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Time’s up

In reality, changing the clocks doesn’t create or destroy daylight. It only changes what we call it. If you want more daylight in the winter, you need to move closer to the equator. Changing the clocks twice a year is a nuisance. It’s also unhealthy. “The switch itself does real harm. In the days after we spring forward, heart attacks rise.   One analysis   found a 24 percent jump in heart attacks on the Monday after the change.   Strokes ,   traffic crashes , and   workplace accidents climb , too. Ending the switch is worth doing. The only question is which time we keep.” But locking in Daylight Savings Time isn’t the answer. “. . . morning light and evening light are not interchangeable. Our bodies run on internal clocks that are set by the sun, not the clock on the wall. Morning light is the master signal: It resets our internal clocks each day and tells the brain to trigger a surge of cortisol. Cortisol, a hormone released by the adrenal glands, is the ...
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Massachusetts politics

I live in Rhode Island, about a mile from the Massachusetts border. Massachusetts Is a real state, while Rhode Island is more of a toy state.   Massachusetts has a recent history of electing moderate Republican governors—Willard “Mitt” Romney* and Charlie Baker come to mind. So I wasn’t completely surprised when MA GOP gubernatorial candidate Michael Minogue did the reasonable thing and called on his lieutenant governor running mate to end his campaign after Shawn Oliver was arrested and jailed for OUI after he drove into five parked vehicles late Saturday night, flipping his own vehicle. “Minogue said earlier Sunday that beyond calling on Oliver to end his campaign,   he would “formally ask for his resignation” should both he and the New Bedford city councilor be elected Nov. 3.” Both Minogue and Oliver are way behind in the polls. I’m glad Minogue did the right thing. *I hear you snickering, but “Obamacare” was really Romneycare. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/18/m...
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Quote of the day

  From a comment thread over at angrybearblog.com: "Seven different AI LLM’s were asked to determine president’s IQ, based on transcripts from his interviews, responses to questions, and speech patterns. Two declined; the remaining five ranged IQ’s between 80-110. Gemini, who assessed his IQ at 85-95 was asked if AI could be safely guard-railed by someone with his intellect and responded: ‘ start stockpiling canned goods.’"
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The beginning of the end of dollar dominance?

The US dollar has been the world’s reserve currency for decades. This has meant more favorable lending conditions for America. Now, it looks like China is making a play to displace the dollar. “ Zambia is set to accept the Chinese yuan for some copper exports starting next year, marking a significant move away from US dollar dependency.   “This innovative payment approach could lower transaction costs and minimize currency exchange risks for Zambia’s crucial copper trade with China.   “China’s push to internationalize the yuan is gaining momentum, as seen in recent yuan-based energy and mineral transactions worldwide.”   China is struggling with overproduction of goods that can’t be consumed internally. Until they get their economic house in order, they won’t displace dollar dominance. But Trump is actively eroding internation trust the US good faith and credit.   https://www.facebook.com/businessinsiderssa/posts/zambia-is-set-to-accept-the-chinese-yuan-for-some-copp...
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Are you better off today?

  Going into the midterms, Democrats should be asking voters “are you better off today than two years ago?” Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. They should answer for why things are getting worse and why we should believe things will improve. https://jabberwocking.com/49282-2/  
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Quote of the day

Buying diesel from Russia will not change the price of diesel. It is questionable that Russia can actually deliver the diesel fuel. It is facing domestic shortages itself. Like a typical Trump deal, this could well end in an appeal to American taxpayers to pay for something two or three times which was advertised as a gift for them. But let us imagine that Russian ships actually dock in American ports with diesel fuel. All that this would mean is that Russia broke some prior contracts with other partners in order to make Trump feel grateful. The overall supply of diesel on the world market would not change. The price of diesel will not change. ~Timothy Snyder
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Quote of the day

As for Trump and Hegseth, their whole schtick is making a fetish of cruelty. Hasan won't be their first public execution. They've murdered hundreds on the high seas, accusing them without evidence of smuggling drugs while in fact preparing the way for a putsch in Venezuela designed get their greedy hands on the oil and gold. Last September, their commanders ordered a despicable double-tap attack on survivors floating in the water and begging to be rescued. Hegseth was too big a coward to let us see the video. Members of Congress said it made them sick to their stomachs. They weren't soft on drugs or Venezuela’s tinhorn dictator. They just understood the difference between right and wrong. They knew the American people wouldn't keeping putting up with cruelty for cruelty’s sake. They know a civilized government doesn't murder the helpless or shoot people for show. Hegseth and Trump operate differently. They think that little of us. ~John H. Taylor  
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