A[nother] Short Note On The Racist Lies Of Heather Mac Donald

April 26, 2023April 28, 2023 ~ condor ~ 2 Comments

She’s a dissembling racist old crone.

She knows better. In her latest column to sell her book — one filled with (fabricated) whyte fear narratives, she makes the specious argument (again) that whytes have more to fear from Black people than the other way around [claiming some 69,890 whyte on Black violent incidents, compared to 480,200 Black on whyte incidents]… if we are to believe her cherry picked data.

She neglects to mention (even in her cherry picked data!) that there are about 7.35 times more whytes than Black people in America.

Thus, when her raw figures are adjusted for this fact, whytes are slightly more dangerous to Black people than the other way around.

But each group is proportionately about equally violent.

She’s… a prevaricating monster.

She just wants race wars, so she gins up faked statistics.

Deplorable.

Space Is Indeed… Hard. Hakuto-R Hard Landing / Crashed, Dead Stick — Into The Moon. Ugh.

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Just as we said this past weekend, when Elon’s rocket failed to reach orbit / failed to separate the stages… space is indeed… hard. Very hard. The moon? Harder, still. [Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto? Totally off the chart hard. But NASA did it all.]

I suppose it (once again) indicates just how utterly amazing it is that NASA has helicopters flying on Mars autonomously — 50 missions without a glitch.

My condolences to the Japanese iSpace teams.

Here’s the preliminary word, out of India:

…A private Japanese mission failed to land on the Moon on Tuesday night. The Hakuto-R mission, at the moment, appears to have crash landed on the surface following a fast landing attempt with the UAE’s Rashid rover.

“We have not been able to establish communication and we have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface,” ispace officials said in a live stream….

Onward… sadly… but… ever, onward.

नमस्ते

The Amazon Version — Of How Companies To Try To “Capture The Regulators”, Via Spending On Lobbyists — For Q1 2023…

April 25, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

I’ve switched it up a bit. We will take Amazon next.

Amgen will be tomorrow’s installment. You may wonder (if you are not a regular reader) why I include a comparison for this shipping and shopping company’s lobby spend — to pharma and life science companies.

Amazon has shown it intends to muscle into the high margin, controlled delivery space long occupied by the latter companies (and Fed Ex and DHL). And it has been, of late, launching doc in a box services in major metro centers. So — we will track it:

. . .Issues related to broadband access and affordability, satellite communications, drones, space safety, spectrum, device accessibility, Section 230 reform, content moderation, and online video, including the ORBITS Act of 2023 (S. 447), the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (H.R. 1338) and implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). . . .

Issues related to intellectual property, including copyright reform and online infringement, counterfeits, including the SHOP Safe Act (draft bill – no numbers), music licensing, patent reform, Copyright Office modernization, issues related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and issues related to intermediary liability. . . .

Issues related to taxes, including renewable energy tax credits, digital goods and services, international and corporate taxation, the American Innovation and Jobs Act (S. 866), and implementation of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97). . . .

Issues related to data protection, encryption, data retention, data breach notification, data security, facial recognition technology, cross border data flows, privacy, law enforcement access, fraud prevention, price gouging, false claims, product safety related to the sale of counterfeit and/or stolen products, and cloud computing, including the SHOP Safe Act (draft bill – no numbers) and the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (H.R. 8152). . . .

Issues related to cybersecurity, including critical infrastructure protection, payments security, cloud security, authentication, government procurement, cybersecurity incident reporting, and artificial intelligence, including the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers). . . .

Issues related to postal rates, service performance, FY 2024 appropriations, implementation of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-108), and the transportation of hazardous materials. . . .

Issues related to cybersecurity, cloud security, IT modernization, and government procurement, including in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers) and the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act (H.R. 1695 / S. 931). . . .

Issues related to immigration, high-skilled immigration, and non-immigrant visas, including issues related to employment-based visas, green card recapture, the STEM visa exemption provision, the DREAM Act (S. 365), the EAGLE Act (draft bill – no numbers), the Afghan Adjustment Act (draft bill – no numbers), and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). . . .

Issues related to US trade policy, including USMCA, the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, China, country of origin labeling, US customs policy and procedures, US tariffs, foreign direct investment, issues related to domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research, export controls, sanctions, and supply chain, and other trade practices, including in the EU, Asia, and Latin America, and the COOL Online Act (H.R. 217). . . .

Issues related to the technology, procurement, and space provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers), and the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (draft bill – no numbers). . . .

Issues related to IT system improvements and cloud computing, including issues related to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers) and implementation of the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 117-328). . . .

Issues related to drones and air cargo, including FY 2024 appropriations and upcoming FAA reauthorization legislation. . . .

Issues related to payment processing, corporate governance, debit reforms, financial innovation and technology, lending, gift cards, money transmission licensing, fraud prevention, payment authentication, data security, the Credit Card Competition Act (draft bill – no numbers), and financial inclusion. . . .

Issues related to surface transportation, including autonomous vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, community infrastructure investments, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, e-bikes, hazardous materials, port congestion, U.S. internal supply chain and goods movement, and maritime transportation; issues related to infrastructure, including implementation of the Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act (Public Law 117-58). . . .

Issues related to USDA SNAP online purchasing, including reauthorization of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334), Electronic Benefit Transfer, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), food safety, and infant formula shortage. . . .

Issues related to e-commerce opportunities for small businesses and government procurement. . . .

Issues related to veterans hiring and training, employee compensation and benefits, workplace safety, competition, and minimum wage. . . .

Issues related to HIPAA, health information technology, healthcare and telehealth, including the Telehealth Expansion Act (H.R. 1843 / S. 1001), the Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act (H.R. 824), and the CONNECT for Health Act (draft bill – no numbers). Issues related to pharmacy, including the Prescription Information Modernization Act (H.R. 1503). . . .

Issues related to the Equality Act (H.R. 5 / S. 393), the Justice in Policing Act (draft bill – no number), and cannabis reform, including the States Reform Act (H.R. 5977) and the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (S. 4591). . . .

Issues related to IT modernization, cybersecurity, FedRAMP reform, open data, and government procurement, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 8294), the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers), implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435), the FY 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (draft bill – no numbers), the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act (H.R. 1695 / S. 931), and implementation of the Federal Information Security Management Act (Public Law 107-347). . . .

Issues related to STEM education, computer science education, and job training in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-167) and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (draft bill – no numbers). . . .

Now you know — and good luck, to all the Japanese science eyes on Hakuto-R, right now!

नमस्ते

In A Few Hours, The First Private Venture Soft Drop Lunar Landing Should Be Complete… [Sorry, Elon.]

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

To be clear, this eclipses Mr. Musk’s efforts thus far, and by quite a distance.

A Japanese company, iSpace, in a for-profit joint venture with Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (in the UAE), has taken a long, slow low-energy ride to the moon (smart conservation of resources!) — and around lunch in New York, will drop the craft at right gently onto the lunar surface. Or so it is hoped. Here’s the story of the first private enterprise “feet on the moon” — and a bit:

…Live coverage of the landing is expected to begin Tuesday as early as 11:20 a.m. ET, or about an hour and 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled landing. Touchdown is expected to occur Tuesday at 12:40 p.m. ET, which is Wednesday at 1:40 a.m. Japan Standard Time.

The lunar lander, called Hakuto-R, is carrying the Rashid rover, which was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — the first Arab-built lunar spacecraft.

In history, only three countries have ever executed a controlled landing on the moon — the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. The US remains the only country to have put humans on the moon….

Now you know — more lobby disclosures up next — for Amgen, and then, maybe tomorrow… Amazon. Grin….

नमस्ते

Nailed It! The Entire Litigation Is Now Settled. Antitrust Suit About Zetia® Generics Delay… Goes POOF! 2008-2021.

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Well… just as I told ya’ we might see, all weekend-long… and last week, too.

The entire multi-billion dollar case is now settled, and we may never know for precisely how much. But it is being dismissed as I type this, down in Norfolk, Virginia — and the jury sent home:

…Before jury selection commenced as scheduled, the court was advised that the Retailer Plaintiffs had reached a settlement agreement with the Merck Defendants and the Glenmark Defendants.

The jury panel will be released from duty and the trial is removed from the court calendar. Counsel were instructed to file an agreed dismissal order with any necessary motions within thirty (30) days….

Onward… smiling. It may appear as a line item in the Merck Q1 2023 SEC Form 10-Q, in the litigation section. We shall see.

नमस्ते

[U: Hinderaker Comments.] Tucker Carlson: “F*-ed Around…” And Now, Finds Out.

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Updated @ 8 PM EDT: Hinderaker has provided the obligatory boot-licking tribute to the lying sack of dung called Tucker. About the only thing I worry about with Tucker… is that he becomes a Tangerine Veep running mate. But it is widely reported that Tucker openly loathes Trump. So, unless Trump will agree to be Tucker’s Veep /running mate / nominee… I have no concerns. NONE.

Tucker will never reach three million homes per night again (if he ever did). He was always and only a mean little clown, riding a “one trick pony” — and that pony just threw him into the manure, at the county fairgrounds.

If he turns up on some alternate internet or cable hard right outlet… he will never fully rebuild that audience.

Far too many of his octogenarian / base watchers know ONLY how to find Fox on an old school broadcast TV set’s analog dial. Despite what Johnny says, he is effectively over — unless he is running for Senate or 1600 Penn. And he’s not. So — I love it, all. End, updated portion.

It seems that having to pay $787.5 million in libel settlements is not without consequences — at ole’ Faux.

Most savvy legal observers agree that Tucker’s own internal emails and recorded remarks… sank all hope of an effective libel defense against Dominion’s $1.5 billion claims. [Which, ~~while not wishing to be pedantic,~~ is why I quote the estimable EmptyWheel, in that link — as she’s updated hers to reflect that, indeed Rupert fired him for embarrassing the endless lie-festival the network was running, on dozens of fronts with his private emails and deposition answers ~~(for the contra-suggestion)~~ — the goal of Faux is to tell lies — he inadvertently hurt the network’s chances of continuing to do so. Game over.]

Ah — Well done, Tucker! [Perhaps he is running for Preznit. Or… he is to be Tangerine’s Veep candidate in ’24 (not likely). Or… most likely… he’s had a particularly bad bimbo eruption. Or even a male bimbo eruption.]

In any event… he’s cashiered — without even a goodbye on air.

I. Love. It.

Whatever he builds next — or wherever he goes… he, and his hateful lies — will never again reach three million homes a night.

Flawless.

Scott Johnson Is Promoting A Book By A Guy Who’s An Insufferable Ass Around Aspen…

April 24, 2023October 2, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

…And so, I decided that I’d promote a guy I trust and like — who’s also written a book.

His book matters. The Aspen guy’s… doesn’t — it is (like him)… simply inane.

The one that matters is called “The Shadow Docket“. It is a careful, well crafted data-driven explanation of why we should all (liberal or conservative) be concerned about the rise of “off the normal path” rulings from the Supremes.

Steve is also a friend. Go buy this book in your local bookstore — or via Amazon, today.

[The author of the stupidly inane book apparently sues small contractors in federal court in Colorado over his own failure (despite claiming to be a renown attorney) to get a written contract drawn up, before building a $3 million home about an hour outside of Aspen, Colorado. Yawn.]

That is all. Now you know.

Thank you for listening

Hinderaker KNOWS Trump Will Run A Third Party Campaign And Nothing Anyone Can Do… Will Stop Him.

April 23, 2023April 23, 2023 ~ condor ~ Leave a comment

As is often true with John’s posts, the things he does NOT say are the only ones that are true — in his silly rants.

Tonight he is bleating about how bad all the polling numbers look… for all known likely candidates for 2024. Maybe so. But somehow, he manages to avoid the most obvious conclusion:

Democrats plainly have a runaway lead on keeping the White House in 2024, no matter whom they ultimately nominate.

Under that though, he avoids saying what anyone with a working forebrain knows: Trump will not go away quietly, even though it is now absolutely certain he CANNOT win in the general. [The best bead on 2024 will be found here — to a certainty, BTW.]

That is — he will run as a MAGA something party, or as the high-jacked “new” GOP when he fails to secure a nomination the regular way. [Eerily, and impotently — very much as he tried on 01.06.2021.]

And that, Hinderaker well-knows… is the end of… everything he’s ever thought of as the Republican Party.

He and his fellow morons are handing control of the White House to us intelligent Democratic Party leaders… for a generation — on a silver platter.

This will be… hilariously bad for DeSantis and Haley… and all other would be GOP nominees.

Thanks boyz — leading members of your own party are already saying you face a wipe out in 2024 over your radical, hateful anti-abortion laws and overreaching.

We will clean up.