[Star] John Brennan, who served as the director of the CIA from 2013 to 2017, admitted the now-infamous videos are "eyebrow-raising" and is keeping his mind open as to what they could be.
The former head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has admitted the infamous videos of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) are "eyebrow-raising".
[Post Millennial] Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted in an interview with The New York Times that he played around with the number of vaccinations required for herd immunity in order to subtly encourage Americans to get vaccinated.
He lied about the necessity of face masks, too. Originally he said they were not only unnecessary, but a bad idea. Later he reversed his position. And these deliberate lies are exactly the kind of thing that make skeptics skeptical about everything scientists claim.
"When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent. Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ’I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85."
Epidemiologists at the beginning of the pandemic had asserted that somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of Americans would need to receive the coronavirus vaccine in order for herd immunity to be established, figures which are still touted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr. Fauci repeated such figures throughout the pandemic, but about a month ago he started to provide different, higher figures in interviews. In an interview given last month, Fauci suggested that up to 75 percent of Americans would need to be vaccinated in order to establish herd immunity. Just last week, Fauci said in an interview with CNBC that the rate of vaccination may need to be as high as 85 percent or greater.
Now Fauci is suggesting that up to 90 percent of the population requires vaccinations. You just can't make this stuff up.
#4
In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.
Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.
The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific technological elite.
Eisenhower's warning following the paragraph about the military industrial complex in his farewell address.
#5
A NeverTrumper I am generally fond of responded to this with, “But Trump lied more.” He was completely uninterested in the idea that we expect more from scientists than we do from politicians, doubly disappointing because he worked as a scientist before moving on to management.
[NYPOST] A waitress in Maine got an early Christmas present — a $1,000 tip from a fellow server who stopped by with her family for a bite 15 minutes before closing this past Saturday, according to a report.
Linda Tucker, who has been waiting on tables at Fran’s Restaurant in Lewiston for almost 12 years, was so moved by the gesture that she decided to pay it forward, the Sun Journal reported.
"I just kind of stood there for a minute, ’Are you serious?’" Tucker told the paper. "I could feel myself getting tears, she got tears. COVID aside, I said, ’Can I give you a hug?’ She said, ’Absolutely.’"
The eatery’s owner, Cassandra Gauthier, said she was "elated" that Tucker got the generous tip.
"If anyone deserves it, it’s her," she said. "She always goes above and beyond and takes great care of this place like it’s her own. She’s such a good mother and a good person and a great worker."
Tucker decided to share her windfall with her four co-workers, so she went home and taped $100 bills to their Christmas cards and tucked lottery tickets inside for good measure.
"The people that I work with are just awesome people. Out of all of the places I’ve ever worked, we’re a team," she told the Sun Journal. "I just felt so much joy, being able to share that with them. It was an amazing day, an amazing end to a crappy year."
Tucker, who has two kids, added: "I hope this lady just realizes how much that meant to us, being a small business, how much we appreciate the support. It was wonderful."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
How can you tell the best waitresses? By the size of their tips...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2020 17:11 Comments ||
Top||
[IsraelTimes] European and British negotiators have finalized a post-Brexit trade deal, officials from both sides say, as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen prepares to hold a news conference.
"A deal is done," a UK government spokesperson says. A European Commission front man tweets that von der Leyen and EU negotiator Michel Barnier will speak to the press shortly.
[Breitbart] A government television broadcast in Cuba this week urged citizens to eat guinea pig and other rodents, suggesting rodent meat is more nutritious and "sustainable" than pork or beef, Cuban outlets reported on Wednesday.
The Communist Party has presided over major food shortages in Cuba for decades, beginning almost immediately following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. In recent years, the Castro regime has blamed President Donald Trump for extensive food shortages and failed distribution of government-mandated rations. While the Trump administration has imposed significant sanctions on the regime in response to the increased frequency of human rights violations against pro-democracy dissidents in the Obama era, these sanctions have targeted elite individuals and military-linked corporations, not sources of food for the general population. Christmas (you may have to be quiet about the Christmas thingee though) dinner ideas. Rats head soup? Coq au vin with rat meat anyone? Chicken Kiev with rodent meat? Of course, you might have to limit some of the vegetables that go into these dishes as the Cuban government limits the amount of tillable land for crops. Welcome to the Communist state for all who think this is a good idea. Socialism is the pathway to communism. Did you ever notice how the elite in these statist governments do very well as the rules don’t apply to them whereas the rest of us don’t fare too well.
"To Cubans, Fidel Castro presents himself as a man of the people, claiming to make only 900 pesos a month (about $38) and owning no property other than a modest “fisherman’s hut” somewhere on the coast. A real 'Lunchbox Joe.'"
#8
A conquistador cuy, he of Guinea,
Was cursed with a guttural whinny
And ridden perforce
O'er the plains like a horse
For of course they had never seen any.
TOKYO (Reuters) - A top Japanese defence official on Friday urged U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to "be strong" in supporting Taiwan in the face of an aggressive China, calling the island’s safety a "red line."
"We are concerned China will expand its aggressive stance into areas other than Hong Kong. I think one of the next targets, or what everyone is worried about, is Taiwan," State Minister of Defense Yasuhide Nakayama told Reuters. Better get that domestic nuke weapon industry kickstarted (if it wasn't already covertly)
In an interview, Nakayama, Japan’s deputy defence minister, urged Biden to take a similar line on Taiwan as outgoing President Donald Trump, who has significantly boosted military sales to the Chinese-claimed island and increased engagement.
Japan’s engagement with Taiwan has also flourished in recent years on a largely non-governmental basis. Tokyo maintains a "one China" policy, delicately balancing its relationships with neighbouring giant China and its longtime military ally in Washington.
[France24] The new generation of messenger-RNA vaccines and viral-vector vaccines differ significantly from traditional vaccines developed by pioneering French scientist Louis Pasteur in the 19th century. Here's a look at how they work.
The European Union is preparing to launch a vast Covid-19 vaccination campaign, days after the United Kingdom and the United States opened the way. In France, Health Minister Olivier Véran said the first vaccines will be administered from Sunday, December 27, at care homes for the elderly.
Both the Moderna vaccine and the one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech are known as messenger RNA — or mRNA — vaccines.
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.
[Star] John Brennan, who served as the director of the CIA from 2013 to 2017, admitted the now-infamous videos are "eyebrow-raising" and is keeping his mind open as to what they could be.
Dr. Fauci repeated such figures throughout the pandemic, but about a month ago he started to provide different, higher figures in interviews. In an interview given last month, Fauci suggested that up to 75 percent of Americans would need to be vaccinated in order to establish herd immunity. Just last week, Fauci said in an interview with CNBC that the rate of vaccination may need to be as high as 85 percent or greater.
TOKYO (Reuters) - A top Japanese defence official on Friday urged U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to "be strong" in supporting Taiwan in the face of an aggressive China, calling the island’s safety a "red line."
