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Step, by step. Inch by inch…. Sorry, no AJC subscription : BREAKING: Fulton special grand jury completes Trump investigation

I think it is wrong to give too much credit to the last incarnation of the House Republican Clown Caucus - the Tea Party - but I think they could probably mumble some explanation of what they wanted.

"More Hunter Biden Dick Pics" seems to be all they have, now.

Watching “left wing” reactions to the Speaker’s election in the US House was instructive. Too many people were appalled when I pointed out that the left, the “Squad” specifically, could have done the same thing to get concessions in 2024.

If you were appalled at the idea then you are not a member of the left in any useful way.

(That statement and this post will occasion another torrent of abuse in the comments for me to throw into spam, and laugh about. If you think that after 30 years online, most of it moderating comments, you can insult me in a way I haven’t heard before, you are a fool as well as a piece of human garbage.)

You have power in electoral politics when you can deliver or deny votes and money and get people elected or un-elected. That’s the bottom line.

There has developed in recent years an impassioned debate about the Enlightenment, which both supporters and critics present as a peculiarly European phenomenon. For the one, it is a demonstration of the greatness of Europe; for the other, a reminder that its ideals are tainted by racism and colonialism. Both miss the importance of the […]

Sex is a potent nasal decongestant. (Thanks to Jim Kenaston)

Allende was early to warn of multinational threats to product safety, labor regulations, and other protections. Sadly corporate interests won.

Flying cars are here and available to preorder (Thanks to Rod Nunley)

Called whole-body electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS, the technique requires users to wear an electrode-studded suit that attaches to a machine. The suit delivers electrical impulses that make each exercise more difficult as muscles fight against the impulses. (Thanks to...

A large bird resembling a swan or goose has made himself comfortable on a North East A-Road, according to reports on social media. This has been The News From Britain. (Thanks to Ralph)

'Living Nostradamus' warns WW3 could be sparked by Elon Musk taking on the Antichrist (Thanks to pharmaross)

Six journalists in South Sudan have been detained over the circulation of footage that appears to show President Salva Kiir wetting himself at an official event. (Thanks to Jim Perth, Woozy Barnes and Al Barkafski)

As we head to a moment when "mint the coin" is actually the serious option, it's worth remembering how advocates were portrayed as children by very stupid people.

Another problem with the trillion-dollar coin is that the US mint probably doesn't have the capacity to create one out of real bullion, which will likely be required for something with such a historical importance. The US mint no longer produces platinum coins, except in collector's editions that retail for $1,892 at the moment. A real platinum coin – the American Eagle – that was produced as recently as 2009 contains 31.12 grams of platinum and has a face value of $100. There is not enough platinum in the US in a year's supply to create that. The US produces all of 3,700 kilograms of platinum a year.

The mint could, on the direction of Treasury, just make a platinum-finished coin that bears the face value of $1tn, but that would just create a nonsensical level of inflation in the value of the US dollar.

Wow imagine if the Treasury just stamped 1000 on pieces of fancy paper!

America, beacon of anti-democracy It only took two years. A copycat coup was virtually inevitable (Associated Press): Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace Sunday, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which were believed to be largely vacant on the weekend. Some of the demonstrators called for a military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power or oust Lula from the presidency. Regional leaders reacted angrily, one calling the insurrection a “cowardly and vile attack on democracy.” Where did Brazilian extremists get such ideas? The events in the Southern Hemisphere left a feeling in the pit of my stomach hauntingly familiar from two years ago on Jan. 6. Strongmen fanboys are a plague. What’s more unsettling is that the plague is spreading. And it’s not as if no one saw this coming in Brazil.

Jemma Redgrave's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart & UNIT will return in the next Doctor Who series, with Aneurin Barnard joining in a mysterious role.

Labour invites members to ‘Convention on beating independents and smaller parties’ Despite current polling and the associated bluff and bluster of the Labour right, the party regime appears to be worried that the rise of candidates from ‘independent and smaller parties’ threatens its electoral chances – enough to be organising special ‘convention’ events to try […]

I think that the right to strike is unquestionably a democratic right as argued in the Guardian here – surely anything else is just indentured labour? Apparently the way to tame the unions is to destroy their immunity from being sued for any harm striking might cause – or as the same article puts it:... Read more

Iain Overton points out that many of those condemning the Duke of Sussex have made more capital out of their former military careers than he has ever done

It’s 2023 but one thing hasn’t changed: You can help keep this work possible by subscribing to my weekly newsletter, Sparky’s List! You can get it in your inbox or read it on Patreon, the content is the same.

You there! Help me, please! I just wanted to learn about strength training on the internet, and now I’m pretty sure I’m in some kind of neo-fascist radicalization pipeline.

It started with an innocent New Year’s resolution to start doing some resistance training. After all, experts recommend it for everyone—it’s great for strength, longevity, mental health, sports performance, and self-esteem. But now, everywhere I look online is about two steps away from an Oath Keepers rally.

First, I just wanted to get a beginner strength routine. I found a podcast episode called “Why Everyone Should Lift Weights,” but about fifteen minutes in, it pivoted from whether you need a trainer to how strength training breeds self-reliance. I finally turned it off when they used the phrase “a bit overzealous” to describe Timothy McVeigh.

I still don’t know if barbells are better than machines.

In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch, we have 1923, Night Court, Doctor Who, That '90s Show, Toonami, Nicolas Cage/Star Trek, Good Omens 2 & more!

This is an experiment. The content is real enough. The sound may not be good enough - I forgot the 'furry' hood for the microphone
Read the full article...

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve placed restrictions on large banks’ dividends and share repurchases. These restrictions were intended to enhance banks’ resiliency by bolstering their capital in light of the very uncertain economic environment and concerns that banks might face very large losses should bad-case scenarios come to pass. When it became clear that the outlook had improved and that the losses banks experienced were unlikely to threaten their stability, the Federal Reserve removed these restrictions. In this post, we look at what happened to large banks’ dividends and share repurchases during and after the pandemic-era restrictions, tracking these shareholder payouts relative to bank profits to understand how these payments impacted large banks’ capital during this period.