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Created
Sat, 21/01/2023 - 10:00
They’re doing it again If you’ve been watching the recent febrile reporting about the Biden documents you can be forgiven if you felt like you’ve seen this movie before. You have. The Washington Post published a story yesterday about the Biden documents case that pretty much explained and exonerated the administration’s handling of the matter. It also said that it doesn’t matter because it looks bad and everyone’s talking about it so it’s very bad, possibly fatal, for Biden. Ironically, the only thing that might spare him is the plethora of legal issues plaguing Trump and the fact that his document scandal is arguably much worse. On the other hand, I’m already seeing “we know Trump is a corrupt scumbag, we expect more from Biden” so who knows? How does this sort of thing happen?
Created
Sat, 21/01/2023 - 08:48
Labour-commissioned report that confirmed weaponisation of antisemitism and gross racism and abuse by right-wing staff still linked from Labour website but is now a dead link The Forde Report, which was commissioned reluctantly by Keir Starmer after a leaked Labour report exposed racism, abuse and false accusations of antisemitism by the party right – and […]
Created
Sat, 21/01/2023 - 08:30
I doubt most readers here ever watch Fox News. Why would you? But it’s not a bad idea to know what’s going on over there. It’s literally nuts. Here’s some of what they broadcast just this week: That’s just a small window into the atrocities the network spews out to the public on an hourly basis. `
Created
Sat, 21/01/2023 - 07:36

I remember trying to buy a TV that does not have “smart” functionality a few years ago. It was a chore. Today it seems nigh-impossible.

By the way, we need a nice way of referring to non-smart devices. I propose: “safe”.

And not just TVs: ovens; refrigerators; dishwashers — all are now “smart”. In fact, it seems that more and more the available non-smart, err, I mean safe models are only the simpler ones, less performant in ways that are not related to any smart functionality.

Safe TVs but without the fancy backlight. Safe refrigerators but without the de-icing system. My Safe TV was available only with lower resolutions than “smart” models of the same brand.

This really annoys me. I am too well aware of security implications of smart devices. I do not want to have to manage regular software updates for whatever number of appliances I have at home, or risk somebody using them in a botnet (or worse).

Created
Sat, 21/01/2023 - 07:00
Here’s a doozy: Former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, who Gov. Ron DeSantis had suspended, will remain out of office since a federal judge on Friday ruled that he does not have the power to reinstate the prosecutor — despite ruling that the removal violated the First Amendment and Florida Constitution. In an order dismissing the case, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle wrote that federal law prevents him from returning elected prosecutor Andrew Warren to office in a lawsuit that centered on state law. DeSantis suspended Warren last year over the elected prosecutor’s signing of statements that said he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments, as well as policies about not charging people with some minor crimes. Warren — a twice-elected, Democratic state attorney in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa — sued the governor in federal court to get his job back. In testimony, Warren argued that he was suspended over his personal political positions on abortion and transgender issues.