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Hi Redial: Lucky you, I guess you live far away from the oil industry up there: www.cbc.ca

BTW: Were you rooting for the Roughriders or the Alouettes in the Grey Bowl?

Another [deeper dive] view ...

The Air You Breathe May Affect Your Alzheimer's Risk (March 2024)
www.alzinfo.org

... People who live in areas with lots of vehicle traffic and who breath in pollutants from diesel exhaust and other sources have brain changes that are tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. These findings, detailed in a recent study, add to growing evidence linking air pollution to brain decline.

For the new study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers at Emory University looked for signs of Alzheimer's disease in the brains of 224 deceased men and women in the Atlanta area who had donated their brains to science. Their average age at death was 76.

The researchers also looked at the home addresses of the donors at the time of death, and determined traffic-related air pollution levels near their homes in the years preceding their deaths. They focused on levels of PM2.5, the tiny pollutant particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can be particularly damaging to health. This fine particulate matter can enter the bloodstream where high levels are linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, respiratory problems and lung disease. These tiny particles may also enter the brain, and a growing body of research has linked them to an increased risk of dementia.

The investigators found that those people who lived in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution had higher amounts of amyloid plaques in their brains. The presence of amyloid plaques, which are formed by the clumping together of toxic beta-amyloid in the brain, is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. People with the highest exposure to fine particulate matter in the year before their death were nearly twice as likely to have higher levels of plaques, while those with higher exposure in the three years before death were 87 percent more likely to have higher levels of plaques. ...



Strawbs - Remembering; You And I (When We Were Young); Grace Darling (1975)
www.youtube.com

Partial lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
[Verse 1]
You have been my lighthouse
In every storm
You have given shelter
You have kept me safe and warm
And in my darkest nights
You have shone your brightest lights
You are my saving grace
Darling, I love you

[Verse 2]
You have been the pilot
Who guides me home
You have been the my rock
As on the seven seas I roam
And when I was becalmed
You were the strength in my arms
You are my saving grace
Darling, I love you

[Interlude]
And when I found my back
Was torn and broken on the reef
You sailed your tiny boat
Across the dark seas of my disbelief

[Verse 3]
You have been the anchor
And I the chain
Straining as we hold ourselves
Together in the rain
...



They don't write songs like that anymore ...


@#2 ... Obviously, DOGE should have gotten rid of that pesky deep state abomination. ...

Funny you should mention that.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) s currently being dismembered, with a planned death.

To wit ...

Musk Wants to Delete the CFPB to Enrich Himself. It Gives a Green Light to All Corporate Scammers. (February 13, 2025)
rooseveltinstitute.org

... In the name of "government efficiency," Elon Musk has marked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for "deletion," though there is significant pushback to the outlandish idea that a special government contractor could zero out an agency funded by Congress.

Acting CFPB director Russell Vought -- a Project 2025 coauthor who has vowed to put federal workers "in trauma" -- has ordered the agency to halt all of its work.

And several Musk loyalists have reportedly infiltrated the agency's computer systems and sent out blanket termination emails to dozens of employees. What they're searching for is unclear, but it likely has nothing to do with efficiency. The CFPB has an exemplary track record as a steward of public resources.

Its 2025 budget of $823 million is a fraction of the $20.7 billion it has returned to the American people since its founding by cracking down on corporate fraud and abuse and enforcing consumer protection laws.

It's useful to think about this latest attack through the lens of Musk's personal financial interests. He is reportedly working with Visa to launch his own digital payment system, "X Money," which would subject his platform to the CFPB's regulatory oversight.

Not coincidentally, Musk's attempts to destroy the agency come just a few months after it finalized a rule expanding its supervisory authority to include digital payments apps, including these platforms' handling of consumer data and potential role in attempts to defraud older adults.

That Musk sees the elimination of an anti-scam agency as central to his project should alarm everyone. ...


@#5 ... So, Big Tech wants to build an aristocracy here in America? ...

More ...

Revealed: MAGA has a plan to outlive Trump
www.alternet.org

... A controversial theory that states an "aristocracy" is needed to move the country forward is being pushed as the playbook for a post-President Donald Trump MAGA with tech-elites at the center of power, according to the Washington Post.

At the center of this theory is a lesser known "tech elite," Arizona insurance entrepreneur and conservative media Chris Buskirk, who according to the Post, "helms the Rockbridge Network, a secretive organization ... that has established itself as one of the most influential forces in GOP politics."

"With significant funding from tech leaders, Rockbridge aims to equip MAGA to outlive Trump," the Post explains.

The group is gearing up for the midterms and the 2028 presidential election, in which members "hope" Vice President JD Vance " a close ally of tech billionaire Peter Thiel " will be the Republican nominee.

Although Buskirk is much more low-key than Thiel and his more known billionaire buddies, his ties to the Trump world run deep, the Post explains. ...



@#3 ... War is a Racket.

So is MAGA. ...

I'm currently thinking that MAGA may become more than a racket.

For example ...

Secret GOP Cabal With Vance and Thiel Plots Eternal MAGA Rule (November 4, 2025)
www.thedailybeast.com

... JD Vance and Peter Thiel convened a secret cabal of GOP-friendly businesspeople and influencers to a small Ohio town to brainstorm on building a MAGA movement that outlasts Trump.

A Washington Post report published Tuesday morning revealed details of a 2019 GOP strategy meeting in the small town of Rockbridge, Ohio, attended by billionaires and media personalities including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, hedge fund manager Rebekah Mercer, and economist Oren Cass.

The attendees formed the "Rockbridge Network," a GOP strategy network helmed by conservative venture capitalist Chris Buskirk, whose aim is to build a MAGA movement that outlasts Donald Trump by letting business leaders shape American policy. ...


Even after taxes,that is great money.

7600 a month. Let's say 40% is taxes.
4560 after tax.
assuming no retirement or HSA deductions

Housing usually is the next biggest budget expense.
US average rent is 1500-1800/mo
We'll use 1800.
probably an underestimation for urban areas; my search says averages are more in the $1,800 to 2,000 range

2760 left to pay utilities (elec/gas, water/sewer, phone/internet/cable).
utilities have been steadily climbing by large jumps each year for several years; we've signed up for plans that spread bills out over the course of the year and pay about $200 per electric and gas, ~$100 for water and sewer, so $600 a month in utilities
~$80 for cell/internet bundle
Call it $750 to $800 if you add cable.

Groceries/month.
On average, my family of 4 spends $100-120 per week with larger weeks, say once a month, where we stock up on bulk protein from Costco and freeze it along with other more stable items we can use in bulk; say on average $200-250 per trip
That would give a total of about $600-$730 per month

Car insurance needs to be broken down to note monthly expense.
Personally works out to about $150

Single person is doing really well with this.

A couple? That's $200,000. No sweat.

This is need vs want.

The 'want' crowd can't survive because they don't understand what 'need' means.

#12 | Posted by Petrous

Totals for my bold text are $3,550. Without any deductions or savings.

Leaving $1,010 remaining.

That doesn't include other big ticket items like:

Car payment - average of ~$1,000
Daycare/child care - average ~800-1,000 per child depending on child's age
student loan payments - average $400-500
Car/home maintenance - variable
Medical costs - variable
Clothing/shoes/gas/miscellaneous items - variable

Me thinks your last line is based on the significant assumption of two six figure earners in a single household whereas the norm is, most likely, a single six figure owner in a household with supplemental income coming from the other spouse/partner.

Even if there are two six figure incomes in a household, two kids in day care wipes most of that gain away.

@#61 ... A 2020 Justice Department report into the case found "poor judgment" was made in giving Epstein a sweetheart deal at the time."...

Ya think.

Yet Pres Trump appointed Mr Acosta to his Cabinet.

As a reward?

Alexander Acosta
en.wikipedia.org

... In 2007"2008, as U.S. attorney, Acosta approved a plea deal that allowed child-trafficking ring-leader Jeffrey Epstein to plead guilty to a single state charge of solicitation, in exchange for a federal non-prosecution agreement.[2]

After Epstein's arrest in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges, Acosta faced renewed and harsher criticism for his role in the 2008 non-prosecution agreement, as well as criticism and calls for his resignation as Secretary of Labor; he resigned on July 19 and was replaced by Eugene Scalia.

Since March of 2025, Acosta has been a member of the board of directors of Newsmax and serves as its Audit Committee chair.[3] ...



@#96 ... Then why was Trump so adamant about not releasing them? ...

Ya know...

That's an excellent question.

The Curious History of 'What Did the President Know, and When Did He Know It?' (2018)
www.brennancenter.org

... A half-century ago an ally helped bring down a president with one simple question.

The Washington Post wants to know. So does the New York Times. So too do The New Yorker, USA Today, The Nation and Salon.

What all these outlets want to know is the same question last asked in another presidential corruption scandal, Watergate, 45 years ago: "What did the president know, and when did he know it?"

The simple inquiry became world famous. But what is less well-known is the story behind the question, and perhaps most surprising of all, that it was asked in order to defend President Richard Nixon.

The person who asked the question was Tennessee GOP Sen. Howard Baker Jr. His party credentials were unassailable. His father was a GOP Congressman and his father-in-law was Senate minority leader for a decade. Baker was the ranking Republican on the special Senate committee that investigated Watergate. ...



@#2 ... here's a sucker born every minute. - PT Barnum ...

Funny you should mention him.

I drive by the house he was born in from time to time.

He also was elected Mayor of Bridgeport, CT.

P. T. Barnum
en.wikipedia.org

... Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 " April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[1] He was also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, although he said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me."[2]

According to Barnum's critics, his personal aim was "to put money in his own coffers".[2] The adage "there's a sucker born every minute" has frequently been attributed to him, although no evidence exists that he had coined the phrase.[3] ...

Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut legislature in 1865 as a Republican for Fairfield, Connecticut.

He spoke before the legislature concerning the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude: "A human soul, 'that God has created and Christ died for,' is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot"it is still an immortal spirit."[5]

He was elected in 1875 as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting to streets and enforce liquor and prostitution laws.

He was instrumental in the inception of Bridgeport Hospital in 1878 and was its first president.[6]

The circus business, begun when he was 60 years old, was the source of much of his enduring fame. He established P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome in 1870, a traveling circus, menagerie and museum of "freaks" that adopted many names over the years. ...



fwiw ...


@#96 ... Then why was Trump so adamant about not releasing them? ...

Good question.

There's this ...

JD Vance's 2021 tweet about the Epstein files comes back to haunt him: Aged like milk'
www.independent.co.uk

... An old tweet from J.D. Vance about the Epstein scandal has gone viral after new emails, which claimed that Donald Trump "knew about the girls," were released by the House Oversight Committee.

Now, social media users have said that the vice president's comment from December 30, 2021, has "aged like milk," as it comes back to haunt him.

"What possible interest would the US government have in keeping Epstein's clients secret? Oh ... " Vance tweeted.

The now-vice president did not give a reason for the U.S. Government, the Biden administration, at the time of tweeting, allegedly "keeping the Epstein clients secret."

However, he doubled down on his position with another tweet, which urged journalists to investigate the Epstein case.

"If you're a journalist and you're not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself," he raged. "What purpose do you even serve? I'm sure there's a middle-class teenager somewhere who could use some harassing right now, but maybe try to do your job once in a while." ...



However, social media users have noted the irony in Vance's tweet. Since becoming vice president, Vance has stated that Trump wants "full transparency" on the issue, despite Trump repeatedly dismissing questions about the Epstein scandal.

[links to his tweets in the article]



@#89 ... "The files .. are ... scrubbed because Trump wants" ...

The FBI Redacted Trump's Name in the Epstein Files (August 1, 2025)
www.bloomberg.com

... The most transparent administration in history'

Before explaining the government's rationale for blacking out Trump's name, let's recap. Along with aliens and JFK's assassination, conspiracy theories surrounding the life and death of convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein have long consumed MAGA.

Epstein avoided federal sex-trafficking charges in 2008 when he agreed to plead guilty to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution. In July 2019, following an investigation by the Miami Herald that also scrutinized the integrity of the government's probe, Epstein was indicted on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. A month later, he died by suicide in his jail cell, federal law enforcement authorities said, while awaiting trial.

Epstein's death led to a swirl of renewed interest among Trump supporters, which in recent months has verged into an obsession. Last year, while still on the campaign trail, Trump vowed to "declassify" material in the government's possession pertaining to Epstein. Before Pam Bondi was nominated as attorney general by Trump, she insisted that the public had a right to know more details about the case. "If people in that report are still fighting to keep their names private," she said on Fox News last year, "they have no legal basis to do so, unless they're a child, a victim, or a cooperating defendant." In January, Kash Patel, the FBI director, told a Senate Committee during his confirmation hearing that he'd ensure "the American public knows the full weight of what happened."

Then on Feb. 27, during a highly publicized event at the White House, Bondi rolled out what the Justice Department referred to as the "first phase" of the release of the Epstein files. It was attended by former Pizzagate provocateur Jack Posobiec and other far-right influencers. They were given binders labeled "The Epstein Files" and "The Most Transparent Administration in History" that contained about 200 pages of documents that Bondi characterized as "declassified." She also suggested that the records would contain previously undisclosed details about Epstein.

Instead, Bondi's big Epstein files party was a bust. It turned out the documents she called declassified, which included pages from Epstein's infamous "black book," had been previously released, most recently during the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell four years earlier. (The black book revealed Trump's name and the names of his wife, Melania, and other family members.)

Trump's followers were irate. Bondi was angry, too. She fired off a letter to FBI Director Patel demanding to know why the bureau failed to provide her with the thousands of pages of documents related to the Epstein investigation and indictment she requested. She wanted answers from Patel, and accountability. ...


[more in the article ...]

"Emeritus Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz entered the latest public spat around the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his friendship with President Donald Trump by arguing that Epstein wasn't all that bad.

Speaking with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on Friday, Dershowitz thought it prudent to clarify the nature of Epstein's crimes.

"The predecessor on your show described Epstein as a convicted pedophile," Dershowitz complained to Cuomo.

"[Epstein] pleaded guilty to one count of having sex for money with a 17-year-and-10-month-old person. That's not a pedophile."

;;

"While Epstein is alleged to have committed far more numerous and wide-ranging crimes, the case Dershowitz is referring to is that of his 2008 plea deal, under which he served 13 months (of an 18-month sentence) in a work-release program.

However, that investigation began after accusations were made about his interactions with a 14-year-old girl, and federal officials identified 36 similarly aged girls whom Epstein allegedly abused.

Epstein pleaded guilty to the two relatively minor crimes of prostitution and soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida in order to avoid federal charges.

A 2020 Justice Department report into the case found "poor judgment" was made in giving Epstein a sweetheart deal at the time."

www.thedailybeast.com

My question is when is someone going to prison for handing out that Sweetheart Deal in Florida??

Also, for when Epstein was murdered in prison? Was Mossad involved?

Inquiring minds want to know.

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