"The Global Consciousness Project, also known as the EGG Project, is an international multidisciplinary collaboration of scientists, engineers, artists and others continuously collecting data from a global network of physical random number generators located in 65 host sites worldwide. The archive contains over 10 years of random data in parallel sequences of synchronized 200-bit trials every second."
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, July 3, 2022
When asked today (Sunday, 03July2022) by Dana Bash, CNN News Anchor, and Chief Political Correspondent about the matter excerpted and linked below, South Dakota’s GOP Governor Kristi Noem refused to answer a direct question about a real-life situation, if it were to have occurred in South Dakota.
The matter is a very real one, and it is the tragic sexual abuse of a 10-year old girl who became pregnant as a result of that abuse, and was referred by a Child Abuse physician in Ohio to an OBGYN colleague in Indiana.
These matters, while previously in the realm of the fictitiously surreal, as in “The Handmaid’s Tale” — a dystopian 1985 novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, in which a militaristic totalitarian theocracy has overthrown the United States government, as the story’s plotline explores themes of the women subjugated by the extremist, oppressive government, and the various ways by, and through which they gain agency in that society — sadly, have now become reality. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, June 28, 2022
史密斯菲尔德食品
Wan Long, RIGHT, Chairman and CEO of WH Group, formerly called Shuanghui International, shakes hands with Charles Larry Pope, President and CEO of Smithfield Foods, at a press conference of WH Group in Hong Kong, China, 14 April 2014. Two subsidiaries of Henan Shuanghui Investment and Development Co have gained access to the Russian market, after its parent company — WH Group Ltd, the world’s largest pork producer— acquired US pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc and bought a stake in Campofrio Food Group SA of Spain, the largest pan-European packaged meat products company, last year. The two Heilongjiang-based companies — Wangkui Shuanghui Beidahuang Food Co and Heilongjiang Baoquanling Shuanghui Food Industry Co — got the official nod after their production facilities and products were examined and assessed by officials from Russia’s meat products watchdog, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, in August, Shuanghui Development said on its website. To widen its import market for meat, the Russian government agreed to import meat products from five Chinese suppliers by the end of August, indicating the nation has taken a flexible strategy to balance the supply and demand relationship, while the US and its European allies are trying to squeeze the country’s trade space in the world market.
Chinese translated as “Smithfield Food”
Amidst the cacophony of overall price inflation in fuel, food, and other items, there are numerous underlying and related causes.
There are not merely one, two, or even three contributing problems to this lingering miasma, and rather, like a line of dominoes tumbling, one after another, significantly increased prices in consumer goods are taking a toll on Americans, whose incomes — unlike those of CEOs, and other high-level corporate executives — have not risen in response.
Consider food.
The United States Department of Agriculture found national slaughter capacity reductions[i.e., the CLOSING of abattoirs/processors/slaughterhouses] in pork, and cattle, of 35-40%, and 30-40%, respectively, which have translated to hyper-inflated costs to consumers.
NOTE: Big Oil has done similarly. They’ve closed their oil refineries & capped wells, thereby creating a false shortage, and simultaneously INCREASED prices, resulting in record profits not seen since the 1950’s.
THAT is why fuel prices are sky high.
There is NO OTHER REASON.
The Energy Information Administration has a page dedicated to Refinery Utilization and Capacity in the United States which shows that 679 oil refineries were closed and not utilized in 2021 — the GREATEST number ever, since 1985.
But business practices, related closures and production slowdowns in abattoirs and processing facilities have their roots elsewhere in time, and policy.
On June 10th, 2022, the communist Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods announced the following:
Smithfield Foods, Inc. today announced that it will cease all harvest and processing operations in Vernon, California in early 2023 and, at the same time, align its hog production system by reducing its sow herd in its Western region. The company will decrease its sow herd in Utah and is exploring strategic options to exit its farms in Arizona and California. Smithfield harvests only company-owned hogs in Vernon. Smithfield will service customers in California with its Farmer John brand and other brands and products from existing facilities in the Midwest.
• A little less than a year ago, in early July 2021, Smithfield settled (for $83M) a Class Action Federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota accusing it of price-fixing, and Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, June 28, 2022
The
EXCLUSIVE REASON
WHY GAS PRICES ARE HIGH
is because
OIL COMPANIES HAVE CLOSED REFINERIES
&
REDUCED REFINERY INPUTS.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s website (https://www.eia.gov/) has a page dedicated to “Refinery Utilization and Capacity” (https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_a.htm) which shows that, NOT ONLY have BIG OIL companies CLOSED REFINERIES, they have also DECREASED OIL PRODUCTION (Gross Inputs to Refineries) — BOTH which have contributed EXCLUSIVELY to hyper-inflated gas prices, and bank-busting profits for BIG OIL & their stockholders.
In other words, they’ve also “capped oil wells.”
One way to INCREASE PROFITS is to PRICE GOUGE, another is to MANIPULATE THE MARKET.
BIG OIL companies are doing BOTH.
Refineries — which are owned by oil companies — have been CLOSED BY THE OIL COMPANIES, despite making bank-busting RECORD PROFITS. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, June 26, 2022
Hearken back about 2 years, or thereabouts, when the COVID pandemic was descending into its deepest throes in our nation, when news came out of South Dakota that employees at a meat processing plant there in Sioux Falls began to suffer rampant infection with the viral disease.
Around March 25, 2020, the first news of an infected employee was shared with the Argus Leader’s FaceBook-based tip page when an anonymous tip was sent that an unnamed employee had tested positive for the disease. They published the story online the next day at 0735 with the straight-forward headline “Smithfield Foods employee tests positive for coronavirus.” (see: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/03/26/smithfield-foods-employee-tests-positive-coronavirus/2914475001/)
The Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods, though a company spokesperson, Keira Lombardo, Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs, had confirmed to the to the paper the veracity of that claim, and asserted that the unnamed employee was being quarantined for 14 days, with pay, at their residence, and would not be permitted to return to work until given medical clearance to do so. The exceeding majority of employees there were immigrants, and refugees from all over the world – including Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nepal, with over 80 different languages spoken in the plant – most of whom did not speak English, and rumors had been circulating of other employees who had earlier fallen ill and were hospitalized with a mysterious disease.
Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods pork processing facility in Sioux Falls, SD, where the American COVID-19 pandemic first began to escalate among immigrant & refugee employees characterized as “front-line” workers. A company spokesperson said a majority of meat they export to China are so-called “underutilized” products that are allegedly not consumed in the U.S.
In the 3-week period that followed, positive cases of coronavirus among plant employees rapidly escalated from 80, to 190, then to 238. And by April 12, with 644 confirmed cases, the number of infected individuals at the plant accounted for about 55% of all cases statewide, with a per capita concentration of 182.25 per 100,000 — far exceeding those of more populous neighboring states, greater even than Chicago, and Seattle — while Sioux Falls’ population was a little over 192,000. Ultimately, the number of positive cases continued skyrocketing, and eventually had at least 761 positive employees.
After the 1st confirmed death, and under mounting pressure from Republican Governor Kristi Noem, and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, both who wanted the plant to close for 2 weeks, officials at the plant announced that Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, June 17, 2022
“Russia is scouring the country for manpower and weapons, including old tanks in the Far East, after using up much of its military capacity since invading Ukraine”
In the coming months & years, Russia will be verging on the brink of utter & thorough economic collapse. Political collapse is also all but certain, for NO NATION — including the United States — can continually sustain war/armed conflict efforts without some sort of price which they’ll pay — in one way, or another.
For us, since 2001 until this administration, in the Middle East (Afghanistan, then Iraq), we have opted to build weapons of war, over repairing & rebuilding our internal infrastructure here at home. We have quite literally “beat our ploughshares into swords, and our pruning hooks into spears.”
We have opted to subsidize the makers & builders of bombs, bullets & matériels of death, over life-giving, life-sustaining healthcare & education “to the least of these, my brethren.”
Grim Reaper statue, Cathedral of Trier, Trier, Germany
We have paid the piper, because we CHOSE to dance to the merry macabre tune of death, rather than choosing LIFE for those who are breathing, and food for the living.
We have given to the rich, and demanded from the poor, we have turned upside down & perverted the Constitution by saying “corporations are people, my friend,” and given power to them, while robbing it from The People, all while allowing the coarse grit of wealth to abrade the thin veneer of “justice” by Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, June 17, 2022
Yeah… it’s fixin’ to get POLITICAL — as in ALL UP IN YO’ BIZNISS!
Almost EVERYONE complains about Congress, but not everyone votes. Some don’t for religious reasons, some don’t because that RIGHT has been voided by the government, others just don’t give a shit because they say “no one listens to me, anyway,” and for the greatest part, they’re correct. With a Representative-to-People ratio of 1-to-766,000, there’s no question — you’re NOT being heard, and they don’t care… or else ongoing & necessary would’ve happened long ago.
BUT!
There IS a group(s) who ARE listening to & watching you… all WITHOUT your knowledge.
You could call them “Big Brother,” but it’s NOT the government… it’s private enterprise — corporations not only in America, but worldwide.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, May 27, 2022
“Common sense isn’t so common, anymore,” goes one woefully pithy saying.
And, it certainly seems true — at least when it comes to matters of politics in this period.
But, exactly WHAT IS “common sense”?
Common sense could be the proverbial “moving target” which changes with every whim, and puffing wind of doctrine.
But, let’s hit the “pause” button for a moment and examine some matters surrounding firearms, aka “guns” and at least the two most recent tragedies in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX, both sites of mass murders by 18-year-old gunmen armed with AR-15 style rifles.
Campaign flyer for GOP Arkansas U.S. Representative, Jay Dickey, CD-4.
Hyperbole aside, is there ANYTHING which could have been done to have prevented either holocaust?
Quite possibly, yes.
So, let’s examine some facts, and what laws ALREADY EXIST (or not) pertaining to firearms that might have prevented such carnage, and if they were useful — or not.
First, in BOTH cases, the perpetrators were aged 18.
Second, in BOTH cases, the firearm used — an AR-15 style rifle with a high-capacity ammunition magazine — was legally purchased.
Incidentally, that was also the firearm of choice used in numerous other massacre-style killings.
With respect to the Federal Government, there is NO law requiring establishing a comprehensive database of such massacres, and because of that, there is none. The ONLY such databases are maintained by private, non-governmental entities. That should not be so.
The Department of Justice maintains all sorts of statistics about crimes, and their perpetrators, but not on matters like this.
Why not?
That’s because a GOP Representative from Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District, Jay Dickie Jr. (1939-2017), put a “rider” onto a budget item in 1996 which has since been monikered as the “Dickie Amendment” which specifically forbade the Federal Government from studying such things.
At the time of his terms in the House of Representatives, Dickie described himself as an ardent Second Amendment supporter, which essentially translated into being “the NRA’s point person in Congress,” as he later described his role in a July 27, 2012 Op-Ed co-authored with Dr. Mark Rosenberg, MD.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, April 8, 2022
Needing an election-year straw-man punching bag, numerous Republicans, including Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Josh Hawley of Missouri — who had three times previously approved Judge Jackson’s three earlier Federal judicial nominations, most recently in April last year to the D.C. Circuit — suddenly falsely accused the judge of being lenient toward child sexual abusers, in effect, not merely being an ideological moral equivalent, but much worse, as a promoter of such crime. Fact-checkers say such malicious slurs are not only fictitious, but deliberately misleading, and that Judge Jackson’s sentencing decisions were 100% in line with her peers on the Federal bench.
Hawley is Blackburn’s kennelmate, her own in-bred ideological offspring.😎🤣🧐😳
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, March 30, 2022
We have a crazy economy, for sure.
And, it seems to be working best, and most, for the über-wealthy, the out-of-touch-with-reality “multi-billionaire class” type folks, and their corporations. You know… the ones who pay little-to-no income taxes upon their vast wealth.
Those are the ones who have no idea what a gallon of milk costs, what diapers cost, what childcare costs, and who, instead of going to Disneyland, Dollywood, or down the road for vacation, dish out million$ from their morbid exce$$ to fly to outer $pace ju$t for fun, or buy boats so big that they won’t fit under a bridge on an inland waterway where they’re built so they get the government to temporarily dismantle the historical landmark just to sail through it, etc.
We’re talking about folks like Jeff Bezos and his Amazon Corporation, Elon Musk and his Tesla/SpaceX corporations, the so-called “Oracle of Omaha” CEO of holding company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Warren Buffett, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founders Larry Page & Sergey Brin, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and Bloomberg founder/owner Michael Bloomberg, all who round out the Top 10 Wealthiest People in America.
These are men who are individually, each worth more than the entire GDP of Iraq — U.S.$201,472,000,000 — and 163 other nations in the world.
And combined, they’re worth U.S.$1,346,600,000,000 — between the GDPs of Spain (U.S.$1,439,958,000,000) & Mexico (U.S.$1,285,518,000,000), ranked 14th & 15th, respectively, internationally, of 216 nations.
According to Forbes, their wealth is practically unimaginable, which “membership” in the Top 400 grouping now requires a minimum net worth of $2.9 billion, up $800 million from a year ago.
As well, the vast majority of them are greedy, also according to Forbes, which wrote,
“The 400 wealthiest Americans saw their collective fortune increase 40% over the last year,
to $4.5 trillion.
What hasn’t increased?
Their generosity.
The number of Forbes 400 members who gave away more than 20% of their net worth since last year’s list,
dropped from 10 to 8,
while those who gave away less than 1% of their wealth went from 127 to 156.”
Imagine that, eh?
I got mine, good luck getting yours.
They’re probably cheapskate tippers, as well. Not at all like the anonymous folks who leave a $1000 tip for a $25 meal, or skinflints who chisel the pizza delivery driver.
What an attitude, eh?
But, let’s talk about income taxes, which are not paid by such folks, who craftily, and legally — yes, legally — hide their money from the tax man through various mechanisms, some of which frankly, are abusive, such as Read the rest of this entry »
The subject of concern is a complex one, with many “moving parts” which most news-reporting organizations have not mentioned, nor will they. (That’s a whole ‘nother “ball of wax.”) In this entry, I will attempt to enumerate some of those important-yet-unreported situations, scenarios, their corollaries, and relationships, in order to give a more full understanding to the readers.
One CRITICALLY IMPORTANT MATTER is the as-yet-unreported problem in which CMS found that VUMC had 100% TOTAL responsibility for the failure that led to the patient’s death.
Yet this trial is apparently completely overlooking that matter, and the critical unitarily integrated legal principle of “respondeat superior.”
As written in the journal Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2010 Jul; 23(3): 313–315., which appears online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2900989/, in the article “Responsibility for the acts of others,” by Russell G. Thornton, JD:
“Respondeat superior embodies the general rule that an employer is responsible for the negligent acts or omissions of its employees. Under respondeat superior an employer is liable for the negligent act or omission of any employee acting within the course and scope of his employment (1). This is a purely dependent or vicarious theory of liability, meaning a finding of liability is not based on any improper action by the employer. The fact that the employer may have acted reasonably in hiring, training, supervising, and retaining the employee is irrelevant and does not provide a basis on which the employer can avoid liability for the acts of employees (1). The underlying premise of respondeat superior is that the cost of torts committed in the conduct of a business enterprise should be borne by that enterprise as a cost of doing business (2).
“An employer can also be directly liable for the negligence of its employees. This means that some negligent act or omission of the employer was a cause of, allowed, or led to the negligence of the employee, thereby causing injury to the claimant. This direct or independent liability of the employer generally arises from a claim that it negligently hired, trained, supervised, or retained the employee in question (13). These claims can also involve allegations that proper policies and procedures were not implemented or enforced and that those failures caused the injury at issue (13).
“If a member of your group acts negligently, you must expect there will be a direct liability claim for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or retention of that person. In my experience it is rare that the employee at issue in one of these claims is a longstanding, well-qualified, well-experienced, still-employed exemplary employee that simply made a mistake. More often than not, the employee involved was not very good to begin with, had been talked to before about competency-related issues, and was subsequently let go for similar reasons within 12 months or so of the incident at issue.
“The assertion of a claim against an employee also means that employee’s past experience and performance are relevant. As such, the hiring, training, supervision, and retention of that employee are relevant and discoverable. For this reason, it is imperative that problematic employees not be retained. It is also important that any concerns about employees are quickly and properly addressed and that these steps are noted in that employee’s file.”
The RN undoubtedly made a horrible mistake, a sloppy, lazy one, even, as some have previously noted.
However… the matter turns not on her carelessness, or sloppy work, per se, inasmuch as it OVERLOOKS the CMS findings of FAULT with VUMC, which agency attempted to coverup their doings and activities, by FAILING to report the matter to the appropriate regulatory agencies, State and Federal.
Further, while the RN’s admitted mistakes resulted in a death, it has NEVER been the practice of ANY law enforcement agency to prosecute any practitioner for such careless work, however “negligent” it may be.
Such matters have historically been handled by civil courts, not criminal, and by licensing and/or professional boards of practice.
At first, the TBON (TN Board Of Nursing) did NOT revoke, nor suspend (as best as I recall) her RN license… BUT! After the Davidson County DA obtained a criminal indictment, TBON reversed and rescinded their previous ruling, and revoked her RN license to practice.
Meanwhile… VUMC got off SCOT-FREE.
Not even a 10¢ fine.
VUMC was NOT punished. They only received a threat of what was essentially “fix this NOW, or else we’ll pull the plug.”
WHERE is the JUSTICE in that!?!?
Again, this is NOT to exonerate her sloppy, even careless work, but to illustrate that historically, such matters have NEVER been criminal, only civil, because there was NO MALICE involved.
Nurses, and the healthcare professions in general, will undoubtedly be watching the State of Tennessee’s criminal lawsuit against RaDonda Vaught, of Bethpage, TN (an unincorporated community in Sumner County, Zip Code 37022), with bated breath.
The outcome of the trial-by-jury case against her in Davidson County Superior Court in Nashville could affect the very future of the Nursing profession, and healthcare delivery in general, on a broad national scale.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, March 18, 2022
Here’s everything that Congress has done about the matter.
Yeah.
Bupkis.
Nada.
Isn’t that what Congress specializes in doing — NOTHING!?
But, in all fairness… Congress (the House) did pass legislation about hair styles.
That’s NOT a joke.
Or, is it?
H.R.2116 – CROWN Act of 2021 — “An act To prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair.” — was referred to the Committees for Judiciary; Education and Labor; Budget. In a roll call vote held on 03/18/2022, the act was Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 235 – 189 (Roll no. 82).
And to compound problems, the Mass Media hasn’t done a good of their job of reporting on what exactly HAS been done… as in what bills have been written, and sent to committee. And there have been some, with full information — including the text of the bills — about which are linked herein to the Congress.gov website.
Of course, Republicans have little of any substance to offer except for “tax cuts,” which is their standard tune, and their answer to all of life’s problems.
Yeah.
But, do you ever get the feeling that you’re being manipulated by the Mass Media?
That’s because YOU ARE.
Is there anything else it could be called when full information and details of bills that could help We The People are purposely omitted from being reported upon?
Given that the Energy Information Administration shows that taxes account for only about 15% of the price of gasoline and diesel fuel, a so-called “tax holiday” would hardly provide any substantial relief, if any at all.
Jeff Davis, a Senior Fellow with the Eno Center for Transportation — a Washington, D.C.-based non-partisan think tank founded in 1921 by traffic safety pioneer William Eno that examines transportation issues across modes and levels of the federal-state-local government chain — is also the Editor of the Eno Transportation Weekly, and said that cutting the federal gas tax really won’t save drivers much money.
U.S. Senators • Richard Shelby – R, AL; Jerry Moran – R, KS • John Kennedy – R, LA • Steve Daines – R, MT • John Hoven – R, ND • John Thune – R, SD • Ron Johnson – R, WI -and- U.S. Representative • Kay Granger – R, TX-12 all met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Kremlin in Moscow, July 4, 2018.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a visit by Republican members of the U.S. Congress should improve ties between the two countries’ legislatures.
The U.S. lawmakers are in Russia this week on what they say is a mission to try to help revive relations, which are severely strained, and observe how Russia’s economy is doing after four years of Western sanctions.
At a meeting on July 3, Lavrov said he hoped the visit will “symbolize the renewal of relations between the parliaments” of the United States and Russia, something he said was “very timely” ahead of the summit in Helsinki — the first full-fledged meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
“We come here realizing that we have a strained relationship, but we could have a better relationship between the U.S. and Russia, because we have some common interests around the world that we could hopefully work together on,” Senator Richard Shelby (Republican-Alabama) told Lavrov at the start of their meeting. “We could be competitors — we are competitors — but we don’t necessarily need to be adversaries.”
The U.S. lawmakers were also meeting with State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of Putin, and Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the Federation Council’s International Relations Committee.
The Duma is the lower house of Russia’s parliament, and the Federation Council is the upper chamber. Both are dominated by parties loyal to the Kremlin, and virtually all legislation passed by the parliament has the blessing of the Kremlin.
Before arriving in Moscow late on July 2, the U.S. legislators met in St. Petersburg with the city’s governor, Georgy Poltavchenko, and expressed hopes for improving relations. Poltavchenko told them he was “ready for cooperation on all fronts.”
The legislators were invited to Russia by U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman and are considered to be sympathetic to or allied with U.S. President Donald Trump, who plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16 in an effort to revive Russia-U.S. ties after years of deterioration.
“We will have to wait and see, and go from there, but we recognize that the world is better off, I believe, if Russia and the U.S. have fewer tensions,” Shelby said.
Senator John Kennedy (Republican-Louisiana) told CNN he hoped the group would be able to meet with Putin, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov there were no plans for Putin meet with the legislators.
“I want to be able to meet with government officials, try to establish some rapport, talk about common interest, talk about common problems,” Kennedy said, emphasizing that his goal was to “establish rapport between the United States Congress and the Putin administration.”
All members of the delegation voted to pass the legislation last year that tightened and expanded sanctions on Russia, originally imposed over Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The legislation, which Trump opposed, also makes it extremely difficult for Trump to lift the sanctions without congressional approval.
Kennedy said he wanted to see how Russia’s economy is doing.
“Some say it’s in shambles,” he told CNN. “Others say with the increase in the price of oil, it’s doing much better. Others say [Russia is] spending all their money on Syria and weaponry and the people are starving to death. Others say that’s not true. So I don’t know.”
Asked if he would bring up the topic of alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections, Kennedy said, “Now, I don’t want to do anything to start an international incident, but I believe in talking frankly about these things.”
Kennedy told CNN that there had been a lot of “serious allegations that Russia has interfered with not just our elections,” but with elections in France and Germany as well as with Britain’s vote in 2016 to exit the European Union.
The congressional delegation arrived in Russia on June 30 and plans to stay until July 5. Also included in the group are Senators John Hoeven (Republican-North Dakota), John Thune (Republican-South Dakota), Jerry Moran (Republican-Kansas), Steve Daines (Republican-Montana), and one House of Representatives member, Kay Granger (Republican-Texas).
With reporting by Reuters, AP, CNN, and TASS
RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, March 10, 2022
BBC World News has been indispensable lately. Giving voice largely to people in and near Ukraine while most American news is pontificating about political fallout and drawing circles on maps like humanitarian corridors are a football game pic.twitter.com/czGPL7BpZZ
“The Gray Lady,” aka The New York Times, has for years had a slogan which reads “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” Created in 1897 by Adolph S. Ochs (1858-1935), The New York Times owner who first owned the Chattanooga Times (now Chattanooga Times Free Press), the motto was meant to express the idea that the paper’s intention is to write the news impartially, and still appears on the paper’s masthead to this day.
In the era of Ochs’ ownership of the NYT, newspapers were openly partisan, and through his slogan, sought to instill a sense of confidence in the reading audience, and by his careful management, the paper increased its readership from 9,000 as a struggling publication when he purchased it in 1896, to 780,000 by 1921, and had a staff of 1885. The 1922 Encyclopædia Britannica wrote of the paper that, “By its fairness in the presentation of news, editorial moderation and ample foreign service, it secured a high place in American journalism, becoming widely read and influential throughout the country.”
Today, with the advent of instant global electronic communications, and changes in various laws mostly regulatory of ownership, the journalism landscape has changed drastically, some say for the better, while yet others demur. But regardless one’s opinion on such matters, suffice it to say that the paper’s detractors have slightly varied the motto thusly:
All the News that Fits.
One thing’s for certain, amid the democratization of news, and a broadened, liberalized monetary business landscape, and the cheapening of communications to be as a mere merchandised product, the profit motive remains strong for all journalists and news outlets, traditional, or modern. And effectively, what that means is sponsorship, and mentioning the sponsor’s name, at the least, and at the most, promoting their products, over other brands. So in other words, by virtue of that fact, it could hardly be considered “non-partisan,” partisanship being seen or perceived as partiality, instead of independence. And there’s certainly no limit to partisanship online, in print, or broadcast.
Such commodification can be seen in some newspapers by the presence of advertising on the FRONT PAGE, which historically, had NEVER been done… until now. It’s purely a profit motive, first for the paper, which can, and does, sell that space for MUCH, MUCH MORE than similarly-sized space inside the paper, and secondly, for the advertiser, who gets Front-and-Center “in your face” attention from readers.
But as noted in the Tweet above, what constitutes journalistic independence varies from nation-to-nation, and organization-to-organization, though underlying it all, hopefully, there resides adherence to a uniform standard of high ethical, and professional, practice. Effectively, what that means is that The New York Times is vastly different from The National Enquirer, London’s Daily Mail, or The Sydney Morning Herald of Australia.
American reporting on the still-ongoing matter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has, and continues to consist primarily of, prognosticating about what Russia will do, what Russia has done, what Russia could do, what Russia ought to do, and similarly opining on the psychological reasons/justifications for why Putin wants Ukraine. In stark contrast, “foreign” news agencies have focused much more on the Ukrainian people, what they’re doing, how they’re surviving, how their lives have changed, and the accomplishments of the Ukrainian military against the Russian invaders.
Such a reversal position and role is astounding, considering United States’ long history with Russia, even before it fell to Communism to become a Soviet state, and the subsequent failure of communism and the nation’s transformation into a criminal oligarchy by its corrupted government officials.
Arguably, the nation has long been a criminal state, with the presence of an elite criminal sect known as Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, March 5, 2022
Putin, Zelenskyy, and Biden walk Into a bar.
Putin orders a Ukrainian invasion.
Biden says, “I’ll have the same.”
Zelenskyy spends all his time trying to keep the bartender from serving either one.
Western “media” outlets, and others — including the U.S. Congress, most notably — are but paying lip service to Ukraine, and their struggle to oust the tyrannical madman and international terrorist, Russian president Vladimir Putin.
There is no shortage of “I stand with,” or “I support Ukraine” expressions, either by decorative building lights in the evening, or signage so expressing. Even some businesses are in on the symbolic support, including liquor stores, which have conducted well-publicized publicity stunts to waste Russian vodka.
Then, of course, there’s the moron factor — GOPers who support the invading force, and its tyrant Putin.
In response, the President has stated that he’ll impose strict sanctions against Russia, but again, it’s a largely symbolic effort because it’s merely halfhearted, and fully hypocritical, because of things like this:
Treasury Department Assures Wall Street It Can Still Trade Russian Oil And Gas
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, March 3, 2022
Vladimir Putin sits at the end of a 40-foot-long table in the Kremlin for 2 reasons:
1.) So the men at the other end can’t smell the fear in his breath, and;
2.) So they can’t see the cowardice in his eyes.
Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and an International Terrorist.
For that reason (being an International Terrorist), the CIA, our military intelligence, and other such officials in our government are EXEMPT from Executive Orders Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, March 3, 2022
I wish — with ALL MY HEART — as a show of solidarity and unanimity with the Ukrainian people, and as a fearsome show of force, might & power — including as a warning to the world, that POTUS BIDEN would:
1.) Order NON-STOP, 24/7 air superiority strikes by aircraft to fly out of Ramstein AFB, Germany (near Kaiserslautern) including use of long-range heavy bombers including the;
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, March 2, 2022
1.) Morons.
2.) Morons.
3.) Morons.
4.) Morons.
5.) Morons.
Don’t you just hate what most journalism has become?
I do.
Recently, I sought a friend’s opinion about POTUS BIDEN’S SOTU, who in response wrote that, “I thought Biden was a joke. He is providing Putin with the money for the war. It has been reported that the US is the largest purchaser of oil from Russia. He talked about funding the police, securing the border, it was all lies.”
I could have guessed any response would have been as much, given that individual was a Trump voter. But, what shocked me was the claim that “He is providing Putin with the money for the war. It has been reported that the US is the largest purchaser of oil from Russia.”
That friend and I have known each other for several years, and on Saturdays we would regularly “solve the world’s problems” over breakfast at area restaurants. And here’s the interesting part: When we got down to brass tacks, didn’t insult each other’s ideas or opinions, and worked to the fundamental root cause of problems, we actually saw eye-to-eye on many topics. We just had to move away from the temptation to play the “sport” of politics, which is now all-too-often, par for the course.
But on the matter of the claim that POTUS BIDEN “is providing Putin with the money for the war,” and the related claim that, “It has been reported that the US is the largest purchaser of oil from Russia,” I set out to disprove what, on its face, prima facie evidence, if you prefer, seemed outrageous.
So, I visited the Energy Information Administration’s website to learn more. (AKA “Your Tax Dollars At Work.”)
Here’s what I found.
On a page entitled “U.S. Imports by Country of Origin,” in 2020, the United States imported from a total of 72 nations a GRAND TOTAL of 2,877,890 thousand barrels of oil. (NOTE: 2020 is the most recent year for which annual information is available, while monthly data for July–December 2021 is available. The July-December 2021 monthly figures may be found toward the bottom of this entry, below the horizontal line.)
The Top 10 nations from which the USA imported oil are, in order, with volumes (in thousands of barrels):
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, March 1, 2022
The global scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic is almost over and we’ve made at least 6 million holes in the ground around the world to bury the dead or distribute their ashes while we falsely lionize grocery store clerks as “frontline heroes” along with the Nurses and Physicians who for 2 years have consistently and almost helplessly watched over the almost-surreal accumulation of the deaths of deniers and vaccine refuseniks, climate change is slowly-but-surely devastating our globe, floating islands like flotsam and jetsam flotillas of plastic trash larger than the state of Texas continue killing ocean life, so-called indestructible “forever chemicals” course through the veins of the unborn and the living, the wealthy along with their corporations and minions chronically pay no income taxes thereby placing the burden of funding governmental operations on the working man, cops nationwide kill our dark-skinned brothers at liberty, insane men with massive caches of military weaponry kill worshipers along with school children and other bystanders in public while GOP politicians enact laws making purchasing such deadly firearms much easier, inflation is at a 40-year high, GOPers are doing their damnedest to deny voting and other civil rights to non-WASPs and return America to the bad old days of Jim Crow, while yet other GOPers attend White Supremacist rallies as honored guests and praise Russian thug Vladimir Putin who has invaded Ukraine to commit war crimes, Volodymyr Zelenskiy a former comedian who is Ukraine’s Jewish President is standing firm along with his people who have remained to resist and fight those terrorists, and tonight, American President Joe Biden will give his first State of the Union address to a joint session of an almost recalcitrant do-nothing Congress which deadlocked Senate remains stalemated and immobilized as if frozen stiff though still living and breathing.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, February 26, 2022
On Monday, September 2, 1901, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, then Vice President, gave a speech from the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, with about 10,000 people present, in which he outlined his foreign policy and stated in part, that,
“A good many of you are probably acquainted with the old proverb: ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick — you will go far.’ If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility,
a big stick will not save him from trouble;
and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”
Theodore Roosevelt and Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., c.1916 September 26.
Just four days after Roosevelt’s speech at the MN State Fair, President William McKinley was shot by an assassin in Buffalo, NY, and when he died a week later, Roosevelt then assumed the Presidency.
“Big Stick Diplomacy” characterized his leadership as President.
As POTUS, Theodore Roosevelt was also the surprise winner of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize after using his “Big Stick” diplomacy to broker a peace treaty to end the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
Earlier this month, before the Russian thug Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine, then start shelling the capitol Kiev and other cities, I had written to POTUS BIDEN via the White House website, a letter which has similarly been shared with others.
That message, and the explanatory introduction, follow below.
America needs a leader with that kind of moxie, AGAIN!
But, to be certain, diplomacy ONLY works when BOTH/ALL involved parties are diplomatic, and seek the use of diplomacy to case, or ward off, strife & conflict.
The Russian thug Putin is neither diplomatic, nor honest. He ONLY understands BRUTE FORCE, which is why Option Number 5 is THE BEST CHOICE.
Reports circulating internationally say that the Russian people are VERY ANGRY at thug Putin’s actions, thereby also making Option Number 2 viable.
IF POTUS BIDEN WOULD take the “Big Stick” approach to this matter, his tenacity would yield successful results, I’m almost certain.
Despite the fact that Ukraine is not presently a NATO member nation, all it’s bordering neighbors are. And to the extent that we “drop the ball” at this CRITICAL moment in history — by whatever means — our NATO allies will remember it forever, as the moment when the United States, as the solitary beacon of freedom & democracy in the world, turned a cold shoulder to the suffering of others from a despot of Communism, and corrupt totalitarian thug — Vladimir Putin.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, February 14, 2022
Policy is NOT law.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition, defines policy as:
1. A plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters: American foreign policy; the company’s personnel policy.
2. a. A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous: Honesty is the best policy.
b. Prudence, shrewdness, or sagacity in practical matters: It is never good policy to speak rashly.
Policy can change at any time, for any reason. It is not set in stone.
Furthermore, policy is not legally binding, nor is it a promise, and can be violated at any time, for any reason whatsoever, even by the one that establishes “policy.” A company does NOT have to abide by their “policy.”
Companies that have so-called “Privacy” policies are simply pulling your leg. They’re buffaloing you, pulling the wool over your eyes, fooling you, into believing that they actually “care” (give a rat’s ass) about you.
They do not.
To them, you’re nothing but a sales tool, to be exploited, bought, sold, and traded on the open market — a means to an end, that end being increasing their bank account.
Seriously.
Now, think about it for just one moment: Why, or what possible legitimate business reason, would ANY company have to “respect” your “privacy,” unless they had an ulterior motive (or policy) to violate it to begin with?
That’s like a couple going out on a first date, and one says to the other, “I don’t kiss on the first date,” while the other says, “That’s okay… I don’t mind. But I fuck on the first date,” and then proceeds to rape the one — but doesn’t kiss.
So to the other’s way of thinking, the one’s “policy” of not kissing was upheld.
That’s what a so-called “privacy” policy is like to businesses.
It’s like going into a dressing room, changing clothes, and admiring yourself in the mirror, only to find out later that it was a “one-way mirror,” and that you were not only being watched the entire time, but being recorded, as well — AND, that the video was sold — all without your knowledge, or consent.
How about THEM apples, eh?
Yeah.
THAT is what’s going on.
Why?
Because Congress has NOT given Americans any online privacy protection laws like the European Union has.
Or Japan.
The Fourth Amendment of our Constitution states, verbatim:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,
and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched,
and the persons or things to be seized.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, February 9, 2022
LEFT to RIGHT: Spaghetti noodles, tomato-based meat sauce, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Ever get tired of eating mediocre spaghetti?
Of course you so.
But, how can you make your otherwise boring spaghetti a world-class dish?
It’s easier than you think.
Naturally, there are a few (very few) “secrets,” or tips-n-tricks, that everyone should know, and understand, in order to improve the character and quality of the dish.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, January 31, 2022
If you want to see, and hear, what an insipidly milquetoast governor Bill Lee is for Tennessee, simply watch a few minutes of his disgustingly loathsome address, delivered to the General Assembly, Monday, 31 January 2022.
It is weak, weak, weak.
As the namby-pamby, weak-kneed, say-little-do-nothing Republican Governor Bill Lee gave his State of the State address today, I thought his knees would buckle under the weight of his featherweight words.
His was a vapidly bland address, delivered in a monotonic voice, devoid of fervor or passion, full to overflowing with the null set of simply maintaining the status quo. Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing life-changing… a real snooze-fest.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, January 26, 2022
If you’ve missed work because you, or a member of your household, has a COVID infection, or, if you are quarantining because you’ve been exposed, or possibly exposed, or are caring for someone with COVID-19, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, requires that you be paid 100% of your regular pay during that time.
The following information is from the Department of Labor’s website, and the page entitled:
Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Department of Labor’s (Department) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Let’s pretend that you’re an “anti-vaxxer,” that for whatever insane reason, you’re not going to ever receive any FREE COVID-19 vaccination.
Let’s also pretend that you get infected with COVID-19.
And, we’ll further pretend that because of the infection, you get really, really, really sick — as in “intubated in the ICU” sick.
Should you even be there? Should you even be treated, or cared for? Should anyone have mercy upon you because you made the decision to NOT receive (reject) a FREE vaccine? After all, you’re just wasting oxygen, and taking up space.
Shouldn’t the resources that are being expended upon you, and your care (because you didn’t care enough to get vaccinated), be expended upon others who did? After all, you made the conscious decision to NOT care enough about yourself, or others, to get vaccinated.
Freedom is not, nor has it ever been, an “I’ll do what I want, where I want, when I want, how I want, because I can” type of proposition.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, January 24, 2022
The United States’ Intelligence Community (IC), whose members are enumerated and linked below, collaborated upon an investigation on the source, and cause (root cause analysis), and origin of the virus that causes COVID-19, the SARS-CoV-2. For the greatest part, their assessment is complete, though undoubtedly, portions of it will remain ongoing for an unknown time being.
Their conclusions were recently de-classified, and released to the general public, and published online.
Their 1.25 page summary assessment follows, below the enumeration of IC members & agency/organization links.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Every dog has its day,
and Monday was the Georgia Bulldogs’ day.
Indianapolis, Indiana – January 10, 2022: Defensive back Kelee Ringo #5 with the Georgia Bulldogs leaps to intercept a pass thrown by Heisman Trophy award winning Alabama quarterback Bryce Young #5, late in the 4th quarter, whose intended receiver was wide receiver #11 Traeshaon Holden during the 2022 CFP (College Football Playoff) National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. After leaping perhaps at least 3 feet to intercept the ball, which some say was “thrown short,” Ringo ran 79 yards for a Bulldog touchdown, sealing the deal for the Bulldogs. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Monday night on 10 January 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Lucas Oil Stadium, the 3rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs met the 1st-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide for the NCAA Championship game, and cleaned up with them, taking home bragging rights for the first time as national champions since 1980 when 25-year head Georgia coach Vince Dooley lead them to victory.
Conditions were dry inside Lucas Oil Stadium, but the Georgia Bulldogs rained on the Alabama Crimson Tide’s parade in the 2021 NCAA championship game, taking home their first National Championship in 41 years, 33-18. And after 7 consecutive years of losses to the Tide, the Bulldogs finally managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
This year’s NCAA Championship game was a grudge match, because earlier, the Bulldogs had lost the SEC championship game to Alabama, 41-24, on December 4 in Atlanta, so this victory was “sweet revenge” for the Dawgs.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, January 10, 2022
What lessons could we learn from nicotine chewing gum?
You might be surprised.
Read on.
Having never been addicted to anything (or, anyone), the craving for a substance, other than food & water for sustenance, it interests me to understand the strong cravings that some have for non-food substances, including, for example, tobacco, spiritous beverage, or narcotics abused, or other illicit substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.
For years, I have, on a personal level, maintained that addiction was not what many were saying that it was, some years ago. And in the interim, from then until now, indeed, the definition, and our understanding of addiction has substantially changed, precisely because of our increased understanding of physiology, in conjunction with improved recognition of cause-and-effect patterns of human behavior.
For example, with smokers, they almost always fall into habituation through association with routine. Wake up, toilet, smoke, bathe, smoke. Drink coffee, smoke. Drive to work, smoke. Work a couple hours, smoke break. Work a few more, lunch break, smoke. Work a bit, smoke break. Off work, drive home, smoke. Get cleaned up, smoke. Watch teevee, smoke. Eat supper, smoke. Have cocktails/nightcap, smoke. And it all repeats itself the next day. That’s significantly serious behavioral reinforcement.
Those who make effort to quit, frequently forget the association of routine with smoking, and when determined to quit, they sometimes Read the rest of this entry »
“Denis Smith was a teacher and an administrator in West Virginia. He moved to Ohio where he worked in the State Education Department. His last position before retiring was in the office of charter schools (misleadingly called “community schools” in Ohio, even when they operate for profit).”
Dr. Diane Ravitch, PhD
Dr. Ravitch also wrote that “the link works but doesn’t permit me to copy any print.”
She was referring to a guest Opinion-Editorial authored by Denis Smith which was published January 3, 2022 in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, which is WV’s largest newspaper, about a recent state judicial ruling, that attempts by K12 Inc., a Wall $treet-traded, private, for-profit charter school management company, to create a publicly-unaccountable school district inside a school district that only they could control, was illegal under state law. He further opined about the miasmatic mess that the state’s legislators had created with their charter school law.
Nationally, there is an almost overwhelming abundance of complaints from coast-to-coast about the total costs and losses, not all of which are monetary, that have come directly from the charter school “movement,” which is, at its core, a private profiteering effort funded by public tax dollars, regardless whether the charter school is for-profit, or not-for-profit. No more, no less. It is, in essence, an unaccountable system which owes fealty to corporate owners, not to the taxpayers who fund them. For additional information, see: https://NetworkForPublicEducation.org/chartered-for-profit/
As a courtesy to her, to her readers, and to others, the Op-Ed to which she referred is Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, January 5, 2022
You know, the irony of the Opioid Epidemic is that folks are seeking relief from pain… pain which is psycho-social, emotional, not related to disease, injury, or surgery. But pain, nonetheless.
And what might the cause of that pain be?
Joblessness, homelessness, hopelessness.
Why don’t they have a job?
Ask Congress.
They were the ones who sent their jobs overseas in the misguided notion that it’d help our nation’s economy.
Yeah.
Right.
And there’s a Santa Claus, too — and an Easter Bunny, and a Tooth Fairy.
The Sackler family and other pharmaceutical makers were only capitalizing upon human tragedy by peddling pain relief.
And oddly, that’s what was needed… in addition to a job.
But you can’t sue Congress.
However… you CAN vote the bastards out of office — and should.
Every goddamn one of ’em.
ALL Republicans, ALL Democrats, ALL Independents.
ALL OF THEM.
And then, establish Term Limits for Congress; 20 years combined elected Federal service ought to be enough for anyone. That’d be 10, 2-year terms in the House, or 3, 6-year terms in the Senate (18) plus 1, 2-year term in the House, or any combination thereof. Remember when Newt Gingrich promised that with his “Contract on America”? Promises, promises. He also cheated on his wife, and asked her to sign divorce papers while she was on her near-death bed following cancer surgery. She survived. He remarried. Divorced his 2nd wife. He’s now on the 3rd one. Funny thing, too… Gingrich led the cavalry against then-POTUS CLINTON when he was accused of getting a blow job from Monica Lewinsky in the oral… er, Oval Office.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Dr. Diane Ravitch, PhD, is a Research Professor of Education at New York University, a historian of education, and author. She is an unashamedly ardent advocate of taxpayer funded public education, primarily at the K-12 level, and is the Founder and President of the Network for Public Education (NPE) — “an advocacy group whose mission is to preserve, promote, improve and strengthen public schools for both current and future generations of students.” From 1991 to 1993, she was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Additional biographical details about her may be found on her professional website linked here.
She also maintains a blog — DianeRavitch.net — separate from her professional website, where she contributes regularly, opining primarily upon matters of education.
Seniors at Downtown Magnets High School gather inside the College Center for an information session with UC Irvine. (image by Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The following entry is one of her most recent observations, and shares excerpted portions of a human interest news feature sharing greatly encouraging findings of phenomenal successes and accomplishments of a taxpayer-funded public school in Los Angeles, California — Downtown Magnets High School.
Los Angeles Times: The “Unentitled Kids”: California’s New Generation of College-Bound Stars
Teresa Watanabe wrote a wonderful story about kids in a public school in Los Angeles who are college-bound, despite their demographic profiles. They don’t have college-educated parents or SAT tutors. What they do have is a school — the Downtown Magnets High School — where the professionals are dedicated to their success. Read about this school and ask yourself why Bill Gates is not trying to replicate it? Why is it not a model for Michael Bloomberg or Reed Hastings or the Waltons? Why do the billionaires insist, as Bloomberg said recently, that public education is “broken”? Despite their investing hundreds of millions to destroy public schools like the one in this story, they are still performing miracles every day.
They represent the new generation of students reshaping the face of higher education in California: young people with lower family incomes, less parental education and far more racial and ethnic diversity than college applicants of the past. And Downtown Magnets, a small and highly diverse campus of 911 students just north of the Los Angeles Civic Center, is in the vanguard of the change.
Last year, 97% of the school’s seniors were accepted to college, and most enrolled. Among them, 71% of those who applied to a UC campus were admitted, including 19 of the 56 applicants to UC Berkeley — a higher admission rate than at elite Los Angeles private schools such as Harvard-Westlake and Marlborough.
This month, the Downtown Magnets applicants include Nick Saballos, whose Nicaraguan father never finished high school and works for minimum wage as a parking valet but is proud of his son’s passion for astrophysics.
There’s Emily Cruz, who had a rough time focusing on school while being expected to help her Guatemalan immigrant mother with household duties. Emily is determined to become a lawyer or a philosopher.
Kenji Horigome emigrated to Los Angeles from Japan in fourth grade speaking no English, with a single mother who works as a Koreatown restaurant server. Kenji has become a top student and may join the military, in part for the financial aid the GI Bill would provide.
“The main thing my kids lack is a sense of entitlement,” said Lynda McGee, the school’s longtime college counselor. “That’s my biggest enemy: The fact that my students are humble and think they don’t deserve what they actually deserve. It’s more of a mental problem than an academic one.”
What the students do have is a close-knit school community, passionate educators and parents willing to take the extra step to send them to a magnet school located, for many, outside their neighborhoods.
Downtown Magnets High School Seniors Patricia DeLeon, 17, LEFT, and Kiana Portillo, 17, talk with college counselor Lynda McGee at the College Center at Downtown Magnets High School in Los Angeles. (image by Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Principal Sarah Usmani leads a staff mindful of creating a campus environment both nurturing and academically rigorous; she has Read the rest of this entry »
On a recent visit with research participants for my book on spousal caregiving, I sat with a man who had a stroke three years ago, at age 59. He can only use one side of his body, rendering him unable to work; his wife serves as his caregiver. He told me about how much he hated himself. “All I do is take resources. I don’t contribute anything.” Tears streamed down his cheeks.
President Biden’s signature Build Back Better bill, which includes funding for long-neglected social programs like Medicaid’s home and community-based services (HCBS), is facing an uncertain future. An upgraded HCBS program would allow millions of people currently stuck on wait lists to receive care at home, rather than in congregant settings. But facing questions from the likes of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) about cost, the new investments in HCBS may not become law.
What my research participant made clear to me that day is that the lack of robust and accessible social programs for long-term care is merely a symptom of a deeper, more poisonous problem: Disability is a part of life, and we hate it. Literally.
Here’s what we don’t talk about when we talk about the care crisis. When it comes to disability, we devalue care (both caregiving and paid care work) because we devalue the people who need it. It’s why we position care as a response to a horrible disaster. It’s why we refuse to adequately fund home care and fairly pay care workers. It’s why we rely on the 53 million (and climbing) unpaid family caregivers across the U.S. to provide care for free. It’s why disabled people internalize the idea that they are worthless “takers.” We tell people we don’t care about them when we refuse to provide the means for them and those who care for them to live well.
Euphemisms like “silver tsunami” let the idea of disaster stand in for disability.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, December 19, 2021
While I NO LONGER make any claims to be “religious,” practice any religious faith, or have anything to do with any kind of religion, faith, or the practice thereof, there are some things that, it seems to me, if there was a god/dess, such a being would be unlike us in practically every way… at least most of us.
Such a “god/goddess” or supreme being, would be concerned with our lives, the lives of humans on Earth, and with practically, or actually, every picayune thing associated with life here on this planet.
The relationship of humans to one another, to each other, the relationship of humans to the planet upon which they live, and upon which they rely as the very source of life itself, for food, for water, for clothing, for housing, for EVERYTHING — EVERY LITTLE THING — that pertains to life, including every minuscule joy, or momentary and passing pleasure, happiness, the taste of food, of smell, perfumes, aromas, all kinds of love, including sexual pleasures… ALL THAT would be a concern of a supreme/divine being, simply because that being loves those who live upon, and from, the Earth.
There is no god/goddess/supreme/diving being like that. At least there is none like that preached from most pulpits in churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other houses of worship. And so, therefore, by virtue of that lack, that absence, I am led to conclude, that substantial lack, that fundamental absence of such a being — that again, being a being which is so full of love, and wisdom, that it cannot help but give, for giving is its very nature — that there is not such a one. There is no god/goddess/creator/divine being.
Yet, as a scientist, I must admit that we do not yet know, nor can prove, and so therefore, it is reasonable and rational to suppose that the possibility might exist, however small, that there might be such an one. But again, the likelihood is so minuscule, so microscopic, that its practically (for all practical purposes) non-existent. If it, the possibility, were but one grain of sand on the Earth, it would be so substantial, so life-changing. But those who have changed their lives have done so themselves, some with help of others, while others have done it alone. Jesus of Nazareth is even reputed to have told the renown parable story known widely as “The Prodigal Son” who “came to himself,” or as some versions put it, “finally came to his senses.” There is no indication that the son had any help in the matter.
But, it’s nice to think about the possibilities that a “supernatural,” even divine being exists, because again, if it were so, it would be a global game-changer. But, it’s also nice to think about eating all the ice cream, cake, pie, and other sweet treats that one could possibly want, without having any adverse side effect, like weight gain.
And so, this creature, this divine/supreme being… I think about a song which became popular some years ago Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, December 19, 2021
This image of a c.1950’s United States family with a Christmas tree depicts a male child with a “toy” gun aiming it at his younger sister seated upon father’s lap.
Contrary to popular belief, it hasn’t been uncommon to gift children with deadly/lethal firearms around Christmastime.
And so, the mass shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township in suburban Detroit by Ethan Crumbley, whose parents James and Jennifer Crumbley gifted him with a pistol, were only doing what has for years been a rite — gifting kids with guns.
We give toys to children, and if a child abuses a baby doll, ripping off its head and limbs, burning and beating it, we would almost immediately suspect something is amiss, awry, and seriously wrong with the child who did such things to it.
But, we seem to have, or express, some faux sense of amazement, pseudo-bewilderment, disdainful incuriousity, or worse, apparently think little-to-nothing, of a mid-to-late teen who maliciously uses firearm(s) to kill people, though that is the ostensibly exclusive purpose (the “proper use”) for which they’re created.
On 30 November 2021, Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore student at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, murdered 4 students, injured 7, which included a teacher, with a high-capacity semi-automatic pistol gifted to him by his parents James and Jennifer Crumbley.
WH Group’s “global headquarters is strategically located in Hong Kong, with regional headquarters in China and the U.S.,” while the “Headquarters Shuanghui Development in Luohe, Henan Province,” China, and WH Group’s U.S. Headquarters of their Smithfield Foods division is in Smithfield, Virginia.
WH Group is also one of the LARGEST FOREIGN OWNERS of American farmland, with 146,000 acres and that separate sale was worth US$500M, according to the USDA.
Put another way, 146,000 acres is 228.1252 square miles… that’s nearly 20% (18.79% exactly) of the entire state of Rhode Island, which has 1214 square miles.
Unbridled greed in the extreme, aka AVARICE, is to blame. And Americans laws DO NOT FORBID, nor punish, such BAD BEHAVIOR. In fact, it’s REWARDED & ENCOURAGED.
Blame Congress — which has been bought & paid-for by Corporate lobbyists — for their FAILURE TO PROTECT AMERICAN DOMESTIC INTERESTS. THAT is a matter of NATIONAL SECURITY.
But let’s do something else. Let’s examine HOW MUCH U.S. land is owned, or controlled by, foreign interests.
Using a 1978 law — the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which requires foreign entities to report farmland transactions to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency — the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting examined USDA & other Federal data to determine how much land is owned/controlled by foreign interests.
They found that in 2016, foreign investors that year acquired at least 1.6M acres of U.S. farmland. And USDA data shows that either through direct ownership, or long-term leases, foreign investors control at least Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Polly want a cracker?
How about a cookie, instead?
And to make it even better, we’ll make it a STALKING COOKIE!
Yeah… “stalking” as in “we’re watching EVERYTHING YOU DO ONLINE — where you came from, how long you stay, when you arrive, when you leave, what you click on, hover over, move around upon, your age, sex, where you live, your income, your education level,
• your employer, how long you’ve been there, your kids, their ages, the schools they attend, where you worship if you do, what car you drive, how far you drive,
• what size clothing you wear, your political identity, voting proclivities, what you eat, where you shop for groceries,
• who your doctor is, what conditions you’re being treated for, with what medications, how regularly you take your meds, what your allergies are,
• what teevee shows you watch, who your ISP is, how long you’ve been with them, your cell phone number & provider,
• how much your utility bill was last month, what you read, what you subscribe to, what type computer you use, where you use it, what your email address is, how much email you get,
• how many phone calls you get, how long your conversations are, how many and to whom you send/receive text messages, how many pets you have, their ages, sexes, and breeds, what and how often you feed them, who their veterinarian is,
• how much money is in your bank accounts, how much your mortgage is, and for how long, how many cars you’ve ever owned, how much you travel and where,
• your hair and eye color, your parents’ names, their addresses, birthdates, ages, when and where they and you were born, how many moving citations and/or parking tickets you and they have ever had, who your neighbors are, their and your skin color,
• when and if you menstruate, how often and with whom you have sex, if you use a condom, use any other form of birth control… you get the idea.
Frankly, NONE of that should be public knowledge, but, it is. And, it ALL can be bought for a price.
And YOU ARE THE COMMODITY bought, sold, and traded.
And so, would it surprise you to know that ALL that information cited above — AND MORE — is ALL available to be purchased?
In the EU, their citizens have PRIVACY LAWS that protect them from being stalked by online companies.
But not in the USA.
Again, whyzat?
Congress.
In the USA, NO ONE has any “right” to their own intellectual property, specifically, that means ANY, EVERY, and ALL information about you: YOU, as a human being, what your habits are, your daily routine, your purchases, your income, your medical diagnoses, your doctors, medicines, who you have sex with, when, how, if you use birth control, or not, what animals you own, how much you make & pay taxes, how often you drive, if you do, where you go, how far on average you drive on a daily basis, what size clothes you wear, who your friends & family are, what your genetic information is, and the list just goes on, and on, and on, and on from there.
Yes… YOU are a commodity – an intellectual SLAVE – to be bought, sold, and traded. And what’s worse, ANYONE can obtain that information. ANYONE. All they have to do is… PURCHASE IT.
That’s NOT a joke.
Just think of it this way:
STALKING.
It’s happening, you just don’t know it.
And THAT’sthe whole point.
You are, in essence, an electronic slave, the intellectual property of others, not your self. For if you were your own property, you would Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, December 12, 2021
The late, renown musician Greg Allman, with his Southern Rock group “The Allman Brothers Band,” recorded and performed a song entitled “Angeline,” which was written by band members Dickey Betts, Mike Lawler, and John Andrew Cobb. Greg had no part in the song’s creation, other than to sing, and record it, where is appears as Track 1, Side 2 (Track 5 on CD) of the band’s first Arista Records, Inc. label release, on their August 1980 album “Reach for the Sky.”
The song’s chorus contains the partial lyric “I never seen a woman who could look so good, and be so doggone mean. Yeah.”
I had forgotten the song’s title was Angeline, rather than Evangeline, but the point is, that the name “Evangeline” is a feminine one, and in a couple places in the New Testament, and in modernity, the “church” is frequently referred to as a feminine subject, a “virgin bride” which will “marry” Jesus Christ. And, I had not forgotten the song’s lyric “I never seen a woman who could look so good, and be so doggone mean.”
That is a sadly perfect picture of the church today: Alleged to be beautiful (“a woman who could look so good,”) but whose attractiveness is marred to the point of repulsion, i.e., “be so doggone mean.”
The song’s final verse is:
Whoa, just a game that she loves to play,
leavin’ broken hearts all along the way.
She’s got friends that she ain’t never used.
She’s winnin’ now but she’s bound to lose.
Oh, Angeline.
Again, a picture perfect illustration of a very sad situation: Selfish use and abuse, then, abandonment, and ultimately, loss.
What many folks don’t realize (and, by “folks,” I specifically mean to refer to those who name Christ, or claim to be Christian), that many of the researchers and historical figures of importance in the history of healthcare and immunology were Christians.
Edward Jenner (1749-1823), considered widely as the “father,” or discoverer of vaccination, was himself a son of a Christian vicar, the 4th son, and 8th of 9 children, whose both parents died in 1754. But what is equally ironic, is that in his era, when he was actively developing a treatment and cure for smallpox, “Jenner was widely ridiculed. Critics, especially the clergy, claimed it was repulsive and ungodly to inoculate someone with material from a diseased animal. A satirical cartoon of 1802 showed people who had been vaccinated sprouting cow’s heads. But the obvious advantages of vaccination and the protection it provided won out, and vaccination soon became widespread. Jenner became famous and now spent much of his time researching and advising on developments in his vaccine.”
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, December 8, 2021
The now-defunct Moral Majority was a far-right-wing, extremist political arm of a primarily Protestant Christian Fundamentalist organization founded by the now-late Rev. Jerry Falwell, Sr. (1933-2007), Founding Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, in Lynchburg, VA, who infamously filed, and lost, a defamation of character lawsuit against pornographer Larry Flynt (1942-2021), Founder of the Hustler magazine empire, which was ultimately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Based upon First Amendment principles, the SCOTUS found that Flynt’s plainly-marked parody depiction of Falwell fell under protected speech, holding that “the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit public figures and public officials from recovering damages for the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress by reason of the publication of a caricature…” and noted that “the State’s interest in protecting public figures from emotional distress is not sufficient to deny First Amendment protection to speech that is patently offensive and is intended to inflict emotional injury when that speech could not reasonably have been interpreted as stating actual facts about the public figure involved.”
Moral Majority Report, July 1983, AIDS
In other words, the First Amendment protects parodies of celebrities or other public figures, even if they are intended to cause distress to the subjects depicted/portrayed.
Such a matter is now ongoing and involving soon-to-be-former U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican who has represented California’s 22nd Congressional District since 2003. CD 22 is in the state’s fertile San Joaquin Valley farmland area, and encompasses parts of Fresno, and Tulare counties, which includes portions of the cities of Fresno, and all of the cities of Clovis, Tulare, and Visalia.
Nunes is infamously litigious, and as some would characterize it, is thin-skinned, and becomes very “butt-hurt” when he is mocked, satirized, or parodied publicly, which has occurred regularly on Twitter, where the satire account “Devin Nunes Cow” (Nunes has interests in dairy farming in the district), and several other parody accounts, including some naming his mother, regularly poke fun of him.
Ironically, the two men Falwell and Flynt, later became good friends, and frequently appeared together in several public venues on college & university campuses, including on the Larry King Show.
Dr. Heather Murray, PhD, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Ottawa, Canada, (see her faculty page here) recently wrote the following, in part, about the matter of the far-right-wing now refusing to wear protective nose/mouth coverings (aka “face masks”) during the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (aka COVID-19) pandemic, whereas once, they were gung-ho to wear them, despite the fact that Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, December 4, 2021
Perhaps you’d be surprised at the MANY “knock-off,” el-cheapo, wanna-be, so-called “recipes” for AIOLI.
For some, it’s a Johnny-come-lately to the faux phood scene, a veritable “flash-in-the pan” — here today, gone tomorrow — and something, some trick of “the new and kewl” to attract, and FOOL, or DECEIVE, folks into believing that a great amount of effort, or love, went into making a food item.
Pretty pictures adorn all kinds of websites, magazines, and newspapers — online, and in print — that depict food as an artistic creation… and to be certain, there’s little doubt that some of it is. Certain cakes come to mind, for example.
The finished product… GENUINE, AUTHENTIC aioli.
But most food is not “art,” though it can, and should be, presented attractively. And the reason for that, the reason why food should be presented attractively, is that we FIRST ‘eat’ with our eyes. That is to say, that, what we see whets our appetite. However, for food made in a restaurant, the olfactory sensation is largely missing, because almost no one goes into any restaurant and smells the food cooking. It’s not like your grandma’s, or mama’s kitchen, wherein the savory aromas of food waft throughout the house, eagerly increasing your expectations as mealtime approaches.
But, back to the aioli.
At its essence, aioli is almost pure garlic in a spreadable form. I write ‘almost’ because it has olive oil in it, and cannot be made without it. And, there’s some salt, as well. But the amount, volume, quantity, etc., of salt is up to the maker. And though salt may not be 100% absolutely required, or a mandatory item like garlic or olive oil, it is HIGHLY recommended to be a constituent part of aioli. In other words, just put some in. Don’t neglect it.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, December 2, 2021
U.S. District Judge Linda Parker in Detroit, MI on Thursday, 2 December 2021, ordered former Federal Prosecuting Attorneys Sidney Powell, and Rudy Giuliani, celebrity lawyer Lin Wood, and other lawyers for former President Donald Trump each to pay the State of Michigan, and City of Detroit $175,000 to compensate both governments for the cost to taxpayers to defend against the frivolous lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, November 27, 2021
There’s nothing quite like the truth, is there?
It’s 6 of one, and half a dozen of the other. Same thing, just expressed differently, right?
The article from which these observations were made is linked at the bottom. And while the ideas expressed are from the article, the rephrasing is unique.
For example, The Hill wrote that:
“Almost one-quarter of Texans are unwilling or unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, a new poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler found.
“The poll found 5 percent are unlikely and 18 percent unwilling to get the coronavirus vaccine as vaccine mandates are becoming more popular in the country.
“The percentage of parents who will not get their children vaccinated is even higher, with 9 percent saying they probably won’t get their children vaccinated and 28 percent saying they will not.”
The poll, conducted among 1106registered voters November9–16, 2021, found that 5% are likely and 18% are willing to die from coronavirus disease, even though vaccines are free, and have been proven significantly helpful against infection, and severe disease.
The number of parents who are willing to sacrifice their children to coronavirus disease is even greater, with 9% saying they probably will sacrifice their children to coronavirus disease, and 28% saying they definitely will.
We know, for a hard-cold fact that unvaccinated folks are at a SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 –AND– of dying from the disease. And, it is unvaccinated folks who are clogging up hospitals, and using a disproportionate share of healthcare resources.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, November 27, 2021
What is it?
😋Breakfast!!
Glad you asked!
It’s THE MOST important meal of the day!
Whyzat?
Because you’re BREAKING your FAST! Hence, the name — break-fast.
Overnight, your body has thoroughly digested, and fully utilized every nutrient which you put it yesterday.
And, now, it’s time to eliminate the waste. Your blood’s been filtered, too. And that waste as well, is ready to go. That’s why upon awakening from an overnight rest, you, everyone else, and all god’s creatures gotta’ go.
And since it’s ALL empty, just like your automobile, it’s time for a refill. Can’t travel cross-country on an empty tank, now, can you? Prolly can’t even make it cross-town when the gas gauge is pointing on ‘E’.
And proteins — broadly, meat, eggs, cheese, and nuts — take longer to digest than carbohydrates, thus, releasing their energy more evenly, whereas carbohydrates burn (release their energy) rather quickly.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Look over yonder What do you see? The sun is a-rising Most definitely A new day is coming (whoo-hoo!) People are changing Ain’t it beautiful? (whoo-hoo!) Crystal Blue Persuasion
Better get ready Gonna see the light Love, love is the answer (whoo-hoo!) And that’s alright So don’t you give up now (whoo-hoo!) So easy to find Just look to your soul (look to your soul!) And open your mind
Tommy James and the Shondells wrote and performed that song, which became a hit, rising to the Number 2 position on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles chart for 3 weeks in June 1969. And more recently, it enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as thematic music for the phenomenally popular multi-year teevee serial drama “Breaking Bad.”
Tommy explained the song this way:
“First of all, I was becoming a Christian at that time, and we never thought a thing about it. We never thought that doing something semi-religious was any big deal. We didn’t think of it as being politically incorrect or anything like that. We just did what felt right. I wrote ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ with Eddie Gray and Mike Vale. Eddie came up with the little guitar riff, and Mike and I did the lyrics. And it just felt very right as a sort of semi-religious poetic song, but it turned out to be one of the hardest records I’ve ever made.”
The past couple weeks, the nation’s eyes have been upon Kenosha, Wisconsin. Now, they’re turned to Brunswick, Georgia, a tiny town of 15,210 with a 55.1% Black population, and a 33.1% White population.
It was almost difficult — and perhaps still is — to go a day without seeing, hearing, or reading something about the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. The talking heads, pundits, prognosticators, and their ilk were all a twitter about whether this, that, or the other, would happen, and in the process whipped their followers — whichever side of the fence they sat upon — into a frenzy.
It’s good for their ratings and corporate earnings, you see. So, yeah… it’s all about the money, and the media ~does~ have a dog in that fight. I’ll spare you the details of the matter, because by now, if you’ve been paying attention, you know it all. The media made sure of that.
That’s what the mass media these days does to us all — force feeds us a steady stream of bad news like geese fed by gavage, then harvested for their artificially enlarged fatty liver. That French delicacy is called foie gras. However, the only thing that’s changed about us, is our hearts. They become artificially hardened, calloused and insensate to the suffering of others.
But maybe you’re not affected.
Kyle Rittenhouse draws numbers randomly to select jurors in his case (L), and Chrystul Kizer (R); both cases are in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
So let me tell you about another 17-year old child, also in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who’s charged with Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Monday, November 22, 2021
Jasmine rice w celery, onions, carrots, bell peppers, cooked in leftover beef broth, with… yup — it’s SHRIMP!
Altogether, including prep time, a meal in under 30 minutes.
Like I’ve said previously… Rachel Ray ain’t got NOTHIN’ on me!
A tasty, nutritious, easy-peasy, quick-n-easy meal in <30 minutes!
Okay… so, What DO you do to make this?
1.) Get your ingredients, i.e., go grocery shopping.
2.) Select the groceries.
3.) Purchase the groceries.
4.) Go home.
5.) Unload the groceries.
6.) Fix the meal.
7.) Eat the meal.
8.) Wash the dishes.
9.) Dry the dishes.
10.) Put away the dishes.
Seriously…
Volumes/quantity are up to you. If you wanna’ fix enough to feed a small army, go for it.
If it’s just you, that’s cool, too.
Perhaps some may ask something like, “How much shrimp should I use?”
The EASY answer is… how much do you want?
The rice? What about it? How much should I use? What kind?
For Pete’s sake, PLEASE DON’T buy rice in a cooking pouch. Seriously. Just don’t. It’s just not that difficult to cook rice. I mean, if illiterate folks in jungles and their kids can cook it perfectly, you can too.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, November 20, 2021
Fentanyl-laced marijuana has been found in Connecticut.
This is yet ANOTHER damn good reason to:
1.) Legalize;
2.) Tax, and;
3.) Regulate
cannabis — 100%, for Adult Recreational, and Medical Use.
It should be noted, that in Connecticut, Adult Recreational Use of cannabis (aka “marijuana”) is legal, and like in every other state where it is legal, in one form, or another (as Adult Recreational and/or Medical), is subject to rigorous testing and held to the highest standards… no pun intended.
See: https://portal.ct.gov/cannabis/
The fentanyl-laced marijuana was purchased on the black market, which much like illegally-produced liquor during Prohibition, also caused death, and blindness. Now, home-based beer and wine production, along with distilling and entrepreneurship in spirituous beverage production, is legal nation-wide, and such problems are exceedingly rare.
“This is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States.”
— Dr. Manisha Juthani, MD, Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner
The Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy (CT ORS) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, have recently received reports of overdose patients who have exhibited opioid overdose symptoms and required naloxone for revival. These patients denied any opioid use and claimed to have only smoked marijuana.
Recent incidents where only marijuana use was reported but naloxone was required.
• July 2021 – 11 cases
• August 2021 – 9 cases
• September 2021 – 9 cases
• October 1 – 26, 2021 – 10 cases
The reported incidents were dispersed across Connecticut. Several jurisdictions had multiple overdoses with opioid symptoms attributed to marijuana, however, no pattern was detected. In early October 2021, Plymouth, CT, had several overdose incidents where naloxone was required for revival and patients claimed to have only smoked marijuana. At one of these overdose scenes, Plymouth Police Department was able to secure a sample of the marijuana for testing at the state laboratory, which tested positive for fentanyl. https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Press-Room/Press-Releases—2021/Officials-From-The-Connecticut-Overdose-Response-Strategy-And-The-DPH-Issue-Warning
A legal marijuana crop in Uruguay.
But here’s the kicker: How long before black market fentanyl-laced marijuana makes its way down South, or to other areas of the nation?
And here’s another thought:
EVERYBODY who’s been paying attention knows how lethal fentanyl is, and the numerous deaths that are arising from its deliberate contamination in other street drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and now, cannabis. And, for a person/group in such a “business” would have to be a fool to distribute a substance that they knew would kill their clientele. It’s just bad for business to destroy your customer base. So, why would any one in their proper mind do that, eh?
I submit to you that NO narcotrafficking cartel would even stoop that low, or be that stupid, to eliminate their customers.
And so, if it’s not a narcotrafficking cartel, who could it be?
It’s just my opinion, of course, but consider the possibility that it actually –might– be America’s enemies, like North Korea, Russia, China, etc. It’d be a fantastic way to eliminate your enemy little-by-little, inch-by-inch, and in that process, demoralize their resolve, and divert resources.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, November 18, 2021
Things aren’t looking good for those working in American healthcare.
American healthcare will likely never be the same again. But, that matter aside, if folks are quitting en masse, who’ll “call the shots”?
As I have sadly maintained, MANY MORE need to die from COVID-19 — MANY, MANY more. Perhaps at least 3 to 4 times more, or even more, because apparently, at least 766,232 known COVID-19 related deaths in America are hardly enough, and more likely in excess of 900,000 still isn’t nearly enough. Folks don’t “believe” enough. When death touches very close to home, it will make a believer out of many of those foolish deniers.
And in fact, researchers from:
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from the
• University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and
two independent researchers from
• Medical Development and Scientific/Clinical Affairs, Pfizer Vaccines, Collegeville, Pennsylvania and Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence, Merck & Co Inc, Kenilworth, New Jersey,
have all independently found that reported deaths from COVID-19 in the United States, and globally, have been significantly under-reported and underestimated.
The essence of what they all independently did was to compare the typical average, to-be-expected death rate, to the presently reported death rate from COVID-19, and added the two figures.
Researchers have independently found that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused at least 6.9 million deaths worldwide, twice the number officially reported.
The IHME estimated total COVID-19 deaths by comparing anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Thursday, November 18, 2021
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are a cacophony of sick, goddamn perverts.
The whole pedophilic lot of them – along with their CORRUPT organization – should be seized under RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization) statutes, and bankrupted.
Goddamn Baptists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have similarly been found to be so corrupted, and have DELIBERATELY hid and otherwise suppressed evidence of their criminal perverted sexual abuses of minors, and others.
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Friday, November 12, 2021
Yesterday, I happened upon a story (a poorly written, and unconvincing one, at that — and there are several) about a complaint that someone, or some group, was making to so-called “chefs,” who in response were removing the avocado from their menus, ostensibly because of some alleged character flaw characterized as “un-sustainability.”
Avocados are a nutrient dense, heart-healthy food, production of which is SUSTAINABLE, and lucrative, for this, and other nation’s economies… contrary to what the goddamn ignoramuses tell you. There are PLENTY of academically, statistically, economically, and scientifically validated facts about avocados in this entry, ALL from HIGHLY REPUTABLE sources which almost every one DIRECTLY CONTRADICT the goddamn lies and BULLSHIT that so-called “journalists” write, and hope to get you to believe.
What a crock!
“Sustainability” my ass!
You wanna’ know what’s “unsustainable”?
Life without water. Life without food.
Besides… the fucking avocados are Hecho en Mexico.
Yeah, you stupid motherfuckers… Mexico produces the lion’s share of the world’s avocados, followed by Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Brazil, Haiti, Chile, and Israel.
“Avocados contain vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, including 25 essential nutrients. It also contains phytochemicals, like beta-sitosterol and antioxidants, like lycopene and beta-carotene. The essential nutrients are increasing the demand for the fruit, globally, and therefore acts as a major driving force behind the growth of the avocado market. The demand for avocados is increasing globally due to their health benefits as it increases vision, prevents heart-related diseases, and helps in improving digestion. The increased demand across the globe has resulted in increased production. According to FAOSTAT, avocado production was 5.7 million metric ton in 2016, which has increased by 12.7% and reached 7.1 million metric ton in 2019.”
In 2020 the United States produced 206,610 tons of avocados. That same year, economic value of U.S. avocado production was $426 million. California’s 2020 avocado production value was $411,720,000, with 47,300 acres in production, which yielded 3.98 TONS / ACRE.
In California, avocados are the 16th most valuable crop. Tomatoes, strawberries, hay, oranges, rice, tangerines, almonds, pistachios, broccoli, and lettuce all outpace the state’s avocado production value.
In the U.S., a total of 52,720 acres were in stable avocado production. Certain varieties, such as the Hass, have a tendency to bear well only in alternate years. That’s a 50% reduction biennially. How would you like it if your income fluctuated like that?
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Wednesday, November 3, 2021
If your skin is White, you’re not a bad person. If your skin is Black, you’re not a bad person. If your skin is Brown, you’re not a bad person. if your skin is Yellow, you’re not a bad person. If your skin is Red, you’re not a bad person.
Other’n that, all KKK members have been White, as have all neo-Nazis, and other such bigots.
And, to teach the truth about that matter, and that grotesque spectre in our nation’s history, that governments — Federal, State, and Local — have historically, and systematically discriminated against Blacks, is nothing new. It’s been going on since Black people were forcibly placed on this nation’s shores.
The 1999 Class Action Lawsuit against the USDA in Pigford v Glickman (Pigford as an individual, representing a class of people v Dan Glickman in his capacity as Secretary of the USDA) claimed that the agency had discriminated against Black farmers on the basis of race and failed to investigate or properly respond to complaints from 1983 to 1997.
And Pigford #2 is the name used to identify an expanded case that includes more victims, including African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and females, which grew out of the fact that thousands of claimants missed the original Pigford #1 filing deadline of October 12, 1999 to be included as member of the class in that suit.
So yeah, racism is alive and well in our nation, and in our government — EVEN IN THIS MODERN AGE.
Few Blacks/Negroes ever came to these shores of their own free will. Most who came here were enslaved, bound in chains, and sold as property. Them, and their children, and their children’s children. And beyond.
History is NOT Critical Race Theory.
Critical Race theory simply asks two questions:
First,
Is discrimination based upon
skin color, ethnicity, national origin, or any other factor,
something that can be eliminated by law?
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Previously, celebrity chef Mario Batali had plead settled a Class Action lawsuit instead of going to trial over substantiated accusations that he and his business partner had long been stealing employees’ pay. Now, he’s been credibly accused of sexual abuse and/or misbehavior – meaning that there was enough evidence for the city government prosecutor to bring charges against him.
He has paid dearly, financially, and reputationally.
Now, he has a lousy reputation.
And, it would not surprise me in the least to know that in some secret, surreptitiously clandestine way, he’s hiding, or protecting his money as best possible.
As I began to investigate the matter, I learned that on several occasions he has sexually abused female employees. At the hearing for one such incident, while he plead not guilty, and then paid several hundred thousands of dollars to settle, he said that, “My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions.”
The first is a story from 2012.
The most recent story appears at the bottom, below the image of him, and is about his arraignment on indecent assault and battery charges stemming from allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017.
Batali must see the light at the end of the tunnel… and, it’s a train headed straight toward him.
Mr. Batali “will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form,” said Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who will head day-to-day operations at a new company, as yet unnamed, created to replace the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.
The new company will operate the group’s remaining 16 restaurants under a new management and financial structure. Mrs. Bastianich Manuali and her brother, Joe Bastianich, have bought Mr. Batali’s shares in all the restaurants. They would not discuss the terms of the buyout.
Several famous chefs and restaurateurs have recently been accused of sexual harassment, but Mr. Batali is the first to surrender all his restaurants.
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Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and an International Terrorist.
Recently, I sought a friend’s opinion about POTUS BIDEN’S SOTU, who in response wrote that, 
What lessons could we learn from nicotine chewing gum?
While I NO LONGER make any claims to be “religious,” practice any religious faith, or have anything to do with any kind of religion, faith, or the practice thereof, there are some things that, it seems to me, if there was a god/dess, such a being would be unlike us in practically every way… at least most of us.
This image of a c.1950’s United States family with a Christmas tree depicts a male child with a “toy” gun aiming it at his younger sister seated upon father’s lap.
THIS! is honest-to-goodness COUNTRY🥓BACON!!😋-large.jpg)
Warm Southern Breeze 