https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/maga-republicans-racist-sexist-attacks-kamala-harris-1235065295/

I’m not generally a fan of the Rolling Stone, since they get facts wrong and tend a bit toward the frothing leftist screed, but this seems worth keeping in mind (and how can they get verifiable quotes wrong?).

White folks who say, “well, of course, I’m not on board with that kind of ugly language, but, really, how competent IS she?” are just enabling this sort of thing and essentially subscribing to it.

Major city DA, major state attorney general, major state Senator, Vice President. C’mon.

Don’t forget you’re voting for a team, not an individual. Who has Trump surrounded himself with? (Or maybe: who has gathered around Trump? Because I’m not sure he really chose anybody.)

Hmm, who does this remark really appeal to?

«Vance’s description of a Jackson, Kentucky, where “people are hardworking, except of course for the many food stamp recipients who show little interest in honest work»

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/16/jd-vance-hillbilly-elegy-appalachia#:~:text=Vance%E2%80%99s%20description%20of%20a%20Jackson%2C%20Kentucky%2C%20where%20%E2%80%9Cpeople%20are%20hardworking%2C%20except%20of%20course%20for%20the%20many%20food%20stamp%20recipients%20who%20show%20little%20interest%20in%20honest%20work%E2%80%9D%2C

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/07/the-unmatched-streak-of-perfection-with-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-is-over/

I love it:

«RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) is a term of art in rocketry that usually signifies a catastrophic or explosive failure.»

Well… Even if the US goes down the toilet, maybe Britain can fix itself. The article seems more optimistic to me than the headline.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-kingdom/british-elections-keir-starmer-labour-victory-fintan-otoole

https://www.propublica.org/article/delusion-advanced-chemical-plastic-recycling-pyrolysis

«The American Chemistry Council told me it’s impossible to know whether a particular ethylene molecule comes from pyrolysis naphtha or fossil fuel naphtha; the compounds produced are “fungible” and can be used for multiple products, like making rubber, solvents and paints that would reduce the amount of new fossil fuels needed. Its statement called mass balance a “well-known methodology” that’s been used by other industries including fair trade coffee, chocolate and renewable energy.»

Nooooo, not my fair trade coffee! You bastards!

«For all that it talked like an educated and articulate human being, Rupshe was no more than a few hundred million lines of code. Written into that code were steel-hard safeguards against any action that might endanger a human life.»

*snort*

No, seriously. You’re clearly not a software “engineer”. Nor do you know one. At least, not one who got to this point. Or you didn’t listen to him/her/hier.

«A super-saturated solution of sodium thiosulphate in unrefined petroleum turned out to provide the perfect medium.»

Oh, come on. I know you’re a NYT bestselling author, Hugo winner etc. etc., but…. sodium sulfur-sulfur? C’mon, we can do better.

Mercuro-sulfate? Ferrosulfate? Cyanosulfate? Some sort of anhydride? Cuprosulfate? Thiochromate? (That seems catchy. Colorful, even.) Thiobromate?

Oh, neet! I like traaiiinnnzzz!

Wait, what?

Sinclair is doing “local news” sites now, in addition to TV?

Something something Ten Commandments in public schools. I’d include the 613 Mitzvot. At a minimum.

https://www.jewfaq.org/613_commandments

«Moscow has purged some of the leading nationalist voices who had been allowed to criticise the country’s war efforts. It has jailed Igor Strelkov, a popular nationalist blogger and former FSB officer who had become a vocal critic of how the Kremlin has handled the invasion»

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/16/russian-soldier-says-army-suffering-heavy-losses-in-kharkiv-offensive

Oh, they got Strelkov. Did not know.