Saturday, January 27, 2024
Seventh evening again
and yes, I'm tired again(flat tire and all the fun that accompanies), so let us all relax and observe
Well, I may have hit the happy spot
Not that, you bastards.
Subsonic test today
DISCLAIMER:
There is no published handloading data for this bullet and cartridge, so I'm going by estimates, what some people have written about, experimente, and guesswork. This- so far- has worked for me, which does not mean it'll work for you in your rifle. If you give this a try, it's all on you.
7.62x39, the Hornady 255-grain Sub-X bullet, 11.7 grains(0.2 grain increase), CCI LR magnum primers, in Winchester cases, fired over the Chrony: average 1028fps. That's five shots to the low & right, the other two were something else. 25 yards
I think from a better rest- with less cold air on the back of my neck- I'd have had one ragged hole. Primers look like normal after firing, no high-pressure indicators I can see. I think this'll be the one to test more on when I can get to a longer range.
Subsonic test today
DISCLAIMER:
There is no published handloading data for this bullet and cartridge, so I'm going by estimates, what some people have written about, experimente, and guesswork. This- so far- has worked for me, which does not mean it'll work for you in your rifle. If you give this a try, it's all on you.
7.62x39, the Hornady 255-grain Sub-X bullet, 11.7 grains(0.2 grain increase), CCI LR magnum primers, in Winchester cases, fired over the Chrony: average 1028fps. That's five shots to the low & right, the other two were something else. 25 yards
The previous test was average 977, and I wanted to get it to 1000 or just over, since these bullets are supposed to reliably expand 'down to 900' and I wanted a bit of a cushion while still staying well subsonic. If this continues this way, I've got the load.
I know that, realistically, 100 yards would be the max for expansion and good accuracy, maybe 150 if this tests out on that extra 50. It's really nice when something is working out.
I know that, realistically, 100 yards would be the max for expansion and good accuracy, maybe 150 if this tests out on that extra 50. It's really nice when something is working out.
Every one of the agents involved knew they were exceeding the warrant,
and violating that Constitution they swore to uphold, and did it anyway. The Very Special agent in charge PLANNED to do that. And none of them will pay any personal or professional price for doing it, I'll bet. So why would you trust any of them?
At oral argument in December, one of the three judges on the 9th Circuit panel called the FBI’s search of each safe deposit box without probable cause “egregious” and “outrageous.” Another likened the FBI’s actions to the maligned “general warrants” and “writs of assistance” issued in colonial times, which authorized British officials to search colonists’ homes indiscriminately for smuggled tea and other items.
The 9th Circuit’s opinion repeated these concerns. The court found it “particularly troubling” that the government “failed to explain” why its arguments “would not open the door to the kinds of ‘writs of assistance’ the British authorities used prior to the Founding to conduct limitless searches of an individual’s personal belongings.”
“It was those very abuses of power, after all, that led to adoption of the Fourth Amendment in the first place,” the court ruled.
What was the .gov's attempt to prevent this ruling?
The government did not, however, concede that the FBI’s raid was flawed. Instead, the government told the 9th Circuit that it wanted “to avoid a published judicial opinion impugning the actions or good faith motivations of law enforcement in this highly unusual case, in which a company was aiding criminality and protecting criminals by operating a vault of anonymous safe-deposit boxes.”
Translation: "We want you to drop the case so we can keep doing this. Don't you see, we had to break the law!"
Every damned one of them, fired, and the lawyers involved disbarred.
At oral argument in December, one of the three judges on the 9th Circuit panel called the FBI’s search of each safe deposit box without probable cause “egregious” and “outrageous.” Another likened the FBI’s actions to the maligned “general warrants” and “writs of assistance” issued in colonial times, which authorized British officials to search colonists’ homes indiscriminately for smuggled tea and other items.
The 9th Circuit’s opinion repeated these concerns. The court found it “particularly troubling” that the government “failed to explain” why its arguments “would not open the door to the kinds of ‘writs of assistance’ the British authorities used prior to the Founding to conduct limitless searches of an individual’s personal belongings.”
“It was those very abuses of power, after all, that led to adoption of the Fourth Amendment in the first place,” the court ruled.
What was the .gov's attempt to prevent this ruling?
The government did not, however, concede that the FBI’s raid was flawed. Instead, the government told the 9th Circuit that it wanted “to avoid a published judicial opinion impugning the actions or good faith motivations of law enforcement in this highly unusual case, in which a company was aiding criminality and protecting criminals by operating a vault of anonymous safe-deposit boxes.”
Translation: "We want you to drop the case so we can keep doing this. Don't you see, we had to break the law!"
Every damned one of them, fired, and the lawyers involved disbarred.
From the Border Patrol union
Rank-and file BP agents are not going to start arresting TX NG members for following their LAWFUL orders. That's fake news.
TX NG and rank-and-file BP agents work together and respect each other's jobs. Period. If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out…
I'd bet the clowns in DC are having some level of fits over this. First Texas tells them to go to hell, now the BP says, basically, "We're not messing with the Texas Guard."
Yes, there can be interesting arguments about 'lawful', which is part of the fit-causing.
TX NG and rank-and-file BP agents work together and respect each other's jobs. Period. If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out…
I'd bet the clowns in DC are having some level of fits over this. First Texas tells them to go to hell, now the BP says, basically, "We're not messing with the Texas Guard."
Yes, there can be interesting arguments about 'lawful', which is part of the fit-causing.
Friday, January 26, 2024
It's time anyway, and my hands are a bit shaky
from changing that tire in the wet chilly, so here's the sixth evening project for today
Since screaming 'Racist!' and anyone for anything has lost a lot of sting,
the new Magic Slander seems to be 'Genocidal Palestinian Hater!' Especially to try and shut people up when they say things a Protected Species doesn't like.
Five participants in the TED fellows program, which supports and promotes emerging voices in a variety of fields across the globe, resigned Wednesday after the public-speaking organization invited hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman and journalist Bari Weiss to speak at its 2024 flagship conference in Vancouver. ...Titled “TED Fellows refuse to be associated with genocide apologists,” the letter accused TED of choosing “not only to align itself with enablers and supporters of genocide, but to amplify their racist propaganda.”
Etc. ad Bullshit. Striking back against a mass-murder attack that includes rape and torture is 'overreacting', going after the actual Hamas bastards is 'genocidal', and so forth. And how dare anyone be allowed to defend the Israeli's actions? That's RACIST, too!(same genetic mix for the most part, but who cares about that when you can call one side racist?)
From academics who claim to be teaching/training future leaders...
Five participants in the TED fellows program, which supports and promotes emerging voices in a variety of fields across the globe, resigned Wednesday after the public-speaking organization invited hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman and journalist Bari Weiss to speak at its 2024 flagship conference in Vancouver. ...Titled “TED Fellows refuse to be associated with genocide apologists,” the letter accused TED of choosing “not only to align itself with enablers and supporters of genocide, but to amplify their racist propaganda.”
Etc. ad Bullshit. Striking back against a mass-murder attack that includes rape and torture is 'overreacting', going after the actual Hamas bastards is 'genocidal', and so forth. And how dare anyone be allowed to defend the Israeli's actions? That's RACIST, too!(same genetic mix for the most part, but who cares about that when you can call one side racist?)
From academics who claim to be teaching/training future leaders...
Thursday, January 25, 2024
About that 'Hooray for Texas!' earlier, this is getting a bit sporty
Must be driving Biden & Co. up the wall. "We have to smash those people!" would turn into a massive 'Biden trying to force open the border for illegals' at the least. Send troops? Oh, yeah, that'll go over well. With a few leftists, everybody else will range from "What the hell is he thinking?" to "Maybe a trip to Texas is in order, since the left loves it some 'mostly peaceful protests', maybe we can give them one."
I don't generally eat popcorn, but a taste of something appropriate would be good.
Before I start sorting, hooray for Texas!
Abbott added that, despite legal harassment from the White House, he will "continue to defend Texas' constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property."
Following through on his pledge from earlier in the week, Texas officials continued deploying even more razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border in defiance of the Biden administration.
I'll throw in the current "It's cold because of Globular Climatey Change!" crap. Which is bullshit, and driving the greens insane because so many people would rather use oil and gas to keep from freezing in the dark instead of relying on bird cuisinarts and solar panels in dark and often too- or not enough-windy day to stay warm.
And lastly, a cartoon
Following through on his pledge from earlier in the week, Texas officials continued deploying even more razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border in defiance of the Biden administration.
I'll throw in the current "It's cold because of Globular Climatey Change!" crap. Which is bullshit, and driving the greens insane because so many people would rather use oil and gas to keep from freezing in the dark instead of relying on bird cuisinarts and solar panels in dark and often too- or not enough-windy day to stay warm.
And lastly, a cartoon
An experiment with tumbler and case lube
Week or so ago heard a guy talking about adding some solvent to his tumbler media to help clean cases. Which, while solvents definitely have their place, I don't like messing with them more than necessary. But it did give an idea.
I've been using a case lube made of lanolin and 90% rubbing alcohol, it works well, and then I throw the sized cases in the tumbler to clean it off. Which works pretty well, though it's not uncommon to have some cases with media stuck inside that requires a brush to get out. And I had part of a bottle of alcohol left...
Started the tumbler, then added some alcohol, then a little more. The media clumped up pretty bad, but smoothed out a bit with a few minutes time, and I added the brass. It was moving pretty slowly, but left it running. By an hour later was moving faster, and a couple later at normal speed and the brass looked shiny and clean. Dumped it into the separator and cranked it around, and it looks good: all traces of lube gone, and so far haven't seen any media stuck inside. I've got to completely separate the cases, but so far it looks good.
Entirely possible someone else has tried it, but it's a discovery for me.
I've been using a case lube made of lanolin and 90% rubbing alcohol, it works well, and then I throw the sized cases in the tumbler to clean it off. Which works pretty well, though it's not uncommon to have some cases with media stuck inside that requires a brush to get out. And I had part of a bottle of alcohol left...
Started the tumbler, then added some alcohol, then a little more. The media clumped up pretty bad, but smoothed out a bit with a few minutes time, and I added the brass. It was moving pretty slowly, but left it running. By an hour later was moving faster, and a couple later at normal speed and the brass looked shiny and clean. Dumped it into the separator and cranked it around, and it looks good: all traces of lube gone, and so far haven't seen any media stuck inside. I've got to completely separate the cases, but so far it looks good.
Entirely possible someone else has tried it, but it's a discovery for me.
It appears I'm able to get on Fecesbook again,
which brings up the question 'Pissed at me, or one of their usual screwups?' The 'pissed at me' doesn't require being anything special, all you'd have to do is trip one of the 'community standards' they won't tell you about, or someone griping that you hurt their feelings/cause with your nasty words. Who knows?
To more important things, appears Trudeau & Co. are just as slimy as our Do'J' and EffingBI have become.
One of the problems for Trudeau and the RCMP protesting innocence is all that video and what amounts to criminal actions(including physical attacks) shows them acting like totalitarian thugs, and that's hard to ignore. Or explain other than "We had our orders, peasants. If you'd behave like you're told it wouldn't have happened!", which is a really lousy defense. Much like that of a standard-issue domestic abuser.
Speaking of, even with Trudeau & Co.'s actions being declared unconstitutional, the chances of any of them paying any price for it are just about zero. They'll just keep appealing because "They made us do it!"(see 'abusers' above)
To more important things, appears Trudeau & Co. are just as slimy as our Do'J' and EffingBI have become.
One of the problems for Trudeau and the RCMP protesting innocence is all that video and what amounts to criminal actions(including physical attacks) shows them acting like totalitarian thugs, and that's hard to ignore. Or explain other than "We had our orders, peasants. If you'd behave like you're told it wouldn't have happened!", which is a really lousy defense. Much like that of a standard-issue domestic abuser.
Speaking of, even with Trudeau & Co.'s actions being declared unconstitutional, the chances of any of them paying any price for it are just about zero. They'll just keep appealing because "They made us do it!"(see 'abusers' above)
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Once more, "It's different when WE do it!"
A report from the left-liberal Aachener Zeitung newspaper on Sunday hailed the local demonstration in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Aachen against the AfD, which it claimed saw around 10,000 people attend.
The celebratory article, headlined: “Aachen mobilises against right-wing hate” featured a lead image of the report showed protesters holding a banner reading “Afdler Toten”, which has been translated to “Kill AfD supporters”. The image also showed masked protesters dressed in the familiar black bloc uniform waving the flag of the radical leftist Antifa group.
And when it drew more attention than they'd realized,
The article was quietly amended, however, after observers noted the potentially criminal calls to violence by the left-wing protesters, with the image being changed to a less extreme picture, which also did not feature any Antifa-style radicals.
And, once again, due to either orders or sympathies,
Nevertheless, questions remain, particularly given that the original image showed police officers nearby the banner calling for the killing of AfD supporters, yet no arrests were made during the protest.
No SHIT?
The asshat in charge has apparently been listening to Biden & Co., as he made comments about 'right-wingers attacking our democracy!'. Isn't it wonderful what these clowns choose to borrow?
The celebratory article, headlined: “Aachen mobilises against right-wing hate” featured a lead image of the report showed protesters holding a banner reading “Afdler Toten”, which has been translated to “Kill AfD supporters”. The image also showed masked protesters dressed in the familiar black bloc uniform waving the flag of the radical leftist Antifa group.
And when it drew more attention than they'd realized,
The article was quietly amended, however, after observers noted the potentially criminal calls to violence by the left-wing protesters, with the image being changed to a less extreme picture, which also did not feature any Antifa-style radicals.
And, once again, due to either orders or sympathies,
Nevertheless, questions remain, particularly given that the original image showed police officers nearby the banner calling for the killing of AfD supporters, yet no arrests were made during the protest.
No SHIT?
The asshat in charge has apparently been listening to Biden & Co., as he made comments about 'right-wingers attacking our democracy!'. Isn't it wonderful what these clowns choose to borrow?
Having actually gotten something done, I will now have some political musing
Specifically "Is Trump the Disaster?"
As in all the people insisting the left really wants Trump to be the Stupid Party nominee because 'We can beat him but maybe not the others, especially de Santis.' Therefore the right has fallen into the trap, and all the indictments and trials were actually for this purpose.
Beats me. It's a fact that the left tends to hold together a lot more than the right, but for the most part I haven't seen any bursts of genius there, either. And it would take an awful lot of party discipline to make this work, especially since they'd have to know that every prosecutor and investigator would have anything they've done improperly dug up and used against them(see Georgia).
Could they do it? Possibly. Is Trump actually the no-chance candidate because of the leftists and Stupid Party "He's not one of us!" people? Possibly.
Of course, Trump is where he is in large part because of those Stupid Party clowns(see multiple decades of "They'll have to vote for us, who else can they vote for?"); they acted like they truly didn't understand why anyone with a brain, or who 'went to the right schools and knew the right people', could possibly vote for that outsider, not realizing the truth of that saying that "Trump isn't the cause, he's the symptom." Piss people off enough, crap on them long enough, and they'll be willing to support someone, damn near anyone, who'll give you a kick in the ass.
Trump wasn't my guy the first time, I really didn't trust him on a number of things(one of them his being pretty soft on the 2nd), and I thought the way he treated Ted Cruz and his family was disgusting. He was the "I'd vote for damn near ANYONE to keep Hillary out of office" guy as it turned out. And he did do some really good things, more than I'd hoped for. He's kind of pissed me off this time as well, mostly his treating de Santis like some kind of rogue who doesn't understand he's supposed to be kissing ass, not actually trying to accomplish this; that was really dumb.
The opposition this time? We don't know. Biden may well have a brain snap that cannot be papered over by the media and his staff, or fall over dead. Or there be an impeachment with enough evidence that only the hard left can ignore it, or dismiss it. Problem is, the choices... the VP is a sorry clown who can't speak worth a damn, has a lot of luggage*, and hasn't actually accomplished one damn thing other than running most of her staff off. There's a bunch of noise that Michelle Obama will be the 'called at the last minute' savior of the Party(which Obama would love, as it would effectively give him yet another term in charge). Anyone else on the left, like Gov. HairGel, who might run would be just as bad as Biden but with more energy. If Trump is indeed the winner, it would again be 'either vote for him or watch another socialist get elected no matter how much cheating it takes'. And would enough of the never Trumpers understand that and vote for him?
I have no crystal ball or connection to a genie to tell me what'll happen, I'm going to be finding out along with everyone else. I have no great trust in the Stupid Party, as recent events demonstrated- again- that those elected because "Maybe they'll do better than the previous backstabber" are too often just as squishy as the previous, and just as big on "Well, we had to betray you because (fill in the blank)." Just like the previous.
There's a line in a Correia book where Agent Franks, who knew him, thinks that if George Washington came back to life and looked around, he'd be cleaning out the White House and Congress with his sword. We could really use him right now.
As in all the people insisting the left really wants Trump to be the Stupid Party nominee because 'We can beat him but maybe not the others, especially de Santis.' Therefore the right has fallen into the trap, and all the indictments and trials were actually for this purpose.
Beats me. It's a fact that the left tends to hold together a lot more than the right, but for the most part I haven't seen any bursts of genius there, either. And it would take an awful lot of party discipline to make this work, especially since they'd have to know that every prosecutor and investigator would have anything they've done improperly dug up and used against them(see Georgia).
Could they do it? Possibly. Is Trump actually the no-chance candidate because of the leftists and Stupid Party "He's not one of us!" people? Possibly.
Of course, Trump is where he is in large part because of those Stupid Party clowns(see multiple decades of "They'll have to vote for us, who else can they vote for?"); they acted like they truly didn't understand why anyone with a brain, or who 'went to the right schools and knew the right people', could possibly vote for that outsider, not realizing the truth of that saying that "Trump isn't the cause, he's the symptom." Piss people off enough, crap on them long enough, and they'll be willing to support someone, damn near anyone, who'll give you a kick in the ass.
Trump wasn't my guy the first time, I really didn't trust him on a number of things(one of them his being pretty soft on the 2nd), and I thought the way he treated Ted Cruz and his family was disgusting. He was the "I'd vote for damn near ANYONE to keep Hillary out of office" guy as it turned out. And he did do some really good things, more than I'd hoped for. He's kind of pissed me off this time as well, mostly his treating de Santis like some kind of rogue who doesn't understand he's supposed to be kissing ass, not actually trying to accomplish this; that was really dumb.
The opposition this time? We don't know. Biden may well have a brain snap that cannot be papered over by the media and his staff, or fall over dead. Or there be an impeachment with enough evidence that only the hard left can ignore it, or dismiss it. Problem is, the choices... the VP is a sorry clown who can't speak worth a damn, has a lot of luggage*, and hasn't actually accomplished one damn thing other than running most of her staff off. There's a bunch of noise that Michelle Obama will be the 'called at the last minute' savior of the Party(which Obama would love, as it would effectively give him yet another term in charge). Anyone else on the left, like Gov. HairGel, who might run would be just as bad as Biden but with more energy. If Trump is indeed the winner, it would again be 'either vote for him or watch another socialist get elected no matter how much cheating it takes'. And would enough of the never Trumpers understand that and vote for him?
I have no crystal ball or connection to a genie to tell me what'll happen, I'm going to be finding out along with everyone else. I have no great trust in the Stupid Party, as recent events demonstrated- again- that those elected because "Maybe they'll do better than the previous backstabber" are too often just as squishy as the previous, and just as big on "Well, we had to betray you because (fill in the blank)." Just like the previous.
There's a line in a Correia book where Agent Franks, who knew him, thinks that if George Washington came back to life and looked around, he'd be cleaning out the White House and Congress with his sword. We could really use him right now.
*including calling Biden a racist in debate, then being gutted by Tulsi Gabbard(the only one on that stage who had the guts to call her for the asshat she is, and did it beautifully), and then kissing Biden's ass to be chosen as VP.
Apparently I've really pissed off someone at Fecesbook
Won't tell me 'wrong credentials', just recycles the sign-in page. Won't even let me set up a new account. So either I'm blacklisted, or it's just really effed up right now.
Yes, it's Fecesbook, and run by assholes and idiots. Still helps stay in contact with some people. Which makes this a real PITA.
Yes, it's Fecesbook, and run by assholes and idiots. Still helps stay in contact with some people. Which makes this a real PITA.
And now to (formerly Great)Britain
First, "You're not allowed to show our faces while you're recording in this public place!"
Then "DON'T TOUCH HER!" when he touched the PRC flag.
Then a cop tries really hard to make him stop recording their conversation, then tries to tell him he's racist, etc., for calling the Chinese involved Chinese and saying "That's a communist Chinese flag."
As he notes, there've been thousands of Hamas supporters, many foreigners, parading around with Hamas flags and calling for dead Jews, and the cops mostly did nothing. But State Forbid this guy say some truths that might upset- well, someone...
It's still there so far, we'll see if YouTube wants to kiss the PRC ass by taking it down.
Then "DON'T TOUCH HER!" when he touched the PRC flag.
Then a cop tries really hard to make him stop recording their conversation, then tries to tell him he's racist, etc., for calling the Chinese involved Chinese and saying "That's a communist Chinese flag."
As he notes, there've been thousands of Hamas supporters, many foreigners, parading around with Hamas flags and calling for dead Jews, and the cops mostly did nothing. But State Forbid this guy say some truths that might upset- well, someone...
It's still there so far, we'll see if YouTube wants to kiss the PRC ass by taking it down.
Once again, people need to hang over this
Gilles Demaneuf, a New Zealand data scientist who has studied the mathematical probability of each of the Covid origin theories, told National Review that data and predictions are now piling up to suggest that the release of SARS-CoV-2 was a research accident.
The new information “still does not prove a lab-created virus,” Demaneuf said. “But it is a significant step in that direction.”
In the DEFUSE proposal, scientists laid out plans to “insert furin cleavage sites at the S1/S2 junction of the spike protein,” sites that are relatively unique to SARS-CoV-2, and made the virus more transmissible to humans. U.S. scientists also planned to “assemble synthetic viruses in six segments,” the documents show, using the restriction enzymes BsaI and BsmBI. Used to stitch DNA fragments together, the enzymes have been key factors in determining the legitimacy of the lab-leak theory. Although both enzymes can occur naturally, BsaI and BsmBI are also enzymes regularly used in genetic engineering, and scientists have estimated that the chance of an enzyme pattern similar to that of SARS-CoV-2 would have less than a 1 percent chance of occurring naturally.
“Our preprint found strong evidence suggesting SARS-CoV-2 was assembled with a known lab protocol, adding weight to the theory SARS-CoV-2 originated as a lab construct,” Alex Washburne, a co-author of a preprint studying Covid’s origin, said.
You'll note that the head of EcoHealth Alliance, the group Fauci used to funnel money to the PRC lab, says- oh, go read it. Yes, I include him in the suggested punishment mentioned up top.
The new information “still does not prove a lab-created virus,” Demaneuf said. “But it is a significant step in that direction.”
In the DEFUSE proposal, scientists laid out plans to “insert furin cleavage sites at the S1/S2 junction of the spike protein,” sites that are relatively unique to SARS-CoV-2, and made the virus more transmissible to humans. U.S. scientists also planned to “assemble synthetic viruses in six segments,” the documents show, using the restriction enzymes BsaI and BsmBI. Used to stitch DNA fragments together, the enzymes have been key factors in determining the legitimacy of the lab-leak theory. Although both enzymes can occur naturally, BsaI and BsmBI are also enzymes regularly used in genetic engineering, and scientists have estimated that the chance of an enzyme pattern similar to that of SARS-CoV-2 would have less than a 1 percent chance of occurring naturally.
“Our preprint found strong evidence suggesting SARS-CoV-2 was assembled with a known lab protocol, adding weight to the theory SARS-CoV-2 originated as a lab construct,” Alex Washburne, a co-author of a preprint studying Covid’s origin, said.
You'll note that the head of EcoHealth Alliance, the group Fauci used to funnel money to the PRC lab, says- oh, go read it. Yes, I include him in the suggested punishment mentioned up top.
Meanwhile, in Canuckistan,
A federal judged has ruled that Canada's use of emergency powers to end the anti-government Freedom Convoy protests two years ago was "unreasonable" and unjustified.
In a decision on Tuesday, Judge Richard Mosley also said it violated Canada's rights charter.
The federal government said it will appeal the decision.
Of course it will. Because, as noted later in the article, "We had to! And we investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong!"
In a decision on Tuesday, Judge Richard Mosley also said it violated Canada's rights charter.
The federal government said it will appeal the decision.
Of course it will. Because, as noted later in the article, "We had to! And we investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong!"
'Equal Justice' my ass, Part 46
Former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, who stole and helped publicize the confidential tax records of Donald Trump and an estimated 7,500 other wealthy Americans, could face little or no jail time when he's sentenced later this month, because the DOJ allowed him to plead guilty to a single felony count.
In a new court filing, prosecutors acknowledge the plea deal “does not account for the fact that he leaked thousands of individuals’ tax returns. His [sentencing] range would be the same today if he had leaked only a single return.”
But instead of seeking prison time for each of his offenses – or even for the two separate mass thefts he committed, one in 2019 and another in 2020 – the DOJ is asking a federal judge to sentence Littlejohn to just 60 months, the maximum for a single offense under the statute. Some political leaders angry over the plea deal say he should get 60 years, not months, for his crime – the biggest heist of IRS taxpayer data in history.
In a new court filing, prosecutors acknowledge the plea deal “does not account for the fact that he leaked thousands of individuals’ tax returns. His [sentencing] range would be the same today if he had leaked only a single return.”
But instead of seeking prison time for each of his offenses – or even for the two separate mass thefts he committed, one in 2019 and another in 2020 – the DOJ is asking a federal judge to sentence Littlejohn to just 60 months, the maximum for a single offense under the statute. Some political leaders angry over the plea deal say he should get 60 years, not months, for his crime – the biggest heist of IRS taxpayer data in history.
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Something tells me the 'scholars' are either full of crap, or
somehow plan to make a buttload of money on this bullshit. Probably both.
Civil engineering courses should not just focus on how to construct sewers, build roads, or design bridges — they should also include “social justice” and “diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice,” according to a recent academic paper.
“Civil engineering students need to engage with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) so they can understand the differential impacts of engineering on individuals from different groups within society,” a group of professors wrote in a paper for the Journal of Civil Engineering Education.
Engineering students need to learn the skills and knowledge to build things that work and don't fall apart, which requires the coursework and technical content these morons seem to look down on. It does not require 'social justice' games.
I swear, these people actually WANT to ruin the world.
Civil engineering courses should not just focus on how to construct sewers, build roads, or design bridges — they should also include “social justice” and “diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice,” according to a recent academic paper.
“Civil engineering students need to engage with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) so they can understand the differential impacts of engineering on individuals from different groups within society,” a group of professors wrote in a paper for the Journal of Civil Engineering Education.
Engineering students need to learn the skills and knowledge to build things that work and don't fall apart, which requires the coursework and technical content these morons seem to look down on. It does not require 'social justice' games.
I swear, these people actually WANT to ruin the world.
Monday, January 22, 2024
Holy... what the HELL is wrong at Harvard?
I'm copying this from Instapundit, because the full article is paywalled. The bold is mine:
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, is seeking to retract six studies and correct 31 other papers as part of a probe involving four of its senior cancer researchers and administrators.
More than 50 papers, including four co-authored by Chief Executive and President Dr. Laurie Glimcher, are part of a continuing review, according to Dr. Barrett Rollins, the cancer institute’s research-integrity officer. Some requests for retractions and corrections have already been sent to journals, he said. Others are being prepared. The institute has yet to determine whether misconduct occurred.
Also under investigation are papers co-authored by Chief Operating Officer Dr. William Hahn; Director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program Dr. Irene Ghobrial; and Dr. Kenneth Anderson, program director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center.
All four researchers have faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, making it the latest tranche of misconduct allegations leveled at Harvard researchers. Claudine Gay resigned as Harvard University president early this year, facing allegations of plagiarism. Last year, Harvard Business School placed Prof. Francesca Gino on administrative leave after accusations that her work contained falsified data.
Glimcher and the other researchers didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Dana-Farber’s disclosure about its probe arrived after a data sleuth pointed to irregularities in the researchers’ papers.
In early January, molecular biologist Sholto David published a blog post describing what he said were signs of image manipulation in papers by the Dana-Farber researchers. David contacted Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School with his concerns, submitting a list of papers he said contained problems.
The most serious, he said, had to do with images of experimental results that had signs of copy-and-pasting by software such as Adobe Photoshop. “Those are pixel-perfect matches for the same area, but it’s supposed to be a different sample,” he said.
Holy shit. This is worse than plagiarism, this seems to be falsification of data in important studies. And all four of these clowns are Harvard Medical School staff?
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, is seeking to retract six studies and correct 31 other papers as part of a probe involving four of its senior cancer researchers and administrators.
More than 50 papers, including four co-authored by Chief Executive and President Dr. Laurie Glimcher, are part of a continuing review, according to Dr. Barrett Rollins, the cancer institute’s research-integrity officer. Some requests for retractions and corrections have already been sent to journals, he said. Others are being prepared. The institute has yet to determine whether misconduct occurred.
Also under investigation are papers co-authored by Chief Operating Officer Dr. William Hahn; Director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program Dr. Irene Ghobrial; and Dr. Kenneth Anderson, program director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center.
All four researchers have faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, making it the latest tranche of misconduct allegations leveled at Harvard researchers. Claudine Gay resigned as Harvard University president early this year, facing allegations of plagiarism. Last year, Harvard Business School placed Prof. Francesca Gino on administrative leave after accusations that her work contained falsified data.
Glimcher and the other researchers didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Dana-Farber’s disclosure about its probe arrived after a data sleuth pointed to irregularities in the researchers’ papers.
In early January, molecular biologist Sholto David published a blog post describing what he said were signs of image manipulation in papers by the Dana-Farber researchers. David contacted Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School with his concerns, submitting a list of papers he said contained problems.
The most serious, he said, had to do with images of experimental results that had signs of copy-and-pasting by software such as Adobe Photoshop. “Those are pixel-perfect matches for the same area, but it’s supposed to be a different sample,” he said.
Holy shit. This is worse than plagiarism, this seems to be falsification of data in important studies. And all four of these clowns are Harvard Medical School staff?
Which, once again, brings up "How the hell can you trust the science when the people in charge are faking things?
"I mentor kids to stay off drugs,
my being stoned while driving my Lexus and deciding to drive the wrong way on a street and then run into a cop has nothing to do with that!"
Or something like that.
Not that, despite admitting she did it deliberately, she got really low bail. Isn't NYeffingCity wonderful?
Or something like that.
Not that, despite admitting she did it deliberately, she got really low bail. Isn't NYeffingCity wonderful?
I decided to try my hand at Karl Kolchak meeting a member of the MCB
“Mr. Kolchak?”
The man in the somewhat rumpled white suit and beat-up straw hat looked up, studied a moment, replied “Mr. Jackson?”
“That’s not my actual-”
“Sorry, but I’m waiting for someone, and he should be here-”
“That’s not my real name, but it’s the one I made the appointment with.”
Karl Kolchak, reporter for the Independent News Service- unless he’d been fired in the last few hours- looked him over again and asked “Detective?”
“No sir, a different profession, and I very much need to speak with you.”
God, he’d heard that, and similar, a lot of times. “Matter of life and death, I suppose?”
“Yes, Yours.
Another moment of study, then he waved a hand at the other chair, but the man said “This requires a bit more privacy, and we should- ah, there we are” as the manager came up and said “Gentlemen, this way, please.”
“I
have dined here many times, and Mr. Bailey is most accommodating to
his patrons.” Kolchak shrugged, stood, and they both followed
Bailey through the busy lunchtime to a table in a corner somewhat
away from others. ‘Jackson’ sat in one and waved Kolchak to the
other, ordered iced tea for himself and, his guest having brought his
drink, said “Mr. Bailey, we will need a few minutes before
ordering, may I let you know when?”
“Of course, sir.”
As he went back to the front, Kolchak asked “Who have I annoyed
that calls for a meeting like this?”
A chuckle, then “My
real name is MacNamera, please call me Lucas. I work for an agency
you don’t know, and we work hard to keep it that way. You have
caused some annoyance, but in the overall you accomplished enough
good that we left you alone. Especially since you have such a gift
for making yourself so troublesome that few believe you about the
matters in question.”
The look from Kolchak became a bit apprehensive. “What was I so troublesome about?”
“The vampire for a beginning. Well, two when that other one showed up and moved to Los Angeles. A murderous chemist. A werewolf, an almost eternal murderer, and a few others. Let’s stop the list there.
The
look on the reporter’s face was a mix of ‘who the hell are you,
and are you going to make me disappear?’, then he replied “What
are you talking about? That sounds like Halloween stories-”
Macnamera held up a hand and said “Mr. Kolchak, this is, to borrow
a saying from my son, as serious as a heart attack, and it does
involve your life. Allow me to cover some of this without
interruption, and then we can discuss it.” Kolchak nodded, Lucas
Macnamera paused a moment as if deciding on the right words, then
continued.
“I work for an agency that must, I do mean
MUST, stay unknown to most of humanity. It deals with things such as
I mentioned and many more. Things that go bump in the night, and
sometimes kill, or worse. We must also work to keep these things in
the realm of myth and horror stories to the public. I will not go
into the specifics of why, at least for now. Before I continue, look
at this.” He pulled a leather folder out of a jacket pocket,
opened it, and showed the contents, a ID card, with picture, and a
badge, both carrying the letters ‘MCB’ in caps. Kolchak studied
them, started to say something and caught himself, then looked up and
nodded.
The folder was returned to the pocket. “Some of
the things you encountered should have been dealt with, and the
evidence removed, before you became involved to the extent you were,
but we cannot be everywhere. And when we did become aware, you had
already been shut down by the local authorities, saving us from
revealing ourselves to you then.
One
of the things we do to keep a lid on the knowledge of these things is
to discourage witnesses from speaking about them. Sometimes that
must include some intimidation, which can range from mild to very
serious. And on some occasions it means, when someone will not be
intimidated, death. Which is why I am here.”
“So am I
to be intimidated or murdered? And what does ‘MCB’ stand
for?”
“There have been a few times in the past that
there was serious discussion about warning you off, but your
aforementioned gift of irritating people into keeping you quiet,
relatively, has prevented the need. I am here in hopes of keeping it
that way.”
Silence, while Kolchak thought on that. Then “And what does it stand for?”
“Monster Control Bureau.”
More
silence, then “I take it you’re federal?”
“Yes.
The bureau was created a long time ago, how long I will not say, and
has been in continuous service ever since, doing exactly what I said.
We try, whenever possible, to deal with the beings in question
before they can do enough damage to draw much attention. We do not
always succeed, but very often we do.
The
short version of all this is the last thing you tried to break a
story on generated enough attention to move you from a listing of ‘No
action needed as yet’ to ‘Action needed’, which is not a good
thing for you. I am here hoping to prevent it moving from this
conversation to something more drastic.”
He could see
Kolchak’s mind working over all this. The mention of the vampires,
and the Seattle strangler, told him that the agent had connections to
find out all about the cases, and that this agency may well have had
a hand in those stories being quashed. “I’m guessing you’ve
already had a part in getting me fired a couple of times.”
Silence. “Can I ask what, specifically, in that last mess caused
so much umbrage at your agency?”
“You came very close
to getting a story into wide circulation before we could stop it.”
MacNamara thought a moment. “I will continue this far: part of our
work is to prevent the public from knowing these things are real,
because there would be real consequences in this world if they did.
Possibly horrible consequences. Enough so that we do things that may
well damn our souls in order to prevent that.”
“Since
we’re at that point, I am wondering if your oath, and I can’t
imagine you don’t have one, cares anything about the Constitution?
Limits on government, civil rights, that kind of thing? Or do you
just not give a damn?”
“We
care. Very much, some more than others, but we care. Which is part
of that ‘damned souls’ problem I mentioned.” He looked down,
taking and letting out a deep breath, then a few moments of silence.
“I cannot give specifics, only that this is important enough that
we- that I- have done such things, and I have and will pray that God
can forgive me, and the others for that evil we have done.”
He
leaned forward a bit. “And I pray that you will listen to and
believe me, and protect your life.”
Kolchak looked at
him for almost ten seconds, then said “So I’m supposed to ignore
it when something like, ah, those incidents you mention happen? Say
and do nothing while-”
“If at all possible. Please
understand that one of the reasons you have been left alone by my
agency so long is that you have dealt, very finally, with some of the
threats we face. That is no small thing to accomplish, and you have
saved lives by doing this. But we cannot allow you to bring the
notice you so desire to these stories, these things.”
McNamera reached into a jacket pocket, took out a business card, and held it out. “This is a number that can be called at any time, day or night-” Kolchak took it and saw nothing but a phone number on the card “-if you run into such a thing again. Identify yourself, tell them what you have seen and found out, then hang up and let it go. I promise that action will be taken to deal with the matter. I must also promise that action will be taken against you if you push the matter further, so I beg you consider that.”
The
man looked very focused as he finished this, very intent that
Kolchak believe him. But, being what he was, his answer was “I’ll
think about it. By the way, if I call this and ask for you?”
“I
will be notified, but I will not be the one who answers.” He
looked at his watch and said “I must go. Please, consider what I
have said.” He held his hand up and the manager appeared a few
seconds later. “Mr. Bailey, I must go and cannot wait to dine.
Please put Mr. Kolchak’s meal and drinks on my account.” He was
assured it would be done, then stood. “Good day, Mr. Kolchak”,
and walked away.
Brought to you by the Stalin-wannabes, hypocrites, and hysterics at COP28
This was the largest such summit in terms of numbers of attendees — an estimated 100,000 of them — compared to the 49,000 people who attended the previous COP27 Summit in Cairo. As climate alarmists would say of any event of similar size, the Dubai Summit stamped the largest carbon footprint of the entire U.N. COP series in their ceaseless quest to lower carbon emissions.
Keen-eyed journalists spotted an even more embarrassing aspect: in addition to the many commercial flights arriving and leaving Dubai airport around the conference time, there were private planes from as far afield as Nigeria, Switzerland, Japan, and India. It’s unlikely that most of the really important VIPs present—including King Charles III, U.K. PM Rishi Sunak, Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida, France’s President Macron, and Vice-President Kamala Harris—flew commercial, let alone “coach.” And then there are the world’s CEOs. In short the Climate Navy has a growing surplus of Admirals.
Climate-virtue-signaling celebrities such as U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry (soon to retire from the august post in order to join the Biden re-election campaign) are wont to dismiss such journalistic sniping as irrelevant trivialities in comparison with the great cause of "climate rescue." Even if that argument were valid—and it’s not obvious why ordinary citizens should sacrifice their living standards for the climate when policy-makers exempt themselves—it would still depend for its persuasiveness on whether the Dubai COP had succeeded in halting or reversing the rise in climate emissions.
Keen-eyed journalists spotted an even more embarrassing aspect: in addition to the many commercial flights arriving and leaving Dubai airport around the conference time, there were private planes from as far afield as Nigeria, Switzerland, Japan, and India. It’s unlikely that most of the really important VIPs present—including King Charles III, U.K. PM Rishi Sunak, Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida, France’s President Macron, and Vice-President Kamala Harris—flew commercial, let alone “coach.” And then there are the world’s CEOs. In short the Climate Navy has a growing surplus of Admirals.
Climate-virtue-signaling celebrities such as U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry (soon to retire from the august post in order to join the Biden re-election campaign) are wont to dismiss such journalistic sniping as irrelevant trivialities in comparison with the great cause of "climate rescue." Even if that argument were valid—and it’s not obvious why ordinary citizens should sacrifice their living standards for the climate when policy-makers exempt themselves—it would still depend for its persuasiveness on whether the Dubai COP had succeeded in halting or reversing the rise in climate emissions.
How did Dubai meet that test?
As well as you'd expect.
As well as you'd expect.
Sunday, January 21, 2024
It seems an almost universal problem: "History? What's that?"
To anyone with a modicum of interest in this country’s past, such ignorance is deeply depressing, to say the least. But I suppose it could be worse. Think what would happen if some Mail Online know-nothing hack was able to interview other historical figures . . .
‘Sir Winston Churchill, tell us how you came up with the idea of a nodding bulldog to promote your insurance company.’
‘Napoleon, having invented a popular type of brandy, was it perhaps rather egotistical to name it after yourself?’
‘Pablo Picasso, as a car designer you must be thrilled to see your Citroën Grand C4 Picasso being crowned “Best Used MPV” in the Auto Express Used Car Awards 2023.’
‘Emperor Hadrian, I hear you’ve ordered two and a half million tons of bricks and thousands of tons of lime mortar. That’ll be one heck of a villa you’re building up north.’
‘Sir Winston Churchill, tell us how you came up with the idea of a nodding bulldog to promote your insurance company.’
‘Napoleon, having invented a popular type of brandy, was it perhaps rather egotistical to name it after yourself?’
‘Pablo Picasso, as a car designer you must be thrilled to see your Citroën Grand C4 Picasso being crowned “Best Used MPV” in the Auto Express Used Car Awards 2023.’
‘Emperor Hadrian, I hear you’ve ordered two and a half million tons of bricks and thousands of tons of lime mortar. That’ll be one heck of a villa you’re building up north.’
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