"what's that thing a horse wears on their hooves again?"

"a horseshoe."

"bless you."

aaron burr was a brilliant, erratic man with great personal charm-and huge ambition. he served as vice president during jefferson's first term, but the president considered him a dangerous schemer and replaced him for the 1804 election. burr ran for governor of new york instead, but lost. he blamed the defeat on vicious newspaper attacks alexander hamilton had written. when hamilton refused to apologize, burr challenged him to a duel with pistols and fatally wounded him. with a warrant out for his arrest, burr, still vice president, fled west. he was arrested and put on trial for treason in 1807. he was acquitted due to lack of evidence, but he spent the rest of his life in obscurity.

burr and hamilton's duel image

at the end of the spanish-american war, the united states had acquired the philippines and hawaii. this made the nation a major power in the pacific. the navy now needed to find a way to move ships from the west coast to the east coast that was more efficient than going around the tip of south america. the solution was to build a canal — a waterway connecting two bodies of water - across central america to join the atlantic ocean and the pacific ocean.

in 1903, a revolution in panama gave the country its independence from colombia. president roosevelt now had the opportunity he needed to acquire a route for the canal, since the isthmus of panama is the narrowest piece of land in the americas. the u.s. government instantly recognized the new government of panama and signed a treaty that gave the united states a ten-mile-wide "canal zone" in exchange for a fee of $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000.

is the belief that the world was created by god out of nothing, as described in the bible

aka d-day. by the spring of 1944, the countryside of great britain had been transformed into a gigantic armed camp and supply depot. the allies were now prepared for operation overlord. allied troops would cross the english channel and invade occupied france. this would force hitler to fight a two-front war, since the russian allied force was keeping most of the german army busy in eastern europe. over the previous year, the americans and british had gained the upper hand over german u-boats in the atlantic, and their planes had destroyed much of hitler's air force. now the allies faced their greatest challenge – cracking hitler's land defenses in europe.

no longer last in national public education ranking. education week's latest quality counts report card ranks the silver state 50th among the 50 states and the district of columbia. new mexico dropped to 51st.

gaza – the palestinian territory – is blurred. image

an intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. an artist says a hard thing in a simple way.
charles bukowski

one of virginia's outstanding officers and a deeply religious man, jackson proved to be a courageous battlefield leader. in the first battle of the war, an officer declared, "there is jackson, standing like a stone wall!" the nickname stuck. jackson's skillful use of speed and surprise fit perfectly with general lee's strategies.

you only live once

(see: roman abramovich)
(see: mikhail khodorkovsky)
(see: boris berezovsky)

cherry picking is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument relies on the selective use of evidence or examples in order to support a particular conclusion, while ignoring or dismissing evidence or examples that contradict or weaken the argument. this can create a misleading or distorted view of the subject being discussed, as it presents a biased or incomplete picture of the available evidence.

here is an example of an argument that relies on cherry picking:

premise: all democrats are socialists.
example: bernie sanders is a socialist and a democrat.
conclusion: all democrats are socialists.

in this argument, the premise is supported by the example of bernie sanders, who is both a socialist and a democrat. however, this example ignores the fact that there are many other democrats who are not socialists, and therefore does not provide a complete or accurate picture of the relationship between democrats and socialism. as a result, the conclusion of the argument is based on a biased or incomplete view of the evidence.

another example of cherry picking might be:

premise: vaccines are dangerous.
example: some people who have received vaccines have experienced serious side effects.
conclusion: vaccines are dangerous.

in this argument, the premise is supported by the example of some people who have experienced serious side effects after receiving vaccines. however, this example ignores the vast majority of people who have received vaccines without experiencing any serious side effects, and therefore does not provide a complete or accurate picture of the risks and benefits of vaccines. as a result, the conclusion of the argument is based on a biased or incomplete view of the evidence.

in order to avoid cherry picking, it is important to consider all of the available evidence and examples, rather than selectively choosing only those that support a particular conclusion. this can help to ensure that the argument is based on a balanced and accurate view of the evidence, rather than relying on a biased or incomplete picture of the subject being discussed.

formula 1 is the highest class of single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the federation internationale de l'automobile (fia). the world drivers' championship, which became the fia formula one world championship in 1981, has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950.

the name "formula 1" refers to a set of rules to which all participants' cars must conform. these rules cover everything from the cars' dimensions and weight to the engines and tires they use.

the first formula 1 world championship race was held on may 13, 1950, at silverstone circuit in england. the winner of that race was giuseppe farina, driving a alfa romeo 158.

the most successful driver in formula 1 history is michael schumacher, who won seven world championships. he is followed by lewis hamilton, who has won seven world championships as well.

the fastest lap ever recorded in formula 1 was set by juan pablo montoya in 2005. he lapped the circuit gilles villeneuve in montreal, canada, in 1:13.627 seconds.

the most expensive car in formula 1 history is the mercedes-amg petronas f1 w13 e performance. it is valued at around $20 million.

here are some additional information about the first years of formula 1:

– the first formula 1 season consisted of seven races, all held in europe.

– the first non-european race in formula 1 was held in argentina in 1953.

– the first formula 1 world champion was giuseppe farina, who won the title in 1950 and 1951.

– the first formula 1 world championship race to be held in the united states was the indianapolis 500 in 1950.

– the first formula 1 world championship race to be held in monaco was the monaco grand prix in 1950.

zohran mamdani is 34 years old, born in uganda to indian shia muslim parents. he is an organized democratic socialist who supports free childcare and free public transit, as well as women’s and lgbtq rights. he is a vocal pro-palestine activist, a rapper, and he met his syrian cartoonist wife on a dating app. his mother is filmmaker mira nair and his father is marxist scholar mahmood mamdani.

with 50.5% of the vote, mamdani became new york city’s first muslim and first mayor of indian descent. his win challenged donald trump, billionaire donors, business elites, millions of dollars spent against him, islamophobia, and the pro-israel political establishment. his victory suggested that a new kind of politics is possible in the united states.

mira nair met mahmood mamdani in uganda while she was researching material for her film mississippi masala. mahmood had been expelled from uganda in 1972 along with tens of thousands of asian ugandans under idi amin. he later became a leading scholar on colonialism, nationalism, and minority rights. the couple married and lived between countries, and in 1991 they named their son zohran kwame mamdani after ghana’s anti-colonial leader kwame nkrumah.

the family eventually settled in new york after time in south africa. their home became a gathering place for writers, journalists, artists, activists, and academics. zohran grew up surrounded by political debate, creativity, and organizing.

he attended school in new york and studied african studies at bowdoin college. some critics later called him a “nepo baby,” but instead of pursuing a traditional career, he focused on political organizing. he worked with tenant defense groups, socialist organizations, and the palestine movement. he also made music and worked in new york’s cultural world.

in 2017 he joined the democratic socialists of america. he first organized for other candidates, then launched his own campaign.

in 2019, during a period of rising activism and anger at inequality in new york, he ran for city council from astoria, a diverse immigrant neighborhood. his team knocked on tens of thousands of doors and distributed 12,000 iftar meals during ramadan to mobilize muslim voters. he won the democratic primary and took office. in the council he became known for supporting movements, especially the hunger strike by taxi workers trapped under predatory loans.

in 2024 he announced a run for mayor. at first he had only 1% support in polls. he built his campaign through mass organizing. more than 50,000 volunteers canvassed. on some days the campaign reached 150,000 homes.

a central focus was engaging muslim new yorkers, who number over one million but often vote at low rates. mamdani embraced his identity and spoke directly to mosque congregations after friday prayers.

his position on palestine became a central issue. while many political elites in new york support israel, mamdani aligned with working-class people, students, and immigrant communities who were outraged by the war in gaza. he argued that criticizing israel is not antisemitic and called on the city to end certain business ties with israel. progressive jewish activists and a jewish socialist candidate who encouraged voters to rank mamdani as their second choice became crucial to his win in the ranked-choice voting system.

mamdani’s platform focuses on reducing the cost of living. he supports capping rent increases, building more public housing, opening city-run grocery stores to reduce food costs, making buses free, expanding public childcare, and replacing some policing with community-based public safety programs. he plans to fund this by raising taxes slightly on high-income earners and corporations, while also cutting government waste and reducing unnecessary regulation that blocks housing.

his campaign also stood out because of its presentation. his posters used bright colors and large type inspired by new york’s immigrant shop signs and bollywood designs. he communicated in short, direct statements. he spoke with voters who disagreed with him, including trump supporters, and focused on listening and building trust rather than ridicule. his social media strategy reached young voters through short, humorous, clear videos tailored to each platform.

he married syrian artist rama duwaji after meeting her on hinge. when critics mocked their honeymoon in dubai, the couple responded by sharing everyday photos from the new york subway and streets, which strengthened their image of authenticity.

mamdani’s victory is historic for muslim, south asian, arab, african, immigrant, and working-class new yorkers, including taxi drivers, delivery workers, and street vendors who have long been marginalized and surveilled. in a time of rising islamophobia and repression of protest, new york elected a muslim democratic socialist who openly supports palestinian rights.

whether he can accomplish everything he proposes is not yet known. but the meaning of his election is already clear. the name zohran, in persian, refers to something bright like the sun. for many new yorkers, his win feels like the beginning of a new morning.

kdkdkd *