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Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax may create a new incentive for rich couples to divorce to avoid the tax, according to Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw. Warren’s plan would impose a 2% annual tax on wealth over $50 million and a 3% tax on wealth over $1 billion. If a wealthy couple is worth $100 million, they would pay a 2% tax on any wealth over $50 million, which in their case would amount to $1 million a year. If they divorce and split their fortune in half, they would each be worth $50 million and neither would owe...

As Greta Thunberg and thousands of youth activists worldwide participate today in the largest Youth Climate Strike to date, educators like me see the primal-scream-worthy subtext: Students have realized that to secure their future, their best option is to leave school grounds. Never was there a clearer sign that our schools must do better on climate change. A little over a year ago, I left the 9th grade biology classroom, my home and passion for six years, because I did not have the time and support to help young people address the one issue that will affect them the most....

Comedy specials have become a bugle call for herds of people looking for reasons to be offended and to demand the end of a celebrity’s career. They have also become a “safe space” for people who like to laugh at politically incorrect humor and provide relief from a life where saying what you really mean is incredibly risky. Bill Burr’s “Paper Tiger” is no exception, delivering a swift kick straight into the hornet’s nest of strident feminism. In his hour-long Netflix special, Burr is undaunted by the recent backlash against all forms of comedy by people who seem affronted by...

Food Network star and New York City chef Carl Ruiz died suddenly Saturday. The 44-year-old was the executive chef of La Cubana and a star of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and "Guy's Grocery Games." La Cubana, which he opened in New York's Meatpacking District this past June, told CBS News it will establish The Carl Ruiz Scholarship Foundation in his honor. The restaurant added that it was "deeply saddened" by the news of his death. "No words can fully express our sadness at the sudden loss of our dear friend and brother. Beyond his immense culinary talent, Carl's larger-than-life personality...

Nashville is becoming an increasingly popular road trip for SEC fans. The Music City is still learning how to properly handle being invaded by SEC football fans. LSU alum Taylor Martina had quite the amusing story to share on Twitter Saturday morning: Tigers fans had already drained one bar’s vodka supply before 10 a.m. Nashville local time. (That’s a lot of morning screwdrivers…)

he question begs to be asked: Why is the person who came forward with a story about President Trump and a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still being referred to as a whistleblower? Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson, is a Trump appointee. Allegedly he found a reason to go forward with a complaint lodged against President Trump stemming from a conversation with Zelensky in July. The anonymous “whistleblower,” as it turns out, is not, in fact, a whistleblower. The complainant is essentially a gossipmonger. The person admits no direct knowledge of the conversation. Doesn’t that...

What happens when the world’s oldest travel company closes its doors? It leaves a lot of people very far from home and no clear way to get back. Thomas Cook collapsed overnight after 178 years of operation thanks to debt commitments that could not be met, leaving more than 150,000 people scattered across the globe with no way home and no paid accommodations.The legendary firm’s CEO issued an apology, but that alone won’t do much: Thomas Cook CEO Peter Fankhauser apologizes after the world's oldest travel company went into liquidation, leaving thousands of passengers stranded around the world. More:...

Despite the mainstream media continuing to insist that the President isn’t building any new border walls, sections of new or vastly improved “barrier systems” continue to appear as if by magic. And last week these efforts appeared to kick things up another gear, though you probably didn’t hear about it on most cable news outlets. The Department of the Interior is transferring more than 500 acres of federal land to the Department of the Army. The land will be used to begin construction on another 70 miles of border wall, so make room for the construction brigades, folks. (Epoch...

Its Swingin' Monday and we have Deuce Spriggins - Who Broke The Lock On The Hen House Door (1945). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

The question begs to be asked: Why is the person who came forward with a story about President Trump and a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still being referred to as a whistleblower? Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson, is a Trump appointee. Allegedly he found a reason to go forward with a complaint lodged against President Trump stemming from a conversation with Zelensky in July. The anonymous “whistleblower,” as it turns out, is not, in fact, a whistleblower. The complainant is essentially a gossipmonger. The person admits no direct knowledge of the conversation. Doesn’t...

China already lost in the trade war with the U.S. Although you will never hear Chinese authorities, especially President Xi Jinping, admit it as such, the evidence is everywhere and only becoming more compelling by the day. Reuters recently reported that based on the Chinese government's own data, China's economic slowdown has worsened in August, with "growth in industrial production is at its weakest in 17-1/2 years amid spreading pain from a trade war with the United States and softening domestic demand. Retail sales and investment gauges worsened too." Despite such poor readings, Premier Li Keqiang insists that China is...

WikiLeaks founder’s custody will be extended after current prison terms comes to end Julian Assange will stay in prison after the custody period on his current jail term ends because of his “history of absconding”. As home secretary, Sajid Javid signed an order in June allowing Assange’s extradition to the US over hacking allegations. A 50-week jail term was imposed in the UK after he had jumped previous bail by going into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The WikiLeaks founder would have been released from HMP Belmarsh on 22 September, Westminster magistrates court heard on Friday, but he...

Our grandfathers built a low-cost reliable decentralized electricity supply for all states of Australia based mainly on black and brown coalfields — Blair Athol, Callide, Ipswich, Sydney/Newcastle, Yallourn, Leigh Creek, and Collie. Then our fathers built the mighty Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric scheme, which provided water to irrigate the inland while generating electricity to help pay for it. In the years up to 1980, huge new coal-fired power plants were constructed in each state. We discovered oil and gas in Roma, Bass Strait, Barrow Island, Timor Sea, and in coal and shale in many places. Coal and hydro gave Australia reliable...

There is a movement afoot to liberate female breasts and it goes by the name “Free the Nipples.” Apparently, our breasts want out. Out of our clothing, that is. That’s right. There is a spectre haunting America -- of clothes -- and women have nothing to lose but their shirts. So whadaya say? Knockers of the world, unite! Out with yesterday’s bra-burners (they’re so last century, anyway) and in with the Nipple Warriors! Let’s face it, our girls just can't take the oppression and discrimination anymore: the frustrating bra shopping, the annual breast exams, the painful mammograms, the perpetual fear...

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Patrick Henry. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Patrick Henry was an American attorney, planter, and orator best known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" He served as Virginia's first post-colonial governor. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered font to prevent accidental spoilers. Please refrain from disclosing the full answer in comments to prevent spoilers.To solve the puzzle: Enter the letters in the top...

Posted on September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope On the Connection Between Sound Doctrine and Civility A key theme of St. Paul’s Letters to Timothy and Titus, bishops he appointed to oversee the churches of Ephesus and Crete respectively, is their insistence on sound doctrine. He writes to Titus, “As for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine …” (Titus 2:1). He tells Timothy that if he passes on this doctrine to others, he “… will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound doctrine that...

Fans who expected Sylvester Stallone's returns as John Rambo to dominate the box office are in for a surprise. Rambo: Last Blood opens in third place. Instead, the Downton Abbey movie makes a surprise debut in the top spot with a record-setting opening for studio Focus Features. James Gray’s sci-fi film Ad Astra will take the second-place spot. Downton Abbey earned $13.8 million on Friday. The film will earn $30.5 million in its opening weekend. The movie is a continuation of the popular television drama about a noble British family in the early 20th century and their servants. Creator Julian...

When the Bronze Age hit ancient Israel, the copper-rich region was able to quickly source seven of the eight ingredients needed to produce the alloy at Timna and other mines. But where tin -- another one-eighth of the metal's recipe -- came from has been a lingering mystery for scholars. A new paper from an international team of researchers proposes a surprisingly faraway source -- Cornwall. In a paper published in June on the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS One, the authors analyze 27 tin ingots, or blocks, from five sites bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For decades, researchers have...

Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, who is challenging President Trump for the Republican nomination next year, on Monday accused him of “treason” for pressing the leader of Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son. Weld’s comments came in response to reports that Trump repeatedly brought up investigating Biden, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination, and his younger son, Hunter, in a July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Talk about pressuring a foreign country to interfere with and control a U.S. election,” Weld said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It couldn’t be clearer,...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top ally of President Donald Trump, said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) should look into what happened with former Vice President Joe Biden and Ukraine. Biden in March 2016 pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was looking into alleged wrongdoing by Burisma, a company for which Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was a board member. The 2020 presidential candidate denied talking to his son about business dealings in Ukraine. His son previously said he did discuss the dealings with his father once. Biden also said no evidence has connected him to any wrongdoing.