John Hinderaker at Power Line.

I am so old, I can remember when liberals at least pretended to be patriotic. And some of them really were. George McGovern, for instance, was a legitimate World War II hero, flying a B-24 Liberator in combat. He was wrong about many things, but he wasn’t wrong because he hated his country.

Fast forward to now. We have been seeing poll data for some years, indicating that liberals generally are not proud to be Americans. The Washington Times headlines: “Independence Day on track to be a conservative holiday, experts say.” The article cites the sorts of poll data that are now familiar.

What Is the Origin of COVID-19 Variants Like Omicron? (SciTechDaily)

Emerging COVID variants can now be identified within hours. Here’s how (Mint)

Is Omicron BA.5 ‘Worst Version’ Of Covid-19 Coronavirus Seen? (Forbes)

Advocates warn US at risk of losing control on monkeypox (The Hill)

‘My body, my choice’: How vaccine foes co-opted the abortion rallying cry (NPR) Didn’t take much.

Omicron’s newest variant might be a threat to your July 4 weekend—here’s how to stay safe (CNBC)

US energy producers roast Biden for demanding ‘companies running gas stations’ lower pump prices  Which they have absolutely no control over.

Mayorkas says immigration crisis not unique to US: ‘Reflective of the economic downturn’ and ‘climate change’ Yeah, that’s why all those people from Canada and the U.S. are trying to sneak into Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Judge puts Biden on the spot over immunity for Saudi crown prince (The Guardian)

Judge asks U.S. if Saudi crown prince should be immune from suit (Washington Post)

US Immigration Crisis Due to Climate Change: DHS Secretary Mayorkas  Yeah, that’s the ticket.

White House Quiet As BBQ Inflation Roils Americans On July 4

Ukraine war to shift to Donetsk after fall of Luhansk; Russia claims major victory (Reuters)

Ukrainian forces withdraw from Lysychansk, their last holdout in key region (CNN)

The last city in Luhansk has fallen to Russia. What does that mean for Ukraine? (NPR)

The G-7 is considering a price cap on Russian oil. But energy analysts think it’s impossible (CNBC)

Can the G7 proposal for a cap on Russian oil prices work?  (Al Jezeera) No.

SURFACE  FORCES : Ukraine Rebuilds

Putin Says Western Sanctions Speeding Up Russia-Belarus Unification

Are US Weapons Supplied To Ukraine Ending Up On DarkNet Marketplaces?

Bulgaria Expels 70 Russian Diplomats As Kremlin Says Kiev Must Accept ‘All Conditions’ To End War

Blocked Persons and Letters of Marque

Racial inequities in vaccination are emerging again, this time among Philly’s elementary age kids (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Chicago Violence: 7 Killed, 29 Others Shot Over Fourth of July Weekend

Watch: Body Cam Video Of Akron Police Shooting Jayland Walker 60 Times

How the Founders Intended to Check the Supreme Court’s Power (Politico) As if anyone at Politico knew squat about the Founders.

Here’s how much money it takes to be considered wealthy in 12 major U.S. cities (CNBC) Being the Narrative Media, it ignores anything outside of cities.

Twitter roasts Washington Post’s Max Boot for his call to ‘abolish the electoral college’

Women’s rights have suffered a grim setback. But history is still on our side (The Guardian)  Sorry, but history isn’t on anybody’s side.

Wisconsin Democrat Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes says founding of America ‘awful’

CNN Host Peppers Noem with Child-Rape Hardballs, Kinzinger Gets ‘Armpit Farter’ Banter

How a few unions are hijacking California environmental law (S.F. Chronicle)

The climate-change agenda can survive the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling (Washington Post)

Environment Agency chief hits out at greenwashing by businesses (The Guardian) A natural response to witch-hunting by government bureaucrats.  Better get used to it.

A Florida county is quarantining after discovery of invasive Giant African land snail (CNN)

Technofixes Are the Elite’s Attempt To Sidestep Blame for the Climate Crisis

US Immigration Crisis Due to Climate Change: DHS Secretary Mayorkas  Yeah, that’s the ticket.

More Geoengineering: Salting the Oceans to Defeat the Carbon Monster

Dutch Protesters Pour Manure On Government Offices Over Industry-Killing Regulations

“No More Excuses”: Aussie Academics Demand Global Paris Agreement Compliance

Kinzinger calls Cheney primary challengers ‘a bunch of armpit farters’ (The Hill) Taking a dump on his way out.

Cheney says January 6 committee could make multiple criminal referrals, including of Trump (CNN) Could but won’t.

Why Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state won’t stop warning about ‘insider threats’ (NBC)

Jan. 6 panel member ‘surprised’ by prosecutors’ reaction to Hutchinson testimony (The Hill)

What we know about the Patriot Front march through Boston (Axios) More accurately, what we want you to believe.

We can no longer avoid a criminal investigation into Donald Trump (Washington Post) Well, I guess we’ll see.

Homeland Security chief: ‘We are in a heightened threat environment’ (Politico)

Gavin Newsom goes on the air against Ron DeSantis as political rivalry grows (CNN)

Appeals court rejects Whole Foods workers’ discrimination claim over dress code crackdown during BLM protests

Fox and friends confront billion-dollar US lawsuits over election fraud claims (The Guardian)

Jeh Johnson: Jan. 6 hearings have ‘been a profile in courage among women’ (The Hill)

Kinzinger says more witnesses have come forward after Hutchinson testimony (The Hill)

Washington Posts columnists slam a New York Times op-ed that criticizing the ‘far left’ for erasing women

George Conway On CNN: Trump Guilty Like . . . O.J. Simpson?!

Read it.

If you want to keep up with the news about Ilhan Omar, the Daily Mail has been a good place to turn over the past several years. Minneapolis’s Star Tribune — not so much.

Today the Daily Mail’s US homepage features the story we reported yesterday morning: “‘Get the f*** out of here’: Squad member Ilhan Omar is booed by 10,000-strong Somali music festival crowd in her OWN district – days after she suggested Minnesota is worse than a refugee camp.” For some reason or other, the Star Tribune hasn’t gotten around to it yet.

One of my Somali friends happened to be in a good position to update the story. My friend has forwarded the photo below snapped at MSP airport last night. It captures Omar leaving town with husband Tim Mynett for London. My friend comments: “She’s out of the USA for the 4th! She didn’t miss Pride or Somali week but for the 4th she’s gone.”

Read it.

Only an idiot would sell the same product to everyone at the same price.

…

A reader writes to remind me about IN-N-OUT burger, a chain that is popular on the West Coast.  They have a simplified menu, fast service, and fixed low prices.  Sort of the model McDonald’s had back in the 1960’s.  Sadly, the lady who owns the place is not only anti-gay but an anti-vaxxer as well.  She makes Chik-Fil-A look progressive.  Then again, most successful major corporations are run by heartless conservatives.  The companies run by bleeding-heart liberals all went out of business.

Read it.

The Southwest Chief made an unexpected stop near Mendon, of all places.

The Chief was traveling 87 mph, bound for Chicago. There were more people aboard than there are living within Mendon’s city limits.

Up ahead a dump truck was on the tracks. The truck was obstructing the crossing of County Road 113. This was not a small truck. This was a vehicle about the size of a Sonic Drive-In.

The train never slowed.

The sound of the collision could be heard from as far away as Westville. It was the noise of two General Electric diesel locomotives and seven Superliner cars plowing into a mass of Dearborn steel. The train was derailed.

Who takes the train any more?

Read it.

Read it.

Hunter Biden was lying from the moment he met his future wife, Kathleen Buhle, in 1992. The less-favored son of Joe Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, insisted he came from a normal middle-class background. During her first visit to the sprawling Biden estate in Delaware, Kathleen explained to Hunter that “a kid from a middle-class family does not have a ballroom.”

The only member of Buhle’s family who saw any red flags was Grandpa Dutch, who served prison time for armed robbery. “What does he want from us?” he wondered after meeting Hunter. His first impression of the Biden estate: “Who’s buried here?” Game recognize game, as the saying goes.

Read it.

Joe Biden is celebrating July 4th with a massive expansion of the IRS. How better to celebrate the colonists who chased British tax collectors out than by replacing them with Biden’s tax collectors.

Read it.

Yesterday a couple of female culture-enrichers in Norway took exception to the burning of a Koran by a Counterjihad organization, and attacked a vehicle carrying members of the group, causing it to overturn.

Freedom of speech is not a Muslim value.

Read it.

It’s pretty clear that the left is organizing to dump Joe Biden when it becomes evident that he’s a certain loser in 2024. Rather that waiting for a Ted Kennedy-like figure to challenge him in the 2024 primaries, which would likely doom Democrats to certain defeat, the left will need to push him out early, and clear the calendar for one or more Democrats to organize a serious presidential campaign. (It goes without saying the Democratic Party intelligentsia knows that Kamala Harris is a hopeless candidate.)

Read it.

Germany, like other European countries, has boxed itself in with its response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Now the government is preparing its citizens and businesses for the cold and dark winter that lies ahead. Rather than revise national policies, it is recommending the acquisition of emergency generators to get through the coming blackouts. There’s no word on how people will be able to afford the inflated prices for fuel to run those generators.

Read it.

Over the past couple of days, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has been giving a preview of how journalists and other liberals are going to keep trying to blame gerrymandering for Republican power no matter what the facts are.

What a wanker.

As he fearmongered about the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that state legislatures can overrule the popular vote and the courts by choosing their electors for presidential elections, he incorrectly claimed that state legislatures in Arizona and Pennsylvania have been heavily gerrymandered, making the bodies very right wing.

Read it.

Within an hour of the US Supreme Court striking down a law which required New York residents to show “proper cause” to obtain a concealed carry license, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) promised legislation to counter the ruling.

To that end, Hochul on Friday signed sweeping gun legislation into law that adds several layers of red tape for those who wish to obtain a gun in the state – including a new rule requiring anyone applying for a concealed carry permit to submit a three-year history of their current and inactive social media accounts. The new law will take effect on September 1, 2022.

Applicants for concealed carry permits must also undergo 16 hours of firearm training, provide four character references, and list the contact information for domestic partners or adults who reside in the same house.

You may not love Big Sister, but Big Sister sure loves you.

Read it.

It isn’t just the U.S.: around the world “green” fanatics are destroying livelihoods and dragging down standards of living. This instance comes from the Netherlands: “Dutch farmers protest livestock cuts to curb nitrogen.”

Read it.

The New York Post continues to mine the contents of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop. Via Miranda Devine’s Twitter feed we are alerted to Jon Levine’s story “Hunter Biden’s laptop had contacts for Google execs, US officials for China policy.” I would have missed it otherwise and want to bring it to the attention of interested readers. It is an excellent story.

As BA.4 and BA.5 COVID-19 Subvariants Spread, Will CDC Change Quarantine Guidance? (NBC)

Can You Get COVID Twice? New Omicron Subvariants May Lead to More Reinfections: Top Doc (NBC)

CDC recommends 6 Washington counties should wear masks again

Supreme Court lets vaccine mandate stand, tosses rulings on guns, abortion (Washington Post)

WHO: Monkeypox not a serious threat at the moment

An Actuarial Armageddon

The FDA is Increasing Skin Cancer

SF couple gets $1,500 fine for parking in their driveway despite doing so for nearly 40 years

With Roe overturned, Democrats present a patchwork of countermeasures (Washington P0st)

Prepare to pay more for gas in California starting today as tax increases (L.A. Times) ‘Gas prices are too high? Increase taxes!’

Left renounces Independence Day on Twitter: ‘Burn this country to the godd— ground’

California Gives Free Healthcare To Illegal Immigrants

NY Times Hates Court’s EPA Ruling: Can USA Be a ‘Civilized Society’ Without Regulations?

Leaked Documents Reveal Wide Scope Of China’s Human Rights Violations In Xinjiang  But nobody who can actually help actually cares.

Melissa Harris-Perry Compares Dobbs Case to Dred Scott on NPR Stations

Aussie ‘Ambassador for Women’ claims ‘climate change’ causes rape! ‘Exacerbates the risks of sexual & gender-based violence’

DOJ subpoenas two Arizona state senators for communications with Trump attorneys: reports (The Hill)

In Florida, DeSantis’s plans for colleges rattle some academics (Washington Post) My, what a surprise.

Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ law may sound vague – but its purpose is clear (The Guardian) Also clear in the proglodyte lie that it means ‘don’t say gay’.

Group wielding White nationalist flags march along Boston’s Freedom Trail on July 4 weekend (CNN)

The Women Who Leave Anti-Abortion Picket Lines to Get Abortions (Daily Beast) One woman is now ‘women’ and apparently invalidates an entire movement. Who knew?

Jan. 6 showed two identities of Secret Service: Gutsy heroes vs. Trump yes-men (Washington Post)

Merrick Garland’s Ex-Law Professor Says Trump Will Likely Be Indicted (CNN)  Tribe has been obviously senile for a number of years.

David Brooks: Why on Earth is Pelosi supporting the crazy Trumpists? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Election deniers have taken their fraud theories on tour — to nearly every state (NPR)

Meghan McCain Mulling Run for Office—’This Fever of MAGA Has to Break’ (Newsweek)

‘I was the propagandist for the Oath Keepers’

January 6 committee’s Kinzinger: Secret Service agent who may dispute Hutchinson claim ‘likes to lie’

Pro-abortion protesters target Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home Which is illegal, but the DOJ and DC police do nothing about it.

MSNBC’s Cross: Pro-Life is ‘Dancing With the Devil,’ Pro-Abortion is ‘Dancing With the Lord’

Crime blotter: iPhones seized from two lawyers associated with January 6 probe

ABC’s This Week Rails Against Supreme Court as ‘a Malignant Force’

Can we beat climate change by geoengineering the oceans? (New Scientist)

Biden EPA proposes regulation that farmers warn will drive food prices higher

Equilibrium/Sustainability — Wildfires and mass extinction events (The Hill)

Wildfires may have sparked Earth’s largest mass extinction event, new research reveals (Daily Mail)

How the climate crisis is forever changing our national parks (CNN)

The U.S. is ditching coal. The Supreme Court ruling won’t change that. (Washington Post) So then why all the hubub?

Antarctic fish growing grotesque skin tumors thanks to climate change is resulting in a disease outbreak among the creatures, study shows (Daily Mail)

RI commits to 100% renewable energy by 2033

Fossil fuels are far better than blackouts (The Hill)

Lowy Institute: Climate Concern “Plateauing” in Australia

British Greens Pushing for a Home Wood Heater Ban

This super-tree could help feed the world and fight climate change Or maybe not.

Blasts kill 3 in Russian border city, Ukraine hits base in the south (Reuters)

Deep in the eastern Ukrainian forest, this group of volunteers waits as Russia’s military creeps closer (CNN)

Russia Asserts Full Control Over Luhansk Region With Fall Of Lysychansk

Kremlin Says 4 Dead After “Deliberate” Ukrainian Missile Attack On Russian Border City

US Funding Software For Russians To Access Banned Websites

The Supreme Court’s originalism is white supremacy (NBC)

Impeach Clarence Thomas Petition Hits 700k Signatures Week Since Roe Ruling (Newsweek) He’s just Not Black Enough.

2 teens killed during shooting at pool party in north Harris County identified, deputies say

New Topics Expanding the Frontiers of Social Science

Read it.

USING carrots to create concrete, turning wood into plastic, or even compressing it into a “super wood” that is as light and strong as titanium might sound like a series of almost Frankensteinish experiments. Yet all three are among the latest examples of employing natural fibres from plants as eco-friendly additives or alternatives to man-made materials.

Read it.

Los Angeles and Mumbai, India, share many superlatives as pinnacles of cinema, fashion, and traffic congestion. But another similarity lurks in the shadows, most often seen at night walking silently on four paws.

These metropolises are the world’s only megacities of 10 million-plus where large felines—mountain lions in one, leopards in the other—thrive by breeding, hunting and maintaining territory within urban boundaries.

Long-term studies in both cities have examined how the big cats prowl through their urban jungles, and how people can best live alongside them—lessons that may be applicable to more places in coming decades.

Read it.

What is the point of university? It used to be, when Harvard was founded in 1636, “to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity”. But in recent years the university has taken on an altogether narrower character. Learning is no longer enough. Activism is demanded. Yale and Harvard have come to resemble the mythical Ouroboros, eating their own tails to satisfy an insatiable appetite for conformity.

…

Take the case of Roland Fryer. A hugely gifted and until recently celebrated black professor of economics at Harvard, he was suspended for two years without pay following the most tenuous sexual harassment claims. Many suspect the real reason for his humiliating treatment was his research showing that African Americans are not disproportionately the targets of lethal violence by the police. There were, Fryer wrote, “no racial differences in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account”.

Read it.

In southeast Asia, the Philippines has ordered more warships from South Korea. This time it is six OPVs (Offshore Patrol Vessels). This came after a competition involving proposals from Australia, Turkey and several other nations. The South Korean entry was the export version of the new HDP-1500 OPV. The export version is customizable but the basic features are an 81 meter (260 foot), 1,700-ton ship with a top speed of 38 kilometers an hour and endurance of 28 days. There are accommodations for 51 personnel, including the 41 crew. Standard armament consists of a 76mm cannon and four CIWS (Close In Weapons Systems) for missile defense and other threats within a few thousand meters of the ship. There is a landing pad and hangar for a helicopter. Under the helipad there is space for additional weapons or equipment in four cargo spaces. The HDP-1500 can be equipped with anti-ship missiles or to hunt and attack submarines as well for mine-clearing. The Philippines needs the OPVs to patrol the South China Sea waters that China is seeking to steal from the Philippines.

The HDP-1500 is a very clean-looking design and shows a lot of good thought.

You want inflation? I got yer inflation, right here.

Read it.

Read it.

58 year old Chew Wei Lian, who recently tried the beer, told Bloomberg: “I seriously couldn’t tell this was made of toilet water. I don’t mind having it if it was in the fridge. I mean, it tastes just like beer, and I like beer.”

New recycling method could eliminate the climate impact of plastic (The Hill)

New Plastic Alternative Degrades Into Sugar (EcoWatch)

Meat, monopolies, mega farms: how the US food system fuels climate crisis (The Guardian)

Biden caught between climate goals and high gas prices as administration releases new drilling plan (CNN)

The green revolution sweeping Sweden (Washington Post)

Never-before-seen microbes locked in glacier ice could spark a wave of new pandemics if released (LiveScience)

Tidal Basin Seawall To Get Upgrade To Withstand Sea Level Rise (The DCist)

Will California’s offshore wind farms damage underwater life? Here’s what scientists are finding (S.F. Chronicle)

Revolutionary new Swiss ‘water battery’ will be one of Europe’s main renewable sources of energy (EuroNews)

Climate change hopelessness is a real condition—these experts have advice on how to cope (CNBC)

British Eco-Terrorist Group Attacks SUVs in New York

Chasing Utopian Energy: How I Wasted 20 Years of My Life

Dutch farmers spray manure on town hall in protest of climate plans

There could be 1.2B climate refugees by 2050

CSIRO: Post Covid Lockdown Economic Rebound was a Missed Climate Opportunity

Climate Activists Glue Themselves to Historic Oil Paintings

Thermodynamics of the Climate System

The New Pause Lengthens to 7 Years 10 Months

California mom attacked in hit-and-run joins Gascon recall effort: He’s responsible for this disaster

Canceling student loan debt is just the start

Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law takes effect today. Its impact is already being felt (The Hill) Except, of course, it does not ban the use of the word ‘gay’.

Chicago police officer in serious condition after being shot by convicted felon, officials say Boy, those strict gun control laws really work, don’t they?

Police sweep Google searches to find suspects. The tactic is facing its first legal challenge.

New York poised to limit concealed carry guns after SCOTUS ruling (Politico)

This was the scariest moment in Arizona’s GOP governor’s debate. Be warned, America (Arizona Republic)

We were too lenient on pro-democracy politicians, says senior Hong Kong legislator Regina Ip (The Guardian)

Same-sex couples updating legal status after abortion ruling (Associated Press)

Why ending ‘Remain in Mexico’ border policy is a good thing (Boston Globe)

Portland city council prepares third attempt to place limits on local fossil fuel terminals

A quarter of Americans open to taking up arms against government, poll says (The Guardian)

Most Americans, Across Party Lines, Say Government ‘Corrupt, Rigged’: Poll (Newsweek)

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Department of Justice 2022-26 Strategic Plan

Ohio girl, 10, among patients going to Indiana to get abortion

The Insufferable Arrogance Of The Constantly Wrong

What If People Actually Controlled The Government?

Author Matt Palumbo Lays Out How George Soros Has Significant Control Over Media Narratives

Know Your Value! Mika Works Plug For Her Book Into Praise of Hutchinson!

Beschloss Absurdly Warns We May Have Seen ‘Our Last Fair and Free’ Election

Velshi Hails Abortion Laws in China, North Korea, Other Dictatorships

Woman Starting To Think Company Offering To Kill Her Kid Doesn’t Have Her Best Interests At Heart  (Babylon Bee)

Over 400,000 High-Priority Incidents In Chicago In 2021 Had ‘No Police Available To Send’, New Data Shows

Several NYC Election Sites Had ‘No Republican Ballots’ During Last Week’s Primary

Dick Cheney Thrilled To No Longer Be Least Likable Cheney  (Babylon Bee)

British Eco-Terrorist Group Attacks SUVs in New York

Accounts of Trump angrily demanding to go to Capitol on January 6 circulated in Secret Service over past year (CNN)

Secret Service Have Been Gossiping About Trump’s SUV Outburst for a Year: CNN (Daily Beast)

Clarence Thomas cites claim that Covid vaccines are ‘developed using cell lines derived from aborted children’ (Politico) (Politico issues correction after falsely claiming Clarence Thomas promoted COVID vaccine-aborted fetus theory)

Judge indicates he’ll limit what Atlanta grand jury probing 2020 election reversal plots can ask lawmakers (CNN)

Midwest transplant slams NYC bodegas, Twitter mob gets him fired

Revisiting Trump’s long history of trying to influence witnesses (CNN)

Texas lunges into the center of battles over personal freedom (CNN)

Where’s Ken Paxton’s decency? (Houston Chronicle) In a box with the ambiguity.

The Sleeper ‘Wire Fraud’ Scheme That Could Nail Trumpworld (Daily Beast) The walls are closing in, etc., etc.

Why Is Chris Pratt Lying About His Religious Past? (Daily Beast)

The Real Reason Washington Ignored Kavanaugh’s Would-Be Killer (Politico)

Cassidy Hutchinson and the all-knowing presence of Washington’s aides (Washington Post) Don’t think of it as selling out; think of it as buying in.

White House aide reveals Donald Trump’s character, or lack thereof (Modesto Bee)

New post from QAnon targets Cassidy Hutchinson (CNN)

Trump media company subpoenaed in federal criminal probe of SPAC deal (CNBC)

MAGA World Freaks Out at Conservative Washington Examiner for Calling Trump ‘Unfit’ (Daily Beast)

Put a Fork in Donald Trump—the Ex-President Is Done (Daily Beast)

Newsmax Kowtows to Trump’s Demand They Air His Election Lies (Daily Beast)

The Christian Right is winning in court while losing in public opinion (NPR)

Reid Attacks Supreme Court For Making Congress Do Its Job

WHO says monkeypox cases triple in Europe in two weeks, urgent action needed to contain spread

Republicans call on CDC to release 2021 child suicide data: problem ‘worsened’ by pandemic

COVID-19 variant boosters won’t need new clinical trials for clearance, FDA says (The Verge)

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation (NPR)

Los Angeles Covid Warning: Brace For “Significant Transmission In The Upcoming Weeks,” According To Public Health Director (Deadline)

Why Pregnant People Should Get COVID-19 Vaccines As Soon As Possible (Time)

First American to go public with monkeypox calls out CDC “…been exposed via a friend in LA through skin-to-skin contact.”  I’ll just bet it was.

Black women are in ‘survival mode’ at work—and company diversity efforts ‘fall short’ (CNBC)

Families sue Ohio school board over critical race theory ban (CNN)

This Democrat’s Car Keeps Getting Attacked

Samuel L Jackson’s Vile Attack on Justice Thomas Confirms Liberal Privilege

What Ibram X. Kendi and Colbert Won’t Say About Slavery and Segregation

Read it.

The main point was that public pension funds are grossly underfunded. Consequently, more and more pension funds are borrowing money to play the markets. The goal is to boost returns to cover their massive funding gaps.

If you recall, public-sector retirement plans offer defined benefits, where retiree pension checks are calculated based on salaries and years of service. Private employers, on the other hand, generally offer defined-contribution plans (like 401Ks), where payouts are based on market returns.

…

Certainly, pension funds can attempt to fill their funding gaps by requesting increases in yearly contributions from governments and workers. But the public-employee unions go full ape when such measures are proposed. So the remaining option is to take on greater risk. What could go wrong?

Read it.

MIT research engineer Paul Woskov spent 14 years developing a technique to employ gyrotrons, normally used to heat plasma, to drill geothermal wells. Gyrotrons emit microwaves and have been used in physics research for decades; Woskov’s repurposing gives the venerable devices a new use case.

…

Despite their age, gyrotrons haven’t been well publicized in the scientific community, Woskov said. “Those of us in fusion research understood they were very powerful beam sources – like lasers, but in a different frequency range. I thought, why not direct these high-power beams, instead of into fusion plasma, down into rock and vaporize the hole,” Woskov said.

Read it.

Many people expect “money” will soon be tied to commodities. Agreed. It’s called a ration card that grants the holder the right to buy a specific quantity of essential goods at a specified price.

This right is a form of “money” directly tied to the value of commodities.

Ration cards are the only fair way to distribute essentials in times of chronic scarcity. Markets work fine when there’s a substitute for whatever is scarce, but there are no substitutes for electricity, food, fuel or fresh water, the FEW essentials (Food, energy, water).

Read it.

Blue state judges and liberal bureaucrats caught flak for littering their states with drop-boxes and accepting mail-in ballots during the 2020 election without permission from lawmakers. The Supreme Court is poised to stop them from doing it again in 2024.

Coincidence? I think not.

There’s something about Clarence

Cycling’s Biggest Problem? A Lack of Black Athletes, Of Course

Happy vs. Unhappy Families in Women’s Athletics

A Bit Much? ABC Compares ‘Brilliant’ Ketanji Brown Jackson to Harriet Tubman

The Cost of Biden’s Racialism

Are Black 2nd Amendment Advocates The Ultimate Taboo?

ABC Deletes Tweet Claiming Jackson 1st Black Supreme Court Justice

Colbert, Kendi Falsely Claim Critics Opposed to Teaching Slavery

Racist Much? NFL, Ice Cube Reach Agreement That Only Benefits Black Businesses

Flag on the Play: NFL Taps Anti-Semitic Rapper To Lead Social Justice Initiative

Air Travel Is a Nightmare. Pete Buttigieg Has a Plan To Make Roads Less Racist.

Another white arbiter of Blackness is heard from

The Supreme Court embraces originalism — and all its flaws (Washington Post)

House passes sweeping reproductive rights bill

Communist Surveillance Tool: FCC Commish Asks Apple And Google To Remove TikTok App

Celebrities’ Wildest Reactions to SCOTUS Rejection of Roe v. Wade

Disney+ Kid Cartoon ‘Baymax!’ Pushes More LGBT Content with Two Men Dating

MSNBC Meltdown Over Latest Conservative Supreme Court Win: ‘Scary,’ ‘Extreme’

Gavin Newsom Just Dumped a Gallon of Kerosene on the Inflation Fire

WATCH: Woman Who Can’t Define Woman Celebrated as First Black Woman on Supreme Court

The Cry-Baby Leftist Mind  Victor Davis Hanson.

Top Three Worst-Run US Cities Are Controlled By Democrats 

‘They Should Do It’ Lemon Supports Dems Voting for Cheney in Primary  If you can’t get a Real Democrat, a RINO will do.

Day Camp Makes Children Protest Overturning of Roe v. Wade

What to do if you have COVID symptoms, but your at-home test comes back negative (KXAN)

WHO monkeypox decision renews debate about global alarm system for outbreaks (Science.org)

You should wear a mask again in these California counties, CDC says

Pfizer and BioNTech Announce New Agreement with U.S. Government to Provide Additional Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine  KA-CHING!

US, Pfizer reach $3.2B COVID vaccine deal KA-CHING!

Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5 are spreading ‘like wildfire,’ becoming dominant strains in US (ABC)

Experts: New COVID-19 subvariant leading to more ‘breakthrough’ cases (Newsday)

Elmo, Now Vaccinated, Advertises COVID-19 Vaccine Shots For Children Under 5  Muppets – Serving the Narrative for Over Twenty Years.

The Secrets of Covid ‘Brain Fog’ Are Starting to Lift