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ROGER KIMBALL: Robert Mueller and His ‘Vacuum-Activities.’
NAME THAT PARTY: Before Her Resignation, AP Was 1-for-10 in Labeling Nashville’s Mayor As a Democrat.
Just think of the media as Democratic activists with bylines, and it all makes sense.
SABER-RATTLING: The Flawed Logic of Russia’s New Weapon Systems.
The four strategic weapons announced by Putin are well placed to counter this perceived threat, as emphasised in the videos accompanying his speech showing the systems targeting the U.S.. The first two are the Sarmat super-heavy ICBM, and the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, basically a super-manoeuvrable ICBM warhead, many of which would fit on the enormous Sarmat missile. Also there is the Kanyon long-ranged unmanned submarine, which clearly cannot be targeted by BMD interceptors, although it can attack U.S. coastal areas, including where Aegis-equipped ships would patrol. Finally there is an as-yet unnamed nuclear-powered cruise missile that would fly at too low a level to be affected by U.S. defences.
Yet in reality the new weapons represent complex and expensive solutions to a problem that largely doesn’t exist. The U.S. has not shown the least interest in degrading Russian defences wholesale since the long-abandoned “Star Wars” program of the 1980s. This is reinforced by the limited numbers of interceptors so far deployed: the U.S. could afford to install more, but it simply chooses not to.
Moscow tried once before to outspend their way to victory against the West, but the results were not to their liking.
I GUESS THIS IS WHAT YOU GRADUATE TO, WHEN YOU’RE TOO OLD TO EAT TIDE PODS: These Are The 911 Calls of Apple Employees Who Walked Into The Glass Walls of Their “Spaceship.”
BEGUN, THE TRADE WARS HAVE: Seoul all out to counter US 25% tariff on steel imports.
WELL, THIS IS ENCOURAGING: Even more bugs in LTE networks allow eavesdropping, fake emergency messages.
XI JINPING, ANIMAL FARM, STEVE MARTIN, AND HEINLEIN’S CRAZY YEARS: All Chinese are equal, but some are more equal than others.
FBI’S AUSSIE TIPPER LINKED TO CHINESE FIRM LONG DISTRUSTED BY U.S. INTEL: So the FBI’s two chief sources for probing allegations of Trump-Russia collusion against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign includes Christopher Steele, a former British spy obsessed with beating Trump, and Alexander Downer, the Australian politico closely tied to Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications firm all six U.S. intelligence chiefs just warned Congress about last month.
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VIDEO: Seven House Democrats Have Direct Ties To Notorious Anti-Semite.
If they were Republicans this would be front-page news, all week long.
PODCAST: Glenn Harlan Reynolds on the Judiciary’s Progressive Elitism.
It’s me talking about The Judiciary’s Class War.
WRONG PSYCHOLOGY: Christian Life In Exile: An English Vicar Prepares His Flock For Life As A Despised Minority.
I’m not a very good Christian, probably, but I’d emulate the Muslims and prepare to live as a feared-and-placated minority.
SURVEILLANCE STATE: The FBI’s secret warrant to surveil Carter Page should scare all Americans and spur reform. “A secret, non-adversarial system of judicial review is an insufficient check to our intelligence agencies and law enforcement.”
When a physical search occurs in accordance with American criminal law, law enforcement must show probable cause and obtain permission from a judge, and then present a given suspect with a warrant, and a receipt for the items removed. When law enforcement wants to obtain a criminal wiretap, they similarly have to show probable cause to obtain a warrant, carefully collect information related to potential crimes, and then disclose that information if charges are wrought. The key difference, is that with the latter, the suspect will only discover they’ve had their privacy violated after they’ve been indicted. With a FISC warrant, it’s possible a suspect will never find out, even if charges are eventually filed.
In the case of Carter Page, his private life was monitored, for almost a year, without his knowledge, and then placed on display for strangers at the FBI to peruse, all based on a suspicion that he was colluding with Russia. On the basis of hearsay, business associations, and possibly Page’s political opinions, the FBI received a classified surveillance warrant and then renewed it three times. And yet, Page was never officially charged — suggesting that, even given the ability to surveil him in ways that might make the general public cringe, the FBI was never able to find enough evidence for a single crime.
Read the whole thing.
SOUTHCOM COMMANDER: Terror Networks ‘Reach Deep Into Our Hemisphere’ in ‘New and Surprising Ways.’
THE OTHER HALF HAVEN’T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION: Poll: Nearly half of New Yorkers think Cuomo is part of the state’s corruption culture.
THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MIES AND MEN: Here are 911 Transcripts of some of the Times that Apple Employees Walked Directly into the Glass Walls of their “flying saucer” Cupertino campus.
As one wag tweeted yesterday, “It turns out that Apple isn’t compatible with windows.” Heh, indeed.™
(Classical allusion in headline.)
AN AMAZING THREAD ON the students who attacked Christina Hoff Sommers’ speech at Lewis & Clark Law. I remember when the National Lawyers Guild was all-in for free speech. Of course, back then it was free speech for commies.
On the protesters, Ann Althouse comments: “Notice that they’re at their best when they create an atmosphere of unreason. When some people try to reason with them and invite them into a middle position of engaging in debate — which really isn’t fair to the speaker — they look baffled and — like so many law students in so many law school classrooms throughout the ages — woefully unprepared.”
LATE-STAGE SOCIALISM: Over half of young Venezuelans want to flee as economy Collapses, poll find.
Once Latin America’s richest country, Venezuela’s economy is now collapsing and it is battling hyperinflation at levels unmatched anywhere else in the world. The IMF projects inflation will reach 13,000% this year and the economy will shrink 15%.
For Venezuelans between 15 and 29, the crisis has escalated to a point where they have lost confidence in their home, according to a poll carried out by the US firm Gallup and shared exclusively with the Guardian. Some 53% would like to move abroad permanently.
One of the most painful effects of the current crisis has been widespread hunger. In 2015, when inflation and food shortages were well below current levels, nearly 45% of Venezuelans said there were times when they were unable to afford food; in the latest study, that figure had risen to 79% – one of the highest rates in the world.
The irony of this “teachable moment” is that young people tend to be more susceptible to socialism’s alleged charms.
And the obligatory COMMAND-F search result:
Just bad luck then, I suppose.
AUTOMATION: Flippy the Burger Flipping Robot Is Now Cooking at the CaliBurger Fast Food Chain.
Flippy is a brand new, burger flipping robot now cooking at a chain called CaliBurger, which serves up California style burgers and fries.
“The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency. So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same,” said John Miller, CEO of Cali Group, the company that runs the chain.
The robot was developed by a subsidiary called Miso Robotics.
So how does it work? Before Flippy can get started, it needs a little human help. A co-worker puts raw patties on the grill.
“The kitchen of the future will always have people in it, but we see that kitchen as having people and robots,” said David Zito, co-founder and chief executive officer of Miso Robotics.
“This technology is not about replacing jobs – we see Flippy as that third hand,” said Zito.
That’s a nice thing to say, but the minimum wage in California was just raised to $11, and is set to rise to $15 for large companies like CaliBurger in just four years.
BUSTING A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION: Mass Shooters Aren’t Disproportionately White.
SHE WASN’T UP TO HER JOB: Broward sheriff’s captain who gave initial order to ‘stage’ not enter Stoneman Douglas is ID’d. “The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has identified to Fox News the captain who, according to sources, directed responding deputies and units to ‘stage’ or form a ‘perimeter’ outside Stoneman Douglas High School, instead of rushing immediately into the building, as the mass shooting unfolded there.”
WILL SWEDEN BE NEXT TO INVESTIGATE CLINTON FOUNDATION? President Donald Trump meets today at the White House with Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Both men’s countries would be better off, according to Charles Ortel, without the long string of globalist abuses by the Clinton Foundation.
IN THE MAIL: Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy – Until You’re 80 and Beyond.
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HMM: New Gun Bill Would Mandate Reporting of Buyers Blocked by Background Check. “Senators argue that those who fail the background check and violate the law when trying to get a gun — such as convicted felons and domestic abusers — are rarely prosecuted.”
#TIMESUP: Nashville’s Democratic Mayor Megan Barry Is Expected To Resign Today.
UPDATE: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry pleads guilty to theft charges, resignation imminent.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Mayor Megan Barry thanks Nashville as she resigns from office. This is hard for Tennessee Democrats, as she was going to be their great female hope for winning statewide office again, especially with an expected wave of #MeToo enthusiasm from women voters. Instead, well . . .
THIS DOESN’T ACTUALLY SURPRISE ME: Law Professors Are Paid Less, Work As Hard As Lawyers Do. When I left law practice for law teaching, my hours actually went up.
WINTER MEDEVAC: A winter field training exercise in North Dakota. Yes, it’s cold.
LONG, HARD SLOG: Janus Case Only Beginning for Forced-Dues Fights. “Labor watchdogs expect unions to continue collecting from unwilling members.”
Ron Conwell expected to sever his ties to the National Education Association after Gov. Rick Snyder enacted right to work in 2013. One of the first things the Army veteran had to do when he took a job as a teacher in 2001 was sign up for the local union. He grew up in a union household, the son of a UAW-member father. The idea of automatically signing up, rather than opting in, rubbed him the wrong way.
“I would have rather researched it first because I didn’t want my voice commandeered,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with a local union—it makes sense for a group of people to get together and take a collaborative approach to negotiating, but I found some of the things contrary to my fundamental beliefs.”
He vowed to withdraw his financial support of the union upon the enactment of labor reforms but claims in a lawsuit that he has been blocked from doing so by the union. The Clarkston chapter of the NEA and school district negotiated the extension of mandatory agency fee payments until 2016—even after the original contract expired in 2014. Right-to-work laws allow the enforcement of forced-dues clauses negotiated prior to their enactment, but workers should be allowed to opt-out as soon as existing contracts expire. Conwell said the union’s use of extensions violates his rights as a worker.
“It was all a concerted effort on their part to maintain their membership even after right to work. It was very disheartening for me as someone looking to exercise my rights,” he said. “They’ve shown a dogged resistance to accepting the law.”
The state teachers’ union did not respond to request for comment.
Other states have seen similar instances of unions attempting to undermine worker opt-out clauses in the wake of legislative labor reforms or adverse court rulings.
Where’s DOJ on this?
K.C. JOHNSON: A SHAMELESS TITLE IX BUREAUCRAT POSES AS A CHAMPION OF DUE PROCESS.
During her nearly four years running Barack Obama’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Catherine Lhamon was nothing if not consistent. She sought to use the power of her office—chiefly by threatening to withhold federal funds—to force colleges and universities to change their campus sexual assault policies. Every substantive change demanded by the Obama administration made it more likely an accused student would be found guilty.
So it’s been rather startling in recent days to see Lhamon claim that defending the fair treatment of accused students was a cardinal principle of her OCR tenure. On February 17, she tweeted, “The OCR I led insisted on a rigidly fair process for all parties involved in sexual violence investigations. Resolution agreements demonstrate that, notwithstanding baseless claims to the contrary. Fairness to all involved is essential to justice.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s comments that she agreed with some of the complaints about the unfairness of Title IX tribunals prompted Lhamon to tweet, “I agree. That’s one among many reasons why we need aggressive federal enforcement of law to ensure fair process to all parties.” As proof, she cited two (Wesley and Minot State) of the scores of resolution letters issued by OCR during her time in office, but no policy document from OCR.
We live in an era of political shamelessness. But Catherine Lhamon positioning herself as someone who demanded fair treatment of accused students is nonetheless remarkable.
Lhamon ran a gender-based inquisition against male students. She should be charged with human rights violations, not celebrated.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! Metaphor Alert: ‘Young Karl Marx’ Loses Tons Of Money.
WHAT DO YOU CALL BLACKSHIRTS WHO USE VIOLENCE TO STIFLE DISSENT? Antifa mob shuts down Yaron Brook event at London college.
Violent protests also erupted outside the event hall, which led the college to bar all non-student ticket holders from attending the event. The Ayn Rand Institute estimates the hosting student group, King’s Libertarian Society, was forced to turn away roughly 200 external ticket holders.
“I was told that due to a ‘risk assessment’ that it was only open to students. So I just huffed and went home! I’m not surprised it’s just an underhand tactic to effectively censor ideas they dislike. Which is fine I just wish they were more honest about it,” one individual who was turned away told Red Alert Politics, who commented anonymously.
John Switzer Haagensen, another non-student ticket holder, told Red Alert Politics, “it was somewhat chaotic at the campus. We were all their [sic] hopeful to get in but the university wouldn’t botch claiming security concerns … we were outside in the hallway prevented from entering, the antifascists aggressors arrived with smoke bombs.”
“I strongly feel the university caved into the antifa protesters. They need to protect free speech and not prevent people from joining peacefully. They changed criteria just 2.5 hours prior to the event despite it having been scheduled for months. I am very disappointed in an institution a top university in the world acting cowardly like this,” Switzer Haagensen continued.
Video at the link.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Miami University paying students to promote ‘radical feminism.’
MARK PULLIAM: “The Bubble” and the Judiciary: Is There a Solution?
It’s a review of my The Judiciary’s Class War. “Thin but highly readable” — my greatest aspiration!
LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Strzok Ignored Clinton Server Hack and Much, Much More. “What ARE they doing at the FBI? ‘What would you say you do here?’ They aren’t following up on tips of a possible school shooter, they aren’t following up on foreign hacking of the Secretary of State’s illegal email server, so what?”
WEIRD, JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO ALL THE SMARTEST PEOPLE WERE TELLING ME THAT TRUMP’S TWEETS WOULD PRECIPITATE WORLD WAR III: North Korea Open To Denuclearize If Regime Safety Guaranteed.
IF THE VIDEO MADE HIM LOOK GOOD, HE’D HAVE RELEASED IT BY NOW: Miami Herald: If Sheriff Israel is the ‘amazing’ leader he says he is, he will release videos of his deputies’ actions during Parkland shooting.
It’s thus reasonable to infer that it makes him look bad — probably horrible — and he’s trying to run out the national-attention clock.
IT’S ALWAYS NICE to make Twitchy.
A DOSSIER PLOT TO GET TRUMP TO RESIGN?
The week before Thanksgiving, Wood briefed McCain at the Halifax International Security Forum. McCain was deeply concerned. He asked a former aide, David Kramer, to go to England to meet Steele. Kramer, a Russia expert who had served at the State Department, went over the dossier with Steele for hours. After Kramer promised to share the document only with McCain, Steele arranged for Kramer to receive a copy in Washington. But a former national-security official who spoke with Kramer at the time told me that one of Kramer’s ideas was to have McCain confront Trump with the evidence, in the hope that Trump would resign. “He would tell Trump, ‘The Russians have got you,’ ” the former official told me.
Unfortunately, everyone knew about the dossier — except, I guess, McCain — and had dismissed it as bogus.
HMM: DOJ Is Sued For Records Of Official Linked To Dossier.
Judicial Watch seeks records of Ohr’s contacts with Steele as well as with employees of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that commissioned the dossier. Fusion worked during the presidential campaign for the Clinton campaign and DNC.
Ohr’s links to Steele and Fusion GPS are one of the strangest wrinkles in the saga over the salacious and unverified dossier.
In September 2016, while serving as associate deputy attorney general, Ohr met with Steele to discuss his investigation of Donald Trump and the Trump campaign. He also met with Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson several weeks after the election at a Washington, D.C. coffee shop.
Ohr was also connected to the dossier through his wife, a Russia expert named Nellie Ohr. She worked on the Fusion GPS research team investigating Trump.
The Ohrs’ connection to the dossier was kept secret for nearly a year after the dossier’s publication. Bruce Ohr also failed to disclose Nellie’s work for Fusion on his annual financial disclosure forms.
Let the sunshine in.
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STOP ME IF YOU THINK YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE: North Korea Says It Is Open to U.S. Talks on Denuclearization.
After meetings between envoys from the South and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang signaled a “clear intent to pursue denuclearization,” according to Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security adviser.
North Korea said that it wouldn’t conduct nuclear or missile testing during any talks, Mr. Chung said.
Mr. Kim also told the South that he would be willing to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in late April, in what would be the third-ever inter-Korean summit.
Mr. Chung and Suh Hoon, the South Korean intelligence chief who was also part of the delegation, will travel to Washington this week to brief senior Trump administration officials, Mr. Chung said in a press briefing.
Be wary, but if the North is being at all honest, it’s because peace-through-strength works.
WEIRD HOW PEOPLE’S OPINION OF TECH COMPANIES HAS FALLEN SO MUCH: Facebook says asking users about ‘sexual pictures’ from children was a mistake:
Facebook says that it made a mistake after it asked users in a poll if it should allow child predators to ask children for sexual photos on its platform.
The odd admission comes after Facebook prompted some of its users with a survey asking about acceptable behaviors on its platform.
It’s been a bad week for Facebook.
VIRTUE-SIGNALING HAS A PRICE, USUALLY PAID BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE SIGNALER: In Sweden, Christians Fleeing Persecution Face Violence All Over Again.
YUGE: Trump Considers Visit to Jerusalem in May to Open New Embassy.
There will be a few more few strictly pro forma complaints from the Arab nations, and before long everyone (but Iran’s mullahs) will forget what all the fuss was about.
NOT-SO-SHOCKING NEWS: Crime At University Of Kansas Down After 6 Months Of Campus Carry.
TYLER O’NEIL: Iran Will Host International ‘Hourglass’ Festival Celebrating Israel’s Imminent Demise. “The Israeli regime will collapse within 25 years.”
SO WOULD ANY NEWSPAPER PUBLISH SIMILAR SEXUAL BOASTING BY A MAN? I’ve had sex with three of my Uber drivers. Remember: The male sex drive is icky, but the female sex drive is empowering!
BUT THE SCIENCE WAS SETTLED: New fossils are redefining what makes a dinosaur.
VERY STRANGELY, NOT POLITICAL NEWS: Spectacular dinosaur stomping grounds discovered just outside D.C.
STUDYING WHEN THE DINOSAURS FLEW AWAY: Watching the Birdie – Early Cretaceous.
THIS IS NEWS TO ME. I’D HAVE BET ICKY-LOPER COULDN’T COUNT: Colorado Governor ‘Can Count on One Hand’ Teachers Who’ve Wanted to be Armed.
THE WORM CONTINUES TO TURN: Italy joins the populist anti-EU wave.
SOUNDS LIKE YOUR TYPICAL SJW: I’d always felt ‘off’ and now I know why.
NOT SUCH AN ENDANGERED SPECIES AFTER ALL: There’s a penguin colony so large you can see it from space.
WHY DON’T WE GO CHECK THIS OUT? Microbe found in sewage is best bet for life on Saturn’s moon.
WHILE UNLEASHING INSANITY ON THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, HOLLYWOOD DOESN’T CARE: #MeToo Means Nothing To Hollywood.
NEVER GO FULL RUTABAGA: Parkland Kids: Past Stupid and Arrogant and Straight to Full Rutabaga.
VIRTUE SIGNALING UBER ALAS: The Ugly Truth About Yet Another Oscar Ratings Debacle.
March 5, 2018
KURT SCHLICHTER: Against Fake Civility. “George W. Bush was civil, oh so civil, or so dignified. He was so civil and dignified that we got eight years of Barack Obama and we came that close to going under forever. But funny how Dignified George’s civility lasted for only eight years of his pal/successor then vanished once the guy who beat his soft bro to a pulp showed up and took what was supposed to be one of the Bipartisan Civility Crew’s gig. Suddenly, when someone who wasn’t part of the Approved Elite got elected, George found his ability to attack again. Of course, it was his own (supposed) side. Bush was not just attacking Trump. He was attacking us Normals for daring to elect Trump. Many of us defended him when he was busy being oh-so-dignified and civil. And when we defied him and his class, he turned against us. Like a true gentleman.”
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HE COULD BE BUT HE WON’T BE BECAUSE HE’S ON THE PROTECTED SIDE: Jonathan Turley: If Andrew McCabe lied, could he be charged like Michael Flynn? “It is a perceived luxury enjoyed by federal prosecutors that routinely charge others with even borderline false statements but rarely face such charges themselves. While most prosecutors adhere to the highest ethical standards, a minority of Justice Department lawyers have been accused of false or misleading statements in federal cases. However, they are virtually never charged with false statements by their colleagues. There is no such reluctance in using this easily charged crime against targets outside of the department.”
Related question: If Comey or Mueller or McCabe or others lied to President Trump — who’s every bit as much a federal official as anyone from the FBI — could they be charged? Same answer: Yes, but they’re protected.
So things go, at the Department of Justice.
ANDREW KLAVAN: Two Op-Eds Draw A Stark Portrait of Left vs. Right.
On the left: self-serious, self-righteous, angry-faced harridans who want to destroy you for disagreeing with them. They call you names, they shout you down, they riot if you try to speak, they try to get you fired or run you out of business. On the right, we laugh a lot and argue constantly.
Brooks says progressives are winning because they have managed to silence dissenting opinion. In his speech at CPAC, Shapiro declared the right is winning precisely because: “The era of political correctness is over.”
Suppression of opinion, or free discussion? Which way forward do you think Americans will ultimately choose?
Read the whole thing.
DRAMA IN REAL LIFE: Former Trump Advisor Sam Nunberg: I’m Tearing Up My Subpoena From Mueller On Live TV. I literally have no idea what’s going on here.
VIDEO: Korean Girls Try American Barbecue.. “10/10 — no, 20/10 — maybe 100/10. I envy Americans.”
WEIRD, ALL THE BEST PEOPLE ASSURED ME IT WAS ECONOMIC ARMAGEDDON: Dow closes 336 points higher as trade-war worries ease.
NEED A DATE? Get a dog. But this is kind of sad: “As more young adults postpone marriage and children and remain single for longer, he said, they may view their pets as one of the more stable and long-lasting aspects of their life.”
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MY USA TODAY COLUMN LOOKS AT STATE SECESSION: Rural California wants a divorce from rich California.
LAW PROFESSORS AS PLAINTIFFS: “Several other things stand out about these cases. First, although a few early decisions do exist, these types of actions did not really take off until fairly recently. Second, the defendants in these cases are not always employers—sometimes, they are outside parties. Third, law professors generally do a poor job assessing their chances, for they lose much more often than they win. And fourth, many law professors are guilty of a shocking level of thin-skinnedness.”
DEMOCRATS, YOU SHOULD RUN WITH THIS, IT’S A CAN’T-LOSE STRATEGY: Female candidates offer chance to end ‘toxic testosterone’ of patriarchal power structure.
Nothing says diversity and inclusion like writing off half the electorate as hormone-poisoned.
THE ART OF THE DEAL: Trump says tariffs will come off if new NAFTA deal is signed.
CHANGE: A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Is Docking In Vietnam For The First Time Since The War.
Related: Xi May Scare Asia Back Into Washington’s Orbit.
Years ago I wrote that a rising and possibly belligerent China would cause her neighbors to draw to the US like iron filings around a magnet, and that it would take concerted effort on our part to screw that up. Which is exactly what we got eight years of under the previous Administration.
THIS WILL END WELL: Country Music Executives Slammed The NRA In Push To Oust Huckabee.
LOST AND FOUND: We’ve located the USS Lexington after she sank 76 yrs ago.
SHOT: Conservatives Are Losing the Culture War Over Guns.
-Peter Beinart, The Atlantic.
CHASER: Oscar Ratings Down Double Digits, Eye All-Time Low In Early Estimates.
-Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Holywood.
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MY USA TODAY COLUMN LOOKS AT STATE SECESSION: Rural California wants a divorce from rich California.
DAVID SOLWAY: The Media and Joe McCarthy. “The name and the man serve as reminders that muck-raking leftists and elite conservatives are not always that different, that the Fourth Estate cannot be trusted, that the Fifth Estate is almost entirely a gutter institution, and that the only antidote to the intellectual and emotional subversion practiced by the FNM is perpetual skepticism and diligent study.”
Read the whole thing.
OH: Only Half of F-35s Available for Flight, Program Head Says.
Actually, readiness isn’t nearly as bad as the headline implies:
Of the 280 operational F-35s purchased to date by U.S. and international partners, only 51 percent are currently available for flight, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, told reporters Wednesday at a round-table event.
Winter added that availability rates are lowest for aircraft purchased in early lots, which were beset with a number of hardware and software issues that later production lots addressed. Low-rate initial production lots 2 through 4 have availability rates between 40 and 50 percent, Winter said. The most recent LRIP lots, 9 and 10, which include aircraft that are still rolling off the production line, have the highest availability rates, 70 to 75 percent, he said.
My understanding is that the logistical train isn’t yet fully developed, which also impacts readiness of jets which would otherwise be airworthy.
METAPHOR ALERT: French Artist Trying To Hatch Eggs Will Probably Kill Them All.
DOUBTFUL, BUT WE CAN HOPE: Are Health Advocates Finally Wising Up About the Nature of Risk?
UGH: Rare, Cox Media’s Facebook-driven conservative site, is shutting down.
Rare.us, the viral content site launched by Cox Media in 2013 to take on the ever-evolving digital landscape from a right of center lens, will shut down at the end of the month, according to Facebook posts by its top editors.
It’s another example of a viral website built on Facebook traffic that is shutting down after Facebook announced it would be making changes to its News Feed algorithm to weed out publisher content.
Facebook is great for reconnecting with old friends and sharing adorable family photos, but never forget that it’s somebody else’s business with no real concern for anyone else’s.