March 31, 2020
I have often heard that becoming an officer in a HOA brings out the worst in people, and this certainly offers proof. The article is here, https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/hoa-to-people-trying-to-earn-a-living-during-the-lockdown-drop-dead/ and it's worth the read!The always quotable H.L. Mencken once observed, "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." For some residents of one unnamed Tennessee neighborhood, that time is now.
A Reddit user went to the legal advice thread with a question about being evicted for working from his condo along with 24 other "offenders."
The HOA complaint -- which was verified as legit by thread moderators -- says, "It has come to our attention that you are in violation of Article VII, Section 8 of our Bylaws" which state that "Commercial business may not be maintained or transacted on any Lot or in any residential unit." As a result, "we will be invoking section II, Article 4 of the Bylaws, which allows the Board to foreclose on any property that is in violation." The HOA president demands, "You must vacate the premises by April 30, 2020."
The letter is dated March 30, 2020, and here's a screencap of it:
There is being an asshole in a crisis, and then there is President-of-the-HOA-during-a-crisis level of asshole. #Coronavirus #COVID pic.twitter.com/G3ZUIEUoQU
— associatesmind (@associatesmind) March 31, 2020With Tennessee under a statewide lockdown, it's unclear exactly how an eviction would work, or where the evictees would go. Also unclear is the legality of the threat, give that "the letter does not serve as a valid quit notice for TN as there is a lack of requisite language they left out," according to one Redditor. "For tenants," they explain, "it fails to give opportunity to cure; for homeowners, there's a whole host of additional issues."
What is clear is that the HOA president is the kind of organically useless martinet for whom lampposts were invented. Or as one Redditor put it, "Your board member is, simply put, bananas."
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
03:39 PM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 420 words, total size 4 kb.
Looks like Donald Trump, rather than just getting rid of Obama-era emissions standards for automobiles, has simply decreased the incremental downgrading of levels permissible.
Trump finalizes fuel standard for cars, setting up a showdown with California
From the Belleville News Democrat:
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday its long-anticipated plan to lower fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, setting up a showdown with California that has sought to set its own stricter emissions standards to fight against climate change.
The final rule decreases standards set forth by the Obama administration in 2012, but increases them from a proposal first set forth by President Donald Trump in 2018.
Trump would now increase carbon dioxide emissions standards by 1.5% each year until 2o26 – a shift from his initial proposal to freeze standards at 2020 levels.
But it is still too low for California’s regulators, who have proposed far more stringent standards and characterizedthe prospect of a 1.5% annual increase as "not nearly enough†to mitigate the worst effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions on the climate.
First, hasn't the Coronavirus pandemic shown the need for MORE global warming? Viruses thrive in cold weather, something we will have if we keep trying to "defeat" climate change.Second, why the hell is Trump caving on this? He's still allowing the Obama-era measures to force manufacturers to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases aka carbon dioxide despite the physics of the problem. This is madness, and Trump ought to know that caving on this sort of thing is just asking for trouble.
Trump administration officials have worked on the lengthy rule proposal for over a year and claim it strikes a balance between environmental and economic concerns.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said that the new rule would overturn former President Barack Obama’s "unachievable†standards and provide consumers with cheaper, safer cars at a time when Americans are driving older vehicles than ever before.
"The newer vehicles will be better for the environment than the vehicles they replace,†Wheeler said. "The lack of fleet turnover creates a host of problems, the most important of which is passenger safety.â€
Chao is Mitch McConnell's wife, by the way, and is only there as a sop to her RINO hubby. She's very much a RINO and on board with Global Warming alarmism.This is a result of losing Scott Pruitt at the EPA. The media drove him out of office with baseless accusations of scandal, and Trump let them do it. Now he's got one of the swamp negotiating for him, and it should surprise nobody that America is going to get this crap rammed down our throats. Cars will wind up costing more. So too will fuel.
Donald Trump was supposed to drain the swamp. So why is the swamp still dictating policies like this?
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
12:26 PM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 480 words, total size 4 kb.
People paid for licenses for hunting and fishing and now Illinois has canceled the seasons - and is refusing to pay these people back. In other words, they stole the money. https://www.bnd.com/news/coronavirus/article241646346.html#storylink=hpdigest_metro-east
Governor "No Neck" Pritzker has been acting like a thug, imposing draconian quarantine orders and screaming at President Trump, but here we are with Pritzker and his Democrat buddies stealing from outdoorsmen. What a peach!
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
11:57 AM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 74 words, total size 1 kb.
All of the steps being taken to combat Wuhan Flu may be just leading us to a big surge later.
According to Jim Steele Director emeritus of San Francisco State’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus:
[...]
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
11:20 AM
| Comments (2)
| Add Comment
Post contains 599 words, total size 5 kb.
This will provide an interesting comparison case as time goes by. Will Sweden's infection rate or fatality rate differ significantly from those of countries with more draconian measures to curtail COVID-19's spread?
What Sweden has done right on Coronavirus
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:53 AM
| Comments (3)
| Add Comment
Post contains 48 words, total size 1 kb.
Conveniently this Wuhan virus has taken the investigations of the FBI and the attempted coup against Trump right out of the news. But it's still ongoing.
Read the latest on the Horowitz Investigation at National Review.
It's amazing how USEFUL this pandemic has been to the Democrats.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:44 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 52 words, total size 1 kb.
Very encouraging results from the Mediterranean chloroquine experiment ... end the lockdown.
https://www.mediterranee-infection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-IHU-2-1.pdf
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:09 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 22 words, total size 1 kb.
Manufacturing production has rebounded in China to pre-Wuhan levels.
According to Breitbart:
China’s manufacturing rebounded in March to record an expansion as authorities relaxed anti-coronavirus disease controls and allowed factories to reopen, an official survey showed Tuesday.
The spike came as the U.S. and rest of the world shut down businesses and furloughed workers.
The boost reinforces the argumentthat holds as long as the U.S. economy remains in question, China will seek to enter the perceived power vacuum created during the pandemic – likely at the expense of U.S. manufacturing and supply capabilities.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party however simply claims it is reviving the world’s second-largest economy after declaring victory over the coronavirus that started in the southern city of Wuhan last December.
I am mindful of the words of Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" when a run on the Building and Loan threatened to close his business and hand all financial power to Mr. Potter "Potter isn't selling, Potter's buying. And that's because we're panicking and he's not."The time for panic is over.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:50 AM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 186 words, total size 2 kb.
Donald Trump has taken this opportunity to stop the invasion of unaccompanied minor children into the United States, and Democrats are not happy about it.
From Breitbart:
"We are concerned about recent reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removing unaccompanied children to countries where they fear violence, in violation of their legal rights under the Trafficking Victim Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA),†a group of senior Democrats said in March 30 letter to Chad Wolf, the acting chief of the Department of Homeland Security.
The letter was signed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D.-Calif.). They are the top Democrats on the Senate and House judiciary committees and immigration subcommittees.
The Democrats continued:
Reports that DHS is not following the TVPRA are deeply troubling. We have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of these children. Children do not have to be put in harm’s way to protect us from the coronavirus pandemic. DHS has the ability and capacity to protect both these children and the public. We request that DHS stop this practice immediately.
In the 2019 and 202o budget battles, Democrats blocked funding for a DHS program that sought to close the pipeline by identifying and deporting the parents of the UACs.
The new letter is likely the opening shot for a push by Democrats to defund the DHS anti-UAC policy actions. The fight will be part of the 2021 spending fights, and GOP leaders will likely agree to curbs on DHS in exchange for Democrats’ agreement with the GOP’s business priorities.
If the UAC pipeline is closed, many Central American migrants will return to their home countries. That return would nudge up blue collar wages – but would also reduce income in the white-collar immigration sector.
Hey Democrats, crises can benefit others than just you. You started it.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:46 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 325 words, total size 3 kb.
I recently posted this article from the Jerusalem Post on Facebook and an old schoolmate scoffed at it:
I had thought to just ignore him but decided to answer for the sake of others:
The authors are primarily discussing the echo effect in modern society. The media finds something and pumps it up because it's a good story, and then some scientists or other authorities, eager for camera time, don't tell the public that there are two or more possible outcomes but rather promote the scariest, worst case scenario because that is what the media want. (Ferguson himself said he would rather overreact than under-react.) Politicians - whores by nature - get on board. The end result is a kind of panic - a state of perpetual fear as Michael Crichton called it. And public policy is done poorly as a result.
That said neither the authors of the piece nor I deny this is a dangerous virus, but it is not being handled in the same way as previous outbreaks. This is not smallpox, nor even the Spanish flu. More people will probably die from the economic collapse that "shelter in place" is in the process of causing Jeff. Economists are predicting as high as a 30% unemployment rate -- higher than the peak of the Great Depression - because of the collapse of businesses. https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2020-03-23/fed-official-unemployment-could-hit-30-as-coronavirus-slams-economy
As the authors say, it is a cost/saving benefit analysis. I am not in total agreement with them, but I think they have a solid point. These are two social scientists, looking at the event from a social science perspective. Calling it ridiculous suggests you didn't read it, or are simply alarmist without facts.
The fact is the Spanish flu of 1918 infected five hundred million people and killed fifty million or thereabouts worldwide. In America it killed 675,000 Americans - a number that dwarfs the Coronavirus as of March 29 was 680,000 infections worldwide and 41,700 deaths. The U.S. tally is 164,798 infections and 3,178 deaths. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Those numbers will grow; an epidemic is a bell curve. Until we develop herd immunity we won't stop this. We will probably have a lull come summer (viruses hate heat and light) then a possible return in the fall. But it will run it's course quarantine or no.
Most of the big outbreaks have been in specific, isolated spots, primarily in Wuhan but also in parts of Italy and in specific places in the U.S. (Washington state in particular and New York City.) It primarily kills people with pre-existing conditions or the elderly. Cause for concern? Sure. But to impose a quarantine across the board? We did that in a few cities during the Spanish flu, but did not impose it across the nation even then - when things were so much worse.
That said, the authors of the article did in no way disparage voluntary quarantine or any steps taken EXCEPT mandatory shutdowns. Jeff, you have to see the danger to the economy and to the Constitution of some of what is being done and more that is being proposed. A LOT more people will die from the collapse. That is not conspiracy theory, nor is it wrong. And it is being completely disregarded in the current panic. Children panic. We need adults at this time.
Oh, and Jeff the article is in the Jerusalem Post, hardly a kook forum.
I doubt he'll respond. If he does I'll let everyone know.
ADDENDUM: There's more:
JL Mueller:
I reply:
I conclude:
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
08:51 AM
| Comments (50)
| Add Comment
Post contains 997 words, total size 7 kb.
March 30, 2020
The story of a Brooklyn-based photographer who claims to have wooed a woman via drone during self-isolation is bubbling up once again.
Last week, Jeremy Cohen shared news of the potential romance on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, along with a video explaining how he first saw the woman from his apartment window while she was dancing on a rooftop nearby. Since he was under self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, he decided to send over a drone affixed with his phone number. Cohen said she texted him soon afterward.
In the days since, Cohen claims to have also gone on a first "date†with this mystery woman — whose name is Tori — by arranging simultaneous, socially-distanced dinner plans, with him on his balcony and her on her rooftop. He also documented this date on video, sharing "Part 2†of the saga on Wednesday.
Go, Jeremy, go! I hope this turns into a wonderful, loving relationship! If so, it proves drones are good for something other than annoying people!
Read about it here, https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/brooklyn-man-wooed-woman-drone-date-amid-coronavirus-wears-bubble and if you're like me, you'll be rooting for this couple just as I am.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
02:49 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 244 words, total size 2 kb.
Excellent piece.
"THE "STRATEGY†of social distancing has been implemented through widespread shutdowns.
But what is the actual cost of saving a life under the current strategy? Does this justify shutting down the economy and creating chaos and misery in many human dimensions? Public health officials, working with an unscrupulous media, have feverishly constructed a false and misleading narrative that conveniently fits their apocalyptic view of a "crisis.â€
This has compelled politicians, even those who would normally reject draconian measures to stifle economic activity, to engage in the most rapid form of self-inflicted wealth destruction and restriction of economic liberty we have ever witnessed in a free society.â€
From the article:
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:05 AM
| Comments (29)
| Add Comment
Post contains 171 words, total size 1 kb.
Anthony Fauci brags about the response of the Trump Administration to the Coronavirus. Fauci calls it impressive and says he couldn't imagine anyone doing a better job.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization also praised Trump for his steady response.
So why is Nancy Pelosi talking about investigating Trump for incompetence and perhaps malfeasance? She calls for]/link] an "after action review" and blames Trump for loss of life.
If she were serious about that last she would keep quiet now. That she is essentially calling for a new impeachment is proof she doesn't believe it and doesn't care. That's why she held up emergency funding in her quest for pork spending, like funding for Planned Parenthood, vote harvesting, carbon credits, etc.
And of course, she never met a baby she didn't want to abort, so how can she be so serious now about loss of life? SHE cost a lot more lives than we've lost to this virus.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:21 AM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 167 words, total size 2 kb.
Looks like Trump was right about the whole Wuhan virus.
From Haaretz:
Herd immunity is the primary way this will be overcome. We can run but we can't hide.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:00 AM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 113 words, total size 1 kb.
Calif. Releases Jailed Child Killers to Prevent Getting Coronavirus, But Prepares to Arrest Quarantine Breakers
Meanwhile Illegals are demanding a share of the stimulus money.
FROM TIM:
What about the homeless? How are THEY being quarantined?
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
07:42 AM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 44 words, total size 1 kb.
"Given that economic stagnation and unemployment really do endanger human life, our current bleak choice is between many short-term deaths and a much larger long-term death toll created by impoverishment.
The Government's Pandemic Strategy is a Reckless One
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
06:46 AM
| Comments (21)
| Add Comment
Post contains 57 words, total size 1 kb.
COVID 19 Exposes Opponents of Fracking for Oil and Natural Gas
"Fracking opponents stand on the wrong side of history at the worst possible time.†Jude Clemente
The recent UN report unmasks several realities: Three billion people
rely on such biomass as wood and dung for heating and cooking; Interior/
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
06:34 AM
| Comments (14)
| Add Comment
Post contains 90 words, total size 1 kb.
March 29, 2020
"Point of absurdity." Well, Cuomo is certainly an expert on such things, I would say. He's been proving it for years.New York Gov.Andrew Cuomo is threatening to sue Rhode Island over its new coronavirus policy that calls for police to stop cars with New York license plates and has seen National Guard members go door-to-door to ask if anyone has arrived from the Empire State.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo -- like Cuomo, a Democrat -- announced the drastic new policies last week to limit the spread of the coronavirus. New York is the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., confirming more than 52,000 cases of COVID-19 and recording more than 700 deaths.
"I understand the goal ... but there’s a point of absurdity, and I think what Rhode Island did is at that point of absurdity," said Cuomo. "We have to keep the ideas and the policies we implement positive rather than reactionary and emotional.â€
No word about what happens if the traveling New Yorkers decide they want to stay. Enough people are leaving New York -- and taking their tax dollars with them -- as it is.He added that he believes the two governors could "work it out."
Raimondo said the policies were intended to make sure people from New York would self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Rhode Island.
"I want to be crystal clear about this: If you're coming to Rhode Island from New York you are ordered into quarantine," she said. "The reason for that is because more than half of the cases of coronavirus in America are in New York."
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
12:42 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 313 words, total size 3 kb.
Sound familiar?
[...]
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:14 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 140 words, total size 1 kb.
Ilhan Omar - the bitch that keeps on giving!
"All private hospitals should be made public for the duration of the virus,†the Minnesota Democrat wrote on Twitter.
She despises America. Why doesn't she return to her homeland? Oh, wait; they don't even HAVE hospitals in Moghadishu, just mats on the street corners.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:11 AM
| Comments (7)
| Add Comment
Post contains 61 words, total size 1 kb.