More than two weeks since being named President-elect, Joe Biden is anxious to plan as best he can to save the lives of as many Americans as possible. Yet, oh so predictably, we still have a Trump apparatchik gumming up the works. How does Emily Murphy sleep at night, knowing that every day she refuses to launch the presidential transition with a stroke of the pen, she makes … [Read more...] about HOW DOES EMILY MURPHY SLEEP AT NIGHT?
200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction
Workmen dissecting a whale carcass in Antarctica, circa 1935. Hulton Archive via Getty Images Daniella McCahey, Texas Tech University and Alessandro Antonello, Flinders University Two hundred years ago, on Nov. 17, Connecticut ship captain Nathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic continent, one of three parties to do so in 1820. Unlike explorers Edward … [Read more...] about 200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction
How Can IoT and Blockchain Help Remove Counterfeits?
Counterfeit materials and products pose a threat to any industry. They disrupt the supply chain, lead to a lack of consumer satisfaction and, most of all, can cost billions of dollars total every year. Thus, finding solutions to counterfeit goods is more necessary than ever. The Internet of Things (IoT), when businesses along the supply chain use it with blockchain technology, … [Read more...] about How Can IoT and Blockchain Help Remove Counterfeits?
JUST PEACHY: AS GEORGIA GOES, SO GOES THE SENATE
Ray Charles famously sang, “I said Georgia / Ooh Georgia / No peace I find.” Ray got that right. It’s perversely fitting that the 2020 freak show will bleed into 2021, capped by twin Senate contests in a traditional red state that’s tilting purple. We’ll get no semblance of peace, however fleeting, until the voters of Georgia decide whether President-elect Joe Biden will … [Read more...] about JUST PEACHY: AS GEORGIA GOES, SO GOES THE SENATE
Is Lindsey Graham a Crook, or Just a Liar
Good old boy Lindsey from South Carolina has been trying to get Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State and a staunch Republican all of his life, to change votes in the presidential election to help Trump switch from the losing column to the winning column. Graham denies any effort to aid Trump in overturning the election, but didn’t realize that Raffernsperger had a … [Read more...] about Is Lindsey Graham a Crook, or Just a Liar
Half of Politics Is the Refusal to Be Imposed Upon
One of the most interesting aspects of political psychology concerns the gap between the reasons people give for their political opinions and the real causes of their holding those opinions. Typically, that gap generates another one – that between the content of arguments a person makes for her political position and the real motivation for her holding that … [Read more...] about Half of Politics Is the Refusal to Be Imposed Upon
Trump fires US election security official who rejected fraud claims
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump on Tuesday fired the government's top election security official, who had rejected the president's unsubstantiated claims of "massive" fraud in the vote he lost to Joe Biden. Trump announced on Twitter the termination "effective immediately" of Chris Krebs, who leads the agency that jointly declared "the November 3rd election was the most secure … [Read more...] about Trump fires US election security official who rejected fraud claims
Will Bunch: A less-racist brand of Trump populism could bring a GOP dynasty unless Democrats do something
When the first election returns started coming in from Texas’ Zapata County — a hot, dusty corner of the Rio Grande Valley with oil rigs and a large Latine population — some online voting fraud sleuths thought there’d been a voting machine glitch, or worse. How could a county that had voted nearly 2-1 for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton show President Donald Trump narrowly … [Read more...] about Will Bunch: A less-racist brand of Trump populism could bring a GOP dynasty unless Democrats do something
Escalating COVID-19 cases suggest jump in deaths beginning Black Friday
Sunday was day 301 since the first case of coronavirus disease was announced in the United States, and it marked the day we passed 11 million cases. We are experiencing an “unprecedented surge of hospitalizations.” Sunday’s hospitalization report, 69,864 patients, marked the sixth successive day with new hospitalization records. Yes, more hospitalizations than in the initial … [Read more...] about Escalating COVID-19 cases suggest jump in deaths beginning Black Friday
The Future of Trumpism
by Noah Jenkins As election day came and past, it is inevitable the Trump era will come to a close. To many this represents the end of a grand populist experiment in America that proved politicians—at least in the standard sense—are not the only way. Yet others breathed a sigh of relief, saying, to put it in the words of President Ford, “our long national nightmare is over.” … [Read more...] about The Future of Trumpism
Hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What’s normal behavior in an abnormal time?
Hoarding, stockpiling and panic buying have all increased during the pandemic. Grace Cary via Getty Images Carol Mathews, University of Florida Symptoms of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders have emerged or worsened for many during the pandemic. This is no surprise to clinicians and scientists, who have been increasing worldwide … [Read more...] about Hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What’s normal behavior in an abnormal time?
LAME DUCK A L’ORANGE (Cartoon)
Lindsey Graham scandal: Georgia elections chief says Graham asked about rejecting more absentee ballots
ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham asked him if he had the power to reject more absentee ballots as election officials are conducting a recount and audit of the presidential race.Raffensperger, in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday, said the South Carolina senator was the latest Republican to question whether he … [Read more...] about Lindsey Graham scandal: Georgia elections chief says Graham asked about rejecting more absentee ballots
Right-Wing Meltdown Continues
Not since the film Raiders of the Lost Ark had its debut in 1981 have there been meltdowns as dramatic as the ones coming from right-wing pundits. Mollie Hemingway: "The media clearly are doing everything in their power to help their candidate who is Joe Biden be able to claim that he won this election, and they are doing that in part on how they make calls on different … [Read more...] about Right-Wing Meltdown Continues
Build Your Own Cabinet. A President’s Cabinet, That Is.
[Caution: This post contains some humble bragging and self-effacing satire.] Other titles considered for this piece: “Even a Dummy Has Bragging Rights.” “Even a Broken (24-Hour) Clock Is Right Once a Day” Let me explain. In the wake of the presidential election, there has been a lot of criticism of and soul searching by the pollsters, pundits, political analysts … [Read more...] about Build Your Own Cabinet. A President’s Cabinet, That Is.
Flip Georgia blue on 05 January 2021
Georgians voted blue in a presidential election for the first time since 1992, endorsing President-elect Joe Biden. Now control of the US Senate rests with an 05 January 2021 runoff election in Georgia. Neither Republican Senators David Perdue (one term) nor Kelly Loeffler (appointed term) captured 50% of the statewide vote on 03 November 2020. Prior to the 2020 election, … [Read more...] about Flip Georgia blue on 05 January 2021
‘He won because…’ — Trump edges toward accepting Biden victory
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump appeared to edge closer towards acknowledging his election defeat in a tweet on Sunday morning, as he again railed against supposed mass fraud in the vote won by challenger Joe Biden."He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company," Trump tweeted in … [Read more...] about ‘He won because…’ — Trump edges toward accepting Biden victory
900 dead at sea trying to reach Europe: UN laments senseless loss of life
Even as Europe and the US groan under their coronavirus debacles, 900 asylum seekers have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean this year for safe haven in Europe. The UN-related International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported nearly 100 deaths, including a toddler, in shipwrecks on Thursday off the coast of Libya. New measures are “needed to prevent … [Read more...] about 900 dead at sea trying to reach Europe: UN laments senseless loss of life
Five U.S. Soldiers Among Seven Dead in Sinai Black Hawk Helicopter Crash
The US Army has now identified five Americans killed in a helicopter crash Thursday near the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh during a routine mission while serving as part of the peacekeeping Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Egypt. The MFO has been monitoring the four-decade-old Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement with 13 countries contributing to the … [Read more...] about Five U.S. Soldiers Among Seven Dead in Sinai Black Hawk Helicopter Crash
Biden 306 electoral votes Trump 216: Biden wins Georgia and Arizona, Trump North Carolina
In this race, it seems its never over when it looks over. But it is over. But most news networks have now called the race: 306 electoral votes for former Vice President Joe Biden and 216 for President Donald Trump. CNN: Joe Biden will win Georgia, CNN projected Friday, striking at the heart of what has been a Republican presidential stronghold for nearly three decades. … [Read more...] about Biden 306 electoral votes Trump 216: Biden wins Georgia and Arizona, Trump North Carolina