Laguna comments

(McCarthy) pushed for stricter work requirements on government aid recipients as a way to cut spending.

Ha. Yeah, that'll save tons.

Two elephants in the room that MUST be addressed if Repubs are serious about the deficit: out-of-control Pentagon spending (at over $800 billion yearly, nearly half of discretionary spending) and Trump tax cuts for the wealthy. But it'll be a cold day in hell when Repubs address those.

Prigozhin slammed the "airborne forces" of not backing his men

I've heard Russia has lost so many experienced pilots its air force is basically grounded. Some planes were lost to Ukrainian missiles, while others crashed inside Russia due to poor maintenance. Russia is prevented from receiving high-tech parts for maintenance due to sanctions, and many of its pilot trainers have been killed, hindering replacement.

Sending in US troops is a non-starter for Biden and, presumably, his successor. Ukraine itself likely neither needs nor desires foreign troops (aside from volunteers incorporated with local brigades, as in the Spanish civil war).

That said, Ukraine needs western arms. Expensive as this may seem, it is cheaper to thwart Putin's ambitions early than to fight a wider war later.

Funny story: I was booked on a flight from SJC to SNA on a regional carrier just before Christmas and was bumped. They gave me a check on the spot worth three times the ticket. A moment later, ground crew told me there was one empty seat on a flight leaving immediately, which I was able to secure. So I came about about $600 ahead.

Times are ya get lucky.

I know that being killed in a US shooting is about as likely as in a traffic accident, but two gigantic differences exist:

Traffic accidents are a sad but unavoidable result of necessary action

A gun-oriented society necessarily affects how denizens view each other - even those they know. One never knows who will snap and have access to weapons of mass destruction (which is what semi-automatic weapons are).

America's birthrate is 1.2. Without immigration, America would be facing a similar demographic crisis as Japan.

I've had several Iranian female students in my university classes. None of them wore head coverings. All of them were some of the most curious, proficient students I've ever encountered.

Best of luck to them in their home country.

It would help if the PRC stopped selling drones to Putin.

Funny how Repubs had no issue with raising the debt ceiling when Trump was president.

As of 2021, the birth rate in the United States was 11.7 births per 1,000 people - that is, without immigration, America would be facing the same demographic crisis as Japan and SK - an ageing, shrinking population.

Biden is trying to get a hand on this by facilitating applications on the Mexican side of the border. The initiative is still new and definitely needs improvement, but it is a good start. Regulated immigration in large numbers is necessary for both sides.

almost decisive actions

Almost? What on earth is that?

Guillen said nothing had changed.

He's got that right.

California has relatively strict gun laws (automatic rifles are illegal), yet people buy them over the border in Nevada and bring them back. Gun control has to be at the Federal level, i.e., nation-wide, to be effective.

He's right about one thing: Yes - it IS showtime.

They should tunnel. That would obliviate the need for a large amount of building materials, and if deep enough, radiation would not be a problem. (I stayed in a cave home in Inner Mongolia. They were comfortable - warm in the winter and cool in the summer - and spacious: if you need more room, just dig.)

I'm glad it stopped raining.

Brexit was an own-goal, and the arrest of potential protestors reprehensible, but give the people their day.

All you need is a good guy with a gun (there apparently were a few nearby), and eight deaths later, things are sunny.

Should put the nail in the coffin of that trope.

Best luck to both. They're going to need it.

My heart goes out to them. The magnitude of the quake was about that of the Kumamoto quake, which I experienced. Expect aftershocks to continue for a month.

Fortunately, this being Japan, there will be tons of mutual aid.

Another day, another shooting.

Had to scroll down the menu a bit to find it, but sadly, I knew there would be one. Just consider all of those which JT does not report.

Bass, he is still on the loose.

True, Desert, but the lithium is a resource which belongs to the people, so profits from its extraction should be socialized. If done correctly, funds could be secured for social development well into the future.

TokyoLiving, they were married for 19 years. That's a long time.

Cigarettes are insanely cheap in Japan.

That security camera makes Mao look like a pirate.

. How wonderful it is to be British and uphold these traditions rather than be part of some awful Federal Republic and swearing allegiance to a flag or piece of old parchment.

Actually, Americans swear allegiance to the flag "and to the Republic for which it stands" - it's the Republic and its ideals, not the flag or piece of old parchment.

Was working at Anaheim Disney (the original) when the Tokyo park opened, They'd considered sending me over for training, but I was a seasonal, not permanent, employee. But I've had enough Disney for my lifetime. I'd have to be paid top-dollar to visit again.

Whoa. Total way to harsh your buzz, man.

Spread the word. You can read it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War and here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine

denying him a visa to enter the country,

Oh, that's gotta sting. No liberal (in the classic sense)-minded person would ever enter that autioltarian morass.

Putin is the dog who has caught the car.