WendyMcElroy.com

From Zero Hedge: Forecasters Warn: Storm In Atlantic Basin "Could Form Into Hurricane Over Weekend"

From Unherd: Tyler Cowen changes his mind on crypto. The influential thinker says he is no longer a sceptic. [Ed: I am a fan of Tyler's.] From Morning Consult: For the Most Pronounced CBDC Enthusiasm, Look to the Underbanked. [Ed: CBDC=Central Bank Digital Currency, and they are politically risky as hell. Free-market crypto is politically safe.] From Reason: Bitcoin: 'A Weapon for Us To Fight Oppression'. Senegalese app developer Fodé Diop sees bitcoin as a way to end "monetary colonialism" in the developing world.

From Science Wire: More Fun Than Fun: The Underground Architects and Engineers of the Ant World.

From Aeon: What animals think of death. Having a concept of death, far from being a uniquely human feat, is a fairly common trait in the animal kingdom. [Ed: fascinating.]

From Jonathan Turley: “I Will Not Wear a Mask”: New Mexico Professor Placed on Leave After Refusing To Take Vaccine or Wear Mask

Everyday Finances. From CNBC: Here's how inflation is hitting the online prices of everything from apparel to furniture. From Advancing Time Blog: "We Should Be Concerned" - The War On Cash Is A Real Thing. [Ed: all transactions could be tracked, down to buying a stick of gum.] From Zero Hedge: Major UK Fertilizer Plants Shuttered Due To Skyrocketing Natural Gas Prices [Ed: the price of food will rise.] AND Emerging Market Policy Makers Scramble To Tame Soaring Food Inflation As Unrest Looms. [Ed: yes, shortages and the high cost of food have historically driven rebellion and revolution.]

From the New York Times: George Soros Is Making Changes at His Foundation While He Still Can. The result is a painful restructuring to focus on the fight against rising authoritarianism around the world. [Ed: reader friendly. I do not know what this portends but I am suspicious of all things Soros.]

From Rumble: Democratic Officials Continue to Threaten Tech Companies to Censor More. [Ed: video by Glenn Greenwald.]

From the Good News Network: Locals Are ‘Interrupting Violence’ in Minneapolis – One Lawn Chair at a Time.

High Finance. From Zero Hedge: Evergrande Suspends Trading In All Bonds. 13 years after Lehman failed, things in China are starting to crack. [Ed: China is driving so many global trends these days. It has truly replaced the U.S. in influence.]

From the BBC: Boris Johnson warns Covid risk remains as he unveils England's winter plan. [Ed :Plan B leaves dooor wide open for vax passports, despite the announcement of scraping them.]

The Elites. From the Toronto Sun: Trudeau breaks law once again by ignoring Ontario's COVID restrictions. Trudeau packed over 400 people into Brampton banquet hall Tuesday night. From Spiked: Of course AOC went to the Met Gala. What passes for ‘left-wing’ politics has perhaps never been more palatable to the mega rich.

From Buzzfeed: The Best Photos Taken Through Microscopes Will Blow You Away.

Jan. 6 Matters. From the Washington Examiner: Half agree: Jan. 6 suspects are 'political prisoners' [Ed: the rest of world sees them as political prisoners.] From Politico: First Jan. 6 rioter sentenced for a felony seeks to unwind plea deal. Paul Hodgkins is claiming through a new attorney that his signature on the deal was forged. From Zero Hedge: Capitol Police Ask National Guard For Support At "Justice For J6" Rally, Roger Stone Fears 'False Flag'

From Politico: ‘That fellow Down Under’ — Aussies cringe as Biden appears to forget PM’s name

The Pacific Heats Up. From the Mirror: North Korea launches two ballistic missiles as fears grow over nuclear capability. The launch came after North Korea said it successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile last weekend. From the World: Rival Koreas test missiles hours apart, raising tensions. [Ed: could be sabre rattling...but this one feels different.] From Hawaii News Now: Chinese state-run newspaper claims warships could ‘soon’ near Hawaii. From CNBC: U.S., Australia and UK unveil new security partnership as China expands its military and influence.

From Crowd Wisdom: Canada Federal Election Polls and News: Latest Projection- Liberals 147, Conservatives 124, NDP at 33. [Ed: these are seat projections. The raw estimate of vote totals is about equal.]

From Zero Hedge: France Accuses "Backstabbing" Biden Of Being 'Worse Than Trump' As UK-Aussie Defense Pact Sinks Sub Deal. [Ed: France had a $40B deal to build subs for Aussies; Security partnership with US transferred such builds over to America.]

Covid-1984. From the Epoch Times: FDA Says Authorized COVID-19 Vaccines Still Effective, Boosters May Not Be Needed. [Ed: it would be nice if 'experts' agreed on anything before a thing became mandatory.] From Politico: Biden Covid team sees vaccine efficacy waning in unpublished data from Israel. [Ed: ARGHHH!] From RT: France suspends 3,000 healthcare workers for failing to get jabbed against Covid – health minister. [Ed: does this in the midst of a health care worker shortage.] From Libertarian Hub: Shockingly, CDC Now Lists Vaccinated Deaths as Unvaccinated. AND How States And Communities Can Fight Back Against Biden’s COVID Tyranny

Afghanistan. From US News: Iran Resumes Commercial Flights to Afghanistan. [Ed: it did so on Wednesday.] From Tolo News: House Prices Fall in Kabul Amid Widespread Migration [Ed: reportedly fell by 50%.]

Newsom Recall Fallout. From Politico:
Newsom: Recall win shows Dems should 'stiffen our spines' on Covid action From FOX 11: ‘The leftist persecution campaign begins’: Less than 24 hours after Gov. Newsom survived recall, L.A. County issues ‘new health orders’. [Ed: welcome to the hell that is Newsom.] AND LA County to require proof of vaccination for indoor bars, nightclubs, breweries.

From Curbed: Revolt of the Delivery Workers Exploited by apps. Attacked by thieves. Unprotected by cops. 65,000 strong, with only themselves to count on. [Ed: oddly fascinating. Long read.]

Durham Probe. From Yahoo News: Durham seeks indictment against lawyer at Steele dossier-linked law firm over Alfa Bank matter: Report. [Ed: the charge is "making false statements to the FBI."] UPDATE... From the Associated Press: Probe of Mueller Investigation Leads to Charge Against Lawyer. Michael Sussmann allegedly lied to the FBI From Zero Hedge: "Russiagate In A Nutshell": Glenn Greenwald Breaks Down Significance Of Expected Indictment Against Hillary Clinton Lawyer.

As some of you have noticed, I've upped my "game" in compiling the blog. Disseminating information and commentary is one of the most valuable ways I can counter the Woke culture war that consumes so much of the planet. I cannot merely sit still, watching it happen. I am posting multiple items each day--some deadly serious, others light and inspiring--because the counter revolution needs both to be serious and to laugh and keep its chin up.

Allow me to thank the people who have donated in the past. The confidence you have shown has meant a great deal to me. I ask those who have not donated this year to consider doing so. Whatever happens, I will not stop blogging but it will make my life easier. Donations can through PayPal or the various crypto buttons on the right hand side of this page. For alternate methods, please contact wendy©wendymcelroy.com. Thank you.

From the Associated Press: And They're Off: SpaceX Launch Makes History. Inspiration4 mission sends 4 space tourists into orbit

From CNN: Chauvin, 3 Others Plead Not Guilty to Federal Charges. Ex-Minneapolis officers are accused of violating George Floyd's civil rights. [Ed: this almost dropped off my radar. Too much is happening.]

From CNN: Tropical Depression Nicholas is slowing to a crawl and threatening to dump up to 20 inches in some parts of Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states.

From the American Thinker: Dems’ worst nightmare: BLM and MAGA activists jointly demonstrate against vax mandates. [Ed: it is very cold in Hell tonight.]

Everyday Finances. From CNBC: Consumer prices post smaller-than-expected increase in August. From Shadow Government Statistics: Alternative Inflation Charts. [Ed: more accurate, IMO.] From CBS News: American household income fell in 2020, its first decline since 2011, Census says. From Mish Talk: Workers Only Make 8 Cents More Per Hour, Inflation-Adjusted, Than January 1973. From Bloomberg: U.S. Poverty Rate Rose From 60-Year Low, Incomes Fell Amid Virus [Ed: reader friendly.]

From Al Jazeera: Haiti crisis deepens after prime minister sacks prosecutor. Removal came hours after chief prosecutor named Prime Minister Ariel Henry as a suspect in the assassination of the country’s president.

From antiwar: Wars of Unintended Consequences.

An Emboldened China. From Yahoo News: China is purging celebrities and tech billionaires. But the problem is bigger than 'sissy men'. [Ed: frightening trend.] From Zero Hedge: China Lodges Formal Protest With US Over Possible Taiwan Diplomatic Office Name Change. Foreign Ministry demands Washington "stop any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan to improve substantive relations."

From Gizmodo: Amazon's Palm Reader Launches at First Non-Amazon Venue in Sneak Peek of Our Biometric-Based Future. [Ed: a glimpse of the future?]

From CNBC: Social Security COLA Likely Means a Big Increase. Cost-of-living adjustment expected to be around 6% next year, the highest in four decades

The Elite. From Glenn Greenwald: The Masking Of The Servant Class: Ugly COVID Images From The Met Gala Are Now Commonplace. [Ed: a must read.] From PJ Media: How Can You Tell the Elite from the Peasants? [Ed: stomach churning photo of Rep. Carolyn Maloney.]

From the Epoch Times: Over Two-Thirds Of Businesses Worldwide Report Hiring Difficulties.

From Hot Air: Fauci: Please, I beg you, pay no attention to Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's balls. [Ed:interesting article, but I include it mostly for the title. Not from the Onion.]

From the Middle East Monitor: What Iran's pick of FM tells us about its plans for the nuclear deal. [Ed: FM=Foreign Minister . The "pick" is widely viewed as a hard-liner.] From the Daily Mail: Iran is a MONTH away from having enough fuel for a nuclear weapon, International Atomic Energy Agency warns: Pressure grows on Biden to act

Vaccines/Vaccinations. From Becker Hospital Review: Texas Hospital Faces Closure Over Vaccine Mandate, CEO Says. Brownfield (Texas) Regional Medical Center, a rural hospital, will lose up to 25 percent of its employees if the vaccine mandate is enforced... Losing those workers would probably shut down the hospital. From Zero Hedge: NBA Won't Impose Vaccine Requirement On Players After Union 'Refused To Budge'. [Ed: who'da thought unions could be part of the solution?] From Politico: Pfizer to seek US vaccine approval for children between 6 months and 5 years in November.

From Zero Hedge: 'Treason If True': Trump Lashes Out At Gen Milley Over Claims Of China Dealings "Behind The President's Back". Milley had two 'back-channel phone calls' with China's top general... [Ed: interesting that it is not being denied.] From Breitbart: Report: Milley Told Military Officials Not to Take Orders After Capitol Riot. [Ed: hard to see how this is not treason.] From Twitter: What I expect Bidenwill do with Milley. [Ed: the timing of the release of this material is odd, don't you think? And a WH source reporting on upcoming testimony v. him?]]

From Sunny Skyz: Doberman Mom Adopts A Two-Day-Old Kitten As One Of Her Own. [Ed: photos are amazing.]

From the Rutherford Institute: Constitution Day 2021: It's Time To Make America Free Again. [Ed: actually the Constitution is just a piece of paper that protects rights only if people are willing to insist upon them.]

The Embarrassment that is Biden. From Radio Free Europe: Tajik Foreign Ministry Issues Verbal Note Of Protest Over Biden Comments. [Ed: there was no reason for Biden to have made the statement he did. It was absolutely unncessary.] From Mediaite: GOP Senator Insists to Sec of State Blinken That Someone ‘Cuts Off Bidens Mic’ When He Speaks: ‘It’s Been Widely Reported’. [Ed: video is here.] From Politico: How Joe Biden Became Irish. [Ed: Biden's ancestors were slave-owners.]

From Unherd: Covid safetyism has gone mad. Policy can't change the fact that risk is a part of life.

From Reason: FEC: Twitter Blocking the Hunter Biden Story Wasn't Election Interference. [Ed: this will impact social media's behaviour in the next election.]

From the Babylon Bee: Kamala Harris Instructed To Stop Answering All Her Phone Calls With 'Did He Die?'

High Finance. From Zero Hedge: Chinese Data Dump Confirms Hard Landing Imminent. Unfortunately for Beijing, Evergrande is just the beginning... [Ed: important read.] From Mish Talk: Energy Crunch in Europe With New Record Prices and Wind Stops Blowing.

From FOX News: Blinken Says US Doesn’t Know Who Was Killed in Kabul Drone Strike, Review Forthcoming. [Ed: in response to Rand Paul's question, “The guy the Biden administration droned, was he an aid worker or an ISIS-K operative?” ]

From Bored Panda: This Cat Went Viral Because He Learned To Beg In A Way That Melts People’s Hearts.

Politics Within the Democrats. From Politico: Democrats grapple with faltering filibuster push. As progressives re-coalesce around election reform as a vehicle to nix the filibuster, they're running into the same obstacles. AND Centrists throw wrench in House Democrats’ drug pricing plans. The standoff is threatening the entire health plank of the party's mammoth social spending proposal.

From CBC: California Governor Recall Results: Gavin Newsom Wins. He'll remain in office.

From Accuweather: LIVE: Nicholas leaves Texas town underwater as storm trudges inland. [Ed: a round-up of stories about tropical storm Nicholas.]

Vaccination Passports/Lockdown. From Fox5 NY: New pandemic rules for NYC restaurants, city workers, schools in effect. From Unherd: Did Ayn Rand defeat vaccine passports? Sajid Javid is known to be a fan of the individualist philosopher. [Ed: I just like the headline.] From the Epoch Times: Federal Judge Blocks New York State Health Care Worker Vaccination Mandate. “What New York is attempting to do is slam shut an escape hatch from an unconstitutional vaccine mandate,” [Ed: now onder the Dems want to redefine the court system. It is their greatest obstacle.]

From Boing Boing: Check in on the Voyager probes.

From the Gradient: Has AI found a new Foundation? [Ed: a must read for those intrigued by science or computing.]

From CBS4 Boston: Massachusetts National Guard Activated To Help Deal With School Bus Driver Shortage. [Ed: this is not the purpose of the National Guard. Everything is being redefined.] From Shadow Government Stats: Alternate Unemployment Charts.

All Things Covid-1984. From the City Journal: Delta is Dying. New CDC findings show that we’re closer than ever to the end of the pandemic. From CNN: New Paper in Lancet: Most Don't Need Boosters. International review says they're not necessary for general population [Ed: not that Lancet or CNN have credibility left. But it does illustrate the wide disagreement between 'experts'.] From the Atlantic: Our Most Reliable Pandemic Number Is Losing Meaning. A new study suggests that almost half of those hospitalized with COVID-19 have mild or asymptomatic cases. [Ed: this is especially true since the leaked Zoom call on which top doctors argued for inflating the number. See yesterday's newsfeed.]

From CNN: Hoax Walmart Press Release Lifts Cryptocurrency 25%. Litecoin scam may be 'PR hoax of the decade'.

Everyday Finances. From SHTF: If Biden’s Mandates Force Millions Of Americans Out Of Their Jobs, Our Supply Chain Nightmares Will Get Much Worse.

From Nation and State: ' You Can't Print Electricity' - Zimbabwe Begins Daily 12-Hour Power Cuts Amid Shortage. [Ed: expect other nations to follow suit. Climate zealots will cause a great many deaths by turning back the clock on human progress.] From Politico: Schumer vows Dems will deliver aggressive climate provisions.

From Antiwar: US Quietly Removes Patriot Missile Air Defenses From Saudi Base. The timing is interesting, coming ahead of new releases of 9/11 documents related to Saudi involvement. [Ed: which is the cause? Which is the effect?] From Politico: [link]Biden to withhold, restrict some military aid to Egypt./link] [Ed: redefining the US policy toward the Middle East.]

High Finances. From Zero Hedge: Endgame Begins: Evergrande Hires Bankruptcy Advisors As Furious Investors Protest Imminent Default. From Of Two Minds Blog: The US Economy In A Nutshell: When Critical Parts Are On "Indefinite Back Order", The Machine Grinds To A Halt. .. fantasies are nice but reality is far more demanding.

From Spiked: ‘America doesn’t believe its own story anymore’. Nick Gillespie on how 9/11 and the war on terror turned the US against itself. [Ed: recommended.]

Social/Corporate Media. From Bloomberg: Fox Chief Charlie Collier Revamps the Murdochs’ Empire, Adds TMZ. [Ed: reader friendly. From Reclaim the Net: Elizabeth Warren Demands Amazon Censor Best-Selling Books. [Ed: on covid, of course.] From Zero Hedge: D.C. Attorney General Widens Scope Of Lawsuit Against Amazon. From BizPac Review: ‘Ton of new friends’: Greenwald notes media’s seismic shift on GWB after speech that fits left’s narrative. ...Bush compared the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack to “domestic violence extremism.” From Mish Talk: Facebook's Invisible Elite Rules Highlight Zuckerberg's Blatant Lies. Facebook's XCheck gives millions of celebrities, politicians and other high-profile users special treatment (but not Trump), a privilege many abuse.. [Ed: perhaps this belongs under The Elite category...but the two categories blur into each other.].

From Politico: Homeland Security chief of staff abruptly resigns. The shake-up comes at a critical and difficult time for the agency. [Ed: what's all this about?]

From the Daily News: Obama CIA Director Says Biden Afghanistan Calamity Has "Absolutely Inspired Jihadists All Over The World". “There’s a celebration going on.” [Ed: the most significant aspect is that this is an Obama man speaking.]

From Zero Hedge: Biden Allies Sour On Taxing Rich As House Dems Eye SALT Cap Handout. The changes "reflect the political reality of a Senate that requires moderate Democrats to vote en masse for the final package."

From Politico: ‘Am I on drugs?’ These 7 California recall moments had people wondering From the Babylon Bee: 10 Reasons The California Recall Will Be The Most Perfect And Fair Election Of All Time [Ed: remember, this is a satire site.] From CNN: Live Updates on Recall. [Ed: I expect Newsome will 'win' and there will be lawsuits about rigged election.]

The Elite: From Zero Hedge: Maskless AOC Attends Elite $50k Per Ticket Met Gala In 'Tax The Rich' Dress. [Ed; it is good to be the Queen. Everyone in the photo of the gathering is maskless.] From Jonathan Cook: AOC’s ‘tax the rich’ gown isn’t a threat. It is designer protest meant to dull class struggle. [Ed: she wore the gown to an event that cost $30K a ticket.] From the Babylon Bee: Woman Attending Ultra-Exclusive Gala For The Elite In Expensive Designer Dress Lectures Nation On Inequality AND Trump Wows Met Gala Crowd In 'Rigged Election' Dress From Right Wing Watch: Lauren Boebert Says Government Should Be Run by ‘Righteous Men and Women of God’ [Ed: the right wing elites are not better.]

From Zero Hedge: Book Reveals Gen Milley Secretly Sabotaged Trump, Called China, Sparking Talk Of Treason. Milley had two 'back-channel phone calls' with China's top general... [Ed: this definitely fits the category of "treason."] From CNN: Pelosi says she spoke to Gen. Milley about Trump and the nuclear codes. [Ed: did she know about the backdoor contact with China?]

From FOX News: Biden's Constitution workarounds – president doesn't seem to see limits for government. Biden and his aides indicate they know they are operating outside of constitutional limits. [Ed: by the excellent Jonathan Turley.]