Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Memba?..

 


After the U.S. Congress voted to release all of the files connected to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's case in late 2025, social media users began recirculating a painting of former President Bill Clinton purportedly found in the financier's New York City apartment.

The painting is authentic — as in, Australian-American artist Petrina Ryan-Kield genuinely created it using oil on canvas, not with artificial intelligence or photo editing tools. As of this writing, prints of the painting, titled "Parsing Bill," were available to purchase from the prominent online art gallery Saatchi.  

Ryan-Kield reportedly told Artnet News that Clinton's attire in the painting is a reference to Monica Lewinsky's blue dress, a central part of the media circus around his affair with his former intern, who later became an anti-cyberbullying activist. According to ArtNet, Ryan-Kield said the painting, as part of a series of work she made, was supposed to be about "how opposition parties caricature presidents."

Fak..It..

 

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville argued on Friday that the changing economy has left young people behind, and that Democrats must ditch radical cultural agendas to win their support.

Commentators on both the left and right have warned that there is an affordability crisis as young people struggle to join the middle class and obtain the same lifestyle previous generations did. 

Housing prices continue to climb, while employers in key industries rely more heavily on foreign H-1B visa workers, contributing to tougher competition even for entry-level jobs.

Carville then called out Democrats, saying they must stop getting distracted by unpopular culture-war issues and refocus.

"I think the Democrats, as I've pointed out in the piece, it is quit f---ing around with all this cultural stuff and start talking about people's wages, start talking about what we can do to protect people who are trying to make it, and particularly young people," he said,  

Comment:

What happened to Protecting Democracy?     Just a thought.

Citizenship..

 


Immigrants from Haiti, Venezuela, and several other countries were pulled from a naturalization ceremony at the last minute as they prepared to take the oath of allegiance and become U.S. citizens. The incident occurred on Thursday at historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, where several hundred candidates had gathered for what was meant to be a celebratory milestone.

The Trump administration recently established a list of 19 countries deemed “high risk.” The list includes Haiti, Venezuela, several African nations, and several countries in the Middle East and Asia. Nationals of these countries now undergo additional vetting—even at the final step of the naturalization process. According to immigrant rights groups, applying this scrutiny at the moment of the ceremony is a major departure from long-standing USCIS practice. 

The oath ceremony traditionally serves as a formal confirmation, not an additional screening phase. All the candidates who were removed had already met all legal requirements. Their sudden exclusion, based solely on national origin, raises important legal questions.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren denounced the practice. This is outrageous and un-American.

Comment:

Not sure anymore what is Un-American on proper vetting. Just a thought.

MacK..

 


Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $7.2 billion this year in her biggest ever giving announcement. 

The gifts bring her total philanthropy to $26 billion over the past half decade. 

Scott, 55, who was married to Amazon.com Inc. co-founder Jeff Bezos until 2019, made the latest contributions to 186 organizations around the world, including universities, environmental nonprofits and groups fighting for equality.

Scott’s net worth stands at almost $40 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, largely stemming from her stake in Amazon. Earlier this year, a filing showed that she had reduced her holding in the online retailer by $12.6 billion. 

Since her split from Bezos, Scott has become one of the most prolific philanthropists in history. Her giving is characterized by large gifts to small or otherwise overlooked nonprofits. Unlike some other billionaire donors, her donations come with few strings attached, giving recipients the chance to use the money as they see fit.

 Just a thought.

Monday, December 8, 2025

Feel Good..



Physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, the brain's natural mood

Exercise helps manage tension and depression through several key mechanisms: 

Releases "Feel-Good" Chemicals: Physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, the brain's natural mood elevators and painkillers. It also increases levels of other neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which are often diminished in people with depression.

Regular exercise helps modulate the body's stress response system (the HPA axis), leading to lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

 Exercise supports neuroplasticity by increasing the birth of new neurons and the growth of new connections in brain regions associated with mood and memory, such as the hippocampus.

 Exercise offers a break from the cycle of negative thoughts and rumination that feeds depression and anxiety, acting as a form of "meditation in motion".

 Setting and achieving fitness goals can provide a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy, which improves self-worth. Group exercises also offer social interaction, combating feelings of isolation.
 
Exercise helps regulate sleep patterns and quality, which are often disrupted by tension and depression. 

Any amount of physical activity is better than none, but specific guidelines exist for optimal benefits: 

Fraud..

 


U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced the Treasury Department is investigating allegations of fraud in Minnesota.

In a post on X, Bessent claimed that under mismanagement from the Biden administration and Governor Tim Walz, tax dollars may have been diverted to a terrorist organization, Al-Shabaab.

We are acting fast to ensure Americans’ taxes are not funding acts of global terror. We will share our findings as our investigation continues,” Bessent wrote.

It comes after President Donald Trump said last month he would strip Somali immigrants in Minnesota of Temporary Protective Status.

Kids..


Michael and Susan Dell on Tuesday announced that they are donating $6.25 billion to fund investment accounts for at least 25 million American children.

The enormous pledge will go toward helping fund “Trump Accounts,” a new initiative that offers investment accounts for children. The “Trump Accounts” were established as part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and are set to launch in 2026.

It’s The Dells’ charitable gift will go toward children ages 10 and under who were born before the cut-off for the Treasury’s funding. The Dells’ donation will fund $250 deposits for investment accounts for at least 25 million children, resulting in a total gift of $6.25 billion. of the largest private investments in American children in history, according to Invest America, a nonprofit organization helping spearhead the initiative to develop these accounts.

“We feel super excited to be able to make a difference in millions of children’s futures and create opportunity, hope and prosperity for them,” Michael Dell, CEO at Dell Technologies, told CNN in a phone interview.

Fee..

 


The US Border Patrol warned Friday it will be imposing a $5,000 “apprehension fee” to all illegal migrants caught in the country.

The penalty was approved under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” and is in addition to other fines already levied against some illegal immigrants taken into custody, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said in a Friday statement on X.

.Banks said that any migrants “age 14 or older” who entered or were brought into the US “without inspection” will be slapped with a $5,000 fee.

The new “apprehension fee” was included in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was approved by Congress in early July.

The act allowed for upwards of $170 billion to be put towards immigration enforcement over the next four years.

Since Trump entered office for his second term, illegal border crossings have plummeted to their lowest level since 1970.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have been conducting raids across the country, including in New York City and Los Angeles.

Comment:

It looks like the Democrats in New York applying "Congestion Pricing" which was opposed by the President.

Arrest..

 




Armed agents stormed a rural New York factory in September, arresting nearly 60 workers in the state’s largest immigration raid since Trump returned to office, according to Times Union.

Most detainees are still jailed or deported. Some had valid asylum claims or work permits, but were swept up anyway. One man, Edwin Ordoñez Luna, was granted asylum but lost his home, job, and girlfriend in the chaos.

Federal officials are now investigating whether Nutrition Bar Confectioners knowingly hired undocumented workers. The raid has left families reeling, with children separated from parents, and a growing legal fight challenging the raid’s legitimacy.

Comment

A country of law abiding people or just some are abiding and some are enriching themselves taking advantage of others?

Friday, December 5, 2025

Today..

 

Comment:

The Democratic Party is embracing anyone out of anywhere?