Monthly Archives: July 2021

Twitter Has a Field Day Predicting What Elon Musk Will Announce Next – Entrepreneur

Posted: July 18, 2021 at 5:24 pm

The hashtag "ElonMuskJustAnnounced" went viral Monday afternoon after the account encouraged users to guess what the billionaire's next big move or announcement would be.

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July12, 20212 min read

Elon Musk was the topic of conversation on Twitter today as a viral new hashtag took over that was started by popular Twitteraccount Insomnia Tags.

The hashtagElonMuskJustAnnouncedwent viral Monday afternoon after the account encouraged users to guess what the billionaires next big move or announcement would be.

Some took the game seriously, predicting that hes building a satellite or that hes the new person in charge of the Mars mission.

Related:Elon Muskexplains Tesla's price increases, removal of lumbar support

But some of the best responses to the hashtag were farfetched, creative and, much like Musk himself, conversation starters.

Here were some of our favorites:

Musk himself has been known to cause a stir on Twitter, drawing harsh criticism after many said that he was responsibile for the whiplash volatility of certain crypto coins (mainly Bitcoin and Dogecoin) based on his tweets.

The billionaire has yet to get in on the game himself, his last tweet being on Sunday where he posted a picture of Raptor engines.

Tesla was up over 128% year-over-year as of late Monday afternoon.

Related:Elon MuskContinues to Back Dogecoin Over Its Competitors

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Sunday Commentary: It’s Happening, It’s Bad Is There Anything We Can Do at This Point? – The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Posted: at 5:24 pm

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By David M. Greenwald

Does anyone seriously question whether climate change is happening at this point? Maybe I will rephrase that slightly, does anyone, who is serious, question whether climate change is happening at this point?

If you want an illustration of how bad things are likely to getyou dont have to look far. Try the Pacific Northwest. The temperature hit 121 in British Columbia in June.

The Seattle numbers are telling. The temperature hit 104, which was an all-time record. It then hit 108 the next day, obviously an all time record. But the astonishing piece of datain the previous 126 years, Seattle had only hit 100 degrees three times. It reached that mark in three consecutive days in June.

Then there was Quillayute, Washington. A coastal town, it reached 110 degrees. That was 45 degrees above normal for the day and broke the previous hottest temperature by a mind-boggling 11 degrees.

Then there is the article this week on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. CNN reports, Its level today is inches away from a 58-year low, state officials say, and Western drought conditions fueled by the climate crisis have exacerbated conditions.

Worse yetIts only July, and the lake historically doesnt reach its annual low until October.

Scientists are not only worried about the collapse of an ecosystem, but the toxic potential of the exposed lake bed.

This lake could become one of the larger dust emission sources in North America as well, one scientist warned. Right now, the lake bed is protected by a fragile crust, and if that crust is disturbed or erodes over time, then this lake could start to emit a lot more (dust).

California is in the midst of a severe drought and scientists are warning that it could get far worse.

As temperatures climb to the triple digits, the sun will bake out what little moisture there is in the ground, worsening the Wests unprecedented drought. Scientists say heat and drought are inextricably linked in a vicious feedback loop that climate change makes even harder to break: heat exacerbates the drought, which in turn amps up the heat, CNN reports.

As were getting these very extreme heat waves, its just making the drought even worse, even though drought is initially caused by the lack of precipitation, Julie Kalansky, a climate scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, told CNN. But during the dry months of much of the West, these heat waves just continue this drying throughout the summer and into the fall.

In a previous article, they warned: Climate change is playing a key role in these compounding crises: Drought and extreme heat are fueling wildfires; reduced snowpack and the lack of substantial precipitation are exacerbating water demands for millions of people, as well as agriculture, ecosystems and deteriorating infrastructure.

Then theres Siberiathe symbol of the frozen wasteland, now baking in 100-degree days and forest fires.

Reports the NY York Times: They endure the coldest winters outside Antarctica with little complaint. But in recent years, summer temperatures in the Russian Arctic have gone as high as 100 degrees, feeding enormous blazes that thaw what was once permanently frozen ground.

The worse news: Scientists say that the huge fires have been made possible by the extraordinary summer heat in recent years in northern Siberia, which has been warming faster than just about any other part of the world. And the impact may be felt far from Siberia. The fires may potentially accelerate climate change by releasing enormous quantities of greenhouse gases and destroying Russias vast boreal forests, which absorb carbon out of the atmosphere.

Not just fires of course. We saw what happened this week in Germany and Belgium.

The NY York Times warns, No One Is Safe: Extreme Weather Batters the Wealthy World.

They write: Floods swept Germany, fires ravaged the American West and another heat wave loomed, driving home the reality that the worlds richest nations remain unprepared for the intensifying consequences of climate change.

We were unprepared for the pandemic. We have had 40 years to prepare for climate change, but have wasted much of it debating over whether it was going to happen.

The consequence of that shorted-sightedness is only now coming into focus. Remember, its only 2021. Its going to get worse. Those who thought that climate alarmists were overstating the problem may take solace in the fact that those alarmists may actually prove to be wrongthey may have understated the problem.

Some of Europes richest countries lay in disarray this weekend, as raging rivers burst through their banks in Germany and Belgium, submerging towns, slamming parked cars against trees and leaving Europeans shellshocked at the intensity of the destruction, the Times writes.

The extreme weather disasters across Europe and North America have driven home two essential facts of science and history: The world as a whole is neither prepared to slow down climate change, nor live with it, they continue. The weeks events have now ravaged some of the worlds wealthiest nations, whose affluence has been enabled by more than a century of burning coal, oil and gas activities that pumped the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that are warming the world.

I say this as a German: The idea that you could possibly die from weather is completely alien, said Friederike Otto, a physicist at Oxford University who studies the links between extreme weather and climate change. Theres not even a realization that adaptation is something we have to do right now. We have to save peoples lives.

The NY Times editorial board argues: Bidens Made Progress on Climate, Even if Activists Cant See It.

The board notes that, while environmentalists were happy to see Biden replace Trump as President, most are disappointed by the limited progress.

The Times finds he has achieved more than people on the left give him credit for, but still well short of his own hopes.

Unlike his predecessor, Mr. Biden took seriously the scientific consensus that the world needs to keep greenhouse gas emissions from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels in order to avert irreversible planetary damage, they write. Mr. Biden pledged to cut Americas emissions in half by 2030, eliminate fossil fuel emissions from power plants by 2035 and zero out all greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury, which is pretty much what scientists recommend for the entire world.

How we get there is going to be difficult. As the Times notes: That, in turn, would require a vastly different energy landscape massive investments in wind and solar power, a rebuilt electric grid, millions of electric vehicles.

Can we get past this stagnation? If you are not convinced of climate change now, you probably also believe a number of other unsupported notions about the world. For the rest of us, we are running out of time.

David M. Greenwald reporting

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Sunday Commentary: It's Happening, It's Bad Is There Anything We Can Do at This Point? - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

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LETTER: ‘Taxation of wages is slavery’ | Letters To The Editor | newburyportnews.com – The Daily News of Newburyport

Posted: at 5:24 pm

To the editor:

Frederick Douglass, one of the founders of the abolitionist Liberty Party (which joined the Conscience Whigs, Free Soilers and American Republicans at Exeter Town Hall in 1853) is finally being quoted again for his famous "Fourth of July speech."

Yet he also warned, my own hard earnings, every cent of it was demanded of me, and taken from me by Master Hugh, a Jacksonian Democrat. In the Legislature, Ive sustained Douglass adroit reasoning that "taxation of wages is slavery."

To make a contented slave, Douglass warned, you must make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate his power of reason. He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery. The man that takes his earnings, must be able to convince him that he has a perfect right to do so.

Arent government schools doing this to children today with the bizarre Critical Race Theory?

Modern newspapers spend more time criticizing the former president than the current infamous for mass incarceration of poor and brown Americans and none on his obvious heir apparent herself infamous for incarcerating 1,900 Black and brown Americans for nonviolent gun and drug possession.

Yet isnt it also enslavement to turn Americans into prison slave labor for these modern victimless crimes? Or mandatory volunteer work required of high school students? Or the $86,220 as your share of the national debt? And the slow conversion of our health care system into corporate socialism? A total cost of government nearly $33,000 per year per person?

Another founder of the Liberty Party was fiscally conservative Sen. John Hale, who said to be silent is to be false to the great interests of liberty.

His painting still hangs in the Statehouse chamber. Today, the Liberty Party lives on as the small, yet active Republican Liberty Caucus.

As a member of that group, I've introduced the Civil Rights Act of 2019 and intend to do so again next year, as we now enjoy Republican majorities. We cut taxes by $171 million as a matter of principle and will restore New Hampshire to the lowest tax burden in the nation if given the chance.

And we intend to restore civil liberties that have been slowly eroded under the guise of every crisis.

MaxAbramson

Seabrook

The letter writer is a New Hampshire state representative.

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Report of a break-in leads police to 100,000 cannabis grow | West Bridgford Wire | West Bridgford Wire – West Bridgford Wire

Posted: at 5:24 pm

Four men were arrested after a suspected break-in led police to more than 100,000 worth of cannabis.

Officers were called to a residential address on Springfield Road, Hucknall, at around 2.15am on Saturday morning and detained three people in and around the property.

Inside they found more than 200 plants in various rooms in the house.

Three men aged 26, 22 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft, cultivation of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of class B drugs.

A 41-year-old man was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of the same offences when the car he was driving was pulled over on the Hucknall bypass.

They have all been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

The cannabis plants have now been taken away and will be destroyed. Growing equipment seized at the address has also been put beyond use.

Detective Sergeant Charlotte Henson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: This was a great piece of work by officers who responded quickly to reports of an on-going break-in at this address. They quickly tracked down and arrested multiple suspects before uncovering the real reason for their presence a large and sophisticated cannabis grow.

There is sometimes a perception that cannabis growing and consumption is a victimless crime but that couldnt be further from the truth. Growing and dealing drugs has a detrimental impact on communities and also leads directly to associated crimes of violence and burglary.

We will continue to clamp down on drug dealing and it is always a very good result to stop this activity at source and prevent drugs from being sold on the streets.

Growing cannabis is also very dangerous and poses a significant risk of fire that can spread to neighbouring properties.

Anyone with additional information about recent activities at this property is asked to call 101 quoting incident 77 of 10 June.

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Science fiction: From hero’s tales to deep thoughts – The Daily Advance

Posted: at 5:24 pm

Summer is always a great time to check out a new book! One of my favorite genres to read during the summer is science fiction, in which, more often than not, the plot takes place in space and usually a few centuries into the future.

The genre itself is so dynamic that you can go from reading some fantastical simple heros journeys to thoughtful meditations on technology and humanity, and their relationship with nature.

The original heros journey-style plots from the Amazing Stories pulp fiction magazine inspired the 1950s and 1960s aesthetic of classic drive-in films. These stories are always fun and usually straightforward. Books by Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein also utilize this structure.

At the same time, science fiction has the ability to produce very thoughtful works that present moral ambiguity and question the nature of humanity. Hence there is a science fiction novel for everyone at the Tyrrell County Public Library! The genre is indeed so diverse that you can check out books by both Jules Verne and Cornwainer Smith out of the same section. Since the range of options can be a bit confusing, here are some of my personal favorites that make great summer reads!

One of my favorite authors from the tail end of the Golden Age of Science Fiction is Philip K. Dick. His stories usually have complicated and strange names such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? or We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. Despite these elaborate and often strange names, his short stories and novels play with the concept of the artificial, and at what point is the artificial as real as the original or even better?

In his short story The Golden Man, Philip K. Dick constructs a world where mutants (imperfect humans) have become a problem and the government is attempting to sterilize or outright eliminate them. By the end of the story, the protagonists and the reader are left wondering whether this imperfect being is the next stage of human existence.

Dicks most famous work is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is probably better known by the film adaptations Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. In the novel, the world is a post-nuclear wasteland where actual living animals are nearly non-existent and, as a result, human beings begin to adopt realistic artificial pets (i.e. the electric sheep in the title) as a cultural and status symbol. From this concept, Dick produces a world where it is near impossible to distinguish the latest versions of androids from human beings, and one is left to question whether the androids are persons.

While many authors like Dick play with the concept of humanity and its relationship with technology, science fiction also serves as a place for environmentalism and exploring humanitys impact on nature.

The first to really tackle this was Frank Herbert with his book Dune and its subsequent sequels. Herbert imagines a distant future where interstellar travel is possible not with machines but with the mind-altering spice mlange only found on the planet of Arrakis. The conflict that unfolds across his story deals with resource dependency, dynastic rivalry, and a planetary environment changed by the greed of man as well as war.

On a more detailed scale, the hard science fiction of Kim Stanley Robinson embraces science and environmental advocacy completely. In his Red Mars trilogy, Robinson imagines the terraformation of Mars and asks the question of whether or not it is ethical to change a planet for the needs of humanity before even confirming if there is native life.

A more recent book series, The Expanse, by James S.A. Corey (the pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) imagines a future where humans have colonized Mars, the Moon, asteroids, and the moons surrounding Saturn and Jupiter. As war and politics ravage space, this society is contrasted with the impact humanity has placed on its solar system and each other.

I love this genre because the medium of science fiction offers the space for science, technology, comedy, tragedy and philosophy to intersect. On the one hand you can read casual stories with heroes, aliens, and rocket ships; yet on the other hand, you can find tales and authors that explore deep questions and push the reader to think about larger concepts.

If you want to try science fiction, go ahead! It is worth it. If it is not your style, that is OK, there are tons of other stories out there to explore! Have a great week, and we hope to see you at the Library!

Jared Jacavone is the librarian at the Tyrrell County Public Library.

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Stickhandling the Scrutiny – BlueJackets.com

Posted: at 5:23 pm

Call it an audition, tryout, job interview or all three. That's what the last 12 months have been about for 18-year-old NHL prospects.

It is their first year of eligibility to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft July 23 and 24. Players in the Western Hockey League are keenly aware of the scrutiny during their draft years. Over the past two NHL Drafts, the WHL leads all amateur development leagues with 56 players selected.

Everett Silvertips defenseman Olen Zellweger and Seattle Thunderbirds winger Conner Roulette are two such players. The pair are the highest ranked-and most likely to be drafted-prospects from the WHL's U.S. Division. Their big moments are coming up in two weeks.

Both knew the importance of this season and that it could ultimately set them down a path towards their pro hockey dreams. Last summer, Roulette found out he was rated as an "A"prospect - indicating a potential first or early second round pick -- by NHL Central Scouting while Zellweger received a "C" ranking to indicate a possible selection in Rounds 4 to 7.

It put them both on notice. The NHL would be watching.

Adding to the pressure was the uncertainty of the season. The WHL was slated to begin in September but protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it back several times before finally settling on a March start date with a limited 24-game season.

"It was really nerve-wracking to be honest," Zellweger says. "It was such a great opportunity for us to even get a season this year. I'm just grateful that I got to play and players around the league got to play. That was good for us."

With the pressure of a draft year already in place, the shortened season just added to it.

There was a small window to give NHL scouts a good impression. Have a bad week and that could impact your draft stock. The players were aware but tried not to let pressure seep into their play on the ice.

"You've got to go out there and play your best," Roulette says. "It's just 24 games but in the end, you know, it's just kind of a regular season when it comes to the feeling of always wanting to be your best."

Both players put their best foot forward.

Roulette required a couple games to adjust, but then heated up. He played on Seattle's top line and ended with six goals and six assists for 12 points over 11 games. Zellweger took advantage of opportunity for an elevated role on Everett's blue line and ended up with a pair of goals and 11 assists in 11 games.

"I think I really took a lot of good strides forward and I think that'll be a good base for me, leading into next year," Zellweger says. "Obviously I think I earned quite a bit of trust from the coaching staff."

The two, who play on rival teams in the U.S. Division, only appeared in 11 league games because both were selected to represent Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championships in the Dallas area (Frisco and Plano), which caused them to miss the remainder of the WHL campaign.

Leaving their WHL teams was hard but worth it as Canada won the gold medal. Roulette scored a pair of goals playing in an unfamiliar fourth-line role. He also gained some experience killing penalties, something he had not done since U14 hockey.

Zellweger quickly became a mainstay on Canada's powerplay unit. He finished the the seven-game tournament with eight points and a rising index on his draft stock.

Both players say it was an honor to represent their home country, but the tournament provided a premium chance to be seen by NHL scouts and leave more good impressions. Going through the season the players are aware scouts were in the WHL arenas to watch games and that draft rankings were being published online.

It's a distraction that has to be ignored. In Texas, it was hard not to notice an arena filled with NHL scouts from every team. If you start worrying about what those scouts think, it can quickly and easily affect how you play.

"It's just a game of hockey," Roulette says about blocking out thoughts of scouts in the stands. "It was the first time in a while that we had a crowd of fans, then it turned out to be all scouts. It's not too crazy because you're playing a game and the focus is on what's going on around the ice. The focus was on your game."

NHL scouts spend a good deal of time watching the draft-eligible players. In a normal regular season, you can find them occupying their preferred corner seats at both the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent and Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett (both to be sites this fall for Kraken preseason games. The scouts were there again during the shortened season and the players were aware.

Scouts not only watch the play on the ice, but they go deeper into assessing a players NHL potential. That includes one-on-one interviews with the players, coaches, billet families who host junior players and even teachers in some cases.

When the season ended in June, the scrutiny carried on. Both players continued to hear from NHL scouts. Many Zoom calls were conducted.

"The first team you talk to, you get really excited," Roulette says. "You're kind of fanboying over it. Then once it gets normal, you start taking it as a job, as a professional."

Scouts talk hockey with prospects. But the questions quickly get into other topics such as family and motivation. NHL teams want to get to know the personalities and mindsets of any prospect they might draft.

"One team asked me what percentage of my ability is just natural talent versus hard work," says Zellweger, who added he had also talked to the Kraken. "I thought that was a different one. I don't think I really heard stuff like that before."

Neither player is taking it easy this summer. Roulette is spending his summer in Vancouver working out with a number of pro and WHL players. Zellweger has stayed closer to his home in Alberta and on the ice in a similar fitness camp.

Both Roulette and Zellweger are set to return to Seattle and Everett this coming season.

"For me, this is a really important time," Zellweger says. "I think last offseason was really good for me. This year I want to continue to work on my off ice and my strength in the gym ... I think it'll be really beneficial to me, leading into this season."

Draft day can turn hockey players into a nervous mess as they wait to hear their name called by an NHL team. Like last year, this year's draft will be conducted virtually and broadcast live from NHL Network studios in Secaucus, NJ.

The first round will be 5 p.m. July 23, airing on ESPN2 and Sportsnet. Rounds 2 to 7 start July 24 at 8 a.m. on NHL Network

Roulette says he'll be watching with his family in Winnipeg. He's guessing they'll plan something big. Zellweger will be with his family in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, watching and maybe pacing nervously.

"I like to say now I'd be pretty calm but, you know, I'm not there yet," Zellweger says. "I honestly don't know right now."

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It will be remembered: Trump allies cross him in special election – POLITICO

Posted: at 5:22 pm

Allies of Meadows and Paul insist they are not intending to undercut the ex-president by backing Edmonds and Hood and are simply voicing their support for candidates, rather than opposing a Trump-endorsed hopeful.

But the turn of events underscores the conundrum confronting Republicans. With Trump picking favorites in primaries and looking to shape the party ahead of a potential 2024 comeback bid, he is forcing other Republicans to decide whether its worth crossing him by endorsing rival candidates.

Organizations that endorse candidates against the presidents endorsement do so at their own peril and, like the Democrats, will fail, said former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, a prominent Carey supporter and an informal adviser. But it will be remembered.

Representatives for Trump and Paul declined to comment. Debbie Meadows, whose organization has backed conservative female candidates such as Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), said in a statement: Our job at Right Women PAC is to find the most conservative, pro-Trump women, even in fields with multiple pro-Trump candidates and that's what we did here. This is certainly not an 'us versus them.' I totally support President Trump and always have.

Those in the former presidents orbit have been surprised to see Meadows and Paul break for other candidates given their closeness to Trump. Trump lavished praise on Meadows during a June appearance in North Carolina, noting that during the 2016 presidential race she was a supporter of mine even before her husband had been. Trump earlier this year endorsed Pauls 2022 reelection bid, saying his golfing partner has done a fantastic job for our Country, and for the incredible people of Kentucky.

People familiar with Debbie Meadows group say it operates independently of Mark Meadows, who has yet to come out in support of any candidate in the race. They also point out that her endorsement of Edmonds came on June 4, four days before Trump announced his support for Carey.

Meadows Right Women PAC, however, has continued promoting Edmonds since Trump made his move, highlighting its support of her on social media platforms including Instagram and Telegram. Paul, meanwhile, announced his support for Hood in early July, several weeks after Trump came out for Carey.

It isnt the first time Paul has broken with the ex-president: During the 2020 election, he came out in support of Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Manny Sethi over the Trump-backed eventual winner, now-Sen. Bill Hagerty. The Paul-aligned Protect Freedom PAC also waged an unsuccessful effort last year to defeat Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who had Trumps support.

Some Trump aides have been particularly rankled by Meadows, complaining that she is lining up against the former president despite his past receptivity to candidates she has encouraged him to back. She recently helped arrange for him to meet with congressional candidate Heidi St. John of Washington State, even though some prominent Trump supporters have begun to gravitate toward a different Republican running against Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler: Army veteran Joe Kent. (Herrera Beutler is one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.) The St. John meeting drew eyerolls from some in the ex-presidents inner circle.

Meadows was also instrumental in persuading Trump to endorse one of her personal friends, Lynda Bennett, in last years election to fill her husbands vacant North Carolina congressional seat. Bennett suffered a lopsided primary defeat to now-Rep. Madison Cawthorn, infuriating Trump, who until that point had frequently boasted about his perfect record endorsing winning primary candidates in 2020. The former president repeatedly griped at Mark Meadows over the loss, and he has continued to express regret in private for not endorsing Cawthorn, who has emerged as a staunch ally.

To some, Debbie Meadows support for Edmonds is only the latest sticking point.

I am surprised that the wife of Trumps former chief of staff is not supporting the Trump-endorsed candidate, Mike Carey. Loyalty seems like a very important character trait in the Trump orbit, said Brian Darling, a former official at the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative organization.

Darling, a former Paul aide, distinguished Pauls endorsement of Hood from Meadows support for Edmonds, noting that the Kentucky senator was narrowly focused on backing like-minded libertarian candidates.

Those close to Meadows, who has been a major force in her husbands political rise, insist that by encouraging Trump to support certain candidates, she isnt doing anything unusual. Trump is lobbied by an array of people of get behind Republican hopefuls, they point out.

Carey remains the strong favorite in the Ohio primary, those tracking the race say. A June poll conducted by Careys campaign found him far out ahead of the other 10 Republicans running. Carey has made Trumps endorsement the centerpiece of his campaign, running ads spotlighting the former president praising him as a wonderful man who hes known for a long time during a recent Ohio rally. Trump called the candidate onstage to speak during the event.

But Meadows and Pauls involvement could be a factor in the final stretch, those involved in the race say. According to media tracking figures, Carey has spent and reserved just $171,000 on the radio and TV airwaves, less than several of his opponents. By comparison, the Paul-aligned organization, Protect Freedom PAC, has reserved $216,000 in advertising time to boost Hood.

The Meadows-run group, Right Women PAC, has yet to invest in ads, though there is speculation that it may. One Republican in the state noted the super PAC recently received a $1 million-plus contribution from Ohio-based donor Brenda Frecka, a substantial gift that could conceivably be used to fund a last-minute, pro-Edmonds barrage. Frecka and her husband, film packaging company founder David Frecka, are among the largest donors to a super PAC aligned with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which Mark Meadows chaired during his congressional tenure.

Neither Debbie Meadows nor David Frecka would comment when asked whether the contribution would be used to bolster Edmonds. Meadows also would not say what activities she was planning for the final weeks of the contest.

Carey is also confronting an avalanche of spending from former GOP Rep. Steve Stivers, who vacated the seat to take a job overseeing the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Stivers has so far spent nearly $300,000 in remaining funds from his campaign account to buttress another candidate, state Rep. Jeff LaRe.

The pro-Trump cavalry, however, may be coming to Careys rescue. The Lewandowski-run Make America Great Again Action, the principal pro-Trump super PAC, is considering parachuting in to close the spending gap. It would represent the organizations first investment in an election.

Whoever comes out ahead in the Republican primary is expected to win the general election, given that Trump comfortably won the conservative-leaning district in 2020.

While Carey hasnt won the support of Meadows and Paul, he has earned endorsements from other staunch Trump allies, including New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Citizens United, a group overseen by former Trump campaign adviser David Bossie. He also has the endorsement of a political action committee run by Ryan Zinke, who served as Trumps Interior secretary.

Carey brushed off the support Meadows and Paul were giving to his rivals by highlighting his backing from someone else.

I am proud, he said in a text message, to have President Trumps endorsement.

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Sens. Rick Scott, Ron Johnson and Colleagues on Democrats’ Partisan Spending Bill: America Needs to Invest in Infrastructure Without Out-of-Control…

Posted: at 5:22 pm

WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senators Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Braun, Cynthia Lummis and Bill Hagerty released a joint statement on the Democrats multi-trillion dollar partisan spending package:

Our nation is nearing $30 trillion in debt. There is a day of reckoning if we dont get our fiscal house in order. We appreciate our colleagues efforts to get a bipartisan deal done. But supporting this infrastructure deal enables the Democrats to pass their $3.5 trillion spending package. Joe Biden said it himself: These two issues are welded together.

Everyone agrees America needs to invest in infrastructure. But with our national debt growing out of control and Democrats dedicated to passing a 100% partisan blowout spending package totaling $3.5 trillion, we cannot support any additional deficit spending on Joe Bidens, Nancy Pelosis, Chuck Schumers and Bernie Sanders liberal wish list.

We can pay for needed infrastructure without incurring additional debt by instead repurposing previously appropriated but unspent funds. We urge our colleagues to support an alternative approach and recognize that supporting an infrastructure bill that authorizes new spending also enables the Democrats $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend budget. We must stop mortgaging our childrens and grandchildrens futures.

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Atheists got so much latitude in our cultural set-up in ancient times, so why on earth is there a dearth of non-believers in modern India, asks Sumit…

Posted: at 5:22 pm

When one person is delusional, its called insanity. When many people are delusional, they call it religion. --Anon

The Pew Research Centers latest survey shows India as an overwhelmingly, nay staggeringly, religious country, having 97 per cent Indians believing in religion and god/s. While it could be a sign of triumph for religious and spiritually-tilted Indians, those who dont believe in god and any supernatural powers have absolutely no stake in it.

In other words, the atheists, agnostics (dwimanvadi in Sanskrit) and skeptics (sanshyatma) are theological heathens and spiritual Gentiles (to quote Dr Bimal Krishna Matilals phrase) in an increasingly religious country like India. This is all the more strange, nay ironic, when you look at the philosophical trends prevalent in ancient India.

Atheism in India, Grece

Its interesting to observe that only in India, and to some extent, in ancient Greece, atheism was a philosophical and acceptable way of thinking even centuries ago. Jainism, Buddhism, Lokayat, Charvaka, Samkhya and a few other sub-cultic philosophical schools of ancient India, never believed in god, soul, afterlife, reincarnation, karma and transcendence of self.

Nowhere in any philosophical system do you find a non-religio-cultural person as a Hindu-atheist (though the very concept is quite perplexing) juxtaposed with a complete atheist and also with a believer! But this was perfectly in sync with the philosophical and metaphysical mindset of ancient India. In short, our ancestors were on board with atheism or atheistic outlook.

So, when atheists got so much latitude in our socio-philosophical as well as cultural set-up, why on earth are there so few non-believers in modern India? In fact, in western countries, especially in Scandinavian countries, people are turning to atheism and leaving their religion (predominantly Christianity).

Unparalleled religiosity

But, here in India, religion is getting increasingly sclerotic and the muddled, as well as addled concept of god and holy books is being drilled into the impressionable minds. This results in the creation of a collectively believing unit at an enormous scale. The en masse religiosity and fear of unknown, coupled with extreme irrationality and scriptural submission, have made general Indians fearfully religious.

At the same time, todays India looks down upon atheism as an aberration of mind and an anomaly of thinking. The Fallacy of Duration, The Fallacy of Time, The Fallacy of (Religious) Acceptance and The Fallacy of Divine Invincibility have made most of the Indians unquestioningly servile and fearful of an imaginary god who dictates terms and punishes those who go astray.

Fear of divinity

Yuval Noah Harari stated very recently that until humans remove the unfounded fear of a fictional divine entity and the interference of religions from their lives and turn atheists, the world will continue to smoulder in a religious cauldron. Religiously encumbered Indians cannot think beyond god, religion and prayer, not knowing that all these things only have a placebo effect on a perpetually weak, sick and unevolved human brain.

The familial indoctrination, forced organisational religious submission like silly assembly prayers in almost all schools, temples and shrines in academic institutes and hospitals, routine leave to employees to perform religious duties are prevalent in India. The overdose of spirituality on TV, newspapers and everyday life with a spate of enlightened spiritual masters have further pushed us into the conduit of god and religion. No official document or admission to any institute in India is possible without mentioning ones religion, that too, with denominations.

So, in such religious fervour and widespread fanaticism, how can an atheist be noticed? Moreover, the so-called atheists in India are quite confused. Theyre just schoolkid atheists, donning the mantle of atheism as if wearing a trendy T-shirt. An atheist is not just a non-believer. He or she is a votary of reason. If ones a non-believer or an atheist, one has to have no faith in esoteric mumbo-jumbo like angel-readings and therapy, tarot cards, astrology, numerology and all that jazz.

Another '-ism'

Most Indians lack scientific temperament and are innately fearful of god and their ancestral religious traditions. Moreover, in these political times and climes, to be an atheist in India is glaringly incongruous. Even those who call themselves atheists have certain ideological and occult idiosyncrasies. After all, even atheism is also an ism or a doctrine. These soi-disant atheists are followers of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harriss brand of militant atheism, which is again a brand, rather a pigeon-hole.

The world, especially India, needs apatheists (those whove gone beyond theism and atheism). Weve had enough of god and religion and their shenanigans. Its time to be free of all eschatological and theological manacles to call oneself a true-blue free human sans any dogmas, faith and an otiose spiritual power, hovering over us and watching like a sadist.

The writer is a regular contributor to worlds premier publications and portals in several languages

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Atheists got so much latitude in our cultural set-up in ancient times, so why on earth is there a dearth of non-believers in modern India, asks Sumit...

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Lifting the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba Will Create Wealth and Prosperity for Both Countries – Energy & Capital

Posted: at 5:22 pm

Last week, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets to protest.

The images were emotional and grand.

Middle-age mothers marching with their clenched fists in the air...

Defiant grandfathers cheerfully waving Cuban flags with the words anti-communist written on them...

Noncompliant teenagers being shoved into the backs of police cars many of whom may never be seen again...

This is the reality of protesting in a communist country, where such things are met with a kind of government thuggery most of us can never even imagine.

Sadly, the good people of Cuba were beaten down by the brutal hand of the Fidel Castro regime, which preached a myth of equality and prosperity under communism. Make no mistake: Equality and prosperity cannot thrive in the presence of communism.

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Now, Ive been studying Cuba for a while.

My interest in Cuba began in 2014, after former President Barack Obama met with Ral Castro in 2014 in an effort to begin the process of normalizing relations between the two countries.

This was intriguing to me because it represented the first glimpse of a potential end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba an embargo that has now lasted 63 years.

Originally designed to bring Cuba to its knees and break its communist rule, it was and continues to be a massive failure. Communist rule has actually thrived in Cuba since the embargo was initiated in 1958.

Sadly, though, many politicians continue to support the embargo as a way to scare voters into believing that if the embargo were lifted, wed be rewarding a murderous communist regime.

Of course, this is complete nonsense.

If we can do business with China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, theres no logical reason we cant do business with Cuba.

Congressman Ron Paul opined on this many years ago, saying

We talked to the Soviets. We talk to the Chinese. And we opened up trade, and we're not killing each other now. We fought with the Vietnamese for a long time. We finally gave up, started talking to them, and now we trade with them. I don't know why the Cuban people should be so intimidating. I think we're living in the dark ages when we can't even talk to the Cuban people. I think it's not 1962 anymore. And we don't have to use force and intimidation and overthrow of governments.

I couldnt agree more.

Ending the U.S. embargo against Cuba should actually be something fairly easy for both sides of the aisle to agree upon. Economically, politically, and socially, this really is a no-brainer.

Of course, that doesnt mean itll happen. But if it does, make no mistake: We will be very eager to capitalize on such an opportunity that will not only benefit early investors but the good people of Cuba too.

To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth...

Jeff Siegel

@JeffSiegel on Twitter

Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks, a private investment community that capitalizes on opportunities in alternative energy, organic food markets, legal cannabis, and socially responsible investing. He has been a featured guest on Fox, CNBC, and Bloomberg Asia, and is the author of the best-selling book, Investing in Renewable Energy: Making Money on Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor's page.

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Lifting the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba Will Create Wealth and Prosperity for Both Countries - Energy & Capital

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