If You Use Ice, You’re Privileged Or Something

By William Teach September 12, 2023 – 2:55 pm

Well, I really didn’t have this on the bingo card

It’s always something with these people

(Axios) Ice — in exotically shaped cubes, boozy popsicles or suffusing your coffee — is having its moment in the zeitgeist.

Why it matters: During a record hot summer when icebound places are melting rapidly, it makes sense that ice — a commodity we take for granted until it grows scarce — has turned chic.

“There’s this trend of people trying to be more sophisticated about how they keep their drinks cool,” Leana Salamah of the International Housewares Association tells Axios.

Driving the news: Ice is popping up everywhere, all at once:

Let’s look at that list

  • Cocktail culture has embraced giant ice spheres, mini-cubes and novelty shapes (like bulldogs, skulls and pineapples).
  • Bartenders and party hosts are freezing flowers into their cubes, while parents are freezing small toys into ice squares for their kids to crack open.
  • Appliance maker LG has trademarked the term “Craft Ice,” referring to the 2-inch orbs that its newest lines of refrigerators cough out.
  • Elaborate ice sculptures — sometimes with fancy LED light backdrops — are showing up at weddings, corporate events and elsewhere.
  • Coffee purveyors from Dunkin’ to Starbucks to Tim Hortons are pushing iced drinks for fall — pour me a frosty pumpkin latte! — amid evidence that younger slurpers prefer their brew cold.

ZOMG, special ice! You damned elitists. I remember having trays you filled with water and put in the freezer that had special shape back when I was a kid in the 70’s. Anyhow, this is a ridiculously long and silly article on ice. Ice. Really. Because the Credentialed Media refuses to investigate Democrats, government, and real issues, because so many who are “journalists” and are in charge got their degrees from high end colleges where they went with the children of the rich and powerful.

Where it stands: Designer ice has become “the height of domestic luxury,” per The New York Times.

The bottom line: While the fancy ice trend is mostly about harmless fun, the growing prevalence of drought and water insecurity point to a future where ice will be at an ever-greater premium.

In other words, using ice makes you privileged.

Read: If You Use Ice, You’re Privileged Or Something »

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If All You See…

By William Teach September 12, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible parking deck made for fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Green Jihad, with a post on Biden’s energy secretary having a bad EV trip.

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NY Times Says Ukraine Aid Benefits GOP Districts, So It’s A Shame Many Republicans Are Against It

By William Teach September 12, 2023 – 10:30 am

How long do they expect this war to last?

As Ukraine Aid Benefits Their Districts, Some House Republicans Oppose It

By early next year, this city best known for being the rodeo capital of Texas is on track to become a centerpiece of the U.S. effort to increase artillery production vital to the war in Ukraine.

A hulking new plant going up next to a highway exchange not far from downtown Mesquite promises to nearly double current U.S. output, replenishing stockpiles and preparing more ammunition to beat back the Russian invasion.

For a city in the midst of engineering an economic renaissance, the General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems factory is a major boon. It is expected to employ at least 125 people; bring business opportunities to local suppliers, retailers and restaurants; and, city officials hope, potentially help turn the area into an industrial hotbed of well-paying jobs.

None of that appears to have persuaded Rep. Lance Gooden, the Republican whose district will house the new plant, to support continuing U.S. aid to Ukraine. Over the summer, he joined dozens of his GOP House colleagues in calling for an end to American support for Ukraine’s fight, voting for measures to strip $300 million in security assistance for the war-torn country from next year’s defense budget and prohibit Congress from approving any more funds for the conflict.

His opposition and that of many others in his party has imperiled President Joe Biden’s request for $24 billion in additional funding for the war, threatening to derail an emergency spending bill that lawmakers in both parties are working to push through Congress this month.

The war started on February 24, 2022, and we’re fast approaching the 2nd year, with little change all around. Ukraine’s spring offensive didn’t end up doing a whole lot, and Biden wants to continue showering Ukraine with billions, holding aid to Maui hostage. But, consider what the NY Times is saying: that artillery plant won’t go into operation till next year. At that point, it will take time to start production of the shells and shipping them. How freaking long is this war supposed to go on? How long will the U.S. be funding and supplying Ukraine?

It reflects how the “America First” mentality popularized by former President Donald Trump has spread and intensified among Republicans, prompting increasing numbers of lawmakers — including some whose constituents benefit directly from continued U.S. aid to Ukraine — to refuse to keep supporting it. And it is one major driver of the spending showdowns to come this fall as lawmakers toil to reach agreement on both the routine annual spending bills and an extra package of aid for crises at home and abroad.

Of course there’s some Trump Derangement Syndrome included. This is not about “America First”, it’s about not spending money we don’t have on a war that has little consequences to the U.S. when our own people need that money.

“We’re proud that they’re made in Ohio’s 4th District,” Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican whose district includes the Lima Army Tank Plant, said of the Abrams tanks, “but our constituents have great concerns about seemingly unlimited taxpayer money being used to fund the war in Ukraine, especially when Americans are struggling at home with rising inflation and places like East Palestine and Maui continue to be ignored by the Biden administration.”

There are lots of Democrats and Independents who are wondering why we’re funding Ukraine, with much of the money going to pay the lawmakers and rich folks in Ukraine. They’re wondering when this will end. And wondering why our citizens are suffering.

Read: NY Times Says Ukraine Aid Benefits GOP Districts, So It’s A Shame Many Republicans Are Against It »

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Small Island Nations Sue Over Global Boiling

By William Teach September 12, 2023 – 7:15 am

They’re totally worried about the sea rise. And getting lots of sweet, sweet, climate cash from Other Countries with no strings attached

Small island nations take high-emitting countries to court to protect the ocean

In a landmark hearing, small island nations disproportionately affected by the climate crisis will take on high-emitting countries in a court in Hamburg, Germany, on 11 September, in what is being seen as the first climate justice case aimed at protecting the ocean.

During the two-day hearing, the nations – including the Bahamas, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Antigua and Barbuda among others – will ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) to determine whether greenhouse gas emissions absorbed by the marine environment should be considered pollution.

Well, most likely, the court, full of hardcore Progressives, will rule in their favor. Vanuatu has seen their island size grow, the sea is barely rising there, they have over 30 fossil fueled airports, oh, and their foreign minister said back in 2018, when they were considering the lawsuit “This is really about claiming for the damages.” Shakedown.

Tuvalu is also barely seeing sea rise. Same with the rest. And they all depend on fossil fueled travel and tourism, along with ships and planes to bring in goods.

Most countries have obligations under the legally binding UN convention on the law of the sea to take measures to prevent, reduce and control marine pollution.

If the case, brought by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (Cosis), is successful, these obligations would include carbon-emission reduction and protection of marine environments already damaged by CO2 pollution.

And cash. Lots of cash.

“Sea levels are rising rapidly, threatening to sink our lands below the ocean,” Kausea Natano, the prime minister of Tuvalu, said in a statement.

Again. Tuvalo is barely rising. Perhaps everyone could simply save these vacation spots by not traveling there. No cruise ships, no flights. No shipments of goods. Oh, and Tuvalo is also growing.

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Good Grief: Biden Gives Iran $6 Billion Of Frozen Funds On 9/11 For Five Prisoners

By William Teach September 12, 2023 – 7:00 am

Of all the days to take care of avowed enemies, a government, and many of the people, who chant “death to America” and actually mean it. A country attempting to get nuclear weapons, which would destabilize the Middle East, and could cause Israel, and even Saudi Arabia, to strike first

President Joe Biden Bows to Iran on 9/11: Pays $6 Billion for Five Prisoners

The Biden administration has reportedly approved a deal with Iran to pay the rogue regime $6 billion in exchange for five detained American citizens.

The deal, according to the Associated Press (AP), entailed the Biden administration issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without U.S. sanctions. The money would then be held in Qatar’s central bank for Iran to use, reportedly for the purchase of humanitarian goods.

In addition, the Biden administration agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the U.S.

According to the AP, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the deal late last week, but Congress was not notified of the deal until Monday, which was also 9/11, the 22nd anniversary of the U.S. suffering terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists.

The deal appears to go against the U.S. policy of not paying countries to release American prisoners so as not to incentivize the behavior.

This will very much help the unhinged terrorists running Iran. Good job, Joe! Though, of course, Credentialed Media outlets like the Washington Post can only lightly chide Biden despite

The deal marks a major breakthrough for the longtime adversaries who remain at loggerheads over a range of issues, including the rapid expansion of Tehran’s nuclear program, its ongoing military support for Russia and Iran’s harsh crackdown on dissent. Though it remains unclear when the two sides could complete the prisoner transfer, Monday’s announcement comes as President Biden and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi each prepare to travel to New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly next week.

In other words, this is a huge win for Iran, and the WP would be lambasting Trump if he did this. It’s not like Iranian proxies have directly threatened the US recently or something.

Meanwhile, as Biden gave a little, barely coherent speech in Alaska (because AF1 typically stops in Alaska to refuel, so, Biden stepped out for a brief appearance, so he didn’t have to do anything when he got back to DC)

(Fox News) President Biden claimed Monday, without evidence, that he stood at Ground Zero in New York City viewing the damage from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks just one day later, despite records showing he was in Washington, D.C. that day.

“Ground Zero in New York — I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building. I felt like I was looking through the gates of Hell, it looked so devastating because the way you could — from where you could stand,” Biden said during his speech at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska marking the devastating acts of terrorism 22 years ago.

However, according to C-SPAN coverage of U.S. Senate proceedings on September 12, 2001, Biden was in Washington, D.C. and gave a speech on the floor of the Senate. Records show the Senate met in the morning, and a classified briefing was held for all senators that afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Typical Biden lying. Oh, and AF1 landed at the aforementioned AF base, which is the norm, so, he didn’t really have to travel far.

Who had a WWIII watch including Iran on the bingo card?

Read: Good Grief: Biden Gives Iran $6 Billion Of Frozen Funds On 9/11 For Five Prisoners »

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Your Fault: Our ‘Climate Change’ Dystopian Future Is Here

By William Teach September 11, 2023 – 5:19 pm

The best part of this is the source: Al Jazeera. You know, the news outlet that is pretty much owned by the government of Qatar, a nation which has 70% of its total government revenue coming from petroleum and natural gas, 60% of GDP, and 85% of its exports. You know, those evil Big Oil folks that Al Gore sold his TV station to

Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’

Climate change is causing human rights emergencies around the world, the United Nations human rights chief says, specifically highlighting Iraq’s “spiralling damage” from global warming.

Volker Turk pointed to recent examples of the “environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis”, including in Basra, Iraq, where “drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of freshwater are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust”.

It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with being a dry, mostly desert region with horrible mismanagement by government, could it? Oh, right, sorry ‘climate change’.

“This spiralling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq and many other countries,” Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.

“Climate change is pushing millions of people into famine. It is destroying hopes, opportunities, homes and lives. In recent months, urgent warnings have become lethal realities again and again all around the world,” he said.

“We do not need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action now.”

And all these elites will be happy to take lots of private fossil fueled jets around the world to tell you this. And how you need to give up your money and freedom to solve it.

Read: Your Fault: Our ‘Climate Change’ Dystopian Future Is Here »

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If All You See…

By William Teach September 11, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a lake that will soon flood from Bad Weather, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is 90Ninety Miles From Tyranny, with a post on a little girl who lost her father on 9/11.

Read: If All You See… »

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Djokovic Is Now A Good Guy Despite His COVID “Vaccine” Stance

By William Teach September 11, 2023 – 10:30 am

I do not really follow tennis that much, but, I know a few people who do, and will watch it a lot, including the parents. I’ve never heard them rail against Djokovic, not my dad call him a bum. But, really, this is more about COVID

In Winning His 24th Grand Slam Singles Title, Novak Djokovic Is Now The Good Guy

During the second set of Novak Djokovic’s historic U.S. Open victory over Daniil Medvedev on Sunday night, Djokovic, 36, was starting to show his age. Djokovic and Medvedev played a match that featured a slew of fabulous rallies—36 shots, 31 shots, 28 shots, 27 shots, 26 shots—and they appeared, at times, to be playing like two friends enjoying a hit-around at the park, except for the shots firing like rockets at one another, each man summoning the strength and concentration to return the ball over the net. (snip)

Only victory for Djokovic, whose 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win over Medvedev gave him his 24th Grand Slam title, tying him with Margaret Court for the most singles majors won by a tennis player in history. What’s more, the victory finishes off a stunning transformation for Djokovic. He’s no longer a tennis heel. He’s a hero.

At the start of his run of titles, Djokovic was the cocky upstart from Serbia who crashed the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry. Their dual domination would morph into a trio, and fervent Federer and Nadal supporters never forgave him. But now that Federer is retired, and Nadal has said he expects next year to be his last, some Djokovic haters have softened their stance. They have no choice but to admire his all-time greatness.

So, he was the “bad guy” for being good at tennis? No, Time Magazine really means this

He also earned many critics during the Covid-19 pandemic. He created a mini-tour that spread the coronavirus in June of 2020. He refused the Covid-19 vaccine, and was deported from Australia in 2022 when he refused to comply with regulations. He could not compete in the U.S. Open last year, since he was not vaccinated.

His stance may have been maddening for many. But it’s hard to hold it against Djokovic forever, especially now that we’re in a post-pandemic era.

And he and the others who caught COVID were just fine. Why would he need the jab when he already had COVID and developed the anti-bodies? Did the “vaccine” stop people from getting COVID? Sure doesn’t look like it. How many times have we seen tweets from people saying they’re jabbed and boosted and have COVID? Why are those lines included unless his vaccine stance made him a bad guy?

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Hotcoldwetdry Take: Biden Says ‘Climate Change’ Worse Than Nuclear War

By William Teach September 11, 2023 – 7:15 am

Well, nuclear war is also something Brandon is trying to make happen. Fortunately, he’s incompetent (the original Bloomberg article is beyond paywalled, you can read it here)

Biden Says Climate Change Poses Greater Threat Than Nuclear War

President Joe Biden said the sole threat to humanity’s existence is climate change, and that not even nuclear conflict poses a similar danger. The president added “we’re going to be in real trouble” if, in the next decade or two, warming goes above the 1.5C temperature increase that scientists consider a tipping point for increasing the chances of extreme weather events.

“There’s no way back from that,” Biden continued. “And so there’s a lot we can do in the meantime.” Biden spoke following the Group of 20 summit in India, where leaders agreed to a series of climate actions, including a pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade.

Last time I checked, Biden took a long fossil fueled trip to India, along with tons of staff, just like the other members of the G20. Then Biden flew to Vietnam. Helicopters, jumbo jets, fighter jets, dozens of fossil fueled SUVs and limos. Then there’s this bit of wackadoodleness

(Washington Examiner) President Joe Biden made a reference to John Wayne Sunday to underscore his frustration with disagreement over climate change.

“The Indian looks at John Wayne and points to the Union soldier and says, ‘He’s a lying, dog-faced pony soldier!'” Biden said during a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. “Well, there’s a lot of lying, dog-faced pony soldiers out there about global warming.”

Dude’s nuts.

Read: Hotcoldwetdry Take: Biden Says ‘Climate Change’ Worse Than Nuclear War »

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GOP Squishes Start Coming Out Of Woodwork Over Impeaching Biden

By William Teach September 11, 2023 – 7:00 am

Republicans can only afford to lose a few for any vote on impeachment, including a vote to start impeachment. How many squishes are out there?

GOP rep says House shouldn’t ‘repeat mistakes’ of Trump impeachment with Biden

Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) said Sunday the House should not “repeat the mistakes” of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) impeachment inquiry into former President Trump when weighing the same for President Biden.

“We don’t want to repeat the mistakes we think that Nancy Pelosi made by prematurely moving to impeachment during the Trump administration,” Hill said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has suggested the House could hold a vote to launch an impeachment inquiry as soon as this month, despite hesitation from some GOP moderates.

House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), who is leading a congressional investigation into Biden’s family and business dealings, said last week he believes there are enough votes in the House to open an impeachment inquiry.

Hill said he does not believe Comer nor House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have “even remotely completed” the investigations into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings.

“I don’t believe they’ve even remotely completed their work on the kind of detailed investigations and quality work that Speaker McCarthy is expecting both those committees to produce before someone goes to, you know, an impeachment activity,” the Arkansas representative said.

How much more does he want? Here’s just part of Greg Stuebe’s submitted article of impeachment

ARTICLE 1: ABUSE OF POWER: BRIBERY, HOBBS ACT EXTORTION, & HONEST SERVICES FRAUD
Robert Hunter Biden (Hunter Biden) and James Biden sold access to then Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. (Joe Biden) while he was in office from 2009 to 2017 and sold promised access to a future Biden Presidential Administration while he was out of office from 2017 to 2021. Hunter and James appear to have promised official actions by Joe Biden in return for payments and business opportunities from foreign and domestic business partners. Joe Biden assisted by making appearances, phone calls, meeting with the “business partners,” and knowingly allowing his family members to promise access to him and actions by him in furtherance of these schemes. Hunter Biden threatened business partners that official actions could be taken against them if they did not meet terms or make payments. In at least one instance, Hunter implied that Joe Biden was aware of these threats and willing to assist in enforcing the threats, potentially through official actions. Hunter Biden attempted to enrich himself and the Biden family by threatening official actions from his father, who he claims was willing to assist in the scheme.

That should be enough for Hill, right? How about Obstruction of Justice, Fraud, and financial involvement with drugs and prostitution? How about his horrendous Afghanistan debacle, while he was off at Camp David relaxing? Violating the 1st Amendment Rights of citizen by telling social media companies to censor citizens? Making deals with Iran with zero statutory authority? Forcing people to wear masks and take the COVID “vaccine”? Leaving the border wide open? Is that not enough for the squishes?

Back when the Dems were going after, and then impeaching Trump twice for nothing burgers, they were told that what’s good for the good is good for the gander, and to expect retaliation. However, there are too many sqishes who just do not want to play politics.

Read: GOP Squishes Start Coming Out Of Woodwork Over Impeaching Biden »

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