Boots & Sabers

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Category: Culture

Asian-Americans Continue to Face Discrimination from Ivy Schools

by | 2125, 26 Nov 23 | , | 1 Comment

Disgraceful. Given what we have seen from the Ivy schools lately, I would serious question hiring any of them. They are not admitting the best of the best and they are putting out a bunch of radicalized bigots.

The admissions consultant described what it takes to get into an elite college: Take 10 to 20 Advanced Placement courses. Create a “showstopper project.”

 

Asian American students need to be extremely strategic in how they present themselves, “to avoid anti-Asian discrimination,” the consultant, Sasha Chada of Ivy Scholars, said at the October webinar to an audience of mostly Asian parents and students.

 

[…]

 

In the first college application season since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, Asian American students are more stressed out than ever. Race-conscious admissions were widely seen to have disadvantaged them, as borne out by disparities in the test scores of admitted students — but many feel that race will still be a hidden factor and that standards are even more opaque than before.

 

[…]

 

At seminars like Chada’s around Southern California this fall, some held in Korean or Mandarin for immigrant parents, consultants reinforced the message — even students with superhuman qualifications are regularly rejected from Harvard and UC Berkeley.

Wisconsin Deer Harvest Way Down

by | 1950, 22 Nov 23 | | 1 Comment

We’re going to be closing in on two million deer pretty fast.

MADISON (AP) — A lack of snow and warm temperatures that suppressed deer movement led to a lackluster opening weekend of Wisconsin’s nine-day gun season, with hunters killing thousands fewer deer than last year.

 

The state Department of Natural Resources released preliminary data Tuesday that showed hunters registered 92,050 deer compared with 103,623 deer last year.

 

That’s a 16% drop-off from 2022 and 10% fewer deer than the five-year average for opening weekend. Hunters also registered 51,870 bucks, down 13% from 56,638 over opening weekend in 2022.

 

The number of potential hunters didn’t vary much from last year, however. The DNR reported that sales of all deer licenses stood at 774,369 as of midnight Sunday, with 421,525 of those licenses exclusively for gun use. Overall, sales of all deer licenses were down 0.61% from the same time last year.

America’s Pig Problem

by | 2115, 21 Nov 23 | | 4 Comments

There’s bacon in them thar hills!

What can grow five feet long, up to 400 pounds and is one of the most destructive invasive species in the U.S.?

 

Wild hogs are the correct answer! Wild hogs also called feral swine go by many names but are the same species as domesticated pigs found on farms.

 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.

Since their introduction to the U.S. in the 1500’s, the feral swine population have expanded across more than three quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.

Nazis Not Welcome

by | 2115, 19 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

For weeks, Wisconsin’s Democrats have been mute as thousands of violent pro-Hamas Jew-haters protested, blocked roads, attacked people, damaged property, defaced our monuments, attacked the White House, disrupted government business, and called for violent resistance. But when twenty Nazis (who are most likely Feds) show up in Madison, Wisconsin’s Democratic establishment comes out of their chairs to speak out against antisemitism. Call me cynical, but I don’t believe them. 

Neo-Nazis marched in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, chanting “There will be blood,” CBS News reports.

 

Almost two dozen masked marchers walked along State Street toward the Wisconsin State Capital before ending up at James Madison Park.

 

The group, who had also chanted “Israel is not our friend,” gathered in front of a historic synagogue, per the Milwaukuee Sentinel Journal. It is not currently being used for religious services.

Antisemitism and racism are always abhorrent – even when your political allies do it. Right, Democrats? Right?

Wisconsin’s shrinking deer hunt

by | 0754, 17 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News earlier this week:

The fallen leaves, crisp air and smell of pumpkin spice can only mean one thing — the gun deer season is almost upon us. As legions of hunters head to the woods this Saturday, the future of the hunt is increasingly concerning.

 

The gun deer hunt is a keystone Wisconsin cultural event that binds generations together. It is also a practical and necessary function to keep Wisconsin’s deer population under control.

 

Absent most of their natural predators, controlling the deer population with hunting is important for the state. The largest reason is to protect Wisconsin’s large agricultural economy. Over the last 10 years, deer have destroyed an average of 108,158 bushels of corn per year. The deer are equally destructive to soybeans, alfalfa and other key cash crops.

 

The second most important reason why the deer herd must be controlled is to reduce vehicle collisions. Over the last 10 years, Wisconsin averaged almost 19,000 deer-vehicle collisions per year.

 

Thirdly, the deer herd must be managed to prevent them from outstripping the ability of the ecosystem to feed them, resulting in disease and suffering for the deer themselves.

 

Since the peak in 2000, there has been a steady decline in the number of deer hunters and the deer population has been rapidly expanding. The reasons are mainly demographic. Wisconsin’s population is shrinking slightly and aging rapidly. As hunters age, they eventually stop hunting for myriad reasons. Some stop because of health reasons. Some stop because their hunting groups dwindle and disband. Some stop because they change their lifestyle and hunting is no longer convenient. As older hunters increasingly hang up their blaze orange for good, there are too few younger hunters to replace them.

 

I am in the latter category. I absolutely loved the deer hunt for many years, but a change in lifestyle makes it no longer practicable for the time being. A successful hunt is one that is safe, fun and harvests some meat — in that order.

 

The statistics from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bear out the troubling trends for the hunt. Wisconsin hunters peaked in 2000 by harvesting almost 403,000 deer. Last year, they harvested just 176,476 deer and have not harvested more than 200,000 deer since 2012.

 

Consequently, the statewide deer herd has been rapidly expanding. The DNR estimated that there were 987,300 deer in 2009. Last year after the deer hunting season, they estimated the deer herd at 1.67 million. That is a 69 percent increase in the deer population in just 13 years.

 

How big should Wisconsin’s deer herd be? That is a matter of opinion. It is a balance. It depends on what one considers to be acceptable levels of agricultural loss and vehicle collisions. At the same time, the state wants to keep the herd large enough to support Wisconsin’s hunting culture while maintaining a healthy ecosystem with deer in it. The “right” size of the herd is debatable, but as the primary herd control mechanism dwindles, the ability of the DNR to control the herd at all is slowly slipping away.

 

As the number of hunters decreases, the DNR is going to need to adjust the regulations to encourage a greater harvest per hunter in order to keep up with the growing herd. Simply, the DNR will need to make it easier and cheaper for each hunter to harvest more deer.

 

For example, the DNR may consider increasing tag requirements or waiving them completely. If the goal is to harvest deer, who does it and where they do it is less important than the total harvest. The DNR may also consider making the number and types of zones and make it easier for hunters to hunt multiple zones. Rules on baiting could also be relaxed. Finally, as a last resort, the DNR may need to consider significantly lengthening the gun deer season like many other states.

 

Those considerations, however, are looming in the future. For now, be safe out there, hunters!

Freedom as Effective as Tyranny in Combatting Virus

by | 1905, 16 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

Interesting.

Covid lockdowns were no more effective at reducing infections than letting people adapt their own behaviour, a major Oxford University-baked study suggests.

 

A team of international researchers created a model that estimates Covid death and unemployment rates in response to different pandemic policies.

 

Results suggest that imposing shutdowns — that forced people to stay home and closed essential shops — squashed fatality rates from the virus.

 

However, leaving people to adapt their own behaviour — such as by socialising less to avoid becoming infected, an approach used in Sweden — was just as effective.

Wisconsin’s shrinking deer hunt

by | 0712, 14 Nov 23 | , | 2 Comments

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:

Since the peak in 2000, there has been a steady decline in the number of deer hunters and the deer population has been rapidly expanding. The reasons are mainly demographic. Wisconsin’s population is shrinking slightly and aging rapidly. As hunters age, they eventually stop hunting for myriad reasons. Some stop because of health reasons. Some stop because their hunting groups dwindle and disband. Some stop because they change their lifestyle and hunting is no longer convenient. As older hunters increasingly hang up their blaze orange for good, there are too few younger hunters to replace them.

 

I am in the latter category. I absolutely loved the deer hunt for many years, but a change in lifestyle makes it no longer practicable for the time being. A successful hunt is one that is safe, fun and harvests some meat — in that order.

 

The statistics from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bear out the troubling trends for the hunt. Wisconsin hunters peaked in 2000 by harvesting almost 403,000 deer. Last year, they harvested just 176,476 deer and have not harvested more than 200,000 deer since 2012.

 

Consequently, the statewide deer herd has been rapidly expanding. The DNR estimated that there were 987,300 deer in 2009. Last year after the deer hunting season, they estimated the deer herd at 1.67 million. That is a 69 percent increase in the deer population in just 13 years.

 

How big should Wisconsin’s deer herd be? That is a matter of opinion. It is a balance. It depends on what one considers to be acceptable levels of agricultural loss and vehicle collisions. At the same time, the state wants to keep the herd large enough to support Wisconsin’s hunting culture while maintaining a healthy ecosystem with deer in it. The “right” size of the herd is debatable, but as the primary herd control mechanism dwindles, the ability of the DNR to control the herd at all is slowly slipping away.

 

As the number of hunters decreases, the DNR is going to need to adjust the regulations to encourage a greater harvest per hunter in order to keep up with the growing herd. Simply, the DNR will need to make it easier and cheaper for each hunter to harvest more deer

Ticketed in Oklahoma

by | 0734, 11 Nov 23 | , , | 0 Comments

This is so messed up.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper ticketed a tribal citizen with a current Otoe-Missouria Tribe license plate for failing to pay state taxes, prompting an outcry from tribal leaders who blamed Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s increasing hostility toward Native Americans.

 

Crystal Deroin, an Otoe-Missouria Tribe citizen, was ticketed for speeding near Enid on Tuesday and received a second $249 citation for failure to pay state motor vehicle taxes because she did not live on tribal land.

 

“After over 20 years of cooperation between the State and Tribes regarding vehicle tag registration, it appears the State has altered its position of understanding concerning tribal tags,” Otoe-Missouria Chairman John Shotton said in a statement. “This change was made without notice or consultation with all Tribes that operate vehicle tag registration.”

Most Oklahoma drivers pay motor vehicle taxes each year through the renewal of state license plates. But many of the 39 Native American tribes headquartered in Oklahoma also issue special tribal license plates to their citizens each year, based on a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving the Sac & Fox Nation that says the state doesn’t have the authority to tax tribal citizens who live in Indian Country.

There are entire movements around licensing and taxing people in the interests of public safety, but all of that gets thrown out the window when it comes to the tribes.

Frank Borman Passes

by | 0757, 10 Nov 23 | , | 1 Comment

RIP. Who ever thought in 1970 that we would lose all of the Apollo astronauts before America returned to the moon? Pioneers like this are rare jewels in our nation’s history.

Frank Borman, an astronaut who flew on the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon, has died, NASA announced. He was 95.

 

Borman died Tuesday in Billings, Montana, according to NASA.

 

NASA administrator Bill Nelson, in a statement, called Borman “one of NASA’s best” and “a true American hero.” “His lifelong love for aviation and exploration was only surpassed by his love for his wife Susan,” Nelson added.

Apollo 8, launched in 1968, was the first NASA mission to both leave low Earth orbit and reach the moon. Borman, along with astronauts James Lovell, and William Anders, orbited the moon 10 times before returning to Earth. They were the first humans ever to see the far side of the moon. “Earthrise,” the iconic photograph showing the Earth half-covered in shadow above the moon’s horizon, was taken by Anders during this mission.

Germany Struggles to Appease New Nazis

by | 0739, 10 Nov 23 | , | 1 Comment

Ever so slowly, some people (not enough people) are admitting how immigration policies shape their countries – for good or bad. In this case, bad. Germany has been allowing in swaths of immigrants from countries with cultures that are incongruent with Western civilization. There are consequences for that.

There was outrage when one group, subsequently disbanded by government, appeared to be celebrating the Hamas atrocities of 7 October on the streets of Berlin.

Felix Klein, the government’s Commissioner for Jewish life in Germany, says it has become apparent that there is a big problem in Germany’s integration policy.

“It is problematic when it turns into antisemitic and anti-Israel hate where people shout ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free’ – which would deny Israel’s right to exist.”

 

Toyota Launches Bargain Truck

by | 0752, 7 Nov 23 | , | 1 Comment

This would sell like hotcakes in America.

Compared to the features of the Corolla sedan, Toyota’s entry-level model in the United States, the IMV 0 is in an entirely different universe. Forget LED headlights, power windows and door locks, or standard adaptive cruise control. The IMV 0 doesn’t even have any trim on the A-pillar. The instrument cluster dial that would normally show engine RPM is just a big blank circle. It doesn’t even have a shift light. Then again, the 2024 Corolla starts at $22,995. The IMV 0/Hilux Champ will be the equivalent of about $10,000 when it launches in Thailand.

EV Supply Outstrips Demand

by | 0808, 6 Nov 23 | , | 19 Comments

One wonders if EV demand has already peaked until there is a leap in the technology or it becomes significantly less expensive.

While there are positive signs in the electric vehicle market, supply is still far outstripping demand.

 

“The demand is not keeping up with production, which is the opposite story of a year ago,” Cox Automotive executive analyst Michelle Krebs told Grist. “We call it the ‘Field of Dreams’ moment. Automakers are building more, but not enough consumers have come to the field.”

 

But Krebs also observed that availability isn’t such a bad thing when compared to the wider market.

 

“A year ago, the average EV price was above the average luxury vehicle price. Today, as inventory and availability build, EV prices are moving closer to the industry average,” Krebs added.

Much of the societal angst for and against EVs is because there is a vanguard of people out there who insist that they are the future for everyone. EVs have become imbued with, ironically, environmental symbolism and represent a statement as much as a vehicle.

Reality is always different. I know a lot of people who love their EVs, but they have a lifestyle that allows for it. They have home chargers and don’t drive a lot. An EV wouldn’t work for my lifestyle. They don’t work for a lot of people, which is why forcing them into the market is causing so much angst.

DC or Tehran?

by | 1902, 4 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

One might notice that the protestors in D.C right now are chanting some of the same things as those in Tehran.

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of Iranians gathered on the streets Saturday to mark the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” They condemned Washington’s support of Israel as it strikes the Gaza Strip in its war against Hamas.

 

[…]

 

In a statement published on behalf of the protesters at the end of the commemoration, they called for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and warned the U.S., Britain, and France that the crisis might expand in the region. The statement ended with a vow that Iranians would stand by Palestine “until final victory.”

City Officials Ticket Reporter for Asking Too Many Questions

by | 1832, 4 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

There was a time when the media was filled with 1st Amendment zealots. Rightfully so. Their zealotry has ebbed as they supported the silencing of dissenting voices. If we don’t support rights of people to do and say things we don’t like, then we don’t really support them at all.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) —

 

Officials in a suburban Chicago community have issued municipal citations to a local news reporter for what they say were persistent contacts with city officials seeking comment on treacherous fall flooding.

 

The tickets from Calumet City, a city of 35,000 located 24 miles (39 kilometers) south of Chicago, allege “interference/hampering of city employees” by Hank Sanders, a reporter for the Daily Southtown, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

It’s the latest of several recent First Amendment dust-ups involving city officials and news outlets around the country, following this week’s arrest of a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter after reporting on a grand jury investigation of a school district, and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher’s home in Kansas tied to an apparent dispute a restaurant owner had with the paper.

Muslims Question American Political Alliance With Jews

by | 0945, 4 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

Both Jews and Muslims historically vote for Democrats and both groups are now questioning. I don’t think either group will move to Republicans in any great numbers, but it’s interesting how they are political allies at home and enemies across the sea.

Dearborn, MichiganCNN — 

In 2020, Eman Hammoud was one of thousands of Michigan Muslims who helped President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. A month ago, the Palestinian American immigration lawyer had no doubts she would support his campaign again in 2024.

But over the last few weeks, she’s watched the Biden administration offer unwavering support to Israel after it declared war on Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly October 7 attack, with no red lines for Israel and no calls for a ceasefire, even as thousands of civilians in Gaza have been killed. Now she doesn’t know what she’ll do.

“He’s put us in a very difficult situation,” Hammoud told CNN. “It has become almost impossible for me, morally, to vote for someone that’s taken the stances that he’s taken in the past few weeks.”

UW Hospital Sued Over Gender Surgeries

by | 1917, 3 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

There will be many of these.

A lawsuit filed in Dane County Circuit Court alleges two UW Hospital surgeons performed gender-affirming surgeries on a young woman without her consent.

 

According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Dr. Jay Lick performed a hysterectomy on the patient when she was 19, and Dr. Katherine Gast performed a double mastectomy on the patient when she was 21.

 

While in her late teens, the woman diagnosed herself with gender dysphoria, a clinical symptom defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as “a sense of alienation to some or all of the physical characteristics or social roles of one’s assigned gender.” Gender dysphoria is also recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the guide used by mental health professionals in the United States.

 

[…]

 

The case also names University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority, the organization that owns UW Hospital, and the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, which compensates patients who are injured, or the family of those who die, as a result of medical malpractice cases.

Death Awaits the Cocaine Hippos

by | 1904, 3 Nov 23 | , , | 0 Comments

Well then…

CNN — 

Pablo Escobar’s notorious “cocaine hippos” are facing a cull, according to a statement from Colombia’s minister of environment and sustainable development Thursday.

The herd, which the Colombian government said currently stands at 169 animals, has rapidly reproduced from the original population of one male and three females the drug kingpin owned as part of his private collection of exotic creatures.

After Escobar’s death in 1993, authorities relocated most of the other animals in the collection, but not the hippos – because they were too difficult to transport. Free from any natural predator, the rising population poses an environmental challenge. If “strong measures” are not taken to control them, the population could boom to “1,000 individuals by 2035,” the statement said.

Restaurateurs Consider Response to Hamas’ Genocidal Attack

by | 1849, 3 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

Of course, any owner can and should do what compels them, but the neither should they be expected to use their businesses as a platform for advocacy. It feels unseemly for the media to pester them about this.

Houston’s Jewish-owned restaurants, as well as Palestinian restaurateurs, face a conundrum in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks and the onslaught of news surrounding the recent atrocities: Do they publicly show support for Israel, or Palestine, or is it too political for customers? In some cases, they’re also contemplating safety concerns, as officials say they would increase patrols around Jewish and religious institutions in the city.

No Difference Between Hamas and ISIS

by | 2036, 1 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

This is the kind of murderous depravity we usually only see in urban America.

A Hamas terrorist told an Israel Securities Authority (ISA) official he and another man shot and killed crying children who were inside a safe room, until the sounds could no longer be heard, while acknowledging he entered the house simply to kill.

 

In a video posted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the Hamas terrorist is seen wearing prison garb while sitting in a chair with an Israeli flag behind him.

 

[…]

 

The ISA official then asked the Hamas terrorist if he entered the house as an order to kill from Hamas, and he nodded.

 

He was also asked what the difference between him and ISIS are, and told the official there was no difference, based on videos he was shown of Hamas spreading terror.

Should Kids Participate in the Naked Bike Ride?

by | 1924, 1 Nov 23 | , | 0 Comments

One thing I’ll point out about the mom who wants her prepubescent daughter to participate in the Naked Bike Ride…. no dad in sight.

The mother of the 10-year-old girl did not attend the hearing, but one of the bike ride’s organizers read a statement she wrote about the incident.

 

“As a parent, it is my responsibility to raise my daughter to be a thoughtful adult who is engaged with her community. The World Naked Bike Ride is a place of empowerment for my daughter and I. We have participated several times, because it is a rare situation where we can exercise freedom over our own bodies and be naked of liability for the behavior of others towards our bodies. I would like to believe that our community values freedom of speech, self-expression, and the right to protest. Those bills would do harm to those freedoms, and as a parent, I must try to preserve those freedoms so my daughter may continue to enjoy them,” according to the mother.

 

Opponents of the bills not only argued on behalf of their freedom of speech. They also claimed the bills would impose dress standards akin to Iran’s decency laws that require full hijabs for women. They said that lawmakers should leave the issue up to local control. They even claimed that the girl participating in the bike ride was up to her parents, and that Republicans should support parents’ right to raise their children how they see fit.

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