The Widow in the Woods: Part 14

Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart and New York Times columnist David Brooks recapped the Democratic National Convention on Friday’s PBS News Hour by contrasting its “jubilation” and “patriotism” with the “hate” that came out of the RNC’s “weighted blanket.” Host Amna Nawaz began with Capehart, “The Democrats spent rallying behind their ticket and rolling them out to the nation. What stood out to you from those days?”     Capehart gushed, “The jubilation and relief. There were people who were dreading the convention coming up, and then once the change in the top of the ticket came, you started hearing about people from all over the country trying to figure out how they could get tickets to get inside the hall.” Contrasting the two conventions, he continued, “People wanted to be there. People wanted to be a part of it. And the jubilation is also around a candidate and around a party that is — like, people are hungry. I think they're exhausted by all the negativity and the hate and the heaviness, and they want to be joyful in solving the country's problems, and so over four days, whereas in Milwaukee, every night I felt like when we left the set, I was — like a weighted blanket. Four days in Chicago is a completely different experience.” He concluded by declaring, “And so I think Democrats are — they are happy, they're excited, and I think they have rocketed out of Chicago ready, willing, and able to push Kamala Harris over the finish line.” Capehart is the liberal half of Brooks and Capehart, so such comments were not surprising. However, Brooks agreed, “Yeah, well, certainly the emotional change in the Democratic Party is as stark as it's possible to imagine.” He also praised the DNC as better than the RNC: But if you look at the two parties, the two conventions, I'd say the Republicans doubled down on their core story, and the Democrats expanded their story. And so, by doubling down, I mean, their core story is the elites have betrayed us, we're going to build a working-class army to overthrow the system, and picking JD Vance just doubles down on that story. And then having Dana White and Hulk Hogan and all that, that's just like, yes, this is our story and this is who we're going for, but it's like 46 percent of the country. Democrats had more than their fair share of celebrity speakers and performers too, but Brooks still tried to argue, “If you had stereotypes about the Democrats, this convention did not fit them. The vice presidential candidate is shown hunting. There's a bunch of football players lined up on stage. There's a bunch of military people showing up on stage. There's as much patriotism as you can possibly imagine.” Hunting does not negate the fact that Tim Walz is still further left than the vast majority of the country. Still, Brooks ended by adding, “She describes American foreign policy in a pretty hawkish way, and so expanding. And so, I don't know if it'll work. And it may be — and the mood of the country may be dark, and that would be good for Trump. But — or as Jonathan says, maybe we're just a little tired of dark and we want a vibe shift and so I thought both — I thought, in general, if you got a core story, you need to expand to win a majority. And so I thought Harris was a little smarter.” Are Brooks and Capehart really “a little tired of dark” if they forecast nothing but doom and gloom if Republicans win? Here is a transcript for the August 23 show: PBS News Hour 8/23/2024 7:31 PM ET AMNA NAWAZ: Okay, so for anyone who was not watching every hour of the conventions with us, although I can't imagine why you wouldn't have been, I just want to get your big takeaways here. From the last four days, Jonathan, that the Democrats spent rallying behind their ticket and rolling them out to the nation. What stood out to you from those days? JONATHAN CAPEHART: The jubilation and relief. There were people who were dreading the convention coming up, and then once the change in the top of the ticket came, you started hearing about people from all over the country trying to figure out how they could get tickets to get inside the hall. People wanted to be there. People wanted to be a part of it. And the jubilation is also around a candidate and around a party that is — like, people are hungry. I think they're exhausted by all the negativity and the hate and the heaviness, and they want to be joyful in solving the country's problems, and so over four days, whereas in Milwaukee, every night I felt like when we left the set, I was — like a weighted blanket. Four days in Chicago is a completely different experience. And so I think Democrats are — they are happy, they're excited, and I think they have rocketed out of Chicago ready, willing, and able to push Kamala Harris over the finish line. NAWAZ: What about you, David? Do you get that same sense? DAVID BROOKS: Yeah, well, certainly the emotional change in the Democratic Party is as stark as it's possible to imagine. But if you look at the two parties, the two conventions, I'd say the Republicans doubled down on their core story, and the Democrats expanded their story. And so, by doubling down, I mean, their core story is the elites have betrayed us, we're going to build a working-class army to overthrow the system, and picking JD Vance just doubles down on that story. And then having Dana White and Hulk Hogan and all that, that's just like, yes, this is our story and this is who we're going for. But it's like 46 percent of the country. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, I mean, it was not your — like, if you had stereotypes about the Democrats, this convention did not fit them. The vice presidential candidate is shown hunting. There's a bunch of football players lined up on stage. There's a bunch of military people showing up on stage. There's as much patriotism as you can possibly imagine. She describes American foreign policy in a pretty hawkish way, and so expanding. And so, I don't know if it'll work. And it may be — and the mood of the country may be dark, and that would be good for Trump. But — or as Jonathan says, maybe we're just a little tired of dark and we want a vibe shift. And so I thought both — I thought, in general, if you got a core story, you need to expand to win a majority. And so I thought Harris was a little smarter.

The term “democratization” typically evokes the ideals of freedom and the process of a government transitioning from authoritarianism to democracy. Today, however, we also use democratization in finance to describe reducing barriers to enter certain markets or activities. Although financial democratization appears to grant more people access to markets, it can also come at the cost of personal freedom, privacy, and property rights. While democratization of markets may sound benevolent, it is the path toward owning nothing tangible in the real world. A search for “democratization” on the World Economic Forum’s website reveals that everything — from tangible goods to intangible concepts — is being democratized through dematerialization. This process includes physical goods, precious metals, capital markets, cryptocurrencies, deepfake applications, media content, travel, computing, digital connectivity, access to technology, skills, growth — even the sky. Let’s focus on the “tokenization” of assets. Democratization of assets occurs through the process of tokenization. Essentially, tokenization dematerializes physical assets into digital assets (tokens) so they can be exchanged on a blockchain. Tokenized physical assets, such as real estate or art, are called real-world assets. Tokenized securities are called digital asset securities. When a real-world asset like a painting is tokenized, it exists in two forms: its original physical form and a newly created digital “twin,” called a token, which resides on a blockchain. Each token is linked to a “smart contract,” which details the asset’s fair value, ownership, and other attributes. Smart contracts contain code that instructs the blockchain to perform specific functions, such as buying or selling under certain conditions. As a result, even though the painting never leaves its physical location, it can still be instantly bought or traded multiple times on the blockchain. Tokenization aims to make markets more accessible by turning physical assets into liquid forms, similar to cash, which allows more people to participate in capital markets. Once assets are liquid, they can be used to buy and sell fractional shares of a real-world asset or digital security. Fractional ownership means purchasing a portion of the entire asset or stock. To be clear, fractional ownership of a real-world asset does not equate to true ownership. For example, you cannot physically hang your portion of a painting in your home. When you purchase fractional shares in a painting, you are essentially buying an “interest” in its future value, not the physical asset itself. While democratization of markets may sound benevolent, it is the path toward owning nothing tangible in the real world. DTCC Digital Assets, a division of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation — one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions and a leading advocate for tokenization — claims that digital securities have similar functions and rights as traditional securities. While this might sound reassuring to some, the reality is that our property rights to investment securities have already been completely subverted by covert changes to the Uniform Commercial Code, a set of state laws governing commercial transactions in the United States. Banking lobbyists and their allies largely drove the amendment of UCC Article 8 — which governs investment securities — by all 50 states 30 years ago. These changes revoked investors’ fundamental property rights to their securities, replacing them with a “security entitlement,” which is essentially just a contract for the securities that most investors believe they own. Now, legal ownership rights to traditional securities typically belong to the Depository Trust Company, a subsidiary of the DTCC, which holds approximately $87 trillion worth of pooled securities in trust for securities brokers and other financial institutions. Under this new arrangement, “entitlement holders” are treated as unsecured creditors rather than property owners. The “secured creditors” are the too-big-to-fail financial institutions to which securities brokers have pledged investors’ assets as collateral for loans and derivatives. In other words, if a securities broker or the DTC/DTCC goes bankrupt, their creditors — primarily the world’s largest banks — have priority over the securities that investors believe they own. When it comes to asset tokenization, the goal of the DTCC and other financial giants is to undermine our property rights to tangible assets, just as they have done with investment securities. Purchasers of tokenized real-world assets own an “interest” in the assets, similar to how securities buyers own “entitlements” to the securities. These “interests” and “entitlements” are intangible to individuals but provide tangible wealth-building opportunities for secured creditors. The dematerialization and tokenization of real-world assets could easily enable powerful financial institutions to take ownership of those assets. This is because the newly tokenized assets would reside on a blockchain centrally controlled by those same institutions, such as the immensely powerful DTCC. Suppose an individual wants to buy shares in the stock market but lacks the cash. After tokenizing his real-world assets — such as his house, car, and fractional “ownership” of a painting — these assets would reside in digital form on a blockchain. If his house and car are collateral for a tokenized mortgage and auto loan, the banks could continue leveraging them in the derivative market, as they do in the pre-tokenization world. This would allow the individual to enter the stock market by using his tokenized painting as collateral in a margin account. The individual’s shares would then become digital asset securities exchanged on a blockchain. This blockchain would likely be centrally administered by a powerful financial institution, such as DTCC Digital Assets, which is devoted to “establishing an industry-wide digital asset ecosystem to drive acceptance of tokenized assets.” Since this individual’s RWA tokens would serve as collateral for his margin account, his broker could use these tokenized real-world assets for its own trading purposes in derivative markets, likely on DTCC Digital Assets’ blockchain. In this scenario, the individual’s real-world and digital assets would be under DTCC’s control and possession in the derivatives complex. If the individual’s broker or DTCC Digital Assets became insolvent during an economic crisis, their creditors would gain ownership of the individual’s shares and tokenized real-world assets, just as creditors currently do with securities under UCC Article 8. While this “democratization” of financial markets claims to benefit participants, it simultaneously strips individuals of their rights to their property, representing the ultimate bait and switch. That doesn’t seem like a trade worth making.

How Much of This Harris Speech Viewership was Fueled by Media Hyping DNC 'Special Guest' Rumors?

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after he was hospitalized with West Nile virus, a disease spread through the bite of infected mosquitos.

Cajun Rice is super flavorful from the combination of bell peppers, red onion, and a hint of smokiness from the Cajun seasoning! SIMPLE FLAVORFUL RICE RECIPE You can not go wrong with this easy and delicious Cajun Rice. With just a few pantry staple ingredients and only 45 minutes (most of which is just the time it takes for the rice to soak up the broth) you can enjoy some of this rice too! This tasty rice can go with just about anything which makes this a go-to recipe for me. I love bulking it out a bit with veggies and chicken, or tossing some in my favorite Stuffed Peppers. So many options for this affordable side dish! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:  Is this Cajun Rice recipe spicy? I do not think so and I am pretty sensitive to spice. Cajun rice has a mild to very moderate spice level. If you prefer a milder dish, reduce the amount of seasoning. Can I make this spicier? If you prefer a spicier dish, add some cayenne pepper and/or a dash of hot sauce. Do I need to rinse the rice first? I’m gonna let y’all in on a little secret, I never rinse rice. I know some people swear by it but I just never have and my rice always turns out the perfect texture. However, if you are used to rinsing your rice, then I am not judging. You do what you prefer and are use to doing – you don’t need my permission. I’m not your Mom, right? What protein can I add? Stir in some cooked sausage, shrimp, or chicken for a heartier meal. Any of these would be incredible with this flavorful rice. I would use already cooked meats. Add them in at the end just to warm up. What other vegetables can I add to this rice? Feel free to add other vegetables like celery, tomatoes, or corn to bulk this rice out a bit more. What to serve with Cajun Rice? Cajun rice pairs perfectly with grilled meats, seafood, or a fresh green salad. It’s also great as a filling for stuffed peppers or as a base for a rice bowl with your favorite toppings. Can I use brown rice instead? Yes, you can substitute brown rice for white rice. Keep in mind that brown rice requires a longer cooking time and more liquid. Adjust the chicken broth to 4 cups and increase the simmering time to about 40-45 minutes. Can I make Cajun Rice in a rice cooker? Yes, you can prepare Cajun rice in a rice cooker. Follow the instructions for sautéing the vegetables in a pan, then transfer everything to the rice cooker. Add the rice, seasoning, and broth, and cook according to your rice cooker’s white rice setting. How to store leftover Cajun Rice and reheat it later? Store any leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Cajun rice can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in a skillet over medium heat until heated through. INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) olive oil medium green bell pepper– I prefer green pepper over all the other peppers but I know some people don’t like green peppers, so use what you like. medium red onion – I like the red onion for color. It adds to the color of the rice but having said that, you could also use a sweet yellow onion. low-sodium chicken broth – the cajun seasoning has salt in it already so this is why I suggest low sodium chicken broth. You can always add more salt to your taste but you can’t take it out. Saltiness is very subjective so this will help you control that. You could use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth if you need to keep this vegetarian. Cajun seasoning– wondering what’s actually in cajun seasoning? Well, it typically includes a blend of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, white pepper, thyme, oregano, and sometimes salt. You can make your own or use a store-bought mix. long-grain white rice – this is not the recipe to use the quick cooking rice or Minute Rice so please do not substitute. See another option in the FAQ section. HOW TO MAKE CAJUN RICE In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced green bell pepper and red onion. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, spices and broth. Stir the mixture and bring it to a boil Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet or pot with a lid and let the rice simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. CRAVING MORE RECIPES?  Old-Fashioned Dirty Rice Red Beans and Rice Smoked Cajun Smashed Potatoes Crock Pot Shrimp Boil Buttery Creole Shrimp Chicken Étouffée Shrimp and Grits Louisianan Jambalaya Shrimp Po Boys Southern Shrimp Gumbo Southern Fried Shrimp Shrimp Étouffée Instant Pot Dirty Rice Taco Rice Print Cajun Rice Cajun Rice is super flavorful from the combination of bell peppers, red onion, and a hint of smokiness from the Cajun seasoning! Course Side DishCuisine American Prep Time 15 minutes minutesCook Time 30 minutes minutesTotal Time 45 minutes minutes Servings 4 Calories 371kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook Ingredients2 Tablespoons olive oil1 medium green bell pepper seeded and diced1 medium red onion diced3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon black pepper1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning1 ½ cups long-grain white rice InstructionsIn a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.Add the diced green bell pepper and red onion. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, spices and broth. Stir the mixture and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet or pot with a lid and let the rice simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. Notes Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. NutritionCalories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 650mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

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