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

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Linkee-poo late Sunday clearing the baffles

Who gets to tell the story? "The controversy surrounding the publication of American Dirt, a novel by Jeanine Cummins, has resulted in a firestorm: detractors claim the author lacks the credibility to write a story about Mexican immigrants (Cummins claims Puerto Rican heritage by way of a grandmother); those whom support her work say she has written a book with well-researched, real-to-life depictions of those who cross the U.S. border." Unfortunately it's all audio. It seems to me, and I've only seen a little of this controversy, is it's not so much about the book (although there are some qualms about the story), but it has more to do with access to publishing and the reception of the book (including the advance). That's not in a "sour grapes" kind of way, but in a social awareness aspect of whom is accepted and whom is not.

"Public servants with student loans were furious, and the U.S. Department of Education heard them. The department revealed Thursday that it will simplify the process for borrowers to apply for an expansion of the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program." We'll see if that actually happens. This would be, what, the third plan for this?

"Your credit score can determine whether you can buy a car, get certain jobs or rent an apartment. It's a big deal. And so is this: Credit scores for many Americans are about to change — even if they don't do anything." Oh fun. I wonder how much more those "fix your credit" services will charge now?

"Warren proposed to combat disinformation by holding big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google responsible for spreading misinformation designed to suppress voters from turning out."

"Under Trump, Border Patrol agents wield nearly unchecked power over the fate of migrants — and their seemingly random decisions can cleave families apart." Cruelty is the program. (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)

"Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter."

"A national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence and key witness in the House’s impeachment of President Donald Trump will be leaving her post in the vice president’s office early to join Central Command, according to two people with knowledge of her plans." You don't say.

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