Man and Beaver

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Band of Beavers: That Time America Parachuted Beavers Into Idaho

Ward Clark, RedState:

“If ‘Airborne Beavers’ wasn't on your bingo card for today, well, join the club.

“The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a singular critter. These semi-aquatic rodents are symbolic of ambition and enterprise; there's a reason the term "busy as a beaver" is a thing. After some difficult times during which their fur was prized for, among other things, men's hats, they have rebounded magnificently, now back in and even surpassing their original range.”

…. There are, though, downsides to their resurgence, and that is that their activities in cutting trees and damming streams can cause crop and other property damage. That is what was happening in Idaho in 1948, leading wildlife biologists to try a novel solution: Airborne beavers.

Over the years, Idaho Fish and Game has tried its best to keep beavers safely away from the hustle and bustle. To this end, the agency has experimented with a number of different tactics—but one idea from 1948 really, uh, jumps out.

Back then, Idaho Fish and Game employee Elmo Heter decided that the best place for these beavers would be a remote area called Chamberlain Basin (now part of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area). The habitat would have all the amenities the beavers needed, and would be far away from human activity. Unfortunately, because of its remote location, there were no roads to get there.

The only logical solution? Planes.

“Not just planes. Obviously, you couldn't just toss beavers out of an airplane and hope they hit something soft. No, the enterprising rodents would have to be parachuted into their new homes. Now, the Idaho Fish and Game people had to work out just how this was to be done, and they did so with the help of a hard-headed old male beaver named - of course - Geronimo.”

Apparently, horses and mules were easily spooked by the beavers—the rodents’ constant movement and pungent smell unnerved the pack animals. So Heter decided to try flying the beavers in. This was right after World War II and there was a surplus of parachutes, so the proposed plan re-purposed supplies that would otherwise sit around in storage.

With the help of test beaver Geronimo, Heter created a special wooden box that opened on impact. In total, 76 beavers were dropped in Chamberlain Basin, with all but one surviving. They went on to live fruitful, busy lives in their remote new home.

The story of the furry skydivers may sound too silly to be true, but there is video evidence. Fish and Game historian Sharon Clark found the forgotten footage, and thanks to the magic of the internet, we can all enjoy it today.

“What this piece doesn't mention is that Geronimo was used to test the beaver box not once, but several times; the exact number of jumps Geronimo made is unclear but would certainly qualify him for his jump wings. What's more, Geronimo's last jump was into the Idaho wilderness that would become his home, as well as the other 74 beavers that made the trip. The one fatality, reports indicate, was a beaver that somehow got out of his beaver box in mid-descent and decided to try his luck on his own, which unsurprisingly didn't work out too well.

“Still, 75 of 76 air-dropped beavers is a pretty good record.”

Pending since November, this sale was consummated yesterday and snuck in at the bell

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314 Stanwich Road, purchased new in 2004 for $5.475 million, has resold for $6.450; it began in 2022 at $8.250.

Designed and built by Jay Haverson, I believe, it’s a quality house, and although the lot’s narrow configuration made it necessary to squeeze the house onto it sideways, the views of Frye “Lake” (non-realtors might describe it as a pond) opened it up and kept it from feeling claustrophobic.

Continuing a proud tradition of providing medical advice without fear or favor

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Why Does The Heart Association Favor Subsidizing Cookies, Potato Chips, and Sugary Soda? Guess.

David Strom:

You would be forgiven to assume The American Heart Association would top the list of organizations supporting restricting government subsidies for cookies, potato chips, and sugary drinks. 

You would be wrong. The AHA flew its top lobbyist to Texas to testify against a very simple bill that would restrict SNAP recipients from using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from purchasing these products. After all, the largest percentage of the assistance goes to buying sodas, one of the biggest sources of non-nutritious calories in a child's diet. 

Texas Senate Bill SB 379 is very short and to the point. It doesn't cut benefits, doesn't even restrict most processed foods; it just bans purchases of sugary drinks, candy, cookies, and potato chips using SNAP benefits. And since SNAP is supplemental--intended to increase the amount available to purchase food for lower-income folks, it doesn't even prevent such people from purchasing these products with their own food budget. 

That is what SUPPLEMENTAL means- not the primary source of food resources, but in addition. Supplemental. Get it?

Didn't see that coming, did you? 

Frankly, you shouldn't be surprised. The AHA is part of the "blob," and the blob is all apart ensuring that the current establishment remains fat and happy. It's stated purpose is to promote heart health; its real purpose is to perpetuate a system in which its donors and partners make as much money as possible. 

When I saw that tweet I thought it might have been taken out of context, but I was unsurprised to find out that it covered almost all the testimony, shortened a bit for brevity. I watched the entire thing at the Texas Legislature site--it is very brief, since they limit testimony to two minutes--and the only substantive thing said other than the basic point that sugary foods and drinks are somehow necessary for the nutrition of low income people is a plea to increase overall funding for SNAP. 

After all, the more money, the more crap people can buy. 

You can watch the testimony here, and the AHA testimony begins 2 hours and 51 minutes into the committee hearing. 

I looked up who funds the AHA Nutrition Forum, and as you would guess, it is filled with big food industry corporations including Cargill, PepsiCo, and seed oil companies. And even more troubling is that the VAST majority of Heart Association funding comes from Big Pharma. 

Conflict of interest, much?

You may be disturbed by the fact that a well-respected organization that promotes itself as looking out for heart patients and the rest of us is in hock to big corporations that profit off making us sick, but by now you shouldn't be. 

Nonprofits raise money to solve a problem, right? But if the problem diminishes or goes away, the impulse to pour resources into solving it diminishes. Solving problems is deadly for fundraising, which is why every fundraising letter is about what disaster looms if you don't give. Even when smaller donors are a modest part of the funding, those dollars all add up over time. Especially when groups like the Heart Association encourage you to include them in your will. 

Every single institution of any size in America is likely corrupted because the best way to grow and get ahead is cozying up to big money. No doubt the Heart Association started with good intentions--it may even think it still is driven by good intentions--but once a certain size and influence is reached the need to feed the beast grows so much that "compromises must be made."

No, not the Bee:

Riverside: 7 days, sealed bids, what else is new?

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35 Druid Lane, $2.550 million and going for more. The owners paid $1.850 for it in ‘22 in another bidding war that had begun at $1.650), tidied it up and painted (although they appear to have retained for their rustic appeal the patched roof and crumbling driveway) and are ready to move on. 41.7% appreciation at the asking price, and sure to be more when the dust settles.

(Update: heard from an agent whose clients’ offer of $2.7+ “wasn’t even close” — sheesh. $2.850? Higher? Send in your guesses: winner gets to seal the drive, if not the deal.

2022

Tired of winning yet?

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And, a small step, perhaps, but still welcome, and one we can hope is a harbinger of more to follow:

Second anti-Israel Columbia protester, Leqaa Kordia, arrested by Homeland Security for immigration violations

A second Columbia University protester who took part in anti-Israel demonstrations on campus was nabbed by Homeland Security agents Thursday, sources said.

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian who hails from the West Bank, was first arrested in April 2024 for taking part in one of the protests on Columbia’s campus while overstaying her twice-canceled student visa.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that it’s “a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America” in a statement shared with The Post Friday.

“When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked,” said Noem.

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Kordia first entered the US in 2016 on a tourism visa and obtained a student visa the next year, sources said. But in 2021, the feds terminated her visa for lack of attendance. She then applied to have her revoked visa reinstated and was approved later that year.

But she again failed to attend classes, leading the feds to again terminate her visa in 2022.

Excerpts from three related stories — read them in full, if you’re feeling irrationally exuberant and want a bit of Debbie Downer’s company to bring you to your senses

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From our belwether state, from whence comes all bad trends, this:

California Democrats Expanded Medicaid to Illegal Immigrants and It's Not Going Well

John Sexton, Hot Air:

Just over a year ago, California became the first state in the US to offer Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants. This was actually the final step in a process that Democrats have rolled out over the past decade.

In 2015, undocumented children were able to join Medi-Cal under a bill signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law an expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal access for young adults ages 19 through 25, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Access was then further expanded to allow older adults aged 50 and older to receive full benefits, also regardless of immigration status.

The final expansion going into effect Jan. 1 will make approximately 700,000 undocumented residents between ages 26 and 49 eligible for full coverage, according to California State Sen. María Elena Durazo.

"This historic investment speaks to California's commitment to health care as a human right," Durazo said in a statement in May.

As mentioned, the final step began in January 2024 so we've had just over a year to look at the results. You'll be shocked to learn that this program is turning out to be billions of dollars more expensive than predicted.

…. [T]he $9.5-billion price tag of California’s program is already more than $3 billion above the budget estimate from last summer and is expected to grow even higher. In Sacramento, the governor and Democrats in the state Legislature now are under pressure to reduce coverage to bring down costs during a budget crunch...

The cost estimate to provide coverage to all-income eligible undocumented immigrants was $6.4 billion in the 2024-25 state budget approved last summer, which marked an increase from earlier projections.

In February, the Newsom administration told lawmakers at a budget hearing at the state Capitol that the cost of expanding coverage to all immigrants for the current year had ballooned again from $6.4 billion to $9.5 billion. The California Department of Finance attributed the increase to “higher-than-anticipated enrollment, and higher pharmacy costs.”

So the best estimate last summer turned out to be short $3 billion. Now the Department of Finance is asking for a $3.4 billion loan from the general fund to cover the shortfall. That will cover Medical's shortfall through the end of the month.

California will need to borrow $3.44 billion to close a budget gap in the state’s Medicaid program, Newsom administration officials told lawmakers Wednesday in a letter obtained by POLITICO.

That’s the maximum amount California can borrow, and will only be enough to cover bills for Medi-Cal — the state’s Medicaid program — through the end of the month, Department of Finance spokesperson H.D. Palmer separately told POLITICO.

State Assembly Speaker Rober Rivas has already vowed not to cut benefits for non-citizens.

Next: a blast from the past that lives today:

Biden ran up insane bills before he left the White House — here’s how Trump plans to pay them down

Team Trump is battling not only the Democrats and the stock market, but a huge and unproductive spending spree that Joe Biden unleashed in the final months of his presidency, On The Money has learned.

It was an attempt to goose the economy and the markets — so people could forget Kamala Harris was an empty suit on policy and get her elected last fall.

The good news: It didn’t work for Harris.  

The bad news: The bill is coming due.

During the campaign, whispers of Sleepy Joe’s Harris-related spending spree leaked out of the Trump campaign from time to time. But now that the Trumpers are in the White House, they’re starting to tally it up. 

The numbers are anywhere between $250 billion and $300 billion, depending on how you measure and classify the largesse. Robbert van Batenburg, of the influential Bear Traps market report, says his analysis backs up those estimates. Wall Street executives who delved into the matter say the Bidenistas were able to paper over the spending though the chicanery of rolling over short-term debt instead of issuing longer-dated bonds that would have caused a spike in interest rates, a stock market selloff and probably a recession.

However big the bill, everyone agrees that it’s a lot of money that the bloated federal government doesn’t have. You can’t roll over debt forever because investors get wise to the game and then keep demanding ever higher interest rates to lend the government money.

Team Trump tells On The Money the hole they’re in is large and will take a while to dig out from. They are still rolling over short-term debt because they don’t want to upset the interest rates environment. Meanwhile, they’re banking on the cuts by Elon Musk’s DOGE team to make sure interest rates don’t blow out to levels that could cause a deep recession because of all the debt and spending.

Good luck with that. In the meantime, InstaPundit’s reporting on what I — and the folks at InstaPundit — think is a very bad idea circulating around Washington:

Stepehen Green:

HMM: No Taxes If You Earn Less Than $150k. Donald Trump’s Plan Explained.

Lutnick said on Wednesday that Trump’s aim is to remove taxes for individuals earning less than $150,000 per year. He also outlined the president’s other tax strategies, which include abolishing tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security, and implementing significant reductions to individual and corporate taxes.

Lutnick said that the federal government would counteract massive U.S. tax cuts by implementing tariffs on foreign nations and curbing overseas tax evasion.

He noted that many commercial ships sail under the flags of other nations such as Liberia to avoid U.S. taxation. “All those ships are paying no tax, its a tax scam,” he said.

He added that many U.S. companies hold their intellectual property in Ireland because of its favorable tax regime.

“Ireland has a $60 billion surplus… because our companies drop their IP there. They pay Ireland the money — tax scam,” he said. “How about we end the tax scams.”

“The numbers don’t look like they add up but, even if they do, everybody should have at least a little skin in the game.”

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Yes, everyone should pay taxes and the amount they pay should go up with federal spending.

From the comments:

Rush Limbaugh once said if you want a revolution in this country, eliminate tax withholdings from everyone’s paychecks, so that everyone gets their full salary. Now make them write a check to the government each month (like your rent or mortgage, or a credit card bill) for their taxes.

Everyone loves spending other people’s money, even on other people, just as long as they won’t be responsible for the bills. But it doesn’t work that way, and eventually, the bills cone due.