Author: condor

In Which Hinderaker Has A Musk Sad On…

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Earlier this year, when Elmo said he’d take Twitter private, John cheered.

He couldn’t wait to be able to spew racial invective, pandemic lies and far right fake studies masked as real analysis on the blue bird site, once more.

So… now that Elon / Elmo has learned that what advertisers think is… important to Twitter’s viability(!)… John lies, to recast business- and brand- protection decisions… as some far left coup de tat.

Silly Hinderaker. Not all business decisions are attacks — on your thankfully dying brands of racism, sexism, jingoism and xenophobia. In fact… none are.

But you keep on crying those crocodile tears — play the victim, falsely… it suits you well.

Cheers.

In Which Hinderaker Openly Admits… Fox Is No News Source — Just Info-tainment, For Morons…

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So, tonight the chucklehead Hinderaker complains about Jimmy Kimmel’s very late night show on ABC.

Hinderaker wants us to understand that a network, here ABC — should not let “a star write off half of his audience” — swallowing whole the sardine Kimmel intentionally tossed out, to morons like John — to feed on.

The point, John, is that his audience IS increasingly anti-Trump. Wake up.

And the point is… he is entertainment.

But of course, John wants us to note that other “dumb info-tainment shows” are beating him in the ratings.

Those are two Fox shows.

Oops. John — you said the soft part entirely too loudly — the Fox shows are not news. They are sardines for your dumb as rocks. . . seagulls.

Hilarious.

Off-grid in the high Rockies until Tuesday morning now… John will have to muddle through, in senile fashion… without my pointers, and tips — until then.

G R I N…. Happy day, you — another ride around old Sol (coolio)! Enjoy… fondly — me

Of Harmonizing Local Religious Traditions And Customs — Especially Islamic Ones — To Save Lives — In Uganda’s Countryside…

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There is both reason for hope, and alarm — in Uganda’s current Ebola outbreak. The cases are becoming more sporatic, and are seen more and more in known contact chains — from known carriers. So the prospect for arresting the overall outbreak is improving.

However, just a few weeks ago, in a rural community — where illiteracy is indeed a factor — one of the dead from Ebola (previously safely and humanely buried by the Red Cross) was exhumed by his fellow Muslims, and reburied in accord with their traditions, of hand-washing the body (without protective gear), wrapping it in white cotton cloth, and praying over the dead — in the open air.

You can obviously imagine what came next. Here is that story:

…The recent [cluster] of Ebola virus cases in a Ugandan rural community began when defiant residents exhumed a body at night, undoing the work of a safe burial team in order to give the deceased man a proper Islamic funeral.

Within days, at least 23 of the mourners had contracted Ebola and three were dead, prompting Uganda’s health minister to say she hoped the members of the farming community in the district of Kassanda had learnt their lesson….

This is both maddening, and completely understandable — religion is a powerful force in these rural communities — and if honestly asked, many of the adherents would no doubt want their fellow believers to do the same for them, should they pass from Ebola. Or from any cause — the rites do not vary. So, that is the crux of it all.

And so, we are likely to see at least occasional cases — and deaths… into the new year.

नमस्ते

After The Fire, Brimstone And Bombast… Hinderaker Knows The Supremes’ Right Wing… Was “All Show/No Dough” On College Admissions Schemes…

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Look — it is another one of those things the GOP faithful claims… energizes its base.

Its racist base.

But at least John will admit… the whole thing… won’t matter (much).

That is, no matter what the 6-3 majority does… it won’t much change the outcomes: colleges will remain free (as a matter of the freedom to associate, and express oneself) to consider a myriad of factors, in admitting new students.

And that will allow for historical wrongs to be addressed, over generations of students.

What remains… most silly to me is that John, Steve and Scott cling to the long-discredited notion that two numbers are in any manner reflective of actual merit — or are at all predictors of future successes in life.

But the GPA/SAT numbers argument remains… entrenched on the far right.

It believes that if one can measure someone or something, with a simple pair of numbers… then admissions are more… scientific. More… equal.

Poppycock. All that does is allow overt gaming.

At bottom, let’s be clear — what the hard right hates… is that this token of wealth and privilege — elite college admission… is no longer wholly within their control, for their children, and their children’s children.

When Harvard, Yale or Princeton or Dartmouth meets quietly, alone — and chooses to admit incoming classes that more closely resemble America as it now stands (as opposed to what the country club cotillions of a century-past looked like)… John and Steve And Scott will have to admit… they’ve lost “control”.

And that infuriates them.

Welcome to the new millennium, boys.

Onward — and in truth — the Asian-Americans the three purport to be offended on behalf of… really don’t much care.

They will rise — because in truth, they always have — against adversity fostered by guys like Hinderaker.

Ironic… that.

Out.

What If… You Could “Hear” The Pops And Pings, Of Earth’s Core Interacting With The Magnetosphere?

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Well, here is a European Space Agency-led simulation… of what that would sound like, in frequencies that the human ear might perceive.

So much of this just — blows my doors right off. Click below the pull-quote to hear it. Sound… ON!

…Launched in 2013, ESA’s trio of Swarm satellites are being used to understand exactly how our magnetic field is generated by measuring precisely the magnetic signals that stem not only from Earth’s core, but also from the mantle, crust and oceans, as well as from the ionosphere and magnetosphere. Swarm is also leading to new insights into weather in space.

Musician and project supporter Klaus Nielsen, from the Technical University of Denmark, explains, “The team used data from ESA’s Swarm satellites, as well as other sources, and used these magnetic signals to manipulate and control a sonic representation of the core field. The project has certainly been a rewarding exercise in bringing art and science together.”

It might sound like the stuff of nightmares, but, remarkably, this audio clip represents the magnetic field generated by Earth’s core and its interaction with a solar storm….

Grinning — ear to ear, now — at that 4K audio and video version… of the spookiest house on the block!

नमस्ते

Coretta Scott King And Martin Luther King Paid Julia Robert’s Neo-Natal Hospital Bills In 1967…

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I will let you read, see and hear — all about it, right here.

Truly an amazing bit of 1960s history.

And, it turns out that the Georgia KKK detonated a car bomb — in front of Julia’s parents’ acting workshop / business — because Yolanda King (Coretta’s daughter) was cast in a leading role, where she shared a kiss onstage… with a whyte actor.

And if that all seems an improbably distant time — just a lost memory… consider that there are people right now (today — in 2022!) who WANT to believe (and are amplifying a horrific lie) that the Speaker’s husband “staged“ having his skull fractured with a hammer, by a lunatic — for some ill-explained… political gain. In a word… deplorable.

But Scott and John are still trafficking in it. Because… they are… wanna’-be Klanners / Luddites.

So… get ready — make a plan — and for certain, go vote now, early — or in seven days’ time.

नमस्ते

CIDRAP Reporting That WHO Has Increased Concerns About Current Ugandan Ebola Outbreak

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There is no doubt that public health authorities are doing their level best inside Uganda — and inside the capital of Kampala.

But it is also true that enforcement of lock-downs and curfews is a very fraught proposition. Over the weekend, some 31 people were arrested in the city of Kampala, with police claiming that at least 13 of them were Red Cross workers charged with safe burials of dead Ebola patients. The Red Cross says the 13 were at the rented home housing them in the city, after working late on a safe burial, and were in their front yard area, roasting a goat, as a “cleansing ritual” — and having drinks to honor the dead, when the police took them in.

Technically, then the Red Cross workers were not breaking curfew or lockdown. Some of the other 20 or so separate arrestees apparently were — they were at a bar. Earlier reports that the Red Cross workers were at a bar turned out to be inaccurate.

But that highlights the difficulty in a city of about 1.5 million people. Here’s the latest from CIDRAP, in any event:

…[T]hough Uganda has experience responding to Ebola outbreaks and has taken quick actions, the lack of treatments and vaccines for the more rare Sudan Ebola strain that’s fueling the outbreak poses a serious public health risk.

The WHO is revising its formal risk assessment, but said given the geographical expansion to urban settings, the risk to Uganda has been elevated from high to very high, and the risk to the region has been increased from low to high. It added that the global risk remains low.

Six neighboring countries have stepped up their readiness actions, including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

In Uganda, outbreak responders are monitoring over 2,150 contacts in 10 districts, with a follow-up rate of 88%….

Now you know — this is a tough, and developing situation. Out. . . smiling about lil’ pumpkin goblins and Maribels.

नमस्ते

The Parts Of Amazon’s Q3 Lobby Spend Related To Health Care / Life Sciences / Health Data Privacy…

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So… this closes out the trilogy — but Amazon has wildly outspent Apple generally on lobbying this year.

And it would be a safe bet that the health care related portion of Mr. Bezos’ lobbying spend alone eclipsed that of Pfizer, though there is no way to slice the public data to be sure. Here’s the final part of the three part run down for Q3 — with year to date totals at right:

…Issues related to broadband access and affordability, satellite communications, space safety, spectrum, device accessibility, Section 230 reform, content moderation, and online video, including the ORBITS Act of 2022 (S. 4814), the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (draft bill – no numbers) and implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58)….

Issues related to cybersecurity, cloud security, IT modernization, and government procurement, including in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7900), the New Markets Stabilization Act (H.R. 8956), and FedRAMP Authorization Act (H.R. 21)….

Issues related to payment processing, debit reforms, financial innovation and technology, lending, gift cards, money transmission licensing, fraud prevention, payment authentication, data security, and financial inclusion….

Issues related to USDA SNAP online purchasing, Electronic Benefit Transfer, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), food safety, infant formula shortage, and the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health….

Issues related to veterans hiring and training, employee compensation and benefits, workplace safety, competition, and minimum wage, including the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 603 / S. 53), the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065/S. 1486), the American Choice and Innovation Online Act of 2021 (H.R. 3816), Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021 (H.R. 3826), Ending Platform Monopolies Act of 2021 (H.R. 3825), ACCESS Act of 2021 (H.R. 3849), the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 (S. 225), the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act of 2021 (S. 3197), and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992)….

Issues related to health care, including employee health care plans, HIPAA, health information technology, telehealth, including the Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R. 1332 / S. 368), the CONNECT Act (H.R. 2903 / S. 1512), the Telehealth Expansion Act (S. 1704 / H.R. 5981), and the Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2023 (H.R. 7667), the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 (S. 4348), and the Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2022 (H.R. 7559). Issues related to pharmacy, vaccines, and COVID-19 testing….

Now you know — off to watch the munchkins trick or treat! Woot! But first, do remind me in the morning tomorrow, to tell you who paid for the hospital bills incurred during the delivery of then infant, now actress… Julia Roberts, in Atlanta — back in 1967. It will… amaze!

नमस्ते

Hinderaker Regularly Encouraged Threats / Threatened Rep. Omar; Then Faults Her For Hiring Bodyguards?! WTFH?!

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Hinderaker tonight, in a truly astonishing lie, claims it is hypocritical for Rep. Ilhan Omar to spend around $80,000 a year on private security details, out of her own funds / pocket.

Astonishing.

As the legacy graphic at right indicates, it is the dangerous, seditious libel of John, Steve, Scott, Candace Owens, MTG and Boebert among others that makes armed security necessary for Rep. Omar.

Damn John — you will burn in hell for your lies. Here’s Hinderaker’s quote — from about a year ago (equating her with terrorists):

…Rep. Omar could go to work for Hamas. She evidently has a lot more sympathy for their “unthinkable atrocities” than for ours, whatever they might be. She doesn’t say…

Yep — your “maker” will have words with you, since you claim to believe in such things.

Loser.

[U X2:] I Guess It Took Scott ~12 Paragraphs… To Find A GOP Politico Who Would Condemn The Pelosi Attack.

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Second Update: 10.31.2022 @ 10 AM EDT — Elon Musk has deleted the offending tweet — in which he retweeted the libels about the attempt by a very mentally ill habitual criminal, to murder a 70-something year old man with a claw hammer, inside his own home at after 2 AM, during a break-in, in SF.

This would very strongly suggest Musk now knows the offending tweet was libelous — and provably false.

Yet Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker and Powerlineblog continue to amplify and republish… the lies (as does Candace Owens, by her tweet barrages). Mr. Pelosi is likely to hire lawyers; and these tools will… lose. End, second update.

10.30.22: Here late on Sunday night, we note Hinderaker has joined in the libel-fest — lying about a victim of an attempted murder. Charming, John. Simply… charming. [While citing third hand early 2018 era “maybe” reports — of signs in the yard of his now ex- (where he was only an occasional guest), John ignores the perp’s own FB posts of Summer 2022.] End update.

Scott Johnson performs a truly Herculean feat here, this morning:

It is… astonishing, really. He is able to spend 14 paragraphs hinting that the attack on the Democratic Speaker of The House’s husband is best understood as “left on left” crime (with sadistic sexual undertones, and alcoholism, to boot — all false; but that is the stock and trade of the MAGAts, now). It is all… pure poppycock, in one — or 20 — paragraphs, to be sure.

He also whispers about (with linking implications) what Candace Owens shockingly said aloud yesterday (without ANY evidence) — thus continuing her string of shameless libels against crime victims.

The man was at the time undergoing brain surgery — for a fractured skull, when she posted it. And she was (falsely) gay-bashing him, in real time. Damn. Just damn.

As I documented two days ago, the attacker is likely very profoundly mentally ill. But most of his recent posts were pro-QAnon, pro-01.06.21 being a tourist event, and pro-2020-election denialists. [So is he… a crazy Trump adherent? At least since last summer? — that all scans.]

But both Scott and Candace skip right over all that. [Even Elon Musk is now churlishly suggesting Mr. Pelosi may have been drinking — this, from a guy who while on a private jet (also while high, allegedly) offered “ponies” to his work underlings, to have sex with him on the plane and join the 30,000 foot club. That man is… a lost, wanna-be despot.]

The lot of them… would much rather complain about the supposed “choices” made by the victim of an attempted murder by hammer, a man alone at night in his late 70s, in his own home… rather than decry political violence — by a Trumper.

Deplorable.

It is immensely telling, in this regard, that only Rep. Steven Scalice — a guy who was shot by political violence on the left, at a softball game (as rare as hens’ teeth)… is the only GOP speaker denouncing the attack, quoted by Scott on the GOP side. And Scott doesn’t mention it until his concluding paragraph. Charming.

The rest of them were of course chanting “Find Nancy; hang her!” on 01.06.21.

That’s all I need to know — these people, the lot of them… are pure reprobates.