Can you skydive continuously without landing? Watch skydiver Max Manow pull off a never-before-seen feat over the Grand Canyon, showcasing gravity-defying teamwork with an airplane pilot. read more
The GOP's Hill leaders are signaling their eagerness to back up Elon Musk by turning DOGE spending cuts into real legislation. read more
The Department of Justice told federal prosecutors in New York to drop their corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, citing his "restricted" ability to help the Trump administration enforce its immigration policies.
A consortium of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk is offering $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit that controls artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. read more
Gravy Analytics has been sued yet again for allegedly failing to safeguard its vast stores of personal data, which are now feared stolen. read more
Moving back on topic ...
So now Pres Trump's deportation efforts have returned to the "detention camps" of his campaign?
And going back to his campaign... he said he would deport 20 million illegal immigrants.
How is he doing on that?
He needs to deport over 10,000 immigrants per month to attain that goal.
He is already behind.
Trump is 'angry' that deportation numbers are not higher
www.nbcnews.com
... Agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement are under increasing pressure to boost the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, as President Donald Trump has expressed anger that the amount of people deported in the first weeks of his administration is not higher, according to three sources familiar with the discussions at ICE and the White House.
A source familiar with Trump's thinking said the president is getting "angry" that more people are not being deported and that the message is being passed along to "border czar" Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello.
"It's driving him nuts they're not deporting more people," said the person familiar with Trump's thinking. ...
@#9
Along those lines ...
Callers swamp Senate offices in Trump's first weeks, leading to busy signals and full voicemail (February 5, 2025)
apnews.com
Lawmakers flooded with calls about Elon Musk: It is a deluge on DOGE'
www.washingtonpost.com
@#14 ... Time to arm up and storm the White House. ...
Is that what MAGA is hoping will happen?
MAGA seems to want to find some excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act.
The Insurrection Act Explained (2022)
www.brennancenter.org
... The law, which lets the president deploy the military domestically and use it for civilian law enforcement, is dangerously vague and in urgent need of reform. ...
@#5 ... Or Yav, the little fella either.
Nor do I see any reference to Yav in this thread.
Were comments deleted?
Or might you just be having a bad night? Wish I knew.
What's up?
4 Non Blondes - What's Up
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
25 years and my life is still
Tryin' to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
...
[Chorus]
And I say, hey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey
I said "Hey, a-what's going on?"
And I say, hey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey
I said "Hey, a-what's going on?"
...
An interesting tune, not only for what it proffers, but also for one of those tunes where the title of the tune is not present in the lyrics.
@#9 .. Skydiving is a sport - or it can be. There are some incredible competitions in it. ...
But was this, I'll say, a stunt, not a sporting event.
More like a dare-devil event designed to attract attention.
Evel Knievel comes to mind.
Evel Knievel
en.wikipedia.org
... Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938 " November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel, was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.[1] ...
Whoa, "entertainer."
I had not ascribed that appellation to this event.
But yeah, it seems to be more apropos.
November 2024...
Michigan Muslims shun Harris over Gaza war, turn to Stein, Trump
www.newarab.com
Now ...
In Michigan, some Arab American voters revisit their support for Trump after he suggests "take over" of Gaza Strip
www.cbsnews.com
@#12 ... And, as noted by LampLighter here, apparently voters are all in favor of Trump's approach. ...
Not all, but most.
And, even with that, this is concerning for Democracy.
How Hitler Won Over the German People (2008)
www.spiegel.de
... There were still many Germans who were skeptical of Hitler when he became chancellor in 1933. But Fhrer propaganda and military success soon turned him into an idol. The adulation helped make the Third Reich catastrophe possible. ...
@#4 ... Remember, farmers here voted for this. ...
Jesus and Tribalism (2020)
seejesus.net
... Jesus' world was more riven with tribalism than our own, so we can learn from how he responds:
1 " Jesus is aware of tribal differences.
Jesus is aware of the tribal differences that plagued his world. Here's a short list of tribal tensions that we come across in the New Testament: Jews vs. Romans, Samaritans vs. Jews, Jew vs. Greek, Greek Jews vs. Hebrew Jews, Clean Jews vs. Unclean Jews, Sinful Jews vs. Pure Jews, Pharisees vs. Sadducees, Rich vs. Poor, Men vs. Women.
When Jesus asks the Samaritan woman (John 4) for a drink, he knows that Jews abhor drinking from vessels that Samaritans have used. He's aware that Pilate has power over him and he openly respects that power when he tells Pilate in John 16, "My kingdom is from another world." That is, "Pilate, I'm no threat to you." I was telling this to my granddaughter Claire, who's off to college this year, and she said, "Jesus is woke!"
It seems trite to say that Jesus was aware of tribalism, but when you are in a more privileged tribe, you can miss what it feels like to be in a "weaker" tribe. Reflecting back on my ten years working in urban Christian schools, that was true of me. I loved the kids and parents I worked with. I was immersed in their world, caring for them, sacrificing for them, and just enjoying them. We, and especially Jill, endured significant financial hardship during those years. We started a Christian school in West Philly (CitySchool.org) with the express purpose of fostering a multi-racial witness to Jesus. Our first three children went to the school and all developed deep cross-cultural friendships. We were "all in." ...
I had suspected this might have been the reason why Mayor Adams was kissing Pres Trump's most ample derriere recently.