Brane Space

Thursday, October 29, 2026

This Brewer Fan Could Have Told The Rays Their 12th Inning Game 4 Win Was A Fluke

Brewer catcher Contrera and MVP Trophy after Milwaukee Series win

Brewers celebrate championship right after beating Rays last night
Glum Tampa Bay Rays after losing 4-1 to Brewers last night

It was no surprise to this long time (57 yrs.) Brewers’ fan that the Tampa Bay Rays jumped for joy too soon following the shocking Brewers' 4-3, loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night, Oct. 27. The Rays (and their fans) really needed to process that the 12^th inning collapse was a fluke, set up by Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy - over thinking his choice of relief pitcher for the Rays half of the 12^th.

No kidding. True, this was a bloody hard loss, almost as bad as the game 7 Brewer loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 Series, after taking a 3-1 lead into the 6^th inning. Without the relief power of Rollie Fingers – out from a pitching arm injury – the Brew Crew lost 6-3 to the %#$!* Cards. The pain stayed with Brewers’ fans for 44 years.

So yeah, we know how it is when a World Series championship is dangled in front of you, only to be snatched away. The sad and of this game truly was champagne showers fading into cold showers. But Rays’ fans needed to grasp why their Game 4 win was a fluke.

For one thing, the reliever – Shane Drohan- was a raw rookie. And obviously not the optimum choice to get the 3 outs to close the game. In fact I winced as the guy gave up 4 consecutive singles, to say he was not sharp is an understatement. Indeed, Drohan had pitched only once in the past month.

The guy to put in there was therefore ‘the Miz’ (Jacob Misiorowski )– to nail those last three outs with a Brewer lead. But Murphy told a Milwaukee reporter after the game:

“You can’t blow that type of situation on a one-run lead on the road. If we were in the 13th inning and had a three-run lead, it might be a little different.”

Are you f-ing kidding me? You blew the situation by opting to use a raw, rusty rook out of his depth! Then, before that move, using relief ace Trevor Megill for only one out to complete the eighth inning. He ought to have used him at least for another full inning before going to Aaron Ashby.

With the Megill mess-up and Ashby’s speed below 95 mph, Miz was the obvious next choice using his 100+ mph heaters to shut the last 3 Rays down. But for some odd reason pitching his ace with a one-run lead in the 12th inning was not a risk Murphy was willing to take. So instead he opted for the risk of a rookie reliever in Drohan whose history of bad pitches were known. To wit, Drohan got to two strikes on each of the first three Rays hitters he faced, but then couldn’t generate the final 3^rd strike swings and misses. Instead leaning heavily on his sinker, which opponents hit .364 and slugged .568 against.

The whole sad ending was totally predictable, and using Miz would have been a 180 degree different outcome. I was sure of it.

But hey, Miz was left to finish the job in Game Five and he did, hurling 5 2/3 shutout innings. The Brew Crew offense also came through to support him with timely hits, staking him to a 2-0 lead early, then 4-0 three innings later.

The backstory of the lousing relief needs to be mentioned for the benefit of the Rays and their fans, namely that Tuesday night’s win was purely a delusion. Also Series’ history. 25 teams have taken a 3-0 lead in the World Series and 21 finished with a sweep. But the remaining 4 needed only an extra game to reach the championship – like the Brewers did last night.

Lastly, as a long time (72 year) Milwaukee baseball fan, as I’ve been waiting 69 years since the Milwaukee Braves beat the NY Yankees in the 1957 Series, 4 game to 3. Pitcher Lew Burdette beating the Yanks 3 times. See e.g.

1957 WS Gm7: Braves defeat Yankees to win 1957 WS | 10/10/1957 | MLB.com

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Do We Really Want Mice Running Around With Human Brain Cells Embedded In Their Gray Matter?

Artist conception of human to mouse brain cell transfer

Cross-section of mouse brain - human parts in red & green

The recent news from NPR.org that a team at Stanford has created mice whose brains are partly human was nothing short of appalling. I mean, have we now tired of trials to bring dinosaurs, wooly mammoths and ancient viruses back to life? Well good! But that's no reason to now venture into another verboten territory: transplanting human brain cells into mice! What good is that? Oh righto, "the research could be life-saving because it provides us access to human brain function that would be very difficult to stud otherwise." Uh, ever heard of PET scans, EEGs etc.?

No, it's far more dramatic to go this route - involving another mammal species - to discover how human brain cells function in a mouse neural environment. But, what if the result is unintended? Say hyper-intelligent rodents that think like humans?

I am thinking here of the mouse named Algernon in the science fiction movie 'Charly'. The story of a retarded man (played by Cliff Robertson) who undergoes an experimental brain surgery to enhance his IQ to the level of a veritable rocket scientist - or neuro -scientist. Early in the film the mouse is totally able to put him away in a complex miniature maze, and he is shamed by repeated defeats at the hands of 'Algernon'. Even after the surgery, Charly must struggle to get as adept as Algernon is in racing to the end of the maze, but, of course, he finally is.

But what if a human-brain engineered mouse - say from Stanford's experiments - in "xenocortificatIon" - is created that's never been beaten in a similar maze race? Do we say 'Uh oh' and then just kill it? Leading to the assorted "ethical concerns" lead researcher Sergiu Pasca's work raises. So concerned was he that last year he convened a symposium of 70 scientists, ethicists, patient advocates, on the need to do oversight.

The results:

Decentralized International Oversight: The participants called for a flexible, internationally aligned oversight infrastructure. This framework is designed to respect regional and cultural differences while continuously evolving alongside rapid advancements in the science.
A Balanced Approach to Regulation: Patient advocates at the meeting strongly emphasized that while rigorous oversight is necessary for public confidence, new guidelines must not slow down medical research aimed at finding cures for devastating psychiatric and neurological conditions.
Public Engagement and Accurate Terminology: The working groups established a consensus on the vital need to keep the public informed and to use accurate scientific terms—such as "neural organoids" instead of sensationalized media phrases like "mini-brains"—to prevent public confusion regarding animal consciousness.
Defining Strict Boundaries ("Red Lines"): While Pașca and other researchers noted that current experiments on rodents do not pose a realistic risk of human-like cognitive capacities due to evolutionary distance and small brain sizes, they drew distinct boundaries. For instance, Pașca explicitly asserted that transplanting human brain organoids into primates is entirely unjustified and represents a clear ethical red line.

So, in other words it's okay to create mice with human parts (organoids) but not chimps or other primates. Oh, and we must steer the public away from terms like mice with human "mini brains." Well, that remains an issue for debate when we learn the details, namely that "clumps" of human brain tissue were grown from skin cells. The transplants then thrived, "swelling to as many as 4 million human neurons and wiring themselves into the mice brains and spinal cords."

Oh yeah, "some of the organoids even developed into cell types that turn up in primates but never in mice."

In other words, the mice with the transplants reached cell types typical of primates, say like "Carlo" the monkey in Barbados:

'Carlo' demonstrates math acumen in B'dos

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the adventures of human-brained mice!

And:

Brane Space: Our Phenomenal Talking Ape cousins

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

All Experts Redux: The Difficulty In Grasping Einstein's Theories - And Books to Get To Help

Einstein working on a problem in special relativity

Question: I'd like to learn more about Einstein's work, but most websites use a lot of difficult terminologies that a lay person, like I am, find it hard to comprehend. Could you tell me which one of his discoveries in the cosmology area that was really an eye-opening for scientists? What is theory of relativity?

What does it have to do with space?

Thank you.

Answer :

The problem with understanding Einstein's work, is that it
generally requires an extensive background in mathematics. Even the
simpler algebraic approaches (to special relativity) require an ability to apply algebra and intuit geometry in various novel ways - to see what he is getting at.

Re: relativity.

Basically, there are two theories of importance: the special theory of
relativity and the general theory of relativity.

In the special theory, Einstein showed that there is no such thing as an absolute space or time. Thus, while to us on Earth such concepts as time, mass, length etc. of an object seem pre-determined and fixed – they aren't for someone traveling at close to the speed of light.

As Einstein showed, as an object (mass) approaches the velocity of light (c)the length of an object contracts, its mass increases, and any clocks it has slow down.

According to Einstein's Principle of Relativity: "All the laws of
physics are the same in all inertial reference frames."

That means no matter where you are in the cosmos the laws of physics will be the same as here on Earth. In addition, it implies the speed of light has the same value everywhere.

Perhaps the primary finding - or "discovery" if you will, of special
relativity (apart from the changes in mass, length, time and constancy of the speed of light etc.) is that space itself is now a useless concept.

It is more accurate to deal with "space-time" (putting the x,y,z dimensions of space together with the t of time to arrive at x,y, z, t to describe ALL events).

In addition, based on this, one will be led to the fact that:

Energy and matter are the same thing but in different states.

(As conveyed in the equation E = mc²)

Perhaps the best book to have to learn much more about this theory at a basic level is:

'The ABC of Relativity' by Bertrand Russell.

You can perhaps check to see if your library has it or do an online search using google to see if it's available at some online venue.

Einstein's general theory of relativity is more to do with cosmology and the large scale structure of the universe. To put it conceptual terms, the general theory of relativity is really a theory of gravity in 4 dimensions (x,y, z and t or 3 of space, one of time).

In particular, the force of gravitational attraction arises around large, massive bodies because space-time is warped or distorted in their vicinity. See e.g.

A 'well' of gravity is thereby formed, and any smaller or less massive objects move around it.(Much like small ball bearings might move around the inside of a large spinning bowl if you use the right angle)

In practical terms, experiments conducted during the time of total solar eclipse have found that the light from stars appearing in the (background) is slightly bent or deflected as it passes close by the Sun. This is a direct indication of the warping of the space-time around the Sun.

Also, in the course of a detailed analysis of the field equations of general relativity, the 'Big Bang' actually arose as a solution (when matter is present).

General relativity then, provides the foundational framework for the Big Bang theory. When Einstein's field equations are applied to a uniform expanding universe, they predict space itself has stretched out over time (via the Friedmann equations) back to an extremely hot, dense origin, i.e.

Friedmann showed the field equations cannot produce a static universe, it must either expand or contract. Given we only discern expansion - because of the red shift of galaxies - this means all existing matter must converge into a hot, dense state.

The fact that the Big Bang is perfectly consistent with general relativity is a strong argument in its favor.. To 9 out of ten cosmologists this was perhaps the most "eye opening" find of all.

Others may well argue that it is more the current finding that the
"negative pressure" (which we now believe to underpin dark energy) is consistent with general relativity's allowance for a "repulsive gravity" - since any negative pressure has associated with it gravity that repels rather than attracts.

As more evidence comes in that this repulsive gravity is responsible for accelerating the expansion of the universe, it may prove to be the biggest "eye opener" of all! Especially also if it shows most of the universe is in the form of dark energy and dark matter. (You can 'google' these two terms to learn much more about them)

Unfortunately, there are few 'easy' texts to learn more about general
relativity. Even the most basic (assuming they're even available) such as 'Space, Time and Gravitation' by Arthur Eddington, veer into detailed geometry.

Hopefully, this brief overview provided in this reply will prove useful. Also, by specific Googling you can obtain assorted lectures, say on General Relativity,

General relativity from first principles – Adam Brown

But note these too require some mathematical background (at least through Algebra II), as well as some general physics.

See also:

Brane Space: Gravitational Deflection Of Starlight & Neil Ashby's Marvelous Contribution To Relativistic Dynamics

Monday, October 26, 2026

Dems Using "Decoy Ballot Trick" In AK Senate Election? Yet Another WSJ Editorial Whine Fest

"We have come up with 162 different ways Republicans can try to mess with the elections, given they're sore losers.” - Rep. Pete Aguilar, CA

The interesting point to me is that the assumption was made that there were a [sizeable?] number of people who would be unable to actually read and understand the selections offered. The sample ballot clearly says who the incumbent is and what his political affiliations are. It would be impossible to deceive a literate voter with this 'trick'. - NY Times comment

Compared with the 1/6 attempted coup, this Dan Sullivan business is kid stuff. If not illegal, and there is no indication that this strategy was illegal, any tactic aimed at breaking the MAGA hold on our federal government is justified. - NY Times comment

Jan. 2021 - Last Major Reeptard effort to overturn election

The Wall Street Journal's editors, tired of blaming Dems for super high prices and lacking the balls to expose an orange traitor, have found a new target for their ire. These weasels are now taking Traitor Trump's side in a lawsuit recently filed to block the AK Senate electoral result - IF the Reepos don't win. In their weekend Journal editorial, Exposing ‘Decoy Dan’ in Alaska, they go all in attacking Dems for "whining about a lawsuit exposing their dirty ballot trick."

The nattering nabobs of negativity squeal:

"Democrats pulled a dirty trick by enlisting a decoy, Daniel J. Sullivan, to run against Republican Alaska Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Now they are indignant that the Trump Administration on Thursday filed a lawsuit that calls attention to their subterfuge. Please spare us the lectures about election interference.

The Justice Department lawsuit seeks to block certification of Alaska’s Senate election results if they “may be impacted by voter confusion.” “Daniel J. Sullivan’s presence on the ballot threatens to mislead Alaskan citizens who want to vote for Senator Sullivan,” the lawsuit says. That’s the Democratic hope."

One can hardly believe these asswits would go after this political coincidence - painting it as some kind of nefarious plot - when they've said nothing - not word one - about Vivek Ramaswamy’s vile campaign ad featuring his opponent (Amy Acton’s) mother. That hag actually lived with her 12 year old daughter’s rapist, and has now sought to accuse Amy Acton (D- candidate for OH governor) of lying.

In the ad, Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, calls her “a liar.” Arthur and her daughter have not had contact since 1978, when Arthur’s second husband, Cledith Arthur, was indicted and charged with raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter. Acton and her brother were removed from the couple’s home because of the threat of continued abuse.

And the Journal's hypocrite editors said not one word about it? Well, probably because the WSJ editors prefer to continue to smooch Traitor Trump's ass. As we read in the (regular, main page) WSJ piece from Friday ('Trump Praises Ohio Ad Featuring Deomcrat's Estranged Mother', p. A3) wherein we read:

"President Trump defended an attack ad against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton that featured her elderly, estranged mother, calling it 'very powerful'. Also accusing Republicans who condemned the spot as playing into Democrats' hands."

As for the vicious little turd Vivek Ramaswamy, his campaign "plans to spend $4 million airing the ad", despite the bipartisan denunciations it has received, including from Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine.

The Journal article goes on:

"Trump's remarks came a day after Vice President JD Vance also defended the ad. He criticized fellow Republicans for 'whining' about the video saying that 'politics is tough business'."

Really? Then can we not also say the WSJ editors are also whining about the Dems in Alaska - by using a conspiracy meme to claim the Ds are "facilitating the entry of another Dan Sullivan into the Senate race". Even if real - as Vance said, 'politics is tough business'" - so why not get over it?. Besides, where is your outrage at the Ramaswamy maggots running a vile ad featuring a video of a woman who stood by her 12-year-old daughter's rapist even after the slime was indicted. So in other words, pussy grabber Trump is fine with supporting an ad which features the supporter of a child rapist.

Back to the WSJ editor's claim that the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan is a Democratic dirty trick. Can we say horse shit here? Daniel J. Sullivan, who lives in the tiny fishing community of Petersburg, has always said he is running of his own accord. But given the stakes are high, and Republicans worry that voters will get confused and accidentally vote for the wrong Sullivan, they’ve been trying to get Daniel J. thrown off the ballot for months.

The lawsuit went all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court, but Republicans lost. Got that WSJ nattering nabobs? The REEPS LOST! Besides, why are you fools so worried when even a low IQ person can tell the difference between a D and and an R, and an I - behind a name on a ballot.

Long story short, Alaskan voters will see "Dan S. Sullivan" identified as a "registered Republican" and "incumbent" on their ballots, while "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." will not have a party affiliation.

Former House Rep. Mary Peltola is the actual Democratic candidate. Not to leave their decoy codswallop at the end, the WSJ wombats interjected a new whine:

"Alaska's convoluted ranked -choice voting system increases the risk of voter confusion."

Say what? Ranked choice voting - used for Mensa officer elections - is the safest and most useful system there is. Had it been used in Florida in the Bush-Gore 2000 election, the fiasco that erupted never would have happened. In ranked choice voting three choices are made, i.e.

- Mr. A

- Ms. B

-Mr. C

The votes are then aggregated and ranking performed for A, B, C. The winners are the top two by votes (say Ms. B and Mr. C) who may then have a runoff election. This as opposed to a single, winner take all verdict- which could end up in a tie -then to be decided by congress or the Supreme Court (as Bush-Gore in 2000. As Wikipedia points out:

A voting system is winner-take-all if representation is only awarded to the candidate with the largest vote share. Since single-winner voting systems can only select one winner to represent all voters in a given body or district, all such systems are by definition winner-take-all.

At the end of the day the WSJ editorial whine fest is just another rhetorical 'storm in a teacup' done at the behest of bowing and scraping to their orange Overseer Trump. So Murdock's Morons aren't exposing anything except their own partisan B.S., so desperate are they to keep Trump's power unchecked so he can demolish what's left of this country.

So facing the outright and considerable repudiation of a reckless demagogue in next Tuesday's mid-term elections, the WSJ editorial trolls have little choice other than to defend this traitor and his party's odious policies and mode of campaigning. And likely their attempted interference when the dust settles post-election.

See Also:

2026 Elections | Republicans

The Republicans’ Closing Argument

by Robert Reich | October 29, 2026 - 5:19am | permalink

— from Robert Reich's Substack

The Republican Party no longer has anything constructive to say about anything or anyone, so what is its closing argument in the 2026 midterm elections? Hate, fear, and bigotry.

On Sunday, Trump claimed that if Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won, he’d “invite hordes of jihadis to our shores.”

We’ve become so numbed to Trump’s bigotry that it’s necessary to remind ourselves that the president of the United States is now accusing an American citizen who’s running for the Senate of posing a danger to America because he’s Muslim.

Trump’s rants against Representative Ilhan Omar draw on the same Islamophobia. He’s launched a criminal investigation against her based on an allegation that she came to the United States fraudulently.

» article continues...

And:

How Trump and Paxton Can Overturn the Midterms

by Greg Palast | October 28, 2026 - 5:44am | permalink

— from The Hartmann Report

No joke. No foolin’ around. The operation is in place to overturn the results of next Tuesday’s vote in the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has already put the wheels in motion for a “legal” reversal of the voters’ choice in Texas, Alaska and other battleground states where the US Senate’s control is in the balance.

To understand the first step in their putsch plan, check out Episode 5 of Jim Crow Reloaded, 4 minutes exposing the mass challenge of 800,000 voters:

» article continues...

And:

Donald Trump

Trump: Racist, Nasty, Deranged, and Dirty

by Alan Singer | October 29, 2026 - 5:06am | permalink

On Long Island there are four contested races for the House of Representatives. Two are currently held by Democrats and two by Republicans. The outcome on Long Island could well determine which party has a majority in the House. If you vote Republican for the Senate and House of Representatives, you are voting against congressional roadblocks on Trump.

If you vote Republican this is the kind of country you are voting for.

In a campaign speech in Port Huron, Michigan, Donald Trump accused the Democratic nominee for Senate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of being a terrorist and claimed that if El-Sayed and the Democrats win, “they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.” Trump also told American Jews that “any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves.”

» article continues..

And:

Professor Pape DIRE WARNING: Most Dangerous Election In History!

And:

Grotesque Ad Continues To Destroy Vivek Ramaswamy

And:

VIVEK IS F*CKED | The Kyle Kulinski Show

And:

Why Legal Experts See the Justice Dept.’s Alaska Election Challenge as Dubious - The New York Times

Excerpt:

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit pre-emptively challenging the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican candidate narrowly loses. But election law specialists said the litigation lacked any legitimate legal basis.

“It is one of the weakest election lawsuits I’ve ever seen,” said Richard H. Pildes, a New York University law professor who specializes in election issues. “It should have no realistic chance of success in the courts.”

Nevertheless, the lawsuit raised alarms as President Trump has sought to undermine confidence in the election when polls indicate that Republicans are likely to suffer sweeping losses, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Mr. Trump tried to overturn his loss of the 2020 election, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

The litigation centers on an oddity in the four-candidate ballot. The incumbent Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, is being challenged not only by the Democrats’ nominee, former Representative Mary Peltola, but also by a novice candidate with almost the same name: Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

Voters could mistakenly vote for the other Mr. Sullivan instead of the senator. The lawsuit seeks a judicial order blocking the state from certifying the results if Senator Sullivan loses to Ms. Peltola, but would have won had he received votes cast for the other Mr. Sullivan.

No obvious legal authority supports a pre-emptive effort to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican incumbent narrowly loses.

Add:

Opinion | Despicable Doesn’t Begin to Cover It - The New York Times

Excerpt:

By now, you almost certainly know the story. Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, posted an ad featuring a malicious attack on Amy Acton, Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent. The ad starred Acton’s own mother, a woman named Donna Arthur.

The family story here is evil. Arthur married a man named Cledith Arthur, who became Acton’s stepfather. Cledith Arthur was indicted when Acton was 12 for raping her. He fled the jurisdiction rather than face charges.

Donna lost custody of her children and — as Charles Hilu at National Review reported — she has her own criminal history. She was convicted of theft by deception in the 1990s and accused of animal neglect in 2021.

It’s hard to imagine a more cruel and evil act than raping a child. There is no betrayal greater than the betrayal of a child by a parent. And then Ramaswamy compounded that betrayal by wielding that evil mother as a weapon against her own daughter.

Long ago we learned that there is no bottom for MAGA, and there is still no bottom to this scandal. If Ramaswamy had a molecule of decency, he would take the ad down and apologize. Instead, he attacked Acton. “It is an ad from our campaign,”

And:

'You Are A Danger To My State!': Amy Acton Completely Torches Ramaswamy, Says He Serves Billionaires - YouTube

And:

Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Trump for Doubling Down on Ramaswamy Attack Ad

And:

'SO STUPID’: Joe SLAMS Trump for continuing to defend Ramaswamy Ad

Mensa Double Circle Geometry Problem

ABCD is a line segment that passes through the centers of two unequal and non-intersecting circles. AB is the diameter of the smaller circle, and CD is the diameter of the larger circle. (Refer to diagram).

Two rays extend from A that are:

1) tangent to the larger circle on opposite sides, and

2) tangent to circle X1 which is inside the smaller circle and touches it at point B.

Likewise two rays extend from A that are:

1) tangent to the smaller circle on opposite sides, and

2) tangent to circle X2 that is inside the larger circle and touches it at point C.

Given this information prove that X1 = X2

Friday, October 23, 2026

High Costs In Housing Market? According To WSJ You Can Blame Immigration Raids

Immigrant workers are concentrated in lowest paying construction jobs- because Americans don't want them.

The Wall Street Journal's main news section is definitely more reliable than its Op-Ed pages, especially the slanted (toward Trump) editorials. Case in point the Journal article 'Immigration Raids Hit Housing Market' (Oct. 19, p. A2) which should be reading material for all who feel priced out of owning a home. As the piece notes:

"The summer surge in federal immigration raids is hitting the housing market, pushing up labor costs and freezing projects. Nearly two-thirds of builders said immigration enforcement is hitting their labor force, up from 23% in March and 13% a year ago, according to a September John Burns Research and Consulting survey."

According to Scott Brannock, president of Jacksonville-based Tidewater Homes and the Northeast Florida Builders Association:

"We're almost dead in the water because our workforce is gone. We have national builders who are missing projections, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars because they have slabs sitting on the ground and no one to frame."

This, of course, is a mirror image of what's transpiring in the home health care and nursing home business, as the deportation frenzy has targeted over 330,000 Haitians to be sent back to that ruined nation. E.g.

Human Rights

Trump’s Cruelest Act Yet: Haitians Are Being Deported Into Total Chaos

by Heather Digby Parton | September 4, 2026 - 5:06am | permalink

— from Salon

Many of the Haitians having worked as nurses in U.S. hospitals as well as nursing home assistants throughout the U.S. especially in Florida, and home health aides for seniors. Now, they may soon be gone leaving a labor vacuum that will be difficult to fill - given most Americans will not do the task of senior care for $13/hr.

While these reckless deportations have hollowed out critical labor in the health-senior care market, the amped up immigration raids and deportation threats have done the same to the housing market. As the Journal piece goes on to note:

"The shortages come as the country tries to drive down sky high housing costs that have trapped millions of Americans out of home ownership. Immigration trades have primarily hit trades such as roofers, painters and framers."

The graphic below shows the share of immigrant workers by construction trade from 2024.

Given those proportions only a certified fool would believe American workers could or would take up the slack. Yet one beholds an imp like Matthew O'Brien - Executive Director of the Federation for American immigration Reform - baldly claiming in the same WSJ piece:

"It's an absurd contention that we should stop deporting immigration lawbreakers simply because construction companies want to employ them."

Reinforcing the nonsense from immigration enforcement advocates who claim "deportations will drive down housing costs by removing competition for housing." Making one wonder on what alternate Earth these goobers inhabit. I mean how do you reduce housing costs by deporting the most available labor (the 'lawbreaker' epithet mostly in Stephen Miller's eyes) that creates new housing? Oh yeah, they have an answer:

"the builders should hire American workers."

Oh, brilliant idea there. And you seriously believe Americans are going to work for the same rates? They ought to ask David Hacker - owner of subcontractor Construction Specialties of North Florida (who also appears in the piece). Mr. Hacker "has seen a 70 percent reduction of crews available for certain jobs, forcing the leftover crews to double their rates to recruit new workers."

He himself now having to start a new campaign by "offering significant cash bonuses".

And who pray tell, WHO do these immigration enforcement fools think is going to pay for the extra increase in construction labor? The builders? Dream on! The higher rates, costs will be passed on in terms of the new home costs. Think $800,00 for each new home - instead of $400,000. As Josh Putnal, owner of a siding subcontractor in Jacksonville put it:

"There's no one lining up to do a lot of these jobs."

Got that, immigrant enforcement zealots? And that means no 'Muricans lining up to do those jobs either. It didn't have to be this way had the immigration raids not been scaled up. As the Journal notes:

"Last year, immigration arrests had only limited impact on the home-building industry, other than select pockets of the country - such as South Texas. That changed this summer as the Trump administration scaled up immigration arrests to record levels."

So just as in the case of health care, once the millions of immigrants from a dozen nations lost their temporary protected status, we can expect housing construction to first to crater - then explode - thanks to much higher labor costs. The predictable result is that housing (and rentals) will now inflate beyond the means of anyone but the wealthy to afford them.

further inflate beyond the ability of anyone but the wealthiest to access them.

And:

Immigration

The Real Costs of Trump’s Mass Deportations

by Robert Reich | October 28, 2026 - 5:13am | permalink

— from Robert Reich's Substack

Friends,

It’s easy for us to lose sight of ICE because — although ICE is making even more arrests and deporting more people than ever before — ICE is no longer announcing its dragnet sweeps, no longer boasting of how many people it’s caught, and no longer targeting specific cities like Minneapolis and Chicago but is instead spreading out all over America.

But make no mistake: ICE continues to terrorize people all over America, including many who have full legal rights to live and work here.

What’s also less understood are the economic costs — how much you and I are paying for ICE, directly in our taxpayer dollars, indirectly in an economy that’s less productive than it used to be, and in a society that’s more fearful and less just.

» article continues...

And:

So If All The Undocumented Are Deported WHO Is Going To Do Their Jobs? Just Asking!

And:

What Deporting Haitian Immigrants Means For Older Adults And Caregivers

Excerpt:

President Trump’s decision to revoke what’s known as Temporary Protective Status for immigrants from a dozen countries will severely damage health and long-term care in the US. More than 1 million people are at risk of being deported as a result of the move, including 350,000 from Haiti, many of whom work in health and long-term care.

Trump cancelled TPS at the end of July, after the Supreme Court refused to block efforts to stop the move. And the Administration has begun deportations.

But even those still in the US have lost their work permits—and their jobs. While they remain in immigration limbo, they cannot work to support their families and many have been fired from jobs they’ve had for years. That, in turn, has worsened an already severe shortage of health and long-term care workers, including nurses, aides, and technicians.

And:

ICE agents are seen chasing farmworkers through a field in Oxnard, Cal... | ice | TikTok

And:

Florida builders say fear of ICE raids is driving up costs | TRD Miami Roundtable

And:

ECONOMIC COLLAPSE WARNING SIGNS ARE GETTING BAD | The Kyle Kulinski Show