Reading

Created
Sun, 19/01/2025 - 10:00
Cluck, cluck: I’m sure this is all Biden’s fault as everything bad will be for the next four years. Still, from what I’ve been told, the price of eggs is the most important issue faced by all mankind. Of course, now that Dear Leader has returned I’m sure most people will be happy to roll with the punches.
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 09:40

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal confronted Blinken, asking why he continued to “keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May” and whether he was “compromised by Israel.” Moments later, Sam Husseini was dragged from the presser by cops after attempting to ask a question. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held his final press conference on Thursday and was confronted about his support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza by two veteran reporters, including independent journalist Sam Husseini, who was dragged […]

The post ‘Why Aren’t You in The Hague?’: Sam Husseini and Max Blumenthal confront Tony Blinken first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post ‘Why Aren’t You in The Hague?’: Sam Husseini and Max Blumenthal confront Tony Blinken appeared first on The Grayzone.

Created
Sun, 19/01/2025 - 07:41
Are they all like this??? From Gizmodo: Marc Andreessen, the billionaire tech investor who co-founded Netscape, has recently been making the rounds on various podcasts to talk about how the Democrats were so very mean to him and forced him to become a supporter of Donald Trump. Andreessen’s obnoxious whining wouldn’t otherwise be notable, given how many guys in the tech industry have blamed backlash against “wokeness” on their support for the MAGA movement. But a new interview released by the New York Times on Friday is interesting, if only because the Times cleaned up its own transcript to make Andreessen sound like less of an idiot. Andreessen said that Hillary Clinton was really running the government between 2017 and 2021. The Times claimed he misspoke but as you read further it’s clear that he’s talking about some conspiratorial deep state BS about which either the Times is unaware or they decided to ignore. But even if Andreessen did misspeak he still sounds like a sophomoric fool, much like the rest of these tech bros who all seem to be in the grip of serious cases of arrested development.
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 07:12
I offer you a gift link to the whole interview (and transcript if you prefer.) It’s super interesting. A little excerpt: Klein: I think attention is now to politics what people think money is to politics. Certainly at the high levels. There are places where money is very powerful, but it’s usually where people are not looking. Money is very powerful when there’s not much attention. But Donald Trump doesn’t control Republican primaries with money — he controls them with attention. I keep having to write about Musk, and I keep saying he’s the richest man in the world. But it’s actually not what matters about him right now. It’s just how he managed to get the attention and become the character and the wielder of all this attention. And that’s a changeover I think Trumpist Republicans have made, and Democrats haven’t. Democrats are still thinking about money as a fundamental substance of politics, and the Trump Republican Party thinks about attention as a fundamental substance of politics. Hayes: I really like this theory.
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 05:30
Two sides of the same bitcoin… David Corn’s very skillful lede to his new piece: On Monday, the three wealthiest men in the world—Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg—are scheduled to be at the Capitol as honored guests for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, seated where four years ago Christian nationalists, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, militia members, and other extremists, incited by his brazen lies about the 2020 election, violently attacked Congress to overturn American democracy and keep Trump in power. This transition—from brownshirts to billionaires—encapsulates what has gone wrong. It is a clear signal that the United States is broken. With the news that Trump launched that new shitcoin and has made at least $25 billion overnight, I feel very hopeless today. This is what it’s come to. Corn’s piece is very good. But gird yourself.
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:57
Despite causing widespread criticism overseas, in the 1950s under the Menzies government, Australia’s whites-only immigration policy seemed as popular as ever. Indeed the rise of Communism in the region added extra justification to the need to prevent Asians entering the country. But that was to change. Deborah Kennedy (DK): John Menadue leaves his home in Continue reading »
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:54
As negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue discussions in Qatar about a possible Gaza ceasefire, we speak with Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed, who spoke at a press conference of Gaza media workers last week urging the international press to speak up for their Palestinian colleagues. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says nearly 200 journalists have been Continue reading »
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:53
Humanity stands at a crossroads, its future bound not to conquest but to synthesis. The world before us is not one of irreconcilable opposites locked in perpetual conflict but an intricate ecosystem of human Adaptive Systems, each defined by its strengths and vulnerabilities. In a rapidly interdependent world, Western elites must abandon the confines of Continue reading »
Created
Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:52
It’s time to rid ourselves of the concepts of disadvantage and equity and immerse ourselves in the practices of learning and knowledge like never before. I did not come from a disadvantaged family. It was however low-income, with my father working at the local milk factory and my mother working nightshift, part-time at the local Continue reading »
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:50
“Israel is a liability,” said one Palestinian-American rights advocate. As a ceasefire and hostage release deal was reportedly reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday, new polling made it clearer than ever that Vice President Kamala Harris‘ refusal to break with the Biden administration’s position on Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza had an impact on her support from voters, Continue reading »
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Sun, 19/01/2025 - 04:00
 Trump’s describing his ultimately abandoned pursuit of the Reform Party’s presidential nomination in 2000: Trump had inked a deal with Tony Robbins, the frighteningly upbeat motivational speaker, by which Robbins would pay Trump $1 million to give ten speeches at his seminars around the country. Crucially, Trump had timed his political stops to coincide with Robbins’ seminars, so that he was “making a lot of money” on those campaign stops. “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it,” Trump said. … That was then, this is now: I’m speechless. Tom has more below…
Created
Sat, 18/01/2025 - 15:44
The Tik-Tok Ban Is Hypocritical Nonsense

The justification for the TikTok ban is that it supposedly collects a ton of data.

TikTok’s data collection practices are insane. The app gather data that other apps normally consider off limits, including the content of users’ private messages, and the full contents of a user’s device contacts.

I agree, this is insane. But it isn’t unusual, and it isn’t even the worst in class.

That’s a lot of data – but it’s worth noting that TikTok does not seem to collect more data than other social media companies. A privacy researcher working with the Washington Post found that TikTok gathers less data than Facebook in some cases.

Created
Sat, 18/01/2025 - 11:30
I am just heartsick over the plight of the animals lost in the LA fires. People have lost their pets and many others have nowhere to live so are having to house them at shelters. And then there is the wildlife that live in the neighborhoods and foothills that were ravaged by the firestorm. There are many groups rushing in to help, some even having to evacuate shelters in the path of the fire. 🔗 Lost and found pets: Cleo&Hooman’s lost/found spreadsheet and @eatonfirefoundlostpets are helping reunite pets with their owners. BFAS has set up a volunteer interest survey for those interested in helping. Pasadena Humane / @pasadenahumane Due to overwhelming support, Pasadena Humane has no more capacity for material donations or fosters, and has put a pause on volunteer applications, but is in need of monetary donations. L.A. Animal Services / @laanimalservices You can sign up to foster or adopt for from one of 13 city and county shelters. This will open up space for new animals.