Have an excellent holiday weekend and Happy New Year! See you bright and early Monday morning.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Fiore
Fiore, who just lost her bid to become Nevada’s treasurer, has never practiced law. Indeed, it’s rare to serve as a judge when one has not even attended law school.
Who
Seen on Post.
Donald Trump had a bank account in China…when he was the President of the United States. Who’s the communist?
Pardons
Washington Post: Biden grants full pardons to six people who served their sentences By Eugene Scott and Toluse Olorunnipa
Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, of Columbus, Ohio, was convicted of murder in the second degree while armed for killing her husband. The then-33-year-old was pregnant and testified that her husband physically and verbally abused her moments before she shot him. During her trial, the court refused to allow expert testimony regarding battered woman syndrome, a psychological condition and pattern of behavior that may develop in victims of domestic violence...
Tax
Washington Post: What we’ve learned from Trump’s tax returns By Julie Zauzmer Weil and Eugene Scott
3. Trump has bank accounts in several foreign countries and earned money in many nations while he was president.
Scandal
Washington Post: A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention By Sarah Ellison
The North Shore Leader wrote in September, when few others were covering Santos, about his “inexplicable rise” in reported net worth — from essentially nothing in 2020 to as much as $11 million two years later.
Taxes
“Trump acted as though he had something to hide, a pattern consistent with the recent conviction of his family business for criminal tax fraud,” Representative Don Beyer, Democrat of Virginia and a Ways and Means Committee member, said in a news release.
Putin
More than 300 days of brutal war against Ukraine have blown up decades of Russia’s carefully cultivated economic relations with the West, turning the country into a pariah...
2022
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, access to abortion almost immediately began to erode as anti-abortion “trigger laws” went into effect and Republican-controlled state legislatures passed greater restrictions.
Politics
NY Times: The 2022 High School Yearbook of American Politics By Michelle Cottle
Biggest Loser
Donald Trump
His legal troubles are piling up. He backed a bunch of losers in the midterms. That upstart DeSantis is eating into his presidential polling numbers.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 7:30 a.m. ET DOW futures are -108, S&P futures are -18, and NASDAQ futures are -72.75. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
Taste
oxygeusia - noun, an acute sense of taste
Oxygeusia is the shortest word with all six vowels. The opposite is hypogeusia (a diminished sense of taste), which also has all six vowels, but is one-letter longer. A complete lack of taste is ageusia. Example: People who like to cover everything around them in fake gold show their ageusia
Thursday, December 29, 2022
William S Burroughs - 'The Junky's Christmas'
"The Junky's Christmas is a story by William S. Burroughs. It appears in the 1989 collection Interzone and on the 1993 album Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales. It was also made into a 1993 short claymation film directed by Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel. The film was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and was released by Koch Vision on DVD in North America on Nov. 21, 2006. Burroughs narrates the film and appears in live-action footage at the beginning and end of the film."
Older
"The problem is, we look for someone to grow old together, while the secret is to find someone to stay a child with." - Charles Bukowski
Green
Heat pumps — the best choice for decarbonizing at home
Tax credit available on Jan. 1: 30 percent of the cost, up to $2,000
Income limit: None
Electric vehicles — top choice for cutting car emissions
Tax credit available on Jan. 1: Up to $7,500 depending on the make and model of the car Income limit: <$150,000 for single filers; <$300,000 for joint filers
Rooftop solar — the best choice for generating clean energy
Tax credit available now: 30 percent of the cost of installation, no cap
Income limit: None
Uziyah Garcia
Pictures of the year from the NY Times
"Ten days after the Buffalo shooting, 19 children and two teachers were shot to death at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. A bullet ripped through a fourth-grade math notebook belonging to one of the victims, 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia."
Upstate NY Weather
I just checked the weather forecast for Upstate NY. The prediction has 66F degrees next Wednesday. That's pretty unusual for these parts in January as January is easily the coldest month with February a close rival.
Posts
"Our Country is SICK inside, very much like a person dying of Cancer. The Crooked FBI, the so-called Department of “Justice,” and “Intelligence,” all parts of the Democrat Party and System, is the Cancer. These Weaponized Thugs and Tyrants must be dealt with, or our once great and beautiful Country will die!!!"
Kansas
While the police department later dropped the citation, which would have required the cancer patient to appear in court, reports of the incident fueled debate over the continued criminalization of cannabis in Kansas, one of the three US states that has not legalized the product in any context.
Women And Heart Disease
But one afternoon this month, Anne rode her bike, climbed off, and complained of nausea and fatigue. Her right arm ached. Blaming indigestion, she took Tums. They didn’t help. She vomited. Her husband suggested urgent care. She declined.
Ageism
Washington Post: Opinion - Ageism is one form of bigotry that never seems to get old By Gary Abernathy
...when I arrived in my mid-60s. I sometimes notice younger people in social settings looking past me or through me, as though I’m almost invisible.
Santos - The Ideal GOP Candidate
She added: “No one is above the law, and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 7:35 a.m. ET DOW futures are +80, S&P futures are +16, and NASDAQ futures are +62. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Difference
What's the difference between a Ukrainian and a Republican?
A Ukrainian defends their capital.
Burner
Trump was apparently using burner phones to contact states about his fake electors scheme.
"Former Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he was given a heads up by the state house speaker that Trump might call him and that it would show up on his phone as "Spam risk Egypt.""
Fuzzy
The Salt Lake Tribune: Let us hear no more about how the U.S. is a Christian country, George Pyle writes - We don’t seem to care very much about ‘the least of these’
Vague because Gov. Greg Abbott is among many Americans who have a fuzzy knowledge of the religion they claim to follow.
We hear more and more from Republicans in the Donald Trump camp who come right out and call for the United States to be an officially Christian nation.
No Comment
Washington Post: Opinion - Joy of childbirth turned into trauma — because of a poppy seed bagel By Leana S. Wen
Upon questioning, she reported eating two “everything” bagels that contained poppy seeds. These aren’t opioids and wouldn’t cause NAS, but they can mimic morphine and codeine to trigger positive urine tests.
Heaping Pile
NY Times: How the House of Trump Was Built By Carlos Lozada
“His aversion to hearing bad news led to people tiptoeing around him or trying to avoid telling him certain things,” she writes, a dangerous trait when your job involves managing all manner of emergencies.
BBC News - Australia's Love Affair With The Mullet
Party in the back and all business up front returns.
Ranting Liar
(Trump wrote on Truth Social) Our Country is SICK inside, very much like a person dying of Cancer. The Crooked FBI, the so-called Department of “Justice,” and “Intelligence,” all parts of the Democrat Party and System, is the Cancer. These Weaponized Thugs and Tyrants must be dealt with, or our once great and beautiful Country will die!!!
Covid
The company (Twitter) recently gutted the teams responsible for keeping dangerous or inaccurate material in check on the platform, stopped enforcing its Covid misinformation policy and began basing some content moderation decisions on public polls...
Drones
The Biden administration has launched a broad effort to halt Iran’s ability to produce and deliver drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, an endeavor that has echoes of its yearslong program to cut off Tehran’s access to nuclear technology.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 7:30 a.m. ET DOW futures are +97, S&P futures are +10, and NASDAQ futures are +21. The market is poised to open moderately higher. For several weeks pre-market futures have been positive yet the market has opened in the red, not a great period for stocks.
CNN: Wall Street’s dirty secret: It’s terrible at forecasting stocks By Nicole Goodkind
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Convergence
Washington Post: Buffalo’s no stranger to snow. Why was the storm so deadly? By Brianna Sacks and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux
...due to a collision of a historic blizzard, bad timing, a dearth of emergency management resources, and the immense difficulty of trying to force residents who are largely desensitized to severe weather to abandon much-needed jobs, as well as their holiday plans...
No Comment
Trump is selling a $2 bill for $19.95. You can't make this stuff up.
Amazon: President Donald Trump 2020 Genuine $2 Bill and Coin Set - 45th President Brand: FCM $19.95
Crime
Washington Post: Opinion - Is crime going up, down or sideways? Don’t ask the FBI. By the Editorial Board
A trustworthy set of statistics is a foundational tool with which to begin figuring out just how big of a problem crime, police use of force and related issues are in the United States — and how to tackle them.
Rural America
That leaves most rural communities starved for investment. Very few can get the type and level of resources necessary to reinvent their economy or unleash the full potential of their human, intellectual and natural capital as they face rapid change.
Narcissists
It’s hard to count any narcissist out; it’s not in their nature to give up the stage, even in exile, sometimes from jail. When they want attention, they get creative.
It’s the public that has to decide whether to bite.
PBS NewsHour - Increasing Number Of People In United Kingdom Go Hungry Because Of Price Spikes
This clip is two weeks old, it remains relevant.
Of Course
Fascinating trend in American politics - the bigger the lies and the fake-ier credentials you concoct, the better your chances are of winning.
Accept
"If you haven’t the strength to impose your own terms upon life, then you must accept the terms it offers you."
- T. S. Eliot
Have An Excellent Tuesday
artwork by David Esterly, carved out of limewood.
"Limewood is a popular wood when it comes to woodcarving and woodworking projects. Limewood is the same as basswood. They only differ because of their origin."
War
Washington Post: Ukraine live briefing: Kyiv aims for February peace talks; front-line situation is ‘acute,’ Zelensky says By Kelsey Ables and Leo Sands
The Kremlin has repeatedly said that Ukraine must face new “realities” — recognizing Russian territorial gains and control of Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014 — before a peace plan can be enacted.
Tanks
The BMP-3, armed with a 100mm machine gun and a 30mm cannon, was one of the few of its kind that the Ukrainian military had seized from the Russians since the start of the invasion. But about a month ago, after weeks of being operated by Ukrainian soldiers, its engine compartment and fueling system began to fail.
Remembering
Coolio, 59 - “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper
Pharoah Sanders, 81 - Force of nature with a saxophone
Uh Oh
Even as Covid cases rise, health workers on the front lines are also battling rampant infections within their own ranks. So many have tested positive for the virus in some hospitals that the remaining few say they are forced to do the job of five or more co-workers.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 7:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +206, S&P futures are +22.25, and NASDAQ futures are +39.5. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
Monday, December 26, 2022
Buffalo
I just took a screen shot of the weather forecast for Buffalo NY, where at the moment it's a snow disaster. Looks like the warming trend will take away at least a good part of the snow.
Sanctions
Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs and Maricopa County filed for sanctions Monday against Republican Kari Lake, less than 48 hours after a judge ruled against Lake's efforts to have herself declared the winner of Arizona's governor race.
Duo
Washington Post: Opinion - Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney are the Jan. 6 committee’s unusual dynamic duo By Eugene Robinson
Thompson painted the big picture — the threat to our democracy...Cheney zeroed in on the man responsible, the man who summoned the insurrectionists, fired them up, sent them off... Donald Trump.
Inflation
NY Times: Is the Inflation Storm Letting Up? By Paul Krugman
More broadly, recent reports on the inflation measures the Federal Reserve traditionally uses to guide its interest rate policy have been really, really good.
Anger
So if you’re already living with conditions that affect the cardiovascular system such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms or high cholesterol, moments of extreme anger may leave you more vulnerable to a sudden heart attack.
When you’re filled with rage, Dr. Wittstein offered as an example, blood pressure can increase, blood vessels can constrict, inflammatory cells are released by the immune system. All of this can lead to the rupturing of plaque inside the coronary artery.
Eunoia
eunoia - pronounced 'yoo-NOY-uh'
noun:
1. A feeling of goodwill.
2. A state of good mental health.
Have An Excellent Monday
artwork by Elizabeth Morisette - 'Upcycle' is converting waste material into greater functionality.
Moves
A crowded field could play to Trump’s advantage, as it did in 2016 when the rest of the party did not unite around a single alternative as Trump won key early contests with a plurality of the vote.
2022 In Review
Washington Post: Dave Barry’s 2022 Year in Review By Dave Barry
February 2022 - Ukraine is a nation that, through poor planning, is located right next to Russia. This is unfortunate because Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man who relaxes by putting kittens into a food processor, has long wanted to establish closer ties with Ukraine, in the same sense that a grizzly bear wants to establish closer ties with a salmon.
Buffalo
For 11 long, dark hours over Christmas Eve, Mr. Santiago and his family sat in their minivan after getting stuck in a snowbank at Alabama and Fulton Streets in Buffalo.
Offense
Republicans will maintain unified control next year over state governments in Texas, Ohio, Florida and Georgia. In Texas and Ohio, along with other places, Republicans are weighing additional restrictions on voting when they convene in the new year.
Wall Street Is Closed On Monday
Wall Street is closed today, Monday December 26th.
CNN: How personal injury lawyers took over your TV By Nathaniel Meyersohn
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Friday, December 23, 2022
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