Sunday, May 01, 2022

KISS-ASS QUESTIONS: Media in the Ex-President's Back Pocket

Intro: Besides repeatedly amplifying Trump’s false assertions about a “rigged” election, she also wholeheartedly agreed with the soon-to-be ex-president that the White House had been stolen from him.

Bartiromo Ran Kiss-Ass, Election-Denying Trump Interview Questions by White House First

Trump phoned into her Sunday morning Fox News show, and Maria’s questions lined up with what she told Meadows via text the hour before.

Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo shared her questions for President Donald Trump with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in advance of the ex-president’s first post-2020 election interview, texts obtained by CNN revealed on Friday.

In a text exchange with Meadows less than an hour before her Nov. 29, 2020 on-air chat with Trump, Bartiromo shared a series of questions she planned on asking the outgoing president. At the time, Team Trump was attempting to overthrow President Joe Biden’s decisive election victory. Bartiromo was also one of the network’s top boosters of Trump’s election fraud lies.

“Hi the public wants to know he will fight this. They want to hear a path to victory. & he’s in control,” she texted at 9:21 a.m. ET. “1Q You’ve said MANY TIMES THIS ELECTION IS RIGGED… And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. What are the facts? Characterize what took place here.”

Bartiromo continued: “Then I will drill down on the fraud including the statistical impossibilities of Biden magic (federalist). Pls make sure he doesn’t go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win. This is no longer about him. This is about ????. I will ask him about big tech & media influencing ejection as well Toward end I’ll get to GA runoffs & then vaccines.”

Trump phoned into Sunday Morning Futures at 10:12 a.m. and Bartiromo’s questions largely lined up with what she told Meadows via text an hour before.

“Thank you for talking with us in the first interview since Election Day,” she said at one point during the obsequious chat. “Mr. President, you’ve said many times that this election was rigged, that there was much fraud. And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. Please go through the facts. Characterize what took place.”

Besides repeatedly amplifying Trump’s false assertions about a “rigged” election, she also wholeheartedly agreed with the soon-to-be ex-president that the White House had been stolen from him. . .

THE MIDDLE FINGER GESTURE: An Act of Defiant Bravery...Until it isn't

Intro: Media owner, performer and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has flipped around the country's official Press Office into a Propaganda Machine

Ukrainians Spend Hours in Line to Purchase Commemorative Snake Island Stamps

Early in the Ukraine crisis, the nation found solace in the bravery of its soldiers. In particular, an incident at Snake Island—a military outpost on the Black Sea—became a rallying cry. On the first day of the Russian invasion, recordings reveal that a group of Ukrainian soldiers told a Russian warship, “Go f*** yourself,” when asked to surrender. To commemorate this act of defiant bravery, Ukrposhta—the Ukrainian Postal Service—held a contest for a Snake Island stamp. Now, Ukrainians are lining up in droves to get their hands on this special stamp. . ."

 

The attack on Kyiv came barely an hour after Zelensky held a news conference with Guterres, who toured some of the destruction in and around Kyiv and condemned attacks on civilians during his visit.

“This says a lot about Russia’s true attitude towards global institutions, about attempts of Russian authorities to humiliate the UN and everything that the organization represents,” Zelensky said in an overnight video address to the nation. “Therefore, it requires corresponding powerful reaction.”

In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend a news conference during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 28, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko derided the attack as equivalent to Russian President Vladimir Putin showing Guterres “his middle finger.”

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... President Vladimir Putin showing Mr Guterres “his middle finger”. ... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN secretary-general...
1 day ago

 

2 days ago · Missile barrage on Kyiv as UN chief visited shows Russia has no intention of bowing to international pressure.
Nationality: Russia
2 days ago · Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack was Russian President Vladimir Putin's way of giving “his middle finger” to António Guterres.
2 days ago · Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko accused Russia of pointing a “middle finger” at the United Nations after the Ukrainian capital was attacked by a ...
2 days ago · While visiting the site of a Russian strike in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says that it was "symbolic" that it ...
2 days ago · While visiting the site of a Russian strike in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says that it was "symbolic" that it ...
Video for UN chief, middle finger
2 days ago · 'Putin showed his middle finger at this moment'Russia has confirmed striking Kyiv while UN ...
Duration: 0:43
Posted: 2 days ago

THE POCKETABLE PIXY: A CAMERA THAT FLIES

Here's The Verge reporter Alex Heath asking - Why on earth would Snap, which primarily operates an ephemeral messaging app, make a selfie drone?
It’s the first question I pose to CEO Evan Spiegel.

Snapchat’s flying camera

Snap takes another stab at hardware with a selfie drone called Pix

"More than five years after it released Spectacles, Snap is back with a second hardware product. And this time it flies.

[Back in 2016, before Spectacles dropped, I noticed that Snap was advertising job openings with the tagline, “Toys are preludes to serious ideas.” First coined by the famed design duo Charles and Ray Eames, that phrase has since proven to be emblematic of how Snap operates. What started as primarily a sexting app a decade ago now has more than 330 million daily users, including 75 percent of 13–34 year olds in over 20 countries. Over 250 million of those users engage with AR effects, or Lenses, every day. Those Lenses started by letting people vomit rainbows and wear dog ears. Now, they can solve math equations and let you try on clothes.]

. . .Yes, Snap made a drone. Called Pixy, the small yellow puck takes off from your hand, follows you around, and captures video that can be sent back to Snapchat. It’s Snap’s attempt at making a drone that’s friendlier and more approachable than other products on the market — and it may hint at the more advanced, AR-powered future Snap is building toward.

Pixy is available online for $230 in the US and France starting Thursday. Unlike most existing drones, it’s small and light enough to fit in a pant pocket. There isn’t a controller; it takes off from and lands on an outstretched palm, and it uses six pre-programmed flight patterns that are accessible through a dial on the top of the device. . .

“Because we’re a camera company,” he tells me recently over video chat. Snap has brandished that tagline since 2016 when the company changed its name from Snapchat to Snap and released its first pair of Spectacles. “Our mission is to empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. And this product does exactly that.”

. . .The Pixy stands apart from competing small drones with its simplicity. DJI has for years been building small drones that can take off from your hand and automatically follow you around; those drones feature longer battery life and higher-quality video, too. But these competing models are also more expensive and much more complicated to use. And they’re still much larger than the pocketable Pixy.

So far, drones haven’t caught on beyond professional use cases and early adopters. Most are heavy, loud, and expensive. Some even require a permit. A key focus for Pixy was making it approachable with friendly-sounding propellers and a design that could fit into your pocket. “We finally got to a place where we were like, ‘Wow, this is super fun. I guess we should probably release it,’” says Spiegel.

> The Pixy weighs just 101 grams with its swappable battery inserted. Snap says a full charge will get you five to eight flights, which can range from roughly 10 to 20 seconds — a short flight even by tiny drone standards. Additional batteries cost $20, and Snap sells a portable dual-battery charger for $50. The Pixy’s 12MP sensor shoots up to 100 videos or 1,000 photos, all of which are stored locally on a 16GB drive.

> The footage is synced wirelessly to the Memories section of Snapchat, edited there (it doesn’t capture audio, so Snap lets you use songs it has licensed from music labels), and is then shareable directly in the app or elsewhere. Snap has included a few Pixy-specific AR effects to choose from, and I’d expect more to be added over time from the company and its creators. An auto-crop feature can quickly turn the horizontal footage into Snap’s staple vertical orientation, centered on the main subject. The video quality isn’t amazing — it’s not something you’re going to want to display on a large screen — but it’s fine enough for viewing on a phone. . .

Ultimately, Pixy may prove to be more of a hit in the near term than Spectacles, Spiegel thinks. “After a couple versions of camera glasses, it just becomes very clear that the market for camera glasses is actually very small and constrained to people who want that first person POV,” he says. “I think the market for Pixy is bigger.”

Going into our conversation, I have a theory that, like the first version of Spectacles, Pixy is a Trojan horse for a bigger idea. Drones are already being used to create 3D maps, which would be useful for building more realistic Lenses that are grounded in the real world. Snap recently bought a French startup called NextMind that made a headband for controlling computers with your thoughts. Is a future coming in which I’m wearing AR Spectacles and controlling a paired Pixy with my mind?

When I ask Spiegel about all this, he chuckles, indicating that is the most I’m getting from him on the record. The Pixy is just a toy, at least for now."

Reference: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/28/23043011/snapchat-pixy-drone-hands-on

 

 

Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN - legendado

Saturday, April 30, 2022

WHAT'S THE BUZZ: Stinger from Samantha Bee

Intro:

Samantha Bee Stunned By 'Gossipy Little Bitch' Mark Meadows' Text Messages

"Damn! Mark Meadows, you are messy,” she said. “Delete my number!”

Samantha Bee called out Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff under Donald Trump, after 2,319 of his text messages revealed how deep he and other key Republicans were involved in the plot to overturn the election and stop Joe Biden from becoming president.

“More than 2,000 text messages!” Bee said on “Full Frontal” on Thursday night. “This proves definitively that Mark Meadows is a gossipy little bitch.”

The messages included Fox News host Sean Hannity taking orders from the White House on how to help with voter turnout on Election Day, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pleading for talking points after the election and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) calling for “Marshall” law.

“Marshall’s Law, as everyone knows, is that no one should pay retail prices for quality yoga pants,” Bee cracked.

Bee also noted that Meadows still has more than 1,000 messages that he hasn’t turned over.

“Damn! Mark Meadows, you are messy,” she said. “Delete my number!”

Bee urged the Jan. 6 committee to push forward with its investigation.

“If there’s one thing these texts prove it’s that it doesn’t matter to Republicans if they know for a fact that Joe Biden won the election,” she said. “What matters is these human bumper stickers are more than willing to use lies and a violent base to both take and keep power.”

And she warned that if they’re not held accountable, it’ll happen again:

The Crazy History of Peanuts and Peanut Butter

Council Study Session - 4/28/2022

The 07:30 a.m. early morning session last Thursday in The Lower Chambers went on and on for more than two hours, with District 2 Councilmember  Julie Spilsbury absent and excused since she's traveling.
Presiding officer Hizzoner John Giles asks some open-ended questions then throws over control to City Manager Chris Brady, not even asking if there's any public input or participation. 
PLEASE NOTE: Items from Citizens is always the last item on the Consent Agenda: Item 8
That's "par-for-the-course" to continue with the business of government proceeding per usual -- calling in a cast of city officials to make their Power-Point presentations on two items: Item 4-a and Item 4-f.
First up is Deputy City Manager Marc Hirschberger, former head of Parks & Recreation and Community Facilities making the case for dollar-amount increases in city contracts, using a phrase it's "Back to the Future" for him. . .
Roll Call (City Council members participate in person, telephonically, or electronically.) 
1 Review and discuss items on the agenda for the May 2, 2022 regular Council meeting. 

2 Presentations/Action Items: 22-0587 
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the Community Services Department budget. 
115888-agenda.gif
2-a 22-0587 
File #:22-0587   
Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
In control:City Council Study Session
On agenda:4/28/2022
Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the Community Services Department budget.
Attachments:1. Presentation

Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the Arts & Culture Department budget. 
115888-agenda.gif
2-b 22-0589
File #:22-0589   
Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
In control:City Council Study Session
On agenda:4/28/2022
Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the Arts & Culture Department budget.
Attachments:1. Presentation

3 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees. 
3-a 22-0608 Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee meeting held on March 24, 2022.
File #:22-0608   
Type:MinutesStatus:Agenda Ready
In control:City Council Study Session
On agenda:4/28/2022
Title:Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee meeting held on March 24, 2022.
Attachments:1. March 24, 2022 Audit Finance and Enterprise

>>>>
8-page AGENDA FOR MAY 02, 2022
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4 Take action on the following contracts: 
22-0581 Dollar-Limit Increase to the Term Contract for Contractor Building Maintenance Services as requested by the Parks Recreation and Community Facilities Department (PRCF) (Citywide) 
The increase will provide sufficient funding for necessary repairs to Mesa City Plaza and Dobson Ranch Golf Course, as well as future building maintenance services required by PRCF, until the contract expires on 10/31/2022. 
The Parks Recreation and Community Facilities Department and Purchasing recommend increasing the dollar limit with 
  • Builders Guild Inc. (a Mesa business), 
  • Diamond Ridge Development, 
  • East Valley Disaster Services (a Mesa business), 
  • SDB Inc., 
  • Skyline Builders, 
  • August Building Company, LLC; 
  • BWC Enterprises Inc., dba Woodruff Construction; and 
  • Robert N Ewing General Contractor, 
Year 5 by $3,500,000, from $2,700,000 to $6,200,000, based on estimated requirements. *4-a 

City of Mesa Page 2 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

22-0565 Three-Year Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for Aquatic Maintenance Parts for the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department (Citywide) 
This contract will provide aquatic maintenance repair parts and new equipment for the 11 sites maintained by PRCF - Aquatics Maintenance. These repair and maintenance parts are critical to the proper operations and continued safety of the City’s commercial aquatic facilities. The Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidders, Aquatic Environmental Systems and John Strider, dba Diving Board Solutions, LLC, at $45,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index. 
*4-b 

22-0601 Purchase of New Employee Onboarding Software (Addition) for the Human Resources Department (as requested by the Office of ERP Management) (Sole Source) (Citywide) 
This subscription software solution is intended to automate the onboarding processes performed by the Human Resources New Hire Team. 
The Onboarding module provides the ability to create new hire checklists, electronically deliver required new hire paperwork, and uses the new hire candidates existing NeoGov personal profile to access and complete required tasks and paperwork. 
The City currently uses the NeoGov Insight recruitment module that facilitates all aspects of the recruiting process from the opening and approval of a new or replacement requisition, through the screening, interview, offer, and candidate acceptance steps. 
Onboarding is the is designed to work in tandem with Insight recruitment module. 
The Human Resources Department, Office of ERP Management and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to NeoGov, at $98,849.93. *4-c 

City of Mesa Page 3 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

22-0566 Four-Month Contract Extension and Dollar-Limit Increase to the Term Contract for GEA Westfalia Centrifuge Parts and Services for the Water Resources Department (Sole Source) (Citywide) 
This contract provides GEA Westfalia centrifuge parts, and repair and maintenance services essential to safely operating all GEA Westfalia separator decanters at the Greenfield and Northwest Water Reclamation Plants. 
The department requests to extend this contract for four months and increase the contract amount by $670,000
This contract extension and increase will allow the Water Resources Department to complete inspections, identified maintenance needs, and work in progress with the vendor, as the City completes establishment of a new contract. 
The Water Resources Department and Purchasing recommend extending the contract and increasing the dollar-limit with GEA Mechanical Equipment US, Inc., by $670,000, from $450,000 to $1,120,000. *4-d 

22-0570 Three-Year Term Contract with Two Years of Renewal Options for Lycofit Mechanical Fittings for the Materials and Supply Warehouse (for the Energy Resources Department) (Single Bid Response) (Citywide) This contract provides Lycofit mechanical fittings for new construction projects and the maintenance and repair of existing gas utilities. Energy Resources Department - Gas Utility uses these mechanical fittings, manufactured by R.W. Lyall & Company, Inc., to connect polyethylene pipe in the City’s natural gas distribution system. The Business Services and Energy Resources Departments and Purchasing recommend awarding the contract to the qualified, responsive, and responsible bidder, Border States Industries, Inc., at $242,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Producer Price Index. *4-e 

City of Mesa Page 4 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

22-0567 Monterey Park Expansion - Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) No. 1 (District 6) The expansion of Monterey Park is needed for additional baseball/softball fields and parking lot, irrigation system, landscape improvements, pickleball courts, playground and a small library building. The first GMP No. 1 includes site clearing and mass grading, installation of underground utilities, irrigation infrastructure, field lighting, fencing, landscaping, and some hardscapes. A second GMP will be presented to Council at a future date to include the remainder of the project scope. Staff recommends awarding a construction services contract to the CMAR, Hunter Contracting Co., in the amount of $8,450,179.41 (GMP), and authorizing a change order allowance in the amount of $422,508.97 (5%), for a total amount of $8,872,688.38. The project is funded by 2018 General Obligation bonds and Capital General Funds. *4-f 

5 Take action on the following resolutions: 
22-0564 Extinguishing a drainage easement and drainage covenant located at 3745 South Power Road to accommodate construction of a new coffee shop; requested by the property owner. (District 6) *5-a 

22-0534 Extinguishing a portion of a 20-foot public utility easement and public utilities and facilities easement located at 1506 South Signal Butte Road to accommodate the construction of a new Whataburger restaurant; requested by the property owner. (District 6) *5-b 

22-0579 Extinguishing a portion of a 20-foot public utility easement and public utilities and facilities easement, a temporary drainage easement, and a portion of a 10-foot drainage easement, all located at 1458 South Signal Butte Road to accommodate the construction of a new commercial development called “Mountain Vista Market Place”, requested by the property owner. (District 6) *5-c 

22-0580 Extinguishing a portion of a 20-foot public utility easement and public utilities and facilities easement located at 1558 South Signal Butte Road to accommodate the construction of a new EOS Fitness gym; requested by the property owner. (District 6) *5-d 

City of Mesa Page 5 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

22-0495 Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Maricopa County for the deployment of traffic signals devices along Power Road and Sossaman Road, between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and ASU Polytechnic Campus/Innovation Way. The equipped traffic signals will support connected vehicle applications and develop, integrate, and configure the Multimodal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) application. (District 6) *5-e 

22-0556 Endorsing the creation of the Fillmore Place Irrigation Water Delivery District that is generally bound by East Kino Drive on the north, East 7th Place on the south, North Mesa Drive on the west, and North Horne on the east. (District 1) The formation of an irrigation water delivery district allows the District to make improvements and perform maintenance and operations of their irrigation system. Final designation of the District is determined by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. *5-f 

6 Introduction of the following ordinances and setting May 16, 2022 as the date of the public hearing on these ordinances: 
22-0181 ZON21-00940 (District 2) Within the 3100 block of East Southern Avenue (south side) and the 1200 block of South 32nd Street (west side). Located east of Lindsay Road on the south side of Southern Avenue (2.4± acres). Rezone from Single Residence 9 (RS-9) to Multiple Residence 3 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RM-3-PAD) and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for a multiple residence development. Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0) *6-a 

22-0352 ZON21-01126 (District 6) Within the 3200 to 3400 blocks of South Signal Butte Road (west side). Located north of Elliot Road on the west side of Signal Butte Road (65.8± acres). Rezone from Agricultural (AG) to Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LI-PAD) and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for an industrial development. Noel Griemsmann, Snell & Wilmer, LLP, applicant; Signal Butte Mesa Holdings, LLC, owner. Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval with conditions (Vote: 5-0) *6-b 

22-0571 Amending Article VI, Section 609 of the Mesa City Charter related to certain requirements for City procurements, subject to the approval of the amendment by the qualified electors of the City of Mesa. (Citywide) *6-c 

City of Mesa Page 6 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

22-0583 Amending Article II, Section 205(D) of the Mesa City Charter to allow a meet and confer process and memorandum of understanding with sworn public safety employee organizations on behalf of certain sworn public safety employees concerning wages and other forms of direct monetary compensation, hours, non-health related benefits, and working conditions not covered under state or federal laws or city personnel rules, subject to the approval of the amendment by the qualified electors of the City of Mesa. (Citywide) *6-d 

7 Discuss, receive public comment, and take action on the following ordinances: 
22-0484 ZON21-00435 (District 2) Within the 4400 block of East Baseline Road (north side). Located east of Greenfield Road on the north side of Baseline Road (1.2± acres). Site Plan Modification. This request will allow for a multi-tenant retail building with a drive-thru. Zach Collins, applicant; BASELINE 9 LLC, owner. Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0) *7-a 

22-0485 ZON21-00921 (District 5) Within the 10000 block of East Southern Avenue (north side) and within the 1000 to 1200 blocks of South Crismon Road (east side). Located north of Southern Avenue and east of Crismon Road (8.5± acres). Rezone from Limited Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LC-PAD) to Multiple Residence 3 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RM-3-PAD), and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for a multiple residence development. Ralph Pew, Pew and Lake, PLC, applicant; PROS INVESTMENTS LLC, owner. Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0) *7-b 

22-0486 ZON21-01024 (District 6) Within the 7200 to 7400 blocks of the South Hawes Road alignment (east side). Located south of Pecos Road on the east side of the Hawes Road alignment (13± acres). Rezone from Light Industrial with a Bonus Intensity Zone overlay and Office Commercial with a Bonus Intensity Zone overlay (LI-BIZ and OC-BIZ) to Light Industrial and Office Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LI-PAD and OC-PAD), and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for an industrial development. Katie Rounds, The Kaidence Group, applicant; HAWES COMMERCE PARK LLC, owner. Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions P&Z Board Recommendation: Approval with conditions (Vote: 6-0) *7-c 

City of Mesa Page 7 Printed on 4/26/2022 City Council Meeting Agenda - Tentative May 2, 2022 

Items not on the Consent Agenda 8 Items from citizens present. (Maximum of three speakers for three minutes per speaker). 

9 Adjournment

    

BEA News: Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 3rd Quarter 2025

  BEA News: Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by S...