October, 2024 archive
Recommended Viewing 0
Death on the Nile, starring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot.
Even if you are not a mystery buff and a Hercule Poirot fan, as I am, it’s worth viewing for the cast, which includes David Niven, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, and George Kennedy, among others. And much of it was filmed in Egypt, so the scenery is authentic.
I saw it on Tubi.
Vaccine Nation 0
Rebecca Watson discusses how the anti-VAXX movement is endangering everyone. An excerpt from her discussion of a study reported in The Lancet:
But now back to the bad news: that “trend” I said they noticed? They found that the number of people who contracted measles during that time period were MORE likely to be vaccinated, compared to previous decades. The number of vaccinated people getting measles TRIPLED, but why?
The models showed that the protection offered by the vaccine was superb, so how is this happening? Because of herd immunity. If 95% of people were immunized, we wouldn’t see these breakout infections, but in England during that time period only 85% of kids got both doses. That drop of just ten percentage points tripled the number of cases showing up in vaccinated people, even for a vaccine with an incredibly high level of effectiveness, which should give you some insight into why we’re still dealing with COVID-19, considering that only about 80% of Americans ever got even a single vaccination for it.
Or you can read the transcript.
The Art of the Steal 0
Emma takes a long look at Jack Smith’s recent filing regarding Donald Trump’s attempt to steal the 2020 election.
Phoning It In 0
Honest to Pete, you couldn’t make this stuff up.
Paper Fail 0
Arthur Dobrin went shopping and was somewhat taken aback by what he encountered. A snippet (emphasis added):
Then I realized what was going on: the carts were piled high with toilet paper.
(snip)
The dockworkers’ strike will have very little, if any, effect on toilet paper availability. This is because toilet paper products are domestic and are shipped by truck around the country. Products that are reliant on overseas shipments, such as bananas, will be in short supply if the strike lasts long.
If there is a toilet paper shortage, it will have been caused by panic buying.
We are a society of stupid.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your friend.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Lies and Lying Liars 0
Thom marvels as to why CBS agreed not to fact-check J. D. Vance during the recent debate and then catalogs (some of) Vance’s lies.
Empty Suits 0
At Above the Law, Liz Dye reports that Devin Nunes’s prolific pleadings seem to be proceeding poorly.
Republican Family Values 0
Writing at the Las Vegas Sun, Mary McNamara suggests that Republicans should keep their grubby little propagandas off of her and others’ families. Here’s a bit:
Because honestly, you are giving parents a bad name. And what with the school shootings, the lack of subsidized child care and the current attack on reproductive rights, not to mention the fact that Christmas will arrive in stores Nov. 1, we have enough to deal with.
The Crypto Con 0
The FBI followed the money. From El Reg (emphasis in the original):
The FBI investigation tracked payments to at least three deputies and their associates from Zort funds, and also probed how Iza was making his money. This led to the criminal charges.
Follow the link to see where it led them.
QOTD 0
Boris Karloff, in the voice of Colonel March Of Scotland Yard, and John Arnatt, the voice of Professor Wesley:
Professor Wesley: The black arts, the black sciences.
Colonel March: Well, all art, all science is black, as you very well know, until it’s understood.
The Undecided 0
In a longer article in which he wonders why Kamala Harris does not have a wider lead in the polls, Robert Reich asks a question which I find well-warranted.
Follow the link for context.
