batshi*t crazy-as$ nutball

I just cut and pasted this and the hyperlinks may or may not work – so do not blame me:

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You may have seen a recent Daily Kos post from the always-on point Walter Einenkel, where a batshi*t crazy-as$ nutball—and believe me, that doesn’t come close to capturing the depths of this woman’s Trumpian ignorance—talked about how the teachers’ union is “grooming our children for sexual predators.” Oh, and did I mention that they are apparently doing this in a coalition with (I’ll give you three guesses) “the CDC, Planned Parenthood, and Black Lives Matter incorporated”—it was very important to mention the incorporated part.

I posted this on Facebook, with the following commentary: “This is what you get on Fox News. This is why people who believe what they see on Fox News are so extreme. This is a prime time show, and the host is on the same page with the guest. …This is why America is where it is today.” Most of my Facebook friends responded positively, but one friend—who, I will note, is not a member of either party and who comes down on the liberal side of issues such as reproductive rights and the separation of church and state—essentially said, well, the Democrats are just as bad, just as extreme, etc. I decided to not let that stand.

Here’s my response:

Not even a little bit. There is no comparison and there is no “both sides are doing it.” There is only one side that has completely broken with reality. This is not the party of John McCain or Mitt Romney or Bob Dole. It is a cult in thrall to a madman who rejects science, truth, and democracy, not to mention our Constitution. Joe Biden is a relative moderate, and he’s the one the most committed Democrats chose to represent them. In 2016, the most committed Republicans chose Trump from a field of 17, including many highly qualified conservatives. That movement is intellectually, culturally, and spiritually bankrupt.

Additionally, Biden is a normal human being, and shows humane qualities like empathy. Trump, in terms of personal qualities, is clearly one of the worst human beings in America.

Finally, let’s talk performance, and be objective here. The last two Republican presidents gave us: the most disastrous foreign policy blunder in our history (Bush invading Iraq in 2003), the most incompetent response to a natural/weather disaster in our history (Bush, Katrina—although Trump and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico isn’t much better), the worst economic crash since the Depression (Bush, 2008), and now, COVID—where we have, by far, the worst death rates in the developed world, to a large degree because our federal government played politics with our health (Trump).

These were all things that, unlike, say, 9/11, were completely within our control, and all followed Republican control of the White House and Congress. By comparison, Clinton’s presidency had no major blunders to speak of, and he turned the largest deficits in history into surpluses—which his successor blew. Obama turned around the worst economic crash since the Depression—handing his successor a job-creating machine of an economy, oh, and expanded health care to millions of people. Both Democrats avoided getting into any new wars, for what it’s worth. There is no way I can see avoiding the conclusion that today’s Democratic party produces far better results for the American people than the Republican party does.

That was just off the top of my head. How’d I do?

Ian Reifowitz is the author of The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh’s Race-Baiting Rhetoric on the Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump (Foreword by Markos Moulitsas)

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*** anos e época ***

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Worthy

“Deep down in our non-violent creed is the conviction there are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for”.

Some great truth stands before the door of our life — some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right – and I ask myself, “am I worthy”?

All that matters is that I am worthy in my final moments!

What Happens No C2H5OH

No C2H50H what to expect cut n paste:

While there’s nothing wrong with indulging in a drink every now and then, there are a long list of benefits of going dry that extend beyond glowing skin and better sleep. “The mental health aspects are just as important as the physical ones,” says Soroya Bacchus, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction medicine. “The mood improves and cognitive ability improves.” Scientifically speaking, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism defines moderate drinking for women as up to three beverages in a 24-hour period, and a maximum of seven per week. Regardless of where you fall on that scale, here’s what you can expect when you stop drinking alcohol; Consider this motivation to kickstart your resolution before the New Year. 

After One Day

The answer to this question is highly dependent on how many cocktails you had the night before. If you stuck to water, day one will most likely be business as usual. On the other hand, if you decided to indulge in preparation for your fast, day one will most likely consist of withdrawal symptoms. As Bacchus explains, alcohol causes the brain to release the feel-good chemical dopamine, which results in an emotional crash the next day. Be prepared to experience psychological symptoms such as irritability, food cravings, anxiety, and even signs of depression, in addition to physical withdrawal symptoms like restlessness, headaches, dehydration, and nausea. 

After One Week

After roughly seven days of abstaining, you’ll begin to reap the mental and emotional benefits. First and foremost, you’ll sleep better, resulting in increased energy, improved mood, and sharpened cognitive function. 

“While alcohol, a depressant, can help you fall asleep faster, it also contributes to poor-quality sleep later,” reports the National Sleep Foundation. It can block REM sleep, aggravate breathing problems, interrupt your circadian rhythm, and lead to more disruptive bathroom trips throughout the night. Over time, better-quality sleep can curb mood swings, diminish food cravings, and improve cognitive function, resulting in mental clarity and sharpened memory. 

Preexisting mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are also exacerbated by alcohol. Sufferers may feel more emotionally stable and clearheaded without booze and the resulting hangover. “Because alcohol is a depressant and has a sedative effect, people often use the substance to unwind,” states Meredith Watkins for American Addiction Centers. “But it can also increase anxiety within just a few hours of consumption.” 

After One Month

This is when meaningful reflection and long-term lifestyle shifts may come into play. Without the cravings, sleep deprivation, and mood swings that can come with partying and hangovers, you may find it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As Bacchus notes, you’ll have more time to devote to self-care or other hobbies that once took a back seat to boozy brunches and wine-fueled dinners. Rather than spending your Sunday recovering from a Saturday night out, for example, you may try a new workout class or master a complicated recipe.

Finally, abstaining may allow you to see what drinking is covering up (if anything). Bacchus recommends asking yourself questions like: Do I use it to relax socially? Or: Am I drinking to mask feelings of anxiety or discomfort? Answering openly and honestly may foster a more conscientious relationship with your nightly glass of wine. “That’s the clarity that a lot of people enjoy,” she says.

Harbor Freight: Jackstands

Harbor Freight had batches of faulty jackstands and are being recalled: These are listed below as well as the text of a email sent by the CEO.

• Receipt is not required
• Applicable sales tax will also be refunded

Covid-19 Vaccines: 3 Methods

I enjoyed listening to this video of Recombination Protein, DNA based and mRNA method for Covid-19 vaccine development.

3 Researchers Break Down COVID-19 Vaccines They’re Developing

Dr. Seema Yasmin talks to three Covid-19 vaccine researchers who are developing three different types of vaccines. Traditionally, vaccines are created by using a weakened or dead version of the virus and injecting that into the body. Many of these developing coronavirus vaccines are using new technologies. What’s the difference between them?

Beyond Fact-checking

The articles & data below originated in an article by IJNet ( a project of ICFJ )

and I found it very interesting. I say this because the day before I generated the following Facebook rant ” This has been heavy on my mind for some time and I was not sure what to do about it: The facebook scene is so negative, so horrible political and anti-Americian that I am constantly being weighed down. So, fair warning – all blatantly combative, anti-Christian, politically challenging and “dark” messages will be hidden on this site from now on – Friends or not! It will be hard on me since my friends I value but we must clean up Facebook for Facebook since they do not seems able to do this for themselves. I will unfriend only the mos vile but will block those that challenge my piece-of-mind. Sorry – from Charlie.”

So, I provide this as background for the articles below. People are really getting sick & tired of disinformation, be it organized and focused or random repeats of unaware citizens or See-Like-Send (or share).

Beyond fact-checking: fighting the onslaught of COVID-19 disinformation by Jennifer Dorroh Jul 2, 2020 in COVID-19 Reporting

First Draft – The Daily Briefing 3 July 2020 – “Has the pandemic changed how we think about disinformation? As part of its Journalism and the Pandemic Project, the International Center For Journalists and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University brought together a panel of experts on the frontlines of disinformation to reflect on the question. Maria Ressa, founder of the Philippines-based independent news site Rappler, Natalia Antelava, co-founder of independent news site CodaStory, BuzzFeed reporter Jane Lytvynenko, and Gilberto Scofield of fact-checking organization Agencia Lupa identified several aspects of the current “disinfodemic.” As bad actors share misleading information about the virus, sometimes deliberately, journalists must move beyond simply responding to pieces of false information. As Antelava says: “A very important juncture is the one where we are going to stop reacting to the agenda set by others and start setting our own agenda.” The platforms must also change, updating their policies and moving away from a system that encourages division and hatred. The stakes are high. As Ressa warned, social media platforms are “allowing governments to manipulate not just what’s in your mind, what you’re thinking, but it is radicalizing all of us to a point that … it’s killed democracy.”  — credit First Draft – The Daily Briefing 3 July 2020″

Facebook is totally negligent in my opinion and needs a change in management at the top levels. The same applies to Twitter and they are now as bad or worse than Facebook. Reporters – get your act together and generate your own agenda quit following the fact-checking – it puts you one move behind the disinformation generators. If you are one move behind you can never win!

First Draft – The Daily Briefing 3 July 2020 “TikTok says it has removed many videos and hashtags associated with the Boogaloo Bois, an extremist, far-right militia group made up of fragmented members who say they are preparing for an American “civil war.” Yet videos from Boogaloo adherents showing off guns and combat gear are still easy to find on the platform. Different spellings of “Boogaloo” in hashtags provide an easy shortcut for content posters and were apparently missed by the video-sharing platform, which has more than 500 million users. But TikTok appears to be learning from mounting criticism aimed at platforms such as Facebook and Reddit for acting slowly to block racist, hate-filled groups. When the BBC’s James Clayton approached the platform with the videos he’d seen, they were “quickly taken down.” No platform yet is adequately protecting users from harmful content before it spreads, and this report shows that, like many others, TikTok’s content moderation strategy remains more reactive than proactive”.

I Love Eggs!

I love eggs. My grandad had a big for then free range chicken ranch in NE Indiana. In the Spring I dreamed of the day when the new chicks would arrive, peeping in their boxes, to be set free in the brave new world of their circular home. I would leave school as fast as possible to head to the heated Brooder House and enjoy the summer time heat of the gas fired heaters and radiated heat lights. This is one of the great joys of my youth: things were simple and earthy – sort of down on the land. I truly love this time of my life before life intervened.

I still love eggs! The world has intervened and spoiled my egg frenzy because of partially formed science that says cholesterol is BAD and, yes, you have that allergy symptomatic to eggs and chickens. I am now in the 7th decade of life and found out I am not allergic to eggs, in spite of forgoing many lifesaving vaccines, in deference to the best and latest doctors advice.

I still love eggs! My ever protective wife limits my egg consumption to a couple per week and I respect her diligence in protecting me. My cholesterol tests show HDL/LDL ratios acceptable and the absolute values for gent like myself reasonable. Indeed, recent CT scans, for no related condition, show only mild plaque, normal heart size and clear lungs and I can split wood and chainsaw for reasonable heart rate guideline dependent periods.

I still love eggs – fried over medium, poached ( the best condition for eggs), boiled medium or hard or beyond hard and mixed into scrambled, potatoes, salads and any other combination.

I will always love eggs! For my last meal I want eggs, with lots of salt and bacon, smothered in the pan with potatoes and ketchup.And most of all, I want to watch my wife cook them to perfection.