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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
November 23, 2020
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has delayed the Central Subway Project for a second time this year, which will push the line’s opening into 2022.
Last year, SFMTA targeted a summer 2021 opening date for the project before revising that to the end of 2021 earlier this year.
SFMTA explained in a Nov. 12 blog the delay can be attributed to continued impacts of the pandemic, as well as ongoing design changes.
“Before the pandemic, we anticipated that construction would be finished by the end of next month, with customers riding trains at the start of revenue service a year later. Our current projections put the completion of construction this spring and the start of service in the following spring of 2022,” wrote SFMTA Public Affairs Manager Phillip Pierce. ...........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/article/21162905/central-subway-opening-pushed-to-2022
San Francisco: Central Subway opening pushed to 2022
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has delayed the Central Subway Project for a second time this year, which will push the line’s opening into 2022.
Last year, SFMTA targeted a summer 2021 opening date for the project before revising that to the end of 2021 earlier this year.
SFMTA explained in a Nov. 12 blog the delay can be attributed to continued impacts of the pandemic, as well as ongoing design changes.
“Before the pandemic, we anticipated that construction would be finished by the end of next month, with customers riding trains at the start of revenue service a year later. Our current projections put the completion of construction this spring and the start of service in the following spring of 2022,” wrote SFMTA Public Affairs Manager Phillip Pierce. ...........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/article/21162905/central-subway-opening-pushed-to-2022
November 23, 2020
(CNN) Traitor. Globalist. Sellout.
Those weren't the insults reserved for a CNN or MSNBC anchor on Friday. No, those were the insults aimed at conservative media darling Tucker Carlson. In what feels like the most severe moment of backlash since his Fox News show premiered in 2016, Carlson is fielding criticism from the right.
Carlson angered some of his audience Thursday when he called out Sidney Powell, President Trump's attorney who has peddled wild conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Carlson was careful not to deviate too far from the party line, opening his show with deference to the fraud claims presented by Rudy Giuliani. He also offered up reasons his audience should trust him. He explained to his viewers that he had reached out to Powell for supporting evidence with an open mind. And he pointed out his coverage of the Russia probe and how he never rules anything out — even UFOs.
....(snip)....
A dose of reality
Now I don't bring this up to suggest that Carlson deserves accolades for acknowledging the truth of the matter on his program. Injecting a dose of reality into one's coverage shouldn't be cause for praise. And that's not what I'm getting at.
But what is remarkable is that, ever since he called out Powell, Carlson has been the subject of denunciation by some on the right. His mentions on Twitter have been flooded with disappointed viewers saying that they feel betrayed by him. Right-wing websites have homed in on the controversy. And pro-Trump internet personalities have criticized him for having the nerve to challenge Powell. .......(more)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/21/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news-traitor/index.html
Tucker Carlson backlash tells us something important about some Trump supporters
(CNN) Traitor. Globalist. Sellout.
Those weren't the insults reserved for a CNN or MSNBC anchor on Friday. No, those were the insults aimed at conservative media darling Tucker Carlson. In what feels like the most severe moment of backlash since his Fox News show premiered in 2016, Carlson is fielding criticism from the right.
Carlson angered some of his audience Thursday when he called out Sidney Powell, President Trump's attorney who has peddled wild conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Carlson was careful not to deviate too far from the party line, opening his show with deference to the fraud claims presented by Rudy Giuliani. He also offered up reasons his audience should trust him. He explained to his viewers that he had reached out to Powell for supporting evidence with an open mind. And he pointed out his coverage of the Russia probe and how he never rules anything out — even UFOs.
....(snip)....
A dose of reality
Now I don't bring this up to suggest that Carlson deserves accolades for acknowledging the truth of the matter on his program. Injecting a dose of reality into one's coverage shouldn't be cause for praise. And that's not what I'm getting at.
But what is remarkable is that, ever since he called out Powell, Carlson has been the subject of denunciation by some on the right. His mentions on Twitter have been flooded with disappointed viewers saying that they feel betrayed by him. Right-wing websites have homed in on the controversy. And pro-Trump internet personalities have criticized him for having the nerve to challenge Powell. .......(more)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/21/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news-traitor/index.html
November 23, 2020
(Detroit Free Press editorial) Enough, already.
The fanciful conspiracy theories have been debunked.
The spurious lawsuits have been thrown out of court, or withdrawn, almost as quickly as they were filed.
The grown-up Republicans in the U.S. Congress — there aren't many, and most are finishing their last terms, but they exist — have beseeched Donald Trump to concede and facilitate an orderly transfer of executive authority.
In summary, the jig is up: The farce set in motion when the loser of this year's presidential election petulantly refused to acknowledge the voters' verdict has run its course, and the patience of Americans compelled to endure that sad spectacle has been exhausted. .......(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/11/21/michigan-gop-canvassers-have-no-excuse-delaying-certification/6341205002/
Detroit Free Press: No more excuses: Certify Michigan's election results now
(Detroit Free Press editorial) Enough, already.
The fanciful conspiracy theories have been debunked.
The spurious lawsuits have been thrown out of court, or withdrawn, almost as quickly as they were filed.
The grown-up Republicans in the U.S. Congress — there aren't many, and most are finishing their last terms, but they exist — have beseeched Donald Trump to concede and facilitate an orderly transfer of executive authority.
In summary, the jig is up: The farce set in motion when the loser of this year's presidential election petulantly refused to acknowledge the voters' verdict has run its course, and the patience of Americans compelled to endure that sad spectacle has been exhausted. .......(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/11/21/michigan-gop-canvassers-have-no-excuse-delaying-certification/6341205002/
November 23, 2020
Refusing to certify legitimate votes is a felony | Opinion
Samuel Bagenstos and Justin Levitt
The people have spoken. They delivered Joe Biden a decisive electoral victory, including a 150,000-vote margin in Michigan. Yet Republican Party officials have asked the Michigan Board of State Canvassers to delay certification on Monday. These calls follow last week’s tumultuous Wayne County meeting where, after improper interference by a candidate, Republican appointees tried to recant their decision to certify.
This is unduly chaotic, but we shouldn’t bet against democracy. A canvassing board may not legally refuse to certify an election where no legitimate evidence undermines valid ballots. Michigan courts have repeatedly rejected wild claims of election fraud or improprieties as “incorrect and not credible.” The votes, at this point, speak for themselves. Should a member of the state canvassing board seek to misuse their authority, that obstruction won’t actually deliver a different result. First, understand what state canvassers do: certification just involves adding county tallies and declaring a winner. Michigan law provides a separate space to review the election process — a post-election audit, which does not delay or stop certification. The canvassers have one job. State courts can step in to make sure it gets done. Canvassers failing to do their duty may delay the inevitable for a moment — but not much more than that.
Then there’s the electoral count. Other states are certifying. Legislative leaders have disavowed any illegal effort to ignore the votes of their citizens. President-Elect Biden’s electoral-vote margin is so large that refusing to certify Michigan’s votes would not change the outcome. All it would do is disenfranchise this state’s voters.
And then there’s federal law, backed by criminal penalties. Any refusal to certify an election based on meritless innuendo would likely violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Section 11(a) makes it illegal to “willfully fail or refuse to tabulate, count, and report” lawful votes. ..................(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2020/11/23/michigan-canvassers-who-could-face-felony-charges/6388235002/
Refusing to certify legitimate votes is a felony
Refusing to certify legitimate votes is a felony | Opinion
Samuel Bagenstos and Justin Levitt
Samuel Bagenstos is the Frank G. Millard Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School; Justin Levitt is Professor of Law at Loyola Law School-Los Angeles. Both are scholars of voting rights, and both have served as senior officials in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The people have spoken. They delivered Joe Biden a decisive electoral victory, including a 150,000-vote margin in Michigan. Yet Republican Party officials have asked the Michigan Board of State Canvassers to delay certification on Monday. These calls follow last week’s tumultuous Wayne County meeting where, after improper interference by a candidate, Republican appointees tried to recant their decision to certify.
This is unduly chaotic, but we shouldn’t bet against democracy. A canvassing board may not legally refuse to certify an election where no legitimate evidence undermines valid ballots. Michigan courts have repeatedly rejected wild claims of election fraud or improprieties as “incorrect and not credible.” The votes, at this point, speak for themselves. Should a member of the state canvassing board seek to misuse their authority, that obstruction won’t actually deliver a different result. First, understand what state canvassers do: certification just involves adding county tallies and declaring a winner. Michigan law provides a separate space to review the election process — a post-election audit, which does not delay or stop certification. The canvassers have one job. State courts can step in to make sure it gets done. Canvassers failing to do their duty may delay the inevitable for a moment — but not much more than that.
Then there’s the electoral count. Other states are certifying. Legislative leaders have disavowed any illegal effort to ignore the votes of their citizens. President-Elect Biden’s electoral-vote margin is so large that refusing to certify Michigan’s votes would not change the outcome. All it would do is disenfranchise this state’s voters.
And then there’s federal law, backed by criminal penalties. Any refusal to certify an election based on meritless innuendo would likely violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Section 11(a) makes it illegal to “willfully fail or refuse to tabulate, count, and report” lawful votes. ..................(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2020/11/23/michigan-canvassers-who-could-face-felony-charges/6388235002/
November 23, 2020
A man in Florida rescued his puppy from the jaws of an alligator, diving under the water and wrestling the reptile all without dropping the cigar in his mouth.
Richard Wilbanks, 74, was walking his Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gunner, around the pond near his retirement home in Estero, Florida, when the alligator raced up from the water and grabbed the dog, Wilbanks told CNN.
“It came out of the water like a missile,” he said. “I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”
Cameras set up by the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation captured the encounter, which shows Wilbanks in the pond, his head submerged as he tries to grab a hold of the alligator. He then emerges holding the reptile, which still has the dog in its jaws. In Wilbank’s jaws is a cigar – which he never drops. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/man-rescues-puppy-from-alligator-without-dropping-cigar
A good Florida Man story
A man in Florida rescued his puppy from the jaws of an alligator, diving under the water and wrestling the reptile all without dropping the cigar in his mouth.
Richard Wilbanks, 74, was walking his Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gunner, around the pond near his retirement home in Estero, Florida, when the alligator raced up from the water and grabbed the dog, Wilbanks told CNN.
“It came out of the water like a missile,” he said. “I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”
Cameras set up by the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation captured the encounter, which shows Wilbanks in the pond, his head submerged as he tries to grab a hold of the alligator. He then emerges holding the reptile, which still has the dog in its jaws. In Wilbank’s jaws is a cigar – which he never drops. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/man-rescues-puppy-from-alligator-without-dropping-cigar
November 22, 2020
(CNN) Canadians, officials have an important message for you: "Do not let moose lick your car."
Yes, you read that right.
Officials in Jasper, an alpine town in Canada's Alberta province, have put up signs asking motorists to avoid allowing moose to lick the salt, a treat moose find hard to resist, off their cars.
"They're obsessed with salt, it's one of the things they need for the minerals in their body," Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN. "They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realized they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars." .........(more)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/22/americas/canada-warns-moose-lick-cars-trnd/index.html?
Canadian officials warn drivers not to let moose lick their cars
(CNN) Canadians, officials have an important message for you: "Do not let moose lick your car."
Yes, you read that right.
Officials in Jasper, an alpine town in Canada's Alberta province, have put up signs asking motorists to avoid allowing moose to lick the salt, a treat moose find hard to resist, off their cars.
"They're obsessed with salt, it's one of the things they need for the minerals in their body," Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN. "They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realized they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars." .........(more)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/22/americas/canada-warns-moose-lick-cars-trnd/index.html?
November 22, 2020
A Florida man says he is ready to turn a trailer park into the location of the Trump presidential library.
James Arena, who suggested last year that Briny Breezes, Fla., become Trump Town USA — and then received death threats — said he still thinks the 46-acre waterfront tract would be the perfect setting for the library and a hotel that could host international summits.
Briny Breezes is made up entirely of a trailer park and sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Intercoastal Waterway just north of Delray Beach and in what is now President Trump’s home county of Palm Beach.
“This is the most prestigious piece of real estate available in the United States of America,” said Arena, 38, who was raised in Briny Breezes. “You will never ever, ever find a better piece of property.” ............(more)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-man-trailer-park-future-trump-presidential-library
Florida man still pitching trailer park as site of future Trump presidential library
A Florida man says he is ready to turn a trailer park into the location of the Trump presidential library.
James Arena, who suggested last year that Briny Breezes, Fla., become Trump Town USA — and then received death threats — said he still thinks the 46-acre waterfront tract would be the perfect setting for the library and a hotel that could host international summits.
Briny Breezes is made up entirely of a trailer park and sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Intercoastal Waterway just north of Delray Beach and in what is now President Trump’s home county of Palm Beach.
“This is the most prestigious piece of real estate available in the United States of America,” said Arena, 38, who was raised in Briny Breezes. “You will never ever, ever find a better piece of property.” ............(more)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-man-trailer-park-future-trump-presidential-library
November 22, 2020
(Independent UK) Judges appointed by Donald Trump have ruled to overturn Florida laws banning "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ minors.
The judges — who are both members of the conservative Federalist Society — determined that the laws violated the First Amendment.
Circuit Judge Britt Grant recognised that overturning the laws "allows speech that many find concerning — even dangerous" but said it was warranted because the First Amendment "does not allow communities to determine how their neighbors may be counseled about matters of sexual orientation or gender."
The ruling effectively dissolves 21 other bans on the practice passed by cities and counties throughout Florida. .............(more)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-florida-judges-conversion-therapy-ban-b1759706.html
Trump appointed judges in Florida overturn ban on conversion therapy for minors
(Independent UK) Judges appointed by Donald Trump have ruled to overturn Florida laws banning "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ minors.
The judges — who are both members of the conservative Federalist Society — determined that the laws violated the First Amendment.
Circuit Judge Britt Grant recognised that overturning the laws "allows speech that many find concerning — even dangerous" but said it was warranted because the First Amendment "does not allow communities to determine how their neighbors may be counseled about matters of sexual orientation or gender."
The ruling effectively dissolves 21 other bans on the practice passed by cities and counties throughout Florida. .............(more)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-florida-judges-conversion-therapy-ban-b1759706.html
November 22, 2020
Lock the motherfucker up
By Jeffrey C. Billman
(Detroit Metro Times) For all the nefarious crap Florida Republicans pulled in 2000 — there was plenty, beginning with a racist purge of the state’s voter rolls — at least that was a legitimately close election. A 537-vote difference, capping a 500,000-vote national margin, is a rounding error.
That wasn’t the case this year. Joe Biden won enough states to claim 306 electoral votes. When California and New York finish counting, he’ll beat Donald Trump by a 4.5-point margin, securing the largest share of the electorate of any presidential challenger since FDR. It wasn’t a blowout, but it was decisive.
Yet here we are, almost three weeks later, the president refusing to concede despite having been laughed out of court after court, his lawyers reduced to spinning ridiculous yarns about vast conspiracies to erase millions of votes and/or conduct fraud in big (Black) cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia.
....(snip)....
More importantly, these incoherent ramblings also form the basis of the president’s overt ploy to subvert the election by convincing Republican legislatures to ignore their states’ voters and certify their own slates of electors.
In other words, Trump is plotting a coup. And the Republican Party endorsed it.
That this effort was both predictable and is almost certain to fail doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter if some Republicans are indulging his fantasies because to placate his base. What matters is that Trump has cracked open the door to an authoritarian takeover and found millions willing to embrace it — and a craven political party too weak to get in the way.
This is a crime against democracy. It cannot go unanswered. .............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/lock-the-motherfucker-up/Content?oid=25831861
Detroit Metro Times: Lock the motherfucker up
Lock the motherfucker up
By Jeffrey C. Billman
(Detroit Metro Times) For all the nefarious crap Florida Republicans pulled in 2000 — there was plenty, beginning with a racist purge of the state’s voter rolls — at least that was a legitimately close election. A 537-vote difference, capping a 500,000-vote national margin, is a rounding error.
That wasn’t the case this year. Joe Biden won enough states to claim 306 electoral votes. When California and New York finish counting, he’ll beat Donald Trump by a 4.5-point margin, securing the largest share of the electorate of any presidential challenger since FDR. It wasn’t a blowout, but it was decisive.
Yet here we are, almost three weeks later, the president refusing to concede despite having been laughed out of court after court, his lawyers reduced to spinning ridiculous yarns about vast conspiracies to erase millions of votes and/or conduct fraud in big (Black) cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia.
....(snip)....
More importantly, these incoherent ramblings also form the basis of the president’s overt ploy to subvert the election by convincing Republican legislatures to ignore their states’ voters and certify their own slates of electors.
In other words, Trump is plotting a coup. And the Republican Party endorsed it.
That this effort was both predictable and is almost certain to fail doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter if some Republicans are indulging his fantasies because to placate his base. What matters is that Trump has cracked open the door to an authoritarian takeover and found millions willing to embrace it — and a craven political party too weak to get in the way.
This is a crime against democracy. It cannot go unanswered. .............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/lock-the-motherfucker-up/Content?oid=25831861
November 22, 2020
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a clear message to President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday that he would push back against American efforts to rejoin the Iran deal.
“Do not return to the previous (Iran) nuclear deal,” Netanyahu said at a memorial service for first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. “We must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu also credited Israel’s “determined stance against Iran’s nuclearization and…our opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran” with Arab countries changing their position on Israel.
Biden has called to rejoin the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between world powers and Iran, with adjustments, but did not say specify what those changes would be. ............(more)
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/netanyahus-message-to-biden-dont-rejoin-iran-deal-649885
Bibi, please STFU
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a clear message to President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday that he would push back against American efforts to rejoin the Iran deal.
“Do not return to the previous (Iran) nuclear deal,” Netanyahu said at a memorial service for first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. “We must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu also credited Israel’s “determined stance against Iran’s nuclearization and…our opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran” with Arab countries changing their position on Israel.
Biden has called to rejoin the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between world powers and Iran, with adjustments, but did not say specify what those changes would be. ............(more)
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/netanyahus-message-to-biden-dont-rejoin-iran-deal-649885
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,092