The unimportant news thread

[Kalevala]

U.S. officials went door-to-door in Greenland to find anyone who wanted to be visited by the Vances. They found no one.


https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/greenland-usha-vance-visit-trump-b2722857.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJT3P5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHa1aFbrhShBUZadQGzZFAEVVSWDUUrvCm2OsWsyXeKYC2j1hVsym8QtQJw_aem_slvP-YaNCTbSNJHC1UXOIA#

I heard that today on the news.  I can't believe that they have the audacity to go to Greenland.   

K

[T. D.]

I heard that today on the news.  I can't believe that they have the audacity to go to Greenland. 

K

Must not have been (to use an appropriately Fascist term) one of the official news organs like Faux News, Newsmax, ...! 🤣

[Number Six]

It takes some perusal of the above-linked article and the paper it references to get an idea of this.

I am scared of what you described. WOPR and Master Control Program both started as a chess games.

[T. D.]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-29/top-us-vaccine-official-resigns-citing-rfk-misinformation-push

(If paywall, try to open in "Incognito" tab or equivalent)

Peter Marks, who was a key figure in Operation Warp Speed, stepped down from his position as the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, along with gene therapies and blood products.

"I was willing to work to address the Secretary's concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency," he said. "However it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
...
Kennedy has openly questioned the safety of vaccines for years. Early in his tenure as health secretary, HHS has postponed and canceled meetings of outside vaccine experts, announced plans to study links between vaccines and autism and canceled funding to study vaccine hesitancy.
"The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined," Marks said in his resignation letter Friday. "The vaccine very simply does not cause autism, nor is it associated with encephalitis or death."

An HHS official said if Marks doesn't want to get behind Kennedy's push for transparency, he shouldn't stay at the FDA.

[LKB]

RIP Richard Chamberlain.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3v9xzw09z0o

[T. D.]

Wow. This just in:

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/31/frances-le-pen-awaits-verdict-in-embezzlement-trial.html

"The leader of France's far-right National Assembly Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for public office for five years after being found guilty of misappropriating EU funds, according to Reuters and French media."

Where have we heard this phrase before?:

"...Le Pen and her co-accused had denied the charges, while the party describes the trial as a politically-motivated witch hunt..."

[drogulus]

A
 a
  a
   h
    h
     h
      .
       .
        .
         

     Holy Krasnov!

[T. D.]

[T. D.]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/04/national-security-agency-chief-and-deputy-director-dismissed.html

[Kalevala]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/04/national-security-agency-chief-and-deputy-director-dismissed.html

I heard about that yesterday.     God help us!

K

[T. D.]

I heard about that yesterday.    God help us!

K

You're darn tootin'.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Cheeto Mussolini was apparently advised on the matter by a gabbering Twitter weirdo [usual disclaimer about ducking paywall by opening in incognito tab] :

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-04/trump-s-national-security-purge-spotlights-a-far-right-activist

The Trump administration's purge of national security officials this week has thrown a spotlight on the president's ties to far-right activist Laura Loomer and raised questions about the direction of White House strategy as it seeks to end Russia's war on Ukraine, challenge Iran's nuclear program and counter China's rising military might.

A series of dismissals began a day after Loomer met with Donald Trump at the White House. He told reporters on Thursday that "she makes recommendations of things and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations." He said "no, not at all," when asked whether she had anything to do with a round of firings at the National Security Council. But by Friday afternoon, Loomer was taking full credit for the shakeup.

[Kalevala]

You're darn tootin'.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Cheeto Mussolini was apparently advised on the matter by a gabbering Twitter weirdo [usual disclaimer about ducking paywall by opening in incognito tab] :

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-04/trump-s-national-security-purge-spotlights-a-far-right-activist

The Trump administration's purge of national security officials this week has thrown a spotlight on the president's ties to far-right activist Laura Loomer and raised questions about the direction of White House strategy as it seeks to end Russia's war on Ukraine, challenge Iran's nuclear program and counter China's rising military might.

A series of dismissals began a day after Loomer met with Donald Trump at the White House. He told reporters on Thursday that "she makes recommendations of things and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations." He said "no, not at all," when asked whether she had anything to do with a round of firings at the National Security Council. But by Friday afternoon, Loomer was taking full credit for the shakeup.

I believe that she went in with a list of a dozen names and told him something along the lines that they weren't loyal to him and should go.  I think that eight of the names on the list were fired.   

So, I wonder which of his minions know a lot about cybersecurity and speak Russian and have served in the military? 

Anyway, I'll leave it at that as I don't want the thread locked up.

K

[hopefullytrusting]

I thought I was having a health scare, as my skin was darkening in a few areas and that can be a sign of a lot of things.

Turns out the cause was ...

friction, lol.

[T. D.]

OLIVE, N.Y. — Firefighters rescued a fisherman who was immobilized in the Esopus Creek when he got water in his waders, Olive Fire Chief Chris Winne said Tuesday, April 8.

At about 8 p.m. Friday, April 4, the fisherman, who Winne described as a "young male," was in the creek near the state Route 28 bridge and couldn't get out because of the weight of his boots. He made several 911 calls and had been stuck in the water for about 30 minutes before rescuers located him, Winne said.

Winne said the rescued angler is an Olive resident.

[SimonNZ]

[drogulus]

     Xi Jinping's Purges Have Escalated. Here's Why They Are Unlikely to Stop

     China's 'missing' top-level general may be victim of Xi's purge


     It's a familiar pattern, innit? First you purge you opponents and when you run out of them you purge your own comrades.

[Spotted Horses]

I'm no historian, but find history fascinating. Lately I've taken an interest in the "Great Leap Forward."

From Wikipedia

The Great Leap Forward was an economic and social campaign within China from 1958 to 1962, led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Party Chairman Mao Zedong launched the campaign to transform the country from an agrarian society into an industrialized society through the formation of people's communes. Millions of people died in mainland China during the Great Leap, with estimates based on demographic reconstruction ranging from 15 to 55 million, making the Great Chinese Famine the largest or second-largest famine[1] in human history.[2][3][4][5]

The Great Leap Forward stemmed from multiple factors, including "the purge of intellectuals, the surge of less-educated radicals, the need to find new ways to generate domestic capital, rising enthusiasm about the potential results mass mobilization might produce, and reaction against the sociopolitical results of the Soviet [Union]'s development strategy."[6] Mao ambitiously sought an increase in rural grain production and an increase in industrial activity. Mao was dismissive of technical experts and basic economic principles, which meant that industrialization of the countryside would solely be dependent on the peasants.

Those who don't learn from history...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward

[steve ridgway]

Pope puts architect Antoni Gaudí on path to sainthood

Gaudí needs a miracle in order to become a saint - are they going to finish the cathedral?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5xepgypplo

[Kalevala]

Pope puts architect Antoni Gaudí on path to sainthood

Gaudí needs a miracle in order to become a saint - are they going to finish the cathedral?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5xepgypplo

What a cool looking cathedral!  Any idea as to what all needs to be finished?

K

[steve ridgway]

What a cool looking cathedral!  Any idea as to what all needs to be finished?

K

Actually it's nearer completion than I thought -

In March 2024, an updated forecast reconfirmed a likely completion of the building in 2026, though the announcement stated that work on sculptures, decorative details and a controversial stairway leading to the main entrance is expected to continue until 2034. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Família