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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:29:38 GMT -8
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
Another Victim of Climate Change
Just half an hour's drive from my house in Bern is a ski resort once so popular it was dubbed "Little Grindelwald", after its more famous Alpine near-neighbour at the foot of the Eiger.
Rüschegg Eywald, 1500 metres above sea level, is still much loved. Many families, including mine, spent happy days there.
But this winter season, Rüschegg's T-bar ski lift has not once been open.
At almost 2.5km (1.6 miles), it is the fourth longest ski lift in Switzerland and not for the faint-hearted.
But it has now fallen victim to climate change.
"We almost managed to open twice," says Michael Kegel, who runs the ski lift company. "But although there was snow, the ground was too warm and wet underneath."
Michael KegelSRF
Unfortunately for Rüschegg, this year is not a one-off. Last year the lift opened for only four days, and 2022 was not much better.
Just to break even requires at least 10 to 15 days per season. Rüschegg's costly piste basher, which is used to groom the snow, sits unused and gathering dust in a shed. Bankruptcy looms.
It was once all so different. When the resort opened in 1969, people flocked to it. There were queues for the T-bar, and polite but firm struggles for parking spaces. A large hotel was built, with holiday chalets around it.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:31:50 GMT -8
38,000 Meals. 2.2 Million Starving Palestinians.
The US confirms that it has airdropped 38,000 meals to Gaza in coordination with Jordan, but experts say the aid does not make up for Israeli restrictions on the transfer of food into the enclave via land crossings.
That's One Meal for Less Than 2% of the Population
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:34:48 GMT -8
Almost as Creepy as Previous Guy
An Oregon man accused of spiking smoothies with sedatives and giving them to his daughter’s pre-teen friends has been charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents.
Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, allegedly drugged three of his daughter’s friends while they slept over on the night of Aug. 25, 2023, according to court documents and a probable cause affidavit filed this week in Clackamas County.
The girls, all 12 years old, were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine, described in the affidavit as a drug typically prescribed for anxiety, with common prescriptions under the names Valium, Xanax and Klonopin. Benzodiazepines are a depressant that produces sedation, sleepiness and a relaxed mood, the affidavit said.
The affidavit, which was written by a Lake Oswego police detective, did not specify why Meyden allegedly served the children spiked smoothies.
Meyden is charged with three felony counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, three felony counts of applying a schedule IV controlled substance to the body of a minor and three misdemeanor counts of delivering to a minor a schedule IV controlled substance, court records show.
His attorney, Mark Cogan, said his client turned himself in Tuesday to the Clackamas County Jail following a grand jury indictment. He was arraigned Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. Bail was issued at $50,000, which Meyden has posted, Cogan said.
“Mr. Meyden is presumed innocent,” Cogan said by phone Friday afternoon. “We have not seen the evidence. The indictment was issued by a grand jury behind closed doors where no judge, no defense attorney, was allowed. And we hope that people will reserve judgment until all the facts are known.”
The night of the sleepover, Meyden was highly involved in the girls’ activities, and took them to get their nails done and picked up pizza for dinner, according to the affidavit.
The girls spent most of their time in the basement, where they were having a “spa night,” the affidavit said.
Before the four girls went to bed, Meyden made them smoothies. The girls, including Meyden’s daughter, were all served two smoothies each in milkshake-style glasses, the affidavit said.
West Coast braces as blizzard in California's Sierra Nevada brings nonstop snow, dangerous conditions
“Mr. Meyden specifically gave each of the girls specific colored reusable straws to distinguish their own drink. Mr. Meyden was adamant that the girls drink out of their own cups,” the affidavit said.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:36:39 GMT -8
Upset About Biden's Israel Policy? It Could be FAR Worse.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:39:17 GMT -8
It's Deja Va All Over Again. Of Course Ohers Want in on the MAGA Con Gravy TrainLast September, 86-year-old Ann Bratton thought she'd stumbled onto the investment of a lifetime. An ad on one of the encrypted Telegram app channels the Nashville-area retiree had joined was offering debit-like "Trump cards" featuring the billionaire U.S. ex-president's image, each supposedly preloaded with $200,000. After years of forking out tens of thousands of dollars on souvenir banknotes, coins, and other Trump memorabilia, she calculated that she could quickly and easily turn a $6,000 investment into a $4 million nest egg. What she didn't know was that behind the offer of "Trump Collection" cards was an opaque group of web-based vendors from a faded industrial city 8,500 kilometers away. And that city, in the Balkan country of North Macedonia, was already notorious for being home to legions of scammers who had fraudulently monetized Donald Trump's popularity in the United States and around the world. Neither the Republican presidential hopeful Trump nor any of his organizations appear to have any connection to the manufacturers, platforms, or sellers. But it's an open secret in this corner of the Balkans that a startlingly successful digital disinformation and fake news industry that emerged in the Macedonian city of Veles alongside the political rise of Donald Trump helped lay the groundwork for a thriving new business in fraudulent goods marketed through encrypted channels to Trump-style conservatives and "patriots" an ocean away. Made In Macedonia: Americans Lose Millions Buying Fake Donald Trump Debit Cards
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:42:59 GMT -8
Black Judge Hires a White Person who Hates Black People. Not Just Any Judge.
For a young law school graduate, securing a Supreme Court clerkship is like being a first-round draft pick in the NFL or NBA draft. Each of the nine justices can appoint four clerks per one-year term, and it’s a golden ticket. Former SCOTUS clerks often land at elite law firms with signing bonuses of up to $500,000, and eventually a federal judgeship, or a top academic or political position.
Some of Justice Clarence Thomas’ law clerks have gained notoriety after they left the post. The list includes Fox News host Laura Ingraham; John Yoo, best known for writing memos providing a legal justification for torturing detainees after 9/11 during President George W. Bush’s administration; and John Eastman, who penned a memo outlining a plan for Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election results.
Thomas’ newest law clerk holds the distinction of gaining notoriety before she even entered law school, for allegedly sending racist text messages.
“I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like f‑‑‑ them all … I hate blacks. End of story,” Crystal Clanton wrote to a Turning Point USA colleague, according to screenshots obtained for a 2017 story in The New Yorker by Jane Mayer about the conservative group.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:46:33 GMT -8
Talking is Cheap, People Follow Like Sheep
House Republicans are all talk and no action on protecting Americans’ access to in vitro fertilization, after the Alabama Supreme Court granted embryos the same legal status as children last month.
Several House Republicans introduced two measures this week following the sweeping court ruling as a way to express strong support for IVF protections. Both resolutions list critical facts about IVF, note the importance of patient access and applaud fertility specialists for the work they do. One of the two even goes on to condemn the judicial ruling out of Alabama.
But neither have any legislative power. Resolutions are non-binding statements that primarily serve as tools for political posturing.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced her resolution on Thursday, which expresses “support for continued access to fertility care and assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization.” The resolution was co-sponsored by five other House Republicans: Reps. David Schweikert (Ariz.), Anthony D’Esposito (N.Y.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Jen Kiggans (Va.) and Don Bacon (Neb.). Four out of the five co-sponsors represent districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, and are likely vulnerable to losing their seat in November.
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) published her resolution, with Republican co-sponsors Reps. Michelle Steel (Calif.) and Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.), on Friday morning. The resolution states that the House “remains committed to commonsense policies that enable families to grow” as well as “recognizes the fundamental truth that life is precious.”
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:48:14 GMT -8
When is 21% Actually 0%? When You Have Thousands of Lobbyists.
The country’s largest companies dodged more than $275 billion in federal corporate income taxes from 2018 to 2022, a new report from the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy finds.
The report examined corporate income taxes paid by 342 of the country’s largest companies from 2018 to 2022, the latest year for which companies have reported their earnings. All of them were profitable in all five years covered by the report.
Yet the vast majority used loopholes and special tax breaks to pay an effective federal income tax rate well below 21%, the rate they were required to pay on paper. And 109 — or nearly one out of every three — found a way to pay zero federal income taxes in at least one year out of the five. Those same 109 corporations scored $14.34 billion in federal tax rebates over the five year period.
The findings underscore that the 21% corporate tax rate is “a fiction,” said Matt Gardner, the lead author and an ITEP senior fellow — particularly for huge multinationals.
“The companies most successful at doing this international tax evasion dance… have a roomful of lawyers and accountants whose job it is to redefine taxable income, to move income around on paper in a way you hope will avoid taxes.”
Giants like AT&T, Bank of America, Citigroup, Duke Energy, FedEx, General Motors, Molson Coors, Netflix and T-Mobile enjoyed an effective rate of less than 5%. The industries paying the smallest overall tax rates were utilities, fossil fuel companies, car makers, and telecom companies.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:49:21 GMT -8
Arizona Wants to Use Migrants for Target Practice.
Arizona Republicans are rallying behind a proposed law that critics say would amount to legalizing murder.
House Bill 2843 would expand the “Castle Doctrine,” which gives people the right to use deadly force when threatened by home intruders, to include trespassers. State Rep. Justin Heap (R) filed the bill to give people living in the border state wider latitude to use force against unauthorized migrants who cut through private property on their way into the United States.
“It’s horrifying that Republicans want to allow people to legally shoot and kill migrants,” state Rep. Analise Ortiz (D) told HuffPost. “Especially when so many folks are seeking their legal right to seek asylum in the United States. It’s just wrong.”
The bill stems from a decadeslong trend in conservative state legislatures to expand the right of individuals to protect themselves with firearms. Such “stand your ground” laws typically remove the obligation for people to retreat to safety when they feel threatened, and extend immunity to prosecution for those who commit a homicide in cases where they believe they face an attack.
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:52:23 GMT -8
You Didn't Really Need Another Reason to Hate RFK, Jr, Did You?Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrived at a midtown Manhattan law firm’s office on a summer night in 2000 ready for a fight. His adversary was not one of the polluters he had spent years driving from the Hudson River. It was his mentor, friend and boss, the renowned environmentalist Robert H. Boyle. Boyle had helped Kennedy rehabilitate himself, personally and professionally, after an arrest for heroin possession in 1983 at the age of 29. But now the two men were locked in a power struggle for control of Riverkeeper, the group that Boyle founded and where Kennedy had built a career as a crusading environmental attorney. Their battle at that night’s board meeting was over Kennedy’s push to hire a staff scientist who had just been released from federal prison. His crime: running an international wildlife smuggling ring that prosecutors said had damaged rare bird populations. Boyle argued that employing such a figure at one of New York’s premier environmental organizations was like hiring a robber as a bank teller. Kennedy was equally insistent that the man be brought on. By the time Riverkeeper’s board adjourned that night, Kennedy had won, leading Boyle and seven other directors to resign. It was a pivotal moment for the group — whose board would henceforth be dominated by the faction of celebrities and socialites who had backed Kennedy — and for Boyle, who never recovered emotionally from what he saw as his former protégé’s betrayal, according to people close to him. Above all it was a crucial victory for Kennedy, who for the next two decades would indelibly merge his public profile with that of Riverkeeper, eventually claiming — falsely — that he had co-founded the organization. He would frequently invoke his bona fides as a warrior for New York’s waterways as he took up anti-vaccine activism, the cause he is most associated with today. Kennedy’s detractors often divide his career into two phases: a laudable period as a workhorse of the environmental movement and a swerve into the conspiracist worldview that defines his independent bid for the White House. But a close examination of Kennedy’s early years as a lawyer in the Hudson Valley shows that the same qualities that today inspire his supporters and alarm his critics — obstinacy, an itch to challenge authority, a mastery of scientific minutiae that is paradoxically coupled with a loose allegiance to facts — were causing controversy long before he trained his sights on Bill Gates or Anthony S. Fauci. How RFK Jr. hiring a bird smuggler threw his environmental group into turmoil
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:55:11 GMT -8
No Bubble, No Bubble, No Toil, No TroubleStocks are expensive, they’ve gone up a lot in a very short time and investors are excited. Not surprisingly, talk of bubbles is widespread. But many of the usual accompaniments to a bubble are missing. The case for stocks being frothy isn’t hard to make. The Nasdaq hit a new high on Thursday, having risen 54% since the start of last year, while the S&P 500 is up 32% and Nvidia’s gains are so big they’re better expressed as the $1.5 trillion it has risen in value than as the hard-to-grasp 441%. In a single day last month, it rose in value by $276 billion, about the value of Chevron, the 26th-largest member of the index. This isn’t normal behavior. But is it a bubble? There’s no single definition of a market bubble, but for me it has to involve a speculative mania. It’s when buyers en masse cross the line from assessing future profit potential to buying something they know is unreasonably expensive—or just don’t care about the price at all—because they think a greater fool will buy it off them at an even higher price. This seems to be missing. Sure, there are some signs of the madness of crowds: The price of SoundHound AI more than tripled in February, mainly because investors were reminded that Nvidia, maker of the chips in demand for artificial intelligence processing, owned a tiny stake. And sure, minuscule stocks are doing phenomenally well, as they often do in a bubble, with the Russell Microcap index up almost 30% in four months, one of its best performances on record. But compared with the postpandemic silliness in meme stocks, profitless tech, SPACs and crypto, or the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, this pales into insignificance. Measures of investor sentiment show they are positive, but nothing like past bubbles. One example: The weekly survey by the American Association of Individual Investors shows 47% declare themselves bullish, low compared with the 75% declaring themselves bullish in 2000, or even the 60% in early 2018. Money isn’t flooding into the market, leverage isn’t being used to boost investments, and so companies aren’t forming especially to tap a gusher of speculative cash. Stocks might be overvalued, investors might be wearing rose-tinted spectacles, but that doesn’t make it a bubble. Yet. A Frothy Market Misses Vital Bubble Ingredients
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Post by mhbruin on Mar 2, 2024 9:57:27 GMT -8
"Stay Home for Five Days" Seemed Simple, Clear, Easy to Understand, and Can Be Followed
Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it's been a day since they've had a fever.
The change comes at a time when COVID-19 is no longer the public health menace it once was. It dropped from being the nation's third leading cause of death early in the pandemic to 10th last year.
Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from vaccinations or from infections. And many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.
“Our goal here is to continue to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendation are simple, clear, easy to understand, and can be followed,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC’s director,
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