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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:21:06 GMT -8
Last time I got caught stealing a calendar I got 12 months.
Judge Not Amused
Judge Tanya Chutkan does not want former President Donald Trump's lawyers to make his impending trial about the 2024 presidential election.
The Independent's Andrew Feinberg reports that Chutkan repeatedly emphasized to Trump lawyer John Lauro that "the existence of a political campaign is not going to have any bearing on my decision," and then she added that "I intend to keep politics out of this."
According to Feinberg, Lauro brought up the 2024 campaign multiple times on Friday's hearing to determine whether Trump will be hit with a protective order on what information he can share publicly ahead of his trial.
"Judge not amused," commented Feinberg.
“We are not amused.” - Queen Victoria
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:24:12 GMT -8
Not a Peso
"Trump’s a big boy," Chris Christie wrote on Twitter. "Stop making excuses for him. He said he was going to build us a big beautiful wall. In four years he got us 52 miles and not a single peso from Mexico. Congratulations."
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:29:33 GMT -8
Don't Sit Under the Banyan Tree, With Anyone Else But Me
 The devastating fires that roared through Maui this week, killing dozens and ravaging the historic town of Lahaina, scorched a beloved tree that has been described as the largest banyan in the US. Related: Death toll from Hawaii wildfires increases to 53 as search for survivors continues For generations, the majestic tree along Lahaina Town’s historic Front Street served as a gathering place with leafy branches that unfurled to give shade from the Hawaiian sun. By most accounts, the sprawling tree was the heart of the oceanside community – towering more than 60ft (18 meters) and anchored by multiple trunks that span nearly an acre. This year the town celebrated the banyan’s 150th birthday with cake. Today, the tree is still standing but the fire that burned through the area left it charred. “ It certainly doesn’t look like that tree is going to recover,” James B Friday, an extension forester with the University of Hawaii, told the New York Times after reviewing photos and videos of the damage. The tree’s thin bark would not have provided adequate protection from the flames, he said. The colossal tree has shaded community events, including art fairs, for 150 years. Lots more before and after pictures
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:33:37 GMT -8
Misbehaving Muons May Mean Massive DiscoveryScientists near Chicago say they may be getting closer to discovering the existence of a new force of nature. They have found more evidence that sub-atomic particles, called muons, are not behaving in the way predicted by the current theory of sub-atomic physics. Scientists believe that an unknown force could be acting on the muons. More data will be needed to confirm these results, but if they are verified, it could mark the beginning of a revolution in physics. All of the forces we experience every day can be reduced to just four categories: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force and the weak force. These four fundamental forces govern how all the objects and particles in the Universe interact with each other. Scientists at Fermilab close in on fifth force of nature
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:39:31 GMT -8
Abortion Sets the QOP on the Highway to HellA decisive defeat for abortion foes in the red state of Ohio, the seventh such loss since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, has sent alarm bells ringing among some Republicans and prominent conservatives over the clear salience of the issue. "The Ohio result tonight, coming on the heels of the shellacking in Michigan and the unexpected loss in Kentucky, needs to be a five-alarm fire for the pro-life movement," Patrick Brown, a conservative scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, tweeted late Tuesday. But Republican strategists face a no-win conundrum. Retreating on abortion would infuriate the majority of their base that wants to ban the procedure, while their current strategy is alienating a formidable slice of swing voters who favor some GOP positions but oppose the party’s stance on reproductive rights. The end of Roe v. Wade drove voters toward Democrats in the 2022 elections and since then, abortion opponents have lost a series of state elections: a ballot measure in Kansas, this year's Wisconsin Supreme Court race and now Ohio’s Issue 1 ballot measure. Abortion setback in Ohio alarms GOP, as Democrats see a 'roadmap for 2024'
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:41:37 GMT -8
The Sacklers Should Have Taken Clarence On Some Expensive Vacations
The Supreme Court put OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement on hold Thursday in an order siding with the Biden administration’s request to reexamine provisions shielding the Sackler family from liability.
The single-page order does not contain a breakdown of the nine justices’ votes; it directs the parties to present their arguments before the high court in December.
The billionaire Sackler family, which controlled the pharmaceutical supplier since it was founded, has long been accused of unethically profiting off its addictive painkiller and fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid a flood of lawsuits from thousands of plaintiffs — including hundreds of Native tribes and most of the U.S. states ― over its aggressive OxyContin marketing strategies.
In 2021, the company reached a reorganization agreement that would dissolve Purdue and establish a new company, Knoa Pharma. The new company would “operate in a responsible and sustainable manner, taking into account long-term public health interests related to the opioid crisis,” Purdue Pharma announced at the time.
The Sacklers would relinquish control of the new corporate entity. In exchange, the family demanded personal immunity from liability in future civil lawsuits.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:44:14 GMT -8
It is A LOT Cheaper and Easier to Not Put the Carbon in the Atmosphere Than to Take it Out
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced that projects in Texas and Louisiana to remove more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year will get over $1 billion in federal grants, a key step in scaling up direct air capture (DAC) technology.
The Department of Energy (DOE) selected Project Cypress in Louisiana, run by Battelle, Climeworks Corporation and Heirloom Carbon Technologies, Inc.; and the South Texas DAC Hub in Kleberg County, Texas, proposed by Occidental Petroleum's (Oxy) subsidiary 1PointFive and partners Carbon Engineering Ltd. and Worley.
The agency also launched several new initiatives aimed at bringing the cost of the technology down to less than $100 per net metric ton of CO2-equivalent within this decade. That includes a $35 million government procurement program for carbon removal credits, and funding for 14 feasibility studies and five engineering and design studies for earlier-stage hub projects.
Worsening climate change and inadequate efforts to cut emissions have thrust carbon removal into the spotlight. U.N. scientists estimate billions of tons of carbon must be sucked out of the atmosphere annually to keep in line with a global goal to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.
DAC, when deployed at scale, can help the U.S. meet its goal of neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to the DOE.
2050? 2050? By Then It Will Be Far too Late
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:48:58 GMT -8
Rep Comb-Over Keeps Singing the Only Song He Knows.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said his committee will eventually subpoena members of President Joe Biden's family as part of an investigation into Biden's foreign business dealings.
"This is always gonna end with the Bidens coming in front of the committee," Comer told Fox Business in an interview on Thursday. "We are going to subpoena the family."
Comer's latest remarks came a day after his House Oversight and Accountability Committee released a 19-page report alleging Biden and his family engaged in corrupt international business dealings. The White House, however, criticized the report as politically motivated and said it provided no evidence of corruption by Biden.
Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson, wrote in a statement that "Comer and his fellow extreme Republicans in Congress are now admitting they haven’t uncovered any proof of involvement or wrongdoing by President Biden."
"They simply will continue to spread innuendo and lies as they pursue a baseless impeachment stunt to attack the President," Sams said. "House Republicans can’t prove President Biden did anything wrong, but they are proving every day they have no vision and no agenda to actually help the American people."
It's Boring and It's Slow
BERKELEY — California mocked about everything that USC holds dear Saturday in its record-breaking 52-30 rout of the Trojans.
The Golden Bears' offense mocked the Trojans' defense, getting 601 total yards to fall 22 yards shy of Notre Dame's record for a USC opponent, established in a 26-6 Irish victory in 1946.
In particular, junior tailback Russell White mocked the Trojans' rushing defense, running for a USC opponent-record 229 yards and three touchdowns, and senior quarterback Mike Pawlawski mocked the Trojans' passing defense, throwing for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
In the stands, Cal students mocked the Trojan band.
To the tune of "Tribute to Troy," the song that is played incessantly by the USC band, they sang the following lyrics:
It's the only song you know
It's boring and it's slow
We really wish you'd go
And if he had made the trip, the white horse that serves as USC's mascot might have been shot down by the hillside cannon above Memorial Stadium that shoots blanks every time the Golden Bears score.
As it was, the horse, Traveler, spent the day safe at home in Southern California, which is where the befuddled Trojans returned Saturday night with the booming sound of the cannon still ringing in their ears.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:51:29 GMT -8
Ramaswamy, How I Love Ya, My Dear Old Ramaswamy
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:52:56 GMT -8
Good News for Previous Guy. There Will Be Cameras
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 8:55:02 GMT -8
Previous Guy? Loyalty? Don't Make Me Laugh
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2023 9:02:29 GMT -8
Here's Johnny!
Self-driving car companies Cruise and Waymo can expand in San Francisco.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates passenger transportation, voted on Thursday to allow Cruise, majority owned by General Motors, and Waymo, part of Google parent Alphabet, to deploy more vehicles in the city and to start charging for rides at all times.
San Francisco has played host to thousands of self-driving car test miles, and some residents are regular users. Now the companies want to offer ride-hailing businesses that can compete with Lyft and Uber.
In May, San Francisco city officials sent a letter to the state expressing concerns about the proposed expansion in the city. City officials said the number of reported incidents involving Cruise and Waymo vehicles has tripled in recent months.
Cruise and Waymo both previously told The Wall Street Journal that their cars haven’t caused any traffic fatalities. In their first million miles driven, Waymo said its self-driving vehicles in fully autonomous mode didn’t cause any collisions with human drivers.
Cruise currently offers paid rides at night in San Francisco, while people have been riding in Waymo cars free of charge as the company sought the state’s permission to offer paid rides. Both apps have waiting lists.
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