Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2022 9:49:31 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 547 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 15)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Rick Scott Goes Postal
A push for swift passage of a sweeping bill with bipartisan support to overhaul the US Postal Service's finances hit a snag Monday evening in the Senate.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, objected to a unanimous consent request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to make a technical fix to the bill. Scott argued that there are issues with the legislation and that the Senate should slow down and work to improve it.
As a result, the Senate was not able to proceed to a planned vote to advance the bill Monday night. Schumer said that being unable to immediately make the technical fix will delay the bill, but vowed that the Senate will eventually pass it.
Now, absent an agreement to speed up the process, the Senate will have to restart the procedure needed to set up a final vote on the legislation in the chamber. It's not yet clear when a final passage vote will take place.
The USPS reform bill has bipartisan support and passed the House last week by a vote of 342 to 92. The bill seeks to overhaul the Postal Service's finances to help shore up its financial footing and allow it to modernize its service.
The Billion Dollar Protest
Any attempt to put a number on the economic costs of the blockade is tricky and speculative. However, it’s not hard to come up with numbers like $300 million or more per day; combine that with the disruption of Ottawa, and the “trucker” protests may already have inflicted a couple of billion dollars in economic damage.
As you might expect, the U.S. right is loving it. People who portrayed peaceful protests against police killings as an existential threat are delighted by the spectacle of right-wing activists breaking the law and destroying wealth. Fox News has devoted many hours to fawning coverage of the blockades and occupations. Senator Rand Paul, who called B.L.M. activists a “crazed mob,” called for Canada-style protests to “clog up cities” in the United States, specifically saying that he hoped to see truckers disrupt the Super Bowl (they didn’t).
Why Does the Media Keep Calling These People "Truckers"
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested 11 people involved in a truckers blockade near the U.S.-Canada border on Monday and found a major cache of weapons and body armor in three vehicles, officials announced.
Law enforcement seized 13 rifles, handguns, a “large quantity of ammunition” and high-capacity firearm magazines, multiple sets of body armor and a machete in Coutts, Alberta, close to the busy U.S.-Canada border crossing, according to an RCMP statement.
They conducted the search after learning of an “organized group” among the truckers with access to the weapons and a “willingness to use force against the police,” the statement added.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called increasing incidents of violence among the truckers “disturbing.” A “small cell people wanted to take this in a very dangerous and dark direction,” he added.
Gov. Death Sentence Can't Wait for This Day
It’s called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Naturally, it’s from Florida, the same GOP meth lab that brought you the Run Over Protestors Law, Stand Your Ground, and the Scarlet Letter Law--when women were forced to list their sexual partners in the newspaper before adoption could be used as an option. This. Fucking. State.
Without a hint of irony coming from the same people ranting about “cancel culture,” this legislative session is jam-packed with bills to ban books about race and the Holocaust, ban any lesson plan that makes “white people feel discomfort”, and now, preventing discussions that even mention LGBTQ+ people exist. Gay children are already targeted for bullying and violence, and now our governor and his lackeys want to try to even deny their existence—and punish teachers for possibly trying to teach some damn empathy.
Marco Just Keeps Flipping and Flopping
While speaking with Fox News' "Special Report" host Bret Baier on Monday, Rubio was asked why Republicans were not expressing the same degree of outrage they displayed when it was disclosed that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's had used a private email server while working for the White House.
"Well first of all, I don't know what's true and what's not, because they've made up so many stories about Donald Trump over the years that I mean things that I just knew were flat out untrue," Rubio said.
"Nowadays, in the mainstream media, you just need one source to smear Donald Trump and maybe you don't even need that. So it's hard to tell anymore what really happened and what didn't. The documents that were in Mar-a-Lago by all accounts were turned over," Rubio said.
"Look, if the process wasn't followed there, then that there needs to be something that happens about that. It's not a crime, I don't believe, but the stuff about flushing paper down the toilet — who knows if that's even true?"
Who Said This, Marco?
JUL 05 2016
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement regarding the FBI’s decision in the Hillary Clinton email probe:
“The FBI concluded what many Americans have known for quite some time, which is that Hillary Clinton’s conduct as Secretary of State and her mishandling of classified information was disgraceful and unbecoming of someone who aspires to the presidency. There is simply no excuse for Hillary Clinton's decision to set up a home-cooked email system which left sensitive and classified national security information vulnerable to theft and exploitation by America’s enemies. Her actions were grossly negligent, damaged national security and put lives at risk.
"Hillary Clinton's actions have sent the worst message to the millions of hard-working federal employees who hold security clearances and are expected to go to great lengths to secure sensitive government information and abide by the rules. They don't take their oaths lightly, and we shouldn't expect any less of their leaders.
"Hillary Clinton’s reckless and thoughtless mishandling of classified information is not the end of the story however. It’s only a matter of time before the next shoe drops and the nexus of corruption and controversy that has surrounded Hillary Clinton throughout her time in public office produces yet another scandal for the American people to endure. Given the consequential and challenging times in which we live, America simply cannot afford any more Clinton drama."
Treason for Fun and Profit
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) never apologized for saluting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and now he’s selling campaign merchandise emblazoned with his infamous fist pump.
An email sent to supporters on Monday boasted that the Hawley campaign’s new $20 coffee mug “is the perfect way to enjoy Coffee, Tea, or Liberal Tears!”
Hawley was one of several Republican senators who objected to the 2020 electoral vote certification in Congress after hundreds of Donald Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol, leading to the deaths of five people.
How Do You Say "Zero Hedge" in Russian? (нулевой хедж)
U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies.
The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence. The officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia.
No-Vax Novak Is Taking His Balls and Staying Home
If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, foregoing the chance to overtake Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Not All Texans Enjoy the Wide-Open Spaces
Dennis Hope has spent 27 years in solitary confinement in a Texas prison, in a cell that is 9 feet long and 6 feet wide — smaller than a compact parking space.
“It’s three steps to the door and then turn around and three steps back,” Mr. Hope, 53, wrote in a recent letter to his lawyers.
His only human contact is with the guards who strip-search and handcuff him before taking him to another enclosure to exercise, alone. He has had one personal phone call since 1994, when his mother died in 2013. He suffers from depression and paranoia and fears he is going insane.
Last month, Mr. Hope asked the Supreme Court to consider whether such prolonged isolation can violate the Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishments.
Prison officials in Texas do not seem concerned about Mr. Hope’s lawsuit. Last week, they told the Supreme Court that they waived their right to respond to his petition seeking review in his case, Hope v. Harris, No. 21-1065.
In their appeals court brief, the officials wrote that “Hope has no plausible Eighth Amendment claim.”
“While the conditions of Hope’s confinement may be unpleasant and possibly harsh,” the brief said, “he failed to show the conditions are objectively so serious as to deprive him of the minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities.”
Texas is a leader in the use of prolonged solitary confinement. More than 500 prisoners there have served more than 10 years in almost total isolation, and 138 have served more than 20.
Across the nation, according to a 2020 study from the Correctional Leaders Association and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School, about 7,000 prisoners have spent at least a year in solitary confinement and about 1,500 have been isolated for more than six years.
But it is quite rare for prisoners to spend decades in isolation.
"Do You Want to Buy Something I Stole From You?"
Aman was charged after allegedly stealing a dinosaur claw worth $25,000 from a gem show and trying to sell it to another vendor days later, Tucson, Arizona, police said.
Christopher Thomas, 39, allegedly took the claw from one vendor at the city's Gem and Mineral Show on Jan. 30, then tried to sell it to another on Feb. 8, police said, according to NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson.
That second vendor, Adam Aaronson, recognized the artifact and contacted Eric Miller, the owner of the dinosaur fossil who reported two claws stolen Jan. 30, the news station reported.
Together they set up a miniature sting operation. They told the suspect to bring in the claw for a “buyer,” who was actually Miller, to check out.
"When I saw it come into the room where I was hiding as the potential buyer, I was absolutely thrilled,” Miller told KVOA.
Aaronson then confronted Thomas, saying they would call police.
“I told the guy, ‘Sorry we have a problem, this claw is stolen property. We’re gonna have to call the police,’” Aaronson said.
Thomas been charged with trafficking stolen property, according to police.
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Dueling Headlines, Both on BBC News
Ukraine-Russia tensions: Russia pulls some troops back from border
No sign of Russian de-escalation yet, Nato says
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Canada Can. Somebody Needs to Tell the "Truckers".
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Accountants to Previous Guy: "You're Fired!"
Donald Trump's accounting firm has cut ties with the former president and said a decade of financial reports should "no longer be relied upon".
The firm, Mazars, said in a letter to the Trump Organization that it could not stand behind statements it had prepared for Mr Trump from 2011-20.
In its letter, Mazars wrote that the findings of Ms James' investigation had contributed to the conclusion that the statements should no longer be relied upon.
It Amazing Mazars, Didn't Notice Anything During the Previous Decade. What Honest Company Would Hire Them?
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NYC to People Too Stupid to Work: "You're Fired!"
New York City fired more than a thousand workers who failed to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the mayor’s office said Monday.
The 1,430 workers who lost their jobs represent less than 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce and are far fewer terminations than expected before a Friday deadline to get the shots.
The city sent notices in late January to up to 4,000 workers, saying they had to show proof they got at least two doses of the vaccine or else they’d lose their jobs. Three-quarters of those workers had already been on leave without pay for months, having missed an earlier deadline for getting vaccinated in order to stay on the job.
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I Think She Answered Her Own Question
Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson questioned why Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue competing at the Beijing Games amid a doping charge on Monday, months after a positive test for cannabis derailed her own Olympic dreams.
The 21-year-old American was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Tokyo Summer Games after winning the 100 meters at the US trials, but was barred from competing after accepting a one-month ban for her positive test for cannabis.
She later said her action was the result of mourning the death of her mother, as the incident rekindled the debate over the use of cannabis among athletes.
"Can we get a solid answer on the difference of (Valieva's) situation and mines?" Richardson wrote on Twitter on Monday. "My mother died and I can't run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady."
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"You May Have Lost Your Savings. We Don't Know. You Can't Find Out."
Dr. Anders Apgar was out for dinner last month with his family, and his phone would not stop buzzing. It looked like a robocall, so he tried to ignore it.
But the calls would not stop. Then his wife’s phone also started to ring.
“When she picks it up, a banner came across, a notification that says, ‘Your account’s in jeopardy,’” he said.
The warning, which he said was a text message, prompted him to pick up his phone. That was when the couple’s nightmare started.
It’s the kind of nightmare many crypto account holders around the country are facing as hackers target a boom in the industry, cybersecurity experts said.
The Apgars, who are both Maryland-based obstetricians, began investing in cryptocurrency several years ago. By December, their account had grown to about $106,000, mainly held in bitcoin. Like millions of investors across the country, their account is with Coinbase, the country’s largest cryptocurrency platform.
When Apgar picked up the phone, a female voice said, “Hello, welcome to Coinbase security prevention line. We have detected unauthorized activity due to failed log-in attempt on your account. This was requested from a Canada IP address. If this (is) not you, please press 1, to complete precautions recovering your account.” The call lasted just 19 seconds.
Alarmed, Apgar pressed 1.
He said he cannot remember if he manually entered his two-factor authentication code or if it came up automatically on his screen. But what happened in that moment led to his account being locked in less than two minutes. As Apgar has not regained access, he said he assumes the fraudsters stole most if not all of the crypto, but he can’t be sure.
Two-Factor Fraud
The Apgars were targeted by a particularly insidious type of fraud that takes advantage of two-factor authentication, or 2FA. People use 2FA, a second level of security that often involves a passcode, to safeguard a range of accounts at crypto exchanges, banks or anywhere else they carry out digital transactions.
But this new type of fraud goes right at that 2FA code, and it uses people’s fear of their accounts being hacked against them. In taking action they think will protect them, they actually expose themselves to thieves.
The fraud tool is called a one-time password, or OTP, bot.
A report produced by Florida-based cybersecurity firm and CNBC contributor Q6 Cyber said the OTP bots are driving substantial losses for financial and other institutions. The damage is hard to quantify now because the bot attacks are relatively new.
“The bot calls are crafted in a very skillful manner, creating a sense of urgency and trust over the phone. The calls rely on fear, convincing the victims to act to ‘avoid’ fraud in their account,” the report said.
The scam works in part because victims are used to providing a code for authentication to verify account information. At first listen, the robocalls can sound legitimate — especially if the victim is harried or distracted by other things at the moment the call comes in.
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Methane Could Kill More People Than Meth
What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. Vidar Helgesen
We are on track to lose the Arctic as we know it whether in five years or thirty-five years. When the media does bother to inform the public it is with kick the can down the road language such as Net-Zero, 1.5, and 2.0.
Climate change in the Arctic is melting glaciers, thinning sea ice, and thawing massive swaths of permafrost. It is dangerous for indigenous communities, infrastructure, and food accessibility. That does not include the release of methane gas that heats the planet eighty times more than CO2.
The United Nations issues yet another code red alert on the release of methane from what has been permanently frozen soil.
Carbon, Too.
Plant and animal material frozen in permafrost – called organic carbon – does not decompose or rot away. But as the permafrost thaws, microbes begin decomposing the material and release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
“Permafrost contains organic soil that’s been building up for thousands and thousands of years. It’s a fossil carbon pool that it hasn’t been part of our earth system for many thousands of years,” Dr. Natali emphasizes.
Dr. Sommerkorn adds that even under low levels of global warming, permafrost thawing could represent the emissions of a medium-sized country.
“And they could grow much more… that is what we know. What we don’t know is how much of that will be compensated on-site. So how much more new plants will be growing on permafrost soils? Taking that carbon back in? But these emissions will be coming,” he explains.
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There's Nothing "Christian" About This Web Site
A right-wing Christian crowdfunding site raising money for anti-vaccine truckers in Canada was disabled in an apparent hack attack that also exposed donor identities.
The GiveSendGo website late Sunday featured images from the Disney film “Frozen II,” with Elsa singing “Show Yourself,” according to saved screenshots and videos.
“On behalf of sane people worldwide who wish to continue living in a democracy, I am now telling you that GiveSendGo itself is frozen,” said a message on the site addressed to “GoSendGo Grifters and Hatriots.”
It also listed what the hacker claimed were donors’ names, contribution amounts and email addresses.
A video on the GiveSendGo site captured by a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reporter included scrolling text that denounced the crowdfunding site and the truckers’ “Freedom Convoy” as threats to democracy.
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"I Was Stranded in the Desert for a Week With Nothing to Drink. I Had to Make Do With Water the Whole Time." - WC Fields
The intense dry spell that's parched the western U.S. the past 22 years is the region's worst "megadrought" since at least the year 800, a new study released Monday said.
Megadroughts, which are defined as intense droughts that last for decades or longer, once plagued western North America. Now, thanks in part to global warming, an especially fierce one is back.
The study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Climate Change, said that over 40% of the current drought can be blamed on human-caused climate change.
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Here's What May Await No-Vax Novak and the Fired NYC Workers
Early in the pandemic about one-third of COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care died. Those figures are far better now, though precise numbers aren't available. Most of the survivors don't bounce back quickly.
A study published in late January found that among Dutch people treated for COVID-19 in an ICU, 74% still had physical symptoms a year later, including weakness and muscle and joint pain. More than a quarter reported lingering mental symptoms and 16% had cognitive problems.
COVID-19 patients who end up in intensive care have a rougher road than those with other respiratory illnesses, often suffering long-term organ damage, said Dr. Amit Gaggar, an attending physician in ICUs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham VA Medical Center.
After being released, many have lingering shortness of breath, new or exacerbated heart failure, kidney problems and lung scarring – all conditions that are possible after an ICU stay without COVID-19. But, Gaggar said, "the degree is a lot more severe with the COVID population."
While many people with respiratory illnesses might need two to three days in intensive care, patients with COVID-19 often spend two to three weeks or more, said Dr. Wes Ely, an ICU specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Those who survive ICUs may end up with what he calls post-intensive care syndrome, The condition can cause "neck up" problems, like dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, he said, and "neck down" problems, like muscle and nerve damage that can make it hard to walk or hold a pen.
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Someone is Vaccinating Wee Ones.
Hong Kong will begin vaccinating children as young as 3 years old to combat a record surge of infections, authorities said Monday. The decision came days after the death of a 4-year old who tested positive there. In the U.S., the minimum age for vaccination is 5.
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Sarah Tried to Put Lipstick on this Pig of a Lawsuit
Judge Jed Rakoff, the judge overseeing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, said Monday afternoon that he will dismiss the suit, ruling that Palin's team did not prove a key element of its case.
Rakoff's ruling came while the jury is deliberating over a verdict -- and Rakoff said he will allow the jury to continue deliberating and to reach a verdict, and will dismiss the case once it has done so.
Rakoff presented his findings -- a clear round-one win for The Times -- with an eye toward an inevitable appeals process.
The judge said Palin did not prove "actual malice," which is the standard her legal team had to meet in her defamation case. The landmark 1964 New York Times vs. Sullivan case specifies that public figures who sue for defamation must prove that the offender knew the claim was false or showed "reckless disregard" for the truth.
The Times said all along that it made an honest error involving Palin -— and issued a swift correction. Palin argued that the publication smeared her on purpose.
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What Do Trans People and the Vatican Have In Common?
A Catholic priest based in Phoenix, Arizona, has resigned after realizing he'd been incorrectly performing baptisms for over 20 years, rendering the rite invalid for thousands of people.
As he administered the ritual, Rev. Andres Arango would say, "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit." However, the correct wording is "I baptize," per the Vatican's instruction, wrote Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, in a January 14 message.
No one, including priests, "may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority," Olmsted wrote, citing Vatican teachings. Olmsted added that he didn't believe Father Arango had "intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments."
Still, the official Diocese of Phoenix website said that Father Arango's one-word alteration means that "all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid." The diocese also called for those who believe Father Arango had incorrectly baptized them to submit their contact details to receive the proper rite.
The Correct Pronoun Is Important to Both of Them
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CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Feb 15 | 544,184 | 252,277,758 | 214,104,148 | ||
| Feb 14 | 546,667 | 252,144,326 | 213,962,983 | 146,921 | 2,208 |
| Feb 13 | 555,669 | 252,054,215 | 213,869,678 | 161,197 | 2,196 |
| Feb 12 | 486,374 | 251,926,344 | 213,734,419 | 168,881 | 2,197 |
| Feb 11 | 568,820 | 251,755,851 | 213,563,173 | 175,395 | 2,241 |
| Feb 10 | 580,896 | 251,655,172 | 213,430,434 | 190,401 | 2,305 |
| Feb 9 | 591,786 | 251,467,303 | 213,246,140 | 215,418 | 2,313 |
| Feb 8 | 602,606 | 251,312,470 | 213,061,117 | 230,602 | 2,303 |
| Feb 7 | 611,742 | 251,176,199 | 212,920,278 | 247,319 | 2,404 |
| Feb 6 | 627,161 | 251,070,439 | 212,806,521 | 291,471 | 2,294 |
| Feb 5 | 655,591 | 250,915,858 | 212,657,682 | 298,890 | 2,331 |
| Feb 4 | 680,135 | 250,731,754 | 212,481,465 | 313,117 | 2,404 |
| Feb 3 | 719,986 | 250,593,665 | 212,336,183 | 343,563 | 2,371 |
| Feb 2 | 494,092 | 250,378,993 | 212,130,684 | 378,015 | 2,403 |
| Feb 1 | 510,477 | 250,184,240 | 211,954,555 | 415,552 | 2,369 |
| Jan 31 | 575,732 | 250,029,773 | 211,818,885 | 446,355 | 2,287 |
| Jan 30 | 603,030 | 249,892,470 | 211,695,131 | 497,296 | 2,234 |
| Jan 29 | 595,871 | 249,695,301 | 211,533,229 | 522,626 | 2,261 |
| Jan 28 | 626,946 | 249,473,925 | 211,343,818 | 543,016 | 2,265 |
| Jan 27 | 643,725 | 249,267,851 (I don't know why) | 211,162,083 | 577,748 | 2,300 |
| Jan 26 | 962,958 | 251,518,114 | 210,850,212 | 596,859 | 2,288 |
| Jan 25 | 1,011,603 | 251,289,667 | 210,682,471 | 627,294 | 2,246 |
| Jan 24 | 1,201,186 | 250,964,433 | 210,459,963 | 692,359 | 2,166 |
| Jan 23 | 1,101,405 | 250,763,600 | 210,358,008 | 663,908 | 1,936 |
| Jan 22 | 1,002,322 | 250,568,431 | 210,229,586 | 686,715 | 1,939 |
| Jan 21 | 1,035,111 | 250,262,153 | 210,021,766 | 716,829 | 1,974 |
| Jan 20 | 1,094,988 | 250,028,635 | 209,842,610 | 726,870 | 1,843 |
| Jan 19 | 1,135,453 | 249,702,939 | 209,509,297 | 744,615 | 1,749 |
| Jan 18 | 1,158,537 | 249,393,487 | 209,312,770 | 755,095 | 1,669 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 76.0% | 64.5% | 43.0% |
| % of Population 5+ | 80.8% | 68.6% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 85.7% | 73.0% | 44.4% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.5% | 74.6% | 46.3% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.6% | 65.6% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 15)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | 7 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 99% (59%) | 105% (59% of average for full season) | 113% | 124% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 86% (51%) | 92% (51%) | 99% | 110% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 79% (46%) | 84% (46%) | 91% | 101% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 68% (53%) | 80% (58%) | 89% | 134% | |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 75% (57%) | 80% (57%) | 89% | 148% | |
| Snow Water Content - South | 74% (54%) | 81% (57%) | 92% | 158% |
Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Rick Scott Goes Postal
A push for swift passage of a sweeping bill with bipartisan support to overhaul the US Postal Service's finances hit a snag Monday evening in the Senate.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, objected to a unanimous consent request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to make a technical fix to the bill. Scott argued that there are issues with the legislation and that the Senate should slow down and work to improve it.
As a result, the Senate was not able to proceed to a planned vote to advance the bill Monday night. Schumer said that being unable to immediately make the technical fix will delay the bill, but vowed that the Senate will eventually pass it.
Now, absent an agreement to speed up the process, the Senate will have to restart the procedure needed to set up a final vote on the legislation in the chamber. It's not yet clear when a final passage vote will take place.
The USPS reform bill has bipartisan support and passed the House last week by a vote of 342 to 92. The bill seeks to overhaul the Postal Service's finances to help shore up its financial footing and allow it to modernize its service.
The Billion Dollar Protest
Any attempt to put a number on the economic costs of the blockade is tricky and speculative. However, it’s not hard to come up with numbers like $300 million or more per day; combine that with the disruption of Ottawa, and the “trucker” protests may already have inflicted a couple of billion dollars in economic damage.
As you might expect, the U.S. right is loving it. People who portrayed peaceful protests against police killings as an existential threat are delighted by the spectacle of right-wing activists breaking the law and destroying wealth. Fox News has devoted many hours to fawning coverage of the blockades and occupations. Senator Rand Paul, who called B.L.M. activists a “crazed mob,” called for Canada-style protests to “clog up cities” in the United States, specifically saying that he hoped to see truckers disrupt the Super Bowl (they didn’t).
Why Does the Media Keep Calling These People "Truckers"
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested 11 people involved in a truckers blockade near the U.S.-Canada border on Monday and found a major cache of weapons and body armor in three vehicles, officials announced.
Law enforcement seized 13 rifles, handguns, a “large quantity of ammunition” and high-capacity firearm magazines, multiple sets of body armor and a machete in Coutts, Alberta, close to the busy U.S.-Canada border crossing, according to an RCMP statement.
They conducted the search after learning of an “organized group” among the truckers with access to the weapons and a “willingness to use force against the police,” the statement added.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called increasing incidents of violence among the truckers “disturbing.” A “small cell people wanted to take this in a very dangerous and dark direction,” he added.
Gov. Death Sentence Can't Wait for This Day
It’s called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Naturally, it’s from Florida, the same GOP meth lab that brought you the Run Over Protestors Law, Stand Your Ground, and the Scarlet Letter Law--when women were forced to list their sexual partners in the newspaper before adoption could be used as an option. This. Fucking. State.
Without a hint of irony coming from the same people ranting about “cancel culture,” this legislative session is jam-packed with bills to ban books about race and the Holocaust, ban any lesson plan that makes “white people feel discomfort”, and now, preventing discussions that even mention LGBTQ+ people exist. Gay children are already targeted for bullying and violence, and now our governor and his lackeys want to try to even deny their existence—and punish teachers for possibly trying to teach some damn empathy.
Marco Just Keeps Flipping and Flopping
While speaking with Fox News' "Special Report" host Bret Baier on Monday, Rubio was asked why Republicans were not expressing the same degree of outrage they displayed when it was disclosed that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's had used a private email server while working for the White House.
"Well first of all, I don't know what's true and what's not, because they've made up so many stories about Donald Trump over the years that I mean things that I just knew were flat out untrue," Rubio said.
"Nowadays, in the mainstream media, you just need one source to smear Donald Trump and maybe you don't even need that. So it's hard to tell anymore what really happened and what didn't. The documents that were in Mar-a-Lago by all accounts were turned over," Rubio said.
"Look, if the process wasn't followed there, then that there needs to be something that happens about that. It's not a crime, I don't believe, but the stuff about flushing paper down the toilet — who knows if that's even true?"
Who Said This, Marco?
JUL 05 2016
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement regarding the FBI’s decision in the Hillary Clinton email probe:
“The FBI concluded what many Americans have known for quite some time, which is that Hillary Clinton’s conduct as Secretary of State and her mishandling of classified information was disgraceful and unbecoming of someone who aspires to the presidency. There is simply no excuse for Hillary Clinton's decision to set up a home-cooked email system which left sensitive and classified national security information vulnerable to theft and exploitation by America’s enemies. Her actions were grossly negligent, damaged national security and put lives at risk.
"Hillary Clinton's actions have sent the worst message to the millions of hard-working federal employees who hold security clearances and are expected to go to great lengths to secure sensitive government information and abide by the rules. They don't take their oaths lightly, and we shouldn't expect any less of their leaders.
"Hillary Clinton’s reckless and thoughtless mishandling of classified information is not the end of the story however. It’s only a matter of time before the next shoe drops and the nexus of corruption and controversy that has surrounded Hillary Clinton throughout her time in public office produces yet another scandal for the American people to endure. Given the consequential and challenging times in which we live, America simply cannot afford any more Clinton drama."
Treason for Fun and Profit
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) never apologized for saluting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and now he’s selling campaign merchandise emblazoned with his infamous fist pump.
An email sent to supporters on Monday boasted that the Hawley campaign’s new $20 coffee mug “is the perfect way to enjoy Coffee, Tea, or Liberal Tears!”
Hawley was one of several Republican senators who objected to the 2020 electoral vote certification in Congress after hundreds of Donald Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol, leading to the deaths of five people.
How Do You Say "Zero Hedge" in Russian? (нулевой хедж)
U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies.
The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence. The officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia.
No-Vax Novak Is Taking His Balls and Staying Home
If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, foregoing the chance to overtake Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Not All Texans Enjoy the Wide-Open Spaces
Dennis Hope has spent 27 years in solitary confinement in a Texas prison, in a cell that is 9 feet long and 6 feet wide — smaller than a compact parking space.
“It’s three steps to the door and then turn around and three steps back,” Mr. Hope, 53, wrote in a recent letter to his lawyers.
His only human contact is with the guards who strip-search and handcuff him before taking him to another enclosure to exercise, alone. He has had one personal phone call since 1994, when his mother died in 2013. He suffers from depression and paranoia and fears he is going insane.
Last month, Mr. Hope asked the Supreme Court to consider whether such prolonged isolation can violate the Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishments.
Prison officials in Texas do not seem concerned about Mr. Hope’s lawsuit. Last week, they told the Supreme Court that they waived their right to respond to his petition seeking review in his case, Hope v. Harris, No. 21-1065.
In their appeals court brief, the officials wrote that “Hope has no plausible Eighth Amendment claim.”
“While the conditions of Hope’s confinement may be unpleasant and possibly harsh,” the brief said, “he failed to show the conditions are objectively so serious as to deprive him of the minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities.”
Texas is a leader in the use of prolonged solitary confinement. More than 500 prisoners there have served more than 10 years in almost total isolation, and 138 have served more than 20.
Across the nation, according to a 2020 study from the Correctional Leaders Association and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School, about 7,000 prisoners have spent at least a year in solitary confinement and about 1,500 have been isolated for more than six years.
But it is quite rare for prisoners to spend decades in isolation.
"Do You Want to Buy Something I Stole From You?"
Aman was charged after allegedly stealing a dinosaur claw worth $25,000 from a gem show and trying to sell it to another vendor days later, Tucson, Arizona, police said.
Christopher Thomas, 39, allegedly took the claw from one vendor at the city's Gem and Mineral Show on Jan. 30, then tried to sell it to another on Feb. 8, police said, according to NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson.
That second vendor, Adam Aaronson, recognized the artifact and contacted Eric Miller, the owner of the dinosaur fossil who reported two claws stolen Jan. 30, the news station reported.
Together they set up a miniature sting operation. They told the suspect to bring in the claw for a “buyer,” who was actually Miller, to check out.
"When I saw it come into the room where I was hiding as the potential buyer, I was absolutely thrilled,” Miller told KVOA.
Aaronson then confronted Thomas, saying they would call police.
“I told the guy, ‘Sorry we have a problem, this claw is stolen property. We’re gonna have to call the police,’” Aaronson said.
Thomas been charged with trafficking stolen property, according to police.
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Dueling Headlines, Both on BBC News
Ukraine-Russia tensions: Russia pulls some troops back from border
No sign of Russian de-escalation yet, Nato says
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Canada Can. Somebody Needs to Tell the "Truckers".
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Accountants to Previous Guy: "You're Fired!"
Donald Trump's accounting firm has cut ties with the former president and said a decade of financial reports should "no longer be relied upon".
The firm, Mazars, said in a letter to the Trump Organization that it could not stand behind statements it had prepared for Mr Trump from 2011-20.
In its letter, Mazars wrote that the findings of Ms James' investigation had contributed to the conclusion that the statements should no longer be relied upon.
It Amazing Mazars, Didn't Notice Anything During the Previous Decade. What Honest Company Would Hire Them?
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NYC to People Too Stupid to Work: "You're Fired!"
New York City fired more than a thousand workers who failed to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the mayor’s office said Monday.
The 1,430 workers who lost their jobs represent less than 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce and are far fewer terminations than expected before a Friday deadline to get the shots.
The city sent notices in late January to up to 4,000 workers, saying they had to show proof they got at least two doses of the vaccine or else they’d lose their jobs. Three-quarters of those workers had already been on leave without pay for months, having missed an earlier deadline for getting vaccinated in order to stay on the job.
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I Think She Answered Her Own Question
Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson questioned why Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue competing at the Beijing Games amid a doping charge on Monday, months after a positive test for cannabis derailed her own Olympic dreams.
The 21-year-old American was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Tokyo Summer Games after winning the 100 meters at the US trials, but was barred from competing after accepting a one-month ban for her positive test for cannabis.
She later said her action was the result of mourning the death of her mother, as the incident rekindled the debate over the use of cannabis among athletes.
"Can we get a solid answer on the difference of (Valieva's) situation and mines?" Richardson wrote on Twitter on Monday. "My mother died and I can't run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady."
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"You May Have Lost Your Savings. We Don't Know. You Can't Find Out."
Dr. Anders Apgar was out for dinner last month with his family, and his phone would not stop buzzing. It looked like a robocall, so he tried to ignore it.
But the calls would not stop. Then his wife’s phone also started to ring.
“When she picks it up, a banner came across, a notification that says, ‘Your account’s in jeopardy,’” he said.
The warning, which he said was a text message, prompted him to pick up his phone. That was when the couple’s nightmare started.
It’s the kind of nightmare many crypto account holders around the country are facing as hackers target a boom in the industry, cybersecurity experts said.
The Apgars, who are both Maryland-based obstetricians, began investing in cryptocurrency several years ago. By December, their account had grown to about $106,000, mainly held in bitcoin. Like millions of investors across the country, their account is with Coinbase, the country’s largest cryptocurrency platform.
When Apgar picked up the phone, a female voice said, “Hello, welcome to Coinbase security prevention line. We have detected unauthorized activity due to failed log-in attempt on your account. This was requested from a Canada IP address. If this (is) not you, please press 1, to complete precautions recovering your account.” The call lasted just 19 seconds.
Alarmed, Apgar pressed 1.
He said he cannot remember if he manually entered his two-factor authentication code or if it came up automatically on his screen. But what happened in that moment led to his account being locked in less than two minutes. As Apgar has not regained access, he said he assumes the fraudsters stole most if not all of the crypto, but he can’t be sure.
Two-Factor Fraud
The Apgars were targeted by a particularly insidious type of fraud that takes advantage of two-factor authentication, or 2FA. People use 2FA, a second level of security that often involves a passcode, to safeguard a range of accounts at crypto exchanges, banks or anywhere else they carry out digital transactions.
But this new type of fraud goes right at that 2FA code, and it uses people’s fear of their accounts being hacked against them. In taking action they think will protect them, they actually expose themselves to thieves.
The fraud tool is called a one-time password, or OTP, bot.
A report produced by Florida-based cybersecurity firm and CNBC contributor Q6 Cyber said the OTP bots are driving substantial losses for financial and other institutions. The damage is hard to quantify now because the bot attacks are relatively new.
“The bot calls are crafted in a very skillful manner, creating a sense of urgency and trust over the phone. The calls rely on fear, convincing the victims to act to ‘avoid’ fraud in their account,” the report said.
The scam works in part because victims are used to providing a code for authentication to verify account information. At first listen, the robocalls can sound legitimate — especially if the victim is harried or distracted by other things at the moment the call comes in.
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Methane Could Kill More People Than Meth
What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. Vidar Helgesen
We are on track to lose the Arctic as we know it whether in five years or thirty-five years. When the media does bother to inform the public it is with kick the can down the road language such as Net-Zero, 1.5, and 2.0.
Climate change in the Arctic is melting glaciers, thinning sea ice, and thawing massive swaths of permafrost. It is dangerous for indigenous communities, infrastructure, and food accessibility. That does not include the release of methane gas that heats the planet eighty times more than CO2.
The United Nations issues yet another code red alert on the release of methane from what has been permanently frozen soil.
Carbon, Too.
Plant and animal material frozen in permafrost – called organic carbon – does not decompose or rot away. But as the permafrost thaws, microbes begin decomposing the material and release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
“Permafrost contains organic soil that’s been building up for thousands and thousands of years. It’s a fossil carbon pool that it hasn’t been part of our earth system for many thousands of years,” Dr. Natali emphasizes.
Dr. Sommerkorn adds that even under low levels of global warming, permafrost thawing could represent the emissions of a medium-sized country.
“And they could grow much more… that is what we know. What we don’t know is how much of that will be compensated on-site. So how much more new plants will be growing on permafrost soils? Taking that carbon back in? But these emissions will be coming,” he explains.
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There's Nothing "Christian" About This Web Site
A right-wing Christian crowdfunding site raising money for anti-vaccine truckers in Canada was disabled in an apparent hack attack that also exposed donor identities.
The GiveSendGo website late Sunday featured images from the Disney film “Frozen II,” with Elsa singing “Show Yourself,” according to saved screenshots and videos.
“On behalf of sane people worldwide who wish to continue living in a democracy, I am now telling you that GiveSendGo itself is frozen,” said a message on the site addressed to “GoSendGo Grifters and Hatriots.”
It also listed what the hacker claimed were donors’ names, contribution amounts and email addresses.
A video on the GiveSendGo site captured by a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reporter included scrolling text that denounced the crowdfunding site and the truckers’ “Freedom Convoy” as threats to democracy.
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"I Was Stranded in the Desert for a Week With Nothing to Drink. I Had to Make Do With Water the Whole Time." - WC Fields
The intense dry spell that's parched the western U.S. the past 22 years is the region's worst "megadrought" since at least the year 800, a new study released Monday said.
Megadroughts, which are defined as intense droughts that last for decades or longer, once plagued western North America. Now, thanks in part to global warming, an especially fierce one is back.
The study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Climate Change, said that over 40% of the current drought can be blamed on human-caused climate change.
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Here's What May Await No-Vax Novak and the Fired NYC Workers
Early in the pandemic about one-third of COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care died. Those figures are far better now, though precise numbers aren't available. Most of the survivors don't bounce back quickly.
A study published in late January found that among Dutch people treated for COVID-19 in an ICU, 74% still had physical symptoms a year later, including weakness and muscle and joint pain. More than a quarter reported lingering mental symptoms and 16% had cognitive problems.
COVID-19 patients who end up in intensive care have a rougher road than those with other respiratory illnesses, often suffering long-term organ damage, said Dr. Amit Gaggar, an attending physician in ICUs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham VA Medical Center.
After being released, many have lingering shortness of breath, new or exacerbated heart failure, kidney problems and lung scarring – all conditions that are possible after an ICU stay without COVID-19. But, Gaggar said, "the degree is a lot more severe with the COVID population."
While many people with respiratory illnesses might need two to three days in intensive care, patients with COVID-19 often spend two to three weeks or more, said Dr. Wes Ely, an ICU specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Those who survive ICUs may end up with what he calls post-intensive care syndrome, The condition can cause "neck up" problems, like dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, he said, and "neck down" problems, like muscle and nerve damage that can make it hard to walk or hold a pen.
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Someone is Vaccinating Wee Ones.
Hong Kong will begin vaccinating children as young as 3 years old to combat a record surge of infections, authorities said Monday. The decision came days after the death of a 4-year old who tested positive there. In the U.S., the minimum age for vaccination is 5.
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Sarah Tried to Put Lipstick on this Pig of a Lawsuit
Judge Jed Rakoff, the judge overseeing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, said Monday afternoon that he will dismiss the suit, ruling that Palin's team did not prove a key element of its case.
Rakoff's ruling came while the jury is deliberating over a verdict -- and Rakoff said he will allow the jury to continue deliberating and to reach a verdict, and will dismiss the case once it has done so.
Rakoff presented his findings -- a clear round-one win for The Times -- with an eye toward an inevitable appeals process.
The judge said Palin did not prove "actual malice," which is the standard her legal team had to meet in her defamation case. The landmark 1964 New York Times vs. Sullivan case specifies that public figures who sue for defamation must prove that the offender knew the claim was false or showed "reckless disregard" for the truth.
The Times said all along that it made an honest error involving Palin -— and issued a swift correction. Palin argued that the publication smeared her on purpose.
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What Do Trans People and the Vatican Have In Common?
A Catholic priest based in Phoenix, Arizona, has resigned after realizing he'd been incorrectly performing baptisms for over 20 years, rendering the rite invalid for thousands of people.
As he administered the ritual, Rev. Andres Arango would say, "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit." However, the correct wording is "I baptize," per the Vatican's instruction, wrote Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, in a January 14 message.
No one, including priests, "may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority," Olmsted wrote, citing Vatican teachings. Olmsted added that he didn't believe Father Arango had "intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments."
Still, the official Diocese of Phoenix website said that Father Arango's one-word alteration means that "all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid." The diocese also called for those who believe Father Arango had incorrectly baptized them to submit their contact details to receive the proper rite.
The Correct Pronoun Is Important to Both of Them
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