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ANOTHER MEANINGLESS GUN STUDY

BullshitI find it amazing and somewhat silly that some researchers investigate meaningless associations that state the obvious, believing their work somehow advances the understanding of their chosen subject matter.

Consider this journal article in the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Network Open…

Comparing Risks of Firearm-Related Death and Injury Among Young Adult Males in Selected US Cities With Wartime Service in Iraq and Afghanistan

Key Points

Question How does the risk of firearm-related death and injury for young adult males in parts of 4 major US cities compare with the corresponding risks faced by military personnel deployed to war?

Findings This cross-sectional study of 129 826 young adult men living in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, and Los Angeles in 2020 and 2021 found that young adult males from zip codes with the most violence in Chicago and Philadelphia had a notably higher risk of firearm-related death than US military personnel who served during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while the most violent areas in New York City and Los Angeles were associated with less risk for young adult males than these theaters of war. In all zip codes studied, risks were overwhelmingly borne by young adult males from minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

[OCS: Not so coincidently, the areas studied, mostly inner city zip codes, have the highest minority populations, the highest drug-related violence, and most of the deaths are targeted at members of the same minority community or cross-minority communities in the instance of criminal turf wars.]

Meaning This study’s finding that young adult males of minoritized racial and ethnic groups in parts of major US cities faced greater firearm-related risks at home than did soldiers at war calls for an urgent response that emphasizes violence reduction and trauma-informed interventions.

[OCS: Imagine that! Did they consider soldiers on both sides of the battlefield or just U.S. casualties which grossly understates the dangers on the battlefield for all combatants?]

Importance In 2020, homicides in the United States saw a record single-year increase, with firearm injuries becoming the leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and young adults. It is critical to understand the magnitude of this crisis to formulate an effective response.

Objective To evaluate whether young adult males living in parts of 4 major US cities faced a firearm-related death and injury risk comparable with risks encountered during recent wartime service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, for young adult men in several of the communities studied, firearm violence carried morbidity and mortality risks that exceeded those of war. Health equity requires prioritizing effective responses.

[OCS: In my opinion, the study is bullshit and meaningless.]

<Source: JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(12):e2248132. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.48132>

(1)  The American Medical Association has a known leftist bias with an emphasis on gun control rather than crime control – and this is often reflected in articles accepted for publication.

(2)   It is scientifically meaningless to characterize gun deaths in a civilian population against those in a war zone unless one deliberately seeks media attention.

(3)   If the researchers were intellectually curious, perhaps they would have studied the predominant political culture, which is soft on crime and criminals – plea bargaining away serious gun-related felonies to obtain a guaranteed conviction with a minimum expenditure of time and money. Allowing violent re-offenders to roam the streets and reengage the residents with violent behavior. Or a community reluctant to cooperate with local law enforcement to prevent, investigate, or prosecute gun-related crime as they attempt to defund the police.

Bottom line…

GUN-VIOLENCE

Another ticket-punching exercise by academics seeking to be published. As if the total number of publications were more important than the probative value of the research.

Protect yourself and your family because progressive communist democrats want to disarm you and remove your right to self-defense. The same group of progressive communist democrats is more concerned with criminals than the criminal’s victims.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

NRA-BENEFACTOR-1


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


THE DANGER IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMES FROM HUMAN NATURE

AI-KNOWLEDGE

The next big thing after an AI-enhanced world...

What we have seen with the books, records, and art marketplace is a continuous cheapening of content as supply increases exponentially.

One need no longer be a musician, classically-trained or not, to create and publish esthetically pleasing sounds.

One need no longer be an author, mindful of spelling and grammar, to write and publish a book or write a script.

One no longer be an artist to create and publish a work of art.

One no longer needs to be a lawyer to do legal research or compose boilerplate documents.

Likewise, one no longer needs to be a programmer, trained in structures, algorithms, and feature libraries to write or debug code.

One can profitably build upon the work of experts and synthetically create derivative works that appear original.

So, what comes after this augmented creation process?

(1)  Discovery management and navigating the marketplace to find customers much in the same manner as a search engine collects and analyzes personal data to predict potential customers.

(2)  The detection, analysis, and legal management of AI-created works knowing that AI has no concept of originality and is bound, over time, to re-create the same, similar, or derivative works that can de-value other works already created.

(3)  The mining of patent data using more modern materials which make previously impossible objects an exploitable possibility.

Therefore, it would seem prudent to ask ChatGPT itself what comes after an AI-enhanced world.

what comes after an AI-enhanced world.

It is difficult to predict exactly what will come after an AI-enhanced world, as the development and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is an ongoing process that is likely to continue to evolve and shape our world in ways that we cannot fully anticipate.

One possibility is that AI will continue to become more sophisticated and integrated into various aspects of our daily lives, potentially leading to significant changes in the way we work, communicate, and interact with each other and the world around us. It is also possible that AI will be used to address a wide range of social and environmental challenges, such as improving healthcare, addressing climate change, and promoting economic growth and development.

It is important to note that the development and use of AI also raises a number of ethical, legal, and social issues that will need to be carefully considered and addressed as AI continues to advance. These issues include concerns around the potential loss of jobs due to automation, the potential for AI to perpetuate or amplify existing biases, and the need to ensure that AI is used in a transparent and accountable manner.

Bottom line...

AI-assisted chatbots are still in their infancy; who knows what the future may bring?

But I know a few things for certain...

(1) There will be a globalist gatekeeper to market the AI-enhanced services to the rest of us. Already multi-billionaires and billion-dollar corporations have invested in AI, either to protect their existing product offerings or to develop next-generation products to capture this newly-emerging revenue stream.

(2)  Politicians seeking to extract their share of the generated tolls will seek to regulate the use of AI-enhanced products in the name of protecting the people..

(3) Despots will seek to deny this miracle of discovery and learning to their people lest their subjects learn the depth of their own oppression by their leaders and become envious of the lives other, freer, individuals experience. Possibly enough to start another nation-to-nation war over access to these new paradigms of discovery and creation. We are already seeing this in Communist China where all AI-generated content must be clearly labeled and identified with an individual.

(4)  There will be a number of “knowledge workers,” including academics who will oppose AI-enhanced systems to preserve their own employment.

(5)  There will be those who will use AI-enhanced products to further educate, indoctrinate, and isolate children – perhaps giving them realistic friends to interact with so as to disguise the indoctrination process.

(6)  There will exist a class of people opposing Artificial Intelligence and AI-enhanced products to enhance their own notoriety and income streams. Such opposition being based on religion, ethical concerns, or some perceived advantage in a class-oriented society.

(7)  AI-models do not necessarily tell the truth and may be relatively unreliable when it comes to life-altering questions.

In short, AI will not improve human nature where the strong and privileged dominate the weak and underprivileged.

Something ChatGPT acknowledges...

“However, it would be up to human users of the AI system to interpret and draw conclusions from the data that it has analyzed, and to take appropriate action based on those conclusions.”

We have seen several instances when “expert systems,” including robotics, have eliminated or reduced the number of employees to generate products and services. Ignore Artificial Intelligence systems at your own risk, especially those involving natural large language learning models.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


COMMIE MOMMIES: A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER?

Commie-mommies

It’s not the radical that is the most dangerous to society…

It appears that one of the biggest threats to our nation is a category of middle-class, college-educated, wine-guzzling white women who seem to have abandoned any semblance of common sense as they indoctrinate their children in the “woke politics” that has them questioning their sexuality and contribution to society.

Openly allowing school systems to teach Critical Race Theory, which posits, but does not prove, that our nation is systemically racist and white people automatically and systemically oppress people of color and those who adopt a different sexual persona. Their children are not taught to share but to give away their toys and dignity to others for no reason other than their skin color.

Demanding that the best and brightest be abandoned in favor of the presumed disadvantaged by dumbing down school curricula, so nobody feels bad when underachieving.

The problem, as I see it, is…

Protest has been socialized as an event or cause for socialization with your peers, to sip wine and virtual signal, to demonstrate allegiance to real-life positions that defy common sense—pointing to the make-believe Pollyanna world of socialism as the means for change while ignoring the hundreds of millions who have died or suffered under socialist regimes.

Meanwhile…

The GOP refuses to take off the gloves and call a spade a spade. They refuse to loudly criticize and condemn the human rights abuses that have been visited on American citizens – especially in the inner cities where political corruption, crime, and poor school systems exist for all to see. To loudly demand that parents live up to their civic responsibilities and moral obligations to support their children.

To allow identity and sexual politics to interfere with the education of children should be a crime – where administrators and teachers are denied certification for in-school indoctrination instead of education.

It is time to stop giving free passes to those who cannot possibly take advantage of the opportunities offered and return to a more competitive environment. Yes, there will be those who are naturally talented and will rise to the top – something as true for academics as it is for sports. But that is the challenge posed by human nature. 

It’s time to put pampered students in their place as students rather than social warriors holding power over the administrators.

And for the legacy and social media…

It’s time to go beyond acceptance of a single-sided truth and start pointing out propaganda and dishonest media sources.

Bottom line…

Commie mommies vote, and unfortunately, not in the best interests of the nation, their families, and especially their children. It is up to the GOP to provide direction – and if they cannot do this simple nation-affirming task, they should all lose their jobs in favor of a random person on the street.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

After

Who can explain why the Republicans leave everything to the last minute, panic, and then accept the best of the worse?

Even worse, why do Republicans refuse to vet their candidates in advance and continue to allow deeply flawed candidates to run for expediency?

Washington-times-logo-2101475090Embattled Rep.-elect George Santos admits he lied about his life story

Rep.-elect George Santos has come clean about not being truthful with voters about his job background and college education, but he said that won’t stop him from taking his seat in the House next week.

Mr. Santos, 34, admitted to inflating his finance career credentials on his resume and lying about attending Baruch College and later New York University when he ran for the state’s 3rd Congressional District on New York’s Long Island.

After the election, questions arose about these key aspects of his life story that Mr. Santos presented while on the campaign trail.

“My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry,” he told The New York Post. “I campaigned talking about the people’s concerns, not my resume. … I intend to deliver on the promises I made during the campaign.”

He admitted to lying about graduating from college. Mr. Santos, who is Catholic, claimed he said he was “Jew-ish” not Jewish. And he said his claim that he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs was a “poor choice of words.”

Mr. Santos, a Republican from Queens, said that the issues about his background would not prevent him from taking the oath of office next week when he becomes part of the 118th Congress. <Source>

We have become accustomed to politicians lying… just not as blatantly as President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Joe Manchin, and former President Donald Trump. And unfortunately, we have come to accept the lousy performance of the political parties in pre-selecting candidates and giving us a choice between evil and more evil.

Even our judiciary is filled with appointees who act like demigods, thwarting the intent and will of the people as they substitute their own partisan viewpoint for constitutional law.

Bottom line…

When will the American people rise up in protest? When is enough enough? Something to think about as we watch America be destroyed from within – while hordes of illegal aliens arrive to complete the task of turning America into a third-world sanctuary where Americans slave (and yes, that’s the right word) to support the illiterate, impoverished, unproductive, illegal aliens at the expense of our health and welfare.

As we approach the New Year, I find that we are screwed, and I am getting no message from the GOP to convince me I am mistaken and that 2023 will bring us a better future.

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


THE FINE PRINT ABOUT FEELING GOOD AS A CLIMATE WARRIOR

Tesla-cold

Funny how reality, in the form of nature, seems to cut through the bullshit as it bites you in the ass…

(1)  For those of you who have been told that man is capable of managing the global climate using public policies and taxation, the reality is that the climate is constantly changing, mostly over large geologic time scales, and that the primary drivers of climate are indisputably the Sun’s energy output in all spectral bands, cosmic rays, the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, the Earth’s precessional and rotational dynamics, the Earth’s magnetosphere, plate tectonics and vulcanology, the deep ocean currents, the internal dynamics of the Earth, and the most significant greenhouse gas of all, water vapor. None of these are affected by man on a global or even a local scale. The fact is that man does not know the optimum temperature of the Earth since there is a wide variation between the polar and equatorial latitudes. Truth be told, man’s input signal to climate change cannot be detected or measured against the natural variability of global climate.

(2)  The only reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective power technologies at scale are nuclear, hydroelectric, and geothermal. Wind power and solar power have their limitations, and if not for government subsidies and mandates would be relegated to auxiliary use.

(3)  The idea of the electric car as a “zero emission” vehicle is a lie. Not only does it have severe range and operational considerations, but the power also needs to come from conventional sources, which are managed on a regional basis by entities answerable to corrupt government personnel.

The fine print…

How many individuals know that lithium-ion batteries used to power vehicles have temperature limitations that degrade their performance in hot and cold weather? And how many of these individuals even know what “preconditioning a battery” refers to?

Winter Driving Tips

Your Tesla vehicle has many features designed to optimize your cold-weather driving experience. In cold weather, vehicles use more energy to heat the battery and cabin, and it’s normal to see energy consumption increase.

We have made several updates to improve your driving experience in freezing temperatures including better overall thermal performance, quicker Supercharging and improved cabin conditioning.

Watch for the [Ironically named] Snowflake Icon

A blue snowflake icon may appear on your touchscreen and in the app if your battery is too cold for full power and ideal range. When this icon is displayed, you may notice reduced regenerative braking and acceleration.

Leaving your vehicle plugged in whenever possible and keeping the charge level above 20% when not plugged in will reduce the impact of cold temperatures.

Once the battery is warmed, the snowflake will disappear. Charging, driving and preconditioning [turning on your heater before driving or charging] are all ways to warm your battery. <Source: Tesla>

Does it make a difference?

Tesla Owner Stranded At Supercharger Station On Christmas Eve After Cold Weather Paralyzes Battery

Besides freezing door handles, Tesla owners who braved the cold this Christmas weekend were met with 'winter range anxiety.' As we explained last week, cold weather will degrade battery performance. At least one video went viral on Christmas Eve of a person whose Model S wouldn't charge in the cold at a Supercharger station.

Domenick Nati, 44, a resident of Lynchburg, Virginia, rolled into a Supercharger station Saturday afternoon with 19 miles left of charge. The Tesla's dashboard showed outside temperatures were 19 degrees Fahrenheit. He made a video about his awful experience over the last 24 hours.

In a video posted on TikTok, Nati said battery issues began on Friday when his Tesla wouldn't warm up so it could charge. He tried charging at his house and a Supercharger station, but nothing seemed to work. In a last-ditch effort, he went to Supercharger station on Christmas Eve, where he experienced the same issues. 

Nati abandoned the Tesla at the Supercharger station, fearing it would run out of juice. He canceled his Christmas plans because it was the only car he had, and adding Tesla customer support and or roadside assistance wasn't to help him troubleshoot the problem. <Source>

Buffalo's deadliest storm in 50 years: Death toll rises to 27 in city and 55 across US after stranded drivers froze to death in their cars and six feet of snow landed on NY - leaving it like a 'war zone'

<Source>

From my author friend, Peter Ralph, in Australia…

Green_is_Good

I hope you're enjoying Christmas Day. I'm sure Australian orange-bellied parrots are.

An Australian State Government EPA has just approved a 122-wind turbine project subject to all wind farm generators shutting down during the northern orange-bellied parrot migration period (1 March to 31 May inclusive) and the southern orange-bellied parrot migration period (15 September to 15 November inclusive).

Even with generous government subsidies it’s hard to see the project being viable if it can only operate for seven months a year.

Australia also has vast uranium reserves that it exports to the rest of the world while banning nuclear power at home.

Rio Tinto recently discovered a massive lithium reserve in Serbia, but the government has revoked its permits following protests.

Many supporters want green energy without paying the environmental costs that go with it.

Meanwhile, 74% of the Greens in Finland voted in support of nuclear power — something the Australian Greens would consider blasphemy.

I don’t know where we will end up with green energy, but I do know there are those who will make fortunes from it.

Grab a copy of his latest book; Greed is Good Green is Great! It’s a great read!

Bottom line…

If you must virtue-signal, at least get the more sensible hybrid.

It is time to push back against the weather bullpucky as it is simply a power grab and funding mechanism for both the globalists and the progressive communist democrats.

We are so screwed.

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


A KWANZAA KROCK...

Look up its history for yourself. Read about the violent militant pervert felon who created it.

KWANZAA-KROCK

Know what you are celebrating!


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


THINKING ABOUT THE HOLIDAY

What the hell have the globalists, special interests, and their bought-and-paid-for political hacks wrought?

It’s the day after Christmas, and here I am … my small world is at peace. I have a warm bed, enough food, and more entertainment choices than I can possibly consume — all appears to be well as I bitch and moan about third-world problems: prices, taxes, and the decline of the environment surrounding my little piece of the world.

A world where others are suffering mighty, their problems worsened by the policies, both foreign and domestic, of our corrupt and feckless leadership.

Meanwhile, those who purport to represent me — voted in by my fellow citizens and possibly unknown individuals, conspire to feather their own nests. The nation, the state, the city, and my community be damned. 

I can only wonder what the New Year might bring.

With the progressive communist democrats, it’s more of the same — dirty tricks and bamboozling the squishy RINOs into voting for their agenda. 

With the Republicans, it’s a matter of securing your own power base first and then winging it — responding to developing situations with press releases instead of plans.

So what can I do?

(1)  Familiarize myself with the local voting regulations.

(2)  Start identifying those with a like mind and urge an early mail-in response to ballots received in the mail. Not voting is not an option, and it appears that “in-person” voting may become increasingly difficult in strongly Republican precincts.

(3)  Start identifying candidates, especially the infirm, for ballot harvesting if it is legal in your venue.

(4)  Show up at opposition events (without any identifying garb) and ask challenging questions with a tough follow-up.

(5)  Play the “whataboutism” game and call them out if they try to label you. Start by rejecting their premise and say what you want to say.

(6)  Gently troll social media, not with comments or refutations, but with questions you will point to and ask why they are ignoring the questions.

(7)  Read Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and use their own tactics against them. Alinsky might have been a communist, but he was a keen observer of human behavior. 

Remember, you cannot convince, cajole, or persuade hardcore fanatics, so don’t waste your time trying. Gather your own base and welcome the disaffected into the fold without criticism, but remain vigilant about their motives and behavior.

Bottom line…

There are no Republicans in the Democrat Party, but there is a large number of Democrats in the Republican Party. Be careful when selecting those that would lead you astray.

We are so screwed.

— Steve

 


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ONE CITIZENSPEAKING 2022

To all my readers…  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones the very best for the coming Holiday Season.

To everyone else…  

Please accept with no obligation, expressed or implied, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2023, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. This is, of course, neither to suggest nor imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country; also, this is not to imply that "America," as noted herein, is the only America in the Western Hemisphere. May these heartfelt wishes be received with equal intensity regardless of distribution of individual wealth, documented carbon footprint, or perceived social privilege among the wishes addressed herein. This wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wish.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays...

Let us, for a moment, forget the political and financial catastrophes which have befallen our nation and concentrate on family and friends.

And most importantly, let us not forget those who have protected our nation and who stand watch over our celebration.

ArmedServices-MIA

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG IN CALIFORNIA'S LITIGEOUS AND HOSTILE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT?

Business-bullshitI was struck by the length and complexity of El Segundo, California-based Beyond Meat’s caveats in a media release.

Beyond Meat is a leading plant-based meat company “offering a portfolio of revolutionary plant-based meats made from simple ingredients without GMOs, no added hormones or antibiotics, and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.” A California dream company fighting climate change, obesity, and for vegans everywhere.

Don’t believe a word of what we say, your mileage will vary, and terms and conditions apply…

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements related to the Company’s expectations with respect to its third quarter and full year 2022 revenue outlook, cost-reduction initiatives, expected charges and savings related to its workforce reduction and executive leadership changes, and the timing and success of achieving its cash flow positive targets.

The charges associated with the reduction in force and executive leadership changes may be greater than anticipated, completion of the reduction in force may take longer than anticipated, the Company may be unable to realize the contemplated benefits in connection with the workforce reduction, executive leadership changes and other potential cost-reduction initiatives, and the workforce reduction, executive leadership changes and cost-reduction initiatives may have an adverse impact on the Company’s performance.

Additionally, the Company’s ability to meet its cash flow positive targets is subject to a number of assumptions and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the Company’s ability to reduce costs and achieve positive gross margins; the Company’s ability to meet certain revenue and operating expense targets, which may be subject to factors beyond the Company’s control; and the Company’s ability to monetize inventory and manage working capital.

Forward-looking statements are based on management's current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions and projections regarding financial performance, prospects, future events and future results, including ongoing uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ultimate duration, magnitude and effects of the pandemic and, in particular, the impact to the foodservice channel, operations and supply chains, growth trends, our international expansion plans, market share, new and existing customers and expense trends, among other matters, and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “outlook,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, not historical fact, and involve certain risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by which or whether, such performance or results will be achieved. Actual results, levels of activity, performance, achievements and events could differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.

While Beyond Meat believes that its assumptions are reasonable, it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors and, in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, and, of course, it is impossible to anticipate all factors that could affect actual results.

There are many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made herein including, but not limited to, the effects of global outbreaks of pandemics or contagious diseases or fear of such outbreaks (such as COVID-19), including on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations, including on our supply chain, the demand for our products, our product and channel mix, labor needs at the Company as well as in the supply chain and at customers, the timing and level of retail purchasing, the timing and level of foodservice purchasing, our manufacturing and co-manufacturing facilities and operations, our inventory levels, our ability to expand and produce in new geographic markets or the timing of such expansion efforts, the pace and success of new product introductions, the timing of new foodservice launches, and on overall economic conditions and consumer confidence and spending levels; the impact of uncertainty in our domestic and international supply chain, including labor shortages and disruption and shipping delays and disruption; a resurgence of COVID-19 and the impact of variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 which could slow, halt or reverse the reopening process, or result in the reinstatement of social distancing measures, business closures, restrictions on operations, quarantines, lockdowns and travel bans; the impact of uncertainty as a result of doing business in China and Europe; government or employer mandates requiring certain behaviors from employees due to COVID-19, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates, which could result in employee attrition at the Company, suppliers and customers as well as difficulty securing future labor and supply needs; the impact of adverse and uncertain economic and political conditions in the U.S. and international markets; the volatility of capital markets and other macroeconomic factors, including due to geopolitical tensions or the outbreak of hostilities or war; our ability to effectively manage our growth in the U.S. and abroad; our ability to streamline operations and improve cost efficiencies, which could result in the contraction of our business and the implementation of significant cost cutting measures; our ability to identify and execute cost-down initiatives intended to achieve price parity with animal protein; the success of operations conducted by joint ventures, such as the Planet Partnership, LLC with PepsiCo, Inc., where we share ownership and management of a company with one or more parties who may not have the same goals, strategies or priorities as we do and where we do not receive all of the financial benefit; the effects of increased competition from our market competitors and new market entrants; changes in the retail landscape, including the timing and level of trade and promotion discounts, our ability to grow market share and increase household penetration, repeat purchases, buying rates (amount spent per buyer) and purchase frequency, and our ability to maintain and increase sales velocity of our products; changes in the foodservice landscape, including the timing and level of marketing and other financial incentives to assist in the promotion of our products, our ability to grow market share and attract and retain new foodservice customers or retain existing foodservice customers, and our ability to introduce and sustain offering of our products on menus; the timing and success of distribution expansion and new product introductions in increasing revenues and market share; the timing and success of strategic partnership launches and limited time offerings resulting in permanent menu items; our estimates of the size of market opportunities and ability to accurately forecast market growth; our ability to effectively expand or optimize our manufacturing and production capacity, including effectively managing capacity for specific products with shifts in demand; risks associated with underutilization of capacity which could give rise to termination fees to exit certain supply chain arrangements and/or the write-off of certain equipment; our ability to sell our inventory in a timely manner requiring us to sell our products through liquidation channels at lower prices, write-down or write off obsolete inventory, or increase inventory reserves; our ability to accurately forecast our future results of operations, including fluctuations in demand for our products and any increased competition; our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products and manage our inventory, including the impact of customer orders ahead of holidays and shelf reset activities, and supply chain and labor disruptions; our operational effectiveness and ability to fulfill orders in full and on time; variations in product selling prices and costs, and the mix of products sold; our ability to successfully enter new geographic markets, manage our international expansion and comply with any applicable laws and regulations, including risks associated with doing business in foreign countries, substantial investments in our manufacturing operations in China and the Netherlands, and our ability to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-corruption laws; the effects of global outbreaks of pandemics or contagious diseases or fear of such outbreaks, such as COVID-19; the success of our marketing initiatives and the ability to grow brand awareness, maintain, protect and enhance our brand, attract and retain new customers and grow our market share; our ability to attract, maintain and effectively expand our relationships with key strategic foodservice partners; our ability to attract and retain our suppliers, distributors, co-manufacturers and customers; our ability to procure sufficient high-quality raw materials at competitive prices to manufacture our products, especially those impacted by the conflict in the Ukraine or problems in the global supply chain exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns in China; the availability of pea and other protein that meets our standards; our ability to diversify the protein sources used for our products; our ability to differentiate and continuously create innovative products, respond to competitive innovation and achieve speed-to-market; our ability to successfully execute our strategic initiatives; the volatility associated with ingredient, packaging, transportation and other input costs; the impact of inflation and rising interest rates across the economy, including higher food, grocery, raw materials, transportation, energy, labor and fuel costs; reduced consumer confidence and consumer spending, including spending to purchase our products, and negative trends in consumer purchasing patterns due to consumers’ disposable income, credit availability, debt levels and inflation; real or perceived quality or health issues with our products or other issues that adversely affect our brand and reputation; our ability to accurately predict consumer taste preferences, trends and demand and successfully innovate, introduce and commercialize new products and improve existing products, including in new geographic markets; significant disruption in, or breach in security of our information technology systems and resultant interruptions in service and any related impact on our reputation, including related to data privacy; the ability of our transportation providers to ship and deliver our products in a timely and cost effective manner; management and key personnel changes, the attraction and retention of qualified employees and key personnel, and our ability to maintain our company culture; the effects of organizational changes including a reduction-in-force and realignment of reporting structures; risks related to use of a professional employer organization to administer human resources, payroll and employee benefits functions for certain of our international employees or use of certain third party service providers for the performance of several business operations including payroll and human capital management services; the effects of natural or man-made catastrophic or severe weather events particularly involving our or any of our co-manufacturers’ manufacturing facilities or our suppliers’ facilities; the impact of marketing campaigns aimed at generating negative publicity regarding our products, brand and the plant-based industry category; the effectiveness of our internal controls; accounting estimates based on judgment and assumptions that may differ from actual results; the requirements of being a public company and effects of increased administration costs related to compliance and reporting obligations; our significant indebtedness and ability to pay such indebtedness; risks related to our debt, including limitations on our cash flow from operations and our ability to satisfy our obligations under the convertible senior notes; our ability to raise the funds necessary to repurchase the convertible senior notes for cash, under certain circumstances, or to pay any cash amounts due upon conversion; provisions in the indenture governing the convertible senior notes delaying or preventing an otherwise beneficial takeover of us; any adverse impact on our reported financial condition and results from the accounting methods for the convertible senior notes; estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital expenditures, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; our ability to meet our obligations under our campus innovation and headquarters lease, the timing of occupancy and completion of the build-out of our space, cost overruns, delays and the impact of COVID-19 on our space demands; our ability to meet our obligations under leases for our corporate offices, manufacturing facilities and warehouses; changes in laws and government regulation affecting our business, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission governmental regulation, and state, local and foreign regulation; new or pending legislation, or changes in laws, regulations or policies of governmental agencies or regulators, both in the U.S. and abroad, affecting plant-based meat, the labeling or naming of our products, or our brand name or logo; the failure of acquisitions and other investments to be efficiently integrated and produce the results we anticipate; risks inherent in investment in real estate; the financial condition of, and our relationships with our suppliers, co-manufacturers, distributors, retailers and foodservice customers, and their future decisions regarding their relationships with us; our ability and the ability of our suppliers and co-manufacturers to comply with food safety, environmental or other laws and regulations; seasonality, including increased levels of purchasing by customers ahead of holidays, customer shelf reset activity and the timing of product restocking by our retail customers; the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity needs and service our indebtedness and our ability to access capital markets upon favorable terms, including due to rising interest rates; economic conditions and the impact on consumer spending; the impact of increased scrutiny from stakeholders, institutional investors and governmental bodies on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence and disclosure on ESG matters; the outcomes of legal or administrative proceedings, or new legal or administrative proceedings filed against us; our, our suppliers’ and our co-manufacturers’ ability to protect our proprietary technology, intellectual property and trade secrets adequately; the impact of tariffs and trade wars; the impact of changes in tax laws; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; and the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2022, the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 2, 2022 filed with the SEC on August 11, 2022, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 1, 2022 to be filed with the SEC, as well as other factors described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Beyond Meat undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

This brings forth memories of the late great George Carlin, life’s observer and a comedic master of the poetry of the spoken word.

It’s all bullshit folks – crap designed to make you believe they are competent and have thought things through.

Let me sum it up in a few lines.

  1. Let the buyer beware
  2. Shit happens
  3. Don’t blame us, we told you to bend down, it was coming.

Bottom line…

We are so screwed.

-- Steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


IS UKRAINE RUNNING OVER AMERICA?

Flag-ukraine-tank

The globalists and the progressive communist democrats are using Ukraine to rape the U.S. Treasury and pouring billions of unaccountable dollars into the abyss where they are used to pay off the military-industrial complex by selling war materiel to Ukraine and supporting the Ukraine economy – including government worker pensions.

Nothing to see here. No corruption. Move along…

Ukraine Aid Is 2.6 Percent of Omnibus Spending Bill

The help we’ve given Ukrainians to repel the Russian invasion of their country is not a major source of our fiscal woes.

There’s plenty to criticize in the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill. The 4,155-page bill was released around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, and passed the Senate on Thursday afternoon. This type of legislative sausage-making has been common for years, but it’s also an unserious way to govern. And for a budget hawk, the top-line $1.7 trillion figure would be troubling even if the bill were being passed through regular order.

[OCS: Everyone who purports to represent their respective constituencies and voted for this bill without reading or understandings its provisions should be censured. With a special penalty for the 18 Senators who gutted the GOP’s ability to use the House to cut wasteful spending. The GOP asswipes are Blunt, Boozman, Capito, Collins, Cornyn, Cotton, Graham, Inhofe, McConnell, Moran, Murkowski, Portman, Romney, Rounds, Shelby, Thune, Wicker, Young. I am surprised that Tom Cotton is on the list as he is slated to lead some of the critical GOP Committee work.]

But that top-line figure also demonstrates that aid to Ukraine is not a major reason the United States is saddled with $31 trillion of debt. The omnibus includes $45 billion in spending broadly intended to help repel the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s real money, but it also amounts to only 2.6 percent of the entire package. And if you add it to the other Ukraine aid passed since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February, you get a total of around $100 billion — or about 2.5 percent of total annual federal spending. <Source>

Where is the debate?

Before sending $100 billion to a corrupt foreign entity, shouldn’t someone be asking the tough questions?

(1)  Was this conflict created by our CIA and Department of State, which has a history of meddling in Ukraine as proven by documentary evidence and sworn testimony as a byproduct of the Trump impeachment hoax?

(2)  Is this aid weakening the United States military and depleting our stockpiles, putting us at risk in low-level conflicts?

(3)  Cost/benefit analysis of analyzing and degrading non-nuclear, tactical Russian Forces to weaken an opponent seeking expansion in nearby lands?

(4)  Is this aid leading to a Russian escalation and a Russia-Iran, Russia-Saudi alliance?

(5)  What is the impact of conflict on a war effort dependent on global supply chain economics?

(6)  How does this conflict impact our enemy, the  Communist Chinese, who are churning out expensive components for our war effort?

(7)  How vulnerable is the U.S. to the increasing capabilities of North Korea, Iran, and possibly Pakistan-supplied terrorists?

(8)  Is it morally defensible to assist other nations while our senior citizens and others suffer at home from escalated prices brought about by the government’s profligate spending?

(9)  Is an incompetent/corrupt administration creating a more significant global power vacuum that increases the influence of U.S. enemies?

(10)  What is the endpoint and how will it be implemented?

(11)  And what to do with Ukrainian immigrants seeking asylum.

Bottom line…

In my view, we have financed the destruction of one-half of Russia's non-nuclear fighting forces and arms without a significant loss of American lives. Seems like a great deal to me -- but that does not mean that these matters should not be discussed and our investment should be protected from corruption, both foreign and domestic. Then there is also the issue of the Russians building back their military better. 

How are the feckless Republicans less corrupt on fiscal issues than the progressive communist democrats?

Do the Obamacons that run Biden's foreign policy know what they are doing?

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

Mchny


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS