A Delilah Dawson tweet thread on glomping (finding your writer tribe). I just admitted to someone in one of my circles that I still get butterflies whenever I'm around them and now I think our next meeting might be weird. Most of the writers I hang with I have a similar feeling.
"Writer Sherman Alexie last week issued a statement admitting he 'has harmed' others, after rumors and allegations began to circulate about sexual harassment." Power is a hella big intoxicant. He can't even give it up because while "admitting harm" he's going after the woman who brought the rumors into the light.
Congrats, John. Scalzi celebrates 20 years of having the scalzi.com domain. He offers some good advice. It's too late for me, save yourselves. Well, actually, with my last name getting that domain probably isn't a good idea (hell, sometimes at the hospital I mistype it), but both my name (last and first and last) are taken. So is my business name (it wasn't when I first thought of getting it, so bad on me). And there's a domain squatter sitting on Story Bones.
"A major medical association today suggested that doctors who treat people with Type 2 diabetes can set less aggressive blood sugar targets. But medical groups that specialize in diabetes sharply disagree… Half a dozen medical groups have looked carefully at the best treatment guidelines for the 29 million Americans who have Type 2 diabetes and have come up with somewhat differing guidelines."
"Astronomers have discovered a pretty interesting multi-planetary system orbiting a nearby star. Each of the exoplanets is apparently a gas giant, but two of them orbit the star in the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist!" And they probably have rocky moons.
"Kobe Steel Ltd admitted on Tuesday its data fraud has been going on nearly five decades and also revealed new cases of cheating, highlighting the challenges facing the 112-year-old company mired in compliance failures and malfeasance."
It's not just the Confederacy. Statues everywhere are an attempt to frame a narrative. "The city of San Francisco is joining the cause of removing old statues that are out of step with contemporary political and cultural tastes."
McDonalds "…said Tuesday that it has already brought fresh beef Quarter Pounder patties to about 3,500 domestic restaurants so far and it plans to reach some 14,000 U.S. locations by early May. Locations in Hawaii and Alaska are not included in this rollout."
"The Trump Organization has ordered tee markers that feature the presidential seal, which could violate a federal law dictating that the seal can only be used for government business, ProPublica reported Monday… Federal law states that the presidential seal can only be used for government business. Use of the seal otherwise can lead to criminal charges and is punishable by up to six months in prison." This, in the professional graphic design world, is actually somewhat well known and trying to blame it on the client doesn't get you out of it (it just means your client will also face charges). (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"Colorado state law permits lawmakers to carry concealed weapons at the state Capitol because it's their place of business… But as a tense and tumultuous period at the Colorado House of Representatives drew to a close, two state representatives revealed that they had started wearing bulletproof vests while at the Capitol – worried they might be shot by one of their fellow Democratic lawmakers." Yeah, it's not a problem until you have to put your kevlar vest on after leaving the house because you don't want to scare the wife and kids.
"A new report finds that white supremacists committed the largest share of domestic-extremist related killings last year—highlighting the danger of racist rhetoric and hateful ideas." Hateful ideology can not be separated out. The evil taints the whole. The alt-right's ideology, like fascism, slavery, autocracy, etc is based on the hatred of others. And the alt-right's evil, hidden in the shadows of legitimacy of a larger political party, has become the cancer that metastisized through the organization and is quickly consuming that party. We are approaching the line where the patient can not be saved by surgery, chemo, or radiation. (Katheryn Cramer)
"At first glance, five murders in three states since last May seemed unrelated, isolated cases… But a common thread is emerging. Three young men have been charged, and all appear to have links to the same white supremacist group: the Atomwaffen Division." Remember in 2009 when the DHS was going to release a report on the rising threat of ultra-right-wing nationalists and the GOP shot it down?
"Fights broke out between white supremacists and protesters Monday as anti-fascist activists, students and community members converged in and around Michigan State University to counter a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer."
"President Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen complained to friends he had not been reimbursed for a six-figure payment to a porn star alleged to have had an affair with Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday." What form do you use to expense that and is that tax deductible? Does that come out of petty cash or does it need to be a line item in the budget? But most importantly, for any expense over $5 you must show a receipt, did Michael Cohen save the receipt? (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg publicly defied the Justice Department special counsel on Monday, announcing in an extraordinary series of media interviews that he had been subpoenaed to appear in front of a federal grand jury investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election but that he will refuse to go… 'Let him arrest me,' Nunberg told The Washington Post in his first stop on a media blitz…" Sounds like someone wasn't offered a plea deal. Plus the guy sounds like a complete nut job. Okay, that's not fair. I know people with various mental diseases who act more sane and more in control of themselves, so I shouldn't disparage people with mental diseases. I'm not sure exactly what kind of legal stance this is (IIRC Nunberg is a lawyer), but I don't think it'll impress Mueller or his investigators. (Grokked from Katheryn Cramer)
Late Monday night Sam Nunberg is saying he was offered immunity (but not if he took it) and will cooperate (or at least show up on Friday). It's a little unclear if we're watching reality or if we're watching someone having a break with reality.
The Congressional Black Caucus is asking for an ethics investigation to the practice of lawmakers sleeping in their offices. "'Members who sleep overnight in their offices receive free lodging, free cable, free security, free cleaning services, and utilize other utilities free of charge in direct violation of the ethics rules which prohibit official resources from being used for personal purposes,' the letter to the Ethics Committee states."
"Is the United States somehow building 'it,' as in a permanent embassy, for $250,000?… No." I would say the president is misleading people, but frankly I don't know that he understands the difference between a secure apartment in our consular building and an actual embassy (even though real estate is his nominal business - it actually isn't, branding is his business).
"Over two months before the 2016 presidential election, the head of British intelligence flew to Washington to brief then-CIA Director John Brennan on intercepted communications between the Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, according to a report from the New Yorker." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
And about that Steele Dossier… "A man who is critically ill after being exposed to an unknown substance in Wiltshire is a Russian national convicted of spying for Britain, the BBC understands." Sergei Scribal was convicted of treason against Russia and went to the UK in a spy swap. He is also rumored to have been one source for Steele Dossier. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"Bryan Dean Wright, a consultant looking for career opportunities and freelance gigs, has found the perfect publicity gimmick to get in outlets like Fox News: proclaiming he's 'a Democrat but' agreeing with Republican positions." Funny how Fox keeps giving him air time. "Wright responded to criticism of his FoxNews.com work in an August tweet, stating: 'While I don't write my headlines, I'm honored @FoxNews gives me the mic on occasion…'" Nice work if you can get it. (Grokked from Fred Clark)
"What qualifies as a dumpster fire depends on who's watching, but you tend know it when you see it… But if forced to define it for someone not prone to hashtagging, you might quote Merriam-Webster…" Yes, friends, dumpster fire is now in the (semi-official) dictionary.
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