Post by mhbruin on Feb 20, 2022 9:12:40 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 550 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
Will This Cost Him an Arm and a Leg?
A man has been charged with murder after allegedly sawing another man's leg off in north-eastern Australia.
A man, 66, died in a park in Innisfail, Far North Queensland, early on Saturday after being found by passers-by, said police.
Police believe the man and the suspect, 36, had some sort of arrangement in which the younger man would amputate the older man's leg.
The two men were known to each other, police said.
Police said the men drove to the park together then 20 minutes later, the 36-year-old man allegedly cut the other's leg off under the knee with a circular saw.
The suspect then assisted the injured man back to the car before leaving the area on foot.
A passer-by found the injured man and called the emergency services, but the 66-year-old died shortly afterwards.
Lying For Profit
It was only about 16 years ago that comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness” to describe the rise of political content that maybe felt real to the pundit telling the story, but wasn’t really accurate. Today, the “truthiness” era seems quaint. There was nothing even close to “truthy” about the Hillary-spying-on-Trump fabrication. And, incredibly, it came just a couple of days after another made-up story — that the Biden administration was flooding urban neighborhoods with free “crack pipes” — dominated the right-wing news cycle. (Read my colleague Abraham Gutman for the full debunking and a look at a lie’s real-world consequences.)
It’s no accident that these big lies thrive in the 16-month shadow of the Big Lie — Trump’s myth that only massive amounts of voter fraud handed President Biden the 2020 election that the Democrat won by about seven million popular voters and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College. The repeated hammering of this utterly baseless claim — rejected by judges and secretaries of state, including Republicans, from coast to coast — has become a loyalty test for GOP officials and an article of faith for true believers among the 74 million who pulled the Trump lever. Little more than a year later, these lies have provided tainted oxygen for an almost impenetrable bubble — inflated for ratings and profit by a media company, but breathed by an entire political party that amplifies the toxicity on Facebook and other social media — well beyond the probably apocryphal Winston Churchill line, that a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth puts its pants on.
Lying for Power
No Canadian horse patrol trampling a protestor in Ottawa. A person was taken to the hospital, but the person had a HEART ATTACK! But the Fox “news reporter” did her “My Bad!” routine.
And as for all that police “abuse,” it’s bullshit too.
Police formed lines and pushed forward a few feet at a time starting in the morning, shoving back protesters and then towing the cars and trucks that clogged city streets. No one was killed or seriously injured, police said. Protesters tried desperately to “hold the line” and push police back. But sapped by defections and freezing cold temperatures, they were overwhelmed. Several protesters were pepper sprayed and 170 were arrested as of Saturday afternoon.
Lying for Money and Because That's What She Does (How Much Money Will She Use for "Investigating"?)
Lying Because His Lips Are Moving
A furious Donald Trump again complained Friday of being unfairly picked on by the Democrats, and said that the uproar over the classified documents he spirited away to Mar-a-Lago was nothing more than an “ordinary” and “routine” presidential records process.
The National Archives and Records Administration confirmed Friday that there were classified documents — some top secret — among at least 15 boxes of retrieved White House records Trump had taken to his Florida residence when he left office. By law, all of it was supposed to be handed over to the National Archives.
The Presidential Records Act requires that the White House preserve and transfer all written communication related to a president’s official duties — including everything from memos to emails — to the National Archives.
Trump dismissed concerns about his brazen defiance of the law as “fake news.”
Less Lying When Lawsuits May Await
In the past six days, John Durham was mentioned 219 times on Fox News, according to TVEyes. But as of 11 a.m. [Friday]. his name was mentioned only once by Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends, and it was in the context of Hillary Clinton being asked a question by a reporter.
So what happened? (Hillary happened.) Mediaite reached out to Fox News to ask if the network no longer felt the bombshell that Hillary Clinton spied on Trump was newsworthy, or if they no longer believe that it’s true. Fox News has not replied.
They Want to Force People to Have Babies
Wrap your brains around this. All three Republican candidates for Michigan Attorney General support reversing the Supreme Court’s 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.
Another Predator Saves the Taxpayers Money
A modeling agent who was close to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead Saturday in his French jail cell, where he was being held in an investigation into the rape and sex trafficking of minors, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Paris police are investigating Jean-Luc Brunel’s death at the historic La Sante prison in Paris, the prosecutor’s office said.
Victims of his alleged abuse described shock and dismay that the 75-year-old, a well-known model scout in the 1980s and 1990s who ran different agencies in Paris and New York, will never face trial. They called his death as a double blow after Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting sex-trafficking charges.
Brunel’s lawyers suggested Saturday that he, too, killed himself. In a statement, they described his “distress” at his incarceration and his repeated requests for a provisional release from the prison.
Family Dollars Needs to Spend More Dollars on Keeping Stuff Clean
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially contaminated food, lipstick and other products from Family Dollar stores in six southern states following a major rodent infestation at one of its distribution centers.
Live rodents, dead rodents in "various stages of decay," rodent feces and urine, "evidence of gnawing, nesting and rodent odors," dead birds and bird droppings were found inside a Family Dollar distribution center in Arkansas during an inspection January, according to the FDA.
More than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the Arkansas distribution center following a fumigation around that time, according to the agency. There is evidence this has been a persisting issue at the facility for far longer, the FDA said. ( I would say that 1,100 rodents is evidence that this is not a brand new problem.)
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God Save the Queen
The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said.
The monarch is experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms" but expects to continue "light duties" at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said.
"She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines," it added in a statement.
The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week.
It is understood a number of people have tested positive at Windsor Castle, where the Queen resides.
I Usually Refuse to Write About the Royals, But I Wish Her Well
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Why Does the Ukraine Matter?
Because China is watching to see if Putin gets away with it, when they contemplate taking Taiwan.
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Who Won the Week?
The judge and jury who, in separate verdicts, told Sarah Palin and her libel suit against The New York Times to go pound sand
Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court, whose ruling led to the unblocking of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge by the MAGA loonies of the north
"Winning the unwinnable," as relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary victims reach an historic $73 million settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 massacre
Federal Judge Jeffrey White, for restoring protections to grey wolves across much of the country, overturning a Trump policy that would've stopped their rebound from endangered status
The Olympians demonstrating feats of skill, stamina, and dexterity at the Winter Games at which we mere mortals can only marvel
President Biden: consumer spending way up for January; keeps up Putin pressure; hospitalizations from Covid down in all 50 states; orders release of Trump visitor logs
NY Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron, for ordering Trump, Trump Jr., and Ivanka to appear, within 21 days, for a deposition in the investigation of his alleged business fraud
New Zealand's parliament and Israel's health ministry, for voting to ban the cruel practice of "conversion therapy" that tries to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity
The tightening vise of justice, as the accounting firm Mazars ditches the Trump Org and disavows the accuracy of their financial statements going back to 2011
The Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams
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Good News About a Real Trucker
One of the passengers missing aboard a ferry that caught fire near Greece on Friday has been found alive, authorities say.
The Belarusian truck driver, 21, used a ladder to climb down from the ferry on to a tugboat. His first words were: "Tell me I'm alive."
The driver told Greek media he had heard other voices on the ship.
Rescuers have managed to board the ship to try and find the 11 others still missing, Greek broadcaster ERT reports.
The Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia caught fire en route to the Italian port of Brindisi.
More than 270 were rescued from the ship and taken to the island of Corfu.
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Who Lost the Week?
Three members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces, under investigation for allegedly supporting the protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa
The Trump Organization, as its long-time accounting firm Mazars said it could no longer stand behind the annual financial documents it had prepared for them
Michael Joseph Pepe, a former Marine captain, sentenced to 210 years for raping girls in Cambodia in 2005 (including drugging and beating them) after a re-trial in California following an appeals court overturning a prior conviction
Nicholas Kristof, a former NY Times columnist, forced to end his campaign for governor after the Oregon Supreme Court ruled he hadn’t lived there for three years, voting and having a drivers license in NY State as late as 2020
Peter Sloly, the police chief of Ottawa, Canada, forced to resign over his handling of Covid protests, including allowing trucks to park on the street of Parliament and taking a hands-off approach in general (creating “carnival chaos”)
The Oath Keepers, Proud Boys leader and Trump, as a judge refused to dismiss a civil lawsuit against them for the January 6th riot (although the judge did dismiss charges against Don Jr., Rudy and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL))
Allison Golust, forced out as CNN's chief marketing officer as an investigation listed her (along with Jeff Zucker and Chris Cuomo) as three top figures who had violated the network’s official journalism standards and practices
Zachary Horwitz, an aspiring actor, sentenced to twenty years for defrauding investors (telling them he was with HBO and Netflix) a total of $650m to finance a lavish lifestyle of yachts, jets, a mansion and fast cars
The Trump family, as a judge ruled three of them must sit for depositions by the NY state AG on the business fraud case (though an appeal will certainly follow)
Former Interior secretary Ryan Zinke, as an inspector general found he misused his position to advance a development project in his hometown and failed to disclose his involvement when questioned by ethics officials
Miles Keon, financial backer of Steve Bannon and the right-wing social media site Gettr, declaring bankruptcy after a judge ordered he repay a $134m yacht loan, that he moved into international waters in an attempt to evade paying for
Five employees (including two administrators) of Midland Christian School in Texas, arrested for concealing (and failing to report) a sexual assault of a child that took place on campus during a baseball practice
Juan Orlando Hernández, arrested by Honduran authorities (two weeks after his term ended) on charges of drug and weapons trafficking, with US authorities requesting his extradition to face trial
Chitra Ramkrishna, former head of the Mumbai stock exchange, fined $400k by India’s securities regulator for sharing confidential financial information with her guru, saying she had been a “puppet in his hands”
The police department in Austin, Texas, as 19 police officers were indicted on charges of excessive force in the 2020 George Floyd protests … and also forced to pay $10 million settlement with two men shot by police with beanbag rounds
Ken Kurson, a Kushner publisher ally pardoned by Trump before he left office, pleading guilty to two NY state-level charges of unlawfully cyberstalking on his former wife's computer
Sarah Palin, who lost her court case against the NY Times when jurors rejected her claims of defamation … and where the judge already had ruled that he would throw-out her suit, whatever the jury’s verdict was
Remington Arms, forced to pay the families of nine victims killed at a school in Sandy Hook, CT in 2012 $73m by promoting a military-style weapon to be sold to civilians (that was used in the shooting) … in a novel trial strategy
Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze, under fire for pushing her skaters to use drugs, with 15 year-old Kamila Valieva (found to have used an illegal drug) buckling under pressure in the finals, with Tutberidze publicly chastising her
Prince Andrew, who has always denied sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre on three occasions when she was 17 while she traveled with Jeffrey Epstein, now agreeing to a settlement in order to avoid a trial the Crown did not want
George Zimmerman, whose $100m lawsuit (for alleged defamation) against the parents of Trayvon Martin (and others) was thrown out of court
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See Ya' Later Instigator
Police in Canada's capital Ottawa have cleared a main protest site in front of parliament that had been occupied by demonstrators for over three weeks.
More than 170 people have been arrested and 38 vehicles seized as officers, some on horseback, continued the second day of a massive crackdown.
Some protesters who resisted were thrown to the ground and had their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
Police said, however, that operations were ongoing in Ottawa.
"We won't commit to any end time," interim police chief Steve Bell said, adding "We are in this until it is over."
Mr Bell said that some protesters had moved from the heart of the protest area near Parliament Hill to surrounding neighbourhoods and that those areas would also be cleared.
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The Tweet That Save the Republic?
It's an interesting story, but I can't figure out how to just post an part of it.
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Not All Indigenous People Have Lots of Casino Money
A newly built residential complex in Seattle is offering unhoused Indigenous people a new lease on life.
The Chief Seattle Club has opened the doors to ʔálʔal, an 80-unit apartment building reserved for low-income and unhoused urban Natives in Washington's King County.
ʔálʔal, pronounced "all-all," means "home" in Lushootseed, an Indigenous language spoken by local Salish tribes.
The nonprofit organization, which says it's "dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people," announced the complex, built on what was once Native land, in a January press release.
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Are Asian Americans Becoming a Bigger Force in American Politics?
So on Tuesday, when the deep blue city of San Francisco recalled three ultraprogressive, equity-focused members of the school board, ousting them in stunning three-to-one votes, what are we to make of it? Is it a harbinger of coming catastrophe for Democrats? Or are we dealing with a local election with local concerns?[...]
What’s far more likely — and supported by the voting data — is that the recall was mostly brought about by a coalition of parents who were mad about the changes at Lowell. On Feb. 2, 2021, members of the school board put forth a resolution to end test-based admissions at the school permanently and to use instead the district’s standard lottery system as a way to diversify the mostly white and Asian student body. On Feb. 9 the school board voted 5 to 2 to adopt the resolution. Ten days later, two parents began the campaign to recall the three school board members.
The vote capped a year of organizing by a mostly Asian American bloc of parents and citizens. Investors provided much of the campaign’s funding. The large amount — over $2 million in total — has raised questions about whether the effort was just an attempt by Silicon Valley and Wall Street to beat back equity efforts in public schools.
But this sort of dismissal belies the actual organizing that went into the effort and the work of hundreds of volunteers who collected signatures for the recall election throughout the city. It also ignores relatively high turnout rates in Asian neighborhoods and the overwhelming majority of those residents who voted to recall.
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They "Solved" a Mystery Which Has Already Been Solved
Two groups of “linguistic detectives” who have used computers and machine learning to track speech patterns on social media messages are convinced they’ve identified the founders of QAnon, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Conspiracy theorists claim the anonymous “Q” is a mysterious top-secret government operative within the “deep state” with access to its secrets.
Now, linguistic detectives have identified South African software developer Paul Furber, who previously appeared to be a first disciple of a QAnon message posted in 2017, as a founder of the movement — along with Ron Watkins, who is now running for Congress in Arizona.
According to the word sleuths in the Times piece, Watkins likely took over from Furber in 2018. He operated a website where the Q messages began appearing that year.
Both men have denied being the creators of QAnon, though Furber, 55, glibly told the Times that “Q” so influenced people that we’ve “all started talking like him.”
Watkins, 34, told the Times: “I am not Q.”
But Watkins’ name in the latest studies is no surprise.
The long-time administrator of the message board 8kun, the QAnon movement’s online home, has been named in other, previous, reports. He also appeared to out himself as QAnon’s propagator last year in “Q: Into the Storm,” an HBO documentary about the movement.
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A Bunch of People Got Together and Competed in a Bunch of Things I Don't Care About.
Way too much money was spent, there were a ton of scandals, and the hosts are a nasty dictatorship that is threatening it's neighbors.
I didn't watch a minute. I don't know who won what and I don't care.
It's 3 weeks from Selection Sunday. Now that's important!
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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 20 | |||||
| Feb 19 | 473,537 | 252,791,817 | 214,745,073 | ||
| Feb 18 | 491,120 | 252,650,507 | 214,602,856 | 103,462 | 1,920 |
| Feb 17 | 493,892 | 252,539,755 | 214,474,721 | 112,653 | 1,998 |
| Feb 16 | 516,988 | 252,400,057 | 214,218,580 | 121,664 | 2,020 |
| Feb 15 | 544,184 | 252,277,758 | 214,104,148 | 134,468 | 2,100 |
| 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 | 76.1% | 64.7% | 43.2% |
| % of Population 5+ | 80.9% | 68.8% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 85.9% | 73.2% | 44.7% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.7% | 74.8% | 46.5% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.7% | 65.9% |
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% |
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Will This Cost Him an Arm and a Leg?
A man has been charged with murder after allegedly sawing another man's leg off in north-eastern Australia.
A man, 66, died in a park in Innisfail, Far North Queensland, early on Saturday after being found by passers-by, said police.
Police believe the man and the suspect, 36, had some sort of arrangement in which the younger man would amputate the older man's leg.
The two men were known to each other, police said.
Police said the men drove to the park together then 20 minutes later, the 36-year-old man allegedly cut the other's leg off under the knee with a circular saw.
The suspect then assisted the injured man back to the car before leaving the area on foot.
A passer-by found the injured man and called the emergency services, but the 66-year-old died shortly afterwards.
Lying For Profit
It was only about 16 years ago that comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness” to describe the rise of political content that maybe felt real to the pundit telling the story, but wasn’t really accurate. Today, the “truthiness” era seems quaint. There was nothing even close to “truthy” about the Hillary-spying-on-Trump fabrication. And, incredibly, it came just a couple of days after another made-up story — that the Biden administration was flooding urban neighborhoods with free “crack pipes” — dominated the right-wing news cycle. (Read my colleague Abraham Gutman for the full debunking and a look at a lie’s real-world consequences.)
It’s no accident that these big lies thrive in the 16-month shadow of the Big Lie — Trump’s myth that only massive amounts of voter fraud handed President Biden the 2020 election that the Democrat won by about seven million popular voters and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College. The repeated hammering of this utterly baseless claim — rejected by judges and secretaries of state, including Republicans, from coast to coast — has become a loyalty test for GOP officials and an article of faith for true believers among the 74 million who pulled the Trump lever. Little more than a year later, these lies have provided tainted oxygen for an almost impenetrable bubble — inflated for ratings and profit by a media company, but breathed by an entire political party that amplifies the toxicity on Facebook and other social media — well beyond the probably apocryphal Winston Churchill line, that a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth puts its pants on.
Lying for Power
No Canadian horse patrol trampling a protestor in Ottawa. A person was taken to the hospital, but the person had a HEART ATTACK! But the Fox “news reporter” did her “My Bad!” routine.
And as for all that police “abuse,” it’s bullshit too.
Police formed lines and pushed forward a few feet at a time starting in the morning, shoving back protesters and then towing the cars and trucks that clogged city streets. No one was killed or seriously injured, police said. Protesters tried desperately to “hold the line” and push police back. But sapped by defections and freezing cold temperatures, they were overwhelmed. Several protesters were pepper sprayed and 170 were arrested as of Saturday afternoon.
Lying for Money and Because That's What She Does (How Much Money Will She Use for "Investigating"?)
Lying Because His Lips Are Moving
A furious Donald Trump again complained Friday of being unfairly picked on by the Democrats, and said that the uproar over the classified documents he spirited away to Mar-a-Lago was nothing more than an “ordinary” and “routine” presidential records process.
The National Archives and Records Administration confirmed Friday that there were classified documents — some top secret — among at least 15 boxes of retrieved White House records Trump had taken to his Florida residence when he left office. By law, all of it was supposed to be handed over to the National Archives.
The Presidential Records Act requires that the White House preserve and transfer all written communication related to a president’s official duties — including everything from memos to emails — to the National Archives.
Trump dismissed concerns about his brazen defiance of the law as “fake news.”
Less Lying When Lawsuits May Await
In the past six days, John Durham was mentioned 219 times on Fox News, according to TVEyes. But as of 11 a.m. [Friday]. his name was mentioned only once by Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends, and it was in the context of Hillary Clinton being asked a question by a reporter.
So what happened? (Hillary happened.) Mediaite reached out to Fox News to ask if the network no longer felt the bombshell that Hillary Clinton spied on Trump was newsworthy, or if they no longer believe that it’s true. Fox News has not replied.
They Want to Force People to Have Babies
Wrap your brains around this. All three Republican candidates for Michigan Attorney General support reversing the Supreme Court’s 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.
Another Predator Saves the Taxpayers Money
A modeling agent who was close to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead Saturday in his French jail cell, where he was being held in an investigation into the rape and sex trafficking of minors, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Paris police are investigating Jean-Luc Brunel’s death at the historic La Sante prison in Paris, the prosecutor’s office said.
Victims of his alleged abuse described shock and dismay that the 75-year-old, a well-known model scout in the 1980s and 1990s who ran different agencies in Paris and New York, will never face trial. They called his death as a double blow after Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting sex-trafficking charges.
Brunel’s lawyers suggested Saturday that he, too, killed himself. In a statement, they described his “distress” at his incarceration and his repeated requests for a provisional release from the prison.
Family Dollars Needs to Spend More Dollars on Keeping Stuff Clean
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially contaminated food, lipstick and other products from Family Dollar stores in six southern states following a major rodent infestation at one of its distribution centers.
Live rodents, dead rodents in "various stages of decay," rodent feces and urine, "evidence of gnawing, nesting and rodent odors," dead birds and bird droppings were found inside a Family Dollar distribution center in Arkansas during an inspection January, according to the FDA.
More than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the Arkansas distribution center following a fumigation around that time, according to the agency. There is evidence this has been a persisting issue at the facility for far longer, the FDA said. ( I would say that 1,100 rodents is evidence that this is not a brand new problem.)
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God Save the Queen
The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said.
The monarch is experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms" but expects to continue "light duties" at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said.
"She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines," it added in a statement.
The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week.
It is understood a number of people have tested positive at Windsor Castle, where the Queen resides.
I Usually Refuse to Write About the Royals, But I Wish Her Well
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Why Does the Ukraine Matter?
Because China is watching to see if Putin gets away with it, when they contemplate taking Taiwan.
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Who Won the Week?
The judge and jury who, in separate verdicts, told Sarah Palin and her libel suit against The New York Times to go pound sand
Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court, whose ruling led to the unblocking of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge by the MAGA loonies of the north
"Winning the unwinnable," as relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary victims reach an historic $73 million settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 massacre
Federal Judge Jeffrey White, for restoring protections to grey wolves across much of the country, overturning a Trump policy that would've stopped their rebound from endangered status
The Olympians demonstrating feats of skill, stamina, and dexterity at the Winter Games at which we mere mortals can only marvel
President Biden: consumer spending way up for January; keeps up Putin pressure; hospitalizations from Covid down in all 50 states; orders release of Trump visitor logs
NY Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron, for ordering Trump, Trump Jr., and Ivanka to appear, within 21 days, for a deposition in the investigation of his alleged business fraud
New Zealand's parliament and Israel's health ministry, for voting to ban the cruel practice of "conversion therapy" that tries to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity
The tightening vise of justice, as the accounting firm Mazars ditches the Trump Org and disavows the accuracy of their financial statements going back to 2011
The Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams
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Good News About a Real Trucker
One of the passengers missing aboard a ferry that caught fire near Greece on Friday has been found alive, authorities say.
The Belarusian truck driver, 21, used a ladder to climb down from the ferry on to a tugboat. His first words were: "Tell me I'm alive."
The driver told Greek media he had heard other voices on the ship.
Rescuers have managed to board the ship to try and find the 11 others still missing, Greek broadcaster ERT reports.
The Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia caught fire en route to the Italian port of Brindisi.
More than 270 were rescued from the ship and taken to the island of Corfu.
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Who Lost the Week?
Three members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces, under investigation for allegedly supporting the protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa
The Trump Organization, as its long-time accounting firm Mazars said it could no longer stand behind the annual financial documents it had prepared for them
Michael Joseph Pepe, a former Marine captain, sentenced to 210 years for raping girls in Cambodia in 2005 (including drugging and beating them) after a re-trial in California following an appeals court overturning a prior conviction
Nicholas Kristof, a former NY Times columnist, forced to end his campaign for governor after the Oregon Supreme Court ruled he hadn’t lived there for three years, voting and having a drivers license in NY State as late as 2020
Peter Sloly, the police chief of Ottawa, Canada, forced to resign over his handling of Covid protests, including allowing trucks to park on the street of Parliament and taking a hands-off approach in general (creating “carnival chaos”)
The Oath Keepers, Proud Boys leader and Trump, as a judge refused to dismiss a civil lawsuit against them for the January 6th riot (although the judge did dismiss charges against Don Jr., Rudy and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL))
Allison Golust, forced out as CNN's chief marketing officer as an investigation listed her (along with Jeff Zucker and Chris Cuomo) as three top figures who had violated the network’s official journalism standards and practices
Zachary Horwitz, an aspiring actor, sentenced to twenty years for defrauding investors (telling them he was with HBO and Netflix) a total of $650m to finance a lavish lifestyle of yachts, jets, a mansion and fast cars
The Trump family, as a judge ruled three of them must sit for depositions by the NY state AG on the business fraud case (though an appeal will certainly follow)
Former Interior secretary Ryan Zinke, as an inspector general found he misused his position to advance a development project in his hometown and failed to disclose his involvement when questioned by ethics officials
Miles Keon, financial backer of Steve Bannon and the right-wing social media site Gettr, declaring bankruptcy after a judge ordered he repay a $134m yacht loan, that he moved into international waters in an attempt to evade paying for
Five employees (including two administrators) of Midland Christian School in Texas, arrested for concealing (and failing to report) a sexual assault of a child that took place on campus during a baseball practice
Juan Orlando Hernández, arrested by Honduran authorities (two weeks after his term ended) on charges of drug and weapons trafficking, with US authorities requesting his extradition to face trial
Chitra Ramkrishna, former head of the Mumbai stock exchange, fined $400k by India’s securities regulator for sharing confidential financial information with her guru, saying she had been a “puppet in his hands”
The police department in Austin, Texas, as 19 police officers were indicted on charges of excessive force in the 2020 George Floyd protests … and also forced to pay $10 million settlement with two men shot by police with beanbag rounds
Ken Kurson, a Kushner publisher ally pardoned by Trump before he left office, pleading guilty to two NY state-level charges of unlawfully cyberstalking on his former wife's computer
Sarah Palin, who lost her court case against the NY Times when jurors rejected her claims of defamation … and where the judge already had ruled that he would throw-out her suit, whatever the jury’s verdict was
Remington Arms, forced to pay the families of nine victims killed at a school in Sandy Hook, CT in 2012 $73m by promoting a military-style weapon to be sold to civilians (that was used in the shooting) … in a novel trial strategy
Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze, under fire for pushing her skaters to use drugs, with 15 year-old Kamila Valieva (found to have used an illegal drug) buckling under pressure in the finals, with Tutberidze publicly chastising her
Prince Andrew, who has always denied sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre on three occasions when she was 17 while she traveled with Jeffrey Epstein, now agreeing to a settlement in order to avoid a trial the Crown did not want
George Zimmerman, whose $100m lawsuit (for alleged defamation) against the parents of Trayvon Martin (and others) was thrown out of court
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See Ya' Later Instigator
Police in Canada's capital Ottawa have cleared a main protest site in front of parliament that had been occupied by demonstrators for over three weeks.
More than 170 people have been arrested and 38 vehicles seized as officers, some on horseback, continued the second day of a massive crackdown.
Some protesters who resisted were thrown to the ground and had their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
Police said, however, that operations were ongoing in Ottawa.
"We won't commit to any end time," interim police chief Steve Bell said, adding "We are in this until it is over."
Mr Bell said that some protesters had moved from the heart of the protest area near Parliament Hill to surrounding neighbourhoods and that those areas would also be cleared.
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The Tweet That Save the Republic?
It's an interesting story, but I can't figure out how to just post an part of it.
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Not All Indigenous People Have Lots of Casino Money
A newly built residential complex in Seattle is offering unhoused Indigenous people a new lease on life.
The Chief Seattle Club has opened the doors to ʔálʔal, an 80-unit apartment building reserved for low-income and unhoused urban Natives in Washington's King County.
ʔálʔal, pronounced "all-all," means "home" in Lushootseed, an Indigenous language spoken by local Salish tribes.
The nonprofit organization, which says it's "dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people," announced the complex, built on what was once Native land, in a January press release.
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Are Asian Americans Becoming a Bigger Force in American Politics?
So on Tuesday, when the deep blue city of San Francisco recalled three ultraprogressive, equity-focused members of the school board, ousting them in stunning three-to-one votes, what are we to make of it? Is it a harbinger of coming catastrophe for Democrats? Or are we dealing with a local election with local concerns?[...]
What’s far more likely — and supported by the voting data — is that the recall was mostly brought about by a coalition of parents who were mad about the changes at Lowell. On Feb. 2, 2021, members of the school board put forth a resolution to end test-based admissions at the school permanently and to use instead the district’s standard lottery system as a way to diversify the mostly white and Asian student body. On Feb. 9 the school board voted 5 to 2 to adopt the resolution. Ten days later, two parents began the campaign to recall the three school board members.
The vote capped a year of organizing by a mostly Asian American bloc of parents and citizens. Investors provided much of the campaign’s funding. The large amount — over $2 million in total — has raised questions about whether the effort was just an attempt by Silicon Valley and Wall Street to beat back equity efforts in public schools.
But this sort of dismissal belies the actual organizing that went into the effort and the work of hundreds of volunteers who collected signatures for the recall election throughout the city. It also ignores relatively high turnout rates in Asian neighborhoods and the overwhelming majority of those residents who voted to recall.
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They "Solved" a Mystery Which Has Already Been Solved
Two groups of “linguistic detectives” who have used computers and machine learning to track speech patterns on social media messages are convinced they’ve identified the founders of QAnon, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Conspiracy theorists claim the anonymous “Q” is a mysterious top-secret government operative within the “deep state” with access to its secrets.
Now, linguistic detectives have identified South African software developer Paul Furber, who previously appeared to be a first disciple of a QAnon message posted in 2017, as a founder of the movement — along with Ron Watkins, who is now running for Congress in Arizona.
According to the word sleuths in the Times piece, Watkins likely took over from Furber in 2018. He operated a website where the Q messages began appearing that year.
Both men have denied being the creators of QAnon, though Furber, 55, glibly told the Times that “Q” so influenced people that we’ve “all started talking like him.”
Watkins, 34, told the Times: “I am not Q.”
But Watkins’ name in the latest studies is no surprise.
The long-time administrator of the message board 8kun, the QAnon movement’s online home, has been named in other, previous, reports. He also appeared to out himself as QAnon’s propagator last year in “Q: Into the Storm,” an HBO documentary about the movement.
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A Bunch of People Got Together and Competed in a Bunch of Things I Don't Care About.
Way too much money was spent, there were a ton of scandals, and the hosts are a nasty dictatorship that is threatening it's neighbors.
I didn't watch a minute. I don't know who won what and I don't care.
It's 3 weeks from Selection Sunday. Now that's important!
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