Defining the word, fiasco

DEA’s most corrupt agent: Parties, sex amid ‘unwinnable war

The way Irizarry tells it, dozens of other federal agents, prosecutors, informants and in some cases cartel smugglers themselves were all in on the three-continent joyride known as “Team America” that chose cities for money laundering pick-ups mostly for party purposes or to coincide with Real Madrid soccer or Rafael Nadal tennis matches.

The whole sad story here.

And folks, this is not a partisan story. The whole "war on drugs" dates back to the Nixon administration in 1971, and continues through the alternating reigns of both political parties. Deriliction of leadership is what we're seeing here. 

And gobs of misspent money.

 

Our nomination for laugh line of the day

"Former Vice President Mike Pence warned the Justice Department…"

From a story in the New York Post

It's Canada's fault. Again.

A Lake-Effect Snowstorm in New York Dumps 4 Feet of Snow on Buffalo Area

Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air, often from Canada, moves across the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

Built a wall at the wrong border.

(OK, that's a joke. Kind of.) 

Imagine our surprise

They Lived Together, Worked Together and Lost Billions Together: Inside Sam Bankman-Fried’s Doomed FTX Empire

The emerging picture of what went wrong suggests the crypto empire was a mess almost from the start, with few boundaries, financial or personal

And you have only yourself to blame

 Chicken on a Raft

Beer. Near.

Sale of beer with alcohol banned at World Cup stadiums

“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from ... stadium perimeters,” FIFA said in a statement.…

AB InBev pays tens of millions of dollars at each World Cup for exclusive rights to sell beer and has already shipped the majority of its stock from Britain to Qatar in expectation of selling its product to millions of fans.

Considerable crying in to follow.

And here, a campaign for the 2014 election has begun

Hundreds of sheep have been walking in a circle for 12 days straight in China

The bizarre behavior, captured on surveillance video, shows the large flock continuously marching clockwise in a near perfect circle on a farm.

Some other sheep can be seen spectating from the outside the rotation while others at times stand motionless in the center.

Oil

Biden administration says Saudi crown prince has immunity in trial over slain journalist
Dismissing the case would help Saudi Arabia end a period of international ostracism triggered by the U.S.-based journalist's 2018 killing

Read in The Wall Street Journal: https://apple.news/AjAxT-aAWRfKFk9x-Ki9GJg

Shared from Apple News

"It's beyond ironic that President Biden has single-handedly assured MBS can escape accountability when it was President Biden who promised the American people he would do everything to hold him accountable," Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the nonprofit, said using Prince Mohammed's initials. "Not even the Trump administration did this."

Nostalgia bites

SANDWICHES OF THE 1920S

Emergency Sandwich

“Put six sweet pickles though the food chopper, also five hard-boiled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Cream two tablespoons of peanut butter and one of prepared mustard and add the pickle and eggs. A little paprika or a dash of vinegar may be added to thin to spreading consistency. Good on rye or whole-wheat bread.” (p. 57)

And so much more.

Just to clarify

From Merriam-Webster:

Turf

A: the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat
also : a piece of this

B: an artificial substitute for this (as on a playing field)

 In other words, turf is "turf" even when it's not. Turf, that is.

So now we can all clearly understand the current NFL/player controversy about turf. The players are complaining about playing fields with turf, which is not grass. What they want to play on is grass turf.

Better now?

And it's about time

[Lynn C Dot]

Would you let these guys drive your car?

Fed’s Brainard Says Rate-Rise Pace Can Slow Soon

A slower pace of rate rises would allow the Fed more time to study how its moves this year are slowing the economy in ways that can’t be observed yet, Ms. Brainard said.

 Seriously. I don't have a car, so obviously they can't drive mine. 

But I'm still a pedestrian. So, now that I think about it, please don't.

Nooooo

This year’s ugly Microsoft sweater has a suggestion for you: It’s Clippy

But thanks for the image.

Around and around we go

Ukrainian Analysis Identifies Western Supply Chain Behind Iran’s Drones

New intelligence collected from downed Iranian drones in Ukraine shows that a majority of the aircrafts’ parts are manufactured by companies in the U.S., Europe and other allied nations…

[Story from Apple News or Wall Street Journal, Nov.16]

The U.S. Government is…investigating, 

Once more into the breach

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former president who refused to concede defeat and inspired a failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election culminating in a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, officially declared on Tuesday night that he is running to retake the White House in 2024.

[Story: Washington Post]

This will not end well, no matter how it ends.

My fearless forecast: Trump will not be a major party candidate in 2024.

Of course you already know this

US wholesale inflation eases to 8%, 4th straight slowdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level rose 8% in October from a year ago, the fourth straight decline and the latest sign that inflation pressures in the United States are easing from painfully high levels.

 See? There it is, right there. "Easing" does not mean going down, it means going up more slowly. If you consider 8% slow, that is. 

Where I buy groceries there's a point in the checkout process where a computer screen announces the total owed and then asks, "Is this OK? Yes/No." I asked the checkout person, "If I say no, will you negotiate?"

She said she wouldn't. But added, "We think there should be a third button that says "Not Really."

I agree.

But the sun

Trump filing in suit against Twitter compares former president to Galileo

The brief likens Trump to Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who was persecuted by the Catholic Church for promulgating the belief that the Earth revolved around the sun.

No, Trump fans (and assorted watchers), he's not Hitler. He's not Galileo either. What he is is done. Yes, despite tonight's "big announcement", whatever it is (wink, wink).  He's gone.

Wait for it.

Who will write the minority report?

Trains to use AI technology and CCTV to detect pre-crimes

“Our smart iCCTV technology is capable of spotting risky situations early on, for example automatically recognizing when one person is ‘squaring up’ to another,” said Siemens Mobility managing director of rolling stock Sambit Bannerjee.

[Based on the Philip Dick short story.]