World at War "On 6 May 1945, Major Kirke B. Lawton is granted special permission for a special ceremony: at Allied headquarters in Reims, the Wehrmacht signs the unconditional surrender on all fronts. The Second World War in EurOn 6 May 1945, Major Kirke B. Lawton is granted special permission for a special ceremony: at Allied headquarters in Reims, the Wehrmacht signs the unconditional surrender on all fronts. The Second World War in Europe ends two days later. In London, people are celebrating in the streets – just like in the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. In Augsburg, a team of the “Special Film Project 186” films the defeated, among them Hitler’s second man, Hermann Göring. At the beginning of July, the American camera teams are also allowed to shoot in Berlin. They succeed in taking unique color pictures of the destroyed capital and its inhabitants. While George Stevens does not get permission to film the Potsdam Conference, Major Lawton is at least allowed to be present at the first meeting of the new US President Harry Truman with Kremlin ruler Josef Stalin.ope ends two days later. In London, people are celebrating in the streets – just like in the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. In Augsburg, a team of the “Special Film Project 186” films the defeated, among them Hitler’s second man, Hermann Göring. At the beginning of July, the American camera teams are also allowed to shoot in Berlin. They succeed in taking unique color pictures of the destroyed capital and its inhabitants. While George Stevens does not get permission to film the Potsdam Conference, Major Lawton is at least allowed to be present at the first meeting of the new US President Harry Truman with Kremlin ruler Josef Stalin." 43 minutes
Monday, March 31, 2025
The International Space Station (ISS)
Animagraffs Outstanding graphic illustrations at the link.
Facebook Animagraffs |
Node two has multiple maintenance work areas (MWAs) that act as “work benches” for astronauts.
2 Crew quarters
The crew quarters are one of the only places in the ISS where an astronaut may have a little bit of personal space. They house sleeping bags, laptops, and personal items for each crew member.
3 Racks
Research racks facilitate experiments in systematic combustion, fluid physics, materials, microgravity, observational Earth science, and biological and life sciences, among others.4 U.S. Lab robotic workstation
The US lab robotic workstation is one of the workstations that can be used to control the Canadarm2. Also, since the ISS orbits the globe every 90 minutes, many of the work stations on the ISS also have a “world map” software that shows where the ISS is in relation to the earth.
5 CEVIS
The Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (CEVIS) is primarily used for cardiovascular conditioning, and has foot straps for the astronaut to hold themselves in place.
6 Eating
Food on the ISS consists of items that can provide necessary nutrition while also easily and safely stored. Items can include drink mixes, irradiated meat, granola bars, freeze dried foods, tortillas, and condiments.
7 COLBERT
The Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT) can provide 1 g-like forces on the lower body. Astronauts strap themselves in with bungee cords.
8 Restroom & hygiene area
The restroom uses a suction system to pull waste and smells into a plastic bag and container. The air used for the suction is recycled through the ECLSS and reused in the station. “Showering” is accomplished with soap, water, and a towel to wipe down with. Other hygiene basics like brushing teeth are done here as well.
9 ECLSS
The Environment Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) consists of hardware to control carbon dioxide, contaminants, oxygen generation, water, human waste, nitrogen storage, oxygen storage, temperature, and humidity. The hardware is distributed throughout the entire station.
10 Cupola
The Cupola has 7 windows total and houses the largest window in space at 31 in (80 cm) across. It allows the crew to conduct experiments, observe the Earth, or assist in docking operations and spacewalks.
Why George Soros and Democrats have gone all-in on this week’s Wisconsin court race
"Let’s hope this time will be different. Republicans and conservative voters cannot sit this one out. This election is not just about the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It’s about all of us."
Soros donated $1 million directly to Crawford’s campaign before the race received its current publicity. |
"All eyes are on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, where liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority. On Tuesday, voters will choose between a conservative judge, Brad Schimel, and a liberal judge, Susan Crawford, to fill a vacancy and possibly flip the court to conservative control.
"What difference does it make? A lot — and not just in Wisconsin.
"If liberals retain control, it is likely that the court will unwind the public sector union reforms enacted when Scott Walker was governor, something high on labor unions’ wish list for the past decade. Issues such as abortion are also on the agenda.
"Voters gave Republicans an 18-15 majority in the Wisconsin Senate and a 54-45 majority in the Wisconsin Assembly. Yet a liberal Supreme Court bench would spell disaster for any Republican initiatives.
"This is a classic Soros tactic: to identify an election that few people are paying attention to but which embodies a weakness in society that can be exploited for other purposes.
"Remember Soros funded the election of soft-on-crime prosecutors around the country who’ve destroyed many large cities to advance the left-wing agenda. Soros even donated to a group backing New York City’s own Alvin Bragg, who did the left’s dirty work in prosecuting Trump." . . .
William A. Jacobson is a clinical professor of law at Cornell University and founder of the Equal Protection Project and CriticalRace.org, where Kemberlee Kaye is operations and editorial director.
USDA paid to study queer farmers, Latinx masculinity, more on taxpayer dime. "Latinx"? Still?
“In many cases, programs funded by the Biden administration focused on DEI initiatives that are contrary to the values of millions of American taxpayers,” USDA added."
Family Farms, 1880s -1930s | Santa Paula, CA |
"U.S. taxpayers have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars in recent years to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for research on LGBT issues, the kind of funding now under scrutiny by the Trump administration.
"The research relies on conducting interviews – in one case for $373 per Zoom call – to explore a researcher's hypothesis of widespread discrimination.
"For instance, one taxpayer-funded research grant studied “queer farmers quality of life in Pennsylvania,” federal records show, one of several grants of its kind.
"The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Projects – a federally funded research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture – paid $14,997 for the 2018 grant.
"While this grant is relatively small, there are others, and critics argue the spending is a distraction from helping farmers and lowering food prices, which soared during the Biden administration alongside this kind of research funding.
"The aforementioned 2018 queer farmers grant went to Pennsylvania State University for a project titled: “Sexuality and Sustainable Agriculture: Examining Queer Farmers' Quality of Life in Pennsylvania.”
"The grant proposal says the topic is “woefully understudied.”
"“The deeply entrenched assumption of heteronormativity in farming has excluded queer farmers from full inclusion and benefits from agriculture, even within sustainable agriculture,” the grant’s proposal abstract said.
"The graduate student who assisted with the project, Michaela Hoffelmeyer, presented the findings to the Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia.
"Her research highlighted some of the challenges faced by queer farmers, reporting that "findings suggest that transgender, non-binary, and women farmers faced additional hurdles" but create support networks to overcome those challenges.
"Hoffelmeyer has since gone on to join the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, where she has become a voice in the media and public policy on LGBT issues." . . .
The Babylon Bee proves California is not beyond Parody as it is
Lego Introduces ‘California Home’ Set Where Kids Fill Out Permit And Wait 2 Years For Approval
This Mess Is of Your Own Making, Chief Justice Roberts
The American Spectator "Nobody voted for judicial supremacy, and it certainly wasn’t the Founding Fathers’ intent."
"But the coming showdown could easily have been averted two weeks ago, and Roberts and Barrett blew it. This is all Roberts’s fault. And he has absolutely no room to lecture anyone else about judicial impeachments."
"Several days back, when one of the near-countless cases of judicial overreach in which partisan Democrat operatives in black robes issued absurd orders delaying presidential orders involving immigration issues or spending reforms or other changes well within the sole purview of the executive branch made its way to the Supreme Court for review, this column discussed a piece by the Federalist’s John Daniel Davidson that shredded the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett for siding with the Democrats.
"After noting that for procedural reasons the specific case in question would likely still come out all right, I joined Davidson’s rejection of Roberts and Barrett. From that entry…
Still, this was a missed opportunity, and Davidson isn’t wrong in his fury over it. The correct ruling would have been a sharp rebuke of the district court on jurisdictional grounds and an unmistakable signal that these restraining orders are all null and void, and it’s time for the courts to stop granting them. It was an act of cowardice and dereliction by the constitutional court not to provide a clear statement of constitutional law when given an opportunity.
Do better, dammit.
"Well, that was almost two weeks ago, and things have only gotten worse. The number of absurdly partisan judicial orders purporting to thwart the Trump administration’s executive actions — whether deporting illegal aliens, scrubbing the federal budget, laying off superfluous or unproductive federal employees, or other items that involve things purely within the purview of Article II powers under the Constitution — has only grown.
"We’ve had a federal judge order President Trump to rehire 30,000 federal employees he laid off. We’ve had more than one order him to spend money which violated an executive order he’d given.
"And over the weekend, one of the silliest and most corrupt judges in America, James Boasberg of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., actually ordered the Trump administration to turn planes around that were in the process of deporting Tren de Aragua gang members to a prison in El Salvador." . . .
"I’ve recognized manipulation in the past, and I see it now on the Supreme Court" . . ."And then there was my perplexity in 2005 when I found myself wondering why G.W. Bush had appointed Roberts, the “new guy,” directly into being Chief Justice of our Supreme Court rather than elevating a more experienced judge to that position. At the time, he seemed like a lightweight compared to Scalia, Thomas, and Alito. I thought he should be learning from them rather than being the chief.
"Now, we are facing the reality of that appointment, and I find myself wondering even more why we cannot fix the broken Supreme Court. We have a Chief Justice who belongs to the same secretive “club” as patently evil Judge Boasberg, chief judge of the DC district court. We have a supposedly “conservative” justice under whose robes, reliably, the dregs of our leftist society can sweep their evil manipulation of government. I now better understand how he could say that those questioning the 2020 election had no “standing.' ”. . .
An eye for an eye, an order for order . . ."Another way to respond to these lawless activist judges is simply to ignore their decisions. Issue blunt and stinging rebukes to their overreach, and carry on with Executive Branch activities as if they had never been involved. This will cause the Democrat party’s mainstream media outlets to scream that there is a “constitutional crisis,” but again, I think there is sufficient new media firepower to override that dead horse with the response that whatever “crisis” exists is solely due to the Judicial Branch’s inability to stay in its own constitutional lane." . . .
Jonathan Turley: "No, the House Should Not Impeach Judge Boasberg Over His Tren de Aragua Restraining Order"
Jonathan Turley "I have previously written against calls to impeach federal judges who have ruled against the Trump Administration in the issuing of temporary restraining orders (TROs) and preliminary injunctions. The latest target of such calls in the House is District Court Judge James Boasberg, who issued a temporary restraining order against Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. GOP members are making a mistake in engaging in the same impeachment craze that took hold of the Democratic members in prior years (and continues this year). The way to respond to such rulings is to appeal them, not to try to remove judges (which is neither warranted nor likely).
Sunday, March 30, 2025
I know who's behind the Tesla attacks: Rudy Giuliani
Newsmax "On "Saturday Report," former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani said the people behind the Tesla attacks are the same group that funded the 2020 protests and anti-Israel demonstrations."
Should President Trump Disobey Judge Boasberg?
"Given all of that, I’m having a hard time getting worked up about President Trump refusing to flood the country with violent terrorists. We certainly have a growing constitutional crisis, but it’s not from a President disobeying an illegal order."
"Is President Trump creating a constitutional crisis? The Trump administration has deported 238 illegal aliens, who were members of the terrorist gang Tren de Aragua. District Judge James Boasberg has ordered the President to return them to the United States. The Dems are insisting that it will be a constitutional crisis if the President refuses to comply with the judge’s order. What complete hogwash. Their reasoning is completely backward.
"Our system of governance has 3 coequal branches of government to provide accountability as a check against government malfeasance. Were the President to comply with an illegal judicial order, it would undermine or system of checks and balances, creating an actual constitutional crisis. When a rogue judge issues an illegal order, our President’s duty is to disobey the judge.
"Members of our military are honor bound to obey orders from their leadership, but only when those orders are legal. Each soldier swears and oath to defend the Constitution – our pact of self-governance – which places them in service to the people. Hence, each soldier’s first duty is to the law as constitutionally enacted by the citizenry.
"Therefore, a soldier’s obedience is conditional. Orders must comply with the will of the people, as codified in the Constitution and duly enacted laws, to be considered valid orders.
"If ordered to violate a law or a Constitutional principle, soldiers don’t have a right to disobey. They have a duty to disobey. That’s a fine but important distinction.
"The same duty applies to all sworn federal officials:
- Representatives,
- Senators,
- Judges,
- Federal attorneys,
- Law enforcement agents, and even
- Presidents.
"We often think of the President as the supreme authority in America – not subservient, nor receiving orders from anyone else. But, that is simply not true in our system. Presidents receive orders all the time from the other branches of government. Congress passes laws, which the President is ordered to enforce. Courts issue decisions and injunctions, which the President is ordered to comply with." . . . Here Comes The Judge | Sammy Davis Jr |
Comer: Sanctuary City Policies Only Create Sanctuaries for Criminals
"The Democrats said that President Biden did not have the power—or the money—to stop the flow of illegal aliens at the southwest border. Turns out, the only thing President Biden did not have was the will power."
. . . Sanctuary cities make us all less safe and are a public safety nightmare.That is why I launched an investigation into sanctuary cities, and why these mayors are here today.
We cannot let pro-criminal alien policies and obstructionist sanctuary cities continue to endanger American communities and the safety of federal immigration enforcement officers.
Today, Mayors Wu, Johnson, Johnston, and Adams will be held publicly accountable for their failure to follow the law and protect the American people.
President Trump and his administration are taking action against sanctuary cities. And Congress must follow by not allowing a single penny of federal funding to go to cities and states that prioritize criminal aliens over the American people. I now yield to Ranking Member Connolly for his opening statement
Saturday, March 29, 2025
You just might be a Democrat if ...
Eric Utter "Here's my [entire] 2025 version of 'You just might be a Democrat."
*If you believe that Fox News is crazily biased but NPR and MSNBC are trusted sources of unbiased journalism … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think an inanimate object can be racist ... you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think Elon Musk is out to steal your identity and your money, but that the people in the Deep State would never do that … you just may be a Democrat.
*If you think firebombing a Tesla dealership is a necessary “protest” by “the Resistance,” but that strolling around or through the Capitol after a questionable election is grounds for being thrown in jail for years … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you refuse to recognize an unborn baby in the womb as fully human but demand the rest of us call a biological man a “woman” … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you believe President Trump is unstable and out for himself, but that Joe Biden, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, Adam Schiff, and Jasmine Crocket are selfless, competent politicians with your best interests in mind … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you believe that Ukraine’s borders are inviolate but those of the U.S. should stay wide open … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you believe members of Hamas are mistreated freedom fighters but that the Jews who are fighting them are fascist monsters … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think Joe Biden was right to import millions of unvetted immigrants from around the world, but that President Trump has no right to deport even members of the violent Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you are more concerned about guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens than young girls in the hands of Muslim rape gangs … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think that migrants should not be made to assimilate into the country to which they move, but that the residents of that country should assimilate to the migrants … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you don’t think that death threats to conservatives are violence but that “misgendering” someone is … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think the Trump administration’s attempt to equalize tariffs among the nations it trades with is unfair, but that the unequal tariffs that prompted the attempt in the first place are not unfair … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think Tim Walz would’ve made a better vice president than J.D. Vance … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you get extremely upset when Black folks vote for Republicans … you just might be a raging racist Democrat.
*If you think the top 1% of income earners, who pay 40+% of all income taxes, should pay their “fair share” -- and by that you mean even more ... you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think that invasive species somehow disproportionately affect “marginalized peoples” ... you just might be a Democrat.
*If you think that most items you come in contact with during the day are signs of the “white male patriarchy” … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you’re a woman who engages in frequent, unprotected casual sex, but thinks folks who are anti-abortion are trying to “force you to have a baby” … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you talk to your plants and your pets more than you do to your kids … you just might be a Democrat.
* If you are a member of the LGBTQ community and also strongly support Hamas … you just might be a Democrat.
*If you’ve ever wondered if your toaster contributes to global warming … you just may be a Democrat.
*If you believe that the truth is propaganda and that propaganda is truth … you are, without doubt, a Democrat.
Democrats should get a clue from the Palestinians who are now marching against Hamas
"The American people like what they’re seeing from the Trump administration. Sane Democrats, just like sane Palestinians, need to make a choice now – abandon the crazy people ruling your party or suffer the fate of their eventual collapse."
"In a story not widely covered, CNN reported that some number of Palestinians in Gaza appear to want to be set free from the radical elements of their ruling party, Hamas.
Palestinians demonstrated against Hamas in northern Gaza on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the largest protest against the militant group since its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Video obtained by CNN showed large crowds, estimated to be thousands of people by a CNN journalist on the ground, marching through the streets of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, chanting “For god’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists” and “We want an end to the war.”
"These sentiments run contrary to polling taken last March that showed:
Over 70% Palestinians still maintain Hamas ‘correct’ to commit Oct. 7 atrocities.
"It is not clear whether Palestinians have softened their hatred for Israel and the Jews, or that they’re just tired of war. I suspect it is probably more of the latter than the former.
"Which brings us to the Democrats. When will “sane” Democrats abandon the radical-leftist wing of their party?" . . .
"Hillary Clinton attempted to walk a tightrope between the center-left and radical-left wings of the Democrat party, when she ran for president. Her message? Hate Trump, and I’d be the first woman president."
MSNBC Delicately Plots Its Post–Joy Reid Future
The American Spectator "The network wants to prove it can do real journalism." Sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. TD
"While MSNBC has no plans to abandon its left-wing identity, the network’s effort to build a newsroom indicates at least a desire to distance itself from the extreme left."
Tom Stiglich |
"Finally free of the scandal-making presence that was host Joy Reid — and rid of the blandly woke Alex Wagner — MSNBC is trying distance itself from the progressive extremism that has defined it for years.
" This month, new president Rebecca Kutler announced the appointment of Scott Matthews, the news director at New York’s WABC-TV, to lead a newly established journalism operation. MSNBC is hiring over 100 journalists to work under Matthews.
"The new journalism operation is being formed as MSNBC is spun off from Comcast into a separate company. MSNBC has long relied on NBC News for its news gathering, but that arrangement will likely cease later this year when MSNBC is separated from Comcast.
"Many have predicted that, without the assistance of NBC News’ journalism, MNSBC would simply fully focus on the progressive opinion content that has defined it for years. Evidently, MSNBC wants to defy those expectations. Its executives have decided that progressive talk shows with no journalistic backbone would be a poor business decision amid a conservative ascendancy.
"In announcing Matthews’ new role, Kutler focused on how he would significantly increase MSNBC’s journalistic output. Kutler wrote, “Scott’s new role reflects our plans to build out MSNBC’s domestic, Washington and international newsgathering operations and expand our presence in the field.”
"The decision to fire Reid was already a signal that executives wanted to move on from being seen as an extremist network. Reid’s show created a scandal for the network with each passing week. This usually related to Reid’s pervasive race obsession and opposition to Israel’s effort to defend itself. (On race, Reid once said white Christians “see themselves as the rightful inheritors of this country.” On the war between Israel and Hamas, Reid stated, “How does bombing a densely populated land strip filled 50 percent with children constitute self-dense?”)
"The reassignment of Alex Wagner, who hosted a forgettable show in the 9 p.m. slot for several years, also signaled that MSNBC’s executives wanted to go in a new direction" . . ..
The 3 Reasons Why Hollywood Is So Liberal
"Not only does it just make bad art, bad movies, and bad TV shows, but it could be dangerous to a free and open society."
"It seems like every TV awards show these days – the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, Tonys, etc. – shows I used to enjoy and look forward to, are filled with liberals constantly spewing liberal propaganda. The political nature of these shows used to be limited to one outrageous comment or diatribe here or there, but it has steadily increased and become more visceral and brutal in recent years.
"For such behavior, these celebrities are rewarded with diminishing award show ratings each and every year, like the Oscars this past weekend. Instead of moderating their political posturing during these shows to appeal to a more broad-based audience and help grow their profit margins, they instead rail against the very people who watch their TV shows and movies. In any other industry, this would be considered industrial suicide.
"Hollywood scratches their collective heads and wonders why their hubris is not praised and rewarded by all. They are celebrities after all – the “right” people with the “right” views, the modern gods of our celebrity-obsessed culture we live in today. It’s clear though they just don’t care what more than half of America thinks, and are unwilling to try and understand why they couldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, and instead voted for Donald Trump.
"Let me say at the outset that I believe all Americans have the right to their opinions and should be able to express them, whether you’re a “celebrity” or not. This is one of the cherished hallmarks of our democracy. And there are many wonderful people in the entertainment industry that may pursue political activity with good intentions. Furthermore, I recognize that not everyone in the industry is liberal. Many of the tech and supporting crews may not share the same views as the actors they work with. But its undeniable that Hollywood political posturing is overwhelmingly liberal.
"So how did Hollywood become so politically liberal and detached from mainstream America? Hollywood is politically liberal due to three reasons.
"First, they are not political scientists and economists; they’re actors and actresses. They’re not recognized or rewarded in their industry for their knowledge of Keynes or Hayek, or of Paine or Burke. They’re talented because they have a unique gift in the theater arts and bring to life stories and characters in books or manuscripts.
"Since many of them live and work in the land of “make-believe,” many find themselves yearning for more relevance or fulfillment in real life. Call it liberal guilt but many believe that because they make so much money and have so much influence, they should use their fame to give something back to the world. A noble cause – yes. But like any industry, they find themselves limited to the groupthink that dominates its industry circles.
"That leads me to the second reason they are liberals – groupthink." . . . Read More...