Subway To Be Bought By Private Equity Firm Which Owns Multiple Restaurant Chains

Company That Owns Arby’s & Buffalo Wild Wings To Buy Subway For $9 Billion – Food Beast, 2023/02/22

According to the Wall Street Journal, Roark Capital looks to acquire sandwich chain Subway for close to $9.6 billion. The deal will add to Roark Capital’s already impressive roster of fast food chains is nearly complete.

…
Roark Capital is a private equity firm that mostly invests in the franchised consumer and business services sectors. One of the firm’s most notable investments is in Inspire Brands, which owns Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, and more.

The monopoly game that is being played in the American economy continues forward.

They actually own a bunch of companies – as shown on their portfolio, which includes Jimmy John’s, Arby’s, Fitness Connection, Sonic, Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon, and The Cheesecake Factory.

California: Code Enforcement Runs Into Unlicensed Chinese Run Lab Engineering COVID Mice

I haven’t heard much on this, but it has been out there for around three weeks. This was the first story I noted.

Fresno City Councilman speaks out about lab shut down in Reedley – KSFN Fresno, 2023/08/09

Last December, the City of Reedley’s code enforcement team knocked on the door of Prestige Biotech and Universal Meditech after seeing something out of place– a green garden hose running through the property.

Officials then found the property was operating without a license or permit.

…
They found Prestige Biotech and Universal Meditech Inc. had biological agents at the facility.

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In addition to the mice, a state medical waste investigation shows refrigerators and freezers with blood and containers labeled as “serum or plasma — and found Prestige Biotech is not registered with the department as a medical waste generator.

Court documents also show CDC staff found at least 20 potentially infectious agents from chlamydia to hepatitis.

Next story from back in July…

Secret biological lab uncovered in Reedley containing bioengineered COVID-19 mice – San Joaquin Valley Sun, 2023/07/27

Code enforcement officers in the farming town of Reedley discovered a secret biological lab in a warehouse that contained nearly 1,000 bioengineered mice that were designed to carry the COVID-19 virus.

HOLD IT… stop the press.

I was told COVID occurred naturally, and it involved bats. Theories about lab leaks were nonsense.

Here we have a building in California – where you have to ask to water your lawn – operating without a license or permit, linked to Chinese interests. This is probably not the only facility like this.

Add in that mice are being bio-engineered to carry COVID. And right now we are having a surge of COVID in various places.

What other conclusion is there – but to say COVID is a manufactured bioweapon?

• That investigation led to an investigation by the Fresno County Department of Public Health that uncovered a secret biological lab, finding 36 freezers located in the building.

• The county found over 800 biological materials and chemicals on site, including blood, tissue and other bodily fluids, as well as thousands of unlabeled vials that contained fluids.

• Investigators found a room in the warehouse where COVID-19 and pregnancy tests were being produced.

• The county also discovered nearly 1,000 bioengineered mice. Wang Zhaolin, a representative of Prestige Biotech – the company operating the lab – told county investigators that the mice were genetically engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus.

This should absolutely be headline news. Are there more of these facilities hiding in plain sight?

Vivek Ramaswamy Wins Lawsuit To Make The World Economic Forum Remove His Name From Their Young Global Leaders’ List

World Economic Forum Removes Vivek Ramaswamy’s Name From ‘Young Global Leader’ List After Lawsuit – The Daily Caller, 2023/08/01

Ramaswamy announced the removal in a post on Twitter Tuesday, sharing a photograph of a letter from the WEF’s legal team in a second tweet in which the organization apologized for the “mistake.” Ramaswamy initially was listed as a Young Global Leader in March 2021 by the WEF, but rejected the designation and filed suit in April to have his name removed.

Here’s my problem.

He had no problem being on their list for two full years, until he ran for president.

Sorry – he sounds great… but I’m not trusting. The World Economic Forum is a group that has its own agenda to achieve that runs counter to a better America.

Here’s an archived version with his name on the list.

Meet the 2021 class of Young Global Leaders – Wayback Machine/World Economic Forum, 2021/03/10

Mortgage Rates Top Seven Percent

Mortgage rates top 7%, reaching highest level in two decades – East Bay Times, 2023/08/17

Mortgage rates climbed above 7% this week to their highest level since 2002, throwing more cold water on the Bay Area housing market as buyers face soaring monthly home loan payments that are thousands of dollars more than a few years ago.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.09% as of Thursday, up from 6.96% last week, Freddie Mac reported. That’s an increase from 5.13% a year ago and more than double the historic-low 2.86% average rate this time in 2021.

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Mortgage rates have been on an upward trajectory since last spring when the Federal Reserve began raising the cost of borrowing in a bid to slow inflation. Rates briefly topped 7% percent in November, before falling to around 6% in February. They’ve trended up since then.

I always remind myself that in 1984, when my parents bought the home that they are still in, the interest rates were 13%. It seems to me that interest rates should have never been as low as they got.

Maui Water Resource Director Delayed Water Supplies For Five Hours During Fires

Apparently there has been a dispute of whether or not water supplies were on or off during the fire. The answer could be either depending upon when someone tried to use the water. The director views water usage in terms of social justice.

FLASHBACK: Hawaii Official Who Allegedly Withheld Water From Firefighters Says ‘Equity’ Comes First – Washington Free Beacon, 2023/08/17

A Hawaii official accused of withholding water from firefighters battling Maui’s deadly wildfires said last year that the state should make access to water conditional on “conversations about equity.”

M. Kaleo Manuel, who was deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, has been under scrutiny since local media reported that he delayed releasing water to firefighters who were battling last week’s wildfires, which killed at least 111 people.

The West Maui Land Company alleged in an Aug. 10 letter to Manuel that his commission declined its request to divert streams to fill reservoirs until the wildfires worsened and caused significant “devastation.” According to Honolulu Civil Beat, sources said Manuel was responsible for the delay. They said Manuel asked the company to consult with a local farmer about the impacts of diverting water before he would approve the request.

Manuel only released the water five hours after the request was made, wrote the West Maui Land Company, which operates three water providers on the island.

…
Critics of Manuel’s handling of the wildfires have drawn attention to a November 2022 livestream hosted by the University of Hawaii in which he described water as a sacred tool for social justice.

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Manuel was a 2019 “leader” at the Obama Foundation. His bio on the foundation’s website says he believes “ancient wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge of native peoples will help save the Earth.”

It’s not a climate crisis… it’s a corruption crisis.

Brazilian Convicted Of 11 Counts Of Murder Nabbed In New Hampshire

Boston ICE agents catch Brazilian illegal immigrant wanted for 11 murders – MSN/Boston Herald, 2023/08/16

One of the world’s most wanted illegal immigrants who escaped a 275-year prison sentence in his native Brazil has been busted by Boston ICE agents.

Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 29, was caught in Rye, N.H., on Monday, immigration officials tell the Herald.

…
The former Brazilian military police officer was sentenced for 11 murders after defecting, Brazilian newspaper El Globo reported. He had already in the U.S. with his family when a jury found him guilty of 11 murders, the paper wrote.

He was one of four military police officers sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison, collectively, for what was called the “Curio Massacre” in Brazil. An appeal was expected, the defendants’ lawyers said.

It would be nice to have a border in place to block these people from entering, but I have been told having an actual border reflects white supremacy. Give me a break.

The official ICE notice is here.

ERO Boston arrests former Brazilian military police officer convicted of multiple murders in 2015 Brazil massacre – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2023/08/16

Major Grocery Stores In DC Considering Shutting Down Amidst Massive Shoplifting

Shoplifting threatens closure of SE DC grocery store, creating potential food desert – WJLA Washington, 2023/08/11

Concerns are growing in Washington, D.C. about some major grocery stores being able to keep their doors open due to shoplifting.

…
“We had the opportunity to meet with some of the leadership of this Giant,” White said. “Some of the regional leadership at this Giant, what we heard was disheartening. We learned that this Giant has lost over $500,000 in product loss, which is about 20% of the sales. We know it’s tough times and we know the price of food has skyrocketed in the last three years. But we cannot afford to hurt ourselves by constantly taking it from the store. It means that everybody is going to be without a place to eat. And enough is enough.”

…
“To date, this Giant has had at least 135 stops from people stealing from the store,” he said. “And they almost double that amount that didn’t get stopped.”

…
Since then, 7News asked Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD what they are doing to help with the shoplifting issues at grocery stores.

“Mayor Bowser continues to lead conversations with a variety of stakeholders across our city to discuss public safety, and more specifically to ask the question of how we can partner to reduce crime and increase conditions so that everyone in our city can thrive,” the mayor’s office told 7News in a statement.

The mayor seems not to have an idea or doesn’t care. Do you really have to have a long discussion on handling crime?

My article on organized retail theft is here.  In my opinion, this is part of the war on America in the attempt to ruin the economy.

Former Family Feud Contestant Murders Wife, Sentenced Life In Prison

Husband who joked on Family Feud that saying ‘I do’ was his biggest mistake is sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his estranged wife 14 times – UK Daily Mail, 2023/08/14

Timothy Bliefnick, 40, was found guilty in May of the February 2 killing of his estranged wife Becky Bliefnick, 41, in Quincy, Illinois.

The mother-of-three was found dead in her home by her father, after her family became concerned that she had not picked up her sons from school.

She was shot 14 times, and court records show that the couple had separated and were going through a messy divorce.

…
Bliefnick appeared on Family Feud in 2020, and he joked with the host Steve Harvey that somebody’s ‘biggest wedding mistake’ would likely be getting married at all.

‘Honey, I love you,’ said Bliefnick, addressing his wife.

He then told Harvey what his biggest mistake was: ‘Said, ‘I do.”

His response evoked laughter and gasps from the crowd, and a blank stare from Harvey.

Wow

Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate Assassinate, Shooter Killed, Six Arrested

Ecuador says six suspects arrested for presidential candidate assassination are Colombian – Egypt Independent, 2023/08/11

Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian nationals and gang members, authorities have confirmed, as a former vice president demanded action over spiraling levels of violence in the South American country.

Villavicencio, an anti-corruption campaigner and lawmaker who was outspoken about the violence caused by drug trafficking in the country, was shot dead at a campaign rally in the capital Quito on Wednesday.

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The former vice president of Ecuador and current presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner said in an exclusive interview with CNN Thursday that the level of violence in Ecuador is “something we have never seen before.”

“It’s something new. It started maybe one and a half or two years ago. It’s a spiral of violence that is completely out of control and demands concrete government action that we are not seeing,” Sonnenholzner said.

Lawsuit Forces FDA To Publicly Admit Ivermectin Is Optionable Treatment For COVID

Doctors Can Prescribe Ivermectin for COVID-19: FDA Lawyer – The Epoch Times, 2023/08/10

Doctors are free to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID-19, a lawyer representing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week.

“FDA explicitly recognizes that doctors do have the authority to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID,” Ashley Cheung Honold, a Department of Justice lawyer representing the FDA, said during oral arguments on Aug. 8 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

The government is defending the FDA’s repeated exhortations to people to not take ivermectin for COVID-19, including a post that said “Stop it.”

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“FDA made these statements in response to multiple reports of consumers being hospitalized, after self medicating with ivermectin intended for horses, which is available for purchase over the counter without the need for prescription,” Ms. Honold said.

A version of the drug for animals is available, but ivermectin is approved by the FDA for human use against diseases caused by parasites.

The case was brought by three doctors that claim the FDA harmed their business from the Tweet shown below. The question is – is the term “Stop it” a directive.  The Tweet is accompanied with an article highlighting the supposed dangers of Ivermectin.

You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it. https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021

Document Reveals U.S. State Department Pressured Pakistan To Remove Leader

Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure To Remove Imran Khan – The Intercept, 2023/08/09

THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran Khan as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept.

The meeting, between the Pakistani ambassador to the United States and two State Department officials, has been the subject of intense scrutiny, controversy, and speculation in Pakistan over the past year and a half, as supporters of Khan and his military and civilian opponents jockeyed for power. The political struggle escalated on August 5 when Khan was sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges and taken into custody for the second time since his ouster. Khan’s defenders dismiss the charges as baseless. The sentence also blocks Khan, Pakistan’s most popular politician, from contesting elections expected in Pakistan later this year.

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In addition to his other legal problems, Khan himself has continued to be targeted over the handling of the secret cable by the new government. Late last month, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Khan would be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the cable. “Khan has hatched a conspiracy against the state’s interests and a case will be initiated against him on behalf of the state for the violation of the Official Secrets Act by exposing a confidential cipher communication from a diplomatic mission,” Sanaullah said.

Very extensive write up at the link. That last paragraph sounds so familiar with what’s going on with Trump.

Also mentioned in the article is how the Pakistani military removed Khan from power and they were rewarded with defense contracts from the U.S. Here’s more from the author of the article.

Artificial Intelligence Can Steal Passwords By Listening To Key Strokes

AI Can Now Steal Your Password Just By Listening To You Type – tech.co, 2023/08/08

Cybersecurity researchers have shown that an AI model can work out what people are typing based on the sounds that different keys make when they’re pressed, and could feasibly be used to guess victims’ passwords during video conferencing calls.

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A deep learning model with the power to identify keystrokes in this way is just one of the latest instances of AI scams, fraud, and cyber attacks being linked to the booming new technology.

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In a recently-published study, UK-based researchers Joshua Harrison, Ehsan Toreini and Maryam Mehrnezhad found that a deep learning model could classify 95% of keystrokes made on a 2021 MacBook Pro recorded on a nearby iPhone 17.

They trained the model by pressing 36 keys a total of 25 times each, in order to help it recognize the individual waveforms produced by individual keystrokes.

Along with the impressive – and worrying – results achieved via the iPhone audio recording, “when trained on keystrokes recorded using the video-conferencing software Zoom, an accuracy of 93% was achieved, a new best for the medium”, the researchers said.

The article suggests altering CAPS and altering the rhythm of typing to throw off the technology.

Here’s my solution… type the password ahead of time in a different app… open up the desired login page… highlight the password, then copy and paste it into the password field. No keystrokes needed.

18 Month Investigation Into International Drug Trade Links Honduras To San Francisco

We get a record number of drug overdose deaths. Honduras community gets money to build mansions.

Backpage Co-Founder Commits Suicide Days Before Criminal Trial Involving 93 Counts

Jim Larkin, pioneering co-founder of Phoenix New Times, dead at 74 – Phoenix New Times, 2023/08/02

Phoenix New Times co-founder and legendary Arizona publisher Jim Larkin died on Monday. He was 74.

Larkin, who lived in Paradise Valley with his wife Molly, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Superior near Boyce Thompson Arboretum, according to the Superior Police Department. No foul play is suspected in his death, police said.

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Larkin’s death came a week before the scheduled start of his criminal trial in federal court. In 2018, prosecutors charged Larkin and New Times co-founder Michael Lacey with a host of crimes related to their former ownership of Backpage, the now-defunct online classified ad site.

The article doesn’t mention the crimes, but it involves 93 charges that involved Backpage.

Justice Department Leads Effort to Seize Backpage.Com, the Internet’s Leading Forum for Prostitution Ads, and Obtains 93-Count Federal Indictment – U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2018/04/09

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of Backpage.com, the Internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children. Additionally, seven individuals have been charged in a 93-count federal indictment with the crimes of conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, facilitating prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, international promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

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“For far too long, Backpage.com existed as the dominant marketplace for illicit commercial sex, a place where sex traffickers frequently advertised children and adults alike,” said Attorney General Sessions. “But this illegality stops right now. Last Friday, the Department of Justice seized Backpage, and it can no longer be used by criminals to promote and facilitate human trafficking.

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“Backpage has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, placing profits over the well-being and safety of the many thousands of women and children who were victimized by its practices,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange.

Code Pink Founder Evans Is Pro-Communist Supporter of China

Code Pink Exposed as Communist China Shill, Former Obama Bundler Jodie Evans Married to Maoist Millionaire Working in Shanghai – The Gateway Pundit, 2023/08/05

The New York Times published an exposé on a Maoist propaganda shill for the Chinese Communist party, U.S. tech millionaire Neville Roy Singham, and his wife Jodie Evans, co-founder of Code Pink and a bundler for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, that reports Singham’s funding to non-profit groups ending up in Code Pink’s coffers and how the so-called antiwar group has in turn become a shill for communist China.

I normally don’t link to blogs, but it has a bunch of information. I will highlight some links mentioned in the blog for those who can get past the paywall.

Many of the people who run in these circles are flat out Communists who support China and have no problem damaging the country. They hide their allegiances because they understand virtually no one would listen to them if they were honest about who they are.

A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a U.S. Tech Mogul – NY Times, 2023/08/05

U.S Tech Mogul Bankrolls Pro-Russia, Pro-China News Network – The Daily Beast, 2023/05/23

The Big Business of Uyghur Genocide Denial – New Line Magazine, 2022/01/18

Officials In Scotland Admit Nearly 17 Million Trees Cut Down For Wind Power

SNP admits to felling 16 million trees to develop wind farms – MSN/UK Telegraph, 2023/07/23

Almost 16 million trees have been chopped down on publicly owned land in Scotland to make way for wind farms, an SNP minister had admitted amid a major drive to erect more turbines.

Mairi Gougeon, the Rural Affairs Secretary, estimated that 15.7 million trees had been felled since 2000 in land that is currently managed by agency Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) – the equivalent of more than 1,700 per day.

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FLS said it had planted more than 500 million trees since 2000 and the quantity felled for wind farms equated roughly to its annual harvesting programme.

A spokesman said: “Renewable energy generated from wind farms is a key element in Scotland’s response to the climate emergency and the shift towards net zero and the infrastructure on land that we manage generates enough power for 600,000 homes.”

Morag Watson, director of policy at trade body Scottish Renewables said: “The volatile price of imported gas has left energy consumers suffering some of the highest prices in living memory, alongside a climate emergency which means cutting the amount of carbon we emit as quickly as possible.

“Building new wind farms – the cheapest form of power generation – tackles both problems at once.”

These people are going to mess up the earth’s ecosystem at the end of the day and cause their own demise.

New Record Set For The Women’s 100M Race… It’s Not What You Think

Has anyone seen the video below? It is the 100 meter women’s race at the World University Games in China.

The woman in question is Nasra Ali Abukar.

Somali sports minister sorry after ‘slowest ever’ 100m runner goes viral – UK Guardian, 2023/08/02

Somalia’s sports minister publicly apologized Wednesday and ordered that the chairwoman of the national track and field federation be suspended after a seemingly untrained female sprinter represented the African country at the World University Games in China and took more than 20 seconds to finish a 100m race.

Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Barre Mohamud said his ministry did not know how 20-year-old Nasra Abukar Ali was selected to compete in the women’s 100m at the student games in Chengdu on Tuesday.

It was revealed that nepotism was the main reason she was allowed to compete.

Nepotism: Somalia athletics boss suspended over selecting relative for World University Games – The Observer – Uganda, 2023/08/04

The Somali government has suspended its head of athletics after a sprinter finished more than 10 seconds behind the winner in the 100-meter dash at the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, China.

Youth and Sports minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud told VOA Somali that Khadijo Aden Dahir had been suspended pending an investigation. He alleged that the runner, Nasro Abukar Ali, had been selected to represent Somali schools because of nepotism rather than her performance. It has been alleged that Nasro is not only a niece to the suspended Khadijo but she’s also related to Somali President Hassan Sheikh.

On Tuesday, Ali ran the 100-meter-dash in 21.81 seconds, compared with the winning time of 11:58 seconds.

My guess is that it’s a record slow time. And you have to like the finishing skip at the end. It’s a shame she was put in this position. She is going to be a symbolic punching bag for awhile.

Air Force Recruitment Sliding To Record Low

Air Force recruitment numbers reach a historic low – KRDO Colorado Springs, 2023/08/01

The Air Force is still looking for about 3,000 more people to meet their year-end goal of new recruits even after widening their enlistment requirements. It’s a phenomenon that Senior Master Sargeant Salvador Parson has never seen in his career of over twenty years.

Parson said he attributes the low recruitment numbers to civilian companies offering higher minimum wage positions and potential qualified recruits not understanding the benefits the Air Force could offer. He said also thinks that because there is more access to health care, diagnoses of disqualifying conditions are being made that have not been made before.

Not good… It does’t help to have wimpy generals leading the forces.

Fitch Downgrades America’s Debt Rating

Fitch’s US debt-rating downgrade is bad news for stocks. Here’s everything you need to know. – Business Insider, 2023/08/02

On Tuesday, Fitch downgraded the US’s long-term rating from the top-tier AAA score to AA+.

That means it believes the government is now less likely to be able to repay its debts, only two months after Biden and House Republicans reached an 11th-hour deal to avoid a catastrophic default.

…
“There has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters, notwithstanding the June bipartisan agreement to suspend the debt limit until January 2025,” it said in a statement.

The agency added that it’s also concerned about rising government debts and the long-term health of programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

…
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the decision was “arbitrary and based on outdated data,” while one of her predecessors, Larry Summers, called the downgrade “bizarre and inept.”

Just wanted to make sure I took note of this. I’m surprised it took this long to get here. We have been piling up debt for decades. Congress never cuts spending.

Incandescent Light Bulb Now Banned By The Biden Administration

Biden admin begins enforcing nationwide lightbulb bans, igniting backlash from GOP: ‘Liberal fantasies’ – Fox News, 2023/08/01

The Biden administration will begin enforcing a nationwide ban on various types of popular light bulbs Tuesday as part of its aggressive energy efficiency agenda.

Under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) regulations, manufacturers and retailers will be prohibited from selling incandescent and similar halogen light bulbs which represent a sizable share of current light bulb supplies. Instead, manufacturers and retailers must sell light-emitting diode, or LED, alternatives or risk substantial federal penalties.

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In April 2022, months after first proposing the rulemaking, the DOE finalized regulations prohibiting certain light bulbs over their low energy efficiency levels. According to the DOE announcement, the regulations are projected to save consumers an estimated $3 billion per year on utility bills and cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next three decades.

…
The DOE’s rule in April 2022, meanwhile, reversed a Trump administration rule that sought to protect incandescent light bulbs and allow consumers to choose which products they want to purchase. Former President Donald Trump was also personally opposed to LED light bulb adoption, remarking in 2019 that they are often more expensive, not good and make him “look orange.”

If you read thru the article other appliances such as gas stoves, clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, air conditioners, consumer furnaces, pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans and dehumidifiers are on the Dept. of Energy’s target list. All this for what is a climate hoax in my opinion. Elections have consequences.

China Pondering Two Hour Smartphone Screen Time For Kids

China floats two-hour daily limit of smartphone screen time for kids – CNBC, 2023/08/02

Chinese regulators have proposed rules that would limit the smartphone screen time of people under the age of 18 to a maximum of two hours per day.

The radical draft rules laid out by the increasingly powerful Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) highlight Beijing’s desire to exert control over more parts of the country’s digital life.

…
The CAC’s draft rules are a broader push by Chinese authorities to curb and prevent addiction among those under 18 to apps and smartphones. In 2021, China introduced regulation that restricted teens under 18 years of age from playing online video games for more than three hours per week.

Interesting. Is this a good use of government control? Kids definitely do not need to be of their phones for long periods of time.

Senator Invests In Fund That Profits From America’s Decline

Senator On Finance Committee Places Bet On Market Downturn: A Look At His Bearish ETF Purchase In July – Business Insider, 2023/08/02

A member of Congress could be raising red flags and pushing forward calls to ban trading activity by lawmakers.

…
Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) is once again betting against the performance of U.S. stock markets, with an ETF purchase he made in July.

A new filing disclosure shared by CongressTrading on Twitter revealed that Carper bought shares of the ProShares Short QQQ ETF (NYSE:PSQ). The ETF is an inverse ETF seeking to outperform the Nasdaq 100 Index by going short the leading market index.

Carper bought two stakes of $1,000 to $15,000 in the ETF according to the filing, with a trading date of July 13 listed.

…
Trades by Carper often draw attention given his role serving on the Finance Committee and serving as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness.

He is investing in a fund that profits when the American economy loses. I know there are investors who are like vultures waiting for things to tank. It’s a different story when someone involved in making legislation has a hand in steering the economy downward in order to benefit himself.

Pee Wee Herman aka Paul Reubens Dies Of Cancer at 70

Paul Reubens, actor who played Pee-wee Herman, dies at 70 – Reuters, 2023/08/01

Paul Reubens, the actor who played Pee-wee Herman, a nerdy character who wore a gray suit and red bowtie while delighting children and adults alike with his distinctive “heh heh heh” laugh, has died, a post on his Instagram account said on Monday.

Reubens, 70, died overnight after a years-long battle with cancer, the post said.

…
In a message to his fans that he wrote before he died, Reubens said that he apologized for not going public with his six-year battle with cancer.

Lizzo Accused Of Sexual Harassment By Backup Dancers

Lizzo sued by former backup dancers who accuse her of sexual harassment, ‘hostile work environment’ – Entertainment Weekly, 2023/08/01

Lizzo, the Grammy-winning pop star who has touted herself as a champion of body positivity, is being sued by three of her former backup dancers for what they describe as weight-shaming, racial discrimination, and creating a “hostile work environment.”

…
Arianna Davis, a former contestant on the reality series, alleges in the suit that Lizzo pressured her to touch a nude dancer at a strip club party in Amsterdam. Lizzo, Davis claims, allegedly “invit[ed] cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dil**s launched from the performers’ v*****s, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ v*****s.”

If someone feels within themselves to twerk during a performance while playing a violin, it’s probably a clue that there is more going on behind the stage curtain.

Small Summer Surge Of COVID Cases Taking Place

U.S. COVID hospitalizations climb for second straight week. Is it a summer surge? – CBS News, 2023/08/01

Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen by more than 12% across the country, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking a second straight week of this key indicator of the virus climbing.

At least 8,035 hospital admissions of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were reported for the week of July 22 nationwide, the CDC said late Monday, up from 7,165 during the week before.

…
While indicators of the virus are now clearly trending up nationwide, hospitalizations for now remain far below the levels recorded at this time last year.

…
Unlike previous waves, no single variant has yet emerged this summer to dominate infections nationwide.

Instead, the CDC’s recent projections estimate that a mix of descendants from the XBB variant that first drove infections last winter are now competing around the country.

I always thought viruses proliferated more in the winter. It’s interesting to have these summer surges of the coronavirus. Keep your Vitamin D & K handy.