IT'S A LIVING: SPACE JOB EDITION Brian Enke is the lead engineer of the science data 'pipeline' for the New Horizons spacecraft that was sent sailing past Pluto for our first look at the planet. Did you know New Horizons is still sailing through space? Are we still getting data? Brian joins me at 1p to talk about this and other cool space stuff. Buy Brian's sci fi book by clicking here!
DON'T FORGET OUR THIRTY DAYS OF GRATITUDE! What are you grateful for today?
THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS IS BACK AT 2 And you can get your thinking cap on for a philosophical question.
HEY LOOK, GOVERNOR POLIS PAID NO INCOME TAXES A BUNCH OF YEARS This is interesting considering he was one of the loudest voices demanding that Trump release his tax returns. Oh, and also he spent $25 million to buy the Governor's mansion so we know he has the cash. Now we know why the Governor refused to release his tax returns when he ran for Governor: he paid nothing in income taxes for YEARS. Like 2013, 2014, and 2015. His tax rate from 2010 to 2018 is 8.2%. How can you vote for bigger government, which he does consistently, and not pay taxes? Because he's rich and rich people have different rules and access to tax tricks us rubes don't. Read more from Pro Publica here.
THERE IS MORE TO SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES THAT SHIPPING How about rolling blackouts in China right now? Watch this from CBS News and see how badly things are going because we rely on China, whose energy issues are being exacerbated by a push for clean energy. If you see something you like this year, you better buy it NOW. And when will we start to build things here again? Surely this has demonstrated that there are good reasons to build in the US, or at least build in Mexico or Central America, where there economies could definitely use the boost.
SHORT TERM RENTALS IN COLORADO WILL COST MORE A LOT OF PLACES As various mountain towns voted in a raft of measures that go after short term rentals as they try to solve their affordable housing issues. Read the many ways this happened by clicking here.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CREATE A REVOLVING DOOR FOR CRIMINALS And this story shows how dangerous this catch and release style of justice truly is. One guy was arrested THREE times in 24 hours when he showed erratic behavior that escalated each time police contacted with him. He was released on a personal recognizance bond the first two times, the third time he broke into a woman's apartment! What if he had killed her??? This is not right because this guy is obviously mentally ill. Remember, Candi CdBaca and her ilk are pushing for the elimination of cash bond.
GO ENJOY CIVIC CENTER PARK BEFORE THE OPEN DRUG MARKETS RETURN It re opened yesterday, at least parts of it, after an overhaul made necessary by the inaction of the City of Denver when it came to kicking out drug abusers and scofflaws who lived there and trashed it. We just spent $600,000 that was only necessary because the homeless were allowed to take over. There are new Park Rangers, who won't have any police power but can use Narcan to reverse the overdoses which seem to happen there often. This is a fun part of the story about the head of Parks and Rec getting attacked at a different park the same day Civic Center Park re opened:
Ironically, Civic Center Park’s grand reopening was tarnished when a parks worker who had found needles in a neighboring park called Gilmore to check it out. “I was assaulted in one of my own parks. A man struck me with a stick!” said Gilmore, who followed his attacker and had him arrested. “I’m the head of the parks department. If I go into a park and I can’t feel safe, that means I’ve got work to do.”
Besides increased patrols, Gilmore plans to install a high-definition, infrared camera system called “Milestone,” for which he got approval this week.
“We will be able to identify people who are doing illegal activity in the park. If you’re going to come into this park, you will be under surveillance,” warned Gilmore with a sweep of his arms toward a pole where the outdated halo cameras keep watch. “This park is for everybody from the person who has nothing to the person who has everything. It’s going to be challenging, but we’re going to do the work.”
If you go to Civic Center park expect to be watched. I bet the mentally ill homeless won't care.
THE SUPER IMPORTANT TO SAVE US ALL COVID VACCINE MANDATES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN PUSHED BACK To after the Christmas holidays. I poop you not, read this. Apparently Christmas, like the Black Lives Matter protests, are immune from Covid THANK GOD.
ARE MASHED POTATOES REALLY OUR FAVORITE SIDE DISH? Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-mashed potatoes, but I didn't realize they had such a fan following here. This story purports to show the most popular side dishes for Thanksgiving but I'm not sure about this. I lived in Kentucky and not once did I have hashbrown casserole outside of a Cracker Barrel.
WHY HAVE PEOPLE LEFT THEIR JOBS DURING COVID? This is very interesting but none of them are particularly surprising. The one theme you see over and over is "I'll never work in customer service again" type stuff and who could blame them? Our society is behaving horribly these days.
THIS IS SO TRUE ABOUT FOOTBALL IN THE SOUTH
HEY LOOK, SENATOR RAND PAUL IS GRILLING DR. FAUCI AGAIN! This was from this morning and it will never get old. By the way, now Dr. Fauci is just changing the meaning of "gain of function" rather than admit he funded it in Wuhan.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT DEMOCRATS THINK OF REPUBLICANS AND THEMSELVES THIS COLUMN SHOULD DO IT I will warn you that your IQ will drop several points as you read this column which completely gaslights the lived experiences of the parents who are concerned about their children. It's truly comical. If you're busy, here's a taste of what you're missing:
This, then, is the Democrats’ problem: The fact that Republicans can drag race into the conversation with ease kicks the legs out from under the idea that Democrats can succeed by simply talking about more popular things. And the fact that racially coded attacks spur turnout among white voters without necessarily prompting a backlash among minority voters undermines the idea that mobilizing a diverse electorate can win elections for Democrats.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, we know what a path forward looks like.
First, Democrats must separate our (accurate and necessary) analysis of structural racism from our political strategy in a country where the electorate remains nearly 70 percent white — and as much as or more than 80 percent white in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Instead of ignoring race while Republicans beat us silly with it, Democrats must confront it and explain that powerful elites and special interests use race as a tool of division to distract hard-working people of all races while they get robbed blind. Then pivot back to shared interests. The pivot is critical: Without it, Democrats are simply talking past voters, while Republicans play on their racial fears.
Got that? It's REPUBLICANS that are making race an issue. Not Democrats. I literally burst out laughing multiple times reading this trash.
DEMOCRAT JAMES CARVILLE KNOWS THEY ARE FULL OF CRAP TOO The longtime lizard-like Dem strategist blamed the Dem losses on "stupid wokeness". Go woke, go broke.
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS TOOK A BRANDON SHOT During a press conference and it was magic.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME IS STUPID AND SHOULD DIE And we get our hour back this weekend. The fact that 70% of Americans HATE THE CHANGE and yet we still have it shows just how unresponsive our government really is.
A MOM IN WISCONSIN IS SUING TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HER CHILD'S CLASSROOM And it's sad it's come to this, but here we are. When her sons grades dipped and he told her of the crazy things that were happening in the school she asked if she could come in an observe the class. She was told no again and again and for really dumb reasons so she sued. Read more here.
A GIANT POTATO NAMED DOUG MAY BE THE WORLD RECORD And who am I to judge someone naming a potato Doug when it weighs 17.2 pounds and looks like someone in the fetal position. Check him out here.
BIDEN HAS NO CLUE WHAT PEOPLE IN HIS GOVERNMENT ARE TRYING TO GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Because he denied the $450,000 payments to people who tried to break into the country, but the ACLU says the President is dead wrong. Of course he is. The GOP has announced they are running a bill to block any payments in case the President is wrong.
HERE'S ANOTHER STORY ABOUT HOW CRITICAL RACE THEORIES DOCTRINES ARE MAKING IT INTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Just for those who really believe that CRT is some kind of boogeyman cooked up by angry white supremacist domestic terrorists. Read it.
I WANT THIS MUCH SNOW SOON This is a lovely time compressed look at a blizzard of 48 hours compressed into 1 minute.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT GOING TO BE THE END OF THE WORLD BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION This column by my new bestie Michael Shellenberger about the REALITY of climate change and our ability to adapt to that change is the best thing I've read on the subject in a long, long time. Read it here.
BRIBERY DONE RIGHT