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steve2470

steve2470's Journal
steve2470's Journal
May 30, 2019

Rick Wilson: "It is without question that @realDonaldTrump is the most petty...shitbird....

It is without question that @realDonaldTrump is the most petty, thin-skinned, trifling no-account shitbird to ever hold the office of President. What a weak-dick move."


https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1133922473941110791


A REPUBLICAN strategist calling him out, love it! haha

May 24, 2019

Cute red panda at Moscow Zoo

Not sure exactly what this animal is, sorry! Enjoy!

( eta: edited subject line )

https://twitter.com/moscowzoo/status/1131853574059778053

May 22, 2019

A 'Game of Thrones' Sequel Is Not an Option for HBO's Top Executive

*spoiler alert!!*

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-sequel-is-not-an-option-hbo-series-finale-1212749

*snip*

(The Hollywood Reporter interviewer: ) The three successor shows are all prequels. In the finale, Arya goes on to explore what's west of Westeros. Have you considered exploring sequels? Specifically, Arya Stark as she travels west of Westeros?

(HBO Programming president Casey Bloys: ) Nope, nope, nope. No. Part of it is, I do want this show — this Game of Thrones, Dan and David's show — to be its own thing. I don't want to take characters from this world that they did beautifully and put them off into another world with someone else creating it. I want to let it be the artistic piece they've got. That's one of the reasons why I'm not trying to do the same show over. George has a massive, massive world; there are so many ways in. That's why we're trying to do things that feel distinct — and to not try and redo the same show. That's probably one of the reasons why, right now, a sequel or picking up any of the other characters doesn't make sense for us.

*snip*

I think his reasoning is a bit weak, but maybe he will change his mind. If they are really careful with a sequel, it could do really well.

May 21, 2019

The Criminalization of Abortion Began as a Business Tactic

https://www.history.com/news/the-criminalization-of-abortion-began-as-a-business-tactic

If you opened up the Leavenworth Times, a Kansas newspaper, in the 1850s, you’d see an ad for Sir James Clarke’s Female Pills. These pills, the advertiser bragged, were ideal for bringing on women’s periods—and were “particularly suited to married ladies.”

Then there was Madame Costello, a “female physician” who took out an ad in the New York Herald in the 1840s. She advertised to women “who wish to be treated for obstruction of the monthly period.”

Both ads ran in plain sight, among advertisements for real estate and hair tonics. Both advertised abortions. And for a reader of the time, neither would have raised an eyebrow. Pregnancy was dangerous, and the consequences faced by unwed mothers were severe.

Though the 19th century is seen as a time of more restrictive sexual mores, abortion was actually common: according to at least one estimate, one in every five women at the time had had an abortion. Abortifacients were hawked in store fronts and even door to door. Vendors openly advertised their willingness to end women’s pregnancies. And in private, women shared information about how to prevent conception and induce miscarriages.
May 18, 2019

(Florida) Panhandle county that backed Trump among Russian hacking victims

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/05/16/panhandle-county-that-backed-trump-among-russian-hacking-victims-1021302

TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.

Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.

The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.

While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
May 17, 2019

All GoT episodes, ranked by (Rotten Tomatoes) Tomatometer

http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/every-episode-of-game-of-thrones-ranked/1/

(Worst rated: Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells" 47% fresh)

(Best rated: several are rated at 100% fresh. The most recent is SEASON 6, EPISODE 4: "BOOK OF THE STRANGER" )

Enjoy!
May 17, 2019

(Florida) Panhandle county that backed Trump among Russian hacking victims

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/05/16/panhandle-county-that-backed-trump-among-russian-hacking-victims-1021302

TALLAHASSEE — Russian hackers breached a county elections department in the Florida Panhandle where voters turned out heavily for President Donald Trump in 2018, according to a report confirmed by POLITICO.

Washington County was one of two counties successfully hacked by Russians seeking voter information files. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in the past week have briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s congressional delegation about the attack, but federal authorities have asked that the names of the two counties be kept confidential.

The Washington Post reported that Russians were able to access Washington County voter information files. A person in Florida familiar with the investigation confirmed that Washington County was targeted after the attack had been revealed by officials in Washington, D.C. Two people in Florida said they suspect the second hacked elections office was in a mid-sized county on the East Coast of the state.

While it was known that Russians targeted Florida ahead of the 2016 election, the first confirmation that the effort was successful came in March, when special counsel Robert Mueller issued a report on Russian interference. The news jolted Florida officials, who had insisted that the effort three years ago was unsuccessful.
May 17, 2019

Sad news, Grumpy Cat has died

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.html

https://twitter.com/RealGrumpyCat/status/1129310647458467840

Grumpy Cat, arguably the internet's most popular cat and one of its first viral memes, has died aged 7.

The furry sensation's family announced her death on Twitter on Friday.

"We are unimaginably heartbroken to announce the loss of our beloved Grumpy Cat," Tabatha Bundesen, Grumpy Cat's owner, said.

"Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome. She passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha.
May 14, 2019

J&J's new esketamine drug for depression, Spravato, not worth the money or the risk, watchdog says

https://www.philly.com/business/esketamine-ketamine-johnson-and-johnson-depression-overpriced-icer-20190513.html

A novel antidepressant, heralded as a breakthrough drug only two months ago, may not be a cost-effective way of battling treatment-resistant depression (TRD), according to a new study.

Esketamine, a nasal spray, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March for people who do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Marketed as Spravato, the drug was subject to eight years of research by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

The drug is a chemical cousin of ketamine, a relatively inexpensive anesthetic that has been prescribed by some psychiatrists as an alternative treatment for intractable depression for several years. The cost of a ketamine infusion is usually not covered by most insurance companies and can run up to $800.

Ketamine often is abused as a hallucinogenic party drug, which hints at why esketamine must be administered in a doctor’s office.

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