Post by mhbruin on Feb 25, 2022 12:47:01 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 552 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
--------------
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 22)
January had NO rain or snow. February looks the same.
--------------
Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Two Musks are Worse than One
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his brother are under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possibly violating insider trading rules, according to media reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the probe, said the investor watchdog agency is looking into sales of Tesla shares by Kimbal Musk, a member of the Tesla board, just before his brother, Elon, announced on Twitter that he would sell 10% of his own Tesla holdings, a move that sent Tesla (TSLA) shares sharply lower in the days that followed.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the reports, and CNN Business hasn't independently confirmed the investigation.
The Financial Times reported that Musk denied wrongdoing, telling the paper that the investigation is "simply more evidence of Stevie grinding his very tiny axe yet again."
The reference is apparently to Steven Buchholz, an SEC staffer in the agency's San Francisco office, who is involved in SEC enforcement cases involving Musk and Tesla
These Are Not Exactly the Crown Jewels
Props from the Netflix royal drama "The Crown" have been stolen.
South Yorkshire police told CNN that props used in film and television production were reported stolen from three vehicles on Feb. 16.
"The items stolen are not necessarily in the best condition and therefore of limited value for resale. However, they are valuable as pieces to the UK film industry," Alison Harvey, series set decorator for "The Crown" Season 5 told Antiques Trade Gazette.
Candelabras, a clock, a silver dressing table set and glassware were among the missing items, according to the publication.
He'd Also Prefer a Pedophile or a Mass Murderer to a Democrat
What If There Was a Protest and Nobody Came? It Would Be the DC Truck Convoy.
With the first having arrived on Wednesday, a series of truck convoys were headed to Washington, D.C., this week in attempts to create gridlock on the Beltway. Bob Bolus, a Scranton, Pennslyvania truck driver, told ABC’s 7News he's leading a “convoy” to protest federal COVID-19 mandates, inflation, and illegal immigration.
“We're not going to camp there. Let me put it that way,” Bolus said. “We're not camping on the Beltway. We're gonna have our voices heard and let them understand this is only the tip of the iceberg."
But while Bolus hyped up his convoy and threatened the chaos it would create, the reality was his convoy only consisted of a handful of vehicles… including his own. The number was a lot smaller than Bolus’ expected minimum of 25 trucks—the number estimated to be coming from Pennslyvania alone—especially because he claimed he had been in communication with other drivers.
And Then He's Going to Invade Lichtenstein and Freedonia. Is Freedonia Part of NATO?
What Would Ronald Reagan Do?
In the span of a few short decades, our Republicomrades went from “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” to “I know Vladimir likes me, but does he like like me?”
On Tuesday, Trump celebrated Putin's aggression against Ukraine as "genius" and "wonderful," lauding Putin as "tough" and patriotic while speaking on the conservative talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
Video of Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling Putin "very shrewd" and "very capable" during a January Fox News interview, has also recently aired on Russian television.
When asked about Trump's and Pompeo's recent compliments for the Russian president, state department spokesperson Ned Price replied, "I have no response. In fact, I have no words."
Putin's Gonna' Party Like It's 1939
Will Rogers Never Met Mark Zuckerberg
This is Not the Nanny State. This is the "Jail the Nanny" State.
Earlier this week, citing a non-binding opinion authored by Paxton, Texas Governor Abbott directed the state’s child welfare agency to consider gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies, as a form of “child abuse.”
Under the directive, any licensed professional who has “direct contact with children” could face criminal charges for failing to report these treatments to the state.
The Texas Nurses Association, the largest state nursing association in the country, roundly condemned the effort.
In addition to directly harming the psychological and physical health of transgender and gender-diverse youth, the nursing group warned that “imposing ambiguous legal consequences” on medical professionals for simply doing their jobs would “produce a chilling effect in healthcare” at large.
Those concerns were shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Texas Pediatric Society, both of whom have long supported gender-affirming treatments for gender dysphoria.
“What is happening in Texas directly undermines the care pediatricians provide their patients,” AAP President Moira Szilagyi said in a statement. “Pediatricians could be investigated for child abuse by simply providing evidence-based, medically necessary services.”
“Gender affirming care is not abuse. Politics has no place in the exam room. All children deserve access to the care they need,” she said.
There's One Direction and then There's Wrong Direction
Attendees at CPAC in Orlando are finding that not everyone in the Republican Party agrees with its current direction.
Even Neymar Would Say, "No More". Pele Would Say "No Way".
In the hours after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, Brazilians of all ideologies lined up to criticize the aggression. Presidential candidates. Political commentators. The vice president.
Everyone except the politician that matters most in Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who just last week shook hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and declared Brazil’s solidarity with Russia, didn’t address the attack in his public statements Thursday. Only late in the day did Bolsonaro fully address the issue — and even then, it wasn’t to take sides or apportion blame, but to scold his vice president for speaking out of turn on the matter.
“It’s the president who should speak on the matter,” he said. “And the president is Jair Messias Bolsonaro. And that’s the final word."
I Wouldn't Say "Buck DeathSentence" . I Would Change the First Letter.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Thursday announced new coronavirus policy recommendations that discourage mask-wearing and push physicians to use off-label medications to treat the virus.
The guidance, titled “ Buck the CDC,” is the Republican governor's latest break with federal officials over COVID-19 rules, a feud that has boosted his prominence in the GOP as he eyes a 2024 presidential bid.
--------------
Nothing Goes According to Plan Once the First Shots are Fired
Russia's invasion, long in the planning, is not going entirely to plan but the odds are not in Ukraine’s favour either.
Russian forces outmatch and outnumber Ukraine's in nearly every sphere. Putin's invasion plan, concocted during lockdown with his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, involves making as rapid a three-pronged attack as possible, neutralising resistance then eliminating the elected government and installing a pliant, pro-Moscow one.
Ukraine will then be announced as having been "liberated" and "returned to its rightful place".
But Ukrainian resistance is inflicting casualties on the invaders – more than 450 so far, according to the UK's Defence Intelligence – and the longer it takes Moscow to subjugate its neighbour the more problems it will encounter.
We are seeing the beginnings of civil resistance with the government handing out thousands of weapons to Kyiv's residents.
--------------
Maybe You Should Hold Off On Your Chernobyl Vacation
A radiation spike has been recorded near Chernobyl's nuclear power plant which has been seized by Russian forces, monitoring data shows.
Invading Russian troops took control of the plant - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986 - on Thursday, Ukraine said.
Radiation levels increased about 20-fold on Thursday, monitoring stations there reported.
But experts say another major nuclear disaster there is "extremely unlikely".
The rise was caused by heavy military vehicles stirring contaminated soil in the 4,000-sq-km (2,485 sq-mile) exclusion zone surrounding the abandoned plant, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported .
The biggest spike was recorded close to the damaged reactor.
Radiation levels are continuously monitored there - measured as a dose that you would receive per hour in a location.
Close to the reactor, you would normally receive a dose of about three units - called microsieverts - every hour. But on Thursday, that jumped to 65 microSv/hrs - about five times more than you would get on one transatlantic flight.
--------------
Hank is Definitely Smarter than the Average Bear, If He is Planting DNA Evidence to Frame Other Bears
The massive black bear, known as Hank the Tank and blamed for breaking and entering more than two dozen homes in California's Lake Tahoe area, is no longer the sole suspect, according to officials.
Authorities had believed the 500-pound bear was acting alone as he roamed the streets in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe, about 100 miles east of Sacramento.
But DNA evidence gathered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suggests several bears may have been responsible for the break-ins. The statement Thursday did not clarify if Hank was to blame for at least some of the incidents.
"While recent incidents of bears invading homes were originally thought to be a single bear, DNA evidence collected from the most recent incident as well as prior incidents over the past several months prove that at least three bears were responsible for breaking into numerous residences," the statement said.
--------------
They are Leaving No Mifepristone Unturned
Requests for abortion pills skyrocketed in Texas after a state law that bans abortions around six weeks of pregnancy went into effect last September.
A study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, by researchers at the University of Texas, found requests made by Texans to an international humanitarian organization called Aid Access, which provides abortion medication by mail, soared by nearly 1,200 percent the week Senate Bill 8 went into effect.
--------------
He Can Walk and Chew Gum At the Same Time
President Joe Biden has followed through on his campaign promise of nominating a Black woman to become a Supreme Court Justice. According to The New York Times, Biden has nominated 51-year-old Ketanji Brown Jackson. Once approved by the Senate, Brown Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in the court's 232-year history.
With her confirmation, not only will Jackson be the first Black woman appointed, but it would make it the first time four women have sat on the court at the same time. She will also serve as the third Black justice in history.
He Can Also Deal With an International Crisis and Nominate at the Same Time
-------------
They Aren't Russian Out to Support Putin
Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on a TV camera moments after advancing to the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The seventh-ranked Rublev had just beaten Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in their semifinal match before writing his message on the camera — as is common after matches.
--------------
Garry Kasparov Knows How to Checkmate Someone
Ok, after years of warnings were ignored and hearing "Garry, you were right!" all damn day today, I'll repeat what I said in 2014: Stop telling me I was right and listen to what I'm saying now. My recommendations follow:
-Support Ukraine militarily, immediately, everything but boots on the ground. All weapons, intel, cyber.
-Bankrupt Putin's war machine. Freeze & seize Russia's finances & those of him and his gang.
-Kick Russia out of every intl & financial institution. PACE, Interpol, etc
-Recall all ambassadors from Russia. There is no point in talking. The new unified message is "stop or be isolated completely".
-Ban all elements of Putin's global propaganda machine. Turn them off, shut them down, send them home. Stop helping the dictator spread lies & hate.
-Expose and act against Putin's lackeys in the free world. If Schröder and his ilk continue to work for Putin, bring charges. Ask the owners & advertisers of networks platforming Putin propagandists like Carlson why they allow it.
--------------
This Should Convince Vlad the Invader to Call It Off
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is getting the country kicked out the Eurovision Song Contest. For this year, anyway.
Just Look What the World Will Be Deprived Of
--------------
Today's Dumbest Controversy
Applebee's Bought the Ad Time Before they Knew What the News Would Be. It's as Dumb as Taking Your Girl to Applebee's on a Date Night.
--------------
So Why Is He Also on the Five-Dollar Bill?
The 16th President (1861-1865) learned to play poker when he worked as a Mississippi riverboat captain. A fierce but frugal competitor, Lincoln was a superb microstakes gambler, indulging in penny-ante poker games, which was prescient since he became the face of the penny after his presidency.
--------------
--------------
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 25 | 372,242 | 253,232,298 | 215,318,037 | ||
| Feb 24 | 417,363 | 253,307,984 | 215,253,201 | 72,111 | 1,720 |
| Feb 23 | 425,810 | 253,179,401 | 215,129,430 | 75,208 | 1,674 |
| Feb 22 | 425,178 | 253,055,679 | 215,006,201 | 79,539 | 1,602 |
| Feb 21 | No Data | 78,306 | 1,872 | ||
| Feb 20 | No Data | 98,012 | 1,872 | ||
| Feb 19 | 473,537 | 252,791,817 | 214,745,073 | 100,129 | 1,890 |
| 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 |
| 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 | 76.3% | 64.9% | 43.6% |
| % of Population 5+ | 81.1% | 68.9% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 86.0% | 73.4% | 45.1% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.8% | 74.9% | 46.9% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.7% | 66.1% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Feb 22)
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 | 93% (60%) | 99% (59%) | 105% (59% of average for full season) | 113% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 80% (51%) | 86% (51%) | 92% (51%) | 99% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 75% (47%) | 79% (46%) | 84% (46%) | 91% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 61% (52%) | 68% (53%) | 80% (58%) | 89% | 134% |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 71% (59%) | 75% (57%) | 80% (57%) | 89% | 148% |
| Snow Water Content - South | 67% (54%) | 74% (54%) | 81% (57%) | 92% | 158% |
--------------
Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Two Musks are Worse than One
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his brother are under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possibly violating insider trading rules, according to media reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the probe, said the investor watchdog agency is looking into sales of Tesla shares by Kimbal Musk, a member of the Tesla board, just before his brother, Elon, announced on Twitter that he would sell 10% of his own Tesla holdings, a move that sent Tesla (TSLA) shares sharply lower in the days that followed.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the reports, and CNN Business hasn't independently confirmed the investigation.
The Financial Times reported that Musk denied wrongdoing, telling the paper that the investigation is "simply more evidence of Stevie grinding his very tiny axe yet again."
The reference is apparently to Steven Buchholz, an SEC staffer in the agency's San Francisco office, who is involved in SEC enforcement cases involving Musk and Tesla
These Are Not Exactly the Crown Jewels
Props from the Netflix royal drama "The Crown" have been stolen.
South Yorkshire police told CNN that props used in film and television production were reported stolen from three vehicles on Feb. 16.
"The items stolen are not necessarily in the best condition and therefore of limited value for resale. However, they are valuable as pieces to the UK film industry," Alison Harvey, series set decorator for "The Crown" Season 5 told Antiques Trade Gazette.
Candelabras, a clock, a silver dressing table set and glassware were among the missing items, according to the publication.
He'd Also Prefer a Pedophile or a Mass Murderer to a Democrat
What If There Was a Protest and Nobody Came? It Would Be the DC Truck Convoy.
With the first having arrived on Wednesday, a series of truck convoys were headed to Washington, D.C., this week in attempts to create gridlock on the Beltway. Bob Bolus, a Scranton, Pennslyvania truck driver, told ABC’s 7News he's leading a “convoy” to protest federal COVID-19 mandates, inflation, and illegal immigration.
“We're not going to camp there. Let me put it that way,” Bolus said. “We're not camping on the Beltway. We're gonna have our voices heard and let them understand this is only the tip of the iceberg."
But while Bolus hyped up his convoy and threatened the chaos it would create, the reality was his convoy only consisted of a handful of vehicles… including his own. The number was a lot smaller than Bolus’ expected minimum of 25 trucks—the number estimated to be coming from Pennslyvania alone—especially because he claimed he had been in communication with other drivers.
And Then He's Going to Invade Lichtenstein and Freedonia. Is Freedonia Part of NATO?
What Would Ronald Reagan Do?
In the span of a few short decades, our Republicomrades went from “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” to “I know Vladimir likes me, but does he like like me?”
On Tuesday, Trump celebrated Putin's aggression against Ukraine as "genius" and "wonderful," lauding Putin as "tough" and patriotic while speaking on the conservative talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
Video of Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling Putin "very shrewd" and "very capable" during a January Fox News interview, has also recently aired on Russian television.
When asked about Trump's and Pompeo's recent compliments for the Russian president, state department spokesperson Ned Price replied, "I have no response. In fact, I have no words."
Putin's Gonna' Party Like It's 1939
Will Rogers Never Met Mark Zuckerberg
This is Not the Nanny State. This is the "Jail the Nanny" State.
Earlier this week, citing a non-binding opinion authored by Paxton, Texas Governor Abbott directed the state’s child welfare agency to consider gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies, as a form of “child abuse.”
Under the directive, any licensed professional who has “direct contact with children” could face criminal charges for failing to report these treatments to the state.
The Texas Nurses Association, the largest state nursing association in the country, roundly condemned the effort.
In addition to directly harming the psychological and physical health of transgender and gender-diverse youth, the nursing group warned that “imposing ambiguous legal consequences” on medical professionals for simply doing their jobs would “produce a chilling effect in healthcare” at large.
Those concerns were shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Texas Pediatric Society, both of whom have long supported gender-affirming treatments for gender dysphoria.
“What is happening in Texas directly undermines the care pediatricians provide their patients,” AAP President Moira Szilagyi said in a statement. “Pediatricians could be investigated for child abuse by simply providing evidence-based, medically necessary services.”
“Gender affirming care is not abuse. Politics has no place in the exam room. All children deserve access to the care they need,” she said.
There's One Direction and then There's Wrong Direction
Attendees at CPAC in Orlando are finding that not everyone in the Republican Party agrees with its current direction.
Even Neymar Would Say, "No More". Pele Would Say "No Way".
In the hours after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, Brazilians of all ideologies lined up to criticize the aggression. Presidential candidates. Political commentators. The vice president.
Everyone except the politician that matters most in Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who just last week shook hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and declared Brazil’s solidarity with Russia, didn’t address the attack in his public statements Thursday. Only late in the day did Bolsonaro fully address the issue — and even then, it wasn’t to take sides or apportion blame, but to scold his vice president for speaking out of turn on the matter.
“It’s the president who should speak on the matter,” he said. “And the president is Jair Messias Bolsonaro. And that’s the final word."
I Wouldn't Say "Buck DeathSentence" . I Would Change the First Letter.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Thursday announced new coronavirus policy recommendations that discourage mask-wearing and push physicians to use off-label medications to treat the virus.
The guidance, titled “ Buck the CDC,” is the Republican governor's latest break with federal officials over COVID-19 rules, a feud that has boosted his prominence in the GOP as he eyes a 2024 presidential bid.
--------------
Nothing Goes According to Plan Once the First Shots are Fired
Russia's invasion, long in the planning, is not going entirely to plan but the odds are not in Ukraine’s favour either.
Russian forces outmatch and outnumber Ukraine's in nearly every sphere. Putin's invasion plan, concocted during lockdown with his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, involves making as rapid a three-pronged attack as possible, neutralising resistance then eliminating the elected government and installing a pliant, pro-Moscow one.
Ukraine will then be announced as having been "liberated" and "returned to its rightful place".
But Ukrainian resistance is inflicting casualties on the invaders – more than 450 so far, according to the UK's Defence Intelligence – and the longer it takes Moscow to subjugate its neighbour the more problems it will encounter.
We are seeing the beginnings of civil resistance with the government handing out thousands of weapons to Kyiv's residents.
--------------
Maybe You Should Hold Off On Your Chernobyl Vacation
A radiation spike has been recorded near Chernobyl's nuclear power plant which has been seized by Russian forces, monitoring data shows.
Invading Russian troops took control of the plant - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986 - on Thursday, Ukraine said.
Radiation levels increased about 20-fold on Thursday, monitoring stations there reported.
But experts say another major nuclear disaster there is "extremely unlikely".
The rise was caused by heavy military vehicles stirring contaminated soil in the 4,000-sq-km (2,485 sq-mile) exclusion zone surrounding the abandoned plant, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported .
The biggest spike was recorded close to the damaged reactor.
Radiation levels are continuously monitored there - measured as a dose that you would receive per hour in a location.
Close to the reactor, you would normally receive a dose of about three units - called microsieverts - every hour. But on Thursday, that jumped to 65 microSv/hrs - about five times more than you would get on one transatlantic flight.
--------------
Hank is Definitely Smarter than the Average Bear, If He is Planting DNA Evidence to Frame Other Bears
The massive black bear, known as Hank the Tank and blamed for breaking and entering more than two dozen homes in California's Lake Tahoe area, is no longer the sole suspect, according to officials.
Authorities had believed the 500-pound bear was acting alone as he roamed the streets in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe, about 100 miles east of Sacramento.
But DNA evidence gathered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suggests several bears may have been responsible for the break-ins. The statement Thursday did not clarify if Hank was to blame for at least some of the incidents.
"While recent incidents of bears invading homes were originally thought to be a single bear, DNA evidence collected from the most recent incident as well as prior incidents over the past several months prove that at least three bears were responsible for breaking into numerous residences," the statement said.
--------------
They are Leaving No Mifepristone Unturned
Requests for abortion pills skyrocketed in Texas after a state law that bans abortions around six weeks of pregnancy went into effect last September.
A study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, by researchers at the University of Texas, found requests made by Texans to an international humanitarian organization called Aid Access, which provides abortion medication by mail, soared by nearly 1,200 percent the week Senate Bill 8 went into effect.
--------------
He Can Walk and Chew Gum At the Same Time
President Joe Biden has followed through on his campaign promise of nominating a Black woman to become a Supreme Court Justice. According to The New York Times, Biden has nominated 51-year-old Ketanji Brown Jackson. Once approved by the Senate, Brown Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in the court's 232-year history.
With her confirmation, not only will Jackson be the first Black woman appointed, but it would make it the first time four women have sat on the court at the same time. She will also serve as the third Black justice in history.
He Can Also Deal With an International Crisis and Nominate at the Same Time
-------------
They Aren't Russian Out to Support Putin
Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on a TV camera moments after advancing to the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The seventh-ranked Rublev had just beaten Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in their semifinal match before writing his message on the camera — as is common after matches.
--------------
Garry Kasparov Knows How to Checkmate Someone
Ok, after years of warnings were ignored and hearing "Garry, you were right!" all damn day today, I'll repeat what I said in 2014: Stop telling me I was right and listen to what I'm saying now. My recommendations follow:
-Support Ukraine militarily, immediately, everything but boots on the ground. All weapons, intel, cyber.
-Bankrupt Putin's war machine. Freeze & seize Russia's finances & those of him and his gang.
-Kick Russia out of every intl & financial institution. PACE, Interpol, etc
-Recall all ambassadors from Russia. There is no point in talking. The new unified message is "stop or be isolated completely".
-Ban all elements of Putin's global propaganda machine. Turn them off, shut them down, send them home. Stop helping the dictator spread lies & hate.
-Expose and act against Putin's lackeys in the free world. If Schröder and his ilk continue to work for Putin, bring charges. Ask the owners & advertisers of networks platforming Putin propagandists like Carlson why they allow it.
--------------
This Should Convince Vlad the Invader to Call It Off
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is getting the country kicked out the Eurovision Song Contest. For this year, anyway.
Just Look What the World Will Be Deprived Of
--------------
Today's Dumbest Controversy
Applebee's Bought the Ad Time Before they Knew What the News Would Be. It's as Dumb as Taking Your Girl to Applebee's on a Date Night.
--------------
So Why Is He Also on the Five-Dollar Bill?
The 16th President (1861-1865) learned to play poker when he worked as a Mississippi riverboat captain. A fierce but frugal competitor, Lincoln was a superb microstakes gambler, indulging in penny-ante poker games, which was prescient since he became the face of the penny after his presidency.
--------------
--------------
