Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

I agree with your statement and Trump's handling of asylum seekers. My point was that the headline "Biden allows 25K Asylum Seekers to Enter the US" isn't accurate if my read of the linked EO is correct.

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is a big deal. .......

The Pfizer vaccine not only prevents infection but also reduces the risk of contracting a serious case of COVID-19, new data released Sunday by Clalit Health Services shows. The data, which was based on a study of 1,200,000 people – 600,000 who received the vaccine and 600,000 who did not – showed 94% fewer symptomatic coronavirus cases and 92% fewer cases of serious illness among those who were vaccinated.

The study is large and the article makes a point that the study controlled for the multiple confounding factors that have made claims that the Pfizer vaccine prevents transmission questionable. Not any more. That shit works better than any of us had hoped.

https://www.jpost.com/health-science...ovid-19-658959

The worry persists though whether policy makers are going to back of unwarranted mitigation measures that amount to nothing more than virtue signaling as we get into the June and July time frame when the US will probably approach the Israeli experience in terms of percent inoculated.

[lineygoblue]

Now Minneapolis folks are saying "not so fast" on that Police defunding thingie ...

https://www.foxnews.com/us/minneapolis-defund-police-backfires-residents-complain-slow-response-times-increase-crime

Seems as though the good citizens are a bit miffed that it takes so long for the remaining Police to respond to calls, and, oh yes, .. crime numbers have gone up too.

But at the end of the article, George Soros and his lackeys are still trying to get rid of the police with some stupid initiative that creates a "public safety department" and still does away with the police.

Some folks never learn.

[Hannibal]

Excellent article from the New York Post this morning on corporate wokeness.

https://nypost.com/2021/02/13/how-corporations-surrendered-to-hard-left-wokeness/

Companies used to be in business to make money, sell stuff and employ people. They were run by executives who were proudly capitalist and believed in the country’s founding principles.

No longer, it seems. Big businesses’ support of green-energy legislation, various social-justice edicts and the silencing of right-wingers on Twitter have become so routine it’s almost not news anymore.

The question is, why? People who work at these companies regularly complain to me that most employees view their employers’ new corporate leftism with disdain. They believe it’s a nuisance pushed by a vocal fringe of the workforce.

Companies cave, they say, because they just don’t need the hassle of explaining to the left-wing business media why they’re not supporting AOC’s Green New Deal.

The conventional wisdom among economic conservatives I speak to is that corporate America’s wokeness can’t last forever because in the long run it’s unprofitable. Example: Ratings for the social-justice-posturing NFL were weak all year, as was this year’s Super Bowl. That means the NFL will have to go back to football.

If Nike sales decline amid the sneaker brand’s embrace of the ultimate social-justice warrior, former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick, the founder of the down-on-one-knee movement, market forces will likely prod the company in a new direction.

That’s why the NBA — another big business — just made the pre-game national anthem mandatory after one of its owners, liberal tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban, enraged many fans by pulling it from the start of Mavericks games.

Remember, 74.2 million consumers voted for Donald Trump in part because they can’t tolerate virtue signaling being thrown in their faces every minute of their lives.

All of which makes sense until you understand the left-wing forces that have assembled to transform corporate America into something resembling the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. The left might hate capitalism, but it has been busy implementing capitalist tools to bend big business to its will.

Changes in the money management business underscore just how successful the left has become. Shareholder votes once focused on prosaic topics such as approving mergers or rubberstamping CEO pay or changes in leadership.

Today they’re fraught affairs where companies are getting bombarded by demands for corporate diversity (more women, minorities and transgender people in positions of power), green energy and overt support of what the left calls social justice.

OK, corporate diversity is a worthy goal. But since when were many shareholders, looking to invest for retirement, so concerned about whether they were holding stock in a company that supports eliminating greenhouse emissions or canceling Columbus Day?

Answer: When those shareholders became progressive activists, who learned how to influence money managers to tout politics instead of profits.

Proxy advisory firms are hired by big money managers to provide guidance on various corporate-governance issues and shareholder votes. That makes the advisory firms very powerful since most Americans invest through mutual funds and other managed accounts.

And it’s no secret that the progressive-left agenda has gained support from these outfits in recent years. With that, trillions of dollars in shareholder votes from places like Larry Fink’s BlackRock and Vanguard are now openly supporting left-wing causes.

You might say these firms are pushing an agenda that’s based on rigorous analysis. Some studies show that corporate diversity leads to higher profits. Global warming could destroy the economy.

Studies also show the opposite — that diversity has no impact on profits. Global warming is real, but not the immediate existential threat that requires us to kill jobs by killing the Keystone XL Pipeline during a pandemic recession.

But the power of the left is hard to ignore. They find common ground with public pension funds run by liberal politicians who also want to sway corporate behavior leftward.

It wasn’t so long ago when companies used to ignore the investor crank who bought one share of stock and came to shareholders meetings to lob insane questions at the CEO. Money managers and proxy firms weren’t swayed by outside forces to vote a certain way.

But most shareholder votes now involve progressive edicts under the guise of so-called Environmental Social Governance investing. ESG, as it is known on Wall Street, is a way to measure everything from a firm’s compliance with green-energy initiatives to its embrace of causes such as Black Lives Matter.

The average retail investors in mutual funds have no say or vote in this vast transformation even as their money is being used for political purposes. The fund is responding to the vocal minority that figured out how the game is played.

Vincent Harinam, a law- enforcement consultant and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge, in an article last July on the Web site Quillette wrote: “When it comes to the culture wars, the goal of a corporation is not to maximize profits, but to minimize losses.”

That means constantly appeasing the vocal and organized minority, and corporate America’s lurch to the left won’t end anytime soon.

[lineygoblue]

And, if you thought that the end of the 2nd impeachment was the end of all the focus on Trump, think again. Democrats are still considering a 14th amendment proceeding against him so he can't run for office again. Others are considering options including censure and civil lawsuits. And, its bipartisan. RINOS are on board with all of it.

Meanwhile, here in little old Shiawassee County Michigan, our 20,000 or so senior citizens over age 65 still can't get the Covid vaccine, because the State still refuses to ship more doses to the county. Both the county health department and Memorial Healthcare Hospital have dozens of qualified health personnel standing at the ready to give the shots, but they have no doses to give. We haven't had any new doses allocated to us in nearly 3 weeks.

But, Trump is more important ... insurrection, and all that ...

[THE_WIZARD_]

#orangemanbad

[THE_WIZARD_]

...

[Hannibal]

And, if you thought that the end of the 2nd impeachment was the end of all the focus on Trump, think again. Democrats are still considering a 14th amendment proceeding against him so he can't run for office again. Others are considering options including censure and civil lawsuits. And, its bipartisan. RINOS are on board with all of it.

Meanwhile, here in little old Shiawassee County Michigan, our 20,000 or so senior citizens over age 65 still can't get the Covid vaccine, because the State still refuses to ship more doses to the county. Both the county health department and Memorial Healthcare Hospital have dozens of qualified health personnel standing at the ready to give the shots, but they have no doses to give. We haven't had any new doses allocated to us in nearly 3 weeks.

But, Trump is more important ... insurrection, and all that ...

Social justice. Your county has two many white people.

[Mike]

Well, well, well... Systemic racism IS a real thing.

Same thing is happening in Livingston County.

https://www.whmi.com/news/article/co...t-vaccine-plan

"Last week, commissioners first learned of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and its role in determining the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Based on 15 social determinants from census data, Livingston County was ranked last of all Michigan’s 83 counties. The basic interpretation is that the healthier and wealthier a county’s residents are, the lower the SVI. While that is normally seen as a positive result, for commissioners it was concerning. Board Chair Wes Nakagiri called it “appalling” and noted that while senior citizens are considered among the most vulnerable population, they are only weighted to be about 6.25% of the equation that determines how many vaccines the county gets."

Gotta increase your SVI, Liney!

“Michigan’s plan specifically identifies the importance of vaccinating citizens who are incarcerated, citizens who are IV drug users, and non-citizens,” calling it “unconscionable that people residing illegally in Michigan receive priority attention from Lansing. Michigan’s plan also enables MDHHS to poach vaccines from “out-of-favor” population groups and redistribute them to “favored” or special population groups.”

Or join a "special" group. C'mon man, be part of the solution. It takes all of us.

[lineygoblue]

Maybe I should buy some brown shoe polish and apply it to my skin, then head to Wayne County.

... or Governor Gretch's next family reunion in Petoskey. Whichever is easiest ...

So ... if I understand Mike's link correctly, Shiawassee and Livingston Counties are being bypassed for vaccine doses because we're "too healthy".

Man, I'm glad we elected Democrats.... they are SO FAIR!!!!

[Hannibal]

https://babylonbee.com/news/people-who-moved-to-texas-from-california-finally-feeling-at-home-now-that-power-is-out

People Who Moved To Texas From California Finally Feeling At Home Now That Power Is Out

AUSTIN, TX—Thousands of people who escaped the desolate wasteland of California have found new opportunities by moving to Texas. To help them feel right at home, even the weather is extending some Texas hospitality by knocking out power stations-- giving the former Californians a taste of the blackouts they're used to.

"Ah... just like old Gavin Newsom used to do back in Cali," said local resident Alice Muggins while lighting candles around the house. "I just wasn't used to having electrical power all the time and it felt really weird. Now, it feels a little more like home!"

According to sources, former Californians are helping people in their Texas communities who have never experienced something like this before. From how to prepare food without electricity to how to use an emergency generator, the Californian immigrants to Texas have been instrumental in keeping their communities alive in the midst of the outages.

California Governor Gavin Newsom attempted to gloat in a Facebook Live post, but his phone died and he was unable to charge it due to a power outage.

[Da Geezer]

And, if you thought that the end of the 2nd impeachment was thSign up for she end of all the focus on Trump, think again. Democrats are still considering a 14th amendment proceeding against him so he can't run for office again. Others are considering options including censure and civil lawsuits. And, its bipartisan. RINOS are on board with all of it.

Meanwhile, here in little old Shiawassee County Michigan, our 20,000 or so senior citizens over age 65 still can't get the Covid vaccine, because the State still refuses to ship more doses to the county. Both the county health department and Memorial Healthcare Hospital have dozens of qualified health personnel standing at the ready to give the shots, but they have no doses to give. We haven't had any new doses allocated to us in nearly 3 weeks.

But, Trump is more important ... insurrection, and all that ...

Sign up for covid shots at Meijers. They called me today, but I got mine last Friday at the health department. Meijers will be having shots before your health department, and you can sign up at several different Meijers' stores.

[AlabamAlum]

Fascinating

Scientists Accidentally Discover Strange Creatures Under a Half Mile of Ice

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/story/scientists-discover-strange-creatures-under-a-half-mile-of-ice/amp

[Tom W]

It would probably be wise to NOT bring any of these "creatures" back to the compound.. Just saying.

[Mike]

I don’t hear them bitchin’ about the cold!