I hope everyone caught this Lancet study confirming that Elon Musk & DOGE are responsible for genocidal levels of suffering & death.

Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis

USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...

thelancet.com

cognitive sabotage, you can ban it extra credit to U Chicago for bans on professional AND undergrad programs; smart SLACs are going to market AI free campuses soon chicagomaroon.com/53262/news/s...

Sosc Core to Institute AI Ban, Technology-Free Classrooms This Fall

All social science Core classes will transition to an “analog” approach for the upcoming academic year, restricting in-classroom technology use and banning AI-assisted writing and grading for students...

chicagomaroon.com

Anna Kornbluh@annakornbluh.bsky.social · 2w ago

degenerative AI, you can refuse it www.wired.com/story/the-ai...

Here is the full suspension letter from UGent that was sent to Nathan Cofnas, it shows ample reason for his suspension and potential termination. Including breach of contract, using the University of Ghent’s name and legitimacy to promote his racial supremacist views and causing reputational damage.

Wow. There are more names in support of Cofnas here! More than 300 academics defending the conduct of a gutter racist. johnarmstrongmaths.com/openletters/...

very much not a medical doctor but: i've been spamming the breath trainer over recent weeks and apparently I've stopped snoring. i wouldn't toss your CPAP device in the trash or anything but maybe ask your doc about it

I only just today discovered this hour long documentary about the making of one of the best records ever by one of the best bands ever. Wish I’d found it earlier, glad I finally did: youtu.be/o5427Jo4nww?...

Great Australian Albums / 16 Lovers Lane - The Go-Betweens

YouTube video by Sinisa Lemic

youtu.be

After decades of setbacks, HIV vaccine research has reached an important milestone. In monkeys, a new vaccine strategy successfully guided the immune system towards producing the rare antibodies needed to fight HIV. It's still early days, but this is one of the most encouraging advances in years.

HIV vaccine candidates reach milestone in primates

Multistep vaccination strategy coaches B cells to raise broadly neutralizing antibodies

cen.acs.org

I just love Jude Bellingham so much send skeet

Breaking News from @theathletic.com: Jude Bellingham’s extra-time goal sent England to the World Cup semifinals, ending Erling Haaland’s run. Follow live updates.

Bellingham rescues England in nervy World Cup win over Norway: Live updates

Bellingham scored an extra-time winner as England booked their place in the final four.

nyti.ms

Same.

Amanda Mull@amandamull.bsky.social · last mo.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I want to see England and France

Released 20 years ago this past May. Almost forgot to celebrate much like I've forgotten my bday on tour. Busy doin: pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

Charalambides: A Vintage Burden

Tom and Christina Carter's meditative new album is a striking about-face from the mystical abstractions of its predecessor, 2004's *Joy Shapes*.

pitchfork.com

Remember Srebrenica

Gosh, it seems like the only money in writing is scamming writers. If the easy marketing solution/opportunity comes to you, you can be sure it's a scam. I get four of these on an average day. And I'm *nobody*. Or maybe that's why I get so many. They promise making me into somebody.

Victoria Strauss@victoriastrauss.com · 2mo ago

Writer Beware is currently receiving an incredible volume of reports of impersonation scams: publishers, editors, literary agents, production companies, conferences, & more. I started keeping a list in 2024; in recent months it has more than doubled. writerbeware.blog/2024/03/15/t...

A useful guide.. as a primer The Sane NYC DSA vs the Crazy National DSA- A Guide for the Perplexed If you are confused about what DSA is, the answer is that it is two very different organizations that I don't think can coexist for much longer open.substack.com/pub/nathanne...

The Sane NYC DSA vs the Crazy National DSA- A Guide for the Perplexed

If you are confused about what DSA is, the answer is that it is two very different organizations that I don't think can coexist for much longer

open.substack.com

Also, omg this is incredible, the official news agency of the Vatican is talking shit about Lefebvre www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-c...

Lefebvre's schism repeated 38 years later - Vatican News

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X once again separates itself from Rome through illicit episcopal consecrations carried out against the Pope's ...

vaticannews.va

I assume this "scoop" was leaked on purpose as a trial balloon. As such, we can learn the following from it: - At least some of Harris's people think Gaza was *a* reason she lost if not *the* reason - They are seeking a way to run again and not be DOA in the primary - They think they are fixable

Scoop: Harris reaches out to Mamdani, pro-Palestinian activists in run-up to 2028

It's the latest sign the ex-vice president is setting the stage for a potential White House run.

axios.com

Starting a good, useful platform in this terrible era for the internet was a wonderful thing. Allowing it to get acquired by predatory venture capital who have no interest in running a normal successful business is nothing short of wicked.

drew@grmnygrmny.bsky.social · 2mo ago

my 13 years at bandcamp are coming to an end - i’ve been laid off along with most of the remaining engineers. best job i’ve ever had, working with the best people you could ever work with. unceremonious end to quite a ride.

Pope Leo wants you to write: “Dear writers, we need your imagination, your narrative creativity and your lively thinking. We need these to create spaces of freedom and authenticity, within which divine grace can make the promise of consolation and peace resound.” (www.vatican.va/content/leo-...)

Imperial boomerang: for centuries, Europeans have framed tech to protect against cold (fire, furnaces) as noble and good, while they’ve framed the warm climates they colonized as full of lazy people (Asians, Africans) and, thus, the need to use AC or fans as frivaloues, wasteful & unnecessary

Stephen Leahy@stephenleahy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"This heat is not an inconvenience, it is a growing public health threat. Every heatwave puts lives at risk" --Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London

This is a good summary; seas.harvard.edu/news/2022/07...

In a hotter world, air conditioning isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifesaver

Billions more will need access to AC as extreme heat increases

seas.harvard.edu

air conditioning is good and right and a just climate future has zero emissions and also air conditioning and we should build a better world where people don’t die in heat waves

Costa Samaras@costasamaras.com · last yr.

Our research confirms this. Climate change increases the need for air conditioning for people to not die in heat waves. We need clean energy. We need efficient buildings. We need green infrastructure. We need more of this that most folks can imagine. We should start building it all right now.

Fragments by Vasily Kandinsky, 1943 https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137846

Friends, it's anti-Prime Day on Bookshop. org! Free shipping all day and here's 20% off. Support independent booksellers! refer.bookshop.org/robinfield

Even more sandhills 🪶

Research confirms that the more skilled professionals like doctors and software engineers rely on AI, the more their skills degrade. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good

Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.

nature.com

Dialog, the private network cofounded by Peter Thiel, grades its event attendees on a hidden scale, ranking them by wealth and fame, tracking their relationships, and using algorithms to help decide who they should meet and sit with, WIRED has learned.

How the Peter Thiel-Linked Dialog Club Secretly Ranks Its Members

Leaked files show the invite-only network grades members by their money and fame, shaping who’s in, who’s out, and who pays.

wired.com

XTC - Live Boots Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 17th April 1981 One of the band’s most celebrated gigs from New Jersey in April 1981 CD pre-orders shipped, now in stock https://burningshed.com/store/ape/artists-ape/xtc #XTCBand #LiveBoots #RockLive #Music #MusicSky #VinylSky

RIP Professor Thurman. I had the great pleasure of organizing a lecture for him once when I was an undergrad. I’ve gone back to his translation of Vimalakirti many times over the years.

Philip Goldberg@philipgoldberg.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Robert Thurman, renowned scholar of Buddhism, friend of the Dalai Lama, prolific author, and public speaker, died yesterday at 84. I had the good fortune of interviewing Bob 3 times, each one delightful and illuminating. Here is one from 2023. RIP. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNjK...