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Today is Wednesday, January 10th, 2024. It is National Bittersweet Chocolate Day, National Save the Eagles Day, National Houseplant Appreciation Day, National Oysters Rockefeller Day, and National Peculiar People Day.
On This Day
In 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense.
In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the union.
In 1863, the Metropolitan Railway, the world’s oldest underground railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon, marking the beginning of the London Underground.
In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.
In 1901, the first great Texas oil gusher was discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont.
In 1920, the Treaty of Versailles took effect, officially ending World War I.
In 1927, Fritz Lang’s futuristic film Metropolis premiered in Germany.
In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations was held. Fifty-one nations were represented.
In 1984, the United States and Holy See reestablished full diplomatic relations, overturning Congress’s 1867 ban.
In 2019, a 13-year-old girl, Jayme Closs, was found alive in Wisconsin, having been kidnapped 88 days earlier from her parents’ home after they were murdered.
Today’s Birthdays
Singer Rod Stewart is 79. Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen is 76. Boxer, entrepreneur, and ordained minister George Foreman is 75. Singer Pat Benatar, born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski, is 71. Actress Sarah Shahi, born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi, is 44.
The Links
When It Snows, New Englanders Are Brave and Determined (Jeffrey A. Tucker)
“None of this attitude was there during the COVID fiasco. There was precious little bravery in confronting the virus. Hardly anyone saw it as a challenge to overcome but rather a terror to avoid with cowardly isolation.”
House Republicans: State Department Hiding Its Funding For Censorship-Industrial Complex (The Federalist)
“Given some of these awards are publicly viewable on USASpending.gov, it is the Committee’s belief that these awards exist and were omitted without explanation and in violation of the Committee’s request. In addition, the GEC produced only cooperative agreements and failed to include any project grants, despite specific phrasing used by the Committee in its production request.”
Michelle Obama says the quiet part out loud, exposing her own terrifying view of the government (Blaze Media)
“You heard that right: Michelle Obama thinks government does ‘everything’ for us and is scared that some Americans may disagree with her.”
Monthly Budget Review: December 2023 (Congressional Budget Office)
“The federal budget deficit totaled $509 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 ... . That amount is $87 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.”
Which Provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Should Be Made Permanent? (Tax Foundation)
“Extending the entire tax reform, however, would come with a $3.7 trillion price tag at a time when the country’s fiscal outlook is already bleak.”
Hospitality workers’ wages are rising faster than high earners’ in most states (Stateline)
“The lowest-wage industry in every state is leisure and hospitality, a category that includes restaurants, bars and hotels. Those lowest-earning workers got bigger percentage raises than the highest earners, averaging a 29% boost between mid-2019 and mid-2023.”
Strong growth projected in mental health-related employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)
“From 2022 to 2032, employment for many mental health-related occupations is projected to grow faster than the 3-percent average for all occupations. Employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 18 percent over the period.”
The Cruel Irony In Hospice Certificate Of Need Laws (Independent Women’s Forum)
“And the hard fact of hospice is that the outcome is death, 100% of the time. Patients looking for hospice options are not seeking miracle cures. They are not looking for added hours or even days. The only outcome they seek is peace instead of chaos during the brief period they have to experience it. They need the facilities available now.”
Poll: Increased Black [sic], Hispanic support push Trump to lead over Biden (The Center Square)
“One Hispanic Trump supporter wrote, ‘I love that he isn’t afraid to be who he is.’”
Haley looks to defy expectations in Iowa (The Hill)
“If she’s able to win in New Hampshire, I think it really sets up a true battle royal in South Carolina. If Trump comes into South Carolina with two wins and nobody else has any, the race is over.”
Tuning Out: Americans on the Edge of Politics (Pew Research Center)
“While they acknowledge they could be more engaged with following politics, many say they have no desire to, or say it’s important to avoid the topic to protect their mental health.”
Lap Dance for Wind Turbines? British Green Energy Developers Accused of a New Low (Watts Up With That?)
“I don’t know what actually happened in this particular case, but I am getting a strong sense that some renewable energy developers are getting desperate, especially in places where a future change of government is on the cards, and their short term payoff is proportionate to hitting progress milestones.”
Why German Farmers Are Protesting: They Refuse To Be The Government’s Cash Cow (NoTricksZone)
“The reasons tens of thousands of farmers and truckers have blocked major traffic arteries everywhere and paralyzed the country is because of the governments insatiable appetite for tax revenue, which it needs to pay for the massive green new deal to decarbonize Germany by 2040.”
Citing “crew safety,” NASA delays upcoming Artemis missions by about a year (Ars Technica)
“We must be realistic. We’re looking at our Starship progress, and need for propellant transfer, the need for numerous landings. We’re looking at our spacesuits that we’re acquiring in a different manner than we’ve done before, and developing the new spacesuits as well. It’s an incredibly large challenge and a really big deal.”
Is E.T. PC? The Scientists Attempting To Contact Woke Aliens (S. D. Tucker)
“The notion that alien beings would actually care about the concept of ‘diversity’ is as laughable as thinking the average inhabitant of Dakar or Damascus has an insatiable ... hankering for gay parades.”
Your Turn
1. Best heavyweight of all time?
2. Ever seen a bald eagle?
3. Do you know any peculiar people?
4. Isn’t it time for American farmers and truckers to join their brethren in Europe, and protest the thuggery of “net zero”?
5. “Reelin’ In the Years,” “My Old School,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen,” or “Deacon Blues”?
1. Best heavyweight of all time? Mohammed Ali was the greatest and even defeated George Foreman, who could hit you like a Mac Truck. I personally like both men that gave their all in everything they ever did!
2. Ever seen a bald eagle?
No. But I’ve seen a bald Shaq!!
3. Do you know any peculiar people?
I don’t know any that aren’t peculiar! The real question is, “what is peculiar?” And “What makes peculiar, peculiar?!”
4. Isn’t it time for American farmers and truckers to join their brethren in Europe, and protest the thuggery of “net zero”?
“Net Zero” is definitely a “Net Zero” for everyone involved! God Bless the Farmers and the Truckers!! Keep on Truckin’ for your rights!!
5. “Reelin’ In the Years,” “My Old School,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen,” or “Deacon Blues”?
These days it’s “Reelin’ in the Queers!” And “Hey Epstein’s Teens!” Now, that’s peculiar!! How about “Ricki don’t lose that Identity Politics!” And “My Old School Ain’t like the New Woke School!” And, of course, “Election Diversity Equity & Inclusion Blues!”
1. Best heavyweight of all time?
In my lifetime, Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali. People of my parents' generation who saw both Joe Lewis and Ali fight thought that Lewis was even better than Ali.
2. Ever seen a bald eagle?
Only in zoos.
3. Do you know any peculiar people?
I've long held that 2% to 4% of the American population is nuts. The longer one lives, the more likely that he will encounter a "peculiar" person.
4. Isn’t it time for American farmers and truckers to join their brethren in Europe, and protest the thuggery of “net zero”?
Yes. American farmers and truck drivers were the main reason that America survived during the insanity of the Covid lockdowns. They have more bargaining power than they realize.
5. “Reelin’ In the Years,” “My Old School,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen,” or “Deacon Blues”?
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number