Shush! L.A. Times Editor Asks “Departees” Not to Criticize California on Their Way Out In an editorial fit for The Onion or the Babylon Bee, Los Angeles Times’ letters editor Paul Thornton wrote a column this week entitled “If you want to leave, fine. But don’t insult California on the way out.” The column acknowledges an exodus from the state, but sees the problem as former Californians sharing their experiences about what drove them from the Golden State. It is like Captain William Bligh asking the mutinous crew of the Bounty for a reference as they head for the lifeboats. Thornton wrote that “more than 800,000 Californians moved away in 2022, and many thousands more left last year. Often, the departees, cash in hand from the sale of their $1-million bungalows, feel the need to express disdain for their home state, and even some anger too.” https://jonathanturley.org/2024/01/23/l-a-times-editor-please-do-not-criticize-california-on-your-way-out/ California's exodus continues, with population dropping for the third year in a row, putting its political influence at risk California's population has dropped for the third year in a row. The high-cost of living and an increase in remote work are likely driving factors Some fear the demographic changes could cause the state to lose political clout. California's population has dropped for the third year in a row, raising concerns about the effects of an exodus of residents from the Golden State. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/californias-exodus-continues-with-population-dropping-for-the-third-year-in-a-row-putting-its-political-influence-at-risk/ar-AA1lWT5U 'Severe revenue decline': California faces a record $68B deficit — here's what is eating away at the Golden State's coffers California lawmakers convened for the first session of 2024 on Wednesday and are tasked with tackling the state's record $68 billion budget deficit. The enormous shortfall is largely attributed to a “severe revenue decline,” the California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) reported last month. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/severe-revenue-decline-california-faces-133000258.html Lab-Grown Meat Has a Big Problem Very Few People Know About Their life-cycle assessment of current meat-growing processes – which has yet to be peer-reviewed – found cultured meat production could emit between four to 25 times more carbon dioxide per kilogram than regular beef and all its hidden costs, depending on the techniques used. https://www.sciencealert.com/lab-grown-meat-has-a-big-problem-very-few-people-know-about Big Farma: How lab-grown meats are a costly, unhealthy tool of the globalist elite The answer to food safety and security lies in a decentralized food system that connects communities with farmers growing real food sustainably and distributing it locally. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/big-farma-how-lab-grown-meats-are-a-costly-unhealthy-tool-of-the-globalist-elite/ Italy becomes the first country in the world to ban lab-grown meat https://nypost.com/2023/11/18/news/italy-becomes-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-ban-lab-grown-meat/ Florida lawmakers look to ban lab-grown ‘cultivated’ meat products https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2024/01/24/lab-grown-cultivated-meat-ban-danny-alvarez/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmDYMmD050

How Trump Won Using Strategic Branding, and What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Him Specialization is better than generalization, Trump teaches us. That's why white working-class men loved him. It doesn't matter if you're thrilled or outraged or something in between at seeing Donald Trump become our new president-elect. Objectively, Trump ran an impressive and surprising political campaign, and it's because of his penchant for personal branding and marketing that he won in such an astounding upset. https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-trump-won-using-strategic-branding-and-what/285124 For 2nd straight year, Super Bowl watchers see ‘He Gets Us’ ads featuring Jesus partly funded by Hobby Lobby family For the second year in a row, a religious Super Bowl ad campaign promised viewers that Jesus “gets us.” Two commercials shown Sunday night centered Jesus’ message to love your neighbors — even across ideological divides. In one, people of different races, classes and gender expressions have their feet washed, including a woman outside a family planning clinic. https://fortune.com/2024/02/12/who-is-behind-jesus-he-gets-us-commercials-super-bowl/ Special counsel describes Biden as ‘elderly man with a poor memory’ in eyebrow-raising report Special counsel Robert Hur on Thursday released a 388-page report on President Biden’s retention of classified material, finding the president frequently showed limitations with his memory and recall. While the report concluded no charges should be brought against the president, its language describing Biden, 81, is likely to be campaign fodder for Republicans who have repeatedly raised questions about the president’s ability to serve. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4456879-special-counsel-describes-biden-as-elderly-man-with-a-poor-memory-in-eye-raising-report/ Elections Canada launches online disinformation tool to prepare voters for next federal election Elections Canada is trying to insulate Canadian voters from false narratives and information during the next federal election by launching an online tool to help voters cut through misinformation and disinformation about the electoral process in Canada. The ElectoFacts website, launched this week, provides factual information to debunk the most common misconceptions observed by Elections Canada officials in recent years. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/elections-canada-electofacts-disinformaton-1.7081902 Justin Trudeau's attacks on Pierre Poilievre not working, poll suggests The Abacus Data survey, provided exclusively to the Toronto Star, suggests a 19 point lead for the Conservatives over the governing Liberals, with the support of 43 per cent of those polled compared to 24 per cent. https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/justin-trudeaus-attacks-on-pierre-poilievre-not-working-poll-suggests/article_92069904-c794-11ee-8469-bfbc1f01f254.html ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmziEH9_m-4

Trump easily wins Texas CPAC 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll; DeSantis second Former President Donald Trump convincingly won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) three-day gathering in Texas Trump, who’s repeatedly teased making another presidential run in 2024 to try and return to the White House, captured 69% of ballots cast in the anonymous online straw poll, according to results announced by CPAC on Saturday. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-wins-cpac-2024-gop-presidential-nomination-straw-poll-desantis-second California Gov. Newsom asks Hollywood to stop filming in conservative Georgia, Oklahoma after abortion ruling California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the Hollywood film industry to bring back production moved to Oklahoma and Georgia amid pandemic lockdowns and rising crime, criticizing the Republican-controlled states over policies against abortion in a new ad published in Variety. The full-page spread, paid for by the Newsom campaign, is titled: "Hollywood: Your values, Your choice." "California is the best place in America to create. For 100 years, we’ve been the home for storytelling and storytellers. Together we built a creative community that includes unrivaled cast, crews, craftspeople, infrastructure, and technology. Robust tax credits and other incentives. The best culture," the ad says. "Most importantly, we share your values. So now, it’s time to choose. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-gov-newsom-asks-hollywood-stop-filming-conservative-georgia-oklahoma-abortion-ruling Trudeau Govt to Ban Handgun Imports Without Parliamentary Approval Canada plans to temporarily ban the import of handguns into the country without the approval of Parliament, using a regulatory measure that comes into effect in two weeks. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday the change will last until a permanent freeze is passed in Parliament and comes into force. The government introduced gun control legislation in May that includes a national freeze on the importation, purchase, sale, and transfer of handguns in Canada but it has not yet passed. https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/08/06/canada-trudeau-govt-to-ban-handgun-imports-without-parliamentary-approval/ Trudeau Ramps Up War on Lawful Gun Owners At the end of May – two years after his unilateral imposition of an “assault weapons” ban – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government introduced Bill C-21, a bill that proposes many firearm-related changes, the most significant of which is a freeze on the sale, transfer and import of handguns. At the same time, Marco Mendicino, the Liberal government’s public safety minister, announced forthcoming “regulations [to] help stop the growth of personally owned handguns in Canada[,]… expected to come into force in Fall 2022,” apparently regardless of whether Bill C-21 is enacted into law. https://www.nraila.org/articles/20220620/trudeau-ramps-up-war-on-lawful-gun-owners Believe it or not, New Zealand unveils plans to tax sheep and cow burps While burping may be quite discomforting, never has one imagined that it could be something for which one could be fined. But that is exactly what has happened in New Zealand, where livestock has to pay a burping tax. Although it may sound bizarre it is done with a good intention—to control climate change. In a first, the island nation has unveiled a plan to tax cattle burps to fight the country’s biggest source of greenhouse gases, BBC News reported. https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/new-zealand-unveils-plans-to-tax-sheep-and-cow-burps-7962823/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmgAIgf7MDc

Democrats want to impose socialism, and worse, on America As near as I can tell it began in 1995, when Republicans won control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years and captured a Senate majority. By “it” I mean the accusation that Republicans and especially conservatives (not always the same) are “divisive.” One reads and hears this from every media outlet and Democrats in Congress. President Trump is dividing America. Talk radio is divisive. The right wing is undermining our “unity.” https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/8/democrats-want-to-impose-socialism-and-worse-on-am/ Why America’s Free Market Economy Works Better in Some Places than Others If it’s working right, the free market system produces goods and services better than any alternative. It creates powerful incentives to innovate, and generally ensures people’s earnings reflect the value they deliver to others through work. It also offers upward mobility to people who invest in their own “human capital” and work hard. (That said, the market economy doesn’t promise equal outcomes, since people’s contributions are invariably unequal.) A market economy, however, depends on well-functioning markets. These include competitive product markets with relatively low barriers to new entrants, since firms facing little competition usually deliver poor quality and charge prices out of whack with people’s wages. Advanced market economies work best in places with “thick” labor markets, meaning large numbers of workers with rich varieties of skills and diverse employers. In today’s knowledge-centric economy, it also thrives in places with thick markets in ideas. https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/capitalism/clark-why-americas-free-market-economy-works-better-in-some-places-than-others.html And Just Like That, DuckDuckGo Becomes Google — One Time Free Search Engine Now Down-Ranks Conservative Content I don’t now if you’re aware of it but it appears that duckduckgo is now filtering out your website. I switched over to their android app back in 2020 and I could just type in “thegatewaypundit.com” and your site would be the first to come up. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/just-like-duckduckgo-becomes-google-free-search-engine-now-ranks-conservative-content-bans-gateway-pundit/ Disney Goes Groomer Do you want to know what the bill Gov. Ron DeSantis signed does? Here is the text itself. Basically, it forbids schools from withholding from parents knowledge of their minor child’s sexual or gender identification, unless there is good reason to fear that disclosing this information would subject the child to abuse. This is to override local school board policies that allowed schools to hide from parents when the ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAfSygCub-Y