Gaza lifestyle as "healthy", UK
14 May 2025
*UK Lawyers for Israel condemned over claim war may reduce obesity in Gaza.*
That goes beyond a mere bogus excuse — it is an expression of contempt for human life.
"State secrets", US and SLV
14 May 2025
*US government invokes "state secrets" privilege in Kilmar Ábrego García case.*
This is one of many insincere stratagems by which the corrupter tries to make a monkey out of US courts.
Universities face attacks
14 May 2025
*Universities in red states face attacks from DC and at home.*
Tracking climate-disaster costs
14 May 2025
*NOAA to stop tracking cost of climate crisis-fueled disasters.*
The planet roasters prefer to keep us in the dark about how important it is to stop them.
Urgent: Serving American people
14 May 2025
US citizens: call on Congress to serve the people, not the billionaires.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
Urgent: Billionaire influencing politics
14 May 2025
US citizens: call on Congress to get billionaire money out of politics.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
Deportation case, Louisiana
14 May 2025
*Rümeysa Öztürk has been freed on bail and has returned home. Her case for illegal arrest continues.
Her case not to be deported is happening in Louisiana, and I suspect it is in the court of the judge that always rules, "Off with his visa!" Will she have a real chance to appeal that?
Junk food ads affect children
14 May 2025
*Children eat more after seeing just five minutes of junk food ads, study finds.*
Bullying-out feelings of hope, power
14 May 2025
Robert Reich: When regressive regimes (including the incipient one in the US) display their power by bullying, they make some people feel hopeless. Some protect themselves from that feeling by denying the situation. Some keep silent because they believe they are powerless.
But we can find many ways to resist.
India-Pakistan ceasefire
14 May 2025
*India and Pakistan both claim victory after ceasefire declared.*
It is silly of them to say that, but it is a better outcome than a continuing real war.
Newark objected to deportation prison
14 May 2025
The Mayor of Newark went to a deportation prison along with some Congressional Democrats to object to its reopening. Deportation thugs arrested him.
Newark mayor arrested
14 May 2025
The Democratic congresscritters that visited the privatized immigration prison in New Jersey with Mayor Baraka of Newark accused the immigration thugs of starting the confrontation.
It looks like another instance of the authoritarian tactic of provoking a fight and blaming the victim for it, beloved by thugs everywhere.
I've seen a report that Baraka never entered the prison, he only stood outside it.
Fixing plumbing of US Democracy
14 May 2025
*Wanting democratic norms is not sufficient; it is merely a precondition for meaningful change. Making sure the US’s plumbing was secure did not mean that anything of importance would pass through the pipes.*
The article presents the meaningful change needed. I more or less agree. We need to make America a good place for people (including non-rich people) to live in.
Investments via Trump Media
14 May 2025
Big businesses are "investing" in Trump antiSocial. Maybe they expect him to pressure other businesses to "invest" and cause their "investment"'s value to grow. Or maybe they consider this a bribe for his favor.
Modern slavery incentives, UK
14 May 2025
*Modern slavery victims [in the UK] opt to stay with exploiters for fear of deportation, research finds.*
LLM in mass surveillance
14 May 2025
Crucial
points about massive surveillance using LLMs can be found
here, after "On Privacy Concerns".
The writer does not recognize that some of these dangers are
predicated on users' running nonfree software, and that replacing that
with free software could prevent the dangers. However, in a world
where most people do run nonfree software, the allegation of
vulnerability is valid.
The writer is correct in insisting that the current state of the art
in bullshit generators does not imply that artificial real
intelligence is around the corner.
For future systems that are somewhat intelligent to destroy humanity
does not require them to be autonomous and indifferent to humanity's
fate. It is sufficient if they are controlled by billionaires (humans
or corporations) that are indifferent to humanity's fate.
Identity politics is wrong
13 May 2025
*Finding "who you really are" is a restrictive and divisive preoccupation for young working-class people.
In terms of race, I am classified as white. But I would never imagine that, or my recent ancestors' religion, or their national origin, as saying anything about "who I am". Nor, for that matter, my parents' level of wealth.
Who I am is defined by what I think about important questions.
Urgent: Increase taxes on the rich
13 May 2025
US citizens: while Republicans work on a law to cut taxes for the rich, phone your congresscritter and say, "Increase taxes on the rich."
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US planning to deport migrants to Libya
13 May 2025
*US [reportedly] planning to deport migrants to Libya despite "hellish" [and dangerous] conditions* of repression and civil war.
"Do Not Capitulate" to Assault on Press Freedom
13 May 2025
*Sanders, Senate Dems to CBS Owner: "Do Not Capitulate" to Assault on Press Freedom.*
Voice of America may be turned right-wing
13 May 2025
Voice of America may be converted into a right-wing propaganda outlet rather than shut down entirely.
Deforestation is destroying the Gran Chaco
13 May 2025
Deforestation is destroying the Gran Chaco. In some places they plant crops. In others they set fires and leave only ashes behind. (Why do that, I wonder?)
(satire) National Endowment for the arts lays of muses
13 May 2025
(satire) *National Endowment For The Arts Lays Off 30,000 Muses.*
Republicans assert that the additional hardship and suffering that their policies will create ought to provide plenty of inspiration for art, especially among those not wealthy enough to find muses in other ways.
Advance in US government-issued ID cards
13 May 2025
Sad to say, the US seems to be advancing in its campaign to impose government-issued ID cards on Americans, with the "real ID" driver's licenses.
Warning that therapy chatbots not safe
13 May 2025
*UK experts warn … therapy chatbots are not safe.*
Calling them "AI" is repeating a grave error which is at the root of this problem. Those systems are not intelligence, because they cannot understand the words they play with, and that is also why they are unsafe.
Why do people think they are intelligence? Because of those who foolishly call them "AI".
Elon Musk set to win big
13 May 2025
*Elon Musk Set to Win Big With Trump's Trillion-Dollar Pentagon Budget.*
His companies were selected in some cases based on favoritism, and in some agencies he was given the power to decide which offices to shut and which to keep open. Both are forms of corruption. *The [wrecker] is poised to kill federal research into pollution from satellites and rockets, including some caused by Elon Musk’s space companies, raising new conflict-of-interest questions about the billionaire SpaceX and Starlink owner.*
This concerns pollution from rocket exhaust and pollution from satellites burning up during reentry.
Geoengineering to reduce sunlight on specific areas
13 May 2025
Britain will experiment with several systems of local geoengineering that try to reduce the sunlight falling on the test area.
I expect that local method of cooling are safer from those that would operate globally. However, I can imagine that using them with enough strength to make a significant difference to global heating would be very expensive and might cause pollution.
They could also backfire in complex ways -- for instance, some parts of Earth could have drastic global heating while others are protected by cooling. That could cause changes in weather patterns and ocean currents.
But given the disaster we are facing, and the success of fossil fools in corrupting governments so as to keep on pumping he fossil fuels, I support trying these experiments.
Abandoned coal mines and gas wells source of emissions
13 May 2025
* Abandoned coalmines and oil and gas wells are now one of the biggest sources of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, new data shows, and little effort is being made to clean them up.*
I expect that the fossil fuel companies to divest themselves from old mines and wells in ways that will avoid liability for them — just as they sometimes disconnect themselves from responsibility for supporting former workers.
So I suggest making it a felony to implement a restructuring of business or assets in a way that is likely to result predictably in strand assets that carry financial responsibilities with no one capable of shouldering the responsibilities.
Casualty figures kept secret for fighting with Yemen
13 May 2025
The cheater has kept casualty figures secret for the fighting with Yemen. Even if they are small, this violates the accountability that the people have a right to.
Deportation of leaders of organizing of farm workers
13 May 2025
Deportation thugs attacked the organizing of farm workers by deporting the leaders.
Fungus infecting artworks
13 May 2025
A previously unknown fungus is infesting precious, old artworks in Danish museums. And perhaps unnoticed in other countries too.
Netanyahu's plan to seize Gaza or make it uninhabitable
13 May 2025
*Seize Gaza, or make it uninhabitable. That's Netanyahu's plan — and either way he wins.*
NYU students can take exams without swearing off protests
13 May 2025
*NYU Law About-Face: Students Can Take Exams Without Swearing Off Protests.* However, the restrictions on them remain very tight.
West Bank villages being erased
12 May 2025
*Palestinians awoke to bulldozers. Their village was destroyed by noon.*
New hole in Chernobyl confinement-dome
12 May 2025
The Putin forces attacked the structure built to cover the old, damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant and caused millions of dollars worth of damage, and a risk of escape of radioactive dust.
Congress investigates corrupter's prosecutor
12 May 2025
The bully's henchmen in Congress are going to investigate one of the prosecutors who prosecuted the bully for federal crimes.
They have made it clear that this is for personal retribution, not because of any objective grounds.
The oft-repeated "I don't know"
12 May 2025
*[The chaos spreader] keeps saying he doesn’t know what his own administration is up to.*
Halt to government layoffs ordered
12 May 2025
*Judge orders White House to temporarily halt sweeping government layoffs.*
What about the ones already "done"?
Antisemitism
12 May 2025
An expert testifying for the Congressional committee investigating "antisemitism" compared that committee to the House Un-American Activities Committee which persecuted real or alleged supporters of Communism.
*Ahead of McCarthyite House Committee hearing on College Campuses, Jewish Columbia Students Urge Congress to take Action Against the … Regime’s False Allegations of Antisemitism.*
Trump halts more foreign aid
12 May 2025
The wrecker's rushed cuts in foreign aid are about to cut off the food aid for up to a million refugees in Uganda.
Marjorie Greene and stocks
12 May 2025
Just before the corrupter dropped his recently increased tariffs for imports to the US, Rep. Marjorie Greene bought stocks that would rise as a consequence. Was that insider trading, a crime?
Trump's tariff corruption
12 May 2025
A tariff exemption is an exception to tariff requirements, granted for importation of a specific foreign product. The corrupter is issuing exemptions so as to benefit his rich supporters.
Trump's replacement history
12 May 2025
The bullshitter wants to replace American History with with a compendium of propaganda myths designed for him. We can expect him subsequently to try to compel schools to teach this propaganda in place of real history.
There have been plenty of myths in American History as taught in the past, which met with efforts to replace the myths with facts and serious thought. The principle of valuing truth supported those efforts. But that principle never had to contend with the power of the state.
Human rights
12 May 2025
An exploration of philosophical ideas implicated in the idea of human rights.
The author has not considered the question of a right to control your own computing. I'd be interested to see what perse does with that idea.
US keeping wars going
12 May 2025
Wars are festering in various parts of the world. The US keeps many of them going, but not all. No one seems to know what to do to end them.
Regarding Yemen, it is clear that terror bombing of civilians in the Houthi territory is unjust and won't achieve anything good. It is also clear that we ought in any case to make Israel end its bombardment of siege in Gaza. Doing that would end the Houthis' attacks on shipping, so that one festering battle would end.
I don't post about the other festering wars unless there is news of a change in the situation -- because I don't know enough about them to think of ideas for ending them.
Robert Reich: The bully acts like an abusive parent
12 May 2025
Robert Reich: the bully acts towards people under his power like an abusive parent.
Fossil fuel use
12 May 2025
A method has been developed to attribute fractions of the world-wide damage from extreme heat to various producers of fossil fuel, based on their contributions to the fossil fuel consumption. This may make them to be liable for some of the damage.
Although this is a small fraction of the damage their emissions will do in the future, holding them liable for this part could provide pressure to decrease fossil fuel investment.
In principle, it should be possible in a similar way to hold agribusiness liable for the emissions from their deforestation and fertilizer runoff.
China arresting activist's relatives
12 May 2025
China is arresting relatives of a Hong Kong democracy activist in exile, after making it a crime to help refugees get access their funds that are caught in Hong Kong.
This amounts to taking their relatives hostage.
Alcatraz
12 May 2025
The wrecker hopes to engage magats' imaginations by talk of reopening the Alcatraz island prison.
If the island continues to attract tourists, the ruiner's henchmen could randomly choose some to seize and hold in the prison. They could have a big laugh over this at the expense of non magats like us.
Tariffs and plutocratists
12 May 2025
The corrupter's foolish tariff policy is partly based an emotional truth that attacks the weak politics of plutocratist ("mainstream") Democrats.
The weakness is real, but the right way to fix it is by supporting the progressive Democrats.