To date, this is probably the best internet of 2019. Still plenty of time for new contenders.

This was strong.

Estimations of Bolton go up and down, but this is okay.

Capitalism, is there anything it can't do?

The radio telescope was neither the first nor the last breakthrough by Bell Labs. The company is also credited with crucial steps in the development of the transistor, the laser, the photovoltaic cell, the Unix operating system, three programming languages, and a host of optical, wireless and wired communications technologies and systems. As a result of its ground-breaking work, nine Nobel Prizes and four Turing Awards have been given to scientists for work completed at Bell Laboratories.

Make no mistake, Nokia Bell Labs is very much a creature of capitalism. It was part of Western Electric Company when it was purchased in the late 19th century by AT&T. The laboratory is the think tank for Nokia, and continues to exist because it helps the company make a profit. The radio telescope’s relationship to profitability ultimately led to the photos of the black hole, more than a century after Albert Einstein theorized of their existence.

The picture of the black hole is a wow moment. It was achieved by over 200 scientists from eight observatories. But it has been made possible by decades, really centuries, of learning and development driven by capitalism – the desire to create wealth, and the determination of potential investors to grow their capital. The photos released this week are a tribute to capitalism, and the spin-off effects that occur when companies and investors seek to enhance their profitability.

Plus the Meximelt®!

But I like that blog comment, because that was the first thought. Okay, the first thought was that the photo looked like a fuzzy orange doughnut and conveyed nothing about its subject. But the second thought was that this was a small step up an enormous mountain of achievement from people all around the world over centuries.

Some people really hate chickens

https://mobile.twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/1116330206514434048

Government, is there nothing it can't do?

During a hearing examining the practices of some of the nation's biggest banks, Waters complained to a panel of seven bank CEOs that there are more than 44 million Americans that owe … $1.56 trillion in student loan debt."

She added, “Last year, one million student loan borrowers defaulted, which is on top of the one million borrowers who defaulted the year before.”

...

James Dimon, JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO, finally spilled the beans: “When the government took over student lending in 2010 or so, we stopped doing all student lending,” he said.

...

According to the Washington Times, "student loan debt exploded from $154.9 billion in 2009 to $1.1 trillion at the end of 2017" with current student debt "estimated at more than $1.5 trillion."

https://pjmedia.com/trending/maxine-waters-grills-big-bank-ceos-about-student-loans-which-were-nationalized-in-2010/

Estimations of Bolton go up and down, but this is okay. ~ Crid at April 11, 2019 5:09 AM

While not a serious gaffe on Gillibrand's part, it is indicative that she does not understand the nature and scope of conflict - an important understanding for a potential commander-in-chief, but one that can be learned.

The gaffe will serve to reinforce the negative opinions of those already dis-inclined to vote for her, but probably not cost her the votes of people wondering "what gaffe?"

Well, a successful detonation has an indisputably tactile component, sure. And while there are attendant feelings of warmth and tinkly little sounds....

During a hearing examining the practices of some of the nation's biggest banks, Waters complained to a panel of seven bank CEOs that there are more than 44 million Americans that owe … $1.56 trillion in student loan debt." ~ I R A Darth Aggie at April 11, 2019 7:43 AM

The mere presence of Maxine Waters on the finance committee is evidence the Democrats are not serious about economic matters. To compound their error, they not only let her on the committee, they put her in charge of it.

The gaffe will serve to reinforce the negative opinions of those already dis-inclined to vote for her, but probably not cost her the votes of people wondering "what gaffe?"

Those are the same people who thought the way W pronounced "nuclear" was prima facie evidence that he was an incompetent boob unsuited to the job.

Tomato, toh-mah-toh.

A Larry Wallism

"Tactical? TACTICAL!?!? Hey, buddy, we went from kilotons to megatons several minutes ago. We don't need no stinkin' tactical nukes. (By the way, do you have change for 10 million people?)"

Those are the same people who thought the way W pronounced "nuclear" was prima facie evidence that he was an incompetent boob unsuited to the job. ~ I R A Darth Aggie at April 11, 2019 10:22 AM

Not quite "to-may-to vs. to-mah-to.".

W's gaffe was a pronunciation error - nuclear vs. nucular - attributed by US intelligentsia to ignorance since Dwight Eisenhower pronounced it that way. By the way, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also used this mispronunciation, as did, reportedly, Edward Teller. Teller was a "nucular" physicist while Carter studied "nucular" engineering at the US Naval Academy.

Tactile vs. tactical is not a mere pronunciation difference, it's a misunderstanding of the underlying words. Those are two distinct words and the two words have very different meanings - although, as Crid jokingly pointed out, a tactical nuclear explosion will give one a tactile experience.

Gillibrand's gaffe indicates she has little exposure to tactical vs. strategic concepts - either militarily or in private industry. As at least one military historian was fond of saying, "tactics is where strategy meets the enemy."

A tactical nuclear weapon is designed to be used against an enemy army on the battlefield to influence the outcome of a battle. Hydrogen bombs, like other strategic nuclear weapons, are designed to be used against the enemy's population centers to end a war by killing large amounts of people quickly.

Since the president has the authority to launch strategic nuclear weapons as well as to authorize the use of tactical nuclear weapons, it's a distinction a presidential candidate should know.

That presidential candidate, Gillibrand, is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that oversees military operations, weapons approvals, and appropriations and was unable to properly talk about "tactical" nuclear weapons is concerning. At this point in her career, she should understand and be fluent in discussing the difference between tactical and strategic weapons, nuclear or not.

Former Obama aide Greg Craig indicted for lobbying on behalf of a foreign government without registering. The practice is widespread in Washington, but in the past was almost never prosecuted. Mueller's decision to prosecute Paul Manafort for it just turned the whole situation upside down; they can't very well prosecute Manafort while ignoring others who have done the same thing, without opening themselves up to charges of politically-motivated selective prosecution. Now a whole bunch of lobbyists are looking over their shoulders... Yes, laws mean things.

The people taking hammers and tongs to our electoral college are being intellectually dishonest

What's the difference between "intellectual" dishonesty, and the plain, old-fashioned kind?

Which is worse?

And before you know it, they'll pin the blame on a school shooting to shock rocker Marilyn Manson.

https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1116369243510124545

Giant sea cumcumber species named after H.P. Lovecraft creature 'Cthulhu'

Cumcumber.

Yeah, probably a typo, and I'm unsure whether it looks like C'thulu's pet spider-cuke or a robotic sex toy from Japan.