ECONOMICS: Economics teaches that monopolies don’t last

Sunday, February 16, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/02/07/business/investors-take-aim-at-nba-with-plans-to-create-5b-basketball-league/

Investors take aim at NBA with plans to create $5B basketball league: ‘Opportunity is massive’
By Reuters 
Published Feb. 7, 2025 Updated Feb. 7, 2025, 5:54 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

A group of investors are looking to create a new basketball league that will span Asia and Europe to one day rival the NBA, with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund as a strategic partner and Swiss bank UBS serving as an adviser.

The Financial Times reported that the $5 billion basketball competition plans to create six men’s teams and six women’s teams that will compete in eight host cities.

*** end quote ***

​Interesting. The NBA is a “monopoly”. Economics teaches that monopolies don’t last since competition seeks to “eat their lunch”. Here’s real life proof of that economic ‘lesson”.

From Standard Oil on to every other attempt to corner the market, we see monopolies destroyed without Gooferment intervention almost immediately after they come into being.  Remember Standard Oil went from 100% market share to under 70% in a decade due to competition.  And, then the Gooferment got involved.

The only way you can have a monopoly today is with a Gooferment grant of immunity.  Like Baseball, the Post Office, or Amtrak.  And, it usually comes with subsidies (i.e., why does the Gooferment build NFL stadiums?) that return to the politicians and bureaucrats as payoffs (i.e., campaign contributions).

 In the end, the Taxpayers and the Customers get <synonym for the act of procreation>!

Argh!

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GUNS: Old man kills a young robber — so sad for all involved

Monday, February 10, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/02/02/world-news/moment-78-year-old-fatally-shoots-teenager-trying-to-rob-him-in-argentina/

Shocking video shows 78-year-old fatally shoot teenager who tried to rob him in Argentina
By Ronny Reyes 
Published Feb. 2, 2025, 9:13 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

A 78-year-old retiree shot and killed a 15-year-old boy who tried to rob him outside his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shocking video shows.

*** and ***

The teenager, who was described by a friend online as a “great person,” was holding a fake gun meant to resemble a gray .22-caliber mini Bersa Thunder, Page 12 reported.

*** and ***

Local prosecutor Diego Rulli, who is in charge of the case, will not seek charges against the 78-year-old man, who he said acted in clear self-defense with a weapon that he is licensed to carry and use.

*** end quote ***

It seems like a gang related crime and a case of “kill or be killed”.

Fake gun or not, in the heat of the moment, the old man really had no choice.

I can’t imaging how he must feel especially after finding out it was a fake gun and a teenager.

FAFO is the common refrain we hear these days and this is an example of the “FO” part.

Can not fathom the depth of evil that this teenager go into.

Guess that this will put a damper on car jackings.

As I’ve blogged before:

“I particularly like unlimited concealed carry. If the criminal regards the general public as sheep to be shorn, then let’s sprinkle in a few “sheepdogs” with big teeth in the flock.

Guess which gay to bash? Buzz, wrong, you picked a Pink Pistol and you’re dead!

Guess which woman to bash? Buzz, wrong, you picked a Paxton Quigly and you’re dead!

Guess which brown person to bash? Buzz, wrong, you picked a Massad Ayoob and you’re dead!”

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2006/11/02/guns-lets-sprinkle-in-a-few-sheepdogs-with-big-teeth-in-the-flock/
GUNS: Let’s sprinkle in a few “sheepdogs” with big teeth in the flock
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006 at 20:26

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ENCOURAGING: Kate Middleton looks like she’s enjoying just doing something normal

Saturday, February 8, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/02/06/entertainment/royal-family-live-updates-news-photos-feb-6/

Royal family live updates: Kate Middleton pairs up with girl, 5, on field trip who has no idea she’s a princess
By Sarah Ng, Kaydi Pelletier and Nika Shakhnazarova 
Updated Feb. 7, 2025, 6:28 a.m. ET

# – # – # – # – # 

Maybe I’m a sucker for a photo op, but the lady looks like she was just having bit of fun doing something “normal”.  I’m sure that the security was really tight wvwn though it was “invisible”.  And the children had no idea something special was happening.  

And, Kate Middleton has a beautiful smile and an air of Noblesse oblige.

Again, she makes you forget just how evil and expensive “monarchy” is.

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DISCOURAGING: The Kanye West and Bianca Censori publicity stunt sets a new low in taste and class

Monday, February 3, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/02/03/entertainment/why-kanye-west-bianca-censori-decided-to-cause-a-stir-on-grammys-2025-red-carpet/?lctg=6080ba40747925275a09dcd3

Why Kanye West and Bianca Censori decided to cause an ‘outrageous’ stir on Grammys red carpet

By Nika Shakhnazarova 

Published Feb. 3, 2025, 8:07 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

And while the ordeal may have seemed like it was an impromptu decision made by the married couple, Hollywood PR expert Quincy Dash believes that the move was carefully thought out by the “Vultures” rapper ahead of time.

“They’re in a business called showbusiness,” Dash, founder of PR firm Quincy Dash Co., exclusively told The Post. “What Kanye understands better than any other celebrity or talent is the game of public relations. His strategy is that all press is good press, and there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

“While we are thinking, ‘Oh wow, this is crazy. What is she doing?’ she is actually going to gain as much as he is, because prior to their relationship, no one knew who she was. Fast forward to today, everyone knows her. She’s getting fame, recognition, and soon she will transition to be able to do what she wants to do,” he said, adding, “It’s a crazy strategy, but it works.”

*** end quote ***

They both should be “cancelled”.  

Laugh!

It’s shameful behavior.

Hopefully it sends their “brands” into the trash bin of history.

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VOCABULARY: ‘future-faking’ — making promises to their partner that they have no sincere intent on making true

Sunday, January 19, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/01/12/lifestyle/psychologist-warns-future-faking-is-subtle-narcissistic-behavior/

Beware ‘future-faking’ — this common relationship behavior is actually narcissistic manipulation: expert
By Eric Todisco 
Published Jan. 12, 2025, 12:49 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Partners who do this should be left in the past.

Los Angeles-based psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula made a YouTube video with a dire warning about “future-faking,” a common manipulation tactic used by narcissists in romantic relationships.

Future-faking involves a person making promises to their partner that they have no sincere intent on making true.

*** and ***

She noted that society “didn’t talk about narcissism until relatively recently in the way that we do now,” so many people who are in their 40s and older “are tolerating toxic relationships but didn’t have any word or model for it.”

*** end quote ***

Interesting that not having word or model for a behavior prevents humans from recognizing it.  Never thought of that concept.  It’s like another “window” in the Johari window Quadrant 3  — “what I can’t see that others can”.  

Have to think about that?

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FUN: Cute — a little dumb — what if she said no?

Saturday, January 18, 2025

https://nypost.com/2025/01/11/sports/knicks-fan-proposes-to-girlfriend-at-thunder-game/

Knicks fan proposes to girlfriend at Thunder game in OKC: ‘I could have gotten booed’

By Angela Barbuti 

Published Jan. 11, 2025, 9:01 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Diehard Knicks fan Joseph DeSimone popped the question to his girlfriend Erica Vann on the Kiss Cam in Oklahoma City as the team took on the Thunder in a clash of NBA heavyweights last Friday. 

*** end quote ***

I thought this was funny.  Clearly she might have said “no”.  Not sure what you do then.  Propose to each and every cheerleader.  Even the male ones?  Maybe the mascot.

Anyway it all worked out for the happy couple and I hope they have a long and great life.  One can only hope.  

Maazel Toff!

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RANT: Yet another heart attack?

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/30/sports/juan-jaime-former-braves-pitcher-dead-at-37-after-heart-attack/

Juan Jaime, former Braves pitcher, dead at 37 after heart attack
By Justin Tasch 
Published Dec. 30, 2024, 2:50 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Juan Jaime, a pitcher who made several appearances for the Atlanta Braves in 2014 and ’15, has died of a heart attack, according to MLB reporter Hector Gomez.

Jaime was 37.

*** end quote ***

Sorry but what was his covid vax status.

Thirty year olds don’t have “heart attacks”.

Argh!

Is anyone paying attention?

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TECHNOLOGY: Drone saves a life in Christmas miracle

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/28/us-news/california-malibu-police-use-infrared-drone-to-rescue-missing-man-on-christmas-eve/

Infrared drone used to rescue missing 78-year-old man on Christmas Eve

By Shane Galvin 

Published Dec. 28, 2024, 2:43 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

California authorities used a heat-seeking drone to find an elderly man who went missing while going to fetch his mail on Christmas Eve.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Malibu Search and Rescue Team sprung into action to locate the 78-year-old who suffers from early-onset dementia, according to an Instagram post.

Malibu SAR deployed several drones to help in the rescue — including one advanced drone that uses infrared heat-seeking technology to locate targets.

*** end quote ***

Seems like this is the future of “Search and Rescue”.

Looking at the picture, if it is the original untouched image, it’s obvious what it is.

This has implications in lost children, snipers at war, and who knows what else.

Seems like a new “mandatory” piece of gear in toolboxes around the world.

Maybe I could ever get branches off my roof easily,

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POLICY: Biden commutations are not a strict rejection of the federal death penalty

Thursday, December 26, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/23/us-news/biden-commutes-death-sentences-of-child-killers-and-mass-murderers-2-days-before-christmas/

Biden commutes death sentences of child killers and mass murderers 2 days before Christmas
By Steven Nelson 
Published Dec. 23, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

President Biden on Monday commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 men on federal death row — a list that includes at least five child killers and several mass murderers — in a stunning act of clemency just two days before Christmas.

Biden, 82, gave the reprieve to the nation’s most violent murderers — nine of whom were found too dangerous to live after butchering fellow inmates — as part of his effort at “ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” the White House said.

President Joe Biden speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Dec. 16, 2024. 7

President Biden speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Dec. 16, 2024. AP

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said in a statement.

“But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”

Biden, who opposes the death penalty, lowered each of the 37 sentences to life in prison without parole. He did not say why specifically he considered the original penalties unjust.

*** end quote ***

If he commuted EVERYONE, then I could believe that this is his moral decision.  (Which BTW I’d agree with!)  By his other actions, killing people and not extending commutation to everyone, I doubt his sincerity.

Some of these commutations cover a convict that is too dangerous to keep confined.  (This is my exception to the “no death penalty” policy.)

So, I don’t understand his partial view of morality.  And, he doesn’t explain his “in good conscience” rationale.

Befuddled and befuddling.

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DISCOURAGING: Illegal comits murder after sneaking back in

Thursday, December 26, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/23/us-news/nyc-subway-burn-suspect-is-illegal-migrant-from-guatemala-who-sneaked-into-us-after-being-deported/?lctg=6080ba40747925275a09dcd3 

Fiend accused of burning woman to death on NYC subway is illegal migrant from Guatemala who sneaked into US after he was deported
By Jennie Taer and Joe Marino 
Published Dec. 23, 2024
Updated Dec. 23, 2024, 9:37 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

The Guatemalan migrant accused of setting a sleeping F train passenger on fire and then watching as she burned to death sneaked into the country illegally after being deported — and then stayed in the New York City shelter system, multiple sources confirm to The Post.

He first entered the US at the Arizona border in 2018, when he was nabbed and deported just days later for crossing illegally, multiple sources told The Post.

He then re-entered the US at a subsequent unknown date, sneaking past US authorities. It’s unknown how long he has been in New York.

*** end quote ***

Clearly, DJT47 will have his “deportation” chore firmly in mind.  Why do we have to tolerate such behavior?  It’s a stain on all the good people who want to come here.

Argh!

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GOVERNACIDE: Here’s an example for the death penalty; inmate too dangerous to imprison

Sunday, December 22, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/17/us-news/beloved-texas-detention-officer-dead-after-being-assaulted-by-pure-evil-inmate/

Beloved Texas detention officer dead after being assaulted by ‘pure evil’ inmate
By Associated Press 
Published Dec. 17, 2024, 10:14 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

WAXAHACHIE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man being held in jail fatally assaulted a detention officer who was returning him to his cell following the one hour he was allowed out of his lockup each day, a sheriff said Tuesday.

Isaiah Patrick Bias, a 28-year-old who worked at the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office for over six years, was assaulted Monday afternoon at the county jail in Waxahachie, south of Dallas.

Sheriff Brad Norman said during a Tuesday news conference that Arron Semeion Thompson, 45, from nearby Ennis, has been charged with capital murder in Bias’ death.

*** and ***

Officials said Thompson has been in jail since last month on charges of assaulting a public servant, public intoxication and evading arrest.

Thompson’s bond in Bias’ death was set at $2 million. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.

Norman said the Texas Rangers will investigate.

*** end quote ***

As a little L libertarian, I don’t think we should ever permit the Gooferment from using the “death penalty”.  If we do, then political opponents are at risk from their adversaries.

The one exception that I make  —  every good rule has exceptions  —  is when the convict is too dangerous for the people we ask to guard them.  This appears to be such a case.

As a species, we need to have firm rules of acceptable behavior.  For our own survival, this should be one of them.  “Kill a correction officer and forfeit your ‘right to life’.”  Simple self-preservation.

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HISTORICAL: Did we just find “first Christian north of the Alps”?

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/16/science/ancient-inscription-is-new-evidence-of-early-christianity/

Ancient engraved amulet could ‘turn back history’ of Christianity, experts claim
By Asia Grace 
Published Dec. 16, 2024, 1:39 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Just ahead of the holidays, archeologists have “digitally unrolled” a 1,800-year-old silver amulet to decipher an inscription that’s being hailed as the oldest known evidence of Christianity in Europe. 

Authentic evidence of pure Christianity north of the Alps has never existed before now. And the findings have the potential to change holy history forever. 

*** and ***

Researchers consider him the “first Christian north of the Alps,” and speculate that there could be more historical, untapped Christian burial sites around Europe. 

“This extraordinary find affects many areas of research and will keep science busy for a long time to come,” said Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt’s head of culture and science. 

“This affects archaeology as well as religious studies, philology¹ and anthropology,” she continued. “Such a significant find here in Frankfurt is really something extraordinary.”

*** end quote ***

I was intrigued by the concept of “digitally unrolled”.  I can’t imagine how they did this.  With something like an x ray?  I would have enjoyed a follow up on this concept. 

It impressive when technology rolls out new dikw (i.e., data, information, knowledge, wisdom) for us.

p.s., Had to look up that word  — philology!

# – # – # – # – #

philology¹ The study of language, especially in a philosophical manner and as a science; the investigation of the laws of human speech, the relation of different tongues to one another, and historical development of languages; linguistic science. 

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VETERANS: Need a better way to “find” dementia sufferers

Friday, December 6, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/12/04/us-news/missing-korean-war-vet-with-dementia-found-more-than-200-miles-from-home/?lctg=6080ba40747925275a09dcd3

Missing Korean War vet with dementia found more than 200 miles from home after wife spots 91-year-old on TV
By David Propper 
Published Dec. 4, 2024, 11:53 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

A missing 91-year-old Korean War vet with dementia was found more than 200 miles away from his Wyoming home — when his worried wife spotted him on an evening newscast two days after he wandered off.

Avril Black’s concern was mounting after her spouse Michael Black vanished after he left their Afton home on Nov. 25, leading her to report him missing the next morning, according to a local report.

While authorities reportedly gathered he had hitchhiked his way to Ovid, Idaho, and then traveled down to Garden City, Utah, he was in the wind from there.

*** end quote ***

I’m glad this hero was not found dead somewhere.  As a society, we need better systems to find individuals who “wander away”.  

Air Tags?  Angel Sense devices?  Medical Alert bracelets? Even Tattoos?  

I would believe that local police should be the first point of contact.  Amber alerts for the local area could be issued.  Shelters, churches, and vet organizations could be involved.

(When I get a NIXIE alert, I pay attention to it.  Never “found” anyone, but I look when out and about.)

Hopefully, we’ll get better at caring for members of the human race, who through no fault of their own, need help.

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