Does recycling work? Sure! On aluminum, cardboard, and glass... but that's about it. Everything else we're "recycling," especially plastics, aren't actually being recycled with in ways that are saving the planet. In fact, every time plastic is recycled, it becomes less and less useable.

“Recycling is an industry that uses increasingly expensive labor to produce materials that are worth less and less,” says John Tierney, author of the New York Times Magazine story "Recycling Is Garbage." //

“If you think of the United States as a football field,” says Tierney, “all the garbage that we will generate in the next 1,000 years would fit inside a tiny fraction of the one-inch line.”

Moreover, if we stopped recycling plastic, the savings we'd have would blow your mind. Stossel says that in his own town, $340 million would be saved a year if the recycling stopped.

Even Greenpeace admits recycling isn't actually doing what people think it is, as Stossel points out in his video.

“It’s appalling that after telling people for three decades to recycle, they don’t even apologize for all the time and money that they wasted,” said Tierney. “Instead, they have a proposal (banning plastic) that will make life even worse.”

Geiger Capital
@Geiger_Capital
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Absolutely hilarious line from Trump’s TIME Person of the Year interview…

TIME: “Speaking of Kamala. What do you think her worst mistake was in the campaign?”

TRUMP: “Taking the assignment.”
10:53 AM · Dec 12, 2024

“Taking the assignment,” he replied. "Number one. Because you have to know what you are good at."

Even when not in situations where violence is needed, men are excellent leaders and decision makers. They're solution-oriented and effective at implementing these solutions, even in the midst of pushback.

So the key to control is to kick that will to fight out of men, and to do that, you have to have a multi-front assault on masculinity and the inherent drives of men. It's something that has to be done over a long period of time, and if you look at our current situation in terms of the state of masculinity, you'll see this very plan has been in motion for a while. //

Our society, including our schools, have done a lot to both intentionally and unintentionally remove the fighting spirit and masculinity of men. Boys are treated like "defective girls" as psychologist Michael Thompson put it. Their natural energy and rambunctiousness is suppressed with rules and even drugs. Their preoccupation with action-based play, mock battles, and games that center on good vs. evil have become punishable offenses.

They tell young men that their masculinity is evil, and needs to be reduced if not eliminated entirely. It's "toxic," and needs to be reimagined to be softer, passive... and quiet. In media, the men are no loner displayed as strong, they're not put into leadership roles, and if they are, then there's always a female counterpart who is always better in every way that counts. Stars even go so far as to display themselves in women's clothing, showing that masculinity is just a social construct and men should embrace this new softer side of themselves by acting like women. //

Of course, then there's the way society comes down on masculinity in social situations. Commercials like the Gillette "We Believe" ad painted the very nature of men as ridiculous and awful, and while the pushback cost P&G billions, all it did was teach big stage tastemakers not to attack men directly and do it subversively instead. Corporations began promoting "transgender" people, celebrating males becoming females.

There were also legal punishments for being masculine, and you saw that recently in the form of Daniel Penny, a man who stood up for the innocent and took down a violent criminal, neutralizing him and saving others. Penny was thankfully found innocent in a court of law, but let's not pretend this wasn't an attempt to dissuade onlooking men from being a hero when the time came.

Carl Jackson brought up this very point in a recent program where he said, "if you abolish chivalry, you increase the nanny state." He brings up the fact that the left wants me to "tuck their testicles" and notes, as I have, that they've been "largely successful." //

We have to start celebrating masculinity. We have to start encouraging boys to be boys. We have to make men dangerous again.

Because a free, stable society cannot exist if dangerous men aren't there to protect and maintain it. There is no civilization if men aren't willing to fight for it. There is no order if dangerous men aren't willing to establish it. //

Magnus
8 hours ago
Dr Peterson has discussed this with details. Dangerous, disciplined, chivalrous men who are locked and loaded. Mr. Penny comes to mind.

People of Iran, as we see history unfold before our very eyes, I can only imagine what you’re feeling right now. Your oppressors spent over 30 billion supporting Assad in Syria. Today, after only 11 days of fighting, his regime collapsed into the dust. Your presence spent billions supporting Hamas and Gaza. Today their regime lies in ruins.

Your oppressors over $20 billion supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a matter of weeks, most of Hezbollah’s leaders, its rockets, and thousands of its terrorists went up in smioke. The money your oppressors stole from you literally went up in smoke. You must be furious imagining the new roads, schools, hospitals, that could have been built with the tens of billions of dollars your dictators wasted backing terrorists who lose over and over and over again.

Do you know why Iran's oppressors keep losing? It's not only because they're incompetent and cruel -- they are. It's because they seek to conquer other nations, to impose a fundamentalist journey on the Middle East, on the entire world. The only thing Israel seeks is to defend our state, but in so doing we're defending civilization against barbarism. //

I want to make clear: Israel wants peace. We want peace with all those who truly want peace with us, and I have no doubt that you, the people of Iran, know this. I know that just as we want peace with you, you want peace with us, but you suffer under the rule of a regime that subjugates you and threatens us.

You know what this regime is truly terrified of? It's terrified of you. The people of Iran. And one day, I know that this will change.

One day Iran will be free.

That is the future of Iran, that is the future of peace. And I have no doubt that we will realize that future together a lot sooner than people think. I know and I believe we will transform the Middle East into a beacon of prosperity, progress and peace.

1 You servants of God, your Master proclaim,
and publish abroad his wonderful name;
the name all-victorious of Jesus extol;
his kingdom is glorious and rules over all.
2 God rules in the height, almighty to save;
though hid from our sight, his presence we have;
the great congregation his triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.
3 "Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!"
let all cry aloud, and honor the Son;
the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.
4 Then let us adore and give him his right:
all glory and power, all wisdom and might,
all honor and blessing with angels above
and thanks never ceasing for infinite love.

Crown Him (arr. Dan Forrest)

None were "authorized or directed," which doesn't necessarily mean that they did or did not encourage others. Also, it's interesting that only three were assigned, while the others evidently showed up on their own. Mr. Horowitz, in the linked article, does not offer any speculation as to why the remaining 21 "confidential human sources" were in attendance. One of the three, however, did actually enter the Capitol despite not being ordered or authorized to do so.

OrneryCoot
3 hours ago
If Patel and Trump bring all of this information to light, I believe that the public will respond in kind; trusting the public with such information will bring about trust BY the people for this administration, which will bode well for midterms and 2028. It will by no means be the most important thing, but it will carry significance for many. That alone is a reason to declassify and release material like that described above. //

Chelan Jim
2 hours ago
And why was the balloon, the size of a school bus, allowed to float across the continent taking pictures/images without interception. Are we that confident that no military, commercial or strategic utility targets need not worry of such an invasion of our airspace?

U.S. citizens would be arrested for flying a drone near many of the areas this balloon got near enough to take hi-res video and pictures. //

charlie
2 hours ago
Releasing all of the info may help further harm the reputations of the agencies involved - making it easier for Elon/Vivek and President Trump to clean house

Another line of criticism focuses on Hegseth’s personal life. To be sure, Hegseth wouldn’t meet the qualifications to serve as an elder or pastor in a church, and he has admitted to poor decisions in the past. But this raises a broader cultural question: When did Americans stop celebrating redemption stories? Today, Hegseth is happily married, active in his church, and a devoted father who embraces classical homeschooling. He served his country in combat and earned the respect and loyalty of those who worked with him in both military and civilian life.

Redemption is a deeply American ideal, but it often seems selectively applied. I recall reading about convicted bank robber Shon Hopwood, who, after release, earned a law degree and went on to teach at the Georgetown University Law Center—a story presented as an inspiring tale of growth and perseverance. But do the same people who applauded that story extend the same grace to Hegseth, a man who has overcome personal failings to achieve admirable success? If we value growth and change, shouldn’t we apply this principle consistently?

Evaluating someone’s past for predictions of future behavior is fair, but the recent past matters just as much as the distant past. //

Ultimately, the debate over Hegseth’s nomination reflects deeper societal tensions: between forgiveness and accountability, between ideological loyalty and open-mindedness, and between traditional and unconventional leadership. Whether or not one believes Hegseth to be the right person to serve as the next secretary of defense, this debate forces us to confront how we choose leaders and what values we prioritize in doing so.

As for me in this moment, I echo what Abraham Lincoln said of Ulysses S. Grant. “I can’t spare this man, he fights!” The bureaucrats had their turn. We would do well to have a warrior like Pete Hegseth leading the military as soon as possible.

The House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its final report on Tuesday. The report covers the July 13 wounding of President-elect Trump at Butler, Pennsylvania, and the September 15 assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida. //

So, the Secret Service was notified at 2:30 a.m. that Trump would play golf. He arrived at the golf course around 11 a.m. At 1:30 p.m., Trump having been on the golf course for about two hours, the Secret Service is conducting its preliminary sweep of the golf course boundary and discovers the shooter. The shooter, Ryan Wesley Routh, had been in his shooting position since 1:59 a.m. This latter data point is not mentioned in the report.

I'm not a highly trained Secret Service agent; I'm just a dumb sh** infantryman from Southside Virginia, but if I'd been given that mission, I would have conducted a preliminary sweep of the golf course sometime after dawn, placed observation posts at key spots and then done a rolling sweep after the golf party started moving. I would not have started my first pass over the golf course as Trump was playing through.

But it gets a lot better. //

The agent who discovered Routh fired six rounds (they think) at the gunman from a distance of five feet, scoring a perfect goose egg. //

How does any human miss a target basically within arm's reach? How do you get within five feet of a gunman without seeing anything (rhetorical question: you probably have your earbuds in, listening to tunes or a podcast, and daydreaming about what you're going to do when you get off shift)? And how, in the name of all that is Holy, can't you definitively tell how many rounds were fired? "[B]elieved six shots in total were fired" is NOT a number. Don't they keep track of ammunition in the Secret Service? Don't they have an SOP for loading magazines? How will "final ballistics" help determine this if you apparently don't know how many rounds you started out with? //

The Secret Service is a broken organization. A shameful performance by Director Kimberly Cheatle at a congressional hearing (BREAKING: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns After Disastrous Hearing – RedState) and the juvenile "I'm a public servant" rant by Acting Director Ronald Rowe last week (MUST SEE: Screaming Fight Between GOP Rep, Secret Service Director at Trump Assassination Attempt Hearing) are just the most visible indicators of an organization that is just not capable of carrying out its mission of protecting the president.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a landmark decision striking down Nasdaq’s board diversity rules, marking a significant setback for corporate diversity initiatives imposed by regulatory bodies.

While the rules aimed to increase representation of women and minorities on corporate boards, the court found them inconsistent with federal securities laws, emphasizing limits on the authority of regulatory agencies to shape corporate governance. The Fifth Circuit's ruling deals a blow to recent, progressive trends in the corporate world - pushed by government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - calling for more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on corporate boards. //

The ruling redefines the landscape for diversity efforts in corporate America. It underscores that DEI goals must be pursued voluntarily and market-driven rather than through regulatory mandates. Nasdaq, acknowledging the court’s decision, stated it would not seek further review. Meanwhile, the SEC is evaluating its response.

“We are so very thankful for the opportunity to share the joyful and powerful message of Christmas at the steps of the United States Capitol,” Mahoney said. “In a hurting and wounded world, there is no more redemptive and healing message than the Christmas story. The hopeful declaration of ‘Peace on earth, goodwill toward man,’ is one that needs to be heard and embraced by all Americans.”

Mahoney then quoted Isaiah 9:6, where the prophet hails the Messiah as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

“This is also a significant victory for religious freedom and the 1st Amendment,” Mahoney added. “This event has ended and won the war on Christmas in the public square.”

To the Lamb on the Throne - SSA(A)

Affordable coverage
In 2024, a job-based health plan is considered "affordable" if your share of the monthly premium in the lowest-cost plan offered by the employer is less than 8.39% of your household income. In 2025, it is considered "affordable" if the premium is less than 9.02% of your household income.
" The lowest-cost plan must also meet the minimum value standard. //

If the premiums aren’t considered affordable for the employee and the household, they may qualify for savings in a Marketplace plan. But, if the premium is considered affordable for the employee, but not for other members of the household, then only the other household members may qualify for savings.

Taking stock of spaceflight one-quarter of the way through the 2000s. //

2. Ingenuity flies on Mars
   Almost everyone reading this article remembers the seven minutes of terror associated with the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars in 2012. A similar thing happened nine years later when the Perseverance rover landed on Mars (this time, with some amazing video of the dynamic experience). Yet as cool as these landings were, and as impressive as the capabilities of Curiosity and Perseverance are, a tiny payload named Ingenuity carried by Perseverance stole the show on Mars. //

3. Falcon Heavy launch, dual rocket landing
   By popular demand, this mission in February 2018 ranks in the top spot. The visuals were irresistible. The rocket launch itself was impressive, with the combination of 27 Merlin rocket engines generating a brightness that one almost had to look away from. Then the twin boosters separated and returned to Earth, landing like a pair of synchronized swimmers. Finally, there was the arresting view of a cherry red Tesla (and Starman) flying away from Earth in the general direction of Mars.

It was a spectacle that understandably captured the public’s attention. But the new rocket was more than a spectacle. By designing, building, and launching the Falcon Heavy, SpaceX demonstrated that a private company could independently fund and fly the largest and most powerful rocket in the world. This showed that commercial, heavy-lift rockets were possible. By providing competition to the Delta IV Heavy, the Falcon Heavy saved the US government billions. It's likely that the US government will never design and develop a rocket ever again.

Eleven months after the Ingenuity helicopter made its final flight on Mars, engineers and scientists at NASA and a private company that helped build the flying vehicle said they have identified what probably caused it to crash on the surface of Mars.

In short, the helicopter's on-board navigation sensors were unable to discern enough features in the relatively smooth surface of Mars to determine its position, so when it touched down, it did so moving horizontally. This caused the vehicle to tumble, snapping off all four of the helicopter's blades.

It is not easy to conduct a forensic analysis like this on Mars, which is typically about 100 million miles from Earth. Ingenuity carried no black box on board, so investigators have had to piece together their findings from limited data and imagery.

"While multiple scenarios are viable with the available data, we have one we believe is most likely: Lack of surface texture gave the navigation system too little information to work with," said Ingenuity’s first pilot, Håvard Grip of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a news release. //

Amazingly, the vehicle was able to recharge somewhat with its solar panels and is continuing to communicate about once a week with the Perseverance rover that brought it to Mars in February 2021. This will last a little while longer before the rover and helicopter lose line-of-sight communications.

The remarkable success of Ingenuity has prompted NASA engineers to already begin planning for possible follow-on missions, including a larger "Mars Chopper" that could carry scientific instruments to study areas inaccessible to rovers.

The conclusions themselves aren't especially interesting; they're expected from a report with partisan aims. But the method used to reach those conclusions is often striking: The Republican majority engages in a process of systematically changing the standard of evidence needed for it to reach a conclusion. For a conclusion the report's authors favor, they'll happily accept evidence from computer models or arguments from an editorial in the popular press; for conclusions they disfavor, they demand double-blind controlled clinical trials.

This approach, which I'll term "shifting the evidentiary baseline," shows up in many arguments regarding scientific evidence. But it has rarely been employed quite this pervasively. So let's take a look at it in some detail and examine a few of the other approaches the report uses to muddy the waters regarding science. We're likely to see many of them put to use in the near future. //

So how to handle the disproportionate amount of evidence in favor of a hypothesis that the committee didn't like? By acting like it doesn't exist. "By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin, it would have already surfaced," the report argues. Instead, it devotes page after page to suggesting that one of the key publications that laid out the evidence for a natural origin was the result of a plot among a handful of researchers who wanted to suppress the idea of a lab leak. Subsequent papers describing more extensive evidence appear to have been ignored.

Meanwhile, since there's little scientific evidence favoring a lab leak, the committee favorably cites an op-ed published in The New York Times. //

Put differently, even weak scientific evidence is preferable to a New York Times op-ed, yet the report opts for the latter.

This sort of shifting of the evidentiary baseline has been a feature of some of the more convoluted arguments in favor of creationism or against the science of climate change. But it has mostly been confined to arguments that take place outside the view of the general public. Given its extensive adoption by politicians, however, we can probably expect the public to start seeing a lot more of it.

Speaker Mike Johnson
@SpeakerJohnson
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BREAKING: ActBlue was accepting foreign gift cards until September.

This is ILLEGAL.

The @HouseAdmin Committee will continue this important investigation into ActBlue next Congress.

Our work here is just getting started.
Just the News
@JustTheNews
Breaking: ActBlue Bombshell: Dem fundraising platform tells Congress it didn't block foreign gift cards until fall https://justthenews.com/node/138532?utm_source=mux&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=social-media-autopost
11:15 AM · Dec 11, 2024. //

bpbatch
6 hours ago
The Trump team and the RNC would behoove themselves to run ads that highlight these schemes and shenanigans--through Nov 2026, at least--to constantly remind reminsquishy voters how corrupt and evil the Democrat Party actually is. Call it propaganda propogandor truth, but plant the seeds now and END this political farce of a party.

DaveM
2 hours ago
"An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024.”"
Given that the release of that information was itself a violation of the law- what is the status of this employee? //

Sojourner
2 hours ago edited
There are no adults in charge of the DoD writ large, the Army in general, and the USMA specifically.

The obvious question should be, "Who's getting fired for this?" We should ALL want to see some accountability here and not get any more of this "nameless employee" CYA BS.

On a separate note, "Go Army, beat Navy." //

David62
2 hours ago edited
It's not worth trying to prove they intentionally deceived. It would be difficult to prove and it helps Hegseth anyway. Regarding the release of personal info though - They still should not be allowed to get away with releasing his personal information. Federal employees and military all receive repeated training in privacy act, classification processes, and penalties. They know the rules. Do not let that part drop. Nobody in the position to be able to speak with reporters or inquirers of any kind, is ignorant of the rules.

Steven Dennis @StevenTDennis
·
In one of their final acts in office, Sinema and Manchin nuke a Biden pick for the National Labor Relations Board in a big loss for organized labor.
1:57 PM · Dec 11, 2024. //

Well, payback is rarely kind, and Sinema and Manchin just delivered a well-deserved helping of it. Voters rejected the Democratic Party labor agenda in November. Giving McFerran another five-year term would have been a slap in the face to the American people who do not want unions being given special carveouts at a cost to everyone else.

Consider this another example of Democrats overplaying their hand. They don't know how to do anything in moderation, and in their lust for power, they gave up two formerly solid votes (when it comes to confirmations) to appease the far-left. Those chickens have come home to roost. I don't know where Sinema and Manchin go from here now that they are leaving office, but their preservation of the filibuster and rejection of the Democrat status-quo has done the country a great service.