Dame Maggie Smith and Kris Kristofferson, and so it goes.
"(Helene) Live Updates: 40 fatalities confirmed in Western North Carolina; FEMA arrives in AVL." Note that the conservatives mostly did not vote for the CR that included bumping up FEMA's funds.
"In the next two weeks, a recently discovered comet will almost certainly become bright enough to see without optical aid; just your eyes and a dark site will suffice. It might even briefly brighten so much that you’ll be able to see it during the day… Or it might not. Comets are irritating that way."
"A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes started producing her own insulin less than three months after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells1. She is the first person with the disease to be treated using cells that were extracted from her own body."
"On Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman outlined his vision for an AI-driven future of tech progress and global prosperity in a new personal blog post titled "The Intelligence Age." The essay paints a picture of human advancement accelerated by AI, with Altman suggesting that superintelligent AI could emerge within the next decade." I remember them saying the same thing when LISP was all the rage… back in the early 90s. Sam's just shaking the money tree here.
"The Guardian reports that the actual emissions made by data centers owned by AI leaders including Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Apple, are about 662 percent higher than what they've officially reported." They must have had AI write the original report.
"However, funding for cutting-edge energy projects like the one in Utah could dry up if Donald Trump is reelected. During Trump’s first term, his administration tried to strip funding from the Loan Programs Office. The agency survived, but lending slowed dramatically. Conservative activists are still pushing to eliminate the office, saying in a policy agenda called Project 2025 that the government shouldn’t back 'risky business ventures or politically preferred commercial enterprises.'"
Your government giving you free COVID tests through the mail. Again.
"South Korea’s government, Western countries and adoption agencies worked in tandem to supply some 200,000 Korean children to parents overseas, despite years of evidence they were being procured through questionable or downright unscrupulous means, an investigation led by The Associated Press found. Those children grew up and searched for their roots — and some realized they are not who they were told."
"Three Mile Island, the power plant near Middletown, Pa., that was the scene of the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, will reopen to power Microsoft's data centers, which are responsible for powering the tech giant's cloud computing and artificial intelligence programs."
"Tupperware, the brand synonymous with food storage in American homes, has filed for bankruptcy after years of struggling with its business model and debt." Dear TW, we've been trying to get replacement lids for 8 years now. Your current sales model sucks doing the very thing you based your brand on.
"Finally, Dr Newman debunked the popular idea of ‘Blue Zones’ as regions of exceptional longevity and healthy lifestyles. Many, if not most of the centenarians in the ‘Blue Zone’ have turned out to be alive in the government records but were deceased in reality. Using extensive government data and surveys, Dr Newman showed that most of the dietary and lifestyle claims behind the so-called ‘Blue Zone’ regions of high longevity are not supported by any independent data."
"One specific allegation of pricing overreach came to light in an ongoing court hearing that disclosed an email by a Kroger executive. In March, he wrote that the supermarket chain's milk and egg prices were 'significantly higher' than was necessary to account for inflation. Kroger later said the email was 'cherry-picked' from "a specific period" that didn't reflect its pricing approach." The article, while discounting "gouging" as a reason for inflation, does show some statistics on the profit margins of these companies. Tell me how 25%-50% margin is "razor thin." And then there… "The Biden administration has been eager to blame corporate greed. But even a report that the White House put out this year acknowledged that store markups don't fully explain food inflation." This is like the modern take on fact checking where they like to nitpick that "the increase was only 20%, not the 25% this person claimed, so we rate this a pants on fire."
"CarMax partner Exeter Finance makes high-interest loans to people with troubled financial histories. It allows borrowers to skip payments but often adds thousands of dollars in new charges — costs that customers say Exeter didn’t tell them about." Oopsie.
Planet Money podcast with… "This was a famous study by two famous academics. The result stood for over a decade. And it feels good, right? Maybe the rich aren't so much happier than anyone else. But researchers have recently done a complete 180 on this idea. In 2021, psychologist Matt Killingsworth found nearly the opposite: That more money does correlate with more happiness. And that the relationship continues well beyond $75,000 per year." I know, I was shocked too. Also a good story about the scientific process as applied to Economics (note, outside hard science disciplines, the scientific process becomes a little shaky, note the deplorable lack of "reproducibility" in many fields). But that $75k (itself a misnomer) has embedded itself in the public zeitgeist, and it needs to be removed. TL/DR the short story is the original survey didn't actually track happiness, it was more a measure of sadness, so the takeaway should have been, "below $75k/yr, sadness increases." Which, ya know, duh (also it's about $100,000 in today's dollars).
"Social media influencers and content creators with right-leaning followings have descended on Springfield since Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and former president Donald Trump amplified baseless claims that Haitian immigrants there are eating pets. As they pursue clicks, their sensationalized videos and posts are helping spread the false and racist rumors."
"It's not just Casella's company. Nationwide, immigrants are a vital force in powering the American job machine and keeping the U.S. economy humming. Over the last 12 months, nearly 1.5 million foreign-born workers have joined the labor force — legally or illegally. In the same period the population of U.S.-born workers has shrunk."
"States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years, a new study by The Trevor Project says." No shit? The conservative intent is the cruelty.
"The Georgia State Election Board approved a controversial rule Friday requiring a hand count of the number of ballots cast on Election Day… Republicans advanced the measure over the opposition of Georgia’s Republican secretary of state and attorney general and dozens of local election officials who said the last-minute change could cause delays and confusion on election night and the days that follow." Note the deadlines for certifying the vote have not changed. Also, they're just counting the ballots to compare to the machine tally. Like counting several thousand pieces of paper by hand is never problematic.
"The editor in chief of Christianity Today is warning that evangelical Christianity is moving too far to the right, to the point that even Jesus’s teachings are considered 'weak' now… Russell Moore resigned from the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021, after years of being at odds with other evangelical leaders. Specifically, Moore openly criticized Donald Trump, whom many evangelical Christians embraced. Moore also criticized the Southern Baptist Convention’s response to a sexual abuse crisis and increasing tolerance for white nationalism in the community." Living in a time of false prophets and miracle workers sure is something. And they will know we are Christians by our Tough Love.
Fourteen common features of fascism.
Here's a story that came and went. "The Letcher County sheriff is being charged with first degree murder after the shooting death of the 47th Judicial District judge. 43-year old Mickey Stines has been charged in the death of 54-year old Kevin Mullins."
Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins on Thursday retracted comments he made about Haitian immigrants in a now-deleted social media post… 'You never want to intentionally hurt someone’s feelings, and that post was intended for Haitian gangs, you understand?' Higgins, a Republican, told reporters. 'The unintended impact that was expressed very sincerely from one of my colleagues very graciously, that touched me as a gentleman.'" Fuck you, you racist piece of trash. "That touched you as a gentleman," enjoy the fires of hell you ignorant asswipe.
On the Media podcast with… "Kamala Harris has come under fire for ignoring interview requests from the press. On this week’s On the Media, the debate over whether giving media access actually helps inform voters. Plus, a guide to understanding election polls, and how they’ve evolved since the failures of 2016 and 2020."
And… "Swift and Eilish stand amid a sea of pop stars, including, among others, Beyonce, Charli xcx, and Cardi B, who have cheered on the Harris campaign — which has felt more like a weeks-long rave than the usual pre-election slog. The soundtrack for the Democratic National Convention was provided by a sunglass-clad DJ Cassidy, while the RNC featured performances by Kid Rock and bands like Sixwire. Politics and music, this year in particular, seem inextricable. For the midweek podcast, host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Mark Clague, a professor of musicology at the University of Michigan, about the role of music in this year's presidential campaigns, the history of political anthems, and the consequences of pop star celebrity culture seeping further into our political sphere."
As well as… "Lies that immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio have inspired dozens of threats against the town, and toward Haitian-Americans across the nation. On this week’s On the Media, hear how public acceptance of political violence has grown. Plus, how January 6 became a recruiting tool for one of the country’s largest militias."
"Police are investigating what appears to be gunfire damage overnight at a Democratic Party-coordinated campaign office for Vice President Kamala Harris… The incident occurred just a few days before Harris is scheduled to visit Arizona as she campaigns for president."
"The private equity firm run by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald J. Trump, has been paid at least $112 million in fees since 2021 by Saudi Arabia and other foreign investors, even though as of July it had not yet returned any profits to the governments largely bankrolling the firm." I'm sure there's a totally legit reason for this company to not have any returns from one of the best bull market runs in 8 years that doesn't include the phrase "embezzlement" or "grift" or "illegal foreign payoffs."
"'After reviewing six months of nationwide member polling and wrapping up nearly a year of rank-and-file roundtable interviews with all major candidates for the presidency, the union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee,' the Teamsters executive board announced Wednesday… An internal poll conducted by phone showed 58% of members supported Trump, compared to 31% backing Harris." Because, ya know, Trump is oh so good for the common working man. Hard side eye. My brother Teamsters (former GCCC union member), what the fuck is wrong with you? Trump makes a goddamn show of how much he hates labor, but you'd vote for that motherfucking face eating leopard party because you don't think they're going to eat your face when you and your coworkers are in the first 10 they'll eat the faces of.
"Once more, a voting tech company has settled its defamation lawsuit over false allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election before the start of trial — in this instance, Smartmatic USA’s suit against the conservative network Newsmax."
Remember when conservatives were all, "if the DoJ can charge Trump, then they can do this to anyone," and the liberal response was, "yes, yes totally, if you're corrupt we want the DoJ to charge you with crimes"? "New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting a political contribution from a foreign national, according to an indictment that was unsealed on Thursday — a historic circumstance that comes after a monthslong investigation."
"Congress voted Wednesday evening to approve a stop-gap spending bill to fund government programs through December 20. The bipartisan spending bill postpones the debate on full year funding levels for federal programs until after the election, and avoids a shutdown. Government agencies run out of money on September 30." Turns out Plan B was let the Democrats pass a clean CR. Funny how that always seems to be the Plan B that actually works every damn year.
