Archive for June, 2023

Left-wing Democrats Running Roughshod Over Constitutional … – The New York Sun

If you own a business, the leftists in Congress are coming after you. The only thing standing in their way is the American Constitution.

Whether you own a mom-and-pop diner, an auto repair shop or shares in a multinational corporation, your property is at risk.

The Constitutions takings clause was designed to protect us from government grabbing our property without paying fairly for it.

Yet last year, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, they rammed through the Inflation Reduction Act, boasting that it would enable Medicare to negotiate lower prices for medications for seniors.

Negotiate is a lie. Under the new law, government can strong-arm companies to sell their most popular medications at a price Uncle Sam dictates, or be taxed out of existence in a matter of weeks.

On June 6, the pharmaceutical giant Merck sued, claiming the law violates its constitutional rights.

Amen. This lawsuit is a red flag for everyone in America who owns anything or hopes to.

The actual language of the law is breathtakingly coercive, but lets face it, most members of Congress dont bother to read bills before voting on them.

The law says that any company that refuses to sell at the governments price will be hit with a tax that starts at 186 percent of the drugs revenues on Day 1 and is hiked daily until it reaches a ruinous 1,900 percent of revenues not just from government sales but all sales.

That would mean hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes per day.

The company has no escape. Contrast this coercion with price controls in socialist-leaning European countries, where drug companies can decline to sell at the government price.

Merck explains that it will be legally compelled to sell its most valuable products for a fraction of their value, on pain of yet more draconian penalties. This is not negotiation. It is tantamount to extortion.

The law also gags the company from disclosing what Medicare officials say about price negotiations behind closed doors. Worse, the law requires the company to publicly call the price rammed down its throat fair.

Is this even America? Congress limits free speech and requires companies to state things they dont believe.

Mercks lawsuit objects, Our Constitution does not countenance compelled speech in service of state propaganda.

Congress needs a refresher course on the Constitution. The Fifth Amendment bars the government from taking your property without just compensation.

And the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing you to say something against your will. These are the bases of Mercks lawsuit.

The law being challenged is exactly what youd find in George Orwells 1984, a novel depicting socialist despotism. The government dictates the price for your product but calls it a negotiation.

If you refuse, your business is taxed to death overnight. You are gagged from disclosing what is happening and forced to declare the price fair.

If Mercks lawsuit fails, who are the next victims? Auto makers could be forced to sell cars for the federal fleet for $10,000 a piece instead of a fair price.

What about bed sheets for the Army, airplane parts for the Air Force or restaurant meals for government employees?

Mercks lawsuit raises only constitutional issues, but Americans also need to know that price controls on pharmaceuticals could be dangerous to their health.

In countries that cap prices, patients have reduced access to new drugs. Patients in France get only half the new treatments that U.S. patients get, according to University of Chicago economist Tomas Philipson.

Last week, the American Society of Clinical Oncology announced a treatment osimertinib that improves survival by 51 percent for lung cancer patients who have had surgery and face a recurrence.

As a survivor myself, I cut out the article and put it in my desk drawer, hoping I wont need it but glad its a possibility.

Many politicians think vilifying drug companies is good politics. They ignore the devastating impact of price controls on the pipeline for future cures.

This is a legitimate policy debate. But obeying the Constitution is not optional. Congress members swear an oath to it.

Mercks lawsuit is headed to the Supreme Court.

Tell Biden and leftist lawmakers to read the 4,543 words in the Constitution and honor them.

Creators.com

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Left-wing Democrats Running Roughshod Over Constitutional ... - The New York Sun

Tether SEC Action? USDT Selling Floods Liquidity Pools in Wake of … – CCN.com

Tether mints $1 billion in USDT, sparks market fear, CTO explain "it's for chain swaps" | Credit; Shutterstock

Key Takeaways

USDT and minting company Tether come into the spotlight this week for minting a further $1 billion on an Ethereum blockchain. Tether CTO clarified, this amount will be used as inventory for next period issuance requests and chain swaps. Crypto analyst draws worries that USDT might be next in the crosshairs of the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

He claimed, Why not go straight for the jugular and starve crypto of its liquidity..

This recent minting follows the previous mint, which was less than 2 months prior. Tether has minted $16 billion in 2023 alone, while its market capitalization is at $83 billion.

Understandably, the event caught the attention of many stakeholders, nudging company CTO, Paolo Ardoino to explain the move. 1B USDt inventory replenish on Ethereum Network. Note this is a[sic] authorized but not issued transaction, meaning that this amount will be used as inventory for next period issuance requests and chain swaps, tweeted Ardoino.

Chain swaps explained the process of moving crypto tokens from one blockchain to another, enabling users to utilize their tokens on multiple blockchains simultaneously. Ardoino also explained that the $1 billion mint was to make sure theres enough liquidity to enable such chain swaps.

Prior to Adoinos tweet explaining the $1 billion mint, USDT price dipped due to market fears. However, it recovered almost immediately after the CTO explained the situation. Nevertheless, many fear that Tether/USDT might become the SECs next target as the tokens continue to gain popularity in 2023.

At this point, its no secret that the SEC is at a severe war with the crypto industry. Earlier this month, the commission filed thirteen lawsuits against the worlds biggest crypto exchange, Binance, for a number of alleged crimes.

The SEC also filed a lawsuit against Ripple, for allegedly trading in unregistered securities. They even sued Coinbase, the biggest US-based crypto exchange, for allegedly committing the same crime, yet refusing to put proper regulations in place for crypto trading when Coinbase officially requested they do.

More importantly, the SEC is not only going to war against the trade of decentralized tokens, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, but theyre also attempting to remove the legitimacy of stablecoins, as they did with BUSD.

In the documentation for the Binance lawsuits, the SEC specifically said that the exchange violated laws by Binance and BAM Trading with the unregistered offer and sale of Binances own crypto assets, including a so-called exchange token, BNB, a so-called stablecoin, Binance USD (BUSD).

According to Miles Deutscher, a crypto analyst, Tethers USD-tied token USDT makes up 76% of the entire stablecoin market. USDT, a coin that severs itself from the volatility of decentralized tokens, such as Bitcoin by basing its value on the USD while providing digital-based transfer solutions and ease of movement could potentially be the next target for the SECs rampage on crypto.

If youre the SEC and you really want to kill crypto, then your next target would be Tether. Why? 76% of all stablecoins on exchanges is USDT. Why not go straight for the jugular and starve crypto of its liquidity.. tweeted Deutscher

The SEC hasnt just gone for Binance, Coinbase, and Ripple. Other exchanges, such as Kraken and Bittrex, as well as a crypto lending platform called Nexo, have been on the receiving end of the commissions attack on the industry.

The irony is that the basis of many of the SECs allegations are based on the cryptocurrencies that they see as unregulated registers, while, as previously stated, it is the SEC that stands in the way of a proper regulatory reform on crypto.

Coin Metrics co-founder Nic Carter coined the term Operation Chokepoint 2.0, for which he details the issues created by regulators, alleging that they deliberately are destroying the crypto industry to create stricter control on the finance market.

Among the text within the legal petition sent to Washington DC are allegations such as The federal bank regulators are also refusing to perform their non-discretionary duties when doing so will benefit the cryptocurrency industry, as well as Operation Choke Point 2.0 deprives business of their constitutional rights to due process in violation of the Fifth Amendment.

It is well-settled that when a federal agency attaches a derogatory label to an individual or business, and this stigmatizing label causes the business to lose a bank account or broadly precludes them from the pursuit of their chosen trade, the agency has violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, unless if first afforded the individual or business a right to be heard.

Carter even tweeted I dont want to alarm, but since the turn of the year, a new Operation Choke Point type operation began targeting the crypto space in the US. it is a well-coordinated effort to marginalize the industry and cut of [sic] its connectivity to the banking system and its working.

Being the most popular stablecoin out there, USDT, created by Tether is considered the flagship of USD-based stablecoins. And, while many worry about the volatility of decentralized tokens such as Bitcoin, stablecoins provide a safe way to bridge the gap between crypto and fiat currencies.

Should the SEC go after Tether and USDT, a significant trade sum would be forced into a halt, potentially starving the market of fiat value, and consequently affecting the lives of many crypto-based businesses.

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Tether SEC Action? USDT Selling Floods Liquidity Pools in Wake of ... - CCN.com

Stars On Mars’ Tom Schwartz Miraculously Survived Another Week … – CinemaBlend

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stars On Mars episode "Water Crisis." Read at your own risk!

Tom Schwartz admitted during the latest Stars On Mars episode that he joined the show to take a break from the drama in his life, which included a pretty messy and public divorce. Schwartz has managed to escape the controversy that partly revolved around his kiss with Raquel Leviss, but given his latest performance in the show, he may be on his way back to Earth and that intense Vanderpump Rules reunion pretty soon. This revelation came after Schwartz miraculously survived another week in the Mars colony after flubbing a mission that would've ruined an actual space exploration.

The episode bid farewell to Tallulah Willis after the team decided the failure of the mission ultimately fell on her inability to lead and ensure its success. Tom Schwartz got off pretty easy in my opinion, and I can't imagine he'll survive another week if he makes a blunder quite as bad as he did in the latest episode.

The Stars On Mars crew was tasked with obtaining more water after losing access to the supply they had. Tom Schwartz was initially given the job of traveling into a cave with others to help hold a tarp and extract water but swapped duties with actress Ariel Winter at the last minute. She went into the cave while Schwartz stayed above ground with Marshawn Lynch to help fill and count the barrels being filled with water.

With six minutes left in the challenge, Tom Schwartz informed the team they had three and a half containers filled of the four they needed to complete the mission. Shortly after that announcement, a pipe became disconnected, and the team struggled to reconnect it immediately. Once the pipe was finally reconnected, Schwartz jumped on to explain that he had miscounted, and they had only filled two and a half containers. Time ran out, and the mission failed.

Ultimately there are a few reasons the challenge failed. Quite frankly, Tom Schwartz and Ariel Winter shouldn't have swapped roles, as his strength was needed more than his counting ability. Had he been down there to fix the pipe, it might've been connected faster, and Winter could've delivered an accurate count of containers filled and put more pressure on the team to work faster. Schwartz accepted responsibility for his part of the mission failing and found himself in the bottom three for elimination. As mentioned, he survived the elimination, but readers can revisit the episode with their Hulu subscription and make their own judgments on whether that was earned.

Stars On Mars' latest episode was another poor outing for Tom Schwartz, who only just barely escaped elimination the week prior. Christopher Mintz-Plasse took the fall on that one, but one could make the argument that the only thing that separated his effort from Schwartz's was Marshawn Lynch calling the former McLovin. Mistaking two filled barrels for three is a rough look, and it has me wondering if Schwartz is really present during these challenges on the Fox competition.

If he isn't, that's completely understandable, but I'd love for the other Stars On Mars contestants to pick up on that. He's arguably been the least mission-critical member two weeks in a row now, and if he lands there again in the upcoming episode, I don't really think anyone can justify keeping him another week.

Stars On Mars airs on Fox on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's one of many must-watch shows popping up in the month of June, so be sure to stay ahead of the game by peeping CinemaBlend's 2023 TV schedule to see what's around the corner.

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Stars On Mars' Tom Schwartz Miraculously Survived Another Week ... - CinemaBlend

They’ve discovered a method to colonize Mars: through … – Nates’s Crest

Mars is one of Earths neighboring planetswith Venus. This star has, for years, been the object of study by various European agencies, as signs of past life may be found there or even a new opportunity to establish a human colony there.

Therefore, the NASA is already preparing missions to the Red Planet Also, other organizations such as the European Space Agency are investigating how life might be possible there. In a new study, researchers at the University of Warwick have explored how the Red Planet can harness solar energy.

With this power, the Plant photosynthesis on Mars. In addition, space travel will be more stable and will require it Less storage space and less cost. Scientists have tested a new technique to achieve this using renewable green energy.

They take advantage of plants photosynthesis To generate energyThey are their mouse study, published in the journal Nature Communications. Theyll do it on the Moon and Mars using semiconductors that absorb and store light.

These are Artificial Photosynthetic Devices They undergo the same processes that keep plants alive on Earth: using only sunlight to convert water into oxygen. Meanwhile, they recycle carbon dioxide.

Considering the future, this energy, if installed on the Moon or Mars, can Helps boost rockets or to complement the astronauts systems Produces oxygen This allows you to breathe properly. Other chemical products may also be formed, which are illustrative University of Warwick.

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They've discovered a method to colonize Mars: through ... - Nates's Crest

Cellular Agriculture in Space: Feeding Astronauts and Colonizing … – CityLife

Cellular Agriculture in Space: Feeding Astronauts and Colonizing Mars

Cellular agriculture, a rapidly growing field that uses biotechnology to produce animal products without the need for traditional farming, has the potential to revolutionize not only the way we produce food on Earth but also how we feed astronauts and colonize other planets, such as Mars. As the global population continues to grow and the demand for sustainable food sources increases, cellular agriculture offers a promising solution to meet these challenges. Moreover, the ability to produce food in space could significantly reduce the cost and complexity of long-duration space missions and enable the establishment of permanent human settlements on other celestial bodies.

One of the main challenges of space travel and colonization is providing a sustainable and nutritious food supply for astronauts. Currently, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) rely on pre-packaged meals that are shipped from Earth, which is both expensive and resource-intensive. Furthermore, these meals have a limited shelf life and may not provide all the necessary nutrients for long-duration missions, such as a trip to Mars. Cellular agriculture offers a potential solution to this problem by allowing astronauts to produce fresh food in space, reducing the need for resupply missions and improving the overall health and well-being of space travelers.

Several companies and research institutions are already working on developing cellular agriculture technologies for space applications. For example, Aleph Farms, an Israeli startup, successfully produced the first lab-grown meat in space in 2019. The company used a 3D bioprinter to create a small piece of muscle tissue from bovine cells aboard the ISS, demonstrating the feasibility of producing meat in microgravity conditions. This achievement marked a significant milestone in the development of sustainable food sources for space missions and future Mars colonies.

In addition to meat, cellular agriculture can also be used to produce other animal products, such as milk and eggs, as well as plant-based foods. Researchers at Penn State University are developing a method to produce nutritious and edible cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, using only water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. This process, called biomanufacturing, could provide a sustainable source of protein and other essential nutrients for astronauts on long-duration missions or living in extraterrestrial habitats.

Another advantage of cellular agriculture in space is its potential to reduce the environmental impact of food production. Traditional livestock farming is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution. By producing animal products without the need for large-scale farming, cellular agriculture could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of food production. This is particularly important for Mars colonization, as the planets limited resources and harsh environment make traditional agriculture challenging, if not impossible.

Moreover, cellular agriculture technologies could also contribute to the development of life support systems for space habitats. For instance, the waste products generated by cellular agriculture processes, such as carbon dioxide and water, could be recycled and used to support plant growth in hydroponic or aeroponic systems. This closed-loop approach would minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency, which is crucial for the sustainability of extraterrestrial settlements.

In conclusion, cellular agriculture holds great promise for addressing the challenges of feeding astronauts and colonizing Mars. By enabling the production of fresh, nutritious food in space, this innovative technology could reduce the reliance on Earth-based resupply missions, improve the health and well-being of space travelers, and pave the way for the establishment of permanent human settlements on other planets. Furthermore, the environmental benefits of cellular agriculture make it an attractive solution for sustainable food production on Earth and beyond. As research and development in this field continue to advance, the dream of a self-sustaining Mars colony may soon become a reality.

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Cellular Agriculture in Space: Feeding Astronauts and Colonizing ... - CityLife