@16:42, , 2/21/22

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1

YT > U.S. > Politics1 hour ago

Uproar Over ‘Crack Pipes’ Puts Biden Drug Strategy at Risk

President Biden has made “harm reduction” a central pillar of his plan to fight a record number of drug-related deaths, but a conservative backlash is threatening the effort. read more

 

Conservatives seem to be Sadists.

Opponents  of the Marquis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quills

2
NYT > U.S. > Politics2 hours ago

How They Did It: Sandy Hook Families Gain Long-Awaited Legal Wins

After early defeats in Congress, relatives of those lost in the 2012 shooting fought on, besting a renowned gun maker and an infamous conspiracy theorist. read more

 

"through persistence, creative legal strategies and in the case of the conspiracists, the technological expertise of Lenny Pozner,"

3
NYT > U.S. > Politics2 hours ago 

The Senate’s Most Vulnerable Democrats

With inflation and President Biden’s sinking poll ratings beleaguering the party, incumbents in four battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire — face tough campaigns. read more

 

That Democrats in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire are endangered isnot news.

4
NYT > U.S. > Politics4 hours ago 

U.S. Troops in Poland Brace for Possible Ukrainian Evacuees

Tens of thousands of people, including Americans, could flee across the border if Russia attacks Ukraine. read more

 

Ukraine is not Afghanistan.

I would take a tropical vacation. 

5
NYT > U.S. > Politics5 hours ago 

How Redistricting Made Park Slope and Staten Island Into an Unlikely Pair

New congressional maps that merge conservative Staten Island with liberal Park Slope will aid Democratic efforts to win a Republican-held House seat in New York. read more

 

Rotating shifts make long commutes possible.

Police and fire services have rotating shifts.

The personnel are generally Irish in New York.

The Irish take Catholicism seriously.

 

6 

NYT > U.S. > Politics7 hours ago

 I.R.S. Will Allow Taxpayers to Forgo Facial Recognition Amid Blowback

The agency, dealing with controversy over its decision to use facial recognition software, said it would allow taxpayers to authenticate their accounts with a live, virtual interview. read more

 

The Social Security number has been enough in combination with a name. 

7
NYT > U.S. > Politics11 hours ago 

Black Farmers Fear Foreclosure as Debt Relief Remains Frozen

Lawsuits from white farmers have blocked $4 billion of pandemic aid that was allocated to Black farmers in the American Rescue Plan. read more

 

Black farmers have reason and history warning them.

8
NYT > U.S. > Politics14 hours ago

Biden Is Still Willing to Talk to Putin, Blinken Says

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Russia was taking steps leading to an invasion of Ukraine — including keeping troops in Belarus — but the U.S. is still ready to engage in diplomacy. read more

 

Diplomacy is always possible.

 

9

NYT > U.S. > Politics16 hours ago

Justice Dept. Is Set to Modify Trump-Era Program Aimed at Fighting Chinese Threats

Critics said the China Initiative unfairly targeted Asian professors and contributed to a rising tide of anti-Asian sentiment. read more

 

Witch hunting never helps.

 

10

NYT > U.S. > Politics19 hours ago

Blitzkrieg or Minor Incursion? Putin’s Choice Could Determine World Reaction.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be looking for fissures in the Western alliance, which so far has been united against him. read more

 

Putin has chosen invasion one step at a time.

Advancing in stages.  It will maximize the pain.

 

11

NYT > U.S. > Politics22 hours ago

Putin Has Choice of Blitzkrieg or Minor Incursion in Ukraine

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be looking for fissures in the Western alliance, which so far has been united against him. read more

 

Putin has chosen invasion one step at a time.

Advancing in stages.  It will maximize the pain.

 

12

NYT > U.S. > Politics23 hours ago

National Guard Is Deployed to Schools Amid Pandemic's Toll

Deployed to classrooms in New Mexico to help with crippling staff shortages, National Guard troops are employing their informal motto, “Semper Gumby” — Always Flexible. read more

 

The National Guard is the military of the several sovereign states of the United States. 

13

NYT > U.S. > Politics1 day ago

Biden extends the national pandemic emergency first declared in March 2020.

read more

 

Biden does the proper thing.

 

14

Ian Welsh1 day ago

Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – February 20, 2022

[image: Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – February 20, 2022] Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – February 20, 2022 by Tony Wikrent *Strategic Political Economy* *“‘We conclude’ or ‘I believe?’ Study finds rationality declined decades ago”* [Phys.org, via Naked Capitalism Water Cooler 2-17-2022] “Analyzing language from millions of books, the researchers found that words associated with reasoning, such as ‘determine’ and ‘conclusion,’ rose systematically beginning in 1850, while words related to human experience such as ‘feel’ and ‘believe’ declined. This pattern has reversed ove...

 read more

 

Tony Wikrent does a good job of gathering page three news.

Smarter government would be better if the electors were smarter.

 

15

NYT > U.S. > Politics1 day ago

Amid Ukraine Crisis, China and Russia's Bond Alarms U.S. and Europe

The Biden administration plans to build up global coalitions to counter a pact between Vladimir V. Putin and Xi Jinping, portending a new type of Cold War. read more

 

There is probably not much strength to this alliance.

It strengthens Putin's forces at the Ukrain frontier.

16

NYT > U.S. > Politics1 day ago

Asphalt Industry Is a Big Winner in Infrastructure Plan

A range of special interests lobbied for infrastructure dollars. The asphalt industry may have been the most successful. read more

 

Industries pay for what they get.

Congress is for sale cheap for cash.

 

17

NYT > U.S. > Politics1 day ago

Justice Dept. Is Set to Modify Trump-Era Program Aimed at Fighting Chinese Threats

Critics said the China Initiative unfairly targeted Asian professors and contributed to a rising tide of anti-Asian sentiment. read more

 

Hunting orientals is racism. 

18

Ian Welsh2 days ago

If Russia Invades

[image: If Russia Invades] It will just be Donetsk and Luhansk, where they have support. They are not going to be drawn into a guerilla war by trying to control all of Ukraine. Most likely they will recognize the regions, then move in. There will be no full fledged invasion and occupation, though if the Ukrainian military seriously resists, Russia will destroy it. [image: Ethno-linguistic map of Ukraine] More on Russia, not directly related to Ukraine, soon. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp LinkedIn read more

 

https://www.dreamstime.com/labeled-colorful-region-oblast-map-european-country-ukraine-region-oblast-map-ukraine-image177566216

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea

 

19

NYT > U.S. > Politics2 days ago

Who Is Behind QAnon? Linguistic Detectives Find Fingerprints

Using machine learning, separate teams of computer scientists identified the same two men as likely authors of messages that fueled the viral movement. read more

 

It no longer matters. QAnon is free floating at this point.

The founders cannot kill it.

 

20

Ian Welsh2 days ago

Open Thread

[image: Open Thread] Use to discuss topics unrelated to recent posts. (No Covid, no “truckers”.) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp LinkedIn read more

 

Direct talk must precede action.

Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.

 

277 is my home.

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