Take Us To Our Leaders

I will attempt to explain my reasoning for my dislike of the main contenders.

After a very successful election the Dems have won both Houses of Congress and now is the time to start looking for the new leaders of those Houses.

We have the minority leaders of Jeffries and Schumer as the presumptive new majority leaders….but would that be a wise decision?

My personal thought is no it would not be in the best interests of the people of this country.

These new leaders have a challenge to do what is best for the people….not the corporations….

Now that the Democratic Party has some power, we’re all waiting to see how they use it. Can the leaders meet the moment?

Hakeem Jeffries is the presumptive speaker of the House. There is a lot of opposition to Jeffries in the party base. There is a petition at Change.org with over a million signatures to “Oppose Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House.”

…

That brings us the presumptive majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer. I would prefer to see him replaced right away. Chief Deputy Whip Brian Schatz is waiting in the wings. If Schumer stays as leader for the entire 120th Congress, the base will be constantly upset by his mealy-mouth presentation, tendency to cave to corporate interests, and unwavering support of the Israeli military’s attacks on its neighbors.

Keeping the coalition together is more important than letting Schumer keep his job. Standing up to the Trump administration, the oligarchs, and corporate special interests is what is required at the moment.

Jeffries and Schumer Need to Step Up or Get Out of the Way

But let’s look at those men that could be the future of the Democratic Party….at least for the next 2 years.

Let’s begin with the People’s House and the person that could become the first black speaker in all of history…..Jeffries….

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is on the cusp of making history as the nation’s first Black speaker of the House, a generational shift in U.S. politics after Democrats trounced Republicans to win majority control of the chamber in the midterm elections.

Jeffries faces a vote of his colleagues when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. If nominated and elected, as expected, it would be the first time a Black lawmaker has grasped the powerful House speaker’s gavel, a job second in line to the president and the only leadership position in Congress mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

…

They are bracing to confront not only Trump, but also a fresh group of Democrats elected to office, including a handful backed by the Democratic Socialists of America pushing the party leftward, though the largest caucus in the House is expected to remain the more moderate New Democrat Coalition.

Jeffries has promised a robust 100-day agenda to lower the costs of living and launch oversight and investigations to hold the Trump administration accountable. Impeachment is an option.

Promising to show voters that Democrats can govern, Jeffries and the leadership team hope to hold their new majority together and avoid the chaotic disruptions and dysfunction that often left Johnson unable to control the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House.

https://apnews.com/article/hakeem-jeffries-election-house-democrats-017ab70f264d4abe90da0325c1f03350

That was a glowing article on the presumptive Speaker-to-be…..

There is reasons why Jeffries is not the best person for the job….

Now that Democrats have swept the House, a key question is: Who should lead it?

Hakeem Jeffries is in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House, which would be a historic milestone. But members of Congress must examine Jeffries’ record, his priorities, and the kind of leadership he would bring to this moment.

Here are ten reasons why Jeffries should not be Speaker.

1. He has abandoned Medicare for All

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/10-reasons-hakeem-jeffries-should-not-be-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/

There is too much of a corporate Dem in his life for him to be the best choice for Speaker….that is just my thought.

This brings us to Schumer….there has bee a wealth of reason why he should not be the Leader of the Senate….corporate money, Israel support, Pentagon support, high dollar donors, etc.

Democratic voters have indicated they want newer and younger leadership in the party. Over the last two years, progressive Democrats have scored major victories in local and state elections.

It’s led some lawmakers to push for similar changes in decade-old leadership. Schumer, 75, has served as the Democrats’ leader in the Senate since 2017.

But Schumer did not appear worried about his bid for Senate majority leader, telling reporters on Wednesday: “I’ll be re-elected as majority leader.”

Schumer likely has enough votes within his party to become the next majority leader. He’s also running uncontested as of Friday afternoon – no other Senate Democrat has officially thrown their hat into the ring.

There are few few reasons why I do not think he would be the best leader….

Generational Change: Critics—including the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Senator Elissa Slotkin, and various incoming lawmakers—argue that the party needs a new generation of leadership, fresh energy, and new ideas rather than recycling the same establishment figures.

  • Perceived Disconnect with Voters: Progressive and labor critics state that Schumer represents an older, top-down style of politics that fails to listen to working-class voters or address core issues like economic affordability and corporate influence effectively.

  • Past Strategy and Primary Choices: Detractors point to past primary endorsements and campaign strategies—such as backing specific primary opponents or miscalculating suburban voter shifts—as evidence of flawed decision-making.

  • Handling of Legislative Fights and Confirmations: Some party members have criticized Schumer for past compromises, such as backing a Republican bill to reopen federal agencies during a government shutdown without securing key Democratic priorities like healthcare subsidies, or not doing enough to block certain cabinet confirmations.

  • Foreign Policy and Cultural Divisions: Schumer has faced criticism from progressive wings of the party over his strong stance on aid and support for Israel, as well as internal debates on foreign policy and domestic agendas.
  • Low Approval Ratings: Public polling, including data cited from Siena University and RealClearPolitics, has historically shown low favorability ratings for Schumer among both general voters and members of his own party.

He has proven to me that he cares more about his high dollar donors than the people that put him in his position of power.

The people voted for change and if these two are elected to the leadership it will be a betrayal of that vote….

Defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box will mean little if Democrats preserve the corporate rule that helped bring him to power. The ballots have been counted. The danger now is that Democrats will mistake a repudiation of Donald Trump for permission to keep serving the billionaires who own American politics. On The Chris Hedges Report, Ralph Nader warns that an electoral landslide can become another exercise in betrayal if voters allow the party’s corporate leadership to turn public anger into empty promises, toothless investigations and business as usual.

Chris Hedges Report: Will Democrats Betray Voters Again?

We deserve better than these two corporate stooges.

You thoughts will be appreciated.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“It Was Rigged”

Donny made his speech after the vote where he said that he looked forward to working with the Dems in the next Congress….and we all waited for the next shoe to drop.

And drop it did…..

Six days after saying he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results of the midterm elections, President Trump has had a change of heart. On Monday, Trump suggested that rigged machines cost Republicans control of Congress, reports Politico. “Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting ‘dumps’ were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote,” the president said. “It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!”

Trump has previously acknowledged that the Iran war likely hurt Republicans, and, as recently as Sunday night, he said his administration’s “too tough” immigration crackdown also may have been a factor. It’s not clear what prompted Monday’s new tone, but CNBC notes that it coincides with the first day on the job for Trump’s new chief of staff, Stephen Miller. Most DC observers predict that Miller’s selection signals a combative final two years in office for Trump.

His usual BS…..so is he setting the stage for some sort of action in the near future or is he practicing his routine for the Chuckle Hut?

Really?  After all the antics by the GOP for voter suppression, purges, gerrymandering and the rest of the so-called policies to prevent voter fraud and it was the Dems that were rigging the election….

This cancerous demented toad just cannot go any length of time without contradicting himself or insulting someone…..a sure sign of a personality the needs treatment.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The ‘Consent Of The Governed’

This will be the second part of my series where I look at the promises of the Constitution….as a political historian I like analyzing the parts that I feel are falling short.

For many decades the term “all men are created equal’ has overshadowed ‘consent of the governed’ I hope to change thinking with this post.

Let’s begin with a simple definition….

Consent of the governed is the political principle that a government’s legitimacy and moral right to use power is valid only when approved and agreed to by the people.

  • Popular Sovereignty: The people are the ultimate source of all political power.
  • Social Contract: Citizens agree to obey laws and support the state in exchange for the protection of their natural rights.
  • Right to Withdraw: If a government fails to protect basic rights or acts unjustly, the people have the right to alter, abolish, or replace it.

A wonderful idea….but sadly I do not see it ever being the true case.

I believe there are more disadvantages than advantages to this concept as it pertains to this nation….

First the ‘tyranny of the majority’….

When political power is tied strictly to the consent of the majority, the interests, rights, and voices of minority groups can easily be overridden.
  • Human Rights Vulnerabilities: If a large majority consents to a policy or leader that actively harms a marginalized demographic, the system can technically possess “consent” while producing profoundly unjust or cruel outcomes.
  • Suppression of Dissent: In highly majoritarian systems, those who do not consent to prevailing policies may find themselves functionally silenced, reducing true political plurality.

Second the illusion of ‘consent’….

Philosophers like David Hume have historically argued that “consent” in a nation-state is largely a fiction.
  • No Real Choice to Leave: A citizen cannot easily choose to withdraw their consent and leave their country if they lack the financial means, language skills, or legal ability to emigrate.
  • Acquiescence vs. Consent: Citizens often comply with laws out of habit, fear of punishment, or basic survival rather than actual, enthusiastic consent. Voting in an election does not necessarily mean a citizen consents to all laws passed by the winner.

Here I feel I need to inject that I agree with Hume on this matter.

Third, slow decision making….

A system designed to constantly check, verify, and renew the consent of millions of people is inherently slow.
  • Inefficiency: Seeking consensus or majoritarian approval requires lengthy public deliberation, debates, and legislative processing.
  • Crisis Management Failures: In times of immediate crisis (such as war, economic collapse, or pandemics), the time required to gather democratic consent can paralyze a government, making it less agile than centralized or authoritarian systems.

Fourth, the uninformed public….

The quality of a government built on consent is entirely dependent on the quality of the decisions made by the citizens who grant it.
  • Misinformation: Voters are not always well-informed on highly complex economic, scientific, or geopolitical issues, meaning they can enthusiastically consent to disastrous policies.
  • Hyper-Polarization: In deeply divided societies, the process of consent can break down entirely. Political factions may refuse to recognize the legitimacy of an elected government, viewing the opposing party not as rivals, but as existential threats, which can lead to political dysfunction or civil unrest.

Finally, exclusion of parts of society….

In practice, the mechanisms used to express consent—primarily voting—are rarely equally accessible to all citizens.
  • If structural barriers like long voting lines, restrictive registration laws, or economic constraints prevent certain populations (such as low-income or minority communities) from participating, the “consent” generated by the system is skewed and incomplete.

I have laid out why I think that the term ‘consent of the governed’ is pure poppycock (trying to be professional here)….as an example I point to the issues facing this country today as far as the citizens giving consent.

Americans now almost universally reject one of the most-fundamental claims in their Founding document.

There are people that are denied this concept…..why?  Because they may not want a Dem or a Repub on the ballot…..so do these people consent to be governed?

Note:  After the recent vote one might think that this post is non-applicable….to that I say….’don’t kid yourself’.

Whatcha think….do we still believe in the ‘consent of the governed’?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Donny Knows What Went Wrong

Or does he?

Since the election of last week and the Dems having such a good show at the polls there has been lots of ink on analyzing just what happened…..but what about Donny?

Well he has decided to break ir down for all us peons…..

Republicans’ midterm drubbing hasn’t shaken President Trump’s view that his record is strong, though he acknowledged he may have gone too far in one area. In a 60 Minutes interview, his first big sit-down since election day, he pinned GOP losses on backlash to the Iran war and high gas prices, but also argued Republicans suffered because “I was not on the ballot.” He called his administration’s economic results “phenomenal” and blamed “bad messaging” for voter dissatisfaction with the economy, while predicting Americans will soon feel the benefits.

Trump insisted the Iran invasion was still worth it, though he added that he’s “not looking to” intensify the conflict now. As for his deportation push, though, he conceded that was “too tough,” even as he replaced outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles with immigration hardliner Stephen Miller. He vowed “tremendous numbers of pardons” are coming, but dismissed the idea of forgiving political foes—”I do hate some of my enemies and always will”—and said he’ll “probably” weigh in on the 2028 GOP race.

“Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media in response to the interview, per the AP. “Apparently, his solution was to put the man responsible for it in charge of the White House. That’s not a course correction. That’s a promotion.”

That is the short of it.

He has blamed everyone for the loss but the main actor in this drama….himself.

His policies and his alone have brought this country to it’s knees and the voter decided to stand for awhile.

He did say one thing that smacked of the truth….his policies on immigration went too far.

Ya think!

Now the game begins….he will use the veto and the Dems will have to override it….but are they capable?

2027 will be an interesting year for politics…..not that much will actually get done….just amusing to watch this saga play out.

Anything that needs adding please do so.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Little Nazi That Could

That would be Stephen Miller as the Little Nazi…..a supremacist, racist, sexist little turd is now the Chief of Staff for Donny Boy….and that much closer to Donny’s ear so he can whisper his sweet nothing to the minute brain.

Stephen Miller’s promotion could define the rest of President Trump’s term. The selection of the immigration and crime hard-liner as White House chief of staff signals Trump is preparing for a “combative” final two years in office, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The record suggests Miller, 41, will double down on aggressive immigration policies and a sweeping view of executive power—which he’s long advocated for—even as Democrats take over Congress and prepare a wave of investigations.

As deputy chief of staff, Miller has helped script nearly all of Trump’s executive orders and is now central to the administration’s strategy on a host of issues. The day after the elections, the New York Times reports, Miller’s agenda in a phone call with national security officials about immigration was unchanged by the Republican losses. He again pushed them to aggressively increase deportations and reduce the number of border crossings. And Miller called for sending immigrants to nations other than their homeland. Some Republicans warn the promotion misreads voter backlash to Trump’s agenda and have called for scaling back; allies contend Miller’s loyalty and combative style are exactly what the president wants over the next two years.

Donny will probably become more authoritarian with this little nazi whispering in his awaiting ear.

Let the major butt sucking begin!

Stephen Miller used his debut remarks as White House chief of staff to offer something close to a vow of fealty. President Trump’s longtime aide and immigration adviser stood beside the president Friday evening at Mar-a-Lago and pledged “absolute loyalty” and “total devotion,” while crediting Trump with nothing less than saving America, its military, its economy, and its borders. “If it wasn’t for President Trump, the United States of America would not exist right now,” Miller told the gathering, the Guardian reports. Trump supporters widely shared and celebrated video of the remarks.

A White House statement credited Miller for advancing Trump’s agenda, and figures in both parties say his selection signals no course correction on hardline immigration policies; some Republicans blame his approach for alienating Hispanic voters before the midterms. Allies are casting him as Trump’s “wartime consigliere”; in promoting him, the president called Miller “a great fighter.” The new chief of staff has described the Democratic Party as “a domestic extremist organization,” the Washington Post points out, and relishes clashing with Trump’s opponents.

The message received in Congress is that the president is setting up for two years of confrontation. On Friday, GOP Sen. Thom Tillis called Miller’s promotion a “colossal mistake” and said Trump should reconsider, per the Hill, saying the chief of staff is “one of the most partisan, polarizing figures, and not only polarizing in terms of Republicans and Democrats, but even among Republicans.”

The only thing missing was a salute and a hardy ‘sieg heil’…..in case you are not familiar with the term it means….’hail victory’….

If you would like more information on this ‘person’….then this may help….

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6206059-stephen-miller-chief-of-staff-info/

Just to give an example of what to expect from this demented little turd….

The newly promoted Stephen Miller seems set to ramp up attacks against journalism critical of the Trump administration, according to reports.

Now a report suggests Miller could be aiming to enlist the Justice Department to pursue criminal investigations into journalists who rely on confidential government sources for their reporting.

Speaking to The Atlantic, three people familiar with the matter even suggested the White House and the DOJ have been considering arresting journalists to get them to give up their sources.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/stephen-miller-plotting-arrest-journalists-2102025

I am sure there is more silliness to come….I will be watching and writing.

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–08Nov26

Our Donny is in full meltdown for his MAGA twats got their butts handed to them in the midterms….and who would have thought that Deep Red Mississippi would be in play?  Donny will have his hands full come January 2028….

Time to start the stupid that flies out of DC on any given week….

Looks like Donny is on the Venezuela kick again….

“We have a little breaking news,” Trump told rallygoers assembled at the Port of Corpus Christi. “You have a little ship. See that little ship out there? It’s got one million barrels of oil on it from Venezuela.” This represents the president’s latest move in his flailing effort to bring down fuel prices that have skyrocketed due to his war on Iran. “We’re celebrating the greatest oil victory in history,” he said. “To the victor belong the spoils, right?” He went on to claim that the U.S. has built a “great” relationship with Venezuela after Trump’s “great victory” over it, saying that it would soon become a prosperous country, “and maybe someday soon it would become a prosperous 51st state. Let’s make it the 51st state, and instead of a president, we’ll have an election for a governor. They have a lot of oil.”

https://www.alternet.org/trump-venezuela-51st-state/

The Reflecting Pool is in the news again…

President Donald Trump, while delivering a closing campaign speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, said he’d name the pool after himself – then claimed he’s joking.

“I’m thrilled to announce the office opening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, that we’re giving serious thought to changing the name to the Trump Reflecting Pool, we’ll announce that sometime tomorrow. I’m sure Secretary Doug Bergam will have a lot of fun in announcing that… I’m only kidding! I’m only kidding!” Trump said.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/politics/trump-says-hes-renaming-reflecting-37835914

But was he kidding?  I think not.

Donny said he would resume bombing of Iran after the midterms….and this is what he said….

President Trump said on Thursday that he may have to “destroy the rest of the country” of Iran as he continues to make threats against the Islamic Republic following the Republican Party’s major defeat in the midterm elections, which was seen as a referendum on the war.

“Now we’ll make a decision: Do we want to go further and just certify it, by certifying it meaning it will never happen again?” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, if possible, but maybe I’ll have to. And you’ll know soon enough.”

(antiwar.com)

We have been taken to the Promise Land….according to Donny…..

During a rally in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, November 1, the president, 80, mentioned Robert Jeffress, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor who has been supportive of him. The Republican leader told the crowd that when he decided to run for office, the pastor, 70, said, “I support Donald Trump. Now, he may not have read the Bible as much as some of us.

“He may not be able to to recite verse very well. But he is the strongest leader and he will take us, as Christians, to the promised land.” Trump added, “And I’ve done. I’ve done that.”

https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/c-span-viewers-slam-trumps-37834320

Seriously?  Damn he is a deluded douche!

A couple of close races yet to be decided and Donny has to interfer…..

In Alaska, Democrat former Rep. Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes Thursday morning with 70% of the vote in, according to Decision Desk; Peltola held 102,962 votes to the senator’s 102,325.

The so-called Decoy Dan, independent candidate Dan J. Sullivan, captured 3,600 votes, and another GOP candidate, Gerald L. Heikes, received 4,846 votes. Ahead of the election, The New York Times reported that Peltola campaign aides recruited Dan J. Sullivan to run in an attempt to appear on the ballot and dilute incumbent Dan S. Sullivan’s vote, although Peltola’s campaign denied the effort.

Trump on Thursday called for the race to be settled in favor of the incumbent GOP senator.

“The vote totals for the Fake Dan Sullivan, plus the other ‘slug’ that the Dems put on the Ballot, should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan, and the Election is over – He easily wins. There is no other fair solution!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/11/05/trump-says-election-is-over-in-alaska-as-other-races-remain-uncalled/

Donny really hates the process, huh?

It appears that the bitch from Colorado may lose her seat…..

As of Thursday evening, Laubacher opened a wider lead from Boebert at 0.9 percent, according to NBC News. Colorado requires a mandatory recount if the race is within 0.5 percent.

There are an estimated 12,000 ballots left to count as of late Thursday evening. Most of those ballots are from Arapahoe County. Only 85 percent of the county’s votes are reported. Arapahoe County supported Laubacher overwhelmingly (60.9 percent) to Boebert’s 35.8 percent.

https://www.alternet.org/lauren-boebert-2678220388/

Repubs may try to stop the people’s choice from taking their seats…..with a lie….

Republican lawmakers Keith Self and Tim Burchett have raised the possibility of preventing Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates from taking the oath of office in January if they win in the midterm elections.

Self argued that candidates who support replacing the Constitution should not be allowed to swear allegiance to it, while Burchett specifically threatened to challenge New York candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier if she wins.

https://knewz.com/republicans-threaten-block-democratic-socialist-midterm-winners-congress

The GOP will lie about anything to try and win an election….people spoke then let them do their job.

I am sick of these so-called christians….

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said on Wednesday night that anyone who does not believe that Jesus died for their salvation is unfit to serve in the Senate and “should be nowhere near Washington.”

Moreno spoke at a rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he was joined by President Donald Trump and Sen. Jon Husted, who is in a close race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/republican-senator-says-non-christians-002512615.html

Stupid remark….a racist remark….

Donny’s latest gaudy POS, the Arch, has been crapped on….

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from beginning construction on President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch late Thursday, siding — for now — with a group of Vietnam veterans and the District of Columbia and Virginia, which sued to stop the project.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that the government cannot start any “construction-related activity” for 14 days, while further legal proceedings play out. In a 33-page ruling, Chutkan wrote that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing the federal government did not follow required legal processes before moving to build the 250-foot triumphal arch. She also said Virginia and D.C. likely have standing to sue, pointing to “tangible economic harms” caused by traffic problems at the construction site

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-arch-approval-national-capital-planning-commission/

Please let the ruling stand….we do not need more gaudy Trumpian crap in the capital…..

The Little Bald Nazi keeps spouting crap….

Just in case anyone had any doubt, Miller wasted no time reaffirming his allegiance to Trump.

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to join President Trump all the way back in 2015 when he came down that golden escalator.

And let me tell you, if it wasn’t for President Trump, the United States of America would not exist right now. This man saved America.

He saved our military from collapse. He saved our economy from destruction. He saved our border from annihilation. And he saved our country from threats at home and abroad, which would have been the end of the American dream forever,” Miller claimed.

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/stephen-miller-claims-in-fawning-mar-a-lago-speech-that-u-s-would-not-exist-right-now-if-not-for-trump/

An ass kissing little turd.

Enough with the idiots of the country…..soften the day with some animal videos….enjoy….

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–07Nov26

The election is all but in the bag and now it is time for the news stories that were missed….

Local–Still no rain but cooler, much cooler, temps are coming by Friday (so they say)….

Personal–The prostrate cancer is under control….(for now)…..

Bad news for us chocoholics….I love dark chocolate and it may become a thing of the past for me….

Rachel Handler of New York magazine entered the “chocolate vortex” and emerged with a conclusion that might not thrill aficionados: Chocolate’s future might be one in which they’ll have to pay dearly to indulge in the real stuff. Her sprawling piece starts with a bland-tasting box of Sno-Caps and a now-famous online screed from the grandson of the man behind Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, accusing Hershey of swapping real chocolate and peanut butter for cheaper “compound” mixtures. Handler argues that chocolate really does taste different these days, lamenting “the added indignity of being told that it didn’t.” The story digs into FDA rules on what can legally be called “chocolate,” the industry’s efforts to relax those standards, and how cost-cutting measures such as substituting vegetable oils for cocoa butter can reshape flavor and texture.

Chocolate historians, sensory scientists, and former R&D staffers tell Handler that beloved candies have been reformulated into something sweeter, waxier, and less “real.” Meanwhile, climate pressures on cocoa production and concerns about child labor complicate the industry’s future, while AI-designed “faux-coa” offers a glimpse of a world in which substitutes become more common. Handler imagines a different path, too: an industry that protects farmers and other stakeholders but charges consumers the true cost of chocolate, potentially putting the real thing beyond many people’s reach. The story ends with a visit to that more luxurious world: Handler samples chocolates from Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat. They are divine, but 16 truffles cost $64.

Read the full piece.

That ought to kick Halloween in the ass.

CDC has served up a list to threats from ‘superbugs’….

Drug-resistant germs are causing nearly 10 million infections and more than 50,000 deaths in the US each year, the CDC warns in a sweeping new report on “superbugs.” The agency identifies 19 pathogens of concern, with four labeled “urgent” threats: the fast-spreading hospital fungus Candida auris; two families of bacteria that can defeat last-resort antibiotics (carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter and Enterobacterales); and drug-resistant gonorrhea. Hospital-linked infections alone account for over 42,000 deaths and almost $12 billion in annual costs, the Washington Post reports.

Clostridioides difficile, which can cause life-threatening colon inflammation, was listed as an urgent threat in 2019 but has now been downgraded to serious. Scientists say the landscape is shifting, not easing, the Post reports. C. auris infections have jumped more than tenfold since 2019, drug-resistant meningitis has been bumped up to a “serious” threat, and six additional pathogens—ranging from ringworm-causing fungi to whooping cough bacteria—have landed on a federal watch list.

Antimicrobial resistance threatens modern medicine and puts millions of Americans at risk every year,” CDC Director Erica Schwartz said in a statement. “This data shows both the progress we’ve made and the significant work that remains.” Experts tell ABC News that an “arms race,” starting with penicillin, has been going on since the 1940s, with bacteria developing mutations that allow them to withstand antibiotics, leaving doctors with fewer options. Medical professionals recommend taking steps to avoid infections, including washing hands regularly and staying up to date with vaccinations.

This is a warning for you tea drinkers….you know who you are…..

If your cup of tea was brewed with a plastic teabag, you may also be getting a mouthful of thousands of microplastics, as well as endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA).

Scientists from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University tested 14 bagged and 14 loose-leaf tea brands, including black tea and green tea, bought from supermarkets in Turkey.

Of the 14 bagged brands, only four had plastic bags made of polyamide, a type of nylon, while the other 10 were made of paper or cellulose. They dunked the plastic-bag teas in freshly boiled water for three minutes, then counted the particles.

The plastic tea bags shed between 555 and 2,498 particles per cup. By comparison, the loose-leaf tea only contained around 0.3 to 2.4 particles per cup, which likely come from the environment, farming, and factory equipment.

https://www.iflscience.com/plastic-tea-bags-can-dose-your-brew-with-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-and-thousands-of-microplastics-85052

Is there a dementia crisis on the horizon….

By 2050, a recent forecast says, nearly 25 million people around the world could develop dementia each year. That’s a huge increase on previous estimates and begs the urgent question: what can we do about it?

As with many of the big dilemmas in science, people are divided on the best way to approach the issue and the most urgent priorities for research. We didn’t want to ask just one expert for their take; instead, we’re bringing you three different perspectives from scientists addressing this question from a range of angles.

Fernando Gonzalez Ortiz, MD, PhD is a doctor and neuroscientist at the University of Gothenburg who specializes in blood-based biomarkers for the detection of neurological disease.

Dr Anna Mallach is an Edmond and Lily Safra Research Fellow at Imperial College London and Emerging Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute who studies how the brain’s glia cells contribute to neurodegeneration.

https://www.iflscience.com/millions-of-us-could-develop-dementia-in-the-coming-years-3-experts-weigh-in-on-where-the-science-is-heading-84945

Remember when they started pushing paper straws over plastic?

Paper straws may boast a “greener” image, but a new South Korean study says they’re worse on paper than old-school plastic. A government-commissioned life-cycle analysis found that paper straws scored more than six times higher than plastic straws on a measure of cancer-related environmental impact, and roughly double on acidification, per the Korea Herald. Bio-based polyethylene straws fared worst of all, with more than 16 times the carcinogenic impact of plastic.

Across 16 categories, conventional plastic straws had the lowest impact in 10, including the climate change and human toxicity categories. Bio-PE topped 10 categories for harm, while paper and biodegradable plastics led in other categories. Researchers also noted that all straw types are tough to recycle and urged cafes, restaurants, and other venues to stop handing out disposable straws by default and provide them only on request.

The lawmaker who unveiled the new research says instead of an outright ban on plastic straws themselves, he advocates for a governmental “shift toward substantive reduction policies that cut the use of disposable products” altogether, per Packaging Insights, which notes that the cited figures “measure potential emission-based risks across the entire manufacturing and disposal chain rather than direct health risks to consumers during everyday use.” The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, details various parts of the world that have banned single-use plastic straws.

This is a fascinating study on the brain….

When you watch a video, it’s just a long series of still images. The sensation feels fluid, though, appearing seamless even though a second of theatrical film takes about 24 still frames to animate.

Typically, all 24 frames are full of similar images from a recording or animation. But how would our brains respond if only some of those frames of film contained footage of a movie, and the rest of the frames were random junk?

That’s the question more or less posed by a new pre-print study by neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, which found evidence that our brains might be flashing between conscious and unconscious stimuli at a rate of about 15 times per second.

The study, first flagged by Science Alert, basically points to the intriguing possibility that our brains are selectively filtering out unnecessary stimuli — almost smoothing out the way we process static frames of film, to continue the video metaphor — from our conscious minds

https://futurism.com/health-medicine/scientists-evidence-human-brain-different-realities

Ever wanted your own school?

Reporters at ProPublica decided to see how hard it is to open a private school in states now funneling money to them—and discovered that it’s not very hard at all. Journalists from the outlet teamed with local reporters in Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina to easily establish schools in all three states. There was no subterfuge: They used their real names and their news organizations’ email addresses. “In Arkansas, all it took was a few clicks on the Arkansas secretary of state website, $45, and an American flag to form a bona fide private school,” they write. In West Virginia, a handwritten note on notebook paper and proof of a high school diploma were enough to launch a “microschool” that could enroll unlimited students.

Only in North Carolina did the experiment hit a speed bump, when officials insisted on school-specific fire and sanitation inspections for the brewery from which they’d filed to open. Throughout the experiment, no one asked about their teaching experience, curriculum, or how they’d track learning. “And yet we could enroll students in two states right now, if we wanted to,” they write. “Arkansas even suggested ways our school could accept public money through the state’s voucher-style program.” The story sits inside ProPublica’s broader investigation into how voucher programs are fueling rapid growth of lightly regulated private schools.

Read the full story for details on the process in each of the three states.

 

An American “Gulag”?

The inspiration for this post came from an article that I read…..

In a criminal arrest, the legal system creates an immediate paper trail: police reports, court logs, and attorney filings. But inside immigration detention, the process works under an entirely different set of rules.

In this episode of “Inside Story,” host Lawrence Bartley and reporter Aala Abdullahi explore how rapid transfers across the country leave families unable to locate their loved ones. More than 1 in 10 detainees are moved out of state within their first 24 hours in custody, while the government’s online locator system frequently lags or shows no assigned facility. Because deportation is a civil administrative process rather than a criminal one, individuals face repeated transfers without the right to appointed counsel or stable court jurisdiction.

Drawing on federal transfer data and accounts from families and attorneys, they examine how the rapid expansion of detention isolates individuals across the country

(marshallproject.org)

That brings me to the idea of a gulag.

Gulag?

Most Americans, that could actually read, became acquainted with the term ‘gulag’ from a couple of books written by a former prisoner….Former prisoner and Nobel Prize-winning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote two books about the Gulag: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago.

But what is a gulag?

A Gulag was a vast system of forced labor camps and prisons in the Soviet Union.

  • The Acronym: The word comes from the Russian abbreviation Glavnoye Upravleniye Lagerey, meaning “Main Camp Administration” or “Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps”.

  • Literal Meaning: It originally referred to the specific government agency that ran the Soviet secret police labor camps, but it came to mean the entire prison and camp network.
    • Conditions: Prisoners faced brutal conditions, extreme weather in remote areas like Siberia, starvation, and long hours of hard manual labor used to build Soviet infrastructure and industry

    A horrific condition that Russians had to face if they were not in favor with the regime in power.

    I bring this up because of Donny and his ICE thugs and their arrest of anyone with brown skin…..the excuse is the round-up of illegal immigrants….

    I write this because there has not been sufficient reporting on this ‘camps’ that house those arrested by ICE…..and the conditions smack of gulag tactics.

    This is what these ‘prisoners’ have to look forward to if arrested….

    Conditions inside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities are severe, overcrowded, and frequently inhumane, according to reports from oversight groups, medical experts, and human rights organizations

    • Surge in Fatalities: According to data analyzed by KFF, deaths in ICE custody have risen sharply, making recent years the deadliest on record for the immigration detention system. [1, 2]

    • Lack of Care: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reports that detained individuals face severe medical neglect, delayed treatment for chronic conditions, and outbreaks of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and measles.  Sanitation Failures: Detainees and inspectors have documented overflowing toilets, lack of basic hygiene supplies like soap, poor ventilation, and insect infestations in various facilities.  Physical and Verbal Mistreatment: Legal filings and witness statements gathered by the Vera Institute of Justice cite instances of verbal harassment, physical abuse, and intimidation by facility staff.

      Punitive Isolation: A report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) states that ICE frequently uses solitary confinement to punish minor infractions or retaliate against complaints and hunger strikes, worsening mental health issues like PTSD and depression. Packed Cells: Whistleblower reports and legislative inspections detailed by Human Rights Watch show that populations have swelled past facility limits, leaving people to sleep on concrete floors or in prolonged chains.

      • Inmates: It held millions of people, including common criminals, prisoners of war, and political dissidents or innocent people accused of opposing the state. [1, 2]

      Those listed conditions smack of the conditions within the ‘gulag’ system in the Soviet Union.

    To me this treatment of ‘prisoners’ is ripe with human rights violations but we know that Donny and his Minions care little about the rights of humans.

    Am I wrong in this thought?

    But more of this……it is beginning to look very familiar to an old fart like me….

    Recently, one is drawn to recognize the parallels between the NKVD bread trucks and black SUVs filled with ICE officers, who mask their faces and offer no identification as they snatch children and adults off the street because they have melanin in their skin or speak with an accent. Like the NKVD, ICE officers shoot people without substantive explanation, detain more than 66,000 people, many without criminal records, including occasional citizens, and ship them off to undisclosed detention centers. They have also deported hundreds of thousands of people, often without notice or due process.

    https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/stalinization-of-america-parallels-authoritarianism

    We are better than this and as long as we ignore these deplorable conditions and treatment of people makes us a smaller people.

    Americans should be outraged but instead they spend their time bitching about TikTok or Instagram….and that to me makes us a pathetic nation.

    Anyone want to wade in?

    I Read, I Write, You know

    “lego ergo scribo”

What’s The Plan, Stan?

Now the Dems have made all their speeches it is time for them to get down to work on a plan to stop the slide of this country into chaos….but what will that plan be?

According to Democratic leadership, including House Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, the party plans a fast-paced legislative push focused heavily on cost-of-living and affordability issues:
  • Healthcare: Restore expired Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance premium subsidies and reverse $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts enacted by Republicans.
  • Trade & Tariffs: Advance legislation to rescind President Trump’s global tariffs, starting with a targeted push against levies on Canadian products.
  • Foreign Policy: Bring forward war powers resolutions to force an end to the U.S. military involvement in the war in Iran or require formal congressional authorization.
  • Taxes & Economy: Pursue tax proposals that raise taxes on high earners and large corporations to provide tax relief for lower- and middle-income families, alongside initiatives to lower grocery, gas, and housing costs.

Will this be where the Dems go or will they be seeking revenge and dive head long into investigations?

Jeffries has stated the plan….(not that I trust him to stand by this plan)….

Jeffries has said Democrats would harness the political capital of a new majority to reinstate expired Affordable Care Act health care premium subsidies and reverse nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts that were included in the president’s signature domestic policy law, the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

“Well, Day One plan is going to be to make sure we’re going to be focused on healthcare, focused on driving down, right, the high price of groceries and gas and housing,” Jeffries told ABC News’ Capitol Hill correspondent Jay O’Brien during a sit-down interview in Nebraska ahead of the election.

House Democrats have also indicated they will quickly consider legislation to end Trump’s global tariffs and restore congressional power over trade policy.

As American voters send a signal to lawmakers rejecting the status quo, Democrats also promise to act to end the war in Iran and also plan to focus on addressing the “affordability crisis” they blame on failed Republican policies — promising to lower the cost of groceries, healthcare and gas.

(abcnews.com)

Lofty promises…..I do not trust the leaders as far as I can throw them….do you?

I will be watching their plans and actions from this day forward.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What To Do? What To Do?

After a few days to let the wins sink in the Dems need to decide what will they do now that they have the Congress….

Democrats have flipped the US Senate and House of Representatives in a massive rebuke of Republicans and Donald Trump’s agenda. With Democrats majorities in both chambers, the final two years of Trump’s presidency will look markedly different from the first half. But what can Democrats actually do with congressional power?

After a string of wins in Republican districts across the country pushed Democrats past the 218-seat threshold needed to capture a majority, Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become majority leader and Republicans will lose their ability to pass legislation through the chamber without Democratic support. A Democratic majority can launch investigations into the administration, demand documents and testimony and subject senior officials to sustained congressional scrutiny.

If they decide to go after Donny and his minions then where do they begin?

Political reporter Joseph Gedeon laid out the most consequential investigations Democrats could launch. Here are a few of the investigations:

  • The family business: Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, has ranked Trump family corruption first on his list of priorities, while Representative Jamie Raskin has requested information on the business dealings of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr.

  • Epstein and the emails: Thanks to a tag-team effort by Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, the Department of Justice was forced to release millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein last year. But off the bat, the justice department blew the legally mandated deadline to disclose the files. Then it released only about 3.5m pages of the 6m in its possession; it said it had deemed the rest duplicates. And there has been bipartisan consternation about heavy redactions in some places, and the apparently accidental disclosure of the names of victims in other places. The justice department is now facing a lawsuit from journalist Katie Phang over many of these issues. Even under a Republican-controlled Congress, the oversight committee under its GOP chair, James Comer, has been a rare spot of bipartisan comity, with members of both sides routinely (but not always) acting in concert to subpoena witnesses and hold them in contempt when they don’t cooperate. Expect that to continue in any new Democratic Congress.

  • The Pentagon and the war: Jason Crow, a Colorado congressman who sits on the armed services and intelligence committees and co-chairs the House end corruption caucus, says he will start with the Pentagon, citing reports of defense money steered toward companies linked to the Trump family.

  • Impeachment: Jeffries says Democrats have ruled nothing out regarding impeachment this time around, while the current Republican House majority leader, Steve Scalise, predicts an attempt on “Day 1”

I think that the Dems should demand accountability but they should also address all the promises they made to the people….the economy, healthcare, housing, etc.

If they concentrate on investigations then they will insure that next election they will be watching on TV for their chances will have been over.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”