I'm loving @Axios: It really feels like an Old School Newspaper

Well I have been using Axios as my front page news source now that Yahoo News seems to be liberal screed all day long. I love how quick the news bites are and they link to source material pretty easily. It also feels like they are sticking to "just the facts" more than any other news source. I tried Google News but there just seems to be too much of the same thing. Like very similar story seems to be shown over and over with little variation. I do still use them from time to time. However, Axios seems to have a mix of different stories that don't seem to be slanted one way or the other. I'll keep using it and see how it goes.

2018 Predictions: It's Going to be an Even Better Year than 2017!

Well its that time of year again. I will do a slate of predictions and see if they come true at the end of 2018. 

Politics

1. The Dems will win a few seats in the midterms but it won't be a blue wave like they think. The Senate will be split 50/50 with Pence being the swing vote. There is an actual call for bipartisanship but only a few things get done.

2. DACA gets done within a larger fight for immigration reform. It is mostly used as a bargaining chip to get the wall build. Trump settles for a partial win with an electronic wall instead of an actual physical wall. He calls it the "greatest wall ever built." The Chinese scoff.

3. The infrastructure bill gets passed but it is far short of the $1 trillion dollars that was called for in the Trump campaign. The GOP cannot come out against it as deficit hawks after a $1.5 trillion dollar tax cut.

4. Sexual allegations sweep through Washington and claims a number of high profile Congress-critters. However, there is a backlash as the accused go on the offensive asking for their due process rights. Only a handful actual resign. The sexual allegations move to the sports world as a new wave of revulsion grips America. 

5. Trumps tweets become less important as America enjoys the prosperity that the tax cuts bring in. Outrage turns to ephemera as things like Prince Harry's wedding overshadows Trump hate. Colbert and other Trump-haters ratings dip.   

World

1. There are talks between North Korea and the US brokered by Dennis Rodman of all people. There is a "Nixon goes to China" moment as Trump and Kim meet in Beijing. A deal is struck as North Korea backs down. There is no hot war in Asia.

2. Saudis and Iran start to move away from a strict interpretation of Islam and start to move toward a rapprochement. They both move to diversify away from oil with Saudi Aramco's IPO being one of the biggest of all time. Mohammad Bin Salman becomes the man of the year.

3. Terror attacks and warfare with the Islamic world starts to slow considerably. The world moves into a more peaceful period.

4. European Countries start to cut taxes to compete with America. This creates a global positive feedback loop that lifts all boats. Economic growth is unheard of since the 50s as capital starts to flow all over the place. This causes an inflation scare that takes the market down in March. However, it recovers and it sees highs it has never seen in decades.

5. Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies crash as everyone jams the exits at the same time. This causes another market pullback but it soon recovers and reaches long term highs again.

Economic Predictions

S&P 500: 3,000         
Dow: 27,000           
NASDAQ: 7,100      
Russell 2000: 1,650   
Bitcoin: $800

Crude Oil: $68           
Gold: $1320              
EUR/Dollar:   $1.10      
10 Year Bond: 2.55     

Sports Predictions:

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles    
NBA: Boston Celtics
MLB: New York Yankees
Premier League: Arsenal
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
NCAA Football: Georgia Bulldogs
NCAA Basketball: Duke

Top 5 Grossing Movies:

1. Avengers: Infinity War
2. Incredibles 2
3. Deadpool 2
4. Black Panther
5. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

2017 Predictions a Look back.

Here are how my predictions for 2017 came out.

Politics

1. Donald Trump will have a whirlwind 100 days and will have one of the more successful runs in modern times. He leaves much of the heavily lifting to his talented cabinet and goes after minutiae with his Twitter account and phone. There will be a rise of the Trump Twitter-ologists like the Kremlin-ologists of old who pick over his Tweets looking for hidden meanings and such. All in all at the end of the year America would be well on the way to prosperity that it hasn't seen in more than 16 years.

Got this one correct except his 100 days was a whirlwind of suck. He was a divisive force with his Twitter driving the MSM crazy. People do watch the Twitter like a pack of crazy people as well.

2. There is a huge fight over the next Supreme Court nominee as the Dems make their stand on this issue. There is much character assassination and back-and-forth but Scalia's seat goes to another person in his same mold but far younger. This person turns out to not be as conservative as many think.

Hmm time will tell with Neil Gorsuch but he pretty much skated in because the Senate got rid of their gentleman rules. 

3. Black Lives matter leaves the stage as the racial animus in the country slowly recedes. By the end of the year there are less cop deaths and less deaths by violence by young African Americans. Crime levels slow go back to normal as the cops go back about their business with less fear.

Black Lives matter is still around but their voice seems much muted. Also police deaths went from 141 to 128 so that is certainly positive.

4. The main stream media suffers cracks that they never had before as CNN, Fox, and MSNBC and the various newspapers become less important to the zeitgeist. Viewership is way down as American's enjoys the prosperity that the Trump era brings in. Many Americans are energized as consumer confidence and other measures are way up by the end of the year.

The MSM is pretty much morphed into the opposition party for Trump. However I was wrong that viewership is down. It seems to be way up for certain networks.

5. Hillary Clinton is not hear from very much but Obama seems to be everywhere as the left holds on to the last popular thing they seem to have left. Young Bernie supporters slowly remake the Democrat party as they stay involved in the process.

Hillary was woefully front and center while Obama seems to have vanished. I got this one wrong.

World

1. Russia moves back in the Great Power spotlight as they now have a man in the White House that apologizes for their misdeeds. They solidify gains in the Levant and form a partnership with the US to eliminate ISIS. Russia slowly moves their neighbors into their Sphere of Influence by undermining elections to but pro-Putin people in charge. Russia deftly plays the Great Game and looks powerful and influential by the end of the year.

This one is spot on since ISIS is no longer a major threat. The Russians have moved right back into the Great Power status since they have moved into every Democrats worst nightmare. After "stealing the election."

2. North Korea collapses as Kim tries to hold onto power by eliminating everyone he can. It is not enough as the Red Chinese backed junta takes control of the Hermit Kingdom. The Red Chinese dominate North Korea and move their Sphere of Influence outward.

North Korea is still in the hands of a "rocketman" Kim. I do think the Chinese are operating behind the scenes to make North Korea back down though. 

3. The Red Chinese still rattle the sabre in the South China sea and various places in the world but there is a rapprochement with the Trump White House (that is still weird to say) by the end of the year. The USA and China work on a long term trade and security deal that is unprecedented. There is no Trade War and oddly enough Trump turns out to be the best thing Red China ever got in the White House.

No Trade war so far and Trump and Xi Jinping seem to get along pretty well. There was some tough tweets for a while but that seems to have died down.

4. The Syrian Civil war is totally over by the end of the year as ISIS is destroyed by Russia and the USA working with Turkey. Assad stays in power and rebuilding starts in earnest as Russian petro-dollars pour into a solid place on the Mediterranean. Catherine the Greats dream is finally realized by the richest KGB agent to have ever lived.

Syrian Civil war is over with Russia, Assad, the US, and a few tough Kurds whipped ISIS and sent them packing. Now what will peace look like?

5. Israel and the UN continue to spar but the problem seems to recede by the end of the year. Israel and the Palestinians find themselves in peace for much of the year.

Other than a few thrown rocks it seems that there is relative peace in the region. I did not see us moving our embassy to Jerusalem though. That is pretty wild and might actual lead to a peace deal now that America is 100% pro-Israel.

Economic Predictions:

S&P 500: 2750          2673
Dow: 22,000            24719 
NASDAQ: 5800         6903
Russell 2000: 1510   1535 

Crude Oil: $75           $ 60.10
Gold: $1200               $ 1305
EUR/Dollar: $0.98      $ 1.20
10 Year Bond: 2.75     $ 2.40

Sports Predictions:

NFL: Patriots    Patriots
NBA: Golden State Warriors Golden State
MLB: Cleveland Indians  Houston Astros
Premier League: Chelsea Chelsea
Bundesliga: Hertha Berlin Bayern Munich
NCAA Football: Clemson Clemson
NCAA Basketball: UCLA   North Carolina

Time to Restart the Blog!

Well I think I will start Blogging again for 2018. I'll start with a look back at my predictions for 2017.

$TGT Starting to Move Away From AWS: First of Many?

Well it seems that Target doesn't want to compete with Amazon and fill their coffers at the same time.

Target is struggling mightily to compete with Amazon in retail, but it's finding other ways to fight back.
The discount retailer is scaling back its use of Amazon Web Services, according to sources familiar with the matter, as the company aims to take greater control over its infrastructure and stop financing its chief rival. Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods is the latest sign of how deep the e-commerce giant is moving into all forms of retail.

I think this Whole Foods merger might cost Amazon on the Web Services end. I can see Kroger and Safeway and such bring their business to Microsoft's Azure to stop funding their competitor like that. Target might be the canary in the coal mine to see if there is a rush for the exits vis-a-vis AWS.

It Seems Millennials are Spending More in Certain Categories

Hmm lots more eating out and coffee shops.

Millennials spend more than an average of $2,300 per year than older generations on five key items: groceries, gas, restaurants, coffee and cell phone bills, a recent study released by personal-finance site Bankrate.com found. Millennials spend $233 per month on meals versus $182 for older generations, and $161 on cell phone charges versus $135 for older people (but they spend $1,130 less per year on travel and TV). For TV services like cable, satellite and steaming/subscription, millennials spend just $80 per month, compared to $114 for those aged 37 and up.

That cell phone bill thing is going to go up and up as we go forward. Much of that bill is a monthly charge on the phone because almost no-one is going to buy an iPhone8 outright.

$TGT Beats By Going Small Format: Might be a Winner

It seems that Target is going after neighborhoods near colleges with a small format store and it seems to be paying off.

On the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell said the retailer would be nearly doubling the number of small-format stores it has this year, with the ultimate goal of having more than 100 open for business over a three-year period. The plan is to have 30 in 2017, said Chief Operating Officer John Mulligan, with nine opening in July and four opening in the first quarter.

I think this might be a good plan because college kids might be more brand loyal and have a harder time getting Amazon delivered in the dorms.

It would be easier to buy a charger cable, a plastic pitcher, or something by popping into Target. Or they could just hit a button on an app and then pick the item up after class. They don't need to drive out to the Outlet Malls and search through a large format Target and be disappointed when the item isn't in stock. That is if they can drive in the first place. Plus Target saves money on rent, employees, and can bump up revenue per square foot metrics.

Interesting Article about @RottenTomatoes and its Influence

Very interesting article indeed.

But in spite of its failure, Detroit is a counterweight to an old saw that was dusted off this summer movie season. “Rotten Tomatoes Is Causing Hollywood’s Latest Existential Crisis” a HuffPost headline screamed two weeks ago. The column detailed an oddly triumphal chapter in a confusing media-managed narrative coming out of Hollywood’s excuse factory. The headline was spurred by The Emoji Movie, a poorly reviewed movie featuring animated phone icons, which had a successful box-office performance in spite of those poor reviews. This was deemed a victory over the tyranny of the number that appears beside a movie’s title on Rotten Tomatoes. (In this case, 8 percent.)

I usually don't look at the critics review's as much as I do the spread between that and the peoples review score. If the movie has an 19% Fresh from the Critics and a 75% from the people. I am much more likely to watch it than one that has a 19% from both groups. I figure that most critics have different tastes than the average moviegoer like myself.

A Surprisingly Open-Minded View of the @Heritage Conservative Woman's Conference

If more liberals checked their biases at the door we would have better communication and respect for one another. The article sited about was especially interesting.

Recently, I spent two days at the hub of conservatism in Washington, DC. Nope, not the White House, but the Heritage Foundation for the Network of Enlightened Women’s National Conference—also known as NeW—where a group of college-aged conservative females gathered to discuss and learn about Republican policy and leadership. And yes, Kellyanne Conway was there.As a 24-year-old liberal woman who cried watching Hillary Clinton lose the election live at New York’s Javits Center, this wasn’t a room I ever thought I’d find myself in, and my preconceived notions ran rampant—all I could think was that I didn’t have the right clothes, let alone the bandwidth for the mental gymnastics it would take to talk to women about Donald Trump without combusting.

This author figured out that they will never agree on things like abortion but she did have empathy and understanding for this group of conservative women.

I started thinking about Hall’s ideal definition of feminism, and how she believes it should be a network of women supporting each other to run for office. Before the conference, I never really thought about wanting more Republican women in positions of power, I only focused on what was happening on the left. Now having met these girls, and witnessing how tough-as-nails they are, I’ve never been more confident that the future of the Republican party is female—and, in that way, they have my support.

Something about #Japan I have Never Heard About Before: Evaporating People

Here is a fascinating article about something I have never heard about before.

The New York Post reports, of the many oddities that are culturally specific to Japan — from cat cafes to graveyard eviction notices to the infamous Suicide Forest, where an estimated 100 people per year take their own lives — perhaps none is as little known, and curious, as “the evaporated people.”Since the mid-1990s, it’s estimated that at least 100,000 Japanese men and women vanish annually. They are the architects of their own disappearances, banishing themselves over indignities large and small: divorce, debt, job loss, failing an exam.

It makes sense that these are people that would be people around that would hide their shame and invent a new life instead of simply killing themselves. This is the Japanese equivalent of giving up ones life and "moving out West" or "leaving for the colonies." Although the description of their lives after they "evaporate" sound pretty terrible.

@nytimes Turns on Woman's March Organizers: Interesting Article by @bariweiss

Wow, when the NY Times stops being a Trump-hatred mill it seems they do a good job with actual journalism.

What wasn’t to like?
A lot, as it turns out. The leaders of the Women’s March, arguably the most prominent feminists in the country, have some chilling ideas and associations. Far from erecting the big tent so many had hoped for, the movement they lead has embraced decidedly illiberal causes and cultivated a radical tenor that seems determined to alienate all but the most woke.

It is so strange to get this kind of journalism directed at the top people in the progressive women's movement. The writer is a dyed-in-the-wool Trump-hater and progressive as well so this isn't some kind of missive from a newly formed alt-right convert. Her take-down of Linda Sarsour is especially notable.

But just last month, Ms. Sarsour proved that her past is prologue. On July 16, the official Twitter feed of the Women’s March offered warm wishes to Assata Shakur. “Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur!” read the tweet, which featured a “#SignOfResistance, in Assata’s honor” — a pink and purple Pop Art-style portrait of Ms. Shakur, better known as Joanne Chesimard, a convicted killer who is on the F.B.I.’s list of most wanted terrorists.

I did not know all this about Sarsour that was mentioned in the article. But she sounds like the kind of person that does no favors to the progressive movement.

63,000 Public Employees in Illinois make more that $100k a year? That Adds up to $10 Billion with a B

Talk about giving themselves a raise.

Whenever we open the books, Illinois is consistently one of the worst offenders. Recently, we found auto pound supervisors in Chicago making $144,453; nurses at state corrections earning up to $254,781; junior college presidents making $465,420; university doctors earning $1.6 million; and 84 small-town “managers” out-earning every U.S. governor.

I would be willing to bet those small-town "managers" don't do half of what a US Governor does. Also I wonder what value-added these college professors and Deans are adding to their schools?

9,567 college and university employees – including the southern Illinois junior college power couple Dale Chapman ($465,420) and Linda Terrill Chapman ($217,290). The pair combined for a $682,000 income at Lewis and Clark Community College. Fady Toufic Charbel ($1.58 million) and Konstantin Slavin ($1.04 million) are million-dollar doctors at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

I wonder what the budget for Lewis and Clark Community College is minus the salaries of these two highly paid persons? Also those two doctors (I guess they are professors at the college) are actually paid more than quite a few college football coaches. I guess the medical department of University of Illinois at Chicago is making big money or something.

Looks like Scaramucci is Going to Double as a Plumber: Finally going to Plug Leaks

It is about time someone starts going through the White House and stop it leaking like a sieve.

“I’m going to fire everybody, that’s how I’m going to do it,” Scaramucci said to reporters outside of the White House on Tuesday. “You’re either going to stop leaking or you’re going to be fired.”
He claimed to have the full authority of the president to clean out the communications shop and put his own stamp on the team. A source close to Scaramucci said that he’s planning to bring in people from the corporate communications world in addition to conservative broadcast stars.

Hopefully those corporate communications people will be more adult about things and have some message discipline. Hopefully they can teach Trump to do the same.

@realDonaldTrump Blocks Chrissy Teigen: It Should have Happened Years Ago

I think someone is going through Trump's social media and purging the list of celebrity followers who get all worked up about his Tweets.

This isn't the first time Teigen has been vocal about her dislike of Trump. At a Super Bowl event in Feb., the star opened up to USA TODAY about her long history with dissing the Donald.
"I've actually been a big Donald Trump hater (for a long time). I've been trolling him for about 5 to 7 years now," she said.

Actually she was such a hater that she had to get Botox to loosen her jaw and get her teeth fixed because she was grinding them so much. Now that is almost pathological hatred of someone. So Trump solved her problem by simply blocking her access to his hated tweets and she can now sleep better at night. He should have done this long ago to simply improve her mental health.

Dems Stop Talking about the Minimum Wage: Most People Want to Make Much More

It seems that the Dems are constantly short-changing America.

The new plan presents Democrats as the party creating jobs; offering job training; keeping healthcare costs low while making college affordable; and pushing higher wages including a hike in the minimum wage. The plan is called: “A Better Deal — Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages.”
This is the “strong, bold, sharp-edged and common sense economic agenda” Schumer promised in a television interview last month.

Okay I am all for job training so I agree with that. Keeping healthcare costs low is what Obamacare was supposed to do and that failed. Hiking minimum wage is not something that will create new jobs for the most part. In fact it will probably cost jobs because it makes robots more and more attractive cost wise. Just ask residents of Seattle how their wage hike is going.

Making college affordable is incredibly dubious because college seems to be more an indoctrination mill than a place to learn skills that turn into higher earning. Too many safe spaces and not enough entrepreneurial skill training and such. Plus, it gets more and more people into crushing debt before they earn dollar one in the working world.

If the Dems talked about apprenticeship programs or creating a 21st century blue-collar workforce then they might win some working-class Trump supporters. Instead the Dems offer the same old crap. Trying to raise the minimum amount instead of pushing people to make the maximum amount. I think they need to can Schumer and get some young turks in there to change things up.

Wake Up @GOP: You will Lose the House if the Election Was Held Today According to Poll

They need to get something done and they have about a year to do it.

The latest polling data shows that in a generic ballot question asking voters which party should run Congress, Democrats are pulling a nine-point lead in an average of polls, put together by Real Clear Politics.

"In my opinion, it's just a question of the sooner they realize it, the faster you get tax reform," said Daniel Clifton, Strategas head of policy research. He said the generic ballot was even on Election Day, and now gives Democrats an advantage, which suggests they could win about 30 seats in the House if the election were held now.

I'm not sure how he gets 30 seats from 9 point advantage but it should still freak out GOP leaders. If the Dems win in 2018 then we will have years of investigations, doomed impeachment votes, and other assorted waste of time things.

What the Dems Need to Win in 2018: #It'stheEconomyStupid

I think the Dems need to read this paragraph if they want to win back the house in 2018.

Stories of Trump misdeeds energize the Democratic base. Plans to expand economic growth from 1.9 percent to 2.5 percent, for instance, apparently don’t. And the media operates on much the same basis, recruiting party officials eager to blab about the latest news-cycle talking points at the expense of covering larger economic trends and policies.

They need to forget about Russia collusion and 2016 election nonsense and focus like a laser on their plan to get GDP from 1.9 to 2.5 percent. What is the Democrat tax plan? What is the Democrat Obamacare fix that will blow away any repeal and replace thing the GOP can muster.

They need to float their plan for free colleges (and how they pay for them) that will get the Bernie-crats back on board. They cannot win with a Russia, Russia, Russia (said in a Jan Brady tone) but they can win if they appeal to middle class voters of all races and orientations. The Dems were once the party of the middle class and not just the elite on the coasts. If they can get back that title then they will win handily in 2018.

Wait, Mueller is Going After Decades old Deals with Russians? Yeah, this is a #WitchHunt

I guess this is why special prosecutors should not be used when there appears to be no crime.

FBI investigators and others are looking at Russian purchases of apartments in Trump buildings, Trump’s involvement in a controversial SoHo development in New York with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and Trump’s sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch in 2008, the person said.

That real estate deal was from a property Trump bought in 2004 and then sold in March 2008. I love how this article seems to say Trump sold for nefarious reasons.

Another significant financial transaction involved a Palm Beach, Florida, estate Trump purchased in 2004 for $41 million, after its previous owner lost it in bankruptcy. In March of 2008, after the real-estate bubble had begun losing air, Russian fertilizer magnate Dmitry Rybolovlev bought the property for $95 million.

This was about the time when the government bailed out Bear Stearns. If these idiots remember that the market stabilized during that time. It wasn't until September 15 when the Feds let Lehman fail that tanked the market and froze up credit. 

It looks like a good business move by Trump to buy a property from a bankrupt person and double his money in a few years. It just happened to be a rich Russian guy that did the deal. If the guy was a Saudi or Japanese person then it would be totally overlooked.

This fertilizer magnate (insert crass Colbert joke) just bought at the wrong time and Trump made a two bagger on the deal. So what? Is Trump in Russia's pocket for $54 million delivered a decade ago? That makes no sense at all.

Humans Beating Robots in Stock Picking This Year

Take that Watson and Siri et al.

In the first half of the year, computer-generated strategies, or what they call in the business, systematic strategies, returned 3.17 percent, according to data by Preqin. That compares with the more-traditional discretionary strategy, which returned almost double that, with gains of 5.99 percent. Those results are net of fees.

I will be an interesting battle going forward. Maybe the idea of AI replacing money manager's is getting ahead of itself. I would love to see these numbers in a down market though. I think a robot will do a good job of selling stocks quickly and not have to worry about bonuses and such.

#TMobile Crushes Earnings: Time to Go Long?

They look like they are hitting on all cylinders.

Earnings fly past estimates
EPS: 67 cents per share vs. 38 cents per share expected by a Thomson Reuters consensus estimatesRevenue: $10.21 billion vs. $9.81 billion expected by a Thomson Reuters consensus estimateThat's up compared to earnings of 25 cents per share on revenue of $9.29 billion in the year-ago period.

They went higher on the top and bottom line. Plus it seems that they might be winning the unlimited plan war that is going on now. We are also going into the iPhone 8 buying season in a few months so that might get quite a few people to go back into their wireless stores. The stock went from $68 down to $61 because competition is heating up.

I like the idea that they added 1.3 million more customers though. This article also talks about how they seem to be ramping up in corporate data plans as well. I think companies might want their workers to have unlimited plans and use the wireless access point to connect a laptop or what-have-you. I know that whenever we see a vendor that brings their own internet connection we really know they are on the ball.

Here we go Again: @Chipotle Makes a Number of People Sick Again

You would figure they would spend millions on food safety so this wouldn't happen again.

The chain confirmed Tuesday that several customers who ate at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Sterling, Virginia, reported symptoms of norovirus after eating at the chain.
So far eight cases between July 14 and July 17 were reported to iwaspoisoned.com, a website that allows users to report when they get sick after eating at a restaurant. Business Insider was alerted to the issues at the restaurant by the site, and then published a story. Customers reported symptoms such as vomiting, severe stomach pains, diarrhea, dehydration and, in some cases, hospitalization.

Hmm I have never heard of iwaspoisened.com but I will probably post there if I ever get food poisoned again. The last time was years ago at Jack-in-the-Box when I had a bad Philly Cheese steak. If you haven't heard about the Jack-in-the-Box Philly Cheese Steak then that might have been part of the reason we have never seen it again.

I Agree With This: Why Pay $50 to See the Same Actors do the Same Things

I have to agree with this article 100%.

"Going to the movies is expensive beyond just the price of admission," Selepak told CNBC.
"When you add in the drink and candy, you may end up spending close to fifty dollars on a date to see a movie with the same actors, playing the same parts, and telling the same same jokes in the same tired storyline," he added. "Audiences just don't see the value in it."

This is hitting the nail on the head. Pirates of the Caribbean looked like Johnny Depp fighting against a different ghost this time played by Javier Bardem. The same old thing as we have seen twice already. Why pay $50 to watch something like that?

Transformers has always sucked so I didn't want any part of that. I never got into Planet of the Apes even when Charlton Heston played the lead so I'm not going to see that. I also had no interest in Cars or Despicable Me so that would be a waste of $50. So that leaves superheros and nothing. The cupboard is bare.

I Feel Sorry for @realDonaldTrump : This Le Jules Verne $216 Menu Sounds Awful to me

They would have a lot of food left if I had to eat this stuff.

The night’s meal, which was prepared by legendary chef Alain Ducasse (seen in the photo below), featured a selection of pate; tomato, eggplant, and zucchini; Dover sole, spinach and Hollandaise; filet of beef, brioche with foie, souffle potato with truffle sauce; warm strawberry with yogurt sorbet; and hot chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream.

First of all pate with eggplant and zucchini just sounds like something you would give to prisoners. I would simply pick off the tomatoes and leave the rest. How pate is made sounds terrible as well.

Dover sole sounds like it might have bones. I like spinach and I like Hollandaise sauce but both together sounds like a not so good combo. I would have filled up on the filet of beef because that sounds good.

Then I would scrape the foie off of the brioche. I would like a souffle potato on its own but with truffle sauce? Sounds like it would be salty. Finally I would double up on the deserts because they sound really good.

Also I wonder if Trump got two scoops of that chocolate ice cream? Or maybe there was an international strong arm with Macron getting two scoops and Trump only getting one? MSM get on that!

I Agree with Alisyn Camerota that #RussiaFatigue is a Thing. I Think it is Simply Getting Old

Yeah I have pretty much tuned out anything relating to Russia for the most part.
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota said on Friday she has fatigue from the news media’s continuing coverage of alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian election meddling.

“I hear your Russia fatigue and I share it. You know, there are many mornings I come in and pray for other news to eclipse any sort of Russia thread,” the “New Day” anchor told the “Bernie and Sid Show” on 77 WABC. 

What I have been doing is skipping the Jimmy Fallon monologue because endless jokes about Russia has gotten old weeks ago. I no longer even hate-watch Colbert because his anti-Trump Russia talk shtick is just boring already. Hearing endless jokes about Russia and Trump is a waste of time. In fact I stopped watching John Oliver and Real Time with Bill Maher because whenever Russia is mentioned I stop caring and change the channel.

I also used to tune in to CNN when Fox News had a boring guest or whatever. I no longer do that because it is always a talking-head spouting off about "treason" from Russian collusion, someone-or-others Russia ties, or Russian dressing or whatever. CNN used to be a nice point of view change from Fox News now it is the all-Russia-all-the-time network to the tune of 93% saturation.

MSNBC is actually a bit better and I have watched them from time-to-time but I change the channel as soon as Russia is mentioned. I'm just so over this whole story and unless charges are filed against Kushner, Trump Jr., Flynn, whomever I am going to continue to change the channel whenever Russia is mentioned.

Here is How to Insure #NetNeutrality: Google, Amazon, Apple etc. Just Buy Out/Create an ISP

With all this talk of Net Neutrality I think Apple, Google, or whomever. I'm not sure if it will fall under anti-trust problems but the Market Cap of the Big Three are $175 Billion for Verizon, $185 Billion for Comcast, $225 Billion for AT&T. Apple should be able to buy any one of these companies with an all-cash deal with their $256 billion they have on hand.

I'm not sure how much it would cost to create an ISP from scratch but I'm sure the Internet titans can probably swing it. They could make it next generation as well by building cyber-security into the very foundation of the network. They could even create it as a non-profit consortium and maybe swing a tax break as well. I think this would be an interesting use of the billions in cash these Internet Titans have on their balance sheets.

Congressman Brad Sherman Files Articles of Impeachment: Bad Idea for the Dems

Just beat him in 2020 with a good candidate. All of this Russia nonsense distracts them from picking the best person they can that can win that election.

Sherman drew ire from fellow House Democrats last month when he began circulating a draft article of impeachment and suggested he might force a floor vote on it.
Democratic leaders and most rank-and-file members aren’t eager to aggressively push impeachment at this point. One leadership ally, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), stood up during a Democratic caucus meeting to say Sherman’s effort could hurt the party.

This Sherman guy needs to listen to his leaders and instead of wasting time with this stuff actually beat him through the next election. In fact a potential President Pence would probably be harder to beat than Trump because he isn't so divisive.

Wait Emma Stones Male Co-stars Took a Pay Cut? Why Didn't they Force the Studio to Pay her More Instead?

Now this truly shows Hollywood's hypocritical side.

"In my career so far, I've needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them," Stone said. "And that's something they do for me because they feel it's what's right and what's fair." 
Stone continued, explaining how the cuts increase her quote, or standard rate, going forward and "changes [her] life." 
"That's something that's also not discussed, necessarily -- that our equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, 'That's what's fair,'" Stone said. "It's not about 'Women are this and men are that.' It is, 'We are all the same, we are all equal, we all deserve the same respect and the same rights.'" 

The thing I don't understand here is why the male costars couldn't have used their clout to have the studio raise her pay instead. I'm pretty sure if the lead said he would walk away from the project if Emma Stone wasn't paid more they would have simply wrote her a bigger check. This would be especially true if he got the Hollywood press involved as well. The studio would have been shamed into paying her more.

Instead the male actors did something that the studio can easily live with. They took less money and the studio simply booked the savings. That seems like such a liberal way of looking at things as well. Instead of using their clout to raise all boats these actors made everyone equally lower. Equality shouldn't be because someone lowers their pay. It should be when everyone is paid at an equally higher level.

De Blasio Says New York can Run Itself Without Him: I Think Voters will Figure that Out Soon

I would be up in arms if our Mayor jetted off to Germany to take part in some lefty protest.

De Blasio took off on a surprise trip to Hamburg Thursday afternoon to attend a leftist protest and other events related to the G20 summit. He left town just hours after skipping an NYPD swearing-in ceremony made somber by the assassination of NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia earlier this week.

Yeah he dodged the ceremony for this slain officer so he can march around and attend a protest. He would have lots of time to do that sort of thing when he leaves office.

#CNN is Dropping in the Ratings Race: While #MSNBC is going Up in the World

I guess all that Trump hate is leaving CNN and heading to MSNBC.

According to cable ratings from the week of June 26-July 2, CNN’s viewership of its primetime shows was ranked significantly lower than its competitors like Fox News and MSNBC, which place first and second respectively. Clocking in at No. 10 on the list, CNN fell behind HGTV, Nick At Nite, History Channel, and ESPN — the sports network that’s been hemorrhaging viewers for months.

I guess the differnece (as far as I can tell) is MSNBC is "reasoned" Trump hatred while CNN is crazy get-reporters-to-lie style Trump hatred. I wonder if Colbert will see a similar drop once the Russian Collusion thing becomes a footnote?

It Seems Trump Attacks Were the Best thing to Happen to @MorningJoe: Ratings At All Time High

It seems having the President jumping on the show is getting people to tune in.

The MSNBC show hosted by Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough received its highest viewership Friday for a discussion of Trump’s critical tweets about their show, The Associated Press reported.

Around 1.66 million people tuned into the morning show following Trump’s Twitter attacks, the news wire highlighted, pointing to Nielsen ratings.

In other words if Trump wants "Low-Rated" to be added to Morning Joe then he needs to not Tweet about it and simply ignore it. Seems pretty basic to me. 

I'm Sorry #GeneMunster Apple Glasses will not cut Meaningfully into iPhone Sales by 2020

I just can't see this happening in my estimation.

"We expect iPhone revenue to grow at 15 percent in FY18 (essential the next iPhone cycle) and account for 64 percent of revenue," Munster said. "We believe tough comps after the next iPhone cycle will have a negative impact on iPhone growth in FY19, and in FY20 we believe Apple Glasses will start to impact iPhone sales."

Munster doesn't explain why sales might drop off, but the reason might be simple. Augmented reality glasses could offer features that are redundant on an iPhone, allowing users to interact with apps right on their faces without having to pull out an iPhone.

I'm sorry but wearing glasses that "augment reality" is just not a realistic thing. I just can't see millions of people wearing janky looking glasses instead of pulling out their phone. Will they be swiping the air or sticking their hands out into space to pull up an app? They would look ridiculous doing it out in public. Maybe it will all be voice controlled but Siri will need to get way better to keep up with the commands you would have to send the glasses.

Also if the glasses have a camera on them then privacy concerns will be raised. If you see a guy with Apple glasses in the bathroom will there be a confrontation? Will the glasses have to be confiscated in movie theaters and such? It is the same thing that cropped up when Google Glasses crapped out.

One thing I know will happen in 2020 is the rise of the glasses wearing celebrity that will "live-stream their lives." Imagine a Kardash-ite wearing the glasses 24/7 and having people pay to access their live stream. Just watching celebrities in those glasses on the red carpet or while shooting a film or TV Show would be very interesting. I know Jimmy Fallon would wear one as he does the Tonight Show for sure. And of course the porn usage of these glasses would be multitudinous.

I just don't see the Apple Glasses as something that would cut percentages off of iPhone sales though. I think they will become another iWatch. It will be a nifty device that only a certain small slice of people will actually own. You will see them from time to time but won't see them to the extent you see smart phones.

The Media is Obsessed with Trump and Russia and the Hard Data is Nuts

Now this really is some serious obsession.

Russia, Russia, Russia is a fixation for all the networks, with a new study by the Media Research Center showing 55 percent of Trump coverage on nightly broadcasts was related to the Russia investigation.

That adds up to 353 minutes of airtime since May 17, compared to 47 minutes on Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate pact, 29 minutes on the fight against terrorism and 17 minutes on the efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare, according to the Daily Caller’s summary of the study. It said tax reform got a mere 47 seconds of coverage.

Tax reform got 47 seconds?! Even though it will probably help nearly every American in some way or another. I would also be willing to bet the story was "How will Trump's Russia Collusion Hurt Tax Reform" or something similar probably by CNBC. If 353 minutes of airtime on a non-story doesn't convince you that the Media is an enemy of Trump nothing will.

It is Official: @CNN is Out to Get Trump for Ratings

Well at least according to this undercover video.

The video taken by Project Veritas, the political group founded by the conservative provocateur James O’Keefe, shows a CNN producer from its medical coverage team commenting pointedly about the network’s coverage of the alleged ties between Trump and Russia.  
When asked by an unrevealed videographer why CNN has been aggressive in covering the story, the producer, John Bonifield, replied: "Because it's ratings."

Maybe Trump should seriously consider freezing out CNN like Obama froze out Fox News. Stop calling on them or sending his people their way. Kind of a CNN stonewall.

@CNNs Obsession with Russia links to Trump Just Cost 3 Reporters Their Jobs

I guess just running every stupid thing about Russia even if it is wrong is finally catching up to people at CNN.

Lex Harris, executive editor of CNN’s investigative unit, was the highest-ranking official to resign. Thomas Frank, who wrote the story, and Eric Lichtblau, who edited it, also turned in their resignations. Lichtblau is a highly regarded reporter who spent nearly a decade and a half at the New York Times.
The story tried to draw a link between Scaramucci and the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Scaramucci was a Trump transition team member who has been nominated to an ambassadorial-level post based in Paris.

Yeah CNNs Russia links was the guy working at that fund saw Scaramucci in a restaurant and said hello. You can almost see the leaked memo saying "words were exchanged between the two but it was not recorded." Then CNN filled in the blanks with their own Trump hatred.

This #AlienMummy found in Nazca Peru looks Kind of Fakey

This is from a totally untrained eye but this thing just looks kind of fake.

According to the website Gaia, the body, which stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and appears to look like a human, has three long fingers, an elongated skull and does not have ears or a nose. In a Gaia YouTube video, Professor Konstantin Korotkov of Saint Petersburg University in Russia described the body as belonging to “another creature, another humanoid.”

The skin just doesn't look very old and mummified to me. It just looks like something made out of paper mache or painted over. Supposedly it is 1000s of years old but it just doesn't look that way. They need someone to do a full autopsy on it to be sure though.

Nebraska Dems Show their True Colors: Say they are Glad Scalise was Shot

At least they fired the guy.

Phil Montag, now-former co-chair of the state party’s technology committee, was recorded saying he wishes Scalise, R-La., were “dead.”
“His whole job is to get people, convince Republicans to [expletive] kick people off [expletive] health care. I’m glad he got shot,” Montag said in the audio recording. “I wish he was [expletive] dead.”

He is glad a political opponent got shot. Now this is the kind of thing that needs to be fixed in government. I would not be glad if anyone who isn't an ISIS terrorist was shot. I always go back to the Dennis Prager quote "Republicans think Democrats are wrong while the Democrats think the Republicans are evil."

Sorry but "Economic Fairness" is Not a Vote Getter: It Makes You Think They are Going to Tax you more

It must really be nice to be running in a very blue district because this is really tone-deaf.

But Murphy also said that Democrats must do more to convince voters they have plans to boost the economy -- promoting “economic fairness” rather than broader growth is missing the mark. And Democrats can’t simply depend on voters defecting from the GOP over the array of legal and political woes involving Trump and his circle.

Yeah I agree with Sen. Murphy that "economic fairness" misses the mark. Economic fairness only works when people are already okay with socialism or don't have much money to tax. If a person built a successful business or makes a good living it sounds like it means they will tax you more to give freebies to some other person.

A Democratic message of job creation through middle class and small business tax cuts might be a winner. Grab onto the GOP tax reform effort and shape it toward their own voters. Maybe put in a federal minimum wage onto the cuts or maybe bigger earned income tax credits for families. I would love to see a so-called "Democratic Growth plan" if such a thing exists. The bad part is some leftist economists think growth is bad. So good luck getting to 3% GDP growth and all the good that will bring the country as a whole if that is the prevailing argument.

It Looks the Guy that Shot up the Baseball Field was an Insane Leftist: Hopefully this is the High Water Mark for Hate

I'm really hoping we can take down the temperature in this country because this should be a wake up call.

The gunman who was killed after opening fire at a GOP baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday morning has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, an anti-Republican from Illinois who campaigned for Bernie Sanders.

Hodgkinson frequently aired his left-leaning political views on Facebook along with photos of presidential candidate Sanders and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Charles Orear worked with Hodgkinson on Sanders’ campaign and said he was a passionate progressive and “quiet guy” who was “very mellow, very reserved,” the Washington Post reported.

I'm glad Sanders quickly disavowed this guy. Although he did use some UN-style wording.

"I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be: Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms," he added.

Sessions Testimony Yet Another #DampSquib #NothingBurger: More Waste of time Questioning

I think they need to stop hyping these hearings because this is pretty much a big waste of time.

The number of hearings have been seemingly innumerable — former FBI Director Jim Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the intelligence chiefs and others —  and yet the outcome is always the same: No evidence of Russian collusion, no evidence of Trump obstruction of justice. 

They pretty much ran in place. About the only new things that came up are Trump is not under investigation and Comey is a leaker. Sessions' testimony is basically him not answering certain questions because he had to check with Trump first. Yet another so-called "nothing-burger" Now we will probably have a few more of these waste-on-time fests to wade through before these Congress-critters can do some actual work.

Looks Like Trump is Letting up on the Dreamers

I'm sure this won't go over well with his far-right base but I guess there is some movement on this.

But immigrant rights advocates, who were harshly critical of Mr. Trump during the campaign, said he deserves some credit for defying his right wing and keeping the program intact.“I definitely think that he does deserve credit for continuing a very successful program for young people who grew up here,” said Cesar Vargas, a Dreamer who is now a practicing lawyer.Mr. Trump appears to be maintaining the pace of the Obama administration, with more than 17,000 new two-year amnesties and more than 107,000 renewal applications approved from Jan. 1 to March 30. Both numbers are comparable to the final full three months of President Obama’s tenure.

Maybe he is just so caught up with the Russian thing he forget to shut the program down. You never know with this guy.

More Leftist Fever Dreams: New York Production of Julius Caesar has Trump Being Killed

They certainly are a violent bunch.

Two major corporate sponsors have pulled their support for a New York City production of Julius Caesar. At issue: The titular role has an unmistakably Trumpian air. And, um, spoiler alert: He gets assassinated.

The Julius Caesar in the The Public Theater's production "has blond hair, a fondness for long ties and a fashionable wife who speaks with a Slavic accent," as NPR's Jeff Lunden reports. Conspirators stab him to death onstage, making for some Kathy Griffin-like gore.

It Seems that NSA leaker Reality Leigh Winner Might be More Dangerous than First Thought

I'm wondering how many more of these people are in government waiting to pounce on Trump.

Winner allegedly wrote "I want to burn the White House Down ... find somewhere in Kurdistan to live. Ha-ha!” assistant U.S. attorney Jennifer Solari told a federal judge.

On another page in one of the notebooks found by investigators, prosecutors said, Winner listed the names of several Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden.

Her writings also included plans to travel to Afghanistan.Prosecutors added Winner, 25, might try to flee the U.S. if she were released on bail. "She would undoubtedly be a target of recruitment from our adversaries," Solari told Judge Brian Epps, according to NBC News.

It looks like she had TOR on her laptop as well.  Which isn't a crime at all.

Solari also said a laptop belonging to Winner and seized by federal agents contained software that could enable her to access online black-markets and buy items — such as a fake ID or passport — without revealing her identity or location.

It Seems Memes are the 2017 Version of Writing 23-Skidoo on Your Jalopy for Todays College Kids (Look it up)

Very interesting read about meme's and the 2017 college experience. This part was an interesting ideas on free speech.

The memes in question, some of which were published online by college-oriented news site The Tab, made light of sexual assault and minority groups, and included references to Mexicans, the Holocaust and child abuse.Tynes said one reason these “dark” memes can spring up among elite college students is the implicit privilege and superiority some group members feel after being admitted.“[These memes] cement your position in society,” Tynes says. “If you feel threatened in some way, or you’re a privileged group in society. … It cements your status on the hierarchy when you can share this meme that denigrates a woman, or denigrates a Mexican person.”

That last part is spoken like a true USC college professor. It's all about hierarchies and privileged groups and such. I look at it differently as kids being kids (ie subversive) in a world that is incredibly politically correct. The college campus might be the most clamped down anti-free thought zone in America these days. Any non-approved thinking is thoughtcrime punishable by not allowing them access to the Ivy. 

Those "dark" memes seem to be a way for kids just entering college to engage in so-called "thought taboo." I would be willing to bet sharing those racist, sexist, whaterver-ist "jokes" gives them the same thrill that snorting coke did with college kids in the 80s. 

I kind of fall on the side of not rescinding their admissions to Harvard and instead finding some other way to discipline them. Maybe have them do community service in some low income neighborhood. Maybe wearing dunce caps or banning their access to social media for 1 month or something. However, rescinding their admission seems very harsh.  

Looks like Trump is off the Hook: Comey Admits POTUS Isn't Under Investigation

Well it seems that Trump is right and the MSM and the Dems were dead wrong according to this.

“I discussed with the FBI’s leadership team whether I should be prepared to assure President-elect Trump that we were not investigating him personally,” Comey said. “That was true; we did not have an open counter-intelligence case on him. We agreed I should do so if circumstances warranted. During our one-on-one meeting at Trump Tower, based on President-elect Trump’s reaction to the briefing and without him directly asking the question, I offered that assurance.” Later, at a Jan. 27 dinner, Comey said Trump asked him to investigate the origins of a salacious unverified Russian dossier. Comey said it would not be a good idea because it “might create a narrative that we were investigating [Trump] personally, which we weren’t.” Then on a March 30 phone call with the president, Comey reminded Trump again that the FBI was “not personally investigating” him.

That is 3 times all right. The reason Comey said that he didn't let the MSM know that fact is hilarious.

“I did not tell the president that the FBI and the Department of Justice had been reluctant to make public statements that we did not have an open case on President Trump for a number of reasons, most importantly because it would create a duty to correct, should that change,” Comey said.

So he didn't tell the MSM because he might have had to investigate him in the future? Why couldn't he just say that if new evidence came to light then the FBI would open an investigation of Trump? This kind of thing happens all the time. New evidence appears and then new charges are filed. It seems cut and dry. I hope a Senator grills him on this nonsense. 

It looks mighty partisan of him to not state the truth that Trump was not under investigation. That one statement could have taken the pressure off of Trump (and probably saved Comey's job.) But Comey was only interested in taking the pressure off of Hillary by not bringing charges against her for her email server. I can see why Trump fired this guy.

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers: $AMZN is Coming for You

It seems that Amazon is trying its hand at going after lower income shoppers.

The discount slashes the cost of Amazon's monthly Prime membership nearly in half, to $5.99 a month, for customers who have an electronic benefit transfer card, which is used for government assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps.

Seems like a fairly reasonable rate because you can borrow books and watch TV and movies as well for that $5.99. I did not know this fact though.

About 20% of the US population receives government assistance, and most of those customers are more loyal to Amazon's retail rival, Walmart. Nearly $1 out of every $5 in SNAP benefits was spent at Walmart last year, according to Morningstar.

If some of this money can get transferred online it will go right into Amazons pocket. What AMZN now needs to push is some kind of Internet for everyone type of social program. Maybe a free wireless or something similar. 

Win One for British Imams: They Refuse to Perform Rights on London Terrorists: Guess Who is Going the Hell?

Well the souls of the four terrorists are now meeting up with Satan as we speak because British Imam's are showing their patriotism.

“Consequently, and in light of other such ethical principles which are quintessential to Islam, we will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer for the perpetrators and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege. This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam,” the statement continued.

If they don't get those rights then their souls are sent to hell according to Islamic teaching.