Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (5/21/24)

Quote I

“if Biden won again he could be much more forthright about saying ‘No’ [to Israel],” stating that the administration would have more freedom to tell Israel “‘you’re not going to continue to lie, and bomb, and kill all these kids without facing serious consequences.’”
Biden White House staffer Sterlin Waters, a cyber policy advisor for the National Security Council,

Quote II

"The way I see it, if you do the crime, you'd better be willing to do the time. They certainly, if they absolutely wanted to, the punishment could have been far worse, so I'm not upset about anything. I understand that there were going to be consequences for it."Spc. Matthew Tattersall

Quote III

“[T]here is nothing problematic about a justice selling his stock in a company because it is losing its share value.

If he made a speech in which he disparaged trans people or opined that such people were undeserving of equal rights, we’d be having a different conversation,”Charles Geyh, a professor at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law

The question of the day.

I'll be honest, I've seen this before, but for the life of me I don't remember if I shared with you folks. Anyway, I feel confident for our country going forward.

Solar storms are simply no longer a threat

Today’s Chicken Little Report: When NOAA predicted on May 9, 2024 that a powerful solar flare had erupted from the Sun and was aiming a major solar storm directly at the Earth, the scientists at the federal government’s Space Weather Prediction Center could not help underlining the disaster potential, and were ably aided by the mainstream press. This CNN report was typical:

“Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations,” according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. “(The center) has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action.”

The center has notified operators in these areas to take action to mitigate the potential for any impacts, which include the possibility of increased and more frequent voltage control problems. Other aspects operators will monitor include a chance of anomalies or impacts to satellite operations and frequent or longer periods of GPS degradation.

One of my inside sources sent me the following email from the wondrous EPA to its employees.......

Colleagues,

We have a shared responsibility to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, where equal employment opportunity exists for all employees, including transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming employees.

EPA is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect and providing a workplace free from discrimination. A mutually respectful work environment is everyone's responsibility, and discrimination on any basis, including on the basis of gender identity, expression, or perceived non-conformity, is never acceptable.

OPM guidance and EPA policy state transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming employees may access EPA and federally controlled restrooms and other facilities corresponding to their gender identity. Moreover, EPA’s policy makes clear that no employee should be required to use a segregated facility apart from other employees because of their gender identity or transgender status. Furthermore, OPM’s guidance and EPA’s policy affirm that an employee may not be asked to provide medical or legal documentation of their gender identity to use facilities they feel are appropriate to their gender identity. These policies apply to:

EPA field sites, such as Superfund Sites, where the agency controls the space within which restroom facilities exists for the exclusive or primary use of EPA employees and others.
Leased spaces that specifically include bathrooms controlled by EPA.
Buildings entirely leased by the federal government or EPA.
Buildings where EPA partially leases space and such space includes restroom facilities exclusively for EPA use.

These policies do not apply to facilities that are not controlled exclusively by the federal government or EPA.

Employees who believe they have been discriminated against, including harassment based on their gender identity or transgender status, have a right to file an EEO complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. To address incidents of harassment, an employee also can initiate the 4711 EPA anti-harassment process by contacting OMS’s Labor, Suitability and Conduct Division in accordance with the guidance provided in EPA’s annual Anti-Harassment Policy Statement.

Inclusion isn’t always easy…but inclusion, mutual understanding, and kindness are for everyone. Thank you for continuing to keep EPA a safe, inclusive, and productive place to work. If you have questions about inclusive access to facilities or the agency’s general policy on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming employees, please contact:

Regional Human Resources Officers (for employees in regional offices).
Program Management Officers (for employees in a program office).
Policy - Accountability and HR Policy Branch (OHR_PPTD_PAB@epa.gov).

For EEO related questions or assistance, you can:

Access the OCR page at OCR Contact.
Call OCR at (202) 564-7272.

Kimberly Y. Patrick

Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator

Office of Mission Support

Office of Mission Support? Only the an entity that can print money would have such an office.

MAY 21--A Wisconsin software engineer used an artificial intelligence program to create thousands of “hyper-realistic” images of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity, according to investigators who allege that the accused man shared some of the photos with a 15-year-old boy.

A federal indictment charges Steven Anderegg, 42, with producing and distributing obscene visual depictions of minors.

Anderegg, seen at right, used the Stable Diffusion generative AI model to make the illicit images, which showed minors “lasciviously displaying or touching their genitals” and engaged in sexual activity with adult males.

A search of Anderegg’s laptop revealed that he allegedly used “extremely specific and explicit prompts to create these images” via the text-to-image AI model, according a government court filing. He also allegedly used “negative” prompts to “avoid creating images that depict adults.”

Just because you tell someone a story, doesn't make it true.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz sparred with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday over the Biden administration’s decision to pause a key weapons shipment to Israel.

“Senator, I was in Israel five days since Oct. 7. I’ve been there seven times since. No one, starting with President Biden, has done more to make sure they have what they need to defend themselves from Hamas to deal with the threat that Hamas’ poses,” Blinken told Cruz. “[You’re] simply wrong.”

“That is ludicrous! Why have you cut off weapons to Israel, then?” Cruz responded.

Californians were heard to mutter, "We don't need no stinking prosperity."

The War on Gasoline a Gift to Trump
The Wall Street Journal says Gavin Newsom’s War on Gasoline Is a Gift to Donald Trump.

California’s prices are the highest in the country—$5.21 a gallon on average vs. $3.59 nationwide—owing to hefty taxes and burdensome regulations, such as its cap-and-trade program and low-carbon fuel standard. Here’s the rub: California refineries supply nearly 90% of Nevada’s gasoline and half of Arizona’s.

Mr. Newsom is escalating his war on the industry. The California Energy Commission is planning to impose a tax on refineries’ “gross margins”—i.e., the difference between wholesale gasoline and crude prices plus certain regulatory costs. The gross margin notably doesn’t include refiners’ operating costs, which include employee pay.

Mr. Newsom conflates profits and gross margins. According to the commission’s data, refiners lost between 10 and 38 cents on each gallon they produced from October 2023 through February 2024, while their gross margins ranged from 56 to 79 cents a gallon. In December, California refineries lost 31 cents a gallon while the state imposed $1.15 a gallon in taxes and regulatory fees.

Born Today In Music - May 21st thisdayinmusic.com

1948 - Leo Sayer
British born singer-songwriter Leo Sayer who had the 1977 UK & US No.1 single 'When I Need You', the Chrysalis record label their first UK No.1. Sayer also co-wrote 'Giving It All Away', which gave Roger Daltrey of The Who his first solo hit in 1973.

1904 - Fats Waller
Fats Waller, American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer and comedic entertainer. His best-known compositions, 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'Honeysuckle Rose', were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984 and 1999. In 1926 Waller was kidnapped at gunpoint in Chicago and driven to a club owned by gangster Al Capone. Inside the club he was ordered to perform at what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for the gangster. Waller died 15 December 1943.

Sling shots are still in use. Don't believe me, just ask our Genius Award Winner.

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Pasadena police Monday announced the arrest of a 63-year-old man suspected of setting off more than 150 unidentified explosions over a nearly two-year span.

Art Leon Berian was arrested and booked last Thursday and now faces three felony counts of possession of explosives with intent to injure or intimidate, according to police. Bail was set at $1.5 million.

"I actually heard the bombs themselves. I live right down the street. We had neighbors who were terrified," Pasadena City Councilmember Felicia Williams said. "They would wake up in the middle of the night. We didn't know if it was a fire or explosion."

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

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posted by Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:57 PM

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