Thought for the Day

[thombergeron]

Not content with Texas's position as merely one of the worst places in the U.S. to be a child, Governor Greg Abbott is aiming to secure the undisputed title.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/poli...s-child-abuse/

[Stavros]

Stavros I can answer a couple of the questions off the top of my head. Other aspects of it I might have to look up.
I don't think there needs to be a contract or a fee paid for the privilege to attach (there are a few reasons for this, though a fee or contract would definitely help establish the relationship). I think what you're getting at is that someone should not be able to claim privilege from communications with a co-conspirator simply because that person happens to be an attorney.

Thanks for this. I am sure I read somewhere the claim Giuliani was Trump's lawyer in the Ukraine was false because he was not being paid to be there by Trump. I am not sure we know anyway, as Trump seems to have decided to destroy documents in violation of the law to protect himself, though I assume his lawyers would have told him not to, and I assume they have their own dcumentation of their dealing with Trump when he was 'President'. As it is a law not a convetion, is this another example of Trump breaking the law with impunity?

[Stavros]

Not content with Texas's position as merely one of the worst places in the U.S. to be a child, Governor Greg Abbott is aiming to secure the undisputed title.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/poli...s-child-abuse/

The word 'abuse' is the only word that defines this, but not as Abbott intended. He seems to be like Modi, Xi and Putin, determned to use political power to impose his will on Texas. Which makes it a double dose of abuse. Can anyone stop him?

[Stavros]

If the response to Russia's invasion of the Ukraine is intensified to include an attempt to disrupt or halt its oil and gas exports, the Russians have threatened to 'turn off the gas' while the shortage of oil exports could send crude to $300 a barrel. There are several consequences here

One, is that higher prices and disruption would hurt China, dependent as it is on imports of oil and gas. It may be in a semi-state of solidarity with Russia now, but desperate measures by the Russians could force China to assess where its longer term benefits lie, though this might be regime change in Moscow as well as better ties to the rest of the world. By attemting to privilege its role as supplier, the Chinese might ask -at what cost? Or negotiate a 'special price' with Russia, to the latter's disadvantage.

Reports suggest a US team is attempting to bring Venezuela back into the tent, something Maduro for all his anti-American rhetoric would welcome, as would most people in both Venezuela and Colombia. Venezuela has vast reserves of oil, but it is classed as 'heavy oil' which for years meant it was not economical to develop, both in terms of lifting costs, and the modifications needed to refineries to process the stuff. Combined improvements in technology and a higher oil price make heavy oil profitable, thus enabling the US-Venezuela production line (Venezuela needs capital as well as expertise from outside the country) to cut out Russian oil supplies, while alternative supplies of gas to those in Russia exist but have not been exploited so far because of costs.

Iran has vast supplies of gas -could the rapprochement with Venezuela inspire a new relationshp with Iran?

Thus, the higher the price of oil, the greater the opportunity to relieve the world of Russian oil and gas = short term pain, but longer term gaiin for the non-Russian customers, but in the long term a major blow to the Russian economy.

And the obvious irony -to save the world from Russia, 'we' may need to increase our dependence on fossil fuels rather than decrese them, though one assumes at the same time the development of alternative sources of fuel will take on a new urgency.

On Venezuela's vast oil resources here-
https://www.rigzone.com/training/hea...t.asp?i_id=185

and here-
https://www.hydrocarbons-technology....o-oil-project/

[Stavros]

I don't know much about Joe Manchin, but it seems odd he is a Democrat when from what I do read, his policy preferences are solidly Republican. But it also seems that he is one of the alarming number of unintelligent Senators and Representatives in Congress these days. For this is what the man has said-

"Faced with rising gasoline prices, many Americans are now looking to switch to an electric car. But the shift away from fossil fuel vehicles has been criticized by Senator Joe Manchin, who has said he is “very reluctant” to see the proliferation of battery-powered cars....
“I’m very reluctant to go down the path of electric vehicles,” Manchin said at the energy conference CERAWeek, held in Houston. “I’m old enough to remember standing in line in 1974 trying to buy gas – I remember those days. I don’t want to have to be standing in line waiting for a battery for my vehicle, because we’re now dependent on a foreign supply chain, mostly China.”
Manchin, who has taken more money in political donations from fossil fuel interests than any other senator, also said he has “a hard time understanding” why the federal government would invest in a network of electric car charging stations, as the Biden administration aims to do.
“I’ve read history, and I remember Henry Ford inventing the Model-T, but I sure as hell don’t remember the US government building filling stations,” Manchin said to applause. “The market did that.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...e-crisis-fight

For a man who I am told champions coal and petroleum, you have to wonder if he knows where the USA's electricity comes from, how it is generated, and what the volume of electricity is needed to power the EV's that consumers -ie, THE MARKET- want. As for the Feds providing charging points, well, why doesn't the private sector rush in to build them as Rockefeller and Ford did in those old glory days?

The man is in need of an education, but then it is probaby wasted on him, like his votes, only in the Senate, those votes matter.

"All-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles represent a new demand for electricity, but they are not likely to strain much of our existing generation resources in the near term. Large increases in the number of these vehicles in the United States will not necessarily require the addition of new electricity-generation capacity depending on when, where, and at what power level the vehicles are charged."
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electr...roduction.html

[Stavros]

Joe Manchin aside (see previous post), is it the case that to run for office as a Republican, it is essential for the candidate to exhibit their ignorance, as if by doing so they engage with like-minded idiots in their State or District? Do none of these people ever go to school, or what did they do when they were there? Something is seriously wrong in the USA...

Exhibit 1-
"Last year, Alabama lawmakers overturned a 30-year ban on yoga in public schools, passed originally due to the practice’s roots in the Hindu religion. James said he wants legislators to reinstate the ban, while another candidate in the GOP primary is “pro-yoga.” (Tim James wants to be Governor of Alabama, Lord help us All, or maybe Krishna?).
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/under-rada...094503899.html

Exhibit 2-

"Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker cast doubt on the theory of evolution in recent remarks, saying the fact that apes and humans coexist disproves accepted science.
“At one time, science said man came from apes, did it not? ... If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it,” Walker said in an appearance at Sugar Hill Church in Georgia on Sunday.
“Now you’re getting too smart for us, Herschel,” lead pastor Chuck Allen responded."
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/her...181506142.html

Apparently this man was a 'Running Back' in American Football. Well 'Back' seems appropriate. And he's running. Maybe he should be more ambitous and run for the White House?

[broncofan]

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022...ion-investment

Jared Kushner's private equity fund got two billion dollars from the Saudis. No rational person would give Jared five dollars to invest when he's not even a successful real estate developer and has no experience with the kind of financial analysis that would make someone successful in private equity. It's either a payoff for services already rendered or a bribe for future services. I expect this will be investigated but will need a smoking gun like actually classified information passing hands. The kind of favoritism towards MBS that likely motivated this transaction would be more difficult to prosecute even though the impropriety is obvious.

[Stavros]

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022...ion-investment

Jared Kushner's private equity fund got two billion dollars from the Saudis. No rational person would give Jared five dollars to invest when he's not even a successful real estate developer and has no experience with the kind of financial analysis that would make someone successful in private equity. It's either a payoff for services already rendered or a bribe for future services. I expect this will be investigated but will need a smoking gun like actually classified information passing hands. The kind of favoritism towards MBS that likely motivated this transaction would be more difficult to prosecute even though the impropriety is obvious.

Von Tristan zu Marke ist Melot's weg...

On the one hand an amusing profile of someone who seems to fall upwards whenever they fail. The giant flop on 6th Avenue was rescued by the Govt of Qatar not long after Trump and the Saudis ganged up on them...

On the other hand the article fails to delineate the links that show this is a deal that consolidates Israel's security-von Kushner zu MBS ist Israel's weg.

What you have here is a love triangle in which Kushner seeks the financial support of Saudi Arabia which will not only benefit and expand on his own investments in Israel, but also expand on Kushner's view that nobody cares about the Palestinians and that the historic 'Arab-Israeli Conflict' can be ended with money, in the form of investments that will in effect, create a network of trade that links Israel to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. The individuals involved in Affinity Fund Partners are thus linked to Israel- Maybe you could re-fashion this whole deal into one in which Kushner, the Saudis and Israel are just a group of Russian oligarchs divvying up the Russian and Ukrainian economy amongst themselves, with no regard for what the citizens of those countries want. I guess, since they all hate the Iranians, the deals will go through and Kushner will still be rich, and Israel secure, and the Palestinians, well -fucked.


"Apart from Kushner, there are three other directors on the fund who will also visit Israel, including Avi Berkowitz, an Israeli who served as Trump's aide and was an official representative for contacts ahead of the Abraham Accords, Brett Pearlman, a former senior analyst at the Blackstone Group who later founded and managed Elevation Partners, and Asad Naqvi, a former British partner in Apis, which provides financial services, fintech and related technologies to various sectors. The four will also meet with representatives of Israeli venture capital funds and investment funds who plan to present their portfolio companies to the new American fund, and also try to raise money from Affinity in secondary investments.

The meetings will be with companies in a variety of fields and worth, from companies valued at $300 million to unicorns worth more than $1 billion. The fund is aiming to invest in technology, cyber, fintech, healthcare, clean energy and artificial intelligence companies, as well as traditional industrial companies. It plans to invest in both late and early stage companies. The fund has no intention of meeting with Israeli entities in order to attract new investors, but only with companies in which it wants to invest itself. Another member of the fund, who is in charge of relations with Israel, is Aryeh Lightstone, former chief of staff of the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman."
Jared Kushner coming to Israel in search of tech investments | Ctech (calcalistech.com)


MBS and Biden have not talked to each other since the Inauguration in 2021, so we can't be sure that Kushner threw daddy-in-law under the bus in his deposition to the Jan 6th committee, but either way it doesn't matter if Trump gets back into the White House as this Affinity is with Israel and the richest Arabs, not Trump or the Palestinians, or the Yemeni victims of the war nobody wants to talk about. As for Israel and its 'curious' relationship with Putin's Russia, who knows, maybe ten years down the line, Affinity will have offices in Washington DC, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Moscow?

[trish]

So relieved to wake up and find out Macron won. Democracy’s not entirely lost…yet. Now I can go about my day in ‘relative’ peace, only worrying about Ukraine, the state of LGBT people in Florida, women in Texas etc. etc.

[broncofan]

So relieved to wake up and find out Macron won. Democracy’s not entirely lost…yet.

We've been saved from fascism and the fatalism of certain factions who think there's no material difference between Macron and Le Pen. "The lesser of two evils is still evil" they say not realizing the origin of the quote is Ralph Nader and the consequences of this kind of nihilism is actually evil. The difference between Le Pen and Macron is a difference between the world being set ablaze and there still being significant problems but a chance of dealing with them.

An acquaintance of mine tried to tell me the climate change policies of the two parties is not materially different. When I asked him whether there's a difference between the U.S. being in the Paris Climate Agreement and it not being in it he said no because the Paris Climate Agreement is not sufficient. Imagine a world where degrees of change don't matter; yes there's a possibility of some kind of cliff but when you don't know exactly where that point is, some mitigation is better than none.

And yes, Florida's don't say gay law is abhorrent. Just disgraceful as is Texas' law making abortion illegal after six weeks.