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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
December 18, 2020
The President-Elect is far more charitable in his description than I could be.
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday expressed remorse about how his relationship with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), his former Senate colleague, since Graham embraced President Donald Trump and his harsh brand of politics.
...(snip)...
KEY BACKGROUND
Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, said in a CNN interview in February that Biden and Graham and the late were “great friends” and, along with the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), “traveled together with the Foreign Relations Committee.” However, Dr. Biden suggested that the “negative things” Graham said about her husband during Trump’s impeachment hearings ultimately proved to be a wedge between the two.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“If you can’t admire Joe Biden as a person then you’ve got a problem. You need to do some self evaluation. Because, what’s not to like,” Graham said of Biden in 2015, when he was still a rival and critic of Trump. “He is as good a man as god ever created. He’s said some of the most heartfelt things anybody could ever say to me. He is the nicest person I think I’ve ever met in politics.” ............(more)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/12/18/biden-says-lindsey-graham-has-been-a-personal-disappointment/?sh=39e8631b5838
Biden Says Lindsey Graham Has Been A 'Personal Disappointment'
The President-Elect is far more charitable in his description than I could be.
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday expressed remorse about how his relationship with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), his former Senate colleague, since Graham embraced President Donald Trump and his harsh brand of politics.
...(snip)...
KEY BACKGROUND
Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, said in a CNN interview in February that Biden and Graham and the late were “great friends” and, along with the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), “traveled together with the Foreign Relations Committee.” However, Dr. Biden suggested that the “negative things” Graham said about her husband during Trump’s impeachment hearings ultimately proved to be a wedge between the two.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“If you can’t admire Joe Biden as a person then you’ve got a problem. You need to do some self evaluation. Because, what’s not to like,” Graham said of Biden in 2015, when he was still a rival and critic of Trump. “He is as good a man as god ever created. He’s said some of the most heartfelt things anybody could ever say to me. He is the nicest person I think I’ve ever met in politics.” ............(more)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/12/18/biden-says-lindsey-graham-has-been-a-personal-disappointment/?sh=39e8631b5838
December 18, 2020
The first Covid-19 shots have been given to more than 1.1 million people in four countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. It’s the start of the biggest vaccination campaign in history and one of the largest logistical challenges ever undertaken.
Vaccinations in the U.S. began this week with health-care workers, and 24 states reported the first 49,567 doses administered. Those numbers are expected to surge in coming days as more states work through their early allocations of shots and begin to report their numbers. ........(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium
Bloomberg's "Vaccination Tracker"
The first Covid-19 shots have been given to more than 1.1 million people in four countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. It’s the start of the biggest vaccination campaign in history and one of the largest logistical challenges ever undertaken.
Vaccinations in the U.S. began this week with health-care workers, and 24 states reported the first 49,567 doses administered. Those numbers are expected to surge in coming days as more states work through their early allocations of shots and begin to report their numbers. ........(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium
December 18, 2020
The Jill Biden furor is about more than titles. It touches on gender, race and civility.
It's simple: Call people by the title they prefer. I still have letters addressed to Mom as 'Mrs. Richard Petrow' — by her own mother! It steamed her.
Steven Petrow Opinion contributor
(Detroit Free Press) Over the weekend I was angsting about how to address the last of my holiday cards. What’s the proper form for a same-sex couple? Or a modern widow, even a divorcee? And what about when one spouse has a professional title — like reverend, judge or doctor — like my friends, Dr. Amanda Cook and her husband, Ian Cook. Doing this correctly is not always easy or intuitive, which is one reason why titles have generally gone the way of dinosaurs. Then there’s the other reason: Americans like the fiction that all people are created equal. A title — or what’s also known as an honorific — only disrupts that fantasy.
In the midst of sealing and stamping the cards, the internet rightly blew up when Joseph Epstein, what my late father would have called an “agent provocateur,” attempted to humiliate Jill Biden, the incoming first lady, by recommending she drop the use of her title, which "sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.” “Dr.,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal, should be reserved only for those with an M.D., adding, “A wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child.”
....(snip)....
All this might seem like an arcane matter of manners, but considering the outcry against Epstein’s provocation, such questions touch on not only identity but the intersection of gender, race and civility. Just the other day Virginia Heffernan, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, posted her ire on Twitter, referring to Epstein as Joe:
“Joe, kiddo. I got my PhD when 2 ancient & 2 mod langs were required & 10y of bowing & scraping to men like you. So I use my title. Sure, It’s not for BAs like you mistaken for MDs, but for ppl like me & Dr. Biden who are mistaken for housewives.”
Similarly, Graeme Wood reminded us in The Atlantic this week that racial minorities “sometimes insist upon ‘Dr.’ for a similar reason,” that reason being that they prefer to use their title “if people have assumed you are a janitor or a common thief, just because of the color of your skin.” As an example, Wood wrote that Henry Louis Gates Jr., who teaches at Harvard University (among his many prestigious affiliations), once told a class: “Because this is a small seminar, you may call me by my first name, which is Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” ................(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2020/12/18/jill-biden-doctor-furor-titles-gender-race-civility-column/3948476001/
The Jill Biden furor is about more than titles. It touches on gender, race and civility.
The Jill Biden furor is about more than titles. It touches on gender, race and civility.
It's simple: Call people by the title they prefer. I still have letters addressed to Mom as 'Mrs. Richard Petrow' — by her own mother! It steamed her.
Steven Petrow Opinion contributor
(Detroit Free Press) Over the weekend I was angsting about how to address the last of my holiday cards. What’s the proper form for a same-sex couple? Or a modern widow, even a divorcee? And what about when one spouse has a professional title — like reverend, judge or doctor — like my friends, Dr. Amanda Cook and her husband, Ian Cook. Doing this correctly is not always easy or intuitive, which is one reason why titles have generally gone the way of dinosaurs. Then there’s the other reason: Americans like the fiction that all people are created equal. A title — or what’s also known as an honorific — only disrupts that fantasy.
In the midst of sealing and stamping the cards, the internet rightly blew up when Joseph Epstein, what my late father would have called an “agent provocateur,” attempted to humiliate Jill Biden, the incoming first lady, by recommending she drop the use of her title, which "sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.” “Dr.,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal, should be reserved only for those with an M.D., adding, “A wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child.”
....(snip)....
All this might seem like an arcane matter of manners, but considering the outcry against Epstein’s provocation, such questions touch on not only identity but the intersection of gender, race and civility. Just the other day Virginia Heffernan, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, posted her ire on Twitter, referring to Epstein as Joe:
“Joe, kiddo. I got my PhD when 2 ancient & 2 mod langs were required & 10y of bowing & scraping to men like you. So I use my title. Sure, It’s not for BAs like you mistaken for MDs, but for ppl like me & Dr. Biden who are mistaken for housewives.”
Similarly, Graeme Wood reminded us in The Atlantic this week that racial minorities “sometimes insist upon ‘Dr.’ for a similar reason,” that reason being that they prefer to use their title “if people have assumed you are a janitor or a common thief, just because of the color of your skin.” As an example, Wood wrote that Henry Louis Gates Jr., who teaches at Harvard University (among his many prestigious affiliations), once told a class: “Because this is a small seminar, you may call me by my first name, which is Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” ................(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2020/12/18/jill-biden-doctor-furor-titles-gender-race-civility-column/3948476001/
December 18, 2020
(NPR) Confirmed coronavirus infections and virus-related deaths are soaring in California, the nation's most populous state, setting new records as hospitals struggle to keep up with the onslaught of cases.
It has prompted the state to activate its "mass fatality" program, which coordinates mutual aid across several governmental agencies.
On Thursday, California reported 52,281 new daily confirmed coronavirus cases and 379 new virus-related deaths, according to state data. This brings the state's total number of cases to more than 1.7 million, with 21,860 deaths since the pandemic began.
The impact on hospitals is particularly grave in Southern California, where no intensive care unit beds are available. ..........(more)
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/17/947522126/california-activates-mass-fatality-program-as-state-sets-new-virus-records?
California Activates 'Mass Fatality' Program As State Sets New Virus Records
(NPR) Confirmed coronavirus infections and virus-related deaths are soaring in California, the nation's most populous state, setting new records as hospitals struggle to keep up with the onslaught of cases.
It has prompted the state to activate its "mass fatality" program, which coordinates mutual aid across several governmental agencies.
On Thursday, California reported 52,281 new daily confirmed coronavirus cases and 379 new virus-related deaths, according to state data. This brings the state's total number of cases to more than 1.7 million, with 21,860 deaths since the pandemic began.
The impact on hospitals is particularly grave in Southern California, where no intensive care unit beds are available. ..........(more)
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/17/947522126/california-activates-mass-fatality-program-as-state-sets-new-virus-records?
December 17, 2020
CA: Editorial: Transit is in a death spiral. Better service, bus lanes and other smart investments can save it
Public transit systems across the country are suffering, preparing to slash bus and rail service and possibly lay off workers because of plummeting revenue. And it's unclear when — or if — the systems will return to normal.
The Times Editorial Board
Los Angeles Times
Here's one more way that COVID-19 could leave a lasting mark: The pandemic has decimated public transit.
Without swift action to restore bus and rail service and a serious commitment to building transit-friendly communities, Los Angeles will suffer from ever-worsening traffic, air pollution, carbon emissions and inequality long after the coronavirus is contained.
L.A. is not alone. Public transit systems across the country are suffering. Boston, New York City and San Francisco, to name a few cities, are preparing to slash bus and rail service and possibly lay off workers because of plummeting revenue. And it's unclear when — or if — the systems will return to normal.
More people are working from home now, and they'll continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Many other once-regular transit riders are choosing to drive, perhaps to take advantage of the faster commutes or to avoid being in close quarters with strangers. The riders still taking the bus and train have had to deal with service cuts and sometimes crowded conditions. ............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/news/21202717/ca-editorial-transit-is-in-a-death-spiral-better-service-bus-lanes-and-other-smart-investments-can-save-it
Transit is in a death spiral. Better service, bus lanes and other smart investments can save it
CA: Editorial: Transit is in a death spiral. Better service, bus lanes and other smart investments can save it
Public transit systems across the country are suffering, preparing to slash bus and rail service and possibly lay off workers because of plummeting revenue. And it's unclear when — or if — the systems will return to normal.
The Times Editorial Board
Los Angeles Times
Here's one more way that COVID-19 could leave a lasting mark: The pandemic has decimated public transit.
Without swift action to restore bus and rail service and a serious commitment to building transit-friendly communities, Los Angeles will suffer from ever-worsening traffic, air pollution, carbon emissions and inequality long after the coronavirus is contained.
L.A. is not alone. Public transit systems across the country are suffering. Boston, New York City and San Francisco, to name a few cities, are preparing to slash bus and rail service and possibly lay off workers because of plummeting revenue. And it's unclear when — or if — the systems will return to normal.
More people are working from home now, and they'll continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Many other once-regular transit riders are choosing to drive, perhaps to take advantage of the faster commutes or to avoid being in close quarters with strangers. The riders still taking the bus and train have had to deal with service cuts and sometimes crowded conditions. ............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/news/21202717/ca-editorial-transit-is-in-a-death-spiral-better-service-bus-lanes-and-other-smart-investments-can-save-it
December 17, 2020
California “Techsodus”: Tech Companies, Billionaires, Millionaires, Tech Employees Flee San Francisco & Silicon Valley
by Wolf Richter • Dec 14, 2020 •
And we coined “Management by Zooming Around.” Which is what Oracle’s Larry Ellison is doing.
By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.
When on December 11, Oracle disclosed that it “is implementing a more flexible employee work location policy and has changed its Corporate Headquarters from Redwood City, California to Austin, Texas,” it was another step in the process that we will henceforth call “Techsodus.”
The exodus of tech companies, executives, billionaires, millionaires, and regular tech employees from California, and particularly from San Francisco and Silicon Valley, is a combo of fleeing California and a shift to work-from-anywhere. Texas, Florida, Colorado, and other states have been among the destinations. Texas and Florida don’t levy state income taxes, so sure.
But Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, isn’t moving to Texas along with the headquarters of his company. He has moved his primary residence to Hawaii, following Oracles new doctrine of working from anywhere. And Hawaii’s state income taxes are not far behind California’s.
Oracle already has a 560,000-square-foot campus in Austin, which it opened in 2018 – and moving its headquarters to Austin might not change all that much at first in terms of employment. Oracle said that it would “continue to support major hubs for Oracle around the world,” including its soon-to-be former headquarters in Redwood City. Oracle, founded in 1977, is one of the older tech companies that helped make Silicon Valley. ..........(more)
https://wolfstreet.com/2020/12/14/techsodus-from-california-larry-ellison-moved-but-not-to-texas-with-oracles-headquarters-he-moved-to-hawaii-leading-oracles-work-from-anywhere-by-example/
California "Techsodus": Tech Companies, Billionaires, Millionaires, Tech Employees Flee SF & SV
California “Techsodus”: Tech Companies, Billionaires, Millionaires, Tech Employees Flee San Francisco & Silicon Valley
by Wolf Richter • Dec 14, 2020 •
And we coined “Management by Zooming Around.” Which is what Oracle’s Larry Ellison is doing.
By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.
When on December 11, Oracle disclosed that it “is implementing a more flexible employee work location policy and has changed its Corporate Headquarters from Redwood City, California to Austin, Texas,” it was another step in the process that we will henceforth call “Techsodus.”
The exodus of tech companies, executives, billionaires, millionaires, and regular tech employees from California, and particularly from San Francisco and Silicon Valley, is a combo of fleeing California and a shift to work-from-anywhere. Texas, Florida, Colorado, and other states have been among the destinations. Texas and Florida don’t levy state income taxes, so sure.
But Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, isn’t moving to Texas along with the headquarters of his company. He has moved his primary residence to Hawaii, following Oracles new doctrine of working from anywhere. And Hawaii’s state income taxes are not far behind California’s.
Oracle already has a 560,000-square-foot campus in Austin, which it opened in 2018 – and moving its headquarters to Austin might not change all that much at first in terms of employment. Oracle said that it would “continue to support major hubs for Oracle around the world,” including its soon-to-be former headquarters in Redwood City. Oracle, founded in 1977, is one of the older tech companies that helped make Silicon Valley. ..........(more)
https://wolfstreet.com/2020/12/14/techsodus-from-california-larry-ellison-moved-but-not-to-texas-with-oracles-headquarters-he-moved-to-hawaii-leading-oracles-work-from-anywhere-by-example/
December 17, 2020
Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in Covid-19 cases and widening business restrictions.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 23,000 to 885,000 in the week ended Dec. 12, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the figure fell by about 21,000. ............(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-17/u-s-jobless-claims-unexpectedly-jump-to-highest-in-three-months?srnd=premium
U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Jump to Highest in Three Months
Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in Covid-19 cases and widening business restrictions.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 23,000 to 885,000 in the week ended Dec. 12, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the figure fell by about 21,000. ............(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-17/u-s-jobless-claims-unexpectedly-jump-to-highest-in-three-months?srnd=premium
December 17, 2020
Here's how we can neutralize Donald Trump during his last month in office
Donald Trump will be a destructive force to his final hour. But we can begin to undo the damage, starting now
By ALAN D. BLOTCKY - SETH D. NORRHOLM - ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI
DECEMBER 17, 2020 10:00AM
(Salon) His diagnosis is clear. The remedies for his pernicious impact on America are clear as well.
In just over a month from now, Donald Trump — a malignant narcissist — will be removed from office by the will of the people and by the Constitution. Until then, his seditious, conspiratorial and corrupt influence will be front and center. He continues to promulgate the false narrative that victory in the election was snatched away from him by widespread voter fraud. He keeps filing baseless and frivolous lawsuits, even as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. He is ginning up his supporters, and at least 126 congressional Republicans have publicly supported him, out of a combination of misguided loyalty, opportunism and fear. Joe Biden will be our next president, but it is undeniable that Trump will exert a dangerous and destructive presence to his final day in office, and beyond.
....(snip)....
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/17/heres-how-we-can-neutralize-donald-trump-during-his-last-month-in-office/
Here's how we can neutralize Donald Trump during his last month in office
Here's how we can neutralize Donald Trump during his last month in office
Donald Trump will be a destructive force to his final hour. But we can begin to undo the damage, starting now
By ALAN D. BLOTCKY - SETH D. NORRHOLM - ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI
DECEMBER 17, 2020 10:00AM
(Salon) His diagnosis is clear. The remedies for his pernicious impact on America are clear as well.
In just over a month from now, Donald Trump — a malignant narcissist — will be removed from office by the will of the people and by the Constitution. Until then, his seditious, conspiratorial and corrupt influence will be front and center. He continues to promulgate the false narrative that victory in the election was snatched away from him by widespread voter fraud. He keeps filing baseless and frivolous lawsuits, even as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. He is ginning up his supporters, and at least 126 congressional Republicans have publicly supported him, out of a combination of misguided loyalty, opportunism and fear. Joe Biden will be our next president, but it is undeniable that Trump will exert a dangerous and destructive presence to his final day in office, and beyond.
....(snip)....
Ten remedies exist to deal with Trump in his final days.
1. The media must stop giving him attention. They must stop covering his every utterance. No more videos, audios, print stories or interviews. Attention is Trump's oxygen and lifeblood. He cannot negatively influence others if his visibility is curtailed or ended. If Trump organizes an alternative inauguration or a "campaign rally" on Jan. 20, it must not be broadcast or covered in any way. Bizarre and anti-American activities must not be given credibility. It must remain a part of his pathological fantasyland — not a part of our political and social reality.
2. Americans can do their part by not watching or listening to him. Turn off the television and the radio. Do not watch him on social media. He is old news. He is irrelevant. His message must be abhorred and soundly repudiated.
3. His Twitter account should be suspended. Stopping his Twitter activity would go a long way to neutralizing his impact. Trump tweets frequently — it is his most direct way to stay in contact with the public. His tweeting must be interrupted for the good of the country.
4. Facebook and other social media platforms must do a better job of rooting out disinformation. Trump supporters have been ramped up by false and toxic rhetoric. That is unhealthy for them, and for the country. Making money as a business is one thing; contributing to seditious unrest in the country is another. Social media platforms must assume a more responsible role in our democracy.
...............(more)
1. The media must stop giving him attention. They must stop covering his every utterance. No more videos, audios, print stories or interviews. Attention is Trump's oxygen and lifeblood. He cannot negatively influence others if his visibility is curtailed or ended. If Trump organizes an alternative inauguration or a "campaign rally" on Jan. 20, it must not be broadcast or covered in any way. Bizarre and anti-American activities must not be given credibility. It must remain a part of his pathological fantasyland — not a part of our political and social reality.
2. Americans can do their part by not watching or listening to him. Turn off the television and the radio. Do not watch him on social media. He is old news. He is irrelevant. His message must be abhorred and soundly repudiated.
3. His Twitter account should be suspended. Stopping his Twitter activity would go a long way to neutralizing his impact. Trump tweets frequently — it is his most direct way to stay in contact with the public. His tweeting must be interrupted for the good of the country.
4. Facebook and other social media platforms must do a better job of rooting out disinformation. Trump supporters have been ramped up by false and toxic rhetoric. That is unhealthy for them, and for the country. Making money as a business is one thing; contributing to seditious unrest in the country is another. Social media platforms must assume a more responsible role in our democracy.
https://www.salon.com/2020/12/17/heres-how-we-can-neutralize-donald-trump-during-his-last-month-in-office/
December 17, 2020
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WFLA) — A wild video out of Cape Coral, Florida shows a golfer grab his ball off the back of an alligator.
The video, originally posted to Facebook, shows an alligator sunbathing by a golf course pond with a golf ball laying on top of its tail.
The golfer decides to drop his ball on the grass rather than play from the unfortunate lie (understandably), but first, he has to retrieve the ball. ............(more)
https://fox8.com/news/watch-florida-man-retrieves-golf-ball-off-gators-back/
Florida man retrieves golf ball off gator's back
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WFLA) — A wild video out of Cape Coral, Florida shows a golfer grab his ball off the back of an alligator.
The video, originally posted to Facebook, shows an alligator sunbathing by a golf course pond with a golf ball laying on top of its tail.
The golfer decides to drop his ball on the grass rather than play from the unfortunate lie (understandably), but first, he has to retrieve the ball. ............(more)
https://fox8.com/news/watch-florida-man-retrieves-golf-ball-off-gators-back/
December 17, 2020
Honestly, I think's Trump's post-election significance is being much overestimated.....
..... watching MSNBC, there was lots of talk about him running a "shadow presidency" and that he'll still be the defacto head of the Republican Party. Maybe I'm wrong, but I see his impact fading rather quickly.
My bigger concern is that the next right-wing flavor of the month might be a more competent fascist.
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