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Polybius

Polybius's Journal
Polybius's Journal
July 31, 2019

I don't want July to end

It's by far my favorite month. August is too close to September, and I hate the Fall.

July 28, 2019

Is Brexit 100% certain now?

Realistically, other than Boris Johnson changing his mind and supporting a new referendum, is there anything that can be done to stop it?

July 24, 2019

Boris Johnson becomes UK's new prime minister

Source: BBC

Boris Johnson said he wanted to "change the country for the better" after he became the UK's new prime minister.

Speaking outside Downing Street, he said the UK would leave the EU on 31 October "no ifs, no buts", adding: "The buck stops with me."

"The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters" who said it could not be done were "wrong", the new PM added.

Mr Johnson is making sweeping changes to his ministerial team, sacking a host of big cabinet names.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49102466

July 17, 2019

TWA Flight 800 went down on this day in 1996

On July 17, 1996 TWA Flight 800 went down over Long Island. I will never forget the media coverage that took place over that time. RIP to all of the lives that were lost.

July 6, 2019

Roy Moore is running for Alabama's Senate seat -- again

Roy Moore, whose 2017 Alabama Senate campaign imploded amid allegations of sexual assault, resulting in the first Democratic victory in an Alabama Senate race since the early 1990s, has announced that he is running for the Senate, again.

In an event held in Montgomery, Alabama, on Thursday, Moore told a crowd of reporters, “Yes, I will run for the United States Senate in 2020,” adding, “Can I win? Yes, I can win.”

Moore’s decision is likely to be greeted with despair from Republicans (and perhaps some optimism from Democrats). Even many conservatives who supported Moore’s 2017 campaign initially now believe that the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court could act as a millstone on Senate Republicans and their hopes to retain control of that body of Congress in 2020.

Alabama is as red as they come — the state’s partisan lean, a metric of how much more Republican (or Democratic) a state is than the country as a whole, is R+27. And Alabama Republicans believe they have a stable of candidates who each could defeat Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. But Moore is still popular with some Alabama conservatives, and some in the GOP relieved by his 2017 loss could have real regret over the risk of losing another easy-to-win Senate seat.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/20/18691572/roy-moore-alabama-senate-run-2019

Article is two weeks old, but I missed it the first time around. I wonder if he can beat Mo Brooks...

July 6, 2019

Beto O'Rourke backs Nike, says Betsy Ross flag 'appropriated' by white nationalists

Democratic presidential contender Beto O’Rourke said Wednesday that the 1776 Betsy Ross flag has become a symbol of white nationalism.

The former House member from El Paso, Texas, made the remark while stumping at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, where he also praised Nike for pulling the flag design from a planned sneaker design set to be released for July Fourth, reportedly at the behest of former-quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick.

In his remarks, according to reporters present, Mr. O’Rourke said the 13-star flag sewn by Ross in 1776 “has, by some extremist white-nationalist groups, been appropriated.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jul/3/beto-orourke-backs-nike-says-betsy-ross-flag-appro/

July 6, 2019

Mo Brooks: Colin Kaepernick 'ought to consider moving to another country' if he hates America

NFL quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick should consider moving to another country if he doesn’t like America’s principles, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, said in a Wednesday night radio interview.

Brooks was asked to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Nike after the shoe company stopped distributing the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July shoe, which featured the Betsy Ross-designed American flag with 13 stars, at Kaepernick’s urging. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who became a controversial figure after he began kneeling during the national anthem of football games to protest police brutality and has since become a Nike endorser, argued the shoe was offensive because the Betsy Ross flag has been co-opted by white nationalist groups.

“We’ve got some very radical people in the United States of America who don’t like America. They don’t like the foundational principles that have made us a great nation, and I would put Mr. Kaepernick in that category,” the Huntsville congressman told “Breitbart News Tonight” on SiriusXM Radio.

Brooks added that it was “absolutely absurd" for Kaepernick, who is now an activist addressing racial inequality, to protest the Nike shoe.

https://www.al.com/news/2019/07/mo-brooks-colin-kaepernick-ought-to-consider-moving-to-another-country-if-he-hates-america.html

Wow. This is the guy who in all likelyhood is Alabama's next Senator, providing Roy Moore doesn't beat him...

July 3, 2019

Julin Castro applauds Nike's decision to pull Betsy Ross flag shoes

Democratic presidential hopeful Julián Castro on Wednesday applauded Nike's decision to nix a pair of sneakers featuring a Betsy Ross flag.

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary said in a CBS News interview that he was "glad to see" the company's decision.

"I was glad to see that. And my hope is that they didn't just do it to do it. They understand the significance there. And look, there are a lot of things in our history that are still very painful," Castro said, pointing to "the Confederate Flag that still flies in some places, and is used as a symbol."

"I believe we need to move towards an inclusive America that understands that pain," he added.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/campaign/451536-castro-applauds-nikes-decision-to-pull-flag-shoes%3Famp

July 2, 2019

Nike featuring Betsy Ross flag canceled after backlash

Source: CNN

New York(CNN Business) Nike is canceling a sneaker that featured the "Betsy Ross" version of the American flag from the late 18th century.

"Nike made the decision to halt distribution of the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation's patriotic holiday," Nike said in a statement to CNN Business. "Nike is a company proud of its American heritage."

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Nike (NKE) delivered the sneakers to retailers, but asked stores to return them to Nike after the company received a complaint from former NFL star Colin Kaepernick. The Journal indicated Kaepernick said he and others found the shoe offensive because of its ties to America's era of slavery.

The shoe was set to be released Monday for $140, according to Sneakernews.com. The website included photos of a shoe that featured a version of the American flag with 13 stars organized in a circle and 13 stripes. That version of the flag, according to the Smithsonian, was used in the United States from 1777 to 1795.

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/07/01/business/nike-air-max-1-quick-strike-fourth-of-july/index.html

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