| Time |
Event |
| 4:19a |
|
| 4:19a |
Courage to stand up to pharmaceutical industry
Bernie Sanders: *People should not die because of their income or
where they were born. We must have the courage to stand up to the
pharmaceutical industry.*
I advocate a radical solution that would really do the job: eliminate
patents on medicines, and have the state run and pay for clinical
trials so that drug companies cannot corrupt them.
This way their argument that only patents can provide the
expense will be gone.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Funding for US government
The Republicans continued funding for most parts of the US government
until Feb 2, but certain departments' funding will end on Jan 19.
The latter include
- Food and Drug Administration
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Transportation Department
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Energy department
and others.
This will give them an opportunity to threaten to shut down those
departments and not the rest of the government. But why those
particular departments?
My theory is that shutting those departments would harm a lot of
non-rich Americans, but without much blowback from rich people whose
support they depend on.
We will see in January the rest of the hostage-takers' strategy.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Hellish 3°C of climate heating
*World facing "hellish" 3°C of climate heating, UN warns before Cop28.*
That's twice the amount of global heating that the ecosphere has
experienced so far, but I expect it will more than double the harmful
consequences. The Earth's system's are chaotic, and each small
increment of heating can cause occasional disasters in various parts
of them. Before we get to 3°C, I expect most of us will starve.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Falsifying facts in a movie
Falsifying facts in a movie that purports to show history is deception,
and wrong.
I am always very disappointed when I recognize, or learn later, that
some detail of a historical movie has been altered for entertainment
purposes.
|
| 4:19a |
|
| 4:19a |
Ads on Ex-Twitter
Media Matters reports that Ex-Twitter shows ads for big companies in close relation to Nazi postings. Several companies have responded by ceasing
to buy ads on Ex-Twitter.
That article displays what it asserts are examples of that practice.
The Musk-ox said he would sue Media Matters out of existence.
Presuming the evidence presented is true — and it is inconceivable
that Media Matters would present false examples — I don't see what
grounds Ex-Twitter could have for a valid suit. But maybe the idea in
the Musk-mellon head purpose is to run Media Matters into the ground
with legal expenses before it can get a decision.
He also called the companies which stopped advertising "oppressors".
That is clearly true in the case of Apple.
It is an oppressor through the nonfree software
and SaaSS
it controls, and the surveillance
it carries out on millions. However, Musk is no better,
as the Tesla car does similarly nasty surveillance.
Why does he insult them? Clearly Musk is not trying to win their
business back. I don't think he ever wanted Twitter to make money for
him. I think he wants to use Ex-Twitter to build up a fascist
following like the one that the insurrectionist has.
Maybe they will then have their armies fight it out, much as Julius
Caesar and Pompeius Magnus fought over who would be emperor of Rome.
Our mission will be to defeat them both.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
|
| 4:19a |
Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha
Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha, who won an American Book Award, was
on the way to Rafah with his family so they could go to Egypt and then
to the US. He did not make it to Egypt — the Israeli army arrested
him, along with hundreds of other men who were all fleeing south
along with their families.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Supreme Court ethics rules full of holes
When the Supreme Court justices modified the ethics rules for other
federal judges to write an ethics code for themselves, they sabotaged
it at several levels, intentionally ripping it full of holes.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Milei as president of Argentina
Milei as president of Argentina would be no "libertarian."
Quite the contrary, he wants to prohibit abortion again.
In the US a few years ago, the people who call themselves "libertarian"
sought above all to stop the government from aiding the non-rich.
I concluded that they were, first and foremast, antisocialists.
However, I hear that many of them have taken up right-wing conspiracy
theories and anti-vax. Perhaps they are no longer worth distinguishing
from the right-wing in general.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Profitable export businesses
For UK Tories, the point of science is to make profitable export
businesses.
I wonder if Starmer would be any different. My guess is no.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
Long sentences handed to Just Stop Oil protesters
* Long sentences handed to two Just Stop Oil protesters for scaling
[a] bridge over the Thames are a potential breach of international
law and risk silencing public concerns about the environment*
— UN special rapporteur for "climate change"
and human rights.
</li> |
| 4:19a |
US Railroad workers
*[US] Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to
make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors
threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running
safely. Regulators say they can’t stop this intimidation.*
</li> |
| 4:19a |
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| 4:19a |
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| 4:19a |
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| 4:19a |
Urgent: Support REDUCE Act
US citizens: call on your senators to support the REDUCE Act.
This would add a tax to production of non-recycled plastic in order to
decrease the amount of throw-away plastic.
If you phone, please spread the word!
Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
</li> |
| 4:19a |
|
| 4:19a |
Urgent: Laws that forbid domestic abusers from owning guns
US citizens: call on the Supreme Court to uphold laws that forbid
domestic abusers from owning guns.
</li> |