MBR
@flame89.bsky.social
Can’t say much about my job these days but international affairs (especially Asia) is my specialty. I love films, novels, and history. Degrees from Oxford, Virginia Tech, and the London School of Economics. Opinions are entirely my own. He/him
SCHWAB: “.. Stagflationary trend for #ISM Services PMI continues, with prices (blue) remaining in an uptrend and employment (white) in a downtrend.”
The extent to which Han Chinese refuse to see the repression of minorities in China sometimes leaves me despairing. But I have also seen a growing number of young Han Chinese discovering these injustices—and responding with intense compassion for the suffering of minorities.
I can’t recommend this episode enough for understanding the CCP machinery of repression. This Han police officer sees himself as a victim of the system, which is true, but is unwilling to recognize that he was also a perpetrator. That’s disappointing, but not surprising.
不明白播客@bumingbai.net · 7d ago张亚博在新疆当了9年警察，参与中国政府对维吾尔人的大规模监控、拘禁和强制同化政策。他反复说，自己只是在执行命令，是国家机器上的“小螺丝钉”。他甚至认为，自己也是体制的受害者。受到体制的伤害，能否免除一个人协助体制加害他人的责任？ 这期播客探讨了关于责任、罪责和救赎，欢迎点击收听、收看： youtu.be/_aAAAT3kYP4
Like, Sweden (77) is much closer to the U.S. (84) in percentage that view it as immoral than it is to France (47) even though Sweden is closer to France in stuff like religious observance etc. France is a real outlier.
If you show up to Bluesky without following anyone, you'll be treated to a series of posts about art, music, and dogs. If you show up to X without following anyone, you'll be bombarded with right-wing conspiracies and white supremacist slop. It's weird which one is seen as a "political bubble"
This is an extremely disappointing “three people in a diner in Omaha” bothsidesism. MAHA uses ‘big evil pharma corps” as a shibboleth to make it seem as if it is not entirely about returning medical care to a pre-industrial level. It is a death cult.
And after a moment of consideration, a corollary: anyone in the MAHA movement *right now*, even IF they only theoretically believe in the common ground, however unlikely, has already expressed a clear willingness to cross unacceptable lines (vaccines, protecting trans people, etc.) for those ends!
Except the top all chose the far right so this isn’t exactly equivalent, is it? Come on, AOC. Don’t validate this anti-science BS. We expect better from you.
MAHA is rfk loons and should not be treated as a serious partner
❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter shoots down a 🇷🇺Russian Shahed-type kamikaze drone
If you “just couldn’t bring yourself to vote for Harris,” you did this.
Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 2d agoTwo people have died from cyclosporiasis in Michigan, marking the first fatalities in the largest U.S. outbreak of the intestinal illness
"don't make enough money" is a fig leaf All those degree programs--social work, art, etc.--have disproportionately female student bodies. This is designed to make it harder for women to attend college--college education being a key factor in women's autonomy from men & left-leaning voting pattern.
The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 3d agoPresident Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/aaAEu6v
I have no intentions of dying any time in the near future, but should I tragically perish before my time, I would just like it noted that my final request is to have my dead body violently chucked at Russ Vought, in a final, ultimate act of spite.
Combined transits through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb fell to 39 on August 2. Hormuz recorded 9 transits, down from 23 on July 31 and 11 on August 1. Bab el-Mandeb recorded 30 crossings, down from 41 and 37 on the same days.-MarineTraffic
Life as a J2 when you just completely give up and start crowdsourcing response options from random E4s
Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · 3d agoA senior officer in US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) intelligence branch emailed a broad group of military analysts seeking “new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran.” A second source indicated a similar request went out the prior week.
Looks like it's time to fire up the old hurdy-gurdy for another rousing chorus of: 🎵MAGA is a war of men against women And Donald Trump is its Generalissimo🎵 Same tune for the better part of a decade & most Americans still can't see that violent misogyny is a *political program* supported by many.
George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸@gtconway.bsky.social · 3d ago“The president and first lady seemed totally unfazed about whether there was an abuser—another abuser—in their workplace. There was no follow-up from either of them to see if I needed help or protection. There was no investigation ordered. No effort to get to the bottom of this ....
When I asked DeepSeek and ChatGPT in English, “Is the right to development a human right?” DeepSeek cited more Chinese official sources in its response. And while ChatGPT noted that “governments cannot invoke development to override other rights,” DeepSeek omitted that crucial point.
The Global Danger of China’s State-Controlled AI Models
The spread of Chinese AI models with built-in censorship mechanisms could quietly shape the global information environment for the worse.
worldpoliticsreview.com
