Whats going on in the World

[longcast]

NYC man indicted for posing as immigration attorney and stealing thousands of dollars from migrants

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment of a New York City man who led migrants to believe he was an immigration attorney.

www.foxnews.com

 

[wader]

US, British militaries launch massive retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen

The U.S. and British militaries were bombing more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, several U.S. officials told The Associated Press. Associated Press journalists...

www.yahoo.com

 

[longcast]

Gawd bless Texas and Florida. This is exactly what needed to be done twenty years ago. All these idealistic @-holes in their ivory towers need to experience this firsthand. Ideology is all great until reality is knocking on your door.

Unfortunately, I think it's going to require a figurative smack in the noggin with a shovel before some of these dopes wake up. And sadly, a lot of them will blame TX and FL and the party smacking them with reality for the problem instead of questioning their own ideals.

They are sick and incurable. Sad that their sick ideology leaks into the lives of my family.

 

[Roccus7]

This is exactly what needed to be done twenty years ago.

IIRC, in 2003, one party held the White House, Senate and House. The inability to enact legislation on immigration has dogged both parties for many years...

 

[Roccus7]

Love this line "take place in an orderly fashion over the course of 2024."

Interesting financial reason for this sale that was pointed out in the NY Times. Another compelling demonstration that EVs and the necessary infrastructure are far from being ready from prime time...

Hertz’s decision showed that electric vehicles are costly and unpopular, Mr. Barrasso told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. “The demand for electric cars is stagnating,” he said, adding, “So much for the Biden economy.”

Mr. Scherr implicitly put much of the blame on Tesla, which makes about half of all electric vehicles sold in the United States, for the rental car company’s decision to sell its electric vehicles.

Tesla vehicles, which make up the largest share of Hertz’s electric fleet, plunged in value after the carmaker, which Elon Musk runs, cut prices last year by about 30 percent. When the price of new vehicles is drastically lowered, it drives down the value of used cars because buyers can get the newer versions for less.

As a result, Hertz was forced to write down the value of its electric cars more quickly than it had expected, which weighed on profit, Mr. Scherr said.

Rental companies like Hertz estimate how much their cars will be worth when they eventually sell them, and that estimated decline in value is calculated as a cost. If the decline is more than expected, profit falls.

Mr. Scherr said Tesla was less willing than other carmakers to give Hertz volume discounts on replacement parts. “Tesla is new to the game,” he said, suggesting that the electric car company’s relative inexperience in serving rental car companies played a role in that decision.

 

[longcast]

Impaired Asset: Meaning, Causes, How to Test, and How to Record

An impaired asset is an asset that has a market value less than the value listed on the company’s balance sheet.

www.investopedia.com

A "lively" conversation between management and the external auditors for obvious reasons!

Internally not a surprise, but the externals would be all over this.

 

[longcast]

Texas seizes control of park, blocks Border Patrol from entering, as part of anti-illegal immigration efforts

Texas authorities have seized control of a park near the U.S.-Mexico border, in a move that could inflame tensions between the state and the federal government.

www.foxnews.com

The Texas National Guard has seized control of a park at the U.S. southern border and is now blocking Border Patrol from entering the area – part of an effort to stop the surge of illegal immigration into Texas and a move likely to significantly increase tensions between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government.

The state government has taken control of Shelby Park in the city of Eagle Pass, Texas, which has been at the center of the migrant crisis that has engulfed the U.S. border. Authorities have now set up razor wire and fences to block off the area.

"The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area," it said.

The Border Patrol union confirmed to Fox News that agents were being blocked from entering by Texas soldiers, and praised Abbott for taking matters into his own hands.

"Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them," National Border Patrol Council Brandon Judd said in a statement. "His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier."

 

[longcast]

Outraged NYC parents lash out at city for displacing high school students to house migrants

NYC mother Jayne Lipkovich and her daughter Julia joined "Fox & Friends" to discuss their outrage with high school students being forced to learn remotely.

www.foxnews.com

Julia discussed how the day went as students logged onto Zoom without teachers showing up.

"I heard that a lot of my teachers emailed us saying that if you have any questions, email us before joining, so they can actually join, too," she explained. "But otherwise just do the assignments and they'll be counted as attendance."

"It's also a day that I could have spent learning, and especially with exams around the corner, I could have been better prepped for it. Instead, I was home and doing assignments and not even interacting with the teachers."

 

[longcast]

Washington state Democrats propose additional tax for 'privilege of using ammunition'

Washington state Democrats have proposed a use and sales tax on the retail sale of ammunition in an effort to reduce gun violence.

www.foxnews.com

 

[longcast]

Art dealer reveals Hunter Biden knew 'sugar brother' was top buyer, making WH ethics pledge a 'sham': Comer

Hunter Biden's art dealer testified before Congress that the president's son knew his "sugar brother" was the top buyer of his art, contradicting a White House ethics agreement.

www.foxnews.com

Hunter Biden's New York City art dealer testified Tuesday that the president's son knew his "sugar brother" lawyer was the top buyer of his paintings, contradicting the White House's previously cited ethics plan to conceal his patrons' identities.

According to the readout of a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, Georges Bergès, who owns the Georges Bergès Art Gallery in Manhattan, revealed he never worked with the White House on such an ethics pact, and that Hunter knew who bought about 70% of his art work.

According to a July 2021 report by The Washington Post, Biden administration officials "helped craft an agreement under which purchases of Hunter Biden’s artwork — which could be listed at prices as high as $500,000 — will be kept confidential from even the artist himself, in an attempt to avoid ethical issues that could arise as a presidential family member tries to sell a product with a highly subjective value."

 

[longcast]

Elon Musk dings Boeing after Alaska Airlines scare: 'Prioritized DEI hiring'

Elon Musk wrote a scathing X post about Boeing following the Alaska Air incident, calling out the company's prioritization of DEI initiatives.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[longcast]

Nearly 30% of Americans behind on debt payments in largest metros, study finds

A new study conducted by Lending Tree found 29.6% of Americans in the nation's largest metros were behind on at least one payment as consumers continue to rack up more debt.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[jpd]

How one college spends more than $30M on 241 DEI staffers … and the damage it does to kids

That represents an astounding expansion of the school’s already-infamous DEI bureaucracy, which had a mere 142 employees last year.

nypost.com

 

[longcast]

How one college spends more than $30M on 241 DEI staffers … and the damage it does to kids

That represents an astounding expansion of the school’s already-infamous DEI bureaucracy, which had a mere 142 employees last year.

nypost.com

And the price tag accounts for neither the money spent on programming and office expenses nor the hundreds of other employees who use some of their time to assist with DEI initiatives.

These expenditures are a reckless waste of taxpayer money considering the impact of UM’s last five-year plan.

It cost $85 million, and what did it accomplish?

According to the university’s Black Student Union, “85 million dollars was spent on DEI efforts and yet, Black students’ experience on campus has hardly improved.”

And The Chronicle of Higher Education reports, “The percentage of students who were satisfied with the overall campus climate decreased from 72 percent in 2016 to 61 percent in 2021.”

These results are consistent with findings at other institutions.


Insane

 

[wader]

Fruit Stripe gum has been discontinued after 54 years

Ferrara Candy Company has officially discontinued Fruit Stripe gum after 54 years. Fans on social media reacted with nostalgic despair and plenty of jokes.

www.yahoo.com

 

[longcast]

California sheriff blasts Newsom's 'pro-criminal agenda' after court blocks latest gun control law

A California sheriff called out Gov. Gavin Newsom's "anti-gun" agenda after a court blocked a law Newsom signed that would have prohibited concealed carry in many public places.

www.foxnews.com

 

[longcast]

Indoctrination

Please watch your children and grandchildren.

Seattle teacher allegedly told students identifying as 'straight' is offensive

A history teacher at a Seattle high school allegedly told a student that identifying as "straight" was offensive because it implies non-heterosexuals are "crooked."

www.foxnews.com

A history teacher at a Seattle high school who previously came under fire for lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity allegedly told students that identifying as "straight" is offensive.

Ian Golash, who is the social studies department chair at Chief Sealth International High School, also told some male students they are a "product of the patriarchy that teaches young boys not to care," according to a parent who filed a complaint with school officials.

The mother, who requested anonymity, provided a copy of a "Social Identity Wheel" worksheet Golash assigned to his 10th grade class to "The Jason Rantz Show" on KTTH. The worksheet asks students to self-reflect on their various identities, including racial, ethnic, gender, socio-economic status, physical, emotional or developmental disabilities, and sexual orientation.

The parent said her 15-year-old son labeled himself "straight." Golash then allegedly told the boy that he needed to pick a term that was less offensive.

The mother also claimed in her email that Golash singled out her son during a classroom discussion on Florida "banning ethnic studies" — likely a reference to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' new African-American studies standards, which have been criticized by the left. The mom said her son had missed class the day before and when Golash asked for his thoughts, he replied that he did not know.

"I’m told that rather than converse about the topic and provide him with information and an actual answer, he was told that he was a ‘product of the patriarchy that teaches young boys not to care,'" the mom wrote in the email. "You missed an opportunity here to teach your student about current events and instead shamed him for being a male. To assume that he’s being raised in a patriarchal household is a very mistaken one."

 

[longcast]

Oil tankers divert course from Red Sea after US-UK joint airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis: report

Four oil tankers opted to divert course on Friday from the Red Sea after the U.S. and Britain launched joint airstrikes against the Yemen’s Houthi rebels following their aggression.

www.foxbusiness.com

Spoke to a friend a couple days ago who is affected by the issues in the Red Sea. His wholesale product will be delayed along with an exorbitant increase in freight charges as they change routes to avoid the conflicts.

 

[longcast]

Is Gen Z unprepared for the workforce? Experts weigh in

Workforce experts explained how attitudes towards work have shifted with Generation Z, and how employers have misunderstood these young adults' aspirations.

www.foxbusiness.com

"Gen Z is not a lazy generation, but it is an entitled generation because they have the freedom to make a more broad set of decisions than older generations that have financial obligations. They're different," labor force expert John Frehse told Fox News Digital. Any comment?
A December 2023 survey of 800 employers and hiring managers in the U.S. from Intelligent.com found over half of employers thought Gen Zers were unprepared for the workforce and displayed unprofessional behavior during job interviews.

The top criticism from employers about Gen Z behavior during interviews was that they failed to maintain eye contact. Half of those polled also said they asked for unreasonable compensation, while 47% said they dressed inappropriately. One in five employers even said they had candidates show up with a parent during a job interview. This is what folks I know noticed, except no parents. Maybe in the car outside, but not in the interview. And those far and few in between.

 

[longcast]

Atlanta restaurant under fire for charging health insurance fee on its bills: 'Why blast the small business?'

JenChan’s Pizza and Chinese in Georgia was slammed on social media after a customer called out the restaurant’s surprise 4% fee for health insurance. The National Restaurant Association weighed in.

www.foxbusiness.com

You see all kinds of fees, upcharges, etc. Was grabbing a quick bite to eat with my brother, and he asked for a side of mayo. $.50 on the bill. First time I saw that in this establishment. Anyway, here is what the restaurant owner said which caught my eye -

"We don’t want to do that," she said. "We want to raise awareness. We want people to see that there’s a crisis."

So, it is in Atlanta, so maybe the business owner voted for this, maybe not, but many seemingly wanted this crisis.

So I looked in the comment section. This was a brilliant "eye opening" idea that really brings it all home to roost. If only a certain campaign manager saw this, WOW, would not have to spend any money on ads, etc. -

Restaurants should just "keep" their 2019 prices to reflect what everything cost under Trump. Then have a line item that's 20% of the bill before tax showing on the bill, and call it the "Bidenflation Fee." When asked, they can explain that everything cost more after Biden's 40 year high inflation hit the country.