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At first glance, Knives Out doesn’t seem like a particularly political movie. “A Rian Johnson Whodunit,” the poster reads, with the letters scrawled in cartoonish font inside a magnifying glass. The trailer is stuffed with overdramatic jump cuts and hammy retorts from its famous actors—including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette. The film’s Thanksgiving release date, Martha Stewart-assisted marketing campaigns and jovial press run all give the impression that Knives Out is a popcorn caper, a mindless piece of entertainment. But while the film starts as a standard whodunit, it soon morphs into a personal drama...

Hundreds of homes burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated after a rare wind-driven wildfire tore through suburban neighborhoods in Colorado on Thursday, authorities said. Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency in the area, calling the blaze — which ballooned to 1,600 acres in a few hours amid 100-mph winds — “absolutely devastating.” After toppled power lines started the grass fire around 11 a.m. south of Boulder, the flames quickly spread through the towns of Louisville and Superior, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said during a news conference. “This was consuming football field lengths of land...

There has always been a debate as to why Chris Tucker didn't return for the sequel to the 1995 hit stoner comedy, "Friday." On Wednesday the franchise's star, Ice Cube, cleared things up, claiming on Twitter that despite offering Tucker up to $12 million to return, Tucker turned it down due to "religious reasons."

Link only - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/12/31/nascar-driver-brandon-browns-new-anti-biden-paint-scheme-limbo/9059843002/

Looks like the ignorant, malevolent little Katzenjammer Kidz of Twitter are back at it. This time they've banned a biggie, Dr. Robert W. Malone, the medical doyen whose research on the mRNA vaccine has been critical to the development of the vaccines for COVID. He's the guy who probably knows more about these vaccines than anyone else. His banning offense? Warning about the risks and limits of the mRNA vaccines, based on his bona fide scientific research, which included studies of young athletes who dropped dead of heart failure after taking them, and a suggestion that the vaccines not be...

As Covid lockdowns eased this past year, people all over the world went back to work and play. But while oil, natural gas, coal and electricity demand predictably shot up, President Biden canceled and hyper-regulated pipelines, leases and drilling permits. European leaders took similarly shortsighted actions. Inadequate global supplies chased rising global demand, and prices predictably skyrocketed. Regular gasoline that averaged $2.17 per gallon in 2020 hit $3.49 in November 2021, costing American motorists $17 more to fill their tanks. Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm laughed it off, saying, “If you drove an electric car, this wouldn’t be affecting you.”...

"Be my Mommy!" the banner in the CVS window read, part of a display of surplus Baby Emma dolls. It was the fifth day of Christmas, and I noticed during Mass -- shortly before I went to the drugstore to pick up prescriptions -- that one of the petitions during the service was for those struggling to have a happy, peaceful Christmas. We prayed for the sick, the grieving, the lonely. We didn't pray for the orphans, though, I thought during Mass. I did, in my heart, but seeing the Baby Emma display reminded me to do so again. Over...

Here are a few signposts for pursuing a good life and finding peace. "By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." That's commonly attributed to Confucius, whose wisdom I'm imitating. An awful lot of what I know has come from the harsh lash of experience, even when my own thoughts sufficiently counseled me to avoid the pitfalls lying directly ahead. Reflection, I've found, is most gratifying, but some of us will insist on exploring the jagged roads of hostile experience, if...

Does America seem to be more divided today than any other point in time since the Civil War? It would seem so, and it is by design. Over the years politicians have lost sight of the fact that they are civil servants and not rulers. Clearly there is an issue when those who hold office want for nothing and that makes them feel superior to their fellow citizens. In turn, those in office view the citizenry not as constituents to serve, but as a means to an end. We are here to cast our votes for them to ensure they...

You sometimes see newspaper headlines to the effect that, say, a “50 megawatt solar power plant” is being constructed. But you shouldn’t count on getting anything remotely approaching 50 megawatts of power from such an installation. Energy expert Isaac Orr explains: Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that production from solar panels plummets in the winter. The graph below shows the percentage of electricity generated by solar panels in Minnesota compared to their potential output. This percentage is called a capacity factor in electricity-industry lingo. ... Isaac’s analysis applies specifically to Minnesota, but bear in mind that...

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**SNIP** “I’m ecstatic about the Presidential Center’s location in Woodlawn, especially since Obama was our first African American president,” said Woodlawn homeowner John Odom in an interview with The Maroon during the town hall. “I just hope he doesn’t unintentionally displace his own African American community and cause an influx of Gold Coast residents. 63rd Street was once a thriving, safe African American community, and I would like to see the Obama library bring back some of that.” Patricia Tatum, a longtime Woodlawn homeowner and former nurse at UChicago Medicine, suspects that rising property taxes and pressure from land developers...

Source: Townhall Media/Julio RosasI want to add a few notes to my Christmas weekend column on the Census Bureau's July 2021 state population estimates and what stories they tell about growth and decline in the first 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic. THE IMMIGRATION BUST The big news is about immigration. In the years from 2010 to 2019, the Census Bureau recorded an increase in "international migration" -- immigration, in layman's language -- of 873,000. For the 15 months from April 2020 to July 2021, the corresponding number is only 257,000 -- down 71% from the average of the years...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was slammed on Twitter after she and her wife, Amy Eshleman, posted a video wishing a 'joyous Kwanzaa' ... The backlash comes as Lightfoot is accused of ignoring the city's surge in violent crimes, including a 25-year high murder rate, with 767 homicides in the city so far this year. Last week, she begged Attorney General Merrick Garland to send ATF agents to the city for six months to help get illegal guns off the street after she slashed the police budget ... Twitter users were quick slam Lightfoot, saying the the principles of Kwanzaa -...

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul," wrote Emily Dickinson. "And sore must be the storm / That could abash the little Bird / That kept so many warm." Staring ahead on New Year's Eve, at what appear to be the coming storms of 2022, this once-hopeful country is going to have to fall back on its reserves. What storms? Suddenly, the omicron variant of the coronavirus is sweeping the nation, shutting schools, shops, restaurants and bars that were only lately reopened. In this last week of 2021, new infections twice set records. Is a...

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From Fox News: "Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., and Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Thursday that state and city governments had reached an agreement to transfer the ownership of the city's recently removed Confederate monuments to the Black History Museum. The museum intends to partner with The Valentine and other cultural institutions in Richmond to "determine the proper future use of each piece in the collection," according to a Thursday press release from the City of Richmond. The museum will also receive the empty pedestals on which the statues stood."

Our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., is joining fellow cities NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston in mandating vaccine requirements for indoor spaces. Come January 15th, the District of Columbia will adopt this draconian measure—one that will ultimately drive a deeper wedge between Washingtonians. Lest The District’s policy makers forget: this effort won’t mitigate the spread of the omicron variant. But they’ll proceed with it anyway. Who will be adversely impacted by this new policy? Sadly, the city’s black residents—who comprise 46 percent of the population— will be disproportionately targeted. Fox News reporter Houston Keene noted just 39 percent of its...

The series of measures will reduce annual personal income tax by 110 billion yuan (US$17.3 billion), according to China’s State Council Preferential taxes on year-end bonuses will stay in place until the end of 2023, while lower taxation on equity incentives will continue through next year The Chinese economy still needs policy support and tax cuts are an important stimulus, Jiao Ruijin China will extend some personal income tax breaks, with certain measures to benefit high earners more, as the government seeks to encourage household spending as part of efforts to stimulate economic growth. Preferential taxes on year-end bonuses will...