I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Linkee-poo Wednesday

"Sometimes, failure is a success. That's what happened last week when NASA pushed a test version of a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket fuel tank past its limits, ripping a huge gash in its side. The test made NASA engineers very happy, and we can finally enjoy the spectacular footage of the blowout." Remember when everything was over-engineered this way?

"Although some studies have linked limited alcohol consumption to lower risks of certain types of cancer, even light to moderate consumption has been associated with a higher risk of cancer overall."

"United Nations judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) must act to stop continuing genocide of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, Gambia's justice minister said on Tuesday."

"Gun attacks are rare in the Czech Republic, which has some of the most liberal gun laws in the European Union. In 2017, it filed a lawsuit against a European Union directive for tighter controls on firearms. The case was dismissed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on December 3." Funny how liberal gun laws and mass shootings sort of go together (not funny).

"The Glock handgun that was used in Friday's shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola was purchased legally in the U.S., the FBI says. Mohammed Alshamrani, a Saudi national, used the weapon to kill three sailors and wound eight more people." Um, wait a second… No, I don't expect anything to change (after two weeks of being "very concerned" by lots of conservatives).

"George Church's lab at Harvard Medical School is working to make humans immune to all viruses, eliminate genetic diseases and reverse the aging process. Scott Pelley reports on how close the geneticist's team is to a breakthrough." Yes, they're always just on the edge of a breakthrough… which never materializes. George Church took a lot of money from notorious child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. Now Church is also starting up a dating app based on "genetics" (to stop the transmission of inherited diseases, according to him). This is straight up eugenics wrapped in new paper. He's not the only one working on using patient stem cells to regrow transplantable organs, on life prolongation, or any of these ideas. Why is 60 Minutes giving this person and his views air time?

"The New England Patriots acknowledged that their production crew inappropriately filmed the field and sideline during Sunday's game between the Bengals and Browns in Cleveland and accepted full responsibility in a statement released Monday night." Oopsie.

How go the Trade Wars? "Based on analysis of Chinese and U.S. data, Chinese imports of American soybeans between September and November this year increased 13 times from the same period last year, according to Xiaoping Zhang, Greater China Regional Director for the U.S. Soybean Export Council." So what's 13 times zero? "As a result, all Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans this year occurred through specific arrangements, outside normal trade channels that would otherwise subject the imports to retaliatory tariffs of about 30%, Zhang said in a phone interview Monday."

"President Trump has long complained that the United States is a loser on the playing field of global trade. Now his administration is going after the ref. The United States is taking action to sideline the World Trade Organization, which has been the chief enforcer of global trading rules. Allies say the president simply wants to reform the organization. Critics say he is tearing it apart." The WTO is the foundation of global trade in the free world. Destruction of that organization will lead to instability, weakness, and a less than unified front against our adversaries (note, Russia has gotten the fuzzy-end of the WTO lollipop since it's beginning).

"President Trump's new national security adviser is warning of a information security doomsday scenario for U.S. allies that allow Chinese telecommunications company Huawei to build their next generation 5G networks." Booga booga booga.

"The executive order, according to White House officials, will state that title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin, will also be applied to 'Jewishness'" This is mostly to stop college campus "boycott-Israel" movements. So, just what nation do the Jewish people belong to? Just where are the Jewish people a nation? So much for protecting "free speech" on campus. This is a seriously fucked up concept and bad policy. But hey, I'm sure calling out Jews for special treatment is :: checks notes :: totally in line with Nazi eugenics and anti-semitism. (Grokked in a roundabout way from Chuck Wendig)

"Back then, he was watching the number of risky mortgages grow and grow. Now he's watching student loans, 'and there are a lot of similarities,' he says. 'You've had an absolutely explosive growth in the amount of student debt. In fifteen years it's gone from about $300 billion to now $1.6 trillion.'" Insert dramatic music here.

"The CBO says the U.S. budget deficit will average $1.2 trillion a year from 2020 to 2029, amounting to 4.4 percent to 4.8 percent of gross domestic product." And yet carry a breeze from all the conservatives who were/are oh so concerned about budget deficits when Obama (and Clinton) was president. Strange that. It's almost as if they're a bunch of fucking hypocrites. Expect that to change the second a Democrat wins the White House. (Grokked for someone, sorry, lost the link)

"However, despite expectations that policy makers will stand pat on rates, economists are wondering whether hints about future policy may be gleaned Wednesday from the statement, updated economic forecasts and a subsequent Q&A with reporters hosted by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell."

"The emboldened religious right has unleashed a wave of legislation across the United States since Donald Trump became president, as part of an organised bid to impose hardline Christian values across American society… A playbook known as Project Blitz, developed by a collection of Christian groups, has provided state politicians with a set of off-the-shelf pro-Christian 'model bills'." So first ALEC and now CPCF all developing "model bills" (ie. writing legislation) by non-elected people, all on the right side of the political spectrum. I'll note there is not equivalent organization pushing a progressive agenda. Conservatives are taking their marching orders from an unelected cadre pushing a theocratic vision of America's future. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

And in today's episode of What the Hell Happened to You?… "NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Marie Brenner, writer at large for Vanity Fair, about her look into the early days of Attorney General William Barr, and how his views were influenced by his father." Nothing like a son out for revenge for his father.

"For rogues, scoundrels, tyrants, princes and princesses of corruption—and their henchmen—the truth is a threat. It must be crushed. It must be vanquished. Abuse of power cannot exist alongside accountability. Malefactors cannot survive within an atmosphere of truth. It is a suffocating poison for them. So they must deceive, and they must dissemble. That is what the United States’ top law enforcement officer demonstrated this week." The mis-information war is coming from inside the White House. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)

To wit… "Donald Trump is looking to survive impeachment the same way he built his powerful presidency -- by assaulting facts and seeking to expand the limitations of the office he is accused of abusing… On the day that Democrats proposed two articles of impeachment against him, the President and his courtiers laid down a fresh fog to obscure the evidence that incriminates him."

"If that scenario sounds familiar, it sounds doubly familiar to those of us who were around and plugged into politics around 1986-87, when a scandal called the Iran-Contra affair nearly toppled the 40th presidency of Ronald Reagan — until abruptly, it didn’t." (Grokked from John)

"InfoWars host who called for Obama to be lynched interrupts impeachment hearing: 'Trump is innocent'… A host who pushed 'Pizzagate' and Sandy Hook conspiracy theories accuses Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of 'treason'…" Wingnuttery rates continue to climb.

Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Here’s what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has done by undertaking a reckless and partisan drive to impeach the president: absolutely guaranteed that anyone who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 will vote for him again next year. Guaranteed, as a result, that Trump will be reelected." You keep believin', Liz. "Across the United States, tens of millions of Americans are furious that Donald Trump, a man they respect, has been bullied and bloodied by hate-filled, crazed political antagonists who mock him, lie shamelessly about his policies, obstruct his every move and, most disgusting of all, savagely demean his wife and children." Hey, I remember the Obama presidency, Liz. You can fuck off back into your troll-hole right now.

"In conversations with the White House, the Kentucky Republican has made clear he hopes to end the trial as soon as he can, an effort to both get impeachment off his lap and protect his conference from potentially damaging votes should the process break out into partisan warfare. That will include a continuous whip count until McConnell feels he has the votes to acquit the President and end the show… But the show is exactly what Trump wants. He's made clear to advisers privately that rather than end the trial as quickly as possible, he is hoping for a dramatic event, according to two people familiar with his thinking." Welcome to the show, we're here to let you know our time is now, your time is running out.

Tweet of my heart: @atrupar The Russian foreign minister has now done one more press briefing on US soil than @PressSec (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

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