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centralparkpawsblog · 5 years

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Acana vs Royal Canin

https://www.centralparkpaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/417WUUX2vAL.jpg When it comes to my dog, I don’t think there will ever be a point where I feel like I’ve learned everything I can to help her.

As her advocate, I feel responsible to know as much as possible about what’s going on with her life.

Her diet is a major part of her routine, so I like to keep up on all the options that are at her disposal. Especially when it comes to food brands.

Acana and Royal Canin are two of the most popular dog food brands, but I’ve never bought them myself.

I did some research to find out what people love about these foods and if they could be a good fit for Maggie.

Here’s everything I learned.

Acana’s Company History

Acana was started by a family who wanted to make great dog food while also supporting the local economy.

In order to do this, they created a mission statement with two goals[1]:

They would only ever make food biologically appropriate for dogs.

Their ingredients would only ever be regionally sourced.

I love the idea of fine tuning dog food to match what dogs would eat if they were out in the wild.

They’re still programmed for that kind of food, even if you’ve got a dog like mine who is a proud couch potato.

Acana focuses on providing this by mixing proteins in every bag or can of food[2], so dogs get the best nutrition possible without breaking the bank.

Best Sellers

Like any other major dog food brand, Acana has a variety of foods for consumers to choose from, but they still have a few best sellers:

Acana Wild Atlantic Dry Dog Food

Acana Grasslands Dry Dog Food

Acana Meadowland Dry Dog Food

Each food blend is named for the region where your dog would find the ingredients if they were out in the wild, which I think is pretty cool.

Royal Canin’s Company History

Royal Canin’s first nutritional dog food blend was born in 1968, based on the belief that if a dog ate the right food, it would transform their entire health[3].

By 1974, they sold dog food internationally, and they’ve been trusted by dog owners and breeders ever since.

Best Sellers

In order to claim their own space in the kibble world, Royal Canin separates their food blends by age and breed.

You can get food specifically tailored to your dog’s genetic makeup according to their breed, but they have a few best sellers that work with general dogs:

Large Adult 5+ Dry Dog Food

Large Aging 8+ Dry Dog Food

Adult Canned in Gel Dog Food

I like that there are so many foods to choose from, and that you can get food according to your dog’s breed.

That’s something I haven’t seen before, so it definitely rivals Acana’s regional ingredient approach.

Do you have a dog with urinary problems? We reviewed Royal Canin’s Urinary Diet food!

Recalls

With their attention to detail when it comes to their ingredients, it seems like Acana has tapped into a healthy business model.

They’ve never had any recalls[4], so it’s safe to bet that their food will be consistently good for your dog.

Their only issue is that they had a class-action lawsuit filed against them in 2018, but it ended up being dismissed because the judge found that the data at hand regarding toxins was misinterpreted[5].

Melamine: Not for dog food!

The food had always been safe for dogs to eat.

On the other hand, Royal Canin has had three recalls[6] — one in 2006 and two in 2007.

The first recall in 2006 was caused by too much Vitamin D3 in special diet foods.

The two 2007 recalls were both caused by melamine being in many variations of their dog and cat food.

Melamine is a chemical that’s commonly used to make dishware[7], but when it’s put in acidic solutions, like stomach acid, it’s easily absorbed and turns toxic[8].

Having two recalls for the same reason does make me pause and wonder how Royal Canin let that happen.

Although it’s been twelve years, I can’t imagine how a double mistake like that could happen.

What’s Important When Choosing a Dog Food?

Before I ever get Maggie a new brand of dog food, I make sure to look for these key factors.

Ingredients

I want the ingredients in my dog’s food to be recognizable, nutritious, and safe, and I think all dog owners feel the same way.

The more preservatives and chemicals that appear in an ingredient list, the less likely I am to buy that food.

Price

The price is also something to consider for your long-term financial wellbeing.

I restock Maggie’s 25 pound food bags once every six weeks.

Dog owners with bigger dogs should also be wary of how often they’ll be buying from the food brand, as well as any owner on a budget.

Availability

Don’t get accidentally stuck with a dog food brand you can only buy at your vet’s office or in the next town over.

Double check any food that interests you to see if you can buy it locally or have it shipped to your house for convenience.

Taste

Maggie gets to experiment more often with different flavors of treats, since they’re so little and have a very low chance of impacting her digestion.

Based on what treats she likes, I gauge her food blends off her preferences.

You can also research each brand to find out what other owners are reporting back.

Do their dogs like it?

That’s a great way to find out if a quality bag of food translates into food that tastes good.

Brand Reliability

Always look at the history of a brand to see how reliable they are.

If they’ve had multiple recalls, do you trust them to never have those problems again? How proactively did they react to the recalls or lawsuits?

I want to buy from a brand that can admit they made a mistake and then prevent it from reoccurring.

Comparison of Acana vs Royal Canin

So how do these two dog food brands compare? Let’s break things down into our most important factors.

Ingredients

Winner: Acana

Acana began their brand long ago, but they continue to use only real ingredients.

Their Ranchlands mix, which is one of their most popular foods, has all recognizable ingredients[9].

That makes me feel more in control of what Maggie’s actually eating when I pour food into her bowl.

Royal Canin’s best seller, the Adult 5+ Dry Dog Food bag, only has four foods that I can recognize out of 51 ingredients.

Their first ingredient is “chicken by-product meal,” which makes me wonder why they won’t just use real chicken.

I’d pick Acana for their ingredients before letting Maggie eat whatever by-product meal is.

Price/Value

Winner: Royal Canin

The flipside to valuing better ingredients is that the food will get more expensive than other options.

Acana comes out to average about over two dollars and fifty cents per pound, which means Maggie’s usual 25 pound bag would cost almost $67 before paying for shipping or local taxes.

Royal Canin is slightly less expensive than Acana, because most of their food is made up of those cheaper ingredients that aren’t fresh.

Still, it’s reported that the cost of fresh food like raw meat, veggies, or even wet food will continue to soar[10]. So you’re probably winning either way if you go with dry kibble.

Personally, I would hunt around on the internet to find if Acana is available at different prices and then make my decision from there.

What I currently spend on Maggie is about $50 per bag, so I could take the jump in price if there were discounts or coupons applied.

Availability

Winner: Royal Canin

Neither of these brands sell their food directly from their websites, but they do each have a store locator that you can use to find the closest retailer near you.

That being said, you can find them for sale at other online stores, so you should check to see if the places that have the best prices also deliver to your area.

Acana loses here because it’s available on Amazon, not Chewy.

Royal Canin, on the other hand, can be found on both Amazon and Chewy.

Taste

Winner: Acana

Maggie’s never tried either of these brands before, so I had to read about what other customers have reported.

Acana is a bit complicated with specific tastes, since every bag of food has a blend of regional proteins.

There’s no beef or chicken label to go by, but it seems that customers report to have happy dogs if Acana ends up in their food bowls.

Royal Canin has mixed reviews.

Some dog owners have dogs who love the food, while others see their dogs have bad reactions to it, like diarrhea and vomiting.

If this is the brand you’re more interested in, it’d be smart to introduce it slowly to your dog’s diet and be aware that if these symptoms appear, you should switch food blends immediately.

Based on the taste reviews, I think Acana seems like the obvious choice. Their whole, natural ingredients are easier for dogs to digest and more nutritious, which ends up in food that tastes great.

Brand Reliability

Winner: Acana

I trust a brand with no recalls over any other brand, so while I believe Royal Canin has solved the issues that led to their three recalls, I’d trust Acana first.

I like that they know their food production process inside and out, so I wouldn’t worry about watching the news to see if a recall happened with them.

Overall

Winner: Acana

The winner for me is Acana, although I do wish their prices were a bit lower.

It all depends where you buy it from, and thankfully, there are a lot of options online.

Conclusion

Weigh all these factors for yourself when you decide which dog food brand to get for your dog, and always be aware of any changes in their health after introducing them to new food.

Resources

https://acana.com/usa/about-acana/

https://acana.com/usa/about-acana/biologically-appropriate/

https://www.royalcanin.com/us/about-us/our-history

https://www.petful.com/brands/acana/

https://legalnewsline.com/stories/511765840-judge-evidence-lacking-in-class-action-alleging-orijen-dog-food-was-harmful-to-pets

https://www.petful.com/brands/royal-canin/

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/61/top-eight-benefits-of-melamine-dinnerware.html

https://labdoor.com/article/melamine-an-in-depth-look-at-the-toxic-chemical-in-our-kitchen

https://acana.com/our-foods/dog-foods/regionals/ranchlands/

https://www.apnews.com/6194eec961884459b8570a4737b5444d

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from https://www.centralparkpaws.net/dog-food/acana-vs-royal-canin/

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localbizlift · 5 years

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Facebook could face billions in potential damages as court rules facial recognition lawsuit can proceed

Facebook is facing exposure to billions of dollars in potential damages as a federal appeals court on Thursday rejected Facebook’s arguments to halt a class action lawsuit claiming it illegally collected and stored the biometric data of millions of users.

The class action lawsuit has been working its way through the courts since 2015, when Illinois Facebook users sued the company for alleged violations of the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act by automatically collecting and identifying people in photographs posted to the service.

Now, thanks to a unanimous decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, the lawsuit can proceed.

The most significant language from the decision from the circuit court seems to be this:

We conclude that the development of face template using facial-recognition technology without consent (as alleged here) invades an individual’s private affairs and concrete interests. Similar conduct is actionable at common law.

The American Civil Liberties Union came out in favor of the court’s ruling.

“This decision is a strong recognition of the dangers of unfettered use of face surveillance technology,” said Nathan Freed Wessler, staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, in a statement. “The capability to instantaneously identify and track people based on their faces raises chilling potential for privacy violations at an unprecedented scale. Both corporations and the government are now on notice that this technology poses unique risks to people’s privacy and safety.”

As April Glaser noted in Slate, Facebook already may have the world’s largest database of faces, and that’s something that should concern regulators and privacy advocates.

“Facebook wants to be able to certify identity in a variety of areas of life just as it has been trying to corner the market on identify verification on the web,” Siva Vaidhyanathan told Slate in an interview. “The payoff for Facebook is to have a bigger and broader sense of everybody’s preferences, both individually and collectively. That helps it not only target ads but target and develop services, too.”

That could apply to facial recognition technologies as well. Facebook, thankfully, doesn’t sell its facial recognition data to other people, but it does allow companies to use its data to target certain populations. It also allows people to use its information for research and to develop new services that could target Facebook’s billion-strong population of users.

As our own Josh Constine noted in an article about the company’s planned cryptocurrency wallet, the developer community poses as much of a risk to how Facebook’s products and services are used and abused as Facebook itself.

The real risk of Facebook’s Libra coin is crooked developers

Facebook has said that it plans to appeal the decision. “We have always disclosed our use of face recognition technology and that people can turn it on or off at any time,” a spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

Now, the lawsuit will go back to the court of U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco who approved the class action lawsuit last April for a possible trial.

Under the privacy law in Illinois, negligent violations could be subject to damages of up to $1,000 and intentional violations of privacy are subject to up to $5,000 in penalties. For the potential 7 million Facebook users that could be included in the lawsuit, those figures could amount to real money.

“BIPA’s innovative protections for biometric information are now enforceable in federal court,” added Rebecca Glenberg, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois. “If a corporation violates a statute by taking your personal information without your consent, you do not have to wait until your data is stolen or misused to go to court. As our General Assembly understood when it enacted BIPA, a strong enforcement mechanism is crucial to hold companies accountable when they violate our privacy laws. Corporations that misuse Illinoisans sensitive biometric data now do so at their own peril.”

These civil damages could come on top of fines that Facebook has already paid to the U.S. government for violating its agreement with the Federal Trade Commission over its handling of private user data. That resulted in one of the single largest penalties levied against a U.S. technology company. Facebook is potentially on the hook for a $5 billion payout to the U.S. government. That penalty is still subject to approval by the Justice Department.

#marketing

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welcometothepenumbra · 5 years

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JUNO STEEL AND THE KITTY-CAT CAPER (PART TWO)

SOUND: RAIN. TRAIN ARRIVES, CREAKS TO A STOP. DOOR CLANKS OPEN.

CONDUCTOR: Ah, good evening, Traveler. And welcome… to The Penumbra. Take your seat, please, take your seat.

MUSIC: STARTS.

SOUND: DOOR CLANKS SHUT.

The junction lies just ahead, Traveler. If you'll allow me just a moment.

SOUND: TRAIN WHISTLE.

(CHUCKLES) Well, next stop? Hyperion City.

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING.

Cornered by three hired guns in the storeroom of a designer pets laboratory, Detective Steel has found P.I. work to be just as exciting as he remembered. He had better find a way to escape, and quickly, because he isn’t the only victim the killers have their eyes on. The clock is ticking.

SOUND: TRAIN BRAKES. DOOR CLANKS OPEN, RAIN.

Our next stop: Juno Steel and the Kitty-Cat Caper.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

PIRANHA: (THROUGH THE DOOR) What do you mean, the key don’t work?

MONROVIAN: (THROUGH THE DOOR) I’m just an old man, miss, my memory isn’t what it used to be. Not that it was ever terribly—

PIRANHA: Shut up! Bosco?

BOSCO: (THROUGH THE DOOR) Yeah, Boss?

PIRANHA: If you hear one more excuse outta this raisin, you break his little neck.

BOSCO: (YAWNS) Sounds good, boss.

MONROVIAN: (WHIMPERS)

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Hyperion City’s a reinforced-plastic jungle, and it operates by the cardinal rule of all jungles: kill, get killed, or throw someone else in front of the killer and run for it.

My name’s Juno Steel. I’m a private eye, and I get a lot of practice in that third option. It’s easy: just piss off everyone until they all want to kill you, then make ‘em fight over the privilege. When you’re as charming as I am, making people want to kill you is just second nature.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Hi, Mista Steel! Thanks for waiting until the commercial.

JUNO: I didn’t… nevermind. Look, I’ve only got a minute, so you need to listen up. There’s a big computer back here with some data I need, but I can’t figure out how to get it. Where would I find the records on all the cats that have gone through this place?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Well… the records gotta be on the database somewhere. What’s the screen say now?

JUNO: The screen’s blank, Rita, that’s why I called you.

RITA (FROM COMMS): …what? Mista Steel, did you turn the computer on?

JUNO: Well, how was I supposed to know that I had to do that?

RITA (FROM COMMS): There… there should be a big button. Somewhere on the computer.

JUNO: Yeah, yeah, I see it.

SOUND: BEEP. MACHINE POWERING UP.

It’s starting up now. How long’s this thing gonna take?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Sounds pretty old. Gonna take a few minutes.

SOUND: DISTANT CRASH.

PIRANHA: Next time that’s gonna be your face, Monrovian!

MONROVIAN: Oh, just a moment, please, this must be the wrong key, oh, forgetful me, I just need to pop into my apartment upstairs, just a moment, just a moment…

JUNO: Here’s hoping I have a few minutes. (SIGHS) So, did you research that cat like I asked you to?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Yeah! Pretty little kitty. She’s a Shangoan Mini-Leopard. Galactic Cat Lovers Quarterly says they’re real popular with high-powered businesspeople these days: Drake Draco, Min Kanagawa, Maia King—

JUNO: I don’t care who owns them, Rita, what’s it worth?

RITA (FROM COMMS): I don’t like all this talk about what a life’s worth, Mista Steel! It’s so insensitive. What would you say if someone asked you what I’m worth?

JUNO: Forty creds an hour.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Aww, boss, you’re makin’ me blush.

JUNO: If someone wanted to sell one of these Shangoan Mini-Leopards, what would they get?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Closest pet store sells ‘em for about four hundred creds.

JUNO: Four hundred! That’s it? King had silverware worth more than four hundred…

RITA (FROM COMMS): Wait – is this a surprise?! Are we getting a kitty for the office?! Are you gonna come home with a kitty in each arm?!

JUNO: No, Ri—

Hang on… hang on, a minute ago, you were listing high-powered people with Mini-Leopards. What were their names again?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Huh? Oh. Drake Draco, Min Kanagawa, Maia King—

JUNO: King! High-powered? That’s our client, Rita. She looks like she can barely take care of herself.

RITA (FROM COMMS): She’s a real estate lawyer, boss – one of the best in the city. She’s in the middle of this big class-action lawsuit against Babbling Brook Realty. Sounds like they’ve been sellin’ off all their apartment buildings across Hyperion City and kickin’ out all the tenants without notice.

JUNO: That’s huge. Why haven’t I heard about that before today?

RITA (FROM COMMS): I don’t know, boss. You’ve been tellin’ me to keep the streams off in the office because they’re always goin’ on about the election.

JUNO: Class-action lawsuit… Babbling Brook Realty… huh.

SOUND: ELECTRONIC JINGLE.

Alright, computer’s on, King can wait. Get me into the records, Rita.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Okay, boss. Now you gotta open up the central database. Once you do that, you can talk about what kinda password encryption they’re usin’.

JUNO: Whoa, whoa, slow down. Open up what?

RITA (FROM COMMS): It should be easy to find, Mista Steel. Most people just link it to their desktop.

JUNO: I’m looking at the desk right now, Rita, but all I can see is a couple pens and a coffee stain.

RITA (FROM COMMS): …Mista Steel, you’re joking, right? You’ve… used a computer before.

JUNO: I have one in my office, don’t I?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh, good, because I was worried—

JUNO: I got the high score for Jovian Solitaire on that thing. Twice.

RITA (FROM COMMS): …Fifteen years. You think you know a guy, but it turns out it takes fifteen years to find out he’s a caveman.

JUNO: So what if I don’t know about all this computer junk? That’s what I have you for!

SOUND: DISTANT SLAM.

PIRANHA: That better be the key, Monrovian! Or else what’re we gonna do, Bosco?

BOSCO: We’re gonna punch his legs off, boss.

MONROVIAN: Oh, I’m quite certain this is it, quite certain. Just give me a moment…

JUNO: Rita, we’re out of time. Get me into those records!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh, just let me do it! Put your comms down on the computer!

JUNO: Which part?

RITA (FROM COMMS): THE COMPUTER PART ALRIGHT JUST PUT THE COMMS DOWN MISTA STEEL!!!

JUNO: Alright, alright, jeez…

RITA (FROM COMMS): Do I gotta do everythin’ around here…

PIRANHA: Monrovian…

MONROVIAN: I’ve unlocked it, I swear! There’s something holding the door closed!

JUNO: Rita, I need that data now!

RITA (FROM COMMS): You’re makin’ me invent a whole way to hack wirelessly through your stupid comms, Mista Steel, so I don’t wanna hear it!

PIRANHA: Bosco, you know what to do.

BOSCO: Yeah, boss.

SOUND: DISTANT GRUNT, THUD.

JUNO: Rita…

RITA (FROM COMMS): Shush!

SOUND: DISTANT GRUNT, THUD.

JUNO: Gotta go, Rita. Good luck!

RITA (FROM COMMS): MISTA STEEL DON’T YOU HANG UP ON ME I’M RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE’A—

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Sleeping Beauty gave the door one last shove…

BOSCO: (GRUNTS)

SOUND: CRASH, WOOD SPLINTERING, LOUD CLATTERING.

JUNO (NARRATOR): …and it all came tumbling down. So I slipped my comms into my pocket and then slipped behind an operating table deep in the storeroom.

PIRANHA: You first, Monrovian.

MONROVIAN: B-b-but I’m not even armed!

PIRANHA: Here.

SOUND: CLUNK.

Now y’are, see?

BOSCO: Heh.

MONROVIAN: (NERVOUS MOAN)

JUNO (NARRATOR): Out of reflex, my hand went to my blaster… and that’s when I remembered my eye.

In a situation like this, I had two shots, tops, before they figured out where I was and started shooting back. The old Juno Steel would’ve made those shots in a second. But now, with this stupid eyepatch? Forget two shots – I couldn’t hit him if I had two dozen.

So, I’d have to settle this without the blaster. As for how I’d do that… I hadn’t quite figured that part out yet.

I reached up onto the operating table and snatched a scalpel. It wasn’t much, but these days, neither was I.

PIRANHA: Monrovian, you take the right wall. Bosco, you take left. I’ll stay here and make sure he doesn’t get away.

You hear that, P.I.? Come out, come out, wherever you are!

JUNO (NARRATOR): I looked around the corner. The doctor was coming my way, holding his gun out like a dead rat. I wouldn’t need my blaster to take him down.

MONROVIAN: Come here, young man… Perhaps, well, you may not like tea, but coffee, yes, coffee…?

JUNO (NARRATOR): I waited for him to come within arm’s reach. Then I arm’s-reached.

SOUND: THUD, RUSTLING.

BOSCO: Doc? Hey, doc, you out there?

MONROVIAN: Don’t hurt me, oh please, that scalpel is terribly filthy and I—

JUNO: If you don’t want to know what impromptu surgery feels like coming from a one-eyed maniac with nothing to lose, doc, I’d recommend you keep quiet.

MONROVIAN: (WHIMPERS)

PIRANHA: What’s the matter, Bosco?

BOSCO: Thought I heard a noise, boss.

PIRANHA: It was probably just your two brain cells clacking together.

BOSCO: Come on, boss, that ain’t fair, you know the doc says I got sleep-type problems like that ‘somnia stuff—

PIRANHA: Shut up! Hey, Monrovian, you dead?

JUNO: (WHISPERING) Tell them you’re fine.

MONROVIAN: (WHISPERING) Well, now am I to talk or not to talk? This is entirely too confusing.

JUNO: Just say it!

MONROVIAN: Oh, please don’t hit me again, my medical insurance just isn’t what it used to be and who has the money for—

JUNO (NARRATOR): There was no time. I clocked Monrovian cold.

MONROVIAN: Oof!

SOUND: PUNCH, THUMP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): And then I had to think. Fast.

PIRANHA: Bosco! Go check it out!

BOSCO: Alright, boss.

JUNO: (WHISPERING) Damn it, damn it…

(TERRIBLE MONROVIAN IMPRESSION) Oh, don’t worry about me! I’m fine, you young… people.

BOSCO: I dunno, sounds like he’s okay, boss.

PIRANHA: I can’t hear you, Monrovian! Speak up!

JUNO: (JUST THE WORST MONROVIAN IMPRESSION) Well, alright.

PIRANHA: What’d he say?

BOSCO: He said he was gonna speak up, boss.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I looked through the old man’s pockets for a weapon, but he wasn’t carrying so much as a pocketknife. Just his wallet and a folded-up envelope holding enough creds to choke a bank teller.

JUNO: (MUTTERING) On the take, huh…

PIRANHA: I’ve had enough of him. Bosco, finish Monrovian while you’re at it.

BOSCO: Sure, boss.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.

JUNO: Uh-oh.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I wasn’t sure how I was going to take down tall, dumb, and stupid, but I knew it wasn’t gonna be head-on. The rest of the storeroom was full of standing shelves, so I crept behind one and waited.

BOSCO: Doc? Hey, doc? (YAWNS) Hey, boss? The doc’s either dead or he’s takin’ a nap.

PIRANHA: A nap…? You idiot, the P.I. probably got to him!

That’s it, I’m coming in! Watch the door!

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Piranha-face was coming closer, gun ready – and it looked like she knew how to use it. I’d have to surprise them both. I nudged the shelf, and it shook like Rita after half a latte. And then I had my plan.

PIRANHA: He’s knocked out.

BOSCO: Don’t look at me, boss, I didn’t touch him.

PIRANHA: You were supposed to—! Damn it, it doesn’t matter! We’re gonna squish that P.I., then we squash him, see?

JUNO (NARRATOR): They were both right in front of me, standing in the shadow of the shelf. I pressed my weight against it, but it was heavy. I kept pushing, harder.

SOUND: METAL CREAKING, CLANGING.

PIRANHA: What’s that noise?

BOSCO: Sorry, boss.

PIRANHA: No, not you! I mean—

JUNO (NARRATOR): Her tiny, mean eyes met mine through the shelves. I gave one last push.

SOUND: METAL CREAKING.

PIRANHA: He’s right there! Get—

SOUND: LOUD CRASH & CLATTER.

JUNO: (PANTING) Timber.

So. Looks like I got you two right where I want you: beneath about a hundred pounds of industrial shelving. You gonna talk, or do I have to get uglier than usual?

Oh, come on, I don’t believe for a second you’re finished after one little—

BOSCO: (ROARS)

SOUND: CRASH.

JUNO: (CHOKING) …shelf!

JUNO (NARRATOR): A paw cracked through the wreckage and grabbed me by the throat.

Then the big guy stood up. He was tall. Real tall. My-toes-left-the-ground-and-kept-going-for-another-foot kind of tall.

BOSCO: Whaddaya think you’re doin’? You could hurt someone playin’ around like that, ya know.

JUNO: (CHOKING) That was kind of the idea, yeah. (GRUNTS)

SOUND: SWISH.

Umm…

BOSCO: (YAWN)

JUNO: (CHOKING) Hey, big guy, you mind bringing me a little closer? I can’t quite reach your face.

SOUND: CLUNK.

BOSCO: No way, buddy. Thanks for the gun.

JUNO: (CHOKING) Hey!

BOSCO: Heh.

JUNO: (CHOKING) Hey, you’re pretty quick. Fastest grizzly bear I’ve ever met. Ready to hibernate, too, by the look of you.

SOUND: SQUEEZING.

BOSCO: You can say that again, buddy. Anyway, say bye-bye to your neck.

JUNO: (CHOKING) So smart! In fact, I bet you just realized that that gun’s no danger in my hands anyway, I mean, it’s not like I’d be stupid enough to try to—

BOSCO: It’s way too early for you to talk that fast, buddy.

JUNO: What I mean is…

Hey, did you know they added another setting to those pistols? Sleep laser. Gives you a good night’s sleep like you’ve never had before. Insomniacs swear by it.

BOSCO: They… whuh?

I mean… yeah. Yeah, I knew that.

JUNO: You just gotta flip that switch there—

SOUND: CLICK.

BOSCO: Now it says ‘stun.’

JUNO: Yeah, it’s Venusian for ‘naptime.’ Here, I’ll show you. Just toss that thing to me.

BOSCO: If you say so.

SOUND: CLUNK.

JUNO: Thanks, big guy.

BOSCO: You’re welcome.

Hey, wait a second—

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT. HEAVY THUD.

JUNO: Nighty-night. (COUGHING)

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

Hey, Rita. You got those results?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel! You got no idea what I been through! I had barely half a foothold when you hung up and then, I had to invent a whole ‘nother kind of uplink on the fly, and I only had a few seconds and oh man boss I feel like I really need a nap and a can of cheese to get all that energy back and I ain’t built for this you hear me I ain’t—

JUNO: I’ll pick up the cheese on the way back. Just tell me about the cat.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Yeah, of course they made a cat like that; just a couple weeks ago. I don’t know who it was commissioned by, though; that part of the record’s been wiped.

JUNO: I think I can tell you that.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Well, if you already knew, then how come I hadda exhaust myself and miss half my show??

JUNO: Just took down a few people who’ve been paying off the guy who runs this place; I’ll see if I can find some… ID…

SOUND: FABRIC RUSTLING.

There it is. “Bosco Hindenburg, Security Officer for Babbling Brook Realty.” Rita, that’s the place King’s suing, right?

RITA (FROM COMMS): It is! Oh boy, boss, this is real excitin’!

JUNO: It is, isn’t it.

So we know that Babbling Brook has something against King, but what’s stealing her cat got to do with it? And even then, why would they go to all that trouble to replace it with a perfect replica?

Unless… the point isn’t to steal her cat… it’s to sneak in the other one.

We’ve been looking at the wrong cat. The important cat’s not the one they stole – it’s the one they left behind.

RITA (FROM COMMS): That’s… but… what could be so special about the fake cat, boss?

JUNO: Monrovian said they don’t make cats, just rearrange them… and in this room back here there’s that operating table, all those surgical suppli—

Rita. Did Monrovian keep any surgical records for the cat?

RITA (FROM COMMS): I don’t think so, unless…

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

Oh! Found ‘em!

JUNO: Anything interesting?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Just one surgery… Aw, it was on her poor widdle belly! It wooks wike cutie widdle kittie had a widdle bellyache, so the doctor– put a bomb inside of her belly OH MY GOD—!

JUNO: Put a what?!

RITA (FROM COMMS): No– no– no-no-no-no-no! Kittie kittie what are we gonna do Mista Steel what are we gonna do?!?

JUNO: Does it say what sets the bomb off?

RITA (FROM COMMS): It’s– it’s– it’s– it’s– it’s a time bomb, boss! Who knows how much longer she’s got!! (BAWLING)

JUNO: God damn it, Rita, snap out of it! There’s got to be a way to disarm it, right? Find it!

RITA (FROM COMMS): (SNIFFLING) O-okay, boss.

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

Okay, okay, Mista Steel. The doctor left a note here that says there’s a remote that should stop the bomb. Says it’s on loan to B.B. Realty Security Officer Hindenburg and a… private contractor.

JUNO: Must be the Piranha-woman. At least I’ve got ‘em both here.

SOUND: CLANKING.

The big guy didn’t have it, so it must be somewhere on… that Piranha…

She has to be under this shelf; her gun’s here. But… where the hell did she go?

RITA (FROM COMMS): You gotta find that remote, Mista Steel! Nine lives are on the line! Plus Miss King makes ten!

JUNO: I know, I know, Rita, but she isn’t…

SOUND: DISTANT CAR ENGINE STARTS.

No!

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I ran out of the storeroom and looked outside. That electric-blue car was starting up again, and behind the wheel was that Piranha. King’s real cat was pawing at the back window, yowling. And the gate to the street was opening.

SOUND: DISTANT GATE CREAKING OPEN.

JUNO: Damn it! Rita, can you stop that gate?

RITA (FROM COMMS): What gate? You– you know I’m not actually there with you, right, boss?

JUNO: Never mind!

Monrovian could control the gate from in here, which means there must be a… control panel!

JUNO (NARRATOR): I pressed the magic button—

SOUND: ELECTRONIC BEEPS.

—and the gate outside stopped. But the Piranha’s car didn’t.

SOUND: ENGINE REVVING.

JUNO: She’s not gonna… no, she wouldn’t. That’d be nuts.

SOUND: TIRES SQUEALING, CRASH, RATTLING.

PIRANHA: (DISTANT CACKLING)

JUNO: Huh. Guess I walked into that one.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel? What’s goin’ on?

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: (PANTING) That lunatic just crashed her car through Monrovian’s gate. Looks like the car’s totaled; I’m gonna make sure the driver is, too. You call King and tell her to get the hell away from that cat!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Be careful, boss!

JUNO: Not likely, but I’ll keep you updated.

JUNO (NARRATOR): The Piranha was pulling herself out of the wreckage when I got there. She looked battered, bruised, and meaner than ever.

PIRANHA: (GRUNTING, LAUGHING)

JUNO: Looks like you’re having fun. Why don’t you just stay right there? The HCPD can get you out of that car in two shakes of a plasma chainsaw.

PIRANHA: (GRUNTS) I don’t think so, P.I. (CACKLING) I reeeeeally don’t think so.

JUNO: Oh, come on. You’re gonna resist? Really? I’ve got your gun; you’re fresh out of cars. The hell do you have left?

SOUND: MEOW.

JUNO: Oh, you’re kidding me.

PIRANHA: This is a hostage situation, P.I. Stay back, unless you want little kitten to go kaboom. (LAUGHS) And besides… I think you got bigger fish to fry. There’s a special surprise in kitty-cat’s twin, and you only got… fifteen minutes before that thing blows.

JUNO: Bigger fish to fry? Maybe. But I can’t think of any I’ll have more fun fry—

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

Hey, you can’t run away while I’m doin’ a bit! Get back here!

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Ooh! Oooooh! Are you in ‘hot pursuit,’ boss?

JUNO: (PANTING) Trying to focus, Rita.

RITA (FROM COMMS): But I looooooove chases! I love all kindsa chases, car chases and foot chases and spaceship chases and really fast animal chases, but you never take me and it ain’t fair, Mista Steel! You gotta tell me everything that’s goin’ on!!

SOUND: TRAFFIC.

JUNO: Fine. She’s going fast. I’m going fast. Eventually one of us will go faster than the other and the chase will be over, the end—

SOUND: CAR HORN.

Whoa!! Hey, watch it, buddy, crosswalk’s right there!

DRIVER: (DISTANT) No it isn’t!

RITA (FROM COMMS): See? That’s more like it! Action, drama! You gotta start shootin’, Mista Steel! Pew-pew, screeeeee, vroom—

JUNO: Not really in the plan, Rita.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Then what! Even! Is the point!!

JUNO: Look, my aim isn’t what it used to be, alright?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh, how do you know that? You’ve barely even tried, Mista Steel!

JUNO: But my eye—

RITA (FROM COMMS): Boss, you’ve fired that gun’a yours maybe three times since you lost your eye. Is that really what you’re all upset about?

JUNO: No, but… she’s got a hostage, okay? And even if the hostage is a stupid cat, I’m not gonna risk hurting it!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Awww, that’s so sweet! You’d really do that for a wittle kitty?

JUNO: It’s not some great charity to avoid killing a cat, Rita. You’d have to be some kind of monster to want to kill some innocent… cat.

PIRANHA: (LAUGHING)

JUNO: You gotta be kidding me.

RITA (FROM COMMS): What is it, Mista Steel? What’s happenin’, I can’t see, I can’t see!

JUNO: This psycho’s holding the cat out in the goddamn street!

PIRANHA: I told you not to follow me, P.I.!

JUNO: Hey, I-I thought you were kidding! How was I supposed to know you were serious?

PIRANHA: Serious! (CACKLES) You think I ain’t serious? You think I like to play games? Well, why don’t we play one now: here’s a little game called “Catch the Kitty on the Freeway!”

JUNO: No! Let’s not play that game! That sounds like a really, really bad game!

PIRANHA: Here we go! In one… two… three!

PIPPA: (YOWLS)

SOUND: CARS HONKING.

JUNO (NARRATOR): She threw the cat into the street.

…She threw the cat into the street.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel!

JUNO: (YELLING)

SOUND: SQUEALING BRAKES.

JUNO (NARRATOR): The cat landed on its feet like it took flights onto freeways every day, but it wasn’t the freeway I was worried about: it was the cars.

SOUND: HONKING, YELLING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel! Mista Steel, are you alright?

JUNO: Yeah, I’m fine. Caused a twenty-car pileup, but the only thing I lost was my eardrums.

RITA (FROM COMMS): You gotta chase her again, boss! She’s gettin’ away with the deactivator!

JUNO (NARRATOR): I looked past the junked-up cars and saw that the Piranha was just a dot in the distance, now. I’d never catch up. I wasn’t fast enough.

But a laser… one laser, aimed just right…

RITA (FROM COMMS): Boss, you can do it! I know you can! You’re Juno Steel, remember? The winner of the HCPD’s Sharpshootin’ contest three years in a row!

JUNO: I know, I know!

(QUIETLY) I can do it. I can do it. Just aim… focus… and…

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT.

RITA (FROM COMMS): …So? Did you get her? …Mista Steel?

JUNO (NARRATOR): Piranha-face looked at me one last time and laughed. She stopped for a second and showed me something in her hand.

A remote. The deactivator for her cat-bomb.

She waggled it a few times, stuck out a tongue that was a few inches longer than regulation, and disappeared into an alley.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Come on, Mista Steel, you know I can’t handle suspense! Did you make the shot??

JUNO: Rita, earlier, when I told you to call Maia King… did you get a hold of her?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Nuh-uh, boss, her phone was busy… and her office said she’s always on call in her apartment at this time of day… and… didja get the Piranha lady?

JUNO: Rita, we need to get to Maia King’s apartment right now. Run there if you have to.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh no, oh no, Mista Steel—

JUNO: Don’t “oh no Mista Steel” me! Get over there! That cat’s gonna blow any second now, and Maia King’s not going to die!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Alright, boss. I’m on my way.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I booked it to King’s apartment in record time, and from the pain in my chest I guessed that the trip only cost me a lung. Rita was making her way up the stairs when I got there.

RITA: (PANTING) M-Mista Steel! I’m so glad you’re here! I never deactivated a cat before an’ I was just thinkin’ I have no idea what to do and—

Aww, boss, that is the cutest widdle kitty I have ever seen!

SOUND: MEOW.

JUNO: (PANTING) You like it? You take it. It’s been carving up my arm for six blocks now.

SOUND: YOWL.

RITA: Ooh! Be careful, boss, I coulda dropped her!

JUNO: Trust me – after everything that cat’s put me through today, it deserves worse.

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: There. That’s King’s apartment.

SOUND: POUNDING ON DOOR.

Ms. King! Open this door!

KING: (THROUGH THE DOOR) Just a moment!

JUNO: We don’t have a moment! Now! Open up!

KING: (THROUGH THE DOOR) I’m taking a call, you can wait one minute!

JUNO: We can’t, actually! We—

RITA: Ms. King your cat’s going to explode!!!

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

KING: I’m afraid you’re going to have to say that one more time.

JUNO (NARRATOR): It all could’ve gone pretty smoothly after that, I like to think… if King hadn’t brought her cat’s doppelganger to the door. Because as soon as King opened that door and Pippa saw herself, she did exactly what I’d do if I ever met myself at the door: she went for the throat.

SOUND: CATS HISSING, YOWLING.

RITA: Ow!

KING: Pippa!

JUNO: Damn it, get ‘em off each other!

RITA: I’m tryin’, Mista Steel, I swear!

JUNO (NARRATOR): It took a few layers of skin and a minute we didn’t have to get the two Pippas apart. And once we did, we had a bigger problem on our hands.

RITA: Uh… Mista Steel? Which cat’s got the bomb in her?

JUNO: I—

I really hope Ms. King can answer that question.

KING: What are you going to do, Detective Steel? I can’t let it hurt my Pippa!

JUNO: Well, there goes that plan.

RITA: If that Piranha lady was right, boss, we only got three minutes left!

JUNO: Get rid of ‘em both, then!

KING: You can’t! I won’t let you!

JUNO: Which one’s which, then?

KING: How should I know that, with them misbehaving like this?

JUNO: Alright, alright! I’ll just figure out a way to tell the difference between two identical cats I just met today in three minutes!

RITA: Actually it’s a hundred fifty seconds, Mista—

JUNO: Thank you, Rita!

JUNO (NARRATOR): I wracked every brain cell I had, and when they didn’t cut it I brought some out of retirement. I had no excuse this time: one eye or two or three, a P.I.’s nothing without his brain.

KING: Is… is something wrong with him?

RITA: I think he’s thinkin’.

KING: Does his face always get this red when he thinks?

RITA: He’ll be fine, once he cools off a little.

JUNO: Cool off…

The fridge—! Tuna Brick!!

RITA: Mista Steel, I know we’re all hungry, but this ain’t the time for a snack!

JUNO: Ms. King, I need you to open the fridge and leave it open.

KING: But the power bill—

JUNO: Now!

KING: Oh, alright!

RITA: Boss I know you’re a stickler for tradition but if I’m gonna have a last meal I really don’t want it to be Tuna Brick—

SOUND: FRIDGE DOOR OPENS.

JUNO: The brick isn’t for us, Rita. Let me tell you something about Pippa here: her double might like Tuna Brick…

KING: It’s open, Detective Steel!

JUNO: …but Pippa loves Tuna Brick.

SOUND: MEOW, HISS.

RITA: Ow ow ow ow! Oww!

SOUND: GLASS CLINKING.

JUNO: That’s her! Grab her, Ms. King!

KING: Oof! Oh, my Pippa, my sweet, sweet kitten! Come here, come here!

RITA: Then that means… Mista Steel, you’re holdin’ the cat-bomb!

SOUND: TICKING.

JUNO: And don’t I know it.

SOUND: MEOW.

How much time do I have?

RITA: You got… thirty seconds, boss! What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do?!

JUNO: Only smart thing there is to do with a bomb, Rita: get it the hell away from you. Open the door to the balcony, quick!

RITA: You got it!

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I ran for King’s balcony and the cat stared at me with its big, green, highly-explosive eyes. There was an abandoned alley just within sight.

RITA: Mista Steel, you better not be doin’ what I think you’re doin’!

SOUND: TICKING SPEEDS UP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I was.

I threw the cat.

SOUND: YOWL, EXPLOSION.

RITA: Awwwww.

That was… kinda beautiful, boss.

(SNIFFLES) It’s just so sad. What’d that cat ever do to anyone?

JUNO: At least she died as she lived.

RITA: Beautiful, distant, and misunderstood?

JUNO: I was thinking more, ‘confused and in excruciating pain,’ but yours’ll sound better in the eulogy.

(SIGHS) You mind staying here and hashing out the payment details with Ms. King? I’m feeling a little under the weather, all of a sudden.

RITA: Hey, what’s the matter, boss?

JUNO: Nothing you can fix.

RITA: But… we won! It was just the case you were waitin’ for, excitin’ and life-threatenin’, and it even ended with some real nice fireworks! It’s everything you coulda asked for, and Ms. King is safe now, ain’t she?

JUNO: I’ll see you tomorrow, Rita.

RITA: Well… alright, Mista Steel. You’ll feel better after you sleep a little. You gotta. I know you will.

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Feel better… (SNORTS) People have been telling me I’ll feel better for years. Exercise, you’ll feel better; get some sleep, you’ll feel better; go out and meet someone, you’ll feel better. And, look, I’ve thought about it a lot, and here’s the thing: I’m not sure I care about feeling better.

I care about doing my job. Fixing the little part of this city I can get my hands on. And in the Maia King case, I failed.

King survived, sure. And with the evidence I pulled from Bosco, Babbling Brook Realty’s going down; but the Piranha… she’s still out there. And Maia King isn’t safe. I failed.

So no, Rita. A nap isn’t gonna fix that.

I headed back to the office and let myself feel sorry for about half a bottle. I knew what I needed. And I also knew it was gonna cost me one of two things: either more creds than I’d ever seen in one place before… (SIGHS) …or a favor.

But from who? The Prince of Mars? Saffron Pharma had been in the toilet since Anthony DiMaggio got flushed. Valles Vicky? That was a one-way road to a ten-year contract cleaning her dirt. Cecil Kanagawa? No thanks; I was already down one eye, and losing an arm, leg, and brain lobe to match didn’t sound so appealing.

I picked up my comms. I didn’t know who I was gonna call, but I had to call someone, I thought.

Turns out I thought wrong, though…

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

…because just then, someone called me.

MUSIC: ENDS.

COMPUTER VOICE: Detective. Juno. Steel. Please have a pen. Ready. This message will not. Repeat.

JUNO: Who is this?

COMPUTER VOICE: Message start.

JUNO: Damn it, damn…!

SOUND: RUSTLING.

COMPUTER VOICE: I have. What you need. To do good. In this city. If you wish to do. Business. Come to the bench beside. The fountain. In Halcyon Park. At five AM.

SOUND: PEN SCRIBBLING.

JUNO: H-halcyon Park…?

COMPUTER VOICE: We can do. Some real Good together. Detective.

JUNO: Who are you?

COMPUTER VOICE: End of message.

JUNO: Answer me!

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

(QUIETLY) Damn it.

JUNO (NARRATOR): By that point 5 AM was only a few hours off, so I started walking.

It had been years since I’d thought of Halcyon Park, and I didn’t like the reminder. Halcyon was one of the nicest neighborhoods in Hyperion, and for the first four years of my life… it was my home. Just me… and Ben, and… good old Ma.

Then she got bad.

Then Oldtown happened. Or maybe it was the other way around – it was too long ago to remember. Some memories just get clearer the further they get, though. And as soon as I heard the first bird chirping in the park’s palms it all came rushing back.

SOUND: BIRDS CHIRPING.

The blue-green grass. The smooth bark of the trees and the stones shimmering like beetles in the dirt. I didn’t even have to think about it; I just started walking and… and my feet and my memories brought me right where I had to go.

The fountain. Snaked with vines, and a jet of soft water springing from its center. It felt like home, and I didn’t like it. Whoever called me here, they wanted me to feel that way. They’d looked into me.

I took a seat on the bench. I didn’t feel good, but that didn’t matter. Feeling good isn’t the point. Doing good… that’s what I’m for. That’s all that matters.

VAGUELY FAMILIAR VOICE: Well! Four forty-five. You’re early.

JUNO: Thought I’d scope out the place ahead of time. Thirty-four years ahead of time, if my subtraction’s right.

VOICE: (CHUCKLES) They warned me you’d be funny. (GRUNTS) Just… be sure not to let that humor outstay its welcome, will you?

JUNO (NARRATOR): The guy had a hat down low over his eyes and most of his face was tucked into a big, wooly scarf.

He was rich, I could tell that much. If my clothes looked out of place in Halcyon in one direction, his looked out of place in the other, with big golden buttons on his coat and a watch poking out one sleeve that could’ve blinded you if you weren’t careful.

SOUND: TICKING.

There was something about that watch that stopped me. Something about the guy’s voice, too, it was… like this park. Familiar, but far away.

Like a ghost that hasn’t haunted you in a long, long time.

JUNO: Maybe this is a dumb question, but… do I know you?

VOICE: (CHUCKLES) You’re right, detective: that is a dumb question. Everyone in Hyperion City knows me.

In a few months, I’ll be their mayor.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Ramses O’Flaherty pulled back his hat and looked at me with two blue, blue eyes. On his streams and at his rallies, those eyes always looked like bright, clear skies, like a new day, a future worth running to. But… he was different in person. His eyes were tired, hard, gunmetal.

I liked this Ramses more, to be honest. That worried me, too.

VOICE [RAMSES O’FLAHERTY]: You look surprised.

JUNO: Got to say, Mr. O’Flaherty, you’re not exactly my typical clientele.

RAMSES: Oh, I wouldn’t say that. The Kanagawas, the DiMaggios, Valles Vicky… you might like to think of yourself as the hard-knock David, scrapping against the galaxy’s Goliaths, Detective Steel, but you’ve been on the giants’ payroll for years.

JUNO: Maybe, but some giants are taller than others.

RAMSES: And I’m certainly the tallest.

JUNO: Humble, too.

RAMSES: Humility is for the young and the unambitious. Pussy-footing around the fact that I’ll soon be the most powerful man in Hyperion City only wastes the few breaths I have left.

JUNO: But grandstanding about how wise you are is a good use of your time, then.

RAMSES: Of course. I never do anything unless I’m certain of it. We’re all just killing time until the killing-time, Juno – all that matters is how you use what you get before you run out.

So?

JUNO: Uh… so what?

RAMSES: How do you plan to use the time you have left?

JUNO: Finding an excuse to get off this bench is first on my list.

RAMSES: Deflect if you like. I already know the answer. I just thought you might want to spruce it up yourself.

JUNO: You get a real kick out of being the smartest person in the room, don’t you?

RAMSES: Yes.

(CHUCKLES) You’re worried it’s a cliché. That’s why you won’t say it.

JUNO: If I’m worried it’s because I’m watching a guy who’s got a decent shot at being our next mayor lose his mind in real time.

RAMSES: You want to help people. To make the world a better place. To right wrongs, to stop crime in its tracks, to—

JUNO: To slap whoever gave you the thesaurus you’re pulling all of these out from.

RAMSES: You’re the hero private eye at heart. And it embarrasses you.

JUNO: Look, I’m not some selfless—

RAMSES: (LAUGHS HEARTILY) No, you are definitely not ‘some selfless.’ Your delight at throwing yourself into harm’s way implies more self-loathing than self-sacrifice. Great heroes risk great things. You risk only yourself, and as far as you’re concerned, that’s very little on the line.

JUNO: The hell…?

RAMSES: No, you’re not selfless. But you do act selflessly, and I’m afraid that’s all that holds value here. It doesn’t matter why you right your wrongs any more than it matters why I want to clean this city. Soon we’ll be dead, and corpses don’t have motives. The why dies with us. But what we do… what we make… that stays. And I know you and I could make something very special, detective.

JUNO: I do.

RAMSES: You do what?

JUNO: Sorry, you got all gushy for a minute there. I thought you were trying to propose.

RAMSES: …You’re useless without your eye. Hm?

JUNO: What?

RAMSES: Are there one-eyed sharpshooters? Of course. But it takes years to learn, and people are suffering now, and right now? You’re useless. Every day that you don’t solve this problem is another day you miss the shot. You have finite breaths, detective. You have finite lives to save. Will you spend the rest of your days missing shots and wandering into parks at five in the morning to talk to strange old men?

JUNO: Hmph.

RAMSES: Not that you were doing much before. Saving Mars, case by case… but while you chase this murderer, how many others walk away free? Who’s going to stop them? The HCPD? Send a band of thieves to catch a thief and watch the wallets disappear.

Corruption, detective. This city is rotten to its core. If you want to do good, real good, you’ll have to think bigger than putting pickpockets in prison.

JUNO: Yeah? And you think you’re the first politician with some big ideas about busting crime?

RAMSES: No. But I think I’m the first politician with my big ideas about busting crime. And I know they’ll work. You’re going to help me make them work.

JUNO: Ha! Yeah, no, I don’t think so. We’re done here.

RAMSES: (CHUCKLING) No we aren’t.

JUNO: I’ve spent most of my career, hell, most of my life bringing down people like you, you know that? Big shots with big bank accounts who think a nice promise is a get-out-of-jail-free card for building a world that doesn’t work for anyone but them.

RAMSES: You’re assuming a lot about a plan you haven’t even been told, Juno.

JUNO: Tell me, then. What do I get out of this? What the hell could you possibly give me that’s worth trusting you?

RAMSES: The only thing you care about, detective. The power to do good again.

SOUND: BEEP.

JUNO: What’s that?

RAMSES: A picture of your new eye. The Theia Spectrum – the most advanced ocular cybernetic that money can buy. A built-in scope to rival our military’s greatest rifles; sensors for capturing infrared, ultraviolet, and megagreen frequencies; recording technologies, computer uplinks, direct access to the HCPD’s most classified directory of criminals and evidence…

JUNO: Access to what?

RAMSES: Shh. That one’s our little secret. (CHUCKLES) You could do a lot of good with an eye like this, detective… and an ear like mine. You and I want the same thing, after all: to clean Hyperion City of crime. With your expertise, your understanding of what it’s like out on those mean streets… we could do a lot of good together.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Ramses O’Flaherty, with the tired blue eyes, smiled at me. And it wasn’t the smile I’d seen on the streams, the flashing platinum teeth and the sky-blue eyes. It was the kind of smile some people put on because it’s all they’ve got left – the bone-tired smile of someone who’s been throwing themselves against the world for years, only for the world to throw them back twice as hard.

SOUND: TICKING.

And again I thought about his watch. That smile… he reminded me of someone. Someone familiar. Someone safe.

Didn’t make me feel any better. But feeling better isn’t the point, is it? And Ramses… Ramses seemed like the first person I’d ever met who got what the point was. I could see it in those eyes.

JUNO: Fine, Ramses. I’ll do it.

RAMSES: I know.

JUNO: Just, why…

…look, how am I supposed to know you mean all this? The promises and the cleaning and… the hell is your angle here, O’Flaherty?

RAMSES: Last I checked, Juno, you’re a private investigator. You never know your employers’ angles. That’s half the thrill, isn’t it?

If you want to know so badly, figure it out. Investigate, privately. Just let me warn you that I’ll take no responsibility for what happens to you if you try.

JUNO: Real reassuring, Ramses.

RAMSES: Reassuring you can’t be my job. I have an entire city to reassure. You’ll have to take care of yourself. (CLEARS HIS THROAT) This has been a nice chat, Juno, but the life of the successful leaves very little room for nice chats. You know that well.

JUNO: Don’t know if I’d call myself successful.

RAMSES: I would. And soon enough, when you see what kind of city we’ll build, what you’ll do with this new eye… you’re going to agree with me.

It was a pleasure meeting you, Juno Steel. You and I are going to do some real good together.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING, MUSIC.

CONDUCTOR: If you've enjoyed this tale, please consider donating to The Penumbra on Patreon. Our artists work tirelessly to bring you these stories, and if you have the means, we hope you will support our efforts. Every dollar helps. You can find that page at patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast. If you support us on Patreon at the $10 level or higher, you'll receive access to commentary tracks like this one, from actor Noah Simes and co-creators Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert:

SOUND: TRAIN STOPS, DOOR SLIDES OPEN, RAIN.

SOUND: LAUGHTER.

SOPHIE: …But yeah, I mean we just– we wanted to change the game. Really. We– we didnt want it to be the same sort of arc; we didnt want it to be the same sort of villain—

KEVIN: Right.

SOPHIE: —um, and we wanted a new challenge for Juno. So that was very much our starting point for this season.

KEVIN: The other thing that I’ll add off of the last season is, uh, we had this conversation for the end of the last season, but it's very, very important to us to have a show where things change. That's part of the reason that Juno loses his eye at the end of season one, because we want—

SOPHIE: —and his boyfriend!

SOUND: LAUGHTER.

SOUND: DOOR SLIDES SHUT.

CONDUCTOR: You can also support The Penumbra by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter @thepenumbrapod, following us on Tumblr @thepenumbrapodcast, telling your friends about us, telling your friends to tell their friends about us, and especially by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. Every rating, comment, and kind word spreads our stories further and inspires us to keep creating more and better tales to come.

We would like to give special thanks to all who support us on Patreon, but especially to Jaimie Gunter, The Princess and The Scrivener, Hannah Tsim, and Elizabeth Miller for their incredibly generous contributions per episode. Thank you.

This tale, Juno Steel and the Kitty-Cat Caper, was told by the following people: Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel, Kate Jones as Rita, Kristie Norris as Maia King, Noah Simes as Dr. Monrovian, Sophie Kaner as the Piranha, Kevin Vibert as Bosco, and Matthew Zahnzinger as Ramses O’Flaherty.

On staff at The Penumbra: Kevin Vibert is our lead writer and recording engineer. Sophie Kaner is our director and sound designer. Noah Simes is our production manager. Alice Chung is our designer and financial manager. Grahame Turner is our script editor. Original music by Ryan Vibert. Promotional art by Mikaela Buckley.

The Penumbra is created and produced by Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert.

I'm afraid this is the end of the line for today, dear Traveler. We hope you will ride with The Penumbra again soon.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

#juno steel

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Who Is Right Republicans Or Democrats

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/who-is-right-republicans-or-democrats/

Who Is Right Republicans Or Democrats

The Democrats Try To Create Victims By Using Ingratitude As An Agenda Towards Their Adversaries Pragerus The Key To Unhappiness Describes This Theory Perfectly Its A Short Five Minute Must Watch

You see the Republicans defending themselves in court all the time, but they aren’t the ones filing the lawsuits. And just because a lawsuit is filed against you doesn’t mean you’re the guilty one. The courts are constantly tied up with bogus lawsuits created by people who just want to make someone’s life miserable or try to prove a point they’ve already lost. People who file the lawsuits like that are people who have more of a negative attitude than positive. Read our article on Attitude and Politics, it can really help you live a happier life.

I might be guilty of overload of the media which interprets everything incorrectly. As a Democrat I don’t think I’m unhappy but maybe I should be?

So, get to know your Republican or Democratic neighbor. Let’s quit hating each other for what our political views are. After all, we all know that Washington D.C. doesn’t represent the general public. They are far more caught up in their own bubble screaming and yelling at each other through the media .

This all being said I hope I’m wrong about who’s happy or not. I think the media and the politicians don’t represent the true American thoughts but rather just their own agendas that we are all caught up in.

Stop talking and do something to change this.

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ?Abraham Lincoln

A hopeful Conservative Democrat

Trumps Gop Is One Of The Most Extreme Western Parties When It Comes To Both Undermining Liberal Democratic Principles And Opposing Rights For Ethnic Minorities

The survey was based on an extensive questionnaire completed by political scientists and experts in the field of particular political parties. Respondents were asked to place each party in its current state on a scale of 0-10 in a number of categories. These include “social leaning” – whether a party was socially liberal or conservative – and then moved on to more detailed positions, such as a party’s attitude to women’s rights or liberal democracy.

The survey pointed towards something commentators have long suspected: conservative and right-wing parties have increasingly embraced populism over pluralism, and populist parties are increasingly negative towards liberal democratic principles.

If we redraw our graph grouping parties by their left-right orientation , it is parties of the right and radical right that dominate the top-right quadrant.

Democrats Tend To Have A Lot More Anger And Negativity In Their Rhetoric According To Them If You Support President Trump Well Then You Are A Racist And A Nazi

They generally seem to be out to get someone making things more personal. Why are they so afraid to use the facts to reinforce what they want to do? It’s agenda first then find or make up facts to support the rhetoric.

If they can’t beat you at the polling booth, they try and beat you in court and that’s just a great example of something that’s not a pleasant experience. And not quite working in the long run. They keep getting overturned.

But When You Watch The Republican In The Media Being Attacked The Majority Tend To Handle It With More Grace Then The Majority Of The Democrats

I don’t think it’s because the Republicans have more money because the Democrats tend to be the wealthier group. The majority of the richest people in the world are Democrats or Liberals. Yet, they sure don’t look like a happy group of folks . I think a lot of people who are rich were their happiest when they were working hard coming up through the ranks and earning their money. I also think sometimes the social issues they get caught up in when they become wealthy can be frustrating causing many people to lose their tolerance over time.

As A Public Service I Have Endeavored To Distill The Differences Between The Parties Into Fair Terms That Children Can Understand

To keep the baseball analogy alive, the two parties are like the American and the National Leagues in baseball. If you have a little sports fan in your home, perhaps this analogy might help. In politics, the primaries are like the early playoff rounds. The parties will pick their winner like the American and National Leagues pick theirs. In baseball, the league winners play in the World Series. In politics, the primary winners will face off in the general election. The winner of the general election becomes President of the United States.

Jessica’s note: Here’s another take on it, in case your kids aren’t eloquent in the language of baseball. ? Imagine the boys and the girls in a class wanted to see who was the best at something. The boys would have a contest to pick their very best boy. That’s like the primary. And then all the girls would pick their best girl. And then everyone in the school would choose between the best boy, and the best girl. The winner over all is like the President.

Back to our baseball analogy. In baseball, there are differences between the leagues. One league has a designated hitter and considers the foul poll “fair.” The other league does not.

A Record Number Of Americans Say Democrats And Republicans Are Doing Such A Poor Job That A Third Party Is Needed Polling Shows

Dissatisfaction with two-party politics is at an all-time high, new Gallup polling shows, with 62 percent of Americans saying Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job of representing their constituents that a third party is needed.

arrow-right

But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.

To hear those calling for change — including many scholars and some lawmakers — the inherent problem with our current system is that it shoehorns the entire spectrum of political opinion into just two parties. Warnings that the nation has backslid toward autocracy — driven in large part by the Republican Party’s shift away from democratic norms — bring added urgency, they say, and reversing that Trump-era trend will require something radical: breaking up the Democratic and Republican parties.

In The Most General Terms The Biggest Difference Between The Parties Comes Down To The View Of The Proper Role Of Government

The Republican party generally believes that it is the responsibility of individuals and communities to take care of people in need. The Democratic party generally believes that the government should take care of people. In general, the Republican party believes that if government needs to do a job then it is best for the local governments like cities and counties to make those decisions. The Democratic party believes that the federal government has more resources and is therefore in a better position to do those jobs.

Practical example for a child: There are a lot of people who don’t have enough food to eat. Republicans believe that people like you and me should help them, and our churches should help them. The Democrats believe that the government needs to spend its money to help them get food.

If A Party Gets What It Wants In The Pursuit Of Delivering Something Most People Want Most Of The Time So Be It

There’s nothing morally wrong with being the party of corporate interests. There’s nothing wrong, for that matter, with viewing politics as the preserve of the few, not the many. What’s wrong is lying about it. What’s wrong is treating the opposition as if it does not have a legitimate claim. What’s wrong is setting off a conflagration of white-power fury that consumes nearly everything, even the republic itself, in order to slake a thirst for power. The day Joe Biden decided to run for president was the day this white-power fury burned through Charlottesville, screaming, “Jews will not replace us.” That day, according to published reports, is the day Biden chose to fight to “restore the soul of America.”

Maybe he’s full of it. Maybe Biden and the Democrats don’t really believe what they say when they talk about everyone being in this together. That’s certainly what the Republicans and their media allies believe. A critic said Thursday that we can expect to see from Biden “lofty rhetoric about unity, while acting below the radar to smash norms to implement the Left-wing agenda.” The same day, a Times reporter asked the White House press secretary why the administration has not offered a bipartisan “fig leaf” to the Republicans, given the president putting so much emphasis on unity. Maybe the Democrats don’t mean what they say. Maybe it’s just politics-as-usual.

How Increasing Ideological Uniformity And Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics Compromise And Everyday Life

Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades. These trends manifest themselves in myriad ways, both in politics and in everyday life. And a new survey of 10,000 adults nationwide finds that these divisions are greatest among those who are the most engaged and active in the political process.

The overall share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10% to 21%. And ideological thinking is now much more closely aligned with partisanship than in the past. As a result, ideological overlap between the two parties has diminished: Today, 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican.

Today 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican

Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period. In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party’s policies “are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.”

Many of those in the center remain on the edges of the political playing field … while the most ideologically oriented and politically rancorous Americans make their voices heard

Yes Dictators Sometimes Cloak Themselves In Socialism But Tyranny Here And Elsewhere Is Always Right

Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump

The meaning today of the “Big Lie” almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.

Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.

This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.

In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.

How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.

The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.

Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.

Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.

Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.

Why Are Democrats Left And Republicans Right The Surprising History Of Political Affiliations

The terms right and left refer to political affiliations that originated late in the eighteenth century in relation to the seating arrangements in the various legislative bodies of France. During the French Revolution of 1789, the members of the National Assembly divided into supporters of the king and supporters of the revolution.

The aristocracy sat on the right side of the Speaker, which was traditionally the seat of honor, and the commoners sat on the left. This gave birth to the terms “right-wing” and “left-wing” politics. The Left had been called “the party of movement” and the Right “the party of order.”

During the French Revolution, the National Assembly was divided into supporters of the king and supporters of the revolution. ‘Lamartine in front of the Town Hall of Paris rejects the red flag on 25 February 1848’

However, it was during the establishment of the Third Republic in 1871 that the political parties formally adopted the terms “left” and “right” to define their political beliefs.

The Representatives of Foreign Powers Coming to Greet the Republic as a Sign of Peace

According to the simplest Left and Right distinction, communism and socialism are usually regarded internationally as being on the left, opposite fascism and conservatism on the right.

In British politics the terms “right” and “left” came into common use for the first time in the late 1930s in debates over the Spanish Civil War.

Not All Parties That Employ Populist Rhetoric Are Opposed To Liberal Democratic Principles

Greece’s Coalition of the Radical Left, more commonly referred to as Syriza, is one of the only major parties of the radical left in the west to favour populist over pluralistic rhetoric.

Though an overwhelming majority of western parties described by ParlGov as ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ are likely to be positive towards ethnic minorities, the same cannot be said for their attitudes towards immigration.

Republicans Vs Democrats: Where Do The Two Main Us Political Parties Stand On Key Issues

After an impeachment, a positive coronavirus test and an unforgettable first presidential debate rounded out the final months of Donald Trump’s first term, it seems fair to say the past few years have been a roller-coaster ride for US politics.

On November 3, Americans will decide which candidate will win the 2020 presidential election, sparking either the beginning, or end, for each nominee.

But how does it all work?

Well, the US political system is dominated by two main parties — the Democrats and the Republicans — and the next president will belong to one of those two.

Just how different are their policies?

Here’s what you need to know, starting with the candidates.

Republican Critics Of The Progressive Squad Are Quick To Ignore Their Own Lunatic Right

Stuart Rothenberg

OPINION— It was late June 1980 when I arrived in Washington after teaching political science for three years at Bucknell University. My job was to write for The Political Report, a little-circulated weekly newsletter that reported on House and Senate races.

The nation’s politics were in the process of changing more than I realized.

In November, Ronald Reagan would be elected president, Republicans would make significant gains in the House and win control of the Senate for the first time since 1954, and a new crop of conservative candidates were showing their political muscle — sometimes by challenging relatively moderate GOP incumbents — in both the House and Senate.

In Alabama, liberal Republican Rep. John Buchanan Jr. lost his bid for renomination to ultra-conservative Albert Lee Smith Jr. Even more noteworthy for me, growing up in New York, Al D’Amato scored an 11-point victory over veteran liberal Sen. Jacob Javits in the state’s GOP Senate primary.

Also in the Senate, conservative Republican Steve Symms ousted Idaho Democratic incumbent Frank Church; conservative Republican Bob Kasten upset Wisconsin Democratic incumbent Gaylord Nelson; conservative Republican John East ousted North Carolina Democratic incumbent Robert Morgan; and Iowa Rep. Charles E. Grassley beat Democratic Sen. John Culver .

But while both the country and the GOP were moving right, the Republican Party still had room for a substantial contingent of moderates.

How Do Trump’s Republicans Compare To The Rest Of The World’s Political Parties

An academic survey shows the American Republican party ranks as one of the worst in the world when it comes to standing up for the rights of ethnic minority groups.

On conventional left-right measurements, there’s not much distinguishing America’s Republican party from mainstream conservative movements in Europe. In fact, when it comes to economic left and right, there are governing parties on the right in Europe who are more “extreme”.

On attitudes towards ethnic minorities and respect for liberal democratic values, however, it’s a different story.

The Global Party Survey , a project authored by Harvard University’s Pippa Norris, has sought to allow international comparisons between political parties on a variety of issues by surveying almost 2,000 academic experts on their relative positions on various spectrums. Those include the social and economic views of those parties, as well as whether they are populist or pluralistic in outlook.

The survey’s findings suggest America’s Republican Party remains “mainstream” in many respects – but not when it comes to its defending the rights of ethnic minorities and standing up for liberal principles.

On those issues it is far more extreme than Europe’s centre-right governing parties and sits closer to the likes of Austria’s Freedom Party, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, and India’s Bharatiya Janata Party – the governing movement often accused of inciting hatred against the country’s Muslim minority.

Republicans Give More To Charity Than Democrats But Theres A Bigger Story Here

November 3, 2018; New York Times

The political differences between Republicans and Democrats don’t play out solely at the ballot box; they also predict how likely people are to donate to charity. This finding from a newly published research project reflects a key difference, one tied to political affiliation, about how our nation should take on critical social issues like homelessness, poverty, and health care. The data also suggest that in times of political strife, both parties’ supporters pull back, making problem-solving harder.

Using voting and IRS data for the residents of 3,000 counties across the nation, the four-professor research team found, according to the New York Times, that counties which are “overwhelmingly Republican” report higher charitable contributions than Democratic-dominated counties, although “giving in blue counties is often bolstered by a combination of charitable donations and higher taxes. But as red or blue counties become more politically competitive, charitable giving tends to fall.” The full study was recently published in the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

Importantly, the study did not find that in Republican counties, private funds replaced public funds so that social services were equally supported.

Think Republicans Are Disconnected From Reality It’s Even Worse Among Liberals

Arlie Hochschild

A new survey found Democrats live with less political diversity despite being more tolerant of it – with startling results

Last modified on Tue 8 Sep 2020 16.13 BST

In a surprising new national survey, members of each major American political party were asked what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other. The survey asked Democrats: “How many Republicans believe that racism is still a problem in America today?” Democrats guessed 50%. It’s actually 79%. The survey asked Republicans how many Democrats believe “most police are bad people”. Republicans estimated half; it’s really 15%.

The survey, published by the thinktank More in Common as part of its Hidden Tribes of America project, was based on a sample of more than 2,000 people. One of the study’s findings: the wilder a person’s guess as to what the other party is thinking, the more likely they are to also personally disparage members of the opposite party as mean, selfish or bad. Not only do the two parties diverge on a great many issues, they also disagree on what they disagree on.

“This effect,” the report says, “is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.” And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.

A coalition of college Republican clubs recently endorsed a tax on carbon pollution.

Who Is Richer Democrats Or Republicans The Answer Probably Wont Surprise You

Which of the two political parties has more money, Democrats or Republicans? Most would rush to say Republicans due to the party’s ideas towards tax and money. In fact, polls have shown about 60 percent of the American people believe Republicans favor the rich. But how true is that? can help you write about the issue but read our post first.

Parties Favouring Populist Rhetoric Are More Likely To Be Nationalistic

What do we know of populism? Populist movements are typically nationalistic, critical towards immigration and cynical about liberal democratic principles.

The above chart illustrates a pretty clear trend: the more multilateralist you are, the less populist you will be. There are, however, some quite clear outliers. Both Syriza and New Zealand’s National Party are classed as multilateralist populists. And then,of course, there are Denmark’s Social Democrats. Sensitive to the collapsing support for the hard-right Danish People’s Party, the Social Democrats tacked right on migrant’s issues in their 2019 election campaign as they sought to tempt voters to their side. Party leader Mette Frederiksen told one televised debate: “You are not a bad person just because you are worried about immigration”. The party topped the poll – albeit with a reduced vote share – and Frederiksen became prime minister.

Since this is the first year the survey has been carried out, we cannot measure change. We cannot say, for example, to what extent Trump has changed the way the Republicans are positioned. We can only say that – right now – the world sees his party as highly populist, poor on ethnic minority rights, and prone to undermining basic democratic principles. That might be a concern for us, but it’s probably not for him: insular populists tend not to care what the rest of the world thinks.

Democrats Or Republicans Who Do You Think The Happier Group Is Overall

Based on my unofficial research and that of some of our readers, the Republicans and Conservative Democrats appear to be the winners. Why do I say that? Well, just by their demeanor. During interviews they generally seem to be the calmer, more respectable of the two. Republicans certainly aren’t perfect, and they certainly don’t always have the right idea or say or do the right thing. And, they tend to exaggerate a bit .

Gop Admins Had 38 Times More Criminal Convictions Than Democrats 1961

Democrats top row: President Obama, Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Kennedy. Republicans bottom row: President W. Bush, Bush, Reagan, Ford, Nixon.

This is the first in a five-part series on government corruption and how that corruption is investigated.

Republican administrations have vastly more corruption than Democratic administrations. We provide new research on the numbers to make the case.

We compared 28 years each of Democratic and Republican administrations, 1961-2016, five Presidents from each party. During that period Republicans scored eighteen times more individuals and entities indicted, thirty-eight times more convictions, and thirty-nine times more individuals who had prison time.

Given the at least 17 active investigations plaguing President Trump, he is on a path to exceed previous administrations, though the effects of White House obstruction, potential pardons, and the as-yet unknown impact of the GOP’s selection of judges may limit investigations, subpoenas, prosecutions, etc. Of course, as we are comparing equal numbers of Presidents and years in office from the Democratic and Republican parties, the current President is not included.

We’re aware some of our numbers differ from other totals, but we explain our criteria below.

Figure 1. Presidential administrations corruption comparison

The Different Ways In Which Republicans And Democrats Express Anger

Posted June 30, 2014

Find a therapist to heal from anger

Can you guess the correct answer to these questions?

A Republican and a Democrat have a problem with their cable bill and decide to call the company’s customer service hotline.

1. Which of them is more likely to curse at the representative on the other end of the line?

2. Who is more likely to raise their voice and scream?

A new study by John A. Goodman, who happens to be one of the founders of the customer service industry and his company CCMR investigated the current state of consumer rage in the U.S. among people of different political affiliations and found the state of the union is…pretty pissed.

A General Increase in Customer Rage

CCMR interviewed over 1,000 people in a representative household sample and found that since their last Rage survey in 2011 customer rage has increased significantly from 60 percent to 68 percent . Those numbers translate to over 38 million angry households, 25 million of which are now taking to social media to share their negative experiences .

The Republican versus Democrat Rage-Off

There are two interesting findings: First, Democrats are far more likely to curse while Republicans are far more likely to yell .

Second, and perhaps representing perhaps the truest rage indicator used in the study, Republicans were three times as likely to seek “revenge” against companies that wronged them than Democrats .

The Reason Customer Rage Is Rising

Wow: Radical Leftists Are Mainly Supported Bywhite Radical Leftists

Michael Barone of The New York Post writes,

“The split among Democrats is clear. Left-wing policies may be supported by hipster whites with adolescent enthusiasm, but gentry liberals increasingly have abstract questions about them, and they are rejected roundly by people of color — blacks, Latinos, Chinese — out of concrete concerns.”

Barone continues, “There the cry to defund the police is not an abstract matter, as it is still to affluent Manhattanites, or an adolescent rallying cry, as it is to the cash-strapped hipsters in gentrifying Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods just across the East River from Manhattan.”

“Black and Latino homeowners with families and jobs know their neighborhoods can be destroyed and their lives ended by violent criminals. They want more, rather than less, policing in their neighborhoods.”

Instead, the hardcore leftists threw in heavily behind Maya Wiley the former DiBlasio staffer, Civil Rights Activist, and MSNBC Analyst turned Mayoral Candidate. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Wiley, “a candidate who can center people, racial justice, and economic justice.”

Adams seizing on the opportunity lit her up in a scathing statement saying that leftists like Wiley and AOC “want to slash the police budgets at a time when Black and brown babies are being shot in our streets, hate crimes are terrorizing Asian and Jewish communities, and innocent New Yorkers are being stabbed and shot.”

How To Explain The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Politics are confusing, even for adults. This year’s political cycle is even more confusing than most. Anything that confuses and parents is sure to raise questions in children.

As the primaries roll on, many children are asking questions about the two major political parties and what all the arguing means. This year’s political cycle is more emotionally charged than most. Those emotions can make it difficult for parents to fairly explain political differences to children. Goodness knows, as an avid sports fan, I could not objectively describe the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Quiz: Let Us Predict Whether Youre A Democrat Or A Republican

Tell us a few details about you and we’ll guess which political party you belong to. It shouldn’t be that simple, right? We’re all complex people with a multiplicity of identities and values. But the reality is that in America today, how you answer a handful of questions is very likely to determine how you vote.

This quiz, based on recent surveys with more than 140,000 responses, presents a series of yes-or-no questions to predict whether someone is more likely to identify as a Democrat or a Republican. It captures divisions that should make you worried about the future of American democracy.

We won’t collect your answers.

The first question is the most important: It’s about race. Asking whether someone is black, Hispanic or Asian cleaves the electorate into two groups. Those who answer “yes” lean Democratic; the others are split roughly evenly between the parties. Among those who are not black, Hispanic or Asian , the second most important question is whether the person considers religion important. If they answer “yes,” they are probably Republican.

It’s not just race and religion, though. Party allegiances are now also tied to education, gender and age. Americans have sorted themselves more completely and rigidly than any time in recent history.

How demographics predict party affiliation

The group most likely to be Democrats are black women older than about 30.

Meeting in the Middle

Reliable Republicans

Meeting in the Middle

Reliable Republicans

Democrats Think Many Republicans Sincere And Point To Policy

Democrats, however, were somewhat more generous in their answers. More than four in ten Democratic voters felt that most Republican voters had the country’s best interests at heart . And many tried their best to answer from the other’s perspective. A 45-year-old male voter from Ohio imagined that as a Republican, he was motivated by Republicans’ “harsh stance on immigration; standing up for the 2nd Amendment; promised tax cuts.” A 30-year-old woman from Colorado felt that Republican votes reflected the desires to “stop abortion… stop gay marriage from ruining our country… and give us our coal jobs back.”

Other Democrats felt that their opponents were mostly motivated by the GOP’s “opposition to Obamacare,” “lower taxes” and to support a party that “reduced unemployment.”

When Identity Aligns With Party Politics Gets More Vicious

Sorting has occurred on both sides, but the Republican Party has tended more toward homogeneity: whiter, more Christian and more conservative. Democrats are a far more diverse party. So although the term “identity politics” is often wielded to criticize the Democrats for focusing on race and gender, Republicans are typically more susceptible to appeals based on their shared identity than Democrats, according to research by Julie Wronski and Lilliana Mason, political scientists at the University of Mississippi and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Personal identities have split the parties

From 1968 to 1978, white men who attended church frequently were 6 percentage points more likely to be a Democrat than a Republican. From 2008 to 2016, they were 43 points more likely to be Republican. The party identification of young, unmarried women stayed about the same — but the average American became significantly more likely to identify as Republican, magnifying the difference between these two groups.

Polarization has encouraged more straight-ticket voting: Once, a voter might have chosen the Republican presidential candidate but a Democrat for the Senate, but now one’s whole ballot tends to align with one’s presidential preference. Polarization has also made voters hesitant to support politicians willing to cooperate with the other side, contributing to legislative gridlock.

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orbemnews · 3 years

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Verizon Nears Deal to Sell Yahoo and AOL: Live Updates Here’s what you need to know: Credit…Richard Drew/Associated Press Verizon Communications, signaling that it has given up on its media business, is near a deal to sell Yahoo and AOL to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday. The transaction would be the latest turn in the history of two of the internet’s earliest pioneers. Yahoo used to be the front page of the internet, cataloging the furious pace of new websites that sprang up in the late 1990s. AOL was once the service that most people used to get online. But both were ultimately supplanted by nimbler start-ups, like Google and Facebook, though Yahoo and AOL still publish highly trafficked websites like Yahoo Sports and TechCrunch. The deal, which could be announced in the coming days, would value the brands at $4 billion to $5 billion — about half of what Verizon originally paid for the two — and include Verizon’s advertising technology business as well, Edmund Lee and Lauren Hirsch reported in The New York Times. The people, who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential, cautioned that the talks could still fall apart. It is unclear what Apollo plans to do with the business, but it still generates plenty of revenue. The media division recorded $1.9 billion in sales in the first quarter, a 10 percent gain over last year. A worker at MTA, a maker of electronic components, in Codogno, Italy. Eurozone manufacturers have been reporting new orders.Credit…Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters The S&P 500 is poised for an upbeat opening when trading starts on Monday, and European indexes are higher, amid positive economic news in Europe and continuing inflation worries. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was 0.2 percent higher, and the Dax in Germany gained 0.3 percent. In Asia, indexes ended the day lower. In the United States, the S&P 500 futures were 0.3 percent higher to start the new month. The benchmark index closed out April with a 5.2 percent gain, the largest monthly gain since November. Oil prices slipped lower, as did yields for Treasury 10-year notes. Markets were closed in London for a bank holiday, and trading overall was subdued as some countries marked the May Day holiday. Inflation pressures Investors may have inflation on their minds after the investor Warren E. Buffett spoke about the “red hot” economy on Saturday at the annual shareholders meeting of the company he runs, Berkshire Hathaway. Mr. Buffett said the company had seen the cost of construction materials rising. “We’re seeing substantial inflation,” Mr. Buffet said. Indeed, commodity shortages in several industries, including construction, are causing price increases, Alan Rappeport and Thomas Kaplan report in The New York Times. The stresses are the result of rising demand running up against supply chain disruptions and Trump-era tariffs. Although the Federal Reserve has described the price increases as temporary and unlikely to spiral out of control, pressure on the Biden administration to intervene could grow as it seeks a $2 trillion infrastructure investment package, a price tag that could rise as the cost of building roads, bridges and electric vehicle charging stations increase. European manufacturers get healthier European manufacturing companies are signaling “considerable increases in output and new orders,” according to the IHS Markit purchasing manager’s index report for April. The seasonally adjusted index hit 62.9 points, the highest ever since the survey data become available in 1997, IHS Markit said Monday. The news came after data on Friday that showed the eurozone economy fell into a recession in the first three months of the year. But economists, pointing to rising vaccination rates and loosening government restrictions, believe the rest of the year should show robust growth. Coming up Verizon is said to be nearing a deal to sell Yahoo and AOL to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, marking an end of the phone giant’s entry into the media world. A trial will begin Monday in federal court in California pitting Epic Games, the company behind the popular Fortnite game, and Apple. Epic has sued Apple, saying it holds far too much control over developers through its App Store. On Friday, jobs data for the month of April will be released by the Labor Department. A strong jump in hiring is expected as the United States economy continues to revive after the yearlong pandemic. Apple and Epic Games, maker of the wildly popular game Fortnite, are set to square off on Monday in a trial that could decide how much control Apple can exert over the app economy. The trial is scheduled to open with testimony from Tim Sweeney, the chief of Epic, on why he believes Apple is a monopoly abusing its power. The trial, which is expected to last about three weeks, carries major implications, Jack Nicas and Erin Griffith report in The New York Times. If Epic wins, it will upend the economics of the $100 billion app market and create a path for millions of companies and developers to avoid sending up to 30 percent of their app sales to Apple. An Epic victory would also invigorate the antitrust fight against Apple. Federal and state regulators are scrutinizing Apple’s control over the App Store, and on Friday, the European Union charged Apple with violating antitrust laws over its app rules and fees. Apple faces two other federal lawsuits about its App Store fees — one from developers and one from iPhone owners — that are seeking class-action status. Beating Apple would also bode well for Epic’s coming trial against Google over the same issues on the app store for Android devices. That case is expected to go to trial this year and would be decided by the same federal judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California. If Apple wins, however, it will strengthen its grip over mobile apps and stifle its growing chorus of critics, further empowering a company that is already the world’s most valuable and topped $200 billion in sales over just the past six months. As the post-pandemic economic recovery ramps up, prices are going up on goods as varied as toilet paper, diapers and wood flooring — and the increases may soon be felt in consumers’ wallets. Procter & Gamble is raising prices on items like Pampers and Tampax in September. Kimberly-Clark said in March that it would raise prices on Scott toilet paper, Huggies and Pull-Ups in June, a move that is “necessary to help offset significant commodity cost inflation.” And General Mills, which makes cereal brands including Cheerios, is facing increased supply-chain and freight costs “in this higher-demand environment,” the company’s chief financial officer, Kofi Bruce, said recently. These price increases reflect what some economists are calling a major shift in the way companies have responded to demand during the pandemic, Gillian Friedman reports in The New York Times. Before the virus hit, retailers often absorbed the cost when suppliers raised prices on goods, because stiff competition forced retailers to keep prices stable. The pandemic changed that. The people who profit off corporate America’s use of offices are trying to coax corporate America back to the office. They have refined their sales pitches to play up air filtration systems, flexible lease terms and swing space and brokers are back in their own workplaces in force. They are acknowledging that some things have changed while also seeking to prove to their clients, and themselves, that the office will soon return to something close to what it was, Rebecca R. Ruiz reports in The New York Times. With New York City set to reopen fully in July, and many companies expecting to summon workers back this summer and fall, those in commercial real estate are hoping that the rebirth they’ve tried to hasten may finally happen. “We opened our offices as soon as we were allowed across the country,” said David Lipson, a vice chairman for Savills, a global brokerage firm. “If you’re in the office real-estate business, should you be comfortable getting too comfortable working from home?” The industry, coming off a boom of continuous growth, has seen commissions fall off as vacancy rates have climbed to their highest levels in decades. Real estate executives, characteristically bullish on their prospects, are facing existential questions. With 1.3 billion square feet of office space available across America’s top markets — and more now on the market in Manhattan than exists in all of Nashville, Orlando or San Antonio, according to the research firm CoStar — strains in rosy projections are showing. Source link Orbem News #AOL #deal #Live #nears #sell #Updates #verizon #Yahoo

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theliberaltony · 4 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

There has long been conflict in the United States over who gets to vote and how. In the years since Barack Obama’s election as president, those voting debates have become increasingly partisan, with Republican elected officials often pushing measures like requiring photo IDs that make it harder for people to vote, and Democratic officials advancing provisions like same-day registration that make it easier to vote.

That long-running conflict over voting has reached a new, more critical phase for two reasons. First, the outbreak of COVID-19 means that people might be risking their health if they opt to vote in person. Secondly, Donald Trump, unlike previous presidents, regularly breaks with democratic norms and values and is now openly suggesting that he might manipulate the electoral system to help him win a second term.

“Trump aides exploring executive actions to curb voting by mail,” was the headline of an article in Politico last weekend (that was a news article, not an opinion piece). Politico’s reporting found that the White House was considering using executive actions to insert itself into the election process, which is usually run by states, including finding ways to make it harder for people to vote by mail.

I think it’s totally appropriate for people to, well, freak out about the potential undermining of the electoral process by Trump and his allies. That said, there is now a flurry of lawsuits, judicial rulings, decisions by election officials at the local and state levels, and claims of voter fraud and voter suppression that can be a bit of minefield to wade through. It’s a lot and it can get confusing.

So to better understand what’s a really big deal versus something that might be problematic but perhaps not as important, we broke out the potential ways that Trump and the GOP could limit voting or undermine the electoral process into five general tactics. These tactics are roughly ordered from least to most alarming. This is not any kind of formal legal guide, although we consulted with some experts for this piece, and some of those experts have law degrees. This analysis also includes some details of the Democrats’ approach to voting rights issues. But we opted to focus on the Republicans because their approach is more controversial than the Democratic one (which is largely to make it easier to vote) and because perhaps the most important figure in the current voting wars is the Republican president.

Here are the tactics:

1. Opposing changes to make it easier to vote amid COVID-19

A lot of the litigation around voting this year pits groups allied with liberal-leaning parts of the electorate, like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) and lawyers affiliated with the Democratic Party, against officials in charge of administering elections (secretaries of state, for example). In these cases, the litigants are trying to get judges to change or invalidate existing laws and force officials to make it easier for Americans to vote and have their vote counted.1

The litigants often invoke the pandemic in demanding these changes, but they are changes in the voting process that these litigants would likely prefer outside of the COVID-19 context, too. For example, the LDF and the Southern Poverty Law Center are trying to get struck down a requirement in Alabama that voters include a copy of their photo ID with their application for an absentee ballot. Getting a copy of your photo ID does potentially increase your chances of getting COVID-19, their brief argues. But the LDF opposed provisions requiring people to present photo IDs as part of the voting process well before the coronavirus pandemic.

Marc Elias, a leading Democratic election attorney, is filing lawsuits in more than two dozen states (including basically every key swing state), to enforce his “four pillars” for mail-in voting in the 2020 election:

The government prepays the postage for mail-in ballots.

Ballots postmarked before or on Election Day are counted (as opposed to counting only ballots received by Election Day).2

Signature requirements for mail-in ballots are administered in a voter-friendly way. (Elias suggests requiring election officials across the country to contact voters before their ballots are ruled invalid because the signature on the ballot does not match the signature election officials have on file.)

Individuals or groups are allowed to collect the ballots of people and turn them in (to ease voting for people who might not have easy access to mail services).

Liberal-leaning lawyers like Elias are losing some of these cases in court (or at least not getting all the accommodations that they want), with Republicans — including the Trump campaign — filing briefs opposing changes that might make it easier for Americans to vote and have their vote counted. It’s not ideal that Republicans are taking this tact, as the right to vote is so important. And the GOP often uses false or misleading rhetoric to oppose measures making voting easier, such as dubbing efforts by groups to collect and turn in mail-in ballots “ballot harvesting” and suggesting, without evidence, that the process will lead to widespread voter fraud.

That said, we cast this tactic as the least problematic one Republicans are employing because there are instances of Republicans opposing new steps to make voting easier, rather than creating new barriers to voting. Also, even most blue states don’t currently have all four of Elias’s pillars in place. Only seven states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington) got “A” ratings for their vote-by-mail systems in a recent Brookings Institute report.

2. Seeking to invalidate laws that make it easier to vote amid COVID-19

During the pandemic, some states, particularly those run by Democrats, are taking affirmative steps to make it much easier to vote. For example, California and Nevada are planning to send mail-in ballots to all the registered voters in their states. Election officials in Pennsylvania have set up boxes for people to drop off their absentee ballots, as opposed to requiring all voters to send them through the mail.

The Trump campaign is filing lawsuits to stop the moves in Nevada, Pennsylvania and other states. The Republican National Committee (which is tightly aligned with the Trump campaign) is involved in litigation in 17 states, again including virtually every battleground state, to enforce its voting agenda, which includes:

Requiring ballots to be received by Election Day.

Keeping current photo ID and signature laws in place.

Opposing people or groups being able to turn in mail-in ballots of other voters.

Opposing newly enacted plans to allow basically all voters in a given state to vote by mail.

You can see why this is more problematic in terms of democratic values than the previous category: Local and state officials are taking affirmative steps to make it easier for Americans to vote and have their vote counted amid a pandemic and the sitting president’s campaign is trying to reverse those decisions.

For this category, the actions of the five justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appointed by Republican presidents are likely to be particularly important. In all four of the most recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights issues, the court’s conservative majority rejected attempts by liberal litigants to get existing law changed to make it easier to vote amid COVID-19 (the first category we listed above). Those rulings have infuriated liberals, but I can’t say that I’m surprised by them — Chief Justice John Roberts regularly votes both to uphold existing legal precedents and to show deference to the judgements of local officials and other branches of government in ways that sometimes align with the more liberal justices and other times with the court’s conservatives. So it would be more surprising (and alarming) if Roberts and the high court struck down new laws, like those in California, making it easier to vote.

3. Advancing new practices and provisions that make it harder to vote

This tactic refers to moves like rolling back the number of early voting days in a state or making it harder for students to vote. These are all strategies that Republicans have employed pre-COVID-19. Republicans aren’t rolling out a lot of new provisions to make it harder to vote in 2020 because they already passed a lot of them from 2011 to 2018, and they couldn’t pass a lot of them in 2019 and 2020. (Democrats made a lot of gains at the state level in 2018, and it would have been controversial to adopt such measures after the virus outbreak.)

But Republicans are trying two new strategies, with liberals seeking to get each struck down by courts. First, in Florida specifically, Republicans are complicating the process for ex-felons who have served their sentences to regain their voting rights, despite a 2018 ballot initiative, supported by 65 percent of Florida voters, that was intended to do just that. And in states around the country, GOP officials are planning to send an unusually large number of people to individual voting locations as “poll watchers.” Poll watchers have been used by both parties. But the rhetoric about voter fraud from Fox News and Trump in particular creates the potential for GOP poll watchers to show up at voting places specifically to look for voters they might view as both illegitimate and liberal-leaning (people of color and people around age 18 in particular) and push for the officials running those polling locations to more closely scrutinize those voters.

I view this category as particularly problematic, in terms of democratic values, because it raises the specter of people facing increased difficulty voting in large part because they are perceived to likely to oppose Republican candidates. (The ex-felons who would be newly eligible to vote in Florida are disproportionately Black.)

4. Anti-democratic rhetoric

What I’m talking about here is largely rhetoric that has no direct impact, but has the potential to undermine confidence in the election system. Think about Trump’s comments about potentially changing the day of the election or the unfounded suggestions by the president, Attorney General William Barr and other conservatives that mail-in voting will lead to fraud.

How this tactic affects the election depends on two factors. First, do other members of the Republican Party, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, echo Trump’s rhetoric, thereby creating a situation where one of the country’s two major political parties is questioning the electoral system? And second, do GOP elected officials start acting on this rhetoric, such as trying to roll back existing vote-by-mail programs or not counting ballots received after Election Day in states where it is legal to count them?

In other words, this kind of rhetoric presents two potential risks, undermining the public’s confidence in the legitimacy of the election and — if the rhetoric leads to action — literally compromising the legitimacy of the election.

5. Fundamental changes to the electoral process

Speaking of actually compromising the election … The recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are slowing down mail delivery across the country are arguably the biggest threat to the American election system in 2020. If mail delivery continues to be slowed down, that creates two very important potential problems. First, in states where ballots must be received by officials before Election Day (33, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures), a slowed-down mail system could disenfranchise thousands and perhaps even millions of people. Secondly, a slower system creates the potential for a ton of ballots to arrive either just before, on or after Election Day, meaning that the counting of votes might stretch on for days or weeks and Americans wouldn’t know the winner of the presidential election for a long time. That’s not ideal in any circumstances, but particularly with a president like Trump who can’t be expected to wait for election results before trying to declare himself the winner.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a longtime GOP donor who has given more than $2 million over the last few years to Trump’s campaign and other Republican causes, says the changes he has made since taking his post in June are intended to reduce the USPS’s spending and make it more cost-efficient. I don’t have any proof he is lying, but it’s also doubtful that DeJoy would be candid about it if his real goal was complicating vote-by-mail systems and helping Trump win. Either way, it’s a strange decision to overhaul the mailing system in a way that appears to be making it harder to send things through USPS quickly when the U.S. will be relying on the Postal Service more than ever before as part of the electoral process.

And if Trump followed through on changing the day of the election (which he cannot do on his own) or limiting vote by mail, those changes would go into this category as well.

It’s worth thinking about these categories both in terms of the horse race and in terms of broader questions of democratic norms and values. The first three are problematic in terms of democratic norms and values because Republicans seem to be intentionally making it harder for people to vote. And if this race gets tighter, those moves could prove decisive. If we reach the later stages of the campaign and polls still show Biden with a clear lead nationally and in most swing states, it’s less likely that these tactics would literally swing the election. (Then again, we haven’t really faced a situation like this before.)

On the other hand, the last two categories are huge, both in terms of democratic values and electoral repercussions. If people’s mail-in ballots aren’t received until way after Election Day, and Trump and his allies are falsely suggesting that mail-in ballots are somewhat fraudulent anyway, that undermines the election results and creates the potential for Trump to try to remain in office even if Biden is the rightful victor.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Perry Bacon Jr.

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