Thursday, October 12, 2023

Reading archive 2023-10-12

Texas boy, 13, convicted for killing Sonic worker with AR-style rifle

Nancy Mace gives herself an ‘A’: On Capitol Hill, fashion statements are an increasingly cheap way to get our — what’s the word... - "But 'something' never amounted to anything, because it turns out that wearing an outré object is not the same as being a thought-provoking person, and besides, what can you really say about a politician who has reached the most consequential realm of government but still seems to want to be noticed for their style more than their substance? What can you say, I mean, besides Yes, dear. We saw your denim vest. Bless your heart."

Opinion  The Hamas horror is also a lesson on the price of populism - "The real explanation for Israel’s dysfunction is populism rather than any alleged immorality. For many years, Israel has been governed by a populist strongman, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is a public-relations genius but an incompetent prime minister. He has repeatedly preferred his personal interests over the national interest and has built his career on dividing the nation against itself. He has appointed people to key positions based on loyalty more than qualifications, took credit for every success while never taking responsibility for failures, and seemed to give little importance to either telling or hearing the truth. 

"The coalition Netanyahu established in December 2022 has been by far the worst. It is an alliance of messianic zealots and shameless opportunists, who ignored Israel’s many problems — including the deteriorating security situation — and focused instead on grabbing unlimited power for themselves. In pursuit of this goal, they adopted extremely divisive policies, spread outrageous conspiracy theories about state institutions that oppose their policies, and labeled the country’s serving elites as 'deep state' traitors."

Opinion  Israeli-Palestinian conflict needs moral consistency, not moral clarity

Opinion  Israel doesn’t need an inquiry to decide: Netanyahu must go - "Tyrants and terrorists often underestimate the fighting capacity of liberal democracies, mistaking the pursuit of commerce for a lack of martial virtues and political divisions for lack of unity. Napoleon derided England as a 'nation of shopkeepers' before losing to the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. Hitler thought the United States was 'a decayed country,' 'half Judaized and half Negrified,' before U.S. bombers reduced his cities to rubble and U.S. armies defeated his legions at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Osama bin Laden thought America was a 'weak horse' before SEAL Team Six finished him off. So, too, Hamas has now made a grave miscalculation with its horrific and barbaric assault on Israel, which resulted in the worst one-day loss of life for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hezbollah will be making a similar mistake if it enters the war now."

For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces: The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from

Trump recenters the violence in Israel on himself

Washington Post cuts follow rapid expansion, unmet revenue projections: ‘This is a really good business that we overshot on expense,’ interim CEO Patty Stonesifer said. Now the company is hoping to reduce staff through buyouts.

The first National Coming Out Day 35 years ago took on Reagan and AIDS stigma

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Reading archive 2023-10-11

Inside the NFL turf debate: Injuries, safety measures, problems

We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court Supermajority: The inside story of how Leonard Leo built a machine that remade the American legal system — and what he plans to do next. - "'There was always a concern that Scalia or Thomas would say, 'Fuck it,' and quit the job and go make way more money at Jones Day or somewhere else,' Conway said, referring to the powerful conservative law firm. 'Part of what Leonard does is he tries to keep them happy so they stay on the job.'"

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Reading archive 2023-10-10

‘Weed Warriors’ attack invasive vines killing D.C.-area trees

Fall’s favorite spice blend has a violent history

Economy adds 336,000 jobs in September, in a stunning gain: The unemployment rate held at 3.8 percent, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday

Hackers may have accessed D.C. voter information, elections board says

Opinion  The lesson from the Hamas attack: The U.S. should recognize a Palestinian state [ed. note: basically nonsense]


Reading archive 2023-10-09

Texas Republicans’ internecine fights overshadow special session

How a few bags of dirt could help make the planet more resilient to climate change

Opinion  Did New York magazine fact-check Michael Wolff? - "There’s a theme running through these poorly substantiated passages, too: They tend to swing in favor of Carlson, who distinguished himself as the country’s most dangerous misinformer over his six-plus years as an evening host at Fox News."

Amazon’s Alexa has been claiming the 2020 election was stolen: The popular voice assistant says the 2020 race was stolen, even as parent company Amazon promotes the tool as a reliable election news source — foreshadowing a new information battleground

Flyana Boss ran to stardom. Their next pursuit: Lasting fame.: Flyana Boss, which rhymes with Diana Ross, sprinted into virality over the summer with several TikToks of their song ‘You Wish’

Nearly 1,000 birds died in one day after striking a Chicago building: ‘We’re hosting them as little tourists, and we owe them safer passages,’ one advocate says

The simple, science-backed routine for more youthful skin: No matter your age, taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be expensive

‘Freak of nature’ tree is the find of a lifetime for forest explorer: Tree Hunter TJ Watt found the cedar in British Columbia standing 151 feet tall and about 17 feet in diameter

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Reading archive 2023-10-05

The surprising reason why mammals engage in same-sex mating: A new paper suggests same-sex activity may help mammals’ social relationships

Elon Musk strips news headlines from X, posing challenge for media outlets

Opinion  The GOP’s revenge plot against Pelosi is unhinged — but revealing - "Republicans essentially want Democrats to stand by while they indulge MAGA in all kinds of sordid ways and then rush in to provide votes when MAGA’s demands grow so problematic for Republicans that the GOP conference can’t hold together any longer."

Opinion  Metro is dangling from a fiscal cliff. Regional leaders can’t sit by. - "Metro’s critics say it is inefficient and wasteful. In fact, it compares favorably by various measures to other transit networks around the country and has not been plagued by major recent scandals. It has grappled for years with safety and maintenance problems, stemming partly from underinvestment. But those have receded to some extent."

Look out below! An abundance of acorns is raining down this year.


Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Reading archive 2023-10-03

Shampoos and soaps are mostly water. Here’s why you should buy them without it.

HOW RED-STATE POLITICS ARE SHAVING YEARS OFF AMERICAN LIVES - "Many of those early deaths can be traced to decisions made years ago by local and state lawmakers over whether to implement cigarette taxes, invest in public health or tighten seat-belt regulations, among other policies, an examination by The Washington Post found. States’ politics — and their resulting policies — are shaving years off American lives."

Americans don’t hate living near solar and wind farms as much as you might think

Opinion  America doesn’t need more God. It needs more atheists.

Pentagon official charged with participating in dog fighting ring: Frederick D. Moorefield Jr., a deputy chief information officer, is accused of training fighting dogs for more than 20 years

Liberty University broke safety laws for years, government asserts: In preliminary findings, the Education Department says the Christian school underreported crimes and destroyed evidence. Administrators can appeal.

Reading archive 2023-10-02

Play it again, Sam: Inside Bankman-Fried’s last year in the crypto game

Metro derailment probe finds bolts that don’t match specifications: The derailment of a wheel led to a fourth day of delays for commuters while 360 rail cars were temporarily removed for emergency inspections

‘IDK what to do’: Thousands of teen boys are being extorted in sexting scams: An unprecedented number of cases is leaving families devastated

Exclusive: John Kelly goes on the record to confirm several disturbing stories about Trump