Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Much Sorry with Delays
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Saturday, February 5. 2022

Saturday morning links


Image/quote via American Digest 


 Dutch residents vow to hurl EGGS at Jeff Bezos's newly-built £400m Y721 superyacht as it sets sail for first time after Amazon billionaire's shipyard asked to dismantle historic bridge to get vessel out


 No Benefit, Many Costs. Yet another study finds that lockdowns did little to slow the spread of Covid


The border stampede isn’t a Biden a ‘failure’ — it’s exactly what he and Dems want


 Neil Young’s Former Partner Far Surpasses His Spotify Stupidity


 CNN in Talks to Pay Chris Cuomo $9M in Hush Money to Protect Zucker, Network


 "Chris blew the place up": CNN staffers blame Cuomo for Zucker's demise


 Steve Bannon: “Now That We Pushed Russia into a Partnership with China We’re Going to Have Hell to Pay for That” 


 ‘Forced by law’: former South African chief justice apologizes for pro-Israel comments

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 06:29 | Comments (40) | Trackbacks (0)

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Much as I dislike Jeff Bezos, how many workman and craftsmen were employed building that superyacht?
#1 grant1863 on 2022-02-05 09:13 (Reply)
Someone made a mistake and it wasn't Bezos or the workmen. However if I were Dutch I would gladly join them at the egg throwing event.
#1.1 OneGuy on 2022-02-05 09:49 (Reply)
Employed directly in the shipyard and headquarters of the builder in Alblasserdam are ~320, but of course the direct impact of this project will have many times that in suppliers, drivers, loaders, etc.

"Asked to dismantle bridge" is a bit of an exaggeration, what is proposed is to temporarily remove the portion that used to lift, which is now fixed at it's most upper position. This portion of the bridge was absent from the bridge from ~2014-2017 for restoration work, and it looks like the previous Oceanco tall-masted superyacht "black pearl" may have transited from the shipyard before it was put back in place.

It is not at all clear to me that Bezos even knew about the bridge issue before it became controversial. The likely chain of events seems that the shipyard owners proposed a trial balloon of removing that portion of the span with friendly members of the Rotterdam leadership, as stepping the masts at the shipyard would remove some logistics hurdles and make the photogenic transit of the superyacht on the narrow canals through the city that much more useful in their own PR.
No official request has been made according to the town, and were it to be made, the views of the public and the potential impacts to the historic structure would be part of the decision calculus.
#1.2 Douglas2 on 2022-02-05 10:06 (Reply)
Correct. It was a miscalculation by the shipyard and its designers and has nothing to do with Bezos or "greedy capitalist pigs".

Rotterdam is home to and controlled by far left radicals, a lot of them anti-white racists and other muhammedans, twisting the narrative to stir up artificial rage against Bezos and the shipyard came as second nature to them.
#1.2.1 JTW on 2022-02-05 10:26 (Reply)
"It's looking increasingly like the only employee at CNN who keeps his hands to himself is Jeffrey Toobin." - Claudia Tenney
#2 Maniac on 2022-02-05 09:24 (Reply)
QUOTE:
No Benefit, Many Costs. Yet another study finds that lockdowns did little to slow the spread of Covid

This appears to be a re-link to the same study posted by Maggie's Farm on Thursday. However, the article actually makes some tangential points that are relevant.

QUOTE:
The authors reviewed thousands of studies and culled 34 that had reliable and sufficiently relevant data to review. The results were mixed

One of the author's exclusion criteria was "Only looks at timing." But this criterion is critical, and shows how lack of epidemiological expertise and cherry-picking may have predetermined the outcome.

QUOTE:
As Covid-19 prevalence rose, people stayed home and avoided large groups and indoor activities. As prevalence fell, people resumed normal activities.

That's right. And personal behavior can help attenuate the spread of contagion. But this is generally a reactive response. What the studies about timing show is that a proactive response can save lives. This is critical due to the exponential growth potential of respiratory contagions.

QUOTE:
Even if lockdown measures are effective in the short run, changes in risky voluntary behaviors and compliance with public-health measures in response to that success may counteract the lockdowns’ benefits.

That's certainly true. In countries where the pandemic response has become overly politicized, lockdowns and even voluntary measures are much less effective. Case in point: The U.S. had a poor implementation of social measures, with strenuous resistance to even voluntary measures, so the U.S. ended up with nearly a million dead, but still paid a huge economic cost. The worst of both worlds.

Compare, the United Kingdom with New Zealand. The United Kingdom resisted social measures until their own prime minister nearly died from COVID, a reactive response. New Zealand proactively implemented stringent social measures. The COVID death rates per million population are 2308 and 11, respectively.
#3 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 10:28 (Reply)
Quibble-DickZ gotta quibble.
#3.1 Zachinoff on 2022-02-05 12:25 (Reply)
homme gotta ad hominem.
#3.1.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2022-02-05 12:40 (Reply)
Does that bother you?
Quibble-DickZ do it all the time.
#3.1.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-02-05 14:11 (Reply)
He does not engage in ad hominem, whatever other faults he may have.
#3.1.1.1.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2022-02-05 19:59 (Reply)
Notice how defensive the tyrannical socialist become simply because we discover that lockdowns are ineffective against viruses. That is because lockdowns (and masks) are very effective in controlling citizens and as a justification to taking away constitutional rights. Is anyone still doubting the real purpose for these stupid mandates?
#3.2 OneGuy on 2022-02-05 14:25 (Reply)
OneGuy: . . . we discover that lockdowns are ineffective against viruses.

Notably, you ignored our arguments concerning the findings of the paper.
#3.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 14:31 (Reply)
Even when you tell them that they are being too obvious, they can't help themselves. Let me put it another way; your cover was blown, your propaganda is a lie, if you had two brain cells to rub together you would shut up now.

But no... Like a two year old they think if they just keep lying and have this solemn act that maybe... just maybe everyone will believe us.

You know you are lying. We know you are lying. You know we know you are lying. And still you continue to lie.
#3.2.1.1 OneGuy on 2022-02-05 18:24 (Reply)
Please let us know if you decide to make a substantive reply.
#3.2.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 19:19 (Reply)
New Zealand, a small, isolated, island nation, with a homogeneous, widely spread out population of about 5,000,000 (Aukland, the largest city, has a population of about 1.5 million). UK, with a diverse population of 68,453,903 (9,500,000 in London alone). Makes a perfect comparison. Well, for Zachinoff it does, anyways.
#3.3 Anonymous on 2022-02-05 14:56 (Reply)
Anonymous: New Zealand, a small, isolated, island nation, with a homogeneous, widely spread out population of about 5,000,000 (Aukland, the largest city, has a population of about 1.5 million). UK, with a diverse population of 68,453,903 (9,500,000 in London alone).

They are both island nations, making control of their borders much easier. If you prefer, compare neighbors Sweden to Norway; 1583 and 267 deaths from COVID per million population, respectively. Regardless, our point about the review article stands.
#3.3.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 15:45 (Reply)
But then, Sweden has a population density of about 25 people/ sq km, while Norway is at about 18 people/sq km. Makes it easier to reduce the spread, lockdowns or no.
#3.3.1.1 Anonymous on 2022-02-05 16:54 (Reply)
Anonymous: But then, Sweden has a population density of about 25 people/ sq km, while Norway is at about 18 people/sq km.

So, reasonably comparable.
#3.3.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 17:01 (Reply)
South Korea has a population density of 512/km^2 and COVID death rate of 134 per million population.
#3.3.1.1.2 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 17:02 (Reply)
Oh, right, South Korea, where they never went into lockdown.
#3.3.1.1.2.1 Anonymous on 2022-02-05 19:38 (Reply)
This is the definition used in the study:

QUOTE:
We use “NPI” to describe any government mandate which directly restrict peoples’ possibilities. Our definition does not include governmental recommendations, governmental information campaigns, access to mass testing, voluntary social distancing, etc., but do include mandated interventions such as closing schools or businesses, mandated face masks etc. We define lockdown as any policy consisting of at least one NPI as described above.

South Korea first imposed level 4 controls in July 2021.

http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/en/socdisBoardView.do?brdId=19&brdGubun=191&dataGubun=191&ncvContSeq=&contSeq=&board_id=
#3.3.1.1.2.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-06 09:06 (Reply)
The U.S. has made terrible mistakes and now we will pay for them. We off shored our jobs and that was a double hit; losing jobs and dependence on China for critical supplies. We have allowed massive illegal AND legal immigration and we are now essentially a nation held hostage by un-assimilated people who don't like us and still consider themselves citizens of countries that don't like us. We have an astronomical national debt which will in the future cripple us.

We need to get back to made in America, become self-sufficient.
We need to end all immigration, legal and illegal and begin a process of removing people from this country who do not belong here. End H1B, just end it and send them home. No more endless chain of immigration to relatives of immigrants.
We need to balance the budget.
#4 Anon on 2022-02-05 10:31 (Reply)
Anon: We off shored our jobs

Wasn't that primarily due to markets seeking low-cost labor?
#4.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 10:48 (Reply)
I'm a little confused, how do we know it's due to seeking lower labor costs and not seeking favorable tax rates? Do you have any evidence to support your assertion?
#4.1.1 Earle on 2022-02-05 12:01 (Reply)
In the case of China, low-cost labor equals child and slave labor.

But you are not entirely correct. Jobs were off shored also because of the higher cost of doing business because of regulations taxes.
#4.1.2 mudbug on 2022-02-05 12:02 (Reply)
Earle: I'm a little confused, how do we know it's due to seeking lower labor costs and not seeking favorable tax rates?

Most professionals involved in promoting off-shoring stress low labor costs.

"Offshoring is the movement of jobs and tasks from one country to another, usually from high-cost countries, such as the United States, to low-cost countries where wages are significantly lower."
https://www.prb.org/resources/offshoring-u-s-labor-increasing/

"Offshoring allows businesses to pay less for labor-intensive processes, especially those that are product-related."
https://napsintl.com/mexico-manufacturing-news/how-offshoring-can-increase-your-bottom-line/

mudbug: In the case of China, low-cost labor equals child and slave labor.

While those exist, the vast majority of Chinese workers are free labor, though conditions are often very poor, much as they were in the West during their period of industrialization.
#4.1.3 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 12:21 (Reply)
In the 80s and 90s, I think the first corporations, who took manufacturing off shore, were just cutting corners, dodging fair labor practices, getting around environmental regs, looking for cheaper energy, and getting away from having to grease the wheels for any project they wanted to build, plus obviously that was THE PRICE OF ENTRY INTO THE CHINESE MARKET. Later Pressured by the financial interests, they just gave away the store, in the form of proprietary information and hard won manufacturing "know how" worth billions. Today, they are dedicated to the status quo or they lose their investments. In some ways they have no choice because even if they wanted to pull manufacturing out of China, it would place them at a major competitive disadvantage. In the meantime, they tilted the playing field against startups, who can't hope to compete with the economies of scale that are inherent in this economy.
As for the beneficiaries consider the huge pension plans, like CALPERS et al and retirement(IRA) funds; they too drove this phenomenon.
#4.2 Exasperated on 2022-02-05 15:07 (Reply)
Exasperated: and getting away from having to grease the wheels for any project they wanted to build

Sure. Because what the developing world is known for is their lack of corruption in the business sector.

Exasperated: In some ways they have no choice because even if they wanted to pull manufacturing out of China, it would place them at a major competitive disadvantage.

Yes. There you are: a competitive disadvantage.

Americans complain about the Chinese manufacturing products so cheaply, but the Chinese complain that Americans buy Chinese inputs to make more advanced products at much higher markups. Meanwhile, Americans are near full employment.

It is interesting that, after generations of arguing for free market principles driving the rush towards globalization, "conservatives" suddenly find religion on the necessity of a coordinated industrial policy.
#4.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 15:52 (Reply)
It's a shame Jeff Zucker is getting axed at CNN after all the good things he did building CNN into the most trusted name in news. I would go so far as to say Zucker is the man most responsible for CNN enjoying the reputation it now possesses.
#5 Jerryskids on 2022-02-05 11:47 (Reply)
I'm a bit stunned CNN only required "disclosure" of intimate relationships between an employee and someone in their direct line of supervision* Everywhere I've worked, that's been been a clear red line... and I thought that rule has been virtually universal since the 80's.

*which, of course, means the president can't scr** anyone at that organization.
#5.1 OldCurmudgeon on 2022-02-05 19:03 (Reply)
OldCurmudgeon: relationships between an employee and someone in their direct line of supervision*

All employees are in the direct line of supervision of the president. Someone not in the direct line of supervision would be, for instance, a manager of a department and someone in a different department.
#5.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-06 09:08 (Reply)
Re: Neil Young’s former partner

QUOTE:
They (Castro’s Stalinist regime) invited me because they knew I was politically astute. — Stephen Stills from the column


Maybe the best example of unintentional self parody. Who writes a song honoring Castro who jailed people for listening to Crosby Stills Nash and Young but Stephen Stills?
#6 mudbug on 2022-02-05 11:57 (Reply)
God gifts some with artistic skills and some with intelligence. But it seems to be very rare that he gifts both of these to any one individual. For the most part our entertainment industry is genetically stupid. A few shine brighter than their peers but most are simply famous for being famous or through the dumb luck of having a good voice or good looks.
#6.1 OneGuy on 2022-02-05 12:19 (Reply)
Largely because no smart person is dumb enough to sign a recording contract, the second closest thing to indentured servitude allowed under US law. (the closest is graduate teaching/research assistant in a university, but I digress). Just like Hollywood, if you want to find the truly creative people in the music business, look in the accounting departments.
#6.1.1 Another Guy named Dan on 2022-02-05 12:39 (Reply)
In re Hush Money: Blackmailers always come back for more.
#7 Ted on 2022-02-05 12:18 (Reply)
Re the lead quote: Garrison Keillor, before he slid bad, had the great line "To parents, Western Civilisation is just a job, and they don't have time or energy to worry about whether it is going up or down this month."
#8 Assistant Village Idiot on 2022-02-05 12:42 (Reply)
The border stampede. All those future voters for the Dem party and all that cheap labor for the Dem oligarchs. In the mean time all that chaos, crime, child and prostitution trafficking and all the new services provided by the politically favored to subsidize the new arrivals. Does the winning never end?
#9 indyjonesouthere on 2022-02-05 13:50 (Reply)
Somehow in all the KovidKerfuffleKonfusion, Spotify has decided to quietly remove a number of Joe Rogan's older episodes; 70, to be precise.

https://jremissing.com/#link=%7B%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22href%22:%22https://jremissing.com/%22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22,%22linkText%22:%22JREMissing%22%7D

The episodes were all pre-COVID, i.e. prior to 2019. It would appear that Rogan's sin (at least in some of the cases) was the casual use of the 'N' word, conversationally, apparently in the manner of HipHop artists (i.e. not as a racial epithet). A cardinal offense - if you're white. I don't think Rogan has responded or commented.

More: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/70-episodes-of-joe-rogans-podcast-vanish-from-spotify-as-new-controversy-emerges/
#10 Aggie on 2022-02-05 16:18 (Reply)
Aggie: I don't think Rogan has responded or commented.

Joe Rogan apologizes for using racial slurs
#10.1 Zachriel on 2022-02-05 16:22 (Reply)
Notice the article was co-written by the "Tater" himself, Brian Stelter, a paragon of virtue in his own right.
Bwaha!
#10.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-02-06 01:22 (Reply)

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