Odds and Ends — 25 May 2023
I Must Be Getting Old:
A light went out over our kitchen sink so I went to replace the bulb. Took out the bulb and, force of habit, shook it to find out if I could hear a broken filament as a test for whether the problem was with the bulb of perhaps the fixture. But of course it was now an LED bulb, so no incandescent filament to hear. Old habits die hard. Then things got weird. I put in a new bulb and, for a split second, red flashed, then green. And after that, only blue light. LED bulbs have three outputs for red, green, and blue to combine for white light. The first two failed almost instantly (so much for lasting 10,000 hours), but the blue emitter works just fine. Actually looks kinda nice. It’s a feature, not a bug?
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
There’s a really stunning report out from the Journal last night. Corporate bonds at some of America’s top-rated companies are now trading at a yield discount to Treasuries. This isn’t quite the same as investors thinking U.S. corporate debt is safer over time. It’s focused on the what happens over the next few months rather than where you put money over time. But it’s still a stunning development, cutting at the very architecture of the world financial system and the United States’ position as its gravitational center.
Crypto Security Firm Unciphered Claims Ability to Physically Hack Trezor T Wallet
Leaked Government Document Shows Spain Wants to Ban End-to-End Encryption
$160K at next halving? Model counts down to new Bitcoin all-time high
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
COVID consequences? NJ hospitals seeing more severely ill patients in wake of pandemic
Millions Will Be Dropped From Medicaid in Wake of COVID Provision
Florida Man:
DeSantis Campaign Launch Crashes
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch on Twitter failed from the start with the Twitter app crashing multiple times and numerous audio problems for those who were able to get in.
His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump
Politics:
Europe wants Latin America on side against Vladimir Putin. Good luck with that
Probe Found Ken Paxton Committed Impeachable Offenses
A Texas House committee on Wednesday heard explosive new testimony from lawyers investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, including that he appeared to provide a friend with confidential FBI documents and committed other potentially impeachable crimes in an effort to help him retaliate against adversaries and federal officials.
Many of the details have been outlined in a whistleblower suit that accuses Paxton of firing four top aides as retaliation after they reported the alleged misconduct to federal authorities.
But Wednesday’s testimony painted the fullest picture yet of the ways in which Paxton allegedly leveraged the resources of his office to help the friend and campaign donor, Nate Paul. It also created a new and immediate threat for Paxton, who has denied all wrongdoing, since the House General Investigating Committee could recommend that the chamber censure him or begin impeachment proceedings.
Half Understand the Ramifications of Default
Donald Trump wants a default, and Donald Trump owns Kevin McCarthy.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 24, 2023
Debt ceiling talks stall amid pushback from Kevin McCarthy’s right flank
Fitch Places United States' 'AAA' on Rating Watch Negative
Potential Debt Ceiling Deal Would Barely Change Federal Spending Path
Negotiators have focused on a relatively small corner of the budget, shunning new revenues or cuts to the fastest-growing programs
Rioter with Foot on Pelosi’s Desk Gets 4.5 Years
The Jan. 6 rioter who was photographed with his foot propped on a desk inside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and then tried to raise money off the images was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison Wednesday.
The photograph of Richard ‘Bigo’ Barnett in the California Democrat’s suite of offices became one of the defining images of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Soon after his arrest, Barnett offered autographed photos of the scene for $100.
Do they hear themselves? https://t.co/fajjG57RH2
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) May 25, 2023
Senators issued satellite phones, part of new security measures
DHS Warns Of Attacks On Gov’t Buildings, Infrastructure If 2020-Level Disinfo Spreads In 2024
Kandiss Taylor, who ran for governor in 2022 and recently became a Georgia GOP district chair, is a flat earther: "Everywhere there's globes ... and that's what they do to brainwash." pic.twitter.com/PEz1sqOTvA
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) May 22, 2023
Democrats Burst Out in Laughter as Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls for ‘Decorum’
Serendipity:
New York’s skyscrapers are causing it to sink – what can be done about it?
How 25 Dubious Basquiats Created a Massive Museum Scandal—And Exposed Some Dark Art Truths
A blockbuster show of “lost” works by the late, and much-marketed, Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Orlando Museum of Art was meant to compete with Disney and SeaWorld. Then the feds came knocking…
France bans short-haul flights in effort to fight climate change
Air travel between Paris and regional hubs such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux will now be banned.
Paralysed man walks using device that reconnects brain with muscles
Australian woman, 95, dies after police shoot her with stun gun
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