Archive for 2022
October 24, 2022
MOST PLASTICS AREN’T RECYCLABLE, GREENPEACE FINDS. “The real solution is to switch to systems of reuse and refill.” You know what were totally reusable and refillable? The old glass pop bottles you returned to the supermarket, 40 years ago. Plus, sometimes you’d get lucky and get a super old-timey one in the carton (like this).
SO, POLITICO SAYS STACY ABRAMS WAS MAKING UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS OF ELECTION FRAUD? SEEMS LIKE A BIG DEAL… “The original complaint included allegations that voting machines were vulnerable to hacking and were switching votes intended for Abrams into votes for Kemp. Fair Fight Action found two voters who said they had to select the button to vote for Abrams four times before the machine’s screen showed a vote for Abrams instead of Kemp. Fair Fight Action removed this allegation in December 2020 in a revised complaint, at the same moment then President Donald Trump was making similar unfounded allegations in his effort to overturn the presidential election results in Georgia.” (Emphasis mine.)
Do you think Politico actually meant to say that Abrams’ allegations were unfounded, or do you think it’s more likely that they so robotically demand fealty to the sacred principles of “Orange Man Bad” that you always have to say Trump’s allegations are unfounded regardless of context? (And yes, I know the story is mostly about funny business with legal fees, but isn’t that pretty much priced in to everything at this point?)
MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE WORRIED SINCE TWITTER HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR BIG MEDIA ENFORCING GOODTHINK: ABC worried that Twitter censorship will decline.
IT’S A BLOODBATH: Chinese stocks crash after Xi Jinping cements absolute power.
In the first day of trading since Xi Jinping effectively secured ultimate power for life at the CCP 20th National Congress, Chinese stocks have crashed.
The Hang Seng Chinese Enterprise index is down 6.7 percent from Friday’s close, and in trading on Monday hit a low of 5,112 – the lowest level in this history of the Index which was launched in 2005.
The broader Hang Seng Index also feel sharply on Monday, down 6 percent to levels last seen during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.
“This is a level of panic that appears inconsistent with recent developments. Not even stronger than expected econ numbers could stem the tide. But who can blame them? COVID Zero plus US tensions plus post National Party Congress uncertainties proving too much now,” said Brian Tycangco from Stansberry Research.
Earlier:
● September 5th: China’s Economy is Headed for One of the Largest Meltdowns Ever.
● July 6th: Business Exit from China Accelerating. “The exit from China makes sense for many businesses and will probably have positive geopolitical consequences as the U.S. becomes less dependent on production in a communist regime. But the fundamental transportation problems the U.S. faces will remain the same, and some might even get worse.”
● November 13, 2019: How to Conduct Business with Chinese Companies That See a Dark Future.
COLOR ME SKEPTICAL: NASA to increase Artemis fleet, orders 3 more crew capsules.
A FRIEND COMMENTED THAT ONCE SUNAK IS PM, BRITISH LEFTISTS WILL CONSIDER SOUTH ASIANS “WHITE.” And, right on cue: Richer than the royals: Win puts Rishi Sunak’s wealth in the spotlight.
GREAT MOMENTS IN OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM FROM THE AP: One hug and one selfie at a time, Biden’s mission to connect.
One handshake, one hug and one selfie at a time. If President Joe Biden could greet every American this way, longtime allies say, his approval ratings would soar.
Biden has never been at his best in big speeches, where his delivery can be stilted, his stories sometimes meandering. It’s the end of his speech* that often marks the beginning of Biden’s favorite part of an event — the rope line, in the parlance of political operatives. He whirls around, scans the crowd and zeroes in on his first target for a one-on-one connection.
It might be with someone like Tim Eichinger, a Milwaukee brewery owner who asked Biden a question during a TV town hall 20 months ago, and has since had a one-on-one videoconference with the president and seen Biden send a couple of letters to his grandson.
It might be a small child — Biden likes to carry some cash so he can discretely slip kids a few dollars** and encourage them to buy ice cream. It might be someone who stutters — they come in for special attention from the president.
AP morphed into Soviet-era propaganda to cover for the doddering Biden so slowly, I hardly even noticed. Compare that to the headline that AP conjured during the middle of George W. Bush’s last year in office: Everything seemingly is spinning out of control.
* When frequently, a befuddled Biden can’t figure out how to walk away from the podium.
** That’s one way to describe Creepy Joe’s actions.
Flashback: American Press Goes Full Soviet.
TED CRUZ MAKES THE VIEW WATCHABLE. So basically, he’s a miracle-worker.
WEIRD, I THOUGHT POT WAS GOOD FOR EVERYTHING: Pain after surgery may be worse for marijuana users, study shows.
THE PROSPECT OF AN ELECTION IN NOVEMBER CONCENTRATES A MAN’S MIND WONDERFULLY: Portland’s Democratic mayor finally bans the SEVEN HUNDRED unsanctioned homeless camps that have turned the once-trendy city into a ‘vortex of misery.’
THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE WHITE DODGE CHALLENGER FROM VANISHING POINT:
Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante created the script for Vanishing Point in the late 1960s. Infante had read a news article depicting a high-speed police chase, where the suspect refused to stop and crashed into a police barrier, ultimately killing him. This served as the main inspiration behind his screenplay, which eventually found is way into the hands of director Richard C. Sarafian, who became highly interested in the project. Sarafian then pitched the film to an executive at 20th Century Fox, but strangely, was given the green-light on the condition that the main character, Kowalski, must die at the end of the film.
The filming of Vanishing Point started in the summer of 1970. Although the shoot was originally scheduled for 60 days, budget concerns caused this timeframe to be shortened to only 22 days. The nature of the plot necessitated a wide range of filming locations, spanning across four states. Altogether, Vanishing Point was filmed on location throughout Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. Famed stunt driver Carey Loftin was hired to perform the majority of the film’s intense chase scenes, and his prowess is quite evident in the movie. In addition to Vanishing Point, Loftin also coordinated stunts and drove for some of the greatest cinematic car chases of all time, including Bullitt, The French Connection, Smokey and the Bandit, Duel, and Christine, just to name a few.
Great car chases, and a great cast (Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Charlotte Rampling, and Dean Jagger), despite the stereotypical ’70s bummer ending, à la Easy Rider:
BORIS JOHNSON WITHDRAWS FROM UK LEADERSHIP RACE TO REPLACE LIZ TRUSS, PAVING THE WAY FOR RISHI SUNAK TO BECOME PM: Sunak has said the UK faces a “profound economic challenge” in his first comments since being announced as the next prime minister.
He said he is “humbled and honoured” after he was selected by Conservative MPs to lead the party, and the nation, describing it as the “greatest privilege in my life”.
Mr Sunak also paid tribute to outgoing prime minister Liz Truss for her “dedicated public service”.
“The United Kingdom is a great country but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge,” he said in a speech delivered from the Conservative party headquarters in Westminster.
“We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.”
The former chancellor won the keys to Number 10 two months after losing out on the top job to Ms Truss.
His comeback represents a number of symbolic milestones: He will be the UK’s first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.
Sunak faces additional challenges: “an economic crisis, a parliamentary party that has been divided by recent events, a National Health Service that is at full stretch even before winter has begun and a war in Europe. To add to that, he starts more than thirty points behind Labour in the polls. His challenge now is to build an internal coalition. He must show that his will be a broad-based cabinet that will represent the talent in the party. He then needs to show a country which is thoroughly fed up with political drama that there will now be a period of competent, good government that begins to address the nation’s many problems.”
SCARY: Biden Might Actually Believe His Latest Whopper. “To see what I mean, you’ll have to watch this short video from a sit-down Biden did this weekend with six ‘change-makers’ (barf) from NowThis News. I must warn you in advance that the clip has not been altered in any way. Biden really did say these words, and young change-maker (gag) Joshika Kumaran really did appear stunned into silence.”
VDH GOES 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE: Will ‘Democracy Die in Darkness’ After November?
But there are other reasons the Left will become livid and terrified when they lose the Congress.
They fear not what Republican majorities may actually do, but what they would do if they were Republicans and suddenly gained the Congress after being smeared by the party in power.
That is, the Democrats fear that the Republicans might remember what the Left did while in legislative control and would see that as the new model for an incoming majority.
Consequently, will a Republican Senate simply refuse to confirm Biden’s ultra-left appointments and judges, on the theory they will inevitably do the damage of a Merrick Garland or Alejandro Mayorkas or prove sanctimonious nincompoops like a Pete Buttigieg or Xavier Becerra?
Will the Republicans subpoena an array of left-wing activists and Democratic functionaries? Will jail sentences await any who retry the Eric Holder gambit of congressional defiance?
Will they adopt the January 6 committee protocols?
That is, will Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announce he is following the precedents of Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and therefore reluctantly must:
- Automatically deny “extremists,” such as members of “the squad,” from any congressional committee appointments;
- Sometimes veto any Democrat minority leader’s recommendations for House committee assignments;
- Run simultaneous congressional investigations of 1) politicized leadership at the wayward FBI and Department of Justice; 2) the labyrinth of conflicts of interest within our federal health bureaucracy, starting with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci; 3) the tax liabilities, false statements, and sources of income of the Biden family; 4) “insurrections,” starting with the role of social media, Antifa, and Black Lives Matter during the 120 days in 2020 of uninterrupted rioting, looting, and arson.
Undertake a real probe of the entire January 6 riot and its aftermath, using newly inherited operating procedures to subpoena high-ranking bureaucrats, left-wing pundits, Democratic National Committee operatives and elected officials to discover: 1) why the breakdown in Capitol Hill police security; 2) why the suppression of information about the officer killing of Ashli Babbitt, and the death from natural causes of Officer Brian Sicknick; 3) why all videos, emails, and communications concerning the riot have not been released; 4) what was the role, if any, of FBI informants; 5) why were dozens of the accused held without bail, without charges filed, and subject to nonstop jail harassment?
Would Democrats—if they were Republicans in January 2023—vote to end the filibuster?
Will Joe Biden, who all summer long blasted the filibuster as a racist relic, flip in 2023 and claim it is the bastion of the republic when the Democrats are in the senate minority?
Will Democrats object if the Republican House becomes impeachment-hungry, following the 2019-2021 precedent?
Is the rule now established that an unpopular president should face first-term impeachment when he loses the House?
Read the whole thing.
HMM: Treatment From Banana Protein Beats All Known COVID Variants, Flu. “His team hopes to see the treatment go into testing in humans, as they envision a nasal spray or drops that can be used to prevent or treat coronavirus and influenza infections, in seasonal and pandemic situations.”
EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Home Heating Oil Rationing Begins in Northeast, and It’s Not Even Winter Yet.
DEAL OF THE DAY: MLVOC Travel Pillow. #CommissionEarned
MUH DEMOCRACY! The DOJ Is Hiding Information About Biden’s Attempts To Interfere In U.S. Elections.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is slow-walking its response to a federal court order mandating that the agency forfeit records pertaining to President Joe Biden’s March 2021 executive order that directed federal agencies to develop plans for federal interference in state election administration.
On Thursday evening, the agency filed a motion for summary judgment with the Fort Myers Division of the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida in an attempt to conceal communication records related to Executive Order 14019, which required all federal departments to “consider ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.” In law, “summary judgment” is a decision issued by a court based on statements and evidence for one party against another without going to a full trial.
The move to shield the records in question from the public comes after a federal judge mandated in July that the agency must turn over documents related to Biden’s order to the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), which sued the DOJ back in April after its officials failed to respond to FGA’s July 2021 open records requests. While the DOJ ultimately turned over a few of the records to FGA last month, the documents were heavily redacted and did not include the DOJ’s 15-page “strategic plan” on how the agency intends to comply with Biden’s executive order.
All the talk about insurrections and voter suppression is to distract from what the Democrats are actually doing.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: UC Berkeley to offer course on Nicki Minaj.
OUCH: Cost of Thanksgiving turkey up 73 percent from last year. “In 2021, Americans paid the highest ever recorded price for a Thanksgiving dinner for ten, at an average price of $53.32, according to Statista.”