[Babylon Bee] CNN has been cleaning house lately, and some of your favorite CNN hosts have been sent off to the great mysterious shadowy netherworld where CNN hosts go when they get canned.
Have you checked in on them lately? Here's what your favorite hosts are up to now!
Michael Porter, a Harvard economist who made his name working on ideas around competition, has come to the capital of Iceland to talk about social process and how to measure it. Here at a conference on the topic, he reminds the audience that economic indicators—while we’re very used to measuring them—only tell part of the story.
From initial research, he says, there’s one key area where many societies (and not just poor ones) fall down: providing their citizens with enough opportunities to change and better their lives. This, he says, is a crucial but elusive ingredient to a smoothly functioning society—or what, at the individual level, one might call happiness.
He has come to Iceland, which—like many of its Scandinavian neighbors—consistently tops happiness charts, to launch his "Social Progress Index," a new scale for measuring how well societies are functioning.
The index is based on three key areas, broken into more granular layers. Basic human needs and "foundations of well-being" are the first two, and indeed, many societies have in recent decades improved access to the basic healthcare, food, and education that form that base layer, Porter said. But if people in a society—no matter how well it’s doing—don’t feel able to improve themselves or their lives, they won’t be happy. For that, they also need a society that fosters freedom, access to advanced education, tolerance, and personal rights, he argues.
We’ve been trying to work out how to live since forever. Where Porter’s index differs from predecessors is in stripping out all financial indicators. In the past, Porter said: "The idea has been that social progress happens if we can improve economic progress. If we increase GDP per capita... life gets better." That’s true, he said, but it’s not enough:
[Breitbart] Amazon-owned MGM’s Ring Nation show hasn’t debuted yet and has already generated controversy from leftist activist groups who believe the series will glorify digital surveillance culture. Now come accusations that the light-hearted show — think America’s Funniest Home Videos but based around Amazon Ring security cameras — is racist, with claims that it will harm “black and brown people.”
Groups have even alleged the show will hurt “abortion seekers,” by encouraging the tracking of individuals’ movements.
MGM’s Ring Nation, hosted by L3sbian
comedian Wanda Sykes, is set to debut September 26 and will be syndicated to TV stations nationwide. This week, a group of left-wing activist groups published an open letter calling on the show to be cancelled because, they claimed, it will hurt minorities.
“Ring has a long history of using racially-coded dog whistles and weaponizing race to promote their products,” the letter said. “And the accompanying Neighbors app gamifies the profiling and criminalization of Black [sic] and brown individuals.”
The letter also said Ring cameras were used to track and monitor rioters during the summer of 2020. “Racial profiling and racist policing are core components of Ring’s business model, which profits off fear.”
An online petition from the groups brought abortion to the debate.
“The Ring surveillance ecosystem is perfectly positioned to track abortion seekers, whether by capturing the conversations of anyone within 25 feet radius of a Ring camera or recording footage of a health clinic across the street.”
The petition concluded: “It’s irresponsible for MGM to promote dangerous surveillance devices, like Ring, as family-friendly. Ring is not safe for families or anyone else. By canceling Ring Nation, you will support privacy rights, and show that you’re stepping up for Black [sic] and brown people and abortion seekers.”
Among the groups protesting the show are the Fight for the Future, a digital rights group that has organized anti-Trump activism; and MediaJustice, which promotes social justice in the online world.
#1
LOL it's going to show the truth about criminals. The left is really going to be pissed off about that. People might get the idea that most of our society's criminals are black and brown - which they are.
[Red State] The Federal Reserve finally made the big announcement on Wednesday that the markets had been waiting for, and it’s not good news for those who own stocks or want to buy a house. Interest rates have been raised another 75 basis points, marking another major hike, and there’s no relief in sight.
All of this is to combat the out-of-control inflation caused by Democrat overspending.
The markets had expected the interest rates to peak and start to recede in the Fall. This move by the Fed signals that’s not happening anytime soon. That’s really bad news for many normal Americans, who are highly affected by interest rates for home ownership and market fluctuations that affect their retirements.
On a personal level, we were looking to buy another house next year. That’s off the table now because it would be a terrible financial decision to lock in a rate that will likely be over seven percent. For comparison, that means a note that would have been around $1500 this time last year is now around $2500, and interest rates will continue to rise through the end of the year.
I’m just glad we already own a nice home because those that got in at the bottom of the interest rate game over the last half-decade are in the money now. Just keep paying it off. Of course, with interest rates being so high, the housing market is going to crash for a while because this is the time to wait it out, and many people will.
Then there’s the issue of retirement and investments. The stock market is in a malaise, well off its previous high, with the DOW bouncing around between 30,000 and 31,000 points. Those who invested over the last couple of years are stuck, unable to access their money without taking a bath. In short, if you have retirement accounts, don’t bother checking them anytime soon. Things are bad right now.
And where’s Joe Biden? Who knows. I’m sure he’ll be headed to Delaware on Friday to enjoy another vacation. He doesn’t care about what’s happening because it doesn’t affect him. Meanwhile, the Fed is pushing the economy deeper into a recession to combat inflation while everyone else suffers the consequences. Welcome to Biden’s America.
#1
actually it makes sense to buy at high interest rates if you can get a good price
the reason is that when rates drop you can refinance
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/22/2022 9:28 Comments ||
Top||
#2
when rates drop
And there's the rub...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/22/2022 9:32 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I remember thinking I was pretty smart when I was able to refinance for an interest rate of 6.625. But then, the price of the house was about one quarter of what it is now.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2022 13:46 Comments ||
Top||
#4
That was back in the late 1990's.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2022 13:47 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Lord Garth has it right.
Bought our first house in '82 refi in '84 sold in '86 (thank you RR) $45 to by $105 when sold.
Smoothish sailing ever since. Retirement going as planned (except for The Chinese Flu)
Posted by: Matt ||
09/22/2022 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
#7
They jammed the market with an incredible amount of 'money' creation. The only way to cut it will be to pull it back in, that means interest rates have to go up, way up. One way to start is quit feeding the 'preferred' money market agents and tell them to start paying real interest on savings and investments to the public.
[kanekoa substack] Fulton County, Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems this morning for a "breach of contract".
The county says that it became "aware of severe anomalies" with Dominion Voting Systems during the 2020 election after it was unable to reconcile "voter data with votes actually cast and counted".
An investigation by Wake Technology Services of West Chester, Pa. into the machines at the county’s request in February 2021 found numerous significant issues with the machines.
These included ballot scanning errors and non-certified database tools installed on the system.
The report alleges that Fulton County’s log files show "an external IP address" located in Quebec, Canada, and that an unauthorized "python script" had been installed after the certification date. (on the adjudication machine)
The report says, "This python script can exploit and create any number of vulnerabilities including, external access to the system, data export of the tabulations, or introduction of other metrics not part of or allowed by the certification process."
What’s more, this "external IP address" was found on the very same adjudication workstation that contained the "post certification python script".
#1
"This python script can exploit and create any number of vulnerabilities including, external access to the system, data export of the tabulations, or introduction of other metrics not part of or allowed by the certification process."
But, but, but can it's advanced algorithms compute...fractional numbers of votes ?
[AXIOS] A judge on Monday denied MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Smartmatic over false claims about its voting systems.
Driving the news: Smartmatic, a company that provided election technology and services to Los Angeles County during the 2020 election, alleges that Lindell and MyPillow publicly promoted "the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen," per the court order.
Lindell is a staunch supporter of former President Trump and has falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Details: A federal judge in Minnesota dismissed separate motions from both Lindell and MyPillow, concluding that Smartmatic has alleged sufficient facts for a plausible claim.
The claims include that Lindell's allegations were false and that he acted with malice in making the statements.
Background: Lindell filed a counter-suit in April 2021 after Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems Inc. — another voting technology company — sued him for defamation over his election-fraud claims.
A federal judge sanctioned Lindell in May for what the judge called "frivolous" claims against Smartmatic.
Of note: The complaint against Lindell is one of several cases filed by Smartmatic and Dominion after the 2020 election against those who have made false statements about the companies' voting technology, per Politico.
[American Thinker] I can’t imagine there are really that many Americans left — outside of the FBI — who actually believe the agency is impartial, reverent to blind justice, or even adherent to the limits of their own stated mission, which is to "Protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States[.]"
At this point, those notions would be laughable, especially after what we saw happen at Mar-a-Lago.
To add to all of that, Tucker Carlson recently covered some highly disturbing allegations, from what we’re being told, is an FBI whistleblower. If you missed the segment, watch the clip below:
If this turns out to be true, the FBI will have unknowingly provided two fantastic defenses for the ever-growing argument to splinter the derelict Bureau into a thousand pieces.
"Child sexual abuse material [pornography] investigations" are no longer a ranking concern.
The first, and the most obvious and uncomplicated, is that if this federal law enforcement agency won’t even prioritize the most heinous crimes committed against the most innocent and defenseless, of which child pornography most certainly is, what good is it?
For the 2022 fiscal year, the FBI budget request was well over $10 billion — hilariously, the FBI chooses to write their numbers in the tens of thousands of millions (yes, you read that right), presumably in an effort to mislead any prying citizens; it’s not $10.3 billion, it’s "$10,275.8 million". Aside from the fact the FBI lacks the Constitutional merit to exist (which I will address shortly), one could argue that bringing creators and voyeurs of child pornography to justice is paramount to any other injustice, and deserving of every dollar. If the FBI chooses to disregard the created role of protector, then no doubt they forfeit any legitimacy or usefulness.
Secondly, there is a more nuanced defense that arises from the whistleblower’s statement. According to the gentleman in question, when he was told about the policy change, the higher ups then expressed that any alleged crimes involving "child sexual abuse material", "should be referred to local law enforcement agencies [emphasis added]" — ergo, state-level or lower law enforcement.
Posted by: Chris ||
09/22/2022 11:22 Comments ||
Top||
#6
So the question is, if you get rid of the FBI do you need some kind of replacement and if so how do you vet the new hires to prevent the bad FBI folks from just changing bad numbers.
[ZERO] It hasn’t been a month since President Biden mounted the steps of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, declaring it his duty to ensure each of us understands the central faction of his political opposition are extremists that "threaten the very foundations of our Republic." Flanked by the uniformed icons of his military and standing atop a Leni Riefenstahl stage, the leader clenched his fists to illustrate seizing the future from the forces of "fear, division, and darkness." The words falling from the teleprompter ran rich with the language of violence, a "dagger at the throat" emerging from the "shadow of lies."
"What’s happening in our country," the President said, "is not normal."
Is he wrong to think that? The question the speech intended to raise—the one lost in the unintentionally villainous pageantry—is whether and how we are to continue as a democracy and a nation of laws. For all the Twitter arguments over Biden’s propositions, there has been little consideration of his premises.
Democracy and the rule of law have been so frequently invoked as a part of the American political brand that we simply take it for granted that we enjoy both.
[American Thinker] Several current and former members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have come forward recently to tell the Washington Times that the Biden administration is pressuring FBI agents to "find" crimes that justify President Joe Biden’s repulsive characterization of conservatives and Trump supporters ("MAGA Republicans") as "domestic terrorists" and "semi-fascists."
The allegations follow Biden’s infamous "Battle for the Soul of the Nation" diatribe, ironically delivered at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, in which he demonized roughly half the nation as threats to "the very foundations of our republic."
This attempted weaponization of the FBI is, of course, itself a threat to the very foundations of the republic and is part and parcel with Biden’s recent fascistic rhetoric and his—or his handler’s-- selection of a backdrop for the Philadelphia speech that might have made Hitler blush. The blood red (and yet very dark) set was outlandishly intimidating and authoritarian. In fact, it looked like something out of the Third Reich or Dante’s Inferno or a combination of the two.
And Biden has the gall to slander his political opponents by calling them "semi-fascists!"
Projection and gaslighting are now Democrats’ two favorite tactics. This, combined with worship of the LGBTQ community and abortion—and hatred of capitalism, traditional values, and their political opponents—is all they have. So, they practice them incessantly. (Too many low information voters—as well as highly indoctrinated college graduates-- fall prey to these tactics and mindless obsessions.)
Unfortunately, this is not the first time an administration has used a government agency to target its political opponents. (See also the IRS scandal, etc.) This is, however, the first time a president has used multiple (FBI, DOJ, CIA, DOD, etc.) government agencies to target his political opponents and their supporters—while also viciously and publicly smearing them via a speech to the nation.
Biden’s unhinged and unglued attack on nearly half of his country’s citizens is unhelpful, undignified, and unprecedented. Blaming MAGA Republicans for his—and his nation’s—ills is eerily reminiscent of Nazis scapegoating the Jews. That he has instructed the FBI, et al., to go after his opponents and their supporters is truly chilling.
[AlAhram] Protests have erupted across Iran ...They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in recent days after a 22-year-old woman died while being held by the morality police for violating the country's strictly enforced Islamic dress code.
The death of Mahsa Amini, who had been picked up by Iran's morality police for her allegedly loose headscarf, or hijab, has triggered daring displays of defiance, in the face of beatings and possible arrest.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/22/2022 01:17 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[15 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Videos online showed two women throwing their hijabs into a bonfire.
#2
How much do these “soldiers” earn? They will do what ever the men in charge tell them to do. Sort of reminds you of the “FBI”, The only difference in the USA is that the proles have guns for now!
FBI=FN Biteone Idiots
Posted by: Papa Cooky ||
09/22/2022 15:56 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Babylon Bee] CNN has been cleaning house lately, and some of your favorite CNN hosts have been sent off to the great mysterious shadowy netherworld where CNN hosts go when they get canned.
[Quartz] Reykjavik
[Red State] The Federal Reserve finally made the big announcement on Wednesday that the markets had been waiting for, and it’s not good news for those who own stocks or want to buy a house. Interest rates have been raised another 75 basis points, marking another major hike, and there’s no relief in sight.
[AXIOS] A judge on Monday denied MyPillow CEO 
[American Thinker] Several current and former members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have come forward recently to tell the Washington Times that the Biden administration is pressuring FBI agents to "find" crimes that justify President Joe Biden’s repulsive characterization of conservatives and Trump supporters ("MAGA Republicans") as "domestic terrorists" and "semi-fascists."
...They hate 
