Most of the emails reflect the administration’s early priorities—education, budgets, transportation, personnel, press releases and meetings. But there are plenty of glimpses behind the faade and into the true mind of the mayor. It’s not an uplifting picture.
Friday, June 29, 2018
“Agents” Emails, Inside the Mind of Bill de Blasio - Judicial Watch
“Agents” Emails, Inside the Mind of Bill de Blasio - Judicial Watch:
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio last month finally turned over more than 4200 pages of unredacted emails in the “agents of the city” case. De Blasio had resisted disclosure, arguing that five outside advisers were effectively “agents of the city” whose communications should be shielded from the New York Freedom of Information Law. NY1 television and the New York Post sued and won. The documents are out. What have we learned?
Most of the emails reflect the administration’s early priorities—education, budgets, transportation, personnel, press releases and meetings. But there are plenty of glimpses behind the faade and into the true mind of the mayor. It’s not an uplifting picture.
Most of the emails reflect the administration’s early priorities—education, budgets, transportation, personnel, press releases and meetings. But there are plenty of glimpses behind the faade and into the true mind of the mayor. It’s not an uplifting picture.
Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' - Hit & Run : Reason.com
Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' - Hit & Run : Reason.com
"Advocates hope a straw ban will be the first step toward broader plastic prohibitions.
Plastic straw bans won't help the environment, but that's no reason not to pass them.
Or so argue straw prohibitionists who want the little suckers outlawed in the hope of provoking environmentally friendly soul searching among inconvenienced consumers.
"Straw bans aren't going to save the ocean, but they could jumpstart much-needed conversations about the level of non-biodegradable trash in them," writes Vox's Radhika Viswanathan, who gets all the facts about straws and their minimal effect on the environment right but still manages to come out in favor of a ban.
Viswanathan is joined by Dune Ives, executive director of the environmental group Lonely Whale, which has has targeted straws as a "gateway plastic."...
"Advocates hope a straw ban will be the first step toward broader plastic prohibitions.
Plastic straw bans won't help the environment, but that's no reason not to pass them.
Or so argue straw prohibitionists who want the little suckers outlawed in the hope of provoking environmentally friendly soul searching among inconvenienced consumers.
Viswanathan is joined by Dune Ives, executive director of the environmental group Lonely Whale, which has has targeted straws as a "gateway plastic."...
Read on.
How to explain blockchain in plain English | The Enterprisers Project
How to explain blockchain in plain English | The Enterprisers Project:
"How to explain blockchain in plain English.
Arm yourself with definitions that will help you explain blockchain to others.
One expert compares it to a school lunch trade.
...Change is coming: Research firm IDC, among others, predicts booming growth, expecting worldwide spending on blockchain-related spending to hit $9.7 billion in 2021, up from around $2 billion this year.
But what’s the hold-up for IT leaders?
Gartner points to one reason in its survey results: Blockchain engineering skills are hard to come by and, as a result, are expensive.
People who do understand blockchain sometimes have a hard time explaining it succinctly.
There’s another issue: Many people still don’t understand what blockchain is.
Moreover, people who do understand it sometimes have a hard time explaining it succinctly, especially if they have to do so in non-technical terms that a wide audience can understand..."
Read all.
"How to explain blockchain in plain English.Arm yourself with definitions that will help you explain blockchain to others.
One expert compares it to a school lunch trade.
...Change is coming: Research firm IDC, among others, predicts booming growth, expecting worldwide spending on blockchain-related spending to hit $9.7 billion in 2021, up from around $2 billion this year.
But what’s the hold-up for IT leaders?
Gartner points to one reason in its survey results: Blockchain engineering skills are hard to come by and, as a result, are expensive.
People who do understand blockchain sometimes have a hard time explaining it succinctly.
There’s another issue: Many people still don’t understand what blockchain is.
Moreover, people who do understand it sometimes have a hard time explaining it succinctly, especially if they have to do so in non-technical terms that a wide audience can understand..."
Read all.
Illegal alien kids are unhappy having to recite the Pledge of Allegiance
Illegal alien kids are unhappy having to recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
Not a day goes by without some headline about the suffering of illegal alien kids, nearly all of whom are eating and living better than they ever have in their lives, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. Most of them were sent to America unaccompanied by adults, so our tax dollars could take care of them. But apparently, some kids are unhappy.
They are being made to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. What's worse, they're being made to say it in English!
They are being made to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. What's worse, they're being made to say it in English!
Freaked Out Americans Desperately Seek to Escape the News - Bloomberg Quint
Freaked Out Americans Desperately Seek to Escape the News - Bloomberg Quint:
"Last week, Jen Wrenn, a children’s literacy advocate in San Diego, attended her first political protest after reading about the Trump administration policy of separating small children from their immigrant parents at the border.
She had heard ProPublica’s audio of a little girl crying in the border camp and decided to do something about it.
She shouted.
She marched.
And afterwards, she decompressed by watching the Mr. Rogers documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
“As soon as I hear the theme song, my blood pressure goes down,” Wrenn said.
“I think that kind of calm is what we all crave mentally right now.”
The film about Fred Rogers, the beloved figure of American childhood, has made $4.9 million at the box office since it opened on June 8—more than 20 times the typical haul for a documentary.
In interviews, director Morgan Neville paints the documentary’s success as indicative of our times. “We’re in this period in our culture where I feel like nobody wants to be an adult anymore,” Neville recently told Deadline.
“A character like Fred takes us back to how we should treat each other.”
Last fall, the American Psychological Association found that almost two-thirds of Americans listed “the state of the nation” as their primary source of stress, above both money and work.
More than half believed that America was at its lowest point in history.
Almost 70 percent of all Americans feel a sense of “news fatigue,” according to the Pew Research Center..."
Read on.
"Last week, Jen Wrenn, a children’s literacy advocate in San Diego, attended her first political protest after reading about the Trump administration policy of separating small children from their immigrant parents at the border.
She had heard ProPublica’s audio of a little girl crying in the border camp and decided to do something about it.
She shouted.
She marched.And afterwards, she decompressed by watching the Mr. Rogers documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
“As soon as I hear the theme song, my blood pressure goes down,” Wrenn said.
“I think that kind of calm is what we all crave mentally right now.”
The film about Fred Rogers, the beloved figure of American childhood, has made $4.9 million at the box office since it opened on June 8—more than 20 times the typical haul for a documentary.
In interviews, director Morgan Neville paints the documentary’s success as indicative of our times. “We’re in this period in our culture where I feel like nobody wants to be an adult anymore,” Neville recently told Deadline.
“A character like Fred takes us back to how we should treat each other.”
Last fall, the American Psychological Association found that almost two-thirds of Americans listed “the state of the nation” as their primary source of stress, above both money and work.
More than half believed that America was at its lowest point in history.
Almost 70 percent of all Americans feel a sense of “news fatigue,” according to the Pew Research Center..."
Read on.
Montage: Media Turning Trump Voters into Public Enemy No. 1 :: Grabien News
Montage: Media Turning Trump Voters into Public Enemy No. 1 :: Grabien News
‘If you vote for Trump, then you, the voter, you, not Donald Trump, are standing at the border, like Nazis’
"When President Trump tweeted “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” the media quickly went ballistic...
MSNBC's Donny Deutsch said Trump supporters are the "bad guy" in America and are akin to Nazis.
"If we are working towards November, we can no longer say Trump’s the bad guy," Deutsch said during a recent appearance on Morning Joe.
"If you vote for Trump, you’re the bad guy. If you vote for Trump, you are ripping children from parents’ arms."
He continued: "If you vote for Trump, then you, the voter, you, not Donald Trump, are standing at the border, like Nazis going, ‘You here, you here.’
I think we now have to flip it and it’s a given, the evilness of Donald Trump.
But if you vote, you can no longer separate yourself.
You can’t say, ‘Well, he’s okay, but ...’ And I think that gymnastics and that jiu-jitsu has to happen.”...
Read on.
Maxine Waters advances a liberal strategy with her call for mob action - Washington Times
Maxine Waters advances a liberal strategy with her call for mob action - Washington Times:
There was a time when liberals stood against the use of intimidation, harassment and violence against political opponents. The gay, black and women’s civil rights movements were about ending the fascist technique of frightening and intimidating people into retreat and silence. Now it appears George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is more relevant than ever.
There was a time when liberals stood against the use of intimidation, harassment and violence against political opponents. The gay, black and women’s civil rights movements were about ending the fascist technique of frightening and intimidating people into retreat and silence. Now it appears George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is more relevant than ever.
Arctic Ocean almost totally ice-covered - Map - Ice Age Now
Arctic Ocean almost totally ice-covered - Map - Ice Age Now
On the 26th of June!
Where’s that (so-called) global warming?
Look at this map.
Purple signifies sea-ice thickness of approximately ½ to 1½ meters (20 inches to 5 ft).
Blue or green signifies 1½ to 3 meters ( 5 ft to 10 ft) of ice.
Yellow or orange signifies 3 to 4 meters (10 ft to 13 ft) of ice.
Red signifies 4 to 5 meters (13 ft to 16 ft) of ice.
White signifies zero thickness of ice.
I don’t see much open water.
Do you?...
Read all!
On the 26th of June!
Where’s that (so-called) global warming?
Look at this map.
Purple signifies sea-ice thickness of approximately ½ to 1½ meters (20 inches to 5 ft).
Blue or green signifies 1½ to 3 meters ( 5 ft to 10 ft) of ice.
Yellow or orange signifies 3 to 4 meters (10 ft to 13 ft) of ice.
Red signifies 4 to 5 meters (13 ft to 16 ft) of ice.
White signifies zero thickness of ice.
I don’t see much open water.
Do you?...
Read all!
‘Get Out of My Vagina!’ Whoopi Rages at McCain in Meltdown Over SCOTUS, Abortion on 'View'
‘Get Out of My Vagina!’ Whoopi Rages at McCain in Meltdown Over SCOTUS, Abortion on 'Vie
"Thursday’s The View started off with an astounding nearly 10-minute-long meltdown over Justice Kennedy’s retirement from the Supreme Court.
...Whoopi angrily attacking host Meghan McCain, Republicans and Christians for potentially challenging Roe v Wade.
"Thursday’s The View started off with an astounding nearly 10-minute-long meltdown over Justice Kennedy’s retirement from the Supreme Court.
...Whoopi angrily attacking host Meghan McCain, Republicans and Christians for potentially challenging Roe v Wade.
“Many people are reeling” from this announcement, Whoopi began, before playing a clip of President Trump telling supporters at a North Dakota rally last night that he needed to appoint more Republican judges. That sent the table into an uproar.
“Yeah. Let's have everybody a Republican. The Supreme Court, the Congress, the presidency!” Joy Behar raged. “What is that called? Dictatorship I believe!” she said in disgust.
She continued ranting about how the Founding Fathers were “rolling over in their graves” at this news. “What happened to separation of powers? What happened to checks and balances in this country? Gone!” she complained.
Meghan McCain try to explain to Behar calmly that the pendulum was simply swinging in the direction of Republicans after Democrats had control of all three branches at one point in Obama's presidency.
It was then Whoopi’s turn to rage that abortion rights we're going to be “taken away” from Republicans who “don't care” about women's rights:
I don't like hearing, again, that I’m trying to take your rights away. I have to tell you, as a woman, I think you're trying to take my rights away. Okay? You don't care. [ Applause ]...You don't want people to take your guns? Get out of my behind! Get out of my vagina! Get out![ Applause ]
Read all!
'JournoList' 2 Revealed, over 400 'Left-Of-Center' Members | Breitbart
'JournoList' 2 Revealed, over 400 'Left-Of-Center' Members | Breitbart:
An “off-the-record” private discussion group for left-wing journalists, similar to the controversial “JournoList” cabal, has been discovered.
The group, which is hosted on Google Groups, was discovered after messages from New York Magazine journalist Jesse Singal were leaked.
".The listserv, per its ‘About’ page, aims to provide an ‘off-the-record discussion forum for left-of-center journalists, authors, academics, and wonks.’..has just over 400 members (403 at the time of this writing),” reported Jezebel.
“These members include New York Times best-selling authors, Ivy League academics, magazine editors, and other public intellectuals—in short, a lot of important people who influence public discourse through their written work.”
In 2010, a similar group known as “JournoList”...group, which was created by Vox Media Editor-at-Large Ezra Klein, became the subject of scandal after leaked messages showed the journalists conspiring to influence political outcomes, such as the 2008 presidential election.
According to the Daily Caller, the group“included dozens of straight-news reporters from major news organizations, including Time, Newsweek, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, PBS and a large NPR affiliate in California.”...
Read all.
An “off-the-record” private discussion group for left-wing journalists, similar to the controversial “JournoList” cabal, has been discovered.
The group, which is hosted on Google Groups, was discovered after messages from New York Magazine journalist Jesse Singal were leaked.
".The listserv, per its ‘About’ page, aims to provide an ‘off-the-record discussion forum for left-of-center journalists, authors, academics, and wonks.’..has just over 400 members (403 at the time of this writing),” reported Jezebel.
In 2010, a similar group known as “JournoList”...group, which was created by Vox Media Editor-at-Large Ezra Klein, became the subject of scandal after leaked messages showed the journalists conspiring to influence political outcomes, such as the 2008 presidential election.
According to the Daily Caller, the group“included dozens of straight-news reporters from major news organizations, including Time, Newsweek, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, PBS and a large NPR affiliate in California.”...
Read all.
Dr. Robert Epstein: Six Reasons Mark Zuckerberg Should Quit Facebook Right Now | Breitbart
Epstein also warned that the longer Facebook continues to operate in it’s current state, the higher the chance is that the company will eventually fail:
"Horrifying" is their 2nd favorite word.....Fuck Civility | HuffPost
Fuck Civility | HuffPost
"This week, in a 5-4 ruling of the conservative majority, the Supreme Court dealt a stinging, bigoted blow to justice and equality, ruling for President Donald Trump’s travel ban ― a ban that lower courts ruled unconstitutional by virtue of Trump’s repeated hateful and discriminatory statements against Muslims.
And then came Wednesday’s stunning attack on public sector labor unions, another 5-4 ruling.
As if all that isn’t horrifying enough, Justice Anthony Kennedy ― the swing vote on so many issues, including marriage equality and LGBTQ rights ― announced he is retiring, handing Trump the opportunity to put another hard-right justice on the court.
If you care about America and its future, your blood should be boiling.
...But the GOP might not have been able to pull off stealing that Supreme Court seat if Democrats, and the rest of us, hadn’t practiced “civility” ― at least, as that has been defined since White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant last weekend.
"This week, in a 5-4 ruling of the conservative majority, the Supreme Court dealt a stinging, bigoted blow to justice and equality, ruling for President Donald Trump’s travel ban ― a ban that lower courts ruled unconstitutional by virtue of Trump’s repeated hateful and discriminatory statements against Muslims.
A 5-4 anti-abortion ruling came the same day, one day after a ruling allowing racial gerrymandering of congressional districts.
And then came Wednesday’s stunning attack on public sector labor unions, another 5-4 ruling.As if all that isn’t horrifying enough, Justice Anthony Kennedy ― the swing vote on so many issues, including marriage equality and LGBTQ rights ― announced he is retiring, handing Trump the opportunity to put another hard-right justice on the court.
If you care about America and its future, your blood should be boiling.
...But the GOP might not have been able to pull off stealing that Supreme Court seat if Democrats, and the rest of us, hadn’t practiced “civility” ― at least, as that has been defined since White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant last weekend.
The word apparently now means being polite, even to people who are stripping millions of their rights while lying through their teeth.
Fuck that.
Anyone who is supporting Trump while he’s putting children in prison camps isn’t going to be swayed..."
Fuck that.
Anyone who is supporting Trump while he’s putting children in prison camps isn’t going to be swayed..."
Read all!
History for June 29
History for June 29 - On-This-Day.com
George W. Goethals 1858, William Mayo 1861, Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1900
Nelson Eddy 1901, John Toland 1912, Slim Pickens 1919
1767 - The British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts. The acts imposed import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea shipped to America.
1888 - Professor Frederick Treves performed the first appendectomy in England.
1917 - The Ukraine proclaimed independence from Russia.
1953 - The Federal Highway Act authorized the construction of 42,500 miles of freeway from coast to coast.
1956 - Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller were married. They were divorced on January 20, 1961.
1967 - Israel removed barricades, re-unifying Jerusalem.
1995 - The shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.
2007 - The first generation Apple iPhone went on sale.
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