“That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be.” This is a line by fantasy author PC Hodgell, though it’s often misattributed to Carl Sagan. I think about this quote a lot. I think about it when reflecting on the way Israel is exterminating Palestinian journalists in Gaza while keeping western journalists out of Continue reading »
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Insights from Nautilus in 2024.
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You love to see it I wrote a bit about this yesterday so there’s no need to go into detail. (If you want it, just check into Twitter today…) But the little brouhaha did open the eyes of some of the MAGA folk who now realize that Musk has no respect or regard for them, is in it for himself, and his “free speech” yammering is all BS. Imagine that. I think one of the sleeper hit sideshows of this next year is going to be MAGA on MAGA infighting. We’re seeing it here on social media and we’ve already seen it in the US Congress. Democrats are impotent and these people aren’t alive unless they’re going after someone so it stands to reason they’d start eating their own. I suppose Dear Leader could do something. Unfortunately: Buy popcorn futures.
The ballot counting is over but not the litigation Welcome to the Great State of North Carolina (ProPublica): Months before voters went to the polls in November, a group of election skeptics based in North Carolina gathered on a call and discussed what actions to take if they doubted any of the results. One of the ideas they floated: try to get the courts or state election board to throw out hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by voters whose registrations are missing a driver’s license number and the last four digits of a Social Security number. But that idea was resisted by two activists on the call, including the leader of the North Carolina chapter of the Election Integrity Network. The data was missing not because voters had done something wrong but largely as a result of an administrative error by the state. The leader said the idea was “voter suppression” and “100%” certain to fail in the courts, according to a recording of the July call obtained by ProPublica.
A Boxing Day survey of storm devastation off the beaten path Ridgetops look like they’ve been bombed. Riverbeds are scoured, banks ripped open and lined with trash. Trees that once obscured the views are uprooted, toppled and lying in ranks. You’ve likely seen post-Helene images from western North Carolina. Many are of the River Arts District in Asheville and of devastation in nearby Swannanoa to the east. The Washington Post this week profiled Swannanoa flood victims from a row of mill houses left over from the days of the Beacon blanket factory, long gone. A month ago, I told readers the region was out of the news but not out of the woods. That’s still true. Except on Boxing Day I surveyed some of the worst damage myself for the first time and came home stricken. The photos cannot convey the impact of the storm where news crews don’t go. The bottom fell out of the sky on Sept. 25, two days before the remnants of Hurricane Helene even reached WNC. The rainfall was torrential and the ground saturation thorough.
En statlig utredning ledd av John Hassler, professor i nationalekonomi, vill också att amorteringskraven ska lättas. “De regler vi har idag minskar efterfrågan på bostäder. Om regeringen släpper något på reglerna, sả kommer efterfrågan att öka”, sade Hassler till Svenska Dagbladet. Vad skulle följden av dessa åtgärder bli? En inte alltför djärv gissning är att […]
Even before election, Trump is roaring. Screams of taking over the Panama Canal, Canada and Greenland. Promises of tariffs on, essentially, everyone. Lots of domestic threats about immigrants and going after Democratic politicians. At the same time his proxies, like Musk, muse on slashing Social Security and Medicare.
Europe’s in particularly tentative position: threats of tariffs and forcing Europe to spend more of its money on defense, by which Trump means “buying more US weapons.”
Western Europe has been an American satrapy since WWII. The Americans invaded and never left, and have had the Euros under the economic thumb the entire time. When necessary they have overthrown governments and they have every politician of note under surveillance.
Eastern Europe fell under the thumb after the collapse of the USSR and were, mostly, happy to do so.
This year, our flagship podcast Lever Time reached new heights. Now we’re taking it to the next level.
. Jag tänder ett ljus för dig också. Siv Pettersson (1955-1975). RIP
ALLEGRA School in Coffs city centre was the subject of Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh’s Community Recognition Statement presented to Parliament in November. Community Recognition Statements are one-minute presentations made by MPs which congratulate or acknowledge the achievements of people or groups in the community, recognise charity work, retirement, honours and awards, or express...
The post Coffs’ Allegra School recognised in Parliament appeared first on News Of The Area.
A RECENT poll has revealed the State Government is at odds with New South Wales voters over its handling of the current pay and conditions dispute with nurses and midwives. The state government has been at loggerheads with the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) since May, unwilling to negotiate a deal beyond its original...
The post Poll shows voters siding with nurses on pay dispute appeared first on News Of The Area.
Once again, thank you everybody for your kind generosity. I am so incredibly grateful and feel more motivated than ever to keep forging ahead. We’re facing some stiff political headwinds but I believe that with all of you at our backs we’ll be able to come through even stronger on the other side. The MAGA cult is feeling its oats right now but reality is going to bite very soon. We’ll be here to document the victories and the atrocities and I hope you’ll all stop by frequently to see what we’ve dug up, analyzed or otherwise just observed with dismay or delight. Barring a round-up to the camps we’ll be here 7 days a week doing that thing we do. I’m going to leave this up until New Year’s just in case there are any stragglers. And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. cheers, digby
Trump has named his ambassador to Panama, the country he’s threatening with invasion and annexation: Perhaps that name sounds familiar but you can’t quite place it? He a mover and shaker in Southern Florida, MAGA all the way. But you may recognize the name as one of the GOP operatives involved in a Proud Boys attack in Miami against Nancy Pelosi. Remember this? It was reported at the time: Diaz, the Miami-Dade County Republican Party chairman, is employed by the Southern Strategy Group, a government relations firm. One of Diaz’s co-workers is Kevin Cabrera, who was formerly employed by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL). This is an image of Cabrera from the Southern Strategy Group website: In footage of the demonstration that was posted on Big League Politics, it appears as though Cabrera (in a black shirt) joined Diaz as part of the angry mob: He’s a “fierce fighter” alright. Trump does love a MAGA mob, so it stands to reason he’d choose one of his violent henchmen to be an ambassador. This action was widely condemned by Republicans at the time. But those days are gone. This is completely acceptable right wing behavior these days.
The FrameLab Book Club is launching in 2025! First on the list: “The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist’s Guide to Your Brain and Its Politics” by Dr. George Lakoff. Nearly 400 readers have signed up to participate! This online book club will feature personal insights from Dr. Lakoff, as well as an ongoing Q&A with […]