Odds and Ends — 22 January 2024

12 months ago (Edited)

A Zapfic:

Researchers figured out how to crossclone any two species 17 years ago. The Convention Against Human Crosscloning notwithstanding, I’m guessing there’s a teenaged human-alligator somewhere out there. I try not to think about it as I cover another thick slab of bovine-salmon on the grill with marinade.

Written for this challenge.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:

Trading Volume on Proshares Bitcoin ETF Tanks 75% As Focus Shifts To Spot ETFs

Texas ranked No. 1 worst state to live and work in, new study says

Texas? Really? Texas might not be at the top of the list of states I’d want to live in, but Mississippi is definitely at the bottom.

China’s population time bomb is about to explode

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Disease X: Scientists, leaders prepare for a possible virus far deadlier than Covid

Florida Man:

https://twitter.com/covie_93/status/1748878639846875412

Ron DeSantis Ends Presidential Campaign, Endorses Trump

It marked a spectacular implosion for a candidate once seen as having the best chance to dethrone Mr. Trump as the Republican Party’s nominee in 2024.

https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1749164072652996804

https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/1749226310055149767

Politics:

Trump Plays with Fire in Defamation Case

Trump has claimed he intends to testify in the case on Monday — which would probably produce a dramatic courtroom showdown. But it’s unclear whether Trump will really show up. For one thing, he has made similar claims in the past and then not appeared. For another, Tuesday happens to be the day of the New Hampshire primary, and Trump is again running for president.
If he does testify, legal experts said, his time on the witness stand could be something akin to a suicide mission.

Taiwan’s Doubts About America Are Growing

As they watch Washington deadlock on military aid for Ukraine and Israel, and try to imagine what the United States would actually do for Taiwan in a crisis, faith in America is plummeting.
The risk for Taiwan — and those who see it as a first line of defense that, if lost to Beijing, would give China greater power to dominate Asia — is that distrust toward the United States could make it easier for the island to be swallowed up.

The Party of Malice

Donald Trump has made the Republican Party cruel, xenophobic, exclusionary, and bigoted.

Senate Contest Drains Funds from California House Races

California alone has seven GOP House incumbents that Democrats have targeted. The campaign accounts of Schiff and his closest Democratic opponent, fellow Rep. Katie Porter, could transform those contests.
Instead, Schiff and Porter are engaged in an expensive, bruising primary. The tens of millions they’ve raised have largely been spent against each other, not Republicans.

Alleged Qatar spy operation said to have targeted GOP lawmakers opposed to Muslim Brotherhood

The oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar hired a former CIA agent’s company to discredit Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other lawmakers who oppose Hamas and its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Why waste the money? Cruz does an excellent job of discrediting himself.

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1748925524263497943

Never mind Hitler: “Late Fascism” is here, and it doesn’t need Hugo Boss uniforms

https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1749253293543399636

The Republicans Actually Want a Border Crisis