A legal source confirmed to Reuters that Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, had been detained under this pretense. He is in custody at the Chai Wan police station, a police sergeant told Reuters. The officer said Zen is being questioned for his involvement.
The other four who were arrested included senior barrister Margaret Ng, activist and pop singer Denise Ho, former lawmaker Cyd Ho, and former academic Hui Po-keung, Reuters noted.
Zen gained notoriety for speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party regime and its repression of pro-democracy dissenters in Hong Kong as well as Catholics in the country.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Horrible. Meanwhile our diplomacy efforts for over the past year have been a disaster (and I don't believe it's the fault of Secretary of State Blinken).
The warning on Tuesday came in an assessment from intelligence chiefs briefing the Senate on worldwide threats. The prediction for Ukraine was a long, gruelling war of attrition, which could lead to increasingly volatile acts of escalation from Putin, including full mobilisation, the imposition of martial law, and – if the Russian leader felt the war was going against him, endangering his position in Moscow – even the use of a nuclear warhead.
The grim forecast came on a day of continued fighting in the east and south of Ukraine, and Russian missile attacks on the port of Odesa, with the UN conceding that the civilian death toll from the war will probably be far higher than the current official estimate of 3,381.
The director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, told the Senate armed services committee that Putin would continue to brandish Russia’s nuclear arsenal in an attempt to deter the US and its allies from further support for Ukraine. The shift of focus to the east and the south are most likely a temporary tactic rather than a permanent scaling back of war aims, she said.
The Russian leader would not use a nuclear weapon until he saw an existential threat to Russia or his regime, Haines argued. But she added that he could view the prospect of defeat in Ukraine as constituting such a threat.
“We do think that [Putin’s perception of an existential threat] could be the case in the event that he perceives that he is losing the war in Ukraine, and that Nato in effect is either intervening or about to intervene in that context, which would obviously contribute to a perception that he is about to lose the war in Ukraine,” Haines told the committee hearing.
She added that the world would probably have some warning that nuclear use was imminent.
“There are a lot of things that he would do in the context of escalation before he would get to nuclear weapons, and also that he would be likely to engage in some signaling beyond what he’s done thus far before doing so,” Haines said.
More if you hit the link above.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Here are a few of our ideas for things Elon should buy and fix next:
Facebook: And bring back poking!
ESPN: Make it about sports again!
Apple Inc.: Then officially rename "pregnant man emoji" to "Bill Gates emoji."
The show Firefly: And announce 12 new seasons.
US Congress: Just launch it into the sun.
Public schools: And make them stop grooming.
Zach Snyder’s Justice League: Reinsert Superman’s mustache!
Texas Roadhouse: Change the whole menu to just the rolls with honey cinnamon butter.
LeCroix: Add flavor
Your mom: And make her lose some weight.
Wordle: And make it impossible to share your score.
Chick-Fil-A: ...And keep everything the same.
Spider-Man 3: Make the whole movie one extended goth Peter Parker dance scene.
BLM: Make them actually care about black lives.
Mitt Romney: Install testicles.
Amy Schumer: Make her stop.
Chrysler Motors: Bring back the PT Cruiser!
Pfizer: Maybe he can get the vaccines to work.
Frisbees: I throw them straight but they don't go straight! Why do they keep curving?!
Our teenagers: No, seriously--do you want them?
Bill Gates: Install an empathy chip using Neuralink.
Democratic Party: Make them care about the people they serve rather than just obtaining power.
Republican Party: Make them care about the people they serve rather than just obtaining power.
Libertarian Party: Scrap for parts.
Amazon's Lord of the Rings: Burn it to the ground and make everyone involved apologize to JRR Tolkien.
Babylon Bee: Make them come up with a third joke. Also, free Cybertrucks.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Yes the game had it all. Two very good teams fighting for first place.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
He's upset - "She got the dog."
Gates - a weird guy. But yes, very bright. I'm on his email list - he sends one out every so often, mostly discussing the books he's reading.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
From the Jesuit publication, America. Hit the link for the whole article.
The whole experience was hellacious, but most terribly so when the neonatal team concluded the cold truth that this baby was too severely immature to withstand our attempt at resuscitation. She was born on just the wrong side of the cusp of viability; a week or even just a few more days in the womb could have made a life-sustaining difference.
As the baby’s nurse, my first instinct was that the mother should hold her 11-ounce child in these final seconds. However, in such chaos even that comfort was unviable. It turns out Hell’s likeness is a good place to contemplate Heaven, for my very next thought was, This baby needs to be baptized. Baptism was the only act of healing I had left to offer my patient.
“I need water,” I said. “Could someone please bring me water?”
The room stopped.
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When the water for baptism was brought to the bedside, the next most difficult thing to find was the breath with which to speak. Choking on grief, I could not breathe. I opened my mouth and soon shut it when I rapidly realized that the fragile facade my already cracking voice was unearthing would be all consumed by eruptive emotion.
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Unsure of where the words would come from and with warm water dripping from the basin of my fingers, I baptized the baby girl in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I admit, the evangelical expression, “to be born again,” had never before resonated with me. But in the aftermath of the six-minute life of this baby girl, I do believe I watched her be delivered twice, once from life in the womb and once unto One eternal. This brief plunge into the Paschal Mystery was a baptism by fire for me, too.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Pathetic. Where's the denunciation from the President.
Legal analyst Jonathan Turley reported that it was Kavanaugh’s neighbor that organized the protest at the justice’s home. The protest began at a café in Chevy Chase, then activists marched to the homes of Roberts and Kavanaugh.
According to the Code of Virginia, “Any person who shall engage in picketing before or about the residence or dwelling place of any individual, or who shall assemble with another person or persons in a manner which disrupts or threatens to disrupt any individual’s right to tranquility in his home, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.”
Late Friday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had a message for the radical abortion activists who think they can bully the Supreme Court into revising its draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade: You can’t bully us.
Thomas spoke at the 11th Circuit judicial conference in Atlanta where he discussed the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion for the first time.
As a society, “we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don’t like,” Thomas said.
“We can’t be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that.,” Thomas said, according to reports.
Chief Justice John Roberts spoke at the same conference Thursday, where he called the leak “absolutely appalling.” He, too, said the violence and attacks form pro-abortion activists would not influence the Supreme Court’s final decision.
Pro-life pregnancy centers and pro-life advocates already have been the targets of vandalism, violence and harassment this week in response to the news. At least one Catholic church has, too, and more seems likely in the days ahead. Abortion activists bombed a pro-life group’s office, causing extensive damage.
Monday, May 09, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
The first video is view from above for the last 50 seconds of the race, with a pointer on First Strike
And here is another look at the race with First Strike pointed out through the race and additional commentary. It ends with a sad tale about the trainer Eric Reid and a fire at his thoroughbred stable in 2016.
Monday, May 09, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is off substack - hopefully you can access the whole short article. I excerpted half of it.
“I can’t eat an iPad!” someone in the audience shouted back.
I was reminded of this story recently while standing in the checkout line of my local grocery store. An elderly neighbor standing in front of me saw the total price of her purchases flash up on the screen. For a moment, her eyes registered shock. Then I heard her mutter, “That sure doesn’t feel like $150 worth of groceries.”
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I didn’t have the heart to tell her that a bag of groceries isn’t included in what’s called the “core inflation” measurement. That’s because energy and food prices are subject to sudden variations caused by events like crop failures or war. Fluctuations in the price of a carton of milk are not thought to tell us much about long-term inflationary trends.
The problem is people still have to spend their hard-earned dollars on food and gas—and there’s no reason to assume that spiking inflation doesn’t affect that.
Making matters worse is the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve, which measure inflation, have long relied on measurements that make it appear as if inflation is not as bad as it really is.
Case in point: your house.
Sunday, May 08, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
I'm no horse racing fan but what a race. The announcer doesn't call Rich Strike name until the last seven or eight seconds!
This from the Wall Street Journal - The Derby winner was slated as an alternate in the race until Ethereal Road scratched on Friday
Here's the whole race. Look for #21, jockey mostly in red. Coming out of the blocks it's the horse furthest to the left - the worst place to start.
From the Journal -
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The chain of events that led to one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby began on Friday morning in Barn 44 at Churchill Downs. A horse named Ethereal Road didn’t seem like himself.
“I thought the last couple of days, Ethereal Road wasn’t as sharp and wasn’t as focused as he was earlier in the week,” said his 86-year-old Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. “I thought he was a little bit flat. I didn’t think that he was moving as well.”
Lukas scratched Ethereal Road and created the opportunity for one of the greatest understudy performances of all time. His replacement, an alternate, Rich Strike, entered the starting gate here as an 80-1 long shot on Saturday—and then stormed up the rail from far back in a crowded field to win the 148th running of the Derby.
Trained by Eric Reed and ridden by Sonny Leon, Rich Strike outgunned two of the race’s favorites, Epicenter and Zandon, in the homestretch to win America’s most prestigious horse race. Epicenter held on for second, while Zandon finished third.
A $2 win bet on Rich Strike paid $163.60 in the second-biggest upset in Derby history. A 50-cent trifecta wager of the top three finishers paid $7,435.35, while a $1 superfecta of the top four finishers, with 35-1 shot Simplification in fourth, paid $321,500.10.
Donerail in 1913 won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 91-1.
“I didn’t think [Rich Strike] would win, but I knew if he got in, they would know who he was when the race was over,” said Reed.
The blistering pace of the race is what ultimately set up for a late-running closer like Rich Strike.
Sunday, May 08, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Good piece by Charlie Gasparino. Hit the link for the whole column which takes about four minutes to read.
That’s why we had wild, nearly 2,000-point swing in the Dow in two days. Up 932 on Wednesday, it closed 1,063 down on Thursday — because Powell conducts a monetary policy that appears to have no firm mission.
Does Powell really want to clamp down on inflation that is raging toward double digits and eating away at the incomes of working-class Americans? A couple of weeks ago he said he did, with a vengeance. Inflation is after all the most important part of the Fed’s dual mandate (price stability traditionally comes before promoting economic growth). Stocks began to sell off; bond yields rose.
Then Wednesday he revealed that it really wasn’t top of mind and that he doesn’t want to be too hawkish. He favors 50 basis point increases to interest rates rather than, say, 75 basis points.
There will also be no massive unwinding of the Fed’s balance sheet, which further reduces the money supply and squeezes excesses out of an inflated economy and speculative markets.
That’s because Powell now claims the inflationary threat is being overblown; the economy and the markets can remain in overdrive with just a few tweaks. Markets rallied on the “relief” that Powell had become a more dovish chief, who was willing to accept inflation and not do anything to disrupt asset prices.
Something changed Thursday again, and that something is the realization among many investors that Powell doesn’t have a clue. Was he downplaying inflation for financial reasons or as a political calculation for President Biden? Powell has a lousy track record in this regard. He got bullied by then-President Trump to back off interest rate increases when the economy was roaring a few years ago and the Fed had a shot at finally normalizing rates that have been kept absurdly low since the financial crisis.
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The uncertainty and whipsawing markets will likely continue for some time because no one knows what to expect: The second coming of the legendary inflation hawk Paul Volcker or Powell contorting himself into the free-spending Janet Yellen
Saturday, May 07, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, May 07, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
UPDATE: Here's the planned demonstration at the Justices' houses. "Pro-Abortion Group Publicizes Conservative Supreme Court Justices’ Home Addresses ahead of Planned Protests"
Totally expected. And it's going to get worse.
From Catholic Vote -
Shame on them.
In the wake of this week’s brazen leak of Justice Alito’s Dobbs draft opinion, the wrath of pro-abortion activists has been unleashed.
A group named “Ruth Sent Us” is now calling for disruption and violence in Catholic churches, as well as protests outside the private homes of Supreme Court justices and their families. These radicals even published the justices’ home addresses.
They know the Catholic Church has for 2,000 years protected vulnerable mothers and their infants against all odds. And they hate us for it.
But our “Catholic” president has been silent. He has failed to condemn these domestic terrorist threats against his own people.
Shame on him.
Friday, May 06, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (6)
In Mt. Vernon to be exact, in a residential area. Very close to Mt Vernon HS. A few years ago a friend of mine had a small dog snatched by coyote (or coyotes, can't remember) while he was walking his dog and another on Croton Point. Never saw his dog again.
No mention of what happened to this dog - hopefully OK.
Friday, May 06, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Nine deaths. We had moderna.
However, the agency determined that the benefits of the vaccine “outweigh the known and potential risks” for adults who either cannot receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or who refuse to take any Covid vaccine except Johnson & Johnson’s. This means that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is authorized only for individuals who cannot receive an mRNA vaccine or refuse to do so.
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The blood clots cited by the FDA on Thursday develop as part of a rare condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. In all, the FDA and CDC have confirmed 60 cases of the syndrome in people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine up to March 18, 2022, with nine confirmed fatalities. Patients with TTS first recorded symptoms one to two weeks after receiving the shot.
Close to 17 million Americans have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since it was first authorized for emergency use, according to the CDC. Meanwhile, over 76 million Americans have received the Moderna vaccine and 126 million have received Pfizer’s vaccine.
Thursday, May 05, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
“We really thought Musk was going to pull this one out,” said Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. “The yes votes had a strong lead when I went to bed last night, but that was before we counted all the mail-in votes that one of our employees found in locker 142 at the bus terminal.”
When the final votes were tallied, the takeover bid failed by a final tally of 10 votes for, 138,000 votes against. While the final result came as a shock to most observers, Agrawal said the election was fair. “Twitter takes election integrity very seriously,” he noted. “I can confidently say this was the most secure election in American history.”
A shocked Musk took to Twitter Tuesday to express his outrage. “Those ballots…that’s a whole big scam,” Musk tweeted. “The only way I could have lost is if this was rigged! I refuse to accept the results of this vote!”
Musk later tweeted that he was planning a demonstration at Twitter headquarters on May 6 to protest the results. His account was then permanently suspended by Twitter for questioning the integrity of the election.
Thursday, May 05, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Yup. And inflation. We know what the two, togther are called ...
Thursday, May 05, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
To go along with Monday's wordle - an Ace!
Thursday, May 05, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
On a quick evening jaunt over the Croton Dam and then a drive to Croton Point -
Brigid on the Dam - isn't she ridiculously thin? 101lbs with her shoes and clothes on!
And at Croton Point we spotted a groundhog. Can you see him?
Here he(she?) is -
And a zoom in ...
We then decided to check out the opsreys nesting on top of the cell tower at the back of the Harmon railway station parking lot.
The amazing nest they've returned to for several years (ospreys mate for life - unless the male does a bad job of building the nest - then he gets the boot!)
A slightly different angle - can you see the osprey on guard duty?!
Brigid, a ground hog and an osprey - I have it all - what a life!
Wednesday, May 04, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Yes the return of 1984 - Orwell was a prophet!
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a darkened room in Washington, faithful followers of the Biden administration gathered dutifully for this morning's Two Minutes Hate. Every day, zealous disciples of the Party come together to rile one another up in hatred and anger over a different target of the Party's wrath. Recent objects of the Two Minutes Hate include LibsofTikTok, Elon Musk, and The Babylon Bee.
Today, it was Tucker Carlson.
The crowd writhed and jeered, slowly building in energy and hate as images of Carlson appeared on screen with words flashing across such as "racist", "white supremacist", and "look at that dazzling smile, it's terrible!"
"Boo!" jeered the crowd, which was made up mostly of journalists and politicians. "Boo! Tucker is the king of filth, the king of slime!" Every member of the crowd attempted to outdo everyone else in their show of hatred for Carlson. ...
The Two Minutes Hate crescendoed in wild jeers, hissing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth as the screen proclaimed, "TUCKER CARLSON: PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE," and all the gathered journalists and other Party members rushed the stage in a frenzy to tear down the image of Carlson, though they didn't do much damage, not having much upper body strength.
At publishing time, the Ministry of Truth had published this morning's headline, approved by the Party, which read, "How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable."
Wednesday, May 04, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Liar! Bring on the Ministry of Truth! Away with him!
JERUSALEM—Religious experts have begun voicing concerns that a local carpenter’s disinformation is spreading among Israelites most susceptible to unapproved ideas.
“Visit your nearest synagogue for the latest information on how to obey God. Listen to the experts!” A contingent of authorities in Jewish law spoke out against the carpenter’s simple teaching about loving God and your neighbor. “Follow the data—we need tithes, loopholes, and ever-changing rules, not repentant hearts!”
The usually divided Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes showed solidarity in fact-checking Jesus’s teaching. “We rate Jesus’s teaching as ‘Needs Context,’" said a spokesman for the group.
Eyewitnesses have confirmed that a group of Independent Fact Checkers followed the carpenter around holding large signs with disclaimers above his head: “SINCE YOUR SERMON INCLUDES INFORMATION ABOUT OBEYING GOD’S LAW, WE’VE ADDED DIRECTIONS TO THE NEAREST SYNAGOGUE.”
At publishing time, the religious experts were conspiring with the government to keep the dangerous disinformation from spreading into Judea, Samaria, or to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Tuesday, May 03, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Tuesday, May 03, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
HA! She's an election clerk and is also running for Secretary of State in Colorado.
The local TV channel does not allow embedding of their videos (Silly). But you can see it here -
And below is an article from the NY Times. She tampered with the equipment after the 2020 election - must have been an election in 2021?
A grand jury indicted Ms. Peters on both felony and misdemeanor charges, including counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state.
Tuesday, May 03, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 03, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Why were they denied in the first place?
The 9-0 decision, authored by liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, overturned a lower court's ruling that the rejection of Camp Constitution and its director Harold Shurtleff did not violate their rights to freedom to speech under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. President Joe Biden's administration backed Camp Constitution in the case.
Boston's flag-raising program was aimed at promoting diversity and tolerance among the city's different communities. In turning down Camp Constitution, Boston had said that raising the cross flag could appear to violate another part of the First Amendment that bars governmental endorsement of a particular religion.
As a result of the litigation, Boston last October halted the program to ensure that the city cannot be compelled to "publicize messages antithetical to its own." Boston has said that requiring it to open the flagpole to "all comers" could force it to raise flags promoting division or intolerance, such as a swastika or a terrorist group.
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has taken an expansive view of religious rights and has been increasingly receptive to arguments that governments are acting with hostility toward religion.
Monday, May 02, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
They are totally right; people who pick up the bill will be folks who did not go to college, folks who paid off their debt, and families (like ours) that never took on any student debt.
WSJ: The Taxpayer Con of the Century
Remember how Democrats sold their student loan takeover as a money-saver? Now millions of borrowers can’t or don’t want to repay their loans, so President Biden says he may cancel their debt. The taxpayers who repaid their loans or didn’t go to college will pay instead.
The Administration has repeatedly extended what was supposed to be a temporary pause on student loan payments and interest accrual. This reprieve has cost the government $100 billion and counting—money that Congress hasn’t appropriated. Now Democrats want Mr. Biden to compound the damage to taxpayers and the Constitution by writing off loans by presidential fiat.
Most borrowers don’t need debt relief, but Democrats are hoping to buy themselves political relief before the midterm elections. Young people have soured on President Biden, and Democrats worry they will be as motivated to vote this November as they were to attend a 9 a.m. class. Democrats plan to bribe them to the polls. This week Mr. Biden told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that he is weighing options, but “you’re going to like what I do on that,” as one Member related.
Federal student loans were established as part of the Great Society to help low-income students. Yet step by step, Democrats have turned student loans into an entitlement for academia and the affluent. Rather than make college free on the front end—which might have failed to pass Congress—they want to waive the costs at the back end.
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The Obama Administration expanded these plans to older borrowers. Democrats claimed the plans would reduce defaults and the cost of the loan program. They didn’t. About five million borrowers owing $110 billion are in default, up from 2.1 million owing $31 billion in 2013. Fewer than half of borrowers were even paying down loans before the pandemic.
Because some don’t earn enough to make a dent in their principal, their balances have accrued interest and grown. About one-quarter of all college grads earn less than $30,000 a year, and one in seven makes less than the poverty line, according to a recent survey. College grads without marketable skills or degrees often wind up working low-end jobs.
There’s dignity in work, but you don't need a college degree to pour drinks, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did after graduating. Progressive young people duped by Congress and colleges led the Occupy Wall Street movement, and now some are leading union campaigns against businesses like Starbucks and Amazon. How about occupying Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office?
Others go to grad school and pile on more debt. Federal graduate debt is uncapped, so colleges have added expensive graduate programs to reel in more subsidies. The average borrower who completes a master’s degree in film at New York University owes $113,180 and makes a mere $30,581 three years after graduation.
We don’t mean to pick on NYU. Many colleges saddle students with mortgage-size debts they can’t repay. The amount of debt held by borrowers owing more than $200,000 has grown 69% since 2017, and more than 30% for those owing between $80,000 and $200,000, while shrinking modestly for those owing less than $20,000.
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About 8% of borrowers account for 40% of the $1.6 trillion in federal student debt. Doctors and lawyers from top schools usually can repay their six-figure debt. But others are victims—some willing—of a massive con by government and academia. And now Democrats are demanding that taxpayers make them whole.
Progressives claim that the Higher Education Act of 1965 grants the President sweeping authority to “compromise”—i.e., modify—student loans. Since Congress granted the Education Department the power to create student debt, they argue, the Biden Administration also has the power to cancel it. But Congress didn’t hide Mount Everest in a molehill.
In December 2020, Mr. Biden said it was “pretty questionable” whether he had the authority to cancel debt across the board. But now he may figure that the courts are unlikely to stop him, at least before the November election. Taxpayers and those who repaid their loans won’t have legal standing to sue. Congress might, but Democrats won’t sue.
Writing off loans won’t solve the student loan mess. It merely absolves Democrats and colleges of responsibility for creating it. What a moral, fiscal and democratic outrage.
Monday, May 02, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Not a good performance by me - took nearly 25 minutes. Compare to this one Friday's wordle which took three minutes.
Monday, May 02, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is such a sensible conclusion. See below.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In its first official act, the new DHS Government Disinformation Board ruled today that all criticism of the Government Disinformation Board is disinformation. ...
“The new board has barely begun its work and already many have jumped to the entirely unwarranted conclusion that it will be used to quash free speech," said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "This could not be further from the truth, as everyone in this country has the right to say how much they support and agree with the Biden administration. It is only that speech that we disagree with which will be labeled as disinformation. This follows the well-established practice of media fact-checkers and social media content moderators.”
The ruling further found as “substantially dishonest, false and untrue” all allegations that the work of the board would in any way resemble that of “The Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s 1984. The Board stated: “There is no possible way that we could have been inspired by George Orwell’s 1984 since none of us have read that book or even know who this Orwell person is.”
Nina Jankowicz, President of the Board, concluded the ruling by singing a song to the tune of “Supercalifragilistic” from Mary Poppins. The lyrics, in part, were: “People think our lovely board is somehow quite atrocious, we conclude they suffer from a terrible psychosis, so we will come down on them in ways that are ferocious, please excuse my singing as I’ve got bad halitosis.”
At publishing time, Ms. Jankowicz was still working on choreography to accompany her song, along with a big closing number, “A Spoon Full of Coercion Helps the Propaganda Go Down.”
Sunday, May 01, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
So three of us got Covid last week, probably started with me. The only one who didn't was Tim (His theme - "Get away from me!").
I started to feel a bit bad the prior Thursday or Friday - thought I had some seasonal allergy stuff going on. It got worse on the weekend so Sunday evening I gave myself a home test - and got that blue "positive" line. The only reason I took the test was because I had a routine visit to Sloane Kettering scheduled for Monday morning. I was thinking to just make sure I didn't have Covid - don't want to inadvertently expose a bunch of immune compromised people if I did have it. I would not have tested myself if I didn't have the Sloane meeting.
So I called Sloane early in the morning and my visit switched to an afternoon video telemed meeting, which we've done many times. The bottom line was (1) my tests the previous week were all pristine, including a PET scan since there had been a concern 7 months ago and (2) to contact my own physician for the monoclonal antibody infusion. I had the infusion at Phelps Tuesday afternoon.
My case was very mild - I never had a temperature, just felt rundown, and with cold symptoms. Took decongestants and analgesics and by Tuesday evening felt much better. I self isolated in the house from Monday through Friday, working out of the house. I went for a one and a quarter mile walk Tuesday and longer distances each day (split into two walks each day) through to Friday when I totaled 4.5 miles. The CDC protocol on their website said that for someone with my symptoms who had been vaxxed, I should isolate for five days and then if I had no temperature and symptoms were resolving I could resume normal activities but need to wear a mask if I am out in contact with people for the next five days. So yesterday (Saturday) I got to the gym and had a decent session, all things considered.
Brigid not so lucky; she's had a nasty sore throat and other flu-like symptoms, although only a low grade fever. Brigid had the test in our physician's office but they did not confirm she was positive until Wednesday. They put her on Paxlovid, which statistically cuts the need for hospitalization by 90%. Yesterday (Saturday) I suggested she go for a walk with me but Brigid decided to wait another day.
Joe felt miserable for about three days, but now is pretty much back to normal.
Tim is using his javelin to keep us away ...
Sunday, May 01, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (7)
DISCLOSURE & CAVEAT: Of course note everyone giving financial advise would agree with this.
Obviously the general drop in the market but more especially these two:
1) While the S & P 500 was down -8.78% in April, the technology heavy exchange traded fund QQQ was down -13.6%. QQQ's worse month since the 2008 recession.
2) Consumer Staples stocks (think things we have to have, like food, shampoo, gasoline) were up +2.31%. consumer discretionary stocks (things we might like but don't need like Netflix subscriptions, designer shoes, a new car) were down -11.96%. This is classic action in a recession; necessities (and beer!) are still purchased, while luxury items (and expensive scotch!) purchases are deferred. And the stocks behind these things act accordingly.
Saturday, April 30, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, April 30, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The theory seems to be that if you raise taxes, people will have less money and so be able to buy less things. And the lower demand will force lowering of prices ... So dumb... Read the excerpts below to see what they really are promoting.
Another bright idea from the folks who brought you Modern Monetary Theory.
The same policy wizards who brought you soaring inflation are now offering what they claim is a solution to inflation: Raise taxes. Our advice is to consider the source and the economic record their previous advice produced.
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“If you want to get rid of inflation, the only way to do it is to undo a lot of the Trump tax cuts and raise rates,” Mr. Schumer said after a meeting this week with Mr. Manchin. ...
This argument is probably mere political expedience—any pitch in a storm to convince Mr. Manchin. But to the extent it’s serious, the idea is one tenet of the Modern Monetary Theory school that is fashionable on the left.
“Coordinating higher government spending with higher taxes so that the rest of us are forced to cut back a little to create room for additional government spending,” as MMT evangelist Stephanie Kelton puts it. She says the trick is to “remove spending power from the rest of us” via taxes so the government can fund things like solar panels in California.
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The raise-taxes strategy gets the inflation dilemma exactly backward. Congress and the Federal Reserve pumped up demand for two years to the point that supply couldn’t keep up. The Fed is finally doing its part to suppress demand by belatedly raising interest rates and planning to trim its balance sheet. The main cure for inflation is better monetary policy.
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The only way a tax increase could reduce inflation is if it pushes a slowing economy into recession. We doubt that’s the inflation solution Democrats have in mind.
Friday, April 29, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Good for Derek Stingley who played for LSU and will be playing cornerback for the Houston Texans. Here's how the draft went for him - just scroll down to his name.
Here's the story of his grandfather Darryl, who led a heroic life from a wheelchair before dying in 2007.
Despite a tragic family past, LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. always had a love for football
Here's a picture of three generation of Stingley's - Derek is in the stroller!
Friday, April 29, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
It's a long editorial and the link may not work if you don't have a subscription to the Journal. I've excerpted below the link why they think Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood should be overturned. (The Casey referred to is the late Governor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, who was prolife, not his son who is the current senator from Pennsylvania.)
Judging from the Dec. 1 oral argument in Dobbs, the three liberal Justices would bar the Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks as a violation of Roe and Casey. Justices Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito are likely votes to sustain the law and overturn both precedents. Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett seemed, in their questioning, to side with the three conservatives.
But Chief Justice John Roberts tried during the oral argument to find a middle way. He appeared to want to sustain the Mississippi law on grounds that it doesn’t violate Casey’s test of whether there is an “undue burden” on the ability to obtain an abortion. If he pulls another Justice to his side, he could write the plurality opinion that controls in a 6-3 decision. If he can’t, then Justice Thomas would assign the opinion and the vote could be 5-4. Our guess is that Justice Alito would then get the assignment.
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We hope he doesn’t succeed—for the good of the Court and the country. The Chief’s middle ground might be explainable with some legal dexterity, but it would prolong the Court’s abortion agony. Critics on the left would still lambaste the Court for letting Mississippi’s law stand. And states would soon pass more laws with even narrower restrictions that would eventually force the Justices to overturn Roe and Casey or say the precedents stand on solid ground.
Far better for the Court to leave the thicket of abortion regulation and return the issue to the states. A political uproar would ensue, but then voters would decide on abortion policy through elections—starting in November.
The ability to obtain an abortion would not disappear across the U.S. It might in some states, but in some of those states there are already relatively few clinics that perform abortions. The likeliest result is a multiplicity of laws depending on how the debate and elections go. California might allow abortion until the moment of birth. Mississippi might ban it except in cases of rape or incest.
The Guttmacher Institute, which favors abortion rights, estimates that 26 states “are certain or likely to ban abortion without Roe.” But that means 24 states would allow it, including some of the most populous. Based on a Guttmacher analysis from 2017 on abortions performed in various states, the majority of those abortions would remain legal.
Meanwhile, a movement is already underway to pay for women in restrictive states to travel and obtain abortions elsewhere. Planned Parenthood would have the biggest fund-raising years in its history. Abortion opponents might even be disappointed by the result of the political debate. They would have to make, and win, the moral case against abortion among their fellow citizens.
This is how the American system is supposed to work, as the late Justice Antonin Scalia often wrote. After a series of elections, abortion law will sort itself out democratically. That had started to happen before the Supreme Court intervened in Roe, embittering the abortion debate and damaging the Court.
In Dobbs the Court can say that such a profound moral question should be decided by the people, not by nine unelected judges.
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
A win for fairness. But only 4-3? Good thing the chief judge is an honest Democrat.
“The enactment of the congressional and senate maps by the legislature was procedurally unconstitutional, and the congressional map is also substantively unconstitutional as drawn with impermissible partisan purpose,” according to the ruling by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.
The court said new district maps will be drawn by an individual appointed by the court, instead of the state legislature, in accordance with a ruling by the state Supreme Court, which is lower than the Appeals Court.
The court backs a redistricting plan to be executed “with the assistance of a neutral expert, designated a special master, following submissions from the parties, the legislature, and any interested stakeholders who wish to be heard,” the ruling states.
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Other lower courts have previously ruled in favor of Republicans who claimed that the state legislature’s district maps were unconstitutional.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Hehe. And last line is great.
Chris Wallace’s name started trending along with search terms "unemployed" and "learn to code" when CNN+ shut down this week, but Wallace has voiced a more troubling concern than potential joblessness: his recently-acquired CNN+ tattoo on his lower back.
“I went all-in on CNN after ditching Fox, but now I’m starting to have second thoughts,” Wallace said in an interview with a smirking Peter Doocy, wincing as he touched the still-tender skin just above his buttocks. “I was sure CNN+ was going to be a hit and that I would soar to new heights of relevance! How could this happen?”
Sources confirmed that Wallace is looking into tattoo removal services, but has been told a full removal will be difficult as he got the tattoo in solid black ink. He has also asked for his old job back at Fox but was turned down as Fox has a strict policy against anchors having CNN+ lower-back tattoos. The out-of-work newsman is now hoping for a future career on Dancing With The Stars or The Masked Singer.
At publishing time, Congressman Kevin McCarthy was a few offices over, reportedly looking into tattoo removal services for his “Trump Stamp.”
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
FOX News is constantly launching over the top attacks on this guy. Classless of FOX, even though it is hard to understand how he got the job as "media expert" on CNN.
$300 million CNN $$'s into the dumper. Whew.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | Permalink | Comments (0)
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