R.E.M. is turning 45 years old this Saturday, which is a perfect time to take a trip to its hometown.
The Department of Health and Human Services cut $2 billion from a program that supports vaccines for vulnerable children, forcing public health departments to lay off staff and cancel clinics. read more
As more stories emerge of the migrants deported from the United States to El Salvador, the "administrative error" that put Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father said to have legal status, on one of the planes has caused outrage among many Americans who see the deportation flights as a flagrant miscarriage of due process. But the man's alleged gang ties have made this case more complex.
Today, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander urged the New York City Law Department to pursue securities litigation against Tesla on behalf of the the New York City pension systems. The basis of the potential litigation are the material misstatements from Tesla claiming that CEO Elon Musk spends significant time on the company and is highly active in its management, despite his helming the Trump Administration's DOGE initiative, spending little of his time actually managing Tesla, and promoting policies that are actively harmful to Tesla's business. read more
Report: IT officials who fought DOGE access put on leave and under investigation. read more
@#6 ... We hit the basement twice with our pets when the warning sirens went off. ...
Good to hear you (plural) were safe.
I experienced a tornado devastation when I lived in the Louisville area.
Tornadoes of April 3, 1974
www.weather.gov
Those tornadoes ripped through Louisville. ...
...
April 3, 1974
Counties: Jefferson KY, Oldham
F-scale: F4
Deaths:
Injuries:
Path width: 200 yards
Path length:
Time: 3:37pm
Grazulis narrative: Moved northeast from the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville. Dozens of buildings and hundreds of trees were destroyed in Louisville. About a dozen expensive homes were destroyed in affluent suburbs of northeast Louisville.
About 425 homes were destroyed in Jefferson County, and 25 were damaged in Oldham County. Losses on one Oldham County farm amounted to $200,000....
@#3 ... www.wave3.com ...
Wow, that WAVE mention triggered memories.
My 15-inch B&W TV with a whip antenna.
And then there's this from that time ..
Pink Floyd - Us And Them (Richard Wright Demo)
www.youtube.com
OK, I confess, I have an affinity for the Louisville, KY metropolitan area.
As I have stated a few times in the past, I lived in that area in my earlier years. The people there were awesome, and supportive of this incomer.
OK, that aside ...
Ohio River in Louisville could rise to highest level in 7 years
www.wlky.com
... With rain falling almost non-stop through Sunday, flooding is a major concern for the WLKY region.
Flood warnings and watches are in effect and area rivers, creeks and streams will likely overflow their banks, with the Ohio River expected to climb into moderate flood stage.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the National Water Prediction Service projects the Ohio River at the McAlpine Upper, which is a gauge location in Louisville, will crest around 33.7 feet.
If it reaches that, that'll be the highest level it's been since 2018.
Moving forward, what we will really have to keep an eye on is how much rain not only falls over our area, but also how much rain Indiana and Ohio receive over the next couple days as all that water drains into the Ohio River. ...
Russian oligarchs
en.wikipedia.org
... Russian oligarchs (Russian: , romanized: oligarkhi) are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s via the Russian privatisation that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The failing Soviet state left the ownership of state assets contested, which allowed for informal deals with former USSR officials as a means to acquire state property.
The Russian oligarchs emerged as business entrepreneurs under Mikhail Gorbachev (General Secretary, 1985"1991) using various loopholes during economic liberalization under Gorbachev's perestroika.[1] Boris Berezovsky, a mathematician and former researcher, became the first well-known Russian business oligarch.[2]
Oligarchs became increasingly influential in Russian politics during Boris Yeltsin's presidency (1991"1999); they helped finance his re-election in 1996. Well-connected oligarchs like Roman Abramovich, Michail Khodorkovsky, Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Potanin acquired key assets at a fraction of the value at the loans for shares scheme auctions conducted in the run-up to the election.[3] Defenders of the out-of-favor oligarchs argue that the companies they acquired were not highly valued at the time because they still ran on Soviet principles, with non-existent stock control, huge payrolls, no financial reporting and scant regard for profit.[4] ...
So, it looks like Pres trump is following the path led by Russia in the oligarchs' takeover of government.
@#4
I'm not yet willing to agree.
VP Vance is a diplomatic idiot?
Based upon his comment when he landed in our ally's airfield. ...
Yeah, a diplomatic idiotic.
I guess that is what occurs when a politician may be pruchased by a billionaire.
JD Vance And Peter Thiel: What To Know About The Relationship Between Trump's VP Pick And The Billionaire (July 2024)
www.forbes.com
...
JD Vance, former President Donald Trump's running mate, has had a long, collaborative relationship with GOP donor and Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, one that has aided Vance from his time in venture capital to his role as an Ohio senator. ...
Another comment on that visit by VP Vance ...
JD Vance felt the cold in Greenland but he had no warm words for European allies
news.sky.com
... "It's cold as s*** here," said the US vice president when he touched down in Greenland.
He meant it, both literally and metaphorically.
There was no warm welcome from islanders for JD Vance and the second lady. ...
OK, taking a step back from the innate absurdity of the topic ...
Let's look at how Pres Trump seems to decide upon his staff and advisors ...
So, no DEI is allowed.
But ...
The main requirement seems to be, not merit or qualification for the position to be filled, but an obsequious loyalty to Pres Trump.
That is good ... why?