Post by mhbruin on Mar 8, 2022 10:58:57 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 555 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
First time we have been below 50,000 cases since July 22nd.
↓ 45.7% Cases, two-week change
↓ 24.6% Deaths, two-week change
964,846 Total confirmed deaths
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday March 8)
There was some rain in the Nor Cal. A little more in the ten-day.
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My Opinion: Russia is Losing the War, But ...
I think that by not winning, Russia losing on the battlefield. They aren't making much progress. Their organization and logistics are a mess. Morale is terrible. Support at home is tepid at best.
HOWEVER, the toll on the civilian population has been terrible and will continue to be terrible.
Can Russia sustain this? Can Ukraine sustain this? Those are the real questions.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
He Didn't Buy a Mickey Mantle? He Bought Charizard?
A Georgia man was sentenced to three years in prison after illegally obtaining a coronavirus relief loan and using more than $57,000 of the money to buy a collectable Pokémon card, authorities said Monday.
Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia, agreed to forfeit the costly trading card, which featured the Pokémon character Charizard, as part of a plea agreement, acting U.S. Attorney David Estes of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release.
Oudomsine, 31, pleaded guilty in October to a single count of wire fraud. Prosecutors said in a legal filing that he submitted false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration last year when applying for a Covid-19 relief loan for an “entertainment services” business he claimed to own. They said he lied about how many people he employed as well as his business’ annual revenues.
Oudomsine received $85,000 from the loan program, prosecutors said, and used it to buy a Pokémon trading card for $57,789.
Fusca You!
If you have followed the Qronicles of QAnon you might be aware of a man named Vincent (Vince) Fusca. He’s the guy in the picture above. Fusca has been a MAGA fan who shows up at MAGA rallies and supports MAGA causes—and by extension, the QAnon world—for a few years now.
Something—maybe his cartoonish hobo stylings or solid bone structure?—has led many in the QAnon world to believe he is actually John F. Kennedy Jr. Yes, the son of former President John F. Kennedy. Yes, the same JFK Jr. who tragically died, along with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette in July of 1999, when a small aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Pittsburgh’s NPR news station WESA reports that Mr. Fusca has decided to cash in some of his QAnon celebrity to run for Senate in the Keystone State.
I Wonder If He Tells All His Rape Victims This
Robert "R.J." Regan, a Republican who just won a special election to fill the Michigan House seat in District 74, is an election denier. To make a point about decertifying the 2020 Presidential election in Michigan, he offered some ‘wisdom’ he had shared with his daughters.
"Having three daughters, I tell my daughters, 'if rape is inevitable, you should just lay back and enjoy it’.
The remark was so unempathetic — and creepy — that even the other panelists on the ultra-conservative FB group he belongs to, the ‘Michigan Rescue Coalition’, were gobsmacked. Amber Harris was open-mouthed in astonishment. And expressed dismay at Regan’s remark, saying, "That was a shameful comment,"
The group's host, Adam de Angeli, pointed out that the show is "streaming on YouTube, probably not for much longer after what Robert said." Not enough. The group needs to oust Regan and call child protective services to ensure his daughters are not the victims of something.
Who's Today's Kodak? Kodak Did Business With Nazi Germany During the War, and Profited From the Use of Slave Labor
Among executives, board members, analysts and others in the business world in recent days, a “who’s who” list has been floating around, showing which companies have pulled out of Russia amid its attack on Ukraine — and which ones have stayed put.
The spreadsheet, compiled by Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his research team, has become a naughty-or-nice list of sorts, with CEOs trying their best to avoid being placed on the roster of “Companies That Remain in Russia With Significant Exposure.”
Among those on the list of companies keeping business as usual are major brands such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Coca-Cola.
Fox "News" People Work. Who Knew?
Remember Hydroxychloroquine?
Trevor Noah on the War
No! It's a Dumb Argument for a Fifth Grader
Who Is Dumber, Boebert or Greene?
Bad Warren
On Monday, Texas gubernatorial candidate and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke revealed that Energy Transfer LP and Executive Chairman Kelcy Warren had sued him for “defamation, slander, and libel”—specifically because of O’Rourke’s comments connecting Warren’s love for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the staggering profits the oil tycoon’s company pocketed during the 2021 winter storm that left more than 200 people dead in Texas. Speaking during a press conference, O’Rourke said that he’d been “directly threatened” by Warren over the course of the past few weeks.
“As I was meeting with you all over the course of February I began to get letters from Kelcy Warren’s attorney telling me that I had to back off this story,” O’Rourke said. “I had to stop connecting the dots or else there would be consequences. I chose not to back down… We have now learned that he is following through on his threat and he is going to try and take me to court, use his billions of dollars to try to shut me down and shut us up.” That suit, filed in San Saba County court, refers to O’Rouke as a “failed politician” and takes shots at the Democrat for holding Warren and his ilk accountable.
It’s worth noting that Warren donated $1 million to Abbott—and he wasn’t the only oil and gas bigwig to do so. While O’Rourke received just $41,380 from the energy industry, Abbott’s campaign pocketed $7.8 million. In all, 11 energy companies and industry giants showered nine politicians with cash, including Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Matthew “Dade” Phelan, Sen. Kelly Hancock, Sen. Charles Schwertner, Sen. Chris Paddie, Rep. Craig Goldman, Sen. Bob Hall, and Sen. Robert Nichols. The Texas Tribune notes that energy companies like Centerpoint, NRG, and Vistra and their executives donated double the amount typically seen the year prior to candidates with a vested interest in keeping polluters powering the state.
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Today's Best Person in the World Nominees
Good Warren
As the U.S. searches for new ways to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is crafting legislation she hopes will make it harder to use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions.
The proposal, still in draft form, has taken on new urgency as bipartisan concerns grow that members of Moscow’s elite might be able to sidestep sanctions by using digital currencies. It aims to force companies to choose between doing business in the U.S. or with sanctioned people and entities by threatening secondary sanctions on foreign crypto exchanges.
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Invasions Have Consequences
No West Ham For You! Next!
The Premier League has suspended its broadcast deal with Russia following the country's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The move will take effect immediately, meaning Thursday's four matches will not be shown in the country.
The matter took only 15 minutes of a four-hour meeting of all 20 clubs in London on Tuesday to agree.
The English top flight also says it will donate £1m to support the people of Ukraine.
The Soldiers Were Told They Were Going on a Drill, Not Into Combat
Ukraine: Mother of Russian soldier asks 'Whose door should I knock on to get my child back?'
Just Remember, Your Pain at the Pump is Helping Fight Putin
Biden announces ban on Russian oil imports, calling it 'Putin's price hike'
The move, which is likely to push energy prices even higher, comes as the administration increases sanctions pressure on the Russian economy,
One Russian General, Two Russian Generals, Three Russian Generals, ...
Major General Vitaliy Gerasimov, the chief of staff with Russia’s 41st Combined Arms Army, was reportedly killed by Ukraine's military intelligence operators near Kharkiv today.
General Gerasimov is third Russian General (if one counts Chechens as Russians) killed by the Ukrainians in the eleven days since the conflict began.
They are:
Maj Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov (killed)
Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky (killed)
Chechen general Magomed Tushayev (killed)
In addition, five Russian Colonels have also been killed in action.
It has been reported that the Russian commanders have had to relocate closer to the front lines in the past few days because of the breakdown in their command and control structure. This has not been without consequence, as the command staff is now exposed to Ukranian fire.
The fact that Ukraine has claimed its third Russian general in less than two should strike terror through the Russian officer Corp. If the General was killed by Ukrainian military intelligence, as was reported, this was likely a targeted hit. In such case, it is not likely to be the last. Because many of the Russian senior command are now stationed at or near the front lines, this should serve as a wakeup call to them if they are not already feeling exposed.
General Valery Gerasimov is one of a handful of people in Russia who is in a position where he could mount a credible threat to Putin’s continued rule if he chose. There is some speculation that the Ukrainians were tipped off to his nephew’s position by elements of the FSB, possibly on Putin’s order, to send a strong message to him. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, the mere possibility of it being true adds another level of intrigue and distrust to the command of the already faltering Russian offensive.
Take Your Gas and Shove It! But Not All of It.
The European Commission presented a plan Tuesday to cut Russian gas imports by two thirds this year, steeply reducing — but not severing — energy ties to Moscow.
The proposal, to be discussed by leaders at a summit in Paris later this week, is a dramatic shift for a bloc that remains heavily reliant on relatively cheap and abundant Russian energy. But it falls short of the full-scale boycott that some have called for in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Insurrections Have Consequences, Too.
He's Not Proud and He's Not a Boy
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, was arrested Tuesday in connection to his organization's role in planning the Jan. 6 attack.
While Tarrio, 38, is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that "he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach," according to a statement Tuesday from the Justice Department.
Fruitful Logs. Not the Same as Fruitcake.
The chair of the House select committee investigating last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol is already finding newly released visitor logs from Donald Trump’s White House “very fruitful,” according to a CNN reporter.
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Let's See Previous Guy Do This
Actually the Only President I Want to See Try is Obama
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This Really is Fake News
Nearly two weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the flow of false or misleading information about the war hasn't let up and now there are some outlandish theories being shared online.
Some have begun to circulate claims the war is a hoax, a media fabrication, or has been exaggerated by the West in terms of its scale.
A video of a young woman and a young man having fake blood applied to their faces has racked up millions of views on multiple platforms.
It is shared as supposed evidence that the war in Ukraine is a hoax and civilian victims are actually "crisis actors" - people hired to act out scenes from an attack.
But the video is unrelated to the war. It was shot in 2020 on the production set of Ukrainian TV series Contamin.
The full story.
--------------
The Latest Take on Mass Transit - Ooh La La!
Paris is already home to some of the most popular attractions in the world, and the French capital could be about to get its very first urban cable car.
Proposed plans for a brand new 4.5 kilometer-long aerial tramway connecting various suburbs in the southeast to the Paris Metro are pressing ahead, with construction expected to begin this year.
Scheduled to open in 2025, the "Cable 1" project will travel from the Parisian suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges to the Pointe du Lac station in Creteil in the Île-de-France region within just 17 minutes, less than half the time the journey would take on a bus.
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This Might Explain Some of the MAGAs
Exposure to leaded gasoline lowered the IQ of about half the population of the United States, a new study estimates.
The peer-reviewed study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on people born before 1996 — the year the U.S. banned gas containing lead.
Overall, the researchers from Florida State University and Duke University found, childhood lead exposure cost America an estimated 824 million points, or 2.6 points per person on average.
Certain cohorts were more affected than others. For people born in the 1960s and the 1970s, when leaded gas consumption was skyrocketing, the IQ loss was estimated to be up to 6 points and for some, more than 7 points. Exposure to it came primarily from inhaling auto exhaust.
The team behind the study used gas consumption data, population estimates and other data to calculate that as of 2015, more than 170 million Americans had had blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter in their early childhood years.
Lead is a neurotoxin, and no amount of it is safe. Currently, 3.5 micrograms per deciliter is the reference value for blood lead levels to be considered high; the acceptable amount was once higher.
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I Don't Know Why It Took 200 Tries, But It Was Worth Trying Again
The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, which would make lynching a hate crime under federal law, now heads to President Biden's desk.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill on Monday.
Congress has failed to pass anti-lynching legislation over 200 times. The bill is the first legislation of its kind in more than 100 years that has a chance at being signed into law.
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Any Port in a Storm
The Biden White House inched closer Monday to a modest rapprochement with oil-rich Venezuela, a bitter foe due to the oppressive policies of President Nicolás Maduro, as it urgently sought ways to stave off the economic, diplomatic and political impact of soaring gas prices that nudged over $4 a gallon.
The potential thaw arrives as the White House sent a delegation to Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy sanctions imposed by the United States several years ago and to address the fate of American citizens who have been jailed in the country, including six oil executives from Citgo.
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One Down, 38 to Go
A man accused of being the would-be 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has been repatriated to Saudi Arabia after two decades detained at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Monday.
Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, was transferred to his native Saudi Arabia after a review board determined in June that he no longer represented a significant threat to U.S. national security, the Defense Department said in a written statement.
"The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility," the statement said.
In all, 38 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. Of those, 19 are eligible for transfer, 7 are eligible for a Periodic Review Board, 10 are involved in the military commissions process and two detainees have been convicted in military commissions.
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A Good Story About Social Media
Ukrainian forces successfully attacked Russian vehicles in the capital city of Kyiv thanks to a public tip made through the encrypted messaging app Telegram, Ukraine's top law enforcement agency said on Tuesday.
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Oh What a Tangled Web They Weave
Researchers say a large spider native to East Asia that proliferated in Georgia last year could spread to much of the East Coast.
The Joro spider's golden web took over yards all over north Georgia in 2021, unnerving some residents. The spider was also spotted in South Carolina, and entomologists expected it to spread throughout the Southeast.
A new study suggests it could spread even farther than that. The Joro appears better suited to colder temperatures than a related species, researchers at the University of Georgia said in a paper published last month.
Their impact on native species and the environment is also not clear, though some researchers believe they are benign.
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First time we have been below 50,000 cases since July 22nd.
↓ 45.7% Cases, two-week change
↓ 24.6% Deaths, two-week change
964,846 Total confirmed deaths
New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Mar 7 | ||
| Mar 6 | 42,204 | 1,259 |
| Mar 5 | 43,665 | 1,281 |
| Mar 4 | 45,555 | 1,319 |
| Mar 3 | 49,888 | 1,413 |
| Mar 2 | 53,016 | 1,558 |
| Mar 1 | 56,253 | 1,674 |
| Feb 28 | 68,480 | 1,832 |
| Feb 27 | 62,556 | 1,686 |
| Feb 26 | 66,053 | 1,719 |
| Feb 25 | 69,203 | 1,751 |
| Feb 24 | 72,111 | 1,720 |
| Feb 23 | 75,208 | 1,674 |
| Feb 22 | 79,539 | 1,602 |
| Feb 21 | 78,306 | 1,872 |
| Feb 20 | 98,012 | 1,872 |
| Feb 19 | 100,129 | 1,890 |
| Feb 18 | 103,462 | 1,920 |
| Feb 17 | 112,653 | 1,998 |
| Feb 16 | 121,664 | 2,020 |
| Feb 15 | 134,468 | 2,100 |
| Feb 14 | 146,921 | 2,208 |
| Feb 13 | 161,197 | 2,196 |
| Feb 12 | 168,881 | 2,197 |
| Feb 11 | 175,395 | 2,241 |
| Feb 10 | 190,401 | 2,305 |
| Feb 9 | 215,418 | 2,313 |
| Feb 8 | 230,602 | 2,303 |
| Feb 7 | 247,319 | 2,404 |
| Feb 6 | 291,471 | 2,294 |
| Feb 5 | 298,890 | 2,331 |
| Feb 4 | 313,117 | 2,404 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 76.5% | 65.1% | 444.0% |
| % of Population 5+ | 81.3% | 69.2% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 86.2% | 73.5% | 45.4% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.9% | 75.1% | 47.3% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.8% | 66.5% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday March 8)
There was some rain in the Nor Cal. A little more in the ten-day.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | 9 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 84% (61% of full season average) | 87% (60%) | 93% (60%) | 99% (59%) | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 74% (53%) | 76% (51%) | 80% (51%) | 86% (51%) | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 71% (51%) | 70% (48%) | 75% (47%) | 79% (46%) | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 55% (52%) | 59% (53%) | 61% (52%) | 68% (53%) | 134% |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 59% (64%) | 58% (66%) | 71% (59%) | 75% (57%) | 148% |
| Snow Water Content - South | 60% (66%) | 54% (63%) | 67% (54%) | 74% (54%) | 158% |
My Opinion: Russia is Losing the War, But ...
I think that by not winning, Russia losing on the battlefield. They aren't making much progress. Their organization and logistics are a mess. Morale is terrible. Support at home is tepid at best.
HOWEVER, the toll on the civilian population has been terrible and will continue to be terrible.
Can Russia sustain this? Can Ukraine sustain this? Those are the real questions.
--------------
Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
He Didn't Buy a Mickey Mantle? He Bought Charizard?
A Georgia man was sentenced to three years in prison after illegally obtaining a coronavirus relief loan and using more than $57,000 of the money to buy a collectable Pokémon card, authorities said Monday.
Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia, agreed to forfeit the costly trading card, which featured the Pokémon character Charizard, as part of a plea agreement, acting U.S. Attorney David Estes of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release.
Oudomsine, 31, pleaded guilty in October to a single count of wire fraud. Prosecutors said in a legal filing that he submitted false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration last year when applying for a Covid-19 relief loan for an “entertainment services” business he claimed to own. They said he lied about how many people he employed as well as his business’ annual revenues.
Oudomsine received $85,000 from the loan program, prosecutors said, and used it to buy a Pokémon trading card for $57,789.
Fusca You!
If you have followed the Qronicles of QAnon you might be aware of a man named Vincent (Vince) Fusca. He’s the guy in the picture above. Fusca has been a MAGA fan who shows up at MAGA rallies and supports MAGA causes—and by extension, the QAnon world—for a few years now.
Something—maybe his cartoonish hobo stylings or solid bone structure?—has led many in the QAnon world to believe he is actually John F. Kennedy Jr. Yes, the son of former President John F. Kennedy. Yes, the same JFK Jr. who tragically died, along with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette in July of 1999, when a small aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Pittsburgh’s NPR news station WESA reports that Mr. Fusca has decided to cash in some of his QAnon celebrity to run for Senate in the Keystone State.
I Wonder If He Tells All His Rape Victims This
Robert "R.J." Regan, a Republican who just won a special election to fill the Michigan House seat in District 74, is an election denier. To make a point about decertifying the 2020 Presidential election in Michigan, he offered some ‘wisdom’ he had shared with his daughters.
"Having three daughters, I tell my daughters, 'if rape is inevitable, you should just lay back and enjoy it’.
The remark was so unempathetic — and creepy — that even the other panelists on the ultra-conservative FB group he belongs to, the ‘Michigan Rescue Coalition’, were gobsmacked. Amber Harris was open-mouthed in astonishment. And expressed dismay at Regan’s remark, saying, "That was a shameful comment,"
The group's host, Adam de Angeli, pointed out that the show is "streaming on YouTube, probably not for much longer after what Robert said." Not enough. The group needs to oust Regan and call child protective services to ensure his daughters are not the victims of something.
Who's Today's Kodak? Kodak Did Business With Nazi Germany During the War, and Profited From the Use of Slave Labor
Among executives, board members, analysts and others in the business world in recent days, a “who’s who” list has been floating around, showing which companies have pulled out of Russia amid its attack on Ukraine — and which ones have stayed put.
The spreadsheet, compiled by Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his research team, has become a naughty-or-nice list of sorts, with CEOs trying their best to avoid being placed on the roster of “Companies That Remain in Russia With Significant Exposure.”
Among those on the list of companies keeping business as usual are major brands such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Coca-Cola.
Fox "News" People Work. Who Knew?
Remember Hydroxychloroquine?
Trevor Noah on the War
No! It's a Dumb Argument for a Fifth Grader
Who Is Dumber, Boebert or Greene?
Bad Warren
On Monday, Texas gubernatorial candidate and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke revealed that Energy Transfer LP and Executive Chairman Kelcy Warren had sued him for “defamation, slander, and libel”—specifically because of O’Rourke’s comments connecting Warren’s love for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the staggering profits the oil tycoon’s company pocketed during the 2021 winter storm that left more than 200 people dead in Texas. Speaking during a press conference, O’Rourke said that he’d been “directly threatened” by Warren over the course of the past few weeks.
“As I was meeting with you all over the course of February I began to get letters from Kelcy Warren’s attorney telling me that I had to back off this story,” O’Rourke said. “I had to stop connecting the dots or else there would be consequences. I chose not to back down… We have now learned that he is following through on his threat and he is going to try and take me to court, use his billions of dollars to try to shut me down and shut us up.” That suit, filed in San Saba County court, refers to O’Rouke as a “failed politician” and takes shots at the Democrat for holding Warren and his ilk accountable.
It’s worth noting that Warren donated $1 million to Abbott—and he wasn’t the only oil and gas bigwig to do so. While O’Rourke received just $41,380 from the energy industry, Abbott’s campaign pocketed $7.8 million. In all, 11 energy companies and industry giants showered nine politicians with cash, including Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Matthew “Dade” Phelan, Sen. Kelly Hancock, Sen. Charles Schwertner, Sen. Chris Paddie, Rep. Craig Goldman, Sen. Bob Hall, and Sen. Robert Nichols. The Texas Tribune notes that energy companies like Centerpoint, NRG, and Vistra and their executives donated double the amount typically seen the year prior to candidates with a vested interest in keeping polluters powering the state.
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Today's Best Person in the World Nominees
Good Warren
As the U.S. searches for new ways to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is crafting legislation she hopes will make it harder to use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions.
The proposal, still in draft form, has taken on new urgency as bipartisan concerns grow that members of Moscow’s elite might be able to sidestep sanctions by using digital currencies. It aims to force companies to choose between doing business in the U.S. or with sanctioned people and entities by threatening secondary sanctions on foreign crypto exchanges.
--------------
Invasions Have Consequences
No West Ham For You! Next!
The Premier League has suspended its broadcast deal with Russia following the country's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The move will take effect immediately, meaning Thursday's four matches will not be shown in the country.
The matter took only 15 minutes of a four-hour meeting of all 20 clubs in London on Tuesday to agree.
The English top flight also says it will donate £1m to support the people of Ukraine.
The Soldiers Were Told They Were Going on a Drill, Not Into Combat
Ukraine: Mother of Russian soldier asks 'Whose door should I knock on to get my child back?'
Just Remember, Your Pain at the Pump is Helping Fight Putin
Biden announces ban on Russian oil imports, calling it 'Putin's price hike'
The move, which is likely to push energy prices even higher, comes as the administration increases sanctions pressure on the Russian economy,
One Russian General, Two Russian Generals, Three Russian Generals, ...
Major General Vitaliy Gerasimov, the chief of staff with Russia’s 41st Combined Arms Army, was reportedly killed by Ukraine's military intelligence operators near Kharkiv today.
General Gerasimov is third Russian General (if one counts Chechens as Russians) killed by the Ukrainians in the eleven days since the conflict began.
They are:
Maj Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov (killed)
Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky (killed)
Chechen general Magomed Tushayev (killed)
In addition, five Russian Colonels have also been killed in action.
It has been reported that the Russian commanders have had to relocate closer to the front lines in the past few days because of the breakdown in their command and control structure. This has not been without consequence, as the command staff is now exposed to Ukranian fire.
The fact that Ukraine has claimed its third Russian general in less than two should strike terror through the Russian officer Corp. If the General was killed by Ukrainian military intelligence, as was reported, this was likely a targeted hit. In such case, it is not likely to be the last. Because many of the Russian senior command are now stationed at or near the front lines, this should serve as a wakeup call to them if they are not already feeling exposed.
General Valery Gerasimov is one of a handful of people in Russia who is in a position where he could mount a credible threat to Putin’s continued rule if he chose. There is some speculation that the Ukrainians were tipped off to his nephew’s position by elements of the FSB, possibly on Putin’s order, to send a strong message to him. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, the mere possibility of it being true adds another level of intrigue and distrust to the command of the already faltering Russian offensive.
Take Your Gas and Shove It! But Not All of It.
The European Commission presented a plan Tuesday to cut Russian gas imports by two thirds this year, steeply reducing — but not severing — energy ties to Moscow.
The proposal, to be discussed by leaders at a summit in Paris later this week, is a dramatic shift for a bloc that remains heavily reliant on relatively cheap and abundant Russian energy. But it falls short of the full-scale boycott that some have called for in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
--------------
Insurrections Have Consequences, Too.
He's Not Proud and He's Not a Boy
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, was arrested Tuesday in connection to his organization's role in planning the Jan. 6 attack.
While Tarrio, 38, is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that "he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach," according to a statement Tuesday from the Justice Department.
Fruitful Logs. Not the Same as Fruitcake.
The chair of the House select committee investigating last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol is already finding newly released visitor logs from Donald Trump’s White House “very fruitful,” according to a CNN reporter.
--------------
Let's See Previous Guy Do This
Actually the Only President I Want to See Try is Obama
--------------
This Really is Fake News
Nearly two weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the flow of false or misleading information about the war hasn't let up and now there are some outlandish theories being shared online.
Some have begun to circulate claims the war is a hoax, a media fabrication, or has been exaggerated by the West in terms of its scale.
A video of a young woman and a young man having fake blood applied to their faces has racked up millions of views on multiple platforms.
It is shared as supposed evidence that the war in Ukraine is a hoax and civilian victims are actually "crisis actors" - people hired to act out scenes from an attack.
But the video is unrelated to the war. It was shot in 2020 on the production set of Ukrainian TV series Contamin.
The full story.
--------------
The Latest Take on Mass Transit - Ooh La La!
Paris is already home to some of the most popular attractions in the world, and the French capital could be about to get its very first urban cable car.
Proposed plans for a brand new 4.5 kilometer-long aerial tramway connecting various suburbs in the southeast to the Paris Metro are pressing ahead, with construction expected to begin this year.
Scheduled to open in 2025, the "Cable 1" project will travel from the Parisian suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges to the Pointe du Lac station in Creteil in the Île-de-France region within just 17 minutes, less than half the time the journey would take on a bus.
--------------
This Might Explain Some of the MAGAs
Exposure to leaded gasoline lowered the IQ of about half the population of the United States, a new study estimates.
The peer-reviewed study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on people born before 1996 — the year the U.S. banned gas containing lead.
Overall, the researchers from Florida State University and Duke University found, childhood lead exposure cost America an estimated 824 million points, or 2.6 points per person on average.
Certain cohorts were more affected than others. For people born in the 1960s and the 1970s, when leaded gas consumption was skyrocketing, the IQ loss was estimated to be up to 6 points and for some, more than 7 points. Exposure to it came primarily from inhaling auto exhaust.
The team behind the study used gas consumption data, population estimates and other data to calculate that as of 2015, more than 170 million Americans had had blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter in their early childhood years.
Lead is a neurotoxin, and no amount of it is safe. Currently, 3.5 micrograms per deciliter is the reference value for blood lead levels to be considered high; the acceptable amount was once higher.
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I Don't Know Why It Took 200 Tries, But It Was Worth Trying Again
The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, which would make lynching a hate crime under federal law, now heads to President Biden's desk.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill on Monday.
Congress has failed to pass anti-lynching legislation over 200 times. The bill is the first legislation of its kind in more than 100 years that has a chance at being signed into law.
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Any Port in a Storm
The Biden White House inched closer Monday to a modest rapprochement with oil-rich Venezuela, a bitter foe due to the oppressive policies of President Nicolás Maduro, as it urgently sought ways to stave off the economic, diplomatic and political impact of soaring gas prices that nudged over $4 a gallon.
The potential thaw arrives as the White House sent a delegation to Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy sanctions imposed by the United States several years ago and to address the fate of American citizens who have been jailed in the country, including six oil executives from Citgo.
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One Down, 38 to Go
A man accused of being the would-be 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has been repatriated to Saudi Arabia after two decades detained at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Monday.
Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, was transferred to his native Saudi Arabia after a review board determined in June that he no longer represented a significant threat to U.S. national security, the Defense Department said in a written statement.
"The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility," the statement said.
In all, 38 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. Of those, 19 are eligible for transfer, 7 are eligible for a Periodic Review Board, 10 are involved in the military commissions process and two detainees have been convicted in military commissions.
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A Good Story About Social Media
Ukrainian forces successfully attacked Russian vehicles in the capital city of Kyiv thanks to a public tip made through the encrypted messaging app Telegram, Ukraine's top law enforcement agency said on Tuesday.
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Oh What a Tangled Web They Weave
Researchers say a large spider native to East Asia that proliferated in Georgia last year could spread to much of the East Coast.
The Joro spider's golden web took over yards all over north Georgia in 2021, unnerving some residents. The spider was also spotted in South Carolina, and entomologists expected it to spread throughout the Southeast.
A new study suggests it could spread even farther than that. The Joro appears better suited to colder temperatures than a related species, researchers at the University of Georgia said in a paper published last month.
Their impact on native species and the environment is also not clear, though some researchers believe they are benign.
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