tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46646261260218214262024-03-13T13:28:20.461-07:00Propaganda Pre$$ MonitorRockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comBlogger27877125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-5736289854218737642021-06-26T03:11:00.000-07:002021-06-26T03:33:48.925-07:00Going Dark"Cyber Polygon: Will The Next Globalist War Game Lead To Another Convenient Catastrophe? " by <a href="https://alt-market.us/">Brandon Smith</a>, June 3, 2021<div><div><div><br /></div><div>Back in April I published an article titled <a href="https://alt-market.us/globalists-will-need-another-crisis-in-america-as-their-reset-agenda-fails/">‘Globalists Will Need Another Crisis In America As Their Reset Agenda Fails’</a>. In it I noted an odd trend which many of us in the liberty media have become aware of over the years – Almost every major man-made catastrophe in the US and in many other parts of the world in the past couple decades has been preceded by a government or globalist “exercise”. These exercises and war games tend to mimic the exact disaster that would eventually strike the public only days or weeks later. Sometimes the mock disaster exercises and the real events happen at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Covid pandemic was no exception. It’s quite miraculous…</div><div><br /></div><div>I have specifically outlined the bizarre “coincidence” of the World Economic Forum’s <a href="https://www.weforum.org/press/2019/10/live-simulation-exercise-to-prepare-public-and-private-leaders-for-pandemic-response/">Event 201 exercise</a>, a war game co-funded by Bill Gates and Johns Hopkins and launched in October of 2019. Event 201 simulated a <a href="https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/scenario.html">global novel zoonotic coronavirus pandemic</a> (supposedly spread from bats to people) that “required” a global lockdown response. Only two months later the real thing actually happened. Almost every aspect of the Covid event has played out exactly as was practiced during the WEF war game.</div><div><p>One very disturbing element of the Covid response has been the coordinated suppression campaign by Big Tech platforms from YouTube to Facebook and Twitter. This campaign has sought to undermine or destroy any facts, data and opinions which run contrary to the government narrative on Covid, even if the official narrative on Covid ends up being completely wrong. The strategy was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoLw-Q8X174&t=130s">described in detail</a> during Event 201 and it was executed with extreme efficiency among supposedly disconnected companies and governments around the world. It’s almost as if they KNEW a coronavirus pandemic was about to happen, and they were already staged to control the public reaction well in advance.</p><p>And let’s be clear because I do not want to seem ambiguous; the World Economic Forum and their globalist partners have been the prime beneficiaries during the pandemic. As WEF head Klaus Schwab has excitedly noted over and over again, the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-great-reset">pandemic is a perfect “opportunity”</a> for globalists to fast track what they call the “Great Reset” agenda – A plan to completely dismantle the current political and economic framework of the world and rebuild it into a highly centralized socialist civilization in which they are in complete control and personal freedom is a faded memory.</p><p>This is why <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57268111">recent revelations</a> of Covid’s probable lab origins are not at all surprising. Just mentioning this idea a year ago in social media was enough to get you banned. And, if you want to know where to find the truth, always look first to the subjects you are not allowed to discuss. As I stated in my article <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/how-viral-pandemic-benefits-globalist-agenda?commentId=5e321805fca8e4001a1d89ae">‘How Viral Pandemic Benefits The Globalist Agenda’</a>, published in January of 2020 at the very beginning of the outbreak:</p><p><strong>“I have a hard time ignoring the strange ‘coincidence’ of the high level biohazard labs in Wuhan in favor of the idea that the virus was launched by chance due to the odd diets of central Chinese people. Given the evidence it appears that the coronavirus was gestated in a lab, not in someone’s bat and snake soup. In 2017, scientists outside of China <a href="https://meaww.com/wuhan-coronavirus-warned-2017-lab-wuhan-deadly-diseases-escape-lab-level-4-safety-scientists">warned that these labs were not secure</a> and that a virus might escape one of the facilities…..I would use the term ‘escape’ loosely, as there is a possibility that this event was created intentionally…”</strong></p><p>Elites like Dr. Anthony Fauci (a <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2010/12/global-health-leaders-launch-decade-of-vaccines-collaboration">close associate of Bill Gates</a> and Bill Gates SR.) directly <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dr-fauci-backed-controversial-wuhan-lab-millions-us-dollars-risky-coronavirus-research-1500741">funded studies at the Wuhan Lab</a> through the NIAID since 2015, and specifically <a href="https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/new-coronavirus-emerges-bats-china-devastates-young-swine">funded the study of the infectious transfer</a> of coronaviruses from bats to other mammals including humans. And yes, the NIAID was in fact involved in “gain-of-function” experiments using SARS and coronavirus variants at this time, despite Anthony Fauci claiming otherwise. The National Institutes Of Health’s <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-lifts-funding-pause-gain-function-research">own website confirms this</a>.</p><p>All of these facts support the argument that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985/">Covid is a lab created bioweapon</a>, and in my view according to the evidence so far it was released deliberately in close alliance with the Chinese government. Fauci even somehow “predicted” in 2017 that Donald Trump would face a <a href="https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20170111/fauci-no-doubt-trump-will-face-surprise-infectious-disease-outbreak">“surprise infectious disease outbreak”</a> during his presidency, stating that “We will definitely get surprised in the next few years…”</p><p>The scheme has certainly worked to an extent. In large portions of Europe, Asia and Australia the WEF is getting what it always wanted.</p><p>That said, some things did not go as planned. For example, Event 201 predicted an initial 65 million people dead within the first year of the pandemic; this did not happen, and it was not because governments saved any lives. In fact, government lockdowns and restrictions did nothing to stave off the spread of Covid and independent studies have proven mask mandates to be <a href="https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6817">completely ineffective</a> in stopping the virus. The reason for the comparatively small body count is the fact that Covid’s death rate is <a href="https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-5352?utm_source=24-scientists-determine-death-rate-covid-19-general-population&utm_medium=email&utm_content=published+in+the+Annals+of+Internal+Medicine&utm_campaign=ag&">only 0.26%</a> among otherwise healthy people. The only place wear Covid is a true threat is in nursing homes among elderly people with preexisting conditions.</p><p>Because of the miscalculations of the elites, the reset agenda appears to be failing in some parts of the world. In the US, resistance to the lockdowns as well as the experimental vaccines has grown exponentially to the point that dozens of states are now passing laws which prohibit enforcement of Covid restrictions and “medical passports”.</p><p>The alternative media has also proven resilient against censorship and information suppression, and we have been proven to be right time and time again. We were the first people to warn that the death rate of Covid was being exaggerated (the WHO and other establishment institutions predicted a death rate of at least 3%, FAR above the reality). We were the first people to warn that the lockdowns and mask rules did nothing to stop the spread (states that removed restrictions ended up with FALLING infections and deaths). And, we were the first people to warn that the virus was behaving more like a bioweapon, and that its origin was more likely the Level 4 lab in Wuhan, China, right down the street from the animal market that the Chinese government originally claimed was the source of the outbreak.</p><p>We were also the first people to warn that the pandemic would be used as a rationale for the enforcement of vaccine passports, which would create a two tear society designed to force people who do not want to take the mRNA vaccines into compliance. We have been proven right once again as the state of <a href="https://www.kgw.com/video/news/local/the-story/oregon-businesses-could-be-fined-if-they-dont-enforce-vaccine-passports/283-5aacc731-a6f1-424d-a7c8-ca7fb5865789">Oregon has become the first in the US</a> to demand proof of vaccination (a passport) before residents are able to enter any businesses or establishments.</p><p>We have consistently been called “conspiracy theorists” throughout this event by government bureaucrats and the media. But, we were were right about almost everything, and the mainstream media has been wrong about almost everything. Either that, or they have been knowingly lying about almost everything.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><p>This dynamic is important to understand because I believe the situation is far from over and that more crisis events are about to be engineered (or they will magically happen by coincidence).</p><p>My biggest concern right now is the upcoming ‘Cyber Polygon’ exercise being headed by the WEF this July. The war game is meant to “simulate” a cyberattack on vital infrastructure that would lead to a shutdown of the global supply chain, or at least the supply chains within certain nations. As I warned in April, the timing of Cyber Polygon is suspicious. As the Covid lockdown agenda is breaking down in the US and the vaccine passports are not winning favor among a large percentage of Americans, the globalists will need another crisis even if they hope to achieve their goals for their Great Reset.</p><p>Only weeks after I published my initial concerns about Cyber Polygon, a massive cyberattack was reported which struck the 5,500 mile Colonial Pipeline. The pipeline supplies gasoline to most of the eastern seaboard and after a week of being shut down numerous states were reporting gas shortages. The story has since quietly faded from mainstream news cycles.</p><p>In the past few days, yet <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meat-latest-cyber-victim-hackers-214130697.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD5JCJUYzaW6ep5wCu-HkO2EN0qDNiyFZ3UQupG-Bg1SG17rjJ5dMqwhG-jnsv4raAKEesQQFbSk3FVx5XT65UzetHEIuNU8kclHMSmSVHlkFUUL4RYVIqdgTuA7IV6Dz_sfU4sypyFRtwjYvUnndDUSNK2SRS4O5sniGMcss9ST">another major cyberattack</a> has been reported against JBS, a meat company that supplies around 23% of all US beef and pork. Production at JBS has shut down, and now there is the possibility of meat shortages across the country if the problems are not solved soon.</p><p>Again, is it just coincidence that these large scale cyberattacks are happening with greater frequency in the lead-up to a WEF’s Cyber Polygon simulation? Or, is Cyber Polygon another Event 201? Is it a beta test for a disaster that is planned for the near future? The WEF is openly comparing future cyber attacks to Covid outbreaks, so I’m inclined to suspect the latter:</p><p>The supply chain issue has come to the forefront in the wake of the pandemic as retailers have had to deal with intermittent shortages, and manufacturers are facing a lack of components. Not only that, but inflationary troubles are also weighing on supplies. That said, a cyberattack is another animal entirely; whether or not the event is real or staged, the supply chain is fragile because of global interdependency. In the US, there are many necessities that rely on foreign manufacturers or the “just in time” freight system. Preparedness and long term storage are not a part of the vocabulary of the common US business.</p><p>I don’t really know if the supply chain could be shut down completely using a cyberattack, but in combination with inflation and draconian pandemic restrictions, it is possible to disrupt the flow of goods for weeks at a time. It is also impossible to predict how many people are prepared for such a calamity. My hope is that more than 30% of Americans have at least begun the path to prepping, but undoubtedly a majority of the country has not. All it would take is a couple weeks of shortages or a grid down scenario and most people would be facing starvation, among other things.</p><p>If Event 201 is any indication, then we should remain vigilant and watch carefully for another major cyberattack affecting the supply chain within two months of the WEF’s Cyber Polygon exercise in July.</p></div></div><div>--<a href="https://www.activistpost.com/2021/06/cyber-polygon-will-the-next-globalist-war-game-lead-to-another-convenient-catastrophe.html"><b>MORE</b></a>--"</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"How Technocracy Is Using Unseen Enemies To Panic The World" by By <a class="easyazon-link" data-cart="y" data-cloak="y" data-identifier="0986373982" data-locale="US" data-localize="y" data-popups="n" data-tag="permacultucom-20" href="https://www.activistpost.com/product/0986373982/US/permacultucom-20/?cart=y" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Patrick Wood</a>, June 3, 2021</div><div><p>We live in an age of global deception and delusion of Biblical proportions. Lying is a way of life. Deceiving is taken to the level of an art form. Debauchery and corruption are everywhere.</p><p>The slick propaganda that promises to eliminate poverty, create wonderful jobs with dignity and bring lasting peace to the world has more in common with a pile of horse manure than lasting solutions.</p><p>I stated in early 2020 that the Great Panic of 2020 (read, “pandemic”) was the start of Technocracy’s coup d’état. It was global in scope, horribly damaging to the global economy and ripped the fabric of societal status quo to shreds. All of this was supposedly caused by an <em>unseen enemy</em>. And now, the “scientists” behind it, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, are proven to be frauds and hucksters whose science has been discredited as “pseudo-science” at best.</p><p>May I remind you that global warming is also an unseen enemy of the same magnitude? The corrupt and bastardized data supporting global warming is as fraudulent and deceptive as that of COVID-19. Lies abound. Fabricated computer models spit out megatons of buffalo chips to tell us we are all going to die when the polar ice caps melt and the seas rise.</p><p>I have also warned that there will be other attacks of deception to solidify the global Technocrat takeover.</p><p>The Technocrats are delivering.</p><p>Two major back-to-back hacking episodes have suddenly appeared to underscore the need for a universal ID system and total control over the Internet. First, the Colonial Pipeline was shut down causing massive fuel shortages on the East Coast. Second, the largest meat producer in the world is hacked bringing production to a halt. Gas prices go up. Meat shortages threaten availability. All thanks to an invisible enemy (the hackers) who we are told are some dark, deep-state entity trying to destroy America.</p><p>Let’s pause and remember that the Great Panic of 2020 was preceded by a global pandemic simulation called <em>Event 201</em>, sponsored by the World Economic Forum. This is a fact, not speculation. Event 201 scripted the pandemic response almost to the letter. They were prepared and in control.</p><p>This July, the WEF continues another comparable simulation that started in 2020 called <a href="https://www.weforum.org/projects/cyber-polygon" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyber Polygon.</a> Partners listed on the WEF website include IBM, INTERPOL, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Ericsson, virus maker Trend Micro, Accenture, AIG, Allianz, Amazon, Bank of America, BlackRock, VISA, etc.</p><p>Cyber Polygon scripts a global response to a high-profile cyberattack:</p><p><em>With global digitalisation further accelerating and people, companies, and countries becoming ever more interconnected, security of every single element of a supply-chain is key to ensuring the sustainability of the whole system. During the technical exercise, participants will hone their practical skills in <strong>mitigating a targeted supply chain attack on a corporate ecosystem in real time</strong>. </em>(emphasis added)</p><p>What a coincidence that two major supply chain hacks suddenly appear out of the blue, affecting potentially hundreds of millions of consumers and scaring the pants off the rest of us. Who are these invisible hackers anyway? Why can’t anyone catch them in the act? Well, <em>anonymity is part of the script</em> (just like the COVID-19 virus) because the cause is of no interest to the likes of the WEF, but only their response to it.</p><p>Now let’s bring up UFOs. All of a sudden, talk about UFOs is everywhere. The propaganda machines are in full swing as the government and military release tapes, recordings and documents that suggest aliens have arrived on planet earth. Can they produce one spaceship or one alien body? Nope. How about a clear picture or photograph? Nada. It is just another invisible enemy being conjured up to stoke a socially engineered response in world-wide populations.</p><p>On June 2, former President Barack Obama <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/proof-aliens-lead-new-religions-24235493" rel="nofollow noopener">weighed in on aliens and UFO sightings</a>. The Daily Star (UK) reported,</p><p><em>Barack Obama has waded into the conversation about alien life – and has predicted that if evidence of aliens emerges, <strong>it will lead to sweeping changes around our planet.</strong></em></p><p><em>The former US President said that proof of aliens <strong>would likely result in the emergence of new religions</strong>, and there would be <strong>calls for huge sums of money to be spent on weapons systems</strong> so we can defend ourselves from possible attack.</em></p><p><em>He was asked what he thought would happen if we could prove there were aliens probing the Earth but we were unable to make contact with them or interact with them.</em></p><p><em>“It’s interesting.” he said.</em></p></div><div><p><em>“It wouldn’t change my politics at all. Because my entire politics is premised on the fact that we are these tiny organisms on this little speck floating in the middle of space.</em></p><p><em>“But no doubt there would be immediate arguments about like, well, <strong>we need to spend a lot more money on weapons systems to defend ourselves</strong>. New religions would pop up. </em>(emphasis added)</p><p>Don’t overthink this. The military is the major propagandist on UFOs and it is also the biggest consumer of taxpayer funds on the planet. President Eisenhower warned us about the Military/Industrial Complex as well as the “technological elite”. Well, it is painfully obvious that they have joined forces and have a common purpose.</p><p>So let’s add this up. The air we breathe is polluted with a deadly virus that will probably kill millions; the food and energy supply chain is stopped up and if we don’t starve first, our budgets will be trashed over high energy prices; space aliens have arrived but the Space Force will save us if we give them enough money and control.</p><p>Perhaps comparing all of this to a pile of horse manure is overly gratuitous. At the very least, I will say this: if anyone tries to spook you with some <em>unseen</em> enemy, pass them the shovel and tell them to get busy cleaning out the horse stable.</p></div><div>--<a href="https://www.activistpost.com/2021/06/how-technocracy-is-using-unseen-enemies-to-panic-the-world.html"><b>MORE</b></a>--"</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div>"The News Media Is Hopelessly, Viciously Biased" by Paul Angel, June 3, 2021</div><p>By now, the vast majority of lucid Americans should realize that the left-wing media—newspapers, radio stations, social media outlets, internet sites, etc.—puts out more fake news than Josef Stalin ever did. Getting a story wrong in this business is not a sin, as long as a retraction or correction is published admitting the story was in error. And that’s nothing new. Media outlets have been racing to publish news before verification for decades in a mad rush to get a scoop. What is unforgiveable is willingly publishing stories that the editors know are false simply to dupe the public for one reason or an- other. Recently it has been revealed that CNN, for instance (and almost every other left-wing news outlet), was more interested in forcing Donald Trump out of office than owning up to its obligation to report the news factually. Several examples come to mind.</p><p><b>The Origins of Covid-19</b></p><p>Donald Trump and several Republican legislators, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, came out and questioned whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus was a naturally occurring virus or one that might possibly have escaped from a Chinese lab. Be- cause Trump merely suggested that the virus might have been enhanced in a lab in Wuhan, China, and referred to it as the “China virus,” the left-wing media im- mediately ridiculed the idea, insisting again and again that the virus originated in a crowded “wet market.” Right on cue, their censorship-crazed allies in social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Google, began to limit access to any in- formation that might have corroborated the lab-origin theory. It now appears that Trump was correct, as more and more in- formation is emerging about the dangerous activities at that Wuhan lab, but Jeff Zucker, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and others weren’t worried about the truth. Their only goal was to either discredit the president or make him appear a fool. In fact, they went to great lengths to protect China and get as many “experts” as they could to support their version. Trump may very well be right and they may be wrong, but they are infatuated with Trump, not the truth.</p><p><b>Alternative Treatments for Covid- 19</b></p><p>Early on in the Covid epidemic, President Trump mentioned hydroxy- chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug used successfully for decades. Immediately, the left-wing news conglomerates and their minions began attacking the president for his suggestion. Before you knew it, stories were appearing across television and the internet ridiculing the president and claiming hydroxychloroquine was dangerous. Why didn’t they faithfully investigate the possible bene- fits of hydroxychloroquine, instead of going on a rampage to condemn it? Simply because Donald Trump supported its use. As it turns out, hydroxychloroquine may have been used effectively in Mumbai, India, recently to help stem a rising tide of Covid infections.</p><p>To this day, however, every left-leaning news outlet that can is still insisting that it was not hydroxychloroquine that helped stop Covid infections in India. It was, instead, lockdowns. We are not sure whether hydroxychloroquine really does work, but we do know that, even if it does, the Trump-hating media will never reveal it, simply because the much- hated “Orange Man” suggested it.</p><p><b>Vote Fraud</b></p><p>For decades, Democrats have been blaming vote fraud for any losses in political races. For instance, Stacey Abrams is still complaining that vote theft cost her the 2018 race for the governorship of Georgia. To this day, Abrams appears on left-wing news out- lets to cry about her loss. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and others have rightfully questioned whether vote fraud exists and if Dominion voting ma- chines, in particular, were registering votes improperly. That was all fine and dandy for them, but the minute Donald Trump mentioned that there might be a problem with ensuring fair and honest elections in the world’s biggest democratic republic, the censors went wild, condemning the very idea and forcefully spiking any corroborating evidence. Any mention of rigged elections or faulty vote-counting machines or previous suspected election theft was now considered taboo.</p><p>“America has the safest and most secure elections in the world,” they claimed, ignoring the mountains of evidence indicating that more than one election in America has been stolen—with both parties being complicit in the thievery. Honestly, there is evidence to suggest that the 2018 governor’s election in Georgia was stolen and a good deal of evidence that tens of thousands of votes were either swiped or miscounted in the 2020 presidential election. But the sad fact is, since Donald Trump mentioned the possibility, it was immediately condemned without any serious investigation on the part of wild- eyed, foaming left-wing media outlets.</p><p><b>The Capitol Protest of Jan. 6</b></p><p>On that morning, Donald Trump addressed an enthusiastic crowd of supporters and asked them to peacefully march to the Capitol to let Congress know there should be an investigation into the possibility that the election was unfair. He never urged them to attack anyone or storm the halls of Congress. But the left- wing media, sensing an opportunity to smear the president, immediately began characterizing the event as an insurrection. Of course, this was not an at- tempted insurrection, but it mattered not. Soon, fake stories were being circulated 24/7 by every Trump-hating news outlet that the president’s “shock troops” had tried to overthrow the government. Members of the crowd, they said, brutally murdered a police officer by bludgeoning him to death with a fire extinguish- er and causing multiple other deaths, glossing over the fact that the only per- son who was actually slain that day was an unarmed female Trump supporter.</p><p>Even though an honest investigation would have easily disproven the leftist narrative on the events of that day—none of the arrested protesters has been charged with insurrection—the media still prefer to continue to report their twisted version because it gives them a chance to bash Trump, facts be damned. There are many more examples space forces me to omit here, but the list goes on and on. And it proves that the left-wing media has morphed from a once-neutral source of news on events, to the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party. They are all operating in unison, using the same exact catch-phrases and slogans with an identical goal in mind: destroy Donald Trump, and the Republican Party along with him.</p><p>Along the way, we will be forced to endure fake stories about how mentally sharp Joe Biden is (he’s really Einstein in disguise), and how giggling nincompoop Kamala Harris is actually fit to lead this nation. It’s all a sham and a shame. The good news is, you know it.</p><p>--<a href="https://americanfreepress.net/the-news-media-is-hopelessly-viciously-biased/"><b>MORE</b></a>--"</p><p><b>Now meet the <a href="https://alethonews.com/2021/06/12/meet-the-world-economic-forum/">World Economic Forum</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="item-content"><div>"Who Is a “Terrorist” in Biden’s America?</div><header class="entry-header"><div class="entry-meta"><span class="posted-on"><span class="screen-reader-text"><br /></span></span></div><div class="entry-meta"><span class="posted-on"><span class="screen-reader-text">Posted on</span> <a href="https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/who-is-a-terrorist-in-bidens-america/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-06-18T10:27:20-06:00">June 18, 2021</time></a></span><span class="byline"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Author</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/author/whitney-webb/">Whitney Webb</a></span></span></div></header><div class="entry-content"><h5 class="p1"><strong><i>Far from being a war against “white supremacy,” the Biden administration’s new “domestic terror” strategy clearly targets primarily those who oppose US government overreach and those who oppose capitalism and/or globalization.</i></strong></h5><p class="p1">In the latest sign that the US government’s War on Domestic Terror is growing in scope and scale, the White House on Tuesday revealed the nation’s first ever <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/National-Strategy-for-Countering-Domestic-Terrorism.pdf"><span class="s1">government-wide strategy</span></a> for confronting domestic terrorism. While cloaked in language about stemming racially motivated violence, the strategy places those deemed “anti-government” or “anti-authority” on a par with racist extremists and charts out policies that could easily be abused to silence or even criminalize online criticism of the government.</p><p class="p1">Even more disturbing is the call to essentially fuse intelligence agencies, law enforcement, Silicon Valley, and “community” and “faith-based” organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, as well as unspecified foreign governments, as partners in this “war,” which the strategy makes clear will rely heavily on a pre-crime orientation focused largely on what is said on social media and encrypted platforms. Though the strategy claims that the government will “shield free speech and civil liberties” in implementing this policy, its contents reveal that it is poised to gut both.</p><p class="p1">Indeed, while framed publicly as chiefly targeting “right-wing white supremacists,” the strategy itself makes it clear that the government does not plan to focus on the Right but instead will pursue “domestic terrorists” in “an ideologically neutral, threat-driven manner,” as the law “makes no distinction based on political view—left, right or center.” It also states that a key goal of this strategic framework is to ensure “that there is simply no governmental tolerance . . . of violence as an acceptable mode of seeking political or social change,” regardless of a perpetrator’s political affiliation. </p><p class="p1">Considering that the main cheerleaders for the War on Domestic Terror exist mainly in establishment left circles, such individuals should rethink their support for this new policy given that the above statements could easily come to encompass Black Lives Matter–related protests, such as those that transpired last summer, depending on which political party is in power. </p><p class="p1">Once the new infrastructure is in place, it will remain there and will be open to the same abuses perpetrated by both political parties in the US during the lengthy War on Terror following September 11, 2001. The history of this new “domestic terror” policy, including <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/william-barr-formally-announces-orwellian-pre-crime-program/262504/"><span class="s1">its origins in the Trump administration</span></a>, makes this clear.</p><p class="p1"><b>It’s Never Been Easier to Be a “Terrorist”</b></p><p class="p1">In introducing the strategy, the Biden administration cites “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists” as a key reason for the new policy and a main justification for the War on Domestic Terror in general. This was most recently demonstrated Tuesday in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1404828495818235908"><span class="s1">statement</span></a> announcing this new strategy. However, the document itself puts “anti-government” or “anti-authority” “extremists” in the same category as violent white supremacists in terms of being a threat to the homeland. The strategy’s characterization of such individuals is unsettling.</p><p class="p1">For instance, those who “violently oppose” “all forms of capitalism” or “corporate globalization” are listed under this less-discussed category of “domestic terrorist.” This highlights how people on the left, many of whom have called for capitalism to be dismantled or replaced in the US in recent years, could easily be targeted in this new “war” that many self-proclaimed leftists are currently supporting. Similarly, “environmentally-motivated extremists,” a category in which groups such as Extinction Rebellion could easily fall, are also included. </p><p class="p1">In addition, the phrasing indicates that it could easily include as “terrorists” those who oppose the World Economic Forum’s vision for global “stakeholder capitalism,” as that form of “capitalism” involves corporations and their main “stakeholders” creating a new global economic and governance system. The WEF’s stakeholder capitalism thus involves both “capitalism” and “corporate globalization.” </p><p class="p1">The strategy also includes those who “take steps to violently resist government authority . . . based on perceived overreach.” This, of course, creates a dangerous situation in which the government could, purposely or otherwise, implement a policy that is an obvious overreach and/or blatantly unconstitutional and then label those who resist it “domestic terrorists” and deal with them as such—well before the overreach can be challenged in court.</p><p class="p1">Another telling addition to this group of potential “terrorists” is “any other individual or group who engages in violence—or incites imminent violence—in opposition to legislative, regulatory or other actions taken by the government.” Thus, if the government implements a policy that a large swath of the population finds abhorrent, such as launching a new, unpopular war abroad, those deemed to be “inciting” resistance to the action online could be considered domestic terrorists. </p><p class="p1">Such scenarios are not unrealistic, given the loose way in which the government and the media have defined things like “incitement” and even “violence” (e. g., <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/opinion/sunday/when-is-speech-violence.html"><span class="s1">“hate speech” is a form of violence</span></a>) in the recent past. The situation is ripe for manipulation and abuse. To think the federal government (including the Biden administration and subsequent administrations) would not abuse such power reflects an ignorance of US political history, particularly when the main forces behind most terrorist incidents in the nation are actually US government institutions <a href="https://www.projectcensored.org/4-fbi-agents-responsible-for-majority-of-terrorist-plots-in-the-united-states/?doing_wp_cron=1623933066.4977369308471679687500"><span class="s1">like the FBI</span></a> (more FBI examples <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/fbi-entrapment#.uvrnrQ2Rk"><span class="s1">here</span></a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/terrorist-plots-helped-along-by-the-fbi.html"><span class="s1">here</span></a>, <a href="https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/06/07/whitmer-kidnapping-plot-suspect-pete-musico-fbi-agents-informant-entrapment/7590816002/"><span class="s1">here</span></a><span class="s2">,</span> and <a href="https://thefreethoughtproject.com/fbi-groom-mentally-ill-right-wing-terrorist/"><span class="s1">here</span></a>).</p><p class="p1">Furthermore, the original plans for <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/03/reports/what-newsweek-conveniently-failed-to-mention-about-continuity-of-government/"><span class="s1">the detention of American dissidents</span></a> in the event of a national emergency, drawn up during the Reagan era as part of its “continuity of government” contingency, cited popular nonviolent opposition to US intervention in Latin America as a potential “emergency” that could trigger the activation of those plans. Many of those “continuity of government” protocols remain on the books today and can be triggered, depending on the whims of those in power. It is unlikely that this new domestic terror framework will be any different regarding nonviolent protest and demonstrations.</p><p class="p1">Yet another passage in this section of the strategy states that “domestic terrorists” can, “in some instances, connect and intersect with conspiracy theories and other forms of disinformation and misinformation.” It adds that the proliferation of such “dangerous” information “on Internet-based communications platforms such as social media, file-upload sites and end-to-end encrypted platforms, all of these elements can combine and amplify threats to public safety.” </p><p class="p1">Thus, the presence of “conspiracy theories” and information deemed by the government to be “misinformation” online is itself framed as threatening public safety, a claim made more than once in this policy document. Given that a major “pillar” of the strategy involves eliminating online material that promotes “domestic terrorist” ideologies, it seems inevitable that such efforts will also “connect and intersect” with the censorship of “conspiracy theories” and narratives that the establishment finds inconvenient or threatening for any reason. </p><p class="p1"><b>Pillars of Tyranny</b></p><p class="p1">The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/National-Strategy-for-Countering-Domestic-Terrorism.pdf"><span class="s1">strategy</span></a> notes in several places that this new domestic-terror policy will involve a variety of public-private partnerships in order to “build a community to address domestic terrorism that extends not only across the Federal Government but also to critical partners.” It adds, “That includes state, local, tribal and territorial governments, as well as foreign allies and partners, civil society, the technology sector, academic, and more.” </p><p class="p1">The mention of foreign allies and partners is important as it suggests a multinational approach to what is supposedly a US “domestic” issue and is <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/neocon-billionaire-paul-singer-driving-outsourcing-us-tech-jobs-israel/259147/"><span class="s1">yet another step</span></a> toward a transnational security-state apparatus. A similar multinational approach was used to devastating effect during the CIA-developed <a href="https://www.fff.org/2020/02/17/the-cias-role-in-operation-condor/"><span class="s1">Operation Condor</span></a>, which was used to target and “disappear” domestic dissidents in South America in the 1970s and 1980s. The foreign allies mentioned in the Biden administration’s strategy are left unspecified, but it seems likely that such allies would include the rest of the Five Eyes alliance (the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) and Israel, all of which already have well-established information-sharing agreements with the US for signals intelligence.</p><p class="p1">The new domestic-terror strategy has four main “pillars,” which can be summarized as (1) understanding and sharing domestic terrorism-related information, including with foreign governments and private tech companies; (2) preventing domestic terrorism recruitment and mobilization to violence; (3) disrupting and deterring domestic terrorism activity; and (4) confronting long-term contributors to domestic terrorism.</p><p class="p1">The first pillar involves the mass accumulation of data through new information-sharing partnerships and the deepening of existing ones. Much of this information sharing will involve increased data mining and analysis of statements made openly on the internet, particularly on social media, something already done by US intelligence contractors such as <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/12/investigative-series/palantirs-tiberius-race-and-the-public-health-panopticon/"><span class="s1">Palantir</span></a>. While the gathering of such information has been ongoing for years, this policy allows even more to be shared and legally used to make cases against individuals deemed to have made threats or expressed “dangerous” opinions online. </p><p class="p1">Included in the first pillar is the need to increase engagement with financial institutions concerning the financing of “domestic terrorists.” US banks, such as Bank of America, have already gone quite far in this regard, leading to accusations that it has begun acting like an intelligence agency. Such claims were made after it <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9228367/BoA-snooped-hundreds-accounts-looking-Capitol-rioters.html"><span class="s1">was revealed</span></a> that the BofA had passed to the government the private banking information of over two hundred people that the bank deemed as pointing to involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. It seems likely, given this passage in the strategy, that such behavior by banks will soon become the norm, rather than an outlier, in the United States. </p><p class="p1">The second pillar is ostensibly focused on preventing the online recruitment of domestic terrorists and online content that leads to the “mobilization of violence.” The strategy notes that this pillar “means reducing both supply and demand of recruitment materials by limiting widespread availability online and bolstering resilience to it by those who nonetheless encounter it.“ The strategy states that such government efforts in the past have a “mixed record,” but it goes on to claim that trampling on civil liberties will be avoided because the government is “consulting extensively” with unspecified “stakeholders” nationwide.</p><p class="p1">Regarding recruitment, the strategy states that “these activities are increasingly happening on Internet-based communications platforms, including social media, online gaming platforms, file-upload sites and end-to-end encrypted platforms, even as those products and services frequently offer other important benefits.” It adds that “the widespread availability of domestic terrorist recruitment material online is a national security threat whose front lines are overwhelmingly private-sector online platforms.” </p><p class="p1">The US government plans to provide “information to assist online platforms with their own initiatives to enforce their own terms of service that prohibits the use of their platforms for domestic terrorist activities” as well as to “facilitate more robust efforts outside the government to counter terrorists’ abuse of Internet-based communications platforms.” </p><p class="p1">Given the wider definition of “domestic terrorist” that now includes those who oppose capitalism and corporate globalization as well as those who resist government overreach, online content discussing these and other “anti-government” and “anti-authority” ideas could soon be treated in the same way as online Al Qaeda or ISIS propaganda. Efforts, however, are unlikely to remain focused on these topics. As <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/11/reports/us-uk-intel-agencies-declare-cyber-war-on-independent-media/"><span class="s1"><i>Unlimited Hangout</i> reported</span></a> last November, both UK intelligence and the US national-security state were developing plans to treat critical reporting on the COVID-19 vaccines as “extremist” propaganda.</p><p class="p1">Another key part of this pillar is the need to “increase digital literacy” among the American public, while censoring “harmful content” disseminated by “terrorists” as well as by “hostile foreign powers seeking to undermine American democracy.” The latter is a clear reference to the claim that critical reporting of US government policy, particularly its military and intelligence activities abroad, was the product of “Russian disinformation,” a now discredited claim that was used to heavily censor independent media. This new government strategy appears to promise more of this sort of thing. </p><p class="p1">It also notes that “digital literacy” education for a domestic audience is being developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Such a policy would have previously violated US law until the Obama administration worked with Congress <a href="https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/lifting-us-propaganda-ban-gives-new-meaning-old-song/"><span class="s1">to repeal the Smith-Mundt Act</span></a><span class="s2">, </span>thus lifting the ban on the government directing propaganda at domestic audiences. </p><p class="p1">The third pillar of the strategy seeks to increase the number of federal prosecutors investigating and trying domestic-terror cases. Their numbers are likely to jump as the definition of “domestic terrorist” is expanded. It also seeks to explore whether “legislative reforms could meaningfully and materially increase our ability to protect Americans from acts of domestic terrorism while simultaneously guarding against potential abuse of overreach.” In contrast to past public statements on police reform by those in the Biden administration, the strategy calls to “empower” state and local law enforcement to tackle domestic terrorism, including with increased access to “intelligence” on citizens deemed dangerous or subversive for any number of reasons.</p><p class="p1">To that effect, the strategy states the following (p. 24):</p><blockquote><p class="p3"><i>“The Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security, with support from the National Counterterrorism Center [part of the intelligence community], are incorporating an increased focus on domestic terrorism into current intelligence products and leveraging current mechanisms of information and intelligence sharing to improve the sharing of domestic terrorism-related content and indicators with non-Federal partners. These agencies are also improving the usability of their existing information-sharing platforms, including through the development of mobile applications designed to provide a broader reach to non-Federal law enforcement partners, while simultaneously refining that support based on partner feedback.”</i></p></blockquote><p class="p1">Such an intelligence tool could easily be, for example, Palantir, which is already used by the intelligence agencies, the DHS, and several US police departments for “predictive policing,” that is, pre-crime actions. Notably, Palantir has long included a “<a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/cia-israel-mossad-jeffrey-epstein-orwellian-nightmare/261692/"><span class="s1">subversive</span></a>” label for individuals included on government and law enforcement databases, a parallel with the controversial and highly <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/cia-israel-mossad-jeffrey-epstein-orwellian-nightmare/261692/"><span class="s1">secretive Main Core database</span></a> of US dissidents. </p><p class="p1">DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the “pre-crime” element of the new domestic terror strategy explicit on Tuesday when he said in <a href="https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/new-domestic-terrorism-strategy-focuses-on-enhanced-threat-detection-countering-recruitment/"><span class="s1">a statement</span></a> that DHS would continue “developing key partnerships with local stakeholders through the <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/CP3"><span class="s1">Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships</span></a> (CP3) to identify potential threats and prevent terrorism.” CP3, which replaced DHS’ Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention this past May, officially “supports communities across the United States to prevent individuals from radicalizing to violence and intervene when individuals have already radicalized to violence.” </p><p class="p1">The fourth pillar of the strategy is by far the most opaque and cryptic, while also the most far-reaching. It aims to address the sources that cause “terrorists” to mobilize “towards violence.” This requires “tackling racism in America,” a lofty goal for an administration headed by the man who <a href="https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/06/remember-when-joe-biden-gave-a-eulogy-for-strom-thurmond/"><span class="s1">controversially eulogized</span></a> Congress’ most ardent segregationist and who was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/17/joe-biden-race-crime-bill-1994-policing"><span class="s1">a key architect</span></a> of the 1994 crime bill. As well, it provides for “early intervention and appropriate care for those who pose a danger to themselves or others.”</p><p class="p1">In regard to the latter proposal, the Trump administration, in a bid to “stop mass shootings before they occur,” considered a proposal to create a <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/05/investigative-reports/this-biden-proposal-could-make-the-us-a-digital-dictatorship/"><span class="s1">“health DARPA” or “HARPA”</span></a> that would monitor the online communications of everyday Americans for “neuropsychiatric” warning signs that someone might be “mobilizing towards violence.” While the Trump administration did not create HARPA or adopt this policy, the Biden administration <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/05/investigative-reports/this-biden-proposal-could-make-the-us-a-digital-dictatorship/"><span class="s1">has recently announced plans</span></a> to do so.</p><p class="p1">Finally, the strategy indicates that this fourth pillar is part of a “broader priority”: “enhancing faith in government and addressing the extreme polarization, fueled by a crisis of disinformation and misinformation often channeled through social media platforms, which can tear Americans apart and lead some to violence.” In other words, fostering trust in government while simultaneously censoring “polarizing” voices who distrust or criticize the government is a key policy goal behind the Biden administration’s new domestic-terror strategy. </p><p class="p1"><b>Calling Their Shots?</b></p><p class="p1">While this is a new strategy, its origins lie in the Trump administration. In October 2019, Trump’s attorney general William Barr <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/william-barr-formally-announces-orwellian-pre-crime-program/262504/"><span class="s1">formally announced</span></a> in a memorandum that a new “national disruption and early engagement program” aimed at detecting those “mobilizing towards violence” before they commit any crime would launch in the coming months. That program, known as DEEP (Disruption and Early Engagement Program), is now active and has involved the Department of Justice, the FBI, and “private sector partners” since its creation.</p><p class="p1">Barr’s announcement of DEEP followed his unsettling “prediction” in July 2019 that “a major incident may occur at any time that will galvanize public opinion on these issues.” Not long after that speech, a spate of mass shootings occurred, including the El Paso Walmart shooting, which killed twenty-three and about which many questions <a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/william-barr-unanswered-questions-fbi-foreknowledge-el-paso-shooting/261221/"><span class="s1">remain unanswered</span></a> regarding the FBI’s apparent foreknowledge of the event. After these events took place in 2019, Trump called for the creation of a government backdoor into encryption and the very pre-crime system that Barr announced shortly thereafter in October 2019. The Biden administration, in publishing this strategy, is merely finishing what Barr started.</p><p class="p1">Indeed, a “prediction” like Barr’s in 2019 was offered by the DHS’ Elizabeth Neumann during a Congressional hearing in late February 2020. That hearing was largely ignored by the media as it coincided with an international rise of concern regarding COVID-19. <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/activities/hearings/confronting-the-rise-in-anti-semitic-domestic-terrorism-part-ii"><span class="s1">At the hearing</span></a>, Neumann, who previously coordinated the development of the government’s post-9/11 terrorism information sharing strategies and policies and worked closely with the intelligence community, gave the following warning about an imminent “domestic terror” event in the United States:</p><blockquote><p class="p3"><i>“And every counterterrorism professional I speak to in the federal government and overseas feels like we are at the doorstep of another 9/11, maybe not something that catastrophic in terms of the visual or the numbers, but that we can see it building and we don’t quite know how to stop it.”</i></p></blockquote><p class="p1">This “another 9/11” emerged on January 6, 2021, as the events of that day in the Capitol were quickly labeled as such by both the media and prominent politicians, while also inspiring calls from the White House and the Democrats for a “9/11-style commission” to investigate the incident. This event, of course, figures prominently in the justification for the new domestic-terror strategy, despite the considerable video and other evidence that shows that <a href="https://twitter.com/christina_bobb/status/1347596278583197698"><span class="s3">Capitol law enforcement</span></a>, and potentially the FBI, were <a href="https://twitter.com/jihanbit/status/1346909463660396550"><span class="s3">directly involved</span></a> in <a href="https://soundcloud.com/media-roots/qanoneleven-dc-military-lockdown-trumps-stopthesteal-wack-pack-w-gumby4christ?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=0&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing"><span class="s3">facilitating the breach</span></a> of the Capitol. In addition, when one considers that the QAnon movement, which had a clear role in the events of January 6, was itself likely a <a href="https://soundcloud.com/media-roots/the-origins-of-qanon-follow-the-white-rabbit-into-a-deeper-layer-of-the-maga-cult-pt-1-of-2"><span class="s3">government-orchestrated</span></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/media-roots/wwg1wga-along-with-a-psyop-qanons-grasp-on-the-woke-empire-baby-mind-weaponizing-satanic-panic"><span class="s3">psyop</span></a>, the government hand in creating this situation seems clear. </p><p class="p1">It goes without saying that the official reasons offered for these militaristic “domestic terror” policies, which the US has already implemented abroad—causing much more terror than it has prevented—does not justify the creation of a massive new national-security infrastructure that aims to criminalize and censor online speech. Yet the admission that this new strategy, as part of a broader effort to “enhance faith in government,” combines domestic propaganda campaigns with the censorship and pursuit of those who distrust government heralds the end of even the illusion of democracy in the United States.</p><p class="p1">--<a href="https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/who-is-a-terrorist-in-bidens-america/"><b>MORE</b></a>--"</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p></div></div></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-51560156761912374142021-06-25T09:38:00.005-07:002021-06-25T09:40:35.995-07:00Quitting Time<div><b><i>Beyond the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-criminal-abomination.html">criminal abominations</a>, it is the in$ulting eliti$m, not the CVD madness, that put me over the edge:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/business/burnout-is-one-key-predictors-turnover-what-know-about-great-resignation/">Why people are quitting their jobs post-pandemic</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The ‘Great Resignation’ is looming, and Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, says "burnout is one of the key predictors of turnover."</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's one reason I'm turning over. I find that the further I am from the Bo$ton Globe, the happier I am, and trying to play catch-up is stupid. It's old propaganda by now, and worthless -- like everything in their pages.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"How Do They Say Economic Recovery? ‘I Quit.’" by Sydney Ember New York Times, June 20, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point early this year, Justin Hoffman concluded that he was being underpaid.</div><div><br /></div><div>The marketing director at an orthopedic practice in Findlay, Ohio, Mr. Hoffman was making $42,000 a year — about $13,000 less, by his count, than people were making in similar jobs elsewhere, but when he asked for a raise in March, he was given only a small bump in pay. “That was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>So after some careful thinking, Hoffman, 28, did what he had long ached to do: He quit. His last day was June 4.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hoffman is among millions of workers who have voluntarily left their jobs recently, one of the most striking elements of the newly blazing-hot job market. The rate was particularly high in the leisure and hospitality industry, where competition for workers has been especially fierce, but the number of those quitting registered across the board.</div><div><br /></div><div>Economists<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> believe</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">one reason</span></b> more workers are <b><span style="color: red;">quitting</span></b> is simply a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> backlog</span></b>: By some estimates, more than five million fewer people quit last year than would otherwise be expected, as some workers, riding out the labor market’s convulsions, stuck with jobs they may have wanted to leave anyway, and the millions of involuntary job losses during the pandemic surely accounted for some of the reduction in quitting. Now that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">economy is regaining its footing</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">workers</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">may suddenly be feeling more emboldened</span></b> to heed their impulses, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> another factor may be the speed with which the economy h<b><span style="color: red;">as</span></b> reawakened. As the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic has receded</span></b> and the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">great reopening</span></b> has swept across the country, businesses that had gone into hibernation or curtailed their work force during the pandemic have raced to hire employees to meet the surging demand.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Time to close this down, yes]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, many people remain<b><span style="color: red;"> reluctant to return</span></b> to work <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">because of lingering fear</span></b>s of the virus, child care or elder care challenges, still-generous unemployment benefits, low wages or other reasons.</div><div><br /></div><div>The result has been an explosion of job openings, despite a relatively high unemployment rate, as businesses struggle to recruit and retain employees — a dynamic that has placed <b><span style="color: red;">power</span></b> more firmly <b><span style="color: red;">in worker</span></b>s’ <b><span style="color: red;">hand</span></b><span style="color: red;"><b>s</b></span>. With employers offering higher wages to attract candidates, many workers — especially in low-wage positions in restaurants and hotels — are leaving their jobs and jumping to ones that pay even slightly more.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[We ju$t witne$$ed the most ma$$ive transfer of wealth upwards in human history, and the NYT piece of $hit writes that?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It would be laughable were it not so criminally sad]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The pandemic has driven workers to quit for other reasons as well. With fewer opportunities for spending, some people were able to save money and pay down their debts, giving them a cushion to leave jobs with which they were dissatisfied. Other workers, disinclined to give up remote work, are abandoning jobs that are no longer affording them as much flexibility.</div><div><br /></div><div>For Hoffman, the <b><span style="color: red;">decision to leave</span></b> his job was the<b><span style="color: red;"> culmination of months of perceived injustices</span></b>, which he said he was able to evaluate more clearly because of the pandemic. As coronavirus cases swelled in the fall, he asked to work from home because of the risk he feared he posed to his sister, whose immune system is compromised. His request was denied, he said, <b><span style="color: red;">crystallizing his sense that he was not respected or valued</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Perceived injustices, not actual injustices like from 400 years ago with CRT.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What we do know is the bought-off by private equity pre$$ doesn't respect or value its readers. Either that, or I am not supposed to be one.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Btw, I have been where Hoffman has been, several times, and I have walked off the job, period because of the above -- only to realize later it was I who had the unreasonable(?) demands. That was the job. If you don't like it, quit.... so I did. No notice, no nothing.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I don't regret it for a number of reasons; however, it wasn't the $marte$t move and $et me back]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Over the last year, with the pandemic limiting his social interactions, he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">began to network over Twitter </span></b>with other people<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> in marketing</span></b>. That was how he determined that he was being significantly underpaid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hoffman, who is now looking for work, said he probably would have quit eventually, but the pandemic, he said, hastened his decision.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think that if the pandemic hadn’t happened, then things wouldn’t have turned out this way,” he said. “It didn’t just change my perspective on my compensation, but I think it’s changed a lot about my understanding of the relationship between employers and employees.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[He's lucky he had a job at all, and it was in the burgeoning field of medical tyranny, too]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>On a more philosophical level,</i> the <b><span style="color: red;">constant threat of illness</span></b>, more time with family members, leisure time that <b><span style="color: red;">gave way to new passions</span></b> — all may have <b><span style="color: red;">prompted some workers to reassess how they want to spend their time</span></b>. Burned out, some people have <b><span style="color: red;">left</span></b> their jobs for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">travel</span></b>ing the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">world</span></b>. Others have seen an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opportunity</span></b> to shift careers or branch out on their own.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Who?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>During the allegedly worst pandemic in a century when the entire world was and still is locked down to some extent?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Speechless astonishment]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Start-ups surged during the pandemic, particularly in Black communities, as stimulus checks and unemployment benefits helped seed entrepreneurs’ dreams and bolster their confidence.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[OMG]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>“The pandemic, for a lot of people, was really stressful and caused a lot of uncertainty, so I think what a lot of people did was <b><span style="color: red;">reflect on</span></b> their <span style="color: red;"><b>lives</b></span>,” said Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University who studies employee resignations.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[There he is again]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Klotz said people were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">accustomed to work being at the center</span></b> of their lives and identities — a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality</span></b> that may have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shift</span></b>ed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">during</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>. “In general, we want a life of contentment and a life that has purpose,” he said, “and I think for many people, they’ve discovered that contentment and purpose for them may lie outside of work.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Just finding that out, huh, because my purpose and life always lay outside making money for the man. What do you think we live for?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I mean, the attitude here is one of a New York Times $lavema$ter talking down to his slaves while chuckling]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>That was the case for Matt Gisin, 24, who gave notice at his job as a graphic designer at a health and wellness company this month. During the pandemic, he was able to work remotely, and without a commute, he had more time for hobbies like CrossFit and video game streaming.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I got very adjusted to all of this time and all of this freedom,” he said, but slowly, his company began requiring employees to come back into the office, first for two days a week, then three, then four. With so many people commuting to work in their cars, his trip from his home in Mamaroneck, N.Y., to the middle of Long Island could stretch to two hours each way<i>, leaving him little time for his pastimes</i>. “I wasn’t happy anymore,” he said. “I was finding happiness in a lot of outside activities so I took this kind of leap to leave.” He now hopes to find a job in the video game industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Economists <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">expect </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">elevated level of quitting to continue</span></b> for some time, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic eases</span></b> and the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">economy rebalance</span></b>s.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is going to be the pre$$ narrative to cover the massive poverty and worthle$$ money that is coming soon -- and then they can hire the migrants all across the board]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“I would be surprised if this ended before the summer ended,” said Andrew Chamberlain, the chief economist for the hiring site Glassdoor, but he also said there was an “expiration date”: A high number of workers quitting will contribute to a labor shortage, eventually forcing employers to raise wages and provide other incentives, which will help lure workers back and re-establish economic equilibrium.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[PFFFFT!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meantime</span></b>, he said, <b><span style="color: red;">workers</span></b> — especially those with low wages — <b><span style="color: red;">will continue to gain leverage</span></b> over employers.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Uh-huh!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/economy/workers-quit-jobs.html">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If the pre$$titues had any honor they would all resign, but.....</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/business/gig-workers-mass-escalate-fight-with-uber-lyft-other-companies/">Gig workers in Mass. escalate fight with Uber, Lyft, and other companies</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The model law is one that the tech companies wrote, and I'm told “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/business/gig-workers-mass-escalate-fight-with-uber-lyft-other-companies/">these billionaires and millionaires are lining their pockets at the expense and safety of Massachusetts drivers and residents</a>” as they get a free ride.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>The Wa$hington Compo$t also quits!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Retail workers are quitting at record rates for higher-paying work: ‘My life isn’t worth a dead-end job’" by Abha Bhattarai Washington Post, June 21, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Retail workers, drained from the pandemic and empowered by a strengthening job market, are <b><span style="color: red;">leaving </span></b>jobs<b><span style="color: red;"> like never before</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Americans are <b><span style="color: red;">ditching</span></b> their <b><span style="color: red;">jobs by the millions</span></b>, and retail is leading the way with the largest increase in resignations of any sector. Some 649,000 retail workers put in their notice in April, the industry’s largest one-month exodus since the Labor Department began tracking such data more than 20 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some are<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> finding less stressful positions</span></b> at insurance agencies, marijuana dispensaries, banks, and local governments, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">where their customer service skills are rewarded with higher wages and better benefits</span></b>. Others are<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> going back to school</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">learn new trade</span></b>s, or waiting until they are able to secure reliable child care.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/boost-access-vocational-schools-mass-drops-requirement-consider-grades-attendance-or-discipline-admissions/">state is in the process of taking those over</a>, too]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>’'It was a really dismal time, and it made me realize this <b><span style="color: red;">isn’t worth it</span></b>,’' said 23-year-old Aislinn Potts of Murfreesboro, Tenn., who left her $11-an-hour job as an aquatic specialist at a national pet chain in April to focus on writing and art. ’'My life isn’t worth a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">dead-end job</span></b>.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Like being a ma$$ media reporter]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In interviews with more than a dozen retail workers who recently left their jobs, nearly all said the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic introduced new strains</span></b> to already challenging work: Longer hours, understaffed stores, unruly customers, and even pay cuts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[With each passing paragraph, it becomes insulting in the extreme]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Christina Noles spent much of the pandemic working the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> closing shift at a dollar store </span></b>— sometimes nine consecutive days without a break — for $10.25 an hour. She <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">felt isolated, anxious, and demoralized</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last month, the 34-year-old from Concord, N.C., <b><span style="color: red;">quit</span></b>, leaving the industry she’s worked in for most of her adult life. Now she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">works from home for a local law firm</span></b> — a job that, three days in, still seems <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">too good to be true</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>’'There’s a part of me that feels like this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">must all be a dream</span></b>,’' Noles said. ’'There were a lot of things I liked about retail: I love talking to people and helping them, but the pandemic made me realize it was untenable.’' </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It very may well be given the past history of the pre$$.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Jason <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayson_Blair">Blair</a> -- or Kevin <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/us/kevin-cullen-boston-globe-suspended.html">Cullen</a>, for that matter?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Labor professors and economists say the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> also <b><span style="color: red;">made it harder </span></b>for the nation’s 15 million retail workers to find reliable child care and public transportation,<b><span style="color: red;"> but now</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">life is returning to normal</span></b>, analysts say, workers have begun to realize they have options, capitalizing on the latest waves of hiring and government <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">stimulus as catalyst for career change</span></b>. Companies of all sizes, meanwhile, are offering a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">host of perks</span></b>, from free appetizers to subsidized college courses, to attract and keep workers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's anything but, you monsters.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Just have to be vexed is all!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>’'We’re seeing a wider understanding that these <b><span style="color: red;">were never good jobs and they were never livable jobs</span></b>,’' said Rebecca Givan, a professor of labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers University. ’'In many cases, the <b><span style="color: red;">pay is below a living wage</span></b> and the hours are inconsistent and insufficient. If anything, the pandemic has made retail jobs even less sustainable than they already were.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Yeah, because they are all going under as Amazon makes record profits. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>HMMMM!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">too soon to tell</span></b>, she said, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">whether the latest exodus reflects a long-term shift away from retail </span></b>work. Some employees, for example, may return to the industry once child care is more readily available and other pandemic-related challenges ease, but others are turning to industries where workers are in high demand.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[The Great Re$et and coming climate lockdowns will take care of that -- as the elite jet $et roams the earth]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Noles said she<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> began mulling a career change after</span></b> five <b><span style="color: red;">colleagues tested positive for </span></b>the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> late last year. Her <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lucky break</span></b>, she said, came on a particularly busy night <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">when</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">checkout lines snaked to the back</span></b> of the store. A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">customer </span></b>in line, who was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">charmed by her upbeat nature</span></b> and impressed that not a single customer left despite the wait, encouraged her to apply for an opening at her law firm. Noles applied in April and, a few weeks later, was offered the job as an intake specialist, earning $13 an hour, plus benefits.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>[Wait a minute.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>I was told the job left her isolated, anxious, and demoralized, and yet she was charming with an upbeat nature? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What a PHONY who "got lucky!"</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Beyond that is the long line in the age of infectious corona. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>This is really the limit, folks]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>With much of the country easing pandemic-era restrictions, service establishments like restaurants, gyms, and salons are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">offering better pay and benefits to rebuild </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">staffs </span></b>that <b><span style="color: red;">got gutted </span></b>during the crisis. Sectors like real estate, professional services, banking and insurance are also hiring — often at higher wages than retail, where median hourly pay for store employees hovers around $13 — in anticipation of renewed demand, according to Julia Pollak, a labor economist for the site ZipRecruiter.</div><div><br /></div><div>’'In a tight labor market, we often see big shifts among workers with low earnings,’' she said. ’'If you’re making $12 an hour and there’s a job down the street offering $12.50, why not jump? There’s no reason not to — which is what’s happening now.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><i>’'Hiring now’' signs are cropping up on storefronts big and small as retailers scramble to fill openings. Many have raised wages or benefits to keep up. Target, Best Buy, Under Armour, and Kay Jewelers all recently increased starting minimums to $15 an hour, while <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Amazon is offering sign-on bonuses </span></b>as high as <b><span style="color: red;">$1,000</span></b> to new employees. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>[Go take a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/local-workers-groups-investors-push-back-against-amazon/">walk</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, retailers had nearly 1 million job openings in April, more than twice as many as they did a year ago.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Millions of retail <b><span style="color: red;">workers were let go</span></b> — <b><span style="color: red;">unknowingly permanently</span></b> — <b><span style="color: red;">early on in the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> as dozens of retailers tumbled into bankruptcy, shuttered locations, and sometimes liquidated thousands of stores. The result was a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> bifurcated industry</span></b> — with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">booming business </span></b>at supermarkets, pharmacies, and hardware stores, while spending on clothing and other nonessential items tanked. Now that spending patterns are evening out again, retailers are having to hire accordingly to meet demand.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>[Who benefitted, and not one word about all the shortages]</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Some labor experts, though, say retailers are not going far enough in addressing structural problems in the industry. Retailers, they say, should be focusing more on stable schedules, safer working conditions, and benefits like paid sick leave and vacation time.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>[What a laugh considering the source]</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/retail-workers-are-quitting-record-rates-higher-paying-work-my-life-isnt-worth-dead-end-job/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Maybe you can freelance it like the Globe:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"After the pandemic, expect more work for freelancers" by Samantha Subin Globe Correspondent, June 20, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">workplace is not what it used to be</span></b>, and as it eases into a <b><span style="color: red;">post-pan</span></b>dem<span style="color: red;"><b>ic</b></span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new normal</span></b>, one change that took hold before COVID-19 is likely to continue: companies hiring freelancers and independent contractors to save money.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[WaPo said normal]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A study conducted by Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group from November 2019 to January 2020 found that 60 percent of the 700-plus US <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">business leaders</span></b> surveyed <b><span style="color: red;">would prefer to</span></b> “<b><span style="color: red;">rent</span></b>, borrow, or share talent” with other companies, and 60 percent anticipate a core workforce with fewer full-time staff.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You will own nothing and be happy!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>With the<b><span style="color: red;"> pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic underscoring</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relative ease of remote work</span></b>, it’s likely that some companies <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">may decide to hire freelancers who can log on from anywhere</span></b>, and while many may associate freelancing with ride-hailing and food-delivery jobs with businesses like Grubhub and Uber, it’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">becoming more common in white-collar areas</span></b> like IT, digital marketing, and user-experience design as companies look to build out websites and security systems, said Nithya Vaduganathan, an author of the Harvard study and a managing director and partner at Boston Consulting.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Oh, the "good jobs!"]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s really hard for a company that can’t pay top dollar, isn’t in a location where talent congregates, [or] is not an industry that enjoys a buzz factor to get this type of talent, and the supply is short,” said Joseph B. Fuller, another author of the study and a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School.</div><div><br /></div><div>Using<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> freelance</span></b>rs <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enables business</span></b>es, especially small companies, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to hire expensive talent</span></b> part time <b><span style="color: red;">and keep costs low</span></b>. While freelance work <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has its perks for employers</span></b>, it also offers flexibility and autonomy to workers, including control over when they work, how, and on what projects, Vaduganathan said, and over time, experienced freelancers earn similar pay working fewer jobs, said Phillip Lewis, senior vice president at Aquent, a Boston staffing agency with over 500,000 available workers in its pool.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Isn't that what a corre$pondent is?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Yeah, f**k the <a href="https://dearglobereaders.org/">$taff</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recent study from</span></b> the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> freelancing website</span></b> Fiverr found that 80 percent of the skilled contractors surveyed said they expected to earn the same or more in 2021 as in 2020, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> there <b><span style="color: red;">is a downside </span></b>for freelancers: <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no benefits</span></b>. No health insurance, sick time, vacations, or retirement benefits, either.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Awwwwwwwwww]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>David Coppins, cofounder and CEO of IntelyCare, a staffing company that matches nursing professionals with nursing and assisted-living facilities, grappled with whether to hire workers as independent contractors. He opted not to, a move he said shows loyalty to his staff.</div><div><br /></div><div>Companies that can make money only with independent contractors have a “flawed” business model, he believes.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Classifying workers as contractors is like saying, ‘Let me just use you for a period of time and then let you go,’ ” Coppins said.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/business/after-pandemic-expect-more-work-freelancers/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Time for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/you-cant-do-anything-keep-searching-despite-hiring-push-teens-struggle-find-summer-jobs/">her</a> to quit her job!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Then she can sit home and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/business/comcast-refunding-more-money-missed-sports-broadcasts/">watch $ports</a> all the time.</i></b></div></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>I was also told that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/economy/new-york-city-economy-coronavirus.html">New York City is beginning to rebound from the economic devastation of the pandemic</a>:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>As the national economy recovers from the pandemic and begins to take off, New York City is lagging, with changing patterns of work and travel threatening the engines that have long powered its jobs and prosperity.</div><div><br /></div><div>New York has suffered deeper job losses as a share of its work force than any other big American city, and while the country has regained two-thirds of the positions it lost after the coronavirus arrived, New York has recouped fewer than half, leaving a deficit of more than 500,000 jobs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Restaurants and bars are filling up again with New Yorkers <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">eager for a return to normal</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> scars are everywhere. Boarded-up storefronts and for-lease signs dot many neighborhoods. Empty sidewalks in Midtown Manhattan make it feel like a weekend in midweek. Subway ridership on weekdays is less than half the level of two years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>The city’s economic plight stems largely from its heavy reliance on office workers, business travelers, tourists and the service businesses catering to all of them. All eyes are on September, when many companies aim to bring their workers back to the office and Broadway fully reopens, attracting more visitors and their dollars, but even then, the rebound will be only partial.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[September will be the 20th anniversary of a literally earth-shaking event, so expect a surprise false flag]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The shift toward remote work endangers thousands of businesses that serve commuters who are likely to come into the office less frequently than before the pandemic, if at all. The Partnership for New York City, a business advocacy group, predicts that by the end of September, only 62 percent of office workers will return, mostly three days a week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Restoring the city to economic health will be an imposing challenge for its next mayor, who is likely to emerge from the Democratic primary on Tuesday. The candidates have offered different visions of how to help struggling small businesses and create jobs.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We are bouncing back, but we are nowhere near where we were in 2019,” said Barbara Byrne Denham, senior economist at Oxford Economics. “We suffered more than everyone else, so it will take a little longer to recover.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Cue violins, bring whine and cheese, pffffffft]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I was further told that </i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/economy/new-york-city-economy-coronavirus.html" style="font-style: italic;">one crucial factor is safety concerns, even though New York is certainly feeling lest deserted than it did a few months ago as banks are prodding their employees to return</a><i> -- you mean prodding like cattle? -- and also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/economy/new-york-city-economy-coronavirus.html">weighing on the city's outlook is the decline in tourists, who are venturing back in dribbles, not droves</a>, but "to be sure -- in other words, -- <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/economy/new-york-city-economy-coronavirus.html">there are signs of a strengthening economy</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>If they are going to flat-out lie and distort about something so basic as the economy, what wouldn't they lie about?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Avoid the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-rotten-apple.html">Rotten Apple</a> at all co$ts!</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm done <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/14/faced-with-confusing-data-on-alzheimers-drug-doctors-scramble/">winging it</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It is time to <a href="https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2021/06/18/biogen-alzheimers-fda-medicare/">forget this $hit</a> for good and <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/16/qa-ceo-alzheimers-association-on-aduhelm/">move beyond it</a>.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-58861598085104827852021-06-25T06:56:00.004-07:002021-06-25T09:44:00.439-07:00A Criminal Abomination<div><b><i>That is what is this morning's Boston Globe. </i></b><b><i>There is simply no other way to describe the flat-out lies oozing from their pages. It's the most reprehensible "journali$m" I've ever seen. When John Henry bought it on the cheap from the New York Times, I was hopeful he would improve it; however, he has turned it into a complete piece of criminal $hit.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Here we are in the midst of what is being called a <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/06/vasko-kohlmayer/oblique-admission-the-current-vaccines-will-not-protect-against-covid-19/">public health policy scandal of unprecedented proportions</a> and of potentially catastrophic consequences that is unfolding right before our eyes and the pre$$ is not only ignoring, but facilitating it.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>All over a "viru$" that doesn't even exist. It has always been <a href="https://stephenlendman.org/2021/06/planned-state-sponsored-genocide-on-an-unparalleled-scale/">seasonal cold and flu now called COVID</a>, just another in an endless stream of lies from the pre$$. They apparently can't hear the </b><b><a href="http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=237115">CDC whistleblowers who claim injections have already killed 50,000 Americans</a> </b><b>as the <a href="https://healthimpactnews.com/">deaths pile up</a>.</b></i></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>The vaccines are</b><b> <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2021/06/covid-vaccines-risker-then-advertised.html">riskier then advertised and all about politics</a>, according to <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com">Penny</a> and the WSJ. They don't protect you from the CVD, and you still have to observe all the masking and distancing despite being vaxxed.</b></i></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>As for whether “<a href="https://stephenlendman.org/2021/06/covid-mass-jabbing-medical-bioterrorism/">will the mainstream media ever start recording…deaths or illnesses</a>” from covid jabs, I think we all know the answer. Imho, the Journal article </b><b>was it a one-off mainstream aberration not to be repeated -- like so much of their $hit.</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>There can be no doubt now that <a href="https://www.henrymakow.com/2021/06/stickleberger-you-are-being-chipped.html">covid is a globalist psyop designed to inventory, brand, control & cull humanity</a>. Time to start hanging the criminals from lampposts, starting with the politicians, public health officials, and media that promoted this heinous hoax before moving on to the Rockefeller Foundation, WHO, GAVI, and the entire globali$t ruling cla$$. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They had their chance to <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2021/06/covid-vaccines-risker-then-advertised.html">right their wrongs</a>, and they have declined to do that, instead doubling down with the lies to advance their criminal genocidal agenda at the behe$t of <a href="https://www.wakingtimes.com/the-same-shady-people-own-big-pharma-and-the-media/">their ma$ters</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Exhibit A1:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Nursing homes struggle to reduce a serious COVID risk: many employees resist vaccination; Administrators have courted holdouts with raffles, gift cards, and cash, but more than 40 percent nationwide are still unvaccinated" by Kay Lazar Globe Staff, June 24, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>If any nursing home had a reason to ensure everyone was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it would be the Leavitt Family Jewish Home in Longmeadow. Sixty-three residents died last year from the disease, yet, six months after staffers there became eligible for shots, more than 30 percent have yet to be fully vaccinated.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the Leavitt is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pairing up with behavioral psychologists</span></b> from the University of California, Berkeley <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to test the effectiveness of making the shots super convenient by reserving one for each unvaccinated employee and then asking them to either get their jab</span></b> in the home during one of their shifts <b><span style="color: red;">or decline</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shot specifically reserved for them</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">failure of many</span></b> nursing home staff members <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to get vaccinated</span></b> has emerged as one of the most serious gaps in the United States’ defenses against COVID. Fully one-quarter of the nation’s pandemic deaths have occurred in nursing homes; yet, nationwide, more than 40 percent of staff members are still unvaccinated, leaving the homes’ frail, elderly residents vulnerable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nursing home administrators across the country have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">dangled gift cards, cash, T-shirts, and more</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>such incentives have largely failed at convincing holdouts. Instead, administrators <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">are finding slow but steady success</span></b> with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intimate</span></b>, albeit <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">time-consuming, one-on-one sessions,</span></b> pairing the hesitant <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with</span></b> colleagues, medical directors, or other <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trusted sources</span></b> who listen to workers and talk them through their fears.</div><div><br /></div><div>“You need to sit across from them, and <b><span style="color: red;">ask how their kids are</span></b>,” said Barry Berman, chief executive of JGS Lifecare, which includes the Leavitt nursing home. “It’s those personal connections that sometimes makes the difference.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Are you ready to vomit yet at the browbeating and coercion for their toxic tubes of poison?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Berman has taken to sharing pictures of his five grandchildren on his iPad and telling staff that his fervent prayer is that the youngsters, 8 years old and younger, may soon be eligible for a shot and gain protection, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some nursing homes have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">considered requiring</span></b> employees to get a COVID <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccine</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> many operators <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fear a mandate would simply worsen</span></b> an already serious <b><span style="color: red;">worker shortage</span></b> in nursing homes, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so persuasion remains the name of the game</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> it’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">been an uphill challenge</span></b> as many nursing home workers are immigrants or from communities of color where mistrust of the government and medicine can run deep. In addition, some harbor <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fears about</span></b> vaccine <b><span style="color: red;">side effects</span></b>, often <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fed by social media</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>A state health department spokeswoman said nursing home staff vaccination rates have improved by 4 percent statewide over the past month, and the department is helping facilities boost rates with mobile clinics and sending teams to help administer shots.</div><div><br /></div><div>The American Health Care Association, the national trade association for nursing homes, on Tuesday held an online session for workers across the country to ask medical experts questions about the vaccines. It was clear from many of the queries that employees have been riveted by <b><span style="color: red;">false rumors</span></b> swirling around <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">social media</span></b>, claiming <b><span style="color: red;">bizarre and scary side effects</span></b> from the shots, such as infertility or that the vaccines make recipients magnetic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[So what is one to make of the magnetism and infertility that is occurring out there, as well as the blood-clotting and heart inflammations in young and healthy people?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The criminal pre$$ pooh-poohs the deaths and side effects that are mounting by the day, the damn bastards. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>To the gallows with them!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>One expert, Dr. Sarah Berry, a geriatrician at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston, nodded knowingly, saying she had gotten similar questions from her 12- and 15-year old children who recently received a Pfizer vaccine.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The 15-year-old is like, ‘Is this vaccine still going to be in me when I get old and is it going to cause side effects down the road?’” she said. Berry explained that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">researchers have not seen long-term effects</span></b> in the people who enrolled in the first vaccine trials and have been followed for more than a year. She assured viewers that vaccines “very seldom cause side effects beyond the first couple of months, and that was sort of reassuring to my son.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How could they? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>There is no way they can know the long-term effects of this abominable experiment with the mRNA gene-therapy modification, but IT'S TOO LATE NOW if you have gotten the shot.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It is IN YOU and can never be removed.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Is that why the health professionals who are being condescended to as if they are stupid don't want the shots?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Oh, btw, giving the shots to young children who do not need it is <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/globe-masks-child-abuse.html">child abuse</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Federal regulators, hoping to increase rates of nursing home staff vaccinations and better understand outbreaks, recently required the facilities to start reporting their progress weekly, and began posting the data, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the information is hard to find</span></b> on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nursing Home Data website.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">definitely not consumer friendly</span></b>,” said Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, “and knowing whether staff and residents are vaccinated would be important for families.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Arggghhh!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That is from your transparent government who is all about protecting you as they rob you blind and kill you!!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>At Sherrill House in Boston, vaccination rates are at 84 percent, but chief executive Patrick Stapleton is aiming still higher. One factor working in their favor, he said, is many longtime, older employees who are more open to getting vaccinated. While Stapleton offered $50 gift cards early on in their vaccine campaign, he found personal conversations seemed more productive in convincing later holdouts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, he is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">considering mandating shots for new employees</span></b>. Given the severe labor shortage in the industry, it’s a dicey proposition, he concedes.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s not something we take lightly, but it’s something we are talking about,” he said. “There is a lot of employer peril here, but it’s a balance against what is safe for our residents.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/nursing-homes-struggle-reduce-serious-covid-risk-many-employees-resist-vaccination/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You will want to keep your beloved elderly out the the <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/sunday-globe-mo-fos.html">mo-fos</a> of the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2020/04/nursing-this-blog-home.html">nursing home</a> if you live in Ma$$achu$etts.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/nearly-all-covid-deaths-us-are-now-among-unvaccinated/"><b>Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated,</b> a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day</a> — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine. An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%, and only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average. The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data. Among them: Only about 45 states report breakthrough infections, and some are more aggressive than others in looking for such cases. So the data probably understates such infections, CDC officials said. Still, the overall trend that emerges from the data echoes what many health care authorities are seeing around the country and what top experts are saying. Earlier this month, Andy Slavitt, a former adviser to the Biden administration on COVID-19, suggested that 98% to 99% of the Americans dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated, and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday that the vaccine is so effective that "nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19, is, at this point, entirely preventable.” Deaths in the U.S. have plummeted from a peak of more than 3,400 day on average in mid-January, one month into the vaccination drive. About 63% of all vaccine-eligible Americans — those 12 and older — have received at least one dose, and 53% are fully vaccinated, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/nearly-all-covid-deaths-us-are-now-among-unvaccinated/">according to the CDC</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>CDC means Criminal Death Cult at this point as they promote such a fantastic lie it is beyond belief, ignoring the thousands of Americans who have already died from the jab -- as they start quoting numbers and statistics!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It is starting to look like the goddamn numbers they cite are nothing but fictions based on models! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>In other words, they are pulling the case numbers out of their asses!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's ALL LIES, folks!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Your GOVERNMENT and PRE$$ LIE TO YOU CONSTANTLY, EVERY DAY, DAY AFTER DAY, ABOUT EVERYTHING, Americans.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ca-state-wire-san-francisco-coronavirus-pandemic-health-1e95eab06efd8e4873ebf6093e4e0ce1"><b>San Francisco city workers will be required to be vaccinated </b>against the coronavirus when a vaccine receives full federal approval. The policy covering 35,000 municipal workers may be the first by any city or county in the U.S. Employees who refuse to get vaccinated and don’t get an exemption could be fired</a>, according to the policy posted to the city government’s website Wednesday. The three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. are being dispensed under emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. They are expected to receive full approval in several months. San Francisco city employees will then have 10 weeks to get their shots....." </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The politicians who came up with this in fa$cist Fri$co should be fired -- then hung!</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Btw, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ca-state-wire-san-francisco-coronavirus-pandemic-health-1e95eab06efd8e4873ebf6093e4e0ce1">San Francisco has had some of the strictest pandemic-related restrictions in the country. The city was among the first in the nation to order a lockdown last year and its vaccination rates are some of the highest in the nation</a> --</b></span><i><b> which means they shouldn't be worried and should have herd immunity, etc, right</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>This isn't about a viru$ or di$ea$e anymore, this is something far more nefarious and $ini$ter.</b></i></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/there-are-still-people-dying-covid-19-every-day-their-loved-ones-world-is-far-normal/">There are still people dying of COVID-19 nearly every day</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So we are told.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Now <a href="https://needtoknow.news/2021/02/peer-review-study-finds-that-cdc-inflated-covid-deaths-by-1600/">deflate those figure by about 1600%</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Your natural herd immunity was found at the bottom of page B3 and it was covered in unscientific lies:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"New study suggests many were infected last year but never diagnosed with COVID-19" by Martin Finucane Globe Staff, June 24, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Then we HAVE NATURAL and LIFETIME HERD IMMUNITY as the alleged virus gets weaker!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recently released study offers new clues to an unanswered question about</span></b> the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>: How many people have gotten the virus but were never officially diagnosed?</div><div><br /></div><div>National Institutes of Health researchers reported this week that the<b><span style="color: red;"> prevalence </span></b>of COVID-19 in the United States during spring and summer of last year was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">much higher than the known number of cases</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is after they jacked up all the "cases" with false positives based on inaccurate cycle thresholds for a test that detects neither CVD or infectiousness.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's why the "<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/mass-reports-16636-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">case</a>" levels are based on, a complete manipulation of numbers for evil purposes]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The researchers, in a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">estimate</span></b>d “there were approximately <b><span style="color: red;">4.8 undiagnosed infections </span></b>for <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">every identified case</span></b> of COVID-19, suggesting a potential 16.8 million undiagnosed infections by July 2020.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Our data suggest a <span style="color: red;"><b>larger spread</b></span> of the COVD-19 [sic] pandemic in the United States during the first six months <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">than originally thought</span></b>,” the study said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The study did not address how many people might have undiagnosed infections now. The US total of diagnosed infections has grown to around 33.4 million on Thursday.</div><div><br /></div><div>“A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hallmark of</span></b> the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic is </span></b>that there are <b><span style="color: red;">people infected</span></b> with the virus that causes COVID-19 who have few or <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no symptoms</span></b>,” said Dr. Matthew J. Memoli of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of several NIH institutes leading the study.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That FLIES in the FACE of a PANDEMIC, for a true pandemic has people dropping in the streets, not <a href="https://www.sott.net/article/453561-The-myth-of-the-asymptomatic-spreader-dealt-another-blow-this-week">asymptomatic infections that are not</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The guy above is a FUCKING CRIMINAL LIAR in FAUCI'S OFFICE!</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“While counting the numbers of symptomatic people in the United States is essential to contend with the impact of the pandemic and public health response, gaining a full appreciation of the COVID-19 prevalence requires counting the people who are undiagnosed,” he said this week in an NIH statement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Researchers <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">came up with their estimates after</span></b> looking at <b><span style="color: red;">blood samples</span></b> from a representative sample of over 8,000 undiagnosed people, searching for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, the NIH said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[PFFFFFFFFFFFT!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">findings come as the United States is struggling to get as many people as possible vaccinated</span></b> against the virus, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">while officials warn of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">worrisome new</span></b> delta <b><span style="color: red;">variant</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Now known as the SCARIANT!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>CRIMINAL MONSTERS ALL is your government, folks, and have you ever noticed how conveniently the agenda-pushing $tudies come forth when they need them?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Other studies have also suggested that<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> large numbers of cases</span></b> have gone <b><span style="color: red;">undiagnosed</span></b>. A Columbia University researcher estimated earlier this year,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"> based on computer modeling</span></b>, that the number of undiagnosed people continued to be multiple times higher than the number of diagnosed people.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Like i said, it is ALL $HIT!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Thomas Tsai, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the NIH study “suggests that there <b><span style="color: red;">may be a higher than expected level of infection-induced immunity</span></b> currently in the US population,” but he said he wasn’t aware of any definitive estimate of that level.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I'm sorry, SAY AGAIN!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">may sound reassuring</span></b> that, in addition to the 177 million people who have gotten at least one dose of vaccine, there are <b><span style="color: red;">many millions who may have some natural protection against</span></b> the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> after contracting it and never getting tested for it,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> but experts emphasize people should get their shots even if </span></b>they’ve had COVID-19.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is INSANE and CRIMINAL!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The SHOT will actually CAUSE HARM by stimulating the immune system against the spike protein bioweapon when it isn't needed!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“You <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">should be vaccinated regardless</span></b> of whether you already had COVID-19,” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the CDC says</span></b> on its website. “That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They should all be in jail]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Tsai said, “I think getting <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccination is still incredibly important</span></b>. Especially with the delta <b><span style="color: red;">variant </span></b>which <b><span style="color: red;">has been shown to have increased household transmission</span></b> and increased severity of illness, vaccination remains important to protecting the health of individuals and their family members.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Not only is he a goddamned liar, he's telegraphing the fact they intend to show up at your door and enter your homes.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I hope they are prepared to die as I am]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/new-study-suggests-many-were-infected-last-year-never-diagnosed-with-covid-19/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Now to the bu$ine$$ $ection</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>"State’s largest health care providers to require all employees get COVID-19 vaccines; One labor union balked at the mandate" by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Globe Staff, June 24, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> state’s largest hospital systems</span></b> on Thursday said they <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will mandate</span></b> that all of their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> as part of a moral imperative to keep patients safe</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It will do the exact opposite as they vaccinated shed the spike protein and infect others, so AVOILD MEDICAL CARE at ALL COSTS!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>DO NOT TRUST the medical e$tablishment in Ma$$achu$etts!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Leaders of Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Wellforce, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">requiring vaccination for employees is critical</span></b> for protecting vulnerable patients, especially those who are immunocompromised.</div><div><br /></div><div>Together, these hospital systems employ more than 135,000 people. All employees, including those who don’t work directly with patients, must get vaccinated, though they <b><span style="color: red;">can request exemptions</span></b> for medical or religious reasons.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[And if denied?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Anne Klibanski, chief executive of Mass General Brigham, said there is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">now overwhelming evidence</span></b> that COVID <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccines are safe and effective</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Getting vaccinated right now is the single most important thing that we can do to let our employees know that we are providing the safest environment for patients, their families, and for each other,” she told the Globe.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[My jaw hit the floor when I saw what that criminal said about safe and effective vaccines when they are nothing of the sort! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They admittedly don't prevent CVD or transmission, so WTF?!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Hospital leaders <b><span style="color: red;">did not set a deadline</span></b> for employees to be vaccinated. They said they would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wait until </span></b>the US Food & Drug Administration grants <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">full approval</span></b> of the vaccines, which could take weeks or months. (The FDA has authorized the vaccines for emergency use.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The FDA is nothing but a rubber stamp for the pharma¢euti¢als, and <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/22/documents-reveal-fda-unprecedented-aduhelm-decision/">this article proves it</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Hospital workers have been eligible for the COVID vaccines for months, and most have received their shots. After watching COVID patients suffer and die, many caregivers rushed at the chance to be vaccinated and became emotional as the needle went into their arms.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What a load of shit from the Globe scribe]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey, the two biggest health care providers in Massachusetts, both said that about <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">85 percent</span></b> of their workers <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have been vaccinated</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the health care workforce is large and diverse, and <b><span style="color: red;">not everyone has been enthusiastic</span></b> about the vaccines.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[If so many have been vaccinated, then there is no need for the rest to get the kill shots.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>We were told 70% was good enough, but not now!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>One <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">labor union</span></b> representing health care workers <b><span style="color: red;">immediately objected</span></b> to the new requirements — though hospitals appear to have the legal right to implement them.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Vaccination is an important tool to help us move forward, but an employer mandate is not the answer for a healthcare workforce still struggling to recover,” said Tim Foley, executive vice president of 1199SEIU, which represents nurses as well as technical and clerical workers.</div><div><br /></div><div>“A hard-handed approach will create greater frustration,” Foley said in a statement.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Along with rebellion, and finally, a union with some balls]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>David Schildmeier, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, said the union will review each hospital’s specific policy before taking a position.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We have encouraged our members to get the vaccine, and we believe the vast majority have already done so,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Looks like they have <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/we-will-not-be-broken-nurses-strike-worcester-reaches-100-days/">broken you</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many hospitals <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">already require </span></b>their workers to get <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">annual flu shots</span></b>. The nurses union opposes flu vaccination mandates and in the past has sued — unsuccessfully — to try to block such requirements.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Kevin Tabb, chief executive of Beth Israel Lahey, said his health system has a responsibility to protect patients and employees, and that it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">must lead by example</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">institution</span></b> that is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">based on science</span></b>,” he said in an interview. “We<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> know the vaccine is extraordinarily effective</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> we know that it’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">safe</span></b>. … We stand on much stronger moral ground asking others to get vaccinated when we ourselves have been vaccinated.”</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><i>[F**k <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/beth-israel-lahey-health-agrees-acquire-joslin-diabetes-center/">him</a>!]</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>At Wellforce, the hospital system that includes Tufts Medical Center, executives sent an e-mail to employees saying: “COVID-19 is <b><span style="color: red;">still with us</span></b>. The Delta <b><span style="color: red;">variant is becoming more prominent</span></b> in the United States, and it is vitally important that we continue to do everything we can to protect our patients and ourselves.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told its employees: “Because our patients are especially vulnerable, we will strictly enforce compliance.” Cancer patients are at greater risk because they may have weakened immune systems from their treatments.</div><div><br /></div><div>UMass Memorial Health Care <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">eventually plans to mandate the vaccine </span></b>for its workers, said Dr. Eric Dickson, the chief executive. Seventy-six percent of employees are vaccinated now, which Dickson called “disappointing.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“I fully anticipate that we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will mandate</span></b> [vaccination] and that other health care systems in the state will,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think we <b><span style="color: red;">will probably have some people leave their jobs</span></b> because they don’t want to get vaccinated,” he said, “and that will make it even harder to staff places that are already struggling to get staffing.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[As the Terminator once said, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSxhD_XKsUI">F**k you, a$$hole</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Boston Medical Center and Steward Health Care said they’re still evaluating whether to make vaccinations mandatory.</div><div><br /></div><div>In requiring the COVID vaccine, Massachusetts hospitals are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">following the lead </span></b>of those in other states, including Texas, Maryland, and New York.</div><div><br /></div><div>Houston Methodist Hospital has drawn national attention for its vaccination requirement and a lawsuit from some of its employees that challenged the mandate. Earlier this month, a federal court sided with the hospital. A Houston Methodist spokeswoman said 153 employees resigned or were fired over the requirement.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fact that Massachusetts hospitals are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">waiting for full FDA approval before they require</span></b> vaccination puts them on <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">firm</span></b>er <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">legal ground</span></b>, experts told the Globe.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Once the full approval is in place, I <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">do not see the likelihood of</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">effective challenge</span></b> against this,” said Robert Kilroy, a partner at the law firm Mirick O’Connell.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Yeah, don't look to the corrupt corporate courts for salvation!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>You will find none there]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Michael Ulrich, assistant professor of health law and ethics at Boston University, said courts generally have upheld vaccine mandates, “and with health care workers,” he said, “you have an even stronger justification for the employers to require it, because you have vulnerable people that are more at risk.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Governor Charlie Baker, asked about the vaccination mandates Thursday, said, “As far as I’m concerned, that’s their call.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“At this point in time, I would prefer to let organizations make the decisions they think are going to keep their people safest,” Baker said at an appearance in Quincy, “but different people are in different places with respect to this, and I think we should respect that as well.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[There he goes again playing <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/nation/massachusetts-hits-milestone-41-million-people-fully-vaccinated/">bad cop</a>, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/safe-place-inject-illicit-drugs-it-may-come-first-somerville/">bad cop</a>, and it <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/23/metro/tough-beacon-hill-climb/">really doesn't matter</a>, does it?</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/states-largest-health-care-providers-will-require-all-employees-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"Biden says he has infrastructure deal with bipartisan group of senators" by Emily Cochrane, Jim Tankersley, and Jonathan Weisman The New York Times, June 25, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of centrist senators reached a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deal on </span></b>Thursday for $1.2 trillion in investments to rebuild the nation’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">infrastructure</span></b>, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">victory</span></b> for the White House but only the first lurch in what promises to be an arduous<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> attempt to reshape the nation’s economic and social programs</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The agreement on traditional infrastructure projects — roads, bridges, tunnels, rail and broadband — would be significant on its own, the first major increase of federal public works spending since President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic rescue plan. It would include some existing infrastructure programs, but also provide $579 billion in new money over eight years to patch cracking highways, rebuild crumbling bridges, speed rail traffic and more equitably spread high-speed internet access.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Why is the infrastructure in such $hit shape?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Were did all the money go all these years?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Down a manhole and into the $wampi$h $ewer?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The plan would also pour billions of dollars into waterways and coastlines washing away as a warming planet raises sea levels, and $7.5 billion into financing a half-million electric vehicle charging stations, all part of Biden’s climate pledges. It would be paid for in part with a $40 billion increase in the IRS enforcement budget to bring in $140 billion in unpaid taxes, as well as repurposing unspent coronavirus relief funds, according to an outline provided by the White House.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This agreement <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">signal</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to the world</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we can function</span></b>, deliver <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and do</span></b> significant <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">things</span></b>,” Biden said from the White House’s East Room, after meeting with the lawmakers, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>almost immediately after reaching the breakthrough, Biden and Democrats offered a <b><span style="color: red;">giant caveat</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could complicate</span></b> its chances of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">passage</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What dirty tricks and double-dealing underhandedness do the Communi$t Democraps have in store?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Both the president and top Democrats said the <b><span style="color: red;">compromise</span></b>, which constitutes only a small fraction of the expansive, $4 trillion economic agenda Biden has proposed, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could advance only</span></b> together w<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">i</span></b>th a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> f</span></b>ar larger bill that would pour trillions more into health care, child care, higher education access and climate change programs. That measure, vehemently opposed by Republicans, would be paid for by remaking the tax code to capture the wealth of the superrich and multinational corporations that shift profits and jobs overseas.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[UH-HUH! </b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>The damn Dems will go after their donors, yeah, $ure.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>This deal is $hit, and the 4tinking Republicans went along with bankrupting this country, the traitors]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>“If this is the only thing that comes to me, I’m not signing it,” Biden said of the infrastructure piece. “It’s in tandem.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Fine, don't]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the changes in their totality “transformative, if not revolutionary.” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, predicted that the pair of bills would be “the boldest, strongest legislation that this country has seen in decades.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[God help us all]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>They said they <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hoped all of it could come together by</span></b> this <b><span style="color: red;">fall</span></b>, an enormous challenge that will involve persuading at least 60 senators to back the traditional infrastructure plan, and keeping Democrats united on the larger bill. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">latter measure</span></b> would have to pass through a budget process called reconciliation, which would allow it <b><span style="color: red;">to bypass</span></b> a Republican<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> filibuster</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>would require all 50 Democratic and independent votes in the Senate.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There ain’t going to be no bipartisan bill unless we’re going to have reconciliation,” Pelosi said, a message she repeated privately to Democrats, after liberals warned against acting just on a bipartisan deal that jettisons the provisions progressives want most.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deal</span></b> struck Thursday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fulfills</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">promise of bipartisanship</span></b> that Biden has long sought, and its authors were in a celebratory mood..... </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>[In other words, this front-page piece of $hit is nothing but CRAP IMAGERY and DISTORTED GARBAGE, and yet the fact that the Globe emphasizes that the article originally appeared in The New York Times means the Times is proud of their turd]</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/biden-says-he-has-infrastructure-deal-with-bipartisan-group-senators/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/senate-panel-deadlocks-over-atf-nominee/">The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked in an 11-11 vote Thursday on President Biden’s nominee to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, setting up a procedural hurdle for Democrats to overcome before he is confirmed</a>. The split vote on Chipman means Senate majority leader Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, will need to hold a full Senate vote to discharge the nomination from committee. The panel also voted 11-10, along party lines, to confirm Ur Mendoza Jaddou, Biden’s nominee to lead the Homeland Security Department’s Citizenship and Immigration Services, with one Republican senator abstaining....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The abstention is a vote for in that case. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Thanks for holding the line, whoever they were.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/senate-panel-deadlocks-over-atf-nominee/">Biden’s sister, his confidante, signs book deal</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>She is also his longtime political strategist, and that should make good kindling for the fireplace.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"US to move Afghans who aided troops to third countries" by Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt New York Times, June 24, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters, drivers, and others who worked with US forces to other countries in an effort to keep them safe while they apply for entry to the United States, senior administration officials said.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the US military in the final phases of withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, the White House has come under heavy pressure from lawmakers and military officials to protect Afghan allies from revenge attacks by the Taliban, and speed up the lengthy and complex process of providing them special immigrant visas.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They come with every war based one lies, and it's not something they tell you when it is being sold with front-page lies being bullhorn by the pre$$]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Roughly 650 US<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> troops are expected to remain </span></b>in Afghanistan <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to provide security for diplomats after </span></b>the main American military force completes its <b><span style="color: red;">withdrawal</span></b>, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, US officials told the Associated Press on Thursday.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[We are withdrawing but we're not. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>SIGH!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Can you see why I am totally sick of this $hit?</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In addition, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">several hundred additional American forces will remain</span></b> at the Kabul airport, potentially until September, to assist Turkish troops providing security, as a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said. Overall, officials said the United States expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership, and <b><span style="color: red;">most troops out by July 4</span></b>, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">officials were not authorized to discuss details</span></b> of the withdrawal <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and spoke </span></b>to the AP <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">on condition of anonymity</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Wednesday, administration officials started notifying lawmakers that they will soon begin what could be a wholesale move of tens of thousands of Afghans. Officials said the Afghans would be moved out of Afghanistan to third countries to await the processing of their visa requests to move to the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How much is all this going to cost the American people?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The officials <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">declined to say where</span></b> the Afghans would wait, and it is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not clear </span></b>whether third countries have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">agreed to take</span></b> them. A senior administration official said that under the plan, family members of applicants would also be moved out of Afghanistan to a third country to await visa processing. Transportation out of Afghanistan will not come with any assurance that a US visa will be granted. It was unclear whether people who somehow do not qualify would be sent back to Afghanistan or left in a third country. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">officials spoke on grounds of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly</span></b> about the decision.</div><div><br /></div><div>The decision comes as President Biden prepares to meet Friday with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">amid</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">worsening security situation</span></b> in the country.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Why are we leaving then?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Aides <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">said</span></b> Biden <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">would press</span></b> Ghani on the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need for unity</span></b> among the country’s leaders, urging them to stop fighting among themselves when the country is in crisis and government forces are at risk of losing control of the nation to the Taliban.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[As the illegitimate a$$hole and demented pettofile tears ours apart!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>They said he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">would assure </span></b>Ghani of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">continued financial support </span></b>from the United States to the Afghan government and people, including a <b><span style="color: red;">$266 m</span></b>illion humanitarian assistance package and <b><span style="color: red;">$3.3 b</span></b>illion in security assistance, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as well as</span></b> significant aid to help combat the coronavirus pandemic with vaccines, testing kits and personal protective equipment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Officials said the administration has been working to streamline the visa process for Afghans who worked with US forces and has added people to handle the applications.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pressure on the administration to act swiftly on the Afghans’ behalf has grown steadily in recent weeks in both the House and the Senate. Lawmakers pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Pentagon budget hearing Wednesday.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Those two guys should be court-martialed and exectuted.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>You understand the rage, right, Milley?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/world/us-move-afghans-who-aided-troops-third-countries/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/pelosi-announces-select-committee-investigate-jan-6-attack/">Most Congressional Republicans have shrugged off the need for any more investigation into the attack</a>, pointing to the FBI’s ongoing work to prosecute rioters, impeachment proceedings against Trump over his role in the insurrection, and a series of congressional hearings that have already taken place. “This... isn’t about gathering facts, it is about gathering political points,” said Representative James Comer of Kentucky during testimony this month from generals and intelligence officials, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/pelosi-announces-select-committee-investigate-jan-6-attack/">but<b> supporters of a deeper probe point to a lack of clear information over what was responsible for the slow response from law enforcement that day, what the level of organization was among rioters and protesters, and who, if anyone, was behind funding it. </b>“As an intelligence professional, I look at this as,<b> who organized this? That is the fundamental question</b>,” said Cedric Leighton, a military analyst and former US Air Force intelligence officer. “It is a <b>follow the money </b>question — who was paying for things?</a>”</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>I'm sure that cover-up committee will turn out a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/heap-of-sht.html">heap of sh!t</a> in what is now clearly <a href="https://www.revolver.news/2021/06/federal-foreknowledge-jan-6-unindicted-co-conspirators-raise-disturbing-questions/">another in a long line of agenda-pushing false flags by this government</a> -- with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/senate-panel-deadlocks-over-atf-nominee/">Michigan</a> looking like a rehearsal.\</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-government-and-politics-79607be2e80ec0ae4fcbc9a005742b37">Russia is prepared to target intruding warships if they fail to heed warnings</a>, a senior Russian diplomat declared Thursday after a Black Sea incident in which a British destroyer sailed near Crimea in an area that Russia claims as its territorial waters....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[My pre$$ is playing down the British provocation, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/opinion/it-doesnt-take-summit-force-change-with-russia/">bring it on</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The West will lose this one, and we can say good riddance to our governments as we eat them]</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/world/751-bodies-found-indigenous-school-canada-report-says/">751 unmarked graves found at Indigenous school in Canada</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>My print copy was New York Times, and that crime against humanity by the Catholic Church and the Canadian government</b> <b>is not only an atrocious abomination, it is cause for execution of the Pope and Trudeau.</b></i></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Off with their heads, as a woman once said!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/world/what-else-has-hong-kong-lost-readers-ask-paper-is-silenced/">As a paper is silenced, what else has Hong Kong lost?</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's the $elf-$erving New York TimeS banging the war drums against China.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/world/2-killed-1-wounded-beach-shootings-tulum-mexico/">2 killed, 1 wounded in beach shootings in Tulum, Mexico</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Mexicans are in a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-mexican-snitis.html">SNITIS</a> after Harris's visit.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/warren-slows-confirmation-biden-higher-ed-pick-battle-over-student-aid-escalates/">Warren slows confirmation of Biden higher ed pick</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That was the Globe's front-page, above-the-fold, righthand corner lead.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>PFFFFT!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/23/metro/warm-weather-fewer-lifeguards-cancelled-swim-lessons-could-be-behind-recent-string-drownings/">Warm weather, fewer lifeguards, canceled swim lessons could be behind the recent string of drownings</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm starting to suspect child sacrifices being covered up, but whatever.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/it-was-like-scene-world-war-ii-movie-cambridge-woman-recounts-fla-building-collapse/">Cambridge woman recounts Miami-area building collapse</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>While digging through the rubble I found that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/multi-level-building-collapses-miami/">the area has a mix of new and old apartments, houses, condominiums and hotels, with restaurants and stores serving an international combination of residents and tourists. The main oceanside drag is lined with glass-sided, luxury condominium buildings, but more modest houses are on the inland side. Among the neighborhood’s residents are snowbirds, Russian immigrants and Orthodox Jewish families</a> -- thus accounting for the ma$$ media attention.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b style="font-style: italic;">Btw, the </b><b><i>Kushner's are a block away and Zino$t Joe has now called it a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/nation/president-biden-approves-florida-emergency-declaration-after-condo-collapse/">national emergency</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/nation/court-suspends-giulianis-law-license-citing-trump-election-lies/">Court suspends Giuliani’s law license</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The New York Times are citing Trump election lies as the reason; however, he is never asked why he destroyed a crime scene in September 2001.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/opinion/councils-power-grab-wont-end-well/">Boston City Council’s power grab won’t end well</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Globe is fine with it on a national level, though.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/opinion/florida-man-meet-new-hampshire-man/">Florida man, meet New Hampshire man</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>No thanks.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/opinion/cheers-swears-how-cheerleaders-f-bombs-strengthened-first-amendment/">How a cheerleader’s F-bombs strengthened the First Amendment</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I certainly let a few loose today, and no apologies!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/joe-biden-ireland-were-back-game/">Joe Biden to Ireland: We’re back in the game</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Sending a Crony over.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/survey-finds-significant-food-insecurity-among-massachusetts-families/">Survey finds significant food insecurity among Massachusetts families</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I've lost my appetite for Globe $hit, sorry.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/harvard-graduate-student-union-members-sign-letter-committing-organizing-strike/">Harvard Graduate Student Union members sign letter committing to organizing strike</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Globe is all for unions -- until it comes to <a href="https://dearglobereaders.org/">them$elves</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Don't take that comment as support for their $cum propagandists, either.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The world be a much better place if the Globe went the way of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/world/what-else-has-hong-kong-lost-readers-ask-paper-is-silenced/">Apple Daily</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/boston-parents-file-motion-federal-district-court-reopen-exam-school-admission-case-citing-withheld-text-messages/">Task force leans toward reducing importance of entrance exams for admission</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Who gives a shit with the existential threat of a needle coming at the kids?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/dozens-summonsed-illegal-fireworks-use-mass-ahead-july-4/">State cracking down on illegal fireworks use in Mass. ahead of July 4</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What's to celebrate? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Tyranny?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/metro/today-history/">Today in History</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm looking forward, not back, as the Globe and its ma$ters attempt to literally erase it.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/kids-rejoice-boston-commons-frog-pond-reopens-summer/">Children rejoice as Boston Common’s Frog Pond opens for summer</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Not worried about <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/23/metro/warm-weather-fewer-lifeguards-cancelled-swim-lessons-could-be-behind-recent-string-drownings/">drowning</a>, huh?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/boston-fire-department-lieutenant-whose-father-died-battling-blaze-1994-promoted-district-chief/">Firefighter whose father died battling 1994 blaze is promoted to district chief</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/bear-struck-by-van-marion-route-195-another-bear-struck-killed-by-cars-mass-turnpike-warren/">Bear struck by van in Marion on Route 195</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Been a lot of <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/globe-masks-child-abuse.html">bear sitings</a> lately</i></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/metro/scandals-linger-duxbury-school-superintendent-heads-north-attleborough/">Duxbury school superintendent heads to North Attleborough as scandals linger</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's a revolving door, just like with the pettofile priests! </i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/crippled-robotic-mayflower-prepares-sail-again-after-mundane-mechanical-breakdown/">Crippled robotic Mayflower prepares to sail again after mundane mechanical breakdown</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I threw that piece of $hit overboard, sorry.</i></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><div><div></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/you-cant-do-anything-keep-searching-despite-hiring-push-teens-struggle-find-summer-jobs/">Summer jobs can still feel hard to come by despite hiring push</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You can search the piece of $hit by Samantha Subin if you want to waste your time.</i></b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/massport-revs-logan-express-back-up-bid-reduce-car-trips-airport/">Massport revs Logan Express back up in bid to reduce car trips to the airport</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Stay away from the airport at all costs.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/boston-scientific-buys-out-california-medical-manufacturer-295-million/">Boston Scientific buys out California medical manufacturer for $295 million</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I no longer have the heart to read such $hit, and am <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/catania-expanding-its-ayer-plant/">sick of talk</a>ing about it.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/jpmorgan-buys-stake-robert-krafts-sports-data-analytics-company/">JPMorgan buys stake in Robert Kraft’s sports data analytics company</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>F*ck $port$.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/judge-blocks-4b-us-debt-relief-program-minority-farmers/">In defending the program, the Biden administration had said that the government had a compelling interest in remedying a well-documented history of discrimination against minority farmers in Department of Agriculture loan and other programs</a> and in preventing public funds from being allocated in a way that perpetuates the effects of discrimination. Nonwhite farmers have long endured discrimination, from violence and land theft in the Jim Crow South to banks and federal farm offices that refused them loans or government benefits that went to white farmers. “It is undeniable — and notably uncontested by the parties — that USDA had a dark history of past discrimination against minority farmers,” Howard wrote....."<b> </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Now they are the captive of AgriCorps, but who cares?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/us-unemployment-claims-fall-slightly-411000-job-market-slowly-heals/">US unemployment claims fall slightly to 411,000 as job market heals</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The terminology and word choice makes one $ick, never mind the flat-out lies.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/24/business/microsoft-debuts-windows-11-first-major-update-6-years/">Microsoft debuts Windows 11</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That comes as they are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/23/business/buffett-resigns-gates-foundation/">dumping Gates</a> because he is a radioactive liability and the most hated man in the world right now.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-style: italic;">The plan will proceed, however, as the <a href="https://www.sott.net/article/450964-Fascist-doctors-return-with-cruel-treatment">dead weight</a> like him a</b><i><b>nd <a class="linked _3_54N ig9Cs ALevz _1MTCR" href="https://war.jermwarfare.com/w/qp8fwfQhAUloNHk2588xXQ/f6eU48KLicrvTXoLWsGXTg/pULnyVbsaLoaZQM3SbN763cg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://war.jermwarfare.com/w/qp8fwfQhAUloNHk2588xXQ/f6eU48KLicrvTXoLWsGXTg/pULnyVbsaLoaZQM3SbN763cg">Fauci</a> are cu</b></i><b style="font-style: italic;">t loose and thrown to the mob.</b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-89664067413043573102021-06-22T09:24:00.000-07:002021-06-22T09:24:01.302-07:00Hyding Out<div>"More than 100 eviction cases at Hyde Park apartment complex could leave a lasting mark" by Tim Logan Globe Staff, June 21, 2021</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Before COVID-19, Amanda Pichardo had a solid job as a nurse assistant, a daughter in Boston Public Schools, and an apartment at Georgetowne Homes in Hyde Park.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the pandemic forced schools to close, Pichardo had to quit work to stay home with her daughter. Suddenly, paying rent became a challenge. She applied for rent relief, she said, but that application fell through the cracks of a state bureaucracy overwhelmed by tens of thousands of applications. By March, despite having gone back to work, Pichardo still owed about $2,000 in back rent.</div><div><br /></div><div>That’s when her landlord took her to Housing Court, seeking an eviction for nonpayment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pichardo’s is one of at least 113 such cases filed in March against tenants of Georgetowne Homes — one of Boston’s largest privately run affordable housing complexes — by its owner, Beacon Communities. Most have been resolved and dismissed, with tenants successfully tapping the gusher of rental aid flowing from Beacon Hill and Washington, D.C. A handful, including Pichardo’s, are nearing a similar resolution. Few if any tenants will lose their homes, but the ramifications of this short-term crisis could resonate for a long time. As public records, eviction cases are searchable by potential future landlords, credit agencies, or anyone else ― even if they are quickly settled.</div><div><br /></div><div>“These eviction filings come with real consequences,” said Steve Meacham, organizing coordinator at tenant advocacy group City Life/Vida Urbana. “They’re a black mark on your record.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/more-than-100-eviction-cases-hyde-park-apartment-complex-could-leave-lasting-mark/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Who knew “a lot of people who were struggling to pay rent,” what with the booming economy and all, and it is “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/climate-warms-up-bostons-heat-islands-turn-hot-into-insufferable-with-hardest-hit-neighborhoods-often-those-with-lowest-incomes/">profoundly disappointing</a>.”</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><b><i>The Globe hid the New York Times print version of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/sports/supreme-court-sides-with-former-college-athletes-dispute-with-ncaa-over-rules-limiting-certain-benefits/">Supreme Court ruling that the NCAA can’t enforce limits on certain benefits for college athletes</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I flip above the front-page fold and find the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/body-10-year-old-girl-recovered-narragansett-bay-following-search-officials-say/">latest of a series of drownings across New England this month</a>, this time it is 10-year-old Yoskarly Martinez, who went missing in the waters off Conimicut Point Park on Sunday afternoon, and after an overnight search her body was recovered in Narragansett Bay.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"MBTA police pension fund overpaid retirees by hundreds of thousands of dollars over more than a decade" by Matt Stout Globe Staff, June 21, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Officials at the MBTA Transit Police pension fund overpaid retirees by nearly $500,000 at the same time it was receiving millions in money from the transit agency, according to a state investigation, which found officials mishandled the benefits of dozens of former Transit Police staff.</div><div><br /></div><div>The MBTA Police Association Retirement Plan for years operated with “no system” to track and end payments to retirees when they were no longer eligible to receive them, state Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha’s office found.</div><div><br /></div><div>That led the $94.5 million fund to make costly mistakes over 13 years between 2005 to 2018, during which it paid $470,217 more than it should have to two dozen retirees, Cunha said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fund reported having 110 retirees and beneficiaries in 2018, meaning those who were overpaid would have accounted for 22 percent of all those receiving benefits that year. Twenty retirees continued to receive monthly supplemental checks — ranging between $500 to $700 each month — when they shouldn’t have, including one retiree who was overpaid by $58,100, according to Cunha’s office.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's when I got off the ride, but you can stay on the train if that is your want]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/over-more-than-decade-mbta-police-pension-fund-overpaid-retirees-by-hundreds-thousands-dollars/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>Remember that item the next time the bailed-out MBTA cries poverty.</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/senate-vote-biden-sees-step-forward-elections-bill/">Biden sees ‘step forward’ for elections bill in Senate vote</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's what they used to call a moral victory, as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/senate-vote-biden-sees-step-forward-elections-bill/">White House said Monday it views the Senate’s work on an elections bill overhaul and changes being offered by Senator Joe Manchin as a “step forward,” even though the Democrats’ priority legislation is expected to be blocked by a Republican filibuster, and</a> White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the revisions proposed by Manchin are a compromise, another step as Democrats work to shore up voting access and what Biden sees as “a fight of his presidency.”</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>He's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/biden-outlines-covid-19-vaccine-plan-set-miss-global-sharing-goal/">defeated CVD</a> then?</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-environment-and-nature-606ad68e325f0074102786a17a1bcbcd">A tornado swept through communities in heavily populated suburban Chicago</a>, damaging more than 100 homes, toppling trees, knocking out power and causing multiple injuries, officials said. There was relief Monday, though, as authorities reported that it appeared no one had died....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Thank God.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/21/pistachio-theft-alberto-montemayor-touchstone/">Man arrested in pistachio heist</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/az-state-wire-arizona-sports-9669ab0970d69dc1a3c0c0c7bee28d71">Driver who rammed bicyclists in Arizona race has DUI history</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-4a9a08ffb93e80e90bae9e649378bfbc">California weighs extending eviction protections past June</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Federal eviction protections also are set to expire on June 30. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/world/irans-incoming-president-vows-tough-line-missiles-militias/">Iran’s incoming president vows tough line on missiles and militias</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He won't meet with Biden, either.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/world/ethiopia-votes-test-prime-minister-amid-reports-abuses/">Ethiopia votes in test for prime minister amid reports of abuses</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>My initial reaction to the headline and World co-lead was what has Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed done to offend his globali$t masters?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-health-coronavirus-pandemic-government-and-politics-5ea823924cf84c64365409dd7e12a7f6">President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea said Monday he hopes to see a positive reaction from the North soon on U.S. offers for talks</a> after North Korea’s leader ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The trilateral talks also involve South Korea and Japan.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/world/europe/armenia-election-peace-deal-nagorno-karabakh.html"><b>The party of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, won a snap election over the weekend that also signaled at least grudging acceptance by Armenians of a peace settlement </b>negotiated last fall with Azerbaijan</a>. Forced on Armenia by battlefield losses and negotiated by Pashinyan, the settlement remains deeply unpopular. It ended a six-week war over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic-Armenian area inside Azerbaijan, but at a steep cost for the Armenian side. The deal ceded territory that included centuries-old monasteries that are a touchstone for Armenian national identity. In the immediate wake of the deal in November, nationalist protesters stormed Pashinyan’s office and tore his nameplate from the door. It seemed unclear whether he could remain in power to enforce the tentative peace in the South Caucasus, a region where Turkey and Russia compete for influence, but the election results announced on Monday showed Armenian voters apparently willing to accept Pashinyan’s agreement, and with it a cleareyed view of their country’s difficult security challenges. Election officials said Pashinyan’s party, Civil Contract, had won 53.9 percent of the vote. Pashinyan celebrated the win as a “mandate of steel” from voters. In a video address, he said it would “restore social and national consolidation” after the war. A bloc of parties headed by a former president, Robert Kocharyan, came in second with 21 percent of the vote. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/world/europe/armenia-election-peace-deal-nagorno-karabakh.html"><b>Kocharyan said on Monday that the results were tainted by fraud. </b>Kocharyan and other opposition candidates had criticized the peace settlement</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2021/06/armenias-sorosnato-flunky-pashiniyan.html">talk of fraud</a> has been <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/peruvian-pooh-pooh.html">pooh-poohed</a> in this case, unlike their <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/world/belarus-faces-expanded-eu-us-sanctions-targeting-economy/">neighbors to the north</a>, and voters apparently rejected the </i><i>renegotiation of the Russian-brokered deal through more forceful diplomacy because it </i><i>was based largely on the wishful thinking that Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia might accept changes.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.wvgazettemail.com/ap/international/mexico-president-to-investigate-border-shooting-of-innocents/article_4f4c820a-8552-5ffb-a43b-534f65d88238.html">Mexico’s president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed a rebound in killings nationwide. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said evidence indicated that 15 of the victims were innocent bystanders</a>. Reynosa is located across the border from McAllen, Texas, and authorities are still investigating the motive, though in the past, drug cartels have sometimes used random killings of civilians to turn up the heat on rival gangs, or intimidate local authorities....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You would think the U.S. would be <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-mexican-snitis.html">hopping mad</a> about such things, but....</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Found 'em in Georgia:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/former-district-attorney-arbery-case-focus-grand-jury-probe/">The former coastal Georgia prosecutor who was criticized and ultimately voted out of office last year because of how she handled the Ahmaud Arbery shooting and other cases is now the focus of a grand jury investigation</a>, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. State Attorney General Chris Carr’s office has been calling witnesses and overseeing a Glynn County grand jury inquiry into former Brunswick district attorney Jackie Johnson, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter who agreed to discuss the probe on condition they not be identified. The scope of the grand jury's review is unclear and no indictments have been announced, but Carr has been critical of the way Johnson handled the Arbery case, and last year his office requested a GBI investigation into the events surrounding her recusal from the case....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He was headed north to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/why-we-may-not-know-who-won-nyc-mayoral-primary-weeks/">New York City</a> -- or was it west to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/george-clooneys-next-project-public-high-school-los-angeles/">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/14/faced-with-confusing-data-on-alzheimers-drug-doctors-scramble/">STAT</a>?</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Time to check the political and virus notebooks:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/06/21/abutaleb-paletta-book-nightmare-scenario-trump-covid/">The book “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History,” a new book by Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta that captures the dysfunctional response to the unfolding pandemic— which draws on interviews with more than 180 people, including multiple White House senior staff members and government health leaders — offers new insights into last year’s chaotic and often-bungled response, portraying the power struggles over the leadership of the White House coronavirus task force, the unrelenting feuds that hampered cooperation and the enormous efforts made to prevent President Donald Trump from acting on his worst instincts</a>. The Post obtained a copy of the book ahead of its June 29 publication. The book offers new insights about Trump as the president careened between embracing miracle coronavirus cures in his quest for good news, grappling with his own illness — which was far more serious than officials acknowledged — and fretting about the outbreak’s implications for his reelection bid. Among the revelations are....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That was when I started looking for the trash can.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Keep your <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/21/trump-investigation-weisselberg/">friends close</a>, but keep your <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/merrick-garland-doj-trump-legacy/2021/06/20/d83e1fd0-d05e-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html">enemies closer</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The New York Times had this comment on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/world/asia/china-artwork-ranking-women.html">artwork</a> as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/world/mysterious-craters-age-may-add-clues-dinosaur-extinction/">browsed through</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/world/new-hong-kong-booksellers-walk-fine-line/">Chinese bookstore</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/health/vaccination-young-adults.html">Younger Americans are less likely to be vaccinated than their elders, and factors like income and education may affect vaccine hesitancy, according to two new studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the gap in rates could be attributed to the fact that many young adults did not become eligible for vaccination until March or April, but uptake has also been slower among younger Americans</a>, and a substantial proportion of them remain hesitant. If vaccine initiation rates remain stable, by late August, just 58 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds will have been vaccinated, compared with 95 percent of those 65 and up, the researchers found. Vaccination rates lagged for young men, people living in rural counties and people living in counties where a high share of the population was low-income, uninsured or lacked access to a computer or the internet. In a second study, 24.9 percent of 18- to 39-year-olds surveyed said that they would probably or definitely not get vaccinated. Those who were young, Black, low-income, lacked health insurance, lived outside of metropolitan areas or had lower levels of education were less likely to report being vaccinated or to say that they definitely planned to be vaccinated. The studies highlight the hurdles that remain in improving vaccine coverage, with two weeks to go until President Biden’s self-imposed July 4 deadline for getting 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated. In recent weeks, his administration has shifted its approach, moving away from mass vaccination sites and adopting more targeted strategies, including the creation of mobile or pop-up vaccination clinics and on-site vaccination events....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's because the kids realize they do not need it.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-21c3695fa27b59d65f05f3ac71fdcf55">COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms hit another encouraging milestone Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated</a>. The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but now, as the outbreak loosens its grip, it has fallen down the list of the biggest killers. CDC data suggests that more Americans are dying every day from accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes or Alzheimer’s disease than from COVID-19. About 45% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, but U.S. demand for shots has slumped, to the disappointment of public health experts. New cases are running at about 11,400 a day on average....."</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/world/canada-hotel-quarantine-covid.html">Canada eases quarantine for arriving vaccinated citizens</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-coronavirus-vaccine-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f32e32902371dfb7f883c8a1851a1c53">Indonesia records its largest 1-day jump in COVID infections</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-south-africa-africa-technology-coronavirus-vaccine-3cbdee395502802b55db2b5c81e6becd">WHO planning vaccine tech hub in South Africa</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I will be the first-ever technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/biden-launch-effort-head-off-violent-crime-political-peril-his-party/">Biden to launch effort to head off violent crime and political peril for his party</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The planned chaos backfired a little bit, didn't it?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Turned the whole country Republican!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/federal-judge-tosses-most-claims-against-trump-barr-us-officials-clearing-lafayette-square/">Federal judge tosses most claims against Trump, Barr, and US officials in clearing of Lafayette Square</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>So that's where the ACLJU is hiding after going AWOL on the massive and tyrannical civil liberties violations of us all during the past year!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/nation/appeals-court-blocks-ruling-that-overturned-californias-assault-weapons-ban/">Appeals court blocks ruling that overturned California’s assault weapons ban</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They are still trying to take the gun out of your hand, so I would empty the clip before the appeal.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/opinion/remote-access-public-meetings-post-pandemic-must/">Remote access to public meetings a post-pandemic must</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What happens when the local pinpoint turns off your feed because, you know, you aren't on board?</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/opinion/transgender-rights-must-be-recognized-civil-rights/">Transgender rights must be recognized as civil rights</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>More dicking around bye the ACLU.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>Speaking of picking around, </b></i><i><b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/why-is-rachael-rollins-picking-fight-with-marty-walsh/">why is Rachael Rollins picking a fight with Marty Walsh</a>?</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Is she <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/more-equitable-marijuana-industry-state-should-bankroll-loans/">high</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Just a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/da-rollins-rips-walsh-over-dennis-white-appointment/">bad situation overall</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/democracy-withers-theocracy-takes-root/">Catholic bishops are attacking Biden, showing that theocracy takes root as democracy withers</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Nothing like over-the-top hyperbole from a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/us/kevin-cullen-boston-globe-suspended.html">fabricator</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to let it all hang out:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="index-module_heroContainer__fjzl" id="js-Story-Hero-0"><div class="index-module_hero__Aoet"><div class="index-module_mainImageContainers__3_dH"><div class="index-module_mainImages__HSv5"><img alt="FILE - In this June 5, 2021, file photo, crowds gather on L Street Beach in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)" class="index-module_mainImage__3ri_" height="225" sizes="(min-width: 1024) 1024, 50vw" src="https://cbs6albany.com/resources/media2/16x9/full/1015/center/80/f40edcee-cd66-4e91-98d5-5d8be58b3599-large16x9_AP21168827716426.jpg" width="400" /></div></div></div></div><div class="index-module_caption__3J7e" id="js-Story-Caption-0"><span style="font-size: x-small;">FILE - In this June 5, 2021, file photo, crowds gather on L Street Beach in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston (AP Photo/<a href="https://cbs6albany.com/news/coronavirus/delta-variant-expected-to-be-dominant-in-us-cdc-says">Michael Dwyer</a>)</span></div><div class="index-module_caption__3J7e" id="js-Story-Caption-0"><br /></div><div class="index-module_caption__3J7e" id="js-Story-Caption-0"><b><i>After a year of masks, it such a nice sight to see.</i></b></div><div class="index-module_caption__3J7e" id="js-Story-Caption-0"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div class="index-module_caption__3J7e" id="js-Story-Caption-0"><b><i>Of course, there are those who are complaining:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/officials-step-up-patrols-south-boston-beaches-after-complaints-about-liquor-deliveries-patrons/">Officials step up patrols on South Boston beaches after complaints about liquor deliveries to patrons</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What they used to call party poopers, readers, and how many <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/business/gig-workers-mass-escalate-fight-with-uber-lyft-other-companies/">jobs</a> with that cost the drivers?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Here is the cop they sicced on them:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"Arbitrator orders reinstatement of Somerville police detective fired following machete attack; Mayor vows to appeal, says system is “rigged” and calls for police reform" by Shelley Murphy Globe Staff, June 21, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>A Somerville police detective used poor judgment in 2015 when he texted a street source the address of a 17-year-old who had stolen marijuana from him, but he was not to blame when the man and an accomplice attacked the teenager the next day with machetes, an arbitrator has ruled.</div><div><br /></div><div>The city lacked just cause to fire Dante DiFronzo three years ago, according to the arbitrator, who ordered him reinstated as a detective after he completes training on handling informants and street sources, yet the arbitrator also found that DiFronzo, 47, deserved a lengthy suspension and is not entitled to back pay or benefits.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville denounced the June 4 ruling as “absolutely disgusting” and said he will appeal the case to a Superior Court judge. He questioned the arbitrator’s objectivity and said the decision to overturn the officer’s termination highlights the need to reform how police discipline cases are handled. Arbitration is the appeals process used by most law enforcement agencies, based on collective bargaining contracts.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The system is rigged, and it does not tip in favor of human rights or civil rights,” Curtatone said. “Employers must be able to take action against the small percentage of officers who are bad actors and not be second-guessed by an arbitrator,” but DiFronzo’s lawyer, Timothy M. Burke, said the arbitrator was picked by city officials and DiFronzo based upon his neutrality and conducted an independent review, including 15 days of testimony.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The mayor of the city is free to appeal and they will lose,” said Burke, calling Curtatone’s objections to the decision “sour grapes and without merit.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Maybe Mike <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/03/becker-and-bloomberg.html">Bloomberg</a> could help him out]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In his 77-page decision, Harvey M. Shrage, who has worked as an arbitrator for 32 years and is a Western New England University professor, found that DiFronzo seemed so focused on finding a teenager suspected of breaking into a vacant apartment in February 2015 that his judgment was “clouded” when he traded information with a street source, Jonathan Machado.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shrage said it wasn’t improper for DiFronzo to reach out to Machado, who had a criminal record, for help finding the suspect, Henry Alvarez. But DiFronzo should have “reevaluated” the situation once Machado told him that he was also looking for the teenager and planned to give him a “beating” because he had stolen a backpack of marijuana from him.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Do what you got to do,” DiFronzo texted Machado on March 1, 2015. He provided an address on Alston Street in Somerville where he believed Alvarez was hiding and urged him to get a photograph of him for police if he found him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, Machado and an unidentified accomplice forced their way into the home where the teenager was hiding, wielding machetes, according to a police report. While Machado held a knife to the head of one occupant, his accomplice allegedly stabbed Alvarez repeatedly. A man who was hiding in another room with his 1-year-old daughter called 911. Alvarez underwent surgery and survived.</div><div><br /></div><div>DiFronzo told police he “had a hunch” that Machado was involved in the attack and arrested him three weeks later, but he did not tell supervisors about the texts, according to the arbitrator. Eighteen months later, prosecutors alerted Somerville police that investigators had discovered the concerning messages during a search of Machado’s phone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, Machado, 26, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to home invasion, armed robbery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.</div><div><br /></div><div>During the arbitration hearing, DiFronzo testified that he warned Machado several times not to harm Alvarez, and he had assured him that he wouldn’t. He said he didn’t share his texts with investigators because he thought they were irrelevant, according to the ruling.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Somerville police union argued that DiFronzo was not responsible for the stabbing and cited evidence that Machado had spotted the victim on the street and chased him to the house where he was stabbed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The arbitrator said DiFronzo “used poor judgment, justifying discipline in his handling of the case” but determined there was insufficient evidence to support the city’s claim that the stabbing was a direct result of the information that DiFronzo gave Machado. The arbitrator also rejected the city’s claim that DiFronzo tried to conceal his alleged wrongdoing by failing to disclose the texts.</div><div><br /></div><div>“In reaching this conclusion, I have carefully considered the lack of clear guidance provided to officers in the manner that they interact with street sources,” Shrage wrote. He said DiFronzo’s conduct wasn’t motivated by personal interest or benefit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shrage said the former police chief who disciplined DiFronzo apparently gave “significant weight” to a 2017 letter from prosecutors, who warned that if DiFronzo were called to testify in a criminal case, they would be obligated to disclose his misconduct involving Machado. Shrage said he didn’t believe that status disqualified him from fulfilling his police duties, noting that the union said 10 Somerville police officers are currently working “without issue” after being named in similar warnings, known as Brady letters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan referred the case to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office, which declined to charge DiFronzo.</div><div><br /></div><div>Burke said DiFronzo was named police officer of the year twice and came under scrutiny when he publicly criticized the mayor’s oversight of the Police Department.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You can't make this stuff up!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“This was a biased investigation and anyone familiar with the promotional system within the city of Somerville is aware that numerous officers, including relatives and supporters of the mayor’s, have been given questionable promotions with significant disciplinary backgrounds,” Burke said, “and Dante was very outspoken about that,” but Curtatone said the city has invested millions in the Police Department during his tenure to make it a model of 21st century policing, and reinstating DiFronzo would undermine public trust.</div><div><br /></div><div>“He directly assisted in a violent act that almost resulted in someone’s death,” Curtatone said. “We’re lucky that person is still alive.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Like you CVD collaborators!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/arbitrator-orders-reinstatement-somerville-police-detective-fired-following-machete-attack/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm told there is really an “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/they-called-police-6-year-old-now-somerville-school-leaders-are-suspending-school-police-programs/">entrenched police culture</a>” in the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-somerville-shthole.html">Sh!thole</a> that is Somerville.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/labor-union-files-complaint-against-city-boston-over-covid-19-reopening-plans/">A labor union that represents Boston municipal employees has filed a complaint with a state agency claiming the city did not seek its input in its return-to-work plan and failed to bargain in good faith regarding its COVID-19 reopening</a>. SEIU Local 888, which represents more than 8,000 state, municipal, and education workers in Massachusetts, made the claim with the state’s Division of Labor Relations last week. The legal action was first reported by The Boston Herald. The union’s move comes after Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s administration recently took heat from some city workers who viewed the city’s reopening plan as inflexible for those in need of child care. In a statement addressing the union’s complaint, a spokeswoman for Janey said “Mayor Janey remains committed to flexibility, as we fully restore vital services to Boston residents. We do not have further comment at this time on the pending litigation.” In its complaint, the union said Janey earlier this month issued orders for its workers to physically return to work locations vacated because of the COVID-19 public health emergency....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>It was an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/city-hall-makes-no-child-care-accommodations-returning-employees/">incredibly disrespectful</a> thing to do!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/military-jury-convicts-marine-connection-with-fight-that-killed-emerson-student-19/">Military jury convicts Marine in connection with fight that killed Emerson College student</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Why a military court?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>We that far <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/today-history/">gone</a>?</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Here is something to think about:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/study-suggests-covid-19-harms-parts-brain/">Study suggests COVID-19 harms parts of the brain</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Not as much as watching <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/arts/why-were-still-relationship-with-some-classic-sitcoms/">television</a> or reading a newspaper, and I had no appetite for that odorless piece of sh!t, sorry.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm told the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/mass-reports-10131-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">state is a national leader in vaccinations</a> so traffic, for all intents and purposes, is back to about 2019 levels on most roadways in Massachusetts at this point, as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/massachusetts-traffic-is-back-2019-levels-massdot-says/">stadiums and ballparks are welcoming fans back at full capacity. Restaurants can seat guests indoors and outdoors with no minimum spacing requirement or maximum party size, and in yet another sign of the state’s progress after more than a year in a state of emergency, roadway congestion is again crushing commuters across the region. Traffic evaporated in the early days of the pandemic as many professional workers with the flexibility to do so shifted to remote work and schools closed their doors to the public, but now, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said Monday, transportation officials are “seeing a return to a lot of previous travel times</a>.”</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Of course, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/massachusetts-traffic-is-back-2019-levels-massdot-says/">analysis came with a handful of caveats</a>, but..... pfffffft!</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/nation/connecticut-governor-unveils-plan-cut-travel-time-nyc/">Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s administration unveiled an $8 billion to $10 billion plan Monday that aims to reduce commuter rail times from Connecticut to New York City by as much as 25 minutes by 2035</a>. The plan could also cut the trip from New Haven to the Big Apple by 10 minutes as early as 2022. The announcement came on the same day Metro-North Railroad returned eight trains to the New Haven Line, as demand for commuter rail service increases amid the region’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Another service increase is planned in August. “Connecticut is coming back from COVID-19. Commuters are returning to the rails,” Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz said during a news conference held at the Stratford Train Station with Lamont and other officials. “So it’s critical that we continue this momentum by investing in world class rail service. Time For CT moves us in that direction.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Will take you straight to the shore:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><img alt="Salisbury Beach in June 2020." class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg" height="281" id="img-09c1c89d-7704-48d5-8126-4b709f6ad03f-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/G0xxYMt10sYNfEf66xV4q3I7j1U=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/G0xxYMt10sYNfEf66xV4q3I7j1U=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/vg9RNZcMfHOwkkvg4NK4ewsVs0M=/1280x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/VF5nUVdsfU3xMkNJAU6XWzEC4n4=/1024x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/OYXS25DtUPv_mH6YW5fGT5qsROM=/820x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/ZZiADiJFetFDgcbzE4IJPuPGR4o=/600x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/bxgznCqeFv9p8Cje0FS23OaXD3w=/420x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/j9FB2hqje5_B2NWagN8DJ7vuy5c=/240x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/ZIBTU4WPHP7WOG2VGHZXJJLIYU.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">Salisbury Beach in June 2020 (</span><span class="credit uppercase">Jonathan Wiggs/<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/rescues-prompt-rip-current-warning-increased-lifeguard-presence-salisbury-beach/">Globe Staff</a>)</span></span></div><div><span class="credit uppercase"><div><br /></div><div><img alt="Graciela Femenia as Nindiría, a Nicaraguan immigrant who makes a living selling tamales, in Adriana RoCale’s “East Boston, Nos Vemos.”" class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg" height="225" id="img-3be10888-0236-4fc5-a03b-9c9e8035bfc5-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/_7qTgM-UOn8EjEk8urDfs7Yus0k=/1440x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/_7qTgM-UOn8EjEk8urDfs7Yus0k=/1440x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/TGxWzicYmYkY-Mm4uZ7MdJpBiwM=/1280x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/8o-YYKZc_zPQLwnrgoFGOeR8PAQ=/1024x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/oeuOibVHgGPy3viuNqsuzjMsqVs=/820x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/nmG_uhywM4xi3lGXHFmgGVdgJbA=/600x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/hKN3qae9Ecg3d2Bl5-oAyeo3U3E=/420x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/mLPIh2efqAOxIYn9Cj0bxMPI294=/240x0/filters:focal(2103x930:2113x920)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/MZ5TNSDNE5BEHNHVKF3XTL6JAY.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">Graciela Femenia as Nindiría, a Nicaraguan immigrant who makes a living selling tamales, in Adriana RoCale’s “East Boston, Nos Vemos.” (</span><span class="credit uppercase"><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/arts/dispatches-pandemic-speakeasys-project-resilience/">Speakeasy Stage Company</a>)</span></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Time to get back to work:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/taking-dna-street/">Sometime this summer, you’ll be able to buy shares in a Boston company with the ticker symbol DNA</a>. Ginkgo Bioworks was founded about a dozen years ago by a group of MIT grads and one of their professors, and the focus has always been on manipulating genetic material, DNA, to get living cells to perform new jobs. While scientists have been doing that for decades in labs, Ginkgo wanted to find ways to automate and accelerate what has been a largely manual, slow, craftsman-like process. The goal? Helping pharma companies to develop drugs, or industrial companies to produce new chemicals — perhaps even someday enabling living cells to spit out a cost-effective liquid fuel to replace gas. Ginkgo is in the midst of an acquisition by a publicly held “blank check” company, Soaring Eagle, that will give it a public stock market listing, valuing the company at $15 billion. Cofounder and chief executive Jason Kelly likes to compare Ginkgo to Amazon Web Services, which provides computing power and data storage without needing to own the hardware. They hope to do the same for anyone who needs custom-crafted cells, enzymes, and other organic ingredients. I spoke with Kelly and cofounder Reshma Shetty. What follows is an edited version of our conversation....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's almost time to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-time-to-ginkgo.html">Ginkgo</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/medicaid-enrollment-swells-during-pandemic-reaching-new-high/">Medicaid enrollment swells during the pandemic</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Amy Goldstein of the Wa$hington Compo$t says that according to federal health officials and other Medicaid experts, much of the increase is because of a rule change that was part of the first coronavirus relief law adopted by Congress last year.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>Just going to <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/14/faced-with-confusing-data-on-alzheimers-drug-doctors-scramble/">wing</a> the rest of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/business/moderna-will-double-size-its-norwood-plant/">this</a> because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/retail-workers-are-quitting-record-rates-higher-paying-work-my-life-isnt-worth-dead-end-job/">I quit</a>!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>I'm going to hop on a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/latest-faa-reform-gives-workers-new-way-report-safety-flaws/">flight</a> and get outta here:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/airline-ticket-sales-dipped-may-industry-remains-optimistic/">Airline ticket sales fell a little in May after rising steadily in the first four months of the year, according to a firm that tracks bookings, suggesting that <b>demand for tickets for summer travel might not be quite as strong as airlines had hoped</b></a>. It is not clear why bookings were lower in May and whether the trend has continued into June, but analysts and airline executives have expressed optimism in recent weeks that demand for travel is strong. Other countries are increasingly opening up, too. The European Union urged its member states Friday to lift a ban on nonessential travel for Americans. People are also buying more tickets for later in the year than they were this time in 2019, the year before the pandemic took hold. In a securities filing earlier this month, American Airlines said strong summer sales helped it generate a cash profit in May for the first time in more than a year. Delta Air Lines has said it expected leisure travel within the United States to be fully restored this month. Several of the most popular destinations this summer are in Hawaii, according to Adobe. Other popular stops include Bozeman, Mont.; Nantucket, Mass.; Las Vegas; Richmond, Va.; and Orlando and Fort Myers in Florida. Most analysts and airline executives expect that a full recovery will take years — but hotels are faring much better and people are also spending more on travel related goods......"</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>How about dinner and a movie when you get to where you are going?</b></i></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/mass-competitive-partnership-adds-college-president-its-board/">Smithfield Foods was one of the first companies to warn that the United States was in danger of running out of meat as coronavirus infections ripped through processing plants</a> in April 2020 and health officials pressured the industry to halt some production to protect workers. Now, a lawsuit filed last week by Food and Water Watch, a consumer advocacy group, accuses the giant pork producer of falsely stoking consumer fears and misleading the public. The suit says the nation was never in danger of running out of meat. It claims there were ample supplies in cold storage, while at the same time pork exports to China, in particular, were surging. The suit was filed in Superior Court in Washington, where a law allows a nonprofit group to sue on behalf of consumers without needing to show that they suffered direct harm."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I gue$$ you will just have to settle for a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/mass-competitive-partnership-adds-college-president-its-board/">salad</a> instead, and don't talk with your mouth full or during the picture:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/mass-competitive-partnership-adds-college-president-its-board/">Steven Spielberg, a filmmaker synonymous with big-screen enchantment, has set a new deal with Netflix in which his production company, Amblin Partners, will make multiple feature films per year</a> for the streaming giant. The partnership, one long courted by Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, is a major get for the company that, amid increasing competition, brings perhaps the most beloved film director more officially into the streaming fold. The deal announced Monday doesn’t specifically include any movies to be directed by Spielberg. This December, he will release “West Side Story” theatrically with Disney’s 20th Century Studios. Amblin has a separate deal with Universal Pictures for theatrical releases."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I've <a href="http://hellion444.proboards.com/thread/158">soured on his films</a>, the pervert, and after dinner you can go $hopping:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/business/amazon-prime-day-deals-expected-disappoint-amid-cost-crunch/">The deals during Amazon.com’s annual Prime Day sale will be stingier this year</a>, according to merchants. The two-day event, which began Monday, arrives as the world grapples with the lingering effects of the pandemic. Supply-chain disruptions — including the Suez Canal shutdown earlier this year and a spike in COVID cases that has hobbled two of China’s busiest ports — have pushed up costs and made Amazon suppliers wary of selling too much during a profit-crushing sale. Many say they’re also holding back inventory in case shipping delays persist through the busy Christmas holiday shopping season. Amazon merchants, who account for 60 percent of sales on the website, are betting cash-rich consumers will overlook the more meager bargains and still swarm Prime Day. Amazon, which has posted record profits this year, can afford to discount heavily. Many consumer-products companies don’t have that luxury and are thinking about raising prices as much as 10 percent this year, said Shanton Wilcox, a partner at PA Consulting, whose clients include packaged-goods outfits confronting inventory shortages. ’'Prime Day is going to be less exciting than it has been in the past,’' he said. ’'You don’t want to scare away demand, but you have to manage profitability.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Are you $ick of the excu$es yet?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They "po$ted record profits" but it still isn't enough to keep Bezos from gouging you!</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-10345032429961107122021-06-22T05:31:00.002-07:002021-06-22T05:31:24.567-07:00Peruvian Pooh-Pooh<div><div><div><b><i>I'm nothing else if not regular:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Left and right clash in Peru election, with an economic model at stake" by Mitra Taj and Julie Turkewitz New York Times, June 6, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>LIMA — On paper, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">candidates</span></b> on the presidential ballot in Peru on Sunday are a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> leftist former schoolteacher</span></b> with no governing experience and the<b><span style="color: red;"> right-wing daughter of a jailed former president </span></b>who ran the country with an iron fist, yet voters in Peru face an even more elemental <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">choice</span></b>: whether to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">stick with the neoliberal economic model that has dominated</span></b> the country for the past three decades, delivering some earlier successes but ultimately failing, critics say, to provide meaningful support to millions of Peruvians during the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The model has failed a lot of people,” said Cesia Caballero, 24, a video producer. The virus, she said, “has been the last drop that tipped the glass.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Peru has endured the worst economic contraction in the region during the pandemic, pushing nearly 10 percent of its population back into poverty. On May 31, the country announced that its virus death toll was nearly triple what had been previously reported, suddenly raising its per capita mortality rate to the highest in the world. Millions have been left jobless, and many others evicted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The leftist candidate, Pedro Castillo, 51, a union activist, has promised to overhaul the political and economic system to address poverty and inequality, replacing the current constitution with one that will grant the state a larger role in the economy.</div><div><br /></div><div>His opponent, Keiko Fujimori, 46, has vowed to <b><span style="color: red;">uphold the free-market model</span></b> built by her father, Alberto Fujimori, who was initially credited with beating back violent leftist insurgencies in the 1990s but who is now scorned by many as a corrupt autocrat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Polls show the candidates in a near tie, but many <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">voters</span></b> are <b><span style="color: red;">frustrated</span></b> by their options.</div><div><br /></div><div>Castillo, who has never held office before, partnered with a radical former governor convicted of corruption to launch his bid. Keiko Fujimori has been jailed three times in a money laundering investigation and faces 30 years in prison, accused of running a criminal organization that trafficked in illegal campaign donations during a previous presidential bid. She denies the charges.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re between a precipice and the abyss,” said Augusto Chávez, 60, an artisanal jeweler in Lima who said he might cast a defaced ballot as a form of protest. Voting is mandatory in Peru. “I think extremes are bad for a country, and they represent two extremes.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Castillo and Fujimori each won less than 20 percent of votes in a crowded first-round race in April that forced Sunday’s runoff election.</div><div><br /></div><div>The election follows a rocky five-year period in which the country cycled through four presidents and two congresses, and it comes <b><span style="color: red;">as the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic has pushed voter discontent to new levels, fueling anger </span></b>over unequal access to public services <b><span style="color: red;">and growing frustration with politicians</span></b> ensnared in seemingly <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">endless corruption</span></b> scandals and political score settling.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[We are the same the world over as the $atanic globali$t cla$$ has utterly failed]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> hospital system </span></b>has been so <b><span style="color: red;">strained by the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> that many have <b><span style="color: red;">died</span></b> from <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lack of oxygen</span></b>, while others have paid off doctors for spots in intensive care units, only to be turned away in agony.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Sick of the lies yet?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Hospitals the world over were never overrun and neglected care in favor of the CVD fraud]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Whoever wins Sunday, said Peruvian sociologist Lucía Dammert, “the future of Peru is a very turbulent future.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“The deep inequities and profound frustrations of the people have stirred, and there’s no organization or actor, whether private companies, the state, unions, to give voice to that.”</div><div><br /></div><div>When Fujimori’s father swept to power in 1990 as a <b><span style="color: red;">populist outsider</span></b>, he quickly reneged on a campaign promise not to impose free-market “shock” policies pushed by his rival and Western economists.</div><div><br /></div><div>The measures he used — deregulation, government spending cuts, privatization of industry — helped end years of hyperinflation and recession. The constitution he ushered through in 1993 limited the state’s ability to take part in business activities and break up monopolies, <b><span style="color: red;">strengthened</span></b> the autonomy of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">central bank</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">protected foreign investment</span></b>s.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Some "populi$t" outsider, 'eh?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Subsequent centrist and right-wing governments <b><span style="color: red;">signed</span></b> more than a dozen <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">free trade agreements</span></b>, and Peru’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pro-business policies were</span></b> declared a <b><span style="color: red;">success</span></b>, credited with Peru’s<b><span style="color: red;"> record poverty reduction </span></b>during the commodities boom of this century, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> little was done to address Peru’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reliance on</span></b> commodity <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">exports </span></b>and long-standing social inequalities, or to ensure health care, education, and public services for its people.</div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: red;"> pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic exposed</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">weakness</span></b> of Peru’s bureaucracy <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underfunding of</span></b> its <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">public health system</span></b>. The country had just a small fraction of the intensive care unit beds its peers had, and the government was slow and inconsistent in providing even small cash assistance to the needy. Informal workers were left with <b><span style="color: red;">no safety net</span></b>, leading many to turn to high-interest loans <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">from private banks</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The pandemic showed that the underlying problem was the order of priorities,” said David Rivera, a Peruvian economist and political scientist. “Supposedly, we’d been saving money for so long to use in a crisis, and what we saw during the pandemic was that the priority continued to be macroeconomic stability, and not keeping people from dying and going hungry.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The web version kept campaigning]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Fujimori has blamed the country’s problems not on its economic model, but on the way past presidents and other leaders have used it. Even so, she said, some adjustments are needed, like raising the minimum wage and pension payments for the poor. </i><i>She framed her campaign against Castillo as a <b><span style="color: red;">battle between democracy and communism</span></b>, sometimes using Venezuela’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">socialist</span></b>-inspired <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b>, now mired<b><span style="color: red;"> in crisis</span></b>, as a foil.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Castillo, who is from Peru’s northern highlands, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">gained national recognition by leading a teachers union strike</span></b> in 2017. He campaigns wearing the wide-brimmed hat of Andean farmers and has appeared on horseback and dancing with supporters.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Castillo has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">revealed little about how to make good on vague promises</span></b> to ensure the country’s copper, gold, and natural gas resources benefit Peruvians more broadly. He has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">promised not to seize </span></b>companies’ <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">assets but </span></b>to renegotiate contracts instead.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>He has said he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wants to restrict imports of agricultural products</span></b> to support local farmers, a policy that economists have warned would lead to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">higher food prices</span></b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>If he wins, it will be the <b><span style="color: red;">clear</span></b>est <b><span style="color: red;">repudiation of </span></b>the country’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">political elite</span></b> since Fujimori’s father took office in 1990.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[Then he is Peru's Trump?]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/world/left-right-clash-peru-election-with-an-economic-model-stake/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I was told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-peru-health-coronavirus-pandemic-elections-71faa73f0ab6390ec70c8ce3d0a4b71d">runoff election was too close to call</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"With election fraud claims, Peru’s Keiko Fujimori takes a page from the Trump playbook" by Anthony Faiola, Claire Parker and Terrence McCoy Washington Post, June 16, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>LIMA, Peru — In the face of a deficit of tens of thousands of votes in a close count following Peru’s June 6 presidential election, Keiko Fujimori, the 46-year-old <b><span style="color: red;">doyen of a right-wing political dynasty</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">declined to concede</span></b>. Instead, she has appeared to a take <b><span style="color: red;">page from</span></b> former president Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>’s playbook, levying unsubstantiated accusations of fraud.</div><div><br /></div><div>She is not alone. While politicians the world over have long sought to contest election outcomes, with and without basis, some experts say Fujimori’s approach, following Trump’s effort to discredit the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election over false fraud claims, could signal the <b><span style="color: red;">emergence of a trend</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/armenia-europe-elections-67ee12f5ff3152d9d0f8008fd02ec079">new narrative</a> regarding <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2021/06/armenias-sorosnato-flunky-pashiniyan.html">election theft</a>s against conservatives worldwide, and if Republicans think they are winning control in 2022 they have a big surprise coming. We will now be told turnout is low because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/world/populist-leaders-eastern-europe-run-into-little-problem-unpopularity/">populi$ts are unpopular</a> and the<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-migration-immigration-health-9ccc20135ef081fd416ebed2c1799970"> f</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-migration-immigration-health-9ccc20135ef081fd416ebed2c1799970">ar right is faltering</a> because of CVD.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>There will be no voting your way out of tyranny, folks!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Peru, Pedro Castillo, Fujimori’s challenger, has <b><span style="color: red;">claimed victory</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> officials say the result could take days or weeks to certify. Citing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">little evidence</span></b>, Fujimori has claimed large-scale election fraud, bringing in a small army of lawyers in an attempt to throw out more than 200,000 votes, mainly cast in impoverished, rural areas.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: red;">election will be flipped</span></b>, dear friends,” she told thousands of her supporters at a protest in Lima on Saturday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peruvian pundits were quick to cite Trump parallels.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fujimori’s team has claimed that ballot tally sheets were improperly or falsely signed, and questioned tallies where the three-time presidential candidate received no votes. International <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">observers have not raised significant issues</span></b> with the vote, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and have congratulated </span></b>Peruvian <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">authorities for holding a transparent and peaceful expression of democracy</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They just confirmed the theft]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>One political cartoon — published by Peru’s La Republica newspaper and widely shared on social media — depicts Fujimori in the face paint and buffalo horns of Jacob Anthony Chansley, the shirtless “QAnon Shaman” who took part in the post-election storming of the US Capitol.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fujimori isn’t the only one to have leaned on fraud claims after a recent vote.</div><div><br /></div><div>Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s long-standing prime minister until Sunday, cast a deal among opposition lawmakers to remove him from power as “the fraud of the century,” and himself as the victim of plots by Israel’s “deep state.” His supporters blasted right-wing parties that joined the winning coalition as traitors and threatened leading politicians, and in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, who said before the 2018 presidential election that he would only lose if there was fraud, has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of Brazilian elections, drawing widespread comparisons to Trump.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[This is in no way a defense of Netanyahu; however, what do those leaders have in common with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/world/belarus-faces-expanded-eu-us-sanctions-targeting-economy/">others</a>?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They are nationalists first, and thus <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/health/brazil-deaths-covid.html">must be attacked</a> and removed</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b style="font-style: italic;">Btw, the </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/world/israeli-pm-world-powers-must-wake-up-iran-nuclear-deal/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">new Israeli government</a><b style="font-style: italic;"> is worse than the last one -- as incredible as it may seem to </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/biden-urges-unvaccinated-americans-get-vaccinated-warning-against-new-variant/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Palestinians</a><b style="font-style: italic;"> -- </b><b><i>as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-pa-vaccine-diplomacy/2021/06/20/fd718aee-d18f-11eb-a224-bd59bd22197c_story.html">Israeli officials are working to revive talks to deliver vaccine doses to the Palestinian Authority after a deal Friday was suddenly called off by authority officials, who said the doses were too close to their expiration date and did not meet their standards. Some 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are still without sufficient vaccine supplies as shipments from other sources continue to lag, while Israel is mostly returning to pre-pandemic life. The announcement and cancellation of the deal has given rise to conspiracy theories and further damaged the low standing of the Palestinian Authority among its people. On Friday, Israeli officials celebrated the finalization of the three-way deal between the two governments and Pfizer in which Israel would ship more than 1 million doses of its vaccine to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for a similar number of doses to be delivered back to Israel later this year. Israeli officials said the move marked the beginning of a chapter of re-engagement between Israel and the Palestinians after a dozen years under right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Why did smallpox-infected blankets provided by Lord Jeffrey Amherst just come to mind?</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In countries with weak democratic institutions, baseless <b><span style="color: red;">claims have been used to justify</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">military takeover</span></b>, as in Myanmar, or to jail opposition figures. Freedom House, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pro-democracy think tank and watchdog</span></b>, has warned that the world is undergoing “long-term democratic decline,” and analysts have previously cautioned that <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>’s behavior after the 2020 election <b><span style="color: red;">will continue to embolden autocrats</span></b> who <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">manipulate electoral processes to hold onto power</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Just like what Uncle Joe did!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“This epidemic of claims of electoral fraud is just the next chapter in the autocrat’s handbook,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Now that game is being played where the elections are usually very clean,” said Kenneth Roberts, a Latin American politics professor at Cornell University. “When the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">credibility</span></b> is <b><span style="color: red;">called into question</span></b> the way it has been by Trump and the Republicans in the US, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">creates</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">bad example</span></b> that other leaders and countries can follow, providing a template to change results they don’t like.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[So eat the fraud and stolen election. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's TYRANNY!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: red;"> playbook</span></b> that appears to be taking shape involves the <b><span style="color: red;">use of false claims of fraud by right-wing leaders with fiercely loyal bases</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">discredit the outcome</span></b> of elections. Such claims resonate especially well in highly polarized societies, political scientists say, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">social media has played a key role in amplifying</span></b> them.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[As they censor any adverse reactions and deaths from the poisonous gene-therapy vaccines]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Peru, the rash of post-election disinformation has spanned the political spectrum, including <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>photoshopped images</b></span> of people at Fujimori rallies holding classist and <b><span style="color: red;">racist </span></b>sign<b><span style="color: red;">s</span></b> and a fake tweet from Venezuela’s socialist autocratic President Nicolás Maduro celebrating Castillo’s victory.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I’ve never seen such <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fake news</span></b>, that there is a fraud unfolding, and the <b><span style="color: red;">racist subtext</span></b>, that the indigenous are going to march on Lima,” Peruvian journalist Marco Sifuentes said in a popular YouTube show. “They are<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> trying to frighten you</span></b>, trying to delegitimize the results and force Castillo out no matter what it takes.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[CVD!!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A shared predicament among the leaders of these efforts: personal legal jeopardy. Trump and his organization face multiple criminal probes. Netanyahu is on trial for corruption. Fujimori, meanwhile, had been counting on the presidency to shield her from prosecution on charges of money laundering and obstruction of justice.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[And <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/21/trump-investigation-weisselberg/">pop</a> goes the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2018/08/slow-saturday-special-pop-goes.html">Weisselberg</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>She has been imprisoned three times, granted release most recently in April 2020, in an alleged money-laundering scandal connected to her first failed presidential bid. Peruvian prosecutors seek to put her in prison for more than 30 years on separate charges, including embezzlement and election fraud.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Thursday, prosecutors again requested her arrest, alleging she had “systematically” violated her bail conditions by contacting witnesses.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/with-election-fraud-claims-perus-keiko-fujimori-takes-page-trump-playbook/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's when the Globe flushed its coverage.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>While in the neighborhood:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/world/colombia-19-are-killed-pandemic-related-protests/">19 are killed in pandemic-related protests in Colombia</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The world is indeed waking up and rising against the CVD scam.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-nicaragua-religion-arrests-0e67d619db76deece2bc0decad6d64dd">The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrested five opposition leaders during a major weekend round up, in what appears to be widespread detentions of anyone who might challenge his rule</a>. The four arrests Sunday and one Saturday suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential rival candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. The arrests bring to 12 the number of opponents detained since June 2. On Sunday, police also arrested prominent ex-Sandinista dissident Dora María Téllez, another opposition leader, Ana Margarita Vijil, and Suyen Barahona, leader of the political movement Unamos. Tellez’s arrest is a major step: she was a leading Sandinista militant who led an assault on the National Palace in 1978, taking hostage the congress of dictator Anastasio Somoza in exchange for the release of Sandinista prisoners. Following Somoza’s overthrow, Tellez served as health minister in the first Sandinista government which ruled from 1979 to 1990. Like many former guerrillas, she later split with Ortega. On Saturday, police arrested Tamara Dávila, who was active in Unamos, which was formed by former Sandinistas angered by Ortega’s autocratic ways, nepotism and perpetual re-elections. Julie Chung, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-nicaragua-religion-arrests-0e67d619db76deece2bc0decad6d64dd">the U.S. State Department’s acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, said via Twitter that the arrests “confirm without a doubt that Ortega is a dictator. The international community has no choice but to treat him as such</a>.”</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>He must be a good man then.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>When he is exiled to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/metro/local-advocates-praise-biden-extension-protected-status-haitians-living-us/">Haiti</a>, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/immigrant-students-merit-tuition-break/">Globe</a> will throw some <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/world/wedding-receptions-are-back-italys-candymakers-are-delighted/">candy</a> in celebration.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-35295404641170191212021-06-21T14:08:00.004-07:002021-06-21T14:08:48.134-07:00A Pair of Toads<b><i>They even look like them, and will give you warts if you touch them:</i></b><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ct-state-wire-new-haven-lifestyle-entertainment-music-a5849430663751990323c28854cd9561">One of Connecticut’s legendary music clubs is reopening after a year-long closure due to the pandemic, with the help of the federal government. Toad’s Place celebrated with its first live music, a jazz duo, Friday along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Rosa DeLauro</a>. The club had been closed since March 2020. Blumenthal called the club “iconic.” Toad’s opened in the 1970s and has been a hot spot for local bands, but also has hosted acts such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, U2 and, more recently, Cardi B and Kendrick Lamar. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ct-state-wire-new-haven-lifestyle-entertainment-music-a5849430663751990323c28854cd9561">club was awarded a $1 million grant through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Here is a taste of the music that was played:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><img alt="Taylor Swift shocked fans Friday when she announced her next re-recorded album would be "Red," her 2012 foray into pop music." class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg" height="267" id="img-b43c5b1c-2ed1-4083-b2ad-8e3c22885b02-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/HDUXfmbYS2XRtbE00HR7d2-VQQ8=/1440x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/HDUXfmbYS2XRtbE00HR7d2-VQQ8=/1440x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/LizK33YslcUYanvWO4u7mN5COTw=/1280x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/7_wrwG1IEMmG6IBZfp0nNarBfNg=/1024x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/CYeqi5_L0wK3aBdtPKpyKmi5h_8=/820x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/f3Mk6D5ZXQhtQW89M2xBcllSQk4=/600x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/TbHzxUgWW5h_nDdkAGoje_qYmTo=/420x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/CmwOipO5MhGc2ZoefJJogDTPgAA=/240x0/filters:focal(973x548:983x538)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/3PVVXB4YNZIIGZ7TOMXNEBHXOE.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">Taylor Swift shocked fans Friday when she announced her next re-recorded album would be "Red," her 2012 foray into pop music (</span><span class="credit uppercase">Kevin Winter/Photographer: Kevin Winter/<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/arts/taylor-swift-surprises-fans-by-announcing-that-red-will-be-her-next-re-recorded-album/">Getty</a>)</span></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>I heard <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/cue-strawberry-season-arrives-massachusetts/">they</a> played some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10LSq_J5ol4">Beatles</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/lifestyle/bettys-book-list-shes-always-main-character/">well</a> as some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cn_woPvjQI">Ram Jam</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Now dance, everybody, dance</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/push-lgbtq-civil-rights-stalls-senate-advocates-search-republican-support/">The long march toward equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender Americans - whose advocates have eyed major advances with complete Democratic control in Washington - has run into a wall of opposition in the U.S. Senate. Floundering alongside other liberal priorities such as voting rights, gun control and police reform</a>, legislation that would write protections for LGBTQ Americans into the nation's foundational civil rights law have stalled due to sharpening Republican rhetoric, one key Democrat's insistence on bipartisanship, and the Senate's 60-vote supermajority rule. While Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., hinted at a potential action this month - the annual LGBTQ Pride Month - Senate aides and advocates say there are no immediate plans to vote on the Equality Act. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., one of two openly gay senators, said that she has quietly been lobbying Republican colleagues on the issue and that there has been only "incremental progress." </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>By time back page came up I had lost total interest, sorry.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>So you ever <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/marianne-harkless-diabate-who-fused-dance-forms-into-works-limitless-range-dies-63/">dance</a> with the Devil in the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/richard-stolley-who-launched-people-magazine-secured-jfk-film-dies-92/">blazing sun</a>?</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/science/heat-waves-are-becoming-more-common-new-england-these-four-charts-show-damage-inflicted-by-most-recent-one/">Heat waves are becoming more common in New England</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Sabrina Shankman of the Globe Staff (a new name I don't recognize) is croaking about the alarming phenomenon at work as climate change makes periods of extreme heat more common and prolonged and the warming climate is leading us into a dangerous vicious cycle (conveinetently times for the beginning summer and the two hottest months).</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/science/is-it-possible-buy-climate-friendly-air-conditioner-we-asked-an-expert/">Is it possible to buy a climate-friendly air conditioner?</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That question was posed by <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/09/metro/globe-union-members-rally-new-contract/?event=event12">veteran Janelle Nanos</a>, who asked an expert, and the Globe will be happy to know I never have, and never will, use one because I am not a pussy.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/8-kids-youth-van-among-12-lives-lost-claudette/">Eight children in a van from a youth home for abused or neglected children were killed in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on a wet interstate that also killed a man and his baby in another vehicle, the most devastating blow from a tropical depression that claimed 13 lives in Alabama as it caused flash floods and spurred tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes</a>; meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were also killed Saturday when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Makayla Ross, a 23-year-old Fort Payne woman, died Saturday after her car ran off the road into a swollen creek, DeKalb County Deputy Coroner Chris Thacker told WHNT-TV. The deaths occurred as drenching rains from Tropical Depression Claudette pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday. As much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Flash flood watches were posted Sunday for eastern Georgia, the southern two-thirds of South Carolina and the North Carolina coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said......"</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>They have my sympathies down there, so I guess I'm a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/26/business/raytheon-ceo-become-chairman-well/">Copperhead</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/officials-deadly-pride-parade-crash-appears-unintentional/">Deadly Pride parade crash appears unintentional</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You can have Pride in some things, but not others.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-wisconsin-arrests-shootings-471f66b62392772e60572ff58f4100c9">Oregon suspect forced woman to drive him 2K miles</a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The trip ended in Arizona:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-sports-bcaa4de628461416c92f181764ca8618">Witness tells of horror as truck rams into Arizona bike race</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>They must be “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/lifestyle/this-medford-family-is-traveling-3500-miles-oregon-boston-tandem-bikes/">crazy for doing that</a>?!”</b></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-42c1b6e26ee272126d44771902256785">Man pulled gun at Starbucks over cream cheese</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>He likes his coffee the way he likes his coffee!</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bakersfield.com/ap/national/body-of-fourth-victim-in-nc-tubing-incident-found/article_9235cd05-eea9-517d-aab4-047037ab12f3.html">Body of fourth victim in NC tubing incident found</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They went over a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nc-state-wire-72ade333b80c0ed591d4843558fc1fd9">dam</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/family-seeks-2nd-chance-charging-officer-mans-death/">A judge will decide this week whether to charge a Wisconsin police officer who killed a man sitting in a parked car, after the man’s family invoked a rarely used legal process in a bid to get around prosecutors who cleared the officer</a>. Joseph Mensah shot Jay Anderson Jr. in 2016 after he discovered him sleeping in his car after hours in a park in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb. Mensah said Anderson was reaching for a gun....."</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Too late to give him a notice:</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"MassNotify: too little, too late in the fight against COVID?" by Camille Caldera Globe Correspondent, June 20, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>In August 2020, Virginia became the first state in the nation to launch an app to track individual exposure to COVID-19. Since then, over 28 states have followed suit.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rollout of MassNotify </span></b>on Tuesday, Massachusetts became the 29th. In his announcement, Governor Charlie Baker touted the state’s high vaccination rate and pitched the service as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a way to “embrace our new normal</span></b>,” <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the app’s launch at a time when COVID-19 cases have declined dramatically and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">life is edging back to normal </span></b>has some experts scratching their heads.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ramesh Raskar — a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founder of the PathCheck Foundation, a nonprofit that helps develop digital contact-tracing apps — said MassNotify has come online “definitely too late.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think everybody is disappointed that it took so long,” Raskar said. He believes both lives and hospitalizations could have been saved if it were rolled out sooner. “This was a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no-brainer</span></b> to launch an app that other states had already launched,” Raskar added. </div><div><br /></div><div>PathCheck has worked with other states — including Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana and Minnesota — to launch their apps. It offered its services to Massachusetts but was not chosen, Raskar said. “We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">may have saved hundreds of lives</span></b> and many hospitalizations if the app was launched during the winter spike before vaccines were available,” he added.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kate Reilly, spokeswoman for the state’s COVID-19 Command Center, said that Massachusetts <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spent several months studying the tech</span></b>nology, including multiple pilot programs, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to ensure its efficiency and safety</span></b>. It has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">now proven to be “safe, effective, and secure</span></b>,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>MassNotify, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">free service developed in conjunction with </span></b>Apple and Google, works anonymously and “does not track” users or divulge their information, the state said Tuesday in its announcement.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Nothing is anonymous anymore]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever individuals who have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opt</span></b>ed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in to</span></b> the service are near each other, their phones exchange random codes via Bluetooth. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, they’ll receive a text with instructions on how to anonymously share their result. That will notify the other individuals whose phones were recently near theirs of possible exposure to COVID-19.</div><div><br /></div><div>The more who opt in, the better the service works.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[It will ultimately be compulsory, no doubt, and that is when I throw the phone away]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sarah Kreps, director of the Cornell Tech Policy Lab, which studies the politics of emerging technologies, called the launch of MassNotify at this stage in the pandemic “somewhat baffling.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“It seems to show a lack of understanding about public behavior with respect to these apps, which is that people are more likely to use them if they think that this pandemic is still going on,” Kreps said.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Uh-huh! </b></i><i><b>That's why we are being propagated with fearful variants]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, said<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> exposure-notification apps could still benefit individuals who are vaccinated</span></b>, like himself.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Why would he even be worried?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College, said the consensus is that exposure-notification apps are only somewhat beneficial to public health.</div><div><br /></div><div>“They make some difference around the edges,” Landrigan said. “It’s not going to make a huge difference, but it’s one of these situations where every little bit helps.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Landrigan said it would have been preferable if Massachusetts had implemented the app sooner, but that it probably would not have had a significant effect.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ryan Calo, codirector of the University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab, said Massachusetts should continue to focus its efforts on vaccinations, not exposure notification.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Vaccinated people don’t generally contract or spread COVID, making an app superfluous,” he said. “Meanwhile, it seems implausible that people who won’t get vaccinated will somehow use an app provided by the government, let alone upload their health status to it.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Worse still, some people may decide that the app furnishes a substitute for vaccination to keep them safe — which would be deeply misguided,” he added.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/massnotify-too-little-too-late-fight-against-covid/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>That's how they will find you at home:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"As state approaches vaccination goal, it must ‘pull out all the stops’ amid Delta variant threat" by John Hilliard Globe Staff, June 20, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>As the state moved very close to achieving Governor Charlie Baker’s goal of fully vaccinating 4.1 million residents, a local epidemiologist on Sunday urged the state to step up inoculations, warning that a more contagious variant could become the country’s dominant COVID-19 strain this summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Samuel Scarpino, a Northeastern University epidemiologist, warned Sunday that the state’s goal is not enough to fend off the threat posed by the Delta variant, a strain identified in India last year. “We need to pull out all the stops this summer and aim for at least 80 percent coverage of the entire state,” Scarpino said in an e-mail, after local and national health officials issued recent <b><span style="color: red;">warning</span></b>s <b><span style="color: red;">of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">new potential </span></b>corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus threat</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the US Centers for Disease Control, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, cautioned in recent days that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">officials believe</span></b> the Delta variant could soon become the most dominant strain in the United States, and with the goal so close, the governor himself said on Tuesday that he would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">want more vaccinations</span></b> after crossing that line.</div><div><br /></div><div>Scarpino said if the Delta variant threat is realized, Baker’s vaccination goal is not enough to prevent surges in under-vaccinated populations, or in schools where children are too young to be vaccinated.</div><div><br /></div><div>Any community with vaccination rates much below 75 percent to 80 percent will be at risk from the Delta variant, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Given that existing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccines are safe and highly effective</span></b>, he said, “any future surges will be unnecessary tragedies.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Andrew Karson, the chief medical officer at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, praised the state’s progress, but said in a phone interview the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccination work must continue</span></b> as COVID-19 remains a “major risk.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“While it’s a time to celebrate a milestone that helps protect us, there is still a lot more protection we need,” Karson said, noting the threats of Delta and other variants. “We have to keep working hard... fighting this disease. This is <b><span style="color: red;">nowhere near over</span></b>. We have to reassure people who are skeptical of [COVID-19] vaccine, we have to overcome misinformation,” Karson said, “and that’s going to take more than just a van showing up, or local clinics having it.”</div><div><br /></div><div>That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">work requires the support of trusted people within communities </span></b>to encourage vaccinations, according to Karson. </div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s almost going to be, ‘<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">group by group, person to person,’ work</span></b> now,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[House to house combat!]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>About 50 miles west of Worcester, in Springfield, residents gathered Sunday for a Father’s Day cookout in the city’s Adams Park. Music was playing, children ran around the playground — and people could also get tested for COVID-19, according to Gwendolyn Smith, president of the city’s Bay Area Neighborhood Council.</div><div><br /></div><div>Smith is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">local vaccine ambassador </span></b>and has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">walked the city knocking on doors</span></b> to encourage people to get the shots. “We need everyone to be COVID-free in Massachusetts,” Smith said.</div><div><br /></div><div>State Representative Bud Williams, a Springfield Democrat who was also at the event, said he expected <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the work to encourage vaccinations</span></b> was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">going to be a “one-on-one” effort</span></b>. That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">means</span></b> lots of small vaccination sites, volunteers <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">going out to peoples’ homes</span></b>, and labor-intensive outreach in communities.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Get the fuck off my porch and property!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/state-approaches-vaccination-goal-it-must-pull-out-all-stops-amid-delta-variant-threat/">link</a></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>They will use food as a weapon:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/there-is-still-really-need-this-community-fridges-charge-pandemic-wanes/">Community fridges began as a response to the growing food insecurity during the pandemic in communities across Greater Boston, but even as COVID-19 cases subside in the state, organizers say these fridges aren’t going anywhere, and some are even expanding</a>. “There’s no question that there would be continuing need for a long, long time,” said Todd Kaplan, a volunteer at the Somerville Community Fridge...."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Must be a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-somerville-shthole.html">$hithole</a>, and they also talked to Zach Goldhammer, 29, works at the Cambridge Community Center.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>If the power goes out the fungus will begin to grow:</i></b></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/world/wake-indias-covid-crisis-black-fungus-epidemic-follows/">In three weeks, the number of cases of the disease — known by the misnomer “black fungus,” because it is found on dead tissue — shot up to more than 30,000 from negligible levels. States have recorded more than 2,100 deaths</a>, according to news reports. The federal health ministry in New Delhi, which is tracking nationwide cases to allot scarce and expensive antifungal medicine, has not released a fatalities figure. The coronavirus pandemic has drawn stark lines between rich nations and poor, and the mucormycosis epidemic in India stands as the latest manifestation. During the second wave, which struck India in April, its creaky, underfunded medical system lacked beds, oxygen and other necessities as infections and deaths soared. The mucormycosis epidemic adds even more urgency to the difficult task of protecting India’s 1.4 billion people. Only a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> small fraction have been vaccinated</span></b> against the coronavirus, and they remain <b><span style="color: red;">vulnerable to a third wave and the consequences</span></b> that could follow. “Mucormycosis will tail off and go back to baseline as the COVID cases subside,” said Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, an epidemiologist, “but it may come back in the third wave unless we find out why it is happening.” Many doctors in India think they know why. The bone-and-tissue-eating fungus can attack the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs, the skin and the sinuses, where it often spreads to the eye socket and the brain if left untreated. Mucormycosis is not passed from person to person. It develops from commonplace spores that sometimes build up in homes and hospitals. Doctors believe India’s crowded hospitals, and their dire lack of medical oxygen, left the fungus an opening....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The <i>“<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/world/wake-indias-covid-crisis-black-fungus-epidemic-follows/">pandemic has precipitated an epidemic</a>,” he said with his last breath, and it's here, it's here:</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/models-predict-us-coronavirus-infections-could-surge-this-fall-if-vaccination-rates-lag-former-fda-chief-says/">The transmission of the more contagious Delta variant in the United States could spur a fall surge in coronavirus infections if only 75% of the country’s eligible population is vaccinated, former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb said Sunday</a>. While Gottlieb cited one projection forecasting an increase in infections reaching as high as 20% of last winter's peak, he called that an "aggressive estimate," saying he doesn't "think it'll be quite that dire," but he said states with low vaccination rates are already showing a concerning rise in cases with the spreading of Delta, which is up to 60% more contagious than earlier variants. "So Connecticut, for example, where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri show very substantial upsurges of infections. That's based entirely on how much population-wide immunity you have based on vaccination," Gottlieb said on CBS's Face the Nation program. He <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">urged a renewed vaccination push </span></b>closer to the fall, as people prepare to return to school and work, when he said they may be more open to the shots....." </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>The print thankfully ended there, and the sight of him made my stomach turn.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What a $elf-$erving $cumbag!</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/health/covid-vaccine-antibody-test.html">Now that tens of millions of Americans are vaccinated against the coronavirus, many are wondering: Do I have enough antibodies to keep me safe? For a vast majority of people, the answer is yes</a>. That hasn’t stopped hordes from stampeding to the local doc-in-a-box for antibody testing, but to get a reliable answer from testing, vaccinated people have to get a specific kind of test, and at the right time. Scientists would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">prefer that the average vaccinated person not get </span></b>antibody <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">test</span></b>ing at all, on the grounds that it’s unnecessary. In clinical trials, the vaccines authorized in the United States provoked a strong antibody response in virtually all of the participants. “Most people shouldn’t even be worrying about this,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> antibody tests can be crucial for people with weak immune systems or those who take certain medications — a broad category encompassing millions of people who are recipients of organ donations, have certain blood cancers, or who take steroids or other drugs that suppress the immune system. Mounting <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">evidence suggests</span></b> that a significant proportion of these <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">people do not produce a sufficient antibody response after vaccination</span></b>. If you must get tested, or just want to, it’s essential to get the right kind of test, Dr. Iwasaki said. Rapid tests that are commonly available deliver a yes-no result and may miss low levels of antibodies. A certain type of lab test, called an Elisa test, may offer a semi-quantitative estimate of antibodies to the spike protein....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm told that if you<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/health/covid-vaccine-antibody-test.html"> t</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/health/covid-vaccine-antibody-test.html">ake the test too soon, or rely on one that looks for the wrong antibodies — all too easy to do, given the befuddling array of tests now available — and you may believe yourself to still be vulnerable when you are not</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>Time to <a href="https://weilerwoodsforwildlife.com/frog-facts/">knot</a> this thing up:</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/less-caution-more-vision-needed-post-pandemic-mbta/">More vision needed for a post-pandemic MBTA</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>With ridership down because of COVID-19, the agency needs to make dramatic moves to lure back customers.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/we-are-america/">We are America</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/returning-america/">Celia Flomo</a></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/asian-virus/">Janefer Hong</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/when-streetlights-turn/">Sarah Azevedo</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/opinion/peace-mind/">Lauryn Harris</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/disabled-veterans-use-golf-therapy-physical-emotional-wounds/">Disabled veterans use golf as therapy for physical, emotional wounds at the Atkinson Resort and Country Club</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/how-should-boston-fix-methadone-mile/">How should Boston fix the ‘Mass. and Cass’ area?</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Virtually everyone agrees that Boston’s “Methadone Mile” is an eyesore at best and a serious threat to public health and safety at worst.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/police-identify-1-year-old-boy-who-drowned-saturday-wrentham-familys-pool/">Police identify 1-year-old boy who drowned Saturday in Wrentham family’s pool</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>There has been an awful lot of drownings already this year, and I can't help but wonder if it is increased focus on the part of the pre$$, or are sacrifices being sunken and covered up?</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>There are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/today-history/">193 days left in the year</a>, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/37-million-fund-loon-restoration-projects/">$3.7 million will fund loon restoration projects in New England and New York</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/three-vermont-groups-get-epa-money-brownfields-cleanup/">three Vermont groups get EPA money for ‘brownfields’ cleanup</a> (it's all about the green).</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Ribbit!</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-20550845663485265012021-06-21T09:01:00.001-07:002021-06-21T09:01:13.833-07:00Globe Masks Child Abuse<div><b><i>In the past this would have been tagged a Slow Saturday Special; however, there is no longer anything special about the Globe on any day.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>I</b></i><b><i>n this case, it was the horror I found straddling the fold this past Saturday:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"The downside of ditching masks: the return of colds, flu" by Camille Caldera Globe Correspondent, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The name looks new to me. </i></b><b><i>I wonder who they <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/pushing-ahead.html">pushed out</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Since the state’s mask mandate was lifted at the end of May, face coverings have started to come off — and stay off, but according to infectious diseases doctors, the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> return of facial freedom might come with</span></b> some <b><span style="color: red;">downside</span></b>s, like a <b><span style="color: red;">resurgence in cases of</span></b> the common <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cold and </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flu</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the pandemic, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">precautions</span></b> taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 <b><span style="color: red;">all but eliminated other</span></b> common <b><span style="color: red;">viruses</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far this flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported just one influenza-associated pediatric death nationwide, compared with 199 the previous season, and a study published in September in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report revealed a staggering 98 percent decrease in flu activity in the first months of the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[There really is no limit to their audacity in the way they spin the renaming of <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/sunday-globe-says-covid-is-now-common.html">seasonal cold and flu</a> into the scary CVD!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I know the correspondent is a newby, but this is insulting beyond the limit. Lies turned upside down are still lies.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Honestly, there is only <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Lucifer-by-cuteshit/19810141.UIV3X?country_code=US&utm_content=[C.12832175684][AG.123101745964][AD.516931246235]&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxrS-5IGc8QIVwAHQBB1BDAH4EAEYASADEgIKCPD_BwE">one term to describe it</a>, sigh]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“Most of us in infectious disease really attributed that to masks — not just masks, but the combination of masks, people working largely from home, social distancing, all of those measures that have been in place for the last year,” said Dr. Joshua Barocas, an infectious diseases physician at Boston Medical Center, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> as vaccination rates increase and such precautions are slowly scrapped, <b><span style="color: red;">other viruses will start to resurge</span></b>, starting <b><span style="color: red;">with</span></b> colds and other viruses later this summer, and the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flu</span></b> come<b><span style="color: red;"> fall</span></b> and <b><span style="color: red;">winter</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">health advisory</span></b> about <b><span style="color: red;">increased cases </span></b>of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, <b><span style="color: red;">across</span></b> parts of <b><span style="color: red;">the south</span></b>ern United States — something they hadn’t seen since April 2020, when cases “decreased rapidly.” RSV is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cold-like respiratory illness that produces symptoms similar </span></b>to COVID, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and can cause severe illness</span></b> in older adults and young children.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Ironically, the disease from wearing an unhealthy and unnecessary mask]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Since late March — about the time COVID vaccines began to be widely available — cases of RSV have been on the rise in the South. Though the trend hasn’t yet reached the North, where the public was slower to unmask en masse because of lingering restrictions, experts predict that it will.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I imagine it’s going to start expanding to all of the other states as well, as the mask mandates are lifted and as people start socializing more and spending more time together,” said Dr. Helen Chu, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chu <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">predicted</span></b> that the <b><span style="color: red;">return of virus</span></b>es <b><span style="color: red;">like</span></b> RSV and in<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flu</span></b>enza <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could be somewhat mitigated by</span></b> the continuation of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">public health measures in schools this fall.</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Masks are among the most effective of such measures, she said, because much of virus transmission is droplet based, expelled from one person’s mouth or nose and into another’s.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Having that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mask on</span></b> prevents that type of droplet-based transmission pretty well,” Chu said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Oh, she is what is now viewed as a criminal for pushing this fraud, especially when the distance for the little superspreaders who rarely contract or transmit it.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The last people on this planet that should be wearing masks are children under the age of 20 who are still developing. It is depriving them of vital oxygen that will stunt their physical growth and damage their brain, with the side benefit of making them sick with respiratory di$ea$es that can then be diagnosed as.... (drum roll).... CVD.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What an evil, criminal, mass-murdering racket!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>For that reason, Barocas said he will likely continue to wear a face mask in situations that present an elevated risk of cold or flu transmission — like a large holiday gathering or night out at a crowded bar.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I want to lower my risk of respiratory infection. I don’t really want to miss work,” Barocas said, “and to me, wearing a mask is such low-hanging fruit that I’ll probably do it in a lot of social situations.”</div><div><br /></div><div>He also noted the protection face masks afford from pollutants in the air and common allergens like pollen.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How in the world has humanity not only made it to this point, but flourished to the point of needing the be culled and depopulated by these $ick mon$ters, huh?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, the founding director of the Boston University Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research, said she recommends her patients keep their masks on hand. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chu agreed with that advice, and added that she and other infectious disease doctors are concerned about how children will handle the upcoming flu season.</div><div><br /></div><div>“All of us in infectious diseases are just <b><span style="color: red;">holding our breath right now to see what happens when </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flu comes back</span></b>, because it is heading into an environment where <b><span style="color: red;">children have not seen it</span></b>,” she said. “For many of them, this <b><span style="color: red;">will be their first exposure</span></b>, and I’m just worried about how sick they might get once they get it.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Barocas anticipates <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">send</span></b>ing his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">children to school with masks</span></b> this fall, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">regardless</span></b> of whether or not their schools require them.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Quite honestly, it’s been really <b><span style="color: red;">nice no</span></b>t having my kids have the <b><span style="color: red;">colds and sore throats</span></b> that keep them home from school, and it’s highly likely that my wife and I will <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">encourage</span></b> our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">kids to bring</span></b> their <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">masks</span></b> to school <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and wear them</span></b> for part of the day,” he said. “At the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">very least</span></b>, it’s going to <b><span style="color: red;">reduce </span></b>their <b><span style="color: red;">risk</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">little bit</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[MASK OFF!]</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/downside-ditching-masks-return-colds-flu/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>My advice is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/teachers-union-head-criticizes-baker-call-students-return-schools-september/">avoid the classroom</a> at all costs (btw, that link came with <a href="https://www.cabanalife.com/products/preppy-palm-rashguard-set?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5becoNru8AIVIACICR1anw7AEAEYASAGEgIJqfD_BwE">this ad</a>)</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The next question was whether to go up above the fold, or down below.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>In either case, their is unmitigated evil to be found.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I looked toward Heaven first:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/with-reopening-underway-places-worship-move-different-speeds/">Places of worship move at different speeds with reopening underway</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>That's the first time I have seen him in a Bo$ton Globe pew.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I turn to the right and see this:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/targeting-biden-catholic-bishops-advance-controversial-communion-plan/">Catholic bishops advance controversial communion plan</a> </div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The New York Times took the <span class="author | align_items_center bold font_primary margin_right_3"><span class="bold">Dias</span><span class="separator | bold"></span></span><span class="affiliation | color_gray font_primary"> to absolve </span><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2019/06/slow-saturday-april-fools.html">Biden</a> who, sniff-sniff, has the stench of pettofeelya, iynwim.</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Then I looked down:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/business/wormtown-brewerys-ownership-steps-back-amid-allegations-workplace-misconduct/">Wormtown Brewery’s ownership steps back amid allegations of workplace misconduct</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>A drink always makes me feel a bit Cheeky:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/business/weekend-change-begins-saturday-covid-19-restrictions-give-way-full-reopening/">Starting Saturday, businesses including stores, bars, restaurants, casinos, and gyms are able to operate at full capacity, and high-contact establishments like nightclubs can open for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Vaccinated people can drop their masks indoors, except in riskier settings such as hospitals and public transportation. The lifting of the rules marks a major step in the state’s recovery from COVID-19. Some establishments quite literally rang in the new era</a>. A DJ at Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co. on Lansdowne Street was set to count down the seconds until midnight. As Friday night became Saturday morning, the brewpub hoped to reach its full capacity of 575 people, employees planned to knock down plexiglass barriers, and customers were to be allowed to party maskless until 2 a.m., but while some industries celebrate a dramatic return to something like normal, people in other sectors warn that some effects of the crisis will take longer to unwind. “Labor Day is still kind of that sweet spot for the companies we’re talking to,” said Liz Berthelette, research director at real estate firm Newmark. State Senator Julian Cyr, a Truro Democrat, said he’s already hearing that Cape Cod businesses including some dance clubs, will require patrons to provide proof of vaccination upon entry to protect other patrons and workers at the venues. Nonetheless, Encore officials believe they can handle what they expect to be a surge in customers — especially those who play table games — over the busy weekend, which they kicked off with a champagne toast on the casino floor as the restrictions expired at midnight. “The requirements that go with being fully compliant with the COVID restrictions are a lot,” said Jenny Holaday, Encore’s executive vice president of operations. “Having those guard rails be removed is really exciting both for our employees and for our guests, so everybody can just relax and enjoy themselves and have a nice time.” Paul Sacco, CEO of the Massachusetts Lodging Association, said the summer is already looking “far better than last year.” “It really is the weekend of the change,” Sacco said. “After a year of agony.” Those venturing out this weekend will likely notice a difference — <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/business/weekend-change-begins-saturday-covid-19-restrictions-give-way-full-reopening/"><b>even amid the expected cool and damp weather</b></a>....." </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They have been <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/science/heat-waves-are-becoming-more-common-new-england-these-four-charts-show-damage-inflicted-by-most-recent-one/">telling us it is hotter than ever</a>, but here’s what to know as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/mass-is-lifting-all-remaining-covid-19-restrictions-saturday-heres-what-know/">street is full of hustle and bustle</a> now that the state has eased COVID-19 restrictions.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They even give you a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/lifestyle/how-eat-restaurant/">handy guide for those who have forgotten how to behave in public</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>What do you do if the kid doesn't, slap him and blame it on being up too late?</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/staying-up-too-late-welcome-revenge-bedtime-procrastination/">Welcome to revenge bedtime procrastination</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I certainly know the feeling of starting the whole schlep over, but I follow the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/evening-sunset.html">early-to-bed</a>, <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/morning-sunrise.html">early-to-rise</a> axiom so I can share life with the nature that offers me a fabulous bounty each and every day, thank God</i></b><b><i>, and the Globe $cribes can all take the express elevator down where I will be there to greet them -- although probably not for the want! The opening of the pearly Gates will be the final disappointment.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Okay, I'm getting a little full of myself and that a sin so..... let's steel ourself and open the Gates of Hell:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/pessimistic-mood-iranians-vote-new-president/">Iranians vote for a new president</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Vivian Yee of the New York Times says the Iranian voters were in a pessimistic mood and the race has been marked, more than anything else, by a lack of interest.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I had a bit more interest in this:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"Voting bill showdown looms as GOP rejects Manchin plan" by Brian Slodysko and Christina A. Cassidy Associated Press, June 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The Senate is set for a key vote Tuesday on a sweeping rewrite of voting and election law, setting up a dramatic test of Democratic unity on a top priority that Republicans are vowing to block.</div><div><br /></div><div>Democrats appeared to be coalescing Thursday around changes to the bill that could win the support of moderate West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, the lone Democratic holdout on the legislation, yet they still faced <b><span style="color: red;">lockstep Republican opposition</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will likely leave Democrats back where they started</span></b>: lacking the votes to overcome a Republican filibuster. </div><div><br /></div><div>The bill, known as the For the People Act, has been touted as Democrats’ answer to a state-level GOP push to enact voting restrictions following the 2020 election. It passed the House in March, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>has bogged down in the Senate as Democrats have debated among themselves — with Manchin ultimately declaring he couldn’t vote for it because it lacked bipartisan support, <b><span style="color: red;">yet</span></b> Manchin’s position has evolved and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">compromise </span></b>appeared to be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">near</span></b>ing after he proposed a series of changes this week to narrow its scope. His proposal received a boost Thursday when Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who is a leading Democratic voice on voting rights, said she “absolutely” supported it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[She did a flip-flop but it is racist and sexist to call it out]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Still, in a narrowly divided Senate where Democrats must count on Vice President Harris to cast tie-breaking votes, any compromise <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will likely be for naught unless changes are made to </span></b>Senate <b><span style="color: red;">filibuster</span></b> rules, which Manchin and others oppose. For now, it takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance legislation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over a dozen Senate Republicans took turns at the microphone during a Thursday news conference to denounce the bill, which they view as a federal overreach into state and local elections.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, <span style="color: red;"><b>predicted all Republicans would remain in lockstep opposition regardless </b></span>of what changes are made. As written, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Democrat</span></b>s’ <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bill</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">would</span></b> bring about the largest overhaul of US voting in a generation, touching nearly every aspect of the electoral process. It would blunt laws erected in the name of election security, like voter ID requirements, while<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> curtail</span></b>ing<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> the influence of big money in politics</span></b>. It would create a nonpartisan process for redrawing congressional districts, expand mail voting and early voting, restore the rights of felons to cast a ballot, and scores of other provisions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The bill to ensconce never-ending national fraud is laughable on it$ face]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Manchin’s counter-offer, which is intended to entice GOP support, would leave significant portions of the sprawling bill intact, while curtailing, rewriting, or eliminating other key parts. What will ultimately come to the floor for a vote Tuesday remains unclear. Also not certain: whether Manchin will vote for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>A national voter ID requirement favored by Manchin has emerged as one sticking point with some Democrats.</div><div><br /></div><div>Manchin’s proposal is far softer than the strict photo ID requirements adopted by some states. It would require all states to check ID, but various documents including a utility bill could be used instead of a photo ID, a requirement already adopted by 15 states including Manchin’s West Virginia.</div><div><br /></div><div>“That is what we’re negotiating,” said Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is playing a lead role in guiding the legislation.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We might squabble about one or two things,” said Senator Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, “but I am not about to sacrifice the good in the pursuit of the perfect.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Those are Pelosi's words coming out of his seat-stealing mouth]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/voting-bill-showdown-looms-gop-rejects-manchin-plan/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Polls have shown notable bipartisan support for voter ID requirements -- meaning the American public does indeed care about fair elections and what was once the sacred right to vote -- and I have, unfortunately, lost a lot of interest in politics after both parties have thrown in with the CVD fraud.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>There are some good leaders out there who are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-government-and-politics-c923fd72f4814043f0b94fb20df9c1cf">profiles in courage</a>, but they are few and far between.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><i>This here is the antithesis of it:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/biden-urges-unvaccinated-americans-get-vaccinated-warning-against-new-variant/">President Biden urged unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated, warning that a highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus could cause more deaths</a>. “Even while we are making incredible progress, it remains a serious and deadly threat,” Biden said Friday during a White House event to celebrate 300 million doses of vaccine administered during the first 150 days of his administration. “The data is clear: If you are unvaccinated, you’re at risk of getting seriously ill, or dying, or spreading it.” Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expects the Delta variant first detected in India to be the most prevalent strain in the United States in the coming summer months. COVID-19 cases have plunged in the country in step with vaccinations, prompting many people to resume pre-pandemic activities like indoor dining, sporting events, concerts, and travel in recent weeks, but a large swath of Americans — particularly in the politically conservative South — have declined shots despite warnings from health authorities that the <b><span style="color: red;">virus remains a threat</span></b>. “The Delta variant can cause more people to die in areas where people have not been vaccinated,” Biden said Friday. “Where people have gotten the two shots, the Delta variant is highly unlikely to result in anything,” he said, adding that “the existing vaccines are very effective.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That came from Bloomberg and WaShington Compo$t, who recommended a trip up to Canada:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/biden-urges-unvaccinated-americans-get-vaccinated-warning-against-new-variant/">Canada <b>said</b> Friday that <b>it would extend restrictions on nonessential travel </b>at the US-Canada land border until July 21</a>, a move poised to further stoke frustration among the lawmakers, business groups, and residents on both sides of the border who have been pressing Ottawa to begin lifting them. The restrictions, which have been in place since March 2020, have had limited impacts on trade and commerce, but they’ve <b><span style="color: red;">split apart families, disrupted life in tightly knit border communities, and badly hurt</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tourism industry</span></b> in Canada, which is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reliant on American visitors during the summer</span></b> season. Canadian officials have suggested that the reopening of the border will happen in phases. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he wants 75 percent of Canadians to have a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and at least 20 percent of them to be fully vaccinated before easing the measures. As of June 17, nearly 66 percent of Canadians had received at least one dose, while roughly 16 percent have been fully vaccinated. Canada had been extending the interval between doses to get some protection to more people more quickly amid what were initially limited supplies. “We’re <b><span style="color: red;">not out of this pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic yet</span></b>,” Trudeau said. As vaccination rates in Canada have risen, calls have mounted for the country to begin easing some of the measures, and several US lawmakers from across the political spectrum have pushed President Biden to lift the measures unilaterally." </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>That criminal tyrant has turned Canada into a hellhole, and <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/01/angry-canadians.html">my sympathies go out</a> to those up north although I know we are all in the same boat and.....</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div>".... they'll be shutting it all down again in the fall...for the Kill...that's when they're going to blame the mass deaths of the vaccinated on "variants" and the "unvaccinated" and then they're going to round us all up to drag us off to gulags...and here's the kicker....." <b>-- <a href="http://greencrowasthecrowflies.blogspot.com/2021/06/notice-to-readers-absolute-tyranny.html">Greencrow</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>I highly suggest you click on that link and read the rest of the post as well as run the blog roll as I do everyday (not because I'm on it), and I can not help but agree with her because it has been <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/harvard-affirmative-action-case-has-already-been-decided/">planned for a long time</a> and nothing other than divine intervention will cause them to deviate save a mass awakening amongst the world's populace.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>The New York Times says book a trip to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/biden-urges-unvaccinated-americans-get-vaccinated-warning-against-new-variant/">Europe</a> instead -- as long as you have had your $hot, of cour$e:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/biden-urges-unvaccinated-americans-get-vaccinated-warning-against-new-variant/">When Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the United States in late February, it was seen as a breakthrough for reaching vulnerable and isolated Americans, a crucial alternative to vaccines that require two shots weeks apart and fussier storage. It was soon popular on college campuses, in door-to-door campaigns, and with harder-to-reach communities that often struggle with access to health care, but with only 11.8 million doses administered in the United States so far — less than 4 percent of the total — the “one and done” vaccine has fallen flat</a>. States have warned that they may not find recipients for millions of doses that will soon expire, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">partly because the vaccine’s appeal dropped after it was linked to</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">rare but serious blood-clot</span></b>ting disorder and injections were paused for 10 days in April. The vaccine took another hit last week, when regulators told Johnson & Johnson that it should throw out tens of millions of additional doses produced at a plant in Baltimore because they might be contaminated. Although millions of Americans have yet to be inoculated, the vaccine’s role in the United States is fading fast. Experts lament a missed opportunity to address health disparities with a shot that should have been ideal for reaching vulnerable populations." </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's about as close as they get to mention the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of deaths and adverse reactions piling up across the planet.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>All $afe and highly effective, blah, blah.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>That's one reason I'm sick of the $elf-$erving, war-mongering whining:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-newspapers-business-arrests-6399f4757e29f5598d4d4d4133f80f10">Hong Kong newspaper increases print fivefold after arrests</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The AmeriKan pre$$ must be jealou$!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/uks-conservatives-suffer-defeat-blue-wall-seat/">UK’s Conservatives suffer defeat in ‘blue wall’ seat</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>My initial reaction was how after they swept national elections last month?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/world/un-millions-driven-homes-2020-despite-covid-19-crisis/">Millions driven from homes in 2020 despite COVID-19 crisis</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Sadly, I have lost interest in agenda-advancing UN propaganda from the mouthpiece pre$$.</b></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Forgot all about the children:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/motive-sought-fatal-string-arizona-freeway-shootings/">Motive sought for fatal string of Arizona freeway shootings</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The alleged gunman was 19. </i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Children and other relatives of Biden aides get administration jobs" by Sean Sullivan and Michael Scherer Washington Post, June 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — Barely a week into office, President <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Biden made a promise</span></b> that signaled a sharp break from his predecessor: No member of his family would be involved in government,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> that vow did not extend to his senior staff and their relatives. In the first few months of Biden’s presidency, at least five children of his top aides have secured coveted jobs in the new administration. They include two sons and a daughter of the White House counselor, the daughter of a deputy White House chief of staff, and the daughter of the director of presidential personnel.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pattern continued this week. “While it may not be as bad as appointing your son or daughter to a top government post as Trump did with Jared and Ivanka, it is still bad,” said Walter Shaub, who served as director of the Office of Government Ethics from 2013-17. “‘Not as bad as Trump’ cannot be the new standard.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner worked in the White House as unpaid senior advisers, moves that outraged ethics experts, even as a Justice Department opinion found the president has special hiring authorities. Some relatives of top Trump officials and aides also were hired into the administration.</div><div><br /></div><div>Beyond children, other relatives of top Biden aides also have secured high-level administration jobs or nominations. They include the wife of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and the sister of White House press secretary Jen Psaki.</div><div><br /></div><div>Federal law generally prohibits government officials from hiring close relatives or encouraging their hiring, and there is no evidence that any of Biden’s aides have played a role in securing the jobs for their children or other relatives.</div><div><br /></div><div>The White House has maintained that everyone hired has been well-qualified for their positions.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">president has instituted the highest ethical standards of anyone to ever hold this office</span></b>,” deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates said, “and he’s proud to have staffed the most diverse administration in American history with well-qualified public servants who reflect his values,” but the hiring of senior aides’ children remains alarming to ethics experts, because it suggests that people with ties to high-ranking public servants might be getting an advantage over similarly qualified people for low-ranking positions, which often serve as a foot in the door to a career in government and politics.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Blog editor's head exploded]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/children-other-relatives-biden-aides-get-administration-jobs/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-18/biden-s-rejection-of-tax-plan-casts-doubt-on-infrastructure-deal">The White House reiterated President Joe Biden’s opposition to indexing the gasoline tax to inflation to help pay for an infrastructure plan, raising new questions about the viability of a bipartisan compromise emerging in the Senate</a>. “After the extraordinarily hard times that ordinary Americans endured in 2020 -- job losses, shrinking incomes, squeezed budgets -- he is simply not going to allow Congress to raise taxes on those who suffered the most,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement. A bipartisan group of 21 senators has been working to finish a $579 billion infrastructure proposal to counter a $2.25 trillion plan that Biden initially proposed. A draft outline of the lawmakers’ plan obtained by Bloomberg lists several funding sources that have been opposed by the White House. House Speaker Nancy <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-18/biden-s-rejection-of-tax-plan-casts-doubt-on-infrastructure-deal">Pelosi also has shot down the idea, dashing prospects House Democrats would go along</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Is she the real president right now?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Oh, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-asia-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-7bcdaaae598325b0617a00e6df9fb109">stocks sank again on Wall Street Friday, knocking the S&P 500 to its worst weekly loss since February, as more steam comes out of banks and other stocks that soared earlier this year with expectations for the economy and inflation</a> after it had </i></b><b><i>reached <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/why-colorism-problem-heights-matters/">new heights</a>.</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/study-texas-bases-lead-army-posts-risk-sexual-assault/">Texas bases lead Army posts in risk of sexual assault</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>The Globe put a Hood over that Bliss-ful article by placing it on the back page.</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Now back to class:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/task-force-still-undecided-use-test-scores-admission-boston-exam-schools/">Task force still undecided on use of test scores for admission to Boston exam schools</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I failed to read it, sorry.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/brockton-man-charged-with-child-rape-sex-trafficking/">Volunteer Brockton High football coach charged with child rape, sex trafficking</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He also worked at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k">YMCA</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to bury that under a sheet of paper:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/strange-tale-arlingtons-mysterious-marlon-brando-poster/">The strange tale of Arlington’s mysterious Marlon Brando poster</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Stella!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I coulda been a contender. Instead, I'm just a bum!</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/what-bostonians-need-know-about-next-weeks-nyc-mayoral-election/">What Bostonians need to know about next week’s NYC mayoral election</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I didn't even bother to take a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-rotten-apple.html">bite</a> and left it for you if interested.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/black-newton-firefighter-files-discrimination-lawsuit-against-city-department/">Black Newton firefighter files discrimination lawsuit against city, department</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He claims the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/metro/worker-hurt-construction-accident-newton-home/">job killed him</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>His lack of response led to this:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">A woman was injured when she jumped from a second-story balcony Thursday night to escape a massive blaze that destroyed a Cape-style home on Baboosic Lake</a>, fire officials said. Two firefighters were also injured in the fire that broke out shortly before 7 p.m. at 2 Shore Drive Extension. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames and a second-alarm was immediately struck, drawing crews from several surrounding communities, the department said in a statement. The woman who jumped from the balcony was rescued by a passing boater, who took her to an ambulance waiting on shore, which took her to a hospital, the statement said. Her condition was not known. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and had been released from the hospital by Friday morning, Fire Chief Matthew Duke said. By 11 p.m., the fire was mostly out, but the home was on the verge of collapsing. A backhoe from the town’s public works department arrived to tear down the house, allowing firefighters to continue fighting the fire in hard-to -each areas, Duke said. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">cause of the fire remains under investigation</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They then took a ride around the neighborhood:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">A 36-year-old Palmer woman died and a juvenile was seriously injured in a rollover crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike Friday afternoon</a>, according to State Police. The woman was driving a 2005 Subaru Forester eastbound when she lost control, causing the vehicle to roll over and cross into the westbound lane at 1:45 p.m., State Police said in a statement. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. Witnesses and emergency personnel attempted to perform life-saving measures on the woman, but she died of her injuries, State Police said. The juvenile was taken to Baystate Hospital with serious injuries. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">cause of the crash is under investigation, State Police said</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">A 1-year-old child was seriously injured in a two-car crash on Route 24 south around 9:40 p.m. Thursday</a>, State Police said. The child was taken to Boston Children’s Hospital. The condition was not known Friday. The child was riding in a Toyota Sienna van driven by a 28-year-old woman from Fall River, State Police said in a statement. The child was riding along with a 3-year-old and a 40-year-old man from Fall River when the car changed lanes due to road construction, the statement said. At the same time, a Volvo S60 sedan driven by a 17-year-old from Taunton was traveling on the highway and it rear-ended the van, “causing both vehicles to spin out of control,” the statement said. The 1-year-old suffered the most serious injuries. The driver and other passengers in the van were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton for treatment of minor injuries. The Volvo driver was taken to Morton Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, State Police said. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">crash remains under investigation</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">Police are looking for a man believed to be in his 30s or 40s who they say asked a 13-year-old girl to get into his car as she walked back from a neighbor’s house</a> Tuesday. He is described as a white male, with dark eyes and a wide jaw “and looking as if he works out,” police said. The teen was headed home around 6:05 p.m. when the man allegedly stopped and asked her if she wanted to get in his vehicle, a small black sedan, according to police. The girl immediately returned to her friend’s home and the man left the area. On Friday, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">police were able to obtain an image of the car they believe the man was driving, Police Chief Sean Gibbons said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Wayland Police</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">Residents can rest easy knowing the culprit behind a series of vehicle break-ins has been identified on video as a bear</a>. The black bear has been spotted in the town over the past few weeks, just as residents began reporting to police that their vehicles had been broken into, Police Chief Ken Miller said. Police believe the bear is looking for food, and they are urging residents to remove food items from their vehicles and not to leave trash outside. In several instances, the bear has <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/new-england-news-brief/">climbed into a vehicle’s trunk or the bed of a truck to try and get a bite to eat</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He saw to Japan before they found him:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="divider"></div><div data-key="media-placeholder"><a class="LeadFeature Component-leadFeature-0-2-67 LeadFeature_gallery" href="https://apnews.com/article/rampaging-bear-japan-injures-four-311fddaf8bc094cd5a15526a54a3b34d/gallery/f5b6e6c9331b434388d9c0da12cf2ae6"><img alt="In this image made from a video, a brown bear runs on a field in Sapporo, northern Japan Friday, June 18, 2021. The wild brown bear on the loose all night in the city wounded four people, entered a military camp and disrupted flights at the airport Friday before being shot and killed by authorities. (NTV via AP)" class="image-0-2-87" height="267" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod/media/f5b6e6c9331b434388d9c0da12cf2ae6/800.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div>I<span style="font-size: x-small;">n this image made from a video, a brown bear runs on a field in Sapporo, northern Japan Friday, June 18, 2021. The wild brown bear on the loose all night in the city wounded four people, entered a military camp and disrupted flights at the airport Friday before being shot and killed by authorities (<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rampaging-bear-japan-injures-four-311fddaf8bc094cd5a15526a54a3b34d">NTV via AP</a>)."</span></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>The sad thing is the misanthropic Globe gave the death of a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/baby-swan-dies-after-being-rescued-esplanade-earlier-this-month/">baby swan</a> more ink than a person.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/today-history/">In 1865</a>, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free — an event celebrated to this day as “Juneteenth.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/today-history/">In 1953</a>, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass US atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The truth that he was, in fact, a spy came to light after the collapse of the Soviet Union</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/today-history/">In 1975</a>, former Chicago organized crime boss Sam Giancana was shot to death in the basement of his home in Oak Park, Ill.; the killing has never been solved.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That was just before he was slated to testify to the House committee investigating the death of JFK.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/today-history/">In 2011</a>, Libya’s government said NATO warplanes had struck a residential neighborhood in the capital and killed nine civilians, including two children; NATO confirmed hours later that one of its airstrikes had gone astray.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Looks like a war crime to me, based on lies from Obama and the pre$$.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>I'm told <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/mass-reports-25469-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">the state is a national leader in vaccinations after millions have gotten shots, and experts and public officials say the protection is kicking in as key coronavirus metrics have fallen to levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic</a> so take some Pride:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/salem-high-seniors-celebrate-pride-through-community-service-compassion/">Salem High School seniors celebrate Pride through community service, compassion</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Too bad I can't give the paper back.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"Wilmington schools suspend staffer after DCF supports abuse allegation; middle school staffer now under investigation" by John R. Ellement Globe Staff, June 17, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state’s child protection agency is investigating</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">allegation</span></b> that a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">middle school staffer</span></b> in the Wilmington public schools abused at least one student, which comes after another staffer was placed on leave for allegedly <b><span style="color: red;">abusing</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">special needs student</span></b> in an early childhood center.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a letter to parents Wednesday, Wilmington Schools Superintendent Glenn Brand wrote that the Department of Children and Families had sustained allegations that a staffer at the Wildwood Early Childhood Center had abused or neglected at least one child. The center offers pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes in 11 classrooms, according to state records and Wilmington Schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We placed the staff in question on administrative leave as soon as we were made aware of those claims,” Brand wrote, adding that an outside investigator has been hired to examine the circumstances at Wildwood. “We recently learned from DCF that some of the claims have been supported.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the issue has expanded to a separate school and facility — the town’s middle school, which serves grades six through eight.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Last week, we became aware of a separate series of allegations of misconduct by a staff member at Wilmington Middle School,” Brand wrote. “That staff member has also been placed on administrative leave pending a DCF investigation.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Brand did not identify the jobs held by the persons under DCF investigation. “Out of respect for all those involved and based on legal requirements, we are not able to discuss the specifics of these cases,” he wrote.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/wilmington-schools-suspend-staffer-after-dcf-supports-abuse-allegation-middle-school-staffer-now-under-investigation/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You don't want the kids in <a href="https://fort-russ.com/2020/05/revealed-massachusetts-contact-tracing-ngo-part-of-clinton-pedophile-ring-in-haiti/">their hands</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/acting-mayor-janey-re-submits-proposed-budget-boston/">Acting Mayor Janey resubmits proposed budget for Boston</a></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/ri-activist-groups-criticize-nonviolence-institute-working-with-police/">R.I. activist groups criticize Nonviolence Institute for working with police</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Some progressive groups and activists demanded that the nonprofit organization give money directly to victims of shootings instead.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Nothing personal, just bu$ine$$:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/business/oneunited-host-conference-closing-racial-wealth-gap/">OneUnited to host conference on closing racial wealth gap</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yeah, the banks are going to solve the wealth gap. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's like hiring the fox for $ecurity at the henhou$e after OneUnited failed to payback bailout loot and has connections to their Congre$$ional over$eer Maxine Waters.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/business/quincy-center-development-set-accelerate-with-plans-hancock-street-high-rises/">Quincy Center development set to accelerate with plans for Hancock Street high-rises</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They want to pack us into the high-rises like $ardines.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now let's eat!</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/business/mass-added-9200-jobs-may-unemployment-rate-dipped-61-percent/">Massachusetts employers added 9,200 jobs in May, state labor officials said Friday, a smaller gain compared to the month prior and a sign that <b>businesses are still struggling </b>to find workers as the state reopens</a>. The speed of job recovery in Massachusetts, which lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions on May 29, trails national figures. The state’s unemployment rate dipped to 6.1 percent last month compared to a revised rate of 6.4 percent in April. Although the jobless rate is trending downward, that number is higher than the national average, which fell to 5.8 percent last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers have been scrambling to hire workers in recent weeks to keep up with the reopening and accommodate pent-up demand from consumers. <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/business/mass-added-9200-jobs-may-unemployment-rate-dipped-61-percent/"><b>Despite indications that the economy is rebounding,</b> the Labor Department reported Thursday that new claims for unemployment benefits ticked upward last week, following several weeks of declines</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Sorry, I'm $ick of eating Globe $lop.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/arts/meet-15-year-old-who-just-won-olympics-violin/">Meet the 15-year-old who just won ‘the Olympics of the Violin</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/arts/mark-volpe-looks-back-23-years-running-bso/">Mark Volpe looks back at 23 years of running the BSO</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The only thing left to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/business/golfers-return-links-bolsters-acushnet/">talk</a> about was the <a href="https://www.williammurraygolf.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3ZqR-MXG8AIVxPyzCh2IIgZKEAEYASAAEgLXG_D_BwE">ad for golf wear</a> given his <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/every-day-is-groundhog-day-when-reading.html">appearance</a> on the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-8121d262f3852aa66a522c20351ec56a">flight manifest</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, it's the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">end of an era</a>, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/opinion/nobel-adjacency/">you</a> saw <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/metro/ryan-reynolds-is-back-boston-another-big-budget-movie-this-one-musical-with-will-ferrell/">who</a> else made the list.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Oh, what I wouldn't give for a honorable and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/26/business/raytheon-ceo-become-chairman-well/">Honest actor</a>:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">The Honest Co. made its trading debut Wednesday in a further test of cofounder Jessica Alba’s pitch to would-be wellness investors. The personal-care products brand and its venture capital backers raised $413 million in an initial public offering</a> Tuesday, selling 25.8 million shares for $16 each after marketing them for $14 to $17. An actress turned entrepreneur, Alba included a letter to potential investors in the company’s filings touting Honest Co.’s commitment to healthy products. In addition to baby products like shampoos, the company also sells cosmetics as well as cleaning supplies, a collection that was launched during the coronavirus pandemic."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Did you happen to see the <a href="https://www.vixpaulahermanny.com/collections/sale-m?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImPOby5Xs8AIVFhaHCh2uRgOHEAEYASAAEgKQ4vD_BwE">outfit</a> she was <a href="https://www.bellewholesale.com/collection/prom-dress/1R6C1N7w0Z0z5F0d0o0w5u5G2q.html?sort_by=LZS1865,LZQ3278,LZS1028&utm_source=google&utm_medium=gdn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxNWdrdrp8AIVxYiDCB1GyAFxEAEYASAAEgLR0fD_BwE">wearing</a>?</i></b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-72819897124692400952021-06-20T14:26:00.000-07:002021-06-20T14:26:17.173-07:00Sunday Greeting<div><b><i>I consider it a complete wa$te of $6:</i></b></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/business/e-cards-pandemic.html">E-Cards Are Back</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>It came from Anna Schaverien of the New York Times, who said that thanks to the pandemic the popularity of virtual cards has grown again as people sought ways to connect with loved ones and friends in the isolation and separation of Covid-19 restrictions.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Globe is looking for a retirement card if their front-page, above-the-fold feature means what I think it does:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/justice-breyer-under-pressure-left-retire-takes-long-view/">Justice Breyer, under pressure from left to retire, takes the long view</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They are showing him the door, and I find that untoward and unseemly even though I often disagree with that wing of the Court. He's a Clinton nominee, and the Court doesn't take on the big challenges such as war crimes or electoral fraud, but the naked political calculating my Democrats is disgusting. Stick to your guns, Steve, and don't take any flights in small planes.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The o$ten$ible righthand-corner, above-the-fold lead:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"Local officials say Baker is failing to invest in state’s broken public health system; Governor putting few dollars toward rebuilding public health after COVID" by Kay Lazar Globe Staff, June 19, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Local public health officials were excited when the Baker administration recently announced a modest grant program to help beleaguered towns and cities be better prepared for the next pandemic. For the first time in decades, they said, the state was investing new money on the front lines of disease prevention, but then came Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement on Thursday that not a single dollar out of $2.8 billion in federal pandemic relief funding he plans to allocate would go toward public health programs. Instead, he said, the money would be used to ease the state’s housing crunch and other priorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, some of the same leaders who were praising the administration days ago are lamenting what they say is Baker’s shortsightedness. They believe the governor is missing a historic opportunity to make a dramatic new investment in the state’s tattered public health system.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s a public health crisis that caused all of this federal funding to happen. And then he wants to turn his back on this?” said Mike Hugo, government affairs liaison at the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sharp turn against the governor underscores the urgency local public health officials feel about improving their system after a pandemic that has killed more than 17,000 people in Massachusetts. The state’s threadbare network of local health departments was simply overmatched by COVID-19 and the directors say a massive infusion of money is needed to not only be ready for the next pandemic, but to provide basic disease prevention services more equally across the state.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/local-officials-say-baker-is-failing-invest-broken-public-health-system-mass/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I stopped there because it is obviou$ it is all about the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/federal-authorities-select-mass-general-brigham-study-long-term-effects-covid-19/">bribe money</a> that continues the fraud, whether it come from the government or billionaire philanthropist$ts meaning us all well, and they really have everyone over a barrel. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's poverty unless you accept our burnt offering and you can straddle the fence for so long:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/arcane-voting-maps-leave-some-boston-voters-waiting-long-lines-while-others-zip-through/">Arcane voting maps leave some Boston voters waiting in long lines while others zip through</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Or you can step out of line and go underground:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/treehouse-maine-school-studies-good-life/">Maine school studies the good life in a treehouse</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Just watch out for the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/maine-residents-fend-off-poisonous-caterpillars/">poisonous caterpillars</a> that can cause people to develop painful rashes and even breathing problems -- which will undoubtedly be diagnosed as CVD!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Maybe you should go see a movie instead:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/arts/life-with-father-movies/">Life with father — at the movies</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They say going to the movies with dad is a lasting memory for many people, providing a window into the world and a window into a man, and there is definitely a Dad Movie Hall of Fame with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/deprived-rituals-grief-we-are-left-invent-ways-contain-our-grief/">his picture in it</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Meet Iran's new daddy:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/world/iranian-hard-liner-raisi-wins-presidential-vote/">Iranian hard-liner Raisi wins presidential vote</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I didn't get past the New York Times byline as that is the last source I would trust regarding Iran.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/world/bidens-bet-iranian-hard-liner-may-be-best-path-restoring-nuclear-deal/">Biden’s bet: Iranian hard-liner may be best path to restoring nuclear deal</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>It's something called news analysis b<span class="label | bold font_primary margin_right_3">y</span><span class="author | align_items_center bold font_primary margin_right_3"><span class="bold"> David E. Sanger</span><span class="separator | bold"> and</span></span><span class="author | align_items_center bold font_primary margin_right_3"><span class="bold"> Farnaz Fassihi</span><span class="separator | bold"></span></span><span class="affiliation | color_gray font_primary"> of.... the New York Times</span>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Now some brief asides:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/warsaw-europe-lifestyle-parades-health-e6bd0d9980816c47fa9499a5c6da99b2">Warsaw gay pride parade back after backlash, pandemic</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-arrests-ed30ae91fb75cdd7ba541bc6074d8392">Reports: US student found killed in Russia, suspect arrested</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-sainthood-business-religion-government-and-politics-f37b84afccec3d2c65eaa8eec4164d6a">An architect of European unity moves ahead on sainthood path</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The $aint is none other than Robert Schuman(!), a French statesman who paved the way for the bloc that eventually evolved into European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic church’s path toward possible sainthood. </i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>Time to check the virus notebook:</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-africa-europe-middle-east-tokyo-0fd72b1e562be7733928cdc51dc41360">US sends more vaccine doses to Taiwan</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Print was NYT, but what difference does it make?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/music-festivals-pandemics-euro-2020-health-europe-b7d349842bd0848b66b6796c6d330f14">Metal fans mosh at 1st UK live music festival since pandemic</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh3t49NsWBA">Motorhead</a> got it right</i></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-097cff85c058bfadf6dcb3a4f4637828">Partygoers, police injured at curfew-busting rave in France</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You threaten the booze and people get their backs up, as irrational as that is.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I hate to say it, but drunken riots are an expression of freedom in the age of CVD.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-africa-europe-middle-east-tokyo-0fd72b1e562be7733928cdc51dc41360">Oman reinstates restrictions amid surge</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Insane and a portent of things to come, and it's proof there are only a handful of governments resisting the diabolical plot.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Here is one:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-africa-europe-middle-east-tokyo-0fd72b1e562be7733928cdc51dc41360">Half-million lives lost to virus in Brazil</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now take a deep breath and hold it:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-africa-europe-middle-east-tokyo-0fd72b1e562be7733928cdc51dc41360">Afghanistan stocks oxygen to combat rising cases</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Better slow your role on the withdrawal, Joe, what with these guys waiting to invade:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-africa-europe-middle-east-tokyo-0fd72b1e562be7733928cdc51dc41360">Russia sees infections double</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>No better time to open up an Eastern Front.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>Meanwhile, on the home front:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/how-republican-states-are-expanding-their-power-over-elections/">How Republican states are expanding their power over elections</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's by Nick Corasaniti and Reid J. Epstein of the New York Times, and that is as far as I got.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>The worry up there are the audits which will not only swing Georgia and Arizona back to Trump, but <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/how-national-push-by-trump-allies-audit-2020-ballots-started-quietly-pennsylvania/">Pennsylvania</a> as well.</b></i> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/time-ticking-away-democrats-face-wrenching-test-agenda/" style="font-style: italic;">clock is ticking</a><i> on the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/03/nation/meet-richard-cordray-man-now-center-debate-over-student-debt/">Democrats</a> as they seek to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/03/metro/mass-lawmakers-expected-approve-millionaires-tax-proposal-next-week-allowing-it-go-2022-ballot/">$oak the ri¢h</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/texas-gop-revive-voting-bill-democrats-plot-next-move/">plot their next move</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/fierce-capitol-attacks-police-newly-released-videos/">Fierce Capitol attacks on police in newly released videos</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Turns out it was a badly-staged and -scripted <a href="https://needtoknow.news/2021/06/was-the-capitol-riot-an-fbi-false-flag-used-to-frame-patriots-as-domestic-terrorists/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=was-the-capitol-riot-an-fbi-false-flag-used-to-frame-patriots-as-domestic-terrorists">psyop by the government</a> to frame <a href="https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/who-is-a-terrorist-in-bidens-america/">those who dissent</a> in any way from the preconceived and ordained from on high agenda..</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-shootings-ab6b02b374214c007b5403aa9cdb3235">Editor of paper that endured newsroom shooting says goodbye</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Byyyyye, you $ellout.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-dog-champ-dead-aa2c7a4e95378c25bf674a6d86cb9279">Bidens’ older dog, Champ, has died</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Look, I'm <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/audrey-cooper-who-represented-best-newton-dies-97/">sad</a> when any pet dies because the animal has no idea what is going on out here, although they do have an innate ability to sense evil.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/amid-reform-movement-some-gop-states-give-police-more-power/">Some GOP states give police more power amid reform movement</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Meaning they are protecting local police, thank God.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The simple fact is, the further away and more centralized is a police force the more unaccountable they are and the more likely they are to using tyrannical tactics like torture, etc.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div><b><i>Looks like they need one in Kalifornia</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/scottish-man-who-faked-his-death-california-is-jailed-rape/">Scottish man who faked his death in California is jailed for rape</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Christine Hauser and Jenny Gross of the New York Times reported on the reported disappearance of Kim Avis, a 57-year-old man from Scotland, that struck investigators as off from the beginning -- and they were right.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Reads like a <a href="https://www.nbc.com/dateline">Dateline</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They also need a fireman out there:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/if-you-move-out-here-you-make-deal-with-nature-life-fire-prone-canyon/">Life in a fire-prone canyon</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The New York Times lit my fuse by claiming a statewide drought and heat wave have helped create dangerous wildfire conditions and have played a role in turning the California fire season into more and more of a year-round phenomenon, when the turn is the reservoirs have been emptied and there is massive arson underway, imho.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It all fits with the UN21 or Agenda 2030 or whatever name the evil calls it$elf.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>Meanwhile, on the other side of the country:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/major-damage-alabama-mobile-home-park-amid-tropical-storm/">Major damage to Alabama mobile home park amid tropical storm</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Oh, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrmWFjnAP2E">Sweet Home Alabama</a>, turn it up!</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>No rain on the parade where skies are so blue:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/nation/scenes-juneteenth-americas-newest-holiday-156-years-making/">America’s Newest Holiday, 156 Years in the Making</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>For Juneteenth, the New York Times went down to Galveston, Texas, where on June 19, 1865, a Union general signed an order notifying enslaved African Americans that they were free, and I have no problem with the recognition. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What I do have a problem with is it being another paid federal holiday and them calling it Independence and not Emancipation Day, which is a more accurate term.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The irony is, we are all being ushered into va¢¢ine $lavery regardless of our skin color -- if we even survive.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/nation/teen-with-down-syndrome-posed-her-cheer-teams-yearbook-photo-when-it-published-she-was-left-out/">When cheer team’s yearbook photo was published, a teen with Down syndrome was left out</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Wa$hington Compo$t piece was a real downer in Utah as the cheers have gone silent.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/consuewella-dotson-africa-dies-mother-children-killed-move-bombing/">Consuewella Dotson Africa dies</a></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The kids were literally murdered by the government.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/milkha-singh-indias-flying-sikh-ace-runner-dies-91/">Milkha Singh, India’s ‘Flying Sikh’ ace runner, dies at 91</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/16/damon-weaver-kid-reporter-obama/">Damon Weaver, the kid reporter who interviewed Obama in memorable White House chat, dies at 23</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>No details regarding cause or circumstance regarding why he died at the hospital, but my first question is when did he get the shot the murderous war-criminal Obama encouraged him to get?</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/lisa-banes-film-stage-actress-dies-65/">Lisa Banes, film and stage actress, dies at 65</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><i>Time to close the curtain on the obituaries.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/world/inside-deadly-serious-world-esports-south-korea/">Inside the ‘deadly serious’ world of esports in South Korea</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times is your guide as South Korea is considered a birthplace of esports, but the highly selective multibillion-dollar industry is still frowned upon by many in the country and the academies have worked to change that image and give thousands of young people a chance to pursue careers in a place where gaming has long been seen as a way of life.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's who signed the front-section card, folks! </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/here-help-springfields-diversion-court-points-young-adults-prison-promise/">Springfield’s diversion court points young adults from prison to promise</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The tyrannical government responsible for all the problems is here to help!</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/after-bizarre-year-schools-out/">School’s out after a bizarre year</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I am about to take summer vacation from the Globe.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/boston-area-events-celebrate-juneteenths-end-slavery/">Boston-area revelers celebrate Juneteenth in its first year as a national holiday</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Were skies clear?</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/metro/he-served-rhode-islands-black-regiment-civil-war-wasnt-paid-full-then-he-demanded-it/">He served in Rhode Island’s Black regiment in the Civil War, but wasn’t paid in full. Then he demanded it</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They were getting $tiffed by government way back then, and it's always from their alleged friends!</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Better stiffen up for what was at the bottom of the page:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"As Mass. approaches 4.1 million vaccinated goal, holding small local clinics will be ‘long-haul process’" by John Hilliard Globe Staff, June 19, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>As the state edged closer Saturday to its goal of getting 4.1 million residents vaccinated, advocates said <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">officials must press on with efforts to inoculate</span></b> people who remain unprotected.</div><div><br /></div><div>Louis Elisa, a member of Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition’s steering committee, warned that COVID-19 is far from defeated, even with continuing declines in new deaths and cases and a reopened state economy.</div><div><br /></div><div>“These things don’t go away because we stop putting them into the newspaper [and] they’re not front page anymore,” Elisa said in a phone interview.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Robert Horsburgh, a Boston University professor of epidemiology, said the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state must aim to inoculate three-quarters or more </span></b>of its residents.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The people who really wanted the vaccine have gotten it, but the people who aren’t so sure need to get it,” Horsburgh said, “and we need to help them be sure.”</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>[After having plucked the </b></i><i><b>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/vaccination-rates-fall-off-imperiling-bidens-july-fourth-goal/">low-hanging fruit</a>," t</b></i><i><b>hey want you taking the experimental gene-therapy they have mislabeled a vaccine.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>The effort is monstrously criminal at this point, and w</b></i><b><i>hat they need to do is keep telling the inoculation percentage lie and then declare victory and depart the field, never to be heard from again. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That would be the $mart thing to do.</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The vaccines have significantly diminished the pandemic’s impact in Massachusetts with average numbers of new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations dropping to the lowest they have been since the start of the pandemic, according to state data, but the <b><span style="color: red;">virus remains a threat</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[That's a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-600k-deaths-us-1ef14a0b998e6ce99281edf6e996dfbe">lie</a>!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>The numbers were cratering long before the vaccine program got going because of that wonderful thing known as a human immune system and natural herd immunity to coronaviruses, and the variants they claim are a threat are weaker and nonexistent since CVD is simply seasonal flu with a fancy name]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Horsburgh <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>said officials must expand incentives</b></span> for getting vaccinated and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">make the process easier</span></b>, with conveniences such as walk-up clinics. Physicians should also be able to vaccinate patients, as they can answer questions and address their concerns, he said. “It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">much more likely that people will accept the vaccine when everyone else</span></b> in their community <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is </span></b>doing it,” Horsburgh said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The guy is a peer-pressuring monster for something you don't even need]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A range of local efforts have replaced the mass vaccination sites that were in place for months, some offering gift cards and other prizes to help attract interest, and the state is supporting programs including the “Vax Express,” which has used the MBTA Commuter Rail as a mobile vaccination clinic in Boston, Worcester, and Lowell in recent days. The train visited Lawrence on Saturday.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[I'm told the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/all-aboard-state-launches-vax-express-expand-access-covid-shots/">Vax Express — a commuter rail train turned vaccination clinic — is one of Governor Charlie Baker’s latest attempts to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state’s hardest-hit communities, as outside, on the platform, volunteers handed out free hotdogs and those who received shots were also rewarded with other vaccination incentives from the state: a $25 gift card to Shaw’s and a chance to enter the state’s $1 million vaccine lottery, announced Tuesday</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>So how long until we are loaded on to those rail cars and taken to the camps, huh?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>This <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/nation/models-predict-us-coronavirus-infections-could-surge-this-fall-if-vaccination-rates-lag-former-fda-chief-says/">fall</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Sure looks like a THREAT to me!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><i><b>Now about that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/other-states-are-trying-vaccine-lotteries-should-mass-consider-something-similar/">lottery</a> paid for with CVD relief $$$: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/mass-have-special-lottery-sweepstakes-fully-vaccinated-individuals-eligible-five-1-million-prizes/">those</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/mass-have-special-lottery-sweepstakes-fully-vaccinated-individuals-eligible-five-1-million-prizes/"> fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will have the chance to win $1 million in a special Lottery sweepstakes</a>, so are you <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/feeling-lucky-vaccine-lottery-odds-will-be-much-better-than-usual-state-lottery-games/">feeling lucky</a>, punk?</b></i></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>You will literally be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/southwick-store-owners-give-discarded-1-million-winning-lottery-scratch-ticket-back-springfield-woman/">gambling your life</a>]</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Steven Gil, a member of Lawrence’s Board of Health and a registered nurse, said community efforts to vaccinate people have faced language and cultural barriers. So far, about 40 percent of Lawrence’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to state data.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">imperative that the outreach continue</span></b>, according to Gil, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">must be tailored</span></b> to residents.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think we <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need to</span></b> be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">innovative</span></b> ... and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">try to make it more personalized</span></b> to our individuals in Lawrence,” he said in a phone interview. “We should <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be more culturally sensitive</span></b> to the needs and the wants of our culture in our community.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What is it about the letters N and O that you do not understand?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Consent? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Never, and that would make them criminals!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Boston Saturday, Elisa said the community coalition had <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">set up a mobile vaccination site</span></b> during a Juneteenth celebration at the Shattuck Hospital campus. The Black residents organization organizes pop-up clinics and is looking to expand its schedule of days and operating hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>About 55 percent of Boston’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the state.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elisa said many unvaccinated people want to get the shots, but have jobs and other responsibilities that make it difficult to get to a clinic. It is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">critical</span></b>, Elisa said, that local mobile and pop-up efforts are expanded <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to reach them</span></b>, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Health care is <b><span style="color: red;">no joke</span></b>. Even though we have smiling faces because we are able to sit out in a restaurant, or go stand in crowds and cheer for our teams ... a little more caution” is needed, Elisa said. “It’s <b><span style="color: red;">not over</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Actually, it is but no one is laughing! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The cat is out of the bag on this genocidal, mass-murdering fraud and anyone who continues to push it is a criminal condemned to hell.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/19/metro/mass-approaches-41-million-vaccinated-goal-holding-small-local-clinics-will-be-long-haul-process/">link</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>The governor says “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/mass-reports-13904-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">brighter days are very much upon us</a>” as experts and officials say the protection from vaccinations is kicking in and the pandemic appears to be subsiding after more than a year of wracking the state, but “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/13/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask">we’re not over this,” said Dr. Susan Butler-Wu, an associate professor of clinical pathology at the University of Southern California. “Testing is really critical, because you are flying blind without it.” That is especially true in parts of the American South, where vaccination rates are low, Dr. Butler-Wu added. Without a vaccine, “you’re putting yourself in harm’s way,” said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “This virus will find you if you are not vaccinated, and you continue to have contact with people throughout the community.” Experts in testing and public health say the virus will become endemic, meaning it will circulate at low levels for the foreseeable future. Mara G. Aspinall, a professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, said some in the field are discussing other methods of testing to track outbreaks, including examining wastewater for signs that infections might be present in a community</a> (what a literal heap of shit).</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Now they are worried about how the<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/drop-childhood-vaccinations-during-pandemic-may-raise-risk-outbreaks-other-diseases-when-schools-reopen-cdc-says/"> r</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/drop-childhood-vaccinations-during-pandemic-may-raise-risk-outbreaks-other-diseases-when-schools-reopen-cdc-says/">outine childhood vaccinations dropped dramatically during the early months of the pandemic, and although those began rebounding last summer, many children and adolescents are still behind on shots, according to a federal health report released Thursday. That lag might pose "a serious public health threat" of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses such as measles and whooping cough that have the potential to derail efforts to reopen schools, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With health care systems and other social institutions already overburdened by the pandemic, the CDC is recommending that providers consider giving coronavirus vaccines on the same day as other vaccines, especially when children and teens are behind or in danger of falling behind on recommended shots</a> -- so <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/downside-ditching-masks-return-colds-flu/">keep making the kids wear the damaging masks</a> even though the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/dartmouth-medical-school-drops-all-cheating-sanctions-against-students/">kids</a> are not contracting CVD nor spreading it in the schools or <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/biden-administration-releases-pared-down-workplace-safety-rule-stopping-short-broader-mandate/">workplaces</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Now they are telling us CVD was around as early as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/study-says-covid-19-likely-present-mass-early-december-2020/">December 2019</a>, and weren't they blaming <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/hogan-calls-video-ocean-city-arrest-over-vaping-disturbing/">vaping</a> for it back then?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Now it is the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/more-than-150-cases-delta-variant-found-mass-dph-confirms/">m</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/more-than-150-cases-delta-variant-found-mass-dph-confirms/">ore than 150 cases of delta variants</a> we are supposed to be afraid of as there is now <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/pill-treat-covid-19-us-is-betting-it/">talk of a pill</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/mass-reports-31202-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">e</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/mass-reports-31202-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">xperts and officials say the protection from the state’s massive vaccination campaign is kicking in, and the pandemic appears to be subsiding after more than a year of wracking the state because key coronavirus metrics have fallen precipitously since the peak of the second surge early this year</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>Thus, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/us/coronavirus-deaths-vaccines.html">a</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/us/coronavirus-deaths-vaccines.html">s the nation reopens and calls emerge to investigate lessons learned in the pandemic, The New York Times asked more than a dozen public health experts, economists and bioethicists to reflect on the vaccine rollout. Was the American approach as effective as it could have been? What, if anything, could have been done differently? The Trump and Biden administrations debated numerous options, including ideas raised by the experts. There is by no means universal agreement about what should have been done, and no way of knowing with certainty whether different vaccination tactics would have resulted in fewer deaths. Still, with the benefit of hindsight, experts pointed to several areas where the United States might have taken another approach. Here are five alternate scenarios</a>: 1. The U.S. could have delayed second doses to partly protect more people; 2. Officials could have included (slightly) younger people in the early rollout; 3. Want vaccine equity? Try prioritizing by ZIP code; 4. Congress could have allocated money for vaccine distribution sooner; 5. The U.S. needed to pitch vaccines to the public more effectively.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The PERSECUTION of the unvaccinated is BEING PREPARED as I'm told that </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/eu-recommends-bloc-lifts-restrictions-us-travelers/" style="font-style: italic;">as much of the US emerges from masking and social distancing, undervaccinated pockets in the country still threaten to bring the virus roaring back</a><i>, and </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/eu-recommends-bloc-lifts-restrictions-us-travelers/" style="font-style: italic;">m</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/eu-recommends-bloc-lifts-restrictions-us-travelers/" style="font-style: italic;">any of the counties are more rural and less economically advantaged than the rest of the US, with a majority of their voters in the last presidential election chose Donald Trump</a><i>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Who remembers the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/we-will-not-be-broken-nurses-strike-worcester-reaches-100-days/">heroes</a> now, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/mental-health-housing-instability-worsened-lgbtq-youth-during-pandemic-report-says/">some people never learn</a> no matter how much <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-globe-guidance-counselor.html">guidance</a> you give <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/boston-school-committee-gives-superintendent-high-marks-job-review-elects-jeri-robinson-new-chair-following-texting-controversy/">them</a>.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/collecting-seaweed-make-point-about-beach-access-ri/">Collecting seaweed to make a point about beach access in R.I.</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They are really testing my limits by serving up that $hit.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Only six more hours until <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/20/metro/today-history/">summer officially begins</a>, and if you hurry you can see the rest of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/todays-paper/">today's paper</a> because I am out of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/todays-paper/#ideas">Ideas</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/todays-paper/#opinion">all $hit</a>, imho, even the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/todays-paper/#sports">$ports $ection</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Goodbye!</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-22362703214240013232021-06-20T08:28:00.003-07:002021-06-20T12:21:54.565-07:00May Flower: Time to Ginkgo<div><b><i>They want to genetically modify more than just the </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/agricultural-biotech-invaio-raises-89-million-improve-crop-health/" style="font-style: italic;">crops</a><i> as "gene therapy" is meant to be ubiquitous and never-ending going forward, cui bono?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's where the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/wealthiest-executives-paid-little-nothing-federal-income-taxes-report-says/">p$ychopaths</a> who <a href="https://www.rt.com/op-ed/514054-covid-pandemic-billionaires-richer/">stole all the money</a> are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/these-massachusetts-organizations-received-donations-mackenzie-scott/">pu$hing things</a> if the <a href="http://www.wakingtimes.com/the-same-shady-people-own-big-pharma-and-the-media/">pre$$ $poke$people</a> are to be believed, in what will no doubt be a horrific <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/has-boston-become-silicon-valley-biotech/">anti-human being dy$topia</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/opinion/is-amazon-really-death-star-corporate-america/">Borg collective</a> circling us all.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>It's an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/local-workers-groups-investors-push-back-against-amazon/">octopus</a> that is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/amazons-300-million-european-tax-charge-is-rejected-by-eu-court/">hard to get a hold of</a> as it <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/how-new-york-private-equity-giant-became-bostons-biggest-commercial-landlord-biotech-investor/">buys up all the property</a> as part of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2020/01/14/blackrock-makes-climate-change-central-its-investment-strategy/mLrN4H2C5B68lh0dbgqOrL/story.html">Great Communi$t Re$et</a>, for lack of a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/28/business/pension-funds-demand-blackrock-disclose-its-political-activity-wake-us-capitol-riot/">better term</a>.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>"Ginkgo plans a $17.5 billion merger with SPAC that took DraftKings public" by Jonathan Saltzman and Anissa Gardizy Globe Staff, May 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Ginkgo Bioworks, one of the hottest <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech</span></b> startups in Massachusetts, said Tuesday that it plans to go public through a $17.5 billion merger with a so-called <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">blank check</span></b> company <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">backed by </span></b>Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky, the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>veteran media industry executives</b></span> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">who </span></b>helped take the Boston sports-<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bet</span></b>ting c<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">o</span></b>mpa<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">n</span></b>y DraftKings public last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deal value</span></b>s Ginkgo at <b><span style="color: red;">$15 b</span></b>illion, making the merger one of the biggest of its kind. Ginkgo programs cells to produce new proteins, scents, antibiotics, cannabinoids, and other products for a growing array of industries. Launched in 2008 by five scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it now employs about 500 people, most of them in Boston’s Seaport.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is one hell of a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-boton-globes-blank-check.html">blank check</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">merger with </span></b>Soaring Eagle Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, is expected to fetch $2.5 billion for the combined entity, according to Ginkgo. A SPAC is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shell corporation listed on a stock exchange for the purpose of acquiring a private company, thus taking it public without all the paperwork of a traditional i</span></b>nitial <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">p</span></b>ublic <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">o</span></b>ffering.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The $tock market is literally a $hell game to enrich the u$ual $u$pects, with devastating results for the rest of us]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Jason Kelly, Ginkgo’s cofounder and chief executive, said his firm was attractive because the <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>world has seen the extraordinary potential of engineered biology</b></span>, from the groundbreaking messenger RNA coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to tasty animal-free proteins used in the latest generation of meatless burgers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Straight out of the damn WEF playbook!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“From mRNA vaccines reaching people’s arms to combating <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">climate change</span></b>, the opportunity to work with programmed cells has never been more apparent,” he said. “Ginkgo’s platform makes it easier to program this code, and we are making this platform available to organizations working to solve our most pressing problems.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[See how they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/power-play-steam-plant-owner-aims-decarbonize-downtown-with-huge-building-project/">roll the whole damn agenda together</a> when the two have nothing to do with each other -- apart from climate change and CVD being total frauds and ma$$ive lies?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ginkgo has cut several multimillion-dollar deals in recent years, including one with Toronto-based Cronos Group for $122 million to produce cultured cannabinoids, another with the Swiss drug giant Roche that’s worth up to $160 million to discover novel antibiotics, and another with Cambridge-based Synlogic, in which Ginkgo invested $80 million to speed the development of living medicines. During the pandemic, Ginkgo <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">created</span></b> Concentric by Ginkgo, a COVID-19 <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">testing program</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to help</span></b> schools and businesses <b><span style="color: red;">reopen</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Well, that sure <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/marijuana/massachusetts-regulators-fine-marijuana-firm-tilt-holdings-275000-over-license-scheme/">bends</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/opinion/cities-towns-have-been-abusing-marijuana-money-gateway-drug-corruption/">joint</a> you may be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/marijuana/paul-pierce-launch-truth-marijuana-brand-massachusetts/">smoking</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>One need not be stoned to see through the haze of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/28/business/ginkgo-raises-70-million-ramp-up-covid-19-testing-employers-universities/">$elf-inflicted cri$i$</a> for ulterior and nefarious motives at this stage.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The smoke has cleared away and we can <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/nation/scientists-partially-restored-blind-mans-sight-with-new-gene-therapy/">see</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Under the merger announced Tuesday, a number of investors have pledged $775 million, including Baillie Gifford, Putnam Investments, and accounts managed by Counterpoint Global.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soaring Eagle, the blank check company that will merge with Ginkgo, was founded last year by former Hollywood executives Sloan, Sagansky, and Eli Baker of Eagle Equity Partners. They helped take DraftKings public last year in another SPAC merger. SPACs have long existed on the fringes of the financial world but have surged in popularity in the last year or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">science and gambling would appear to have few things in common</span></b>, Sloan said in a conference call Tuesday that he is attracted to companies like DraftKings and Ginkgo because they are in a “category of one.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“These are companies that are not only leaders in their field but actually created the field themselves,” he said. “That is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">certainly the case with</span></b> Ginkgo and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">synthetic biology</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[How do you feel about your health care being in <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-bain-of-hospitals.html">their hand$</a>?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Makes me $ick]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>He said he learned about Ginkgo from a Soaring Eagle board member who works with Arie Belldegrun, a cell- and<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> gene-therapy veteran and founder of </span></b>Kite Pharma and Allogene Therapeutics, who saw Ginkgo’s potential to merge with a blank check company.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It was Arie’s very deep knowledge in life science and his excitement about Ginkgo which caused us to decide to partner,” Sloan said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Belldegrun and Soaring Eagle are cosponsoring the $1.73 billion SPAC investment and participating in a private investment round with other investors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kelly said during the conference call that he spoke with several SPACs about a possible merger, but viewed Belldegrun’s involvement with Ginkgo as a big plus, given the latter’s background in drug making. Both Sloan and Belldegrun will join Ginkgo’s board of directors.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If you want to do the large, commercial partnerships that we do with pharma companies, you need breakthrough technology, and you also need credibility with that community,” said Kelly, who will lead the combined company.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ginkgo makes money two ways, according to Kelly. It charges companies for research and development that it does in its foundry, and it licenses those findings, or the code it has written, back to the customer in exchange for royalties on the sale of a product or an equity stake in the firm.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, Ginkgo generated $64 million in revenue from research and development, Kelly said, and it expects that number to top $1 billion in 2025. Ginkgo has worked on 54 programs since 2017. In 2025, Kelly said, Ginkgo expects to start more than 500 new programs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ginkgo was one of the first life-sciences companies to put down roots in the Seaport. It occupies about 200,000 square feet of research and cell-design facilities, some of it in the Innovation and Design Building. In April, it announced that it had agreed to lease an additional 150,000 square feet across the street in an eight-story lab building proposed by Marcus Partners, along Fid Kennedy Avenue in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Industrial Park. Work on the building, which needs city approval, would start next year and be completed in 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ginkgo also occupies more than 63,000 square feet in two buildings in Cambridge, where it expects to have about 70 employees by the end of May, according to a spokesman.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/ginkgo-plans-175-billion-merger-with-spac-that-took-draftkings-public/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm told their <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/21/business/biogen-taps-ginkgo-bioworks-work-gene-therapy-manufacturing-program/">goal is to make the gene therapy manufacturing production process more efficient</a> to <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-swoon.html">bring you to your knees</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/ri-man-among-first-get-controversial-alzheimers-drug-since-its-approval/"><b>Marc Archambault is well aware of the controversy surrounding Biogen’s new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, including that three members of a scientific advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration quit in protest last week after the agency approved it over the panel’s objections. Still, he was thrilled to roll up the left sleeve of his blue button-down shirt Wednesday at Butler Hospital in Providence to receive one of the first intravenous infusions of the drug, Aduhelm, since its June 7 approval. He wasn’t concerned that many in the scientific community say evidence that it works is thin</b></a>. “I’m comfortable with it a hundred percent, and whatever happens, happens,” said Archambault, 70, a real estate broker in South Kingstown, R.I. “I think it’s going to be great, and I wanted to be part of it.” He <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/ri-man-among-first-get-controversial-alzheimers-drug-since-its-approval/"><b>also appeared to question the empathy of the three physician scientists who quit the advisory committee that overwhelmingly recommended in November that the FDA reject the drug in light of contradictory results in two large clinical trials</b></a>....."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The courageous truth tellers have been scorned throughout history, so why should now be any different?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><b><i>One can get <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/15/sage-antidepressant-achieves-goals-of-large-study-but-questions-about-benefit-linger/">depressed</a> when one realizes how easy it is to win <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/blueprint-medicines-gets-fda-approval-drug-treat-rare-blood-disorder/">FDA approval</a> for things that don't work but are harmful.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"A Mass. software engineer’s bot helped people find vaccine appointments. Now he’s shut it down, and the thank-yous are rolling in" by Martin Finucane Globe Staff, June 10, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>A Massachusetts software developer’s Twitter bot offered help to those seeking vaccine appointments at a time they were frustratingly scarce. Now he’s shut it down, and hundreds of people are saying thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Developer Dan Cahoon tweeted on Wednesday, “With vaccines now readily available in Massachusetts I’m going to turn off vaccinetime,” and he referred people to the state’s website.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tweet garnered more than 230 replies</span></b> by midafternoon Thursday, with many saying they had used the bot to get not only themselves but others vaccinated. The replies reflected the tense times the state saw when vaccines were first made available but there wasn’t enough supply to meet the demand.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s really great to see how many people it was able to help,” said Cahoon, a software developer at Ginkgo Bioworks. He said he developed the bot in his spare time after watching colleagues struggle to find appointments on the multiple websites where they were listed.</div><div><br /></div><div>While media outlets earlier this year included bots in their lists of tips on how to get a vaccine appointment, some critics have said they gave the tech-savvy an advantage. Cahoon said he felt his bot leveled the playing field between people who only had limited time to search for appointments and people who had the time to sit at the screen for hours clicking away.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Hopefully, it brought a little more fairness to the system,” Cahoon said. He also said that if the unthinkable happens and there’s another pandemic, it would be better if there was a single website people could go to and preregister.</div><div><br /></div><div>After enduring the early frustrations, the state is now a national leader in vaccinations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The safe and effective vaccines are free for people who live, work, or study in the state. People 12 to 17 can receive the Pfizer vaccine. People 18 and older can receive either the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the state says.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/mass-software-engineers-bot-helped-people-find-vaccine-appointments-now-hes-shut-it-down-thank-yous-are-rolling/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Time to $pin off to $omething new</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Ginkgo’s spinout Motif to release plant-based meat tech after raising $226 million" by Anissa Gardizy Globe Staff, June 16, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plant-based food startup</span></b> that spun out of Ginkgo Bioworks is getting ready to unveil its<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> first product</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boston’s Motif FoodWorks, with <span style="color: red;"><b>$226 m</b></span>illion in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new funding</span></b>, announced on Wednesday that it plans to release <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">food tech</span></b>nology designed<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to improve</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">taste and aroma of meat alternatives</span></b> by the <b><span style="color: red;">end of the year</span></b>. Another product designed to add texture and juiciness to <b><span style="color: red;">fake meat</span></b> is expected to be available next year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The developments come more than two years after Ginkgo started Motif to break out its food business, inspired by the successes of other companies like Impossible Foods, which <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">use</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">science to mimic</span></b> the attributes of <b><span style="color: red;">animal meat</span></b> with its Impossible Burger.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[This is an abomination and remember this when the planned and forced famines hit.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The population has no idea, just like 100 years ago, but the genocide is being waged on a global scale this time with the benefit of poisonous gene therapies called vaccines</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I know it is tough to choke down, but there it is]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The difference with Motif is that instead of releasing its own line of foods, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plans to partner with</span></b> companies that may not want to develop the tech behind plant-based food on their own. A Motif spokesperson said that in many cases, a consumer packaged goods company would include Motif’s technology in a plant-based product it plans to sell in retail settings.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Plant-based foods <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have the potential to unlock enormous benefits for people and the planet</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> that will only happen if they live up to, or even exceed, what consumers expect from animal-based counterparts,” said Jonathan McIntyre, the chief executive of Motif, in a press release.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Enjoy your <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/business/parcel-near-route-128-rezoned-needham/">nutritious gruel</a> from the lord of the manor]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Motif’s website indicates that it is also working on improving the stretchiness of plant-based cheese and the creaminess of dairy alternatives. The new funding, which brings Motif’s total haul to $345 million, will allow the company to add at least 50 people to its 35-person team by the end of the year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The food startup is located in a 10,000-square-foot space in the same building as Ginkgo in the Seaport District. Ginkgo announced last month that it plans to go public through a $17.5 billion merger with a SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Motif funding round was led by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, through its investment arm that backs growing technology companies, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. Additional new and previous investors also participated in the round.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Nothing wrong with any of that, right? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's all good?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/ginkgos-spinout-motif-release-plant-based-meat-tech-after-raising-226-million/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>How do you like their <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/states-second-biggest-health-insurer-has-new-name/">logo</a>?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Time to cannibalize the rest.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Waltham biotech raises $110 million for gene therapy treatments" by Jonathan Saltzman Globe Staff, May 3, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Affinia Therapeutics, a Waltham-based <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech working on gene therapies to treat diseases </span></b>using technology developed at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, said Monday it has <b><span style="color: red;">raised $110 m</span></b>illion <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in</span></b> a new <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">venture capital </span></b>round.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The venture capital money comes from pension funds and college endowments as well as private equity, so the ba$ic effect is funding our own demise at the hands of these mon$ters]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The company, which was founded in 2019 based on work pioneered by Luk Vandenberghe, an associate professor at Mass. Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School, plans to use the money to advance its gene therapy technology and move experimental drug programs into clinical trials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gene therapies are among the most promising, if technologically challenging, areas of medicine. By <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">engineering a virus </span></b>to carry functioning genes to cells to compensate for defective ones, drug makers have developed several <b><span style="color: red;">revolutionary</span></b> treatments for devastating genetic diseases, from a rare neurodegenerative disorder to a form of blindness.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You can see where the "viru$" come from now, right?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's in the "vaxxeens"]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The one-time <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">treatments can be</span></b> breathtakingly <b><span style="color: red;">expensive</span></b>, with price tags of $1 million or more. Proponents, <b><span style="color: red;">however</span></b>, say such expensive medicines may actually be cost-effective by curing debilitating diseases that strain the health care system if treated for years with conventional drugs and hospitalizations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The $110 million raised by Affinia supplements $60 million in financing that the firm announced in March of last year. The latest round was led by EcoR1 Capital and Farallon Capital Management, both based in San Francisco.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additional new investors include Avidity Partners, Casdin Capital, GV, Octagon Capital, Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, TCG Crossover, and Woodline Partners LP. Previous investors Atlas Venture, F-Prime Capital, Lonza, Mass General Brigham Ventures, and New Enterprise Associates also participated in the round.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/03/business/waltham-biotech-raises-110-million-gene-therapy-treatments/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm losing my Affinia for the Globe by the minute.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>In the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/polio-post.html">past</a>, inoculations have given people <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/business/dana-farber-launches-2-billion-fundraising-drive/">cancer</a>, and that's all I'm going to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-final-words.html">say</a> on that:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Cambridge cancer drug startup Nuvalent raises $135 million; The new funding comes just four months after it was launched with $50 million" by Jonathan Saltzman Globe Staff, May 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Nuvalent, a Cambridge <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech working on</span></b> precision <b><span style="color: red;">cancer</span></b> drugs, has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">raised </span></b>another <b><span style="color: red;">$135 m</span></b>illion in venture capital just four months after the firm was launched with $50 million in financing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The startup is developing lung cancer drugs that rely on enzyme blockers known as kinase inhibitors to help keep cancer cells from growing. Nuvalent hopes to use cash from the second round of financing to advance two potential drugs into clinical trials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nuvalent also recently announced the appointment of Dr. Christopher Turner, an oncology expert and former vice president of clinical development at Cambridge-based Blueprint Medicines, as chief medical officer.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The milestones that we announced today support our significant achievements since our public launch in January 2021 and the tremendous potential that we believe Nuvalent has,” said James Porter, the company’s chief executive.</div><div><br /></div><div>The technology behind Nuvalent’s scientific approach was developed with guidance from Matthew Shair, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University. He serves as founder, head scientific adviser, and a member of the board of directors.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">latest financing round was led by</span></b> Bain Capital Life Sciences with participation from the founding investor Deerfield Management, and 10 new investors, including Fidelity Management and Research Company, Wellington Management Company, and Viking Global Investors. Dr. Andrew Hack, a managing director at Bain, will join Nuvalent’s board of directors.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-bain-of-hospitals.html">$hock</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/cambridge-cancer-drug-startup-nuvalent-raises-135-million/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/verves-stock-soars-cambridge-biotech-makes-public-debut/"><b>Verve Therapeutics, a Cambridge biotech startup that wants to use gene editing to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, made a successful stock market debut Thursday, with its share price surging more than 60 percent</b></a>. Verve shares closed at $31.92, up 68 percent from the initial $19 offering. That offering was itself above the price of $16 to $18 that Verve had previously set. The stock is trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol VERV. Verve sold more than 14 million shares in its IPO, raising nearly $267 million from investors enthusiastic about its novel approach to treating cardiovascular disease with the genome-editing tool CRISPR. The company wants to make gene-editing medicines that mimic genetic mutations that naturally prevent some people from developing high levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides, or both....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Oh, the Verve as the Globe tours the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/business/charles-river-labs-buys-maryland-firm-292m/">labs</a>.</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Can you <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/05/25/its-not-a-cure-a-gene-therapy-is-opening-a-new-chapter-for-children-but-challenges-endure/">$ee</a> yet?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Atlas launches second Cambridge biotech to tackle vision loss; The new company has raised $77 million in venture capital" by Jonathan Saltzman Globe Staff, May 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Call it “Quest for Sight: The Sequel.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In September, the Swiss drug giant Novartis paid $150 million for a Cambridge startup that had developed a pair of potential gene therapies to restore vision to people with blindness stemming from genetic diseases. It was a sizable return for the biotech, which had used roughly half of the $21 million in venture capital it had raised after its founding about 17 months earlier by Atlas Venture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now the same research and leadership team behind Vedere Bio has launched Vedere Bio II, a second Cambridge <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech working on</span></b> other experimental <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">gene therapies</span></b> for vision loss, including retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The new company has raised $77 million in venture capital and is headed by the same chief executive, who said he’s not thinking about a sale to another pharma giant ― at least not yet.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/atlas-launches-second-cambridge-biotech-tackle-vision-loss/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related:</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><div>"Lexington biotech licenses experimental cancer drug to Bristol Myers Squibb for $200m; It’s the biggest such deal for Agenus since the company was founded in 1994" by Jonathan Saltzman Globe Staff, May 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lexington-based biotech Agenus has licensed an <b><span style="color: red;">experimental</span></b> cancer-fighting <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">drug</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pharmaceutical giant </span></b>Bristol Myers Squibb for $200 million, the biotech’s largest licensing deal since it was founded in 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The shots are experimental as well for the lab rats they call sheeple]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Agenus, which works on medicines that <b><span style="color: red;">harness</span></b> the body’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">immune system </span></b>to treat cancer, said Tuesday that Bristol Myers Squibb will advance the development of an immuno-oncology drug that shows promise <b><span style="color: red;">against tumors</span></b>, including non-small cell lung cancer.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I know a tumor I think should be cut out from the American body politic, but that's a different subject]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>If the drug meets development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, Agenus could receive up to $1.36 billion more, under the agreement with New York-based Bristol Myers Squibb. Agenus<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> has no approved drugs on</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">market</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[The same as modeRNA]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Debbie Law, a senior vice president for the multinational pharmaceutical giant, said Agenus’s experimental drug <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shows “potential</span></b> for potent anti-tumor activity.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/lexington-biotech-licenses-experimental-cancer-drug-bristol-myers-squibb-200m/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also $ee:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/marketing-tech-firm-klaviyo-raises-320-million-plans-hire-500-employees-by-end-year/"><b>Klaviyo, a marketing technology company based in Boston, said Tuesday it has raised $320 million. The new funding, which comes about six months after a $200 million round in November, doubles the company’s valuation by investors to more than $9 billion. Klaviyo helps businesses do their own marketing without forking over customer data to third-party platforms or marketplaces, </b>said Andrew Białecki, a cofounder and the chief executive of the firm. Klaviyo provides companies with analytics tools to track and understand consumer behavior, while also offering channels for communication such as e-mail or text messaging</a>. “We believe that at the end of the day, owning relationships with consumers will help businesses become closer to their customers, more durable, and more profitable,” Białecki said in a statement, “and that’s not only a better way of doing business — it’s the next era of digital relationships.” The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/marketing-tech-firm-klaviyo-raises-320-million-plans-hire-500-employees-by-end-year/"><b>funding round was led by</b> Sands Capital, with participation from new investors including Counterpoint Global, Whale Rock Capital Management, ClearBridge Investments, and Keith Block, the former cochief executive of Salesforce. The company has raised more than $675 million to date</a>....."</div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Glaxo agrees to $2.1 billion cancer-therapy deal with iTeos" by Suzi Ring Bloomberg, June 14, 2021, 4:40 p.m.</div><div><br /></div><div>GlaxoSmithKline <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will pay</span></b> Cambridge-based iTeos Therapeutics as much as <b><span style="color: red;">$2.1 b</span></b>illion to develop a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">potential immune therapy</span></b> as the British drug maker <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rebuild</span></b>s its <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pipeline </span></b>of <b><span style="color: red;">cancer </span></b>drugs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Glaxo and iTeos agreed to develop and commercialize the monoclonal antibody treatment, which is in early-stage trials against advanced solid tumors, they said in a statement Monday. ITeos will receive an upfront payment of $625 million, with additional milestone payments of up to $1.45 billion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shares of iTeos soared as much as 77 percent in trading before US markets opened. It ended the day up 37.29 percent, at $27.50.</div><div><br /></div><div>Glaxo has been expanding in the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> lucrative field since </span></b>Emma Walmsley took over as chief executive in 2017. The company, which had sold its cancer assets to Novartis in 2015, now has three oncology drugs on the market, with the therapy area making up about a quarter of its pipeline. The deal comes a week before a key investor day where Glaxo will detail plans to split in two, spinning off its consumer unit into a separate business.</div><div><br /></div><div>The companies will also test the monoclonal antibody, known as EOS-448, next year in combination with Glaxo’s cancer drug Jemperli, which was approved in the United States and Europe in April for recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer. Glaxo and iTeos will share any profits from the tie-up in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/glaxo-agrees-21-billion-cancer-therapy-deal-with-iteos/">link</a></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><i>Now for the Flag$hip of Bo$ton</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Flagship Pioneering raises more cash for new biotech fund; The Cambridge venture capital giant, which spawned Moderna, now has $3.4 billion to spend on startups" by Anissa Gardizy Globe Staff June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>As the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> was <b><span style="color: red;">raging</span></b> in April 2020, Flagship Pioneering raised $1.1 billion for its seventh fund <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">focus</span></b>ed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">on</span></b> spawning the <span style="color: red;"><b>next wave</b></span> of biotech startups.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as the world begins to emerge from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> — in part because of the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna, one of Flagship’s companies — the Cambridge venture capital giant says it has more than tripled that amount.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Then the drill is over?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>After raising additional funds, Flagship said Monday that it has <b><span style="color: red;">$3.4 b</span></b>illion <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to spend on</span></b> a generation of biotech companies focused on therapeutics, agriculture, and nutrition,<b><span style="color: red;"> and</span></b> while drug makers typically concentrate on developing treatments for diseases, Flagship is building an internal division that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will work on developing medicines for healthy people</span></b>. These therapies would be intended <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to protect, maintain, or improve health </span></b>so a person could <b><span style="color: red;">better ward off infectious disease threat</span></b>s, as well as “existing pandemic diseases such as obesity, cancer, and neurodegeneration.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">laid bare the critical nature of health</span></b>, not only to individuals, but to economies and societies,” said Ara Darzi, who’s heading the initiative, in a press release.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[You $ick f**ks!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>HEALTHY PEOPLE DO NOT NEED YOUR "medicine"]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>The expanded funding comes as Flagship continues to support its existing companies and launch new ones. The firm poured $370 million into its startups over the last four quarters, and other investors kicked in $4.4 billion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flagship has spun out several biotechs over the last year, including Laronde, Generate, Invaio Sciences, and Valo Health, which announced last week that it was pursuing a SPAC merger. And Flagship startups, including Inari Agriculture, Indigo Ag, Tessera Therapeutics, and others, have raised $1.8 billion from private investors in the last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since its founding in 2000, Flagship has created 41 companies.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/flagship-pioneering-raises-22b-new-biotech-fund">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now you where a lot of the bailout loot went, too.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/15/steve-hahn-fda-moderna-flagship-pioneering/">Former FDA chief Hahn defends his jump to Flagship Pioneering</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>It's “<a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/15/steve-hahn-fda-moderna-flagship-pioneering/">not a good look for the industry if the person who approved the vaccine went to work for an affiliated company</a>,” but I've been told that the “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/trumps-fda-commissioner-joins-flagship-cambridge-firm-that-launched-moderna/">COVID-19 pandemic brought into stark focus how important it is to bring increased attention and investment to our health security globally, and to preemptive medicine more broadly,” said Noubar Afeyan, the billionaire founder and chief executive of Flagship who also chairs Moderna’s board. Hahn is a radiation oncologist who served as chief medical executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston before his appointment to the FDA. He said the pandemic has underscored how vital it is to invest in preventative medicine. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who preceded Hahn as commissioner under Trump, joined the board of New York-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer after leaving the government in 2019. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was the first cleared for emergency use by the FDA, on Dec. 11.the sign-off coming a week before Moderna received similar authorization. Earlier this month, Amy Abernethy stepped down as the FDA’s second-in-command to join Verily, the Google spinoff working on health care innovation. Another former FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, serves as an adviser to Verily. Several government watchdog groups criticized the trend on Tuesday, saying the appointment of former high-ranking FDA officials to leadership positions in biopharma erodes confidence in government regulation of the industry, but</a>.....</b></i></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Innovation economy: Life sciences is poised to be Boston’s dominant industry. Has the area become the Silicon Valley of biotech?" by Scott Kirsner Globe Correspondent, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The Boston <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">area has long been famous for</span></b> its elite universities, top tier hospitals, passionate sports fans, and deep history, <b><span style="color: red;">but over the past year</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biggest buzz has been about biotech</span></b>nology, from Moderna receiving emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in December to Biogen winning approval for its Alzheimer’s drug last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>There has also been a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">massive amount of investment</span></b>, acquisitions, public offerings, and laboratory construction during a time when many businesses struggled to keep the lights on. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech sector seems poised to emerge from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">as</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">city’s dominant and most visible industry</span></b>. Might it finally be time to say that the Boston area has become the Silicon Valley of biotech?</div><div><br /></div><div>“The concentration of capital, science, and people in Boston has never felt better,” says Bruce Booth of Atlas Venture, an investor who has worked in the city since 2005. Just this week, Flagship Pioneering, the company-creation factory in Cambridge that hatched Moderna, collected a fresh $3.4 billion in capital to keep funding new ventures.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the stretch since December, you can find <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">six major indications that Boston is the undisputed hub of the life sciences industry</span></b>, a place where ideas and products that change ― and save ― people’s lives around the world originate.</div><div><br /></div><div>All three COVID-19 <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccines approved for emergency use </span></b>in the United States have ties to Boston. Moderna is headquartered in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Much of the research underlying Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine was done at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. And Pfizer has been relying on a production plant in Andover to produce millions of doses of its vaccine for domestic use, and for export to other countries as part of the Biden administration’s donation initiative.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following approval from the Food and Drug Administration last week, Biogen is shipping the first doses of Aduhelm, its treatment for Alzheimer’s. The decision to approve the drug was contentious, as is its price — $56,000 a year, but no other company has been able to get an Alzheimer’s medicine on the market since 2003, a remarkable achievement for one of the linchpins of the state’s biotech industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>British pharma giant AstraZeneca is paying $39 billion to acquire Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded Boston biotech with about 3,800 employees that focuses on rare diseases affecting the kidneys, nervous system, and blood. That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deal</span></b>, expected to close this summer, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will create</span></b> a<b><span style="color: red;"> rare disease division</span></b> within AstraZeneca that will be based in the Seaport District. Alexion came to town in 2017, relocating from New Haven Conn.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of Alexion’s neighbors in the Seaport, Ginkgo Bioworks, is planning to go public this year, with a valuation of $15 billion. The company was founded in 2008 by a group of MIT alumni and a professor, Tom Knight. They were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">interested in building tools to more effectively manipulate DNA</span></b>. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">goal was to insert custom-crafted DNA into living organisms </span></b>such as yeast or bacteria, to effectively hot-wire them to produce fragrances, chemicals, or key ingredients for animal feed. More recently, biopharma companies, including Moderna, Roche, and Bayer, have come to Ginkgo for its DNA engineering expertise and advanced facilities. Ginkgo added 150 jobs last year — its workforce is now about 500 people — and the company will eventually trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DNA. Ginkgo also will be one of the largest SPAC offerings — the acronym stands for “special purpose acquisition company” — that the life sciences sector has seen.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Yes, how wonderful!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Construction of lab and office buildings intended for biotech tenants is zooming ahead. While many white collar industries may continue working remotely, biotech requires expensive gear for designing and testing its products, and the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">industry strongly believes in the benefits of in-person collaboration</span></b>. Even Somerville, long considered terra incognita for biotech companies, is getting a 1.3 million-square-foot biotech campus. The first building at the Boynton Yards complex near Union Square will be finished this summer. All this development creates temporary construction jobs and permanent positions at companies, of course, but also boosts the local economy by increasing foot traffic for restaurants, shops, and other businesses.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I would stay out of <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-somerville-shthole.html">that $hithole</a>, and the distancing isn't for them, huh?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Eyebrow-raising <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">venture capital and private equity activity has gone on unabated</span></b>. It’s no longer unusual for biotech companies to raise half a billion bucks at the drop of a hat. Cambridge’s ElevateBio, focused on new cell and gene therapies, did it in March, and EQRx, working to develop more affordable cancer drugs, did it in January. All told, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">record amount of capital flowed in</span></b>to the biotech sector during the first quarter of 2021: $12 billion, according to research firm PitchBook.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[While you were locked down they were con$tructing the Great Re$et with the loot they stole]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Importantly, these six <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">examples are distinct from each other</span></b>. “The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fact that you can have such diverse significant events in such a short time is indeed perhaps evidence of the vibrancy of the ecosystem</span></b>,” says Katrine Bosley, an executive who took the Cambridge gene editing startup Editas Medicine public in 2016 and now serves on several boards.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They kind of talk makes me $ick]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>From the outside, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">industry can look like an exceptionally well-funded assembly line</span></b> for pricey new treatments, <b><span style="color: red;">but it never seems to create all that many jobs</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">good luck breaking in</span></b>to the field if you’re coming from another industry. (The Massachusetts Biotech Council pegs industry employment in the state at 79,000, noting that it has added 24,000 jobs in the last decade. Still, that’s less than one Google.), <b><span style="color: red;">but if</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">game we’re playing is capitalism</span></b> — aiming to deliver returns for entrepreneurs, investors who take risks, and shareholders who go along for the ride — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biotech is playing it with some laudable goals in mind, such as, keeping you alive</span></b> (and healthier) longer. That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mission has rarely been clearer than now</span></b>, with vaccines designed or manufactured here diminishing the death toll from COVID-19, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and now, maybe add to the list a new sense of tempered optimism</span></b> for some of the estimated 6 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is an absolutely disgusting paragraph as he advocates for their medical tyranny that is anything but life-saving. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>How evil do you have to be to put this out because I am astonishingly appalled by it]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>How would we know, quantitatively, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we’ve become the undisputed heavyweight champ of the bio biz</span></b>? One <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">measure is that while the major pharmaceutical players</span></b> are sprinkled around the world ― from Tokyo to Manhattan to Basel, Switzerland ― all 10 of the biggest pharma companies <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have a presence</span></b> in Boston. Another is that when the trade publication Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News published its annual list of the top US cities for biotech in April, the Boston-Cambridge cluster remained locked into the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">number one spot</span></b> it’s held since 2015, when we took it from San Francisco. Massachusetts holds the top spot on other rankings as well, including the Milken Institute’s power rankings of state science and technology sectors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biotech investor Otello Stampacchia says the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">density of the local ecosystem</span></b> — many key participants know one another and have collaborated over years and multiple jobs — has “contributed to making this a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">super-charged, faster-paced biotech hub</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“The industry put its roots in the ground here over 40 years ago, but its growth spurt really began around 20 years ago,” says Michael Gilman, chief executive of Arrakis Therapeutics in Waltham, and a former Biogen research executive. “Since it takes 15 to 20 years to develop a drug, this is about when you’d <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">expect it to flower</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/has-boston-become-silicon-valley-biotech/">link</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>May it then quickly wilt, by God!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Time to cash out:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-is-auctioning-off-an-nft-with-his-original-code/">The inventor of the World Wide Web is looking to cash in on one of the hottest trends in digital artworks. Tim Berners-Lee, who wrote the software underlying the Internet, is selling a computer file containing that original programming code plus a unique encryption signature as a form of collectible known as a nonfungible token, or NFT</a>. The token will be sold at auction by Sotheby’s starting June 23 and running until June 30. Proceeds will benefit initiatives supported by Berners-Lee and his wife, the auction house said. Earlier this year, nonfungible tokens were among the hottest investments in the art world, culminating in March when auction house Christie’s sold an NFT linked to a digital work called “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” by the artist Beeple for over $69 million. NFTs, which rely on the same technology underlying digital currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum, have been created and sold, linked to everything from video clips of NBA players dunking to online cartoon cats, though the market has slumped somewhat since the Christie’s sale....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Keep riding the wave until it cra$hes:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/business/boston-fintech-firm-circle-raises-440-million/">Circle Internet Financial said it raised an additional $440 million, a huge cash infusion as the Boston company seeks to make it easier to use cryptocurrencies that are not subject to the massive swings in value common with Bitcoin and other leading digital coins</a>. The private investment, announced late last week, comes as Circle has been working since 2018 on what is known as a “stablecoin.” Circle’s product is known as USDC, and it is linked to the price of the US dollar. The company’s funders include Boston’s Fidelity Investments, a longtime backer of cryptocurrency ventures, which earlier this year asked federal regulators for permission to launch a digital currency investment fund....."</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Crypto is either a con or has been coopted, imho, because it leads to the digital currency that is part and parcel to the vaccination control program.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">Shares in Waltham med-tech firm PerkinElmer rose 6.85 percent Wednesday to close at $136.57 after the company raised its revenue and earnings guidance for the year</a>. On Tuesday, after the markets closed, PerkinElmer told investors that it now expects revenue of $4.4 billion for the full year, compared to a previous estimate of $4.1 billion for 2021 and compared to $3.8 billion in 2020. Most of the growth is happening in PerkinElmer’s diagnostics business, which includes products used in COVID-19 testing. In that division, revenue in the first quarter rose by more than 200 percent. However, chief financial officer Jamey Mock told investors that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">revenue associated with non-COVID products will still rise by about 11 percent this year</a>."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Time to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/office-depot-aims-split-staples-pursues-acquisition/">$taple</a> this post <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/ceo-staples-be-replaced-by-chairman/">clo$ed</a>.</i></b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-44061639552731552532021-06-19T14:00:00.001-07:002021-06-20T06:00:58.036-07:00May Flower: Final Words<div><b><i>Saying <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/he-wrote-inspirational-messages-chalkboard-every-day-during-pandemic-now-hes-symbolically-retiring-sign/">goodbye to the plannedemic</a> -- for now.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"Lifting of pandemic restrictions brings surprise, elation; As of May 29, all businesses and venues in the state will be able to reopen at full capacity" by Janelle Jon Chesto and Anissa Gardizy Globe Staff, May 17, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>In a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">major move heralding</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">end of pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>-era regulations, Governor Charlie Baker on Monday said Massachusetts will lift all restrictions on businesses Memorial Day weekend, moving up the full reopening date by two months. It was a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">telling sign</span></b> that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state is returning to something akin to normal</span></b> after more than a year of death, sickness, and punishing lockdowns.</div><div><br /></div><div>As of May 29, businesses will be able to reopen at full capacity, and mask regulations that have been in effect since April of last year will be limited to just a handful of higher-risk locations. Before these changes, venues such as nightclubs and spas were slated to reopen Aug. 1 statewide and on Aug. 22 in Boston. Baker also said Monday that the <b><span style="color: red;">state of emergency</span></b>, which gave him wide latitude to impose pandemic restrictions, <b><span style="color: red;">will be lifted</span></b> June 15.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later in the day, Acting Mayor Kim Janey said in a press conference that Boston would align with the state and also lift all COVID restrictions on May 29 — a reversal of her earlier position that the city’s reopening timetable would lag the state’s by three weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sweeping changes arrived almost exactly a year to the day that Baker first announced his four-phased reopening plan, which was rolled out — and rolled back — as COVID-19 caseloads fluctuated. The full reopening, coming two months earlier than anticipated, aligns with new guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the masking restrictions will be lifted across most businesses, some will remain in place, including in K-12 schools (except for outdoor recess), health care facilities, and other settings that host vulnerable populations. Face coverings will still be mandatory for all riders on public and private transportation systems. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state is encouraging unvaccinated people to continue wearing masks and continue distancing</span></b> in most settings.</div><div><br /></div><div>The announcement puts Massachusetts on a reopening timeline similar to those in other New England states. Connecticut will lift most pandemic restrictions this week, and Rhode Island is planning to eliminate all capacity limits May 28.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Massachusetts is on track to reach its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by early June,” Baker said at a press briefing. “We have made tremendous progress, and that’s why we are able to do what we’re doing here and what we’re proposing here today.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Health <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">experts were also optimistic</span></b> that Massachusetts is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ready for</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">full reopen</span></b>ing.</div><div><br /></div><div>David Hamer, a physician at Boston Medical Center and a Boston University epidemiologist, said he doesn’t foresee the state backtracking on its progress in the coming months, as long as key COVID-19 metrics continue to trend downward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, he suggested that people err on the side of caution when deciding whether to wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces, such as grocery stores and movie theaters, since they don’t know the vaccination status of others.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Transmission is decreasing, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> it is not gone,” Hamer said. “I’m <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">still a little hesitant to have everybody unmasked</span></b> in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">indoor</span></b> place<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">s</span></b> where there are crowded conditions and a mixture of individuals that are vaccinated and unvaccinated.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Business owners and advocates were largely elated about the news.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s huge,” said Ryan Jones, vice president of operations for the Lyons Group, which operates more than 20 bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, including Avalon, Bleacher Bar, and Loretta’s Last Call. “I think if we have the proper direction from state, city, and the CDC, then at some point we need to get back to as close to normal as we were before.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Today is the best day in the restaurant industry since March 14, 2020, and May 29, 2021, is going to be an even better day,” said Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “We’re thrilled and ready for it.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Many business owners said they were surprised by the news, and anticipated it will take time for things to go back to a sense of normalcy. Some may keep mask mandates in place indoors for a while. Others said that while they’re thrilled to reopen, they’re still a long way from recouping losses sustained during the last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Erinn Danielle, the owner of Simply Erinn’s Unisex Hair Salon in Cambridge, said she will still require clients to wear masks.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I don’t know when I will change my mind,” she said. “I have to keep my team and my clients safe. People will not be welcomed in the salon without a mask until we are comfortable.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Jarek Mountain, managing partner at Yellow Door Taqueria in the South End, said Monday’s announcement caught him off guard. “I was not expecting that today. Now I’m going to have to hire about 20 new people if we’re going to go back to normal,” he said. “It’s going to be wild.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Mountain said he was glad to have some alignment between CDC guidelines and state regulations, as he was already seeing some confusion among out-of-state patrons who came in over the weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luz said that restaurants, which are currently seeing staffing shortages, will probably do a soft rollout before coming fully online to pre-pandemic levels. More importantly, the announcement is a signal that as the state heads into its high season for tourism, “Massachusetts is open for business,” Luz said. While acknowledging that international travel isn’t likely to be as robust, he expects regional travel to take off. “I think people are going to flock to Boston,” Luz said. “The Cape and Islands are already reporting mid-summer [levels of] sales in May, which is unheard of.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Tourism industry representative had lobbied the Baker administration to move up its final reopening date to earlier in the summer, after state officials announced the Aug. 1 date last month. At that point, Massachusetts was behind all other states in the Northeast in lifting all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses. Now, it’s squarely in the middle.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Our industry has suffered a lot and waited a long time for this,” said Martha Sheridan, chief executive of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. “When they made that August announcement, we lost events, no question about it.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Cindy Brown was among the overjoyed executives on Monday. As chief executive of Boston Duck Tours, Brown was prepared for a summer of shepherding her armada of amphibious touring vehicles at half-capacity, or 15 or 16 people instead of 35.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I’m so relieved I can’t even tell you. It just turned our entire year around,” Brown said of Baker’s announcement. “This literally changes everything.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The phone was ringing off the hook at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Monday afternoon. Its first traditional conference since the pandemic began, to be held by the Heart Rhythm Society in late July, will draw about 7,000 cardiologists and other cardiac care professionals to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>The MCCA had kept the event on the calendar even with the uncertainty around the state and city reopening rules. Most of the convention center’s events had been further delayed, long before the Aug. 1 announcement, spokesman Nate Little said, but now, the agency is getting calls from people looking to book smaller meetings and other short-term events at the BCEC, the adjacent Lawn on D, and the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The phone is ringing for the right reasons and not the wrong reasons,” said Little, referring to the drumbeat of cancellations and postponements his agency previously faced. “It was only bad news for 14 months,” and while Baker expedited when offices could return to full capacity, most white-collar employers aren’t expected to bring back their workforces until after Labor Day. So far, that’s not changing. After all, many employees with kids have already scheduled camps and other summer plans, thinking that they would be working from home again this summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jim Rooney, chief executive of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said many employers are in no hurry to rush workers back to their stressful old routines, particularly during the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Janey said that the overall drop in COVID-19 cases in the city prompted her to align the city’s reopening plan with the statewide plan. “There’s a lot to celebrate today; the numbers are going in the right direction, and we need to keep them going in the right direction,” Janey said.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/heres-what-happens-may-29-massachusetts-lifts-most-covid-19-restrictions/">link</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>So what happens May 29 is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/heres-what-happens-may-29-massachusetts-lifts-most-covid-19-restrictions/">due to the “low likelihood of surface transmission of COVID-19,” the department wrote, students can share classrooms objects such as toys, books, and art supplies without disinfecting them between uses</a> -- something that has been known for months -- and the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/sports/fenway-park-td-garden-capacity-restrictions-lifted/">city of Boston will allow Fenway Park to open to 100 percent capacity</a>, so pick out a <a href="https://www.silverjeans.com/us/fit-guide.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1qSJyYXT8AIVhvuzCh2vnwrqEAEYASAAEgJksfD_BwE">nice outfit</a> if going to the ballpark.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>I know I'm not getting my <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/01/sunday-globe-sells-false-hope.html">hopes</a> up:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/business/call-it-enforcement-fatigue-restaurant-workers-are-tired-fighting-unruly-customers/"><b>Those in the restaurant business call it “enforcement fatigue,’' a weariness that comes from almost a year of policing patrons, telling them their party is too large, they can’t linger longer than 90 minutes, and they have to order food with their drinks. Now, it’s getting worse. As more people are fully vaccinated, some patrons think the rules no longer apply to them, sparking sometimes nasty confrontations, and with the current dining restrictions in place until the end of May — and not eased entirely until August — those in the industry are frustrated. Public resentment of coronavirus restrictions has, in part, cost Big Night Entertainment Group eight managers who quit</b></a>, said Jamie Pollock, vice president of operations for Big Night Entertainment Group’s Boston venues, which include Empire, Scorpion Bar, and Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina. He’s personally witnessed situations where guests become “extreme and in-your-face, or they use vulgarities on our staff” and some employees have decided they no longer wish to deal with that. Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said this <b><span style="color: red;">awkward transition phase</span></b>, when the <b><span style="color: red;">public</span></b>’s <b><span style="color: red;">perception of the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">at odds with the state</span></b>’s phased approach out of it, was “bound to happen.” Employees at consumer-facing establishments, from restaurants to gyms to grocery stores, have been acting as a kind of informal public-health police, trying to ensure customers follow pandemic-era guidelines so their businesses can remain open without risk of penalty. <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/business/call-it-enforcement-fatigue-restaurant-workers-are-tired-fighting-unruly-customers/"><b>Lynne, a server at a South Shore restaurant who asked that her last name not be used, isn’t shy about telling guests that “they (should) know the rules by now” and encouraging them to eat elsewhere if they would not adhere to them, but even when restaurants follow the restrictions, she said, customers have figured out how to get around them, such as coming in for drinks and then not touching the one food item, such as a plate of fries, that they ordered for the table. Some ask to move tables when their 90 minutes are up so that they can restart the clock</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/world/tsa-extends-mask-mandate/">Globe</a> spoiled the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/business/restaurants-dont-want-to-go-cocktails-go-away/">meal</a> so I will step <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/party-4-your-trail-is-ready-busy-parks-try-reservations/">outside</a> for some <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/take-breath-fresh-air-outdoor-mask-requirement-mass-is-looser-today/">fresh air</a> before <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/new-england-news-brief/">tossing</a> out the rest of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/boston-little-saigon-wins-cultural-district-designation/">plate</a>:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/state-data-show-breakthrough-covid-19-cases-extremely-rare/"><b>Massachusetts public health officials have for the first time disclosed how many people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, and the total underscores the remarkable effectiveness of the three available vaccines</b></a>. “This is very good news,” said Dr. Eric Rubin, an immunologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and member of the advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration that cleared the three vaccines for emergency use in the United States. “The vaccines aren’t perfect but they’re awfully good, and these data suggest that they’re working as well in the real world as they did under the ideal conditions of the original trials.” Rubin, who is also editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, added that “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/state-data-show-breakthrough-covid-19-cases-extremely-rare/"><b>while we expected that some people who are vaccinated would contract the illness, most evidence suggests that these people are getting much less seriously ill</b></a>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If that's all it does I will <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/07/opinion/vaccine-hesitancy-or-obstinacy/">pass</a> on the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/us-expands-ride-programs-boost-vaccine-acceptance/">genocidal gene therapy</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/us-expands-ride-programs-boost-vaccine-acceptance/">criminal $ources</a> are calling vaccines when no one was getting seriously ill anyway and the simple fact is we all have herd immunity when it comes to coronaviruses:</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/health/coronavirus-immunity-vaccines.html"><b>Immunity to the coronavirus lasts at least a year, possibly a lifetime, improving over time especially after vaccination, according to two new studies. The findings may help put to rest lingering fears that protection against the virus will be short-lived. Together, the studies suggest that most people who have recovered from Covid-19 and who were later immunized will not need boosters. Vaccinated people who were never infected most likely will need the shots, however, as will a minority who were infected but did not produce a robust immune response</b></a>. Both reports looked at people who had been exposed to the coronavirus about a year earlier. Cells that retain a memory of the virus persist in the bone marrow and may churn out antibodies whenever needed, according to one of the studies, published on Monday in the journal Nature. The other study, posted online at BioRxiv, a site for biology research, found that these so-called memory B cells continue to mature and strengthen for at least 12 months after the initial infection....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Of course, it is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/washington-post-live/wplive/anthony-s-fauci-says-we-may-not-need-vaccine-boosters-for-quite-a-while/2021/05/20/c118b0fb-fff3-4566-b667-e1af232e465c_video.html">no longer any mystery</a> as to <a href="http://www.wakingtimes.com/the-same-shady-people-own-big-pharma-and-the-media/">why the pre$$ reads as it does</a> to the woke!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>It's a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/world/uk-authorizes-use-jj-vaccine-virus-cases-edge-up/">criminal abomination</a> at this stage, as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/hospitals-overuse-medical-tests-procedures-that-dont-help-patients-analysis-finds/">h</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/hospitals-overuse-medical-tests-procedures-that-dont-help-patients-analysis-finds/">o$pitals overu$e medical te$ts and procedures that don’t help patients</a> because “it can’t hurt to take a look” when, in fact, sometimes <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/new-england-news-brief/">it can</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>That's why the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/cdc-will-not-investigate-mild-infections-vaccinated-americans/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped investigating breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people unless they become so sick that they are hospitalized or die</a>, while <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/cdc-will-not-investigate-mild-infections-vaccinated-americans/">still collecting voluntary reports on breakthrough cases from state and local health departments</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Meanwhile, down South, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/florida-approves-bill-curbing-mail-voting-use-drop-boxes/">both Democrats and Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, hailed Florida’s administration of the November 2020 election as a model for the nation as former president Donald Trump won the state by more than three points; nevertheless, DeSantis, who named voting security one of his top legislative priorities this year, has said new restrictions are needed to shore up election security</a> so <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">Biden is moving to cut off funding</a> and a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">new group dedicated to promoting Biden’s ambitious agenda is beginning a multimillion-dollar ad campaign trumpeting his Covid recovery package and infrastructure proposal while contrasting Biden’s low-key style with his bombastic predecessor’s</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">progressive organization run by Biden allies is called Building Back Together</a>, and it will air minute-long television commercials next week in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, and Wisconsin that highlight the president’s response to the coronavirus and his wide-ranging economic plans <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">while planning to spend over $3 million on a monthlong effort</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Hey, “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">we live in an age where national emergencies, public health crises, and terrorism can threaten the ordinary course of Senate business, and we need to bring voting in the Senate into the 21st century</a>” and take down <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/biden-urges-more-funding-amtrak/">Mount Rushmore</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Now take a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/im-still-exhaling-swing-state-voters-bidens-100-days/">deep breath</a> because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/senator-tim-scotts-comments-race-ignite-fiery-debate/">America is not a racist country</a>. Far from it in fact. There is still more opportunity, or was, here than any other place on earth if you wanted to improve your station and make a life; however, it soon won't be due the money-printing.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That is all <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/world/tsa-extends-mask-mandate/">masked by my pre$$</a> as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/01/opinion/small-electorate-chooses-bostons-mayors-lets-change-that/">small electorate</a> chooses potentate tyrants who are above the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/opinion/suffolk-county-may-lose-one-its-most-prominent-leaders-criminal-justice/">law</a>. </i></b><b><i>It's no better on the </i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/us/politics/fec-trump-donations.html" style="font-style: italic;">national level</a><i>, and it is in fact worse. There is no <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/business/ny-ag-isps-behind-millions-fake-net-neutrality-comments/">neutral ground</a> so we will be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/nation/democrats-press-broader-voting-access-gop-resists/">forced to resist</a> with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/nation/pentagon-chief-during-jan-6-riot-defends-military-response/">no one to defend us</a> from the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/heap-of-sht.html">heap of sh!t</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The best we can hope for is to avoid another <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/nation/pentagon-chief-during-jan-6-riot-defends-military-response/">Pearl Harbor</a> after a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mysterious-air-base-volcanic-island-yemen-c8cb2018c07bb5b63e1a43ff706b007b">mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo, and while no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 3.5 mile-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Given the region, the question must be asked: when Jews are attacked in America’s streets, who speaks out because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/opinion/when-jews-are-attacked-americas-streets-who-speaks-out/">antisemitism appeals to unhinged political fanatics across the spectrum — from alt-right trolls to anti-Zionist zealots</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>We know <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/nation/democrats-growing-more-skeptical-israel-pressure-biden/">who doesn't speak out</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/nation/trump-justice-dept-tried-use-grand-jury-identify-nunes-critic-twitter/">who applauds it</a>; however, there is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity">no doubt Biden has significantly lowered the temperature of the nation after four years under Donald Trump, a tumultuous period capped by the worst pandemic in a century, but he may have also lowered interest in the news</a> because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity">the New York Times Co. recorded its smallest gain in new subscribers in a year and a half</a> (has nothing to do with them being a lying piece of shit, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">of cour$e</a>).</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Oh, according to a new survey, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/mass-is-healthiest-state-country-according-new-survey/">Massachusetts is the healthiest state in the country, with the top 10 healthiest states in 2020 being Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, California, Connecticut, Washington, Colorado and Utah, and the bottom 10 states on the ranking were Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Mississippi</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yes, even health has become political, and what would have the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/metro/john-warner-genteel-senator-virginia-dies-94/">genteel former Navy secretary who shed the image of a dilettante to become a leading Republican voice on military policy during 30 years in the Senate think</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>He <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/i-hope-you-never-forget-ceremony-held-honor-mass-gold-star-families-ahead-memorial-day/">shall never be forgotten</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/claire-cronin-no-2-democrat-mass-house-is-being-vetted-biden-searches-us-ambassador-ireland/">Claire D. Cronin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Massachusetts House, is being vetted by Biden administration officials as they weigh a pick for the new US ambassador to Ireland, two people with knowledge of the process told the Globe</a> -- along with former US senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Anne Finucane of Bank of America.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm surprised he didn't nominate <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/bidens-tax-hike-push-will-depend-this-insiders-insider/">Dicky Neal</a> because he was the only other <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/29/opinion/new-hope-citys-homeless-shattuck-site/">alternative</a>, but he is needed el$ewhere becau$e the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/opinion/why-rich-should-pay-more/">rich should pay more in taxes</a> and <span class="item-title"><a href="https://needtoknow.news/2021/06/was-the-capitol-riot-an-fbi-false-flag-used-to-frame-patriots-as-domestic-terrorists/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=was-the-capitol-riot-an-fbi-false-flag-used-to-frame-patriots-as-domestic-terrorists" target="_blank">was the Capitol Riot an FBI false flag used to frame patriots as domestic terrorists</a>?</span></i></b></div><div><span class="item-title"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><b><i>The answer would appear to be an emphatic YES, and it wouldn't be the first time they set someone up!</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>I would say </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/landlord-sues-stop-affordable-housing-jamaica-plain-again/" style="font-weight: bold;">someone</a><b> call a </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/boston-police-sergeant-arraigned-assault-battery-charge/" style="font-weight: bold;">cop</a><b>, but the </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/globe-files-suit-against-boston-police-keeping-officer-misconduct-records-secret/" style="font-weight: bold;">Globe is at war with them</a><b> after the </b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/new-england-news-brief/" style="font-weight: bold;">discovery of six nooses at the construction site of an Amazon distribution center</a><b> and the</b></i><i><b> <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church</a></b></i><b><i>. The trail led back to a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/nation/supreme-court-skeptical-low-level-crack-offenders-case/">c</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/nation/supreme-court-skeptical-low-level-crack-offenders-case/">rack cocaine trafficking kingpin</a>, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/opinion/bipartisanship-cost-true-policing-reform-is-no-real-victory/">b</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/opinion/bipartisanship-cost-true-policing-reform-is-no-real-victory/">ipartisanship at the cost of true policing reform is no real victory</a> despite the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/metro/boston-fields-historically-diverse-crop-mayoral-candidates-all-top-candidates-identify-people-color/">historically diverse crop of mayoral candidates</a> in Bo$ton.</i></b></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Now <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/2-south-carolina-deputies-are-fired-their-role-death-black-man-jail/">raise your fists</a> to let them know <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/three-shot-fall-river-park-mayor-says/">you mean business</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Let's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/lawrence-boy-17-charged-with-murder-fatal-shooting/">hear it for the boy</a>!</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Let's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/randolph-middle-school-put-lockdown-after-shots-fired-nearby-apartment-complex/">give the boy a hand</a>!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Time for a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/arts/charles-grodin-star-midnight-run-heartbreak-kid-dies/">Midnight Run</a> to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-lifestyle-shootings-08c7135ea10ec15946ba9afaa16de970">California</a> in the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/opinion/unless-qualified-immunity-ends-theres-no-police-accountability/">party bus</a>!</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/metro/once-an-outsider-barros-now-runs-mayor-inside/">out$ider is now an in$ider</a>, and I don't think <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/jon-santiago-touts-backing-house-speaker-other-legislative-leaders-mayoral-bid/">his campaign</a> will ever <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/metro/ferry-long-island-recovery-campus-janey-broaches-it-an-option/">recover</a> after they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/metro/marilyn-manson-wanted-new-hampshire-alleged-assault-2019/">all laughed</a> at his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ljHwiIb7h8">stinky britches</a>!</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>What isn't a laughing matter is Darnella Frazier wrote in a Facebook post that “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/darnella-frazier-teenager-who-captured-georges-floyd-murder-releases-powerful-statement-year-later/">a year ago, today I witnessed a murder. I knew his life mattered. I knew that he was in pain. I knew that he was another Black man in danger with no power</a>” while <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/people-boston-area-rally-justice-police-reform-anniversary-george-floyds-death/">more than 200 people marched about one mile from Parkway Methodist Church in Milton to Walker Playground in Mattapan, and the march was attended by several local legislators, including Representative Brandy Fluker Oakley, a Democrat whose district includes Mattapan</a>.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/28/nation/juror-chauvin-deliberations-should-have-been-20-minutes/">message is clear</a>: the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/opinion/boston-mayors-including-acting-mayors-should-have-power-fire-police-commissioners/">White police</a> led to excessive force, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/metro/five-more-linked-burgeoning-boston-police-pay-fraud-scandal-including-former-union-president/">police lies</a>, and videotape, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/opinion/excessive-force-police-lies-videotape/">were it not for video, Derek Chauvin would still be a cop and the truth of George Floyd’s murder would have died with him</a>. </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Of course, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/grief-laughter-floyd-family-visits-white-house/">first anniversary of George Floyd’s death was supposed to be a milestone moment in Washington, a time to mark the passage of a policing law to make criminal justice more just, but instead, Floyd’s family met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to commemorate their loss and continue to push for legislation</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>The thug who once pointed a gun at a pregnant woman's belly has been martyred, even as </b></i></div><div><i><b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/janey-lays-out-plan-combat-violence-during-summer-months/">acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday laid out a plan to combat violence during the summer months and also urged residents to avoid using fireworks, which are illegal for individual use in Massachusetts</a>. She says they will “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/janey-lays-out-plan-combat-violence-during-summer-months/">promote peace and healing in our communities this summer</a>” during an afternoon briefing at Boston Police headquarters, where she was joined by several officials including Acting Police Commissioner Gregory Long and Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins.</b></i><b><i> The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/janey-lays-out-plan-combat-violence-during-summer-months/">anti-violence plan for the summer includes ramping up youth jobs and engagement activities; addressing “gang hotspots” with “direct intervention” by city police; offering learning programs at schools; providing outreach and “direct services” to residents aged 17 to 24 whom police have identified as more susceptible to violence; and connecting “gang-involved” residents to building trades work programs, as the summer youth jobs program will help thousands and “provide mentoring with youth who are at risk for gang recruitment</a>.”</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>In addition, “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/janey-lays-out-plan-combat-violence-during-summer-months/">the loud bang from fireworks is triggering to veterans and others in our community who have experienced trauma from gunfire. We have all experienced the trauma of COVID. Let’s do all we can to be good neighbors and promote peace in our communities</a>.”</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Now can you imagine what it must be like to live in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/massachusetts-needs-apply-right-to-know-concept-firearms-produced-state/">Palestine</a> or a U.S. war zone?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Of course, </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/opinion/there-should-be-more-three-day-weekends-52-be-exact/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">the important thing is for civic and business leaders to be planning for what’s next and the goal shouldn’t be getting back to normal — normal has changed. It’s now about perfecting the new normal</a><i style="font-weight: bold;">. We have all changed this last year; so, too, must the economies in which we work and the concept of a long weekend isn’t new. The Atlantic magazine recently proclaimed that “superstar cities” like San Francisco, New York, and, yes, Boston are in trouble. Most vulnerable are their transit systems, where the loss of ridership forces services cuts which in turn results in even fewer passengers and reduced revenue, resulting in a “terrible spiral.” The three-day weekend is only one example of what could change post-pandemic now that </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/pandemic-taught-us-better-way-do-public-business/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">t</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/pandemic-taught-us-better-way-do-public-business/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">he pandemic taught us a better way to do public business</a><i style="font-weight: bold;"> so drop the </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/nation/murder-manslaughter-charges-filed-against-three-tacoma-wash-officers-black-mans-death/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">manslaughter charges</a><b style="font-style: italic;">.</b><i><b> </b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>It's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/what-america-owes-survivors-descendants-tulsa-race-massacre/">what </a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/what-america-owes-survivors-descendants-tulsa-race-massacre/">America owes the survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre</a>, and it is time to put the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/domestic-violence-within-ranks-how-recent-allegations-are-shaking-faith-bpd/">ugly details of past domestic violence</a> behind us and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/domestic-violence-within-ranks-how-recent-allegations-are-shaking-faith-bpd/">the legal debate has focused on who-knew-what-when</a>. It's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/it-wasnt-much-problem-last-year-this-year-memorial-day-weekend-traffic-could-be-pain/">going nowhere</a> after a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">man was shot and killed in Dorchester shortly before noon Friday</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>The </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/memorial-day-is-every-single-day-our-lives-massachusetts-fallen-heroes-memorial-rededicated/" style="font-style: italic;">fallen hero</a><i> is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/nation/efforts-weed-out-extremists-law-enforcement-meet-resistance/">remembered every single day</a> of our lives if you read the </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/29/metro/today-history/" style="font-style: italic;">history books</a><i> at the </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/boston-public-library-reopen-all-branches-june-14/" style="font-style: italic;">library</a><i>, but <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/everett-city-councilor-challenge-mayor/">you</a> can take that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/business/german-executive-picked-take-over-ceo-boston-consulting-group/">under advisement</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That provides the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/opinion/governor-baker-is-right-public-projects-cant-be-union-only/">bridge</a> to the next section:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/mass-commits-over-70-million-summer-programs-combat-learning-loss-during-pandemic/">Massachusetts will dedicate more than $70 million for enhanced summer programs in response to reports of widespread learning loss during the pandemic, state officials announced Friday. The funding will allow school districts and community organizations to set up both classroom and recreational programs for students of all grade levels</a>. “After a year of so much remote and hybrid learning, I think it’s crucial to give people these learning opportunities, and to give kids a chance to participate in them across Massachusetts,” Governor Charlie Baker said at a press conference at Galvin Middle School in Canton. Learning loss has been a significant concern for state officials, educators, and parents, as the pandemic disrupted schooling in unprecedented ways, cutting off equal access to educational resources for many students. Particularly hard hit were students in homes with inadequate technology or headed by parents working full-time front-line jobs, but with summer quickly approaching, state officials are worried that students could head into another period of learning loss without a concerted effort at intervention. Baker also announced Friday that the state’s pool testing program for COVID-19, which already had been offered to all school districts free of charge through the end of the academic year, has been extended through the summer. From Feb. 1 to April 25, the state has processed 61,839 pools — bundles of multiple samples — from 188 districts. Only 0.85 percent of pooled tests have come back positive for COVID-19....." </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>The goal there is never-ending f**king testing for a fictitious virus that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/29/metro/mass-reports-718-new-coronavirus-cases-among-public-school-students-94-among-school-staff-over-two-week-period/">they neither contract nor spread</a>, and they want you to go to summer school after being cooped up the last 14 months?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Of course, it's just a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/metro/is-an-era-fare-free-buses-coming-boston/">pilot program</a> that becomes permanent, even if it is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/its-hard-build-team-when-youre-zoom-walsh-tries-find-his-footing-labor-secretary/">hard to build a team when you’re on Zoom</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>At least you can't be bullied like the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/theyre-trying-bully-us-nyu-graduate-students-are-back-strike/">graduate students at </a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/theyre-trying-bully-us-nyu-graduate-students-are-back-strike/">NYU</a> as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/mass-reports-99817-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">state remains in a struggle with the coronavirus more than a year after it arrived and officials are trying to get the population vaccinated as quickly as possible to protect them</a> — and allow normal life to resume. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Now <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/27/metro/here-are-top-massachusetts-high-schools-according-2021-rankings-us-news-world-report/">roll up</a> that <a href="https://lilicloth.com/collections/top-100?adp=11907267,7240719,11868908,7528083,11930900,7528084,11906902,8829843&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItKa8g9Oo8AIVyQVxCh15oQGKEAEYASAAEgK50fD_BwE">sleeve</a>!</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Then you can <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/framingham-high-returns-stage-with-an-outdoor-production-shrek-musical/">go dancing</a> to your <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/middlesex-da-says-framingham-womans-death-homicide-suffered-slash-back-neck/">death</a> with a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/playwright-performer-robbie-mccauley-whose-work-confronted-race-gender-dies-78/">movie</a> made about it.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/business/northeasterns-plan-25-story-dorm-edge-roxbury-poses-test-janey/" style="font-style: italic;">settle down at the dorm</a><i> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/ ">check your investments</a>, kiddo.</i></b></div><div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/umass-amherst-professor-arrested-drunk-driving-charge-after-striking-baby-stroller-hadley-police-say/"><b>A research professor at UMass Amherst was arrested Monday afternoon in Hadley for allegedly driving drunk and striking a baby stroller carrying a 17-month-old child</b></a>, though the baby wasn’t hurt, according to officials and legal filings. Hadley police identified the motorist as Tammy Haut Donahue, 43, of Amherst, who was arraigned Tuesday in East Hampshire District Court on charges of OUI and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. A not guilty plea was entered for Haut Donahue, who was released on personal recognizance, court records show. Haut Donahue didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment Tuesday afternoon. “Our thoughts are with the mother and her child following this very concerning matter,” the university said in a statement. “UMass Amherst confirms that Tammy Haut Donahue is a research professor in biomedical engineering. It is our understanding that the case is in the hands of the District Attorney’s Office.” Hadley police said via Facebook that the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Monday. “Hadley Police Dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a female who appeared impaired, operating a black BMW, struck a baby stroller in the Mountain Farms parking lot,” police wrote. “The 17 month old baby was in the stroller at the time, although there were no injuries as a result of the collision.” Haut Donahue’s biography on the UMass website says she conducts research in biomechanics. “Haut Donahue’s research work is in the area of analytical and experimental biomechanics with a focus on the musculoskeletal system,” the bio says. “As a principal investigator, Haut Donahue has been awarded about $14 million in research funding including $1.4 million in current support.” Her next court date is slated for June 8, records show."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/dracut-high-school-science-teacher-put-administrative-leave-inappropriate-survey-given-students/"><b>A veteran Dracut High School teacher who is also on the board of trustees for the town’s library system has been placed on administrative leave for handing out an “inappropriate” survey about sexual issues to his students, according to officials and social media posts</b></a>. Eric A. Jackson was put on leave by Dracut School Superintendent Steven Stone after he learned last Friday about the survey, although his statement confirming Jackson’s suspension did not provide any information about its content. “Late Friday afternoon the district became aware that a teacher at Dracut High School had distributed a highly inappropriate survey to students. The district takes the health and well-being of students most seriously and has initiated a review of the matter,” Stone wrote in the statement. “The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending that review.” Jackson has spoken briefly to WBZ-TV and has been identified as the teacher at the center of the issue by What’s Happening Dracut, a community access television program with a related Facebook group that is claiming credit for posting photos of the survey on its site as the impetus for the public attention to the issue. “I’ve been asked to make no comment. I appreciate checking up on me. I’m going to wait for the decision of the superintendent,” Jackson told WBZ....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/dracut-high-school-science-teacher-put-administrative-leave-inappropriate-survey-given-students/">survey was headlined “Sexual Temperament Questionnaire,” and the portion of the survey posted by the Dracut group involves how women should classify their sensitivity to sexually related issues</a> because he is a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-globe-guidance-counselor.html">groomer</a>, 'er, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/dracut-high-school-science-teacher-put-administrative-leave-inappropriate-survey-given-students/">mentor of the next generation of imaginative young adults through our YA Gaming Club, which plays cooperative role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons</a>.” </i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/i-thought-i-knew-him-providence-superintendent-apologizes-hiring-administrator-charged-with-assault/"><b>Schools Superintendent Harrison Peters on Monday apologized for hiring an administrator charged with assault for allegedly forcibly massaging a teenage boy’s foot in a Warwick gym in April</b></a>. In a letter to state senators, Peters said he had worked with Olayinka Alege for more than three years in Florida before deciding to hire him in Providence after becoming superintendent in 2020. “I thought I knew him,” Peters said in the letter, submitted to members of the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics, and Oversight, “but I was wrong,” he wrote....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Did you <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/grocery-stores-fined-nearly-1-million-alleged-wage-violations/">see</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">outfit</a> the kid was wearing?</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/grocery-stores-fined-nearly-1-million-alleged-wage-violations/">A year after an agreement to sell Victoria’s Secret fell apart as the pandemic emptied malls nationwide, the chain will be spun off by its owner to become a separate company</a>. L Brands, based in Columbus, Ohio, has been shopping the struggling chain elsewhere since the collapse of that deal and said it had held talks with a number of potential buyers, but it appears it could not come to an agreement on price. Victoria’s Secret has been trying to turn its business around, with an eye on changing the corporate culture, reinventing fashions, and redesigning stores. While the brand had been known for its sexy style, women have increasingly shifted toward more comfortable options, particularly during the pandemic when many have spent most of their time at home."</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>It has a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/">woman-majority board</a>, but Epstein's buddy owned and operated the thing so maybe <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/washington-post-names-ap-chief-its-top-editor/">you ladies</a> should <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/20/business/diminished-victorias-secret-is-sold/">look elsewhere</a> for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">clothing</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><i>If only the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/us/boy-scouts-bankruptcy-legal-fees.html">Boy Scouts</a> could <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">erase their history</a>. It might have stopped the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-sports-education-18150340738f5e7937500f7707ba28df">doctor’s abuse</a> at the University of Michigan after they missed chances to stop the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/school-shooting-russia-kills-9-people-suspect-arrested/">school shooting in Russia that killed 9 people</a>. The <a href="https://www.lightinthebox.com/c/best-sellers11_113122?top_pid=8307969,8531017,8531062&litb_from=paid_adwords_display&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_display&adword_mt=&adword_ct=509830647504&adword_kw=&adword_pos=none&adword_pl=www.bostonglobe.com&adword_net=d&adword_tar=&adw_src_id=9188201513_11915576570_117505150236_">suspect was arrested</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/us-expands-ride-programs-boost-vaccine-acceptance/">undocumented and international college students will now be eligible to receive pandemic relief grants</a> along with a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/immigrant-students-merit-tuition-break/">break on tuition</a> because the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/time-real-education-change/">dollars are there</a>.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/us-expands-ride-programs-boost-vaccine-acceptance/"><b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated during testimony Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee</b></a>. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children as young as 12 on Monday, expanding access to the vaccine ahead of the next school year. Walensky said she knew some parents wanted to wait and see how the administration of shots to children goes, but urged children to ask for the vaccine if their parents were hesitant. “I would encourage all parents to get their children vaccinated. I know many parents are enthusiastic and have been texting me,” Walensky said. “Some parents want to be first, but I’m also encouraging children to ask for the vaccine. I have a 16-year-old myself, and I can tell you he wanted to get the vaccine. He wants his life back. These kids want to go back to school.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>She is an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/cdcs-new-leader-follows-science-is-that-enough/">ABSOLUTE MONSTER</a> with a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/opinion/rochelle-walensky-has-credibility-problem/">credibility problem</a> that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/business/sanofi-glaxosmithkline-vaccine-trial.html">Globe has helped mask</a> while <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">pitching for her</a> as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/us/politics/biden-coronavirus-vaccine.html">Biden dips into the U.S. vaccine supply to send 20 million doses abroad</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-17/china-is-vaccinating-almost-14-million-people-a-day-amid-flareup">China is vaccinating almost 14 million people a day, the fastest pace in the world, as the country races to protect its Covid-19 advantage in the face of major Western nations reopening their economies</a>.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Trailing now is </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/world/us-expands-ride-programs-boost-vaccine-acceptance/" style="font-style: italic;">Russia</a><i>, as production issues slow distribution of the vaccine and </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/10/nation/survey-mothers-more-hesitant-than-fathers-about-coronavirus-vaccines-their-children/" style="font-style: italic;">Russian mothers are more hesitant than fathers about coronavirus vaccines for their children</a><i>. Going to have to take them to the </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/metro/three-alarm-fire-destroys-barn-historic-new-hampshire-farm-visited-by-presidential-candidates/" style="font-style: italic;">woodshed</a><i> to get them to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/candlelight-vigil-be-held-two-brockton-boys-who-drowned-lake/">see the light</a>, although there is </i></b><b><i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">more than one</a></i></b><b><i> way to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/metro/death-cat-cambridge-neighborhood-may-linked-two-other-assaults-animals-investigators-say/">skin a cat</a> (what evil soul could do such a thing?)</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The Globe is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/nation/brian-j-mckeown-lively-soul/">late</a> with the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/betty-lou-donovan-being-unkind-is-biggest-sin/">eulogies</a> for this lost more than a year ago, in what can only be described as a deceptive presentation as the human mind incorporates it as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/business/plans-filed-bring-harvard-squares-funky-old-garage-into-21st-century/">current</a> after this <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/after-difficult-academic-year-majority-mass-parents-want-in-person-school-this-fall/">difficult year</a> where you only <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/putnam-gets-into-etf-business/">saw them</a> through the glass (you can now <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/putnam-gets-into-etf-business/">hide your ‘likes’</a> if it makes you <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/arts/foo-fighters-rage-against-machine-headline-boston-calling-2022/">comfortable</a>).</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/business/akili-raises-160m-its-prescription-video-game/"><b>Akili Interactive, the Boston company that got the first prescription video game approved last June, has raised another $160 million in funding for its work on digital therapeutics. Akili plans to use the money partly to expand its marketing of EndeavorRx, a video game approved by the Food and Drug Administration for children with ADHD</b></a>. The financing round brings the 10-year-old company’s total venture funding to $230 million. The FDA approved EndeavorRx as a way to improve attention function in children with ADHD as measured by computerized testing. Doctors can prescribe it to kids 8 to 12 years old who have an ADHD diagnosis and have demonstrated an issue with attention. The latest fund-raising round generated $110 million and was led by Neuberger Berman Funds. More than a dozen other new and existing investors also joined the round, including Amgen Ventures, Polaris Partners and M Ventures, Merck KGaA’s corporate venture capital arm, as well as Dave Baszucki, founder and CEO of video game developer Roblox Corp. Another $50 million was generated through debt financing, in the form of a credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank."</div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/fidelitys-account-teens-has-troubling-implications/">implications are troubling</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/business/amazon-antitrust-risk-deepens-more-state-ags-weigh-action/">more state AGs weigh action</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>When I was a kid I liked sports, but <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/sports/after-gruesome-2020-campaign-patriots-have-treated-fans-marvelous-offseason/">i</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/sports/after-gruesome-2020-campaign-patriots-have-treated-fans-marvelous-offseason/">f you're a Patriots fan, you've likely found it much easier to root for New England these past few months after coming off a dismal 2020 season</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Thi$ al$o brightened their $pirit$:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/business/granite-telecom-chief-rob-hale-wife-karen-hale-donate-30m-conn-college/">South Shore businessman Robert Hale and his wife Karen Hale once made the biggest donation that Connecticut College ever received. Now, they are topping their own record</a>. College president Katherine Bergeron announced this week that the Hales have pledged $30 million to the school. That gift is the largest in the college’s history, beating the $20 million the couple gave in 2015. For Robert Hale, chief executive of Quincy-based Granite Telecommunications and owner of FoxRock Properties, the latest gift is a chance to give back at a time when many colleges are struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other big beneficiaries from the Hales’ donations have included Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Deerfield Academy. Robert Hale also oversees the “Saving by Shaving” event, which has spurred the likes of Governor Charlie Baker and football star Tom Brady to shave their heads over the years, raising millions for charities each year....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They have <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/jason-varitek-his-first-post-playing-dugout-job-turning-heads-sox-planner/">no problem having their voice heard</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's my <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/heat-sweep-away-celtics-129-121-other-observations/">observation</a> after <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/red-sox-bats-perplexed-second-straight-game-dropping-oakland-opener-fenway/">taking a pitch</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/bruins-will-rest-almost-all-their-regulars-tonights-season-finale/">finishing this up</a>.</i></b></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/bruins-backups-lose-goal-with-two-seconds-left-regular-season-finale/">will be back</a>; however, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/jaylen-brown-will-undergo-surgery-his-left-wrist-this-week/">not today</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">ball goes in</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/supermassive-black-holes-behave-like-smaller-ones-their-destructive-power-mit-research-suggests/">doesn't come out</a> -- even if you are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/voyager-spacecraft-detects-persistent-hum-past-solar-system/">persistently calling for it</a> and are a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/business/boston-fintech-startup-stavvy-raises-40-million-digitize-home-closings/">Stavvy $hooter</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It was an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/epic-apple-judge-signals-her-ruling-wont-please-either-side/">Epic series</a> anyway and at least they got a bite at the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/business/apples-app-store-draws-eu-antitrust-charge/">Apple</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time for a round of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/business/golfers-return-links-bolsters-acushnet/">golf</a> after the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/business/boeing-says-it-fired-65-workers-hateful-words-or-actions/">flight</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I've <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">refined</a> my game and accounted for the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/younger-investors-flock-fidelity/">breeze</a>, so watch out for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/metro/new-england-news-brief/">falling trees</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I hope <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/business/wind-power-come-ashore-brayton-point/">they watered</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/opinion/our-water-is-contaminated-where-is-will-do-something-about-it/">green</a>, but <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/jesse-mermell-former-congressional-candidate-donates-kidney-it-just-felt-like-obvious-thing-do/">maybe not</a>.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-27643624419019382262021-06-19T07:26:00.005-07:002021-06-19T08:47:29.185-07:00May Flower: Mexican SNITIS<div><div><div>"Complaint accuses Mexican factories of labor abuses, testing new trade pact" by Thomas Kaplan New York Times May 10, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO and other groups filed a complaint with the Biden administration Monday over claims of labor violations at a group of auto parts factories in Mexico, a move that will pose an early test of the new North American trade deal and its labor protections.</div><div><br /></div><div>The complaint focuses on the Tridonex auto parts factories in the city of Matamoros, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas. The AFL-CIO said workers there have been harassed and fired over their efforts to organize with an independent union, SNITIS, in place of a company-controlled union. Susana Prieto Terrazas, a Mexican labor lawyer and SNITIS leader, was arrested and jailed last year in an episode that received significant attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>The trade deal, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, was negotiated by the Trump administration to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and took effect last summer. While it was negotiated by a Republican administration, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deal had significant input from congressional Democrats, who controlled the House and who insisted on tougher labor and environmental standards in order to vote in favor</span></b> of the pact, which needed approval from Congress.</div><div><br /></div><div>The trade <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pact required </span></b>Mexico to make <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sweeping changes to</span></b> its labor system, where <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sham collective bargaining agreements</span></b> known as protection contracts, which are imposed without the involvement of employees and lock in low wages, have been prevalent.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">complaint </span></b>is<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> being brought</span></b> under a novel “rapid response” mechanism in the trade deal that allows for complaints about labor violations to be brought against an individual factory and for penalties to be applied to that factory. The complaint was filed by the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, SNITIS, and Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.</div><div><br /></div><div>“USMCA requires Mexico to end the reign of protection unions and their corrupt deals with employers,” Richard L. Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement, using the abbreviation for the trade deal. “The <b><span style="color: red;">ongoing harassment</span></b> of Susana Prieto and SNITIS members is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">textbook violation</span></b> of the labor laws Mexico has pledged to uphold.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[There is something more going on than a $imple trade $pat, and what I suspect what we see here is a tool to be used against </b></i><i><b>López Obrador because he isn't on board with the agenda. He's one of the handful of world leaders who are resisting he CVD hoax and fraud, which is why he comes under attack in $uch ways -- imho</b></i><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The trade deal seeks to improve labor conditions and pay for workers in Mexico, which proponents say would benefit US workers by deterring factory owners from moving their operations to Mexico from the United States in search of <b><span style="color: red;">cheap</span></b>er <b><span style="color: red;">labor</span></b>. Enforcement of the pact is one of the main trade challenges facing the Biden administration.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tridonex is a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> subsidiary of</span></b> Philadelphia-based Cardone Industries, which is<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> controlled by </span></b>Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, the AFL-CIO said. In 2016, Cardone announced <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plans to move</span></b> its brakes division to Mexico <b><span style="color: red;">and lay off</span></b> more than<b><span style="color: red;"> 1,300</span></b> workers in Philadelphia, according to news reports and public records.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Hey, the vestiges of the NAU and you didn't even notice as it will soon rise like a phoenix from the ashes]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The complaint includes several accusations of labor violations, including that workers have not been able to elect their union leaders or ratify their collective bargaining agreement, and that more than 600 workers were fired by their employer in acts of retaliation. It also accuses the state of Tamaulipas of denying the right of workers to choose the union that represents them.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There couldn’t be a clearer case,” said Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents Cardone workers in Philadelphia.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a statement, Cardone said it was “committed to leading labor practices, fostering constructive relationships with employees and fully respecting the universal principle of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“We are committed to fully complying with all applicable labor laws and regulations with respect to our Tridonex facilities in Matamoros, Mexico,” the statement said.....</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/10/business/complaint-accuses-mexican-factories-labor-abuses-testing-new-trade-pact/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I was further told that if the United States decides there is sufficient evidence of workers’ rights being denied, it would then request that Mexico conduct a review of the allegations, and after that step, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/10/business/complaint-accuses-mexican-factories-labor-abuses-testing-new-trade-pact/">a panel could be established to investigate the matter</a> so don't hold your breath.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Of course, it wouldn't be a problem had the previous NAFTA agreement under Clinton didn't encourage the factories to move there, but.....</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"US asks Mexico to investigate labor issues at GM facility" by Thomas Kaplan New York Times, May 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">was asking</span></b> Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to review</span></b> whether labor violations had occurred at a General Motors facility in the country, a significant step <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">using</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new labor enforcement tool</span></b> in the revised North American trade deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>The administration is seeking the review <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">under the novel</span></b> “rapid response” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mechanism</span></b> in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement and took effect last summer. Under the mechanism, penalties can be brought against a specific factory for violating workers’ rights of free association and collective bargaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>The administration “received information appearing to indicate serious violations” of workers’ rights at the GM facility, in Silao in the central state of Guanajuato, in connection with a recent vote on their collective-bargaining agreement, the Office of the US Trade Representative said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The vote was stopped last month amid accusations that the union at the facility had tampered with it, according to news reports. Mexico’s Labor Ministry said Tuesday that it had found “serious irregularities” in the vote and ordered that it be held again within 30 days.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[All right. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>First of all, whatever happened with the Amazon vote? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Secondly, I'm sure none of this has to do with </i></b><b><i>López Obrador's support of Biden's political opponent or anything.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Lastly, what's with the "novel mechanism" terminology when that is what the CVD fraud is about?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The cutesy insults from the elite pre$$ are in our faces and an inside joke to their masters that read it. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, ha-ha]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The updated North American trade agreement required Mexico to revamp its labor system.....</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[That's where the print copy ended and I'm started to get into a maddening snit reading this garbage so..... I guess it is a </b></i><i><b>GM factory and likely part of wrecking the auto industry on their way to Great Re$et heaven]</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/us-asks-mexico-investigate-labor-issues-gm-facility/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>Incredibly, the same article spins the situation to say that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/us-asks-mexico-investigate-labor-issues-gm-facility/">in announcing its request for a review by Mexico, the Biden administration avoided striking an adversarial tone with the Mexican government, and</a></b></i><i><b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/us-asks-mexico-investigate-labor-issues-gm-facility/"> praised the government “for stepping in to suspend the vote when it became aware of voting irregularities</a>.”</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>That from a government that took power like a literal thief in the night -- soomething Mexico used to be famous for, but no more:</b></i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>"Mexico votes on López Obrador’s ‘transformation’ at mid-term" by Christopher Sherman The Associated Press, June 6, 2021</div></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>MEXICO CITY — Mexicans went to the polls Sunday to elect the entire lower house of Congress, almost half the country’s governors, and most mayors in a vote that will determine whether President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party gets the legislative majority it needs to continue his “Fourth Transformation” of Mexico.</div><div><br /></div><div>López Obrador's critics have depicted the elections as a chance to stop the <b><span style="color: red;">still-popular president</span></b> from <b><span style="color: red;">concentrating</span></b> more<b><span style="color: red;"> power</span></b> and weakening checks and balances. The president<span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">says</span><span style="color: red;"> </span>the <b><span style="color: red;">opposition is dominated by conservatives who oppose</span></b> his campaign against corruption and wasteful spending.</div><div><br /></div><div>López Obrador has <b><span style="color: red;">complained about </span></b>courts and independent regulatory agencies that have blocked some of his tougher proposals to empower state-owned industries. Opponents <b><span style="color: red;">fear that if he wins a majority, he may try to subjugate</span></b> courts and regulatory agencies created during Mexico's decades-long transition to full democracy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mexico City <b><span style="color: red;">housewife</span></b> Dolores Martinez <b><span style="color: red;">said she was pleased</span></b> with López Obrador's anti-corruption fight, after decades of corrupt administrations.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I like it a lot,” Martinez said as she waited to vote. “There has to be transparency,” <b><span style="color: red;">but other voters said </span></b>they were<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> disappointed</span></b> by López Obrador. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Okay, you can't miss the parallels with Trump as the AP takes the ax to him, and we even get a "Fourth Industrial Revolution"-type term when the obviously populist López Obrador, who has suffered two stolen elections so he knows all about vote fraud.]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>As for much of the campaign, <b><span style="color: red;">violence marked the days leading up</span></b> <span style="color: red;"><b>to</b></span> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vote</span></b>. On Saturday, an employee of the state prosecutors’ office in Chiapas who was not authorized to be quoted said five people who were carrying voting material to polling places were ambushed and killed on a rural highway. Those killed appeared to be volunteers, not government employees. Three dozen candidates, mostly for local posts, have been killed to date, and on Friday a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b> electoral agency <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">worker</span></b> was <b><span style="color: red;">shot to death </span></b>in Tlaxcala state, near Mexico City.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fifteen of the country's 32 state governorships are at stake, and all 500 seats in the lower house of Congress. Almost 20,000 local posts including mayors and town council seats are being decided in 30 states, and those have often been the most violence-scarred races. </div><div><br /></div><div>Experts say <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">criminal gangs have sought to influence the election</span></b>s, while the government ascribes most of the killings to other questions and said they weren't necessarily related to elections, <span style="color: red;"><b>but</b></span> the country’s electoral authority said the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">elections will be among the most thoroughly monitored in history</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with</span></b> over 19,000 registered observers, and <b><span style="color: red;">violence at polling places</span></b> is relatively <b><span style="color: red;">rare</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>López Obrador has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">raised minimum wages and strengthened government aid programs </span></b>like supplementary payments to the elderly, students, and training programs for youths. He has also created a quasi-military National Guard<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> and given the army a huge role in building</span></b> his <b><span style="color: red;">pet projects</span></b>, which include trains, an oil refinery, and airports, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> he has <b><span style="color: red;">not</span></b> hewed to a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">traditional leftist</span></b> line. He has maintained friendly if sometimes tension-fraught relations with the United States and willingly helped keep tens of thousands of Central American migrants from reaching the US border. He abhors government debt or waste.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You can see why certain intere$ts have a problem with him because he is such a good man!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Opponents depict him as<b><span style="color: red;"> intolerant of criticism and obsessed with</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">nostalgic</span></b> 1960s <b><span style="color: red;">vision</span></b> of Mexico, when oil was king and state-owned companies dominated many sectors of the economy. Socially conservative and a professed Christian “in the broadest sense,” he has <b><span style="color: red;">angered feminists</span></b> with his policies, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> has <b><span style="color: red;">pleased many</span></b> Mexicans by living austerely.</div><div><br /></div><div>The elections represent the first mass public events since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country over a year ago, though case numbers have fallen and Mexico has vaccinated about a quarter of adults. The estimated 350,000 fatalities in the pandemic — about 230,000 of them test-confirmed — do not appear to have played a major role in the campaigns, but may weigh on voters’ minds.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/world/mexico-votes-lpez-obradors-transformation-mid-term/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>I would say the political ground he staked out is a “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/opinion/annissa-essaibi-george-says-shes-ready-lead-boston-where/">pragmatic status quo</a>,” and look <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-kissing-kamalas-ass.html">who</a> was down there electioneering:</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"Harris targets corruption, immigration on Latin America trip" by Alexandra Jaffe and Christopher Sherman The Associated Press, June 6, 2021</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — With Kamala Harris visiting Guatemala and Mexico on her first foreign trip as vice president, the Biden administration is expected to announce new measures to fight smuggling and trafficking, and hopes to announce additional anti-corruption efforts as well on Monday, a senior administration official said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The official, who briefed reporters traveling with Harris on Sunday, spoke on condition of anonymity to preview announcements before they have been made public. No further details were provided.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris has been tasked by President Joe Biden with addressing the root causes of the spike in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, and her aides say corruption will be a central focus of her meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday and Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Corruption really does sap the the wealth of any country, and in Central America is at a scale where it is a large percentage of GDP across the region,” said special envoy Ricardo Zuniga. “We see corruption as one of the most important root causes to be dealt with,” Zuniga added.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Don't think the $hamele$$ hypocri$y isn't noticed, but what you do is give them lip service and then go about your business]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> trip got off to a rocky start</span></b> when Harris’<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> plane </span></b>returned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland about 30 minutes after takeoff because of what her spokesperson said was a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">problem with the landing gear</span></b>. She departed on another plane and landed late Sunday in in Guatemala City, where she was met by Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seeking to secure commitments</span></b> from Guatemala and Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for greater cooperation on border security and economic investment</span></b>, and aides say she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will also discuss vaccine sharing</span></b> during her meetings, <span style="color: red;"><b>but</b></span> corruption in the region — a far more intractable challenge — will complicate her efforts. It’s already had a significant impact on her work in Central America. Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has yet to engage substantively</span></b> with the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador, who are both embroiled in corruption scandals.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>[Honduras underwent a Clinton-coup about 10 years so I guess they have soured o9n the junta, and as for El Salvador is must be the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/08/opinion/nayib-bukeles-creeping-authoritarianism-el-salvador/">creeping authoritarianism</a> of Nayib Bukele because there’s a direct line between the stability of a functioning democracy and the number of immigrants who show up at our borders and he <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/opinion/why-el-salvador-sees-future-bitcoin/">sees a future in Bitcoin</a> and creating distance from the dollar and </b></i><b><i>thumbing his nose at the United States</i></b><i><b>, thus the charge of authoritarianism for the Marxi$t American regime.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>That's why <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/us-ends-strict-trump-era-asylum-rules-violence-victims/">Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Wednesday reversed a Trump-era immigration ruling that made it all but impossible for people to seek asylum in the United States over credible fears of domestic abuse or gang violence</a>, marking one of the Justice Department’s most significant breaks with the previous administration <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/us-ends-strict-trump-era-asylum-rules-violence-victims/">because the government of El Salvador does little to protect people in violent relationships</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>There is no better way to defame someone than asking are you still beating your wife, and the pre$$ just did that as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/29/opinion/garland-lays-first-blocks-rebuilding-path-trust/">Garland lays the blocks in rebuilding path to trust with a signal to police departments across the nation that they could face consequences for violating the civil rights of citizens or for covering up for the citizens who do</a>, and on Thursday </b></i><b><i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/bidens-budget-plan-signals-support-abortion-rights/">Garland’s announcement Thursday that the Justice Department would be deploying all of the tools at its disposal to combat antisemitic hate crimes</a>]</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Giammattei has faced criticism over corruption within his own government. Zuniga acknowledged that the U.S. government faces a challenge in working with him but argued Harris was in the country in part to have a direct conversation with the president about this and other issues. “The best way to deal with these cases where you have a very complex relationship in a country like Guatemala is to talk clearly and plainly as partners, as countries that have to get along” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris has laid out an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid</span></b>. She announced plans to send <b><span style="color: red;">$310 m</span></b>illion to provide support <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for refugees and </span></b>address <b><span style="color: red;">food shortages</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recently secured commitments from a dozen companies and organizations to invest</span></b> in the Northern Triangle countries<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to promote economic opportunity and job training</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy</span></b> this past week. Giammattei and López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday telling them the U.S. would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The genocidal kill shots are the </i><a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-new-currency.html" style="font-style: italic;">new currency</a><i> brought to you by <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/business/boston-business-leaders-launch-campaign-raise-10-million-latino-equity-fund/">ambassadors</a></i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>While in Guatemala, Harris also plans to meet community leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. In Mexico, she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will speak with female entrepreneurs and hold a roundtable with labor </span></b>workers.</div><div><br /></div><div>She’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underscored</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need to address corruption</span></b> in public remarks and events. In a May meeting with a number of leading voices on Guatemala’s justice system, she noted her work as a prosecutor and said that “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">injustice is a root cause</span></b> of migration. Part of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">giving people hope</span></b> is having a very specific commitment to rooting out corruption in the region,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris has also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">raised the issue during virtual meetings</span></b> with the leaders of both countries, and aides say she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will do it again </span></b>during meetings on her trip. During their past conversations, they have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">discussed areas of mutual interest</span></b> — improving port security, combatting smuggling networks, going after corrupt actors — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and the goal of</span></b> this<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> trip is to turn that talk into action</span></b>, aides say.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the vice president will make announcements concerning new efforts at cooperation and new programs, she’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not expected to announce any new aid</span></b> during her trip.</div><div><br /></div><div>While in Latin America, Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will also have to navigate </span></b>the<b><span style="color: red;"> politics </span></b>of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized both Biden and Harris for deciding not to visit the border, and contend the administration is<b><span style="color: red;"> ignoring </span></b>what they say is a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> crisis</span></b> there. April was the second-busiest month on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3% from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They are, as is the pre$$ since it doesn't fit the narrative so they must advance the agenda by stealth]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Conservatives will be <b><span style="color: red;">watching</span></b> Harris closely <b><span style="color: red;">for</span></b> any <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">missteps</span></b>, hoping <b><span style="color: red;">to drag her into</span></b> further <b><span style="color: red;">controversy</span></b> on an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">issue </span></b>that they see as <b><span style="color: red;">a political winner</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In her efforts to win commitments on corruption from the region’s leaders, Harris can point to a number of moves by the Biden administration last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Secretary of State Antony Blinken <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">emphasized the problem during his own recent trip</span></b> to Central America. The White House issued a memo elevating foreign corruption to a major national security issue, and directed all federal agencies to prioritize it and modernize their foreign corruption-fighting tools.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I blinked and I missed it]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Eric Olson, director of policy at the Seattle International Foundation, which works to promote good governance in Central America, said that addressing corruption will take particular diplomatic skill. Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will need to hold</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">leaders </span></b>of Guatemala and Mexico<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> accountable</span></b> while also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deepen</span></b>ing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trust and cooperation </span></b>with the two nations. </i><i>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">challenge</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">she faces is how to</span></b>, on the one hand,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> have a conversation</span></b>, keep the door open — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">while not seeming to ignore</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">obvious elephant in the room</span></b>, which is this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">incredible penetration of the state by corrupt actors</span></b>,” he said.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In Mexico, López Obrador continues to face a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">complicated security situation</span></b> in many parts of the country. Nearly three-dozen candidates or pre-<b><span style="color: red;">candidates were killed</span></b> before this weekend’s midterm elections <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as drug cartels sought to protect their interests</span></b>. The government’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inability to provide security</span></b> in parts of the country <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is of interest to the U.S.</span></b> in an immigration context, both for the people who are displaced by violence and the impact it has on a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> severely weakened economy trying reemerge from </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>.....</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/harris-visits-latin-america-tackle-migration-corruption/">link</a></div></div><div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>I was further told that Harris’ <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/harris-visits-latin-america-tackle-migration-corruption/">visit comes with high expectations, but experts say clear progress on corruption may be elusive because</a> </i><i>“these are societies built on corruption,” like the one of which she is allegedly vice president -- b</i></b><b><i>ut there is hope yet!</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Harris seeks ‘hope at home’ for Guatemalans" by Alexandra Jaffe The Associated Press, June 7, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It was a false hope because she said ‘do not come.’]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>GUATEMALA CITY — Vice President Kamala Harris offered an <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>optimistic outlook for improved cooperatio</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>n</b></span> with Guatemala on addressing the <b><span style="color: red;">spike in migration</span></b> to the United States after her meeting with its president, Alejandro Giammattei, on Monday. She also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">delivered</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">direct warning</span></b> to migrants considering making the trek: “Do not come. Do not come.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Her <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">comments, during a press conference</span></b> after she met privately with the Guatemalan president, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underscored the challenge that remains even as</span></b> Harris engages in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">substantive talk</span></b>s with the Guatemalan and Mexican presidents <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">during a three-day visit</span></b> to the region this week, her first foreign trip as vice president.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">find hope at home</span></b>," Harris said. “At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come, do not come.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">conjunction with</span></b> Harris's <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trip</span></b>, the Biden administration announced the Justice Department would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">create an anti-corruption task force and an additional task force to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling</span></b> in the region. Harris also promised a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new program focused on creating education and economic opportunities for girls </span></b>there, among other new initiatives, <b><span style="color: red;">but for all the talk</span></b> about new ways to cooperate, reining in corruption and improving living conditions in the region have been long-running challenges that previous administrations have been unable to achieve in their efforts to stem the tide of migration to the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You know, it all sounds good until you realize they are the ones who are facilitating that which they claim to be fighting. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The government has become a wolf in sheep's clothing, except the emperor has no clothes]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the challenge remains that, despite the best efforts of US officials, corruption underpins many of the region’s governments. Indeed, Giammattei himself has faced criticism over his handling of the issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last month, two lawyers who are outspoken critics of Giammattei’s administration were <b><span style="color: red;">arrested on</span></b> what they say were <b><span style="color: red;">trumped-up charges aimed at silencing </span></b>them, and the <b><span style="color: red;">selection of judges </span></b>for Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, its highest, was <b><span style="color: red;">mired in influence peddling and allegations of corruption</span></b>. Giammattei picked his chief of staff to fill one of the five vacancies. When Gloria Porras, a respected force against corruption, was elected to a second term, the congress controlled by Giammattei’s party refused to seat her.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Now why did <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/29/nation/lawmaker-who-voted-against-certifying-election-offers-help-biden/">Giuliani</a> just come to mind?]</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>On Monday, Giammattei seemed less than eager to address those issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>Asked by the Associated Press about criticism of his record on corruption, Giammattei <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">initially ignored</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">question</span></b>. When being <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pressed by another journalist to answer</span></b> for the complaints against him, Giammattei <b><span style="color: red;">seemed to bristle </span></b>at the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">allegation</span></b> that <b><span style="color: red;">he was at fault</span></b> on the issue, insisting that there were “zero” allegations of corruption against him and labeling drug traffickers the biggest corruption issue in his nation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">expressed optimism about their ability to work together </span></b>on the issue, telling reporters that the two had a “very frank and very candid” conversation that included “the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris said the Justice, Treasury, and State departments would work together on anti-corruption investigations and train local law enforcement to conduct their own.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We are creating this task force to address corruption. We are working on a task force that is about human smuggling. We are doing the work of requiring certain progress be made if we are going to attract US investment, private investment, to this region,” said Harris.</div><div><br /></div><div>Giammattei said the United States and Guatemala also agreed to collaborate on a “very simple process” through visas to allow for regular migration to the United States, and that the two countries would work to prioritize family reunifications.</div><div><br /></div><div>The White House also<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> announced</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">$7.5 m</span></b>illion commitment <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">through</span></b> USAID to support entrepreneurs and innovators in Guatemala, as well as millions more in investments in affordable housing, agri-businesses, and loans to small businesses in the country.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The entire world knows that AID = CIA, so good luck Giammattei, and I was told there would be no aid forthcoming so.... sigh]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Besides her meeting with Giammattei, Harris was to participate in a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">roundtable with </span></b>Guatemalan <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">community and civil society leaders</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> to meet with<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> young innovators and entrepreneurs</span></b>, including a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">number of female</span></b> entrepreneur<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">s</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>In addressing the root causes of migration, Harris has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">laid out an approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid</span></b>. She has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">focused </span></b>many of her <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">public events and listening sessions</span></b> before this visit on work <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with civil society organizations and international businesses</span></b>, which her aides say is an acknowledgment that the work of improving the situation in the region cannot be done by its governments alone.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Washington <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy</span></b> this past week. Giammattei and President Andres Manuel López Obrador of Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">both received calls </span></b>from Harris on Thursday telling them the United States would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>While in Latin America, Harris is also navigating the politics of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden and Harris for not visiting the US-Mexico border and contend the administration is ignoring what they say is a crisis there. April was the second-busiest month on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3 percent from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Conservatives are watching Harris closely for any missteps, hoping to drag her into further controversy on an issue that they see as a political winner.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>On Monday, Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">defended her decision not to visit the border, telling reporters she was focused on addressing the root causes of migration in a way that delivers “tangible” results</span></b> “as opposed to grand gestures.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/do-not-come-harris-seeks-hope-home-guatemalans/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><i>Time to count the votes:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div>"Mexico president’s grip on Congress slips, showing limits of his mandate" by Anatoly Kurmanaev and Oscar Lopez New York Times, June 7, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>MEXICO CITY — Voters in Mexico <b><span style="color: red;">tapped the brakes on</span></b> President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s <b><span style="color: red;">ambitious plans</span></b> to overhaul the country’s economy and society by <b><span style="color: red;">narrow</span></b>ing his leftist coalition’s <b><span style="color: red;">majority</span></b> in Congress in midterm elections Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>The governing Morena party was expected to hold between 190 and 203 seats in Mexico’s lower house of Congress, a decline of up to 60 lawmakers, according to preliminary results released late Sunday by the country’s electoral board.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although Morena, together with allies, <b><span style="color: red;">will still be the dominant force</span></b> in the 500-seat legislature, the coalition is expected to fall <b><span style="color: red;">well short of the two-thirds majority required to push through</span></b> the most sweeping aspects of López Obrador’s <b><span style="color: red;">agenda</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s a powerful reversal,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a political analyst and professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Translation: they couldn't thieve it any more than that]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Morena has also <b><span style="color: red;">suffered heavy losses </span></b>in Mexico’s capital, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">megalopolis</span></b> of 9 million <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">that had voted for leftist candidates </span></b>since 1997, losing seats in the local assembly and key municipal offices. The <b><span style="color: red;">defeats</span></b> in Mexico City were <b><span style="color: red;">an important blow to</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">symbolically</span></b> as well as substantively, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underlining</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">ebbing</span></b> of <b><span style="color: red;">support</span></b> for López Obrador’s project among the country’s educated middle class, said Genaro Lozano, a political scientist at Mexico’s Iberoamerican University.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[If I want to know what is really going on in Mexico I <a href="http://82.221.129.208/">turn over stones</a> and <a href="https://dollarvigilante.com/">stay vigilant</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>While many aspects of López Obrador’s agenda are already underway, such as the construction of major infrastructure, the election results will make other changes more difficult. In particular, the results will hinder López Obrador’s flagship plan to return Mexico’s energy sector to state control.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the president’s <b><span style="color: red;">enduring popularity</span></b>, especially <b><span style="color: red;">among the poor</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">results appear to show</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> limits of</span></b> his <b><span style="color: red;">popular mandate</span></b> to change the nation under a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bold program</span></b> he has billed Mexico’s “Fourth Transformation.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In a <b><span style="color: red;">silver lining</span></b> for the government, López Obrador’s coalition was<b><span style="color: red;"> expected to make major gains in </span></b>the more than 20,000 <b><span style="color: red;">local and regional offices</span></b> also contested in Mexico’s largest-ever elections, deepening Morena’s national reach and cementing the ascendancy of a party that was founded less than 10 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Meaning the vote fraud was massive on a national level because it is much easier than a limited local election. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>So López Obrador was like Trump, huh? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Coattails with no coat!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">elections were marred by</span></b> one of Mexico’s worst <b><span style="color: red;">wave</span></b>s <b><span style="color: red;">of political violence</span></b>,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> underlining </span></b>López Obrador’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">challenge on confronting crime</span></b>, which polls showed was one of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">voters’ main concern</span></b>s.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[He is like Biden and the Democrats then!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Thirty-four candidates were killed during the campaign and dozens of polling stations were shut down by armed assailants, or out of fear of retribution. A human head was thrown at the entrance of one polling station in the city of Tijuana, on the US border, and body parts were found nearby. It was not immediately clear to authorities who did it, or why.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Mexican <b><span style="color: red;">peso rallied</span></b> nearly 1 percent in early Monday trading, one of the best performances among emerging market currencies, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">suggesting</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">business sector </span></b>was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reacting positively</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to </span></b>new <b><span style="color: red;">check</span></b>s <b><span style="color: red;">on</span></b> López Obrador’s <b><span style="color: red;">power</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">main opposition parties performed better than expected</span></b> at the polls, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">after deciding to put aside major ideological differences and confront</span></b> López Obrador in a coalition. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pro-business </span></b>National Action Party will be the biggest <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opposition</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></b>force in Congress, with 106 to 117 seats. An opposition candidate also led the preliminary results in the governor’s race for the state of Nuevo León, Mexico’s economic powerhouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>López Obrador has <b><span style="color: red;">spent much of his three years in power attacking opposition</span></b> parties<b><span style="color: red;"> and independent institutions </span></b>such as Mexico’s electoral commission as wasteful or downright corrupt, <b><span style="color: red;">widening the political schism</span></b>s in Mexican society, said the political analysts. Now, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in order to push </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more radical change</span></b>s he is pursuing, the president faces the choice of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">doubling down on</span></b> his <b><span style="color: red;">polarizing approach</span></b> and trying to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">govern by </span></b>presidential <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">decree</span></b>s or negotiating with the opposition, they added.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Everything the Times is saying describes the U.S. government and its political scene, not Mexico's. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's called projection, and it's disgusting]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Governing by decree could prove challenging: To date, most of the president’s landmark laws are<b><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tied up in</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span>Mexico’s <b><span style="color: red;">court</span></b>s, which <b><span style="color: red;">so far</span></b> have <b><span style="color: red;">resisted</span></b> presidential pressure to allow the bills to take effect.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re seeing a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ruling party</span></b> that’s been <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">humbled</span></b>, that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will need to negotiate</span></b> from now on,” Lozano said. “We are far from political hegemony.”</div><div><br /></div><div>On Monday morning, during his regular news conference, López Obrador appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Unlike in previous times, the state did not intervene,” he said. “The people spoke — they decided who should represent them.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/world/mexico-presidents-grip-congress-slips-showing-limits-his-mandate/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Here comes Harris:</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"In Mexico, Harris defends against criticism over border" by Alexandra Jaffe the Associated Press, June 8, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>MEXICO CITY — Vice President Kamala Harris<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> brushed off questions</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">about</span></b> her decision not to go to the US-Mexico border as part of her work to address the <b><span style="color: red;">spike in migration</span></b>, declaring Tuesday that while it was “legitimate” to be concerned about the situation at the border, it wouldn’t be addressed with a simple visit.</div><div><br /></div><div>As she closed out a two-day visit to Guatemala and Mexico aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties to help deal with migration to the United States, Harris declared: “When I’m in Guatemala dealing with root causes, I think we should have a conversation about what’s going on in Guatemala.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How was she getting around on her trip, and was the $hamele$$ and hypocritical carbon footprint on that?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reporters traveling with her</span></b> in Mexico, Harris was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">asked about the prospect that her decision not to visit the border may be overshadowing her focus on the</span></b> very <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">issue</span></b>s prompting migrants to flee their homes for the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>“You can’t say you care about the border without caring about the root causes, without caring about the acute causes” of migration, she said. “It would be very easy to say, we’ll travel to one place and therefore it’s solved. I don’t think anybody thinks that that would be the solution,” she added.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">decision not to go to the border as part of her mission on migration threatened to overshadow her diplomacy as she closed out a two-day trip</span></b> to Guatemala and Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">focused on stemming the flow of people in</span></b>to the United States. Her<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> work thus far has focused on strengthening diplomatic relations</span></b>, and she met with both Guatemala’s and Mexico’s presidents on her trip to discuss economic investments and increased enforcement against trafficking, smuggling, and corruption.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">increase in migration</span></b> at the border has become one of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">major challenge</span></b>s confronting Biden in the early months of his first term, with <b><span style="color: red;">Republicans seizing on</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">issue they see as politically advantageous</span></b>. Polls suggest Americans are less favorable toward Biden’s approach to immigration than they are toward his policies on the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Yeah, implicit in the statement is that Democrats don't seize on issues that are politically advantageous.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>AP a$$hole!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>They’ve<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> tried to make Harris the face of </span></b>that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">immigration</span></b> policy, charging she and Biden are ignoring the issue because both have yet to visit the southern border. Harris told reporters she was focused on “tangible” results “as opposed to grand gestures.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><img alt="Vice President Kamala Harris" class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg" height="264" id="img-b8418df1-6177-4f3b-aaa2-d7f2618dbdad-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/JlPLnT0bzN63h33JRS9EeOdoBVk=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/JlPLnT0bzN63h33JRS9EeOdoBVk=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/ZvqukTTT8TUrYqqDnIVBo0wZKYY=/1280x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/LBXE3ulGCs_OW878-Z9LSpuAf5A=/1024x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/w4yvbMweaVO1nuABNnIJpnz-SQ4=/820x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/AQCJZOE5xeGvdGY5qlkRphvh8Xg=/600x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/U8LFZpX7-xqODzD871yf5pXhJz0=/420x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/Ms71SXAfZHhszo6S2QRheH5mhtE=/240x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/VIPP6JIALAXCFOQKJ7CEYCS5EQ.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span class="caption | margin_right_half" style="font-size: small;">Vice President Kamala Harris (</span><span class="credit uppercase"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jacquelyn Martin/</span><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/harris-announces-125-billion-community-lenders/" style="font-size: small;">Associated Press</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span><i><b>]</b></i></span></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Harris and her aides have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sought to make clear that her mission is narrowly focused on finding diplomatic solutions</span></b> to the problem at the border, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> during her trip this week she and the Biden administration were <b><span style="color: red;">dogged by</span></b> questions on the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">issue</span></b>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Going to need a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-dog-shit.html">pooper scooper</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The administration said the meeting produced an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">agreement to have an economic dialogue </span></b>in September on trade, telecommunications, and supply chains, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> the two countries <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will</span></b> also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">partner on human trafficking and economic programs</span></b> addressing why people leave El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris told López Obrador at the start of their meeting that the two nations are “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">embarking on a new era</span></b>" and emphasized the longstanding “interdependence and interconnection" of the two nations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also met female entrepreneurs and planned to hold a round table with labor leaders</span></b> in Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">before heading back</span></b> to Washington on Tuesday night.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The</i> print copy<i> cut the flight short, but the web version kept on flying]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> visit </span></b>to Mexico <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">capped </span></b>Harris’s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> first foreign trip </span></b>as vice president,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> a brief foray</span></b> that brought her first to Guatemala on Monday. While in Guatemala, she met President Alejandro Giammattei. To coincide with their meeting, the Biden administration announced a number of new commitments to combat trafficking, smuggling, and corruption, as well as investments in economic development in the country, <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut </span></b>some <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Democrats criticized the vice president</span></b> Monday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">when she delivered a direct message</span></b> to those considering leaving their homes and making the often dangerous trek to the US border: “Do not come.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Her<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> comments echoed those made by past US officials as they’ve tried to dissuade migrants</span></b> from seeking to cross the border, as the US faces unprecedented numbers of attempted border crossings. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called her comments “disappointing” and noted that it is legal to seek asylum.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">declined to respond directly</span></b> to the criticism when reporters asked, saying only: “I’m really clear: We have to deal with the root causes and that is my hope. Period,” <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">criticism from both </span></b>Republicans and Democrats <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underscored the politically fraught nature of the assignment</span></b>, and the difficulty Harris faces in finding success with an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">intractable</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">challenge </span></b>that's <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only grown</span></b> in recent months.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[Intractable means unsolvable, so just throw upon your hands with the border, huh?]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Illegal border <b><span style="color: red;">crossings have increased steadily</span></b> since April 2020, <b><span style="color: red;">after Trump introduced pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic-related power</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to deny migrants the opportunity to seek asylum</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> further accelerated under Biden. The new president quickly scrapped many of Trump’s hardline border policies — most notably the program that made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico, often in dangerous conditions, for dates in US immigration court. </i><i>US border authorities encountered nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children in March, the highest on record. Overall, more than 170,000 encounters were reported on the border in April, the highest level in more than 20 years. </i><i>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">numbers aren’t directly comparable because getting</span></b> stopped under <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>-related authorities carries no legal consequences, resulting in many repeat crossings.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>[OMG, they blame it on <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/nation/us-identifies-3900-children-separated-border-under-trump/">Trump</a> with running interference and cover for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/world/many-families-torn-apart-southern-border-face-long-uncertain-wait/">Biden</a>!]</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>During an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">NBC interview</span></b>, she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">dismissed a question</span></b> on why she hadn’t yet visited by responding, “and I haven’t been to Europe, and I mean, I <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">don’t understand the point</span></b> that you’re making — I’m not discounting the importance of the border.” </i><i>After <b><span style="color: red;">Republicans seized on</span></b> her <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">comment</span></b>s to <b><span style="color: red;">portray</span></b> Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as out of touch</span></b> with the issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> forced to defend the decision</span></b> as well, <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut</span></b> it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">drew headlines even as</span></b> Harris <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">called attention to what she described as a productive meeting </span></b>with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. After the meeting, the administration announced a range of agreements brokered between the two governments, including a $130 million commitment over the next three years from the United States to support labor reforms in Mexico and loans to bolster southern Mexico’s economy.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/nation/mexico-harris-defends-against-criticism-over-border/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/biden-takes-infrastructure-plan-south/"><b>White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested in a podcast interview that aired Thursday that President Biden has not traveled to the US-Mexico border because there is relatively limited public interest in the situation there</b></a>, despite repeated calls by Republicans for him to witness firsthand the effect of a surge in migrants. Psaki’s comments came in a wide-ranging interview on “The Axe Files” podcast, hosted by David Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to President Barack Obama. Psaki also said her tenure as press secretary could end by this time next year. “We’re often asked, ‘Why doesn’t he go to the border?’ Important issue. We’re focused on it,” Psaki said. “What percentage of the public is focused on the border? A much smaller percentage than who’s focused on the pandemic and the economy. So that may be maddening, but, you know, that’s what we try to do.” A Pew survey in April showed that American concern about illegal immigration had in fact jumped, with a similar percentage saying it was a “very big problem” as said the same of the coronavirus pandemic....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>$kank!</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/us-makes-concessions-ease-asylum-restrictions-attorney-says/">US makes concessions to ease asylum restrictions</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/us-formally-ends-policy-asylum-seekers-wait-mexico/">US formally ends policy for asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/us-threatens-legal-action-against-texas-shelter-closures/">US threatens legal action against Texas on shelter closures</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/world/us-tourist-wounded-beach-killings-cancn-mexico/">US tourist wounded in beach killings in Cancún, Mexico</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>That's when they started waving the women at us again as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/central-american-women-are-fleeing-domestic-violence-amid-pandemic-few-find-refuge-us/">scores of Central American women are fleeing brutal violence from boyfriends, spouses, and others in one of the world’s most dangerous regions for women who have recently arrived at the southern US border only to find they now encounter an uphill battle to be let in</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Harris told them not to come after offering them <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/harris-touts-child-care-funding-payments-families/">child care and payments to families to the tune of $15 billion</a> because it is ‘<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/29/nation/lawmaker-who-voted-against-certifying-election-offers-help-biden/">critical infrastructure</a>’ -- just like the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-south-carolina-coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-57926b718ec78d5c5e5ca876d7671e30">COVID vaccination drive</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related</i></b>:</div></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/harris-announces-125-billion-community-lenders/"><b>Vice President Kamala Harris announced Tuesday that the Biden administration is distributing $1.25 billion to hundreds of community lenders in an effort to help boost the economic recovery from the coronavirus for small businesses and disadvantaged business owners</b></a>. The funds are going to more than 860 community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, around the country. CDFIs offer loans to small businesses and those who may be turned down for loans from major banks, a problem that studies have shown particularly plagues minority business owners. Harris has focused on small businesses from the start of her vice presidency, and has emphasized <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/harris-announces-125-billion-community-lenders/"><b>in particular the need to support minority- and female-owned small businesses as key to a robust economic recovery</b></a>."</div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-91991474359261719082021-06-18T07:33:00.003-07:002021-06-18T07:35:34.293-07:00Morning Sunrise<b><i>I'm usually up before it.....</i></b><div><br /></div><div>"Israel strikes Gaza after Hamas fires incendiary balloons" by Joseph Krauss The Associated Press, June 17, 2021<div><br /></div><div>Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip late Thursday for a second time since a shaky cease-fire ended last month’s 11-day war. The strikes came after activists mobilized by Gaza’s<b><span style="color: red;"> militant </span></b>Hamas <b><span style="color: red;">rulers launched incendiary balloons</span></b> into Israel for a third straight day.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That is Palestine's version of an air force]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes, which could be heard from Gaza City. Israel also carried out airstrikes early Wednesday, targeting what it is said were Hamas facilities, without killing or wounding anyone.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How would they know?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Surveillance <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">camera footage obtained by</span></b> The <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>A</b></span>ssociated <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">P</span></b>ress <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">showed</span></b> what appeared to be heavy machine-gun fire into the air from Gaza, a possible attempt by Palestinian militants to shoot down aircraft. Other footage showed projectiles being fired from Gaza, but it was unclear what kind or where they landed.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's Israeli aggression, and yet the AP -- who had their offices taken down by Israel -- is on their knees and spins the story to make it sound like Palestine is the aggressor.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Honestly, folks, the American jew$media has become so atrocious that the sun is setting on it. I'm probably the only one left reading them.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Beyond that, there is NOT ONE PEEP from the DEMOCRATS or BIDEN regarding the NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT BREAKING THE CEASE FIRE!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Tensions have remained high since a cease-fire halted the war on May 21, even as Egyptian mediators have met with Israeli and Hamas officials to try and shore up the informal truce.</div><div><br /></div><div>Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and countless smaller skirmishes since the Islamic <b><span style="color: red;">militant group seized power</span></b> from rival Palestinians forces in 2007.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's a lie and the pre$$ knows it's a lie because Hamas won elections -- </i></b><b><i>Hamas overwhelmingly won Palestinian Parliament elections in <a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/06/26/under_us_pressure_israel_relaxes_control_of_west_bank_towns">2006</a>, </i></b><i><b>Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in early </b><a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/06/06/israel_thwarts_new_attempt_to_break_gaza_blockade/" style="font-weight: bold;">2006</a><b>, in 2006, Hamas won Palestinian legislative</b><span style="color: #009900; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/06/18/israel_to_ease_limits_on_aid_going_to_gaza/" style="font-weight: bold;">elections</a><b>, Hamas won the last parliamentary elections in</b><span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/01/27/thousands_march_against_abbas/" style="font-weight: bold;">2006</a><b>, Hamas won parliamentary elections in</b><span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/05/04/palestinian_groups_agree_to_unity_pact/" style="font-weight: bold;">2006</a><b>, Hamas won a majority in 2006</b><span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a class="bold" href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/05/05/former_palestinian_enemies_agree_to_reconcile/" style="font-weight: bold;">elections</a><b>, won a parliamentary election in</b><span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a class="l" href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-23/world/30547255_1_fatah-and-hamas-palestinian-factions-fatah-fatah-official" style="font-weight: bold;">2006</a>, <b>but the pre$$ keep on repeating it -- just like the </b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/world/europe/germany-military-sexual-assault-racism.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Russian annexation of Crimea</a><b> and incursion into Ukraine that wasn't.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>So WHAT DO YOU DO when the PRE$$ CONTINUALLY LIES?]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier, Israeli <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">police used stun grenades and a water cannon spraying skunk water to disperse</span></b> Palestinian <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">protesters</span></b> from Damascus Gate in east Jerusalem, the epicenter of weeks of protests and clashes in the run-up to the Gaza war.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the crowds were dispersed, Palestinians could be<b><span style="color: red;"> seen throwing rocks and water bottles</span></b> at ultra-Orthodox Jewish people walking in the area.</div><div><br /></div><div>Calls had circulated for protesters to gather at Damascus Gate <b><span style="color: red;">in response to</span></b> a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> rally</span></b> held there by Jewish ultranationalists on Tuesday in which dozens of Israelis had chanted “Death to Arabs” and “May your village burn.” The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">police had forcibly cleared</span></b> the square <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and provided security</span></b> for that rally, part of a parade to celebrate Israel’s conquest of east Jerusalem.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a separate incident, a Palestinian <b><span style="color: red;">teenager died</span></b> Thursday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">after being shot by Israeli troops</span></b> in the occupied West Bank <b><span style="color: red;">during</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">protest</span></b> against a settlement outpost, the fourth demonstrator to be killed since the outpost was established last month.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Israeli military said Wednesday that a soldier stationed near the wildcat outpost in the West Bank saw a group of Palestinians approaching, and that one “hurled a suspicious object at him, which exploded adjacent to the soldier.” The army said that the soldier fired in the air, then shot the Palestinian who threw the object.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday that Ahmad Shamsa, 15, died of a gunshot wound sustained a day earlier.</div><div><br /></div><div>Settlers established the outpost, which they refer to as Eviatar, near the northern West Bank town of Nablus last month and say it is now home to dozens of families. Palestinians say it is built on private land and fear it will grow and merge with other large settlements nearby.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers live in some 130 settlements across the occupied West Bank. The Palestinians and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">much of the international community view the settlements as a violation of international law</span></b> and a major obstacle to peace.</div><div><br /></div><div>Israeli authorities have evacuated the outpost on several occasions. They appear reluctant to do so this time because it would embarrass Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other right-wing members of the fragile government sworn in over the weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[OMFG!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT is WORSE THAN THE LAST ONE!!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Palestinians from the nearby village of Beita have held several protests in which demonstrators have hurled stones and Israeli troops have fired tear gas and live ammunition. Four Palestinians have been killed since mid-May, including Shamsa and another teenager.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups say the soldiers often use excessive force and could have stopped some assailants without killing them.<i> </i><i>In some cases, they say that <b><span style="color: red;">innocent people</span></b> have been identified as attackers and <b><span style="color: red;">shot</span></b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Palestinians seek the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exerts limited self-rule in population centers, as part of a future state along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel captured all three territories in the 1967 war and says Jerusalem is indivisible. There have been no substantive peace talks in more than a decade.</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Israeli <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">military</span></b> also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shot</span></b> and <b><span style="color: red;">killed</span></b> a Palestinian <span style="color: red;"><b>woman</b></span> on Wednesday, saying she had<span style="color: red;"><b> tried to ram her car into</b></span> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">group of soldiers</span></b> guarding a West Bank construction site.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In a statement, the army said soldiers fired at the woman in Hizmeh, just north of Jerusalem, after she exited the car and pulled out a knife. The statement did not say how close the woman was to the soldiers, and the army <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">did not release any photos or video</span></b> of the incident.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The family of Mai Afaneh insisted she had no reason or ability to carry out an attack.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In recent years, Israel has seen a series of shootings, stabbings, and car ramming attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the occupied West Bank. Most have been carried out by Palestinians with no apparent links to organized militant groups.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[Yes, it is Israel who is the perpetual victim as usual]</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/world/israel-strikes-gaza-after-hamas-fires-incendiary-balloons/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related: <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/evening-sunset.html">Evening Sunset</a></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Also see</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-myanmar-36a1f10aeda62671d5a6ed6c97ab96e2"><b>The United Nations’ office in Myanmar expressed concern Thursday about escalating human rights abuses after reports that a group opposed to the junta may have executed 25 civilians it captured and allegations that troops had burned down a village</b></a>. The struggle between the military regime that took power in February after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and those opposing it has sharpened in recent months. Elements of what had initially been a nonviolent civil disobedience movement have evolved into a fledgling armed resistance force in response to harsh repression from police and soldiers who killed hundreds of peaceful protesters and bystanders. The statement by the U.N. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">office cited abuses by both sides, calling on “all actors in the current crisis to ensure that international human rights norms and standards are respected</span></b>.” “This includes upholding the obligation to minimize collateral harm to civilians and to civilian infrastructure, and prohibiting the application of collective punishments against communities, families or individuals,” the U.N. office said....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Israelis do that shit all the time and not a word from the JU.N., so f** them!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Also see:</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/world/many-expected-shun-iran-election-seen-presidential-race-one/">Many expected to shun Iran election seen as presidential race of one</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Right, the Jew York Times is going to tell me what is going on in Iran.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Want to buy a bridge?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The Iranians are apparently disillusioned with the system as a whole -- just like the rest of us!</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Might be harder to get that war off the ground, though:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"As wars wind down, Congress revisits presidential powers" by Jennifer Steinhauer New York Times, June 17, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's about 20 years too late and comes after the mass-murdering war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and Syria have resulted in MILLIONS DEAD -- and now Congre$$ is trying to wash the blood off its hands!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The House voted on Thursday to revoke the authorization it gave in 2002 to invade Iraq, a step that would rein in presidential war-making powers for the first time in a generation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bipartisan action reflected <span style="color: red;"><b>growing determination</b></span> on Capitol Hill<b><span style="color: red;"> to revisit</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">broad authority</span></b> that Congress <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">provided</span></b> to president George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks through measures that successive presidents have used to justify military action around the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 2002 authorization was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">repeatedly</span></b> applied well <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">beyond its original intent</span></b>, including in a campaign much later against the Islamic State group in Iraq and for the killing of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last year. </div><div><br /></div><div>The debate now moves to the Senate, which is expected to take up similar legislation as the US military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of fighting there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden said this week that he would sign the House measure, making him the first president to accept such an effort to constrain his authority to carry out military action since the war in Afghanistan began 20 years ago. Biden’s decision came on the heels of announcing a full troop withdrawal from the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>The congressional action amounts to a <b><span style="color: red;">rare debate over</span></b> presidential <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">war powers</span></b> and the degree to which the conditions that led the House and Senate to give Bush broad authority after Sept. 11, 2001, should be left in place. Over many decades, Congress has effectively ceded much of its power to declare war to the presidency, leaving some lawmakers in both parties uneasy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even if the Senate joins the House in repealing the 2002 authorization, Congress would still leave in place a much broader authorization, passed three days after the Sept. 11 attacks, on approving the use of force against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Successive presidents have cited the 2001 authorization to justify operations against “associated forces,” and critics say it has given presidents excessive latitude to wage “forever wars” without further congressional approval in the Middle East and beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[This is for show and a total piece of crap then.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's what passes for "journali$m" in the pre$$ these days!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Until now, the Senate has refused to bring up legislation to repeal the authorization of military force, and the House has done so only as an amendment to broader legislation that never went anywhere, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> recent<b><span style="color: red;"> support for repeal </span></b>of the 2002 authorization — once almost nonexistent in either party in the Senate — <b><span style="color: red;">has greatly increased</span></b> across the political spectrum, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a product of war fatigue</span></b> among lawmakers, a majority of whom were not in office in 2001 and 2002, and the veterans who fought in them.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[We are more than tired of it, too]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/wars-wind-down-congress-revisits-presidential-powers/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Why leave when we will have to go right back in?</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-islamic-state-group-al-qaida-afghanistan-government-and-politics-f84b51dfcc39b15fef9b9a4f89002547"><b>An extremist group like al-Qaida may be able to regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the U.S. homeland within two years of the American military’s withdrawal from the country, the Pentagon’s top leaders said Thursday. It was the most specific public forecast of the prospects for a renewed international terrorist threat from Afghanistan since President Joe Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops would withdraw by Sept. 11</b></a>. At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley whether they rated the likelihood of a regeneration of al-Qaida or the Islamic State group in Afghanistan as small, medium or large. “I would assess it as medium,” Austin replied. “I would also say, senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability.” Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said he agreed. “I think that if certain other things happen — if there was a collapse of the government or the dissolution of the Afghan security forces — that risk would obviously increase, but right now I would say ‘medium’ and about two years or so,” Milley said. Their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-islamic-state-group-al-qaida-afghanistan-government-and-politics-f84b51dfcc39b15fef9b9a4f89002547"><b>responses underscored the overall military fears about the consequences of a complete, unconditional withdrawal. Military leaders over the past few years have pushed back against administration efforts to pull out of Afghanistan by a certain date, rather than basing troop numbers on the security conditions</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yeah, AL-CIA-Duh might attack us again and <a href="https://vimeo.com/258772307">what the hell did we really see that day</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Maybe they should stay there:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/17/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask"><b>The U.S. Embassy in Kabul went into lockdown on Thursday, citing a surge in coronavirus cases that has swamped the medical facilities that remain open to American diplomats as the U.S. military and international forces depart the country. The notice said that one person associated with the embassy had died, several had been medically evacuated and 114 people were infected and in isolation. The document said that 95 percent of the current cases were in people who were “unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated,” even though vaccines were available at the embassy. It noted that 90 percent of the Afghans and people from other countries on the embassy staff had been vaccinated</b></a>. In Washington, the State Department’s spokesman, Ned Price, said the embassy could not require its employees to be vaccinated and confirmed that nearly all of the cases in this “significant outbreak” were among those who were not fully immunized. He said that Covid vaccines had been made available to the Kabul embassy workers over the last several months. Embassy operations have been adjusted as a result of the outbreak, Price said, with employees required to work from home and take all necessary precautions, including wearing masks and social distancing, as Afghanistan grapples with what he described as its third wave of coronavirus. The Afghan ministry of public health recorded more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, along with 101 deaths, the most in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. Overall, 98,844 cases have been reported in the country....."</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>The infection spikes around the world are coming from the most heavily vaccinated places!</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Time to get back to work:</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Many executives don’t expect business travel to return to pre-pandemic levels for several years — if ever" by Jon Chesto Globe Staff, June 17, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">world of business has changed because of</span></b> COVID,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> and it’s never going to go back to the way it was </span></b>before,” said Jeff Leiden, the Mass. Competitive Partnership’s chairman and the executive chairman at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. “We’ve learned that there are different ways to cost-effectively and efficiently do our work that don’t have to involve in-person meetings.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Leiden said<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> cutting back on travel will provide a better quality of life</span></b> for employees, while offering companies continued cost savings.</div><div><br /></div><div>There’s also the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">environmental benefit</span></b>. Big publicly traded companies in particular are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint to help slow global warming. One way to do that: put the <b><span style="color: red;">brake</span></b>s <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>on travel</b></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Per Great Re$et!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Of course, they mean for you, not for them, as the $tinking ruling cla$$ will continue to jet-set their way around the world]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>State Street, for example, is among the big companies that have committed to becoming “net zero” in terms of their carbon impacts. Chief executive Ron O’Hanley said the Boston financial services company will take a number of steps to reach that goal over the next decade, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">looking at ways to curb jet travel</span></b> will certainly be one.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's right. At bottom are the BANKS who CALL the $HOTS!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>At Citizens Financial Group, chief executive Bruce Van Saun <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">envisions travel eventually rebounding</span></b> to 75 to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Mike Volpe, chief executive of Boston corporate travel firm Lola.com, said his team expects to see fewer business trips when <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">video is a good substitute</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Did the airlines know this when they signed up for the Great Re$et, or were they out of the loop?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Look at the silver lining: less chance of a "<a href="https://wikispooks.com/wiki/9-11/Israel_did_it">terror attack</a>" using planes</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Sure, some bosses are itching to hit the road, to catch up with employees and clients face-to-face after a grueling year. Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said he fully expects to return to his pre-pandemic travel time within two years — in addition to all the obligatory Zoom calls.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I will do just as much [travel],” Dimon said. “It’s tiring but it’s uplifting, too,” but Dimon might be in the minority. Many other CEOs <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">don’t expect to ever spend as much time on a plane again</span></b>, and they’re <b><span style="color: red;">not complaining </span></b>about it.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Don't worry; you will be on a <a href="https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/disease/vaccinated-people-told-not-to-travel/">no-fly list</a> if you have gotten the "gene therapy" they call a vaccine]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/many-executives-dont-expect-business-travel-return-pre-pandemic-levels-several-years-if-ever/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/"><b>Bank of America expects all of its vaccinated employees to return to the office after Labor Day in early September, and will then focus on developing plans for returning unvaccinated workers to its sites</b></a>. More than 70,000 of the firm’s employees have voluntarily disclosed their vaccine status to the bank, chief executive Brian Moynihan said in a Bloomberg Television interview Thursday. The firm, which has more than 210,000 employees globally, has already invited those who have received their shots to begin returning. Bank of America and its rivals have begun unveiling plans in recent weeks to return thousands of workers to towers in New York and elsewhere in coming months as vaccines abound across the United States. Goldman Sachs asked its New York staff to begin returning this week, marking the most ambitious plan among major Wall Street firms."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's a minority of more than one!</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/"><b>Employees are resisting calls to return to the office, but Microsoft wants companies to know it has an answer</b></a> for smoothing things out while some workers remain remote. The software maker on Thursday showed off design changes to its Teams teleconference and collaboration software meant to ensure remote workers are just as involved in meetings as those seated in company conference rooms."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yeah, you can work from home if you can afford one:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/"><b>The share of home buyers searching for a new place to live outside their metro area dipped slightly in April compared with the first quarter of 2021 but is still well above the percentage of people looking to relocate before the coronavirus pandemic</b></a>, according to a report by Redfin real estate brokerage. Nationally, 30.6 percent of Redfin users searched for a home outside their metro area in April, down slightly from 31.5 percent during the first quarter of 2021 and up from 26 percent in April 2020. As has been the case for most of the pandemic, many of the most popular markets for buyers looking to leave their metro area have been in warmer climates in the South and Southwest, with Phoenix topping the list."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's to escape the tyranny of the blue states.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Of course, the economy is booming:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"US jobless claims tick up to 412,000 from a pandemic low" by Paul Wiseman Associated Press, June 17, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The <b><span style="color: red;">number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose</span></b> last week for the first time since April <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">despite widespread evidence that the economy and the job market are rebounding</span></b> steadily <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">recession</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I'm SO SICK of being LIED TO by the PRE$$!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>With vaccinations up and more consumers venturing out to spend — on restaurant meals, airline fares, movie tickets, and store purchases — the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">national economy is rapidly recovering from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">recession</span></b>. All that renewed spending has fueled customer demand and led many companies to seek new workers, often at higher wages, and avoid layoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fact</span></b>, the speed of the rebound from the recession has caught many businesses off guard and touched off a scramble to hire,<b><span style="color: red;"> but </span></b>many economists expect hiring to catch up with demand in the coming months. They note that the economy still has 7.6 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic struck, and employers are posting job openings faster than applicants can fill them.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The LAST PLACE you will find facts is in an AmeriKan jew$papper!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The rapid rollout of vaccines has brought the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases down to an average of just over 12,000, from around 250,000 a day in early January.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> jobless claims </span></b>have tumbled since the start of 2021, when they exceeded 900,000, they <b><span style="color: red;">remain high</span></b> by historical standards. Before the pandemic paralyzed the economy in March 2020, unemployment applications were running at about 220,000 a week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many Americans are contending with health and child care issues related to COVID-19 and with <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>career uncertainty after</b></span> the<b><span style="color: red;"> recession wiped out many jobs for good</span></b>. Some who have lost work during the pandemic have decided to retire. Others are taking their time looking for work because, in some cases, supplemental federal jobless benefits, on top of regular state unemployment aid, pay them more than their old jobs did.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Too bad <a href="https://dearglobereaders.org/">those in the propaganda pre$$</a> haven't lost their jobs for good!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many states, though, are set to begin dropping the supplemental federal jobless aid this month.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/us-jobless-claims-tick-up-412000-pandemic-low/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related:</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-unemployment-check.html">May Flower: Unemployment Check</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yes, once again, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/us-jobless-claims-tick-up-412000-pandemic-low/">state officials in Massachusetts said that due to a “system processing error,” initial claims data for regular unemployment benefits for last week and the week prior are “estimated values” based on data reported to the Employment and Training Administration</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/baker-looks-spend-half-states-5b-stimulus-windfall-quickly-with-housing-topping-priority-list/">Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday laid out his own plans for spending billions in new federal stimulus money, offering a rebuke of state lawmakers intent on gaining control over the funding bonanza from Washington</a>. Arguing the state needs to quickly jump-start a pandemic-scarred economy, Baker proposed setting aside $2.8 billion in proceeds from the American Rescue Plan Act to dole out without needing legislative approval, including $1 billion to help ease the state’s housing crunch. Under Baker’s plan, hundreds of millions would go toward job training, water-and-sewer infrastructure, downtown business districts, and other priorities. It marks the latest twist in a tango between the second-term Republican and the Democratic-led Legislature over how to spend the state’s $5.3 billion share of the federal cash. The Legislature earlier this month sent him a bill that would divert the federal money into an account state lawmakers control, where they could spread the money over several years. Baker on Thursday rejected that and instead said he would ask lawmakers to amend it, by carving off $2.3 billion for them to divvy up, leaving the rest for him to put to work....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The government loot that will crash our economy through inflation is a "bonanza."</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The "journali$m" is so insultingly elitist it's an abomination.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>It's also a </i></b><b><i><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/heap-of-sht.html">heap of Sh!t</a>:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/biden-signs-bill-making-juneteenth-federal-holiday/">Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/biden-signs-bill-making-juneteenth-federal-holiday/">vote comes as lawmakers struggle to overcome divisions on police reform legislation following the killing of George Floyd by police and as Republican state legislators push what experts say is an unprecedented number of bills aimed at restricting access to the ballot box</a>.</i></b> </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/biden-flashes-impatience-after-conference-with-putin/">Prominent voting rights activist Stacey Abrams said Thursday that she could “absolutely” support compromises floated by Senator Joe Manchin III, the lone Senate Democrat who is not sponsoring a sweeping elections bill in the chamber</a>. “No one has ever objected to having to prove who you are to vote,” she said. “What [Manchin] is proposing makes sense.” Though Abrams, a former gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, has no formal say in the Senate process, her support of Manchin’trs proposals could help sway liberal Democrats. Republicans have roundly rejected the voting rights bill and said Thursday that they oppose the Manchin compromise....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>She is FLAT-OUT LIAR regarding Democrats and the voting ID!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to read something else:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/biden-flashes-impatience-after-conference-with-putin/">‘Fire and Fury’ author set with new book on Trump</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Not that.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/officers-resign-portland-ore-protest-response-unit/">Officers who serve on a specialized crowd control unit in Portland, Ore., who have responded to the city’s ongoing, often violent protests have resigned en masse after criminal charges were filed against a team member</a>. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the officers on the Rapid Response Team voted to resign from the team during a meeting Wednesday night. The move by officers and sergeants to disband their own team came a day after a team member, Officer Cody Budworth, was indicted, accused of fourth-degree assault stemming from a baton strike against a protester last summer. A year ago, about 70 members were on the team. The resignations were first reported by radio station KXL. The team has been on the front lines at social justice protests held in the city after the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the pavement. Many demonstrations devolved into clashes with officers late at night and at times ended with vandalism, property damage, and fires. The crowd control team was the unit often directed to disperse crowds after police declared unlawful assemblies or riots....."</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><i><b>[That's when I <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-swoon.html">moved on</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/we-have-failed-everyone-down-here-mass-cass-becomes-campaign-issue/">Mass. and Cass becomes a campaign issue</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Who cares about the $hithole that is Bo$ton?</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/17/st-louis-couple-guns/">A St. Louis couple who gained notoriety for waving guns at racial justice protesters last summer pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges and agreed to give up the guns they used during the confrontation</a>. Patricia McCloskey, 61, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. Mark McCloskey, 63, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750. Neither will face jail time. The couple was indicted by a grand jury in October on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering, both felonies, and could have gone to jail if convicted. Special prosecutor Richard Callahan opted to agree to reduced charges. On Thursday, Callahan said in a statement that he considered several factors when deciding how to resolve the case, including “the age and lack of a criminal record for the McCloskey’s, the fact they initially called the police, and the fact that no one was hurt and no shots were fired.” “The protestors on the other hand were a racially mixed and peaceful group, including women and children, who simply made a wrong turn on their way to protest in front of the mayor’s house,” Callahan continued, adding that there was no evidence that any of the protesters were armed. Video and photographs of rifle-wielding Mark McCloskey and pistol-toting Patricia McCloskey in front of their mansion on June 28 captured the attention of the country, including then-President Donald Trump, who spoke out in defense of the couple. Trump and other Republicans considered the McCloskeys law-abiding homeowners defending their property. Others saw the couple as overly aggressive toward protesters who were marching through the gated community to the home of then-Mayor Lyda Krewson amid nationwide protests after a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Once again, white privilege and racism rears its ugly head as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/17/st-louis-couple-guns/">t</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/17/st-louis-couple-guns/">he couple has touted themselves as conservative defenders against “the liberal mob,” earning newfound celebrity status and a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. In May, Mark McCloskey announced that he was running for U.S. Senate as a Republican, using the images from that tense faceoff with protesters in his campaign ads. In a statement Thursday, Mark McCloskey unapologetically defended his reaction to what he called “an angry mob” that “threatened” his family and home. “The prosecutor dropped all charges against me, except for a claim that I put other people in imminent fear of physical harm,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did, that’s what the guns were for, and any time the mob comes and threatens me, I’ll do the same thing again to protect my family.” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who charged the couple in July, was removed as the prosecutor by Circuit Judge David Mason after citing the case in campaign fundraising emails. The judge accepted the couple’s pleas Thursday, but he denied their request to donate Mark McCloskey’s rifle to raise funds, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said he would pardon the couple if they were convicted. Parson has not received any formal request from the McCloskeys or their attorneys since they pleaded guilty, spokeswoman Kelli Jones said Thursday</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ia-state-wire-iowa-shootings-632fc64eb9c6252bdb915e5a845e4822">A supporter of former President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to felony charges for firing his handgun into a carful of Black girls who were arguing with pro-Trump agitators near the Iowa Capitol last December</a>, injuring one....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/some-lawmakers-want-ban-critical-race-theory-schools-so-what-is-it/"><b>Rather than a single concept, critical race theory refers to an intellectual movement founded by legal scholars of color in the 1970s and 1980s. It is premised on the belief that race is a social reality, not a biological one, and that racism continues to be a pervasive part of our society despite substantial gains in civil rights over past decades. For critical race theorists, racism is not limited to isolated incidents of individual prejudice. Rather, racism is embedded in the very structure of the United States and its foundational institutions, like the law and the government</b>.</a> Other distinctive features of critical race theory include its recognition of the interconnectedness of various social identities, such as race, gender, sexuality, and class — and its emphasis on the lived experiences of people of color, but the “heart” of critical race theory “is to shed light on the unfair and inequitable ways that racial power has been woven into the fabric of our institutions,” said Kendall Thomas, a professor at Columbia Law School who coedited the book “Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>The intent of the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-crt.html">CRT garbage</a> is to start a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/missing-bunker-hill-guestbooks-are-returned-battles-anniversary/">civil war</a>, and if true, why do so many <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/immigrant-students-merit-tuition-break/">migrants</a> want to come here?</b></i></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/">There could be $300 billion in annual US spending up for grabs by the Black community because corporate America still isn’t creating enough products that appeal to them</a>. Black Americans are more unhappy with offerings in categories ranging from personal care to financial services and housing than the overall population, according to a report released Thursday by McKinsey and Co. That means Black shoppers are ripe to be poached by other brands and willing to pay as much as 20 percent more for an item that caters to them."</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Honestly, I'm $ick of the whining and crying!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>Related:</b></i></div><div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/justice-dept-continues-appeal-behalf-trump-defamation-case-brought-by-sexual-assault-accuser/">Justice Dept. continues appeal on behalf of Trump in defamation case brought by sexual assault accuser </a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Seriously, who would want to fuck <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/nation/biden-justice-department-seeks-defend-trump-suit-over-rape-denial/">her</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm going to go <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/18/opinion/out-limb-endangered-plants-their-protectors/">out on a limb</a> here and say that women are still second class citizens in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/metro/woman-58-rescued-white-mountains-after-injuring-arm/">need of rescue</a>:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/">L Brands proposed a woman-majority board for Victoria’s Secret as a standalone company and said the plan to separate the lingerie company from Bath & Body Works remains on track for August</a>. Donna James, managing director at Lardon & Associates, will be the chair of the stand alone company once Bath & Body Works is separated from the company. Six of seven of the board members are women, part the lingerie chain’s effort to respond to what female customers want out of the brand. Martin Waters, the chief executive officer of Victoria’s Secret, was the only man named to the board. The other board members are all independent of the company."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Epstein's buddy owned and operated the thing, and maybe you ladies should <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/20/business/diminished-victorias-secret-is-sold/">look elsewhere</a> for clothing.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/nation/janet-malcolm-elegant-incisive-writer-new-yorker-dies-86/">Janet Malcolm, elegant and incisive writer for the New Yorker, dies at 86</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's a Wa$hington Compo$t eulogy.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/an-inspiration-mentor-women-politics-betty-taymor-dies-100/">Betty Taymor dies at 100</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>She was an inspiration and mentor for women in politics.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/candy-straight-who-led-push-get-gop-women-elected-dies/">Candy Straight, who led push to get GOP women elected, dies</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>She was an investment banker and film producer who worked for decades to help get women elected to office in New Jersey.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>I think I will go see a movie today:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/">Walt Disney Co. is moving its highly anticipated documentary about the Beatles from theaters to its streaming service, in the latest sign Hollywood is still unsure if consumers are willing to come back to cinemas in large numbers</a>. “The Beatles: Get Back,” a behind-the-scenes peek at the band in its prime, had been scheduled to hit theaters in August. It now will appear as a three-part series on the company’s $8-a-month Disney+ streaming service at no additional charge, the company said Thursday. It was originally scheduled to come out in theaters last year. The picture was created by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson, based on outtakes from an earlier documentary, 1970′s “Let It Be.” Theaters have had a tough time, with the pandemic scaring fans away from indoor, group experiences. Last weekend, “A Quiet Place Part II,” the horror film in its third week, outgrossed the newly released musical “In the Heights,” a sign that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/17/business/lawyers-deny-claims-by-fish-suit-linked-abandoned-venture/">older audiences in particular may be reluctant to return</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>On second thought, let's <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-demon-of-disney.html">cancel</a> the trip to the theater -- and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/07/nation/anti-racism-tattoos-no-more-wench-auctions-disneys-woke-moves-spark-conservative-backlash/">Disney World</a>, too.</i></b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-36777813761897217662021-06-17T16:39:00.002-07:002021-06-17T16:41:32.769-07:00Evening Sunset<div><img alt="Explosions lit-up the night sky at Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces shell the Palestinian enclave, early on June 16, 2021." class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg" height="267" id="img-0746b47a-2315-4421-9ddc-8e2fa2371118-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/Yh0NfWRJH_Xj7NQcFR9QgvNvpXU=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/Yh0NfWRJH_Xj7NQcFR9QgvNvpXU=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/OVnIEeDskIJ7sChR0ZD36HevDjc=/1280x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/hDQLpMZmHbwPs5j-e47rbllK3YM=/1024x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/Sb1_NMqTxUbOfwP3qAh2D7jy99A=/820x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/aNeWlT12R-qhWUioYACsr5yyYYk=/600x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/tmoaB4kPsTZ51CTWNfUfV8VLJyc=/420x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/CHh4qvUoXXNTK49fz1DVWnePx1o=/240x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/S54B74DNXBWOCBFAO2XMOAANBU.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">Explosions lit-up the night sky at Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces shell the Palestinian enclave, early on June 16, 2021 (</span><span class="credit uppercase">SAID KHATIB/AFP via <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/israeli-airstrikes-target-gaza-after-arson-balloons-launched/">Getty Images</a>)</span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="credit uppercase"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><b><i>What a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/lifestyle/annular-solar-eclipse-casts-shadow-across-parts-massachusetts-high-clouds-obstruct-visibility/">magical sight</a> that was <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/metro/an-annular-solar-eclipse-will-be-partially-visible-over-new-england-skies-thursday-heres-look-its-path/">visible over New England skies</a> Thursday if you were <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/covids-silver-lining-new-possible-lasting-passion-outdoors/">outside</a>, and l</i></b><b><i>ater that evening the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/nation/nasa-visits-solar-systems-biggest-moon/">moon</a> came out.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><i><b>Also see: </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/far-right-march-tests-israels-new-governing-coalition-amid-threats-hamas/">Far-right march tests Israel’s new governing coalition</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They were greeted by <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/biden-announces-choices-foreign-postings/">Thomas R. Nides</a>, a former State Department official who was nominated by Biden to serve as the ambassador to Israel.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to come back down to Earth:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"NEWS ANALYSIS: Is it time to worry about inflation? Some experts say the rising prices will be short-lived" by Jim Puzzanghera Globe Staff, June 16, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unsettling headlines</span></b> about <b><span style="color: red;">surging prices</span></b> arrive almost daily:</div><div><br /></div><div>Biggest 12 month inflation spike since 2008. Rising airfares and hotel rates are making vacations more expensive. Car prices are soaring and they’re not going to stop. Sky high prices for homes may be scaring off buyers.</div><div><br /></div><div>A blast of economic activity triggered by the end of COVID restrictions has sent prices for a variety of products and services skyward. High inflation could derail the recovery, and, in an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unlikely worst-case scenario</span></b>, bog down the economy for years as it did in the 1970s and early 1980s.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enough to cause</span></b> a nervous consumer’s <b><span style="color: red;">blood pressure</span></b> to <b><span style="color: red;">jump</span></b> like the price of lumber, which, by the way, was up 15.5 percent last month, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>don’t freak out — yet.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[It's a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/13/nation/with-covid-relief-bill-get-ready-return-inflation-thats-not-necessarily-bad-thing/">good thing</a>!]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>While<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> economists are becoming more concerned </span></b>about the potential for prolonged high inflation, many still expect the price spikes are a temporary result of surging consumer spending — fueled in part by government stimulus money — causing short-term bottlenecks in supply chains. There’s already evidence this is happening, with some commodity <span style="color: red;"><b>prices coming back down</b></span> to earth.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Really? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Where and for what?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Officials in the Biden administration and at the Federal Reserve share that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">view</span></b> and assert that the high <b><span style="color: red;">inflation </span></b>will be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">short-lived</span></b>; <b><span style="color: red;">nonetheless</span></b>, Powell and other Fed monetary policy makers on Wednesday significantly upped their inflation projection for this year to 3.4 percent, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> indicated they could start increasing a key interest rate sooner than expected to slow economic growth; however, Powell noted that by next year Fed officials believe inflation will settle at 2.1 percent, just slightly above the central bank’s ideal level, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b>, if it continues to run high, Powell said the Fed “wouldn’t hesitate to use our tools to address that.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, the rapidly rising prices are tough to swallow — and some people are getting worried.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consumers expect inflation to be much worse a year from now. Paul Turano, owner and executive chef of Cook restaurants in Newton and Needham, said, “We’re paying everyone more and our <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">profits are even less than they were before</span></b>, which were low. Things have just gotten so <b><span style="color: red;">insane</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Economists had warned that inflation would jump in the short term as vaccinations increased, the economy began to reopen, and Congress enacted a $1.9 trillion COVID rescue bill in March.</div><div><br /></div><div>One reason for that jump is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">statistical anomaly</span></b>: comparisons to last year are skewed because prices plummeted when the nation locked down. They were up 24.1 percent in May from a year earlier, but are still below their average level in February 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>“As the economy’s opening back up again, <b><span style="color: red;">prices</span></b> are now <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">moving back toward normal</span></b> levels in leisure, hospitality, airfares, and the like,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday. Still, she conceded inflation this year would be higher than the administration’s earlier estimate of 2 percent, and although Yellen<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> continues to believe </span></b>the price increases are <b><span style="color: red;">temporary</span></b>, she promised “we’re going to monitor this very, very carefully.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Getting the economy back to full speed, particularly with pent-up demand and extra savings after a year when many Americans were stuck at home, presents unprecedented obstacles, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, an economics research and consulting firm.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Demand picks up faster than the supply side of the economy can respond,” he said. “Nobody likes to pay more for a car or for groceries or a new computer. . . . It’s not desirable, but it’s understandable.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Ramping up production can be difficult. A global shortage of computer chips stalled new production of automobiles, causing buyers to turn to used cars. Those prices jumped 9.6 percent in April and 6.5 percent last month.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lumber industry shows the complexities of restarting the economy. Sawmills shut down because of the pandemic and prices jumped last summer as locked-down Americans took on home-improvement projects, increasing demand for soft wood such as 2-by-4 boards, said Shawn Church, editor of the industry trade journal Fastmarkets Random Lengths.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then demand for new homes in the suburbs and exurbs picked up, causing supply shortages for the soft wood used to build housing frames. The publication’s framing composite index, which has tracked prices since the 1970s, posted a record increase the first week of May, Church said. The National Association of Home Builders estimated this spring that the high prices increased the cost of the average new single family home by nearly $36,000.</div><div><br /></div><div>As bottlenecks eased, soft wood <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lumber prices have tumbled</span></b>; last week, the index saw <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a record decline</span></b>. Meanwhile, demand has jumped for the structural panels also used in home building. Accordingly, the Fastmarkets Random Lengths price index for those products hit a record high last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s significant inflation in the building materials area,” said Mike Procopio, chief executive of The Procopio Companies, a developer in Lynnfield. “It’s absolutely <b><span style="color: red;">crazy</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>If these price spikes do not end up being temporary, President Biden’s congressional agenda may end up in the crossfire. Former treasury secretary Larry Summers and some other economists warned the $1.9 trillion rescue package risked high inflation by pumping too much money into the economy. Now, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues are using rising inflation to argue against Biden’s proposals to spend another $4 trillion on infrastructure, child care, and education over eight years.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What do you mean IF?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative-leaning American Action Forum think tank, said the Biden administration might want to push more of the spending from those proposals out into future years to avoid adding to inflation pressures. He wasn’t particularly worried about inflation in March, but is now more concerned in light of recent economic data.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s certainly stronger than I expected, so I am watching it,” said Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. “We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will know in a few months if it’s</span></b> largely <b><span style="color: red;">transitory</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/is-it-time-worry-about-inflation/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Your <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/opinion/bonuses-dishwashers-ice-cream-scoopers-so-why-not-disability-workforce/">bonus</a> will be worth le$$, but....</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/06/16/fed-powell-inflation-unemployment-june-meeting/"><b>The Federal Reserve expects inflation will climb to 3.4 percent this year, higher than the central bank’s previous forecasts, while also projecting for the first time that there could be two interest rate hikes in 2023. The predictions, released Wednesday after the Fed’s two-day policy meeting, depict a delicate but mostly upbeat narrative of where central bankers think the economy is headed, as well as a serious revamp of predictions from just three months earlier</b></a>; however, the Fed also expects that the labor market will keep building strength, and while the central bank isn’t ready to stem inflation by raising interest rates just yet, Chair Jerome H. Powell <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sent the message</span></b> that the Fed is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">keeping a close eye on inflation</span></b>. Recent benchmarks have shown an increase in consumer prices, including for products like used cars and lumber; <b><span style="color: red;">however</span></b>, officials from the Fed and the Biden administration say those <b><span style="color: red;">increases are largely expected</span></b> as the economy emerges from the sharp, pandemic-induced downturn, when prices dropped. On Wednesday, Powell said he expected certain categories — like planes, hotels and lumber — would see their prices simmer down over time. “We expect those prices will get back up to where they were, but there’s no reason to think they‘re going to keep going up a lot,” Powell said. “Because if they are, people will build new hotels; there’s no reason for supply and demand to be out of whack in the hotel business over any period of time,” however, Republican lawmakers argue that the Fed could lag behind the curve when it decides to raise interest rates and that inflation could jump to dangerous levels in the meantime. “We are seeing substantial increases in inflation, which means the prices of everyday goods are going up for families in Florida and across the nation,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said. “Government shouldn’t work this way.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>And yet it does, what babble is Powell talking about, and when was it exactly when prices went down because they never did around here?</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Prices haven't returned to where they were, they are up dramatically because of all the money-printing!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/too-hot-signs-emerge-that-sky-high-home-prices-may-be-scaring-some-buyers-out-market/">Home prices around Boston may be getting so high that they are scaring some prospective buyers away, a real estate trade group said Wednesday, pointing to signs that the blistering seller’s market is softening modestly after months of rising values</a>. Dino Confalone, an agent with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty in Cambridge and the GBAR’s president, said foot traffic has been dropping at open houses in recent weeks as house-hunters opt to extend their leases or delay their searches until the market delivers more-affordable options. “For now, demand remains strong with lots of millennials entering their peak homebuying years, but affordability is becoming more of a factor in our market as prices continue to rise and mortgage rates start to creep up,” he said in a news release. Even if the market may be cooling slightly, the realtor’s association said, underlying factors driving the recent surge in values remain in place. Inventory is lower than usual, even as demand has been boosted by a rebounding economy and a general desire for more space. The trend is especially pronounced when it comes to single-family homes. The inventory of condos has risen, on the other hand, and overall, Confalone expects prices “to ease in the second half of the year, as the current level of activity isn’t sustainable long-term. We’re already seeing homes with inflated values sitting longer and undergoing price adjustments,” Confalone said. “Properties should be fairly priced, in excellent condition, and have a desirable location to sell quickly, even in today’s seller’s market.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's all part of the Great Re$et as <a href="https://needtoknow.news/2021/06/wall-street-blackrock-buying-up-homes-nationwide-to-turn-middle-class-into-renters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wall-street-blackrock-buying-up-homes-nationwide-to-turn-middle-class-into-renters" target="_blank">Wall Street/BlackRock is buying up homes nationwide to turn the middle class into renters</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/with-housing-center-boston-mayors-race-labor-developers-are-organizing-push-candidates/">A group of pro-development forces, led by one of Boston’s biggest construction unions, is marshaling resources and at least $500,000 to try to influence the mayoral race, in which housing has emerged as a major issue with little consensus on how to tackle it</a>. Notably, the Responsible Development Coalition, as the group calls itself, is not immediately endorsing a candidate in the six-way race, and may never. Instead, the Dorchester-based North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and its developer partners have formed the coalition to launch a slate of television, radio, and digital ads urging candidates to sign a pledge to support “responsible real estate development . . . crucial to our future, our economy and collective quality of life.” The group’s formation underscores a sea change from the last open mayoral race, in 2013, when labor groups largely coalesced around Martin J. Walsh, a former head of the Building and Construction Trades Council, in his successful campaign. Over the next seven years, Walsh retained the loyalty of construction unions while also winning broad support from developers as he oversaw the construction of 30,000 new units of housing and millions of square feet in office and lab space. Still, rents and home prices here remain among the highest in the nation....."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Then the state will have to seize the property:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/baker-signs-bill-extending-pandemic-era-policies-including-to-go-cocktails-expanded-outdoor-dining/">Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday signed legislation that will allow restaurants to sell to-go cocktails until next May, extend certain protections around evictions, and keep in place a series of pandemic-era rules that had expired, or were slated to, with the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency</a>. The Legislature scrambled to pass a compromise version of the bill roughly 20 hours after Massachusetts’s emergency lifted just after midnight Tuesday, allowing some rules to lapse. The 14-page law allows restaurants to sell to-go beer, wine, and cocktails through May 1, 2022, and requires they be sold at the same prices as those consumed on-site. It provides another boost for restaurants by extending the time towns and cities could allow for expanded outdoor dining at restaurants — which had been slated to end in mid-August — until April 1, 2022. It also allows town councils, state boards, and other bodies to continue to hold remote public meetings, which many have continued to do as millions of people have become vaccinated, until April 1, 2022. Town meetings can be held remotely until Dec. 15, 2021. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/baker-signs-bill-extending-pandemic-era-policies-including-to-go-cocktails-expanded-outdoor-dining/">law also temporarily keeps in place measures designed to protect renters</a>....."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Which means they can't be evicted for non-payment, and how will the property owner explain that to the bank?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time for dinner:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/suffolk-university-gets-3m-donation-fund-tech-apprenticeships/">US producer prices for processed poultry jumped to an all-time high in May, climbing 2.1 percent in the eighth straight monthly increase</a>, US government data showed Tuesday. The surge comes after several large fast-food restaurant chains recently launched fried-chicken sandwiches in a bid to match Popeyes’ 2019 viral success. Sales have also surged with consumers preparing more meals at home during the pandemic; <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/suffolk-university-gets-3m-donation-fund-tech-apprenticeships/">meanwhile, poultry producers have struggled to keep up with the growing demand, with labor shortages at meat plants and severe winter storms that killed thousands of birds constricting chicken supplies</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Preparing you for the famine they will toast:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/business/suffolk-university-gets-3m-donation-fund-tech-apprenticeships/">Salaries and bonuses paid to Heineken managers may soon depend on how committed they are to fighting climate change as the world’s second-largest brewer searches for ways to meet its 2040 net-zero emissions goal</a>. Companies are increasingly under pressure from board members, investors, and customers to prove they’re taking meaningful steps to lessen their impact on the planet. Experts say linking executive pay is a key step to incentivize corporate management to meet climate goals. About 90 percent of Heineken’s emissions come from suppliers, packaging, and the logistics of storing and transporting its beer. The remainder is generated when producing the beverage."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Bottoms up and let's bring back Prohibition -- for the sake of the planet!</i></b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-29155308238732096292021-06-17T15:30:00.003-07:002021-06-17T15:44:05.917-07:00Allen Town<div><div><b><i>Living on page B1 and B3 and even if you don't like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnJp0oyOxs">Billy Joel</a> -- and I don't -- there is no doubt that he is the greatest musical artist of his generation:</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"In launching gubernatorial bid, Danielle Allen says Democrats have ‘settled for too little’ under Baker" by Matt Stout Globe Staff, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Painting her candidacy in lofty, populist tones, Harvard professor Danielle Allen launched a campaign for Massachusetts governor Tuesday, saying some Democrats have “settled for too little” under the Republican incumbent, and with it, a primary began.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen’s entrance made official a fledgling intraparty race in which she, former state Senator Ben Downing, and undoubtedly others will spend the coming months pressure-testing arguments for their own candidacy with party activists, but they will also have to articulate a wider argument for why they believe the state should move on from Governor Charlie Baker, an obvious but also difficult pitch, given Baker’s popularity. Also, none of them know if Baker will even choose to run in November 2022.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[If not, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/lieutenant-governor-field-develops-democratic-state-rep-launches-campaign/">Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito</a> will likely be the nominee]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Baker has not made a decision on whether he’ll seek a third term, advisers say, a choice that could have wide ramifications for how the Democratic field comes together, and what issues might prove the most potent weapons against Baker for Democrats and their gubernatorial hopefuls remains unclear, continuing a six-year trend in which critics failed to meaningfully pierce Baker’s political armor in the eyes of the wider public.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen on Tuesday offered Democrats an indication of how she would.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 49-year-old enters the field as the first Black woman to run for governor as part of a major party in state history, bringing years of experience in academia and the nonprofit world into what will be her first run for public office.</div><div><br /></div><div>The California native and Cambridge Democrat settled in Massachusetts in 2015 after being hired to lead Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. She cited “precedent” of others who won major offices in Massachusetts without being elected before — former Governor Deval Patrick and Senator Elizabeth Warren, though both had experience in navigating Washington, D.C., and in the hand-to-hand political combat that defines it before launching their own political runs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Standing with three dozen supporters on the Boston Common alongside the Massachusetts 54th Regiment memorial — which honors one of the first Black regiments in the Civil War — Allen said too many in the state have been abandoned by policymakers, a trend she said has been magnified by the pandemic and the social and economic pain it wrought around the state.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">time to accelerate the pace of change</span></b>,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The event marked Allen’s first formal introduction after she spent months exploring a gubernatorial bid. She stuck largely to broad strokes, calling transportation, education, social justice, and climate change priorities with few policy specifics, and said she’d govern with a desire to lift up those marginalized.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen also said the state has tended to “over-criminalize” certain offenses, noting she supported decriminalizing marijuana, but she did not say what other criminal offenses she would support removing from the books.</div><div><br /></div><div>She also made her pitch to Democrats who helped carry Baker to an easy reelection victory in 2018, saying they “have let their expectations fall.” It was an echo of appeals Democrats have long made in seeking to dent Baker, arguing the state needs a broader vision beyond the technocratic management he promised during both of his successful campaigns.</div><div><br /></div><div>“They have to recognize that they have settled for too little,” Allen said of Democrats, “that we can ask more of ourselves in this commonwealth.”</div><div><br /></div><div>She also sharpened criticisms of his administration, describing the state’s initial approach to combating the coronavirus as “slow, halting, and fumbling,” and arguing that Baker has not fully utilized the state’s “talents.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[How <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/city-hall-makes-no-child-care-accommodations-returning-employees/">incredibly disrespectful</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Massachusetts has since emerged as one of the leading states in getting residents vaccinated; as of Tuesday, Vermont is the only state that has vaccinated more of its population. When asked what she would attribute to Massachusetts’ success now in beating back COVID-19, Allen pointed to the work of local officials and coalitions, giving credit to such groups as the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition and regional collaboratives in the Berkshires and elsewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Engaged communities turned the tide,” Allen said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen joins a Democratic contest that already includes Downing, who launched his campaign in February and has regularly prodded Baker since, including publicly saying the governor should testify on revelations about his administration’s management about the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Downing attempted to capitalize on Allen’s announcement Tuesday, issuing a fund-raising appeal with her name in the subject line within an hour after her press conference. “She’s already raised nearly $300,000!” Downing’s campaign wrote, asking supporters to donate.</div><div><br /></div><div>The field is expected to grow. State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz of Jamaica Plain, who would enter the race with the support of a number of young progressives, is exploring a bid. She reported this month paying a new political consultant, Almquist & Associates; paying $14,000 to a separate California-based consulting firm called Tides Advocacy for research; and purchasing a domain name for a website, potential signs she’s building the infrastructure for a campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>Democrats are also waiting to see whether Attorney General Maura Healey, who has the advantage of high name recognition and a national reputation as a progressive, will ultimately seek the seat. Longtime Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, who announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection, is also viewed as a potential candidate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How he will explain his stewardship of that <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-somerville-shthole.html">$hithole</a> is beyond me, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/metro/possible-bid-governor-maura-healey-faces-criticism-young-progressive-activists/">Healey</a> appears to be the front-runner]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/launching-gubernatorial-bid-danielle-allen-says-democrats-have-settled-too-little-under-baker/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/union-wages-250000-ad-offensive-against-charlie-baker-charging-he-take-responsibility-soldiers-home-tragedy/">Union officials are launching a $250,000 campaign-style attack on Governor Charlie Baker, criticizing the second-term Republican for appointing an “incompetent,” politically connected hire to lead the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home before COVID-19 swept through the facility last spring</a>. The National Association of Government Employees, which represents just a handful of employees at the Holyoke home, plans to run three months of digital ads and launched a new website targeting Baker, according to its president, David J. Holway. The timing and tone of the campaign is notable. NAGE, along with other public unions, are currently in collective bargaining talks with the Baker administration. “We have the governor, who is one of the smartest people in the state, not remembering a 30-minute conversation with somebody. So we decided to question his credibility,” said Holway, who said the campaign has a roughly $250,000 budget....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Murder victim’s daughter, prosecutor support commuting inmate’s life sentence" by Shelley Murphy Globe Staff, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>William Allen was 20 and working at a veterans hospital in 1994 when a childhood friend asked if he would help him rob a reputed drug dealer. At first, Allen told him he was crazy, but then reluctantly agreed. They pushed their way into a Brockton apartment at knifepoint, and while Allen assured several women that everything would be all right, his friend fatally stabbed a man in another room.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although a jury found Allen didn’t directly participate in the killing of 42-year-old Purvis Bester, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in 1997. The man who stabbed Bester pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was paroled 12 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday, Allen, 47, expressed remorse for his crime as he urged the Massachusetts Parole Board to grant his request for a commutation after 27 years in prison.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I am truly sorry for what I have done,” said Allen, who during a 3½-hour remote hearing recalled his role in the crime, his transformation in prison, his deep regret that he could not prevent his own son from ending up in prison, and his hope that he can persuade others to choose a different path. “I, and I alone, am responsible. I failed to make better choices.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen is only the second inmate to be granted a commutation hearing in seven years. In January, the board voted unanimously to recommend that Governor Charlie Baker commute the sentence of Thomas E. Koonce, who is serving life without parole for a 1987 slaying in New Bedford when he was a 20-year-old Marine home on leave. Baker has yet to act on the petition.</div><div><br /></div><div>The board took Allen’s request under advisement. If Baker approves a commutation petition, it goes to the Governor’s Council for final approval.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen, a Roxbury native, has significant community support and is represented by several lawyers, including Robert J. Cordy, a former justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. His bid for freedom drew additional support Tuesday from Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, whose office prosecuted him decades ago, and the victim’s family.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I forgive you for what you have done,” Bester’s daughter, Leah Cole, said after Allen expressed remorse and described his participation in restorative justice and alternatives-to-violence programs and his desire to become a youth counselor and outreach worker if he’s released.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Brockton needs positivity, because Brockton is struggling right now,” Cole said, adding that she believed people could learn a lot from Allen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bester’s two brothers also support Allen’s commutation, but his sister, Hattie Bester, opposes it, Cruz told the board. She had been scheduled to testify Tuesday but could not access the remote hearing because of technical difficulties, according to the board. She was invited to submit her comments in writing within two weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cruz said Allen’s felony murder conviction was “one of those rare cases” that warranted reconsideration and asked the board to recommend that Allen’s sentence be commuted to life with the possibility of parole.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen was convicted of first-degree felony murder based on the jury’s finding that he had been a joint venture in an armed robbery. In 2017, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that defendants in fatal crimes can no longer be convicted of first-degree murder unless it is proven that they set out to kill or knew their actions would likely turn fatal. The law was not retroactive.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It is unknown whether he would be convicted of that same crime today,” Cruz said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen said he grew up in Roxbury with a mother who was addicted to drugs. He found refuge at the home of a friend, Rolando Perry, whose mother was like a mother to him. In 1994, Perry was selling drugs when he asked Allen to help him rob a man he believed was also selling drugs and had cash stashed there, Allen told the board.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I was a follower,” Allen said. He said he loved Perry like a brother and felt pressured to help him because he “didn’t want to look weak, and I was foolish.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen said he didn’t see Perry stab Bester, but saw him laying on the floor with blood on his shirt as Perry stomped on him. Perry pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was paroled in 2009.</div><div><br /></div><div>Allen said he was offered a plea bargain before trial that would have allowed him to plead guilty to second-degree murder. He would have been eligible for parole after serving 15 years, but Allen said he rejected it because he didn’t believe he should be punished for a murder he didn’t commit and did not understand the seriousness of his situation, but Allen said he now recognizes that he was equally responsible for Bester’s slaying. Allen said his transformation began in 2004, after he spent 42 days in solitary confinement for a disciplinary infraction. He also learned that his mother was dying of cancer.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I am not asking you to forget what I’ve done; I just want you to know that’s not who I am today,” Allen said. If he’s freed, he said, he wants to “make good footprints for children of color to follow because I don’t want them to follow the same footprints as I did.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/murder-victims-daughter-prosecutor-support-commuting-killers-life-sentence/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>Time for me to make tracks:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Texas Republican congressman cancels event with MassGOP over internal drama" by Emma Platoff Globe Staff, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Dan Crenshaw, a prominent Republican congressman from Texas, canceled a fund-raiser planned this weekend with the Massachusetts GOP over the internal discord roiling the state party, according to a person familiar with Crenshaw’s planning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Crenshaw had been scheduled to speak Sunday at the Andover home of state GOP chairman Jim Lyons, an event party officials had been advertising as late as Monday evening. But around 10 p.m., the party abruptly announced that the event had been called off “due to planned protests.” Party leaders did not respond to questions about the protests they cited.</div><div><br /></div><div>Crenshaw informed party officials around 7 p.m. Monday that he would not attend the event, according to the person familiar with the event’s cancellation, who asked not to be identified to speak openly about the congressman’s decision.</div><div><br /></div><div>He had agreed to appear at the fund-raiser before learning about the current state of affairs in the party and decided he did not want to wade into another state’s internal politics, the person said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Crenshaw event was not the only one disrupted by the internal divisions in the state party. Lyons had been scheduled to speak at a June 26 event for the Massachusetts Federation of Young Republicans, but the group disinvited him recently, chairman Joe Paru said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We <b><span style="color: red;">don’t want to be involved in</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">drama</span></b>,” Paru said. He said Lyons accepted their decision cordially.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lyons, a <b><span style="color: red;">controversial figure in a party sharply divided</span></b> between social conservatives and establishment moderates, has been <b><span style="color: red;">under fire</span></b> in recent weeks for his handling of anti-gay remarks made by a fellow Republican. Lyons and a spokesman for the state party did not immediately return requests for comment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Deborah Martell, a member of the 80-member Republican State Committee, told a GOP congressional candidate she was “sickened” that he and his husband had adopted children. At a closed-door meeting last week, Martell said she wouldn’t be “bullied” into resigning although top officials, including Governor Charlie Baker, have called on her to do so and national Republican figures have condemned her comments.</div><div><br /></div><div>After staying silent for days despite calls from some of his fellow Republicans to denounce the comments, Lyons said Martell’s remarks were “offensive” but did not call on her to resign as many top party officials had, saying he refused to bow to “cancel culture.” Republican critics, many of them more moderate than Lyons, said the chairman has failed the party by failing to fund-raise and recruit strong legislative candidates, as well as applying too strict a litmus test to a party that should seek to be inclusive.</div><div><br /></div><div>That’s led to a number of prominent Massachusetts Republicans calling on Lyons to step down, most recently a group of seven former party chairs that included a former congressman and lieutenant governor.</div><div><br /></div><div>“A chair who is unable to put the welfare of the party ahead of his or her own interests should have the decency to step aside, for the sake of the party they claim to serve,” they wrote. “If the chair will not, the time has come for the State Committee to act.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly the entire Massachusetts House Republican caucus called on Lyons to resign if he did not forcefully condemn Martell’s remarks. Lyons has dismissed those calls as the product of “poisonous woke cancel culture groupthink.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Ousting Lyons would require a two-thirds vote of the state committee. At a state committee meeting last week, there was no concerted effort to remove him from power, though several attendees complained that his behavior was at times aggressive and erratic, including cursing at some fellow Republicans.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/texas-republican-congressman-cancels-event-with-massgop-over-internal-drama/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/former-massachusetts-gop-leaders-call-chairman-jim-lyons-resign/">Former Massachusetts GOP leaders call on chairman Jim Lyons to resign</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That's the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/opinion/state-gop-turns-churns/">churn</a> as tensions within the Massachusetts Republican Party rise to a fever pitch, and the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/gop-chairman-doesnt-have-votes-oust-charlie-baker-party-operation-republicans-say/">blow comes at a particularly vulnerable time for Lyons</a>, who leads a party split between those who share his ideological bent and more moderate establishment Republicans.</i></b></div></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-77087092917576734382021-06-17T08:11:00.002-07:002021-06-17T15:39:42.071-07:00Heap of Sh!t<div><b><i>You really do need to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/globe-blows-yellow-dog-whistle.html">watch</a> where you <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-dog-shit.html">step</a> around here:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"How a city emerges from a 462-day state of emergency" by Hanna Krueger Globe Staff, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Depending on their coordinates and crowd, Massachusetts residents have spent early June living in two vastly different realities. One, a post-COVID era of raucous revelry, the opening act of “hot-vax summer.” The other a tenuous toe-dip into the waters where a shark attack once occurred.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another midnight milestone arrived Tuesday when, as much of the state slumbered, Governor Charlie Baker lifted Massachusetts’ state of emergency, bringing to a close a 462-day era of mandated vigilance sparked by a contagion that last March brought the world to a standstill. Remaining guidance has ceased, including, at least for now, eviction protections, remote public meetings, and even to-go cocktails.</div><div><br /></div><div>The end of the declaration poses a symbolic question: How exactly do nearly 7 million people emerge from a state of emergency after 66 weeks? How does a state that suffered the third-highest per capita COVID-19 death toll in the nation return to normalcy when the clock strikes midnight? A tour through the streets of Boston reveals the process is a bumpy, boisterous, and bifurcated endeavor, filled with moments of elation and joy, as well as anxiety and grief.</div><div><br /></div><div>The apprehensive giddiness is most apparent in the spaces that once topped the epidemiologists’ pandemic blacklist. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>[They mean the salad bar at Lambert’s Rainbow Market in Dorchester]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The “Twilight Zone” quality of this current moment only grows more acute with a look beyond American borders. As wealthy nations vaccinate their way into normalcy, scores are dying daily in South America and Asia. More people have died globally from COVID-19 already this year than in all of 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If I cover one eye and look at the situation around Massachusetts, I feel pretty positive, and if I cover the other, I think about the rest of the world and the worrisome delta variant I feel pretty depressed,” Hanage said. “As a colleague of mine put it, it<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> feels like we are in a little mRNA castle</span></b>, watching all the poor countries burn.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I do now think I am going to puke]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">puzzle in philosophy called</span></b> the sorites, or <b><span style="color: red;">heap paradox</span></b>. It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">starts with</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">assumption</span></b> that removing a single grain from a heap does not make it not a heap, but, eventually, as more and more grains are removed from the heap, a <b><span style="color: red;">tipping point </span></b>occurs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The same <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">dilemma</span></b> appears to play out in this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">last chapter of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> in Boston. At what point does a pandemic come to an end? How few cases? How few deaths? For those chowing down on free popcorn again at dive bars and chanting cheers at TD Garden, the threshold was met at midnight, or soon thereafter, but for others, it may never be achieved. The <b><span style="color: red;">old world</span></b>, as Magaly coined it, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cannot be restored</span></b>. Even one grain will still be a heap.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The rest is a heap of something, all right]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/how-city-emerges-462-day-state-emergency/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/five-charts-that-show-how-boston-has-reopened/">Boston is coming back</a>. After 14 months when many people stayed home most of the time, the city’s streets have started to feel alive again. Groups of tourists are ambling along the Freedom Trail. Restaurants are busier. Even ridership on the T is picking up. Walking around these last few weeks, you can feel Boston blossoming like spring, and the data back it up. Measures of foot traffic, of time spent at home, even of how often we’re looking up directions on our phones ― they all point toward the reopening well underway. <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/five-charts-that-show-how-boston-has-reopened/">Take a look</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>I did and they said:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/five-charts-that-show-how-boston-has-reopened/">Ridership is up roughly 50 percent since the start of the year and is at its the highest since March 2020. Still, with daily commuters and many students yet to return to the city and some still reluctant to board trains, it will be awhile before MBTA ridership completely recovers. We’re going back to the stores, too</a>. The data firm Safegraph tracks foot traffic at many consumer-oriented businesses, including restaurants, drugstores, Target, and Home Depot. As of last Monday, store traffic was essentially back to pre-pandemic levels. Few industries were hit as hard as restaurants. After being closed for almost three months last year, those that reopened labored under an array of restrictions, but as more people got vaccinated this year, business surged, particularly over the past six weeks, when outdoor dining again became appealing. Now the last of the restrictions have been lifted, and the number of restaurant diners is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">quick</span></b>ly<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> return</span></b>ing <b><span style="color: red;">to pre-pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> levels. Accordingly, we’re staying home less. Google has a pretty good idea where people are at any given time, thanks to the supercomputers so many of us carry in our pockets. The number of people staying home all day has been trending down for months. The weather still makes a difference, though. The number of people at home on May 30 bumped up. That was Memorial Day weekend, when the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/five-charts-that-show-how-boston-has-reopened/">weather was miserable</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>But the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/historic-heat-wave-brings-100-degree-heat-40-million-western-us-2/">heat</a>, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/06/16/earth-heat-imbalance-warming/">heat</a>, with an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/burning-ship-tons-toxic-cargo-an-ecosystem-balance/">ecosystem in the balance</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenpeace-bundesliga-europe-euro-2020-soccer-1bbd9b217acbbd976c725dce60befbcb">bail out</a> on that agenda as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/its-time-hit-beach-expect-fewer-lifeguards-this-summer/">save</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/19/nation/john-kerrys-mission-save-world/">world</a>!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"As battle against virus ends, mayors confront a new villain: Criminals" by Julie Bosman, Frances Robles and Rick Rojas New York Times, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>CHICAGO — Mayors of American cities have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">yearned for the moment they could usher in a return to normal</span></b>cy, casting away coronavirus restrictions on bars, restaurants, parties, and public gatherings, <b><span style="color: red;">yet now, even with reopen</span></b>ings <b><span style="color: red;">underway</span></b> across the United States <b><span style="color: red;">as the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic recedes</span></b>, city leaders must contend with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">another crisis</span></b>: a <b><span style="color: red;">crime wave </span></b>with no signs of ending.</div><div><br /></div><div>They are cheerleading the return of office workers to downtowns and encouraging tourists to visit, eager to rejuvenate the economy and build public confidence, but they are also frantically trying to quell a <b><span style="color: red;">surge of homicides, assaults, and carjackings that began during the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> and has cast a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> chill </span></b>over the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recovery</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Austin, Texas, for example, 14 people were injured early Saturday morning in a mass shooting as revelers jammed a popular downtown nightlife district.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[There they go, singling out <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tx-state-wire-austin-shootings-8ac6ffb67e4e452f43e7093304078a1f">Texas</a> again. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The </i></b><b><i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/texas-power-grid-strained-last-winter-now-faces-an-early-heat-wave/">axe-grinding agenda</a></i></b><b><i> of the pre$$ at this point makes one want to vomit, and any excuse at all to explain the coming economic collapse other than the managaemtn of the ruling cla$$ that is meticulously-planned to result in the Great Re$et.]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Some city officials have touted progressive strategies focused on community policing in neighborhoods where trust between police officers and residents has frayed. Others have deployed more traditional tactics like increasing surveillance cameras in troubled areas and enforcing curfews in city parks to clear out crowds, as police did in Washington Square Park in New York City last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Chicago, which fully reopened Friday, Mayor Lori<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Lightfoot made clear</span></b> that her <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;">focus </span>was<span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">on reducing violence </span>over the summer, and that her administration would focus resources on 15 high-crime pockets of the city as part of that effort.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We owe it to all of our residents, in every neighborhood, to bring peace and vibrancy back,” Lightfoot said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The woman is a </i><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/email-lori-lightfoot-aide-scheduling-more-office-time" style="font-style: italic;">BULLY</a><i> and completely unhinged, and it shows. She should be immediately removed from office, and it has been her policies of releasing criminals onto the streets that has caused the problem as she calls for federal help, i.e., a federal police force that advances the communi$t globali$t agenda in the most stringent gun-control city in America. </i></b><b><i>It's so damn transparent now it makes one sick]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Superintendent David Brown, the head of the Chicago Police Department, announced this month what he called a “transformative moment” for the department, a plan to add more officers in the Civil Rights Unit, which is specially trained to work with marginalized residents, including those who are homeless. The plan would also expand youth initiatives in arts and sports.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other cities, like Miami, are nearly free of pandemic restrictions and booming with tourists. This month, the top prosecutor in Miami-Dade County and local police leaders turned to the issue of public safety, announcing Operation Summer Heat, an initiative to combat a wave of shootings. Homicides in Miami are 30 percent higher this year than in the same period in 2020, according to data from the medical examiner’s office.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">efforts include additional </span></b>streetlights and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">surveillance</span></b> cameras, prosecutors assigned to “hot spot” areas and a code enforcement crackdown on illegal party venues.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is something we have never seen before,” Alfredo Ramirez III, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said of the recent surge in violence. “Now they are going to see something they’ve never seen before: They’re going to see the law enforcement community united, working as one.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/florida-gets-another-legal-challenge-new-elections-rules/">pre$$</a> then throws <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/floridas-social-media-law-will-intensify-debate-over-companies-power/">Miami</a> up (sigh), even though the increase is lower there than in other stalwart Democrat cities]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Business owners who are eager to see tourism return have been especially anxious about the persistent violence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pete Berghoff, whose family has owned the historic Berghoff restaurant in Chicago’s Loop since 1898, is planning to reopen its doors in July, but he is <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;">worried about</span><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </span>the<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> unruly gatherings of younger people</span> downtown<b><span style="color: red;"> that have turned violent</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[That's what happens when you are a dumping ground for migrants and the <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/3/11/21175651/jalisco-new-generation-drug-cartel-chicago">base for Mexican drug cartels</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>That's </i><a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2013/Sinaloa-Cartel/" style="font-style: italic;">nothing new</a><i>, of course, and the <a href="https://world.time.com/2014/01/14/dea-boosted-mexican-drug-cartel/">federal government cooperated with them for years</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Homicide rates in large cities were up more than 30 percent on average last year, and up another 24 percent for the beginning of this year, according to criminologists.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Milwaukee, where homicides hit a record high in 2020, <b><span style="color: red;">residents</span></b> of neighborhoods burdened by gunfire are <b><span style="color: red;">ready to leave</span></b>. Asia Flanagan, 40, said that after a year of what has felt like never-ending tragedy on Milwaukee’s North Side, she intended to move out with her infant son.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arnitta Holliman directs Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention, a unit within the public health department that was hailed for its role in the steep decline in homicides from 2016-19. She <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">attributed the current upswing in part to growing access to weapons</span></b> — Wisconsin shattered its previous record for gun sales last year — and the destabilizing effect of the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's a GUN GRAB, as usual, and the GOVERNMENT is BEHIND the VIOLENCE, how about that, either by tacit approval or active intervention]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Last month, the City Council in Jackson, Miss., gathered in a church for a special meeting over the gun violence crisis in a city of roughly 160,000 people. There were 130 homicides last year, according to law enforcement statistics, far surpassing the previous record.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If we don’t <b><span style="color: red;">save</span></b> these <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">children</span></b>,” Kenneth I. Stokes, a city councilman, said during the meeting, “we’re going to keep having these meetings, keep going to the funerals — and wondering why.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[As they seek to inject them with something harmful that they don't need.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm actually tired of having them wave </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/duxbury-parents-say-officials-downplayed-misconduct-claims-against-now-fired-hockey-coach/" style="font-style: italic;">children</a><i> in my face when they really don't care. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>If they did <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/what-offenses-did-jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-commit-britain-new-report-forces-police-review-claims/">this</a> would be <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/every-day-is-groundhog-day-when-reading.html">blown wide open</a> rather than be another one-day wonder]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/battle-against-virus-ends-mayors-confront-new-villain-criminals/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Maybe <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/echoes-breonna-taylor-shooting-black-man-georgia/">the</a>y can get <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/us/alton-sterling-settlement.html">$ettlement</a> from the former <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/bill-cosby-refuses-sex-offender-program-so-is-denied-parole/">face</a> of <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2018/04/fridays-faces-of-evil.html">evil</a> damn <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/four-demonstrators-sue-boston-police-alleged-excessive-force-after-george-floyd-protest-2020/">racists</a>).</i></b></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Thus, as scandal swirls around the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/metro/uncertainty-persists-boston-police-what-happens-now-that-dennis-white-is-gone/">Boston Police Department</a>, the process of choosing a permanent replacement is just beginning and the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/with-legal-challenge-white-case-could-drag-years-stalk-walsh/">case could drag on for years</a>, stalk former mayor Martin J. Walsh as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/dennis-whites-likely-departure-gives-janey-an-opening/">curtain falls on the drama</a> that has engulfed Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White.</b></i></div><div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Here is a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/04/metro/dennis-white-saga-list-all-players-involved-what-you-should-know-about-them/">list of players from top to bottom</a> in the ugly legal and family drama involving suspended Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/opinion/how-commissioner-changed-culture-within-boston-police-department/">BPD faces a new credibility crisis</a> and </b></i><b><i>now is the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/worcester-police-officer-be-remembered-funeral-mass-thursday/">time to remember</a> all the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/boston-police-officers-remembered-annual-ceremony/">officers</a> wounded in the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/braintree-police-hope-officer-injured-shooting-is-released-coming-days-das-office-says/">line of duty</a> as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/opinion/are-george-regans-fingerprints-dennis-whites-media-strategy/">collected fingerprints</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><img alt="Amilcar Shabazz, an Africana studies professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, pictured in West Cemetery in Amherst. Some African American soldiers who fought in Texas during the Civil War are buried in the cemetery. Shabazz helped bring the Juneteenth holiday to Massachusetts." class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG" height="267" id="img-bad37f7c-ab6f-49ff-9079-61153079c916-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/y3A_rPFHOlO5lp8zMyXdDldePpY=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/y3A_rPFHOlO5lp8zMyXdDldePpY=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/ahrYnznXIW5j7FtA0NH-bmjjrxE=/1280x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/WS8yi5Ge6dW-JS6nuxvla4YL6w4=/1024x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/NaLVhnefPv1-Ec9Lo8QfEEk_1Aw=/820x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/f5ZXz8AXJvyBky00UkqNKq9zrOY=/600x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/5jOnf9DYNLSUNldSItKOza0P4O0=/420x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/OEBVXHtqRKhnGv72AxNZAp4Xm1A=/240x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/UY7AB63HMIZRYJ6USJDJXDBLGM.JPG 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">Amilcar Shabazz, an Africana studies professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, pictured in West Cemetery in Amherst. Some African American soldiers who fought in Texas during the Civil War are buried in the cemetery. Shabazz helped bring the Juneteenth holiday to Massachusetts (</span><span class="credit uppercase">Matthew Cavanaugh/For The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/how-massachusetts-communities-are-celebrating-first-official-juneteenth/">Boston Globe</a>)</span></span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>What is with the Masonic hand sign, 'eh?</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They are literally <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/firing-dennis-white-makes-mockery-due-process/">mocking us</a> as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/bill-bratton-american-policing-challenge-facing-boston-police-department/">walk in the middle of the road</a> and managing <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/arts/how-matthew-zarembas-online-art-journal-became-healing-place-many/">not to get hit</a>.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/congress-approves-bill-make-juneteenth-federal-holiday/">Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered</a>. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaking next to a large poster of a Black man whose back bore massive scarring from being whipped, said she would be in Galveston this Saturday to celebrate along with Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. The Senate passed the bill a day earlier under a unanimous consent agreement that expedites the process for considering legislation. It takes just one senator’s objection to block such agreements. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said that he would vote for the bill and that he supported the establishment of a federal holiday, but he was upset that the name of the holiday included the word “independence” rather than “emancipation.” “Why would the Democrats want to politicize this by coopting the name of our sacred holiday of Independence Day?” Higgins asked....." </div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Answer, the scrub history clean like good Marxists and replace it with their own.</i></b></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>It's now a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/opinion/juneteenth-should-be-national-holiday/">national holiday</a> commemorating the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/senate-approves-bill-make-juneteenth-federal-holiday/">end of slavery in the United States</a>.</b></i></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Now for the flip side:</i></b> </div><div><br /></div><div>"US intelligence report warns of more violence by QAnon followers" by Michael Kunzelman and Nomaan Merchant The Associated Press, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[S</b><b>adly, <a href="https://www.winterwatch.net/2021/01/q-anon-bears-striking-resemblance-to-bolshevik-psy-op-from-1920s-known-as-operation-trust/">Q is a government psyop</a> and that has been <a href="https://www.winterwatch.net/2018/06/qanon-revealed-as-neocon-psyops-and-magical-mystery-tour/">known for some time</a>]</b></i></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div></div><div>WASHINGTON — A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new federal intelligence report </span></b>warns that <b><span style="color: red;">adherents of QAnon</span></b>, the conspiracy theory embraced by some in the mob that stormed the US Capitol, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could target Democrats</span></b> and other political opponents for more violence as the movement’s false prophecies don’t come true.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Prepare for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/marshals-service-cant-properly-track-threats-against-judges-says-inspector-general/">false flags galore</a> this summer as agent provocateurs make it a hell of a hot summer]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many QAnon followers <b><span style="color: red;">believe </span></b>former president <b><span style="color: red;">Trump was fighting enemies within</span></b> the so-called “deep state” to expose a <b><span style="color: red;">cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">child sex trafficking ring</span></b>. Trump’s loss to Joe Biden disillusioned some believers in “The Storm,” a supposed reckoning in which Trump’s enemies would be tried and executed. Some adherents have now pivoted to believing Trump is the “<b><span style="color: red;">shadow president</span></b>” or Biden’s victory was an illusion.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">report was compiled by</span></b> the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and released</span></b> Monday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by</span></b> Senator Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat. It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">predicts</span></b> that while some QAnon adherents will pull back, others “likely will begin to believe they can no longer ‘trust the plan’ referenced in QAnon posts and that they have an obligation to change from serving as ‘digital soldiers’ towards engaging in real world violence.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I never did "<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/nation/does-anybody-have-plan-senate-report-details-jan-6-security-failures/">trust the plan</a>" and hoped Trump wasn't <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/nation/hearing-jan-6-violence-exposes-stark-partisan-divisions/">controlled opposition</a>, but Warp Speed got my <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/nation/garland-calls-capitol-attack-top-threat-us-democracy/">mind right</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What they have done with the Satanism and child trafficking is put out truth to discredit that truth because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/what-offenses-did-jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-commit-britain-new-report-forces-police-review-claims/">we all know there are no sex-trafficking rings</a>, right?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They are literally <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Lucifer-by-cuteshit/19810141.UIV3X?country_code=US&utm_content=[C.12832175684][AG.123101745964][AD.516931246235]&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxrS-5IGc8QIVwAHQBB1BDAH4EAEYASADEgIKCPD_BwE">laughing in our faces</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>As major social media companies suspend or remove QAnon-themed accounts, many followers have moved to less well-known platforms and discussed how to radicalize new users on them, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">report says</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">report says</span></b> several factors will contribute to QAnon’s long-term durability, including the COVID-19 pandemic, some social media companies allowing posts about the theories, societal polarization in the country, and the “frequency and content of pro-QAnon statements by public individuals who feature prominently in core QAnon narratives.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The report does not identify any of those public individuals, but Trump, who while in office praised QAnon followers as “people that love our country,” has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the election is over and spoken of his victory being “stolen,” despite multiple court rulings and a finding by his own Justice Department upholding the integrity of the election. One longtime ally said that <b><span style="color: red;">Trump has given credence to</span></b> a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> conspiracy theory</span></b> that he <b><span style="color: red;">could somehow be reinstated</span></b> into the presidency in August.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You know, it <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/republican-commissioned-hand-recount-ballots-arizona-close-concluding-no-results-expected-until-later-this-summer/">SOUNDS GREAT</a> because a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/new-emails-detail-trumps-efforts-have-justice-department-take-up-his-election-fraud-claims/">WRONG will have been RIGHTED</a>; however, we all know the cities would be destroyed were such a thing to happen -- and it won't! They will <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/trump-executive-could-face-charges-soon-this-summer/">charge him with a crime first</a></i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Heinrich pressed FBI Director Chris Wray in April to release an assessment of how the government views QAnon. “The public deserves to know how the government assesses the threat to our country from those who would act violently on such beliefs,” he said then.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">movement</span></b> around QAnon has already been <b><span style="color: red;">linked to political violence</span></b>, notably during the Jan. 6 Capitol <b><span style="color: red;">insurrection</span></b><i> in which some <b><span style="color: red;">riot</span></b>ers believed they <b><span style="color: red;">would reverse Trump’s defeat</span></b>. At least 20 QAnon followers have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6, according to an Associated Press review of court records</i>.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Some charged in the riot wore attire bearing the telltale letter “Q” when they stormed the Capitol. One of the defendants, Jacob Chansley, calls himself the “QAnon Shaman” and famously wore a furry hat with horns, face paint, and no shirt that day. Others had posted about QAnon on social media before the riot.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Justice Department has arrested more than 400 people in the insurrection, where pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, did about $1.5 million in damage and sent lawmakers running for their lives.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Lawyers for some of the defendants have argued their clients were specifically misguided by QAnon.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/us-intelligence-report-warns-more-violence-by-qanon-followers/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><span class="item-title"><a href="https://needtoknow.news/2021/06/the-january-6-capitol-protesters-are-being-persecuted-imprisoned-and-bankrupted-by-the-justice-department/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-january-6-capitol-protesters-are-being-persecuted-imprisoned-and-bankrupted-by-the-justice-department" target="_blank">The January 6 Capitol Protesters Are Being Persecuted, Imprisoned and Bankrupted by the Justice Department</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><b>The POLITICAL PRISONERS are rotting in jail and no one cares as the media continue to lie about the protest and refuse to release over 14,000 hours of video.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><a href="https://www.revolver.news/2021/06/federal-foreknowledge-jan-6-unindicted-co-conspirators-raise-disturbing-questions/">Unindicted Co-Conspirators in 1/6 Cases Raise Disturbing Questions of Federal Foreknowledge</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>That is an absolute bombshell report, and it wasn't just foreknowledge; they PARTICIPATED in the STAGED EVENT!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>As it turns out, the "riot" and "insurrection" was directed by government agents after Pelosi and MCconnell told the Capitol Police to stand down, setting the stage for the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/world/hollywood-take-christchurch-massacre-provokes-anger-new-zealand/">staged and scripted event</a>. It was all a SET-UP to provide a FALSE NARRATIVE and enable the political persecution to begin:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Biden’s domestic terrorism strategy details unprecedented focus on homegrown threats" by Hannah Allam and Ellen Nakashima Washington Post, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday released a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> first-ever national strategy</span></b> devoted solely <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>to </b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;">fight</span>ing<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> domestic terror</span>ism after more than two decades of successive administrations focusing almost exclusively on the militant Islamist threat.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The "conspiracy theorist" warned that the GWOT would eventually return home.]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The strategy comes after a deadly assault on the US Capitol <b><span style="color: red;">and</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">resurgence in far-right violent extremism</span></b> that the Trump administration — with rare exceptions — was loath to acknowledge.</div><div><br /></div><div>For many terrorism analysts, the strategy was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">long overdue</span></b>. Violent far-right extremists have posed the deadliest and most active domestic threat for more than 15 years, though federal resources remained heavily focused on countering foreign terrorism.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 32-page <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">strategy seeks to coordinate efforts across the government</span></b> in law enforcement and prevention, some of which were already underway. It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">calls for new spending</span></b> at the Justice Department and FBI <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to hire analysts</span></b>, investigators, and prosecutors; <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">greater information-sharing</span></b> between the federal government and state and local partners as well as with tech companies; and addressing the factors contributing to the problem, such as systemic racism.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We cannot ignore this threat or wish it away,” President Biden said in the introduction.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[If only we could wish that demented pedofile away]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The plan gives the White House imprimatur to a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shift in counterterrorism priorities</span></b> that began in recent years in response to a rise in deadly hate-fueled attacks and picked up momentum after the stunning Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol. Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress that the bureau had made "close to 500 arrests" in connection with the Capitol attack. Wray has said that the total number of domestic terrorism investigations increased to 2,000 from 1,400 at the end of last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> administration<b><span style="color: red;"> was reluctant to confront</span></b> domestic extremism, <b><span style="color: red;">or did so by touting</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">false equivalency</span></b> between the extreme right and Black Lives Matter, antifa, and other movements on the left. The Trump-era counterterrorism strategy did mention domestic extremism, and a Homeland Security report from that time called violent white supremacy "one of the most potent forces driving domestic terrorism."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Yeah, when it is left-wing Marxi$t terror it's APPROVED by the Wa$hington Compo$t!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>After "the myopia" of the past decade or so in which the <b><span style="color: red;">rising domestic threat </span></b>was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ignored</span></b>, just naming domestic terrorism as a top priority is "groundbreaking," said Cynthia Miller-Idriss, who runs the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University.</div><div><br /></div><div>Inauguration Day came two weeks after the Capitol riots, so Biden’s national security team started work with "Jan. 6 fresh in our minds," one senior administration official said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Hmmmmmm]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"We need to be able to step up where the threats are, where the threats are made," according to the official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. "There remains consistent, important work to address the international terrorism threat even as we step up against domestic terrorists."</div><div><br /></div><div>Informing the strategy is a March <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">assessment by the intelligence community</span></b> that domestic, violent extremism poses an "elevated threat" to the United States. That <b><span style="color: red;">extremism</span></b> was <b><span style="color: red;">fueled by bias</span></b> against minority communities and perceived government overreach, it said. The assessment said that lone offenders or small, self-organized cells — rather than organizations — were most likely to carry out attacks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The strategy <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">codifies</span></b> moves in the past five months that amount to "a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sea change in counterterrorism</span></b>," Carly <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Gordenstein</span></b> and Seamus Hughes, researchers at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wrote</span></b> in an analysis.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It is clear that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">structural changes are under way</span></b> that aim to <b><span style="color: red;">root out extremism</span></b> in and out of government, attempt to concentrate efforts more efficiently, and invest in the issue of domestic extremism at a rate that is unprecedented in the United States," Gordenstein and Hughes wrote.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's called a PURGE or POGROM, and is in line with another UNCLE JOE and MAO!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Miller-Idriss said the steps outlined in the strategy sound encouraging, especially an effort to prevent radicalization by addressing broader societal problems and by encouraging media literacy.</div><div><br /></div><div>"This brings us in line with what other countries are doing overseas: Understanding you can’t tackle domestic extremism by only paying attention to the fringe," Miller-Idriss said. "You also have to pay attention to what’s happening in the mainstream."</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, she said, implementation will be crucial. Attempts at a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> national dialogue </span></b>about <b><span style="color: red;">white supremacy</span></b>, for example, will immediately <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bump into culture war barrier</span></b>s such as the current uproar among conservatives over teaching about systemic racism. Miller-Idriss said countries including Norway, Germany, and New Zealand have adopted approaches that extend beyond the national security apparatus to include government agencies dealing with culture, education, health, and sports.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>[Yeah, Germany is a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/world/germany-recognizes-colonial-killings-namibia-genocide/">wonderful example</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"Here, even prevention is housed within DHS," she said. "If we <b><span style="color: red;">just frame the whole thing</span></b> as a security and law enforcement problem, with security and law enforcement experts at the helm, we’re just going to get that outcome."</div><div><br /></div><div>Mary McCord, a former senior Justice Department official, said the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">prevention part is</span></b> also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tricky</span></b> because of opposition to "investigating people based on ideology or of casting a net too broadly," as US Muslims experienced in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Already, some of the Jan. 6 rioters are casting themselves as<b><span style="color: red;"> political prisoners being unfairly prosecuted for </span></b>their <b><span style="color: red;">beliefs</span></b>.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Yeah, violating the Constitution and acting like a tyrannical dictatorship is "tricky"]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/bidens-domestic-terrorism-strategy-details-unprecedented-focus-homegrown-threats/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>I'm told <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/opinion/biden-strategy-takes-homegrown-extremism/">the approach breaks new ground with a broader holistic approach that emphasizes issues of equity and societal resilience</a> as much as immediate terror threats, and one can only hope you get a <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/notebook/Scarlett-Johansson-by-aerogizz/11818704.WX3NH?country_code=US&utm_content=[C.12832175684][AG.123101745964][AD.516931246235]&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi6_k1vub8QIVQgbQBB30EQUPEAEYASABEgIYo_D_BwE">cellmate like this</a>.</b></i></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Military defends Jan. 6 response as House steps up probes" by Mary Clare Jalonick and Nomaan Merchant The Associated Press, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — A top Army leader defended the Pentagon’s response to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, telling a House panel Tuesday that the National Guard was delayed for hours because it had to properly prepare for the deployment and that senior military leaders had determined beforehand that the military had “no role” in determining the outcome of an election.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Unlike Myanmar, where they <a href="https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-myanmar-67989dd93e89e0308afd3dfaa6077b53">did the right thing</a> and rounded up the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/southeast-asia-global-trade-min-aung-hlaing-asia-yangon-bc1a2a82bbe4eab916429cd88c75daa9">traitors</a> and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/ethnic-karen-guerrillas-say-they-have-captured-myanmar-army-base-near-thailand/article34422696.ece">imprisoned them</a> for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-religion-elections-health-coronavirus-pandemic-bd8bf157e3404c77c4f9a85f41dc7ae1">vote fraud</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Lieutenant General Walter Piatt, the director of the Army staff, echoed comments from other senior military leaders about the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">perception of soldiers being used to secure the election</span></b> process. He said the Pentagon wanted to be careful about their response in part because of concerns about military helicopters that had flown low over Washington streets during protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in the summer of 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>It also took several hours for Guardsmen to be equipped and given a plan for how to secure the Capitol, Piatt said. The building was overrun by hundreds of supporters of former president Donald Trump who sought to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.</div><div><br /></div><div>Piatt’s testimony comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will step up its investigations into the deadly riots, in which a violent mob overran police, broke into the building and hunted for lawmakers. She said Tuesday that the House “can’t wait any longer” to conduct a comprehensive investigation after Senate Republicans blocked legislation to create an independent commission; <b><span style="color: red;">meanwhile, most Republicans</span></b> are making clear that they <b><span style="color: red;">want to move on</span></b> from the Jan. 6 attack<i>, <b><span style="color: red;">brushing aside</span></b> the many <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unanswered questions about</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">insurrection</span></b>, including <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence</span></b> leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the attack</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I've <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/nation/senate-republicans-set-deploy-filibuster-block-commission-jan-6-insurrection/">seen</a> that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/nation/gop-poised-block-bipartisan-probe-jan-6-insurrection/">movie</a> before, and I don't want to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/pelosi-says-house-will-move-forward-with-jan-6-investigations/">move on</a> from the staged and scripted false flag for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/republican-election-bill-pushed-ahead-over-dems-objections/">truth must out</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/pelosi-rules-out-having-biden-create-jan-6-commission/">question</a> now becomes <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/biden-takes-infrastructure-plan-south/">will she abide by an agreement she struck with a group of Democratic rebels three years ago to step down by the end of the 2022</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>The hazards of investigating the attack in the sharply divided Congress were on full display during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, which was called to examine “unexplained delays and unanswered questions” about the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">siege</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several Republicans<b><span style="color: red;"> tried to divert the subject</span></b>, using their questioning to <b><span style="color: red;">talk about</span></b> corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> restrictions, the border and Biden's son Hunter, while others <b><span style="color: red;">played down</span></b> the severity of the <b><span style="color: red;">violence</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Democrats shot back that Republicans were trying to obscure the truth.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The gall!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As the committee examined the insurrection, the House held a vote to give congressional medals of honor to Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service that day. Dozens of those officers suffered injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones. Some may never return to work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Twenty-one Republicans voted against giving the medals to the officers.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The Wa$hington Compo$t said the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/21-house-republicans-vote-against-awarding-congressional-gold-medal-all-police-officers-who-responded-jan-6/">vote underscored the still-lingering tensions in Congress amid efforts by some GOP lawmakers to whitewash the events of that day</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Some of the <b><span style="color: red;">Republicans appeared to defend the rioters</span></b>, including Wisconsin Representative Glenn Grothman, who grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray on whether some of those who broke into the Capitol were innocent. Arizona Representative Paul Gosar repeated his arguments that a <b><span style="color: red;">Trump supporter </span></b>who <b><span style="color: red;">was shot and killed</span></b> while breaking into the House chamber, Ashli Babbitt, was “executed.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“This has got to do with the <b><span style="color: red;">attempt</span></b>s by people <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to overthrow the government </span></b>of the United States of America, something that hasn’t happened in well over 100 years,” said Maryland Representative Kweisi Mfume, “and it’s not something that we can slough off.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The three witnesses at the hearing — Wray, Piatt, and General Charles E. Flynn, who was previously Army deputy chief of staff — were involved that day as the Capitol Police begged for backup. The National Guard did not arrive for several hours as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">police were overwhelmed </span></b>and<b><span style="color: red;"> brutally beaten</span></b> by the rioters.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[That's the AP narrative and its all bull!]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Piatt insisted that he did not deny or have the authority to deny Guard help during a call with then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who has previously said he believed Piatt and other Army leaders were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concerned about the optics</span></b> of soldiers surrounding the building. According to the Defense Department, military leadership approved activation of the full D.C. National Guard at 3:04 p.m., about 40 minutes after the call with Sund.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[Since f**king when?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>It's THEIR JOB to SECURE the REPUBLIC -- but they are worried about optics!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sorry, but this $hitpile doesn't look good!]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Representative Carolyn Maloney, the New York Democrat who chairs the committee, criticized Wray for <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>not providing documents her staff had requested</b></span> and asked him if he believed the FBI should be blamed for the law enforcement failures on Jan. 6. </i><i>“Our goal is to bat 1.000, and any time there’s an attack, much less an attack as horrific and spectacular as what happened on Jan. 6, we consider that to be unacceptable," Wray replied.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Seven people total died during and after the rioting, including Babbitt, three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies, and two police officers who died by suicide in the days that followed. A third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters, but a medical examiner determined he died of natural causes.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[The New York Times lied and said he was beaten to death, then they said he was poisoned]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/military-defends-jan-6-response-house-steps-up-probes/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related</i></b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/jewish-democratic-lawmakers-condemn-rep-omar-over-offensive-tweet-us-hamas-taliban/">Democrats and Republicans aimed withering questions at the FBI as Director Christopher A. Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday, though their concerns diverged significantly along partisan lines</a>. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, blasted Wray for the bureau’s failure to detect in advance and respond to the mob that attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, while ranking Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio accused the bureau of intruding on Americans’ civil liberties in an eclectic mix of circumstances. The hearing made clear that Democrats and Republicans could hardly be further apart on what the FBI should and shouldn’t be doing, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/jewish-democratic-lawmakers-condemn-rep-omar-over-offensive-tweet-us-hamas-taliban/">but on this much, they seemed to agree: The nation’s premier federal law enforcement institution had significant problems that needed to be addressed</a>....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><div><b><i>He told Congre$$ they are pursuing potentially hundreds more suspects in the Capitol riot, calling the effort to find those responsible for the deadly assault <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/fbi-is-pursuing-hundreds-capitol-riot-inquiry-wray-tells-congress/">“one of the most far-reaching and extensive” investigations in the bureau’s history</a> -- which is what they also said about the Warren Report!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Hey, you got <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/opinion/how-white-supremacy-weaponizes-ignorance/">lemons</a>, you <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/opinion/lemon-census-could-be-election-reform-lemonade/">make lemonade</a>!</i></b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Now <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/opinion/biden-stays-out-our-face-isnt-it-great/">get out of my face</a>!</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><i>Another face in the crowd:</i></b></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/biden-announces-choices-foreign-postings/">Former congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California, said Monday that he was among the crowds outside the US Capitol on Jan. 6, but claimed that he was there to protest the election and did not join others in storming the building</a>. Rohrabacher acknowledged his presence outside the Capitol in an interview with a Maine newspaper. Over the weekend, social media users began circulating photos that appeared to show the former congressman and an associate standing among the pro-Trump crowd. “I marched to protest, and I <b><span style="color: red;">thought the election was fraudulent </span></b>and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand,” Rohrabacher, 73, said in the interview with the Portland Press Herald, “but I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do.” Rohrabacher could not immediately be reached for comment. There is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no evidence of widespread fraud</span></b> in the 2020 election, and dozens of court challenges seeking to overturn President Biden’s victory failed. Nearly 140 police officers were assaulted during the insurrection, authorities said, facing some rioters armed with ax handles, bats, metal batons, wooden poles, hockey sticks, and other weapons. The House last month passed legislation that would form an independent commission to investigate the attack, but the measure failed to advance in the Senate, with nearly all Republicans in the chamber banding together in opposition. During his time as a member of Congress, Rohrabacher earned a <b><span style="color: red;">reputation as </span></b>among the most <b><span style="color: red;">vocal defender</span></b>s of <b><span style="color: red;">Russia</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">and</span></b> its president, Vladimir <span style="color: red;"><b>Putin</b></span>. In June 2016, then-House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, asserted in a private conversation with other Republican leaders: “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump.” Rohrabacher served in Congress for 30 years. After losing reelection in 2018, he moved to Maine and has been active in the cannabis industry. He and his wife, Rhonda, have also taken steps toward becoming active in local politics in their new hometown of York. According to the Portland Press Herald, videos of the Jan. 6 riot show the former congressman was nearly 500 feet inside the restricted zone surrounding the Capitol, but there are no signs that he tried to enter the building. In the interview with the newspaper, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/biden-announces-choices-foreign-postings/"><b>Rohrabacher also promoted a false narrative about the storming of the Capitol, claiming without evidence that “leftist provocateurs” led the charge. </b>“By going into the building, they gave the left the ability to direct the discussion of what was going on in a way that was harmful to the things we believe in,” Rohrabacher said.<b> Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, has made similar false claims </b>about the identities of those who stormed the Capitol. Federal<b> officials have said there is no substantial evidence of left-wing provocation or that anti-fascist activists posed as Trump supporters</b> during the riot</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Would they tell us if there were?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>C'mon!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, anyone who objects to the illegal and illegitimate Biden regime is a Russian stooge!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>PFFFFFFFFT!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>This is the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/tsarnaev-should-be-executed-role-boston-marathon-bombings-biden-administration-tells-us-supreme-court/">ultimate goal</a> of the Biden regime regarding its political opponents, as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/supreme-court-asks-biden-administration-views-harvard-affirmative-action-case/">Supreme Court</a> defers to the dictator and the Globe sees just the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/biden-wants-end-death-penalty-so-why-is-his-justice-department-trying-have-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-put-death/">latest of several perplexing decisions AG Merrick Garland has taken to support the unjust, or cynical maneuvers of his morally vacant predecessor, Bill Barr</a>.</b></i></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>Time to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/nation/democrats-republicans-back-away-actions-against-fiery-lawmakers/">back down</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/democrats-raise-fresh-alarms-with-emerging-senate-infrastructure-compromise/">compromi$e</a>:</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/bipartisan-group-senators-introduces-40-billion-bill-close-digital-divide/">Three senators plan to introduce legislation that would spend $40 billion to make broadband Internet more affordable and accessible under one of the largest bipartisan proposals to address the digital divide</a>. The legislation, cosponsored by Senators Michael Bennet, Democrat from Colorado, Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, and Angus King, a Maine Independent, highlights the growing support in both political parties to boost federal funding to bring more Americans online. The senators say the closure of businesses and schools during the coronavirus pandemic made clear the need for expanded Internet access. They also anticipate that demand will persist even as coronavirus cases subside. Bennet said <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/bipartisan-group-senators-introduces-40-billion-bill-close-digital-divide/">the funding is urgently needed to support the hybrid school and work environments that are likely to become more common as Americans begin to resume normal activities</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's to hook us all up to the global surveillance grid is all.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"Manchin outlines demands on voting legislation, creating an opening for potential Democratic compromise" by Mike DeBonis Washington Post June 16, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Sen. Joe Manchin III, the lone Senate Democrat who is not sponsoring a sweeping voting rights and campaign finance bill, has outlined for the first time a list of policy demands on election legislation — opening the door to a possible compromise that could counter a bevy of Republican-passed laws that have rolled back ballot access in numerous states.</div><div><br /></div><div>A three-page memo circulated by Manchin’s office this week indicates the West Virginia centrist’s willingness to support key provisions of the For the People Act, the marquee Democratic bill that the House passed in March — including provisions mandating at least two weeks of early voting and measures meant to eliminate partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, but Manchin’s memo also sketches out several provisions that have historically been opposed by most Democrats, including backing an ID requirement for voters and the ability of local election officials to purge voter rolls using other government records.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to two Democratic aides familiar with Manchin’s views, he has also signaled to colleagues that he opposes a public financing system for congressional elections that has emerged as one of the most controversial parts of the For the People Act. The aides spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe Manchin’s private communications with other lawmakers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has announced that the Senate will take an initial vote on the legislation next week.</div><div><br /></div><div>The list of demands is, on one hand, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">good news for congressional Democrats</span></b>, who have been <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seeking a way forward</span></b> by perhaps passing a narrower piece of legislation more closely targeted to the GOP-passed state voting restrictions, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> Manchin’s demands — particularly his support for mandatory voter ID laws — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could alienate fellow Democrats and create division</span></b>s in his party.</div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, uniting Democrats is <b><span style="color: red;">no</span></b>t Manchin’s <b><span style="color: red;">concern</span></b>. He told reporters Wednesday that he thought Republicans could support a voting rights bill, and he has started trying to jump-start discussions with GOP colleagues on a potential compromise. Manchin hosted a Zoom meeting Monday with several Republican senators and some civil rights leaders, according to a person familiar with the meeting, which was first reported by Politico.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before detailing his policy views on the For the People Act, Manchin had cited the lack of GOP support for the legislation in explaining his misgivings, and, on Wednesday, he told reporters that he continued to think that Republican support was necessary. Manchin also said Wednesday that he has not changed his views against eliminating the filibuster, the 60-vote supermajority requirement for most Senate bills, meaning the bill would have to garner some GOP support to be viable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other Democrats are deeply skeptical that Republicans will ever join them in enacting new voting legislation. Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have uniformly opposed the For the People Act as an unwarranted federal overreach into state affairs, but there has also been no substantial recent attempt by either party to open bipartisan negotiations on the issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Schumer lambasted the Republican state voting laws Wednesday as a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">starkly partisan endeavor</span></b> — a day after he hosted at a Senate Democratic lunch a delegation of Texas Democrats who worked to block GOP voting restrictions in their state.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/manchin-narrows-his-demands-on-voting-legislation-bringing-democrats-closer-to-unity/2021/06/16/f588093e-cec4-11eb-8014-2f3926ca24d9_story.html">link</a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Manchin is the fulcrum and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/hundreds-protest-manchins-opposition-voting-law-overhaul/">under a lot of pressure</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><i>I would have to be </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/opinion/where-mental-illness-criminal-justice-meet/" style="font-style: italic;">crazy</a><i> to continue so I will just <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/opinion/win-win-city-project-stuck-neutral/">declare victory</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/summer-camp-is-back-precautions-remain/">depart the field</a> before I <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/latino-leaders-demand-greater-representation-boston/">boil over</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/seismic-shift-lottery-might-govern-admission-bostons-exam-schools-instead-rank-ordering-students-by-test-scores-gpas/">$tart $wearing</a> about a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/metro/nearly-four-decades-years-after-its-purchase-ticket-redeemed/">golden ticket</a> to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/city-boston-launch-task-force-review-pilot-program/">Communi$m</a>:</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/lawmakers-miss-deadline-state-of-emergency-protections-businesses-hope-resolve-issue-quickly/">Legislative leaders rushed Monday to extend a long list of pandemic-era rules and relief measures but were unable to finish their work before time ran out and Governor Charlie Baker’s state of emergency expired at the stroke of midnight</a>. The Senate had adopted a bill last week that would extend a range of provisions that were tied to the state of emergency, from virtual notarizations to allowing restaurants to sell “cocktails-to-go.” The biggest uncertainty may be around timing. Chef Jody Adams said she was happy to see the House plan emerge at the eleventh hour that would extend them through the end of December, to buy time for a permanent solution for the restaurant sector. The battered industry simply needs more time to recover from the financial ravages of COVID-19, she said...."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They didn't finish in time because </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/massachusetts-house-speaker-hospitalized-fitted-with-pacemaker/" style="font-style: italic;">Speaker of the House Mariano was hospitalized</a><i> after “experiencing some medical discomfort,” and that is what corruption (or the vaccine?) will do to you.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What was he doing out of state anyway?</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/business/boston-hospitals-offer-relief-covid-vaccine-deserts/">Remember when it was hard to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine?</a> For millions of US residents, it still is. That’s why health professionals have created an online tool to help public health officials identify the nation’s “vaccine deserts” — places where a person would have to drive more than 15 minutes to be vaccinated. The creators of the Vaccine Equity Planner estimate that 10 percent of the US population lives in vaccine deserts. Their project identifies these spots by combining survey data with mapping and travel time information from Google. “The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only way to actually truly control</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic is</span></b> if we get <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">equitable access</span></b> across this country,” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">said</span></b> John <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Brownstein</span></b>, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and codeveloper of the website. He partnered with Ariadne Labs, a joint venture of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Their website displays these regions on a color-coded map, as well as nearby health care facilities, churches, and schools where public health agencies could set up additional vaccination sites....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>You may want to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/04/holding-my-breath.html">hold your breath</a> for this:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/santosh-thomas-lead-virtusa/">Philips recalled roughly 3.5 million ventilation devices used to treat sleep apnea and increased its cost estimate for addressing a defect that may cause cancer</a>. The company said some of its ventilators use sound-abatement foam that may degrade into particles that could be ingested or inhaled and potentially have toxic and carcinogenic effects. Philips doubled its provision for expected costs related to the issue to $605 million. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/santosh-thomas-lead-virtusa/">recall is a setback for Philips as it shifts to focus entirely on health care products</a>." </div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Never mind those who <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2020/04/hyperventilating-over-sunday-globe.html">hyperventilated</a> to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/04/last-gasp.html">death</a>?</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-80241059411610833212021-06-16T09:39:00.004-07:002021-06-16T09:39:54.306-07:00Globe Blows Yellow Dog Whistle<b><i>Better <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/30/metro/hatfield-celebrates-350th-anniversary-after-parade-was-canceled-last-year-due-covid-19/">late than never</a>.....</i></b><div><div><br /></div><div>"Boston’s Asian American community rallies in solidarity against AAPI hate" by Felicia Gans Globe Staff, May 31, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">scream of yellow whistles echoed through</span></b> the Boston Common on Monday afternoon as community leaders, organizers, and allies pledged their solidarity to combat hate toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.</div><div><br /></div><div>The color yellow, once weaponized against Asian people in xenophobic rhetoric, took on a powerful new meaning with the whistles, which have been distributed across the country this spring through The Yellow Whistle campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We should not be silent,” said speaker Esther Lee, who encouraged everyone to blow their whistles together.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday’s rally, organized by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Boston Lodge, was the Boston gathering for the National Day of Solidarity Against AAPI Hate, which coincided with the last day of AAPI Heritage Month. A flagship rally was planned in Washington, D.C., and others in cities across the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rallies come <b><span style="color: red;">amid a wave in anti-Asian racism and violence</span></b> — a <b><span style="color: red;">surge </span></b>that some have <b><span style="color: red;">attributed to the rhetoric used by</span></b> former president Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump </span></b>and others in <b><span style="color: red;">blaming China for </span></b>the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> anti-Asian hate is also “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">part of a long, dark history</span></b> in our country’s treatment of the AAPI community,” Acting Mayor Kim Janey told those gathered on the Common.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Did America ever do the world any good, and why would any migrant ever want to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/asian-americans-who-experienced-covid-related-racism-report-increased-levels-anxiety-depression-ptsd/">come here</a>?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Janey presented a proclamation during the rally naming Monday “Day of Solidarity Against AAPI Hate” in Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: red;">fires of racism</span></b> have been <b><span style="color: red;">burning</span></b> in our country for far too long, 400 years in fact, and we will not let this stand in Boston,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They are stoking them for political purposes, for God's sake]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Though sparked by the somber recognition of violence against Asian Americans, the Boston Common rally was also filled with joy, including impassioned remarks, songs and poems written by children, and a traditional lion dance performance.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many wore shirts or held signs with the words “Stop Asian Hate.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Susan, of East Boston, who asked to be identified by just her first name, attended the rally with her 10-year-old son. She held a sign that said “BlacKoreans for Unity.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“We do<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> live in fear</span></b>,” she said. “We’re here to show him and other youth that there are adults behind him.”</div><div><br /></div><div>City Councilor Michelle Wu, the first Asian American woman to serve on the council and a candidate for mayor, gave the crowd a handful of concrete steps they can take, including supporting Asian American-owned businesses and pushing for language access to government services so all communities can reach the resources they need.</div><div><br /></div><div>Schools <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">should</span></b> also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">be teaching ethnic studies</span></b>, Wu added, so the curriculum reflects the contributions of every community.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Now is the moment... to ensure that we are<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> lay</span></b>ing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the groundwork</span></b> starting from the very, very beginning in our education system,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several elected officials and City Council candidates who attended Monday’s rally were called to the stage and asked to pledge to work with the AAPI community<b><span style="color: red;"> to end hate</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[As the hate drips from them regarding a certain ethnic group]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>John Barros, the city’s former economic development chief who is also running for mayor, reiterated the importance of standing together in solidarity against hate.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Hate on any one of us is hate on every one of us, and we can’t take it,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Palestine]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">children were in attendance</span></b> Monday, and some <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">participated in the rally</span></b>, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">point of pride </span></b>among many community organizers. Lily Li-Nagy, 6, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wrote a poem</span></b> that she read aloud at the rally. Her mother, Helen Li, said she wants her daughter to learn at a young age how to speak up against wrongdoing.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Love doesn’t have a shape. She follows her own design. Love may walk in a circle, or in a straight line,” Li-Nagy read. “Love may trip and stumble. In fact love often will fall, but love is never alone. Love is awaiting your call.”</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>City Councilor Ed Flynn, a US Navy veteran, in acknowledging the Memorial Day holiday, expressed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concern about</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> disrespect </span></b>many Asian American veterans face when they return home from service. </i><i>“I served side-by-side with so many Asians and Asian Americans and immigrants,” he said. “They worked incredibly hard, and then when they came back to the United States, they were treated with disrespect and their families were victims of intimidation and bullying and hate crimes.”</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/31/metro/we-should-not-be-silent-bostons-asian-american-community-rallies-solidarity-against-aapi-hate/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/poll-most-people-see-rise-violence-discrimination-against-asian-americans/">Most people see a rise in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 60 percent of Americans say discrimination against Asian Americans has swelled, compared with a year ago, and </i></b><b><i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/poll-most-people-see-rise-violence-discrimination-against-asian-americans/">Glendon Yuri-Sweetland, 34, of Brewer, Maine, blames the former president for the increased discrimination against Asian Americans because Donald Trump’s constant references to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and other racist terms are still embedded in a lot of minds, he said</a>.</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/business/inconvenient-truths-about-asian-americans/">Data points to disparities among Asian Americans</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/13/metro/vulnerable-long-neglected-many-english-learners-with-disabilities-languish-with-unmet-needs-city-schools/">they</a> are often portrayed as monolithic in the pre$$ who has a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/today-history/">history</a> of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/nation/disgusting-horrific-stabbing-san-francisco-bus-stop-seriously-injures-two-asian-women/">such things</a>, and I hear you </i></b><b><i>Laud and clear:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/someone-has-speak-humanize-us-roger-lau-is-talking-about-himself-help-others/"><b>At a time of rising anti-Asian bigotry across the country — fueled by the coronavirus pandemic and former president Donald Trump’s racist “Chinese virus” rhetoric — Roger Lau hopes he can use his platform to increase Asian American political power and representation</b></a>. For Lau, part of that means stepping far outside his comfort zone, and sharing his story more widely. “Someone has to speak to humanize us,” Lau said. Indeed, in the rarefied echelons of American politics, dominated by white, well-connected Ivy Leaguers, Lau’s story stands out — and not in a way he’s entirely comfortable with. The oldest son of working-class Chinese immigrants, Lau dropped out of his New York City high school and racked up a minor arrest record before earning his GED and matriculating at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he stumbled through his freshman and sophomore years. “It just wasn’t something I was proud to tell in that world,” Lau said. After Congress passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on May 18, which aims to expedite Department of Justice reviews of pandemic-related hate crimes, the DNC launched a major multilingual advertising campaign in more than 25 states and territories to promote the American Rescue Plan and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The campaign, which Lau had a hand in, is part of the party’s strategy of investing early in communities of color. “This moment in time that we’re in is probably the most the Asian American community has been in the political consciousness, at least as far as I can remember,” Lau said. “I think that our power comes from building that community and embracing it as much as we can, and if we stand together and share our successes ... that’s <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/someone-has-speak-humanize-us-roger-lau-is-talking-about-himself-help-others/"><b>going to give us a lot more opportunity to claim more space in this country</b></a>.”</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><i>Speaking of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/03/metro/tufts-university-probing-two-recent-anti-asian-anti-semitic-acts-hate/">Asian targets</a>:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div>"China, its military might expanding, accuses NATO of hypocrisy" by Steven Lee Myers New York Times, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>China’s former leader, Deng Xiaoping, famously used an old proverb to describe the country’s foreign policy after the end of the Cold War: “Hide our strength, bide our time.” Those days are long gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>China now faces a world that increasingly views its economic and military might as a<b><span style="color: red;"> threat</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">must be confronted</span></b>, as NATO’s leaders made clear in their summit in Brussels.</div><div><br /></div><div>While China poses virtually <b><span style="color: red;">no direct military threat</span></b> to Europe, which is NATO’s home field, it can now flex its military power in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago — not only in Asia, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>also globally.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I'm so sick of the war-mongering, anti-Asian bias of the pre$$]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Chinese officials <b><span style="color: red;">reacted </span></b>to NATO’s declaration <b><span style="color: red;">with anger and scorn</span></b>, accusing the alliance of recycling outdated Cold War strategies. A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry warned Tuesday that forming cliques and forcing countries to choose sides were strategies doomed to fail.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even as NATO leaders met in Brussels, the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and several other <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">warships moved in</span></b>to the disputed waters of the South China Sea, with the group’s commander, Rear Admiral Will Pennington, vowing to protect “international law and rules-based order,” wording that echoed NATO’s communiqué. Hours later, 28 Chinese fighter jets and other aircraft — the largest fleet in years — conducted their own <b><span style="color: red;">show of force over </span></b>waters south of Taiwan, the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> island democracy </span></b>that China claims as its own.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's called a provocation]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Only days before, the Group of 7 leaders, meeting in Cornwall, England, had for the first time issued a statement on Taiwan, calling for China to support peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait after a series of menacing Chinese military operations like those Tuesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>The declarations by the G-7 and NATO are in part the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fruition of</span></b> President <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Biden’s strategy</span></b> to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>build a </b></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">coalition of like-minded nations</span></b> to <b><span style="color: red;">confront China</span></b> over its activities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">largely symbolic</span></b>, for now, they have for Beijing deepened a <b><span style="color: red;">sense of crisis </span></b>in relations with the United States that now <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">threatens to expand </span></b>to Europe. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and senior diplomats have tried to thwart such an alliance from coalescing with a series of meetings and video conferences with European leaders in recent months.</div><div><br /></div><div>In its communiqué, NATO <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">stopped short of declaring</span></b> China a <b><span style="color: red;">threat</span></b>, as it <b><span style="color: red;">has Russia</span></b> under President Vladimir Putin, and even called for deepening cooperation on issues like climate change. At the same time, it noted that China has moved steadily closer to its neighbor, joining the Russians in military training exercises and operations, including in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[If I were the Chinese or anyone else I would tell NATO to fuck off!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The NATO leaders cited China’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rising military spending</span></b>, its <b><span style="color: red;">modernizing nuclear arsenal</span></b>, “advances in the space domain,” and cyberwarfare and asymmetric activities, including the spread of disinformation. They indicated that China’s military might and “assertive behavior” posed challenges to the security interests of the alliance’s 30 member states in Europe and North America.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Only the U.S. war machine can do those things]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“China is coming closer to us,” NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in closing remarks at the summit of the alliance’s leaders.</div><div><br /></div><div>NATO barely mentioned <b><span style="color: red;">China</span></b> in its last summit in 2019 but has <b><span style="color: red;">now thrust</span></b> it up <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to the top of the</span></b> alliance’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">security agenda</span></b>, a reflection of the growing ambivalence over China’s rise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since Biden’s election, tensions like these have intensified, especially over Taiwan.</div><div><br /></div><div>The military balance between China and Taiwan has tilted dramatically in Beijing’s favor as the country has built up its capabilities, including naval and air power, as well as amphibious assault ships that it now uses in exercises simulating an invasion.</div><div><br /></div><div>That <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"><b>has led analysts</b></span> inside and outside of China <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"><b>to speculate </b></span>that Xi, <b><span style="color: red;">China</span></b>’s leader, <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">is contemplating a military move to conquer</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">island</span></b>. Admiral Philip S. Davidson, then leading the American Indo-Pacific Command, warned Congress in March that China could try within the next six years.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That means WAR, and WHY WAIT?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>PREEMPT THEM!!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Goddamn fucking New York Times war mongers!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, I'm blowing the whistle on them!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Not all countries in NATO or the G-7 share Biden’s zeal to isolate China, differences that became clear in comments by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and others. “NATO is an organization that concerns the North Atlantic,” Macron said, as reported by Politico. “China has little to do with the North Atlantic.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Same with Afghanistan!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Chinese <b><span style="color: red;">officials maintain</span></b> that the <b><span style="color: red;">country remains committed to peace</span></b>ful development and international cooperation through the United Nations. They blame the United States and others for trying to thwart its inevitable rise as a global power.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Because they win that way]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, on Tuesday accused NATO of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hypocrisy</span></b>, noting that the alliance’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">collective military spending</span></b> far outpaced China’s. He also criticized NATO members’ role in wars from Iraq to Syria. “NATO’s history is full of notorious misdeeds,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>He and others also cited what was perhaps the lowest point in China’s relations with the West before now: the NATO airstrike in 1999 that badly damaged the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, during the war over Kosovo. The United States said the bombing, which killed three, was a tragic mistake. </i><i>“China <b><span style="color: red;">will not present ‘systemic challenge</span></b>s’ to anyone,” China’s mission to the EU in Brussels said in a statement, posted on Weibo, a popular social media site, “<b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> if someone wants to pose ‘systemic challenges’ to us, we will not remain indifferent.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Little of what NATO warned about <b><span style="color: red;">China</span></b> is new. </i><i>The Pentagon has since 2000 published annual reports on China’s growing military capabilities that have detailed the steady advances it has made across its armed services. In some areas, the latest report said, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has surpassed the US military, by far the most powerful and best funded</span></b>. Those <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">include naval, air, and missile forces</span></b> that have for the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">first time in modern history</span></b> given <b><span style="color: red;">China the ability to project power far beyond</span></b> its immediate territorial waters. </i><i>What has changed, in a relatively short period, are views about the threat that China poses.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/china-its-military-might-expanding-accuses-nato-hypocrisy/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Well, boys will be ..... <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Boys-will-be-Boys-no-curse-by-ShannonDowney/28474408.08B19?country_code=US&utm_content=[C.12832175684][AG.123101745964][AD.516931246235]&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2dyxoP6b8QIVQxbDCh12ZApsEAEYASACEgLKNvD_BwE">held accountable for their actions</a>!!!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>RED BUBBLE INDEED!</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The sickening theater of war:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Why Asia, the pandemic champion, remains miles away from the finish line; While the languishing varies from country to country, it generally stems from a shortfall in vaccines" by Damien Cave New York Times, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>SYDNEY — All across the Asia-Pacific region, the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><span style="color: red;">countries that led the world in containing</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> are <span style="color: red;"><b>now languishing</b></span> in the race to put it behind them.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">United States</span></b>, which has suffered far more grievous outbreaks, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is now filling stadiums with vaccinated fans and cramming airplanes</span></b> with summer vacationers, the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic champions</span></b> of the East are still <b><span style="color: red;">stuck</span></b> in a cycle of uncertainty, restrictions, and isolation.</div><div><br /></div><div>In southern China, the <b><span style="color: red;">spread </span></b>of the Delta variant<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> led to a sudden lockdown</span></b> last week in Guangzhou, a major industrial capital. Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Australia have also clamped down after recent outbreaks, while Japan is dealing with its own weariness from a fourth round of infections, spiked with fears of viral disaster from the Olympics.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Coming here soon, no doubt]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Where they can, people are <b><span style="color: red;">getting on with their lives</span></b>, with <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">masks and social distancing</span></b> and outings kept close to home. Economically, the region has <b><span style="color: red;">weathered the pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic relatively well </span></b>because of how successfully most countries handled its first phase, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>with hundreds of millions of people <b><span style="color: red;">still unvaccinated</span></b> from China to New Zealand — and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with anxious leaders keeping international borders shut for the foreseeable future </span></b>— the tolerance for constrained lives is thinning, even as the new variants intensify the threat.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The fucking scam is to never end, and is based on your willingness to take the genocidal kill shots. </i></b><b><i>If you "hesitate," this is the kind of propaganda you get from my <a href="http://www.wakingtimes.com/the-same-shady-people-own-big-pharma-and-the-media/">pre$$</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In simple terms, <b><span style="color: red;">people are fed up</span></b>, asking: Why are we behind, and when, for the love of all things good and great, will the pandemic routine finally come to an end?</div><div><br /></div><div>“If we’re not stuck, it’s like we’re waiting in the glue or mud,” said Terry Nolan, head of the Vaccine and Immunization Research Group at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, a city of 5 million that is just emerging from its latest lockdown. “Everyone’s trying to get out, to find a <b><span style="color: red;">sense of urgency</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>While the languishing varies from country to country, it generally stems from a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> shortfall in vaccines</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Liars! There are plenty of gene-therapies called vaccines; no one wants them!]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>In some places, like Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand, vaccination <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">campaigns are barely underway</span></b>. Others, like China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, have seen a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sharp rise in inoculations</span></b> in recent weeks, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">while remaining far from offering vaccines to all who want one</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> nearly everywhere in the region, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trend lines point to </span></b>a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reversal of fortune</span></b>. While Americans<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> celebrate what feels</span></b> like a <b><span style="color: red;">new dawn</span></b>, for many of Asia’s 4.6 billion people, the rest of this year will look a lot like the last, with extreme suffering for some and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">others left in a limbo of subdued normalcy</span></b>, or there could be more volatility. Worldwide, businesses are watching whether the <b><span style="color: red;">new outbreak in </span></b>southern <b><span style="color: red;">China</span></b> will affect busy port terminals there. Across Asia, faltering vaccine rollouts could also open the door to spiraling variant-fueled lockdowns that inflict new damage on economies, push out political leaders, and alter power dynamics between nations.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's anti-Asian hate rich there!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The risks are rooted in decisions made months ago, before the pandemic had inflicted the worst of its carnage.</div><div><br /></div><div>Starting in the spring of last year, the United States and several countries in Europe <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bet big on vaccines</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fast-track</span></b>ing approval and spending <b><span style="color: red;">billions to secure</span></b> the first <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">batches</span></b>. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need</span></b> was <b><span style="color: red;">urgent</span></b>. In the United States alone, at the peak of its outbreak, <b><span style="color: red;">thousands</span></b> of people <b><span style="color: red;">were dying every day</span></b> as the country’s management of the epidemic failed catastrophically, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> in places like Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan,<b><span style="color: red;"> infection rates and deaths</span></b> were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">kept relatively low</span></b> with border restrictions, public compliance with antivirus measures, and widespread testing and contact tracing. With the virus situation largely under control, and with limited ability to develop vaccines domestically, there was less urgency to place huge orders, or believe in then-unproven solutions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Unproven solutions, like HceeQ and ivermectin?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, it's all about pushing the genocidal "vaccines" in my pos criminal pre$$]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“The perceived threat for the public was low,” said Dr. C. Jason Wang, an associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine who has studied COVID-19 policies, “and governments responded to the public’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">perception of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">threat</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[If that were true it would never have been two weeks to fallen the curve resulting in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/how-city-emerges-462-day-state-emergency/">462 fucking days</a>, so fuck off!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>As a virus-quashing strategy, border controls — a preferred method throughout Asia — go only so far, Wang added: “To end the pandemic, you <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need</span></b> both defensive and offensive strategies. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">offensive strategy</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccines</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Except they don't prevent you from getting sick or transmitting, so one again, fuck off!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">result now is a wide gulf</span></b> with the United States and Europe. In Asia, about 20 percent of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine, with Japan, for example, at just 14 percent. By contrast, the figure is nearly 45 percent in France, more than 50 percent in the United States, and more than 60 percent in Britain.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Stupid western sheeple who will be dead within a year or three]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Their <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rollout </span></b>in Asia <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has been defined by humanitarian logic</span></b> (which nations needed vaccines the most), local complacency, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and raw power</span></b> over pharmaceutical production and export.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Earlier this year, contract announcements with the companies and countries that control the vaccines seemed more common than actual deliveries. In March, Italy blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine meant for Australia to control its own raging outbreak. Other shipments were delayed because of manufacturing issues.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Peter Collignon, a physician and professor of microbiology at the Australian National University who has worked for the World Health Organization, put it more simply: “The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality is </span></b>that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">places that are making vaccines </span></b>are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">keeping them</span></b> for themselves.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Responding to that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reality</span></b>, and the <b><span style="color: red;">rare blood-clot complications</span></b> that emerged with the AstraZeneca vaccine, many politicians in the Asia-Pacific region tried early on to emphasize that there was little need to rush.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[The fact that the pre$$ has minimized and ignored the adverse reactions and deaths to the tune of tens of thousands says more than any type I may make]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>China, which has <b><span style="color: red;">struggled with hesitancy </span></b>over its own vaccines <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">after controlling</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> for months, administered 22 million shots on June 2, a record for the country. In all, China has reported administering nearly 900 million doses, in a country of 1.4 billion people.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Japan has ramped up its effort, too, easing rules that had allowed only select medical workers to administer vaccinations. The Japanese authorities opened large vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka and expanded vaccine programs to workplaces and colleges. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga now says all adults will have access to a vaccine by November.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[It's a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/world/japan-extends-emergency-control-covid-before-hosting-olympics/">last-ditch effort to rein in Covid infections ahead of hosting the Olympics in less than two months</a>, and still no one wants them!]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In Taiwan, too, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inoculation effort recently got a boost</span></b>, as the Japanese <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government donated </span></b>roughly 1.2 million <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">doses</span></b> of the AstraZeneca vaccine, <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut </span></b>all told, Taiwan’s experience is somewhat typical: It has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">still received only enough doses to immunize</span></b> less than 10 percent of its 23.5 million residents. A Buddhist <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">association recently offered to buy</span></b> COVID-19 <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccines to accelerate</span></b> the island’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">anemic inoculation effort</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>was told only governments can make such purchases, a</i><i>nd <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as vaccinations lag</span></b> across Asia, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so too will any robust</span></b> international <b><span style="color: red;">reopen</span></b>ing. Australia has signaled that it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will keep its borders closed for another year</span></b>. Japan is barring almost all nonresidents from entering the country, and intense scrutiny of overseas arrivals in China has left multinational businesses without key workers.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[This isn't and never was about CVD!]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> immediate future </span></b>for many places in Asia seems<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> likely to be defined by</span></b> frantic optimization.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>China’s <b><span style="color: red;">response to the outbreak</span></b> this month in Guangzhou — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">testing millions </span></b>of people in days, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shutting down entire neighborhoods</span></b> — is a <b><span style="color: red;">rapid-fire version</span></b> of how it has handled previous flare-ups. Few inside the country expect this approach to change anytime soon, especially as the Delta variant, which has devastated India, is now beginning to circulate.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>At the same time, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccine holdouts</span></b> are <b><span style="color: red;">facing increased pressure </span></b>to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">get inoculated</span></b> before the available doses expire, and not just in mainland China.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Indonesia has <b><span style="color: red;">threatened residents with fines</span></b> of around $450 for refusing vaccines. Vietnam has responded to its recent spike in infections by asking the public for donations to a COVID-19 vaccine fund, and in Hong Kong, officials and business leaders are offering a range of inducements to ease severe vaccine hesitancy.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/why-asia-pandemic-champion-remains-miles-away-finish-line/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/pioneering-investor-dubbed-chinas-first-shareholder-dies/">Pioneering investor dubbed ‘China’s First Shareholder’ dies</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>He received his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/world/sinovac-who.html">Sinovac vaccine</a> a couple of weeks ago.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/us-eu-agree-suspend-feud-over-aid-airbus-boeing/">President Biden on Tuesday announced the end of a bitter, 17-year dispute with the European Union over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, suspending the threat of billions of dollars in punitive tariffs on each other’s economies for five years and <b>shifting</b> their <b>focus to China</b>’s growing ambitions in the aircraft industry</a>. The breakthrough came as Biden met top European leaders in a US-EU summit meeting. European officials said that two days of negotiations in Brussels between Katherine Tai, the US trade representative, and Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU trade commissioner, had finally produced an agreement that member countries approved overnight. “This really opens a new chapter in our relationship because we move from litigation to cooperation on aircraft — after 17 years of dispute,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Biden told her and Charles Michel, president of the European Council, that the world had changed and that the European Union and the United States working together was “the best answer to deal with these changes” that had brought “great anxiety” to citizens. “It’s overwhelmingly in the interest of the USA to have a great relationship with NATO and the EU,” Biden said....."</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Especially if we drag them into a war they don't want, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/us-eu-agree-suspend-feud-over-aid-airbus-boeing/">a</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/us-eu-agree-suspend-feud-over-aid-airbus-boeing/">fter the meeting, Biden flew to Geneva where he will meet President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Wednesday</a>.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Buoyed by allied summits, Biden ready to take on Putin" by Aamer Madhani, Jonathan Lemire and Ellen Knickmeyer The Associated Press, June 15, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>GENEVA — Fresh from supportive summits with allies, Joe Biden <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">declared himself ready</span></b> Tuesday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to take on</span></b> Russia’s Vladimir <b><span style="color: red;">Putin </span></b>in far more confrontational talks — a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">climactic finish to</span></b> the most important week of meetings in his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">young presidency</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Meet your <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/harris-announces-125-billion-community-lenders/">next president</a>]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Biden meets for his first talks as president with the Russian leader on Wednesday, in what’s expected to be roughly a half-day of discussions between the two leaders and aides behind closed doors. That’s after spending much of a weeklong European trip — the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">foreign policy highlight </span></b>of his presidency so far — working to strengthen ties with like-minded partner nations to better deal with rivals Russia and China.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[He can take a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/jump-in-lake.html">jump in the lake</a> that is filled with <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-g-7.html">garbage</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reporter</span></b> soon after Biden's arrival in Geneva on Tuesday <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shouted out a question</span></b> on whether he was ready for Wednesday's talks. “I am always ready,” Biden answered.</div><div><br /></div><div>The American leader reached Geneva following rounds of cordial elbow bumping, grinning photo sessions, and close consultations with global leaders at the Group of Seven, NATO, and US-European Union summits. He secured a series of joint communiques expressing concern over Russia and China, and was at the EU on Tuesday to preside over the announcement of a breakthrough easing a long-running US aircraft trade dispute with that bloc.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Russia, the United States and the EU declared they “stand united in our principled approach” to the longtime rival, “ready to respond decisively to its repeating pattern of negative behavior and harmful activities.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden’s European <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tour has aimed to restore US partnerships that were damaged under</span></b> former president <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">who openly invited</span></b> what American intelligence services said was <b><span style="color: red;">Russian interference </span></b>in US political campaigns, and who sought out Putin and other autocrats he saw as strong.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's a flat-out f**king lie]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In line with the chilly-so-far Biden-Putin relationship — Putin's government responded with indignation earlier this year after Biden said he considered the Russian a “killer” — the two men plan neither lunch nor dinner together, and no joint press conference after, in what's expected to be their four to five hours together.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's in contrast to this week's G-7 session hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, where the allies and their spouses held a beach barbecue and round after round of “family photos.”</div><div><br /></div><div>According to a senior administration official granted anonymity to disclose internal discussions, Biden is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hoping to find </span></b>small <b><span style="color: red;">areas of agreement </span></b>with the Russian president, including potentially returning ambassadors to Washington and Moscow.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Typical arrogant asshole American!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Never mind the endless stream of lies and insults coming from him and the pre$$!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>That and other <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">diplomatic issues</span></b>, including the tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and closure of consulates, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will be high on the agenda</span></b> for both sides.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Who cares?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/business/buoyed-by-allied-summits-biden-ready-take-putin/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i><b>The New York Times says <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/world/geneva-putin-wants-respect-biden-might-just-give-him-some/">Putin wants respect and Biden might just give him some</a>, but he will expect the favor to be returned</b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>The juvenile journali$m, if you can even call it that, is absolutely atrocious and an abomination. </b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>What rank-rot shit!</b></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Time for a check-up:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Editor of JAMA, a Boston University professor, will step down following racial incident" by Apoorva Mandavilli New York Times, June 1, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Following an <b><span style="color: red;">outcry over comments about racism</span></b> made by an editor at JAMA, the influential medical journal, the top editor, Dr. Howard Bauchner, will step down from his post effective June 30.</div><div><br /></div><div>The move was announced Tuesday by the American Medical Association, which oversees the journal. Bauchner, who had led JAMA since 2011, had been on administrative leave since March because of an ongoing investigation into comments made on the journal’s podcast.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Edward Livingston, another editor at JAMA, <b><span style="color: red;">had asserted</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">socioeconomic factors</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not</span></b> structural <b><span style="color: red;">racism</span></b>, held back communities of color. A tweet promoting the podcast had said that no physician could be racist. It was later deleted.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I remain profoundly disappointed in myself for the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lapse</span></b>s that led to the publishing of the tweet and podcast,” Bauchner said in a statement. “Although I did not write or even see the tweet, or create the podcast, as editor-in-chief, I am ultimately responsible for them.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You can't tell a healthy truth anymore, even if you are a doctor!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Bauchner is a professor of pediatrics and community health sciences at the Boston University School of Medicine and has served as assistant dean for alumni affairs and continuing medical education.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last month, the AMA’s leaders admitted to serious missteps and proposed a three-year plan to “dismantle structural racism” within the organization and in medicine. The announcement Tuesday did not mention the status of the investigation at JAMA. The journal declined to comment further.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is a real <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">moment for JAMA and the AMA to recreate themselves from a founding history</span></b> that was <b><span style="color: red;">based in segregation and racism</span></b> to one that is now based on racial equity,” said Dr. Stella Safo, a Black primary care physician at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Tuskegee -- brought to you by the same people pushing the genocidal jab at you!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Safo and her colleagues started a petition, now signed by more than 9,000 people, that had called on JAMA to restructure its staff and hold a series of town hall conversations about racism in medicine.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think that this is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">step in the right direction</span></b>,” she said of the announcement, but other critics said they were withholding judgment to see how the organization addresses what they saw as <b><span style="color: red;">pervasive</span></b> neglect of covering <b><span style="color: red;">racism</span></b>’s impact on health in its journals.</div><div><br /></div><div>“In the entire history of all the JAMA network journals, there’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only been one nonwhite editor</span></b>,” said Dr. Raymond Givens, a cardiologist at Columbia University in New York.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Well, I will never want to access the medical e$tabli$hment after this, and are quotas healthy if the doctor is unqualified?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In October, Givens wrote to Bauchner, noting that editors at the JAMA journals were <b><span style="color: red;">overwhelmingly white and male</span></b>. Bauchner did not respond, according to Givens.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is not <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cause to celebrate</span></b>,” he said of the announcement, adding that he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">had not intended to jeopardize</span></b> Bauchner’s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> job</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nor will appointing a top editor of color resolve the issues, Givens said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Looking for just a <b><span style="color: red;">person of color misses</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">point</span></b>,” he added. “I’m more interested in a bold voice. I want somebody who is willing to take a stand, push to move things forward.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Racist]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The podcast that set the events in motion aired Feb. 24 and did not include any Black researchers or experts on racism in medicine.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Structural racism is an unfortunate term,” Livingston, who is white, said on the podcast. “Personally, I think taking racism out of the conversation will help. Many people like myself are <b><span style="color: red;">offended by </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">implication</span></b> that we are somehow <b><span style="color: red;">racist</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[We all should be as these assholes push their division when there is none]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">podcast was promoted with a tweet</span></b> from the journal that said, “No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care?” Following widespread protest in the medical community, the journal took down the podcast and deleted the tweet.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Comments made in the podcast were inaccurate, offensive, hurtful and inconsistent with the standards of JAMA,” Bauchner said in a statement released a week later. “We are instituting changes that will address and prevent such failures from happening again.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Livingston later resigned, and the AMA placed Bauchner on administrative leave March 25.</div><div><br /></div><div>The JAMA family of journals added four new titles under Bauchner’s leadership, and expanded to include podcasts, videos and new, shorter article types.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bauchner’s exit offered the journals a chance to improve, said Dr. Mary Bassett, professor of the practice of health and human rights at Harvard University.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Medical journals have helped build the racist idea that races have intrinsic differences that have a bearing on health,” Bassett said. Journals are “challenged to embrace, not only accept, <b><span style="color: red;">racism</span></b> as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a health issue</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In an editorial published in JAMA on Tuesday, colleagues at the journal lauded Bauchner’s leadership, saying he “has left an indelible legacy of progress, innovation and excellence in medical journalism.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The AMA said it has begun a search for Bauchner’s replacement. The journal’s executive editor, Dr. Phil Fontanarosa, will serve as interim editor-in-chief.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Who cares? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It's a piece of crap rag anyway]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/editor-jama-boston-university-professor-will-step-down-following-racial-incident/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>The podcast is no longer on <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/nation/celebrity-doctor-maine-blocked-instagram-over-covid-19-vaccine-misinformation-claims/">Instagram</a>?</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>You know, speaking of <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/05/18/how-ashish-jha-became-network-tvs-everyman-expert-on-covid/">celebrity doctors</a>..... </i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Three indicted on drug trafficking charges; 40 additional arrest warrants issued for crimes in Newmarket Square area" by Evan Allen Globe Staff, May 31, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Three people have been indicted for drug trafficking or gun crimes, and dozens more are facing arrest, as Suffolk County prosecutors and Boston Police crack down on the rise of violent crime in the troubled area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.</div><div><br /></div><div>A Suffolk County Grand Jury last week returned 36 indictments against Jay Candelario, 40, of Lowell; Dale Clarke, 24, of Boston; and Robert Lewis, 56, of Boston, according to a statement issued Monday by District Attorney Rachael Rollins.</div><div><br /></div><div>“These individuals are each accused of preying on and profiting from the vulnerability, desperation, and afflictions of others. Further, their actions have significantly impacted the community where they sold their deadly products,” Rollins said in a statement. “We will not tolerate the repeated infliction of harm on our neighborhoods and vulnerable members of our community.”</div><div><br /></div><div>More than 40 additional arrest warrants have been issued for other people for crimes committed in the Newmarket Square area as part of the same effort to clean up the area.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to the statement, Candelario <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sold drugs in front of a Boston police officer </span></b>in February. When he was arrested, he allegedly had a loaded gun with a feeding device capable of holding 15 rounds. He was initially arraigned in District Court, where he pleaded not guilty; last week’s indictments kick his case up to Superior Court, which handles serious charges. He was indicted on charges including fentanyl trafficking and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clarke allegedly repeatedly sold drugs to undercover police officers. Police later allegedly found three guns in his house, along with a stolen ballistic vest and supplies for packaging drugs for distribution. He was indicted on charges including trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lewis is accused of repeatedly taking part in drug transactions, and was indicted on charges including trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.</div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> indictments and arrests come as part of </span></b>a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> long-term effort by law enforcement and city officials to address</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">crime and safety</span></b> hazards in the Mass. Ave. and Melnea Cass area, which has for years been plagued by open drug dealing, crime, and drug use. The area is a gathering place for people suffering from addiction, who often seek treatment or shelter in the neighborhood, and who are easy targets for people selling drugs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rollins’s office has been meeting weekly with Boston police to try to do two things: hold people accountable for crimes, and connect those who are struggling with addiction, physical or mental health problems, poverty, or homelessness, with services that can help them, according to the release.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/31/metro/three-indicted-drug-trafficking-charges/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Violence is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/21/nation/ap-norc-poll-police-violence-remains-high-concern-us/">still a concern</a> after video showed <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/21/nation/video-shows-police-taunting-man-before-he-died-jail-you-shouldnt-be-able-breathe/">police taunting man before he died in jail</a>. and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/judge-reinstates-domestic-violence-charge-against-boston-police-officer/">Rollins is on the case</a>:</b></i></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/metro/former-student-representative-boston-school-school-committee-says-he-met-with-suffolk-da-about-use-unorthodox-therapy/">Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins met virtually Tuesday with current and former members of a Boston Public Schools student government group, some of whom were exposed to an unorthodox form of group therapy under the supervision of an outside contractor</a>. The meeting was confirmed by Rollins’s office and Khymani James, who abruptly resigned from the Boston Student Advisory Council in March, and then, at a news conference, called the counseling sessions emotional abuse and accused one of the program leaders, Jenny Sazama, of recruiting students into her Re-Evaluation Counseling “cult.” The council is a prestigious group of high school students who advise Boston Public Schools leaders on education policy. On Twitter, James said the meeting focused on “the trauma that hundreds of students had to face at the hands of” Sazama, the program she led, Youth on Board, and BPS. “I thank [Rollins] and her team for taking us students seriously and moving swiftly on this issue,” James wrote on Twitter....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They thanked her for her <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-globe-guidance-counselor.html">guidance</a>, and you can $ee why the Globe got after them, right?</i></b></div></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-21098717369883153442021-06-16T07:36:00.012-07:002021-06-17T08:04:21.020-07:00Are You a Good Worker?<div>"What does it take to be a good remote worker?" by Katie Johnston Globe Staff, June 1, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>As desirable as working from home can be — the seconds-long commute, the lack of co-worker interruptions, the sweat pants — it isn’t for everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s lonely. Communication takes extra effort, and disconnecting from work takes even more.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It also <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/15/nation/long-term-remote-work-is-sending-many-us-home-office-physical-therapy-clinic/">hurts your back</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>With the number of all-remote companies climbing, and hybrid workplaces becoming the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new normal in the wake of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>, more people will be working from home than ever before. In fact, more than half of employers are planning to offer a mix of in-person and remote work, according to a new survey by the employment law firm Littler Mendelson, but how do they know if their workers are really suited for this arrangement long term?</div><div><br /></div><div>The question is of great interest to employers as they start throwing open their office doors this summer. Employees’ <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ability to be productive at home has been firmly established during</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">yet</span></b> several <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">chief executives have recently voiced downright hostility toward the concept</span></b>. The head of WeWork said those most comfortable working from home are the “least engaged” with their jobs; Jamie Dimond, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said telecommuting “doesn’t work for those who want to hustle,” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but remote work is wildly popular with workers</span></b>, according to a recent Harvard Business School Online survey, and companies are grappling with how to make it all come together.</div><div><br /></div><div>After seeing a huge uptick in interest from clients interested in hiring remote workers, the Cambridge company Cangrade, which produces <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">AI-based hiring assessment</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to help</span></b> companies <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">predict </span></b>job candidates’ <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">success</span></b>, pinpointed a handful of abilities that indicate an aptitude for hunkering down at home. Follow-through, establishing tasks to regulate day-to-day work, and monitoring one’s own performance are key, Cangrade found.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If you’re not strong at these three things, then no matter how wonderful or smart a human you are, you’re probably not going to succeed at remote work,” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">said</span></b> Liana <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Epstein</span></b>, Cangrade’s chief operating and analytics officer. “Some people love it and thrive, and some people flounder and miss the office desperately. . . . .”</div><div><br /></div><div>This struggle has led to Cangrade roughly doubling its business over the past year, the company said, as new customers look to manage and hire remote workers for the first time and current clients form new off-site roles in information technology, retail, insurance, hospitality, and banking.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cangrade has also identified two personality traits crucial for remote workers: grit and competitiveness.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Grit is critical because it requires a degree of perseverance to sit in a room by yourself all day, every day amidst all the noise and distractions that all of us have at home, and stay completely focused and immersed in your work,” Epstein said. “It’s almost like a meditative state you’ve got to put yourself in. Competitiveness is basically the idea that you care about how you look compared to your colleagues,” she added, but there is much debate about how individual attributes play into a remote worker’s ability to thrive.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Success comes from putting your nose to the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/putting-my-nose-to-gritstone.html">Gritstone</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The worker isn’t changing, the environment is, noted Chelsea LeNoble, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, specializing in industrial and organizational psychology. So doesn’t it make more sense to focus on external factors? Their supervisor, for instance. Some bosses have a tendency to become more “micromanagey” when their employees are off-site, LeNoble said, which is a sure way to deplete trust and demoralize an otherwise highly self-regulated worker.</div><div><br /></div><div>LeNoble is convinced that personal attributes alone are unlikely to prevent anyone from mastering office-less-ness provided they have the right support and surroundings. It also depends on the nature of the job: Can it be done independently? Does it require uninterrupted time to think through complex issues? If so, working at home may be beneficial, but seeking out people whose traits and soft skills seem to align with remote work could mean missing out on qualified employees, LeNoble said, such as people with executive dysfunction (an underlying condition affecting self-regulation in those with ADHD, autism, and depression) who may just need extra support.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tsedal Neeley, a Harvard Business School professor and author of the new book “Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding From Anywhere,” who has been researching the subject “obsessively” for 20 years, agreed that selecting workers by personality traits is a “dangerous game.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“If we begin to say this personality vs. that personality, we’re going to be creating exclusionary environments, and when we do that, we lose,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Neeley, who also developed her own remote work assessment, has no doubt that anyone can learn to be successful working beyond the confines of an office — even the roughly 15 percent of the population who say they don’t like working remotely — provided they have the right resources. Being part of a connected, in-sync remote team is crucial, for instance, especially considering the physical and psychological distance of working apart, she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>As work continues to evolve into more virtual territory, including an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">increased reliance on artificial intelligence</span></b>, companies will have to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">let go of the traditional concept of work and prepare for a “digital revolution</span></b>,” she said: “We’re going to be working with ‘AI Bob’ as part of our team soon.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Otherwise known as the Great Re$et]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Robert Glazer <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wasn’t planning</span></b> for his marketing agency, Acceleration Partners, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to be remote forever</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> after hiring talent from all over the country when he launched it in 2007 from his Newton home, he realized establishing a physical headquarters wasn’t necessary, and in the years since, he’s learned a lot about what type of people shine beyond the confines of an office — so much so, in fact, that Glazer released a book this week called “How to Thrive in the Virtual World.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In interviews, he likes to ask people who have previously worked remotely how they managed their time. If the candidate has a clear system — setting their alarm, establishing boundaries so they’re not bringing their laptop to bed — they tend to fare better than those who just muddle through, he said. People who truly value having flexibility, whether it’s a parent who wants to attend their children’s soccer games or a competitive athlete who needs time to train, are also often more prone for virtual success, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, social butterflies who get their energy from being around other people may struggle, as could recent college graduates who live in cramped quarters.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If you are a 22-year-old in your first job in a 300-square-foot studio apartment in New York City, you probably want to go into the office,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frank <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Weishaupt</span></b>, chief executive of the Boston video conference company Owl Labs, who like many people was thrown into the world of remote work full time last year, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has found </span></b>that working successfully while miles apart can require a much more assertive communication style: being unafraid to chime in to a Slack discussion even when he doesn’t know the answers, and being humble enough not to mind people realizing it, but he knows this doesn’t come easy for some.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If you’re an individual contributor that’s just starting out a new company, I’m sure it’s incredibly intimidating and difficult,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>For plenty of people, however, especially those with attributes and duties conducive to remote work, the shift to working from home hasn’t been all that disruptive. Before the pandemic, Danielle Brown, Owl Lab’s director of global supply chain, went to the office in Somerville every day, for no particular reason other than that she lived close by. Now she lives 3,000 miles away in Northern California, where she grew up, and her work experience has stayed pretty much the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s sunnier and warmer in California,” she said, “but really nothing changed.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[Except that the $hithole state is on fire and in the middle of an alleged drought, but what is one </b></i><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-somerville-shthole.html"><i><b>Sh!thole</b></i></a><i><b> from </b></i><b><i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/sjc-upholds-tossing-somerville-mayors-lawsuit-against-barstool-sports/">another</a></i></b><i><b>?]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/business/what-does-it-take-be-good-remote-worker/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Turns out </b><b><a href="https://dearglobereaders.org/">Globe employees</a></b><b> are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/09/metro/globe-union-members-rally-new-contract/">not good workers</a>, but mostly because the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-great-reset-wears-red-sox.html">bo$$ is a prick</a> who <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/business/local-workers-groups-investors-push-back-against-amazon/">shoves it</a> in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/i-thought-i-was-hero-im-expendable-roche-bros-outsourcing-deliveries-drivers-say/">their face</a> every chance they get.</b></i></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Maybe they can get a job at the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/massachusetts-employers-are-feeling-better-about-future/">New York Times</a> instead.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Of course, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/us/eeoc-employers-coronavirus-mandate.html">you</a> will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/business/workplace-vaccine-requirements.html">need</a> your <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/nyregion/excelsior-pass-vaccine.html">vaccination passport</a> if you want to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/world/europe-covid-certificate-travel.html">go </a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><u>anywhere</u></span></span> as "<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-600k-deaths-us-1ef14a0b998e6ce99281edf6e996dfbe">we can now return to life as we know it</a>" under the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/tony-fauci-emails/">governance of criminals</a> whose emails the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/nation/anthony-faucis-pandemic-emails-all-is-well-despite-some-crazy-people-this-world/">Globe buried</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/sender-text-message-has-no-privacy-rights-their-words-can-be-used-against-them-court-sjc-says/">Senders of text messages do not have a right to privacy that would prevent law enforcement from using the contents against them in court, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a precedent-setting decision Tuesday</a>. In the 5-0 ruling, the state’s highest court extended the existing legal principle that a letter writer loses privacy rights by dropping the letter in the mail. “There was no reasonable expectation of privacy in the sent text messages because, as with some other forms of written communication, delivery created a memorialized record of the communication that was beyond the control of the sender,” Justice Frank Gaziano wrote for the court. In a decision involving a traffic stop in Texas in 2016 that generated an investigative lead for Everett and State Police in a drug-trafficking case, the court held that the right to privacy found in the US Constitution and Article 14 of the state Constitution expires with the transmission. Other courts “uniformly have concluded that the Fourth Amendment does not protect similar text messages.”</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>You shouldn't be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/opinion/boston-school-committee-member-resigns-over-texts/">texting at work</a> anyway.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>A good work ethic begins in $chool:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Disputing racism’s reach, Republicans rattle American schools" by Trip Gabriel and Dana Goldstein New York Times, June 1, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>In Loudoun County in Virginia, a group of parents led by a former Trump appointee is pushing to recall school board members after the district called for mandatory teacher training in “systemic oppression and implicit bias.”</div><div><br /></div><div>In Washington, 39 Republican senators called history education that focuses on systemic racism a form of “activist indoctrination,” and across the country, Republican-led legislatures have passed bills recently to ban or limit schools from teaching that racism is infused in American institutions. After Oklahoma’s Republican governor signed his state’s version in early May, he was ousted from the centennial commission for the 1921 Race Massacre in Tulsa, which President Biden visited Tuesday to memorialize one of the worst episodes of racial violence in US history.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[He <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/biden-promises-tulsa-massacre-survivors-their-story-will-be-known-full-view/">promised the survivors</a> their <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/19/nation/biden-congratulates-graduates-coast-guard-academy/">story</a> will be ‘<a href="https://www.unz.com/ghood/the-tulsa-libel/">known in full view</a>’ because “for much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence, and while darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.”</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Sane thing goes for the theft of a presidential election]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>From school boards to the halls of Congress, <b><span style="color: red;">Republicans are mounting an energetic campaign aiming to dictate </span></b>how historical and modern racism in America are taught, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meeting pushback from Democrats and educators</span></b> in a politically thorny clash that has deep ramifications for how children learn about their country.</div><div><br /></div><div>Republicans have focused their attacks on the influence of “critical race theory,” a graduate school framework that has found its way into K-12 public education. The concept argues that historical patterns of racism are ingrained in law and other modern institutions and that the legacies of slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow still create an uneven playing field for Black people and other people of color.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many conservatives portray critical race theory and invocations of systemic racism as a gauntlet thrown down to accuse white Americans of being individually racist. Republicans accuse the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">left </span></b>of<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> trying to indoctrinate</span></b> children with the belief that the United States is inherently wicked.</div><div><br /></div><div>Democrats are conflicted. Some worry that arguing <b><span style="color: red;">America is racist to the root</span></b> — a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">view embraced by</span></b> elements of the party’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">progressive wing</span></b> — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">contradicts</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">opinion of a majority of voters </span></b>and is handing Republicans an issue to use as a political cudgel, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> large parts of the party’s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> base, including many voters of color, support </span></b>more discussion in schools about racism’s reach, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and believe</span></b> that such conversations are an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">educational imperative that should stand apart</span></b> from partisan politics.</div><div><br /></div><div>“History is already undertaught — we’ve been undereducated, and these laws are going to get us even less educated,” said Prudence L. Carter, the dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California Berkeley. <i>Attempts to suppress what is still a nascent movement to teach young Americans more explicitly about racist public policy, such as redlining or the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, amount to “a <b><span style="color: red;">gaslighting of history</span></b>,” she said, adding, “It’s a <b><span style="color: red;">form of denialism</span></b>.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">debate over the real or perceived influence </span></b>of critical race theory — not just in schools but also in corporate, government, and media settings — comes as both parties increasingly make issues of identity central to politics<i>, and it <b><span style="color: red;">accelerated during the presidency of </span></b>Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>, when discussions over racism in the country were supercharged by his racist comments and by a wave of protests last year over police killings of Black people.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Some of the discussion has been<b><span style="color: red;"> fueled by</span></b> the 1619 <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Project, developed by The New York Times</span></b> Magazine, which argues that “the country’s very origin” traces to when the first ship carrying enslaved people touched Virginia’s shore that year. “Out of slavery — and the anti-black racism it required — grew nearly everything that has truly made America exceptional,” the magazine’s editor wrote.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Educators have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">embraced curriculum</span></b>s created along with the project, responding to a changing nation in which a majority of public-school students are now nonwhite, but the teaching force remains nearly 80 percent white.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Republican <b><span style="color: red;">pushback has been intense</span></b>. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said recently that he disagreed that 1619 was important in US history. He and other Republican senators are pushing the Biden administration to drop efforts by the Education Department to prioritize history courses that emphasize “systemic marginalization” of peoples.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Although parents have appeared before school boards in Ohio and elsewhere to object to critical race theory, calling it “Marxist,” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">many school administrators vehemently deny that they are teaching the subject, or are being influenced</span></b> by it. They say that much of what <b><span style="color: red;">conservatives object</span></b> to amounts to little more than more frequent and frank discussions of subjects like slavery. Parents are also pushing back against the loosely related trend of anti-bias training for students and staff members, which has led to dust-ups across the country.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Republicans’ <b><span style="color: red;">attack</span></b>s on critical race theory are <b><span style="color: red;">in sync with </span></b>the party’s broad strategy to run on <b><span style="color: red;">culture-war issues</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b>in the 2022 midterm elections, rather than campaigning head-on<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> against Biden’s economic agenda — which has been popular with voters — as the country emerges from</span></b> the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>.....</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[The first test case is in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/biden-gop-senator-meet-infrastructure-deadline-looms/">New Mexico</a>]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/disputing-racisms-reach-republicans-rattle-american-schools/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-crt.html">Sunday Globe Garbage: CRT</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That is what it is, all right.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/nation/southern-baptists-tamp-down-race-controversy-await-election/">Southern Baptists pick president who worked for racial unity</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If the Baptists backed down, what hope do we have?</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/biden-gop-senator-meet-infrastructure-deadline-looms/">US Representative Nancy Mace on Tuesday posted a video of obscenities that she said had been spray-painted on her Charleston-area home over the Memorial Day weekend</a>. ’'It’s very scary,’' the first-term Republican said in the video as she pointed to the graffiti on the front of her home on Daniel Island, a planned community near Charleston. Mace panned her camera to words reading, “No gods, no masters, all politicians are bastards” on the steps leading up to her home, along with symbols sometimes used by a movement that calls itself antifa, a contraction for anti-fascists. “This is a house that I live in with my kids,” Mace, an outspoken critic of President Joe Biden’s administration, said in the video. “My kids aren’t even safe on the front porch of their own home.” She said she had contacted local law enforcement to investigate. In November, Mace <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/biden-gop-senator-meet-infrastructure-deadline-looms/">won a narrow victory over Democratic Representative Joe Cunningham, taking back South Carolina’s First District for Republicans in one of a series of GOP victories across the state, at all electoral levels</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>At least she wasn't <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/report-tells-sexual-assault-racism-military-institute/">sexually assaulted</a>, and SOMEHOW, there was an EMPTY SUIT wearing those <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/biden-gop-senator-meet-infrastructure-deadline-looms/">coattails</a>, right!!?</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Instead we get <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/opinion/pharmas-secrecy-hinders-global-covid-19-vaccination-joe-biden-could-fix-that/">Mr. Fix-It</a> who is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/opinion/naomi-osaka-takes-stand-black-womens-mental-health/">out of his mind</a> and can be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/opinion/generation-pandemic-is-interested-public-health-we-should-take-advantage/">taken advantage of</a> as the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/03/nation/pressure-mounts-lift-patent-protections-coronavirus-vaccines/">pressure mounts</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time to </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/nation/maine-seniors-memorialize-their-quarantine-experience-with-pandemic-quilt/" style="font-style: italic;">sew</a><i> this <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/metro/today-history/">post</a> up with the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/10-years-ago-tornadoes-tore-through-western-central-mass-these-numbers-show-just-how-devastating-they-were/">tornadoes from 10 years ago</a> that made a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/metro/mother-swan-esplanade-died-monday-officials-say/">mother swan</a> pass away.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>There is literally <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/business/four-nba-stars-invest-allston-project/">nothing left to say</a>.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-43123165987857633442021-06-15T10:21:00.003-07:002021-06-15T10:21:49.775-07:00Jump in the Lake<div>"<a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/af958034345a53f79e65a87411f97945/chicago-man-jumps-lake-michigan-365th-straight-day">A Chicago bus driver looking for a way to relieve stress during the coronavirus pandemic jumped into Lake Michigan for a 365th straight day on Saturday</a>. Dan O’Conor said he started jumping into the lake at Montrose Harbor on the city's North Side last year <a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/af958034345a53f79e65a87411f97945/chicago-man-jumps-lake-michigan-365th-straight-day">to relieve stress</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The first one to be thrown in:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/world/knesset-approves-new-coalition-ending-netanyahus-long-rule/">Naftali Bennett becomes prime minister of Israel</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Thus the ending of the "long and divisive reign of Benjamin Netanyahu, the dominant Israeli politician of the past generation, at least for the time being, as the country’s parliament gave its vote of confidence to a precarious coalition government stitched together by widely disparate anti-Netanyahu forces."</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>So who is Naftali Bennett?</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/world/who-is-naftali-bennett-israels-incoming-pm/">He’s a 49-year-old father of four, a religious Jew who made millions in the mostly secular high-tech sector; a champion of the settlement movement who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb; a former ally of Benjamin Netanyahu who has partnered with centrist and left-wing parties to end his 12-year rule</a>. His ultranationalist Yamina party won just seven seats in the 120-member Knesset in March elections — the fourth such vote in two years, but by refusing to commit to Netanyahu or his opponents, Bennett positioned himself as kingmaker, but he will be severely constrained by his unwieldy coalition, which has only a narrow majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left, and center. He <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/world/who-is-naftali-bennett-israels-incoming-pm/">is opposed to Palestinian independence and strongly supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians and much of the international community see as a major obstacle to peace</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's the classic devil-you-know situation as things are about to get worse:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-legacy/2021/06/13/aa9b2d7e-c9e8-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html">As Benjamin Netanyahu ends his tenure, following the parliament’s approval Sunday of a new governing coalition that excludes him, he is not only Israel’s longest-serving leader but also one of its most influential. He reoriented the country’s decades-old approach to peace and security, reshaped its economy and place in the world, and upended longtime legal norms and notions of civil discourse</a>. The widening schism between Israeli factions — left and right, religious and secular, Arabs and Jews — is one of the most obvious marks that Netanyahu leaves on the country. “His <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">entire</span></b> political <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">strategy</span></b> is based on <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">keep</span></b>ing people’s <b><span style="color: red;">anger alive</span></b>,” said Anshel Pfeffer, a Jerusalem-based columnist. Netanyahu’s impact has been felt across various aspect of Israeli politics and society. The Palestinian conflict helped define the tenures of Israeli prime ministers over four decades until Netanyahu began his second stint in the top job in 2009. He came in determined not to resolve the dispute but to push it to the side. Netanyahu had long signaled his belief that Israel would benefit if it focused less on the conflict. He argued that the country should forgo any major concessions to the Palestinians on territory or other demands and instead shift its attention, for instance, to threats from Iran, and “the prime minister proved a lot of people wrong with the Abraham Accords,” said Dore Gold, a former Foreign Ministry official under Netanyahu. To his supporters, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-legacy/2021/06/13/aa9b2d7e-c9e8-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html"><b>Netanyahu, known by all as “Bibi,” leaves behind a booming economy, newfound international respect and a decade without bus bombings by Palestinian militants. </b>To critics, he leaves a country more divided, less equitable and largely indifferent to peace with the Palestinians. “It will take years to rebuild everything he has changed,” said Sylvia Strumpfman, a 68-year-old pensioner who <b>has been</b> part of the <b>vigil near the prime minister’s house for more than a year </b>of winter rains, instant coffee and drive-by invective, who <b>plans to keep up the vigil until Netanyahu moves out in a few weeks</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Throw the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/apple-turned-over-data-trumps-white-house-counsel-fbi-agents/">$elf-$erving whiners</a> of the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-g-7.html">pre$$</a> in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/justice-department-tighten-rules-seizing-congress-data/">next</a> as it looks like Netanyahu will need to find a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/metro/private-concierges-10000-weekly-rentals-hot-tubs-cape-cod-is-getting-fancy/">new place to live</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>It is reminiscent of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/exodus-election-officials-raises-concerns-partisanship/">recent U.S. election</a>, is it not?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>"Israel’s new coalition takes first steps, including mending fences with US" by Patrick Kingsley and Adam Rasgon New York Times, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>JERUSALEM — Israel’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fragile new coalition government gave a first glimpse of its priorities</span></b> Monday, as ministers announced intentions to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">repair </span></b>Israeli <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ties with</span></b> the US <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Democratic Party</span></b> and the Jewish diaspora, investigate a disaster at a religious site last month that killed 45, and permit a far-right march through Jerusalem on Tuesday that some fear will lead to violence.</div><div><br /></div><div>The raft of initiatives highlighted the complexities and contradictions of the new coalition, which replaced Benjamin Netanyahu’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b> Sunday night in a confidence vote in Parliament that passed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by</span></b> just <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a single vote</span></b>: 60 votes to 59, with one abstention. The coalition’s announcements Monday also underscored how its policies diverge from Netanyahu’s on some issues but continue his approach to others.</div><div><br /></div><div>In his first major speech in office, the new foreign minister, Yair Lapid, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">promised</span></b> Monday<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to revive </span></b>Israel’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relationship with</span></b> American <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Democrats</span></b>. That bond frayed under Netanyahu, who antagonized former president Barack Obama; befriended his Republican successor, Donald Trump; and then used his last speech in office Sunday to blast President Biden as being dangerous for Israel.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Have to dump the Squad first, and an apology for the attacked the USS Liberty in which 34 American servicemen were killed in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/metro/today-history/">1967</a> would be good start]</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>“The outgoing government took a terrible gamble, reckless and dangerous, to focus exclusively on the Republican Party and abandon Israel’s bipartisan standing,” Lapid said in a speech to foreign ministry officials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lapid added: “We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">find ourselves with </span></b>a Democratic White House, Senate, and House, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> they are angry. We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need to change the way we work with them</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>He also promised to strengthen ties with Jews overseas, instead of relying primarily on the support of evangelical Christians, who formed a key focus of Netanyahu’s international outreach.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">support </span></b>of Christian evangelicals and other groups <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is important </span></b>and <b><span style="color: red;">heartwarming</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the Jewish people are more than allies, they are family,” Lapid said. “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jews</span></b> from all streams — Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">are our family</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[All others excluded. Hmmmm]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new prime minister</span></b>, Naftali Bennett, <b><span style="color: red;">expressed opposition</span></b> Sunday toward US-led efforts to restore a lapsed Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also thanked</span></b> Biden for his support for Israel, and spoke with him soon after taking office.</div><div><br /></div><div>Separately, Benny Gantz, the defense minister, issued a formal call for a commission of inquiry into a stampede at a holy Jewish site on Mt. Meron, northern Israel, in early May, which killed 45 worshippers. The move marked a clear divergence from Netanyahu, whose government depended on the support of ultra-Orthodox politicians and did not call for an investigation for fear of angering them, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new government also seemed set to stick to a commitment made in </span></b>the<b><span style="color: red;"> final days </span></b>of Netanyahu’s administration: the decision to <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>permit</b></span> a<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> far-right</span> Jewish <b><span style="color: red;">march</span></b> through Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, which critics fear could lead to a violent escalation with Hamas.</div><div><br /></div><div>The march is a rescheduled version of a procession originally planned for last month that was among the reasons that Hamas cited for firing rockets toward Jerusalem on May 10, setting off an 11-day air war between the group and Israel. On Monday, Hamas vowed to respond if the march was allowed to go ahead, raising the specter of either renewed rocket fire or confrontations between Palestinian residents and Jewish marchers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the warning, the new public security minister, Omer Bar-Lev, who now oversees the Israeli police, promised Monday to push ahead with the event, also known as a “flags march. At this moment, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the plan is</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">flags march</span></b> will be taking place,” Bar-Lev said. “Jerusalem is Israel’s eternal capital. In a democracy, it is permitted and it is important to hold demonstrations and marches like these, as long as they are in accordance with the law.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Why did 1930s Germany just come to mind?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/world/israels-new-coalition-takes-first-steps-including-mending-fences-with-us/">link</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Oh, to march or not to march, what's a Joo to do?</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/world/israel-mourns-after-religious-festival-turns-into-disaster/">As Israelis mourned on Friday the 45 people trampled to death during a pilgrimage that drew tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews, questions were already arising about poor planning and possible negligence</a>. For more than a decade there have been concerns and warnings that the religious site on Mount Meron in northern Israel was not equipped to handle tens of thousands of pilgrims. In 2008 and 2011, reports by the state comptroller at the time warned of the potential for calamity there. Even for a country accustomed to the trauma of wars and terrorist attacks, this counted as one of the worst disasters in Israeli history. Israel has been wracked by religious-secular tensions, particularly over the last year during the pandemic, amid widespread anger over what many here viewed as a disregard for regulations and displays of autonomy by parts of the ultra-Orthodox community. The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/30/world/israel-mourns-after-religious-festival-turns-into-disaster/"><b>disaster early Friday largely united the country in shock and grief, but it also underlined some of the divisions plaguing this society</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yeah, you best call it off!</i></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Look who else is taking the leap:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/metro/harvard-professor-danielle-allen-launch-historic-bid-governor/">Harvard professor Danielle Allen to launch historic bid for governor</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Harvard University professor, political philosopher, and author, joins what’s likely to be a crowded primary with a hefty academic resume but no experience holding elected office.</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>I know I'm <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/what-families-dealing-with-alzheimers-should-know-about-newly-approved-drug/">forgetting something</a> that has to do with <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/saturday-junk.html">Biogen</a>, but it's not like we are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/metro/milton-rallies-around-gay-couple-after-years-harassment/">neighbors</a> or anything.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><i>These guys should be catapulted into the lake:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"G-7 leaders come together on global minimum tax, Democratic ideals" by Michael D. Shear and Zolan Kanno-Youngs New York Times, June 13, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>As the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations wrapped up their first in-person summit since the outbreak of the pandemic, they released a joint communiqué Sunday underscoring areas of solidarity — and the differences that remain — when it comes to tackling a host of global crises.</div><div><br /></div><div>The group, including President Biden, did not reach agreement on a timeline to eliminate the use of coal for generating electric power, a failure that climate activists said was a deep disappointment before a global climate conference later this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The leaders sought to present a united front even as it remained to be seen how the plans would be executed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">agreement represented a dramatic return of America’s postwar international diplomacy</span></b>, and Biden said it was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">evidence of the strength of the world’s democracies</span></b> in tackling hard problems.</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking to reporters after the summit, Biden said the leaders’ endorsement of a global minimum tax would help ensure global equity, and a proposal to finance infrastructure projects in the developing world would <b><span style="color: red;">counter the influence of China</span></b>, providing what he said was a “democratic alternative.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Those initiatives, he said, would promote democratic values and not an “autocratic lack of values.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Everyone at the table understood and understands both the seriousness and the challenges that we are up against and the responsibility of our proud democracies to step up and deliver to the rest of the world,” Biden said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, who hosted the summit, said that the gathering was an opportunity to demonstrate “the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">benefits of democracy</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div>That would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">start</span></b>, he said, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with agreements to speed up the effort to vaccinate the world</span></b>, which he called “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the greatest feat in medical history</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[OMFG! </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Must be under a lot of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/massachusetts-employers-are-feeling-better-about-future/">pressure</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Asked about the failure to go further on climate policy by setting firm timelines, Johnson said that the general criticism was misplaced and failed to take into account the full scope of what was achieved during the summit.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think it has been a highly productive few days,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, the nations agreed to an overhaul of international tax laws, unveiling a broad agreement that aims to stop large multinational companies from seeking out tax havens.</div><div><br /></div><div>A US administration official called it a “historic endorsement to end the race to the bottom in corporate taxation with a global minimum tax that will help fund domestic renewal and grow the middle class,” but for all the goodwill and declarations of unity, there were questions about how the proposals would be translated into real-world action.</div><div><br /></div><div>For instance, on the tax laws, a number of hurdles have yet to be overcome.</div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest obstacle to getting a deal finished could come from the United States. The Biden administration must win approval from a narrowly divided Congress to make changes to the tax code, and Republicans have shown resistance to Biden’s plans.</div><div><br /></div><div>The president had also hoped to use his first trip abroad to show that democracy, as a system of government, remained capable of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.</div><div><br /></div><div>The communiqué issued Sunday fleshed out some of the proposals that have dominated the summit and was explicit in the need to counter the rise of China. </div><div><br /></div><div>’'I think we’re <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in a contest</span></b>, not with China per se, but a contest <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">with </span>autocrats, <b><span style="color: red;">autocratic governments</span></b> around the world as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century,’' Biden told reporters in the first news conference of his first foreign trip as president.</div><div><br /></div><div>He<b><span style="color: red;"> singled out China and Russia</span></b> for reprobation after working here to enlist allies in what he has repeatedly cast as the <b><span style="color: red;">existential battle of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">21st century</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Bring it on, and may God <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/catholic-bishops-this-week-will-discuss-if-biden-qualifies-communion-its-culmination-decades-abortion-politics/">damn him</a> for it</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">question of how to deal with China</span></b>, however, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is divisive</span></b>, and while Biden urged the leaders to take a harsher public stance, confronting China over its <b><span style="color: red;">use of forced labor</span></b> and trying to create an alternative to the country’s massive Belt-and-Road Initiative, a trillion-dollar infrastructure program focused on the developing world, yet some G-7 leaders, including those of Germany, Italy, and Japan, have been reluctant to take on China too forcefully.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, Beijing has chafed at the group’s <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;">new focus</span> on the country. ’'The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone,’' a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said Sunday. ’'We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/world/g-7-leaders-come-together-global-minimum-tax-democratic-ideals/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/world/china-covid-delta-variant-guangzhou.html"><b>As the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads in southeastern China, doctors say they are finding that the symptoms are different and more dangerous than those they saw when the initial version of the virus started spreading in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan. Patients are becoming sicker and their conditions are worsening much more quickly, doctors told state-run television on Thursday and Friday. Four-fifths of symptomatic cases developed fevers, they said, although it was not clear how that compared with earlier cases. The virus concentrations that are detected in their bodies climb to levels higher than previously seen, and then decline only slowly, the doctors said. Up to 12 percent of patients become severely or critically ill within three to four days of the onset of symptoms, said Guan Xiangdong, director of critical care medicine at Sun Yat-sen University in the city of Guangzhou, where the outbreak has been centered. In the past, the proportion had been 2 percent or 3 percent, although occasionally up to 10 percent, he said. Doctors in Britain and Brazil have reported similar trends with the variants that circulated in those countries, but the severity of those variants has not yet been confirmed. The testimonies from China are the latest indication of the dangers posed by Delta, which the World Health Organization last month labeled a “variant of concern.” First identified this spring in India, where it was blamed for widespread suffering and death, Delta has since become the dominant variant in Britain, where doctors suggest that it is more contagious and may infect some people who have received only one of two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. China has uniquely detailed data, however, because it has essentially universal testing in the vicinity of outbreaks, allowing officials to gather detailed information on the extent of cases</b></a>. Delta’s spread in southeastern China focuses more attention on the effectiveness of China’s self-made vaccines. The Chinese authorities have not indicated how many of the new infections have occurred in people who had been vaccinated. In some other countries where Chinese-made vaccines are in wide use, including the Seychelles and Mongolia, infections among vaccinated people are rising, although few patients have reportedly developed serious illness. Nearby Shenzhen had a handful of cases last week of the Alpha variant, which first emerged in Britain. As some other parts of the world still struggle to acquire and administer large numbers of coronavirus tests, southeastern China has used its local production of scarce chemicals to conduct testing on a remarkable scale......"</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>The New York Times then <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/asia/china-covid-wuhan-lab-leak.html">runs interference for China</a> and thinks China has done a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/world/china-covid-delta-variant-guangzhou.html">great job after having isolated and quarantined tens of thousands of residents who had been anywhere near those infected, but it didn't stop the outbreak and </a></b><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/world/china-covid-delta-variant-guangzhou.html">“the epidemic is not over yet, and the risk of virus transmission still exists</a>.”</b></i></div></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Let's hope the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-europe-business-science-6862e09880cd938e51d389d235b30676">situation</a> doesn't turn in a Chernobyl or Fukushima, 'eh?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/europe/england-covid-restrictions.html">With a rapid and successful vaccine campaign on track, the path seemed clear not long ago for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scrap all of England’s coronavirus rules on June 21, ending curbs that he resisted imposing in the first place, but on Monday, <b>Johnson postponed by four weeks the moment dubbed “freedom day” by the tabloids after a spike in cases of a highly transmissible new variant that<span style="font-size: x-large;"> may </span>cause more serious disease than earlier variants.</b> Restaurants and pubs in England, while open, will still have to observe social distancing rules indoors, limiting capacity, and nightclubs and theaters will remain firmly closed. The decision, which will be reviewed in two weeks, sent a warning to the world that even well-vaccinated nations remain at risk</a> and angered a noisy caucus of libertarian lawmakers within Johnson’s own party. At present, overall new cases in Britain are averaging around 8,000 per day and are doubling every week in the worst affected areas. Hospital admissions have begun rising. And the impact of the Delta variant across the country has already incited alarm in other European countries. In Britain, around four-fifths of adults have received one dose and more than half have had a second shot, but people with only a single dose remain susceptible to cases of the Delta variant — more so than to earlier versions of the virus, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">scientists said</span></b>, and an <b><span style="color: red;">unabated surge of infections in</span></b> younger, <b><span style="color: red;">unvaccinated</span></b> people<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">could</span> ignite a dangerous wave</span></b> of hospitalizations. That has helped convince many epidemiologists that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lifting restrictions now</span></b> could, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">worst-case scenario</span></b>, produce as many hospital cases as in the first wave of the pandemic, overwhelming the National Health Service....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Those scenarios were overhyped from the start, and that tyrant needs the Charles the First treatment, pronto.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Yeah, two weeks to flatten the curve that never was!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>How much longer are the British people going to keep a <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/laurence-fox-anti-lockdown-protest-london-boris-johnson-covid-freedom-day-b940608.html">stiff upper lip</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Time for EVERYONE to DISOBEY the AUTHORITIES, or do the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/business/britain-calls-eu-view-n-ireland-offensive-brexit-spat/">Irish</a> have to be called in?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That would make for a </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/johnsons-global-britain-makes-shaky-start-g-7-summit/" style="font-style: italic;">shaky start</a><i> to a </i><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/tense-summer-looms-northern-ireland-braces/" style="font-style: italic;">tense summer</a><i>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Maybe he should bring in <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/trudeau-urged-by-us-canada-businesses-open-border-this-month/">Canadians</a> to get the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/new-england-news-brief/">job done</a>, and have you ever noticed that -- like Macron -- every time <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/trudeau-denounces-truck-attack-that-targeted-muslim-family/">their turd</a> is in trouble a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/world/canadian-police-say-muslim-family-targeted-by-deadly-attack/">terror attack</a> occurs?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b>(Btw, if I want to see what is really going on in Canada I <a href="http://greencrowasthecrowflies.blogspot.com/">fly over it</a> and <a href="https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com">thoughtfully check </a>out the <a href="http://northerntruthseeker.blogspot.com/">fiery passion</a> of those who live there)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Speaking of alleged autocrats:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"As Biden meeting nears, Erdogan softens his stance" by Carlotta Gall New York Times, June 13, 2021</div><div><div><br /></div><div>ISTANBUL — For the past four years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brazenly crushed his opponents at home and cozied up to Moscow while showering his allies with sweetheart government contracts and deploying troops regionally wherever he saw fit, and for the most part, then-President Trump’s administration turned a blind eye, but as Erdogan arrives in Brussels for a critical NATO meeting Monday, he is facing a decidedly more skeptical Biden administration, as are other strongmen leaders once enabled by Trump.</div><div><br /></div><div>President Vladimir <b><span style="color: red;">Putin</span></b> of Russia, who meets with President Biden on Wednesday, <b><span style="color: red;">has responded to</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new order </span></b>by growing <b><span style="color: red;">even more belligerent</span></b>, openly suppressing any signs of domestic political opposition and threatening Western security by massing troops on Ukraine’s border, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> for Erdogan, considerations are not that simple. Thanks to both the coronavirus pandemic and his mismanagement of the economy, he is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">now facing severe domestic strains, with soaring inflation and unemployment and a dangerously weakened lira that could trigger a debt crisis</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so he has dialed back</span></b> his approach, already softening his positions on several issues <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in the hope of receiving badly needed investment </span></b>from the West — something that Russia cannot provide. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[He can give Joe a few pointers as to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/delicate-task-fed-when-pull-back-low-rate-support/">what is coming</a>!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>To reassure Western leaders, he has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">called off gas exploration</span></b> in the eastern Mediterranean, an activity that had infuriated NATO allies, and <b><span style="color: red;">annoyed Moscow</span></b> by supporting Ukraine against Russia’s threats and selling Turkish-made drones to Poland, <b><span style="color: red;">yet</span></b> Erdogan does have some important cards to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turkey’s presence in NATO, its <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">role as a way station for millions of refugees, and its military presence</span></b> in Afghanistan have given him real leverage with the West, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so</span></b> Erdogan is <b><span style="color: red;">unlikely to reverse</span></b> his <b><span style="color: red;">drift toward authoritarianism</span></b>, his deepening relationship with Putin, and his purchase of the sophisticated Russian S-400 air defense system, even if that means clashing with Biden’s vision for a strengthened alliance of democracies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The New York Times can go take a jump in the lake on this one, and don't think Erdogan hasn't forgotten that Biden was part of the regime that attempted a coup against him</i></b><b><i>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>One question is just how far Erdogan can be pushed in Biden’s direction before he grows frustrated and casts his lot with the Kremlin or even China, although having been let down by both countries over vaccine supplies, Erdogan is <b><span style="color: red;">clear-eyed enough to keep</span></b> his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">options open</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“How do you not lose Turkey while you try to curb Erdogan?” said Nigar Goksel, Turkey project director for the International Crisis Group.</div><div><br /></div><div>As with Putin, Biden’s initial approach to Erdogan had been to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">maintain</span></b> his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">distance</span></b>, trying to avoid disagreements and handle matters at lower diplomatic levels.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since assuming the presidency, Biden has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spoken with</span></b> Erdogan<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> only once</b></span>. That was<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to inform</span></b> him that the United States was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recognizing</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> massacre</span></b> of Armenians in the last days of the Ottoman Empire <b><span style="color: red;">as</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">genocide</span></b>. While that was a humiliation for Erdogan that might have evoked a tantrum in previous years, it was met with a muted reaction along with the promise of a meeting at the NATO summit.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The reaction was muted because its irrelevant, sorry.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>So when is he going to recognize Israeli slaughters as genocide, right?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Erdogan has felt the coolness from the Biden administration, Goksel said. “Erdogan is trying to find a way forward when they are trying to make sure he does not score political points.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Turkey badly wants to lift itself out of an economic crunch, deepened by the pandemic, which has destroyed its vital tourist industry. It is also anxious to avoid further US sanctions, imposed after Erdogan bought the missile system from Russia.</div><div><br /></div><div>The economic troubles have taken a toll on Erdogan’s political standing. While elections are still two years away, his opponents have considerable momentum, said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Turks <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will vote according to the state of the economy</span></b>, he said, and for that reason alone, he needs the meeting with Biden.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Unlike Americans, who allegedly vote out of hate for a particular candidate]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The thorniest of a half-dozen disputes between the two countries is undoubtedly Erdogan’s refusal to walk back his purchase of the S-400s, which has made Turkey the only NATO country to be on the receiving end of US sanctions and removed from the F-35 aircraft program.</div><div><br /></div><div>Erdogan has even <b><span style="color: red;">negotiated to purchase a second battery from Russia, but</span></b> with the <b><span style="color: red;">threat of </span></b>further <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sanction</span></b>s, he appears <b><span style="color: red;">ready to shelve</span></b> that deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the heart of Erdogan’s purchase of the S-400 is his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">distrust</span></b> of Washington, which he thinks is intent on seeing him replaced. That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">belief was only reinforced</span></b> when Biden said last year, during the 2020 presidential campaign, that the United States should support the opposition in Turkey, but there are worries that if pressed too hard, Erdogan, who badly needs a fifth-generation fighter plane, might even buy Russian Sukhois. There is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also concern about</span></b> some 50 US <b><span style="color: red;">nuclear bombs</span></b> stored at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, which is under joint Turkish-US control; Erdogan has at various times threatened to evict the Americans.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[She conveniently omitted the attempted 2016 coup by the Obama/Biden regime!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Washington has been preparing to work around the disagreement over the S-400s, focusing instead on the strategic areas where the two countries can agree — namely, Afghanistan, where Turkey has participated in the mission since 2001, and Iraq and Libya.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turkey for its own reasons <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wants to retain a presence in</span></b> Afghanistan, where it has a long affiliation and a shared history and religion. That is a central reason the US special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, asked Erdogan to consider <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">maintain</span></b>ing a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">military presence</span></b> there when Khalilzad began negotiations with the Taliban over a US withdrawal.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/world/biden-meeting-nears-erdogan-softens-his-stance/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>While in their sphere of influence:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-syria-health-0fd796605069f03f6a11ff60cfcbd36c"><b>The death toll from an artillery strike on a hospital in northern Syria has risen to at least 15, medical officials said Sunday. The shelling, a day earlier, caused widespread destruction and knocked out the hospital’s maternity ward and surgery unit. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that also wounded 43 and came from areas where both government troops and Kurdish-led fighters are deployed</b></a>. Al-Shifaa hospital is in the northern town of Afrin, in an area controlled by Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters. Much of the ceiling of the facility collapsed, and electricity cables dangled in a main corridor. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-syria-health-0fd796605069f03f6a11ff60cfcbd36c"><b>delivery room, the children’s section, and the first aid hall suffered the most — leaving hospital beds covered with rubble</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-middle-east-health-coronavirus-pandemic-fe00887c6aaf42298ac922ac68a405c4"><b>The prosecutor of Jordan’s state security court on Sunday filed sedition and incitement charges against two confidants of King Abdullah II’s half-brother Hamzah, marking the latest step in a rare, intrigue-filled palace drama that has rattled the Western-backed kingdom</b></a>. At the time of his initial house arrest, Hamzah alleged that he was being silenced for exposing what he said was incompetence and corruption of the “ruling system.” The royal has established close ties with some of Jordan’s powerful tribes, serving as a conduit for growing anger and resentment <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-middle-east-health-coronavirus-pandemic-fe00887c6aaf42298ac922ac68a405c4"><b>as Jordan struggles with a widening economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It was a Saudi Arabia-backed coup attempt.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b>Now the main event:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>"At an arms control crossroads, Biden and Putin face choices" by Robert Burns The Associated Press, June 13, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Any <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/dead-officers-family-urge-gop-senators-back-insurrection-investigation/">relation</a> to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/metro/who-is-nicholas-burns-bidens-reported-pick-ambassador-china/">Nick</a>?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — At a <b><span style="color: red;">low point in</span></b> US-Russian <b><span style="color: red;">relations</span></b>, President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to agree broadly on at least one thing — their<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> first face-to-face meeting </span></b>Wednesday is a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> chance to set the stage for</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">new era in arms control</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whether that leads to actual arms negotiations is another matter, complicated by the soured relationship and accusations by each country that the other has cheated on past arms treaties. The fabric of arms control has been fraying, notably with the abandonment in 2019 — first by Washington, then by Moscow — of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which had governed a whole class of missiles for more than three decades.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Trump administration also pulled the United States out of the Open Skies Treaty, which had allowed surveillance flights over military facilities in both countries. Last month the Biden administration informed the Russians that it would not reenter the treaty, and last week Putin confirmed Russia's exit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite its importance, the arms control issue <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">may get overshadowed </span></b>at the Biden-Putin summit, given heightened US focus on ransomware attacks, alleged Russian interference in US elections, Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border, and allegations that the Kremlin was behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington broke off strategic stability talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to <b><span style="color: red;">Russia's annexation of Crimea</span></b> and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I stopped reading after they repeated lie.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Russia didn't annex Crimea. The Crimea's voted for secession after the 2014 Obama coup in Ukraine and then applied to the Russian Federation for admittance, which was accepted]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/an-arms-control-crossroads-biden-putin-face-choices/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Biden rallies NATO support ahead of confrontation with Putin" by Aamer Madhani, Jonathan Lemire and Lorne Cook The Associated Press, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>BRUSSELS — President Biden used his first appearance at a NATO summit since taking office to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">call </span></b>on President Vladimir Putin of Russia <b><span style="color: red;">to step back</span></b> from provocative actions targeting the United States and its allies on Monday. NATO leaders joined the United States in formally accusing Moscow and Beijing of malign actions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden’s <b><span style="color: red;">sharp words for Russia</span></b> and his friendly interactions with NATO allies marked a s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">harp shift in tone </span></b>from the past four years and highlighted the renewed US commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by his predecessor Donald Trump.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden, wearing a NATO lapel pin, said that in his extensive talks with NATO leaders about his planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all</span></b> were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">supportive of</span></b> his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plan</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to press</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">Russian leader</span></b> to halt Russian-originated cyber attacks against the West, end the violent stifling of political dissidents, and stop interfering in elections outside its borders.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I’m going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses," Biden told reporters as he ended his day at NATO headquarters, “and if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and other activities, then we will respond, we will respond in kind."</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden is on an eight-day visit to Europe in which he is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seeking to rally allies to speak with a single voice on</span></b> countering <b><span style="color: red;">Russia and China</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Screw the talk, do something!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Here is how you do it: you open up a 3,000-mile front from the Arctic to the Caspian and show the Big H how things are done. At the same time, thrust up through Iran, the soft underbelly of Russia. Then, to keep the Chinese occupied, land on the beaches of North Korea. After cornering them all in Siberia, nuke 'em!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm actually looking forward to the WWIII if it vanquishes COVID, but not really!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>This is and always has been an ANTIWAR blog!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I do hope you could discern the satire and sarcasm]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>To that end, NATO leaders on Monday <b><span style="color: red;">declared China a constant security challenge</span></b> and said the Chinese are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">working to undermine global order</span></b>, a message in sync with Biden’s pleas to confront Beijing on China’s trade, military, and human rights practices.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a summit statement, the leaders said that China’s goals and “assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The heads of state and government expressed concern about what they said were China's “coercive policies,” the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The NATO leaders <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also took</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">big swipe at Russia</span></b> in their communique, deploring what they consider its aggressive military activities and its war games near the borders of NATO countries as well as repeated violations of their airspace by Russian planes.</div><div><br /></div><div>They said that Russia had ramped up “hybrid” actions against member countries by attempts to interfere in elections, by political and economic intimidation, by disinformation campaigns, and “malicious cyber activities.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to ’business as usual,’ ” they said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It's all bluster to frame them for the coming cyberattack by the u$ual $u$pects]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> alliance</span></b> of European and North American countries formed after World War II as <b><span style="color: red;">a bulwark against Russian aggression</span></b>. The new Brussels communique states plainly that the NATO nations “<b><span style="color: red;">will engage China</span></b> with a view to defending the security interests of the alliance.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Is that why NATO keeps moving closer?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Biden arrived at the NATO summit after <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">three days of consulting with</span></b> Group of Seven <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">allies</span></b> in England, where he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">successful</span></b>ly pushed for a G-7 communique that called out forced labor practices and other human rights violations affecting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in China’s western Xinjiang province; <b><span style="color: red;">however</span></b>, differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to criticize Beijing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said NATO’s decision to name China as a <b><span style="color: red;">threat “shouldn’t be overstated</span></b>” because Beijing, like Russia, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is also a partner</span></b> in some areas. China is Germany’s top trading partner, and she said it is important to “find the right balance.”</div><div><br /></div><div>France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, urged the alliance <b><span style="color: red;">not to let China distract </span></b>it from what he saw as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more pressing issues</span></b> facing NATO, including the fight against terrorism and security issues related to Russia.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I think it is very important not to scatter our efforts and not to have biases in our relation to China," Macron said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I guess CVD no longer exists in France]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom on Monday issued a statement saying the G-7 communique “<b><span style="color: red;">deliberately slandered China</span></b> and arbitrarily interfered in China’s internal affairs." There was<b><span style="color: red;"> no immediate reaction</span></b> from the Chinese government to the new NATO statement.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Biden arrived at his first NATO summit as president as leading members declared it a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pivotal moment </span></b>for an alliance beleaguered during the presidency of Trump, who questioned the relevance of the multilateral organization. </i><i>Biden <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sat down</span></b> with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and underscored</span></b> the US <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">commitment to</span></b> Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on any member is an attack on all and is to be met with a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">collective response</span></b>. </i><i>“Article 5 we take as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a sacred obligation</span></b>,” said Biden. “I want NATO to know America is there.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>[Just like the slaughter that was WWI, great]</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>It was a marked contrast to the days when Trump called the alliance “obsolete” and complained that it allowed for “global freeloading” countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the United States. </i><i>Biden was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">greeted by fellow leaders with warmth and </span></b>even a bit of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relief</span></b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Prime Minister Alexander de Croo of Belgium said Biden’s presence “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">emphasizes the renewal of the transatlantic partnership</span></b>.” De Croo said NATO allies were looking to get beyond four stormy years with Trump and infighting among member countries. </i><i>“I think now we are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ready to turn the page</span></b>," de Croo said.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The alliance also updated Article 5 to offer <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">greater clarity on how the alliance should react to</span></b> major <b><span style="color: red;">cyber attacks</span></b>, a matter of growing concern amid hacks targeting the US government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[I am now running <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-out-of-gas.html">out of gas</a>]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Beyond extending potential use of the mutual defense clause to apply to space, the leaders also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">broadened the definition of what might constitute</span></b> such an<b><span style="color: red;"> attack</span></b> in cyberspace, in a warning to any adversary that might use constant low-level attacks as a tactic.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The organization declared in 2014 that a cyber attack <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could be met by a collective response</span></b> by all 30 member countries, and on Monday they said that “the impact of significant malicious cumulative cyber activities might, in certain circumstances, be considered as amounting to an armed attack.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The president started his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank as well as separate meetings with leaders of Poland and Romania to discuss any <b><span style="color: red;">threat posed by Russia </span></b>and the recent air piracy in Belarus.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><b><i>[That's it, keep sticking it to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/world/anti-government-activist-belarus-stabs-himself-courtroom/">them</a>] </i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i>Biden also met with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the summit sidelines.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Biden has known Erdogan for years, but their relationship has frequently been contentious. Biden, during his campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials when he described Erdogan as an “autocrat.” In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was “genocide,” a term that US presidents have avoided using.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/biden-rallies-nato-support-ahead-confrontation-with-putin/">link</a></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Also see:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-europe-technology-hacking-b54f2e541877827674a8314782c993cc">Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is to meet President Joe Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol are being subjected to “persecution for political opinions.”</a> Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalny’s organizations as extremist. “You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently,” he said in an interview with NBC News broadcast Monday. He then pointed to the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Biden’s election victory over Donald Trump. Although the protests that erupted across Russia after Navalny’s arrest in January were unsanctioned, demonstrators were largely peaceful and did not enter government buildings or cause significant property damage, unlike the Capitol riot. Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year’s poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent that nearly killed him. “We don’t have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody,” Putin said. “Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?” Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer....."</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>I'll bet you forgot all about <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/nation/an-arms-control-crossroads-biden-putin-face-choices/">China's growing military might and North Korea's nuclear ambitions</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/world/shifting-focus-nato-views-china-global-security-challenge/">NATO shifts focus and views China as a global security challenge</a> after pleading with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/americans-plead-guilty-japan-aiding-carlos-ghosns-escape/">Japan</a> to step up.</b></i></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>Time for you to take a dip in the drink:</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>"Young workers fear they must return to offices to save their careers" by Marc Daniel Davies Bloomberg, June 14, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Managers hoping to lure employees into offices may find their youngest and newest staff are their strongest allies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Young white-collar staff feel caught between a rock and a hard place — they value quality of life over old-fashioned 9-to-5 commuting, but are even more worried about seeing their careers stall unless they head back into an office. That’s encouraging many to be among the first to return to their desks.</div><div><br /></div><div>While experienced employees often have established professional networks and dedicated home offices, younger staff say the pandemic has left them underinformed and cut off from their teams. There are now growing concerns that they are missing out on career opportunities older colleagues took for granted.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[WHO $tole your future?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Despite a majority under 30 saying remote work made them more productive, over half of the survey’s respondents across Europe — ranging in age from 18 to 45 — say they feel anxious about a lack of training and career opportunities when thinking long-term about the future of work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">while young workers may crave in-person connections and relief from pressures on their health and well-being, they remain skeptical of returning to the status quo </span></b>before COVID-19. Instead they are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">looking for value and purpose</span></b> in office-based activities while retaining the right to work remotely. McCully said working from home allowed her to spend time with her young child while remaining professionally productive, and wants that to remain an option.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>[They are wondering about the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-meaning-of-life.html">meaning of life</a> and how <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/22/business/after-year-wfh-many-workers-will-soon-face-new-challenge-learning-be-around-colleagues-again/">working in an office</a> will be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/when-are-you-going-back-office-how-we-asked-local-companies-their-plans/">different</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In fact, more than 60 percent of employees aged 18-40, who have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spent all their adult lives in a tech-centric environment</span></b>, favor some kind of hybrid arrangement, according to a global survey of 2,000 people by workplace technology provider Citrix.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's when I left the office]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/young-workers-fear-they-must-return-offices-save-their-careers/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>This will leave you all wet as you wait for the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-unemployment-check.html">unemployment check</a>:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://wreg.com/news/gains-for-some-tech-giants-nudge-sp-to-another-record-high/">Technology companies helped lift stocks higher on <b>Wall Street,</b> nudging the S&P 500 to its <b>third straight all-time high</b></a>, even as other parts of the market faltered....."</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Literally throwing you to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/great-white-shark-tagged-ri-waters/">sharks</a>:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/13/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask"><b>Senator Ron Johnson has been suspended from YouTube over comments he made supporting discredited treatments for Covid-19 that the company said violated its “medical misinformation policies.” Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, made the comments at a virtual event on June 3 hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, clips of which were uploaded to his YouTube account. Asked about hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug promoted by former President Donald J. Trump that researchers have found to be ineffective against Covid, Johnson criticized both the Trump and Biden administrations for “completely ignoring and working against robust research exploring the use of cheap, generic drugs that can be used for the treatment of Covid,” according to a transcript published by Wisconsin Public Radio. Johnson was prohibited from uploading videos to YouTube for one week starting Friday. Video of the event has also been removed from the YouTube account of the Milwaukee Press Club. “We removed the video in accordance with our Covid-19 medical misinformation policies, which don’t allow content that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus,” YouTube said in a statement. The company’s policy bans any content that contradicts medical information about Covid from local health authorities or the World Health Organization</b></a>. It specifically forbids content that promotes hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that has also been touted as a potential Covid-19 treatment despite a lack of supporting data. Johnson described his suspension as part of YouTube’s “ongoing Covid censorship.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Yeah, the pre$$ isn't pitching a fit over the censorship and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/technology/youtube-music-industry.html">YouTube is now some sort of hero</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>For the record, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/13/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask">Johnson</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/13/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask"> tested positive for the virus last fall and has become the Republican Party’s biggest purveyor of misinformation sinceTrump was barred from social media and as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last year, Johnson invited conspiracy-minded and anti-science witnesses to hearings on the pandemic that even most members of his own party chose not to attend after </a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/13/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask">“they decided there is only one medical viewpoint allowed and it is the viewpoint dictated by government agencies, and how many lives will be lost as a result? How many lives could have been saved with a free exchange of medical ideas? Government-sanctioned censorship of ideas and speech should concern us all</a>.”</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>He is correct, of course, and what you don't see in the Big Pharma pre$$ is any discussion of therapeutics. It's all vaccines, vaccines, vaccines. Other treatments that work are nowhere to be found, or disparaged if they are.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/health/houston-hospital-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html"><b>A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a lawsuit brought by employees of Houston Methodist Hospital who had challenged the hospital’s coronavirus vaccination requirement</b></a>. U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes, in the Southern District of Texas, issued a ruling on Saturday that upheld the hospital’s new policy, announced in April. The judge said that the hospital’s decision to mandate inoculations for its employees was consistent with public policy, and he rejected a claim by Jennifer Bridges, a nurse and the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, that the vaccines available for use in the United States were experimental and dangerous. “The hospital’s employees are not participants in a human trial,” Judge Hughes wrote. “Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the Covid-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer.” The judge’s decision appeared to be among the first to rule in favor of employer-mandated vaccinations for workers. Several major hospital systems have begun to require Covid shots, including in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, but many private employers and the federal government have not instituted mandatory immunization as they shift operations back to office settings. The judge also noted that Texas employment law only protects employees from termination for refusing to commit an act that carries criminal penalties. “Bridges <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/health/houston-hospital-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html"><b>can freely choose to accept or refuse a Covid-19 vaccine, however if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else,” he said</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Spoken like a true fa$ci$t as the courts are no remedy as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/health/houston-hospital-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html">he </a></i><i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/health/houston-hospital-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html">also rejected the argument that employees were being coerced, a</a></i><i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/health/houston-hospital-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit.html">nd the judge called “reprehensible” the lawsuit’s contention that a vaccination requirement was akin to medical experimentation during the Holocaust</a>.</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>The workers are appealing the ruling and have found themselves a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/representative-greene-apologizes-comparing-face-masks-holocaust-stands-by-comparison-democrats-nazi-party/">new lawyer</a>.</b></i></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Time to dry off.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-2983338843982321652021-06-15T08:22:00.001-07:002021-06-15T10:05:03.346-07:00Sticking a Toe Back in the Water<i><b>Had to let it <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/it-all-boils-down-to-covid.html">cool down</a> first</b>:</i><div><br /></div><div>"Biden wants to move energy offshore, but choppy seas are ahead" by Joshua Partlow The Washington Post, May 9, 2021<br /><div><div><div><br /></div><div>DORCHESTER, N.J. - In his three decades servicing oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, boat captain Keith Piper rode out all manner of storms and gales. Still, he had never faced the elements that tested him last winter at a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Subzero temperatures. Snow. A nor’easter blowing 70 miles per hour. Coffee sloshing in the pot and his 500-ton liftboat - propped above the waves on four hydraulic legs - vibrating from the force of the wind.</div><div><br /></div><div>Given the rock-hard bottom of the continental shelf, unlike the Gulf's forgiving sands, any mistake setting the boat legs down and the impact on board would feel like being slammed head first into concrete. "It shakes everything and breaks everything," he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>These are the discoveries being made at <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the dawn of America's offshore wind industry</span></b>. Up and down the East Coast, developers and government agencies are preparing for the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">massively complex and costly challenge</span></b> of placing thousands of wind turbines taller than the Washington Monument miles out into the Atlantic. The Biden <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">administration has set a goal that industry players call highly ambitious</span></b>, if not <b><span style="color: red;">unrealistic</span></b>: to produce 30,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind farms by 2030, enough to power 10 million homes. Meeting this goal is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">one of the few available paths for</span></b> President Joe <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Biden to reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The obstacles ahead are staggering. The United States is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">decades behind </span></b>Europe and Asia in developing offshore wind. Only seven offshore turbines are running - the five in Rhode Island, plus two in Virginia - and together the projects produce just 42 megawatts of electricity. China alone installed more than 3,000 new megawatts of offshore wind energy last year, more than half the world's total.</div><div><br /></div><div>Far larger efforts are on the horizon, though. Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale U.S. offshore wind farm, is expected to receive its final federal permit from the Interior Department within days. David Hardy, chief executive of Ørsted Offshore North America, the U.S. offshoot of the Danish energy giant that has been involved in both existing American projects and has applications pending for several more is encouraged by Biden's interest. A recent call with offshore industry leaders included four Cabinet members as well as White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, with administration officials vowing to provide federal loans and accelerate permitting, he said. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has committed to processing the 14 pending proposals by 2025.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It will ruin the view for no good reason. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What happened in <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-dark-winter-is-over.html">Texas</a> has been all but forgotten (hmmmm), and thank God <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/03/dark-spring-ahead.html">summer</a> is almost here]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">aggressive timetable will require a massive new industry, with steep investments</span></b> in new ports, boats, factories, and upgrades to electrical grids. The first U.S.-built vessel capable of installing the offshore turbines is being completed in Texas at a cost of $500 million. Until more ships are ready, projects in this country must rely on boats from Europe, an exchange complicated by the continent's own demand for wind energy and maritime trade laws here.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are other <b><span style="color: red;">hurdles</span></b>, too, particularly <b><span style="color: red;">intense opposition</span></b> from some coastal communities and commercial fishermen. Even when that's overcome, construction can only move forward during certain months because of <b><span style="color: red;">bad weather</span></b> and the threat to migratory patterns of the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species.</div><div><br /></div><div>It all makes offshore wind farms - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects - a <b><span style="color: red;">still-risky proposition</span></b>, according to developers and others in the industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Everybody's sticking their toe in the water right now," said Piper, the boat captain who's now based in Dorchester for that very reason, "but nobody wants to stick their whole foot in yet," yet two years from now, Bill White envisions 500 workers - electricians and engineers, longshoremen and seafarers, all tiny specks next to turbine blades longer than a football field, nose cones called nacelles that are large enough to hold elevators and 3.5-million-pound steel columns known as monopiles, which get hammered deep into the seafloor.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The globali$ts and the bankers are literally making them walk the plank]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is White's job to make Vineyard Wind a reality, and this lot at the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford, Mass., a historic whaling community, is where it will happen. The site is the first port in the country built specifically to withstand the turbine components' crushing weights. Other facilities are being developed in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maryland. In New Jersey, a $250 million factory will be completed in two years and begin building the monopiles that anchor wind turbines in place. Siemens Gamesa is considering a future factory in Virginia to make turbine blades.</div><div><br /></div><div>"These will be some of the biggest construction projects our country has seen," said White, vice president of offshore wind for Avangrid Renewables, one of two companies leading Vineyard Wind. "This will be a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">massive mobilization</span></b>."</div><div><br /></div><div>He has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">long envisioned this future</span></b>. A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">veteran of the State Department and the Clinton White House</span></b>, he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">spent more than a decade trying to advance offshore wind energy</span></b> with the state of Massachusetts and then the private sector. He lived through Cape Wind, a proposed project off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., that was defeated by lawsuits and well-funded opponents such as the Koch brothers. The first meetings to discuss the location of what would become Vineyard Wind were in 2009.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It's <b><span style="color: red;">been</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">hell</span></b> of a long road," he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[It will be if $elf-$erving $hits like him get their way. It will be a looting if nothing el$e, and we are in the position of hoping that is all it is.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's when the </i>print edition<i> sank, but the web version stayed afloat for a while]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thousands of wind turbines are already spinning across the country, but developers see <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">greater potential offshore because of more powerful sustained winds</span></b>, the proximity to large coastal cities thirsty for electricity and the space for vast activity.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>White's company is a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> subsidiary of </span></b>the Spanish energy company Iberdrola. Its partner is Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners out of Denmark. So far, European companies dominate these early efforts to bring offshore wind to the United States. Vineyard Wind's onshore substation will be built by a Swedish company, its cables by Italian and Belgian firms. General Electric will supply the turbines.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Developing the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">domestic supply chain and expertise to get</span></b> U.S. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wind farms up and running is</span></b> one of the <b><span style="color: red;">big obstacle</span></b>s ahead. When Dominion Energy in Virginia launched its two-turbine pilot 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, the only boats capable of doing the installation work were in Europe. Because of the project's small scale, it took three rounds of bidding to secure the parts and vessels needed, Dominion senior vice president Mark Mitchell recalled.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Even after a wind farm goes online, <b><span style="color: red;">much can go wrong</span></b>. That was why Piper and his men headed out last October aboard the Ram XV, a vessel that resembles a giant floating platform with 175-foot vertical legs. Its wind-energy niche is drilling and cabling work, and it was dispatched to the Rhode Island wind farm to help bury transmission cables that had become exposed by shifting sands.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[PFFFFFFFFFFT]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The liftboat left the dock in Dorchester, making its way down the Maurice River, into Delaware Bay and then up the New Jersey Coast before turning east. During the four-month assignment, several major storms hit, at times forcing the crew to shelter in the Block Island harbor, Piper recalled. Temperatures plummeted to minus-10 degrees at one point, freezing the boat's water-making machine. A<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> sewage line had to be thawed</span></b> with an acetylene torch. </i><i>"It was <b><span style="color: red;">brutal</span></b>," said David Morgan of Aries Marine, the oil services company that owns the boat. "Very, very difficult job. Right through the worst time of the year."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Those who <b><span style="color: red;">oppose</span></b> win<b><span style="color: red;">d</span></b> farms <span style="color: red;"><b>f</b></span><b><span style="color: red;">ind many reasons</span></b> to do so. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sight </span></b>of them <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can</span></b> be enough to <span style="color: red;"><b>sour </b></span>a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">waterfront homeowner's mood</span></b>, although the projects in the pipeline are slated for many miles offshore and so turbines will appear tiny, if not invisible, from land. </i><i>Environmentalists, who support moving away from fossil fuels to combat climate change, are torn. They worry about risks to birds, fish and marine mammals, particularly the North Atlantic right whale.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Only about 360 of the whales remain, migrating every fall from New England to as far south as Florida. Noise from underwater construction and increased boat traffic is the most serious threat posed by the new crop of wind farms, according to Mark Baumgartner, a marine ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute who uses buoys and underwater gliders to monitor right whale sounds.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Biden <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">administration</span></b>’s goals <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will face</span></b> the determined <b><span style="color: red;">resistance</span></b> of commercial fishermen, whose trawl nets and lobster pots ply the same stretches of ocean as several of the areas designated for future wind farms. This is no small business. New Bedford, Mass., with its scallop industry, has been the most lucrative fishing port in the country for the past two decades, taking in more than $430 million in 2018.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Wind farm developers have been negotiating extensively with fishermen, with Ørsted taking hundreds of meetings with them "to understand their concerns and try to adapt to work with their needs," Hardy said.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Vineyard Wind's developers have agreed to pay $37.7 million to commercial fishermen in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to compensate them for future losses. They also reduced the size of the project by 60 percent and agreed to place turbines one nautical mile apart.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"This is an unknown to them," White said of the fishermen, "and we've had them at the table, but there's still a lot of uncertainty."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[So go whichever way the wind blows?]</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/09/nation/biden-wants-move-energy-offshore-choppy-seas-are-ahead/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm told it’s crunch time and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/22/nation/its-crunch-time-bidens-climate-gambit-faces-steep-hurdles/">Biden’s climate gambit</a> (a device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, that is calculated to gain an advantage, typically associated with chess where a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of some compensating advantage) <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/22/nation/its-crunch-time-bidens-climate-gambit-faces-steep-hurdles/">faces steep hurdles despite it allegedly being a broadly popular idea</a> without any <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/us-announces-major-conservation-effort-offers-few-details/">details</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>That's the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/biden-takes-infrastructure-plan-south/">pitch</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/us-proposes-ending-rule-that-weakened-wild-bird-protections/">longstanding protections for wild birds would be restored under a proposal unveiled Thursday to bring back prosecutions of avian deaths by industry that were ended under former president Donald Trump</a> as Biden has sought to dismantle a Trump policy that ended criminal enforcement against companies over bird deaths that could have been prevented. <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/06/nation/us-proposes-ending-rule-that-weakened-wild-bird-protections/">Hundreds of millions of birds die annually in collisions with electrical lines and wind turbines, after landing in oil pits and from other industrial causes, according to government officials and researchers. The prohibition against accidental bird deaths was used most notably in a $100 million settlement by energy company BP, after government investigators concluded the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill killed about 100,000 birds</a>.</b></i></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Amazing how that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/07/metro/today-history/">unprecedented disaster</a> under the Obama/Biden regime has sunk to the bottom of the pre$$ sea of slick propaganda, 'eh?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Now go worry about <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/01/nation/adam-kolton-who-helped-fend-off-development-alaskas-wild-places-dies-52/">melting glaciers</a>.</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><i><b>Here is a tall glass of water for you</b>:</i></div><div><br /></div><div>"More communities are finding toxic chemicals in their drinking water" by David Abel Globe Staff, May 23, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>In Wayland, local officials had been distributing cases of bottled water to 1,400 households a week — nearly a third of the suburb’s residents — and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">may have to seek a new water source</span></b> that could cost more than <b><span style="color: red;">twice</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">the town</span></b>’s annual <b><span style="color: red;">budget</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Facing similar contamination in their drinking water, Natick officials <b><span style="color: red;">plan to spend millions </span></b>of dollars on a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">high-tech filtration</span></b> system. In Wellesley, after shutting down the primary well that provided water to half their residents, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">officials are contemplating strict water-use limits</span></b> for the first time.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">definitely concerned</span></b>,” said David Cohen, Wellesley’s public works director. “We’ll take all the steps we need to to address this.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Welcome to the planned communi$t takeover because this is how it is done.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The WEF-sponsored cyberattack will crash the economy as well as shut of the power, with food and water shortages resulting.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Oddly enough, as the state hollered drought the skies opened up this spring. He does indeed work in mysterious ways]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Since Massachusetts <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enacted new safety regulation</span></b>s last fall, more communities have <b><span style="color: red;">found elevated levels of toxic chemicals</span></b> known as PFAS in their drinking water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Results are now available from half of those public water sources required to start testing — those that supply more than 10,000 people. Of them, 20 percent have reported concentrations above what state regulations allow.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[I need to stop here and bring something to your attention before continuing. The ‘<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/08/metro/forever-chemicals-pervade-drinking-water-sources-cape-cod-study-finds/">forever chemicals</a>’ pervading the drinking water are directly related to the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/01/metro/toxic-forever-chemicals-found-pesticide-used-millions-mass-acres-when-spraying-mosquitos/">pesticide used on millions of Mass. acres when spraying for mosquitoes</a>.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>Let that sink in for a moment. The GOVERNMENT POISONED THE WATER then TIGHTENED the STANDARDS so they could <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2019/08/spring-hill-runs-dry.html">declare it undrinkable</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>This is the same government pushing <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2020/07/novavaxs-vaccine-will-turn-us-into.html">genocidal gene therapy</a> upon you for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/novavax-says-its-vaccine-is-highly-effective-against-covid-19/">your own protection</a>, blah, blah, blah, and now, once again, they are poisoning and killing you for your own good out of a <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/01/staying-calm-and-cooling-down.html">public health concern</a>.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The only words one can use to describe it is CRIMINALLY EVIL!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many, including Easton, Holbrook, and Randolph, are continuing to deliver the water, despite a growing body of research that links PFAS exposure to health risks. Known as “forever chemicals” because they never fully break down in the environment, polyfluoroalkyl substances have long been used in everything from non-stick pans to water-repellant clothing. They have been <b><span style="color: red;">linked to cancer</span></b>, compromised immune systems, <b><span style="color: red;">and a range of diseases</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Diagnosed as CVD now, no doubt.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>With all due respect, this is MUCH MORE of a DANGER than the ESOTERIC and INVISIBLE climate change crap and it doesn't get nearly as much attention from the pre$$. Yeah, they write a couple of articles and then turn off the faucet]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Last fall, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state officials implemented</span></b> some of the nation’s most<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> stringent rule</span></b>s, which require public water systems to test for six of the more common chemicals. If their concentrations exceed more than 20 parts per trillion — the equivalent of about 20 grains of sand in an Olympic-size swimming pool — water providers must alert their users and reduce the concentrations as soon as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>The number of communities in Massachusetts — and beyond — with elevated levels of PFAS has increased the concerns of scientists.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some assert that the chemicals are <b><span style="color: red;">so toxic</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">no</span></b> quan<b><span style="color: red;">t</span></b>ity is<b><span style="color: red;"> safe </span></b>in drinking water.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Never mind all the crap in the gene-therapy injection.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's the other thing. Everything in the pre$$ is usually some sort of limited hangout for ulterior motives. Here, the goal is for the state to take control of the water, thus the people, and provides a possible cover for what is really being dumped on us.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Remember, colony collapse amongst the bees is due to pesticides, not GMOs. You need to see what ISN'</i></b><b><i>T THERE when you read the pre$$]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">study</span></b> in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">estimated </span></b>that as many as 80 million Americans <b><span style="color: red;">could be exposed</span></b> to more than <b><span style="color: red;">10 parts per trillion</span></b> of just two of the chemicals in their drinking water. Scientists and environmental <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">advocates are urging federal and state regulators to do more to protect the public</span></b>, noting that there are no federal rules regulating PFAS and arguing the state’s standards should be more stringent.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It is extremely concerning to see such a potent and persistent class of toxicants that are pervasive in drinking water remain unregulated at the federal level,” said Elsie Sunderland, a professor of environmental chemistry at Harvard University.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kyla Bennett, a former scientist at the US Environmental Protection Agency, noted that Massachusetts requires testing for just six of more than 9,000 known PFAS, some of which were recently <b><span style="color: red;">detected in breast milk</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Just like the injections, and these are the same monsters pushing the Great Reset agenda and the genocidal jabs -- all to protect us!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“We are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">only measuring a tiny fraction of potential contamination</span></b>,” said Bennett, who now serves as director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility in New England, an advocacy group. “While Massachusetts has one of the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> strict</span></b>est PFAS <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">limit</span></b>s in the country, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is still not protective of human health</span></b>. Scientists have yet to find a safe PFAS.”</div><div><br /></div><div>As of mid-May, of 242 public water sources in Massachusetts that had reported test results, 50 had concentrations of PFAS that exceeded state rules. More than 1,000 smaller public <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">water sources will be required to start testing later this year</span></b> or next year.</div><div><br /></div><div>State environmental<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> officials say they’re constantly reevaluating their standards but have no plans to change the rules to make</span></b> them <b><span style="color: red;">more stringent or ban the chemicals</span></b> in specific products, as have several states. Last week, Vermont became the first state to ban PFAS in ski wax, carpets, and after-market treatments to carpets. It also joined several others in prohibiting the chemicals in food packaging.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Massachusetts is aggressively addressing PFAS,” said Martin Suuberg, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection. “We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will continue to</span></b> work with communities and water suppliers to find these contaminants and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ensure that all residents have safe water</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They are the ones who made it unsafe!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The state is <b><span style="color: red;">allocating $2 m</span></b>illion <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to help</span></b> water systems with elevated PFAS levels, he said. Communities can use the money on short-term measures,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> such as providing bottled water </span></b>or renting temporary filters. The state had previously set aside more than $28 million to help communities test for PFAS and improve their water systems.</div><div><br /></div><div>“PFAS contamination poses a<b><span style="color: red;"> significant risk</span></b> to<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> public health, so</span></b> it is imperative that public water suppliers address elevated PFAS levels in a timely manner,” Kathleen Theoharides, the state’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said in a statement.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[These people are un-f**king- believable!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The open their mouths and the lies spill forth]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>While most suppliers have found ways to reduce their PFAS levels — either by blending contaminated wells with others that have lower concentrations of the chemicals or by connecting to alternate sources — at least 21 have had <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no choice but to continue delivering</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">contaminated water</span></b> to residents, state officials said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Among the communities still delivering water with elevated PFAS levels are Acton, Ayer, Dudley, Easton, Holbrook, Natick, Randolph, and Wayland.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re in non-compliance,” said Louise Miller, town administrator of Wayland, which provides water to about 14,000 residents. “We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need to provide another source of water</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How about desalination? </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>What to do with all the soil-destroying salt is another matter, but keep whacking the carbon mole]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>With repeated tests this year showing their wells exceeding the state limit, and <b><span style="color: red;">no other viable option</span></b>s in the near term, the town has been spending $20,000 a week to<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> provide</span></b> thousands of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">residents with bottled water</span></b> — a significant cost for a community with an annual budget of $4 million. The town recently switched from giving out bottled water to a rebate program for residents.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">permanent solution</span></b>, the town is debating whether to buy a special filter that would likely cost millions of dollars or connect to pipes from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which could cost Wayland as much as $10 million, Miller said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like others, she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">worries what will happen if the federal government imposes more stringent regulations</span></b> or the state stiffens its rules. It’s unclear whether they would have to spend more to ensure they remain in compliance.</div><div><br /></div><div>“To impose all of it on ratepayers at the local level seems <b><span style="color: red;">unfair and really burdensome</span></b>,” she said. “I think both the federal and state government should look at spending more on specific water infrastructure. We’re talking about a <b><span style="color: red;">lot of money</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Stolen elections do indeed have con$equences. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>ENJOY the THIR$T!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Natick, officials had to shut down their largest well, which pumped as much as 5 million gallons a day to many of the town’s 36,000 residents. They’re now planning to spend at least $3 million on a carbon filtration system.</div><div><br /></div><div>In recent weeks, as more people learn that their water had elevated levels of PFAS, town officials have been receiving more calls.</div><div><br /></div><div>“They want to know how detrimental it is to their health,” said Bob Rooney, Natick’s interim town administrator. “People are <b><span style="color: red;">really concerned</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">all we can do is direct them to</span></b> places where there’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more info</span></b>rmation.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/science/more-communities-are-finding-toxic-chemicals-their-drinking-water/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>At least it still makes the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/15/marijuana/paul-pierce-launch-truth-marijuana-brand-massachusetts/">grass grow</a>, and the f</b><b>irst ad said <a href="https://rockandrolldenim.com/striped-sleeveless-duster-b5v5148/?sku=B5V5148-65-L&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI74Od2KP28AIVY7OzCh0sGQwzEAEYASABEgLcjPD_BwE">price drop</a> $o..... </b></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>"As contaminated water concerns grow, Massachusetts towns urge the state to stop spraying pesticides in their communities" by David Abel Globe Staff, May 31, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>After announcing that the town’s water supply contained elevated levels of the toxic chemicals known as PFAS, selectmen at a recent virtual meeting in Pepperell turned to another thorny subject: Should the town try to opt out of state-mandated aerial and roadside spraying of pesticides?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Mine did, thankfully]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The issues, in significant ways, were connected.</div><div><br /></div><div>To <b><span style="color: red;">reduce the spread of</span></b> eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-borne <b><span style="color: red;">diseases</span></b>, the state has sprayed millions of acres in recent years with a pesticide found to contain significant amounts of PFAS. The PFAS leached into the pesticide from its packaging.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Not only is this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">bad for human health and the environment</span></b>, for the long-term effects it causes, but [the pesticides] can also pose an immediate danger to vulnerable populations, including children with chronic health problems,” Renee D’Argento, chair of Pepperell’s Board of Health, told selectmen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon afterward, selectmen in this town along the New Hampshire border voted to make Pepperell one of at least 13 municipalities in Massachusetts to take advantage of a new law that allows communities to request the state’s permission to forgo pesticide spraying.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years, <b><span style="color: red;">residents</span></b> throughout the state <b><span style="color: red;">have complained about the potential health risk</span></b>s of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">widespread spraying of pesticides</span></b>, especially from the air, and their concerns have only intensified as more communities have found elevated levels of PFAS in their drinking water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Environmental advocates fear the broad dispersal of the pesticide, and the large amounts used over the years, may have resulted in the chemicals leaching into groundwater.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I have yet to be convinced that <b><span style="color: red;">blanket</span></b>ing the state with <b><span style="color: red;">pesticides</span></b> is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">good public health strategy</span></b>,” said Julia Blatt, executive director of Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. “It seems <b><span style="color: red;">crazy</span></b> to me that we’re asking water suppliers to spend millions of dollars to remove PFAS from public water supplies to make them safe, while continuing to spread pesticides, some of which we know contain PFAS.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[No, it is CRIMINAL!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Last summer, a year after <b><span style="color: red;">six people died</span></b> from EEE, the state’s deadliest outbreak since the 1950s, Governor Charlie Baker signed a law that gave state regulators new powers to fight mosquito-borne diseases.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They are blanketing us with who knows what because SIX PEOPLE DIED?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>They make a mountain out of a molehill and then use it to poison the water!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>For the first time, state officials could “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">engage</span></b> in preventive, management, and eradication methods” in any municipality — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">without permission from local officials</span></b>. Previously, the state could only spray pesticides from the air without local authorization if the governor declared a public health emergency.</div><div><br /></div><div>Under pressure from environmental advocates who have long raised concerns about the ecological dangers of pesticide spraying, lawmakers added a provision that allows communities to seek exemptions from spraying, but the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state can reject their requests</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[And they call it a self-governing democracy!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>“Any application will be reviewed with consideration of historical arbovirus risk, the impact of the opt-out application regionally, and the implementation of an alternative mosquito management plan,” said Craig Gilvarg, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Arboviruses include mosquito-borne diseases.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alternative management plans “must contain a detailed public outreach and education component,” he said. That includes alerting residents to the risks of mosquito-borne diseases in the summer and if such disease is detected; reminding them to use insect repellent and dump standing water around their homes; and advising those who are vulnerable, such as the young and infirm, to avoid outdoor activity between dusk and dawn, but the state <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">didn’t give municipalities much time to decide</span></b>, notifying them in March that they had to vote on the matter and submit an alternative plan by this month. The state, facing complaints, extended the deadline by two weeks to Friday.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There was physically no way [some] could have scheduled the necessary votes, written the opt-out application, and voted by the deadline,” said Kyla Bennett, director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility in New England, an advocacy group.</div><div><br /></div><div>Environmental <b><span style="color: red;">activists who oppose the widespread use of pesticides</span></b>, which they contend is not only harmful to people and animals but also ineffective, have been prodding municipalities to opt out. </div><div><br /></div><div>The communities that have sought permission to forgo spraying are mainly in Western Massachusetts. Joining Pepperell are Ashby, Erving, Gill, Gloucester, Greenfield, Harvard, Montague, Orange, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Wendell, and Whately.</div><div><br /></div><div>At least eight others were considering asking for a waiver, Bennett said, while another four voted against opting out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Officials in Halifax, which <b><span style="color: red;">rejected</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">proposal to opt out</span></b>, said a <b><span style="color: red;">resident</span></b> had <b><span style="color: red;">died several years ago</span></b> of EEE, which has been most prevalent in the surrounding communities of Southeastern Massachusetts. In 2019, six of the 12 people who contracted the disease died.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There’s a huge amount of swampland here, and we’re a <span style="color: red;"><b>hotbed for</b></span> West Nile <b><span style="color: red;">virus</span></b> and EEE,“ said Charlie Seelig, town administrator of Halifax. “The board felt that the dangers from mosquitoes and the <b><span style="color: red;">diseases</span></b> that they carry were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">enough of a concern to be more important than</span></b> any <span style="color: red;"><b>potential downside</b></span> from the program,” <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> environmental advocates and officials in other towns said they are more concerned about the risks of spraying than mosquito-borne <b><span style="color: red;">diseases</span></b>, which<b><span style="color: red;"> remain rare</span></b> in Massachusetts <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> are likely to become <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more prevalent as a result of climate change</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>[PFFFFFT!</b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>It's not worth POISONING the WATER, you MONSTERS!]</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>They noted that the primary pesticide the state has used to spray, Anvil 10+10, was found last year to have PFAS concentrations that exceed the amount the state allows in drinking water. The so-called “<b><span style="color: red;">forever chemicals</span></b>,” which never fully degrade in the environment, have been<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> found in other consumer products</span></b>, such as non-stick pans, furniture, and food packaging. Scientists have linked the chemicals to cancer, compromised immune systems, and a range of diseases.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They didn't care about it when it came to the con$umeri$m they pu$hed for so long.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Nw go get the kill shot so you are protected, blah, blah, blah</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The BS runneth over like a waterfall]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The state has been reviewing whether to continue using Anvil, after state and federal regulators confirmed that PFAS in the packaging leached into the pesticide. Officials said they would decide whether to use Anvil — which they found didn’t contain the toxic chemicals when it came in new packaging — or other pesticides before spraying resumes this summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Montague, local officials said their <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">decision to opt out </span></b>was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">based on</span></b> advice from their Board of Health, Conservation Commission, and <b><span style="color: red;">concerned residents</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Montague is not the type of community to allow unproven pesticides to pollute our drinking water and pristine wetlands,” said Walter Ramsey, the town planner.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Gloucester, there were other concerns, especially from the lobster industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Patti Page, an outspoken resident who works for a local lobster business, noted that mosquitoes and lobsters are both arthropods and vulnerable to the same threats.</div><div><br /></div><div>“What <b><span style="color: red;">kill</span></b>s a <b><span style="color: red;">mosquito kill</span></b>s <b><span style="color: red;">lobster</span></b>s just as effectively,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Aaaaah, a roundabout way to destroy the food supply as well!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Before the new law took effect, she noted, Gloucester didn’t allow spraying and has seen no reason to change.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">took away</span></b> all<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> local control</span></b>,” she said. “This was <b><span style="color: red;">very concerning </span></b>to me.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[But this is Ma$$achu$etts, the best state in the whole world!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/31/business/contaminated-water-concerns-grow-massachusetts-towns-urge-state-stop-spraying-pesticides-their-communities/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><i>Believe it or not, the problem doesn't end if they stop dumping poison on us:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Thousands of homes in Massachusetts still have lead water pipes, and many residents don’t know" by David Abel Globe Staff, April 29, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>For much of the past three years, they <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lived in fear of</span></b> their <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">water</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>After buying a home in Chelsea, Nathan Seavey and his wife learned their water <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pipes</span></b> were <b><span style="color: red;">lined with lead</span></b>, and replacing them would cost thousands of dollars. Even though they had a newborn, they resigned themselves to live with it, filtering whatever they drank and relying on the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">city</span></b>’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">assurance</span></b>s that their water was<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> safe</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[You thought it was only <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-child-of-gaza.html">Flint</a> and <a href="https://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2019/08/spring-hill-runs-dry.html">Newark</a>, but no!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Now take a big gulp and go fight climate change!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the <b><span style="color: red;">grave dangers of lead</span></b>, which <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can cause lifelong health problems</span></b>, especially for children, there are as many as 10 million lead service lines in the United States, with an estimated 220,000 in Massachusetts, according to state and federal environmental officials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">years after public health officials determined</span></b> that <b><span style="color: red;">no amount of lead in the blood is safe</span></b>, President Biden has proposed eliminating the nation’s remaining lead pipes, calling them a “clear and present danger to our children’s health” during his address to Congress this week.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Once again, an Obam/Biden regime scandal that swirled down the pre$$ drain after I was told managing water is the government’s <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2018/01/18/warming-water-crisis-then-unrest-how-iran-fits-alarming-pattern/myJoUmU7hSeLTYLcQ9mT4M/story.html">most important policy challenge</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Look, I know <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2016/05/04/obama-tells-flint-residents-got-your-back/knwPxNHua7WteHjiSkWz8H/story.html">he ate lead as child</a> (explains a lot, really) because he said, with a chuckle, that ‘‘I'm sure when I was 2 years old I was somewhere eating a paint chip, and they will be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2016/05/04/obama-tells-flint-residents-got-your-back/knwPxNHua7WteHjiSkWz8H/story.html">fine . . . as long as we’re looking after them</a>’’ as he encouraged parents to get medical checkups for their children.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The damage from lead poisoning is irreversible, jerk, and don't you miss him?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to replacing service lines to millions of homes, the president’s $45 billion plan would reduce lead exposure in some 400,000 schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s just plain wrong that in the United States of America today, millions of children still receive their water through lead service pipes,” Biden wrote on Twitter last month. “It’s long past time we fix that.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[This from the guy who wants to get a gene therapy injection that they don't need it to them.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>He is without a doubt one of the scummiest creatures to come along in a long time]</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>As the <b><span style="color: red;">dangers of lead exposure</span></b> became <b><span style="color: red;">clear</span></b>, Congress banned its use in house paint in 1978. Eight years later, lawmakers banned lead — a malleable, leak-resistant metal — in newly installed plumbing systems,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> officials allowed <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">existing lead lines to remain, with the prevailing view that slight changes in the chemistry of drinking water and lubricants would prevent the pipes from corroding</span></b>. The limits of that approach became tragically evident when officials in Michigan seven years ago failed to apply the necessary corrosion inhibitors to a new water source for Flint, exposing about 100,000 residents there to elevated lead levels.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[What were we drinking all those years?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Environmental Protection Agency is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">now reviewing regulations approved in the final days of </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> administration that would <b><span style="color: red;">reduce the percentage of lead pipes</span></b> that<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> public water systems must replace</span></b> every year, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> advocates and attorneys general from Massachusetts and eight other states have urged the EPA to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">make </span></b>the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> rules more stringent </span></b>by lowering the maximum concentrations of lead allowed before triggering a requirement that municipalities replace the pipes.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><i>[There <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/metro/years-investigators-have-sent-maura-healey-evidence-illegal-campaign-finance-activity-shes-never-prosecuted-any/">she</a> goes <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2019/10/31/healey-determined-effort-hold-exxonmobil-accountable/cPbFtjHEsYFFUC2Ukb6Z8M/story.html">again</a> with the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/08/metro/healey-sues-publicis-health-allegedly-deceptive-advertising-tactics-that-fueled-states-opioid-crisis/">political grandstanding</a> while ignoring the corruption in the state. I gue$$ <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/25/metro/maura-healey-attacks-charlie-baker-contracts-with-mckinsey-wake-opioid-settlement-its-outrageous/">she</a> just doesn't have the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/01/business/maura-healey-finds-consumers-still-losing-millions-by-switching-electricity-suppliers/">energy</a> for everything, so the maybe the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/metro/possible-bid-governor-maura-healey-faces-criticism-young-progressive-activists/">possible bid for governor</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/31/metro/changing-guard-massachusettss-2022-election-cycle-could-be-primed-history-turnover/">changing of the guard</a> should be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/metro/his-murder-conviction-was-overturned-state-is-fighting-his-claim-compensation/">stayed for a while</a>]</i></b> </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated about 5.5 million people between 2015 and 2018 consumed excessive amounts of lead from public water systems.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">myopic</span></b>ally <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">focus</span></b>ed on the <b><span style="color: red;">risk</span></b>s<b><span style="color: red;"> from lead paint</span></b> and have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underestimated</span></b> the risks of <b><span style="color: red;">lead in water</span></b>,” said Tom Neltner, chemicals policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, a Washington-based advocacy group. “We were way too confident that corrosion control would solve the problem in water, but we now realize we’re vulnerable.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">full extent of lead pipes remains unknown</span></b>, given the lack of requirements for surveys. State environmental officials noted that many of the lead pipes in Massachusetts were installed nearly a century ago and acknowledged the limits of previous surveys.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the problem of replacing them has been that few municipalities cover the full cost. Most only pay for the section of pipe that runs from water mains to the curb, leaving the private portion to homeowners, at an average cost of about $5,000.</div><div><br /></div><div>In recent years, public water suppliers in Massachusetts have replaced more than 8,000 lead lines, costing about $40 million, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. In 2019, state officials launched an incentive program to replace private lines, and last year they used a federal grant to increase testing of drinking water at schools and child-care facilities.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Boston, which has been replacing lead lines with copper for decades, city officials have been scouring their records<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to identify</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">remain</span></b>ing lead pipes, an effort John Sullivan, chief engineer of the city’s Water and Sewer Commis<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">s</span></b>ion, called a “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">massive undertaking</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>[It's a “systemwide problem that must be fixed, but it shouldn’t be this way.”]</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/29/metro/thousands-homes-massachusetts-still-have-lead-water-pipes-many-residents-dont-know/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>How long before the plumbing is ripped out by the roots?</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/world/21-runners-dead-after-extreme-weather-hits-chinese-ultramarathon/">21 runners dead after extreme weather hits Chinese ultramarathon</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Came out of nowhere, huh?</i></b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Then there was the explosion halfway around the world in the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/world/lava-erupting-volcano-panics-city-congo/">Congo</a>:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/world/who-chief-concedes-slow-response-congo-sex-abuse-claims/">WHO chief concedes ‘slow’ response to Congo sex abuse claims</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><i>Was quickly covered by lava from the volcano.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><i><b>Here is what washed up on the shores of Sri Lanka:</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/world/burning-ship-covered-beautiful-beaches-plastic-snow-now-sri-lanka-faces-an-environmental-disaster/">Sri Lanka faces an environmental disaster</a></div><div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>That's going to be <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/nation/talks-bog-down-hopes-bipartisan-deals-bidens-priorities-dim/">tough to clean up</a>; however, it is now the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/nation/theres-new-definition-normal-weather/">new definition of ‘normal’ for weather</a>.</b></i></div></div></div></div></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><i>UPDATES:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/warming-fuels-disasters-relief-often-favors-white-people/">Relief often favors white people as warming fuels disasters</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Leave it to the New York Times to divide us over the most basic of small talk.</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>See ya' at <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/summer-camp-is-back-precautions-remain/">camp</a>:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/climate/biden-fema-disasters.html"><b>The Biden administration said it would spend $1 billion to help communities prepare for worsening disasters, the latest sign of the toll that climate change is already taking across the United States. The change will double the current size of a Federal Emergency Management Agency program</b></a> that gives money to state and local governments to reduce their vulnerability before a disaster happens — for example, building sea walls, elevating or relocating flood-prone homes. The new money is less than what some disaster experts had said is needed, especially because the warming planet is making storms, flooding, wildfires and other disasters both more frequent and destructive. The formula that determines funding would have allowed the administration to put as much as $3.7 billion toward the program, which FEMA officials considered in the early days of Biden’s administration, but cities and states might struggle to spend that much money on climate resilience projects, according to Craig Fugate, who led FEMA under President Barack Obama and led President Biden’s transition team. “It’s a good start,” Fugate said of the new money announced Monday....."</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/opinion/biden-should-impose-carbon-fee-immediately/">Biden should impose a carbon fee immediately</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That'$ what it i$ all about, and that is when I got out of the water.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-79103175696877164272021-06-15T04:54:00.005-07:002021-06-15T08:25:14.833-07:00It All Boils Down to COVID<div>"Netflix’s subscriber growth, stock zapped as pandemic eases" by Michael Liedtke Associated Press, April 21, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>SAN RAMON, Calif. — Netflix’s pandemic-fueled subscriber growth is slowing far faster than anticipated as people who have been cooped at home are able to get out and do other things again.</div><div><br /></div><div>The video-streaming service added 4 million more worldwide subscribers from January through March, its smallest gain during that three-month period in four years.</div><div><br /></div><div>The performance reported Tuesday was about 2 million fewer subscribers than both management and analysts had predicted that Netflix would add during the first quarter.</div><div><br /></div><div>It marked a huge comedown from the same time last year when Netflix added nearly 16 million subscribers. That came just as governments around the world imposed lockdowns that created a huge captive audience for the leading video-streaming service.</div><div><br /></div><div>The inevitable slowdown in subscriber growth had been widely telegraphed by Netflix’s management in repeated reminders that its gains were a pandemic-driven anomaly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that a large swath of the US population has been vaccinated, people are able to move around more freely and are finding other diversions besides watching TV series and movies on Netflix.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It all boils down to COVID,” Spencer Neumann, Netflix’s chief financial officer, said Tuesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>The big question is how big this year’s decline will be from last year’s full-year increase of 37 million worldwide subscribers — by far the biggest since Netflix expanded its DVD-by-rental service into video streaming 14 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third Bridge analyst Scott Kessler speculated this year’s sluggish start may pressure Netflix management to make changes in its pricing or fine-tune its strategy to help boost its growth from one quarter to the next. “Or will the company continue to focus on the longer term?” Kessler wondered.</div><div><br /></div><div>Netflix management sought to reassure investors in a letter that predicted subscriber growth would improve during the second half of the year as more TV series and movies that had to be delayed during the pandemic are finished and released, but what happened during the first quarter signals Netflix may be headed toward a lackluster year. The last time Netflix started a year with a lower gain — 5.3 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2017 — the service ended up with an annual increase of 21.6 million subscribers.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Netflix management doesn’t make annual growth projections, maintaining that it’s difficult enough to predict how many subscribers its service will add from one quarter to the next. </i><i>Besides no longer benefiting from people being stuck at home most of the time, Netflix is also facing more competition than ever from a wide range of video-streaming services from major companies such as Disney, Apple, and HBO.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Netflix, though, remains far ahead of the rest of the pack, with nearly 208 million worldwide subscribers. It also benefits from an award-winning lineup of shows that include still-popular series such as “Stranger Things,” “The Crown,” and “Ozark,” with more potential hits always brewing in a video factory that plans to spend $17 billion on programming this year alone.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Both Hastings and Neumann downplayed the impact of tougher competition in their comments Tuesday.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>“There is this big runway of growth if we stay focused and keep getting better,” Neumann said.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>A large portion of Netflix’s programming has been been financed by debt, but the company no longer expects to have to borrow to foot those bills. What’s more, Netflix is now bringing in more cash than it is burning, something it has rarely done.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>After posting a positive cash flow of $1.9 billion last year, Netflix expects to break even this year......</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/21/business/netflixs-subscriber-growth-stock-zapped-pandemic-eases/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I don't $ub$cribe to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/04/arts/new-netflix-documentary-becoming-michelle-obama-is-front-center/">Netflix</a> and am not interested in the <a href="https://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/netflixs-cuties-is-about-normalizing-the-sexualization-of-children-and-nothing-else/">pedophile filth they promote</a>, sorry.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Related:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/lifestyle/youre-your-own-up-there-rise-air-rage-era-covid/">The rise of air rage in the era of COVID</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/28/business/tsa-wanted-6000-new-officers-by-summer-most-positions-are-unfilled-airlines-expect-passenger-surge/">TSA</a> will have to start roughing them up, and they shouldn't be going on a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/13/business/boeing-says-faa-has-approved-new-fix-737-max/">plane</a> anyway.</i></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/ge-safran-team-up-design-jet-engine-that-could-cut-fuel-consumption-by-20/"><b>General Electric and Safran are teaming up to develop technologies for a new generation of jet engines, seeking a breakthrough that would cut fuel consumption by more than 20 percent and potentially power single-aisle planes by the middle of next decade. The demonstration program will focus on a so-called open fan architecture, in which the engine’s blades operate without a traditional casing, as well as other techniques to boost efficiency. The longtime joint-venture partners in CFM International Inc. will also pursue hybrid-electric technology and make the engine fully compatible with sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen</b></a>. The GE-Safran effort offers the clearest signal yet of how global aerospace giants will seek to shrink their carbon footprints. Boeing and Airbus are under mounting pressure as governments crack down on carbon emissions that spur climate change. Much of that task will fall on engine manufacturers such as GE, Rolls-Royce, and Raytheon Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney unit. Boston-based GE’s stock fell 1.6 percent. The partners also extended their joint venture to 2050. The new project with GE comes after work by Paris-based Safran on “open-rotor” engines, an approach that breaks with the turbofan design because the propeller blades operate without a surrounding casing, or nacelle. Boeing and Airbus have often timed all-new aircraft to engine technology that provides a step-change in efficiency....."</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-out-of-gas.html">May Flower: Out of Gas</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>We are now told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-fbi-got-colonial-pipelines-ransom-money-back-11623403981">FBI got all the ran$omware extortion back</a>, making the entire tale even more brazen in terms of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/fbi-controlled-an0m-app-ensnares-scores-alleged-criminals-global-police-sting/">actual perps</a>, and now that you are back on land</b>:</i></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/santosh-thomas-lead-virtusa/"><b>The president of General Motors says his company plans to announce more US battery factories later this week. Mark Reuss gave no details of where the factories would be located or exactly what they would manufacture. Company spokesman Jim Cain wouldn’t comment Monday on the announcements, but noted GM previously stated it would build more factories to add battery capacity as electric vehicles grow in sales</b></a>. GM has set a goal to stop selling internal-combustion passenger vehicles by 2035. The factories would be in addition to two battery cell plants that the company announced in the past two years, both geared to ramp up production as GM rolls out 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025, with more than two-thirds sold in North America."</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><i><b>Related</b>: </i></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/santosh-thomas-lead-virtusa/"><b>The top two executives at Lordstown Motors have resigned as problems at the Ohio electric truck startup mount. CEO Steve Burns and chief financial officer Julio Rodriguez stepped down, the company said early Monday, sending shares already down 40 percent this year tumbling more than 18 percent. The departures come less than a week after Lordstown cautioned that it may not be in business a year from now as it struggles to secure funding to begin full production</b></a>. In a quarterly regulatory filing, the company said that the $587 million it had on hand as of March 31 isn’t enough to begin commercial production of its full-sized electric pickup, called the Endurance, at a former General Motors plant in Ohio near Youngstown."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>They have already secured positions at <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/business/santosh-thomas-lead-virtusa/">Bank of America</a> so you can now breathe as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/14/nation/senate-democrats-republicans-prepare-sell-nearly-1-trillion-infrastructure-deal-white-house/">bipartisan negotiations continue and work proceeds to advance a flurry of bills to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, pipes, ports, and Internet connections</a>.</i></b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-68587662315462388242021-06-14T08:33:00.003-07:002021-06-15T05:32:57.316-07:00May Flower: Out of Gas<div><i><b>Maybe they can start burning <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-dog-shit.html">dog $hit</a></b>:</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Nations must drop fossil fuels, fast, world energy body warns" by Brad Plumer New York Times, May 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Nations around the world would need to immediately stop approving new coal-fired power plants and new oil and gas fields and <b><span style="color: red;">quickly phase out gas</span></b>oline-<b><span style="color: red;">powered vehicles</span></b> if they want<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> to avert </span></b>the most <b><span style="color: red;">catastrophic effect</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">of climate change</span></b>, the world’s leading energy agency said Tuesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sweeping new report</span></b>, the International Energy Agency issued a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">detailed road map</span></b> of what it would take for the world’s nations to slash carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050. That would very likely keep the average global temperature from increasing 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — the threshold beyond which scientists say the Earth faces irreversible damage.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[How much you want to get that it dovetails with <a href="https://alethonews.com/2021/06/12/meet-the-world-economic-forum/">this</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's to where all the agendas being pushed in my pre$$ lead back]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>While academics and environmentalists have made similar recommendations before, this is the first time the International Energy Agency has outlined ways to accomplish such drastic cuts in emissions.</div><div><br /></div><div>That’s significant, given the fact that the influential agency is not an environmental group but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">an international organization that advises world capitals</span></b> on energy policy. Formed after the oil crises of the 1970s, the agency’s reports and forecasts are frequently cited by energy companies and investors as a basis for long-term planning.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">huge shift in messaging</span></b> if they’re saying there’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no need to invest in new fossil fuel supply</span></b>,” said Kelly Trout, senior research analyst at Oil Change International, an environmental advocacy group.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The sheer magnitude of changes <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need</span></b>ed <b><span style="color: red;">to get to net-zero emissions</span></b> by 2050 is still not fully understood by many governments and investors,” Fatih Birol, the agency’s executive director, said in an interview.</div><div><br /></div><div>Net-zero emissions doesn’t mean countries would stop emitting carbon dioxide altogether. Instead, they would need to sharply reduce most of the carbon dioxide generated by power plants, factories and vehicles. Any emissions that could not be fully erased would be offset, such as by forests or artificial technologies that can pull carbon dioxide directly out of the atmosphere.</div><div><br /></div><div>To reach that goal of net zero worldwide by 2050, every nation would<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> need to move much faster </span></b>and more aggressively <b><span style="color: red;">away from fossil fuels</span></b> than they are currently doing, the report found.</div><div><br /></div><div>For instance, the annual pace of installations for solar panels and wind turbines worldwide would have to quadruple by 2030, the agency said. For the solar industry, that would mean building the equivalent of what is currently the world’s largest solar farm every day for the next decade.</div><div><br /></div><div>For now, the world remains off course. Last month, the agency warned that global carbon dioxide emissions were expected to rise at their second-fastest pace ever in 2021 as countries recovered from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic and global coal burning neared a high, led by a surge of industrial activity in Asia.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re seeing more governments around the world make net-zero pledges, which is very good news,” Birol said, “but there’s still a huge gap between the rhetoric and the reality.”</div><div><br /></div><div>President Biden has <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>made climate action a top priority</b></span> of his administration <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and is pushing for</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">aggressive pivot away from fossil fuels</span></b> at home and abroad, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> his own pledge to cut US greenhouse gases at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade faces significant political obstacles, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> at a virtual summit of 40 world leaders that Biden hosted last month, Japan, Canada, and Britain joined the European Union in committing to steeper cuts but China, India, and Russia did not.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Shut down the war machine, Joe]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>If the world’s governments want to change course quickly, the International Energy Agency has essentially offered a step-by-step guide for how they might do so. The agency sketched out one potential timetable:</div><div><br /></div><div>— This year, nations would stop approving new coal plants unless they are outfitted with carbon-capture technology to trap and bury their emissions underground. Nations would also stop approving the development of new oil and gas fields beyond those already committed.</div><div><br /></div><div>— By 2025, governments worldwide would start banning the sale of new oil and gas furnaces to heat buildings, shifting instead to cleaner electric heat pumps.</div><div><br /></div><div>— By 2030, electric vehicles would make up 60 percent of new car sales globally, up from just 5 percent today. By 2035, automakers would stop selling new gasoline- or diesel-fueled passenger vehicles. By 2050, virtually all cars on the roads worldwide would either run on batteries or hydrogen.</div><div><br /></div><div>— By 2035, the world’s advanced economies would zero-out emissions from power plants, shifting away from emitting coal and gas plants to technologies like wind, solar, nuclear, or carbon capture. By 2040, all of the world’s remaining coal-fired power plants would be closed or retrofitted with carbon-capture technology.</div><div><br /></div><div>— In 2035, more than half of new heavy trucks would be electric. By 2040, roughly half of all air travel worldwide would be fueled by cleaner alternatives to jet fuel, such as sustainable biofuels or hydrogen.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[The WEF playbook if I've ever seen one]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The American Petroleum Institute, an </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">oil and gas industry trade group, said </span></b><i>it </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">agreed with the goal</span></b><i> of a lower carbon future </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> <b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: red;">still</span></b> <i>saw </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: red;">a role </span></b><i>for oil and gas going forward. “Any pathway to net zero must include the continued use of natural gas and oil, which will remain crucial to displacing coal in developing nations and enabling renewable energy,” said Stephen Comstock, the institute’s vice president of corporate policy. </i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>[Good luck getting the financing from the bankers]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The International Energy Agency warned that an energy <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">transformation</span></b> on the scale <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">necessary would require “unprecedented” global cooperation</span></b>, with wealthier nations helping poorer countries that lack the technological expertise or investment capital <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to decarbon</span></b>ize.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[That means the end of all life because what do you think makes things grow?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>These psychopaths are sick and their pre$$ whores are pathetic]</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>China still has plans for dozens of new coal-fired power plants, although President Xi Jinping said his country would “strictly limit increasing coal consumption” in the next five years, and companies in the United States and Canada are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">still targeting new oil and gas fields for development</span></b>. </i><i>The unevenness in global action comes even as scientists warn that the damages from rising temperatures are already reverberating around the globe. A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">report</span></b> by the Environmental Protection Agency published last week<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> found</span></b> that in the United States, <b><span style="color: red;">wildfires are now starting earlier</span></b> in the year, <b><span style="color: red;">heat waves are more frequent</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">flooding</span></b> is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">more common</span></b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>[Just because they say it doesn't make it true, and the odds are the exact opposite is the truth]</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/world/nations-must-drop-fossil-fuels-fast-world-energy-body-warns/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/metro/car-pollution-killed-hundreds-mass-thousands-across-12-states-researchers-say/"><b>Ozone and fine particulate matter from vehicle emissions claimed approximately 7,100 lives in 12 states and Washington, D.C., in 2016, including about 620 in Massachusetts, a new study from Harvard and the University of North Carolina found</b></a>. The study, published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, was led by researchers from the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment, the Chan School said in a statement. The team, the statement said, reviewed 2016 data for ozone and particulate matter formed from on-road vehicle emissions, taken from the most recent national emissions inventory....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's enough to make you choke on the pollution of the propaganda pre$$, as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/nation/despite-pandemic-level-carbon-dioxide-atmosphere-hits-historic-levels/">fossil fuel burning is really at the heart of this. If we don't tackle fossil fuel burning, the problem is not going to go away</a>."</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>No, but time for you to go away as <a href="https://www.vixpaulahermanny.com/collections/green-snake-collection/products/green-snake-shaye-bikini">Giselle</a>(?) hits the <a href="https://www.vixpaulahermanny.com/pages/summer-2021-collection">beach</a>!</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>So whom, 'er, what to save, hmmmmm?</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"What to save? Climate change forces brutal choices at national parks" by Zoë Schlanger New York Times, May 18, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>For more than a century, the core mission of the National Park Service has been preserving the natural heritage of the United States, but now, as the planet warms, transforming ecosystems, the agency is conceding that its traditional goal of absolute conservation is no longer viable in many cases.</div><div><br /></div><div>Late last month the service published an 80-page document that lays out <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">new guidance for park managers in the era of climate change</span></b>. The document, along with two peer-reviewed papers, is essentially a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">tool kit for the new world</span></b>. It aims to help park ecologists and managers confront the fact that, increasingly, they must now actively choose what to save, what to shepherd through radical environmental transformation, and what will vanish forever.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concept of things going back</span></b> to some historical fixed condition is really just <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no longer tenable</span></b>,” said Patty Glick, a senior scientist for climate adaptation at the National Wildlife Federation and one of the lead authors of the document.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Just like with CVD, which is the cover for this $cam based on lies as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/its-hot-out-is-this-climate-change/">turn up the heat</a>]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The new research and guidance represent a kind of “reckoning” for the Park Service, Glick said.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a profession long tied to maintaining historical precedents, the <b><span style="color: red;">change is brutal</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">said</span></b> Gregor W. Schuurman, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">scientist with the climate change response program</span></b> at the Park Service who helped to write the new guidance.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s bargaining. Nobody wants to do this. We all got in this game, as the Park Service mission says, to ‘conserve unimpaired,’ ” Schuurman said, “but if you can’t do that in the way you thought, you have to see what you can do. There’s often more flexibility there than one imagines.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Schuurman, huh?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> team behind the report kept a low profile during</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> Trump</span></b> administration, when the Park Service was at the center of frequent political battles. In 2018, for example, managers tried to delete humanity’s role in climate change from a report on sea-level rise. The day before Joe Biden’s inauguration, they began publishing their papers, which were years in the making.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first one, titled “Resist, Accept, Direct,” aims to help park employees triage species and landscapes. In some cases, that will mean giving up long efforts to save them. The second outlines how to <b><span style="color: red;">assess risk</span></b>s when <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">relocating species</span></b>. That may be crucial to saving plants and animals that can no longer survive in their natural habitat.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[They mean people, too!]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Those two papers were the basis for the guidance published last month. On the very first page of that document, set over a photo of the charred Santa Monica Mountains after the 2018 Woolsey Fire, the authors state that “it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will not be possible to safeguard all </span></b>park resources, processes, assets, and values in their current form or context over the long term.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Decisions about what to protect are especially imminent for forests, where changes are leading some researchers to wonder if the age of North American woodlands is coming to an end.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the Southwest, for example, research suggests that, in the event of <b><span style="color: red;">wildfires</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">up</span></b> to <b><span style="color: red;">30 percent</span></b> of forest might never grow back because global warming favors shrubs or grasslands in their ranges. Joshua trees appear likely to lose all of their habitat in their namesake national park by the end of the century.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Sure <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/metro/forest-fire-berkshires-is-60-percent-contained/">looks like some sort of arson</a> to me, given that the blaze is the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/19/metro/new-england-news-brief/">state’s largest wildfire since April 1999 and broke out in an area that is difficult to reach</a> and spread quickly, due to “dry leaf litter and surface fuel combined with low humidity and steep terrain” so “stay clear for <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/19/metro/new-england-news-brief/">your own health and safety</a>.”]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">guidelines essentially ask</span></b> park <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">managers to think beyond resistance to change and begin considering transformation as the prevailing theme</span></b> to be greeted and managed. In some isolated cases, resisting ecological change might work for a while. In other cases, losses must be accepted, but just as often, there may be room to shepherd changes in a less calamitous direction.</div><div><br /></div><div>For example, some native tree species in Acadia National Park, Maine, are struggling to survive as temperatures warm. Invasive, brambly shrubs, brought to the United States as ornamental plants, are much better at adapting to the warmer temperatures than native species and are quickly moving in to take their place. The invasives produce leaves earlier in spring than native species, shading out any young tree that tries to emerge. And, as mild weather arrives earlier and earlier (the growing season has already lengthened by two months in coastal Maine over the last century and a half because of global warming), the brambles only get more successful and abundant.</div><div><br /></div><div>“They’re dense thickets and you can’t walk through them,” said Abraham Miller-Rushing, an ecologist and the science coordinator at Acadia National Park. They’re also a perfect habitat for ticks that can carry Lyme disease.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the past 30 years, the park has sent out teams of people to cut down and pull out the shrubs, but that won’t work for long. “The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">models show</span></b> that of the 10 most common tree species in the park, nine of them are predicted to lose habitat over the next 80 years, either declining a lot or disappearing entirely,” Miller-Rushing said. That includes red spruce, which make up 40 percent of the trees in the park. If those disappear, much of the forest floor would suddenly open to the invasive shrubs, which would fill the open space faster than any manual effort could stop them.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[Here we go again, basing decisions on inaccurate and wildly flawed, agenda-pushing models]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Right now, park managers are still finding new red spruce saplings around the park, which is a good sign, but that could change very quickly — much sooner than 80 years from now. “That decline could be rapid,” Miller-Rushing said. Red spruce is very sensitive to drought. “You could imagine a scenario where we get a drought combined with an insect pest or pathogen. That could knock back the spruce really quickly.”</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s already happened to the red pine. Almost every one of the species in the park has been wiped out over the past six years by a single invasive insect, the red pine scale.</div><div><br /></div><div>Acadia park managers are already using the Resist, Accept, Direct framework to decide what to do. Right now, they are considering selecting certain southerly tree species to hand-plant inside the park, in the hope that they will avoid a forest full of brambles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever action they take, in the coming decades, the park won’t look like the Acadia of the past. “When our forests change to hardwoods, or, God forbid, invasive shrub land, the postcards would look different then,” Miller-Rushing said.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/what-save-climate-change-forces-brutal-choices-national-parks/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/maine-ready-divest-fossil-fuels-activists-hope-domino-effect/">A new bill passed by Maine’s Legislature requiring the state to divest its pension investments and other funds from fossil fuel companies is being hailed by climate activists as a major milestone, fueling optimism that more states and influential institutions could follow</a>. Once a fledgling protest movement mostly confined to college campuses, the demand for climate-conscious investments has gained momentum and institutional support, with some state and local governments already reducing their investments. Maine is the first state to authorize divestiture....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>It's “beginning to look like there’s kind of a groundswell,” and it is a “snowball effect that is accumulating speed and size as it’s rolling down the hill” as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/maine-ready-divest-fossil-fuels-activists-hope-domino-effect/">advocates say divesting from fossil fuel companies is one of a number of critical steps that humans must take to combat climate change</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>If that means <a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2021/04/29/politics/fox-news-tucker-carlson-hammers-cmp-corridor-in-new-streaming-show/">cutting a swath through the forests</a>, God forbid, to provide <a href="https://www.nrcm.org/programs/climate/proposed-cmp-transmission-line-bad-deal-maine/">power to Massachusetts</a>, then the Globe isn't touching that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/16/business/controversial-maine-power-line-gets-final-federal-permit-suffers-setback-court/">controversy</a> as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/30/business/lawyers-clash-over-1b-hydropower-transmission-corridor/">let the courts sort it out</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/metro/artist-thomas-dambos-giant-troll-sculptures-come-life-coastal-maine-botanical-gardens/">t</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/metro/artist-thomas-dambos-giant-troll-sculptures-come-life-coastal-maine-botanical-gardens/">roll the woods of Maine</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/metro/maine-lawmakers-seek-limit-obscene-language-vanity-license-plates/">lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit offensive language on vanity license plates</a> because they “regularly receives complaints from motorists who are appalled.”</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><i>Also see:</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/mccarthy-opposes-jan-6-commission-because-it-would-not-study-political-violence-by-left/"><b>President Biden traveled to Michigan Tuesday to visit the factory where Ford will produce the first electric version of its signature F-150 pickup truck, seeking to harness the horsepower of an American icon as he continues to make the case for his $4 trillion economic agenda</b></a>. Biden’s remarks at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center centered on the hundreds of billions of dollars for domestic manufacturing, electric vehicle deployment, and research into emerging technologies like advanced batteries that are included in the first half of his two-part economic agenda. “My name is Joe Biden,” the president said at the start of his remarks, “and I’m a car guy.” In a state that helped deliver the White House to Biden last year, after going for Donald Trump in 2016, the president pitched the idea that a transition to electric vehicles can position the United States to beat out China in the global automotive market while creating high-paying union jobs. He did so flanked by trucks from the best-selling vehicle line in the country. “The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">future of the auto industry is electric</span></b>,” Biden said. “There’s no turning back. The American auto industry is at a crossroads, and the real question is whether we’ll lead or fall behind in the race to the future,” he said. Upon arrival in Michigan, Biden huddled for several minutes with Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat who has criticized Biden for siding too heavily with Israel in the ongoing conflict with Palestinians in Gaza. Biden singled her out in his remarks. “I admire your intellect, I admire your passion and I admire your concern for so many other people,” he said. “From my heart, I pray that your grandma and family are well. I promise you that I’m going to do everything to see that they are, on the West Bank.’' Biden made an unscheduled stop Ford’s test track, where he hopped into the new all-electric F-150 pickup truck and took a spin. “This sucker’s quick,” Biden said after pulling up in front of reporters accompanying him. “I’m just gonna step on it. I’ll come off at 80 miles per hour. Okay, here we go. Ready?”</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>How did he get <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/gm-expects-big-2021-profit-says-its-managing-chip-shortage/">there</a> (not on a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-g-7.html">bike</a> I <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/peloton-strikes-deal-recall-treadmills-tied-one-death-many-injuries/">pre$ume</a>), and what was the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/mccarthy-opposes-jan-6-commission-because-it-would-not-study-political-violence-by-left/">hypocritical carbon footprint</a> on that?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Someone should <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/nation/biden-moves-improve-legal-services-low-income-americans/">sue the guy</a> and there is no going back to ‘<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/19/opinion/massachusetts-doesnt-need-raise-taxes/">Taxachusetts</a>.’</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/business/hydrogen-trucks-semis.html">Carmakers have been promising to scrap the internal combustion engine, and now it’s the truckmakers’ turn</a>, but the makers of giant 18-wheelers are taking a different route. Daimler, the world’s largest maker of heavy trucks, whose Freightliners are a familiar sight on American interstates, said last week that it would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">convert to zero-emission vehicles within 15 years at the latest</span></b>, providing <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">another example of how the shift to electric power is reshaping vehicle manufacturing with significant implications</span></b> for the climate, economic growth and jobs. The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">journey away from fossil fuels will play out differently and take longer</span></b> in the trucking industry than it will for passenger cars. For one thing, zero emission long-haul trucks are not yet available in large numbers, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> different technology may be needed to power the electric motors. Batteries work well for delivery vehicles and other short-haul trucks, which are already on the roads in significant numbers, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> Daimler argues that battery power is not ideal for long-haul 18-wheelers, at least with current technology. The weight of the batteries alone subtracts too much from payload, an important consideration for cost-conscious trucking companies; <b><span style="color: red;">instead</span></b>, Daimler and some rivals are betting on fuel cells that generate electricity from hydrogen. Fuel cells produce no tailpipe emissions, and hydrogen fuel tanks can be refilled as fast as diesel tanks — a distinct advantage compared with batteries, which typically take at least twice as long to recharge. In April, Daimler began testing a prototype “GenH2” long-haul truck capable of going 600 miles between visits to the hydrogen pump, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> lots of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">work is needed to bring down the cost of the equipment and there is not yet a network of hydrogen fueling stations or an adequate supply of hydrogen produced in a way that does not cancel out</span></b> the environmental <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">benefit</span></b>s. Last week <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/business/hydrogen-trucks-semis.html">Daimler provided details of how it plans to solve these problems, with the goal of selling hydrogen-fueled long-haul trucks by 2027 that will be cheaper to buy and operate than diesel models</a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>PFFFFFFT!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Their $elf-$erving $olutiuons always make things <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/05/business/shaws-truck-drivers-return-work-after-strike-plan-resume-contract-negotiations-thursday/">worse</a>!</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Go green or go bipartisan? Biden’s big infrastructure choice" by Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Daly The Associated Press, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — President Biden’s <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-weight: bold;">hopes </span>of channeling billions of dollars into green infrastructure investments <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to fight climate change</span></b> are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">running into</span></b> the political <b><span style="color: red;">obstacle</span></b> of winning over Republican lawmakers who oppose that approach as unnecessary, excessive spending.</div><div><br /></div><div>As negotiations unfold in Congress in search of a bipartisan deal, the White House's ability to ensure a climate focus in Biden's sweeping infrastructure package is becoming daunting — so much so that key Democrats are warning the administration to quit negotiating with Republicans, calling it a waste of time that will produce no viable compromise.</div><div><br /></div><div>“From my perspective, no climate, no deal,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “I won’t just vote against an infrastructure package without climate action — I’ll fight against it.″</div><div><br /></div><div>The debate is similar to the political and policy differences complicating Biden’s broader talks over his ambitious infrastructure agenda, the sweeping $1.7 trillion American Jobs Plan making its way through Congress, as Democrats and Republicans argue over what, exactly, constitutes infrastructure and how much is needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The White House is holding firm to Biden's initial ideas, which tally nearly $1 trillion in climate-related investments that aim to bolster the electric vehicle market, make buildings and property more resilient to harsh weather patterns and push the country's electrical grid to become carbon-free by 2035.</div><div><br /></div><div>The president is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seeking a new</span></b>er <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">definition of infrastructure</span></b>, trying not only to patch up the nation’s roads and highways, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> also to rebuild its economy <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">with new kinds of investment</span></b>s for the 21st century. The Republicans prefer a more traditional approach that touches modestly on some climate-related elements <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> focuses more specifically on transportation and other typical developments.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Biden courts a new bipartisan group of 10 senators, who are eyeing a scaled-down proposal, leading Democrats are worried their party is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">losing an opportunity </span></b>with control of the House, Senate and White House to make gains on its climate change priorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The President has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">underscore</span></b>d that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">climate change </span></b>is one of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">defining crises</span></b> we face as a nation," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Friday, "and he and his team have continuously fought for leading on the clean energy economy and on clean energy jobs – which <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">is critical</span></b> for our economic growth, competitiveness, and middle class.”</div><div><br /></div><div>At a climate forum Friday, former Vice President Al Gore, who spoke to Biden last month, said: “I know he is committed to this issue. I know it very well because he knows and has said <b><span style="color: red;">inaction</span></b> is simply <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not an option</span></b>."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[I am so sick of the gaseous spew coming from the likes of him]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>For all the divisions, there <b><span style="color: red;">may be some common ground</span></b> between the White House and the Republicans, particularly with the GOP senators now engaged in bipartisan talks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a lead GOP negotiator, said he brought up flood resiliency and energy provisions that would benefit his state during a call with Biden on Tuesday. He was also seen engaged in a lengthy and somewhat animated conversation with Biden on the tarmac last month when the president visited Louisiana.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><i>[He is one of a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/senators-eye-579-billion-new-infrastructure-spending-1-trillion-plan/">bipartisan group of 10 senators that have been huddling behind closed doors</a> negotiating an infrastructure deal with Biden]</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Hailing from a coastal state familiar with the hazards of harsh weather, Cassidy supports a bipartisan bill to offer tax breaks to property owners that protect homes and businesses against natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods and drought, and another to support projects that ”capture” and store carbon dioxide produced by coal-fired plants and other fossil fuels. Louisiana has several sites <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vying to become a national hub for carbon capture</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senate Republican leader Mitch <b><span style="color: red;">McConnell has been largely silent</span></b> on the bipartisan effort, and other GOP leaders are cool to this latest negotiation, doubtful their five Republican colleagues will find a compromise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 in Republican leadership, told reporters, “The things you’re going to need to do to get Democratic votes, it'd be hard to get any Republicans.”</div><div><br /></div><div>With the Congress narrowly split, and the Senate evenly divided, 50-50, Biden would need support from at least 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold required to break a filibuster by opponents. The president is encouraging Democrats to also launch a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">parallel track using budget reconciliation rules</span></b> that would allow passage with 51 votes, achievable because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tiebreaking vote.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That's what dictatorships do]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Still, the White House and Republicans remain far apart on key details, including the overall scope of the package and how to pay for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden wants to hike the corporate tax rate, from 21% to 28%, which Republicans oppose as a red line they will not cross.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, the <b><span style="color: red;">emerging bipartisan proposal</span></b> from the 10 senators is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">expected to include </span></b>an <b><span style="color: red;">increase in</span></b> the federal <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">gas tax</span></b>, which consumers pay at the pump, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by linking it to inflation</span></b>. Biden rejects that approach because he refuses to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. The group also may tap unspent COVID-19 relief funds and go after unpaid income taxes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[That means when inflation soars, you will be priced out of the gas Biden doesn't want you to have anyway. Hmmm]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Jamal Raad, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group, said after months of negotiations that “it’s clear there will never be 10 votes from the GOP caucus” for major investments like those proposed by the White House.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the House, the Congressional Progressive Caucus' Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tweeted: “An infrastructure bill that doesn’t prioritize the climate crisis will not pass the House. Period,” and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a leading climate hawk, said he is “nervous” that Democrats may not be serious about addressing climate change in the infrastructure bill. “We are running out of time.’’</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden administration officials say they understand the concerns. White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said she and other officials “are going to fight like crazy” to make sure provisions, including a clean electricity standard, are included in the final bill.</div><div><br /></div><div>The standard calls for making the nation’s electricity sector carbon-free by 2035, a key aspect of Biden's goal of halving the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>[After what happened in <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-dark-winter-is-over.html">Texas</a> this past winter?]</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, said he and others are concerned about the extended effort to win over GOP votes they consider unlikely to succeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>From his home in California, he said he <b><span style="color: red;">sees the threat of wildfires and drought</span></b> fueled by climate change on a daily basis. “We are <b><span style="color: red;">in a dire moment</span></b>, and we don’t always have leadership that reflects that,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/go-green-or-go-bipartisan-bidens-big-infrastructure-choice/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Fortunately, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/business/us-is-awash-with-gasoline-lumpy-rebound-pandemic/">American oil refiners eager to boost gasoline production for the summer driving season are leaving the country awash with fuel at a time when the rebound in consumption is still uncertain. US gasoline stockpiles have jumped to the highest in three-months, while the ballooning supplies show how the path of recovery from the devastating impact the pandemic had on demand may be volatile for the next few months, even as the world’s top oil consumer opens up. “Refiners may have gotten ahead of themselves, given that these demand figures and draws are likely to continue to be lumpy, week over week, as the whole US opens up,” said Trisha Curtis, cofounder of PetroNerds LLC in Denver</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I mean, your <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">Kia is being recalled for a second time</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">customers are suing Tesla over price hikes</a> related to their roof product as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">Air France launches its first long-haul flight with sustainable fuel</a> that refueled in Montreal before continuing on to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/world/monets-gardens-are-reopening-picture-perfect-pandemic-tonic/">Japan</a> to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/ibm-says-new-microscopic-super-dense-chip-might-just-few-years-quadruple-your-cellphones-battery-life/">pick up</a> some <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/">chips</a>.</i></b></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>Just <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/ ">greasing you up</a> for the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/ ">rentals</a> is all as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/">Americans increased their borrowing to a record of $14.6 trillion in March, driven by home and auto loans, but the growth masked what Federal Reserve Bank of New York researchers called a “confounding” decline in credit-card balances during a quarter when retail sales soared and travel resumed</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I imagine that someday <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/">coal</a> will be like <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/real-estate-network-looks-new-boston-foothold/">gold</a> as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/mass-save-everybody/">e</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/mass-save-everybody/">nvironmental justice isn’t only about where power plants get built and which neighborhoods have enough trees or where power plants get built and which neighborhoods have enough trees. Sometimes, it’s about something smaller and less visible than that — about the people who are left out</a>, even when we’re making progress. </i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>That was yesterday's Exhibit A, and the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/opinion/qa-missing-piece-puzzle-manufacturing/">missing piece of the puzzle in manufacturing is the spending billions to boost high-tech industries</a> to prevent <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/opinion/big-oil-gets-clean-world-stays-dirty/">Big Oil from getting clean</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/lifestyle/tips-making-laundry-day-more-gentle-environment/">keeping the world dirty</a>. </i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's why the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/21/metro/controversial-weymouth-compressor-station-shuts-down-again-renewing-calls-its-demise/">gas pipeline in Weymouth</a> must be shut down, but it's okay to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/grants-bring-fun-activities-boston-beaches-this-summer/">go to the beaches this year</a>!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><b><i>I had intended to do a single post regarding the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/us/cyberattack-colonial-pipeline.html">c</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/us/cyberattack-colonial-pipeline.html">yberattack that forced a shutdown of a top U.S. pipeline</a>, but then the "<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/10/nation/fbi-names-pipeline-cyberattackers-company-promises-return/">authorities</a>" came out with this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/us/politics/dark-side-hack.html">laughable cover story</a>. The Globe immediately downplayed it because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/10/business/impact-colonial-pipeline-shutdown-could-be-felt-new-england-questions-remain/">the state gets most of its transportation fuels from the Port of New York and New Jersey via barge</a> while also <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/fuel-shortages-crop-up-southeast-gas-prices-climb-after-pipeline-hack/">minimizing the shortages and climb in gas prices</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Incredibly, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm had a warning for service station operators and said ’'<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/fuel-shortages-crop-up-southeast-gas-prices-climb-after-pipeline-hack/">pipe is the best way to go</a>,’' while Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was at the briefing, said, ’'the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/fuel-shortages-crop-up-southeast-gas-prices-climb-after-pipeline-hack/">threat is not imminent, it is upon us</a>.’'</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>This comes as he is willfully blind to the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/biden-administration-reins-street-level-enforcement-by-ice-officials-try-refocus-agency-mission/">border crisis</a> -- I guess our streets aren't violent enough as it is -- while one wonders what pipe Granholm is hitting after they closed down Keystone and are now, according to reports, <a href="https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/u-s-imports-rare-iranian-oil-in-march-despite-sanctions-eia-data">importing oil from Iran</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That was before <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/gasoline-prices-hit-3-shortages-grow-pipeline-outage/">g</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/business/gasoline-prices-hit-3-shortages-grow-pipeline-outage/">as prices hit $3</a> and the Wa$hington Compo$t warned us that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/nation/ransomware-attacks-could-reach-pandemic-levels-what-know-after-oil-pipeline-hack/">ransomware attacks could reach ‘pandemic’ levels</a> and here is what you need to know after the oil pipeline hack:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b><a href="https://www.activistpost.com/2020/11/next-crisis-bigger-than-covid-power-grid-finance-down-wef-cyber-polygon.html">“Next Crisis Bigger than COVID” — Power Grid/Finance Down — WEF Cyber Polygon</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/02/investigative-reports/from-event-201-to-cyber-polygon-the-wefs-simulation-of-a-coming-cyber-pandemic/">From “Event 201” to “Cyber Polygon”: The WEF’s Simulation of a Coming “Cyber Pandemic”</a></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Gee, <a href="https://www.activistpost.com/2021/06/cyber-polygon-will-the-next-globalist-war-game-lead-to-another-convenient-catastrophe.html">how convenient</a>!</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>It's all a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/nation/growing-mystery-suspected-energy-attacks-draws-us-concern/">mystery</a> to the pre$$, just like Event 201, as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/13/nation/colonial-pipeline-slowly-emerges-shutdown-fuel-pinch-lingers/">rehearse</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/15/nation/hacked-pipeline-is-now-delivering-millions-gallons-an-hour-owner-says/">prepare</a> to destroy the economy and cut off the power, food, and water, in an attempt to enslave humanity and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/21/opinion/pipeline-shutdown-shows-need-tougher-cybersecurity-laws/">enforce</a> their their evil agenda of vaccination and genocide. It was done 100 years ago, and they are now brazenly telling us they will do it again only worse with their global kill shots -- complete with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/world/nations-must-drop-fossil-fuels-fast-world-energy-body-warns/">pre$$ mouthpieces</a> supporting it the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/world/israel-says-gaza-tunnels-destroyed-heavy-airstrikes/">whole way</a> (what did that do to the environment, and speaking of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/grocery-stores-fined-nearly-1-million-alleged-wage-violations/">bad apples</a>, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/business/bank-america-raise-its-minimum-wage-25-an-hour-by-2025/">Webby goes to</a>. . .).</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The $y$tem was <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/pipelines-balked-when-blinking-red-hack-alert-went-off-2012/">blinking red</a> to anyone who can see it, and it was <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/pipelines-balked-when-blinking-red-hack-alert-went-off-2012/">Joe Lieberman tried to sound the alarm</a>! The false flag beta test by the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/28/world/russia-appears-carry-out-hack-through-system-used-by-us-aid-agency/">usual suspects</a>(!) has just been <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/30/world/secret-chats-show-how-cybergang-became-ransomware-powerhouse/">confirmed</a> and now the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/nation/biden-administration-require-pipeline-companies-report-cyberattacks/">B</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/27/nation/biden-administration-require-pipeline-companies-report-cyberattacks/">iden administration will require pipeline companies to report cyberattacks</a> (cur bono as the communi$ts get their fingers even more entrenched in bu$ine$$).</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>That's the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/01/business/hackers-hit-jbs-worlds-largest-meat-processor-ransomware-attack/">meat</a> of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/largest-meat-producer-getting-back-online-after-cyberattack/">world’s largest meat processing company cyberattack</a> by REvil(!) as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/ransomware-continues-cripple-critical-businesses-heres-what-you-need-know/">s</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/ransomware-continues-cripple-critical-businesses-heres-what-you-need-know/">uddenly, ransomware has begun to feel like a digital pandemic</a>, crippling one critical business after another. Last month, it was a pipeline delivering gasoline to the Southeast. This week, ransomware took down about one-fifth of the nation’s beef production, and on Wednesday, an attack hit the ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, but what is ransomware, why is it so devastating, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/ransomware-continues-cripple-critical-businesses-heres-what-you-need-know/">what can be done about it</a>?</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>I'm going to keep <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/metro/steamship-authority-hit-with-ransomware-attack-says-customers-may-experience-delays/">chugging along</a> after <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/steamship-authority-reservation-systems-back-online-following-ransomware-attack/">abandoning</a> the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/20/metro/new-england-news-brief/">ship</a>, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/largest-meat-producer-getting-back-online-after-cyberattack/">r</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/largest-meat-producer-getting-back-online-after-cyberattack/"><span class="html-render">ansomware expert Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said JBS was the largest food manufacturer yet to be hit by ransomware, in which criminal hackers paralyze entire networks by scrambling their data, but he said at least 40 food companies have been targeted by ransomware gangs over the last year, including brewer Molson Coors and E & J Gallo Winery </span>Food companies, Liska said, are at “about the same level of security as manufacturing and shipping</a>.</i></b></div><div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Moving Fastly now as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/internet-outage-shows-how-vulnerable-we-all-are-single-points-failure/">i</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/business/internet-outage-shows-how-vulnerable-we-all-are-single-points-failure/">t only took a technical blunder at a little-known Internet company to shut down a host of the world’s best-known websites Tuesday morning [as] a software glitch on a content delivery network run by San Francisco-based Fastly blocked online access to the New York Times, CNN, and the BBC, as well as the popular forum Reddit, videogame streaming service Twitch, and a number of other websites, the latest in a series of major Internet disruptions with national and global impact. Cyber criminals shut down a major US fuel pipeline in May, causing serious gasoline shortages, while a similar attack last week briefly closed down meatpacking plants that produce much of the nation’s beef, pork, and chicken. The Fastly outage wasn’t a deliberate attack, and it lasted for less than two hours, but it shows how vulnerable we all are to single points of failure on the Internet</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Those behind it are starting to pour the Champagne after <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/business/fastly-apologizes-global-outage-breaks-down-bug-that-caused-it/">cloud services company Fastly apologized for a global outage that temporarily hobbled Amazon, Hulu, the New York Times, and other high-traffic websites in a blog post that said an “undiscovered software bug” was triggered by routine activity by a single customer</a>.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/business/power-prices-surge-amid-air-conditioning-binge-northeast/">p</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/business/power-prices-surge-amid-air-conditioning-binge-northeast/">ower prices</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/business/auto-student-loans-fuel-april-rise-us-consumer-borrowing/">crop prices</a> surge amid the $corching heat in what appear to be manmade crisis as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/02/business/boston-startup-partners-with-instacart-bring-grass-fed-beef-homes-nationwide/">a Boston-area company is offering a subscription service for grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and wild-caught seafood through a new partnership with online delivery giant Instacart, which will bring ButcherBox products to customers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Miami this summer through a pilot program, launched last Wednesday</a> that “meets the customers where those customers are.”</i></b></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>You will never have to leave the house, and thus no need for gas.</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><i><b>Related</b>:</i></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-12/u-s-water-and-power-are-shockingly-vulnerable-to-cyberhacks"><b>Hackers working for profit and espionage have long threatened American information systems, but in the last six months, they’ve targeted companies running operational networks like the Colonial Pipeline fuel system, with greater persistence. These are the systems where water can be contaminated, a gas line can spring a leak or a substation can explode. It isn’t entirely clear why ransomware hackers</b> -- those who use malicious software to block access to a computer system until a sum of money has been paid -- <b>have recently moved from small-scale universities, banks and local governments to energy companies, meatpacking plants and utilities.</b> Experts<b> suspect i</b>ncreased competition and bigger payouts as well as foreign government involvement. The <b>shift is finally drawing serious attention to the problem</b></a>. The U.S. government began taking small steps to defend cybersecurity in 1998 when the Clinton administration identified 14 private sectors as critical infrastructure, including chemicals, defense, energy and financial services. This triggered regulation in finance and power. Other industries were slower to protect their computers, including the oil and gas sector, said Rob Lee, the founder of Dragos. One of the reasons is the operational and financial burden of pausing production and installing new tools. Much of the infrastructure running technology systems is too old for sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Ripping and replacing hardware is costly as are service outages. Network administrators fear doing the job piecemeal may be worse because it can increase a network’s exposure to hackers, said Andrea Carcano, co-founder of Nozomi Networks, a control system security company. Although the Biden administration’s budget includes $20 billion to upgrade the country’s grid, this comes after a history of shoulder shrugging from federal and local authorities. Even where companies in under-regulated sectors like oil and gas have prioritized cybersecurity, they’ve been met with little support. Take the case of ONE Gas Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>I'm told the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-12/u-s-water-and-power-are-shockingly-vulnerable-to-cyberhacks">industry is finally focused on fighting back</a>, but I had to go to and link another source to <a href="http://greencrowasthecrowflies.blogspot.com/2021/06/rah-exclusive-blockbuster-video-150000.html">confirm it</a>. Whether they have enough clout left is an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/climate/supreme-court-baltimore-fossil-fuels.html">open que$tion</a>.</i></b></div></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>UPDATE:</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/putnam-gets-into-etf-business/">Ford expects 40 percent of its global sales to be battery-electric vehicles by 2030 as it adds billions to what it’s spending to develop them</a>. The automaker said in a presentation for investors Wednesday that it will add about $8 billion to its EV development spending from this year to 2025. That would bring the total to nearly $20 billion as Ford begins to develop and build batteries in a joint venture with SK Innovation of Korea. CEO Jim Farley said the company’s financial performance hasn’t been acceptable in recent years, but it has accelerated its turnaround plan and made progress in the past few quarters. The company is now generating cash flow so it can grow the scale of its electric and commercial vehicle businesses, he said. The company also announced it would create a separate business called Ford Pro that will focus on commercial and government fleet buyers. It also <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/business/putnam-gets-into-etf-business/">expects to have about 1 million vehicles capable of getting over-the-internet software updates by the end of this year. Ford says it will have more vehicles capable of this than Tesla by July of 2022</a>." </div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-28022684256135847982021-06-14T05:17:00.003-07:002021-06-14T05:17:32.442-07:00Sunday Globe Dog Shit<div>"COVID-sniffing dogs are accurate, but they face hurdles for widespread use in the US" by James Gorman New York Times, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How appropriate that it should come from their anus, for this offensive in the extreme.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dog noses are great COVID-19 detectors, according to numerous laboratory studies, and COVID-sniffing dogs have already started working in airports in other countries and at a few events in the United States, like a Miami Heat basketball game, but some experts in public health and in training scent dogs say that more information and planning are needed to be certain they are accurate in real life situations.</div><div><br /></div><div>“There are no national standards” for scent dogs, according to Cynthia M. Otto, director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the authors of a <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>new paper on</b></span> scent <b><span style="color: red;">dog use</span></b> in COVID<b><span style="color: red;"> detection</span></b>, and although private groups certify drug-sniffing and bomb and rescue dogs, similar programs for medical detection do not exist, according to the new paper in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you noticed that every time the Great Re$et agenda needs to be advanced a timely report always shows up in my pre$$?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Lois Privor-Dumm, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University and the senior author of the paper, said there was no question that dogs have great potential in medical fields, but she <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">wants to explore how they could be deployed on a large scale</span></b>, such as <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">by</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“What are all the ethical considerations? What are the regulatory considerations? How practical is this?” she asked. Not only the quality of detection but logistics and cost would be central to any widespread application, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as </span></b>with any <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">public health intervention</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>JHU, who is upon to their eyeballs in their criminal genocidal fraud, is now advocating that the world be turned into a giant Abu Ghraib, complete with dogs sniffing your butthole for CVD.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Quality control is a first step, and a large one. Medical scent detection is more <b><span style="color: red;">complicated</span></b> than drug or bomb detection, Otto said. A dog working an airport for drugs or explosive detection has a consistent context and a fairly straightforward target odor. In COVID detection, researchers know that the dogs can distinguish an infected person’s sweat or urine, but <b><span style="color: red;">they don’t know</span></b> what chemicals the dog is identifying.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because <b><span style="color: red;">human scents vary</span></b>, medical detection dogs have to be trained on many different people. “We have all of the ethnicities and ages and diets and all of these things that make human smell,” Otto said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That is racist, ma'am, and I do not smell like a <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=like%20a%20wet%20chicken">wet chicken</a>!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>All kidding aside, this shows a level of totalitarianism that would make the Big H blush.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">symptoms of many medical conditions are similar to</span></b> those of COVID, and dogs that detect scents associated with fever or pneumonia would be ineffective, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so</span></b> the human subjects used in training dogs, Otto said, must include “lots of people that are negative, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> might have a cough or might have a fever or other things.” If the dogs mistook flu for COVID, that would obviously be a crucial mistake.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, dogs can be trained on sweat, or saliva or urine. In the United Arab Emirates, the dogs worked with urine samples. In Miami, they just walked along a line of people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Any <b><span style="color: red;">positive cases</span></b> of COVID infection that the dogs detect <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">are usually confirmed with</span></b> what is now the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> gold standard</span></b> for confirming the presence of the coronavirus, a PCR <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">test</span></b>. A review of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">research published last week</span></b> concluded, <b><span style="color: red;">however</span></b>, that <b><span style="color: red;">dogs performed better</span></b> than the test, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> these are experimental results. Dogs do well in detecting explosives and other substances at a distance, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> so far Otto said she was not aware of published research attesting to the accuracy of dogs <b><span style="color: red;">sniffing people in a line</span></b> rather than urine or sweat.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>There it is. I'm not being a "conspiracy theorist," it's right there.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Anywhere you go, m anywhere you be, the police dogs will be sniffing young that they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/29/nation/marijuana-legalization-prompting-police-k-9-retirements/">need a new task</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Beyond that is the alleged "gold standard" that is nothing of the sort. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html">NEW YORK TIMES KNOWS THIS</a>, and yet they IGNORE their OWN REPORTING.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>It</b><b> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/health/coronavirus-testing-false-positive.html">merits concern</a> but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/world/in-coronavirus-testing-false-positives-are-more-hazardous-than-they-might-seem.html">not enough</a> to disrupt the evil agenda and pre$$ narrative of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/upshot/coronavirus-tests-positives-negatives.html">false negatives</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Hell, they <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/sunday-globe-garbage-g-7.html">sold you mass-murdering wars with lies bullhorn from their front pages</a> while patting themselves on the back, and now are literally selling this tyrannical dog shit.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>If the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">government</span></b> were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to</span></b> conduct or<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> approve </span></b>dogs <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for</span></b> COVID <b><span style="color: red;">detection</span></b> in an official way, some <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">standards would have to be established</span></b> on how dogs should be trained and how their performance should be evaluated. Otto is on a committee at the National Institute of Standards and Technology now meeting to develop standards for scent detection dogs in a variety of situations, including detection of COVID.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NIST still hasn't properly explained how building dropped down into its own footprint on September 11, 2001, so fuck them.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>She said that<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> even if standards are clearly set</span></b>, finding enough dogs to conduct widespread scent detection is another hurdle. Trained dogs are not easy to come by. “We have a shortage of dogs in this country for bomb detection. We’ve been dealing with that for years,” she said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>If, then an even if!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dogs <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can be retrained</span></b> from one scent to another, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> that itself can be <b><span style="color: red;">tricky</span></b>. “Some countries are actually taking their dogs that are trained on bombs and training them on COVID, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> you know, all you have to do is think about at an airport,<b><span style="color: red;"> if you have a dog that sniffs</span></b> both COVID and bombs and they alert, what do you have?”</div><div><br /></div><div>Well-trained dogs are also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">costly and require paid, well-trained human handlers</span></b>. According to the report, dogs may cost $10,000 and scent training per dog is $16,000. The Transportation Security Administration, for example, has a $12 million training facility in San Antonio for explosive detection dogs and handlers, and estimates the training cost for dogs and handlers at $33,000 for explosive detection and $46,000 for passenger screening.</div><div><br /></div><div>All these issues will determine how dogs are used in the future. Their ability is a given. “I think they absolutely <b><span style="color: red;">can do </span></b>it,” Otto said. “It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">just how</span></b> we implement them.”</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/covid-sniffing-dogs-are-accurate-they-face-hurdles-widespread-use-us/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>For some reason, the Globe felt they needed to mention that the article originally appeared in The New York Times. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I guess they don't want to touch it as they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/stray-dog-attacks-transit-police-officer-shawmut-station/">sic</a> the genocidal injections on you.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What is left unsaid in that piece of shit is an instance where a person may not like or have a fear of dogs. They are man's best friend, no doubt, and I advise everyone to get one as an early warning system; however, I'm also more of a cat person and dogs sense this at first. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The odd thing is, animals can see into our souls and recognize evil and malice and they end up loving me. That doesn't make me feel any easier about the police dog sniffing my crack because he has been brainwashed and the call is in the hands of the fascist trainer as to whether we got one, but it does give me a sense of peace knowing that the animals recognize me for what and who I truly am.</b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-45714088987983960392021-06-13T12:54:00.001-07:002021-06-13T12:54:26.633-07:00Sunday Globe Garbage: G-7<b>More <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/saturday-junk.html">junk</a> from the Globe</b>:<div><br /></div><div>"Biden tries to rally G-7 nations to counter China’s influence" by David E. Sanger and Mark Landler New York Times, June 12, 2021</div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>PLYMOUTH, England — President Biden urged European nations and Japan on Saturday to <b><span style="color: red;">counter China</span></b>’s growing economic and security influence<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> by offering</span></b> developing nations<b><span style="color: red;"> hundreds of billions in financing as</span></b> an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">alternative</span></b> to relying on Beijing for new roads, railways, ports and communications networks.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>As their own citizens infrastructure is literally falling apart and needs to be to be converted to some warped Great Re$et pre-industrial scale world save for the psychopathic globalist overlords who have paid for it all after looting us blind.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It was the first time the world’s richest nations had discussed organizing a direct alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping’s overseas lending and investment push, which has now spread across Africa, Latin America and, haltingly, into Europe itself, but the White House cited no financial commitments, and there is sharp disagreement among the United States and its allies about how to respond to China’s rising power.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden has made challenging <b><span style="color: red;">a rising China and a disruptive Russia</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">centerpiece of a foreign policy designed to build up democracies</span></b> around the world <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as a bulwark against</span></b> spreading <b><span style="color: red;">authoritarianism</span></b>. Beijing, for its part, has pointed to the poor U.S. response to the pandemic and divisive American politics — particularly the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol — as signs that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">democracy</span></b> is <b><span style="color: red;">failing</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The lauded "democracy" has been an illusion from the beginning, and a buzzword to cover the constitutional republic under which we are supposed to be governed, and this Wilsonesque flogging of democracy from a nation that has interfered and led countless color coups across the planet the last 75 years is offensively laughable -- especially from a regime that stole an election in a coup.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I used to call these Sunday Globe Specials, but the truth is it is all garbage these days.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>In size and ambition, the Chinese development effort far surpasses the Marshall Plan, the U.S.’ program to rebuild Europe after World War II. At the Group of 7 summit meeting, discussions Saturday about how to counter it reflected the debate within the West about whether to regard China as a partner, competitor, adversary or outright security threat.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is far from clear that the wealthy democracies will be able to muster a comprehensive response.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plan </span></b>described by the White House <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">appeared to stitch together existing projects</span></b> in the United States, Europe and Japan, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">along with an encouragement of private financing</span></b>. A<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> fact sheet distributed to reporters gave it a name</span></b>, “<span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Build Back Better</b></span> for the World,” with roots in Biden’s campaign theme — shortened to B3W, a play on China’s BRI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Straight out of the <a href="https://alethonews.com/2021/06/12/meet-the-world-economic-forum/">World Economic Forum's manife$to</a>, and the pre$$ does a good job of putting a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/17/business/eastern-bank-foundation-commit-2-million-more-pandemic-causes/">muzzle</a> on that.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Given the choice between the two, were I the leader of a developing country, I would probably rather go through the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/chinas-leader-wants-lovable-country-that-doesnt-mean-hes-making-nice/">Chinese</a> than the damn bankers.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">emphasizes the environment</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">anti-corruption efforts</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">free flow of information</span></b> and<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> financing terms </span></b>that would allow developing countries to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">avoid </span></b>taking on excessive <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">debt</span></b>. One of the criticisms of Belt and Road is that it leaves the nations that sign on dependent on China, giving Beijing too much leverage over them.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sign of the growing concern</span></b> about <b><span style="color: red;">pervasive Chinese surveillance</span></b> that the British <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hosts</span></b> of this year’s G-7 gathering <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cut off all internet and</span></b> Wi-Fi <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">links</span></b> around the room where the leaders were meeting, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">leaving them disconnected from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">outside world</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Okay, look, they ALREADY WERE! That band of eliti$t $cum couldn't be more out-of-touch with the wider world.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Beyond that, they want to surveil us all forever and turn themselves off so they can be in secret and carry out their $ick perver$ions, whatever they be.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The leaders <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">largely agree</span></b> that <b><span style="color: red;">China</span></b> is <b><span style="color: red;">using</span></b> its <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">investment strategy</span></b> both to bolster its state-owned enterprises and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to build a network</span></b> of commercial ports and, through Huawei, communications systems <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">over which it would exercise significant control</span></b>,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> officials emerging from the meeting said Germany, Italy and the European Union were clearly <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concern</span></b>ed about <b><span style="color: red;">risk</span></b>ing their huge <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trade and investment deals</span></b> with Beijing or accelerating what has increasingly taken on the tones of a <b><span style="color: red;">new Cold War</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ah, ONCE AGAIN we have New York Times stoking a Cold War.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Keep this in mind for the self-adulatory piece of crap regarding another Asian war that follows below and was located on the front-page.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Biden used the meeting to advance his argument that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">fundamental struggle in</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">post-pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic era</span></b> will be democracies versus autocracies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>There isn't going to be a post-pandemic era, so they can f**k off with this war-mongering garbage. I am so goddamn sick of it. It's been 15 years already. Enough is enough!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">first test</span></b> may be whether he can <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">persuade </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">allies to reject</span></b> participation in any projects that rely on <b><span style="color: red;">forced labor</span></b>. It is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unclear</span></b>, American officials said, what kind of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">language</span></b> about rejecting goods or investments in such projects would be <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">included</span></b> in the meeting’s final communiqué, which will be issued Sunday, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meeting comes just a day after</span></b> Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is traveling with Biden, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">told</span></b> his <b><span style="color: red;">Chinese</span></b> counterpart<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> in a phone call</span></b> that the United States <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">would actively oppose</span></b> “ongoing <b><span style="color: red;">genocide and ethnic cleansing</span></b>” against Muslims in Xinjiang, in China’s far western territory, and “the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deterioration of democratic norms</span></b>” in Hong Kong. European leaders have largely avoided that terminology.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Unless Israel (or themselves through the genocidal vaccination program) is doing it, of course, and the Chinese just <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-immigration-democracy-2de3e4cf389e3f637f180dd7847d0bdb">blinked</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I mean honestly, folks, the hypocritical criticism coming from that $cum is beyond the pale at this point. He must have made his Chinese counterpart furious with such a comment.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Look, I'm not saying the Chinese and Xi are great guys. They have a horrible history does the CCP, what with its Cultural Revolution that has come to AmeriKa. I don't want to be like them, but our government should really offer people in faraway lands better ideas and mechani$ms rather than the brute force of sanction and bombing when they don't comply. That's on our leaders, not us, for they are illegitimate and do not represent our will.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">divisions </span></b>on how to regard China <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">help explain why</span></b> the West has until now <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">failed to muster a coordinated response</span></b> to Belt and Road. A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">recent study by</span></b> the Council on Foreign Relations described Washington’s own reactions as “scattershot,” a mix of modest Congressional adjustments to rules governing the Export-Import Bank to compete with Chinese loans in high technology, and efforts to ban Huawei, China’s telecommunications champion.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do I even have to type it?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">risk</span></b> for the American strategy<b><span style="color: red;"> is</span></b> that dealing with a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">patchwork</span></b> of separate programs — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and </span></b>a Western <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">insistence on good environmental and human rights practices</span></b> — may seem <b><span style="color: red;">less appealing</span></b> to developing nations than Beijing’s all-in-one package of financing and new technology.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>The best way to do that is show them that “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/world/biden-is-embracing-europe-then-what-nato-eu-have-concerns/">democracy delivers</a>.”</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>“Many BRI countries appreciate the <b><span style="color: red;">speed at which China can move</span></b> from planning to construction,” said the council report, which was written by a bipartisan group of China experts and former U.S. officials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those countries, it added, also appreciate China’s “<b><span style="color: red;">willingness to build</span></b> what host countries want <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rather than telling them what they should do</span></b>, and the ease of dealing with a single group of builders, financiers and government officials.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, Biden senses an opening, as European nations have begun to understand the risks of dependency on Chinese supply chains and have watched China’s reach extend into their own backyards.</div><div><br /></div><div>Britain, which once pursued arguably the most China-friendly policy in Europe, has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">swung firmly behind</span></b> the American <b><span style="color: red;">hard line</span></b>, particularly on Huawei, which the U.S. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">sees as</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">security threat</span></b>. After trying to accommodate Huawei, it announced, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, that it was ripping out older Huawei equipment from its networks. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The real threat is the CIA and MI6.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Germany, for which China has become the No. 1 market for Volkswagens and BMWs, remains committed to engagement and is <b><span style="color: red;">deeply resistant to a new Cold War</span></b>. It has kicked decisions about using Huawei and other Chinese-made networking equipment down the road, after threats from Chinese officials to retaliate with a ban on the sale of German luxury cars in China.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Damn <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/world/normandy-commemorates-d-day-with-small-crowds-big-heart/">Nazis</a> and fascists!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Italy became the first member of the G-7 to sign up to Belt and Road in 2019. It then had to back away, in part, under pressure from NATO allies who feared that Italian infrastructure, including the telecommunications network, would be dependent on Chinese technology.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Didn't they face some sort of crisis after they tilted toward Russia and signed off on this?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Government dissolved and then the central banker Draghi took over, right?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“America would be well served if the European Union got its act together and defined a coherent China strategy,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States. “Its interests are not well served if there is a German-China strategy, a French-China strategy and a British-China strategy.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Need to close ranks as World War III looms, and it should be a lot of fun!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>That is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">easier said than done</span></b>. Britain <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shifted closer to the United States under pressure from</span></b> former President Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> — less because it changed its view about the strategy or security risks posed by China than because, <b><span style="color: red;">in the aftermath of Brexit</span></b>, it feared being isolated from its most important ally.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Chancellor Angela Merkel, a steadfast believer in engagement with China, <b><span style="color: red;">will leave office</span></b> in a few months,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> Germany’s <b><span style="color: red;">policy may not change much</span></b>, particularly if her <b><span style="color: red;">successor</span></b> as the leader of the Christian Democratic Party, Armin Laschet, replaces her in the chancellery. He is <b><span style="color: red;">viewed as being in lockstep </span></b>with Merkel.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>The insults never stop when it comes to the trigger terminology like the Rockefeller's lockstep and the fact that policy doesn't change even though leaders come and go. <i>Hmmmm.</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>France is a different story. Macron faces a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> formidable challenge from</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> populist right </span></b>in elections next year. The right-wing leader, Marine LePen, has vowed to stand up to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>“Whenever you have one of these meetings, you’re going to see fluidity in one country or the other,” said Simon Fraser, a former top civil servant in Britain’s Foreign Office, but, he added, “there’s a lack of cohesion on the European side that needs to be addressed.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Italy is a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">good test case </span></b>of <b><span style="color: red;">how China has tried to build influence</span></b> in Europe. Since joining Belt and Road, Rome has signed nearly two dozen deals with Beijing ranging from tax regulations to sanitary requirements on pork exports, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> Italy also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vetoed</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">5G deal</span></b> between Huawei and one of its telecommunications companies.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The<b><span style="color: red;"> centerpiece</span></b> of China’s investment in Europe <b><span style="color: red;">is </span></b>a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">rail network</span></b> that would connect its factories on the Pacific to London — a project that China’s premier, Li Keqiang, once described as an express lane to Europe. Italy, which has a terminus on the route,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> welcomes the investment as a tonic</span></b> for its struggling economy, <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut</span></b> Britain’s relations with China have gone into a deep freeze. The government imposed sanctions over China’s treatment of its Uyghur population and offered residency and a path to citizenship to more than 300,000 holders of British overseas passports in Hong Kong after China imposed a draconian national security law on the former British colony.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>It's a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/19/opinion/are-new-rail-cars-win-win-china-massachusetts-not-yet/">win-win</a>, right?</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>China’s <b><span style="color: red;">human rights record</span></b>, analysts say, is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hardening </span></b>European<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> attitudes</span></b> across the board. The European Parliament declined to ratify a landmark investment treaty, championed by Germany, because of China’s heavy-handed reaction to sanctions over its treatment of the Uyghurs. China sanctioned 10 EU politicians.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>There is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also evidence</span></b> that Biden recognizes that his <b><span style="color: red;">aggressive language about China</span></b> — as the great adversary in a fateful struggle between democracies and autocracies —<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> is discomfiting to many</span></b> Europeans. He has largely <b><span style="color: red;">shunned that</span></b> framing in the days leading up to his European tour, speaking more generally about the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> need to promote democracies</span></b> in a competitive world.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>It's all hypocritical boiler plate. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What a waste of a tree, ink, time, and money.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>For some analysts, that opens the door to a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> hopeful scenario</span></b> in which the United States and Europe <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">move toward one other</span></b>, moderating the most extreme aspects of confrontation versus conciliation in each others’ approaches.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>“America is becoming more <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">realistic </span></b>on China from the <b><span style="color: red;">hard line</span></b>, while Europe is becoming more <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">realistic</span></b> from the <b><span style="color: red;">soft line</span></b>,” said Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, a think tank in London.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Chatham is some sort of neo-con war-mongering outfit. That's the kind of expert anal-y$i$ I am treated to when reading this slop.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><i>When China shipped face masks and ventilators to a desperate Italy during its COVID outbreak, an Italian official pointedly told his fellow Europeans that the country would remember who its friends were after the pandemic.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>France did not join Belt and Road, though it has welcomed Chinese investment in the country and stopped short of banning Huawei from its wireless network. Relations with China cooled after President Emmanuel Macron criticized Beijing for its lack of transparency on the origins of the coronavirus.</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/world/biden-tries-rally-g-7-nations-counter-chinas-influence/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>They also discussed <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/world/eu-talks-up-hope-breakthrough-iran-nuclear-meetings/">Iran</a>, and this next article was located immediately below the above piece:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"Did Biden give Boris Johnson a $6,000 bike and get a Wikipedia printout in return? Not exactly" by Antonia Noori Farzan The Washington Post, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>There are few things more awkward than an uneven gift exchange.</div><div><br /></div><div>So when reports began circulating that President Joe Biden had given British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a $6,000 custom-made bicycle at the Group of Seven summit - only to receive a photo of Frederick Douglass that had been printed out from Wikipedia in exchange - it seemed like a particularly cringeworthy moment in international diplomacy.</div><div><br /></div><div>"The total lack of respect for Biden captured in one gift exchange," Donald Trump Jr., the former president's son, tweeted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The reality, however, is more complicated.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, but here is the thing: <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-new-york-times-says-reality-is.html">it isn't</a>!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Reality is only complicated for liars or agenda-pu$hing $cumbags -- in this case, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-lifestyle-travel-business-science-9cac30e2ca24ac1b972470cc9d6b2111">both</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Truthfully, I am not only astonished but aghast that this absolute fluff is considered serious news by the Globe or anyone else. There was no hyperbole when I call this garbage. It is.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>For starters, the State Department paid $1,800 for the bicycle, Bilenky Cycle Works told The Washington Post. The small Philadelphia-based business typically charges $6,000 for a similar lightweight model, and the custom Union Jack graphics, matching helmet, bronze and silver badge displaying crisscrossed British and American flags on the head tube, and rush fees would have brought the total cost to $10,000 under normal circumstances.</div><div><br /></div><div>The State Department initially proposed a budget of $1,500, said Stephen Bilenky, the company's owner. On his website, he recalled initially thinking that he had been targeted by a scam when he received the "cryptic" email asking if he could produce a handmade bike for an unnamed foreign dignitary in less than two weeks, a feat that required working 14-hour days. He received a few hints - the foreign leader was 5′8″ and from a country with a red, white and blue flag - but didn't learn that the gift would be for Johnson until he'd already agreed to build the bicycle at a heavily discounted price.</div><div><br /></div><div>"When your country calls, you answer!" Bilenky wrote.</div><div><br /></div><div>The gift was intended to commemorate Biden and Johnson's shared enthusiasm for cycling, the White House said, but if Johnson wants to use the bike, he'll likely have to pay up. Britain's ministerial code allows government ministers to accept gifts that are valued at less than 140 pounds, the equivalent of about $200. If they want to keep a more expensive gift, they have to pay the difference - meaning that Johnson could either end up paying roughly $1,600 for a bike he didn't choose himself, or forfeiting it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>British taxpayers are on the hook after Americans were fleeced for this wheel-$pinning, penny-ante corruption the Wa$hington Compo$t has $niffed out with this turd-shining piece of PR crap?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Never mind the <a href="http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=235877">call to shut down the genocidal vaccine program</a> that BoJo the Clown is pushing.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>As for the idea that Johnson handed Biden a framed printout from Wikipedia? That's also not the full story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Officials in Britain's Foreign Office did stumble upon a photo that appears on the Wikipedia page for Frederick Douglass, showing a mural of the famed abolitionist that was painted on an Edinburgh street. Melissa Highton, who took the photo, told The Post that the Foreign Office contacted her and asked permission to use it as a gift for Biden, who has invoked Douglass in his speeches.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I agreed and I gave them a higher resolution version of the image so that it would be a better quality print," Highton wrote in an email. "I don't know how they printed it, but, yes, I assume they got a high quality print on quality paper and a nice frame. I haven't seen the finished item."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I am so impressed with the investigative reporting on display here, aren't you?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Downing Street didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about how much the gift cost, but a professional printing and framing job could be in the hundreds of dollars. U.S. presidents are barred from accepting personal gifts from world leaders that are valued at more than $415, and items that exceed that limit are typically sent directly to the National Archives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">some in the United States have interpreted</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">less-costly gift as</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">slight</span></b>, there's no indication that the Bidens are feeling snubbed. First lady Jill Biden was also given a first edition of a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, whose work is often set in Cornwall, while Johnson's wife, Carrie, reportedly received a silk scarf and a leather tote bag made by military spouses<i>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and, if nothing else</span></b>, the exchange marks a <b><span style="color: red;">reversal of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">awkwardness</span></b> that ensued in 2009 when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave President Barack <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Obama</span></b> a penholder made from the timbers of the same ship whose wood was used to build the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Obama gave Brown a set of DVDs</i>.....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/world/did-biden-give-boris-johnson-6000-bike-get-wikipedia-printout-return-not-exactly/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/world/after-charming-leaders-queen-elizabeth-sits-back-parade/">Queen Elizabeth sits back for parade</a></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><b>The 95-year-old monarch sat on a dais to watch the ceremony that despite ongoing social distancing restrictions did not disappoint on the pomp and pageantry front. If she was tired after meeting G-7 leaders, including U.S. President Biden, on Friday evening, it didn’t show, and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/world/after-charming-leaders-queen-elizabeth-sits-back-parade/">the ceremony is a gift from the Household Division of army regiments, which has a close affinity with the monarch. It featured soldiers who have played an integral role in the COVID-19 response, as well as those who have been serving on military operations. She was seen beaming from ear to ear as the nine planes of the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows flew past in formation and let loose their red, white and blue smoke</a>.</b></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>So what was the carbon footprint on that gratuitous waste of fuel during a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/london-police-officer-pleads-guilty-rape-kidnap-sarah-everard/">national reckoning over male violence against women</a>?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c"><b>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a strong hint Saturday that the next planned relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in England this month will be delayed as a result of the spread of the delta variant first identified in India. In a series of interviews on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in southwest England, Johnson conceded that he has grown more pessimistic about sanctioning the next easing scheduled for June 21 as the number of infections across the U.K. has struck levels not seen since February</b></a>. Johnson is set to make an announcement Monday about the June 21 timetable. Government figures reported Saturday showed 7,738 new daily cases, slightly down from the previous day’s 8,125, which was the highest one-day figure since Feb. 26. The government has said it wants every adult to have received at least one dose by the end of July. Around 62% of the British population has had one shot so far, while about 44% has had two. The U.K. has recorded nearly 128,000 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other nation in Europe....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Then lockdowns have utterly failed and that tyrant needs to be given the King Charles treatment, pronto, as the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">the fourth stage in his government’s four-step unlocking plan for England is dependent on daily infection levels have increased threefold over the past few weeks; however, the recent rise in new confirmed cases has led many scientists to call for a delay on what has been dubbed by sections of the British media as “Freedom Day”, potentially of up to four weeks, so more people can get vaccinated before the restrictions are lifted</a>, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">s</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">upporters of a pause, which includes the British Medical Association, say it would make the vaccine rollout more effective by allowing more younger people to get their first shot and older people to receive their second, which evidence shows helps contain the delta variant</a> because “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">there is a huge risk that prematurely relaxing all restrictions will undo the excellent work” of the country’s vaccination program and further fuel infections and i</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">t’s not just about the number of hospitalizations, but also the risk to the health of large numbers of younger people, who can suffer long-term symptoms affecting their lives and ability to work</a>.”</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Of course, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c">tyrant</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-england-europe-g-7-summit-coronavirus-pandemic-0891a0765dab8158330ab1116db0ab2c"> appeared to indicate that he was ready to sanction a pause in the lockdown-easing as he sought to downplay any concerns that restrictions would be re-imposed, stressing that every scheduled easing would be driven by “data, not dates” and that each stage would be irreversible and “just to cheer you up a little bit, I would like to tell you that the scientists are agreed about one thing: They do not think there is any case for going into reverse</a>.”</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>My only question is how much he had to drink at dinner.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>What a f**king liar!</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>He's got good company, too:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>"<a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/jun/13/far-left-politician-victim-of-flour-thrower-in/?elections"><b>Jean-Luc Melenchon, a far-left political leader in France and a likely high-profile candidate in next year's presidential election, was pelted with flour at a protest Saturday, days after President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face as he sought to shake hands with voters. It is not uncommon for French political figures to be pelted with food</b></a>: Former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande have been showered with flour, and Macron was pelted with eggs at least twice before he was elected president in 2017, but the Paris assault that targeted Melenchon, the leader of the France Unbowed party, took place against the backdrop of renewed political tensions before regional elections next week, and broader concerns about violence before the presidential election, scheduled for May. Melenchon was speaking with journalists at a demonstration against the far-right in Paris on Saturday when a person threw flour at him. No one was taken into custody. On Tuesday, a far-right sympathizer slapped Macron as the French leader was greeting a small crowd during a visit to southeastern France....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The slap prompted <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/world/man-slaps-macron-during-visit-southern-france/">swift political condemnation as a video of the incident spread rapidly on social media</a>, and he's lucky he hasn't gotten this kind of treatment for which the French are known:</b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><img alt="" src="http://whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/small_guillotine.gif" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">You have to admit, it is a lot more timely and cost-effective than controlled courts.</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><b>Nostradamus actually predicted the demise of Macron:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i>"The husband of Brigitte, 25 years her junior, shall be driven from the city. He shall take a devious route, through Alps and forests. He shall be driven off the path to an untimely death before he arrives in the kingdom of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-europe-migration-bcc58f0b0f495b65bd987bc06c94170c">Alexander</a>."</i></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>He should have went by motorbike instead:</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-coronavirus-pandemic-health-2a5fe1181e7b2cf683273ef37be0e5d6"><b>Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro led thousands of motorcyclist supporters through the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday — and got hit with a fine for failure to wear a mask</b></a>. Sao Paulo’s state government press office said a fine — equivalent to about $110 — would be imposed for violation of a rule that has required masks in public places since May 2020.Bolsonaro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The <b><span style="color: red;">conservative president waved to the crowd</span></b> from his motorcycle and later from atop a sound truck, where helmeted but largely maskless backers cheered and chanted as he <b><span style="color: red;">insisted</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">masks were useless</span></b> for those already vaccinated — an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">assertion disputed by most public health experts</span></b>. Vaccines are designed chiefly to protect recipients from getting sick, not necessarily from being infected. While studies show many vaccines reduce viral load, and likely spread, not all varieties have been fully studied. Less than 12% of Brazil’s population so far has received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health....."</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Which is why Brazil is in the midst of an alleged outbreak, and it was nice to see <a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-coronavirus-pandemic-health-2a5fe1181e7b2cf683273ef37be0e5d6">Cristina Melo, 47, a businesswoman in the computer industry, say she and her husband were at the motorcycle rally “because we are patriots, and of course we defend our president Bolsonaro</a>,” for he is one of the handful of world leaders who are profiles in courage for standing against the CVD madness (Lukashenko and the martyr <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-murder-of-magnificent-magufuli.html">Magufuli</a> come to mind).</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>Now for the page one self-serving self-adulation that is actually sad</b>:</div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Fifty years later, Pentagon Papers still speak loudly about war and government untruths" by David M. Shribman Globe Correspondent, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>In the middle of a controversial war, in the middle of generational conflict, in the middle of a contentious presidential administration, a single finger depressing a starter button in a manufacturing plant in Manhattan 50 years ago rocked the nation.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the last strains of dance music from a 15-piece orchestra faded at the White House wedding of Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia, the editors of The New York Times were bracing themselves 225 miles away for an assault from the bride’s father. The presses that the starter button set in motion themselves set in motion one of the great political controversies and legal battles of the 20th century.</div><div><br /></div><div>The newspapers rolling off those presses were carrying excerpts from a study that would be known in history — history that the study, its interpretations, and misinterpretations would spawn — as the Pentagon Papers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the “Odyssey” and “Paradise Lost,” the Pentagon Papers would be more cited than actually read. Indeed, no academic monograph with the possible exception of Charles Darwin’s 1859 “Origin of Species” would have the impact of this work of 36 scholars toiling down the hall from the Pentagon office of Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara. They eventually produced 2.5 million words that filled 47 volumes weighing 60 pounds and gave a bracing account of American involvement in Vietnam from the end of World War II to 1967.</div><div><br /></div><div>More important than its size was its scathing honesty. It was a minutely documented account of how unimaginably and disastrously misguided that involvement was: begun on unfounded Cold War convictions about the importance of Vietnam’s security to our own, pursued with escalating brutality but never a coherent strategy, and cynically perpetuated for more than a decade — and more than 38,000 lost American lives — after top advisers to President Lyndon Johnson told him repeatedly they deemed it unwinnable.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was, that is, a vast catalog of inconvenient truths — truths that begged the great questions that lingered, loud and haunting, into the Nixon years: Why are we still in Vietnam? Why are young men still being sent to die there?</div><div><br /></div><div>No president of the war era was ready to answer them, for fear of “losing” the war and losing face, and so the report’s existence had to be kept secret, and was, until the day those presses rolled — at the Times and, soon after, at The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.</div><div><br /></div><div>A half-century later, the publication of the Pentagon Papers has both less and greater significance than it did on June 13, 1971, and yet their release speaks as loudly to our time as it did in the long-ago month in which the first Hard Rock Cafe was opened and when Carole King performed for the first time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The American wars still to come would have their own bodyguards of lies.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The Pentagon Papers foreshadowed Iraq and Afghanistan in that they showed presidents’ ability to keep secrets — the exact thing we saw in Vietnam,” Daniel Ellsberg, the Defense Department scholar who released the papers, said in an interview for this retrospective. “There are no big Afghanistan Papers and no Iraq Papers but they would show the same kind of thing: Progress in those wars was a lie, and there was no progress that was going to happen, and the leaders told themselves that but didn’t tell it to the public.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Actually, there are the <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2019/12/21st-century-pentagon-papers.html">21st-Century Pentagon Papers</a> regarding Afghanistan, but those have been completely ignored.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>How pathetic is it that Globe scum, 'er, scribe has to reach back 50 years for a war they told the truth about -- even though they didn't tell the truth before the infamous leak by Ellsberg(!)?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The release of the Pentagon Papers — at that point the largest-ever disclosure of classified documents — didn’t bring American involvement in Vietnam to a close; the last Americans were not evacuated from Saigon for nearly five more years. The legal battles that followed, as the Nixon Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to halt the publication and was firmly rebuffed, did not leave the American press unfettered; <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reporters feared imprisonment for leaks of national security information as recently as the Barack Obama years</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and</span></b> Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump waged psychological war against</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">press</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> there is no minimizing the drama that began to unfold when Ellsberg began seeking an outlet for the documents and found one in Times reporter Neil Sheehan. Sheehan immediately launched a frantic but furtive effort to copy them — against the wishes and without the knowledge, we now know, of Ellsberg, who was looking for another impactful outlet, preferably on Capitol Hill. That drama gave rise to the popular 2017 film “The Post,” about publisher Katharine Graham’s decision for The Washington Post to follow the Times in publishing the papers, handed to her newspaper by Ellsberg in two cardboard boxes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oh, the poor, shit-shoveling liars are such victims -- and heroes, according to the self-serving crap troweled out by Hollywood and <a href="http://hellion444.proboards.com/thread/158">Speilberg</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“The story was worthy of an entire film,” director and producer Steven Spielberg said in a recent telephone conversation. “I never bought the idea that the Pentagon Papers were a threat to national security. We — Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep — were all drawn to this. The chief executive in the Oval Office — Richard Nixon — was basically <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">trying to shut down the free press</span></b>. It had ironic <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">parallel</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to</span></b> the [<b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>] threats we have all just lived.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>He didn't jail reporters like the Obama/Biden regime, and where is Julian Assange these days anyway?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>In his introduction to a book edition that grew out of the publication of the Pentagon Papers, Sheehan said that to “read the Pentagon Papers in their vast detail is to step through the looking glass into a new and different world,” and those in that world with eyes to see were stunned.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oh, the NYT reporter got a book out of it!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>John F. Kerry was back from Southeast Asia, leading the Vietnam Veterans against the War. Less than two months earlier he posed his haunting question to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”</div><div><br /></div><div>“The papers were a stunning confirmation of my remarks, and it had enormous impact on me,” Kerry recalled this spring. “I remember being furious at the fact that our government was officially lying. It was a double lie — a lie about the realities of the war and a lie about whether there was a strategy. It wasn’t just about dying for a mistake. It was about dying for a lie.’'</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thirty-four years later he voted for the invasion of Iraq based on lies, he was quoted as saying propping up the Afghan government and cleaning up its corruption was a reason for staying, and now he is <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/19/nation/john-kerrys-mission-save-world/">jetting around the world to save the planet</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What a shameless piece of hypocritical excrement!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The impact was powerful, too, in shaping America’s sense of its place in the world — and of the honor, or want of it, of its political leaders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly three decades since the Herring interpretation, scholars have come to believe the Pentagon Papers <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">had little influence on the course of the war</span></b>, though their release stirred fears in Nixon<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> and </span></b>Henry Kissinger of further disclosures that could be damaging to them. Nor do contemporary scholars believe the papers substantially turned public opinion against the war; the trends in<b><span style="color: red;"> public opinion already had turned</span></b>, “<b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>the papers provided confirmation for a lot of things that the critics of the war had been saying,” said Edward Miller, a Dartmouth College historian and adviser on Ken Burns’s television history of the war, which aired on PBS in 2017. “The ‘credibility gap’ had been talked about for years before 1971, but the evidence in the papers demonstrated it in spades.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It took the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/16/arts/emily-rooney-apologizes-after-accusations-demeaning-racist-commentary-beat-press-segment/">racist PBS's Ken Burns</a> to finally confirm that we were lied to?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>He's <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-great-reset-wears-red-sox.html">one</a> of the reasons I no longer like <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/baseball/">Baseball</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">evidence reinforced</span></b> not only the <b><span style="color: red;">viewpoints of antiwar protesters</span></b> but also the perceptions of veterans of the war.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The papers showed me how a lot of the people involved in policy-making actually knew they were building on a house of cards,” said former senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, a onetime Navy SEAL who lost part of his right leg in combat two years before the release of the documents.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>He later served on the 9/11 cover-up commission.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever the impact in politics, the Pentagon Papers had enormous influence in military circles.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It led to co-opted reporters who became embedded cheerleaders and propaganda mouthpieces -- a far cry from the days of Vietnam!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“The papers revealed the degree to which we went to war without a strategy,” said Trump-era national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who served in the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and Afghanistan and who wrote his PhD thesis on the Vietnam War. “Americans were already loosing faith in the war and this showed gross incompetence by our leaders.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Then it was back to Vietnam as those wars based on lies that were pushed by the pre$$ garner no reflection at all.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>In fact, was there ANY WAR the PRE$$ has NOT PROMOTED in the 50 years since the Pentagon Papers?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Can you name ONE WAR they STOPPED?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I CAN'T!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The papers were a time bomb whose ticking Ellsberg, another RAND thinker, could not expel from his mind. His first inclination was to get them exposed in Congress. He met disappointment and resistance. The ultimate destiny of the Pentagon Papers — their appearance in 19 newspapers — began innocently enough in the Joyce Chen Small Eating Place between Harvard and MIT in Central Square, Cambridge. There, the MIT linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky suggested to the Globe’s Thomas N. Oliphant that perhaps he ought to track down someone named Daniel Ellsberg.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oliphant did, and after two lunches with Ellsberg wrote a story on March 7, 1971, about a “secret Indochina report.” That set in motion panic in the White House, an FBI manhunt to find the leaker and the cache of documents, and a journalistic race to get the Pentagon Papers into print.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sheehan, who had covered the war from 1962 to 1966, was quickly in touch with Ellsberg, beginning a tortuous series of negotiations marked by trust (the shared conviction that these documents were significant) and deception (Sheehan and his wife, the New Yorker writer Susan Sheehan, quietly photocopied the documents, portions of which Sheehan had quietly acquired separately).</div><div><br /></div><div>Before long the documents were secreted along with a Times team in the New York Hilton.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the excerpts from the papers started rolling off the Times presses and as the Justice Department was seeking an injunction, Ellsberg offered the papers to The Washington Post, which began printing them as well. Third came the Globe, in part because Ellsberg had admired the newspaper’s antiwar editorial and stance and had warmed to editor Tom Winship when they encountered each other on a Caribbean vacation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Winship — whose successors as editor John S. Driscoll and Matthew V. Storin also would be principals in the undertaking — made it clear that he would be willing to disobey a court order to print the Pentagon Papers. If necessary, he remarked, he would dispatch Oliphant with a pile of the papers and the instructions to read them aloud on Boston Common.</div><div><br /></div><div>So 1,700 pages of documents in a plastic bag were given in a Newton telephone booth to Tom Ryan, the Globe’s national news editor, who soon thereafter marched into the Morrissey Boulevard newsroom with a red plaid zippered suitcase stuffed with the documents. The papers later were locked in the back of a car in the newspaper’s parking lot. Winship told Attorney General John Mitchell the paper would continue printing the material, which by that time had been moved to a locker at Logan Airport before ending up in a First National Bank of Boston vault.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">legal struggle</span></b> over the Pentagon Papers — and over the First Amendment-rattling notion of prior restraint of speech — was one of the landmark Supreme Court battles of the 20th century. It <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also marked the beginning of what persists to this day</span></b>, the controversy about the merits of the Vietnam War, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">issues about government openness</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and debates about the prerogatives of a free press</span></b>. For a superpower with global influence, an armada of nuclear weapons, and a civic culture rooted in the First Amendment, the “dirty questions” at the center of the Pentagon Papers never end, nor are they ever fully answered.....<b> </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Certainly not by a War Pre$$ that carries their water!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/fifty-years-later-pentagon-papers-still-speak-loudly-about-war-government-untruths/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oh for the days of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/23/metro/first-lead-singer-charlie-mta-sam-berman-98-was-honored-wwii-heroism/">real antiwar protesters</a>, huh?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>See <a href="https://stephenlendman.org/">here</a> for a real one.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The only thing that tops the above outrage, is the whining and crying of victimhood by the propaganda-pushing liars of the pre$$:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"News Analysis: Garland confronts long-building crisis over leak inquiries and journalism" by Charlie Savage New York Times, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's a called anal-y$i$ because that is where it comes from.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — Government <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>leak hunters have been ratcheting up pressure on the ability of journalists to do their jobs for a generation</b></span> — a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">push fueled by changing technology and fraught national security issues</span></b> that arose <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">after</span></b> the Sept. 11 attacks. Now those tensions have reached an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">inflection point</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>See what happens when you collaborate with lies?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Recent disclosures about <b><span style="color: red;">aggressive steps </span></b>that the Justice Department secretly took <b><span style="color: red;">under </span></b>former president Donald <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> while hunting for the confidential sources of reporters — at The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post — <b><span style="color: red;">prompted a backlash from</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">top</span></b>. President <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Biden ordered prosecutors to stop seizing reporters’ phone and email data</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> Biden’s sweeping vow to ban a practice he called “simply, simply wrong” left crucial questions unanswered. Among them: How broadly will prosecutors define the journalistic activities that the new protections apply to, and will the changes be easy or difficult for a future administration to roll back?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They didn't care when the Obama/Biden regime jailed them, and now they are a fawning servant of their oppressors. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Cry me a river, assholes!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“The question of how this will be institutionalized or codified is crucial,” said Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. “These kinds of protections shouldn’t be a matter of executive grace.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Enshrined in the First Amendment, the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> role of the free press in bringing to light information beyond what those in power approve for release is a foundational principle of the U.S. system of self-government</span></b>. In Senate testimony this past week, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">transparency that comes from investigative journalism</span></b> about “wrongdoing and error in the government” <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">gives people faith in democracy</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hey, thanks, I needed a laugh!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>An essential <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">task for journalists who report such material is to talk with officials who are not authorized to publicly speak about government matters and to protect their confidentiality</span></b>. Leak prosecutions <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and seizures of journalists’ communications data not only jeopardize particular sources but can also frighten others with newsworthy information into staying silent</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> the confluence of recent events — which also include the <b><span style="color: red;">Trump-era </span></b>targeting of Democratic lawmakers and aides suspected of being reporters’ sources, and extraordinary gag orders imposed on Times and CNN executives in fights over data that <b><span style="color: red;">spilled into</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Biden era</span></b>, all of which an inspector general is investigating — has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">brought into focus how fragile the protections for journalism are</span></b> in the 21st century.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They aren't getting pulled down like blogs and YouTube videos, so fuck off!!!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Wah-wah-wah!</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b>Maybe if you were not incorrigible liars and slaves to power pushing evil agendas, maybe things would be different but rather than repent they double down on pure evil.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Biden has vowed a major course correction. Garland, who as a federal appeals court judge in 2005 stressed “the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">public interest in protecting” reporters’ sources</span></b> to avoid chilling the disclosure of information with “importance to the public,” has signed onto that effort while acknowledging this past week that “there are some definitional questions, but I think they are quite resolvable.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Especially since the administration and Democrats are the sources!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> unresolved details are expected to be a focus of a meeting </span></b>Monday between Garland and leaders of the Times, the Post and CNN.</div><div><br /></div><div>One <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">issue</span></b> is whether Garland will <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">replace</span></b> a Justice Department <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">regulation that permits seizures of reporters’ information that can reveal their sources in leak investigation</span></b>s under certain conditions — or leave it intact and simply ban that technique for the time being.</div><div><br /></div><div>Garland has discussed only issuing “some kind of memorandum, obviously, from me.” If he pursues that route, the Biden administration’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">changes may prove fleeting</span></b>. With or without telling the public, he or a <b><span style="color: red;">successor could later revoke</span></b> his memo or make an exception.</div><div><br /></div><div>A <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">regulatory change would be</span></b> an<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> intermediate step</span></b>. It would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">take greater bureaucratic effort to reverse, and the public would be more likely to learn if it were undone</span></b>. Garland could change the department regulation on his own.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Who f**king really cares?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>By contrast, he would need help from Congress for an even more robust change: enacting the ban as a new law.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is precedent. In 1980, after the Supreme Court <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">upheld a police search of a newsroom to hunt for unpublished photographs</span></b> of a protest that turned violent, Congress barred law enforcement from seizing journalists’ work product materials, except if a journalist was suspected of a crime.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They are all criminals for pushing agendas based on lies, sorry. The pre$$ is primally evil and $atanic. It's the only explanation for why they are the way they are.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Key <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">details</span></b> about the scope and limits of any new restrictions on prosecutors also <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">remain unresolved</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">clear</span></b> that whether a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reporter’s information is protected from investigators</span></b> will turn on the circumstances. For example,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> investigators will still be able to seize the communications records of criminal suspects who happen to be reporters</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> other issues are murkier. Among them is what counts as reporters “doing their jobs” under the new protections. Defining <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">journalism in the internet era</span></b> — when it is no longer necessary to have a printing press or television studio to disseminate information — is notoriously difficult.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They only care about this when it is personal; otherwise, they wouldn't give a damn!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Bloggers and self-proclaimed citizen journalists are not the only categories that arguably blur the lines. It is unclear, for example, whether the Biden administration intends to extend the shield to entities like RT, the Kremlin-funded news service that is generally considered an <b><span style="color: red;">outlet for Russian propaganda</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Given the ambiguity of what counts as a leak investigation, Jaffer said, “it’s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> possible the new rules would allow them to get a reporter’s records even if they think the reporter is a real reporter just doing his job</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sorry, but I'm a real reporter, not them. They are propagandists, and I report on it.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The recent events that prompted Biden’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vow </span></b>were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">the culmination of a major shift in how the government treats unauthorized disclosures of official secrets</span></b> that has been unfolding for nearly two decades.</div><div><br /></div><div>Few argue that it is unjustified for the government, like any organization, to try to deter excessive unauthorized disclosures, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> for most of American history, it did so through administrative action, like the threat of losing one’s security clearance or job, rather than treating it as a crime.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prosecutors first convicted an official of violating the Espionage Act for leaking to the news media — as opposed to spying — in 1985, and that case then stood alone for another generation,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> starting midway through the George W. Bush administration and extending through the Obama and Trump presidencies, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">became routine to send leakers to prison</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Not a peep was raised until Trump came along. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What disingenuous assholes!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>That <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">change partly stemmed from</span></b> the legally and politically charged issues that arose in the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">post-Sept. 11 period</span></b>, like the Iraq War, <b><span style="color: red;">torture</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">warrantless surveillance</span></b>. The Bush Justice Department formed a task force dedicated to going after high-level national security leaks, helping alter the bureaucracy’s culture.</div><div><br /></div><div>The change also stemmed from 21st-century communications, whose <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">deluge of electronic trails — “metadata” showing who contacted whom and when</span></b>, to who looked at or printed out a classified computer file — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">made it easier for the FBI to identify suspects</span></b>. (Encryption, of course, has separately made it harder for agents to eavesdrop on the content of communications.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Several <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cracks in protections for journalism have formed </span></b>under the resulting pressure. One is that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">investigators have increasingly tried to seize data about reporters’ phone calls and email</span></b>s.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Now they are concerned about e-mails!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Prosecutors sometimes notified news organizations about their intentions in advance, which has led to negotiations and court fights, including a 2006 appeals court ruling upholding a subpoena for a Times reporter’s phone data; however, the statute of limitations passed, and the investigation ended.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prosecutors have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also</span></b> avoided such lengthy fights by arguing that advance notification would damage an investigation and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">secretly seized reporters’ data from communications companies</span></b> without it. Examples include an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Obama-era seizure</span></b> of Associated Press phone data disclosed in 2013 — and at least four Trump-era leak investigations.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They should have been proud to have Obama spy on them!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The QUESTION NOW is WHO DIDN'T OBAMA SPY ON?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Prosecutors have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also subpoenaed reporters to testify</span></b> about their sources.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2005, a Times reporter was <b><span style="color: red;">jail</span></b>ed <b><span style="color: red;">for 85 days</span></b> because<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <b>she refused to comply</b></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> with a subpoena </b></span>demanding that she talk about a confidential source. In a 2013 case involving another Times reporter, the Justice Department won an appeals court ruling that established that there is no “reporter’s privilege” that empowers federal judges to quash such subpoenas.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That would be Judith Miller, the main purveyor of Iraq lies on the front page of the New York Times.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Biden administration’s description of its new policy — that prosecutors “will not seek compulsory legal process in leak investigations to obtain source information from members of the news media doing their jobs” — appears to ban such subpoenas to reporters.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is less clear whether Garland intends to address a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">growing threat of prosecuting reporters</span></b> themselves <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for writing about government secrets</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Only the ones they are allowed to write about.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>In <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">theory, several laws could be used to prosecute reporters for publishing national security secrets</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> First Amendment concerns have deterred prosecutors from testing that idea. Cracks, however, have been forming in that barrier, too. </i><i>After the Times exposed secret post-9/11 surveillance under the Bush administration, some conservatives called for prosecuting the paper and its reporters.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>What is omitted there is the Times sat on the story for a year until after the 2004 election before they released it, but don't call that interfering in an election or anything.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In 2013, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">came to light </span></b>that the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Obama </span></b>Justice Department <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">portrayed</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">Fox</span></b> News <b><span style="color: red;">reporter as </span></b>a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">criminal conspirator in </span></b>his <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">source</span></b>’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">leak</span></b> as part of a search warrant application. That time, <b><span style="color: red;">conservative</span></b>s joined in expressing <b><span style="color: red;">outrage</span></b>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>There was no liberal outrage, and Obama sure liked to phony up the warrant applications, didn't he? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What a f**king crook!</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Justice Department said prosecutors <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">never intended to charge the reporter but portrayed him as a criminal </span></b>to bypass the 1980 law that bans search warrants for reporters’ work materials; it makes an exception if the reporter is suspected of a crime. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. banned the loophole, <b><span style="color: red;">b</span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: red;">ut</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">specter of prosecuting reporters returned </span></b>in 2019 when the department <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">under</span></b> Attorney General William <b><span style="color: red;">Barr</span></b> expanded a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hacking conspiracy indictment of</span></b> Julian <b><span style="color: red;">Assange</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">WikiLeaks founder</span></b>, to treat his<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> journalistic-style </span></b>acts of soliciting and publishing classified information as crimes.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>That's where the pre$$ proves they are a fraud, for they will not defend Assange.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Obama-era <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">officials had weighed charging</span></b> Assange <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">for publishing leaked military and diplomatic files but worried about establishing a precedent that could damage mainstream news outlets that sometimes publish government secrets</span></b>, like the Times. The Trump administration, however, was undeterred by that prospect.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Yeah, Obama was so good to them!</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>For now, the First Amendment issues are on hold as Assange fights extradition from Britain. Soon after the Biden administration took office, the Justice Department<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> pressed forward with</span></b> that <b><span style="color: red;">extradition effort </span></b>in British court, leaving the charges in place,<span style="color: red;"> <b>b</b></span></i><i><span style="color: red;"><b>ut that was before</b></span> Garland was sworn in — <b><span style="color: red;">and before the latest uproar</span></b> about the escalating aggression of the Justice Department’s leak investigation tactics <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">prompted him to focus on drafting a new approach</span></b> <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">that</span></b>, he testified, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">will be “the most protective of journalists’ ability to do their jobs in history</span></b>.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>What are they getting all worried about then?</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/garland-confronts-long-building-crisis-over-leak-inquiries-journalism/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div><b>Here are some reading glasses for you:</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/12/shane-michael-mask-assault-iowa/"><b>While shopping for eyeglasses in Des Moines last year, Shane Wayne Michael was approached by a patron and asked what’s become a familiar question during the coronavirus pandemic: Can you pull your mask over your nose, but Michael, whose nose was exposed inside Vision 4 Less, did not take kindly to the question in November, according to a criminal complaint. What happened next, police say, was a parking-lot fight in which Michael attacked Mark Dinning’s eyes and genitals. Dinning told authorities that Michael then pulled down his mask and began to cough and spit in his face. “If I have it, you have it!” said Michael, referring to covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to the complaint. Weeks after the Iowa man was convicted of willful injury causing serious injury, Michael, 42, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for the violent attack stemming from the mask dispute. Michael’s sentence is among the sternest yet nationwide related to an argument over face coverings since the start of the pandemic. The sentencing comes amid a continuing flurry of incidents and arrests at places like banks and polling places over masks. There’s been an unprecedented rise in unruly passenger behavior on planes, with the Federal Aviation Administration saying that a large majority of its incident reports this year have involved people who would not comply with the federal mandate to wear a face covering</b></a>. A maskless Florida woman was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail for purposely coughing on a customer at a Pier 1 store last year. A Family Dollar security guard in Flint, Mich., was fatally shot last year, authorities said, after telling a customer that her child had to wear a face covering to enter the store. Neither Michael’s attorneys nor Iowa Assistant Attorney General Kevin Cmelik, who represented the prosecution in the trial, immediately returned requests for comment Saturday. Efforts to reach Dinning, 60, were unsuccessful...."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The guy is getting 10 years for what is essentially a bar fight, and t</b><b>he mask Stasi are what we used to call busybodies. They will be met with profanity by me as I tell them the masks a) don't work, and b) are actually harmful because trees should breathing in CO2, not people.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>If they persist, I will see my way clear to knocking them flat on their ass.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I am literally sick of this shit and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMVMbmQBug">not going to take it anymore</a>!</b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-32647851756134045632021-06-13T09:01:00.001-07:002021-06-13T11:15:20.371-07:00Sunday Globe Garbage: CRT<b>Class began on page A6 about 6 a.m.:</b><div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Teachers wary of new laws limiting instruction on race" by Kimberlee Kruesi and Michael Melia The Associated Press, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As middle school teacher Brittany Paschall, an English teacher in Nashville, assembled a lesson plan on the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues, she wondered how she might have to go about it differently next year under a new Tennessee state law that prohibits teaching certain concepts of race and racism.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unit was about baseball</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">but more importantly</span></b>, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">was about segregation and racism</span></b> in America.</div><div><br /></div><div>Laws setting guiderails for classroom instruction on race passed this year in Republican-controlled states have left some teachers worried about how they will be enforced. Particularly in districts with large numbers of people of color, educators say they worry everyday discussions about students' experiences <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">could land teacher</span></b>s <b><span style="color: red;">in hot water</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <b><span style="color: red;">response to</span></b> a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> push for culturally responsive teaching that gained steam</span></b> following last year's police killing of George Floyd, Republican lawmakers and governors have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">explore</span></b>s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">how race and racism influence</span></b> American <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">politics, culture and law</span></b>. The measures have become law in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma and bills have been introduced in over a dozen other states.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>If true, why are migrants pouring in here?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Professional teachers associations and some school boards have blasted the laws as disrespecting teachers' judgment and opening the door to censorship.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is an<b><span style="color: red;"> assault on</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">craft of teaching</span></b>,” said Paschall, who is Black. “It’s asking me to show up and ignore parts of my own identity.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Don't expect any sympathy after going along with the harmful CVD $cam, you hateful, indoctrinating, insulting Marxi$t!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>While no one was looking they took over the schools and brainwashed a generation and then they have the nerve to holler censorship!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Tennessee law that takes effect July 1 allows the state education commissioner to withhold funds from any school found to be in violation. Among other things, Tennessee’s teachers can’t instruct that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The law still permits ‘impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history,’ but teachers are uncertain how to square that with the main thrust of the legislation, as state officials begin working on finalizing rules on how to implement the new law.</div><div><br /></div><div>Opposition among teachers is not universal. In a survey by the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies, 64 of 403 members responded with their thoughts on the legislation. While 61% said it would greatly or slightly affect their teaching, 22% said it would likely not or definitely not affect their teaching.</div><div><br /></div><div>Among the written responses shared anonymously by the council, one of the teachers who said it would not affect their teaching wrote: "Telling students of color they are discriminated against will only serve to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">make the students feel victimized</span></b>. This has no place in schools.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Not until you get to college and are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/usb-debt-free-this-couple-is-trading-up-items-online-until-they-can-pay-off-their-student-loan-debt/">wi$ened up</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The bills in various states limit the teaching of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ideas linked to “critical race theory</span></b>,” which seeks to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reframe the narrative of</span></b> American <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">history</span></b>. Its proponents argue that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race and that the country was founded on the theft of land and labor.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That is what Communi$ts do, sorry, and I'm glad they are fighting it in the Free States of America.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>In the Oklahoma City school district of Millwood, where over 70% of students are Black, Superintendent Cecilia Robinson-Woods said <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">teachers</span></b> were <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">confused by the implications</span></b> of the new law's ban on saying certain people are inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.</div><div><br /></div><div>She said one young Black teacher assigned a project around an issue students want to solve in their community and they came back with topics including gentrification, Jim Crow, mass incarceration and the Tulsa race massacre.</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">what these kids are thinking about</span></b>. To say you <b><span style="color: red;">can't talk about</span></b> this, <b><span style="color: red;">it</span></b>’s impossible,” Robinson-Woods said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Who got them thinking about those things?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>After the new law passed, the teacher asked the superintendent if the project meant he was teaching critical race theory. She told him students in the district's K-12 schools aren't being taught such concepts.</div><div><br /></div><div>“What you should be doing is having student led-discussions that are balanced," Robinson-Woods said she told the teacher. “So if kids are interested in learning about Green Book, then yeah, they need to learn about Jim Crow as well.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re not doing anything differently because <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">we don’t believe we’re teaching critical race theory</span></b>,” she added.</div><div><br /></div><div>The new law was condemned by school boards in Millwood as well as Oklahoma City, where the board chair, Paula Lewis, said it was a measure <b><span style="color: red;">in search of a problem</span></b> because there have been <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">no examples of somebody telling a student they are</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">white supremacist or an oppressor</span></b> because of their skin color.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's implied. </b><b>Just look at the color of the skin!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Never mind that we both have been opre$$ed by the .01% and are kept divided by their pre$$ mouthpieces with slop like this.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Still, she said, teachers are apprehensive about crossing a line.</div><div><br /></div><div>“In our mind, it really just <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">adds a layer of fear</span></b>,” she said.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Welcome to the 21st-century, $nowflake!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/teachers-wary-new-laws-limiting-instruction-race/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Okay, that's AmeriKan ejewkhazion and is no surprise.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>At least the doctor is color-blind, right?</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"AMA doctors meet amid vocal backlash over racial equity plan" by Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nation’s largest, most influential doctors’ group</span></b> is holding its annual policymaking meeting amid <b><span style="color: red;">backlash over</span></b> its most ambitious<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> plan</span></b> ever — <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to help dismantle centuries-old racism and bias in all realms of the medical establishment</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">dissenters are a vocal minority of</span></b> physicians, including some <b><span style="color: red;">white Southern delegates</span></b> who accuse the American Medical Association of reverse discrimination.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Gerald Harmon, the group's <b><span style="color: red;">incoming president, is </span></b>a 69-year-old <b><span style="color: red;">white native of rural South </span></b>Carolina who knows he isn’t the most obvious choice to lead the AMA at this pivotal time, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seems intent on breaking down stereotypes</span></b> and said pointedly in a phone interview, “This plan is not up for debate.’’</div><div><br /></div><div>The six-day <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">meeting </span></b>that began Friday is being<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> held virtually because of</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>. It offers a <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>chance</b></span> for doctors <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to</span></b> adopt policies that<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> spell out how</span></b> the AMA should <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">implement its health equity plan</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but some white doctors say</span></b> the plan goes <b><span style="color: red;">too far</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sure carries with it the stench of rationing and discrimination.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Announced last month, the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> plan is unusually bold</span></b> for the historically cautious AMA, acknowledging that <b><span style="color: red;">racism and white privilege exist in </span></b>the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">medical establishment</span></b> and have contributed to health disparities laid bare <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">during</span></b> the corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Portions of the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">plan include the language of critical race theory</span></b>, referencing the <b><span style="color: red;">theft of native lands and</span></b> centuries-old <b><span style="color: red;">white supremacy</span></b>. The <b><span style="color: red;">dissenters took offense and attacked</span></b> the plan in documents recently leaked online. One leaked draft of a letter intended for AMA executives called portions of the plan “divisive, accusatory and insulting.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They have it out for "white males, who are repeatedly characterized as repressive and to some degree responsible for the inequities," despite us <a href="https://www.rt.com/op-ed/514054-covid-pandemic-billionaires-richer/">all being looted over the past year</a> -- by the very people bringing you this slop about "equity!"</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>They want equity, all right; they want us all to be dirt-eating serfs who own nothing but will be happy thanks to the endless vaccinations and pills!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>No a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/lakota-spiritual-leader-activist-leonard-crow-dog-dies/">moment of silence</a>, please, for a</b><b> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/us/politics/freedmen-citizenship.html">racist</a> who has been dragged through the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/mudcat-grant-american-leagues-first-black-20-game-winner-dies-85/">mud</a>. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Critics argue that the plan <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">should be put up for a vote </span></b>by delegates, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> it reflects existing policies. It was developed by AMA executives and staff based in part on measures adopted at previous policymaking meetings. That includes a declaration last November that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">racism is a public health threat</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, who cares about "democracy" when race is involved?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>That's SICK!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Harmon’s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> effort to knock down stereotypes include</span></b>s reflecting on his <b><span style="color: red;">own experience</span></b>s. He described a recent encounter at a South Carolina hospital with an older Black man stricken with COVID-19 pneumonia. The man was getting better but was not very communicative and offered mostly one-word responses to questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>The man’s name was familiar, so Harmon sat down at the bedside and probed. ‘“What kind of work did you do?’ ‘Mechanic.’ ‘What kind?’ ‘Jet engines.’”</div><div><br /></div><div>With an Air Force background, Harmon shared that he knew about jet engines, and the patient perked up. He had worked at a NASA research center in Virginia where Harmon had once been assigned.</div><div><br /></div><div>“He <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">was literally</span></b> a<b><span style="color: red;"> rocket scientist</span></b>,’’ Harmon said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harmon <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">acknowledged</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">racial stereotype</span></b> behind his initial impression. He said that’s the kind of thinking that the AMA wants to confront, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> he also noted that he <b><span style="color: red;">took time to learn more</span></b> about the patient <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and to find common ground</span></b> — something Black patients say <b><span style="color: red;">white doctors</span></b> often <b><span style="color: red;">don't do</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>U.S. <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">physicians</span></b>, including AMA members, are <span style="color: red;"><b>overwhelmingly white</b></span>. With roughly 270,000 members, the AMA represents just over a quarter of the nation’s doctors.</div><div><br /></div><div>One measure at this week's meeting would have the group create guidelines to help hospitals, academic medical centers and doctors’ offices create and prominently display anti-racist policies that clearly define racist behavior and “microaggressions.’’<i> </i>Another measure asks the AMA to bolster efforts to <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">create a more diverse</span></b> physician <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">workforce</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Voting is scheduled for Monday through Wednesday.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Avoid them whatever color they are, and mine doesn't seem to care and now I know why.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>CVD has basically ruined the relationship anyway because it has destroyed my trust in the medical e$tabli$hment. The longer they continue to push the genocidal vaccines and the CVD lie, the more distrustful I become.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/ama-doctors-meet-amid-vocal-backlash-over-racial-equity-plan/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Here come the death mobiles to collect you:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Million dollar COVID vaccine lotteries grab attention, but cheaper, targeted approaches may be just as successful" by Kay Lazar Globe Staff, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Free sports tickets. Free beer. Million dollar lotteries.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the rate of COVID vaccinations declines sharply across the country, community and state <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">leaders are offering</span></b> sometimes <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lavish incentives to lure holdouts to roll up their sleeves in the drive to vaccinate</span></b> 70 percent of American adults by the Fourth of July, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> for Carlos Acosta, it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">came down to</span></b> something more simple: <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">convenience</span></b>. The 39-year-old East Boston resident <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">had been meaning to get a</span></b> COVID <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shot but life kept getting in the way</span></b> — <b><span style="color: red;">until</span></b> he stumbled upon a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pop-up clinic</span></b> last weekend <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in the </span></b>Market Basket <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">parking lot</span></b> in Revere, while out shopping.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Here is a look at the pigeons:</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div><img alt="People waited for 15 minutes after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine at mobile clinic outside of Market Basket in Chelsea on Thursday." class="height_a width_full" data-src="https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg" height="240" id="img-783b10e0-dbd1-4698-b261-f29ffef5eb07-image" pinger-seen="true" sizes="960px" src="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/fmPwtbqWb1Vqe_d2hzexOLe2vOQ=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg" srcset="https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/fmPwtbqWb1Vqe_d2hzexOLe2vOQ=/1440x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 1440w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/xbMtGqrHs3IO6ftBmG8zeA5-hR0=/1280x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 1280w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/3_QrYj_iSYUtjKcDco5dhmqVSXQ=/1024x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 1024w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/gkO6NZ8tbBBMGcsJXosoW2uSKPU=/820x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 820w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/J_oDP_5Oq27bTeB8jkvBRy5d9OA=/600x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 600w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/lzVWHl90hWVpmcJS-BgF-fGsh_g=/420x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 420w, https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/okyOjCa_WFM90CtYAjOEZQW-8f4=/240x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/I43RHXBOUCDUHB2AXKV5KUFYRM.jpg 240w" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption | margin_right_half">People waited for 15 minutes after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine at mobile clinic outside of Market Basket in Chelsea on Thursday (</span><span class="credit uppercase">Erin Clark/<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/metro/state-reports-about-55-percent-mass-population-fully-vaccinated-sunday/">Globe Staff</a>)</span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What, no olive branch?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>A vast number of <b><span style="color: red;">unvaccinated</span></b> people are neither fearful nor anti-vaccine, but simply <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">distracted by all the other issues in their lives</span></b>. For these people, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">mobile vaccine van that shows up at their work could be all it takes</span></b>, something that Community Health Programs in Berkshire County discovered long ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since January, CHC workers have hopped on “Bob,” their big orange bus, to administer more than 3,300 doses of COVID vaccines to far-flung residents, including gas station attendants, store clerks, and the homebound. They have occasionally offered incentives, such as free grocery gift cards or a raffle for Six Flags amusement park tickets, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">have found doorstep convenience to be the biggest attraction</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We’re not encountering a lot of hesitation, but social vulnerabilities — lack of transportation, lack of time off from a job, lack of child care” to get a shot, said Lia Spiliotes, the center’s chief executive.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What a fucking monster, and the fear campaign has obviously failed if people are just going about their lives!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>To be sure, big-payoff sweepstakes, such as Ohio’s Vax-a-Million, have boosted turnout. Ohio reported a weekly average vaccination rate increase of 77 percent — an average of 68,667 more shots per week — after the lottery was announced in mid-May, compared with the time before; <b><span style="color: red;">however</span></b>, other much lower-cost and lower-key approaches, such as simple text reminder “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">nudge</span></b>s” about a vaccine reserved for each unvaccinated person, or pop-up vaccination clinics at grocery stores, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">can also be effective</span></b>, researchers say.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oh, I love <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/to-be-sure">to be sure</a> -- you use to be sure when you are admitting that something is true, although it seems to contradict a more general statement that you are making -- along with however in a report, in contradiction to the a Writing 101 course in college. </b><b>Nothing like undercutting your entire thesis and admitting you are doing nothing but shoveling shit.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>So what happens when the nudge is no longer effective, huh? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>COVID CAMPS?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“We <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">need a lot of different approaches</span></b>,” said Dr. Mitesh Patel, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last fall, Patel and his colleagues <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">used simple text messages to remind people to get a flu shot</span></b>, and found in their study of 47,000 patients that texts alerting people that there was already a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">shot “reserved for you</span></b>” were the most successful. That<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> tailored message increased</span></b> by 4.6 percentage points the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">number of patients who followed through with a vaccine</span></b>, compared with patients who did not receive such messages.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">approach</span></b>, Patel said,<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> could easily be used for </span></b>COVID vaccines.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">message it conveys is, ‘It’s yours,’ and people are more likely to follow through to avoid losing something</span></b>,” Patel said.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What a criminal $lime ball!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One of Patel’s colleagues is now joining other researchers to adapt this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">so-called loss-aversion</span></b> approach <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">in a newly-announced</span></b> COVID <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vaccine lottery</span></b> in Philadelphia.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lottery significantly <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">boosts the odds of winning</span></b> among residents in randomly selected ZIP codes that have the city’s lowest vaccination rates,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> they can only collect the $50,000 prizes if they have been vaccinated, giving them a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">powerful incentive to get a shot</span></b> before the drawing.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We are drawing winners from a residential database, and if they say, ‘Sorry, I am not vaccinated,’ then we will call someone else, and they will find out it’s a ‘regret lottery,’” said co-lead researcher Katy Milkman, a behavioral economics professor in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's a lottery you don't want to win so have no regrets!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>People who <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">don’t get vaccinated</span></b> are a <b><span style="color: red;">potential threat </span></b>even <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">to vaccinated</span></b> people because they are potential <b><span style="color: red;">hosts for new strains</span></b> of COVID that may be <b><span style="color: red;">more lethal and contagious</span></b>. Scientists say many<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> people may need </span></b>COVID <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">booster shots going forward to maintain </span></b>protection, giving urgency to the search for methods that boost vaccination rates.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That is FUCKING OUTRAGEOUS, sorry!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>So the VACCINE DOESN'T WORK and you will need <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/well-probably-need-booster-shots-covid-19-when-which-ones/">ENDLE$$ BOOSTER$</a>, and what is to age done with the "potential" threats?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What is with the WEASEL WORDING from the pre$$ $scum -- with profuse apologies to weasels for the comparison.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>President Biden last week called for a “<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">month of action</span></b>” in an effort to get at least one COVID shot to 70 percent of adults, but it comes as the number of people rolling up their sleeves for a shot plummets. Nationally, vaccinations hit a peak in early April, with a seven-day average of just over 3 million shots a day. That is now down to a third of that, at around 1 million.</div><div><br /></div><div>That <b><span style="color: red;">steep decline</span></b> is mirrored in Massachusetts, where vaccinations peaked in mid-April with a seven-day average of about 90,000 shots daily. Today, it’s less than half that, hovering at about 40,000.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, Massachusetts is second only to Vermont in vaccinations, with at least 4.6 million, or 66 percent, of residents with at least a first dose — and that’s without any statewide incentive based programs. Governor Charlie Baker has said he would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">study the idea of a lottery</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> an administration spokeswoman said they are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">first focus</span></b>ed on eliminating potential barriers and incorporating smaller, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">targeted incentives</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">like</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">state-funded grocery gift cards</span></b> at Market Basket pop-up clinics in communities harder hit by the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>For how much, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/04/metro/some-market-basket-customers-embrace-chance-get-covid-vaccines-pop-up-site/">$25</a>?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>State data show the first round of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pop-up clinics</span></b>, from June 3 to June 5 in Chelsea, Revere, Lawrence, Lynn, and Fall River — communities <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">where shots have lagged</span></b> — yielded 583 additional people vaccinated. Other low-key events have done even better at getting people vaccinated.</div><div><br /></div><div>CIC Health, a Cambridge technology <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">company that managed several state mass vaccination sites, is also organizing the pop-up</span></b> Market Basket <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">clinics</span></b>. Last month, it sponsored a<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> free ice cream night</span></b> targeted at people under age 25 at the Reggie Lewis Center vaccination site in Roxbury, with a DJ, walk-ins welcome, and doors open until 10:30 p.m.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Here, take a lick of <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/saturday-junk.html">this</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>That day, a total of 837 people under age 25 were vaccinated at the center, with more than 40 percent of them — 350 people — walking in during the special evening hours. A week later, with the free ice cream offer ended, just 244 people under age 25 were vaccinated during the entire day, although the doors were only open until 6 p.m., the normal closing time.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The impact is not to just<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> increase the number who get vaccinated</span></b>,” said Rodrigo Martinez, CIC’s chief marketing officer. “It’s the factor that these people had a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">great experience</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">go back to the community and reach someone</span></b> else.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Shedding their spike proteins, no doubt.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>On the <b><span style="color: red;">other side of the state</span></b>, in <b><span style="color: red;">rural</span></b> Berkshire County where public transportation is spotty, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">biggest issue is</span></b> simply <b><span style="color: red;">reach</span></b>ing people. Community Health Programs, the county’s only community health center, is <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">used to bringing care to people’s doorstep and has relied on mobile vans to administer flu vaccines</span></b> for a decade.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They make a <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2020/06/boton-globe-house-call.html">house call</a> now they will be met with a surprise.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>For Angie Dowd, a 42-year-old cashier at a gas station in Lee, convenience and timing were key. Dowd, who was<b><span style="color: red;"> nervous after hearing about very rare blood-clotting problems</span></b> associated with the Johnson & Johnson single shot, kept putting off vaccination, even when she brought her 18-year-old son to a local pharmacy for one.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/03/metro/report-rare-blood-clots-up-10-times-more-likely-covid-19-infection-than-johnson-johnson-vaccine/">blamed that on CVD</a>, too.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Then the big “Bob” van pulled into her parking lot on Tuesday, right after she started her shift, and a colleague pointed to Dowd when van workers asked if anyone was unvaccinated and would like a shot.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">didn’t have to make an appointment or go somewhere</span></b>, and I think that was probably most of my reasoning <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">because I am so busy with work and bringing kids to school and afterschool stuff</span></b>,” said Dowd, who got her first Moderna shot that morning, “and maybe,” she said, “I’m not the only one that thinks like this.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Let's hope so, but I'm sure she is not.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/million-dollar-covid-vaccine-lotteries-grab-attention-cheaper-targeted-approaches-may-be-just-successful/">link</a></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I guess only in the eyes of God are we all created equal</b>:</div><div><div><br /></div><div>"Conservatives aim to commandeer Southern Baptists" by Ruth Graham and Elizabeth Dias New York Times, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>They are going to ‘take the ship!’</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Next week more than 16,000 Southern <b><span style="color: red;">Baptist</span></b> pastors and leaders <b><span style="color: red;">will descend</span></b> on Nashville, Tennessee, <b><span style="color: red;">for</span></b> their first annual meeting of the post-Trump era. It is their <b><span style="color: red;">most high-profile gathering in years</span></b>, with attendance more than double the most recent meeting in 2019, after a pandemic cancellation last year. It <b><span style="color: red;">caps months of vicious infighting over</span></b> every <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cultural and political division</span></b> facing the country, particularly after the murder of George Floyd.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">outcome has</span></b> the<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> potential to permanently split</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">already divided</span></b> evangelical America. Like the Trump movement within the Republican Party, a <b><span style="color: red;">populist groundswell within</span></b> the already conservative evangelical denomination <b><span style="color: red;">is trying to install an anti-establishment leader who could wrench</span></b> the church even further <b><span style="color: red;">to the right</span></b>, while opponents contend that the church must broaden its reach to preserve its strength. For three days, thousands of delegates known as “messengers” — <b><span style="color: red;">most of them white men</span></b> — will<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> fight over race, sex and ultimately the future</span></b> of evangelical power in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>God help us all.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>An event that has historically been compared to a family reunion may look more like a <b><span style="color: red;">brawl</span></b>. In the past several weeks, Baptists have pored <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">over leaked bombshell letters and whistleblower recordings</span></b>, and traded accusations of racism, apostasy <b><span style="color: red;">and sexual abuse cover-ups</span></b>. Leaders have taken barbed potshots at each other. Others have headed for the door.</div><div><br /></div><div>Messengers will confront a series of measures likely including the propriety of women delivering sermons, the handling of sexual abuse and a denunciation of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">critical race theory</span></b>, the concept that historical patterns of racism remain ingrained in modern American society and institutions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those hoping to “take the ship” maintain that piracy is nothing more than a <span style="color: red;"><b>cheeky metaphor for</b> </span>a dry, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">democratic process</span></b>. Still, the swashbuckling imagery has taken hold. There are “Take the Ship” T-shirts and pirate car flags, GIFs and memes; many supporters attach a pirate flag emoji to their Twitter handles.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the wake of the racial justice protests and the ongoing disinformation about the election, there has been “a sifting” going on in the church over race and justice in particular, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The annual meeting is an opportunity for denominational leaders either to sensitively address the concerns and racism that Black people have experienced or to side with the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">status quo</span></b> which <b><span style="color: red;">favors white people, particularly men</span></b>,” said Jemar Tisby, assistant director of narrative and advocacy at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's okay if they are Jewi$h, the one $upremaci$m that can not be uttered from their mouthpiece pre$$.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Southern Baptists split from their northern counterparts in 1845 in support of slavery. After the denomination repudiated its role in slavery in the 1990s, a portion of its national leaders have attempted to diversify its churches and seminaries. At its 2019 meeting, the convention affirmed that critical race theory could be an “analytical tool” useful to faithful Christians, a move that many conservatives describe as alarming. Its current president, J.D. Greear, urged Southern Baptists last summer to declare that “Black lives matter.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Some high-profile Southern Baptists have also pushed back on some strictures against female church leadership.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Still second in line and a second class citizen, ladies, but at least you are in front of the White Man.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The most <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">high-profile vote</span></b> at the meeting will be the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">election of a new president</span></b>, a race whose leading candidates are Mike Stone, a Georgia pastor who is the favorite of many conservatives; Ed Litton, an Alabama pastor who has largely avoided culture war battles and has the support of the denomination’s first Black president; and Albert Mohler Jr., a lion of the denomination who helped usher in a conservative revolution decades ago and is now in the awkward position of being labeled a moderate “compromise candidate.” Stone, a <b><span style="color: red;">onetime underdog</span></b>, is considered <b><span style="color: red;">a serious contender</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>No matter which side emerges triumphant from the meeting next week, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">schism looms</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If Mohler or Stone wins the presidency, or if resolutions are passed that affirm racism, in his view, he will leave,” said Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, who has been leading anti-racism efforts in the denomination.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That is when the printed sermon ended.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hostility over <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">critical race theory</span></b> among the Southern Baptists, which<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> came to the foreground</span></b> after Thanksgiving when seminary presidents denounced it, is interwoven with its weaponization by the GOP, he said. </i><i>“The <b><span style="color: red;">litmus test now</span></b> for being a Baptist is you <b><span style="color: red;">have to denounce</span></b> CRT as they do?” he said. “We would be completely off our rockers to submit, give that kind of power to a white denomination, particularly on the subject of race.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">convention has historically reflected division</span></b>s in the country. The most recent meeting, two years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, focused on sexual abuse in evangelical churches. The year before, tensions were political. Mike Pence, then the country’s vice president, gave a keynote address to rally evangelical support for Trump before the midterm elections.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>So there has always been a schism?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>SIGH!</i></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The denomination <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">vowed</span></b> at its convention two years ago<b><span style="color: red;"> to address sexual abuse </span></b>in its congregations, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> many victims’ advocates have warned that <b><span style="color: red;">little has changed</span></b>. Southern Baptist leaders have also not publicly addressed an allegation of abuse at one of its most prominent megachurches, the Village Church in Texas.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>#MeToo, #Ep$tein</b></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In one of two </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: red;">fiery letters</span></b><i> that </i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">leaked</span></b><i> after his departure, Russell Moore, the denomination’s influential head of ethics and public policy who left on June 1, accused leaders including Stone of impeding the denomination’s attempts to root out abusers, and of “bullying and intimidation” toward survivors of sexual abuse. (Stone responded in a video statement, calling the letter “as inflammatory as it is inaccurate.”) Later, an ally of Moore released audio recordings of meetings that included Moore, Stone and others debating how to handle abuse, with another high-placed leader, Ronnie Floyd, saying his priority was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">not to worry about survivor</span></b> reactions <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> rather to “<b><span style="color: red;">preserve the base</span></b>.” (In a statement, Floyd apologized and said his remarks were mischaracterized.)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Opponents of the conservative campaign are not as centrally organized, with a less targeted voter turnout operation. Last month, their preferred candidate, Litton, held question-and-answer sessions for about 30 pastors in West Virginia over takeout Chick-fil-A, and another for a similar group in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>No matter what happens in Nashville, the <b><span style="color: red;">conservatives are pressing on to strengthen their institutional and cultural power</span></b>. Tom Ascol, who leads Founders Ministries, an influential conservative group, has been hosting regular calls with fellow pastors who are newly engaged in the fight.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Next year Founders will host a conference called Militant and Triumphant, whose website makes its ambitions plain:</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>“We indeed do not <b><span style="color: red;">wage war against flesh and blood</span></b>, but we do wage war.”</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>We are in a Holy War because of CVD and those behind it.</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/take-ship-conservatives-aim-commandeer-southern-baptists/">link</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I was further told that the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/take-ship-conservatives-aim-commandeer-southern-baptists/">rebellion in the Southern Baptist Convention both reflects and forecasts what is going on in broader society and the Republican Party</a>, and I gave in to <a href="https://www.chicwish.com/ruched-long-sleeves-top-in-cream.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj-ator2U8QIVS_uHCh1SaAGnEAEYASAEEgK_RPD_BwE">temptation</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>That deliverance brings us here</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Inside the bizarre Arizona audit fueled by Trump’s false claims of election fraud" by Jess Bidgood Globe Staff, June 12, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>PHOENIX — What former president Donald Trump seems to think is his best hope to unravel the 2020 election looks a lot like an outsize board game — a game with few apparent rules and no clear endpoint.</div><div><br /></div><div>On a recent day on the floor of a sports arena with a roof shaped like a Pringle, there were four teams of ballot-counters clad in <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">cartoon</span></b>ish colors: banana yellow, Gumby green, Cookie Monster blue, and Elmo red. They were clustered in groups of three around big round tables, each outfitted with a lazy Susan that matched their T-shirts and whirled ballots past their eyes, as if on a carousel.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That is what has become of the Globe.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>”Product coming in, product coming out,” said one officia who would not give his name, as he pointed to the stacks of cardboard boxes of ballots — all sealed shut with tape that matched the team colors — that lined either side of the stadium floor. </div><div><br /></div><div>“Data in the black box,” he added, pointing to a black monolith of a server in the center of the floor, with blue cords spilling out like silly string that presumably tracks the results of the ballot review.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Black box voting machines flipped votes, but no one wants to hear it, not even <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/26/nation/dead-officers-family-urge-gop-senators-back-insurrection-investigation/">Republicans</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I sadly predict nothing will come of this audit and the stolen election and coup will be complete.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>We are fucked either way, as the country will be torn apart were Trump to be reinstated as the rightful president he is, and he isn't even <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/saturday-junk.html">Trump</a> anymore.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This is the scene at the election audit ordered by the Arizona Senate of Maricopa County, the fourth-biggest county in the country, where 2.1 million ballots were cast and where <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b>, to his disbelief and fury, <b><span style="color: red;">lost</span></b> to Joe Biden by a margin of 45,109 votes. Conducted not by the state’s elections officials but by a Florida-based company called Cyber Ninjas, it is widely seen as a <b><span style="color: red;">fever dream</span></b> of an effort<b><span style="color: red;"> to</span></b> expose and <b><span style="color: red;">root out</span></b> the<b><span style="color: red;"> imagined voter fraud </span></b>that Trump and his backers have railed about since Election Day, locking a large swath of the country in an endless cycle of relitigating the 2020 vote.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">easy to dismiss</span></b> this <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">as</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">sideshow</span></b>, a weird epilogue to an election that some Trump supporters still aren’t ready to concede, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>democracy <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">experts and election administrators warn that</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">audit</span></b> here <b><span style="color: red;">speaks to a dark and worrisome current of distrust </span></b>that has been intentionally stoked by GOP leaders. It’s a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">carefully cultivated atmosphere of paranoia that is eroding confidence in</span></b> the country’s bedrock <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">political process</span></b>es and could lay the groundwork for fiercer challenges by losers in elections in 2024 and beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Well, the cultivated atmosphere of paranoia applies the fear-monger pre$$ and its promotion of the CVD fraud while omitting and ignoring the adverse effects of the vaccines and the faultiness of the tests; however, as far as the sideshow of distrust, it wasn't a problem the last four years with Democrat sabotage and lack of acceptance. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The shameless hypocrisy is one thing, but the FACT that TRUTH NEVER FEARS AN AUDIT means this is a preemptive Globe smear due to the fact that The Democrats not only stole the presidential vote, but the Senate seat in Arizona as well as the two in Georgia that gave them control of the government.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>”This <b><span style="color: red;">process</span></b> is <b><span style="color: red;">undermining</span></b> not just<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> elections</span></b> in Arizona, but <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">democratic self-governance</span></b>,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “My <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">primary concern</span></b> is that we will find ourselves in a perpetual state of <b><span style="color: red;">half</span></b> the state or the county or <b><span style="color: red;">the country</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">denying</span></b> that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">those legitimately elected</span></b> by the voters have the power to govern.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Well, when you steal an election as brazenly as they did.....</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Rejected by the courts and proven wrong by recounts, <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> supporters are telling themselves Arizona will be the first “domino” to fall in a series of election “investigations” that will overturn the 2020 election result — which President Biden won decisively. Trump, who has sent out statements encouraging “forensic audits” in Georgia, New Hampshire, and Arizona, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has reportedly told friends</span></b> he believes <b><span style="color: red;">he will be “reinstated</span></b>” to the Oval Office this summer, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">and while</span></b> that <b><span style="color: red;">idea seems pure delusion</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ripple effect</span></b>s from the audit here are already obvious as state lawmakers and other Republican officials from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alaska, and elsewhere make their way to Phoenix and carry strands of the conspiracy theory back to their supporters at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>”I gotta tell you, I’m impressed,” said state Senator Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania, in an interview with the far-right blog The Gateway Pundit, after touring the Arizona site last week and before he held a rally at his own state Capitol calling for an audit there. “This is a <b><span style="color: red;">model for</span></b> any <b><span style="color: red;">audit</span></b> in any nation or the world.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Pennsylvania has <b><span style="color: red;">no plans to exhume</span></b> the ballots of the November election, in which Biden beat Trump in the Quaker State by 80,555 votes, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> Republicans are pushing efforts to reexamine the election results in several other states, a process that keeps a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">baseless narrative about election fraud </span></b>alive, benefiting the former president.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>This comes from the same people who lied about Iraq and everything else the last 20 years, so consider the agenda-pushing source.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>In Wisconsin, the conservative speaker of the state House has hired three former law enforcement officers and an attorney to investigate tips about the last election, although the state’s professional election administrators completed their work months ago. <b><span style="color: red;">Trump</span></b> himself has <b><span style="color: red;">seized on an audit</span></b> of a local race in New Hampshire<b><span style="color: red;"> to make fantastical claims about</span></b> broader <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">election fraud</span></b>. His supporters are trying to organize a push for an audit in Michigan, while election doubters have successfully sued for a “forensic audit” in Fulton County, Ga., although that case is currently tied up in court.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>This comes from the same pre$$ that hollered Russian collusion and interference the last four years while minimizing Chinese and Israeli influence and control.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“If you’re against an audit, you’re part of the corruption,” said Garland Favorito, a prominent Georgia <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">conspiracy theorist</span></b> and a plaintiff in that case, after he visited the audit in Arizona. He spoke during a fawning interview on the right-wing news outlet One America News Network, which has taken to referring to the Maricopa spectacle as “America’s audit.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That term has been thrown around like a $20 hooker and has lost all its meaning -- especially when all the "conspiracy theories" have been proven or are coming true (like the vaccine passports that were scoffed at last year).</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>This is really abhorrent journali$m and an abomination.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">audit</span></b> here <b><span style="color: red;">is the latest example of how Trump</span></b>-supporting Republicans have <b><span style="color: red;">weaponized</span></b> basic <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">election machinery to pursue a fake narrative</span></b> about the last election — and how much power that narrative has on the ground.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The only fake narratives are those the pre$$ pushes.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>While most congressional Republicans have acknowledged that Biden is in fact president, oblique references to ”irregularities” in the voting processes pushed by the likes of House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik give way to a<b><span style="color: red;"> full embrace </span></b>of <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">conspiracy theories </span></b>by state parties and local activists who are backing sham audits or even running for office themselves on a platform of finding fraud. One of Trump’s most visible allies, former national security adviser Michel Flynn, has suggested the US needs a coup, and one recent poll found nearly 30 percent of Trump supporters believe he will be “reinstated” as president this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Typically, <b><span style="color: red;">audits are</span></b> a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">standard fixture of electoral bureaucracy</span></b> immediately after the vote, a dull process carried out by civil servants that barely draws any notice. In Georgia, the November ballots were audited before the election was certified, <b><span style="color: red;">but </span></b>the <b><span style="color: red;">audit</span></b> at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix <b><span style="color: red;">is something different</span></b>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>This incredible $kank called a reporter is sickening!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It began at the behest of the Republican-controlled state Senate, which subpoenaed 2.1 million ballots from Maricopa County over the adamant objections of the Republicans who run the Board of Supervisors there, and handed them over to Cyber Ninjas, a company with no reputation for conducting election audits and whose founder has openly questioned the election. The Senate has covered a small part of the cost, but a review by the Guardian newspaper and OpenSecrets, a group that tracks money in politics, found much of the <b><span style="color: red;">effort</span></b> is <b><span style="color: red;">being paid for by undisclosed donors</span></b>, some with connections to Trump.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I a$$ume it isn't $oros.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“I have the full support of him and a personal call from President Trump thanking us for pushing to prove any fraud,” wrote Senate President Karen Fann in an e-mail released earlier this month, according to the Arizona Republic. In another e-mail, the paper reported, she<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> acknowledged Biden won</span></b> and said the<b><span style="color: red;"> audit</span></b> was <b><span style="color: red;">to disprove people’s suspicions</span></b> about the election system, or to find ways to improve it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seasoned observers of audits and experienced elections officials say that what is happening at the coliseum, where a sign for the WNBA basketball team the Mercury says “Mad House is our house,” can barely be called an audit. In addition to the ballot-counters, there are long tables where people in gray T-shirts examine ballots under a camera; the security presence includes the Arizona Rangers, a civilian auxiliary force with no real law enforcement power.</div><div><br /></div><div>To critics, the goal of the exercise does not appear to include finding out who people voted for in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>The ballot counting is winding down, but ballots are still being examined. Officials with the audit did not respond to e-mailed questions about when a final report might be released. While the <b><span style="color: red;">audit</span></b> report would <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">do nothing to change the outcome </span></b>of the 2020 election, there are <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">concern</span></b>s that its release <b><span style="color: red;">could further fan the flames of anger among Trump supporters</span></b> over his loss, which already sparked a violent attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>That's the narrative regarding the staged and scripted false flag event at the Capitol.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“With their lack of procedures and inconsistencies, and just everything they’re doing, they’re creating an atmosphere that’s prime for cooking the books, which we are fully sure that that’s what they intend to do,” said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, who has defended the security of the state’s 2020 vote and is now running for governor.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I don’t know if I can emphasize enough how much there’s a bloc of voters in our state, and from around the country, who actually believe that I stole the election, which equates to committing treason,” Hobbs added. “It’s very dangerous.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Outside the stadium, in a parking lot baking in 108-degree heat, a group of demonstrators cheered on volunteers as they drove in to count the votes and unfurled a banner that called for Hobbs and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to be jailed.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’ll show that <b><span style="color: red;">he won</span></b> Arizona probably <b><span style="color: red;">in a landslide</span></b>,” said Kelly Johnson, a 60-year-old lawyer with a revolver on his hip who had traveled here from Southern California. “We also believe that Trump won California, and won big.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, he did. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>That's what the Germans saw before the Dominion servers were seized. Trump won 410 electoral votes, and the California recall should prove that if it is a free and fair election. It won't be because Newsomn is refusing to come out of the state of emergency, so the vote fraud will continue.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Time to start imprisoning and executing politicians and election officials for such things.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Larry Grafanakis, a Glendale resident who recently showed up outside the federal courthouse in Phoenix to support the so-called QAnon Shaman who was arrested after he broke into the Capitol during the failed insurrection on Jan. 6, arrived at the demonstration with three granola bars and a couple of Trump flags.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, drag that intelligence agency psyop into it, too. Trust the plan as the bold pours out the back of your head.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“I just came from inside actually, counting the votes,” said Grafanakis, who said he had been trained for a couple of hours and had come six or seven times to help count. “If they don’t add up, then we do it again sometimes.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“This is important for the world,” he said, as some of his fellow demonstrators became agitated by the presence of this reporter, whom they asked to leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just down the block, a graffitied message on a sign showed what the state’s entire election apparatus has already proven. “TRUMP LOST,” it said, with a sad face.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/inside-bizarre-arizona-audit-fueled-by-trumps-false-claims-election-fraud/">link</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>One really gets the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/opinion/political-myth-that-demography-is-destiny/">feeling</a> that the audits will prove <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/06/nation/democratic-report-raises-2022-alarms-messaging-voter-outreach/">Trump won</a> as the Globe attempts to prevent the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/opinion/next-insurrection/">next insurrection</a> by seeking to <a href="https://apps.bostonglobe.com/opinion/graphics/2021/06/future-proofing-the-presidency/part-6-the-case-for-prosecuting-donald-trump/">prosecute Trump</a> and make it clear that no one is above the law except for Biden, the Clintons, Obama, other assorted Democrat $cum, and <a href="https://www.chicwish.com/">sex-traffickers</a> that <a href="https://www.chicwish.com/ruched-long-sleeves-top-in-cream.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIvagLKF8QIV772zCh3_tQIkEAEYASABEgLTC_D_BwE">service</a> the ruling cla$$ <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/falmouth-police-investigate-attempted-abduction-16-year-old-girl/">$atani$ts</a>. I know because I am the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-shootings-746d08329d734e9e74a373b21a1ac062">Pulse</a> of the people.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>What's Left of the Resistance as they celebrate the freedom of enslaved people in America and consider what it means to be Black and free</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/juneteenth-meaning-black-liberation-boston/">Juneteenth and the meaning of Black liberation in Boston</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>They don't even know what day it is as we skate along:</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/sports/safesport-massachusetts-youth-hockey/">A<b> prominent girls’ ice hockey coach</b> in Central Massachusetts <b>has been suspended </b>by the US Center for SafeSport, marking the 14th time a person involved with youth ice hockey in Massachusetts has been disciplined <b>for sexual misconduct</b> after investigations by SafeSport or USA Hockey, the sport’s national governing body</a>. With the suspension in May of George J. Barrett Jr., the former owner and operator of the Worcester Lady Crusaders, no Olympic development sport in Massachusetts has had more individuals in its ranks sanctioned for sexual misconduct than ice hockey. Nationally, the only state that has amassed more disciplinary actions for sexual misconduct in youth hockey is Minnesota, with 16. In the rest of New England, four individuals have been punished, two each in Connecticut and Maine. The high number in Massachusetts has raised questions....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hockey, of course, is a White sport and thus racist.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/nation/14-people-are-hurt-shooting-downtown-austin-police-say/">14 people are hurt in shooting in downtown Austin</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Austin is not only a left-wing bastion in Texas, it's home to vast military centers and controlled opposition Alex Jones so grain of salt, please.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The agenda was made clear in the article below it:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"Rash of mass shootings stirs US fears heading into summer" by Kathleen Foody Associated Press June 12, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div>CHICAGO (AP) — Two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in <b><span style="color: red;">mass shootings overnight </span></b>in three states, authorities said Saturday, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">stoking concern</span></b>s that a <b><span style="color: red;">spike in</span></b> U.S. <b><span style="color: red;">gun violence could continue into summer as</span></b> corona<b><span style="color: red;">virus restrictions ease</span></b> and more people are free to socialize.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, better to be in freedom-killing, unhealthy lockdown like the WEF wants.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The attacks took place late Friday or early Saturday in the Texas capital of Austin, Chicago and Savannah, Georgia.</div><div><br /></div><div>Savannah’s police chief, Roy Minter, Jr., said the shooting may be linked to an ongoing dispute between two groups, citing reports of gunshots being fired at the same apartment complex earlier in the week.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s very disturbing what we’re seeing across the country and the level of gun violence that we’re seeing across the country,” he told reporters Saturday. “It’s disturbing and it’s senseless.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>He means gangs of migrants, right?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">attacks come amid an easing of</span></b> COVID-19 <b><span style="color: red;">pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic restrictions</span></b> in much of the country, including Chicago, which lifted many of its remaining safeguards on Friday. Many <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hoped</span></b> that a <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">spike in</span></b> U.S. <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">shootings and homicides last year</span></b> was an <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">aberration </span></b>perhaps <b><span style="color: red;">caused by pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic-related stress</span></b> amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> those rates are still higher than they were in pre-pandemic times, including in cities that refused to slash police spending following the death of George Floyd and those that made modest cuts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Enlarged because it's something you need to keep in mind going forward.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“There was a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">hope </span></b>this might simply be a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">statistical blip </span></b>that would start to come down,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “That hasn’t happened, and that’s what really makes chiefs <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">worry that we may be entering a new period where we will see</span></b> a <b><span style="color: red;">reversal</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">of</span></b> 20 years of <b><span style="color: red;">decline</span></b>s in these crimes.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Tracking ups and downs in crime is always <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">complicated</span></b>, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> violent crime commonly increases in the summer months. Weekend evenings and early-morning hours also are common windows for shootings.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Here is the thing, though. It is NOT COMPLICATED!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>It is only complicated to prevaricators and liars like my pre$$!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many types of crime did decline in 2020 and have stayed lower this year, suggesting the <span style="color: red;"><b>pan</b></span>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b> and the activism and unrest spurred by the reaction to Floyd’s death <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">didn’t lead to</span></b> an <b><span style="color: red;">overall spike</span></b> in crime.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Now for the bombshell:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">number of mass shootings</span></b> in 2020 <b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">was the lowest in decades</span></b>, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, with only three mass shootings occurred at public places — the lowest total for that category in a decade — out of 19 total mass shootings in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>We were told only four paragraphs ago that they spiked in 2020. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>WTF?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The database tracks all mass killings including shootings, defined as four or more people dead not including the perpetrator.</div><div><br /></div><div>James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University, said “It’s <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">worrisome</span></b>,” Fox said. “We have a blend of people beginning to get out and about in public. We have lots of divisiveness, And we have more guns and warm weather. It’s a <b><span style="color: red;">potentially deadly mix</span></b>.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Expect staged and scripted false flag events gone live or otherwise all summer long, folks, as a predicate to disarm the American people.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-gun-politics-shootings-health-3a38e35db46f4b3b76af3ed566e47c0c">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What you kids need is <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-globe-guidance-counselor.html">guidance</a></b>:</div><div><br /></div></div><div>"City Council candidate participated in controversial counseling sessions for Boston students" by Laura Crimaldi and Naomi Martin Globe Staff, June 12, 2021</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>Since the 1990s, Kelly Bates, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lawyer and civic leader</span></b> from Hyde Park, <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">has been a steady presence in local political and nonprofit circles</span></b>, building <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a resume she hopes will convince voters</span></b> to send her to the City Council as an at-large member in November, <b><span style="color: red;">but</span></b> for years, she has <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">also played a role in the use of an unorthodox brand of group therapy</span></b> known as Re-evaluation Counseling, or RC, with high schoolers on the Boston Student Advisory Council, a prestigious group that advises Boston Public Schools leaders on education policy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since students revealed the council’s use of RC in March, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has ordered two investigations and cut ties with Youth on Board, the nonprofit program that introduced the counseling, and with its leader, Jenny Sazama, an RC devotee and youth engagement leader in the RC organization. The first BPS investigation found students described RC as “weird, uncomfortable, cult-like”; following a Globe report, Cassellius ordered a second, expanded probe.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bates is also a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">longtime practitioner</span></b> of RC, in which participants relate difficult experiences and “discharge” intense emotions by crying, screaming, or laughing. Bates was one of 13 RC teachers in Massachusetts listed in the July 2020 issue of an RC journal, and in a December 2018 e-mail obtained by the Globe, Sazama called Bates an RC “area leader,” meaning she oversaw several local RC groups.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="html-render">E-mails show that Bates <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">was aware of, and encouraged, students’ involvement </span></b>in RC; in 2019, Youth on Board sent Bates the council’s summertime RC schedule. And in 2018 and 2019, at Sazama’s behest, the nonprofit’s staff e-mailed Bates contact information for students who regularly attended RC to ensure they were informed of RC activities outside the Boston Public Schools.....</span></div><div><span class="html-render"><br /></span></div><div><span class="html-render"><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/city-council-candidate-participated-controversial-counseling-sessions-boston-students/">link</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Time to go off on your own</b>:</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/activists-stage-second-annual-alternative-event-boston-pride/">Trans Resistance activists stage second annual alternative to Boston Pride</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>As Trans Resistance MA sees its influence expand, Boston Pride grapples with a boycott fueled by accusations that the organization is not inclusive.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Here is where you can send a complaint:</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/metro/cumberland-ri-resident-has-created-virtual-place-gripe-about-life/">A Cumberland, R.I., resident has created a virtual place to gripe about life</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's a safe place to complain in the “Crybaby” community instead of airing grievances on other local social media pages.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Speaking of crybabies:</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/tenants-activists-rally-preserve-affordable-housing-jamaica-plain-apartment-complex/">Tenants, activists rally to preserve affordable housing at Jamaica Plain apartment complex</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>As residents fear becoming homeless, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/boston-police-find-three-firearms-after-tip-12-year-old/">Boston police found three firearms in a residence after tip from 12-year-old</a> and arrested a 34-year-old Roxbury man for unlawful possession and improper storage of a firearm.</b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-bob-cousy-worcester-nba-sports-5ada2989ea7d8370fc5507ef80e70ad5">Former Celtic Bob Cousy getting statue in Worcester</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Why is that old, white racist getting a statue?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>It should be TORN DOWN and all <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nh-state-wire-manchester-business-86843d55710a1ff64c786f60507d8521">connections</a> to the past should be severed!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Now hit the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/grants-bring-fun-activities-boston-beaches-this-summer/">beach</a>, something that was contentious last year because of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/rates-covid-19-infection-death-continue-decline-massachusetts/">CVD</a>, so get out there and $ell your wares:</b></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/black-businesses-community-celebrated-nubian-square-block-party/">Black businesses and community celebrated in Nubian Square block party</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The event aimed to combine the atmosphere of a party with the calculated strategy of advancing Black-owned businesses from Rockport to Plymouth as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/rockport-plymouth-in-person-shopping-never-felt-so-good/">in-person shopping never felt so good</a>, and in a post-COVID world, there’s a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/post-covid-world-theres-craving-outdoor-dining-stay-menu/">craving for outdoor dining to stay on the menu</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I'm going to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/opinion/grieving-school-year-unlike-any-other/">waltz</a> out of here and become <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/opinion/invisible-power-children/">invisible</a>, and I leave you with my <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/13/opinion/stealing-memories/">memories</a> and an <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/opinion/unheralded-movie-that-brought-boston-alive-me/">unheralded movie that will bring Boston alive for you</a> as I pass on the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/sports/nba-playoff-tv-ratings-are-up-having-fans-stands-may-be-big-reason-why/">basketball game</a>.</b></div></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664626126021821426.post-19846380683860186592021-06-12T11:06:00.000-07:002021-06-12T11:06:03.044-07:00Saturday Junk<div><b>Comes with the morning coffee</b>:</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"Starbucks has plenty of customers, but not enough ingredients" by Julie Creswell New York Times, June 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Tasha Leverette was in the mood for her favorite drink from Starbucks, an iced peach green-tea lemonade.</div><div><br /></div><div>When she went through the drive-thru of her usual Starbucks in Atlanta three weeks ago, though, she was told they couldn’t make the drink because they didn’t have any peach-flavored juice. Shrugging it off, she drove to another store, and another, and another.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each stop brought disappointment. None of the locations had the integral ingredient.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I said to them, ‘This is the Peach State, right?’” said Leverette, 33, who owns a public relations firm. “It’s surprising because Starbucks always seems like it has anything and everything you need.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Across the country, customers and baristas are taking to social media to bemoan shortages not only of key ingredients for popular Starbucks drinks, like peach and guava juices, but also a lack of iced and cold-brew coffee, breakfast foods and cake pops, and even cups, lids, and straws.</div><div><br /></div><div>A video on TikTok this week featured what appeared to be a group of employees screaming in frustration over a list of ingredients the shop had run out of. The caption also said that they were low on cold brew and the “will to live.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Starbucks is hardly the only company struggling with supply issues. Earlier this spring, ketchup packets became hotter than GameStop stock. Automakers have slowed production because there are not enough computer chips for their vehicles, and homeowners are waiting weeks, if not months, for major kitchen appliances, but Starbucks is running out of ingredients for Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers and almond croissants after being one of the clear winners of the pandemic economy. During lockdowns, the coffee chain quickly shifted from its position as a “third place,” where people could linger to work or meet up for long chats, to focusing on frictionless transactions with customers ordering through mobile apps and drive-thrus. Earlier this year, company executives said Starbucks had seen a “full recovery” in US sales, back to pre-pandemic levels.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How can that be with the manmade shortage supplies to further usher in a totalitarian state</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>That's when I dumped the bad-ta$ting cup, but there is plenty left if you want to guzzle it down.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/starbucks-has-plenty-customers-not-enough-ingredients/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Or maybe you would like a lick of ice cream in$tead</b>:</div><div><br /></div></div><div>"J.P. Licks sued for rent that went unpaid during pandemic; Its landlord claims the ice cream chain owes $113,000, despite having received nearly $3 million through the Paycheck Protection Program" by Tim Logan Globe Staff, June 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>The flagship location of long-popular Boston ice cream chain J.P. Licks in Jamaica Plain is being sued by its landlord for more than $100,000 in unpaid rent amassed during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zooephebe Realty Trust, which owns the Centre Street building where J.P. Licks has its store, production facility, and corporate office, filed suit this week in Suffolk County Superior Court, saying owner Vincent Petryk owes it $113,000 in back rent accumulated in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>The suit claims that J.P. Licks failed to pay its full monthly rent of $23,000 to $24,000 from March through the end of last year, despite receiving nearly $3 million in loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. While J.P. Licks resumed making normal rent payments in January, the suit notes, it still owes $113,000 in back rent.</div><div><br /></div><div>Neither party immediately returned messages seeking comment Friday afternoon. The suit was first reported by the Boston Business Journal.</div><div><br /></div><div>These types of tenant-landlord disputes have cropped up with increasing regularity as the pandemic eases and property owners seek to recoup rent payments deferred during the public health crisis. In February, a Suffolk County judge ruled that a Back Bay coffee shop did not have to pay back rent for the months it was ordered closed by the state.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What will the landlord tell the bank, or is this simply a way for the corporate globalists to seize all property so you will <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBBxWtKKQiA">own nothing and be happy</a>?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/jp-licks-sued-rent-that-went-unpaid-during-pandemic/">link</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Or you can take a lick of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/tech-giants-face-demands-downsize-new-antitrust-bills/">demands on the tech giants to downsize in new antitrust bills</a>, but I warn you to take it with a grain of $alt. They have reminded the Democrats they are with them, and Republicans didn't do anything about them when they had the chance.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Time for all of them to step down like <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/tom-glynn-stepping-down-ceo-harvards-allston-development-company/">Glynn</a>, whose Harvard job was a natural extension of his work at Massport in an article that reads like a pre$$ agent handout and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/18/metro/state-will-pursue-75m-mass-pike-repair-allston-deliberations-continue/">bridge</a> to BU where <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/bu-graduates-had-identities-stolen-while-buying-caps-gowns/">a</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/bu-graduates-had-identities-stolen-while-buying-caps-gowns/"> month after more than 150 Boston University students were victims of credit card fraud while buying their commencement caps and gowns, some of them say they still haven’t received their money back. The BU students were the victim of a cyberattack that affected college students nationwide who ordered graduation regalia through the vendor Herff Jones. The attack compromised the personal accounts of thousands of student customers</a>, according to news reports in the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/bu-graduates-had-identities-stolen-while-buying-caps-gowns/">Metro section</a>(?).</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Was in my printed business section as the Globe has me literally <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/climate/wind-energy-Atlantic-Biden.html">tilting</a> at <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/lease-windmill-space-atlantic-between-long-island-new-jersey/">windmills</a> off Block Island, R.I., because <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/business/biden-administration-grants-vineyard-wind-its-final-major-permit/">after two decades of false starts and lengthy delays, Massachusetts is poised to get the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm with the approval Tuesday by the Biden administration of a massive energy project in federal waters some 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The decision is an important milestone for the Biden administration’s effort to battle climate change by moving the nation’s energy policy away from fossil fuels and toward renewable sources. It is also validation of a push for wind power that started in Massachusetts some 20 years ago with the Cape Wind project that was proposed for waters in Nantucket Sound and eventually collapsed in the face of stiff opposition. “It’s not just the approval of a project, but it really is<span style="font-size: large;"> the birth of an industry,</span>” said Dennis Arriola, chief executive of Avangrid, an energy company that is developing Vineyard Wind in a partnership with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. “It’s really historic. It <span style="font-size: large;">shows that when a private and public partnership want to get something done like this, it can be done.”</span> The approval will also accelerate an arms race among at least a half-dozen East Coast states for the renewable energy and the jobs that these projects bring</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/biden-opens-california-coast-wind-farm-development/">off the </a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/nation/biden-opens-california-coast-wind-farm-development/">coast of California</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Just caught a whiff of real fa$ci$m that apparently helped <a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/jun/12/sp-500-notches-winning-week-as-stocks-edge-higher/">Wall Street closed out a mostly listless week Friday with a wobbly day of trading that helped nudge the S&P 500 to its third-straight weekly gain</a> $o enjoy your weekend!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/fda-approval-biogen-alzheimers-drug-comes-under-increasing-fire-after-committee-resignations/">Backlash over FDA approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug is spreading</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>It was the Globe's above-the-fold, front-page feature this morning and I'm told it “should send shock waves to the White House.”</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What isn't sending shock waves are the tens of thousands of deaths and adverse reactions worldwide as the government continues to push and approve use of the deadly vaxxeens; thus, as I </b></div><div><b><a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-swoon.html">swoon</a> I wonder what is the angle here? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>To try and surreptitiously rebuild FDA credibility when the approve the vaccines, claiming they have cleaned up their act after the Biogen scandal that will soon be all but forgotten?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>As for the Globe's ostensible above-the-fold, front-page lead, they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/new-boston-exam-school-admission-requirements-might-include-entrance-test-zip-code-allocations/">failed the test</a> and get <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/duxbury-high-football-team-used-antisemitic-audibles-since-2010-practice-investigator-reports/">no extra points</a> as I flip below the fold.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/tourism-rebounds-boston-after-pent-up-pandemic-year/"><b>Duck boat tours, nearly chock full, are again circuiting the city. The Cheers bar is standing room only, and Old Town Trolley Tours, no longer restricted to a solitary stop, are truly a hop-on, hop-off experience again. There are increasing signs, some subtle and some striking, that tourism is on the rebound in Boston after a pent-up pandemic year</b></a>. Tourism is one of Boston’s major revenue sources, and estimates of losses during the shutdown ran into the billions. While there are no data to reflect the recent uptick, a walk around Boston this week revealed <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/tourism-rebounds-boston-after-pent-up-pandemic-year/"><b>plenty of anecdotal evidence that tourists are savoring their newfound freedom</b></a>....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I'm going to cut the rookie some slack considering the </b><b><a href="https://dearglobereaders.org/">crisis in the newsroom</a> and the fact that the empty MBTA cars where <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/mask-scofflaws-t-some-riders-wear-two-masks-while-others-wear-none/">ridership is down nearly 70 percent</a> flies in the face of such proclamations as the other Globe newbie is more concerned about masks:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/mask-scofflaws-t-some-riders-wear-two-masks-while-others-wear-none/">Across the region, vaccinated people are taking off their masks and savoring a long-awaited return to normalcy, but that freedom does not extend to trips on the MBTA, where all riders, vaccinated or not, must still wear face coverings, but as has been true throughout the pandemic, mask scofflaws aren’t hard to spot</a>, especially with the year-long habit starting to fray....."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I don't want to start a fray, but what I spotted was the wrongful use of the term scofflaw. The insane mask-wearing is a guidance and a rule, NOT a LAW -- at least, not yet and if one becomes law it will be unconstitutional as well as criminally harmful to health.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>This is what passes for journali$m these days, and what are Globe reporters doing?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>They are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/globe-wins-pulitzer-prize-investigation-into-states-failure-keep-dangerous-drivers-off-road/">patting themselves on the back</a>, and I'm not blind to the prominently displayed rainbow flag, either!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>And they wonder why they are despised here?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/doj-double-staff-working-voting-rights-amid-restrictive-new-gop-ballot-laws/?camp=bg%3Abrief%3Arss%3Afeedly&rss_id=feedly_rss_brief&s_campaign=bostonglobe%3Asocialflow%3Atwitter">DOJ to double staff working on voting rights amid restrictive new GOP ballot laws</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>My print was AP and that was the Globe's National Lead, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/opinion/garland-wants-protect-rule-law-politics-this-isnt-how-do-it/">Biden's hatchet man</a> with a grudge making sure the massive vote frauds will continue and the DoJ goes back to being what it was under Obama: an operation to persecute political enemies while shielding their own crimes (where is John Durham's report or Hunter's laptop that was in their hands?)</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/us/politics/leaks-investigation-justice-department-trump.html">Justice Dept. Watchdog to Investigate Seizure of Democrats’ Data</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Yeah, Horowitz(!) will get to the bottom of it after obstructing and obfuscating the Obama spying scandal that used the pee dossier from the Clinton campaign as the basis to obtain fraudulent FISA warrants, with Brennan feeding it to McCain and Reid, who then sent it up official channels to give it the veneer of legitimacy. Democrat squawking on this is really beyond the limts of shamelessness.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-shootings-cb7b2f46d7d46ec882c4029266c5ceb6">Florida supermarket shooter made Facebook threats</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>He had <a href="https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/florida-supermarket-shooter-had-recently-declared-bankruptcy">recently declared bankruptcy</a> in this roaring economy, and add two more deaths to the CVD toll.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-joe-biden-business-f12ef1a641bc326761656d4001054361">Biden to return diverted border wall money</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The migrants are still pouring on in even if the pre$$ is ignoring it with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/us-closes-trump-era-office-victims-immigrant-crime/">no concern</a> for the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/08/metro/man-20-arrested-alleged-rape-teen-ferry-marthas-vineyard/">victim</a> of the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/09/metro/suspect-rape-aboard-steamship-authority-ferry-attacked-victim-truck-vessel-officials-say/">20-year-old Dorchester man who has been living in the US illegally since 2019 and who is now charged with raping an 18-year-old woman Monday on a Steamship Authority ferry from Martha’s Vineyard</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Now get off <a href="Judge halts loan forgiveness program for farmers of color after lawsuit alleges it discriminates against white farmers ">my land</a>!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/g-7-nations-gather-pledge-1b-vaccine-doses-world/">G-7 nations gather to pledge 1 billion vaccine doses for world</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>After reading the first paragraph, I realized the entire article was a total rewrite so you wouldn't have known that the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-joe-biden-g-7-summit-europe-dbecfbc9d28d3d3665c0f187547def1f">menu consisted of roasted turbot, Cornish new potatoes and greens with wild garlic pesto</a>, cooked by a local chef, and a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/state-officials-warn-beachgoers-about-lions-mane-jellyfish/">jellyfish</a> was spotted in the crowd, but at least you do now that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/g-7-nations-gather-pledge-1b-vaccine-doses-world/">leaders will pivot Friday from opening greetings and a “family photo” directly into a session on “Building Back Better From COVID-19</a>” -- per WEF agenda, of course, and look at that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/business/g-7-nations-gather-pledge-1b-vaccine-doses-world/">lineup of criminal $cum</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Meanwhile, we are being told that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-england-coronavirus-pandemic-health-972f0e7658aa58b8a39ac2d984389607">Britain’s main doctors’ union has joined calls for the next planned lockdown easing in England to be delayed, as figures Friday showed new COVID-19 cases across the U.K. running at their highest level since late February</a> -- meaning lockdowns have failed or they are absolute liars and it is all so they can indefinitely delay the alleged reopening that was never going to be allowed anyway as the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-europe-g-7-summit-health-2197ccc79455d4c1efd6fb4b0b64b39c">virus continues to spread like wildfire</a> (no masks, nothing, on those evil creatures).</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/world/chinas-censorship-widens-hong-kongs-vaunted-film-industry-with-global-implications/">China’s censorship widens to Hong Kong’s vaunted film industry</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The article by Raymond Zhong of the New York Times claims <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/world/chinas-censorship-widens-hong-kongs-vaunted-film-industry-with-global-implications/">China’s booming box office has been irresistible to Hollywood studios so big-budget productions go to great lengths to avoid offending Chinese audiences and Communist Party censors, and their influence can be seen in the work of Hollywood directors</a> in what was a jump-the-shark moment this morning.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The idea that China controls Hollywood or my pre$$ is laughable when they are criticized with war-mongering rhetoric. We all know jwho really controls Hollywood and the pre$$ due to whom you <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/world/israels-netanyahu-lashes-out-end-his-era-draws-near/">can not criticize</a> or <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/world/palestinians-say-israeli-forces-kill-3-west-bank-raid/">mention</a>, and woe to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/jewish-democratic-lawmakers-condemn-rep-omar-over-offensive-tweet-us-hamas-taliban/">those who do</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>"<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-europe-2fb2e0e4a8685bebaba4b2364fba5f9b">Spain is in shock after investigators combing the seabed near the Canary Islands found the body of one of two young sisters taken by their father weeks earlier without the mother’s permission</a>. Coroners have confirmed that the body found in a bag and tied to an anchor at a depth of some 3,200 feet belonged to 6-year-old Olivia, the older of the two sisters. Their mother, who is divorced from the girls’ father, alleged he told her she would never see them again. Investigators launched a wide search on land and sea but narrowed in on the waters off Tenerife after Gimeno’s boat was found empty and drifting at sea....." </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/pakistan-bus-crash-20-dead-50-injured-bus-falls-ravine-b940094.html">Twenty dead, 50 injured after bus falls into ravine in Pakistan</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-e672ab24b63c2f7dd4a8427a2f43e9bc">Vatican regulates lay movements to prevent governance abuses</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's a fox guarding the henhouse situation with the goal of controlling dissident priest who reject the Satanist teachings of Francis.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>What's the worst that could happen, expulsion?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"Oregon GOP legislator ousted over state Capitol breach" by Andrew Selsky The Associated Press, June 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>SALEM, Ore. — Republican lawmakers voted with majority Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives to take the historic step of expelling a Republican member who let violent, far-right protesters into the state Capitol on Dec. 21.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sort of like a test run, same as the Colonial Pipeline hack.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Legislators said on the House floor that this could be the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">most important vote they ever cast</span></b>. They then proceeded Thursday night to<b><span style="color: red;"> expel an unapologetic Rep</span></b>resentative Mike Nearman with a 59-1 vote, marking the first time a member has been expelled by the House in its 160-year history. The only vote against the resolution for expulsion was Nearman’s own.</div><div><br /></div><div>“The facts are clear that Mr. Nearman unapologetically coordinated and planned a breach of the Oregon State Capitol,” House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said after the vote. “His actions were blatant and deliberate, and he has shown no remorse for jeopardizing the safety of every person in the Capitol that day.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Representative Paul Holvey, a Democrat who chaired a committee that earlier Thursday unanimously recommended Nearman’s expulsion, reminded lawmakers of the events of Dec. 21, which were an <b><span style="color: red;">eerie foreshadowing</span></b> of the much more serious Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol.</div><div><br /></div><div>“On the morning of Dec. 21, a couple hundred protesters — some of them heavily armed and wearing body armor — arrived at the Capitol for a protest, with the intent to illegally enter and presumably occupy the building and interrupt the proceedings of the Oregon Legislature,” Holvey said. “Staff and legislators were terrified. We can only speculate what would have happened if they were able to get all the way in.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: red;">final straw</span></b> for Republican House members came on June 4, when video emerged showing Nearman choreographing how he would let protesters into the Capitol a few days before it actually happened. For his fellow lawmakers, that was proof it was a premeditated act, which Nearman acknowledged. All 22 of his fellow House Republicans wrote him on Monday, strongly recommending he resign.</div><div><br /></div><div>As lawmakers decided Nearman’s fate, a few dozen people waving American flags and one carrying a sign saying “I am Mike Nearman” gathered outside the Capitol. One repeatedly kicked a metal door, sending booms through a marble hallway of the building.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearman was <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">seen on security video opening a door</span></b> to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police, and sprayed officers with bear spray.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Same on January 6th as the Capitol police bantered with some of the "insurrectionists" who were nothing more than agent provocateurs following a script.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s impossible to overstate the seriousness of the reason we are here today,” Holvey said during the committee hearing..... </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/oregon-gop-legislator-ousted-over-state-capitol-breach/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Time to stop listening to the politicians and <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/biden-plans-restore-protections-tongass-national-forest-stripped-away-by-trump/">start sinking them into the ground</a> along with the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/fda-tells-johnson-johnson-60-million-doses-troubled-plant-cant-be-used/">60 million J&J doses that have been spoiled</a> (the sadness conveyed by Sharon LaFraniere, Noah Weiland and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times is palpable) as <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/world/covid-deaths-cases-have-fallen-us/">t</a><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/12/world/covid-deaths-cases-have-fallen-us/">wo top executives of Emergent BioSolutions, a previously obscure Maryland biotech firm whose Baltimore plant ruined millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine, have agreed to testify on Capitol Hill next week as part of a congressional investigation into their company, a politically connected federal contractor</a> who has <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/05/april-shower-reemergent.html">reEmerged</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>They <a href="https://apps.bostonglobe.com/opinion/graphics/2021/06/future-proofing-the-presidency/part-5-rewards-for-doing-the-presidents-bidding/">Globe is still fixated on Trump</a>, for what it is worth because he has been <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/putting-sunday-globe-out-to-pasture.html">put out to pasture</a> and is no longer Trump:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>"He's been manipulated, drugged, the whole 9 yards to get him to do and say things he'd never do or say in his right mind, one of which is the continuous support for the vax. I'd bet he has not seen a single magnet stick vid. He's in bad hands and is being manipulated. I believe Trump is in trouble. He looks 15 years older. That cannot be denied. He sound 15 years older. He's walking 15 years older. Everything about him is 15 years older and if this keeps up, he'll be dead in months. I also believe those who want him destroyed are going to bury the pants on backwards, everyone knew Trump was not in any way gone like that and they don't want people investigating how on earth that happened so suddenly absent foul play. I believe there is foul play. And I am not going to change my opinion just because the Daily Caller and a couple others posted a photo of normal pants. The video says it all. You can put pants on anyone and a zipper on anything in photoshop and to get people to ignore something could be seriously wrong the enemy press certaily would. It's not so easy to do that in a video that shows several angles, including movement, including walking, and every frame has no zipper and pants on backwards. That was not a trick of the light. I believe Trump is in serious need of rescue, and those destroying him have every asset available to prevent anyone from doing anything about it. They also don't want anyone to believe there is a reason to until the job is done." -- <b><a href="http://82.221.129.208/.um5.html">JIM STONE</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>I think Trump is dead before 2024, a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/24/nation/could-beto-be-back-orourke-mulling-bid-texas-governor/">breakout star</a> a year removed from a short-lived presidency that was sabotaged from the very get-go, and speaking of Texas:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>"Prison break: 29 inmates escape federal lockups in 18 months" by Michael Balsamo and Michael r. Sisak The Associated Press, June 11, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>WASHINGTON — Over the past 18 months, 29 prisoners have escaped from federal lockups across the US— and nearly half still have not been caught. At some of the institutions, doors are left unlocked, security cameras are broken, and officials sometimes don’t notice an inmate is missing for hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>At one Texas lockup, security is so lax that local law enforcement officials privately joke about its seemingly “open-door policy.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Prisoners have broken out at lockups in nearly every region of the country. Twelve of the inmates who escaped in 2020 — from prisons in Florida, California, Louisiana, Texas, and Colorado — remain at large. Two others who escaped since January this year have also not yet been caught. Their crimes include racketeering, wire fraud, bank robbery, possession of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and other drugs.</div><div><br /></div><div>All of the escapes happened at minimum-security federal prison camps, some of which don’t even have fences, and house inmates the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Anybody can escape from any camp any minute of any day,” said Jack Donson, a prison consultant and former case manager at a federal prison in Otisville, N.Y. “They’re not secure facilities. They have no fence, no metal detectors.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The numbers raise <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">serious concern</span></b>s<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> that</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">agency long besieged by chronic mismanagement, misconduct, and a severe staffing crisis is failing at performing its most basic function</span></b>: keeping prisoners in prison. While a Justice Department budget report submitted to Congress said the Bureau of Prisons had no escapes from secure facilities, it does not count those who escape from minimum-security prisons or camps.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Go tell it to <a href="http://rockthetruth2.blogspot.com/2021/06/may-flower-planting-whitey-bulger.html">Whitey Bulger</a> for God's sake!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>So what exactly is the purpose of this rank rot molehill appearing at this time?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What is the REAL REASON it appears in my paper!?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Federal officials often refer to them as “walk-aways,” though it is still an escape from federal prison under the law and law enforcement officials say there is still a <b><span style="color: red;">risk to</span></b> the <b><span style="color: red;">community</span></b> when an inmate absconds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Federal prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison, like landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility,<b><span style="color: red;"> but</span></b> the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">lax security has</span></b> now not only <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">opened a gateway for </span></b>contraband but is also the source of most of the prison system’s <b><span style="color: red;">escapes</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from Texas escapees, law enforcement officials have also routinely learned of inmates at the prison just walking off the grounds to retrieve drugs and other contraband that is dropped off in the woods and then bringing the illegal items back inside with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has become routine at FCI Beaumont for cars to drop drugs, cellphones, and other contraband in the woods, leaving them for inmates to break out of the prison at night and pick up the items before sneaking back inside, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official could not discuss the investigations publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Texas escapes, at least, have <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">attracted the attention of the Justice Department</span></b>'s inspector general. The office issued a memorandum this week highlighting glaring security gaps at Beaumont and other federal prison camps.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Federal prison camps? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What are they, some sort of conspiracy theories?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/prison-break-29-inmates-escape-federal-lockups-18-months/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>All kidding aside, this looks like Biden's DoJ getting after a political enemy, in this case the Free State of Texas that has (along with Florida) flipped them the finger.and speaking of flipping the finger at people:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/world/ex-mossad-chief-signals-israel-behind-iran-nuclear-attacks/">Ex-Mossad chief signals Israel behind Iran nuclear attacks</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tell us something we didn't know, and that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/world/ex-mossad-chief-signals-israel-behind-iran-nuclear-attacks/">Cohen's remarks apparently cleared the censors suggests Israel wanted to issue a new warning to Iran</a> amid the Vienna nuclear negotiations validates what I have been saying for a long time now: this stuff doesn't appear in the pre$$ unless the Jewi$h ma$ters want us to know they did it; otherwise, it is omitted and never surfaces at all.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What is noteworthy is the war criminal acts and assassinations that Israel is further warning about elicit absolutely no response from the world at large, as if the Israelis were above the law. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The lack of criticism tells you JWHO REALLY RULES US, and it is not the Chinese! They may have influence, but the tribe runs this show over here! </b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>{@@##$$%%^^&&}</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/seeking-improve-accessibility-safety-dcr-unveils-plan-parkways/">DCR unveils plan for parkways</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The DCR is basically an agency for political patronage that is really not need so I kept on walking.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/dedham-teen-pulled-pool-graduation-party-has-died/">Dedham teen pulled from pool at graduation party has died</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sad, but he shouldn't have jumped into the deep end.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/lobster-diver-says-he-was-caught-mouth-humpback-whale-off-cape-cod/">A lobster diver says he was caught in the mouth of a humpback whale off Cape Cod</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>That's a whale of tale if I do say so myself, Pinocchio.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Not something worth going to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/metro/boston-city-councils-war-with-acting-mayor-janey-explained/">war</a> over, that's for sure.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/least-17-displaced-by-massive-fire-that-destroyed-lawrence-condo-development-causing-3m-damage/">At least 17 displaced by massive fire that destroyed Lawrence condo development, causing $3M in damage</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The cause is under investigation and I suspect commie arson. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>That's how they do things, and then they <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/quincy-hold-70th-flag-day-celebration-saturday/">fly their flag</a>.</b></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>"<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/12/metro/today-history/">In 1994</a>, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were slashed to death outside her Los Angeles home. (O.J. Simpson was later acquitted of the killings in a criminal trial but was eventually held liable in a civil action.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I posted that because it was a seminal event that changed the world in which we live -- or did it?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>He's <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/new-england-news-brief/">now on leave</a> after trying to break up a fight during a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/new-england-news-brief/">drug deal</a> that brought <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/new-england-news-brief/">fireworks</a> and put a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/metro/new-england-news-brief/">cop in the hospital</a>, but with the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/11/nation/mass-reports-28744-new-covid-19-vaccinations/">state a national leader in getting people vaccinated, experts and public officials say the protection from vaccines is kicking in and the pandemic appears to be subsiding after more than a year of wracking the state because key coronavirus metrics have plummeted from the peak of the second surge early this year</a>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Time to answer this tweet:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"A Mass. software engineer’s bot helped people find vaccine appointments. Now he’s shut it down, and the thank-yous are rolling in" by Martin Finucane Globe Staff, June 10, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>A Massachusetts software developer’s Twitter bot offered help to those seeking vaccine appointments at a time they were frustratingly scarce. Now he’s shut it down, and hundreds of people are saying thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Developer Dan Cahoon tweeted on Wednesday, “With vaccines now readily available in Massachusetts I’m going to turn off vaccinetime,” and he referred people to the state’s website.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">tweet garnered more than 230 replies</span></b> by midafternoon Thursday, with many saying they had used the bot to get not only themselves but others vaccinated. The replies reflected the tense times the state saw when vaccines were first made available but there wasn’t enough supply to meet the demand.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It’s really great to see how many people it was able to help,” said Cahoon, a <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">software developer </span></b>at Ginkgo Bioworks. He said he <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">developed the bot in his spare time </span></b>after watching colleagues struggle to find appointments on the multiple websites where they were listed.</div><div><br /></div><div>While <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">media outlets earlier this year included bots in their lists of tips on how to get a vaccine appointment</span></b>, some critics have said they gave the tech-savvy an advantage. Cahoon said he felt his bot leveled the playing field between people who only had limited time to search for appointments and people who had the time to sit at the screen for hours clicking away.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Hopefully, it brought a little more fairness to the system,” Cahoon said. He also said that <b><span style="color: red;">if the unthinkable happens and there’s another pan</span></b>dem<b><span style="color: red;">ic</span></b>, it would be better if there was a single website people could go to and preregister.</div><div><br /></div><div>After enduring the early frustrations, the state is now a national leader in vaccinations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The safe and effective vaccines are free for people who live, work, or study in the state. People 12 to 17 can receive the Pfizer vaccine. People 18 and older can receive either the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the state says.....</div><div><br /></div><div><b>There they go again, pushing the poison.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/nation/mass-software-engineers-bot-helped-people-find-vaccine-appointments-now-hes-shut-it-down-thank-yous-are-rolling/">link</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>One thing I noticed reading those last few stories were the ads that went along with them. Two were for virtual events sponsored by Globe (no money being brought in there as they promote themselves), one being "Will pandemic-era changes give workers more flexibility -- and more power?" and the other being "Epidemic in the Pandemic: The Impact on the Mental Health of Children." </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The flip side to those was an offer to "score points with Dad" by give him a subscription to the Globe, and a pimp for the aforementioned future-proofing presidency from next tyrant editorial series -- meaning keeping it out of the hands of the voters who overwhelmingly elected Trump (not that it matters with the Warp Speed and all, and he would be facing the same crises as is Biden).</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>obituaries were in the $</b><b>ports $ection so I never took a look at the Comfort Zone, sorry.</b></div>Rockerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655642474967325867noreply@blogger.com