[Federalist] The nation’s ruling class holds deeply authoritarian opinions widely divorced from the rest of the American electorate, finds a survey out this week. It found nearly 60 percent of American "elites" think there is too much individual freedom in America. Meanwhile, nearly 60 percent of registered voters have the exact opposite opinion, reporting the United States has too much top-down control, limiting liberty.
The study, titled "Them Vs. U.S," defined the American "elite" as "having a postgraduate degree, a household income of more than $150,000 annually, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile." Such people account for about 1 percent of Americans. The study also examined a sub-sample of the 1 percent who graduated from Ivy League schools or other name-brand institutions such as Northwestern, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
01/20/2024 04:16 ||
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[Breitbart] The far-left Washington Post and Los Angeles Times are losing tens of millions of dollars annually.
Tee hee.
After decades of spreading bias, lies, conspiracy theories, and political violence, the chickens have finally come to roost at these dreadful publications.
“A new report saying billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong has sunk hundreds of millions of his own money into an unprofitable Los Angeles Times underscores how desperate the news industry is to chart a plan for survival in the digital era,” reports the equally dreadful Axios.
“Soon-Shiong has said in meetings that he had put nearly $1 billion into the L.A. Times,” the Axios report adds. “He paid $500 million for the paper and related assets and has had to spend an estimated $300 million in additional cash over the last five years[.]”
That’s $60 million annually, or $5 million monthly in losses.
The Washington Post reportedly lost $100 million in 2023. That’s more than $9 million a month.
The far-left Axios goes on to explain how the same problems are hitting outlets like CNN, which are still profitable:
That includes CNN, where new CEO Mark Thompson unveiled his strategy in a memo Wednesday that carried the rallying cry: “We need to organize around the future not the past. We need to recapture some of the swagger and innovation of the early CNN.”
What Axios fails to explain is why CNNLOL is still profitable….
The free market is not sustaining CNN. How could it? No one watches CNN. What sustains CNN are the 50 million morons who still subscribe to cable/satellite television. All 50 million subsidize CNN with a portion of their cable bill. This is called a carriage fee, and with the affirmative action of a carriage fee, CNN would’ve imploded into bankruptcy a decade ago. There is no way CNN could ever survive on merit: advertising rates based on viewership numbers.
The threat to CNN is streaming. There was a time when more than 100 million households subsidized CNN through their cable bill. As Americans wise up and move to streaming, which is much cheaper, left-wing cable channels lose a fortune without those carriage fees.
#2
It's way past time for cable TV to be metered like electricity. Pay only for what you actually use, right down to what channels you actually watch and for how long each day.
Of course, with the implosion now occurring in media, the pols will actually go the other way and try to dun people who don't partake of the swill at all to contribute to its financial maintenance.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/20/2024 7:38 Comments ||
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#3
Hobbies can be expensive. The best way to pursue them financially is get others to pay for it. Ask any pro team looking to build a new stadium.
[Bee] NEW YORK, NY — After sending a company-wide email to notify all of its staff that they were being laid off, a top executive at iconic publication Sports Illustrated contemplated how things turned out so wrong as he stood in front of framed covers of obese and trans swimsuit models.
"I just don't know where things went south," said Jack Weber. "Did we not get woke enough? Should we have featured trans models even earlier? Was the heavy woman we put on the cover not heavy enough? What was it? Maybe we should've given more consideration to plastering the Pride flag on our cover back in June. I was certain we signaled the appropriate amount of virtue for every possible cause and movement out there. It just makes no sense."
The magazine, long seen as the authoritative source for all sports news, finally cut loose all its workforce after realizing no one was reading the publication anymore. "This really threw us for a loop," Weber said. "We had so many big things planned to turn things around. A salute to Caitlyn Jenner. Naming Lia Thomas our Female Athlete of the Year. We were even in negotiations to have Lizzo as a special celebrity cover model for the swimsuit issue this year. Now, all of that will be lost."
At publishing time, Sports Illustrated announced it had found a new solution to its problems by hiring an entirely new staff that would be the most diverse and inclusive in the history of sports news publications.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2024 00:00 ||
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#2
Awesome as always, but I think I like my Bee headlines better without Daily Mail grammar. Unless that's a "transitivity" gag, in which case never mind.
When you chose to pander new age, PC, New Normal-Abnormal trends, a Media/Political promoted agenda over your paying customer demographic base, you will always see red ink and get screwed.
eg. Target, Bud Light, Star Bucks, Ben and Jerry.
Like it or not, a majority of your sells and profits come from the pockets of NORMAL people.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] In recent years, cold therapy has taken off in the UK with thousands of Brits now turning down the temperature in their showers and swimming in ponds to achieve the health benefits and mindfulness associated with the Skandi lifestyle.
And when you think what you may stand to gain, it's obvious why so many people are taking the plunge.
Did you know, for example, that it's easier to exercise in the cold? Or that you sleep longer and better when your bedroom is chilly?
Or that dialing down the room temperature by a few degrees could reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Indeed, decades of research has linked cold exposure, whether in the form of a shower, bath or run outdoors during the depths of winter, to a myriad of benefits.
These include boosting the immune system, helping you lose weight and cutting down stress levels.
There's broad consensus then that exposing yourself to the cold basically makes you a healthier, happier and better person.
But how often do you have to expose yourself to the elements to reap these benefits?
I call up Dr Michael Mosley, the wellbeing guru who's an expert on just about every health fad there is.
He also swears by cold water therapy, and is a regular of the cold water shower game, so he should know what he's talking about.
I begin by explaining to Dr Mosley what I hope to achieve and tentatively ask what super powers I can expect to gain from my 24-hour Arctic jolly.
'Oh, the health benefits come with time rather than just doing it once', he says, 'Regular cold water swimmers report, you know, an improvement in mood, reduction in things like that, because it kind of de-stresses generally. That seems to be one of the major benefits another one was a study done in Holland.
'But again, it has to be something that happens over time.'
Ah, a snag in the road. Undeterred I explain the various activities I will be trying over the 24-hours, including cold water showers, open water swimming and sleeping with the window open.
Dr Mosley continues: 'My advice to you. If you can have a cold shower is, start off hot, you know. Wash yourself, get it hot, and then turn it cold.
'And personally I sing very loudly as that distracts me from the pain, whereas my wife Claire stands there stoically. And again, the advice is broadly, you're supposed to stay in there until you stop hyperventilating.'
Gotcha - but I'm still nervous.
I ask the Dr if I'm likely to see next to no benefits from the cold water exposure am I instead running the risk of opening myself up to pointless shock?
'That's the one yes,' he says, 'the health benefits of just one immersion are likely to be minimal. You'll get all the disadvantages with very few of the advantages, but when you persist, as I said, it's the persistence.
'It's got to be going on regularly, having cold showers or a cold swim.
'To be honest, I wouldn't be starting now, if you've never done it before. My recommendation to people is they start in the summer when it's quite warm, and then they gradually, you know, decide whether that's something they want to persist with.
'Starting now will be particularly brutal.'
So after seeking expert advice and being told in no uncertain terms my exercise was futile, I embarked on my Scandinavian journey.
[CityJournal] This weekend marked 100 days since Israeli civilians were brought as captives into Gazan tunnels: girls raped, men tortured.
Here, in hip New York, an unending series of escalating demonstrations hamper the city’s functioning and citizens’ general sense of trust and stability. What are the protesters calling for? An immediate Israeli ceasefire. Whom do they represent? An enormous coalition of jackasses.
If the thousands of Gothamites who pretend to care about Arabs (except when other Muslims oppress and slaughter them) really wanted a ceasefire, they would demand that Hamas release innocent civilians and renounce terrorism.
But they don’t actually want a ceasefire. What they want is to be jackasses.
In 2024, New Yorkers need to stop tolerating those who think the fun of disrupting the system is more important than everyone else’s daily lives.
Like cities nationwide, the Big Apple has been sliding down a slope from tolerating jerks to letting them ruin the joint. Since 2014, the post-Ferguson police-shooting moment has blurred the lines between protesters genuinely concerned with how police respond to lawbreakers and those who think lawbreaking is pretty groovy. The more civil faction (the non-jackasses) has been scared to resist this great stand against authority. So, when the most strident voices in the coalition insisted that minor offenses should not be policed, the non-jackasses indulged them, thinking it a necessary sacrifice, even if, deep down, they valued quality of life and public order.
But low-level offending matters. And while we should work to balance community and law-enforcement responses to bad behavior, pretending that such infractions are no big deal is to let the jackasses win. And winning they are: multiple overlapping policy and political shifts, each diminishing our seriousness about low-level crime, have enabled New York City’s masked, belligerent, solipsistic demonstrators to get away with mayhem.
...Look beyond the United States: the world is overrun with repression. Over the weekend in Turkey, an Israeli member of the Antalyaspor soccer team was arrested, suspended, and condemned for displaying "100 Days, 7/10" on his hand brace in support of the hostages. This denial of liberty, standard throughout the Middle East and much of the world, is unthinkable to Americans—yet a portion among us, exploiting and overstepping our liberties, confidently block vital airports, besiege cancer hospitals, and squash holiday gatherings.
We can’t convince these jerks that they enjoy an awesome yet fragile freedom—that of peaceful, lawful protest—if we don’t also enforce the boundaries of what constitutes peaceful and lawful. It’s past time that we started doing so.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
01/20/2024 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] In his need to be clever and come up with new creative ways to achieve the goal of Palestinian statehood, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has now resorted to the threat that "Arabs won’t pay to rebuild Gaza without a path to Palestinian statehood" (The Jerusalem Post, January 17, 2024). "We knew you would."
In short, Blinken is making it clear that unless we want to absorb the full cost of rebuilding Gaza, [why would we?] we are going to have to offer to make nice with the Palestinians by incentivizing their willingness to take on the massive restoration project. And under what framework would that incentive come? Being agreeable to the acceptance of a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish one. And we should care, because?
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
01/20/2024 01:35 ||
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#2
Let em grovel among the rubble. They'll seethe no matter what.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2024 9:21 Comments ||
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#3
unless we want to absorb the full cost of rebuilding Gaza,
Leveling out the rubble will take some work, but Gaza is prime real estate. Lovely spot for a trumpian resort/hotel complex. Developers will be clamoring.
Fundraising advertisement/article in the Times of Israel. Do your own due diligence to make sure it’s legitimate before donating, dear Reader.
At the forefront of this underground battle against Hamas’ intricate tunnel network stands the Yahalom unit, an elite force of commandos specializing in subterranean operations.
THE METRO OF THE COASTAL ENCLAVE
Hamas’ complex tunnel system, likened to the “metro” of the coastal enclave, serves multiple purposes for the militant terror organization. These tunnels hide civilian that Hamas took hostage on October 7th, conceal weapons, facilitate movement of terrorists along Gaza so they can surprise our soldiers, and establish command centers in civilian-concealed locations under schools and hospitals. The IDF’s response to this complex challenge is the Yahalom unit, a special Ops force established in 1995 and expanded after the 2014 Gaza War.
THE YAHALOM UNIT: MASTERS OF UNDERGROUND WARFARE
Operating under the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps, Yahalom is specialized in tunnel warfare, demolition, explosive disposal, and commando operations. Their tasks range from special sabotage missions to clearing bombs and booby-traps in the battlefields. The unit utilizes cutting-edge technologies, including robots and remote-controlled drones, to minimize human risk while tackling the formidable challenge posed by Hamas’ tunnels.
THE STRENUOUS PATH TO JOINING YAHALOM UNIT
Enlisting in the Yahalom unit is no small feat. Prospective members undergo a highly difficult and challenging selection process. Their 1.5 years comprehensive training includes acquiring explosives expertise , Israeli martial arts (Krav Maga), counterterrorism expertise, parachuting, repelling, and commando training.
YAHALOM ON THE FRONTLINES
Operating discreetly, Yahalom has been at the forefront of the IDF’s ground assault on Gaza, conducting special operations to detect, rig with explosives, and neutralize Hamas tunnels. The IDF emphasizes the unit’s crucial role in countering the grave threat posed by these tunnels, stating that the war will only cease once the tunnels have been demolished.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES
The urban conflict in Gaza underscores the significance of the tunnel problem, with Hamas potentially using the tunnels defensively and offensively against Israeli forces. Despite Yahalom’s advanced tools, clearing the tunnels remains a formidable challenge. Adding complexity is Hamas’ use of hostages in the tunnels, necessitating careful and precise IDF operations to avoid civilian casualties.
SUPPORTING THE WAR EFFORT
The Yahalom Foundation that supports the unit now calls for support in its war against Hamas’ tunnels. The Yahalom Foundation, spearheading this mission, requires funds for critical equipment, including bomb dismantling robots, life-saving drones, night-vision gear, subterranean robots, and radio equipment. Contributions are vital in ensuring the safety and security of the soldiers and hostages.
Now it’s your opportunity to be a history maker and not by stander – Help the war effort:
As Israel faces this unprecedented threat, your support will make a difference. Donations will directly contribute to the acquisition of essential tools and technologies needed by the Yahalom unit, such as:
Bomb dismantling robots
Lifesaving drones
Subterranean robots
Radio Equipment
Together, let us stand against Hamas and work towards restoring peace and security to the people of Israel. Donate now to make a meaningful impact to the frontlines of this underground war.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Bee] NEW YORK, NY — After sending a company-wide email to notify all of its staff that they were being laid off, a top executive at iconic publication Sports Illustrated contemplated how things turned out so wrong as he stood in front of framed covers of obese and trans swimsuit models.
