President Ronald Reagan appointed Mark Wolf to be a U.S. district judge in 1985. Four decades later, he announced his resignation from the bench in an article in the Atlantic. Federal judges adhere to strict rules regarding what they can say in public. To avoid an appearance of bias, they rarely speak publicly at all -- and refrain from commenting on politics and political leaders. Instead, they speak through their written opinions on matters of fact and law.
By trying to drive more assertively, Waymo appears to be adopting some dangerous human habits.
Republicans' tax cuts shaved billions off Amazon's tax bill, new government filings show. The company says it ran a $1.2 billion tax bill last year, down from $9 billion the previous year, and even as its profits jumped by 45 percent to nearly $90 billion.
Governors' offices learned Friday that a White House meeting around the upcoming National Governors Association weekend will only include Republicans -- a break from its bipartisan past. read more
Recording artist Bad Bunny will command one of America's biggest stages this Sunday when he is poised to make history as the first Super Bowl halftime headliner to sing primarily in Spanish. In less than a decade, he has become one of the world's most popular artists while embracing traits that have historically been seen as barriers to the widest success: he sings almost entirely in Spanish, champions his Puerto Rican identity, and doesn't shy away from speaking his mind on politics.
Dianne Davidson - Built for Comfort (1988)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
Some folks are built like this
Some folks are built like that
But the way I'm built
Now, don't you call me fat
Because I'm built for comfort
I ain't built for speed, no, no, no
But I got everything
That a good woman needs
Some folks they rip and run
Some folks just heave and sigh
But to love me, baby
You just got to take your time
'Cause I'm built for comfort
I ain't built for speed, no, no, no
But I got everything
That a good woman needs
...
@#7 ... the dearth of speed cameras in Connecticut: ...
That's changing, for better or worse ....
As CT speed cameras bring in millions and more towns sign up, concerns linger (January 2026)
ctmirror.org
... Drivers who speed down Route 66 on the border of Middletown and Middlefield are getting hit with an automatic $50 fine. The second time they're caught in a month costs $75.
Middletown is one of the first municipalities in Connecticut to install speed cameras in town -- but it won't be the last.
After the Connecticut legislature passed a law in 2023 allowing municipalities to install red light and speed cameras and collect fines from drivers who break the law, cities and towns have been presenting extensive plans to the state Department of Transportation in bids to procure their own monitoring devices.
So far, 11 have had plans approved and three more are under consideration. ...
@#21 ... that Israel would allow one of its most important deep state assets ...
I thought he may have been a Russian asset?
Poland to probe possible links between Epstein and Russia, PM Tusk says
www.reuters.com
Robert Cray and Albert Collins - The Dream (1985)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
genius.com
...
(Bob's vocal)
Last night
Once again I had the dream
I tossed and I turned
That old feeling's still the same
It was so real
I woke up cold and sweating
I wonder did I call her name?
In the dream she was right there with me
Right there with me in the bed
She said, "Bobby, come and kiss me"
"Never leave me!" is what she said
But when I reached out to hold her
Oh, I woke my wife instead
(Collins solo, with Bob on rhythm)
Once againnnnnnnnn!
Once again, I had the dream
Six years since I've seen her
Ain't no doubt about what it means, no, no
I tried hard not to think about her
But all she left me was this dream
All she left me was the dream
All she left me was a dream
A dream
All she left me was the dream
I dreamed I called her name
I dreamed I held my baby in my arms
Oh, what a dream!
...
And ...
Danbury officials say a 'jaw-dropping' 3,000 drivers cited for passing stopped school buses (November 2025)
www.newstimes.com
... More than 3,000 motorists passed stopped school buses in the first two months since Danbury unveiled new enforcement technology, according to city officials.
City school buses are equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence technology in an effort to deter drivers from illegally passing them while their stop arms are extended, and red lights are flashing. The program, in partnership with Virginia-based BusPatrol, began in late August.
"This is jaw dropping," said Mayor Roberto Alves about the latest numbers. "We knew this was an issue ... we had heard from bus drivers, we've heard from frustrated parents ... but we never would have thought it was this bad. We never thought we would average about 1,500 violations per month."
Danbury is one of several communities in Connecticut to use such technology. Bridgeport launched its bus camera program in 2024, and Shelton school buses are now equipped with the systems, with New Haven next to use similar technology. ...
Meanwhile, here in CT ...
Vernon approves cameras for school buses
www.wfsb.com
... The Vernon Town Council Tuesday night unanimously passed an ordinance to add cameras to school buses as part of a stop-arm enforcement program.
The decision came after a public hearing at Town Hall, where speakers supported prioritizing student safety.
Town officials said drivers ignoring school bus stop signs has become a growing problem.
As a result, cameras will be installed on buses to capture drivers who fail to stop when buses have their flashing stop lights on. ...
Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron (1967)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
This 1966 novelty pop song details a fictional encounter between First World War ace pilot Manfred von Richthofen and Snoopy of Peanuts comic fame.
This song was released soon after Charles Schultz created the first comic of Snoopy imagining himself as a WWI fighter pilot, facing off against the Red Baron.
...
[Verse 1]
After the turn of the century
In the clear blue skies over Germany
Came a roar and a thunder men had never heard
Like the screamin' sound of a big war bird
[Verse 2]
Up in the sky, a man in a plane
Baron von Richthofen was his name
Eighty men tried, and eighty men died
Now, they're buried together on the countryside
[Chorus]
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin' up the score
Eighty men died tryin' to end that spree
Of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany
[Verse 3]
In the nick of time, a hero arose
A funny-lookin' dog with a big black nose
He flew into the sky to seek revenge
But the Baron shot him down (Curses, foiled again!)
[Chorus] ...
[Verse 4]
Now, Snoopy had swore that he'd get that man
So he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan
He challenged the German to a real dogfight
While the Baron was laughin', he got him in his sight
[Musical Interlude]
[Verse 5]
That Bloody Red Baron was in a fix
He tried everything, but he'd run out of tricks
Snoopy fired once and he fired twice
And that Bloody Red Baron went spinnin' out of sight
[Chorus] ...
[Outro]
Well, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin' up the score
...
Racial views of Donald Trump
en.wikipedia.org
... Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, has a history of speech and actions that have been viewed by scholars and the public as racist or sympathetic to white supremacy. Journalists, friends, family, and former employees have accused him of fueling racism in the United States.
Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism.[1][2]
In 1973, Trump and his company Trump Management were sued by the Department of Justice for housing discrimination against African-American renters; he settled the suit, entering into a consent decree to end the practices without admitting wrongdoing.[3][4][5]
From 2011 to 2016, Trump was a leading proponent of the debunked birther conspiracy theory falsely claiming president Barack Obama was not born in the United States.[6][7]
In a racially charged criminal case, Trump continued to state, as late as 2024,[8] that a group known as the Central Park Five mostly made up of African American teenagers were responsible for the 1989 rape of a white woman in the Central Park jogger case, despite the five males having been officially exonerated in 2002.[9][10][11]
Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign with a speech in which he said that Mexico sends criminals to the border: "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."[12][13]
During the campaign, Trump used the fears of the white working class voters, and created the impression of global danger of groups that are deemed to pose a challenge to the nation.[14]
Trump made comments following a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that were seen by critics as implying moral equivalence between the white supremacist marchers and those who protested against them as "very fine people". Trump excluded white nationalists from the "very fine people" comment, stating that "I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally".[15][16][17]
In 2018, during an Oval Office meeting about immigration reform, Trump referred to El Salvador, Haiti, and African countries as "shitholes", which critics condemned as a racist comment.[18][19][20]
In July 2019, Trump tweeted about four Democratic congresswomen of color, three of whom were American-born: "Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done."[21] News outlets such as The Atlantic criticized this comment as a common racist trope.[22] He later denied his comments were racist, saying "if somebody has a problem with our country, if somebody doesn't want to be in our country, they should leave."[23]
Trump's controversial statements have been condemned by many observers around the world,[4][24][25] but excused by some of his supporters as a rejection of political correctness[26][27] and by others because they harbor similar racial beliefs.[28] ...
@#25 ... That's Hasbara talk. Total disinformation. ...
Is it?
I noted that he may have been a Russian asset. Not that he was one.
Why is Poland so curious about that aspect?
What might they know that is not in the Epstein files, or that has been redacted in the Epstein files?
I wish I knew.
But, at this point, considering the extreme [understatement] redaction of the half of the Epstein files that have been released so far, I'm trying to not form definitive opinions.