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Roland99

Roland99's Journal
Roland99's Journal
October 25, 2023

I have a bad feeling about this Speaker vote

I think Johnson will win on this vote

The complete devolution of the GOP into the party of trump will have been completed

“This is how democracy dies. To thunderous applause”

September 27, 2023

Wow. That didn't take long


September 21, 2023

David Brooks whining about the exorbitant cost of airport food (and an EPIC takedown of his tweet)

https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1704819815733473309


I think we all sense that Mr. Brooks claiming he paid $78 for a burger and fries meal at Newark Airport is quite misleading, but how can we prove it?

I had the time this early Thursday morning and decided to investigate.

Here's what I found.

(thread)


There are 61 restaurants listed on the website for the Newark Liberty International Airport, from the Abruzzo Italian Steakhouse (Gate C70) to Zaro's Bakeshop (B Food Court). I began by trying to match the table, chairs, and floor to likely suspects w/ bar + burgers.


This proved to be tedious because none of the available Yelp or TripAdvisor online images of any of the burger and bar restaurants that were listed had close matches. But I focused on one restaurant in particular and did a deep search: the Budweiser Brewhouse (B1 Pre-Security).


I found an image bank of the restaurant via the Untapped social drinking app (https://untappd.com/v/budweiser-brewhouse/11494574/photos…). There were rough matches for the table, chairs, and floor in Mr. Brooks' photo. The red chairs temporarily threw me off, but it appears there are several chair types here.


Finally, as best as I could determine, there is only one restaurant in all of Newark Airport that uses the tray-and-paper deal for serving food. Short of traveling to the Budweiser Brewhouse for definitive confirmation, I feel it's pretty likely this is where Mr. Brooks ate.


There's a PDF menu available for the Budweiser Brewhouse on http://newarkterminalb.com

There are three types of burgers offered + with sub fries added to any of them, the cost for the food, before tax and tip, is no more than $22.18.

NJ sales tax (6.625%) + tip (20%) = $28.09


I did not find a drink menu for the Budweiser Brewhouse online, but maybe one of you more resourceful folks can do that.

But if we look at the price before tip ($23.64) and subtract from Mr. Brooks' stated total cost, assuming before tip, it comes out to about $54 on drinks.


If this is after tipping at 20% (I'm assuming Mr. Brooks is decent enough to tip at that rate), the amount spent on food and alcohol, inc. tax, is $60.80. Minus the cost of food ($23.64), he spent about $37 on alcohol.


Anyway, I'm happy to be wrong here. If Mr. Brooks wants to post his receipt, given that this was important enough for him to talk about in the first place, I'd welcome the correction.

What say you,
@nytdavidbrooks
?

/thread




Brooks' tweet
https://twitter.com/nytdavidbrooks/status/1704668479259820413
September 21, 2023

Hollywood writers reportedly near deal with studios to end strike

Hollywood writers reportedly near deal with studios to end strike
Last Updated: Sept. 21, 2023 at 8:17 a.m. ET
First Published: Sept. 20, 2023 at 10:24 p.m. ET

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/hollywood-writers-reportedly-near-deal-with-studios-to-end-strike-d44b8147

Hollywood writers and studios are reportedly near an agreement to end one of the months-long strikes that have brought production of TV shows and movies to a halt.

Citing sources close to the negotiations, CNBC reported Wednesday night that the two sides were close to a deal following a face-to-face meeting earlier in the day. The sides are reportedly optimistic that an agreement can be finalized Thursday. However, the report also said the strike could drag on through the end of the year if a deal is not reached.


Would be good news if this comes to an agreement. Hopefully it's a fruitful one for the writers
September 20, 2023

Ok, I couldn't take it anymore! Dear gawd! Jordan and Gaetz are CLOWNS!

That entire questioning of Merrick Garland was an absolute JOKE!!

Every "question" was laced with innuendo, bias, rhetoric, etc.

It's "pellucidly clear" that this "hearing" is 100% pure distraction from the mounds and mounds of criminal activity by the entire former administration

September 19, 2023

Wow, I guess Biden is diabolical. He's causing high interest rates in Germany, too.

Yes, that's sarcasm. Directed at the GOP who continuously ignore the fact that inflation is a GLOBAL phenomenon and that the US is actually the lowest current inflation rate of the G7 and the Eurozone.

German bond yields near 12-year high as ECB official says rates will need to stay at record for some time
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/german-bond-yields-near-12-year-high-as-ecb-official-says-rates-will-need-to-stay-at-record-for-some-time-224b2d80

Germany’s benchmark borrowing costs moved near to their highest in more than 12 years early Tuesday after a European Central Bank official stressed interest rates would remain at record levels for an extended period in order to damp inflation.

Francois Villeroy de Galhau, ECB member and Governor of the Bank of France, said in an interview with BFM TV, a French news channel: “Inflation is a disease and rates are the medicine. The medicine is starting to work…. We think 4% is a good level. We need to maintain the rates at 4% a sufficiently long time.”

The ECB last week raised its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 4%, its highest ever level as it seeks to bring inflation back down to its 2% target. Data released Tuesday by Eurostat said inflation in the eurozone was 0.5% month-on-month in August and 5.2% year-on-year.

Ten-year German bund yields BX:TMBMKDE-10Y, the continent’s longer-term benchmark, early in the session rose above 2.72%, just a few basis points shy of their highest since July 2011. They later eased back to trade at 2.705%, off less than 1 basis point on the day.



Chart of inflation rates:
https://www.statista.com/chart/30398/inflation-rates-in-g7-countries/
September 3, 2023

Question: anyone able to find the Aug 16-18 (I think) cbs yougov poll?

Saw a graphic during CBS Sunday Morning that showed a plurality of Americans see other Americans as the greatest threat

Googled for terms and found a poll from that timeframe but not with that question

September 1, 2023

Insensitive, hurtful, ignorant tweet of the year, at least (UCF Football)

UCF Athletics apologizes for ‘CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD’ post after routing Kent State
https://www.clickorlando.com/sports/2023/09/01/ucf-athletics-apologizes-for-call-the-national-guard-post-after-routing-kent-state/

UCF Athletics said in a statement that Terry Mohajir, its vice president and director of athletics, apologized to Kent State for the school’s “unfortunate” post, which was made following the Knights’ 56-6 win over the Golden Flashes.

Paired with a photo showing UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee on the phone, the post stated, “SOMEONE CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD.”

The since-deleted post was made with the intention to reference a famous moment from 1996 during an NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, the UCF statement said. In the sideline clip — with the final score 34-8 in Denver’s favor — Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe pretends to call the president, saying in part, “President, we need the National Guard (...) call the dogs off, send the National Guard.”

On May 2, 1970, the National Guard was called to Kent, Ohio, to disperse anti-war protests being led in large part by Kent State University students. As classes resumed May 4, a day after much of the protesting had been broken up, thousands of demonstrators returned to the university’s campus. National Guardsmen opened fire into a crowd of protesters there, killing four students and wounding nine, one of whom was left paralyzed.

August 31, 2023

Need more proof that Vivek Ramaswampy is nothing but a snake-oil salesman? Ok...

Must-watch video describing how Vivek is a slimey grifter that would give even Bobby Axlerod the shivers

The drug in question failed FOUR trials

After Vivek bought it for practically nothing, he altered one study, even put his mom’s name on it, to make it seem like it was successful

After a subsequent study showed that the drug was completely ineffectual, the stock tanked 99% in one day

https://twitter.com/waltermasterson/status/1696528189647167715


And a little more

Why Axovant's $315M IPO bonanza should scare the hell out of you
By John Carroll
Jun 11, 2015 10:41am
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/why-axovant-s-315m-ipo-bonanza-should-scare-hell-out-of-you

The bare bones of Ramaswamy's new biotech venture, Axovant ($AXON), are much discussed these days. The former hedge fund manager grabbed an abandoned GlaxoSmithKline drug for Alzheimer's for $5 million. He gathered a team together and without recruiting a single patient for a pivotal study of a marginal drug designed to treat symptoms of the disease, just raised $315 million in an upsized IPO that came in at the top of the range and promptly gyrated much higher today as investors bought in.

Axovant, with no track record, no experience and one questionable product, leaped onto the market worth much more than $1 billion.

Given the fact that GlaxoSmithKline had a chance to take a look at this drug in the clinic, and concluded that they couldn't do better than selling it for lunch money, the IPO terms illustrate the kind of overnight riches a select few can find on Wall Street, provided you have the right kind of friends with money.
August 28, 2023

Wow, um, UNC shooter already identified apparently (former LSU student)

I'd still await more widespread confirmation as to the shooter's identity

https://973thedawg.com/ixp/36/p/former-lsu-student-identified-as-shooter-at-unc-chapel-hill/

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (KPEL News) -The University of North Carolina is under lockdown after a suspect opened fire on campus. The person of interest, according to media reports, is a current graduate student at the university but has ties to Louisiana.

Tailei Qi, the UNC graduate student, was identified as a person of interest by UNC police. According to WRAL in Raliegh, he is also listed on a UNC website as having previously attended Louisiana State University and Wuhan University.


his school profile

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Gender: Male
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Current location: Central FL
Member since: Thu Sep 16, 2004, 01:03 PM
Number of posts: 53,345
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