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Common sense and manners survived for another year. In New Zealand.

NZ COVID-19 conspiracy group in disarray after almost nobody turns up to anti-lockdown protest

A New Zealand conspiracy group is in disarray, turning on each other and lamenting a poor turnout after barely anyone turned up to an anti-lockdown protest in Auckland CBD last week.

Police arrived at Aotea Square to break up the demonstration on Friday after being alerted to chatter about it on social media, but told Newshub only one person arrived with the intention of protesting.

"Police have been in the area and have spoken to one person who arrived intending to attend the protest," a spokesperson said. "Police spoke to the individual who was encouraged to comply with alert level 4 restrictions and chose to leave."

More lawyers sanctioned trying to overthrow election

Here is an article about this. But it only scratches the surface.

A federal judge in Michigan has denied a lawsuit seeking to decertify the state’s Nov. 3, 2020 General Election results based on claims of widespread fraud in the distribution, collection, and counting of ballots.

There has been no evidence of such fraud in Michigan’s election. The election results were certified in Michigan on Nov. 23.

Related: AG Barr: No evidence of voter fraud that’d change election outcome

In her opinion, Judge Linda V. Parker, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, called the plaintiffs’ request “stunning in its scope and breathtaking in its reach.”

“Plaintiffs ask this Court to ignore the orderly statutory scheme established to challenge elections and to ignore the will of millions of voters. This, the Court cannot, and will not, do. The People have spoken,” reads Parker’s opinion.

Wow. That says it right there.

But the order is 110 pages of pure smackdown! It is well written and goes into great detail about why these lawyers should pay the legal costs for the taxpayers of City of Detroit and other defendants. The legal costs may be least of what these lawyers should be worried about. The lawyers are all referred for suspension or disbarment to their state bars.

For some reason this judge takes a dim view of using the judicial system to try to undermine the election and destroy US democracy.

You can read the order here or hear or hear.

Here is how it starts out:

This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process. It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election. It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated. This is what happened here.

[....] America’s civil litigation system affords individuals the privilege to file a lawsuit to allege a violation of law. Individuals, however, must litigate within the established parameters for filing a claim. Such parameters are set forth in statutes, rules of civil procedure, local court rules, and professional rules of responsibility and ethics. Every attorney who files a claim on behalf of a client is charged with the obligation to know these statutes and rules, as well as the law allegedly violated.

Specifically, attorneys have an obligation to the judiciary, their profession, and the public (i) to conduct some degree of due diligence before presenting allegations as truth; (ii) to advance only tenable claims; and (iii) to proceed with a lawsuit in good faith and based on a proper purpose.

[....] the question before the Court is whether Plaintiffs’ attorneys engaged in litigation practices that are abusive and, in turn, sanctionable. The short answer is yes.

The attorneys who filed the instant lawsuit abused the well-established rules applicable to the litigation process by proffering claims not backed by law; proffering claims not backed by evidence (but instead, speculation, conjecture, and unwarranted suspicion); proffering factual allegations and claims without engaging in the required prefiling inquiry; and dragging out these proceedings even after they acknowledged that it was too late to attain the relief sought.

And this case was never about fraud—it was about undermining the People’s faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so.

It goes on. Begins with the history of the case and details this farce in detailed detail.

Other related documents are here and hear.

OPINION AND ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFFS’ “EMERGENCY MOTION FOR DECLARATORY, EMERGENCY, AND PERMANENT INJUNCTIVE RELIEF” (ECF NO. 7)

Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit, bringing forth claims of widespread voter irregularities and fraud in the processing and tabulation of votes and absentee ballots. They seek relief that is stunning in its scope and breathtaking in its reach. If granted, the relief would disenfranchise the votes of the more than 5.5 million Michigan citizens who, with dignity, hope, and a promise of a voice, participated in the 2020 General Election.

If they had some evidence, they should bring it. Something of substance, bring it. Not liking the outcome of the election, too bad, that's how elections work. Not everyone gets their way. Most people learn this in 2nd grade when the class votes on what game to play at recess. What?! Not everyone gets their way?!? Waaaaaaaaaah! (sniff) Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I really like the idea of plant based Virus Like Particles as the active component of a vaccine. I like this technology for the following reasons:

1. Almost as flexible as mRNA
2. Easier and cheaper to produce than mRNA
3. Doesn't have the problem associated with bacteria's made VLP

Alas they are currently being tested so unlike mRNA it's an unproven technology.

Hello soylentnews!
English is not my native language, while I can JIT seamlessly to French while I read or listen, I fallback to interpreted mode for writing and speaking.

That being said I would like to know what is trollish in that comment of mine :

My mom participated in the medicago trial. It's a really nice technology, they use tobacco plants to generate Virus like particles https://medicago.com/en/covid-19-programs/#vaccine [medicago.com] but she had to get 2 additional shot of Moderna because the Canadian preferred to invest in a vaporware vaccine in China (CanSino) instead of investing at home. Therefore the medicago vaccine is still unapproved ;(

Next election I will vote for the Bloc Québécois even if I am not a separatist... Trudeau gouvernment is both dumb and woke. If I wanted true wokenesss I would vote for Sings' NPD and if I wanted true dumbness I would Conservative !

Is it the missing word after Canadian, is it the mention of the Block Québecois , is it related to my disdain of the current Liberal, NPD, Conservative and green party, or did I simply used some overly aggressive phrasing? Or is this completely unrelated to the structure of my text and is simply explained by my negativity towards the failed partnership with China?

I thank you for your rationale explanations.

NBC News poll shows demographic breakdown of the vaccinated in the U.S.

• All adults: 69 percent -- Do better
• Men: 67 percent
• Women: 71 percent
• 18-34: 63 percent
• 35-49: 58 percent -- Grow up, act like an adult
• 50-64: 71 percent
• 65+: 86 percent
• Whites: 66 percent
• Blacks: 76 percent -- Quite unlike the Fox Noise lies
• Latinos: 71 percent
• Urban residents: 79 percent
• Suburban residents: 67 percent
• Rural residents: 52 percent
• White evangelicals: 59 percent -- Jesus said to get vaxxed
• Democrats: 88 percent -- Pretty good
• Independents: 60 percent -- Get smart, get vaxxed
• Republicans: 55 percent -- The Party of Stupid
• Republicans who support Trump more than party: 46 percent -- Darwin's waiting room support group
• Republicans who support party more than Trump: 62 percent -- Not impressed
• Democratic Sanders-Warren voters: 88 percent
• Democratic Biden voters: 87 percent
• Biden voters in 2020 general election: 91 percent
• Trump voters in 2020 general election: 50 percent -- No surprise
• White non-college grads: 60 percent
• White college grads: 80 percent -- Education makes 20% difference?

Surprised that Whites are less vaccinated than Blacks or Latinos? Be not surprised! Republicans are all whiter than copier paper, and thus bring down the vaccination rate of that demographic.

I started this as a post to what @Common_Joe posted about his Git Glossary,
https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=21/08/22/0624245
but then decided to post it separately so it was easier to gather info from:

I've been putting together a 'Survival Farmer' package just for myself, taking things from different web-sites and putting them together for my own use of, such as:

1. How to grow many types of vegetables (sticking with, mainly, 'popular' vegetables, not the esoteric ones we don't use)

2. How to procure seeds from these vegetables to use in the next planting

3. How to identify and eliminate/reduce the effect of diseases/pests on said vegetables

4. How to preserve vegetables (canning, freezing, drying, etc)

I also want to delve into the (completely foreign, to me) raising and 'harvesting' of meat (raising animals for food and use, such as raising chickens, rabbits, larger farm animals and 'wild' animals such as deer for meat, eggs and as fertilizers) and how to cut up the carcass.

My wife and i currently have a fair amount of knowledge about 1-3, but very little on animal husbandry. (I learned the 'Water Glass' method to preserve eggs and am currently writing down how to make my own 'Lime' (calcium hydroxide)).

Later, i might delve into fruit farming.

Does anyone have knowledge they'd like to add, or web-sites they use? I'm currently gathering info to later condense into easy to use information for myself that i could print and have, that I'd put onto a web-site later if others wanted it, although, a web-site would be rather useless when the sh*t hits the fan :/

Today I didn't get any moderator points. I usually get 10. Perhaps this is the new moderation regime now in force?

Perhaps I have been moderating too many comments by certain people up?

As I said before in my previous journal entry, there are some regulars at this site who I believe are valuable contributors and have been subject to what appears to be mod bombing, obviously by people who strongly disagree and have a world view at polar opposites. Most of the down mods are on insightful, informative and interesting points. It's clear that these people are being targeted for who they are, not what they have to contribute. Or rather, it's because what they have to say is inconvenient to certain backward view points that they are targeted, to be silenced.

There appears to be a rule that you can't moderate the same person up more than four times in a row per day. Something about sockpuppets. When the Alt-Wrong are in the majority and are moderating down, this is clearly not fair or sustainable.

I see AC often whining about sockpuppets moderating up certain accounts. I can assure you I'm not a sockpuppet, just a concerned citizen participant in the Human Race. You will not deplatform us.

On the other hand, I often see some very interesting and valuable contributions from AC and (s)he gets modded up by yours truly.

I have even been known to moderate up things posted by my secret admirer, khallow, on the occasion that he has something insightful to say.

There are some people here who I actively seek to moderate up, not because of who they are as such, but because they have interesting things to say, and they are the target of downmods. Every day, when I have moderator points I go through their posts and see whether there's anything worth moderating up, since I can see they are the subject of bullying. I don't just moderate up anything, I only moderate up genuinely useful posts. That includes a lot of insight from Azuma Hazuki. I often don't agree with her, and sometimes what she posts makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm a white male. She sees things differently to me and I find that insight valuable. I'm not a sockpuppet. AC, stop whining.

There are some other people I follow too, and I look forward to reading their posts, including but not limited to Aristarchus, DannyB, c0lo, DeathMonkey, acid andy and takyon. I even moderate up Runaway1956 when he has something worthwhile to say.

Anyway, that's how I see things.

Florida gives school districts 48 hours to reverse mask mandates or lose funding

Two Florida school districts that defied state rules and imposed mask mandates for students have been given 48 hours to reverse course or lose state funding equal to the salaries of their school board members.

In an order sent Friday to the districts in Alachua and Broward counties -- the first of five districts in the state to impose mask requirements this month -- the State Board of Education said that if they do not reverse their mandates in two days, the districts will have to provide Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran the current salaries of each school board member.

The Florida Department of Education said it then will start gradually withholding state funds -- equal to 1/12 of the salaries of the board members, monthly -- "until each district demonstrates compliance," according to a statement.
...
Leaders in both school districts told ABC News Friday that they will not reverse their mask mandates and will take legal action against the state.
...
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said on Friday he supported both districts, adding in a statement that President Joe Biden and his administration "stand with them and with all educators who put student and staff health and education first."
...
Neither district would definitively say whether they will take up the Biden administration's recent offer to let them use federal money to cover the withheld funds. Osgood said accepting the money would amount to "taking money away from education," emphasizing that "it's about the kids." Simon, meanwhile, noted in her statement that the Alachua County Commission has offered to make up the loss of funding.

The school districts in Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, and Palm Beach counties also voted this week to impose mask mandates for students. Brett Tubbs, a spokesperson for the state education department, told ABC News that "it has not been decided yet" whether the state will investigate those districts, though he said, "If we've already done it in the past, we will probably go that route again."

I remember something about leadership style and formal/informal classification.

I also note that DeSantis no longer threaten general fund cuts, just cuts to school boards members. Maybe he realized that closing the schools can't bring anything good to him, but now he must save face and cut something. Low enough cuts, tho, the local county can afford to chip in. Grand posturing over a trifle as it comes, not much face to save there.

And then I recall that there's another segment who seem to evade DeSantis for the sake of doing their (sorely needed) job - the heath care: Feds Have Sent Hundreds Of Ventilators To Florida, Gov. DeSantis Said He’s Unaware Of Shipment. Ooops.

I wonder what it means when professionals in social related services realize they no longer need to rely on DeSantis to do their job and, inconvenient as it may be, they can go against him and yet do a better job.

'We will find you': Tennessee parents protest school mask mandate; people in masks heckled

"Anyway, the real part of the clown show is that you all think that you actually have the authority to mandate this," Baker said. "Because there are these books that I have, and I have them as a gift for you: the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers. Also, the Bible. And these guarantee my freedom and yours and our children's to breathe oxygen."

Brought to you by the people who will kill you to protect the biblical constitutional right for their kids to get sick. So sick that they can have serious troubles exercising the biblical constitutional right of breathing oxygen and may need a ventilator for this.

“It is scary, especially for kids who don’t fully understand what’s going on. They’re air hungry, struggling for breath, and it’s just scary,” said Dr. Kelechi Iheagwara, medical director of the pediatric intensive care unit at the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “You have the illness, the fear, they can’t breathe, they’re isolated — that’s hard for anyone to understand, but can you imagine what it’s like for a kid?”

Yeah, that will teach them, damned ankle biters.

Historic low water levels are not good. Once it was possible to drive your eight cylinder leaded-gasloine car to enjoy the beauty of the lake and the dam.

First we arrived at the dam entrance.

Then we got to drive on the dam road that is built along the top of the dam.

As we admired the dam, we had to marvel at the great dam engineering we were seeing.

We came to the dam parking lot between the dam gift shop and the dam viewing area.

We were able to take a dam tour for only $4.

After buying some dam souvenirs, we ate at the dam cafeteria.

On the way out to the dam viewing area, we signed the dam guestbook.

Then we exited through the dam exit.

Update: an anonymous cow herd suggested I had mist an opportunity to add the following. All is not lossed dew to the Edit button.
We enjoyed a day at the dam lake.

Alas, today we have these very unfortunate low water levels that prevent millennials from enjoying a day at the lake and the dam.