Tracker

Popeye's is trying something different:

The point is that they do not always know when someone is infected but asymptomatic. This is very wrong if it is going on. I hope with all my heart that this is the beginning of the downward slide of COVID.

If they are doing so, they, whether it is of their choosing or as directed, this is in complete violation of infection control procedures and probably the law. If they wear the same mask from one patient to another, there is a grave risk of carrying the virus along.

Apple Tells Ex-White House Counsel That Trump DOJ Sought His Records In 2018: Reports The reported disclosure reveals the Justice Department’s extraordinary move to investigate Don McGahn as he served as Trump’s top lawyer. Apple informed former White House counsel Don McGahn and his wife last month that their records were sought by the Justice Department in February 2018 while McGahn was still serving as then-President Donald Trump’s top lawyer, The New York Times and CNN reported Sunday. The U.S. government barred Apple from telling McGahn about the move at the time, two people briefed on the matter told the Times. The Justice Department’s move to subpoena information about McGahn and his wife was under a nondisclosure order until May, CNN reported. Apple’s reported disclosure exposes an extraordinary move by the Justice Department to subpoena records of a then-current White House counsel. Weeks before his records were subpoenaed, McGahn had reportedly fallen out of favor with Trump for refusing to instruct DOJ officials to fire then-special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was leading the department’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. There’s no indication as to whether the pursuit of McGahn’s records was politically motivated or which investigation they may have been related to. A source told CNN that Mueller’s team was not behind the subpoena. McGahn is one of several top officials to have had their records secretly obtained by the Trump DOJ as part of its investigation into the source of leaks related to the Russia probe. Earlier this week, two House Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee said they had been notified that their data had been subpoenaed as part of the DOJ’s investigation. In total, the records of at least a dozen people tied to the committee, including aides and relatives of committee members, were subpoenaed in 2017 and 2018, reported the Times. One was a minor. Apple Tells Ex-White House Counsel That Trump DOJ Sought His Records In 2018: Reports | HuffPost

Got our second Pfizer shots this afternoon. We are now fully prepared to carry on being burdens on society and depriving our children of their inheritances. And we picked up new fashion accessories:

Eeeww.

Sounds promising but we have been there before. These agreements last until one side or the other finds them inconvenient and manufactures an excuse to declare them void. The Oslo Accords, for instance.

That would be the case at Safeway, too. Just stay away from the frozen foods aisles.

New report reveals how Trump's 2020 lies unleashed waves of threat and intimidation against election official After the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reported, on June 1, that former President Donald Trump believes he will be "reinstated" as president by August, many Trump critics — from liberals and progressives to Never Trump conservatives — warned that his delusions could inspire more attacks like the January 6 insurrection as well as an increase in threats against officials. The death threats, harassment and intimidation that election workers have been receiving from Trump supporters is the focus of in-depth article published by Reuters this week, and reporter Linda So shows that the abuse continues months after Trump's departure from the White House. In her report, So emphasizes that the election workers who have suffered ongoing abuse range from high-level officials such as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (a conservative Republican) to low-level and mid-level election workers. Raffensperger, following the 2020 presidential election, infuriated Trump and his allies — including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and far-right attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood — by maintaining that now-President Joe Biden won Georgia fairly and that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state as Trump claimed. And Raffensperger, along with his wife Tricia Raffensperger, have been inundated with death threats ever since New report reveals how Trump's 2020 lies unleashed waves of threat and intimidation against election official - Alternet.org

Wearing a mask when you enter a 7-11 late at night really gets the staff attention as well.

If he hangs around for a while longer, he could still be the leader. O'Toole does not foam at the mouth enough to suit many PC-Reform party members, and if he has any integrity at all, he will bail within the next year after spending most of his time and energy restraining the loons. That sort of thing wears a body down.

'Fascists are at the gates': Government watchdog delivers dire warning that the US 'is in grave danger’ Former Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, is sounding the alarm on the current state of democracy in America. Prompted by two stories: the push for infrastructure legislation over voting rights, and Thursday night's bombshell New York Times report that both Trump Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr had spied on Democrats in Congress, including their staffs, family members and even children, Shaub went to work to wake Americans up about just how bad he thinks things are. And he's placing much of the blame on President Joe Biden's shoulders. "I think Biden's doing a good job with the pandemic and several other things," Shaub tweeted Friday morning. "But I'm increasingly alarmed that he seems clueless about the threat to democracy and doesn't seem to have any real commitment to pushing legislation on voting rights or corruption. That's dangerous." "I like him too," Shaub, who is now a Senior Ethics Fellow at the Project On Government Oversight, told a social media user who was defending Biden's popularity. "But I'm coming to the conclusion that he's clueless about the danger." What danger? "Grave danger." "Listen, your online friends can go back to sleep if they want, just tell them to set their alarm clocks for quarter to fascism so they don't miss the handover," he warns, suggesting the fascists are winning. "'LOSE THE HERO WORSHIP'," he tells Democrats, "and start pounding…folks in the White House & Congress [who] think it's enough to behave better than Trump. They've moved on from worrying about democracy and are spending all their political capital on fixing the roads and pipes."

This is what many predicted would happen as soon as Trump and his pack of hyenas were out of power- a series of leaks that might seem minor at first but soon swelling into a flood of disclosures as the honest civil servants began to test the resolve of the Biden administration to pursue the miscreants, followed by a rush of those implicated or fearing to be implicated saving their own hides. We ain't seen nothin' yet.

Top Democrats threaten to subpoena Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions over new bombshell: 'A gross abuse of power' Top Democratic lawmakers are calling for former U.S. Attorneys General Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions to testify over new revelations about the U.S. Department of Justice's targeting of Democratic lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democratic Whip **** Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday released a joint statement in response to the reports about the Department of Justice's actions under the Trump administration. "The revelation that the Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed metadata of House Intelligence Committee Members and staff and their families, including a minor, is shocking. This is a gross abuse of power and an assault on the separation of powers," Schumer and Durbin said in their statement. "This appalling politicization of the Department of Justice by Donald Trump and his sycophants must be investigated immediately by both the DOJ Inspector General and Congress." They added, "This issue should not be partisan; under the Constitution, Congress is a coequal branch of government and must be protected from an overreaching executive, and we expect that our Republican colleagues will join us in getting to the bottom of this serious matter." They said they're prepared to subpoena the former officials if they refuse to testify voluntarily. Top Democrats threaten to subpoena Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions over new bombshell: 'A gross abuse of power' - Alternet.org

In Germany during the Nazi era, when they were rounding up Jews ( they had already done that with gays, the physically disabled and the mentally ill), they managed to find Jews who supported this, because, a) they were hoping to be eaten last and b) they just could not believe what was coming, even though Hitler laid out his agenda in Mein Kampf. I think many Americans, Democrats and Republicans cannot conceive that a fascist dictatorship could actually come to power in America. There will be more than Democrats who will suffer: unions, gays, environmentalists, Muslims, Semites, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, blacks, and the "wrong kind" of Christians.

Noah’s Ark Replica Faces Biblical Fines For Return Voyage To Holland! The UK coastguard has “arrested” a 230-foot (70 meter) Noah's Ark replica ship in Ipswich, England. Without the correct paperwork and “anti-fouling paint” to deem it seaworthy, the $3.6million (3-million-Euro) vessel is going nowhere, fast. Noah's Ark was the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative through which God spared Noah, his family, and two of each of the world's animals from a world-threatening flood. Now, “Aad Peters Ark” has been impounded by the UK coastguard and cannot sail from England because it does not have the “proper” paperwork. Sounds bizarre doesn’t it? But the story of this enormous floating museum, full of sculptures of biblical characters, that was detained after being towed across North Sea, is in some ways as bizarre as the original story. The Dutch Noah’s Ark Replica: A Floating Biblical Museum Every crazy story has a central character, generally with more than a flash of color, and in this case it is Sir Aad Peters, a Dutch TV producer. Sir Peters is “failing” in his quest to return his Noah’s Ark replica to the Netherlands. He has been unable to get a license because the ship lacks the correct paperwork. Experts Uncover Rare Mosaics Showing Biblical Scenes in Ancient Synagogue in Galilee Ancient Greek Vase Artists Painted Images of Biblical Figures Noah and Nimrod Over 2,000 Years Ago While his predecessor, Noah, sailed after banging a few nails into timbers, Aad Peters's vessel has now been impounded by the UK coastguard and cannot be moved because it does not have the appropriate paperwork. Mr Peter is the owner of this remarkable and huge floating museum that is currently full of sculptures of characters in Biblical scenes . The bespoke version of the famous Biblical ship was detained after being towed across the North Sea from the Netherlands. According to a report in the Daily Mail , Mr Peters negotiations with coastguard officials “have reached a stalemate.” What that means in real terms is that this incredibly expensive vessel has been docked for almost 18 months atIpswich and doesn’t look to be going anywhere soon. An interior view of Sir Aad Peter’s Dutch Noah’s Ark replica ship. ( Ceinturion / CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Daily Ark Fines Could Prove Disastrous for Sir Peters The vessel measures just under half the size of the Biblical ark, which the good book says, “measured 300 cubits,” (510 feet; 155 meters). Noah had his own troubles getting to sea before the deluge, but one thing he didn’t have to deal with was complaints from angry land lubbers. Dockside residents in Ipswich have publicly “condemned” the replica ship as they have called it “a floating eyesore which blocks out sunlight and spoils the view from local homes,” according to the Daily Mail article. In the Biblical Book of Genesis the mountains of Ararat is the term used to designate the region in which Noah's Ark comes to rest after the Great Flood . The great thing with ancient Ararat, compared with modern Ipswich, is that there were no docking fees. Mr Peters is estimated to have stacked up port fines “of £500 (709 dollars or 582 Euros) a day since April 1 when a deadline to move it was missed,” according to an article in the BBC. The Biblical story of Noah’s Ark has a “happy ending” on top of a mountain in Ararat and no paperwork was required. Noah’s Ark replica ship may not be so fortunate. ( JavierArtPhotography / Adobe Stock) A Biblical Vision Frozen By UK Load Line Certificate! The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency told the BBC that they cannot release the ark until it has a “load line certificate.” According to My Sea Time load line certificates certify that vessels comply with the load line conventions. Load line conventions applies to ships of more than 79 feet (24 meters) in length and stipulate that basic limits be met for the ship’s minimum freeboard for buoyancy, plus a reserve addition to cover extreme circumstances.

Every indication is that the Democrats are naïve about the intent and willingness of at least some of the GOP to oppose and destroy American democracy by rigging the electoral process and using force to overturn legitimate results they do not like. They GOP is backed by corporate money and supported by rabid elements such as the Proud Boys, Oathkeeprs and "Christian" fundamentalists, to name a few.

'Out of control': Legal experts weigh in on Trump DOJ's seizing of Adam Schiff's phone records Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is not pleased with the latest development suggesting the Trump-led U.S. Department of Justice seized his phone records and targeted Democratic lawmakers. Now, legal experts are weighing in with their take on the dangers such actions pose to America's democracy. According to The New York Times, David Laufman, a former official for the Justice Department official who worked a number of leak investigation cases, expressed concern about the situation given former President Donald Trump's apparent vendetta against Schiff. "Notwithstanding whether there was sufficient predication for the leak investigation itself, including family members and minor children strikes me as extremely aggressive," Laufman said, adding, "In combination with former President Trump's unmistakable vendetta against Congressman Schiff, it raises serious questions about whether the manner in which this investigation was conducted was influenced by political considerations rather than purely legal ones." 'Out of control': Legal experts weigh in on Trump DOJ's seizing of Adam Schiff's phone records - Alternet.org Republicans Push To Export Absurd Arizona-Style Election Audits To Other States; GOP lawmakers from Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia want to conduct unnecessary, conspiratorial audits of the 2020 election in their home states. Arizona state Senate Republicans’ “audit” of 2020 election results in Maricopa County is so unprofessional and illegitimate that many election officials won’t even refer to it as an audit. But the GOP’s audit fever is spreading nevertheless: Driven by the same lies about election fraud that underpin the Arizona audit, Republican lawmakers and conservative activists in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are clamoring for their states to launch their own sham reviews. Another so-called forensic audit ― a term veteran election officials have not used before ― could soon begin in Georgia’s largest county. Embattled Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) visited Arizona last week with dreams of convincing his state ― which, unlike the others, former President Donald Trump won ― and others to replicate the process. Other GOP lawmakers, including several with plans to seek higher office next year, have flocked to Phoenix too. Republicans Push To Export Absurd Arizona-Style Election Audits To Other States | HuffPost

I wonder if they will include the son who was obsessed with athletics: Gym-boy.

Damn. We are stuck at the mid-200's. I was hoping for well below 200 this week.

The purpose of Capitalists and businesses in general is to make money- as much as possible as quickly as possible, and to leave the future wellbeing of the societies they exist in to others. The disregard of many corporations for the environment, the wellbeing of their employees and even customers are prime examples. The managers of these corporations typically do not give a damn about anything except the profits of the current year, as that is where their compensations are determined. The problem is the system they exist in and the rules by which they are allowed to operate. A simple change that produces profound effects in the corporate world is basing the bonus payouts and retirement incomes of corporate executives on the ongoing profitability of their former employers after they retire.

I disagree. The PCs have been at least as venal as anyone else- probably worse. The reason there are as few examples as there are is, I suggest, because they have behaved so poorly as to usually disqualify themselves from power. The book "On The Take" describes the rampant corruption in the Mulroney government, in Saskatchewan, I believe 12 PCs- most cabinet ministers were convicted and here in Manitoba, there is the example of former PC cabinet minister Eric Stefanson and there are others. The PCs have a very low opinion of those who vote them in and see them as sheep to be shorn.

Keystone XL Pipeline Sponsor Abandons Project After Biden Permit Block BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline said Wednesday it is pulling the plug on the contentious project after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Joe Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office. Calgary-based TC Energy said it would work with government agencies “to ensure a safe termination of and exit from” the partially built line, which was to transport crude from the oil sand fields of western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska.

What matters is that the placebo effect can be very powerful. During WW2 a shipment of what was supposed to be morphine to the ETO was actually saline solution by mistake, but the analgesic effects were very nearly as powerful- surgeries were performed while the patients were anaesthetized and unconscious while sedated by saline solution.