Category: Knowledge and News

Elon Musk vs Senator Elizabeth Warrren

UncleScoopy

Warren tweeted that they should fix the tax code so Musk pays more taxes.

Musk called her “Senator Karen,” and pointed out that he will pay more taxes than any American in history this year. (That seems correct. He deferred capital gains taxes, but did not avoid them.)

Given that Musk actually accomplishes things while the congress basically just jerks off, it’s not unreasonable to posit that the country should give money to him, rather than the other way around.

That said, Warren’s point is probably valid when applied to most other billionaires. Even many of them have admitted they should pay more taxes.

CNN Producer John Griffin arrested for (allegedly) being a totally creepy mofo

UncleScoopy

“Griffin allegedly paid more than $3,000 to the woman to fly her and the 9-year-old girl to Boston in July, where prosecutors say he picked them up from the airport and brought them to the ski house ‘where the child was directed to engage in and did engage in illegal sexual activity,’ the indictment said.”

I hope they also brought charges against the mother who orchestrated this encounter.

Oh, the humanity

UncleScoopy

The Hindenburg disaster – color-restored [4k Color]

From the National Archives, quoting reporter Herb Morrison.

Later in the broadcast, as reporter Herb Morrison learned that there were survivors, he said, “I hope that it isn’t as bad as I made it sound at the very beginning.” Years later, Morrison recalled that he yelled “Oh, the humanity,” because he thought everyone on board had died; in fact, sixty-two of the people on board survived.

Jussie Smollett and the rush to judgment

UncleScoopy

A look back on how the media and the political left jumped on the Jussie bandwagon.

What ticks me off most about this guy is the fact that he didn’t plead guilty. Yeah, I know everyone is entitled to be tried by a jury if he so elects, but what was the point of doing so. Could his guilt have been any more obvious? The crimes he was accused of basically amounted to wasting the resources and time of those in the legal system. By going to trial against a mountain of evidence, with literally no defense of any kind except obvious lies, he showed just how little he cared about what he was accused of – because the fruitless trial just wasted more time and resources. I’m surprised the jury foreman didn’t echo The Producers: “Your honor, we find the defendant incredibly guilty.”

I suppose a guilty plea would have earned him a slap on the wrist, and a fine requiring him to pay back the city $130,000. That lenience wouldn’t really have bothered me at all. Now I hope he gets the maximum sentence on all of his charges. Screw this guy. He’s still lying. Furthermore, he should probably be further charged with many, many counts of perjury for his sworn testimony in the trial itself.

A 19-year-old South Florida man charged with cyberstalking after allegedly threatening to leak nude images of Florida state Sen. Lauren Book.

UncleScoopy

She confirmed that the pics were legit: “Book filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after getting multiple text messages from an unknown number on Nov. 12, including two nude pictures that Book sent only to a close friend.”

Update: I think I had misunderstood this situation. I originally had assumed that the kid had somehow obtained some exclusive content of some kind, but now it seems that there was an avalanche of nude material hitting the internet, and this kid just happened to have a couple of the gazillion nude pics and explicit videos circulating around. Apparently he did not hack or originate material. He simply was one of many people with some leaked material, and he tried to turn that into a profit with a meaningless blackmail scheme. I will argue for “meaningless” because even if she had paid him and he had subsequently surrendered whatever he had, it would have made no difference. Pandora’s Box had already opened. The Phun site alone has unearthed a couple dozen videos and many pics, many of them XXX explicit. The Phun thread can be found here.

R.I.P Bob Dole, passing from our earthly realm at 98

UncleScoopy

Bob Dole, 1923-2021, one of the last of the WWII warriors.

He had a good sense of humor to the last. When Norm Macdonald died, Dole got the comment exactly right when he tweeted “Bob Dole will miss Norm Macdonald.”

(Norm’s hook in his Dole impersonation was that he always referred to himself in the third person.)


“Australia is the drunkest country in the world”

UncleScoopy

Can Aussies drink the most? Maybe not! “It’s possible that they were the drunkest country in 2020 because they largely managed to avoid COVID-19 lockdowns. Bars and clubs remained open.” Heck, in Wisconsin we call Aussies “teetotalers.” Then again, Wisconsin is not a country. Yet.

Kidding aside, the article says that the average Australian gets drunk 27 times a year, and that the women drink more than the men. That’s a lot of alcohol abuse, even by Wisconsin standards.

Least surprising headline o’ the day

UncleScoopy

“Seven From Anti-Vax Doctors’ COVID Conference Fall Sick With COVID Within Days”

“I have been on ivermectin for 16 months, my wife and I,” Dr. Bruce Boros declared at the end of the meeting at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. “I have never felt healthier in my life.”

Two days later, the 71-year-old cardiologist fell ill with COVID-19.

The last person born in the 19th century has passed away

UncleScoopy

“‘World’s oldest-ever person’ Francisca Susano, the last surviving woman born in the 19th century, dies aged 124.”

I told her not to try Heli-Skiing, but she just would not listen. Her passing will really open up her age group in Senior Olympics. Chuck Grassly was tired of getting the silver.

Francisca was born on September 11, 1897, when the Philippines were still controlled by Spain!

CBO said on Thursday evening that Biden’s climate change and social policy package would increase the federal budget deficit by $160 billion over the next 10 years.

UncleScoopy

It seems that House Democrats are undeterred by this finding. It “is unlikely to stop House Democrats from approving the bill as soon as Thursday evening.”



This may not sound so dramatic, but if they pass it as is, the situation could be disastrous for the Democrats in two ways:

1. The Republicans have yet another reason to accuse Biden of being weak and ineffectual because he promised that this bill would be fully funded. Chop a few more points off that sinking approval rating.

2. The bill can’t pass the Senate in that form because Manchin specifically said he won’t add to the deficit. This means that the negotiations and squabbling will begin all over again, with the Democrats continuing to show the nation’s undecided and independent voters that they are just going to keep jabbering about this bill, and can’t get their act together.

As this independent looks at it, I’m looking at a choice between the party that wants to bring a copy of Balzac to a gunfight, and the party that wants to bring an AK-47 to a book discussion club.

Good news. We don’t have to worry about global warming any more

UncleScoopy

“Los Angeles will make diners ask for ketchup to go with their fries, in the name of fighting climate change”

“The new ordinance will forbid restaurants with 26 or more employees from handing out ketchup and mustard packets without customers requesting them. The ordinance will apply to all restaurants by April 2022.”

I feel cooler already!