Showing posts with label Human Interest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Interest. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Man Who Delivered Gift-Wrapped Horseshit To Steven Mnuchin Compares Himself to Jesus

An LA County psychologist who thinks President Trump’s tax bill stinks to high heaven, compared himself to Jesus after admitting he delivered a gift-wrapped box of horseshit as a Christmas present to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Robby Strong told AL.com he dropped off the box of horse manure at Mnuchin’s house as an “act of political theater” to hammer home the point that “Republicans have done nothing for the American worker.”



Boldly taking the Christ-analogy to a place it has never gone before, Strong told SoCal radio station 89.3 KPCC that "what I did, I would like to compare to what Jesus did when he went into the temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers, who were exploiting the people financially in the name of religion."


“In the long run, if we don’t do stuff like this, what are we going to have left?” Robby told KPCC. “I feel like that’s what the GOP has done to the American people,” added the man who, bizarrely, is a psychologist with the LA Department of Mental Health.


Things start to make much more sense, however, once we learn that Strong claims he was an organizer for the Occupy LA movement; predictably he sides with critics of the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul who say it favors corporations and the wealthy, CBS Los Angeles reported.


He told KPCC that he “borrowed” some manure from a pal who owns horses and gift-wrapped it in a festive box. Strong then added a card addressed to Mnuchin and Trump. “We’re returning the ‘gift’ of the Christmas tax bill. It’s bullshit. Warmest wishes, The American People. P.S. – Kiss Donald for me,” he wrote.


On Saturday, the bearded "psychologist" also posted several images on Facebook, one of which shows him posing with a shovel next to the box, and another that shows the box full of what appears to be dung.



Robby Strong, source: facebook


“I need someone to ride along and document my Secret Santa project. I’m going to hand deliver boxes of horse shit to Steve Mnuchin over in Beverly Hills,” he added in a message. “No disguises, no fake names. Totally owning this one. You’re only powerless if you do nothing!!!” he wrote.


Strong then said he delivered one box to a home Mnuchin owns in Beverly Hills, and another to his mansion in Bel Air. Mnuchin was not in Los Angeles when he received the stinking presents, CBS reported. Authorities, including the Secret Service and a Los Angeles bomb squad, responded and police discovered the package contained horse manure after unwrapping it.


In a Facebook comment, he wrote that the package was "pure organic horseshit, just like everything that administration’s done so far."


"Bomb scares certainly were not my intention, but maybe they should be a little scared, eh," he wrote.


After the stung bought him 15 minutes of fame, Strong said he realizes he might have put his job at risk – and that he was surprised he has not been arrested by the Secret Service, which questioned him at his home.


“I just got interviewed by the Secret Service and I’ve now joined some of my heroes like Timothy Leary and Martin Luther King,” he told AL.com. “[The agents] just showed up in my yard.”


Meanwhile, Strong mocked suggestions the prank could have alarmed Mnuchin or his family, and insisted that he was merely exercising his First Amendment rights. “A few years ago when [a Supreme Court ruling] said that corporations are persons and money equals free speech, that is so absurd and my rule of thumb is now that if corporations are free speech, then so is horseshitt.”


According to the Post, the Secret Service interviewed the main who claimed to have sent the package, but Strong was not arrested. Strong also said he didn’t violate laws about mailing hazardous waste. “It was a gift-wrapped package of poo,” Strong told AL.com. “Is there a law that you can’t drop off a box of poo? Not really.”









Monday, December 25, 2017

Mystery Buyer Of "Most Expensive Apartment In Asia" Revealed

A month ago, we highlighted a disturbing new record in the Hong Kong real-estate market – a market that received a ranking of “high” from Algebris Investment’s Alberto Gallo in his annual ranking of the world’s biggest asset bubbles.


According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the record price per square foot for a residence in Hong Kong was obliterated when a mystery buyer purchased two apartments in “The Peak” – an exclusive district.


At 132,000 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, the purchases made them the two most expensive apartments in Asia in terms of square footage. In total, the mystery buyer spent an astonishing 1.16 billion Hong Kong dollars (nearly $200 million) on the two apartments.



Today, the name of the mystery buyer has been revealed, courtesy of the South China Morning Post:


The Land Registry on Saturday identified the buyer as Lin Zhongmin, sparking frenzied media speculation about where the person comes from.


 


The two flats on the 12th floor of the exclusive residential development, with a combined area of 8,821 square feet, were sold last month.


 


One flat, measuring 4,242 square feet, fetched HK$560.2 million, or HK$132,060 per square foot, making it Asia’s most expensive residence by floor area. The adjoining flat, measuring 4,579 sq ft, sold for HK$604.2 million, or HK$132,059 per square foot.



According to the SCMP, the name of the buyer is not widely known in Hong Kong. The paper ventured to guess that he is from the main land, meaning the buyer would have to pay a double stamp duty of 15% on one flat plus the basic stamp duty of 4.25% on the other. The total would come to about $110 million Hong Kong dollars.



Whoever Lin is, it’s safe to assume he has a personal wealth in the billions.


“It would be logical to assume that anyone who can afford to spend more than HK$1 billion on two flats would have a personal wealth of at least HK$10 billion,” Vincent Cheung, deputy managing director for Asia valuation and advisory services at Colliers International, said.


"They may not even have bought the flats to live in as they most probably have other homes."


With the purchase of these two apartments, Mount Nicholson now has Asia’s three most expensive homes. In addition to the two bought by Lin, another flat – measuring 4,266 square feet - was sold in November for 500 million Hong Kong dollars ($60 million).


The buyer of that flat was mainland businessman Zhu Xingliang, the founder of Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration, which is engaged in the interior design, construction and landscaping sectors.


In the global league table, Hong Kong held on to the dubious accolade of being the world’s most expensive place to live for the seventh straight year in 2017, according to Oxford Economics. The median home price was 18.1 times the median annual pretax household income last year.
 









Sunday, December 24, 2017

From Camo To "Lucky Charms" - Tucker Carlson"s Hilarious List Of 100 "Racist" Things

Authored by Amber Athey via The Daily Caller,


Fox News’ Tucker Carlson tweeted out Friday a hilarious list of 100 things people have deemed “racist” this year, and some of the entries are just unbelievable.



The Daily Caller founder geared up for the list by telling his followers that “we live in revolutionary times” and that some “wild things” happened in the past year.




Carlson gave each “racist” item its own separate tweet, and while the list is worth reading in its entirety, we’ve compiled some of the best ones for you here.




#1: Trees


A group of trees in Palm Springs, California, was considered racist because the trees separated an upscale golf course from a historically black neighborhood. City officials promised to kill the trees, ridding Palm Springs of a longtime symbol of oppression.




#8. Disney movies




Kat George, a writer for Vh1’s website, insisted in 2017 that some of your favorite Disney movies are racist. The Little Mermaid was listed as an offender because Sebastian, Ariel’s crab sidekick, spoke in an exaggerated Jamaican accent.




#13. Milk


Milk apparently became a symbol of the alt-right and neo-Nazis this year because racial minorities may be more likely to suffer from lactose intolerance. Even worse, the USDA’s dietary guidelines further such oppression by advertising dairy as an essential part of a healthy diet.




#18. Science


Students in South Africa declared that science is racist because it cannot explain “black magic” — no, really.


“I have a question for all the science people. There is a place in KZN called Umhlab’uyalingana, and they believe that through the magic, the black magic–you call it black magic, they call it witchcraft–you are able to send lightening to strike someone,” one student explained. “Can you explain that scientifically? Because it’s something that happens.”




#29. Military Camouflage


Don’t use face paint while sneaking through the jungle, or you might be accused of racism! The British Army was accused of donning “blackface” after they posted a picture of a soldier wearing dark face paint and holding a rifle.




#41. Lucky Charms


A diversity officer at Miami University was actually open to the idea of banning Lucky Charms because some undercover students claimed the cereal was racist against Irish Americans. Yikes.




#49. Expecting people to show up on time


In this case, timeliness is NOT next to godliness. Expecting students to show up on time to class might be insensitive to “cultural differences,” Clemson University said in a diversity training program.




#64. Babies


Looks like that diversity training might have to start sooner than expected. According to a study by the University of Toronto, babies show preferences to adults of their own race.




You can follow the full thread on Tucker’s Twitter account HERE.









Friday, December 22, 2017

Nigeria, Venezuela, & USA - "We"re Worse Off Today Than 50 Years Ago"

Fifty years ago, the world was a very different place.


PCs and smartphones were the stuff of Sci-Fi and numerous nations found themselves at crucial crossroads in their evolution.


While Russia and US could arguably be back in another Cold War, Pew Research asked 43,000 around the world whether life is better (or worse) now than 50 years ago.


The results may surprise you...



At a country level, some of the most positive assessments of progress over the past 50 years are found in Vietnam (88% say life is better today), India (69%) and South Korea (68%) – all societies that have seen dramatic economic transformations since the late 1960s, not to mention the end of armed conflict in the case of Vietnam. A majority in Turkey (65% better) also share a sense of progress over the past five decades. In some of the more developed countries, publics also report that life is better today, including 65% in Japan and Germany, and 64% in the Netherlands and Sweden.


But not everyone is convinced that life today is an improvement over the past.


Americans are split on this issue: 41% say life is worse while 37% say better. Though the divide is, as with everything else today, extremely partisan...



Meanwhile, half or more in countries ranging from Italy (50%) and Greece (53%) to Nigeria (54%) and Kenya (53%) to Venezuela (72%) and Mexico (68%) say life is worse today.


There are wide variations in the assessment of the last 50 years across the globe...



Latin Americans stand out for their widespread negative assessment of progress over the past half-century. Venezuelans and Mexicans (72% and 68% life is worse) are the most downbeat, but nowhere in the region do more than half say life has improved for people like themselves.


Across the Middle East and North Africa, views of life today compared with 50 years ago vary substantially by country. Turkey reports the most progress in the region, with 65% saying life is better, followed by Israel, where 52% say the same about their country. Tunisians, Jordanians and Lebanese tend to say life has gotten worse for people like them, with Tunisians expressing the most widespread negativity (60%).


In sub-Saharan Africa, comparative assessments of present and past are more evenly divided. A median of 46% say life today is worse than five decades ago, compared with 42% who think life is better. Positive ratings of progress range from 47% “better” in South Africa to 36% in Ghana.


Nigeria and Kenya are the only countries surveyed in the region where more than half say life is worse (54% and 53%, respectively).


Europeans tend to see the past half-century as a period of progress. A regional median of 53% describes life as better today, compared with 30% who take the opposite view. Upbeat assessments are most common in Germany (65% better), the Netherlands (64%), Sweden (64%), Poland (62%) and Spain (60%). Greeks (53% worse) and Italians (50%) are the least convinced that life is better than 50 years ago.


The Asia-Pacific region is home to some of the most favorable assessments of progress. Vietnam (88% better) stands out, but views of life today vs. the past are also quite rosy in India (69%), South Korea (68%) and Japan (65%). Filipinos are the least sanguine about progress, with fewer than half (43%) saying life is better.


In North America, Canadians widely report progress over the past five decades (55%) while fewer Americans (37%) say the same about life in their country.


In the U.S., Republicans are more likely to say life is better today, compared with Democrats – an attitudinal shift in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president in November 2016.









Monday, December 18, 2017

ESPN President Quits Due To "Substance Addiction"

Amid plummeting ratings, mass job cuts, and constant #resistance, ESPN President John Skipper has finally called it quits from running the so-called sports channel.



Here is Skipper’s statement:


Today I have resigned from my duties as President of ESPN. I have had a wonderful career at the Walt Disney Company and am grateful for the many opportunities and friendships. I owe a debt to many, but most profoundly Michael Lynton, George Bodenheimer and Bob Iger.


 


I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem.


 


I have disclosed that decision to the company, and we mutually agreed that it was appropriate that I resign. I will always appreciate the human understanding and warmth that Bob displayed here and always.


 


I come to this public disclosure with embarrassment, trepidation and a feeling of having let others I care about down.


 


As I deal with this issue and what it means to me and my family, I ask for appropriate privacy and a little understanding.


 


To my colleagues at ESPN, it has been a privilege. I take great pride in your accomplishments and have complete confidence in your colective ability to continue ESPN"s success.



The 61-year-old Skipper joined ESPN in 1997 as senior vice president and general manager of ESPN The Magazine. He was promoted to his current job on January 1, 2012.


Here is what ESPN president John Skipper said in a recent memo to staffers:


"ESPN is about sports... It is not a political organization."



So will that agenda change now?










Saturday, December 16, 2017

NFL Network Exec Deletes Twitter Account After Graphic Conversations With Porn Stars Emerge

Earlier this week, the NFL Network and ESPN were rocked with a Harvey Weinstein-esque sexual misconduct allegation involving Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk and former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, and 3 other stars (See: NFL Network, ESPN Suspend Faulk, McNabb And 3 Other Stars After Sexual Harassment Lawsuit).


Both networks said they are investigating the sexual allegations and that the NFL stars have been suspended.  Just days after that bombshell, a low-key cleanup inside the NFL network is quietly underway, with an NFL Network Exec, who furiously deleted his Twitter interactions with prostitutes and porn stars before completely deleting his entire account.



NFL Media’s Vice President and Executive Director David Eaton, 53,  spent much of Tuesday deleting years worth of Twitter conversations with and unfollowing hundreds of accounts of prostitutes and porn stars; shortly after, the entire Twitter account was deleted in the late afternoon timeframe, according to Dead Spin.


In a much larger damage control operation, it appears Eaton had a sitdown with HR to discuss options in dealing with his idiotic conversations with porn stars on social media for the world to see.


Luckily, Dead Spin was able to screenshot Eaton’s "social" horniness on social media, before it was wiped away from the public view. Eaton, who runs the online news for the NFL-owned cable network, was not mentioned in the latest lawsuit filed on Monday by stylist Jami Cantor, but he did spend his work hours talking about his rather unique cooking techniques to one porn star, in which he ‘double fisted poultry.’


According to Dead Spin, “Eaton’s online horniness consisted of sometimes mundane, sometimes racy, and often one-sided banter with escorts, former escorts, and porn stars.”




Eaton drummed up a conversation with porn star Zoey Holloway…



In one exchange during the NFL offseason, it must have been a boring day, where he focused on one porn star’s dress rather than the upcoming NFL season.



Eaton managed to use “spatchcocking” and “double fisting” in one sentence while talking to a former escort Olivia LaRoux.




There was even one occasion back in 2015, where he tried discussing literature with an account featuring a topless women avatar, Dead Spin said.



Further, according to Dead Spin, Eaton’s Twitter conversations with porn stars had been an “ongoing subject of discussion” inside the NFL Network for quite some time, although aAn NFL Media spokesman declined to comment on the issue.


It’s been a rather embarrassing week for the NFL, as what we’ve coined ‘the Weinstein contagion’ is not limited to the NFL. The obvious questions for next week are i) where will ‘the Weinstein contagion’ strike next, and ii) when will all of this finally take down half od Wall Street?









Monday, December 11, 2017

Stellar 3Y Auction: Highest Bid To Cover Since Sept 2015, Foreign Demand Surges

Unlike last month"s ugly 3Y auction, today"s just concluded sale of $24 billion in 3 year paper was stellar, stopping through the When Issued 1.934% by 0.2bps, a surge in buyside demand as the Bid to Cover jumped from 2.76 to 3.15, the highest since September 2015, while Indirect Bidders took down the most since August.


The details: the high yield was 1.932% vs six previous auction average 1.572%, it stopped through the WI of 1.394%.


The Bid-to- cover was 3.15, up from 2.76 in October, and well above the previous six auction average of 2.88.


Dealers were awarded 33.6%, slightly below the six previous auction average 35.2%, and down from 37.5% last month, while Direct bidders took down 7.4%, below last month"s 9.0%, and down from the six previous auction average 8.8%.  Finally, foreign central banks and reserve managers, i.e., Indirect bidders were awarded 59.0% vs the 6auction average 56.0%, and up from 53.5% last month. It was also the highest Inidrect award since August 2017.


Overall, a very solid auction and one which sets the stage for today"s second, benchmark bond auction of 10Y paper set for 1pm.










Monday, December 4, 2017

Time Reveals Its "Person Of The Year" Finalists

Time Magazine has released its list of finalists for 2017"s "Person of the Year" issue - and what a list it is.


After Trump criticized Time for informing him that he was in the running to win "Person of the Year" for the second year in a row - an honor last achieved by former President Richard Nixon, who was named man of the year in 1972 and 1973 - it appears Trump was right once again: He is one of 10 contenders for the honor released to MSNBC - even though editors at Time claimed the phone call never happened (though how else would Trump have known he was in the running, other than a lucky guess?).


The other names on the list are: Amazon CEO and world"s richest man Jeff Bezos, the #MeToo movement, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Colin Kaepernick, the dreamers, Robert Mueller and Patty Jenkins (Jenkins directed the Hollywood blockbuster "Wonder Woman").



Of the names on this year"s list, only Trump and Bezos have won the honor before (Bezos won it in 1999 at the height of the tech bubble.


The competition this year is pretty intense. If the criteria for winning was solely number of headlines in US media, Trump would easily have a lock. His first year in office was marked by the president"s constant feuding with Democrats, Republicans, professional athletes, gold star families...the list goes on.


Kim Jong Un, one might argue, deserves the nod for the outsize impact he"s had on the national psyche in the US, given that he"s the leader of an impoverished nation of 25 million people.


However, in terms of sheer political influence, Xi Jinping would probably deserve the honor. By having his name written into the Chinese constitution and appointing a Politburo with no obvious successor, he has guaranteed himself another five year term after his current term ends. He has also consolidated power over a nation of 1.3 billion people - the largest country on the planet.


Bezos led Amazon through several high-profile acquisitions that saw the company enter the grocery business. The massive appreciation in Amazon"s share price has also helped push Bezos"s net worth north of $100 billion, making him the first American to reach that threshold since Bill Gates back in the late 1990s.


The #MeToo movement has led to unprecedented upheaval in industries - particularly in entertainment and media - as women have come forward to share their stories of sexual harassment they experienced at the hands of powerful men. Time has selected classes or groups of people for the honor before - back in 2014, "person of the year" went to the Ebola fighters.


MbS has orchestrated a "corruption crackdown" purge that brought his most powerful rivals to their knees. It is rumored that his father, King Salman, will soon step down, relinquishing power to the 32-year-old crown prince.


And finally, what list of anything is 2017 would be complete without Colin Kaepernick.



Should Trump win, he would become the eighth US president to win the honor twice. Time has been running the feature since 1927.


The winner will be named later this month, when the special "Person of the Year" edition of the magazine is released.









Friday, December 1, 2017

Campus Newspaper Editorial: "Your [White] DNA Is An Abomination"

Authored by Lauren Cooley via The Washington Examiner,


A new opinion piece in a Texas State University student newspaper tells white students, “Your DNA is an Abomination.”



“When I think of all the white people I have ever encountered - whether they’ve been professors, peers, lovers, friend, police officers, et cetera - there is perhaps only a dozen I would consider ‘decent,’” student author Rudy Martinez writes in the University Star.



Without much biological explanation, Martinez informs white readers:


“You were not born white. You became white... You don’t give a damn.”


 


Later in his rant, he calls the police “fascist foot soldiers” and says a “white supremacist inhabits the White House.”



The editorial also suggests that “whiteness in the United States” is a “construct used to perpetuate a system of racist power.”


According to social media posts, Martinez was arrested in Washington, D.C., during President Trump’s inauguration and attempted to crowdfund for legal fees.


Andrew Homann, former TSU student body president, took to Facebook to express his disgust with the blatantly anti-white piece.


“Just when you think the opinion"s columns in the University Star couldn"t get any worse, they publish this masterpiece and exceed my expectations,” Homann posted.



Homann told the Washington Examiner:


“I have no doubt that racism is still alive today. Look no further than this blatantly racist, divisive article posted by the University Star. While I believe Mr. Martinez has every right to express his disparaging world-view, I am appalled that the school paper, funded by tuition and tax dollars, would give this guy a platform to do so.”



The editorial concludes:


Whiteness will be over because we want it to be. And when it dies, there will be millions of cultural zombies aimlessly wandering across a vastly changed landscape. Ontologically speaking, white death will mean liberation for all…


 


Until then, remember this: I hate you because you shouldn’t exist. You are both the dominant apparatus on the planet and the void in which all other cultures, upon meeting you, die.”










Thursday, November 30, 2017

Hungary"s Ruling Party Hands Out Book Targeting George Soros

Authored by Jacob Bojesson via The Daily Caller,


Hungary’s ruling party is stepping up its campaign against billionaire investor George Soros by distributing a book that accuses the financier of pursuing a plan to flood Europe with migrants.


The book, titled “George Soros,” is written by Andreas von Rétyi - a German author known for pushing conspiracy theories about UFOs and what caused the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the U.S.


 


Fidesz, a conservative party led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, plans to distribute 5,000 copies to local politicians across the country.


 


“The book is a detailed and accurate piece,” Fidesz spokesman János Halász told broadcaster RTL Klub, according to newspaper Die Welt.



The Orban administration launched an anti-Soros campaign in the spring to halt the Hungarian-born investor’s operations in the country.



The streets of Budapest were filled with posters and billboards of the Hungarian-born billionaire with the caption “Don’t let Soros get the last laugh!”



Hungarian government poster portraying financier George Soros and saying "Don"t let George Soros have the last laugh" is seen at an underground stop in Budapest.


The campaign claims that Soros wants a 1 million refugee influx to Europe per year.


“The Hungarian standpoint is that illegal migration is clearly a matter of national security,” Orban’s spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in a recent interview.


 


“We shall mobilize the political and legal power of the Hungarian state against anyone who undermines the security of Hungary – regardless of their origins, religious affiliation or wealth.”



Soros struck back at Orban by describing his “mafia state” as “one which maintains a facade of democracy.”









Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Katy Perry Asks Warren Buffett For His Thoughts On Cryptocurrency

Popstar Katy Perry set crypto twitter aflame Tuesday when she posted a picture of her and investing legend Warren Buffett with the caption: “nbd asking Warren Buffet [sic] his thoughts on cryptocurrency.”


 



 


The post came shortly before bitcoin hit $11,000 as its inexorable march higher accelerated…



As we noted earlier, it"s been quite a year....


$0000 - $1000: 1789 days
$1000- $2000: 1271 days
$2000- $3000: 23 days
$3000- $4000: 62 days
$4000- $5000: 61 days
$5000- $6000: 8 days
$6000- $7000: 13 days
$7000- $8000: 14 days
$8000- $9000: 9 days
$9000-$10000: 2 days
$10000-$11000: 1 day


Buffett, of course, has been more than willing to share his views on the digital currency in the past, famously describing the bitcoin market as “a real bubble.”


As for Perry, her views on the subject are less widely known. The popstar earned $33 million last year, according to Forbes, and will likely build on that number in 2018, with endorsement deals inked for Procter & Gamble Co.-owned CoverGirl, Hennes & Mauritz-owned H&M and a gig on "American Idol." In 2015, Perry was the third-highest-paid celebrity in the US with earnings of more than $100 million.









Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Liz Warren Tears Into Trump For Pocahontas "Racial Slur"

We expected widespread outrage after Trump"s latest Pocahontas comment, and we didn"t have long to wait.


Senator Elizabeth Warren tore into President Trump for using a "racial slur" after he cracked his latest "Pocahontas" joke during a Monday event with Navajo "code talker" veterans. She fired back at Trump, saying the event was meant to honor the sacrifice of those in attendance.


"It is deeply unfortunate that the president of the United States cannot even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur," Warren said during an MSNBC interview referring to the earlier comment



She added that the code talkers “saved the lives of countless Americans and our allies" and said that "this was supposed to be an event to honor heroes, people who put it all on the line for our country."


Previously, Trump has repeatedly used the derisive nickname to refer to Warren, poking fun at her claim of Native American heritage: "You were here long before any of us were here, although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago," Trump said. "They call her Pocahontas, but you know what, I like you because you are special."


Warren in her response said Trump"s joke will not stop her from continuing to criticize him. “Look, Donald Trump does this over and over thinking somehow he’s going to shut me up with it," she said. "It hasn’t worked in the past. It is not going to work in the future.”


Earlier on Monday, the White House press secretary defended Trump"s decision to call Sen. Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas", claiming it was not a racial slur.


“I think what most people find offensive is Sen. Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career," Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.



Sanders" denial rang hollow to some: according to The Hill, a leader of an organization representing Native American tribes said Monday that President Trump calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) “Pocahontas” during an event honoring Native American Code Talkers “smacks of racism."


“The reference is using a historic American-Indian figure as a derogatory insult and that’s an insult to all American-Indians,” John Norwood, general secretary of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes, told NBC News


In a separate statement obtained by ABC News, the president of Navajo Nation, Russell Begaye, said that "in this day and age, all tribal nations still battle insensitive references to our people." "The prejudice that Native American people face is an unfortunate historical legacy," Begaye said. But he added that "the Navajo Nation does not want to engage in this dialogue between Sen. Warren and President Trump." 


Norwood said Trump should “stop using our historical people of significance as a racial slur against one of his opponents."


Also in response to Trump"s comment, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs slammed President Trump calling his remarks a "racist joke" and questioning his "moral authority." 


"Donald Trump"s racist joke ­during Native American Heritage Month no less ­demeaned the contributions that the Code Talkers and countless other Native American patriots and citizens have made to our great country," New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall said in a statement on Monday.


"The days when the President of the United States was held as a moral authority around the world were over 11 months ago, but at what should have been a solemn ceremony to honor Native veterans, Donald Trump took low even lower," he added.


Udall said the president"s remark about Warren in the Oval Office will not take away from the Code Talker"s WWII accomplishments: "This moment in history won"t overshadow the contribution the Code Talkers made and continue to make to our nation," he added, slamming the comments for being especially in "poor taste against the backdrop of Andrew Jackson"s portrait."


* * *


Meanwhile, others such as conservative radio host Stefan Molyneux had a different take: "If Senator Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) wants to get to the bottom of this once and for all, I’ll gladly pay for a @23andMe test to verify her Native American heritage."








Sunday, November 26, 2017

Meet Laikago: China"s $25,000 Robo-Labrador

The Japanese have their non-nagging synthetic wives, the Saudis have their Shariah-compliant humanoid citizens, Americans are content with a backflipping supra-human, and now the Chinese get their very own 50lb, poop-less, robo-dog...


Meet Laikago – named after Laika, a Soviet dog who was the first living creature to orbit the Earth.



The Chinese-made robot dog weighs 22kg, a bit less than a common Labrador, and is around 60cm tall.


“It is a kind of medium automatic robot, a robot-dog in short,” creator Wang Xingxing told RT’s Ruptly video news agency.


 


“We have popularized Laikago among science and technology companies, and science fans. So Laikago is a scientific toy.”



The four-legged mechanical pet is able to run on grass and can assimilate canine-like movements, just like a flesh-and-blood pooch.


The initial price for Laikago will be around US$25,000, but may drop in the future.



No doggy-doo, vet visits or bones... now everyone can buy a robot canine online and enjoy spending time with their new four-legged friend (admittedly perhaps not the cuddliest or most-loving version of "man"s best friend,") feeding it only with electricity.


The makers did not comment on whether RoboDog is so lifelike as to hump your leg or drink from the toilet.