Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.
'O Sole Mio' - Bryan Adams and Luciano Pavarotti
Friday, July 30, 2021
Ever
Washington Post: Opinion: Will Trump ever be held accountable? The Justice Department just increased the odds. Opinion by Laurence H. Tribe
Nonetheless, the department’s forceful conclusion was that (Mo) Brooks’s alleged actions — conspiring to “injure members of Congress and Vice President Pence,” “disrupt the peaceful transfer of power,” or otherwise ensure Trump’s installation as the next president — cannot qualify as part of Brooks’s official job. That irrefutable logic is equally applicable to Trump.
Deal
He did so with the support of 17 Republicans during a week marked by bitter partisan disputes in Congress over mask-wearing and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 7:05 a.m. ET, DOW futures are -79; the market is poised to open moderately lower.
Thursday, July 29, 2021
Gonell
Washington Post: Opinion: This Capitol Police officer proved that immigrants make America great - Opinion by James Hohmann
Gonell and his mother arrived at JFK International Airport in New York from their Caribbean homeland in 1992. He swore oaths to protect and defend the Constitution when he signed up for the Army, became a U.S. citizen and joined the Capitol Police. The 43-year-old proved six months ago that he made these promises without reservation.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 7:00 a.m. ET, DOW futures are +119; the market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNBC: Covid immunity is about more than antibodies — here’s what else helps protect you by Cory Stieg
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Disappear - Please
Washington Post: Opinion: Some of Donald Trump’s legacy will last. Other parts are already disappearing. Opinion by Paul Waldman
The Trump administration seems to have fundamentally underestimated the difficulty of changing U.S. government policy: As of April, out of the 259 regulations, guidance documents, and agency memoranda it issued that were challenged in court, 200, or 77 percent, were unsuccessful, according to a tracker from the Institute for Policy Integrity, a think tank at New York University that researches regulatory policy. A typical administration loses more like 30 percent of the time, the group says.
MSNBC - Officers Deliver Emotional Testimony At First Committee Hearing
In case you did not watch yesterday's testimony, this is a pretty good encapsulation.
Summer
NY Times: Is This the End of Summer as We’ve Known It? By Shawn Hubler
Health authorities warned that recent Death Valley-style heat waves had contaminated shellfish from Washington State. Monsoons swept cars from the road in Arizona. Pennsylvania songbirds were dying.
Quote
I found this quote from Pema Chodron to be another decent explanation of what meditation can do.
Pema writes, When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped. When we touch these phantoms and let them go, we may discover a space, a break in the chatter, a glimpse of open sky. This is our birthright—the wisdom with which we were born, the vast unfolding display of primordial richness, primordial openness, primordial wisdom itself. All that is necessary then is to rest undistractedly in the immediate present, in this very instant in time. And if we become drawn away by thoughts, by longings, by hopes and fears, again and again we can return to this present moment. We are here. We are carried off as if by the wind, and as if by the wind, we are brought back. When one thought has ended and another has not begun, we can rest in that space. We train in returning to the unchanging heart of this very moment. All compassion and all inspiration come from that."
Comment
Right now there are three harsh news stories that particularly concern me: global warming, Covid, and the January 6th terrorist assault on the Capitol. Each represents an extraordinary threat. We are experiencing record heat waves, extreme drought, massive wildfires, and flooding along with things like unusual dust storms that cause twenty car pileups. This is global warming, the tipping point into extreme weather pattern changes is here. Covid is tricking us with new variants and it is not clear how this plays out. The terrorist assault is a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law, it's that simple. Unfortunately Republicans are siding with the terrorists and that does not bode well for future elections and the semblance of democracy we presently experience.
Obviously there is far more to it on gross and subtle levels. Just mentioning a few; with global warming, there is the fate of animals and insects and that effect on life, how global warming is changing our health, our work, where we live, not to mention poverty. With Covid one thing that concerns me is its effect on mental health, how people are coping, along with how the subtle ways that life has changed in the last year with more of a dependence on all things internet. We are entering a new era of personal and business interaction, not to mention how A.I. is changing the economy. The terrorist attack is the outcome of the horrendous years with Trump as president. His cult of followers have thrown reality to the wind and accept Trump's wide buffet of lies and propaganda all of which are designed with only one interest and that is Trump's own crazed narcissistic ego stroking needs.
It's all enough to cause a wide range of emotions from despondency to extreme anger. Yet I am optimistic, I really and truly am. I believe the fundamental human nature is okay and that the corresponding vast display of sanity and understanding is present and alive.
Have An Excellent Wednesday
Instagram pictures of work that crosses the boundary between fashion and sculpture.
Twisted
Washington Post: Opinion: As Jan. 6 hearings begin, Republicans side with the terrorists Opinion by Dana Milbank
“These are not unruly or dangerous, violent criminals,” Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) proclaimed at a news conference outside DOJ headquarters. “These are political prisoners who are now being persecuted and bearing the pain of unjust suffering.”
Blame
NY Times: ‘A Peaceful Transfer of Power Didn’t Happen This Year’ By New York Times Opinion
Despite the arrest of nearly 600 people allegedly involved in the attack, a poll taken earlier this year found that 73 percent of Republican respondents placed at least some blame on “left-wing protesters trying to make Trump look bad.”
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 6:35 a.m. ET, DOW futures are -56; the market is poised to open moderately lower.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Giant Cheese Pizza - Korean Street Food
These videos can lull you to sleep while at the same time reminding you that the world's collective diet is now pretty crappy.
Questions
How did this happen? Why? Who spurred this effort? Was it organized? When did our government leaders know of the impending attacks and what were their responses? What level of preparation or warnings did our law enforcement have? Was there coordination between the rioters and any members of Congress, or with staff?
Today
Washington Post: Panel to hear from four police officers about fateful day at Capitol By John Wagner
The Post will have live coverage starting at 9 a.m. Eastern time. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
Isolated
It was only months ago that Mr. McCarthy himself said that President Donald J. Trump “bears responsibility” for the mob violence...
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 7:10 a.m. ET, DOW futures are -98; the market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNBC: Housing boom is over as new home sales fall to pandemic low by Diana Olick
Monday, July 26, 2021
Heat Dome
Guardian UK: US set for punishing temperatures as huge ‘heat dome’ to settle over country by Oliver Milman
Areas of states including Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma may get “sweltering” temperatures reaching 110F (43C), Noaa said, while cities such as Des Moines, Minneapolis and Chicago will get significantly above-average heat.
Open
Washington Post: Jan. 6 select committee to open investigation amid political chaos and controversy By Karoun Demirjian
Nevertheless, on Tuesday, four police officers — two from the Capitol’s protection squad and two from D.C. police — are set to provide the first public testimony before the select committee.
QR Codes
QR codes — essentially a kind of bar code that allows transactions to be touchless — have emerged as a permanent tech fixture from the coronavirus pandemic.
Commission
NY Times: When the Storming of the Capitol Met the Politics of Congress By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens
(with Jim Jordan etc) It’s not the open debate Democrats fear, it’s a lineup of ranting Trumpists turning a serious investigation into a long series of harangues.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 6:45 a.m. ET, DOW futures are -115; the market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNBC: Gen X workers may be facing the biggest unemployment crisis, study finds by Karen Gilchrist
Friday, July 23, 2021
Have An Excellent Friday
work by Wayne Thiebaud born 1920, he is over 100 years old and still working.
Something
Washington Post: Opinion: Hey, world, are you noticing? Floods! Fires! Could it be time to do something about climate change? by the Editorial Board
People might think of global warming as just hotter days, but it is far more: It means that massive wildfires induce asthma attacks in cities a continent away, an experience that metropolises such as New York and Washington understand viscerally after this week.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 7:00 a.m. ET, DOW futures are +173; the market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNBC: Dow futures rise more than 160 points as stocks go for 4-day winning streak by Hannah Miao
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Andrea Mitchell - Rep. Sherill - 'I Would Put Liz Cheney Against Jim Jordan Any Day Of The Week'
Liz Cheney is on the right side regarding the insurrection and recognizing that Biden is the obvious winner of the 2020 election, however she is rather extreme in her poltical views. Yet compared to Jim Jordan, she is like a real human being compared to a whacked out cartoon character from 'Who Killed Roger Rabbit'.
Yosemite
Wildfire, tree-death, and dwindling waterfalls are natural occurrences. But these problems are exacerbated by climate change, according to the National Park Service.
Why
“Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the left’s authoritarian agenda,” Mr. Banks said. “I will not allow this committee to be turned into a forum for condemning millions of Americans because of their political beliefs.”
Rent
Rental costs play an outsize role in the Consumer Price Index, so a meaningful rise in them could help keep that closely watched government price gauge, which has picked up sharply, higher for longer.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 6:45 a.m. ET, DOW futures are +80; the market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNBC: Another 2.2 million stimulus checks have gone out. Here’s who received the payments by Sarah O’Brien
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Roxy
Roxy, a large black Labrador, was sitting up in his seat at the movies, wagging his tail, growling at the villain and barking excitedly at the hero's escapades.
The woman in the seat behind him was intrigued.
Excuse me, she said, tapping Roxy's owner on the shoulder, that dog is extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it!
Yes, he's surprised me, too, said the owner. He hated the book.
Lawfare - After Trump
Lawfare - After Trump - What will be Donald Trump's lasting effects on American politics and the presidency? (note - if the Lawfare player does not appear or a message appears saying this episode does not exist or something like that, reload the page, the episode does exist.)
Rejects
As she should. Jordan is a jackass with a loud snotty mouth with only one intention and that is to disrupt the proceedings.
Axios: Pelosi rejects Jim Jordan, Jim Banks appointments to Jan. 6 select committee
Smoke
NY Times: See How Wildfire Smoke Spread Across the United States By Nadja Popovich and Josh Katz
As the smoke moved eastward across Toronto, New York and Philadelphia on Tuesday, concentrations of dangerous microscopic air pollution known as PM2.5 (because the particles are less than 2.5 microns in diameter) reached highs in the “unhealthy” range for most of the day.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 6:50 a.m. ET, DOW futures are +178; the market is poised to open significantly higher.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Not Working
While Europeans have decreased their work hours by about 30 percent over the past half century, ours have steadily increased.
Breaking
NY Times: Loneliness Is Breaking America By Michelle Goldberg
“Many were recently retired and had time on their hands and little to tie them to home,” writes Bender. “A handful never had children. Others were estranged from their families.” Throwing themselves into Trump’s movement, they found a community and a sense of purpose.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 7:35 a.m. ET, DOW futures are +190; the market is poised to open significantly higher.
Monday, July 19, 2021
Wildfire
The Daily Beast via Yahoo News: ‘Out of Control’: Wildfire Ravaging Oregon Is Now the Size of Los Angeles by Justin Rohrlich
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