| Time |
Event |
| 1:32a |
|
| 1:32a |
Think tank recommends Labour move to the right on "social issues"
A think tank recommends that the British Labour party move to the
right on "social issues".
Starmer has moved it quite a ways to the right on economic issues.
If he follows this advice, the result will be "Tory lite" across the
board. |
| 1:32a |
Biden administration defending bad policies instituted by the wrecker
The Biden administration is still sending government lawyers to
defend various bad policies instituted by the wrecker. |
| 1:32a |
Biden accused of hypocrisy for trying to extradite Assange
Biden has been accused of hypocrisy for trying to extradite Julian Assange
while criticizing other countries for imprisoning journalists and editors.
The article's original line, "Joe Biden has been accused of hypocrisy
for demanding the release of journalists detained around the world
while the US president continues seeking the extradition of the
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange," implies that Biden's wrong is to
criticize the other countries. I rewrote the line to indicate that
what's wrong is to try to imprison Assange. |
| 1:32a |
Peruvians protesting in Lima
Thousands of Peruvians opposed to current President Boluarte and
supporting arrested President Castillo are protesting in Lima. |
| 1:32a |
Wagner Group designated as "transnational criminal organization"
*US to designate Russia's Wagner Group as "transnational criminal
organization."*
It may well fit that description, but no entity should be officially
designated as "criminal" without a suitable kind of trial. |
| 1:32a |
|
| 1:32a |
Jewish National Fund suing Palestinian organizations
The Jewish National Fund is suing Palestinian organizations in the US,
alleging that their boycott/divestment/sanctions campaign is "terrorism".
The trial court dismissed the suit, finding the accusation
"threadbare". That is an understatement — the accusation is
blackwhiting. Boycotting institutions and companies is a standard
tool of democratic political action. It is not, repeat not,
terrorism. |
| 1:32a |
Interviews with Peruvians about the political situation there
Interviews with Peruvians about the political situation there.
I am curious about the background of the current president, Boluarte.
Why was she made vice president? Who chose her for that position,
and on what basis? |
| 1:32a |
|
| 1:32a |
Crime to keep silent about something that would lead partner to reject you
The UK is considering making it a crime to keep silent about something
that might lead a potential sex partner (which includes any potential
sweetheart or spouse) to reject you.
To criminalize the failure to inform someone of something — whatever
that something might be — invites injustice. To avoid that
consequence, the requirement must be narrowly limited to a few special
cases, each clearly justified and easy to recognize.
Under this law, anyone who has a characteristic for which people are
stigmatized or simply rejected will have to tell all potential lovers.
Don't try to live it down — ever.
Consider the risk you'd take by passing as white and getting involved
with someone who might have hesitated (and perhaps said no) rather
than agree to an interracial relationship. Whether that hesitation is
due to being racist, or to fear of others' racism (*), or even to fear
of future systemic racism, the effect is the same.
You could try to argue that you did not know for a fact that that
point was important to per, but those who want to make an example of
you will respond, "Lots of people feel that way, so you should have
known to expect it. Guilty!"
* Writing this reminded me of the song, Society's Child.
Please do NOT access it through a streaming dis-service.
Use invidio.us!
|
| 1:32a |
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government approved fellowship for Kenneth Roth
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government reversed itself and approved
the fellowship for Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch. |
| 1:32a |
|
| 1:32a |
Issue of war, dehumanization and militarism
Many are angry at Prince Henry of Britain for saying something that
raised an issue that goes beyond his family, not only for Britain but
even more for the US. It is the issue of war and dehumanization, and
militarism.
When my father fought in France, did he dehumanize Hitler's soldiers?
I never asked him that, but he knew they dehumanized and hated him,
They did not know his name, but if he had been a civilian they would
have sought to murder him, as they did to so many others.
What would it take to wean the US off of militarism? Nowadays, the
efforts to try are not very impressive.
The opposite of militarism is not pacifism. Occasionally there is
a war that must be fought; defending Ukraine is one example,
and potentially defending Taiwan would be another. But these wars
are exceptions among US military campaigns. |
| 1:32a |
People in US delaying medical care because of high cost
*Nearly 40% of people in the United States said they or a family
member delayed medical care last year due to the prohibitively high
cost of treatment under the nation's for-profit healthcare model,* |
| 1:32a |
Sinema and Manchin supporting Republicans by defending filibuster
Sinema and Manchin proudly boasted of supporting Republicans in the Senate
by defending the filibuster. |
| 1:32a |
Company CEOs in fear their companies will fail
Around 40% of global company CEOs say they fear their companies will fail, 10
years from now, because of macroeconomic trends. |
| 1:32a |
Tory government tearing up freedoms
*This [Tory] government knows it’s on borrowed time — that’s why it’s
tearing up our freedoms.* |
| 1:32a |
UN Secretary-General said expanding fossil fuel is insanity
UN Secretary-General Guterres told the Davor gathering that expanding
fossil fuel is insanity and must be stopped. |
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
E-voting and incorrect counts
A human error caused a batch of votes in a school board election to be
entered twice in the totals. A recent software "upgrade" broke the
code that was supposed to warn if anyone made such a mistake.
The error was detected later and corrected, but more important than
that one election is what this tells us about all elections that use
those machines: the manufacturer could rig an election by installing a
bent "upgrade".
I see no reason to think the manufacturer tried intentionally to do
anything wrong in this instance. The bug had an effect this time only
because of a human error, and the human had no reason to try such an
error intentionally since it was probably going to be detected.
However, another manufacturer (or some employee) could intentionally
"upgrade" the software wrong, some other time.
The article doesn't say which jobs those machines actually do. How
significant this potential vulnerability is depends on that question.
|
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
Union membership increase not keeping up with jobs
The increase of the absolute number of union members in the US has not
kept up with the increase in the number of jobs.
|
| 11:02a |
Claims George Santos has not made yet
Claims that Rep. George Santos has not made, this far.
This reached me via a mailing list.
-
That he was the product of virgin birth.
-
That he was subjected to medical dissection torture in a UFO.
-
That he's "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
-
That he lived next door to The Addams Family.
-
That he has green blood.
-
That he has been *both* a vampire *and* a werewolf.
-
That he can hold his breath for over three hours.
-
That he used to go by the alias "Hoppity Hooper".
-
That he was a member of "Spinal Tap".
|
| 11:02a |
Overturning ruing that corporations have "human rights"
House Democrats have reintroduced a constitutional amendment to
overturn the Corporations United decision, which ruled that
corporations have the "human right" to donate to political campaigns.
The plaintiff's ostensible name was "Citizens United",
but "Corporations United" describes it better.
|
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
Elite will throw humanity "under the bus"
*Greta Thunberg Warns Davos Elite Will Throw Humanity "Under the Bus"
for Profits.*
They've done it plenty so far.
|
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
Amazon's OSHA fines
*OSHA Fines Amazon "Roughly 0.000013%" of Annual Revenue for Worker Safety Hazards*
for "work processes that were designed for speed but not safety" and
"resulted in serious worker injuries."
|
| 11:02a |
Working for major corporations
*If You Work for a Major Corporation, Your Boss Has Probably Already
Made More in 2023 Than You Will [in the whole year].*
|
| 11:02a |
EPA's plan
*EPA Plan for [PFAs] Chemical Discharges "Lacks the Urgency" Needed,
Watchdog Says.*
|
| 11:02a |
|
| 11:02a |
Arizona voting rights
*Arizona's new attorney general to use election fraud unit to boost
voting rights.*
Once Republicans in Arizona can't stop Democrats from voting, they may
never win again.
|
| 11:47p |
Direct air capture of CO2
Direct air capture of CO2 could
actually increase
the level of greenhouse gas emissions, if renewable generation
is insufficient and fossil fuels are still used to generate the
electricity to run the capture.
If someday there is excess renewable energy capacity to power capture
machines, then they could actually reduce the CO2 concentration, it
seems to me.
However, the article's main point is valid: this method is worse
than useless for the next few years, and it is probably a PR scheme
meant to let out the pressure to reduce emissions.
|
| 11:47p |
|
| 11:47p |
Netanyahu ally not allowed to serve as cabinet minister
*Israel's top court ruled 10-1 on Wednesday that Aryeh Deri, leader
of the Shas party and a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu,
should not
be allowed to serve as a cabinet minister because of a February
2022 conviction for tax fraud.*
This could make that authoritarian coalition fall apart. Or perhaps
Netanyahu and Shas could settle on some other person to appoint.
However, if Deri is motivated by personal ambition, giving that
ministry to anyone else would not satisfy him.
|