Dumb…
And dumber.
That’s all.
Bibi… is more corrupt than Tangerine (though that hardly seems possible).
But as improbable as it sounds… he is… 100% for sale, always — to the highest bidder.
Out.
Category: Uncategorized
After Six Decades, Hinderaker Cannot Comprehend… Amendment One.
I am just deadly bone weary — of the Powerline boys intentionally, repeatedly, and falsely claiming that free speech means that I have to buy each of them… a free megaphone.
I don’t.
Not a single, solitary for-profit business must, either.
And… even the federal government need not buy John a megaphone. Or a media outlet of any sort.
He is… in sum, a senile and malevolent idiot.
Out.
MAGA/GOP George Santos Must Step Aside. That Is All There Is To it. The MAGA GOP Is A Dead Brand — If It Cannot Force Him Out. Period.
Ordinarily, I’d let a minor player / MAGA GOP liar, like this one… just stew in his own juices for a while. Not this time, though.
His false, and repeated-in-writing, claims to be a direct heir to a Holocaust / survivor legacy… is so reprehensible as to need an explicit rebuke. Consider him… rebuked, now.
But the (perhaps) more salient national political question might be… how did his “Devolder Organization” go from having less than $5,000 three years ago, to only $23,000 two years ago… to being able to pay him over $700,000 during 2022? The company (he’s claimed) manages his wealth. But he had almost nothing just three years ago — now he would seem to have multiple millions of free-wheeling unrestricted cash.
[He has in the recent past been twice sued for failing to pay over six, and eight months of rent; the place where he claims his residence for voting purposes in the District he ran from has no record of him ever living there, and has just divorced a woman to bolster his claims to be… gay. Whatever.] So, it is at least possible that such an openly inveterate liar… might be taking foreign money, without disclosing the same — as plainly required by federal and state election disclosure laws. Here is the NYT on it all, this morning:
…The federal investigation, which is being run by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, is focused at least in part on his financial dealings, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investigation was said to be in its early stages.
In a separate inquiry, the Nassau County, N.Y., district attorney’s office said it was looking into the “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos” during his successful 2022 campaign to represent parts of Long Island and Queens.
It was unclear how far the Nassau County inquiry had progressed, but the district attorney, Anne Donnelly, said in a statement that Mr. Santos’s fabrications “are nothing short of stunning….”
Questions remain about how Mr. Santos has generated enough personal wealth to be able, as campaign finance filings show, to lend his campaign $700,000. Mr. Santos has said his money comes from his company, the Devolder Organization, but he has provided little information about its operations….
Indeed. And since his claim is that Devolder paid him a vast salary, and he personally lent his campaign over $700,000, he need not ever disclose the source of the Devolder revenues, under applicable federal law. Moreover, should his campaign chest swell enough to pay himself back on the loan… whoever runs Devolder will have achieved an entirely lawful bribe of a US Rep. (unless Devolder is a foreign controlled entity — then that would be a federal disclosure violation).
INSANE. But now… you know. If you live on Long Island, or in Queens, do what you can to force his resignation, before the end of January 2023. Please.
Not hard at all to imagine that this guy was bought by Russian-state connected oligarch money. Not. at. all. [He’s apparently had close ties there in his past.] And [un-]surprisingly, Scott Johnson has complained about Whoopi Goldberg, on her real offenses against Judaism grounds (repeatedly, so) — but has never even directly condemned, or mentioned… George Santos — a nationally-elected figure now. Hmmmm… Even so, Scott never established that Rep. Omar (his counter-punch to the Santos debacle) was taking foreign money, on the sneak — essentially being bought by frenemy governments. So, there is that.
नमस्ते
It’s A Long-Shot, But There Have Been Some Discussions At NASA, Of Using A SpaceX Capsule To Bring The ISS Trio Home If Needed, Before February 2023…
We won’t make too much of too little here, since thus far, the primary plan involves a new Soyuz craft arriving in early February 2023 — well within the crew’s original food, and provisions / planning windows.
But as ever, NASA likes back ups — to the back ups. From Reuters, this afternoon, then:
…NASA is exploring whether SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft can potentially offer an alternative ride home for some crew members of the International Space Station after a Russian capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbital lab.
NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, are investigating the cause of a punctured coolant line on an external radiator of Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which is supposed to return its crew of two cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut to Earth early next year….
It was unclear what NASA specifically asked of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capabilities, such as whether the company can find a way to increase the crew capacity of the Dragon currently docked to the station, or launch an empty capsule for the crew’s rescue….
Now you know… smiling into the coming new year.
नमस्ते
Of Actual, As Opposed To IMAGINED, Root Causes… Hinderaker Edition, Again.
Proximate cause is what John confuses here, with… root cause.
No, John — the root cause is… you. And people like you, who — for over 45 years now (since the late 1970s / early 1980s), in Minnesota and elsewhere… have given people of color, and people of limited means… only a sneering glance.
You have repeatedly written that you regarded black associates at your former law firm as inferior to you, in every imaginable way. You have written hundreds of times about black and brown alleged criminals, and almost never about positive contributions of other black and brown humans to society.
In sum, you and other 1979 Reagan Re-thug-licans dismissed essentially all black and brown people, out of hand.
Now, after over a generation of kids with promise being denied meaningful work, and responsible roles in a society you personally ensured would be exclusionary, for most of these people, you see that they no longer abide by your supposed social compact.
And yet, you profess to be puzzled by this.
John — how many people (ones who do not look, speak and act like you Ivy League ninnies!) did you actively mentor at that AmLaw 100 firm (the one you ultimately became partner in)? How many? Or… how many, at that low-rent / juice loan / “consumers’ grocery store” style bank you boys ran? How many!?
You need not answer. As I already know. I was there for a good chunk of it all, even into the new millennium. [And you feel that Belgium has nothing to apologize for, or pay for — in the former Free State of the Congo, too. Astonishing.]
You are… a sociopath — just missing the customary white hood, and sheets for robes.
Out.
In Which Scott Johnson Again Attacks A Black Hollywood Personality Of Long Standing, To Avoid Criticizing MAGA GOP NY-Elect Rep. Santos…
This morning, Scott posts copious links to both razor-sharp fine, and tragically-accurate… tellings of the Holocaust. Excellent, in so far as that goes.
But he does so, only after raising all his now old grievances — against Whoopi Goldberg. To be clear, he’s clearly-entitled to most of them. [I am pretty sure that she’s only an entertainer, not an elected office-holder of any sort, claiming a seat to represent people who cast votes, based on… lies. And whether she describes Jews as “white” or otherwise, that’s only her opinion. Repugnant, but her opinion. She didn’t seek office by claiming Holocaust roots.]
And so, personally, I think Scott is mostly, and simply, deflecting from the clearly righteous, but largely Democratic driven outrage over MAGA/GOP Rep.-elect Santos, at right — and his disgusting lie, about claiming Jewish / Holocaust heritage… falsely. [Where are the moral members of the GOP on this (admittedly, a dwindling breed)?]
As I’ve mentioned before, despite my maternal-line grandfather fleeing Europe to escape the Holocaust with his Catholic wife… I would never deign to claim to be a member of the tribe. I am deeply proud of all he achieved, as a chemist of some renown in New York of the 1930s (he died in his 30s), and of all my ancestors… but that is not my place to claim.
I will not steal others’ sacrifices, as my heritage. Rep. Santos, OTOH… suffers no such compunction, about such thievery.
C’mon, Scott — find your voice. You know this guy needs to step down. You know it. He hoodwinked hundreds of thousands of Jews in New York, to get the seat. Dump him.
Out.
Yes, John — America’s Greatest Enemy Resides… Within. Old, Bitter Guys Like You Aren’t Dying Off Fast Enough.
This is another installment of the Hinderaker “You Damn Kids! Get Off My Lawn” Files.
Tonight’s episode features him opining that the Democratic Party’s policies are indistinguishable from… Putin’s.
Erh… Okay.
That’s a wrap.
He and his ilk are truly America’s (internal) enemies. He genuinely believes the Democratic Party wants to harm (or end, entirely) his grandchildren — already born.
Yeh — the real problem is that old racists like him live… too long. Way past their expiration dates.
Now you know — I am treating his with all the seriousness it… merits.
Just like his baffling need to tell the British how to govern… themselves (also tonight). That is a sure sign of senility, when a old man thinks he needs to tell his neighbors how and where and when… they may use, or not use… their own property. Damn.
What an… a-hole.
Out.
2-FOR-1! Merck AND Lilly Ink Peptide Drug Conjugate Discovery/Licensing Deals — With PeptiDream, This Morning…
It has truly been a banner year for Japan’s PeptiDream — headquartered out of Kanagawa, the public biotech house now has multi-candidate collaborations with several of the multinational old-line giants in the pharma space.
Using peptides as an en-vivo vehicle for therapeutics delivery shows much promise, in potential oncology and auto-immune treatments, thus Merck’s, and Lilly’s interest, respectively.
While each agreement in in the low hundreds of millions, upfront — a relative pittance, by pharma standards — each may lead to multi-billion dollar payments, if all milestones are hit. In any event, here’s the latest (from the Merck version; Lilly version here):
…PeptiDream Inc., a public Kanagawa, Japan-based biopharmaceutical company… today announced a new multi-target collaboration and license Agreement with U.S.-based Merck & Co, Inc., Rahway, N.J., U.S.A., known as “MSD” outside the U.S. and Canada, through a subsidiary, focused on the discovery and development of novel peptide drug conjugates (“PDCs”).
Under the agreement, PeptiDream will provide peptide candidates identified from PeptiDream’s proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System (“PDPS”) technology for use as PDCs against targets of interest to MSD. MSD will have exclusive rights to the peptide candidates for conjugation to cytotoxic payloads and will be responsible for all development aspects of any PDC products arising from the collaboration….
Now you know… though the getaway has been wonderful so far, my middle guy may remain trapped in Sacramento, by work obligations, and unable to make it into the desert heat, even after the new year. Sorta’ sad, but we shall see — maybe just for part of the coming weekend, so he can see his brother and sister… and get some hiking in. Smile….
नमस्ते
“No Apology”?! Let’s Go Take Hinderaker’s Right Arm Off, At The Elbow.
Tonight Hinderaker argues that Belgium’s royalty has no reason to apologize to the people of DRC. He argues such apologies only embolden demands for reparations.
Hinderaker, as ever, thinks his just saying something makes it a foregone, and logical eventuality. Not so. He says that because DRC faces other problems now, Belgium should be exonerated for its atrocities of 1880 to 1910.
That’s is illogical, and shamelessly immoral. He says it won’t be enough to fix things in DRC, so don’t “give” even a euro.
He argues then that if a man cannot be lifted out of poverty at the level of a prevailing wage… companies ought to be relieved of paying ANY wage. Slavery should be resumed, in sum.
In a word, “standard” — for Hinderaker. Standard lunacy.
Yes. Since John thinks the dismembering of young mens’ right arms was/is no big deal… I volunteer… his right arm, at the elbow.
He’s an insane sociopath, clearly now.
Out.
Far From Being Given A Final Green Light, But An Intriguing Possibility: Potentially Adding Years Of Life, To The Aging Hubble ‘Scope.
The thought here is a noble — and bold — one: use a private spacecraft, loaded with fuel, to “lift” the aging Hubble, now in a decaying orbit, to a higher, and much safer plane above the Earth.
In sum, the idea is to “jack up” its orbital height and velocity, by use of a newer, more modern spacecraft attaching to it… and then setting it free, again — for added decades of imagery return. Excellent! We applaud the thought, even if it does not end in a rescue mission:
…The non-exclusive SpaceX study regarding the possibilities of reboosting the Hubble Space Telescope is ongoing. On Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, NASA issued a Request for Information to seek additional information about commercial capabilities available to reboost a satellite in orbit, using Hubble as a demonstration, at no cost to the government. There are no plans at this time for NASA to conduct or fund a dedicated Hubble servicing mission. The Request for Information will remain open until Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, as NASA continues exploring options for Hubble’s future.
NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement Thursday, Sept. 22, to study the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris Program idea to boost the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Dragon spacecraft, at no cost to the government.
There are no plans for NASA to conduct or fund a servicing mission or compete this opportunity; the study is designed to help the agency understand the commercial possibilities.
SpaceX — in partnership with the Polaris Program — proposed this study to better understand the technical challenges associated with servicing missions. This study is non-exclusive, and other companies may propose similar studies with different rockets or spacecraft as their model.
Teams expect the study to take up to six months, collecting technical data from both Hubble and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This data will help determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock, and move the telescope into a more stable orbit….
Now you know — and hiking, and swimming our way… toward a warm 2023! Onward… grinning — ever, grinning.
नमस्ते
