mike@mikelilley.com

Paul Harvey’s warning to America: If I were the devil – 1965

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Many years ago, a courageous and devoted American broadcast a message to his listeners that served as a harbinger for where the nation was headed societally and culturally. In his broadcast he revealed what he would do if he were “the devil,” to destroy our culture and undermine our collective societal standards and social mores. That man was Paul Harvey Aurandt, affectionately known to the nation simply as Paul Harvey, and his message not only has proven to be prophetic, but serves as a warning to Americans today of where our society continues to trend.

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FedEx uses autonomous trucks for first time on delivery route

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Aurora self-driving technology powers the big-rig, but there’s still a safety driver. That truck driving down the interstate might not have a flesh-and-blood driver.

On Wednesday FedEx announced its first autonomously-driven Class 8 truck delivery route (“Class 8 truck” is an industry term for what many Americans call a “semi-trailer truck”). Working with truck maker PACCAR and self-driving company Aurora, which is backed by Amazon, FedEx will start making deliveries in Texas using an autonomous semi.

The route on Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas is about 500 miles round trip, and expected to be busy as the holiday shopping season approaches. The test route will run multiple times each week starting Wednesday. The Aurora-modified trucks will drive in real, everyday traffic, and a safety driver will be behind the wheel, but the trucks will be operating in autonomous mode.

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FDA authorizes boosters for people 65+, high risk

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The outside of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters is seen in White Oak, Md., on Monday, November 9, 2015. The FDA is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and has been in commission since 1906

The US Food and Drug Administration late Wednesday authorized booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 65 and up. Also eligible for boosters will be those ages 18 to 64 who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 or at high risk from frequent occupational or institutional exposures to SARS-CoV-2, such as healthcare workers and teachers.

The single booster dose should only be given at least six months after the two initial doses. The authorization comes as an amendment to an Emergency Use Authorization.

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Ocoee delays decision on retail pet-sales ban during 3 hour meeting

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After three hours of debate, Ocoee opted Tuesday night to delay a decision on an ordinance regulating retail pet sales.

City commissioners were poised to override an Orange County rule forbidding pet stores throughout the county from selling puppies, kittens and bunnies — and essentially grant a monopoly without any local oversight to Chews A Puppy, the only pet shop in the city that sells puppies.

But the board fretted about how to police the family-owned store, which has been tagged with an F-rating by the Better Business Bureau.

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UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel breaks collarbone in loss to Louisville

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UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel has a broken left collarbone, a person with knowledge of the situation had told the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday, and soon after he confirmed the diagnosis on social media.

The program hasn’t commented on the injury to Gabriel’s throwing arm and hasn’t officially ruled him out for the season.

Gabriel said his collarbone won’t require surgery and there is “no timetable for my return.”

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