AMUSING, INTERESTING, OUTRAGEOUS, or PROFOUND
- Do you think a dog, trained to detect humans, can sniff the diff between American humans and foreign humans? The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals says … YES!www.techdirt.com Appeals Court Says Border Patrol Dog Is Capable Of Detecting The Difference Between Legal And Illegal Humans
Law enforcement will always get more than a fair shake from the Fifth Circuit. No circuit is more apt to award immunity or otherwise refuse to punish officers for coloring outside of the constituti…
- Ain't it curious that it takes four years and an investigative news source to ascertain that the cop in a fatal wreck was driving way over the speed limit, in a lane going the opposite direction?crosscut.com Pierce deputy drove 83 mph in wrong lane during deadly 2020 crash
Records show the county settled for $3.5M after deeming the collision highly preventable, demonstrating the vague legal standards for officer driving.
- 7th Circuit Appeals Court says it's OK for feds to demand your password and search your phone, so long as you're within 100 miles of the border or an airport (which is most of America)www.techdirt.com Seventh Circuit Sets Down Precedent, Says ‘Riley’ Warrant Requirement Doesn’t Apply At US Borders
We didn’t really need more precedent assuring us our rights don’t mean anything at the borders, but we got it anyway. Within 100 miles of any US border (and that includes international …
- The American Climate Corps is finally under way — a mere whisper of what's needed, but it's serious, un-fake good news against climate change, and that's mighty rare.grist.org The American Climate Corps officially kicks off
This month, 9,000 people will be deployed to restore landscapes and erect solar panels, helping guide the country toward a greener future.
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
Bruce Bastian WordPerfect
John Everett Benson tomb carver
Rick Bevel forgotten man
Johnny Boone Cornbread Mafia
Mike Brumley baseballer, Seattle Mariners
Buzz Cason songwriter, "Everlasting Love"
James Chance saxman
Ed Denson good guy
Evans Evans actress, Bonnie and Clyde
Maya Pines Froomkin journalist & mom
Willie Mays said 'hey'
Tamayo Perry surfer
Paul Pressler Christian child rapist
Donald Sutherland actor, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Anthea Sylbert costume designer, Carnal Knowledge
T, a/k/a Vega good guy
unnamed forgotten man
Ben Vautier artist who loved his wife
Previously dead
- I'm canceling my plans to vacation in Pakistan. Also, the Koran is horseshit.www.bbc.com Pakistan: Tourist accused of blasphemy killed by mob
The man - who was visiting the Swat Valley - was pulled from a police station and beaten to death.
- Here's a sneak preview of the ugliness and cruelty of President Trump's second termwww.justsecurity.org American Autocracy Threat Tracker
A comprehensive catalog of the autocratic threat to democracy based on former President Donald Trump and his associates’ autocratic plans and promises.
- Washington State University has developed a new variety of wheat, which is part of what an ag college like WSU does, and named it after George Bush. Not one of the monstrous ex-presidents, though...www.nwnewsnetwork.org New Washington State University spring wheat variety named for Black family with deep roots in Washington
New spring wheat from Washington State University yields roughly 7% more than the best varieties in the state, scientists say
- "If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses" —Jeff Landry, Louisiana's wingnut Governor, requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools.www.nytimes.com Louisiana Requires All Public Classrooms to Display Ten Commandments
A law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday makes the state the only one with such a mandate. Critics have vowed to mount a constitutional challenge.
- In news that should surprise no one, lots of cops are sexually abusing minorswww.techdirt.com In News That Should Surprise No One, Lots Of Cops Are Sexually Abusing Minors
In terms of percentages, does the law enforcement community employ a larger number of sexual abusers? Or is it something else? It’s difficult to prove any of this with statistics, especially …
- 11th Circuit strips immunity from cop who shot and killed dog that had already been neutralized by a taserwww.techdirt.com 11th Circuit Strips Immunity From Cop Who Shot And Killed Dog That Had Already Been Neutralized By A Taser
We know cops kill dozens of dogs every day. This much has been verified by the US Department of Justice, which called it an “epidemic.” It’s not just anecdotal evidence generated …
- Google is testing a new way to make YouTube worsegizmodo.com YouTube Tests New Kind of Unskippable Ad
YouTube is continuing its long war on ad blockers by seemingly ingraining server-side ads into its platform.
- At the height of COVID, the US military ran a disinformation campaign, trying to make Filipinos distrust the newly-introduced COVID vaccine — because it came from China.
> "We weren't looking at this from a public health perspective," said a senior military officer involved in the program. "We were looking at how we could drag China through the mud."
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
William Anders astronaut
Ezra Bozeman 49 years in prison
Brother Marquis rock'n'roller, 2 Live Crew
Clarence Cameron owlman
Jeannette Charles not the queen of England
Lynn Conway very large-scale integrated circuits
Alan Curry fellow worker
Christophe Deloire Reporters Without Borders
Ian Gelder actor, Torchwood
Mark James songwriter, "Hooked on a Feeling"
Albert Knight Jr forgotten man
James Lawson Jr activist
Tony Lo Bianco actor, The Honeymoon Killers
Elizabeth MacRae actress, The Conversation
Ed Mann rock'n'roller, The Band From Utopia
Amarr Murphy-Paine high school kid
Janis Paige actress, Silk Stockings
Barry Romo activist
William Russell actor, Doctor Who
Edward Ryan closeted gay man
Edward C. Stone Voyager missions
Chet Walker basketballer, Philadelphia 76ers
Jerry West basketballer, Los Angeles Lakers
Previously dead
- In a Florida school district, officials have banned a kids' book, Ban This Book, because it talks about banned books.
Why would people elect such imbeciles to a school board? How can these officials, and the imbeciles who voted for them, not be embarrassed and ashamed?
- A cartoonist, prosecuted for seditionindustrialworker.org Art Young’s Dangerous Cartoons
Art Young, The Masses, December 1915. After President Woodrow “He Kept Us Out of the War” Wilson, recently the subject of a fawning piece in the Atlantic by David Frum, brought the U.S. into World …
- Daycares in Finland grew forests, and it changed kids' immune systemswww.sciencealert.com Daycares in Finland Grew Forests, And It Changed Kids' Immune Systems
Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest's undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child's immune system, according to an experiment in Finland.
- Texas sure sounds like a shitty place to be pregnant.www.theguardian.com ‘They have no options’: Texas court dims hope of timely abortion care for high-risk patients
Kristen Anaya was told she must be on the cusp of death before doctors would give a life-saving abortion
- They ran the numbers: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts worth about $2.4-millionwww.cnbc.com Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts worth millions of dollars over 20 years, analysis finds
The justice took gifts worth a total nearly 10 times the value of all gifts received by his fellow justices during the same time, according to a new analysis.
- Welcome to Bilderberg, 2024www.theguardian.com War, AI and more war: the 2024 Bilderberg agenda is sure to set off alarm bells
The secretive annual summit has tried to counter its arcane reputation, but its guest list still reads like a conspiracist’s who’s who of who rules the world
- Dead people
Being old, death gets my attention, so I read the obituaries. This is a collection of recent obits, mostly of people whose work touched my life, because I want to say thanks (or maybe give 'em a final fuck you).
There’ll be a roundup like this occasionally, until I’m on the list myself.
Caleb Carr author, The Alienist
Charlie Colin rock'n'roller, Train
Destiny Deacon artist, activist
Doug Ingle rock'n'roller, Iron Butterfly
Tom Luth colorist, Groo the Wanderer
Jim Martin publisher, Flatland
Bette Nash flight attendant
Paul Parkman rubella vaccine
Marian Robinson mother
Albert Ruddy producer, The Godfather
Richard Sherman Disney songwriter, "It's a Small World"
Bill Walton basketballer, UCLA Bruins
Previously dead
- So, the Seattle cop who drove 74 mph in a 25 zone, without sirens, killed a woman, and wasn't disciplined ... had *previously* been fired by the Tucson PD, for "failing to meet minimum standards."publicola.com Seattle Officer Who Struck and Killed Pedestrian Cited for Two Collisions Before He Was Fired by Tucson Police - PubliCola
By Andrew Engelson Kevin Dave—the Seattle police officer who killed 23-year-old pedestrian Jaahnavi Kandula last year while driving 74 miles…