Observations on the Failings of Humanity
@justinstarren.bsky.social
My wife suggested that this moniker was a better representation of the content of my postings. All opinions are mine, and not those of funding agencies or the State of Arizona
Another group that I once respected kisses the ring. As an academic scientist, I once aspired to National Academy election. Not any more. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/c...
Top Science Body Deletes Climate Chapter From Judges’ Manual
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine had been under pressure from Republican leaders, including President Trump.
nytimes.com
Greenland needs to arrest the crew and confiscate the equipment. This is beyond WTF. This is an invasion. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill
Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling
theguardian.com
Unexpected? If you look at the jobs numbers since Trump started his unnecessary war, it is almost a straight line down to this month's numbers. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
US unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July as slump in growth continues
Estimates for previous two months were revised down sharply but unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%
theguardian.com
Trump has said that all Democrats are terrorists. If the children of terrorist are not eligible for birthright citizenship under this order, is he trying to say that the children of Democrats are not citizens? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
Trump Signs Executive Orders Targeting Birthright Citizenship and ‘Birth Tourism’
The orders come after the Supreme Court ruled June 30 that President Trump’s previous efforts to end birthright citizenship were unconstitutional.
nytimes.com
I just had a catastrophic failure of attention. I absentmindedly ate the salad that came with my sandwich at lunch. Pray for me. 
When companies break the law, they say they will stop and nothing happens. When individual break the law, they go to jail. How about just arresting these criminals. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Crews building Trump border wall in drought-hit New Mexico ordered to stop drilling wells
Residents and farmers say contractors have tapped border aquifers that threaten water supply for those nearby
theguardian.com
Any so-called “religion“ that allows known child abuse to go unaddressed should be considered a criminal enterprise and treated accordingly. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Arizona clergy who learn of child abuse in confessions aren’t required to report it, court rules
State supreme court rules in case of two bishops who were silent about three children abused by Mormon parents
theguardian.com
Don’t call it an E bike when you disconnect the chain.
LIDAR can see through cloth facemasks. Newer iPhones have LIDAR. Why isn’t there an iPhone app that identifies ice agents through their masks?. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘A mask can’t hide you from God’: can you shame an ICE agent into quitting?
Some activists believe protesting against ICE is ineffective, instead appealing to agents’ morality through both guilt and compassion. But are ICE agents capable of remorse?
theguardian.com
Another reason to impeach Roberts. $100 million is not freedom of speech, it is drowning out every other voice. No one person should be able to functionally silence everyone else. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...
Elon Musk Plans at Least $100 Million in Midterm Spending to Help Republicans
Elon Musk, a year after a huge blowup with President Trump and the Republican Party, is said to be planning to spend in at least eight states to help them in November.
nytimes.com
Want to see who is fanatical about protecting entitlements? It's not the elderly. It's billionaires and corporations. Plus, billionaires and corporations took away retirement benefits that were promised to the elderly, so elderly are hoarding what little is left. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/o...
Opinion | How Older Americans Hoard the Future
Aging politicians are just the “tip of the iceberg.”
nytimes.com
Democrats should honor Mitch McConnell and refuse to vote for any Trump nominees this close to an election. www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
Senate to begin voting on Trump intelligence nominee Jay Clayton – US politics live
The US president’s pick to be the country’s director of national intelligence is expected to be approved within days – but only after a tense confirmation hearing
theguardian.com
Is anyone else finding that the accuracy of dictation on Apple devices just took a nose dive?
“ Not standard“? More like extremely inappropriate and questionably criminal. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘Not standard’ for Taylor Farms to ask White House to delay cyclospora recall, ex-FDA head says
Scott Gottlieb responds to report that company contacted the White House seeking to delay a recall announcement
theguardian.com
Think about the last time, communism was actually popular in the US. Huge wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few white men; the average worker was suffering; and, a Republican president raised tariffs and drove us into a depression. Sound familiar? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump revives old tropes as he pushes warnings of ‘communist menace’
President harks back to red scare of his childhood to attack US left – but will such language resonate beyond Maga base?
theguardian.com
The government should not be allowed to buy data that it is not allowed to collect directly.
Graphic Granola@graphicgranola.bsky.social · 3w agoAn investigation found that address information people provide when opening or updating credit card accounts is sold through data brokers & purchased by ICE. The records show ICE uses the commercially acquired data for immigration enforcement & voter fraud investigations without obtaining a warrant.
This is terrifying. If one issue at one data center can impact half the country, the grid is teetering on the edge. Remember when people said the grid couldn’t handle electric cars. Data centers consume, vastly more energy than electric cars.
Moms Clean Air Force@momscleanairforce.org · 3w ago😳😳😳 Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, electricity flickered on and off for about 10 minutes. An engineer’s data says it happened throughout the Eastern half of the U.S., from Chicago to Boston and Miami. Northern Virginia Bureau Reporter Drew Wilder explains. www.nbcwashington.com/video/news/l...
Really @UPS? You send me an email asking for more information about a claim and then 38 minutes later send a second email saying were unsuccessful contacting me and cancel the claim? You know emails have timestamps, right?
The pilot with irrational fears should be grounded. Second, the airline should be forced to provide: Alternate booking; full refund; hotel and expenses during the delay. Or: the aisle chair is safety equipment and the flight cannot go without it. No passengers fly until problem fixed.
I don't normally do this, but I feel compelled to give a shout out to Moen customer service. I had an issue with a shower product. Called the Moen number. Very short hold. They fixed the problem quickly, professionally, and politely (like the "old days"). Will definitely shop Moen again.
Let lesson of this story is clear: Never trust a data center proposal or attestations from a data center developer. It is all bait and switch.
Mike Meadway 🇪🇺 🇩🇰 🇬🇧 🏴@mmeadway.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe Colorado river water system is collapsing, and a data center operator is suing to consume even more water. Unreal. www.kpbs.org/news/environ...
What a cluster! Another respected US agency ruined by Trump. I guess we will be cooking veggies for a while. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
FDA says review of Taylor Farms lettuce shows cyclospora finding was false positive
Spokesperson for Taylor Fresh Foods told Reuters that the company was informed FDA made a mistake
theguardian.com
Another ICE shooting! This one by a contractor who fled the scene. Where are they finding these people? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Off-duty employee at Colorado ICE facility arrested for shooting protester
Woman has non-life threatening injuries after Brandon Booth shot her with pistol outside ICE facility and drove off
theguardian.com
I’m a cis male, and even I know that is not a flip-flop. That is a sling back. Are these young writers, ignorant, or are they making up new words to try to make existing styles seem new? www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
Feline good: why kitten heel flip-flops are winning over flats-only gen Z
From Lily Collins at Wimbledon to the cast of Love Island, heels-averse cohort is stepping it up a notch
theguardian.com
We haven’t even gotten to Labor Day, and there is already a giant display of Halloween decorations at Costco, and we are getting texts from other stories about the same thing. This is wrong.
CDLs are issued by states, not by the federal government. The feds might limit eligibility for interstate transport, but as far as I know, they cannot force states to issue CDLs. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/u...
Trump Says He’ll Seek to Replace Immigrant Truck Drivers With Veterans
The president has pushed to curtail the commercial licenses of immigrants, including legal residents, whom he has blamed for crashes.
nytimes.com
If it is a republican, they get sworn in before the votes are fully counted or the body is cold. If it's a democrat, we need to be absolutely sure...could take a while. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/u...
Lindsey Graham’s Sister, Darline Graham, Is Sworn In to Finish His Senate Term
Three days after Lindsey Graham died, his younger sister Darline Graham took the oath to hold his seat until his term ends in January.
nytimes.com
This hasn't made sense since we invented air conditioning. This will increase energy costs. Much better to keep standard time year round. Less energy use, less health disruption. www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/p...
House passes bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent | CNN Politics
The US House voted Tuesday to pass a measure to enact year-round Daylight Saving Time across the country, springing Congress forward into an issue that has long stumped lawmakers and spurred impassion...
cnn.com