Harvard Sues For The Right To Discriminate And Still Get Paid

So what is Harvard objecting to exactly>

The letter to Harvard that is conditioning federal funding on the University complying with the demands in the letter can be read here - Letter to Harvard.

Take a moment to read it.

There's really nothing in the demands in the letter that a reasonable person would find objectionable - Harvard needs to end a pattern of discrimination and hire faculty and administration and intake students based on merit alone; end a tolerance for antisemitism and related threats and vilenceeat the University; build up tolerance and viewpoint diversity in higher education; and actually reform and enforce current student disciplinary rules.

Harvard is apparently fighting in order to be allowed to keep on discriminating, not hiring on merit,  and tolerating antisemitism and student disruptions on campus - and to continue to receive Federal funds while doing so.

Quite a noble hill for Harvard to die on, but they can do themselves.

Harvard of course claims it is its first amendment right to make its own rules.  As a private institution it can - and indeed the Federal Government is not saying it cannot.

Instead, it is stating - correctly - that the Federal Government is allowed to condition funds on adherence to federal policy objectives.

For Harvard to be able to claim that the Federal Government cannot condition spending on adoption of certain policies and conditions in return for the funds is ludicrous and  goes against quite established constitutional law.

If Harvard wishes to continue its actions, all it needs to do is forgo Federal funding and then it can be as discriminatory and non-compliant with Federal guidelines as it may wish. 

But instead, Harvard is suing to have its cake and eat it too.

One should note well that Harvard, the Left, and progressives in general didn't make a peep when the Obama administration sent out his "Dear Colleagues" letter to Colleges to change their procedures on Title IX matters -- to reduce the due process due to the accused in such matters -- and "disparate impact on racial groups" in disciplinary actions -- or else.

Harvard's case should be dismissed and Harvard should be required to make the choice everyone else must make when deciding to accept Federal Government funding - accept the strings that come with the dollars, or forgo the dollars.

Happy Compost Your Girlfriend Day

It should not need to be said, but to be clear, this blog does not condone nor advocate composting your romantic interest. 

If it's reached the point where it is clearly absolutely not working out, don't try to bury your problems, just say goodbye, get on with your life, and handle it like a rational adult.

The co-founder of Earth Day didn't quite figure that part out. 

NBC News: Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend - NBC News

Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970. Seven years later, police raided his closet and found the "composted" body of his ex-girlfriend inside a trunk.

That's taking recycling way too far, and one would think in this day and age having that on your record would have you disowned by the Left rather than being celebrated.

However, his tactic of extorting corporations to pay his organization and in return be free from harassment has been copied and adopted as a model shakedown tactic by multiple leftist groups over time.

Ira Einhorn died in a US prison in April 2020, after having fled the country after the murder to Sweden and then France before being extradited back to the USA in 2001.  

There's no word on whether his remains were composted after his demise, but it would have been appropriate.

Michigan Becoming More Bear-able

The Detroit News:  More black bears seen in Lower Michigan. Here's how to avoid them, DNR says

Black bears are expanding their territory in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and as they roam about, state officials say the best way for residents and bears to both stay safe is to ensure they can't find a reliable snack in their human neighbor's backyard. 

Indeed, do not feed the bears.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources gives some advice for what to do if you encounter a Bear, but a key effective tool is not mentioned for some reason:

If someone does encounter a black bear, the DNR said, they should not play dead (that will only work on a grizzly) and they should not run away (that can trigger the animal's chase response).

Instead, stand your ground, back away only when the bear stops its approach and make yourself look bigger by raising your arms and jacket, and/or standing on a rock or stump, state officials suggested. One can also yell at the bear loudly and always provide a clear, unobstructed escape route for the bear.

If the bear makes contact with you, fight back, the DNR advises, by hitting, kicking and using anything available like a knife, sticks, rocks, binoculars or a backpack.

 I'd recommend using something that is a lot more effective than a knife, sticks, rock, binoculars or a backpack if you're being attacked by a bear. Funny how they don't list the far more effective tool as an option.  

Flying: 3 Up And 3 Down

3 up and 3 down is either the end of an inning, or enough takeoffs and landings to be current to carry passengers.

So I did 6.

It was a beautiful day to fly today, with a negligible crosswind of 10 knots from 060-080 using Runway 9L. A nice cool and sunny day with great performance from the Archer. 

I did touch-n-goes rather than full stop landings.

I was the only one in the pattern so I had no delays. and could get the touch-n-goes in quickly. 

 Tower on occasion had me extend my upwind for spacing for other arriving aircraft which was fine.  Kinda neat to know why he would extend based on the other radio traffic.

The first pattern wasn't perfect, but I got it dialed in more and more with each pattern.  I soon had it right where I wanted it performance-wise and soon was right on the numbers.

It was great to shake the rust off and get back in the air.

That's 6 landings and 0.7 to start off the flying season.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Tee Up To Fail Again

Apparently, there is a little-known progressive group, run by a convicted sex offender, who had announced a prior economic boycott on February 28 that fizzled and had no measurable effect.

So now they've announced a second attempt at it with Boycott 2.0 to be held on Good Friday.

The Detroit Free Press: Economic Blackout 2.0 boycott dates set for this weekend

Clearly, they are getting closer to days when people are not typically shopping. 

I suggest for Boycott 3.0 to be set for April 31st. The assured lack of any shopping activity will certainly show 'em, and thus be a great success.

When Prosecuting Someone For Mortgage Fraud

It's generally best not to be doing it yourself.

 NY AG Letitia James (D), who was elected on the promise of "Getting Trump" and who prosecuted President Trump for alleged mortgage fraud for allegedly overstating the value of his properties in securing a loan (which was paid back in full), now faces prosecution for mortgage fraud in connection with a house she bought in Virginia.

CBS News: New York Attorney General Letitia James accused of possible mortgage fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been referred for federal criminal prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud related to a Virginia home and a New York property.

William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), wrote a letter obtained by CBS News New York to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi alleging that James "has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms."
Details of the allegations

Pulte alleges James may have falsified her residence status at a home in Norfolk, Virginia, to get a better mortgage rate.

According to Pulte, in 2023 James granted Shamice Thompson-Hairston power of attorney to make the Norfolk property, purchased in August of that year, her "principal residence," despite James actually living and serving as attorney general in New York at the time.

But wait, there's more: 

Pulte also alleges James bought a five-family property in Brooklyn in 2001 with a loan that is only available for homes with four units or less.

"Spanning the last two decades, Ms. James has consistently misrepresented the same property as only having four units in both building permit applications and numerous mortgage documents and applications," Pulte wrote. "It appears that Ms. James may have listed the Brooklyn, NY property as four units instead of five units in order to meet the conforming loan requirements, and thus receive better interest rates."

But wait, there's even more!:

It's also alleged James and her father signed mortgage documents in 1983 stating they were husband and wife.

"Ms. James, for both properties listed above, appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms," Pulte concluded, adding that it could lead to charges such as wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud, along with making false statement to a financial institution. 

Talk about keeping the fraud in the family.

Not a good look when you made your bones prosecuting someone who you allege did something you yourself have done, apparently on multiple occasions.

Worse for Ms. James, she's allegedly  committed federal crimes with her acts of mortgage fraud, and she defrauded federal government lenders as well,  so she can't count of the New York state judiciary to help her out. 

Bring popcorn, this should get good.

PA Arsonist Is A Mentally-Deranged Leftist

So, a bit of an updated for those who leapt to conclusions and claimed the scum who broke in and set fire to Governor's Shapiro's mansion was "MAGA".

Well, as it turns out, not so much.

Instead, he's apparently the run-of-the-mill, mentally ill, Leftist.

A Pro-Palestinian, run-of-the-mill, mentally ill, Leftist:

NBC: Arson suspect angry with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro over Palestinian stance, search warrants say

The man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania's executive mansion early Sunday dialed 911 after the attack and suggested he was upset by Gov. Josh Shapiro's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to newly released search warrants.

       . . .

But Balmer's mother said she was concerned about his mental health in recent days, and told The Associated Press on Monday that he was not taking his medication and that "nobody would help" when she called authorities last week. 

Yep, and a further piece of evidence, in addition to his joining the parade of a long list of leftists going forth and burning things they disagree with,  helps point to his progressive pedigree:

As noted in the Daily Wire: Arsonist Arrested For Attack On Josh Shapiro Hated Israel, 911 Call Reveals

Balmer’s storage unit in Swatara Township reportedly had stickers of South American Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara inside a toolbox.

I daresay damn few MAGA types have Che Guevara stickers. Che is after all, the darling of the progressive left, and certainly not the right.

Yeah, so those who jumped to conclusions and proclaimed this was a "MAGA"  attack may need to do a correction. 

In short, burning other's peoples things is wrong. Burning other people's houses while they are in them is wrong.  Leftists apparently have forgotten this lesson yet again.

Scammers Take Their Toll

Gotten texts saying you owe a toll?  It's almost 100% going to be a scam. I've gotten quite a few such texts, allegedly from states that I have never even driven through.  Yes, not only is the cake a lie, but the text is a scam.

Especially so if they claim you owe for a toll in Michigan.

That's because Michigan doesn't have any toll roads.  As in none, zero, nada.

The Detroit News: Scammers run toll scheme with imposter government website, MDOT says

Government agencies are not going to send you a text saying you owe a toll.   

Nor do governments want payments in gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers.

Your best course of action is to not click on any links in the text, and immediately delete the message and mark it as junk when you do so.

Update:  Talk about timing! A few hours after I posted this I got the following text:

Yes, it is very, very fake.

Stupid Criminals: Not Cruisin', Gettin' A Deserved Bruisin'

A Michigan man gives Florida man a run for his money over being left behind on vacation. 

NBC News: Michigan man upset that girlfriend went on cruise is sent to prison for ship bomb hoax

A Michigan man who was upset that he had to watch pets while his girlfriend’s family went on a cruise was sentenced to eight months in prison Monday for making a false bomb threat.

The email forced Carnival Corp. to check more than 1,000 rooms after the ship had departed Miami in January 2024, prosecutors said.

While it is Carnival, and people mainly go on a Carnival cruise to get bombed, they're not there to get bomb threats.  

Way to get a felony record over not going on a vacay with your gal there pal.

I daresay the ship has sailed on that relationship.

Tax Day 2025

This is the day where the IRS demonstrates it's got what it takes to take what you got.

I wish today was also Election Day so people could reflect and vote on whether they were getting their money's worth from the taxes they pay. Politicians are too smart to do that.

I've already completed my taxes and filed my business and personal returns. Not enjoying the, in my view, rather excessive amount I'm paying to both the state and the feds, that's for sure.

For those of you who haven't, it's time to get it done or file an extension quickly.

For those of you who think there's some magical incantation in the tax code that can let you out of filing, you're sadly wrong.

Anybody who tells you not to file on the basis that: the tax system is "voluntary"; that you're a state citizen and not a United States citizen; that you're not an "individual"; that wages are not income; or that Section 869 of the tax code says you don't have to pay taxes is setting you up for a really bad fall.

This fall can include not just penalties and interest on top of the taxes you owe, but also possible misdemeanor and felony convictions for being a dumb-ass and willfully failing to pay your taxes and/or filing false returns.

There is no magical incantation or distorted, partial, and out-of-context reading of the tax code or portion of a case that lets you out of filing and paying taxes on income. It doth not work that way.

The IRS has pages and pages devoted to taking apart these scams, along with the cites to the court cases demolishing them: The Truth About Frivolous Arguments.

It's a very extensive series, as it's impressive as to how many dumb arguments are out there and how they've been shot down.

Short of permanently moving out of the United States and renouncing your citizenship while doing so and never working in the USA again, which I wouldn't recommend, you're going to have a very hard time coming up with a valid argument as to how income you receive is somehow not subject to income taxation.

If you want to stop filing taxes and paying income tax then stop having an income --  which is kinda hard. 

 Or, you can spend your time working on campaigning and voting for politicians who will end the income tax, which is also rather hard if not well nigh impossible. Indeed it is much harder than simply falling for a fake don't-pay-your-taxes scheme, but at least it doesn't result in interest, penalties, and a criminal conviction, so it has got that going for it, at least.

Happy Passover!

Tonight is the first night of the Passover Holiday.

So, goodbye to bread and other prohibited grains for the next 8 days. Yep, chametz ain't happening around here.

Happy Passover to those who celebrate! 

So, Penguins Really Can't Fly

At least, they certainly can't fly rotary wing aircraft.

BBC: Unsecured penguin caused helicopter crash in South Africa

Send that bird to flight school.

The Revolving Door Stabbing Plan

More revolving door criminal justice in Michigan, this time out of Washtenaw County:

MILive: Man sentenced to year in jail, 2 years probation for slashing man’s neck

A man who pleaded guilty to slicing a man’s neck in downtown Ann Arbor will spend roughly 90 days in jail.

Kimani Angelo Hamilton, 30, was sentenced to one year in jail and two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts each of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault less than murder, according to court records.

And this isn't his first jaunt into stabbing and attempted stabbing. 

The other charges stem from a second aggravated assault around 1 p.m. May 26 near South Fourth Avenue and East Huron Street, Page said.

He pleaded guilty Jan. 28.

Hamilton has previously been convicted of a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery after he pulled a knife on a 35-year-old man while inside The Blind Pig, 208 South First St. in November in Ann Arbor. [for which he got all of 93 days in jail]

So he'll now be out in 90 days after slashing someone in the neck.  Any bets on how long it will be until his next stabbing will take place?

Better Late Than Never Doesn't Quite Apply

It's good that the Oakland County prosecutor is going after a murderer and seeking enhanced penalties for a the fact that the scumbag has a very long rap sheet of violent felonies and use of firearms in crime.

The Detroit News: Tougher penalty sought for man accused in Oxford Christmas Eve shooting

In December, after driving his car into a ditch, the felon in question went on a killing spree, shooting motorists who had stopped to assist him after his crash.

His list of crimes is rather extensive, the punishments for them not so much.

The kicker is that had the law been fully enforced on this criminal, he would still have been in jail and unable to kill anyone:

While in prison, Webb was also charged in 2019 with possessing weapons as a prisoner. He pleaded guilty in 2020. The conviction could have added another five years to his sentence, but the time was served concurrently with his previous sentence, leading to his July discharge from prison. 

In short, he was able to do a crime, while in prison no less for a slew of serious felonies, effectively for no penalty at all, and get out to commit multiple murders when he should have been in prison for that crime.

It's nice that the prosecutor is now declaring this is a case oif double secret probation and treating him as a "super habitual offender" - it's just a pity that he wasn't effectively punished and interdicted before he went off and shot a bunch of people.

Well This Is Some BS

Woke up this morning and:

Snow on April 10.

After no snow for weeks we get this.

Yuck.

Just Michigan winter's standard way of saying: Didja miss me? I ain't gone yet!

One May Hope

Given that the Michigan Republican Party more often resembles a circular firing squad than not, one may hope that Jim Runestad can get the party back on track as he claims he will do.

The Detroit News: Buss: State GOP chair says party is clicking

As he continues to clean up the Michigan Republican Party, newly elected Chairman Jim Runestad is also running an aggressive messaging campaign to put Republicans in a competitive spot for 2026. 

He's urging the GOP to focus on delivering the promises they made in the last election cycle.

The party definitely needs to clean up and improve its message if its going to be competitive in 2026.

When Proggy Law Students Overvalue Themselves

Leftist law students at elite law schools tend to have oversized sense of self importance and the egos to match, not to mention a highly developed yet undeserved sense of entitlement.

They also, in a fit of TDS,  seem to have forgotten the dynamic of the employer-applicant relationship.

Forbes:  Law Students Push Back On Firms That Have Capitulated To Trump

This week, first year students at Georgetown Law were required to submit their final rankings of which law firms they most wanted to interview with—for summer associate jobs in 2026, after their second year. The hiring of summer associates hit an 11-year low last year, but these summer gigs are still highly coveted. That’s because they pay more than $4,000 a week and boost the chances students will snag a Big Law job paying $200,000-plus when they graduate after year three, assuming, that is, they excel in law school and don’t have a prestigious judicial clerkship or a public interest law job lined up.

But this year, the 1Ls (as first year law students are known) are confronting an unusual question: Whether or not to rank Skadden Arps; Paul Weiss; Milbank; and Wilkie, Farr and Gallagher among their choices. These four firms have one thing in common: They’ve bent the knee to Trump following the threat of, or the actual signing of, executive orders that aim to restrict their ability to represent clients with government contracts. All four have agreed, for example, to provide a combined total of at least $340 million in pro bono legal work for causes Trump favors and to swear off any “illegal” programs aimed at promoting diversity.

Read the article to see the entitlement inherent in the (rather privileged if one might borrow the term) leftism!

“The legal recruitment process is the only leverage that we really have to influence the behavior of law firms,” says Caleb Frye, a 33-year-old second-year law student and copresident of the Georgetown Law Energy Group

That's not how this works, verily that's not how any of this works. 

By not applying, you don't get considered for employment.  

Publicly announcing that you're a TDS-infected entitled brat who criticizes decisions of your potential employer and demonstrating you will noisily put your own interest ahead of your potential employers likely renders them as a less-than-desirable hire.

University Of Florida Visit - Go Gators!

So, this weekend I went to Gainesville to visit the younger child at University of Florida.

With the weather being sunny and in the low 80s it sure beat the wet and cold of Michigan this early April.

Flew into Jacksonville and drove the couple hours to Gainesville.

Met up with the kid and we watched the Gators advance into the finals.

Victory for the Gators was assured as Leah took us out that night to feed the campus feral cats. 

Quite a few ferals around and apparently it's lucky to feed them prior to exams for good results, and during various sportsball games to ensure the Gators do well.

The offerings to the cats must have worked, as the Gators ended up beating Auburn to earn a place against Huston for a shot at the national championship in b-ball. 

Much cheering throughout the dorm was heard when they game resulted in the Gator's victory.

The next day we did more sportsball, in this case Gator Baseball.

 Got some grass seats on the left berm, inside the foul ball danger area and had a great view of the game. Gators vs the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Initially during the warm-up, it appeared it was unclear to the Commodores as to what sport they were there to play.

 Yes, he's throwing a football around.

The game got off to a good start with hits by both teams in the first but no runs.

By the third inning it was tied 1-1.

 

That would change.

Sadly, an offering to the cats had not been made, as the Commodores swept the series and harvested the Gators 11-3 in the game we watched.

Still, even ending in a loss, it was a lot of fun to watch and the atmosphere at the ballpark was very family friendly and had great sportsmanship.  The crowd applauded for great plays regardless of which team made them, and it was a highly enjoyable time.

After that we head back to her dorm where she studied preparing for an exam that was set to occur tonight - right at the same time as the championship game - and I did some work.

She then found out via email that the prof, recognizing the historic nature of the championship game was offering all students the opportunity to defer the exam so they could watch the game as part of the college experience. This was happy-making and she'll be viewing the game with friends tonight and taking the exam another day.  Pretty cool on the part of the professor.

So she had three classes today so I did some work as she did and then took her to lunch. 

On the way to lunch we passed by the pond near her dorm.

 

They're serious about that sign.

Did you see the gator to the lower right in the picture?

 Gilbert, the dorm gator, was back from brumating for the winter.  He's been known to sunbathe on the grass and even hang out by the dorm entrance at times.

That he's back has been declared to be a good sign that the Gators will do well tonight. 

It was a great visit.  Good luck to the Gators tonight.

Worst Genocide Ever - Hamas Actual Casualty Figures Get Reduced Yet Again

Hamas' Health Ministry just revised its casualty figures yet again.

Israel Hayom: Study exposes: Hamas 'quietly' erases thousands of deaths from Gaza death toll

Yahoo News/The Telegraph: Hamas ‘quietly drops’ thousands of deaths from casualty figures

The result is rather interesting.  In short Hamas has been lying yet again about casualty rates and even more importantly who the casualties are in Gaza.

With this revision, instead of the casualties being 70% women and children as falsely claimed by Hamas' Health Ministry, and believed by the gullible around the world, the new percentage when looking at the revised Hamas' Health Ministry stats is that 72% of casualties are males of Hamas combatant age. 

Funny, that.

In short, even Hamas' own stats are showing that Israel is not only not committing a "genocide"  but also that the civilian casualty rate is again lower than claimed by Hamas and they're caught lying- yet again.

Don't expect the media and those who have been reporting and believing Hamas' lies to apologize for such anytime soon, nor to be at least a tad bit skeptical before reporting claims from Hamas as credible.  It's clearly too much to as news agencies to state when they republish Hamas' casualty claims that Hamas has been caught making these casualty figures up multiple times now.

Cruise Day 7 - At Sea

The last day of the cruise was at sea, heading back to New Orleans.

Quite a perfect day it was, too.  Taking it easy, going to the hot tub, imbibing adult beverages, and watching a show.

Sadly, we then had to pack up and be ready to go.

This was tempered by having an excellent diner at the French Bistro on board as our final dinner on the ship.

To say it was fantastic is an understatement. Service was the best we had experienced on board and the food was beyond amazing.

I had escargot for the appetizer, and the sole grenobloise for the main course. Quite superb.

 Dessert was the marquise au chocolat. Which was the best dessert I've had in a long time.  A chocolate aficionado's dream.

 Really fantastic food. Norwegian certainly has some of the best food at sea, or anywhere, really.

After that, we took a walk around the ship and we had left the Gulf of America and were on the Mississippi River.

It was a bit foggy out and the tightness of the channel led to ships appearing seemingly out of nowhere to be right close by.

 

Neat to see and it was a very pleasant night to be walking laps of the deck.

Heading back inside, the lights were low in the main areas, and decoratively lit up for the evening.

 

Headed back to the stateroom, and the luggage was already picked up.

In the morning we were back in port in New Orleans.  So we got up, had breakfast, disembarked, and headed to the airport back home.  That had been a great vacation.

Media Sympathizes For Laid-Off Feds

The Detroit News: ‘I am going through hell’: Job loss, mental health, and the fate of federal workers

I don't recall these kinds of empathetic and sympathtic reportage when pipeline workers were fired en masse due to Biden's policies.

Instead the journos and Democrats told them and laid off miners and pipeline workers to get another job and  "learn to code".

This is different, because after all, these are their people being laid off.

These are credentialed, right-thinking, registered Democrat (vast majority if not all), Washington Post NPR-listening and NY Times-reading folks.

These federal workers being laid off aren't those unwashed working-class union members who Democrats claim they represent but don't really want to associate with. These federal workers are people who look and dress like the journos do, think like they do, shop at all the right stores like they do, and go to all the right places just as they do. 

Quite a difference in handling, isn't it?

China Spy Games

ABC:  U.S. bans govt. personnel in China from romantic or sexual relations with Chinese citizens

Of course, this has various proggies crying racism.  

Given Chinese intelligence is pervasively (if not perversely) n using honey traps - see Congressman Eric Swallwell (D) and Chinese spy Fang Fang, to compromise Americans to gain intelligence it’s probably an appropriate limitation to stop the ongoing attempts at the compromising of diplomatic personnel. 

Going Fast And Breaking Things Has Consequences

While Trump is right to be proceeding with reforms, in doing so he and his administration are going a tad too fast. This is causing a lot of own-goals and public embarrassments, not to mention unnecessary disruption and collateral damage, which serves to reduce the enthusiasm and support for the reforms.

For example it has caused some major and completely unnecessary turmoil at the National Institute of Health :  The Transmitter: U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

This firing included one of the world's top researches on Parkinson's disease.

This firing led a lot of people to calmly ask:  "WTF?".

Well, turns out the firing was apparently a mistake caused by a "coding error" that mislabeled employees -- once people started making noise about it they were rehired.

The Transmitter: Coding error caused layoffs at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke this week, source says  

Thirty employees—including 11 lab heads—at the institute should “immediately return to work,” according to an email the institute’s Office of Human Resources sent to top administration at the institute Wednesday evening.

Reform is a good thing,  doing it stupidly and making the reformers look incompetent in doing so is not helpful to actual reform of the many, many, real problems in government agencies.

The blanket reductions and stoppages in research funding is having a major effect on good solid research in addition to the wasteful stuff that should be defunded.

"Hasten Slowly" is good advice.

Chesterton's Fence, while usually applied to progressives tearing down institutions, also applies to the Right when they tear down stuff without understanding the direct and indirect effects and implications of what they are doing.

Getting rid of fraud and waste and ridiculous programs that are little more than grants to progressive organizations along with associated graft  is a good thing, burning down the entire research "village" in order to do so is quite another.

Do it smartly, and quickly if need be, but make sure above all that you do it competently and show positive results. 

DEI Might Be Off To Die At UofM

DEI may be done at UofM or about to get a name change and be squirreled away until the Dems are again ascendant, we shall see.

But for the now, the sad and oft-overeaction of the progressives to the loss of one of their treasured tools is  enjoyable to watch.

The Detroit Free Press:  Decision to scrap DEI leaves U-M students and faculty scrambling to respond

As a policy of discrimination and racial graft may be coming to an end at the University of Michigan, those who benefited from it aren't very happy.

The decision is certainly causing much sadness and anger among the bien pensants of the left who claim ending it is all about the hobgoblin of white supremacy:

Professor Rebekah Modrak, the chair of the Faculty Senate, called for the meeting after Thursday's announcement and said the federal government is trying to control higher education in America.

"They are using the power of the government to engineer a sweeping culture change towards white supremacy," she wrote in an email inviting people to the meeting.

Well no, no it is not. But then again when anything one doesn't like is white supremacy, well, what can you do?

Verily, ending this discriminatory program is the same thing as losing civil rights on campus, as per the local ACLU.

Some scholarships based on DEI are being properly cancelled, to some beneficiary chagrin:

“LEAD scholarship was for students who demonstrated leadership in high school,” Trujillo Garcia said. “I felt it was merit-based. Yeah, there was a significant diversity component to it, but there was a merit component, too. You had to show leadership and achievement.”

Ah, "a significant diversity component" In other words, it was awarded based on "diversity" first and foremost, hence why it is being done away with now.

Meanwhile,  a lack of DEI  is apparently causing trouble with progressive jargon-filled activities

"Jade Whittaker-Mitts, a 21-year-old senior from Cadillac, agrees."

. . .

“A lot of my work in those organizations has been, like DEI-focused, in a kind of adjacent way,” she said. “Doing a lot of food sovereignty work, that doesn't exist if you don't have DEI.”

Interesting the claim of how the concept of  "food sovereignty" doesn't work without DEI.

Apparently "food sovereignty" is progressive jargon for Marxist food policies - food policies that, you know, typically lead to starvation in socialist systems that adopt them, for the people, naturally:

“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.”

It gets even more jargon-y from there.

Progressives really hate free markets in absolutely anything, and the Food Sovereignty movement is yet another leftist globalist intersectional approach to nowhere good.  If DEI ends it at UofM that's a positive thing.

Cruise Day 6 - Costa Maya

We pulled into Costa Maya in the morning and hit the pier after 9am.

 No excursions booked so we just wandered around the port area.

The port area is rather lively.

There's flamingos:

 

There's Mayans hanging from ropes on high doing a traditional acrobatic act:

 

Neat to see.

So we wandered around the numerous stores in the port, lots of touristy stuff, sat down at the bar and have some ice cold beverages, and then went back to the ship.

Back at the ship we had lunch at the diner above the pool with some excellent burgers and fries. 

After that we sat in at an art auction.

 Lots of art for any budget from mas low as $300 up to and including an original Romero Britto for $20k. There were quite a few works by Thomas Kincaid, Peter Max, and others.  Fun to watch and learn a bit about art as the auctioneer gave plenty of info about the artists and the works.  

Then it was time to chill at the Skyy Vodka Ice Bar.

 

As the name goes, it's a bar, made out of ice. 

The Skyy Bar is an extra and requires a reservation. The reservation includes 2 drinks. You check in and get a smock and hood to wear to keep warm whie you're in the ice bar.

 

 The bar had a neat seating area:

The ice bar was a fun and cool experience.

Cruise Day 5 - Belize

On Day 5 we arrived at Harvest Caye in Belize.  

 

After another time change and breakfast we headed to the excursion.

Snorkeling the reef.  Checked in did the waiver and got in a boat to take us 

We passed by the Norwegian Gateway on the way to the reef.

 Got out to the reef, geared up with mask, fins, snorkel, and a snorkel vest and jumped in the water. I had brough my own fins, s and snorkel as, after all, I had schlepped them along for the dive so used them on this swim, and they were better than the ones provided from the tour in any case.

Nice bath water temperature water, pleasant sunny day, calm waters, and barely any current at all. A very easy snorkel experience.

The reef was pretty shallow with quite a lot of healthy coral on it.

 Shallow, so not a ton of fish, but the guide would duck underwater to point them out.

Lots of fire coral that needed to be avoided.

 Touching fire coral would suck, and everyone successfully avoided it.

Compared to the dives the amount of ocean life was underwhelming but it was still a fun experience and the corals were rather nice to look at.

 

The tour lasted an hour and the boat came to pick us up and we headed back to the pier. 

On the way we saw some people doing boat parachuting.

 Probably had the best view around.

 Then we went to a Belize chocolate shop and sampled and bought some excellent locally made chocolates.

The sea salt and lime was excellent.

After that we headed back to the ship, got some food, and went to watch a comedy show.  After that we again headed to the Howlin' At The Moon show and belted out some tunes.

Quite a good day.

Cruise Day 4 - Great Dinner and Great Craps.

For Day 4 after a great dive we had a specialty dinner to celebrate.

We went to the Moderno Churrascaria on board and were served meats on skewers until we could eat no more.  This was a fantastic Brazillian-style Steakhouse and to say it was awesome would be an understatement.

Feeling lucky I then headed to the casino.  I had lost $300 the night before so it was time to try and make it all back.

It began badly, with the table going cold and players leaving until it was just me, the dice and the crew.

A few rolls I crapped out on and it looked like this was going to end in disaster.

Then, I propitiated the dice by making a field bet for myself and for the crew - it hit.

Did it again and the 12 rolled and we made a double payout.

I was happy, the crew was happy, the dice were happy.

Then I began a great roll. Made point after point and nailed  a darkside shooter on a series of come out rolls by rolling three sevens in a row and then making the point.  Soon had a crowd back at the table and I was making money for everyone.

Walked away from the table very happy.

 

 

Bought in at $400, walked away with $1147, so after losing $300 the night before, I had netted $447.00 which was darn nice. Kept the two single chips as souvenirs of some great rolls.

Heckuva way to end a great day. 

If You're Gonna Be Dumb You Gotta Be Tough Example The Umpteenth

This heartwarming story of how a supposed GPS navigation error is leading an illegal to be deported is a lovely example of how if you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough.

MILive: Mother of 2 takes wrong turn into Canada, now faces deportation from U.S.

A mother of two is facing deportation after a wrong turn that took her into Canada, FOX 2 Detroit reports. 

The Guatemalan woman accidentally ended up in Canada when she selected the Costco in Windsor (rather than Detroit) in her GPS, Attorney Ruby Robinson told the TV station, identifying his client only a “Sarahi.” She crossed the Ambassador Bridge. When she attempted to reenter the United States via the bridge, she was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Sarahi” entered the United States illegally in 2018

The story is a bit suspect as there are no Costcos in Detroit at all. So you would think she would have figured that part out on the way at some point. 

On top of that, every single highway leading to the Canadian border has a sign with the words "Last Exit Before Canada".

If you've been illegally in the country for the last 7 years and still you can't read enough English to understand you should exit when seeing that sign because you're an illegal and you don't want to get checked at the border, well, then it is on you. 

This sign is only in English because:

"Esta es la última salida antes de Canadá, así que date la vuelta, es ilegal antes de que te atrapen, Pendejo!"

Is just too much to put on a sign by the border, really.

Cruise Day 4 - Roatan - Dive 311

Dive 311 would take place at Overheat Reef.

I got a close encounter with quite the sea creature of song and legend.

As the song goes: 

"When you swim in the sea and an eel bites your knee...

That's a Moray!"

 That was a rather active moray eel,  he didn't remain hidden for long.

He came out to say hello. 

 

He wasn't hiding at all but was swimming right up to people.  Got a little disconcerting, especially when it swam between people's legs.

No one's knees were bitten in the process.

In addition to the Eel, there were some very large groupers that liked to hang out with the divers.

 

 Both liked to swim right alongside the divers, and would stand their water and you'd have to go around them if they decided to hold their position at times.

And there was another Turtle!

 It was a great dive.

Max depth 50 feet, average depth 25 feet, 52 minute run time. 

Cruise Day 4 - Roatan - Dive 310

My 310th dive would take place at Gibson's Bite.

We geared up and we got in the water. The water was a lovely 83 degrees.

Following the divemaster we headed along to see the sites.

 The reef looked nice and healthy.

We went through a swim through which is always fun.

Turtle!  One of my favorite creatures to see underwater.

Quite a large number of fish were seen.

 It was a great and easy first dive. We then went back to shore for a surface interval and got some refreshments and soon headed out for dive 311.

 Max depth 58 feet, average depth 36 feet, runtime was 35 minutes

Cruise Day 4 - Roatan, Honduras

Got up early on Day 4 and had a good breakfast.

Then I packed up my gear, got off the ship, and headed out on the pier to get to my pickup point. 

A beautiful sunny day it was.

My first time diving in Roatan. 

NCL had selected Anthony's Key Resort to be the operator for this dive and they certainly had chosen well.  Very professionally run operation and they really know what they are doing.

We first did the standard paperwork and one diver couldn't go as they didn't have their C-Card and PADI had no record it had actually been issued. Allegedly she had gotten trained at a resort and it may have been a paperwork issue - or she might not have actually been certified - so she couldn't go. Her boyfriend stayed behind as well (its possible they went off with the Discover Scuba group), bringing the number of divers down to 8.

Met a nice guy there diving who was with his kids, Colby from Louisiana.   I teamed up with the three of them so I technically had a buddy.

I had brought my own gear along, while most of the other divers had not.

We got on board the boat, and I setup my gear on my tank and everyone got ready for the first dive of the day.

These would be cruise ship type dives - guided by a divemaster and well within Open water limits. We got our safety brief, which was well and properly done, and headed off to the first dive site.

 

Trump Is About To Help The Liberals Win The Canadian Election

So mark Carney, the elite replacement for the hapless Justin Trudeau as the head of the Liberal Party of Canada, has called a snap election.  

After the Liberals have run the country into the ground, so much so that the RCMP in a report has noted the potential for unrest due to their mismanagement of the country, the Liberals hope to capitalize on Canadians' dislike of Trump calling for them to be the 51st state.

This cunning plan may very well work.

Until Trump started  his quixotic claim for Canada to be the 51st state and threatening  massive tariffs over some very dubious claims over fentanyl allegedly coming across the border form Canada (the major source of illegal drugs coming into the US, including Fentanyl is from Mexico), it looked like the Liberals were in for a massive and very well-deserved drubbing.

Indeed the Conservatives were ahead 45% to 11% in December 2024.

Now, not so much: Angus Reid Institute: Liberal lead over CPC increases to eight points, but is Carney’s house of dreams built on concrete or sand?

and 

338Canada

This change can all be laid at Trump's feet.

Trump is very much setting himself up for an own goal if he persists in calling for Canada to be the 51st state and continuing the tariff push, as well as some recent announcement about stupid visitor restrictions on Canadians visiting the USA that are really not helping.

The joke about the 51st state was perhaps funny for a very short bit, but no longer. 

In fact, Republicans would not want Canada as a 51st state right now - they;d vote en masse, with the exception perhapos of Alberta, for Democrats.  

Canada's Liberals and its even farther left wing party, the NDP,  can at times make Bernie Sanders and AOC seem downright erudite and centrist. Short of making Canada a US Territory until such time as we teach them to become Americans and get off the socialist bent, bringing them in as a state (or realistically a few states) would be disastrous.

So, instead of Canada getting  a conservative and fiscally responsible government that would be much more likely to work with him on important issues, Trump's about to be the reason a massive globalist and elitist, who has likely spent far more time outside of Canada as a member of the global bien pensants than in  Canada, into power.

The Liberal party has spent decades downplaying and indeed disdaining Canadian nationalism and spreading a multi-cultural and woke globalist outlook about the country while pushing unfettered immigration and a tax and spend policy that would make Democrats, including Adam Schiff,  moist.  

But, even when the Librerals are putting their country into the toilet,  Canadians tend to get a knee-jerk nationalistic reaction when the US criticizes them (and especially so when the criticism is unfair which is the case currently) and the Liberals are using that to try and win an election that by all rights they should lose badly.

Trump really needs to knock this off, and quickly it's not helping US political or economic goals at all.