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Imagine average Americans smiling and waving at a carload of passing Africans and you begin to appreciate how different is the vibe. Do I really want to endow other people with such blessings as we endure? At one point, we stop to take a picture and a boy walks past me, coming up from the fields with hoe over his shoulder.
“Hello,” he said brightly. “How is your life?” “My life is good,” I said, meaning it. “How is your life?” “My life is good, too!” he said, meaning it every bit as earnestly. He had no shoes. He was very dirty. He had probably been working for about 10 hours. Altogether, his family makes maybe 500 bucks in a decent year.
His life is good.
How is your life?
— John Perry Barlow
Reading Time: 6 minutes 10 seconds
Today is Saturday, December 31st, 2022. It is Unlucky Day, World Peace Meditation Day, Make Up Your Mind Day, and National Champagne Day.
On This Day
In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and started brewing Guinness.
In 1796, Baltimore was incorporated as a city.
In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed an act that admitted West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
In 1907, Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) held its first New Year’s Eve celebration.
In 1951, the Marshall Plan expired after distributing billions of dollars in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.
In 1983, the AT&T Bell System was broken up by the U.S. government.
In 1999, the U.S. government handed control of the Panama Canal, as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone, to Panama.
In 2004, Taipei 101, then the tallest skyscraper in the world, officially opened.
In 2018, 39 people were killed after a ten-story building collapsed in Magnitogorsk, Russia.
In 2020, the World Health Organization issued its first emergency-use validation for a COVID-19 “vaccine.”
Today's Birthdays
Actor Anthony Hopkins is 85. Actor Ben Kingsley is 79. Director Taylor Hackford is 78. Actor Tim Matheson is 75. Donald Trump Jr. is 45. Actress Jane Badler is 69. Actress, singer, and dancer Beatrice “Bebe” Neuwirth is 64. Actor Val Kilmer is 63.
The Links
Age-stratified infection fatality rate of COVID-19 in the non-elderly population (Environmental Research)
“The median IFR was 0.0003% at 0–19 years, 0.002% at 20–29 years, 0.011% at 30–39 years, 0.035% at 40–49 years, 0.123% at 50–59 years, and 0.506% at 60–69 years. IFR increases approximately 4 times every 10 years. Including data from another 9 countries with imputed age distribution of COVID-19 deaths yielded median IFR of 0.025–0.032% for 0–59 years and 0.063–0.082% for 0–69 years. Meta-regression analyses also suggested global IFR of 0.03% and 0.07%, respectively in these age groups. The current analysis suggests a much lower pre-vaccination IFR in non-elderly populations than previously suggested. Large differences did exist between countries and may reflect differences in comorbidities and other factors. These estimates provide a baseline from which to fathom further IFR declines with the widespread use of vaccination, prior infections, and evolution of new variants.”
European Mortality 2017 to 2022: Nothing to Report Here? (Nigel Jacklin)
“My alternative hypothesis, presented at the same evidence session, is that we merely had a fairly bad virus and the measures taken did more harm than good (the harms including social and economic ones ... and perhaps further exacerbating underlying health inequalities). This is an uncomfortable position as it suggests our heroic actions were in fact worse than futile.”
Most Lockdowners Can’t Admit They Were Wrong (Donald J. Boudreaux)
“Ignorantly supposing themselves to be uniquely committed to — and informed by — science, the laptop class regarded everyone who wasn’t on board with their draconian diktats as knuckle-dragging and unethical imbeciles. Now that the scientific (!) evidence clearly shows lockdowns to have been a grotesque mistake, it’s psychologically impossible for most lockdowners to admit that those persons who all along had the correct take on both the science and the reality of covid were not themselves (the intellectual and media elites) but, rather, the imbeciles.”
Ginni Thomas Transcript From J6 Panel Reveals Witch Hunt Operation Without A Witch (The Federalist)
“At the conclusion of Ginni’s deposition, the committee asked whether there was anything Ginni would like to add. Ginni responded by condemning political violence on all sides and reminding lawmakers of her security concerns after Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded justices ‘pay the price’ for decisions that run counter to his leftist wishes.”
President Bites Agent: Book Claims Biden Insisted Secret Service Lied About Dog Attack (Jonathan Turley)
“Now the President is calling an agent a liar about one of the numerous dog attacks by Major … . It is a clearly defamatory statement since he is alleging that the agent not only lied but then filed a false report. The statement also impugns the character of other agents who documented in the incident.”
Free-Market Capitalism is the Next American Economy (American Institute for Economic Research)
“The major expansions of government started in the progressive era, with Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Herbert Hoover. Those historic expansions were put on steroids by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal,’ which prolonged and deepened the Great Depression. Likewise, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ‘Great Society’ program ballooned government through the creation Medicare and Medicaid, among others. The results have been massive government spending with increased dependency on government programs.”
Is Ranked Choice Voting Constitutional? (Cato Institute)
“Most state supreme courts, including Alaska recently, have upheld RCV as consistent with their state constitutions, but the Maine experience stands as a reminder that each state has its own constitutional language and interpretation. In some instances, a barrier here can be overcome only by seeking an amendment to the state constitution.”
Cops Question Connecticut Mom Who Let 7-Year-Old Walk a Mile (Let Grow)
“Suffice it to say, this entire ordeal was a significant waste of Toalston’s time — and a poor use of the state of Connecticut’s resources and manpower. Government employees should not be paid to hassle stressed parents who aren’t actually placing their kids in any real danger.”
Let Cities Be What They Want to Be (Randal O’Toole)
“There are a lot of problems with this recommendation. First, both people and jobs are moving away from the cities, so who is going to want to live in former office buildings anyway? Second, office buildings are not designed for human habitation, so converting them will be expensive, probably far more expensive than the single-family homes people are moving to. Third, if cities allow such conversions, and they don’t happen, you know what the next step will be: cities will begin subsidizing such conversions.”
Biden virtue-signals about climate change while omnibus bill is flown to his tropical vacation spot (Blaze Media)
“The Bidens departed Washington on Tuesday, and Congress delivered the bill to the White House for Biden’s signature on Wednesday. That means had Biden waited one more day before leaving, it would not have been necessary to transport the bill to the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
What’s Really at Stake with ESG (Law & Liberty)
“Immense problems … emerge once you seek to expand a business’s core purposes beyond making profit and realizing shareholder value within the parameters of just laws. Businesses are not families or NGOs. Nor are your employees and employers necessarily your friends. Things start going wrong when companies forget these truths.”
Italy Plans An Energy U-Turn, A Comeback To Nuclear Power As Green Energies “Far From Sufficient” (NoTricksZone)
“Expect many countries to follow Italy’s course correction — except for Germany, which will obstinately cling to its wind and solar ideology to the very end even though a growing number of experts are calling for an extension of the operating times of its remaining nuclear plants.”
China looks to build space partnerships with Gulf nations (SpaceNews)
“China welcomes GCC astronauts to its space station for joint missions and space science experiments with their Chinese colleagues. China welcomes GCC countries’ participation in payloads cooperation in its aerospace missions, and will consider establishing a China-GCC joint center for lunar and deep space exploration.”
F-35 deliveries halted after Texas mishap; new contract finalized (Defense News)
“The halt means Lockheed delivered fewer F-35s than the 148 contractually required in 2022.”
BlackRock Plots to Buy Ukraine (The American Conservative)
“It is all rather infuriating: one can almost guarantee BlackRock is getting paid handsomely by the Ukrainian government for advising on this reconstruction roadmap. And where is the Ukrainian government currently getting its funding, given its economy is in shambles and war is an expensive undertaking? The United States government, of course. By the end of the calendar year, the U.S. will have provided $13 billion in direct budgetary support for Ukraine’s government to avoid shortfalls and outright bankruptcy, and President Joe Biden has promised to support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes.’”
Your Turn
1. Should the U.S. government have kept control of the Panama Canal?
2. Ever been to West Virginia?
3. Did Rona lockdowns do “more harm than good”?
4. The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, Shadowlands, Legends of the Fall, Nixon, Hannibal, or Red Dragon?
5. Real Genius, Top Gun, Willow, The Doors, Thunderheart, Tombstone, Heat, The Island of Dr. Moreau, or The Ghost and the Darkness?
1. Should the U.S. government have kept control of the Panama Canal?
Theodore Roosevelt was determined to build the Panama Canal and was not going to be intimidated by Colombia. He sent some War Ships to the area and Colombia finally decided to go along with the treaty. As long as the US plays a role in the operations of the Panama Canal it seems only right that the Panama People own the canal.
2. Ever been to West Virginia?
You mean that State just West of Virginia? NO!
3. Did Rona lockdowns do “more harm than good”?
The Corona Virus was nothing more than an excuse for Democrats to use their power of the lockdown against the American people and demand Write-In Ballots for the 2020 election. With 100 million Write-In Ballots the Democrats were able to stuff the ballots boxes with just enough votes to rig the election in favor of Joe Biden. The US has been a mess ever since!! The Corona Virus was nothing more than the latest strain of the SARS Virus and was no more dangerous than any other "Bad" Flu. In fact, most people had no problems with it. Only people with underlying conditions or the elderly were actually effected. The Democrats used the Covid-19 scare to shutdown the Country and lockdown Americans, so they could implement their Marxist Socialist Agenda. If Americans don't grow a pair and fight back, America will become the new Russia and with a Totalitarian Dictatorship Government!!
4. The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, Shadowlands, Legends of the Fall, Nixon, Hannibal, or Red Dragon?
Silence Of the Lambs. Simply the best movie of it's kind to ever be made! Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were unforgettable in their roles
5. Real Genius, Top Gun, Willow, The Doors, Thunderheart, Tombstone, Heat, The Island of Dr. Moreau, or The Ghost and the Darkness?
The original Top Gun was an interesting attempt to convey the Fighter Pilots of the 80's and their exuberant lifestyle. It was a cute-cool movie, with good music and very kitschy script, but Tom Cruise looked like a teenager! Top Gun-Maverick on the other-hand was sensational and the best movie of 2022!! Tom Cruise showed he still has what it takes and all the supporting actors were great too. Val Kilmer comes back to reprise his role as Iceman that brought everything full circle in a truly classic way! As close to a perfect movie that you will ever see. Much better than the original!
Tombstone is one of my favorite western historical-style movies. While it had some slow moments, and probably fell short of some authenticity to the actual events that occurred in Tombstone, it played well and the acting was well above average. Val Kilmer secured himself as a real Star with his portrayal of Doc Holiday!! A must see for all Classic Western Fans!!
1. Yes, because the U.S. built it. Do we still pay for it now?
2. No.
3. Lockdowns did more harm than good. I think it harmed children more than adults. The people who created and enforced the lockdowns didn't even follow their own rules.
4. The Silence of the Lambs
5. You forgot Top Secret. Lol.
From your list I will vote Tombstone.