Reading

George Santos, pathological liar

https://digbysblog.net/2022/12/28/george-santos-pathological-liar/
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 09:00
Aaron Rupar caught Santos’ appearance on Fox last night with none other than Tulsi Gabbard who was a surprisingly effective interviewer. Oh boy: "I am not a fraud. I am not a fake. I didn't materialize from thin air" — George Santos to Tulsi Gabaard George Santos goes full whataboutism after Tulsi Gabbard asks him, "Have you no shame?" George Santos: "Everyone wants to nitpick at me" "These are blatant lies and it draws into question how your constituents and the American people can believe anything you may say on the floor of the House — Tulsi Gabbard actually did an impressive job grilling George Santos, who was clearly flustered George Santos's Fox News interview was a complete disaster. Check out how it ended. Here is the entire Tulsi Gabbard-George Santos interview in one video Originally tweeted by Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) on December 28, 2022. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Pathological lying is perfectly respectable in the new GOP. Just look at their Dear Leader. Why should this guy be held to a different standard?

Can't Wave Away The Problems

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2022/12/cant-wave-away-problems.html
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 07:30
For various reasons I'm a bit of a skeptic on the whole "electric car" thing. Skeptical that replacing the country's fleet of gas vehicles in under 15 years (or so) is realistic. The battery fireballs are one reason. The problem with urban charging stations - difficult to have enough in places where significant numbers of people don't have off street parking - is another. The reality of cobalt mining is yet another.

The charging station problem especially seems to be one where the answer is, "oh, we'll figure it out," and I'm not sure they will!!! Tesla Superchargers optimistically get your battery to 80% in 15 minutes, which makes the "gas station" model for charging not yet realistic.

The self-driving "it will go charge itself" model obviously isn't happening.

Maybe there are solutions, but they are not problems that will simply solve themselves.

The Worst GOPers of 2022

https://digbysblog.net/2022/12/28/the-worst-gopers-of-2022/
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 07:30
It’s so hard to choose! It’s fair to say that the Republican Party of 2022 is a much broader coalition than it used to be. Once upon a time it was defined as the party of Main Street and the country club: white middle-class and upper-middle-class guys in gray flannel suits. But in recent years they’ve opened the doors and invited in a whole bunch of other Americans who don’t fit that mold. Starting in the 1960s they willingly veered into overt racism mantle and with their embrace of the Christian right in the ’80s, all the anti-gay, anti abortion flock began to move their way as well. The new Trump majority within the party captured a chunk of the previously nonvoting public that believes in fringe conspiracy theories and far-right ideologies and worships at the altar of vapid TV celebrity. That said, the Republican coalition still isn’t very diverse. It’s nearly all white, of course, with only a tiny fraction of racial and ethnic minorities. It’s almost all Christian and most are non-college-educated and rural.

Can't Reform This

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2022/12/cant-reform-this.html
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 06:30
During natural disasters, "looting" is quite often "people getting what they need to survive from closed stores." Do we save people from dying or do we stop people from taking some diapers from a closed CVS? Not a tough choice, apparently!

The Nine Months of Pregnancy, Ranked from Worst to Best

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-nine-months-of-pregnancy-ranked-from-wo…
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 06:27

Our 9th most-read article of the 2022.

- - -

Originally published January 24, 2022.

- - -

9. Third month

This is an easy call, because the morning sickness is full steam ahead, all day, every day, with every breath you take. The kitchen’s whole vibe makes you puke, and your sense of smell is superhero strong, so you live alone in the basement now. You’re more tired than you’ve ever been in your life, but since you haven’t told anyone you’re pregnant yet, you have to pull it together and gaslight everyone into thinking drinking cans of ginger ale at 8 a.m. has always been part of your morning routine.

DMZ America #81: Southwest Airlines, Mark Santos and Section 42

https://rall.com/2022/12/28/dmz-america-81-southwest-airlines-mark-santos-and-s…
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 06:19

What’s to blame for mass cancellations and dysfunction at the formerly beloved Southwest Airlines? Long Island has a new Congressman-elect, Mark Santos. But nothing he told us about himself seems to be true. Ironically, his lies make him look worse than the reality of his hardscrabble upbringing. Supreme Court is allowing Section 42 to remain...

The post DMZ America #81: Southwest Airlines, Mark Santos and Section 42 first appeared on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

Chomsky: Wars could break out all over the map

https://chomsky.info/20221228/
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 06:08
Chomsky: Wars could break out all over the map Noam Chomsky Interviewed by Dhaka Tribune December 28, 2022. Dhaka Tribune. American linguist and philosopher Prof Noam Chomsky predicts a grim future for the world as the superpowers are at loggerheads over establishing supremacy centering on the Russia-Ukraine war. In April, soon after the outbreak of […]

Innocent Me

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2022/12/innocent-me.html
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 05:30
I used to be a bit more optimistic that "improving airline service" would happen because relatively wealthy people fly, both for personal reasons and for business. Sure some of the indignities of cattle class can be bypassed (such as with the "special" security lines), but 1st class doesn't fly if the rest of the plane doesn't fly.

But now all the people who really matter fly private planes. Even first class is for losers.

Russia, Iran open a trade route heralding a bloc — M. K. Bhadrakumar

http://mikenormaneconomics.blogspot.com/2022/12/russia-iran-open-trade-route-he…
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 04:47
  • Trade
  • De-dollarization and breaking free of the West both politically and economically
  • Development of Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, India, and China as an independent economic bloc
India Punchline
Russia, Iran open a trade route heralding a bloc
M. K. Bhadrakumar | retired diplomat with the Indian Foreign Service and former ambassador

Palestinian activist forces Jewish Chronicle to delete smears

https://skwawkbox.org/2022/12/28/palestinian-activist-forces-jewish-chronicle-t…
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 04:36
Omar Mofeed wins victory against right-wing rag Palestinian Labour activist Omar Mofeed has forced the right-wing Jewish Chronicle to delete an article defaming him and his late father, more than a year after the rag published its smears. The Chronicle had claimed that Mr Mofeed’s father was a Hamas member and had served as the […]

Here’s Why You’re Wrong for Supporting Either In-Person or Virtual School

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/heres-why-youre-wrong-for-supporting-either…
Created
Thu, 29/12/2022 - 03:25

Our 10th most-read article of the 2022.

- - -

Originally published January 7, 2022.

- - -

Use this guide to understand why your opinion about mid-pandemic schooling policy is wrong. If you believe kids should attend school in-person, read the first set of options. If you believe kids should go back to virtual school, read the second set of options.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You want our kids to be forced to return to [IN-PERSON/VIRTUAL] learning? Have you no empathy?