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, June 10, 2020

Linkee-poo Wednesday

"Over the weekend, authors took to Twitter to share what they were paid for their books."

"'Harry Potter' actor Daniel Radcliffe has sharply criticized controversial comments from author J.K. Rowling. In a piece published Monday for LGBTQ youth nonprofit The Trevor Project, Radcliffe said he felt 'compelled to say something at this moment.'"

"Texas reported a record-breaking number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday as the governor plans to reopen more businesses and double capacity… Texas Department of State Health Services figures show 1,935 people were admitted as hospital patients for coronavirus-related treatment. That is up from a previous record of 1,888 on May 5." Ummm…

"Over the last week, Florida has seen rising numbers of new COVID-19 cases. Since last Tuesday, the number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus totaled more than 1,000 each day. Saturday's total of 1,426 positive tests was the most since early April."

"The city of Moscow, the epicenter of Russia's coronavirus pandemic, is lifting lockdown restrictions as the Kremlin prepares for a massive military parade on Red Square and a national referendum that will seal President Vladimir Putin's political future."

"President Trump this month will begin hitting the road once again to make his pitch for reelection in the 2020 White House race, despite the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc on the lives and livelihoods of households across the country." Well, he has to. He feels he's losing his grip and his people are starting to peer outside his reality bubble.

"The U.S. government has granted contracts worth as much as $25 billion as it races to address the COVID-19 public health crisis. NPR reviewed a database of thousands of contracting actions and found more than 250 companies that got contracts worth more than $1 million without going through a fully competitive bidding process." Money for nothing.

"After long nights of tear gas and rubber bullets, some protesters, news crews, and medics in Minneapolis last weekend found themselves stranded: The tires of their cars had been slashed… In a city upended by protests about police brutality after the death of George Floyd, many assumed protesters were to blame. But videos reveal a different culprit: the police."

"Sen. Portman heard from ‘dozens’ of black leaders. His office won’t name one." Oh, Robbie.

"Some of the country's most polluting industries have flooded state regulators with requests to ease environmental regulations, according to an NPR review of hundreds of state environmental records… Companies across the country say the pandemic is interfering with their ability to comply with laws that protect the public from pollution."

"Congress sent more than $150 billion in aid to states and cities two months ago. Yet much of that money has failed to make it to places that need it… A review by NPR has found in some cases, states and counties – which are strapped in their own right – are holding onto the money. Some states like Vermont, Mississippi and Alabama are locked in heated debates over who gets to spend the money."

"If Russia's attack on the 2016 election and other elections in Great Britain and Western Europe seemed like bolts from the blue, they shouldn't. Shimer's authoritative book places them in their proper context as only the latest installments in the long-running and sometimes grim practice of statecraft."

Preview of the Fall… "The lines on Election Day in Georgia were so long that state officials announced investigations before the polls even closed, raising fears of what's to come when the nation votes in November."

Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Attorney General William Barr told 'Special Report' in the second part of an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday that he believes social media platforms are 'engaged in censorship' and are acting more like 'publishers'." That distinction is crucial in the terms of the law.

"U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, according to Law & Crime's Matt Naham, has ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to answer questions "regarding certain redactions of the Mueller Report" at a hearing now set for July 20. In the past, Walton has been critical of Attorney General William Barr's response to the Mueller Report, asserting that Barr, in 2019, 'distorted' the findings of former special counsel Robert Mueller. And now that Walton has read the Mueller Report in unredacted form, he is more concerned than ever about Barr's response to it."

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