Brazil’s Butantan Institute, a São Paulo-based public institute that is the first to complete late-stage trials of the CoronaVac vaccine, had said last week that it was shown to be 78% effective and offer total protection against severe cases of the disease.

But after rising pressure from Brazilian scientists, some of whom accused the trial’s organizers of misleading the public, Butantan said Tuesday those rates only included volunteers who suffered mild to severe cases of Covid-19. When data from all volunteers was considered—including those who contracted “very mild” cases of Covid-19 and required no medical assistance—the total efficacy rate fell to 50.4%, Butantan said.

Sen. Josh Hawley - no friend of liberals - being "canceled" for questioning election results

Evil Josh! You can only object to election results if you are ... well whatever.

Elon Musk TED Talk - here's what the Tesla founder said seven years ago

Elon Musk has said what he's going to do. Very interesting background - tough family situations. He certainly has followed through.

 

Thoughtful article: "Miami Will Be Underwater Soon. Its Drinking Water Could Go First"

The article below is from August, 2018 and the issues it addresses haven't gotten any easier.  And here is an article and video from the excellent PBS series, Sinking Cities, about Miami. Besides Miami, London, Tokyo, and New York are looked at in separate episodes.

Here is the Business Week article. It takes 12 minutes to read.

Yoder, 71, is deputy director of the county’s water and sewer department; his job is to think about how to defend the county’s fresh drinking water against the effects of climate change. A large man with an ambling gait, Yoder exudes the calm of somebody who’s lived with bad news for a long time. “We have a very delicate balance in a highly managed system,” he said in his rumbly voice.

From ground level, greater Miami looks like any American megacity—a mostly dry expanse of buildings, roads, and lawns, sprinkled with the occasional canal or ornamental lake. But from above, the proportions of water and land are reversed. The glimmering metropolis between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades reveals itself to be a thin lattice of earth and concrete laid across a puddle that never stops forming. Water seeps up through the gravel under construction sites, nibbles at the edges of fresh subdivisions, and shimmers through the cracks and in-between places of the city above it.

Miami-Dade is built on the Biscayne Aquifer, 4,000 square miles of unusually shallow and porous limestone whose tiny air pockets are filled with rainwater and rivers running from the swamp to the ocean. The aquifer and the infrastructure that draws from it, cleans its water, and keeps it from overrunning the city combine to form a giant but fragile machine. Without this abundant source of fresh water, made cheap by its proximity to the surface, this hot, remote city could become uninhabitable.

The conclusion, in the last three paragraphs:

That leaves the cruelest lesson of climate adaptation: The costs of saving Miami will mostly fall on the people who live here—testing how much they’re willing to pay for the privilege, a sort of free-market Darwinism for the life of whole cities. “There will always be drinking water here,” says Virginia Walsh, a hydrogeologist with Yoder’s department. “It’s just a question of how much you want to pay for it.” 

Stoddard, the South Miami mayor, says the people who already have homes here will accept almost any price to stay. But those who would otherwise come to South Florida will start looking at the growing cost of protecting it—measured in water rates, in property taxes, in insurance premiums, in uncertain future home sales—and go elsewhere.

“People will hang on with their fingernails to keep what they’ve got,” Stoddard says. “But who’s going to move here? And that’s what’s going to kill us.”

 

 

 

Miami doctor dies after receiving the Covid vaccine

Tragic. And my conspiracy theory friends will be all over this.

https://thejewishvoice.com/2021/01/miami-doctor-dies-after-receiving-first-dose-of-pfizer-covid-vaccine/

Heidi Neckelmann, the widow of Dr. Gregory Michael, said her husband was vaccinated on Dec. 18, and died 16 days later. He was 56 years old, according to Sputnik. Patients typically receive a second dose of the vaccine 3 weeks after the first. Neckelmann also shared the news in a Facebook post.

The love of my life, my husband Gregory Michael MD

an Obstetrician that had his office in Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach Died the day before yesterday due to a strong reaction to the COVID vaccine.

He was a very healthy 56 year old, loved by everyone in the community delivered hundreds of healthy babies and worked tireless through the pandemic.

He was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at MSMC on December 18, 3 days later he saw a strong set of petechiae on his feet and hands which made him seek attention at the emergency room at MSMC. The CBC that was done at his arrival showed his platelet count to be 0 (A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood.) he was admitted in the ICU with a diagnosis of acute ITP caused by a reaction to the COVID vaccine. A team of expert doctors tried for 2 weeks to raise his platelet count to no avail. Experts from all over the country were involved in his care. No matter what they did, the platelets count refused to go up. He was conscious and energetic through the whole process but 2 days before a last resort surgery, he got a hemorrhagic stroke caused by the lack of platelets that took his life in a matter of minutes.

He was a pro vaccine advocate that is why he got it himself.

I believe that people should be aware that side effects can happened, that it is not good for everyone and in this case destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family, and has affected so many people in the community

Do not let his death be in vain please save more lives by making this information news.

 

Three days after vaccination, small spots began to appear on Gregory Michael’s feet and hands. In response, he went to the emergency room at Mount Sinai. As his blood count was not in the normal ranges, he was admitted to the intensive care unit, according to Heidi Neckelmann. Unfortunately, shortly after, he suffered a stroke and died.

Brigid's poem - 28 second video

Haha. Nice. Good for the New Year. That is Yorkminster Cathedral - in York where Brigid spent her formative years.

 

NY State expands access to the vaccine

From the NY Post.

Expansion from just hospital workers, paramedics and seniors who live in nursing homes.

Under the rules, those in Group 1B — the second-highest priority category — will be able to get their first dose of the two-shot inoculations. It covers New Yorkers who are 75 or older, teachers, police, firefighters, bus drivers, train operators and other frontline city and MTA staff.

??? ABC News: Biden Covid advisor kind of OK with wealthy jumping the vaccine line

Even the interviewer was taken aback. Presumably a quick statement will come out saying the young doctor misspoke. A little more education about the vaccine would go a long way instead of the weird idea she seems to be suggesting.

Biden COVID adviser: ‘Not the worst situation ever’ if wealthy cut vaccine line

    "Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, discusses vaccine dose distribution and whether it’s a problem for the wealthy to cut in line."

 

Austin Ruse: "Not Part of My Movement"

Austin Ruse heads a Catholic NGO (non governmental agency) at the UN. As such, he is frequently attacked by parts of the media. Comes with the territory.

My wife was at the rally in Washington DC yesterday. She went in a small bus with a handful of conservative men and women, most of them well into their 60s. A friend of ours was there with her children. There were many children there. Participants were given specific instructions in advance about how to avoid the violence perpetrated by leftists upon Trump supporters, something we have now seen for years.

My wife says several hundred thousand were there at the Ellipse and stretching across the Mall and past the Washington Monument. She said it was larger than the largest March for Life she has ever seen. The rally began at 7 a.m. and ended after the president spoke sometime around 1 p.m. Then, like pretty much every Washington DC protest rally, participants marched up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.  

The Capitol was fenced off well down the hill from that historic building. Scaffolding had been set up in advance of the upcoming presidential swearing-in. Inside, Congress was meeting to count the Electoral College votes and to hear the challenge from members who wanted the Congress to examine charges of election fraud in our recent presidential race.

And then an advance guard of protestors reached a line of fencing manned by Capitol Hill police. Fights broke out between protestors and police. Both sides used bear spray. I watched this live, and my heart just sank. Fighting with police is simply something that conservatives do not do. It is not something that Trump supporters do. We stand on street corners with blue flags supporting the police who spent the summer under assault from the violent left. This did not make sense. It did not make sense that Trump supporters would invade the Capitol and preen in the chairman’s podium or sit with their boots upon the Speaker’s desk.

Nashville news anchor Brian Wilson was there and said it was a small group of very determined people who decided they were going inside the Capitol. I am firmly convinced that Antifa had a hand in this. I firmly believe they dressed in MAGA gear and went to cause trouble. (NOTE. We will find out if he's correct when they process those arrested.) I think it will be shown that they had a hand in making this happen. But I also firmly believe that Trump supporters went along, happily went along. They fought with cops. They invaded and occupied the Capitol. This is disgusting. It is an insult to all the other Trump supporters who were there that day, including my wife and our friends.

*******************

There is another ridiculous call for Trump’s impeachment because he caused this. It is almost as silly as the thought that Congress would overturn the recent election. I do not believe that President Trump caused today’s riot in the Capitol. There is a great deal of anger in the country directed toward our institutions, including the Congress. And I agree with most of it. But there is no excuse for what happened today. True conservatives have no problem unequivocally condemning it. 

Our country is in deep trouble. But it did not start today in Washington, D.C. 

One of the things noted by several persons I've seen commenting, is that the crowd was notably older then your typical youthful types at these sorts of events.

Good idea from WSJ: "A Moment America Could Use Now"

A Biden visit to the White House

President Donald Trump has already had Covid-19 and President-elect Joe Biden has received a vaccine, so both men should feel comfortable with the concept of an unmasked and hearty handshake. Whether they feel comfortable sharing one with each other is another question. But it’s hard to think of a better therapy right now to enhance the public health of America’s political discourse.

Some readers may think that recent history makes such an event impossible. But as Washington miracles go, this political therapeutic should be much easier to achieve than getting the FDA to make the quick decisions it rendered in 2020.

Mr. Trump has recognized that regardless of his beliefs about what happened in last year’s elections, Joe Biden will be our new President on Jan. 20. Mr. Trump could now render a public service by going beyond a grudging acknowledgment of reality and offering a warm White House welcome to his successor.

The people have voted. States have certified the results. The courts have turned aside legal challenges to the election results. This is no time for an airing of grievances or perceived grievances. A respectful meeting could do some good.

Four years ago, Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times reported from Washington:

One by one, the Democratic lawmakers stepped to the microphone on Friday, holding on to their letters and an impossible dream: denying the presidency to Donald J. Trump, two weeks before his inauguration.

And one by one, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — presiding over a joint session of Congress to validate the Electoral College results in Mr. Trump’s victory — turned back their challenges with a stoic message, pounding his gavel without hesitation.

“It is over,” Mr. Biden said at one point, as Republicans rose to their feet to cheer.

After weeks of fitful grumblings about the long-shot maneuvers that might obstruct Mr. Trump’s path to the White House, the proceedings on Friday appeared to close the book.

Fortunately four years ago such attempts to deny the results of the election were not followed by an event like Wednesday’s disgraceful assault on the Capitol by protesters who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Perhaps the appalling event will finally persuade politicians of all stripes to condemn violent protests and assaults on federal property, whether or not they agree with the underlying cause.