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hoocoodanode

You are here: Home / Archives for hoocoodanode

Scenes From the Stupidest Country in the World

by John Cole|  August 11, 202011:01 am| 126 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19, hoocoodanode

In March and April, when we shut down the schools, what we should have learned was that eliminating contact among children and practicing social distancing works in reducing the infection rates among children.

Sadly, this is America, and what half the country apparently ‘learned’ is that “KIDS ARE IMMUNE TO THE RONA.”

And, as the stupidest motherfuckers on the planet, we then launched our kids back into camps and schools, because for some reason we decided that children are a different species with a fundamentally different biology, and lo and behold, look what is happening:

As the nation focuses on safety issues around going back to school during the pandemic, a new report found a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases among children in the United States.

There has been a 90% increase in the number of Covid-19 cases among children in the United States over the last four weeks, according to a new analysis by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association that will be updated weekly.

Hoocoodanode. In Florida, ground zero for stupid in this country, it’s even worse:

Florida’s number of official Covid-19 cases in children has more than doubled over the past month, data from the state showed Tuesday.

Covid-19 cases among children also spiked across the country during roughly the same period.

In Florida, the total number of cases in children 17 and under rose from 16,797 on July 9 to 39,735 on August 9 — an increase of 137%, according to Florida Department of Health data.

And you know what those kids are going to do? SPREAD THE FUCKING VIRUS TO THEIR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, BABYSITTERS, etc.

You know, when I was younger and eating mushrooms by the handful and consuming blotter by the notebook page and earning my degree in street pharmacology, every now and then I worried that maybe I was doing long-term damage to myself and would pay a heavy price later on in life. So far, it appears that chemistry ain’t got nothing on old fashioned stupid.

Scenes From the Stupidest Country in the WorldPost + Comments (126)

Donald Trump’s Nemesis

by John Cole|  November 2, 20193:21 pm| 78 Comments

This post is in: Racist-In-Chief, hoocoodanode, Nobody could have predicted

In the least surprising news EVER, it appears that smugglers have managed to defeat the Trump’s billion dollar boondoggle:

Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trump’s border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage.

The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.

After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the very top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.

Now I hardly feel smart for having PREDICTED THIS, because anyone with two functioning brain cells could have told you this was going to happen. Unfortunately, that requirement is daunting for Trump and his base, who demanded a wall to keep them dammned furriners out. Honestly, the only possible way you could think this wall would work in any way, shape, or form, is if you are so fucking stupid that you have never examined the history of EVERY FUCKING BORDER WALL EVER BUILT and so fucking racist that you think Mexicans do not have access to sophisticated technologies like ladders, shovels, and… saws.

Of course, not every one is a fucking moron, so there were actual proposals that would have been cheaper, would not have impeded on landowners rights, and not served as a giant stain on the landscape and our nation’s character, but those were ignored:

But it is fertile for an invisible kind of fence, one built of artificial intelligence, radar, drones, sensors, motion-activated cameras and even lidar, the same technology used in self-driving vehicles.

“Virtual walls” or “smart walls” along the southwest border are increasingly being billed as an alternative to the proposed concrete and steel barriers that have so sharply divided public opinion.

An electronic fence is not about preventing intrusion as much as it is about detecting intrusions and then intercepting them.

Although even the strongest proponents for such a technological solution admit physical barriers are likely best in urban areas such as San Diego and El Paso, they see a virtual wall as a cheaper and more effective way to police much of the rest of the 2,000-mile southwest border.

If you were actually serious about this hypothetical “invasion” of illegals, this is what you might consider. If you’re just concerned with riling up your ignorant ass racist base with apocryphal tales of illegal hordes, you build a fucking wall that anyone can saw through.

Donald Trump’s NemesisPost + Comments (78)

Surprise! Mike Pompeo’s “Human Rights” Agenda Applies To Only Some Humans

by Cheryl Rofer|  June 5, 201911:39 am| 97 Comments

This post is in: LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights, Religious Nuts, Rofer on Nuclear Issues, hoocoodanode

Just Security obtained a copy of Mike Pompeo’s human rights plan, based on what he called “natural law.”

Some of us are old enough to remember when that phrase was used mostly by the Catholic Church to justify their views on marriage and procreation. But apparently the evangelicals have put their own gloss on it so that it excludes the usual suspects – gays, transgender people, and other miscreants – from human rights.

So that is what Pompeo would inflict on us and the world. Trump has already carried out parts of it in his actions against transgender people. I’m not sure that brown families seeking refuge are explicitly listed as those not qualified for human rights, but the administration has sure been acting that way.

Just Security also analyzes where this “natural law” theory came from. It seems to come primarily from several individuals’ needs to demonize teh gays. And, of course, it comes from God or human nature or whatever you need to make your argument unanswerable.

As a 2017 Heritage Foundation report framed the issue: “Civil and political rights are products of government; natural rights are not.”

It’s disturbing that so many in the government belong to extremist sects and are pushing those extremist beliefs. I’d like to see a reporter pin down Pompeo on what he believes about the Rapture. Nobody who believes that should be anywhere near the control of nuclear weapons.

 

 

Surprise! Mike Pompeo’s “Human Rights” Agenda Applies To Only Some HumansPost + Comments (97)

Followup Open Thread – Looks Like The Jasons Have a Home

by Cheryl Rofer|  April 25, 20199:10 pm| 116 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Science & Technology, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Assholes, hoocoodanode

The Pentagon abruptly ended the contract for the group, called the Jasons, at the end of March. @sciencemagazine has reported that it was the decision of the head of DDR&E Michael Griffin.

— Geoff Brumfiel (@gbrumfiel) April 25, 2019

There were some hints that the @EnergyPress might pick up the contract. For one thing, the Jasons play a critical role in stockpile stewardship, the scientific program that ensures nuclear warheads are safe and reliable. That program is run by the @NNSANews.

— Geoff Brumfiel (@gbrumfiel) April 25, 2019

The @NNSANews has now issued a brief solicitation for the contract, which is run through the Mitre corporation: https://t.co/UrvlHHem5h

Assuming it goes through, that would allow the Jasons to continue its work.

— Geoff Brumfiel (@gbrumfiel) April 25, 2019

Who would have guessed that Secretary “D in Meats” would turn out to be the most competent and honest in Trump’s cabinet?

 

Followup Open Thread – Looks Like The Jasons Have a HomePost + Comments (116)

Oleg Deripaska Comes To Kentucky

by Cheryl Rofer|  April 16, 20191:51 pm| 75 Comments

This post is in: An Unexamined Scandal, Impeachment, Republican Venality, Trump Crime Cartel, Trump-Russia, hoocoodanode

Do you remember Oleg Deripaska, Paul Manafort’s business partner to whom he owed $17 million? The Russian aluminum oligarch?

Well, he’s building an aluminum plant in, of all places, Kentucky, the home of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Sanctions have been lifted, of course.

Here’s the announcement from Deripaska’s company, RUSAL.

Just a matter of a canny businessman seeing an opportunity, I’m sure.

 

Oleg Deripaska Comes To KentuckyPost + Comments (75)

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Quit Trump-Stunting & End the Shutdown

by Anne Laurie|  January 24, 20194:55 am| 122 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Venality, hoocoodanode

Photos of special challenge coins being distributed among Secret Service personnel and their families, expressing frustration at the requirement they work without pay because of the government shutdown pic.twitter.com/0Toz1zpiIV

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 23, 2019

Well, now that we've settled the very pressing issue of TV president's TV time, maybe we can get back to the not letting the whole country collapse?

— Schooley (@Rschooley) January 24, 2019

The government shutdown is by far the longest in U.S. history. It's put hundreds of thousands of people under financial stress and endangered our security. Join a National Call In Day to end it. @IndivisibleTeam has scripts and numbers for senators here: https://t.co/5iPvbaqeg5

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 23, 2019

show full post on front page

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Quit Trump-Stunting & End the ShutdownPost + Comments (122)

The Fourth National Climate Assessment

by Cheryl Rofer|  November 25, 201811:39 am| 35 Comments

This post is in: Climate Change, Domestic Politics, All Too Normal, hoocoodanode

Photo: Hurricane damage in Florida

 

Friday afternoon the government released its Fourth National Climate Assessment, mandated by Congress. Friday afternoon of the four-day weekend, of course, is a good time to bury it. But we’ve become accustomed to these tactics, and the report did not go unnoticed.

Thirteen government agencies contributed. The report looks solid, an indication that Donald Trump and his climate deniers couldn’t mess with the agencies’ mandates. This is a pattern that has shown up before in sanctions against Russia. Trump tweets one thing, his political appointees toe his line, and the agencies do their job. It’s encouraging that parts of the government can do their jobs.

Unfortunately, the report is written in relatively difficult language, so it’s slow going. Here are the summary findings.

Communities. Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.

Economy. Without substantial and sustained global mitigation and regional adaptation efforts, climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century.

Interconnected Impacts. Climate change affects the natural, built, and social systems we rely on individually and through their connections to one another. These interconnected systems are increasingly vulnerable to cascading impacts that are often difficult to predict, threatening essential services within and beyond the Nation’s borders.

Actions to Reduce Risks. Communities, governments, and businesses are working to reduce risks from and costs associated with climate change by taking action to lower greenhouse gas emissions and implement adaptation strategies. While mitigation and adaptation efforts have expanded substantially in the last four years, they do not yet approach the scale considered necessary to avoid substantial damages to the economy, environment, and human health over the coming decades.

Water. The quality and quantity of water available for use by people and ecosystems across the country are being affected by climate change, increasing risks and costs to agriculture, energy production, industry, recreation, and the environment.

Health. Impacts from climate change on extreme weather and climate-related events, air quality, and the transmission of disease through insects and pests, food, and water increasingly threaten the health and well-being of the American people, particularly populations that are already vulnerable.

Indigenous Peoples. Climate change increasingly threatens Indigenous communities’ livelihoods, economies, health, and cultural identities by disrupting interconnected social, physical, and ecological systems.

Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services. Ecosystems and the benefits they provide to society are being altered by climate change, and these impacts are projected to continue. Without substantial and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, transformative impacts on some ecosystems will occur; some coral reef and sea ice ecosystems are already experiencing such transformational changes.

Agriculture. Rising temperatures, extreme heat, drought, wildfire on rangelands, and heavy downpours are expected to increasingly disrupt agricultural productivity in the United States. Expected increases in challenges to livestock health, declines in crop yields and quality, and changes in extreme events in the United States and abroad threaten rural livelihoods, sustainable food security, and price stability.

Infrastructure. Our Nation’s aging and deteriorating infrastructure is further stressed by increases in heavy precipitation events, coastal flooding, heat, wildfires, and other extreme events, as well as changes to average precipitation and temperature. Without adaptation, climate change will continue to degrade infrastructure performance over the rest of the century, with the potential for cascading impacts that threaten our economy, national security, essential services, and health and well-being.

Oceans & Coasts. Coastal communities and the ecosystems that support them are increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change. Without significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions and regional adaptation measures, many coastal regions will be transformed by the latter part of this century, with impacts affecting other regions and sectors. Even in a future with lower greenhouse gas emissions, many communities are expected to suffer financial impacts as chronic high-tide flooding leads to higher costs and lower property values.

Tourism and Recreation. Outdoor recreation, tourist economies, and quality of life are reliant on benefits provided by our natural environment that will be degraded by the impacts of climate change in many ways.

There’s not much surprising, although changes seem to be taking place more rapidly than anyone expected.

The New York Times, Washington Post, and AP all have pretty good summaries.

 

 

The Fourth National Climate AssessmentPost + Comments (35)

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