Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, June 18. 2025

Wednesday morning links

Blue States Used to Lead in Education. Not Anymore


TV Networks Face Advertising Apocalypse After Trump Admin Mulls Pharma Restrictions


Wednesday Potpourri


As Deportations Rise, The U.S. Is On Track For The Lowest Murder Rate On Record


Death to Iran’s Regime


Downfall of the ayatollahs?


‘They strike, we dance’ — Iranians damn the regime amid Israeli barrage

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 07:30 | Comments (14) | Trackbacks (0)

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re TV Networks Face Advertising Apocalypse After Trump Admin Mulls Pharma Restrictions

I think "Apocalypse" is a little too strong a word here. If prescription drug ads are banned, a big IF, other advertisers will fill the gap left by the drug ads. However, they may do so at a lower advertising rate than the drug companies. Any revenue loss would hurt, but the networks won't lose 100% of that advertising revenue.
#1 feeblemind on 2025-06-18 09:50 (Reply)
Israel Buys Itself, the World, and Iranians More Time

The lessons we should be learning from the Israel/Iran war.

https://cdrsalamander.substack.com/p/israel-buys-itself-the-world-and
#2 feeblemind on 2025-06-18 09:53 (Reply)
re Downfall of the ayatollahs?

We are now looking at the final days of Iran's theocracy, which is likely to collapse by the end of the week; one week after Israel began military action.

Wow. That's quite a prediction.

If it does come true and IF a successor regime is not interested in continuing Iran's proxy war against Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis could lose almost all their capacity to make trouble for Israel, for the near term, at least.
#3 feeblemind on 2025-06-18 10:34 (Reply)
I think "near term" is the operative phrase. There's money and status in opposing Israel, so ways will be found. Yet it is likely to be a significant turnover in who is calling the shots, and not just in Iran.
#3.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2025-06-18 11:10 (Reply)
The Advertising Apocolypse link is for Zero Hedge. After reading through the comments of this article I skimmed a few others to see if they're all the same. Do they have a policy of nutters only?

It's all anti-Israel, anti-vaccines, Trump is controlled by the Jews whackadoos. It's like RFK Jr and Tucker Carlson had a baby that went on a 10 day meth bender. I can't tell if it's real or fake, but I would stay away from Zero Hedge.
#4 jack walter on 2025-06-18 11:48 (Reply)
QUOTE:
Blue States Used to Lead in Education. Not Anymore

While some Red States have shown improvement, the overall picture is somewhat mixed. For instance, with eighth grade reading, New England and the Upper Midwest tend above average, while the South is tend below average.
#5 Zachriel on 2025-06-18 12:24 (Reply)
For instance, with eighth grade reading, New England and the Upper Midwest tend above average, while the South is tend below average.
Some years back, Iowahawk noted that while Texas NAEP scores were lower than those of Wisconsin, Blacks in Texas outscored Blacks in Wisconsin. Similarly, Hispanics in Texas outscored Hispanics in Wisconsin. Last I checked, that disparity still held.

Mississippi is 36% black; Massachusetts is 8% black. No doubt about it, Lexington or Belmont in MA are going to outscore Jackson MI. When NAEP scores are adjusted to compare students of similar demographics, the picture changes.
States’ Demographically Adjusted Performance on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress

2024 NAEP scores adjusted for Demographics
QUOTE:
Massachusetts 266
Louisiana 265.1
Georgia 263.4
Mississippi 263.2
Illinois 261.8
Massachusetts is on top. Three of the top 5 states in 8th grade reading scores, after adjusting for demographics, are in the Deep South.
#5.1 Gringo on 2025-06-18 15:12 (Reply)
The rankings are for 2024 8th grade reading.
#5.1.1 Gringo on 2025-06-18 16:38 (Reply)
That piqued our curiosity.

Using your linked demographically adjusted Reading scores for 2024, the states that voted for Trump had an average 8th Grade reading score of 255.2, while states that voted for Harris had an average of score of 255.6. If we use the 2020 election to define Red and Blue, Red states score 255.0 and Blue States score 255.7.

What is of note is how much improvement has been seen in a few southern states, such as Mississippi.
#5.1.2 Zachriel on 2025-06-18 16:52 (Reply)
Chart of demographically-adjusted reading scores for 2024
#5.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2025-06-18 16:59 (Reply)
Oh. There's a slight glimmer of recognition there. Amazing. To make an accurate comparison, one would also need to control for income and single parent, two parent, intact two biological parents. Such efforts have been made, and they make the red state performance more impressive and blue state performance less impressive. Mass. performance is rather pathetic.

The disparity is entirely a result of the fact that progressivism is a harmful, backwards ersatz religion that fails everywhere.

That is one of the things I was referencing in my reply to you yesterday.
#5.1.2.2 James on 2025-06-18 17:31 (Reply)
James: To make an accurate comparison, one would also need to control for income and single parent, two parent, intact two biological parents.

Did you read the link provided? It adjusts for "gender, age, and race or ethnicity and have the same free and reduced-price lunch receipt status, special education status, and English language learner status". Poverty often correlates with these factors.

James: The disparity is entirely a result of the fact that progressivism is a harmful, backwards ersatz religion that fails everywhere.

And yet, Blue states have generally higher income and higher educational outcomes.

Adjusting educational attainment data for poverty and other social factors, assumes that they are independent of educational attainment. But if, as you suggest, state policies exacerbate these social problems, then adjusting for them covers up the problem rather than reveals it.
#5.1.2.2.1 Zachriel on 2025-06-18 17:58 (Reply)
Adjusting educational attainment data for poverty and other social factors, assumes that they are independent of educational attainment social policies that may exacerbate these social factors. "Sure. We drove everyone into poverty, but they do as well in school as the much smaller number of poor in other states."
#5.1.2.2.1.1 Zachriel on 2025-06-18 18:03 (Reply)
If the risk of nuclear war were to suddenly increase would your government tell you? No! Of course they wouldn't, the result would be chaotic and not useful to protecting our country. If Russia or any nuclear power launched nuclear missiles or other nuclear delivery systems would your government tell you? No! Maybe! but if they did it would be too late. Nuclear missiles can reach U.S. targets in under 30 minutes so likely the government would be too busy to give the civilian population notice and it is also likely that any automated system that "might" give notice would have a built in delay that could be 20 minutes to a few hours. Laughable, huh? So how would you know if our country suddenly went to Defcon 1 or 2? Most likely you wouldn't know for hours to days. So we are just sitting ducks? Yes! There will be signs like our president declaring everyone should leave a country like Iran or Israel. (He did!) Or the doomsday plane flying into Washington. It did!) Or maybe your son or spouse in the military doesn't call and you can't connect with him. Or worse they call and tell you to take the kids to your mothers house in Idaho...
#6 LA Dave on 2025-06-18 15:31 (Reply)

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