Reminder: El-Sayed isn't responsible for the entire Dem Party. He won a competitive primary. What part of "won" are the MSM missing? If the "vote blue no matter who" crowd means it, this shouldn't be hard. Their preferred candidate lost. They don't want Rogers. What's hard about this?

This is one of the truest headlines I've ever seen. And not just that--he's corrupt and horrifying in lots of other ways too.

Whitehouse: Every Vote For Blanche Is A Vote For An Epstein Cover Up

“He’s been hiding stuff, and they know it,” Whitehouse said about Republicans voting to confirm Todd Blanche.

crooksandliars.com

Important to note that this has always been true. Tenure was never a "job for life." That's anti-faculty PR. What's changed is the willingness of management to trump (pun intended) up bad faith reasons for overriding it. (cont)

Kathleen Bachynski@bachynski.bsky.social · 6h ago

Universities “are increasingly acting like other employers, finding “complicated and sometimes pretextual reasons” to fire employees, even those with tenure. “What we’re seeing at the New School is emblematic of the rising pressures on higher education as a labor market and as an industry”

What @cstross.bsky.social said. Other than the 5 minutes I played with it because @afamiglietti.org asked us to at a presentation, I've never even seen it. My career's gone OK, thanks.

Charlie Stross@cstross.bsky.social · 7h ago

My answer is LOL ROFL (dickbrain) The terminally AI-pilled can't even *imagine* some people have *never* asked stochastic parrots to cheat at their job for them.

Aside from everything else wrong with this "deal" Cornyn and Tillis struck so they can appease McFascist, the idea that there was "deal" to be made is repugnant. Your vote on somebody's appointment is a yes/no question. There's nothing to negotiate. You're legislators, FFS. How do you not get this?

Oh FFS, Yelp. No, I don't need an AI assistant to help me find restaurants.

The constitution was never "colorblind" (see: slavery). It also enshrines the demagoguery of "Any time you mention race, you're the racist" that wingnuts love so much in the law.

How a fringe idea about race took over the Supreme Court

A brief history of “colorblindness,” the idea that gutted the Voting Rights Act.

vox.com

It’s important to understand that when 1.2 million Americans are dying from a disease, any government action is excessive and tyrannical, but if a dozen trans women want to play soccer no government action can go far enough

Lots in this post worth reading, but the title is <chef's kiss> and has become one of my mantras.

If you can't be bothered writing it, I can't be bothered reading it.

The producerist vision of AI seems to assume an endlessly expanding market for reading. And reading. Well. It is rather more than a market.

open.substack.com

My MA program office-mate wrote his thesis about computer-classroom writing instruction; this was in the mid-90s. His key finding was that about 3/4 of his students had no idea how to type, much less do anything else the computers were supposedly good for. Some things don't change much.

Jess Calarco@jessicacalarco.com · 3d ago

This shift to computerized state tests was made possible by schools' adoption of one-to-one devices. Which mostly happened with Covid. And yet, we rarely discuss the possibility that computerizing tests--without first teaching computing skills--might've contributed to subsequent test score declines.

As we recall the trauma caused by COVID in 2020, we should not forget COVID continues to harm. Many still suffer from Long COVID, people who mask are often harassed, and we haven’t scaled clean air infrastructure. If we truly acknowledge past harms, we should be working to create a better future.

Um, there comes a point in people's lives where they become answerable for what they say; if not earlier, than certainly the point of legal adulthood. McFascist turned 18 more than 60 years ago.

Rachel Maddow@maddow.bsky.social · 3d ago

He “often just… says stuff” www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Maybe she was trying to placate you. Or she was terrified of you. Or she wanted to poison you and it just didn't work. Or your kid asked to see you because the kid doesn't understand what's happening. I can think of a hundred reasons, and so you could you if weren't such a misogynist f***.

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 3d ago

Rep. Max Miller: "My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day, I assaulted her…If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?"

ACK! Massive majority don't live in the midwest. PLEASE GIVE US AN EDIT OPTION, Bluesky gods.

Seth Kahn (he/him)@badpacifist.bsky.social · 3d ago

Or maybe Senator Slotkin could use a reminder that the massive majority of people in this country don't live in the US, so why would anyone expect a "very midwestern plan" to be interesting? Does she have a bleeping clue how much she sounds like Sarah Palin?

Or maybe Senator Slotkin could use a reminder that the massive majority of people in this country don't live in the US, so why would anyone expect a "very midwestern plan" to be interesting? Does she have a bleeping clue how much she sounds like Sarah Palin?

This Senator Has a Very Midwestern Plan to Save the Democrats

The Michigan senator says her party has a lot to learn about Midwestern nice.

politico.com

I wrote [on FB] the other day about seeing people reacting to the Cs de-chartering at different speeds and different directions. Right now, I want to make a plea to folks having ideas just to check in with people leading other efforts to help them coincide/not work at cross purposes. 1/x

Not even. As long as he pretends to be willing to take it back. Because he's never lied about anything else. This is why I was screaming at Cornyn for saying he needed to "negotiate" about this the other day. Negotiate what?????? It's a yes or no question.

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d ago

So Tillis and Cornyn’s position is that the slush fund and IRS immunity is disgusting, illegal, immoral, and unethical but they are willing to confirm the man who agreed to it as Attorney General of the United States as long as he takes it back.

Yeah, I know, Sunday morning, yeah, I know, August blah blah blah. But I've got a conference presentation on Friday morning that needs finishing, and it's not finishing itself.

Even @alternet.org does it. Not "anti-weaponization fund." "Tax-payer handout for traitors." Sing it with me!

'Congrats to Republicans': Trump just threw another wrench in GOP midterm plans

Republicans are desperate to present an economic agenda for midterm voters who are concerned about affordability, but now President Donald Trump has thrown another wrench into the works, leading one r...

alternet.org

Good lord, the Union look terrible. They're up a player but look like they're down two. WAKE THE HELL UP!

Maybe the only think this cretin is good at is figuring out ways to be even sleazier than we already knew.

Trump offering early access to online posts in move seen as corruption

Truth Social, where Trump’s account is by far the largest, to offer users early access for up to $100,000 per month

theguardian.com

It's really fascinating looking at Elon Musk's X (formerly known as Twitter) feed (which I do via a thing which lets me see it through RSS). He is utterly, utterly obsessed with racist anti-immigrant propaganda. It is, if anything, worse than you probably imagine. He's insane.

Another textbook instance of what @jenmercieca.bsky.social calls "conceding the frame." It's not an anti-weaponization fund. It's a tax-payer funded handout to traitors. C'mon, @politico.com.

Trump puts his ‘anti-weaponization fund’ back on the table

The missive comes a day after Trump declared the fund “dead” in a Cabinet meeting at Camp David.

politico.com

I wrote on FB yesterday about why I encourage CCCC folks to cancel NCTE memberships, and why I see it as a matter of solidarity, not "individual choice." If you're curious, it's public. tl;dr NCTE has proven itself untrustworthy as a home, and without a massive overhaul, that won't change.

I remember when Bill Clinton met with the Attorney General for three minutes when Hillary was being investigated for mishandling classified information, and the republicans cried bloody murder. Now, the AG nominee is covering for pedophiles and that seems okay. WHAT THE FUCK?

It's August 1. Don't forget to pay the rent/mortgage, give pets their flea treatment, change your contact lenses, [insert other routine thing here].

Ugh. Spurs can't avoid the Chelsea curse even in a preseason friendly. Oh well. At least they get a half to practice their defending down a player? But it's not very fun to watch.

This is good news. Hooray @propublicaguild.org!

ProPublica Guild Ratifies First Contract — ProPublica Guild

Members of the ProPublica Guild, which represents more than 150 workers across the nonprofit investigative newsroom, overwhelmingly voted to ratify our first contract on Friday, exactly three years si...

propublicaguild.org

Film you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Star Trek, Star Wars, LOTR, Marvel, Disney, or Ghibli

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey - Dave Bowman

Alt: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey - Dave Bowman flying through the portal opened by the monolith

static.klipy.com

Darin Self@darinself.com · 6d ago

Film you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Star Trek, Star Wars, LOTR, Marvel, Disney, or Ghibli

Working construction (dad's side) or on a printing press (mom's side).

Revan@revan.eurosky.social · 7d ago

Enough “what would you do on the commune questions” If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?