memfree

joined 2 years ago
[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 weeks ago

This is not true (yet). I see all the news aggregators are repeating it, though.

Copying a comment I made on a cross post:

The source for this article is here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/after-trans-people-trump-now-erasing

They wrote that piece well and linked to archive.ph so people can see the history. They have a snapshot from July 10th with 'bisexual' erased, but as of July 11th, it is back. As I write, the text they cite for the MAIN page (not History) reads:

Before the 1960s, almost everything about living authentically as a lesbian, a bisexual person or a gay man was illegal.

The History page (current | Jun 4 archive } April 19 archive uses LGB) is obliquely worded and has been for months, saying:

Through the 1960s almost everything about living openly as a member of the Stonewall comunity was a violation of law

It still omits transgendered as it has since the February 'purge'.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago

Again and again, when the Times attempts its false balance — trying to make Republicans sound less unhinged than they actually are — it results in bad journalism. It is the same problem social media platforms have encountered in moderation: removing misinformation and deplatforming bad actors means removing and deplatforming more Republicans. Eventually, using the excuse of “fairness,” social media companies gave up.

The Verge also cites this Politico article on how the right actively worked to discredit Claudine Gay. From Politico:

When you put those three elements together — narrative, financial and political pressure — and you squeeze hard enough, you see the results that we got today, which was the resignation of America’s most powerful academic leader.

Lordy, how I wish truth and logic was sufficient to fight lies and crazy.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

For a brief moment reading this, I couldn't remember the last time I ate beef -- but then I remembered the summer sausage in the fridge... which probably has beef in it, so... yesterday. Other than that purchase, I don't know if I've had any other beef this year.

The study found that 12% of Americans consume nearly half of the country's beef

So if we got that particular 1/8th to cut down, we'd be half way there! Just like if we could get the 1% to cut down on [so many things], we'd be in the clear!

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Not likely. Fetterman has two huge issues that pull him towards MAGA: a) tons of MAGA voters he must appease, and b) the stroke that messed up his brain.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

A relative got billed thousands of dollars for post-medical transport back home. Insurance covered the cost to fly him to the hospital, but not the trip back. This guy has spent decades enjoying his home in the middle of nowhere, but everything has gotten harder as he's grown older. He knew he was getting short of breath more easily, but didn't realize his lungs were severely deteriorating -- until his wife found him passed out on the ground instead of doing yard work.

Now he has to use oxygen (5l/min) all the time, is mostly stuck in the house, and lives too far from most services to do anything. His wife can drive to town to get groceries and the like, but he has to calculate if he'll have enough oxygen to make a trip, and his wife doesn't want him driving at all lest he get dizzy and cause an accident. Airlines won't let him fly.

The couple are having a hard time finding people to drive all the way out to their place to help take care of things. They are pretty much stuck out there with a lot of chores they can't do and very little entertainment. They did finally manage to get someone to install a generator so when the power goes out (which happens often enough), they can keep recharging the oxygen.

Prior to this, he'd been making long trips to see doctors for back and neck pain because there weren't any close providers, but those docs somehow missed his breathing issues. I don't know if he was seeing a GP as well, but his choices were limited. Family had urged him to move somewhere more ... well, if not urban, at least suburban for over a decade because his medical care never seemed very good. Now it is nearly impossible.

Does that answer the question? The guy went from doing yard work one day to incapacitated the next. I'm sure the change is usually less instantaneous for most people, but there are cases like his where the change from healthy to 'not' is fast.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

I'm doing better without him, so don't worry too much about it. Old women tend to live alone simply because men die younger, so it's no biggie if some of us start that trend a bit early.

I remember an old guy who really wanted to remarry when his wife died, courted and married someone new, and then expected her to do all the household chores because that's what women do. She was aghast. He hadn't given any indication that what he wanted was a free maid while wooing her, and she backed out of the whole thing immediately -- much happier to be on her own than take on his expectations.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

The reddit hivemind gets triggered by the very idea of cheating. As far as I know, there was no cheating in my marriage and eventual divorce, but it didn't matter to me if he cheated or not. It mattered to him that I didn't cheat, so I didn't. From my point of view, I'd have a problem if he was spending all his free time with someone else instead of helping with the house, chores, relationship, and so on, but random sex was fine by me -- as long as it didn't result in pregnancy or become a full-blown relationship.

Years ago I read some paper about how humans have two primary and competing reproductive strategies: monogamy versus promiscuouness. It theorized that cultures tend to codify monogamy as the standard to follow because its proponents get very hostile to the promiscuous whereas the promiscuous do not much care what the monogamous do.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Agreed!

I might think it is in my self interest to lie, cheat and steal, but if I do that, my community and my reputation are worsened, and I may have a harder time getting a better position in a crappier world.

If instead I think it in my self interest to volunteer at the local food bank, I might see my community and reputation improved, and by demonstrating a commitment to community, perhaps I will get a better job offer.

More basically: civilization has figured out that fair trade benefits both the farmer who needs tools and the blacksmith who needs food. It is in everyones' self-interest to support things like: rule of law, commerce, and education.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago

It sounds like your mom did you wrong. You can't change that. You CAN change what you do now.

Look, I've known more than a couple people who heard the same and worse from their mothers. One girl knew their dad had been abusive and their mom had to step in and take punches to keep the then-toddler girl from getting hit. A guy who's dad ran off had a young mom who really never meant to be a mom, was bad at it, and couldn't afford to feed her kids. I don't know the full stories for all my acquaintances, but those are two who both heard their moms say things like, "I wish you were never born." and "You ruined my life."

It sucks to hear that, but moms are not perfect, have their own stresses to deal with, and sometimes too much heart break can get a person to say things they should not.

Maybe life IS meaningless, but there's a bunch of us fuckers stuck here who are all struggling to make a go of it despite the circumstances, and while we can acknowledge that everything sucks, you probably don't know we think that because we're not in the worst of depression at the moment and try to fill the emptiness with small pleasantries rather than slip back into the well of sorrow, saying a mindless patter of things like, "It's a beautiful day" or "We needed the rain", or "Great game last night."

You are not alone. You can get through this. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Try to do something -- anything -- for yourself, or for someone else, or for everyone.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 30 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

He'd tell you because I was crazy.

I'd say it was because he wanted us to both move in with his (wonderful and supportive) family.

I was crazy, but not THAT crazy.

We had been living far away from his family, but he'd landed a fantastic job in their home town. Before the move, his mother started calling me and telling me that if I wanted to live in her house, I'd have to be respectful, and not go out drinking all night and coming home drunk -- something I'd never done or conceived of doing -- or what chores I would have, or how loud I could be, and when we would eat, and so on. I told him that I could not live 24/7 with his mom. I said I was moving to MY mother's and when he got us a place of our own, I would join him. He didn't. We divorced.

The divorce was fairly amicable. That was all about 30 years ago and I never remarried. I did shack up with a wonderful man for about 20 years, but I eventually kicked him out because he'd shrink into the shadows when I most needed support and I was tired of feeling emotionally devastated when I reaching out for succor and instead finding a void. I explained that I'd rather know that no one is there to help if I'm flailing about than to have someone I trusted stand by and do nothing. Yeah, I'm bitter about that one. I still love the guy, but sheesh.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 21 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This surely varies by state, but in Alaska, for example, I'm told Japanese vacationers LOVE to try out guns. So, if you can rent a gun on a range, shooting off weapons is the most American thing I can think to do before you leave.

 

the director of Project 2025, Paul Dans, told the hundreds of RNC attendees ...

“We have to take the vitriol down” — seconds before he suggested that Biden’s amped-up rhetoric around Project 2025 created the climate for an assassination attempt.

The Republican Party line that it’s now time for national unity — and that this week in Milwaukee is about asking America what’s so funny ’bout peace, love and understanding — is clearly carrying the day. Never mind that most GOP calls for toning down the rhetoric are followed with an attack that blames Democrats for all the toxic political speech.

Just like the days after 9/11, Americans need to watch what they do, watch what they say — or so we are told. We continue to obey in advance.

“The more we as a society bow to the pressure and self-censor — the dream of autocrats is for you to silence yourself, doing their job for them — the more arrogant and lawless the enemies of democracy will become,” Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the New York University historian and author of the book Strongmen on modern dictators, posted on Monday.

 

Thanks to silence7@slrpnk.net for this gift link

 

I usually make dip with a packet of soup mix powder, but I was out so I did the following and it turned out well -- and since it was mostly with Coscto items, I thought I'd post here.

All measurements were eyeballed, so change as you desire:

  • 10oz frozen chopped spinach (cut spinach is too stringy, but if you want to use a food processor, you could use either, or substitute fresh spinach, kale, Yu Choy, Dau Miu, or anything else -- or skip completely)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (from the giant jug taking up all that refrigerator space)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1-2 tsp "Better Than Bullion" "Seasoned Vegetable Base" ("Organic Reduced Sodium") soup starter -- this is in the spice aisle and any variety will do
  • 1 tsp Kirkland "Organic No-Salt Seasoning" -- also in the spice aisle
  • a chunk of a pepper, minced (Italian long hot) -- can sub red bell pepper, another hot pepper, or omit
  • 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced (or skip if you don't love garlic)

Optional stuff you might like: chives/scallions/red onion, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, chopped mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or go traditional and fry up a good sized onion until it is brown and caramelized to make more of a traditional 'french onion' dip.

Directions:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, microwave frozen spinach until warm, then lightly squeeze out excess water. It should be damp (to absorb the no-salt spice mix), but not so wet that the dip becomes soupy. If using a fresh veg, cook as desired.

  2. Add No-Salt Seasoning and Better Than Bullion to vegetable and mix together. Taste to ensure a bold flavor (the flavor will be softened by the dip base, but also bloom a bit as the dehydrated bits absorb moisture).

  3. Add garlic and fresh bell/chili/long-hot pepper, and any optional items you desire. Mix. If you are using a food processor, this is a good time to pulse everything together ... but you can also wait until the end if you need more bulk to mix properly.

  4. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir together. Add optional ingredients as desired. Refrigerate for an hour. Note: You can it serve immediately, but it is weird to have warm dip for potato chips.

 

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/12136649

politico archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PS7WH

see also: https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/ap-supreme-court-moving-quickly-will-decide-if-trump-can-be-prosecuted-in-election-interference-case/ | thehill archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/W6bFe

Excerpts (politico):

In Wednesday’s order, the Supreme Court granted Trump’s emergency request to maintain that pause while the justices hear Trump’s immunity appeal.

But the court’s decision to keep the pretrial proceedings frozen is a blow to special counsel Jack Smith’s effort to bring Trump to trial this year. Smith has charged Trump with four felonies stemming from his bid to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

If they deny the immunity bid by the end of their term in June, it may still be possible for the trial judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, to schedule a trial to begin in late summer or fall.

The timing of the justices’ eventual ruling could be critical since Chutkan has vowed to give Trump roughly three additional months to prepare for trial if the case is returned to her courtroom.

That hypothetical schedule would guarantee that much of Trump’s general election calendar is consumed by his mandatory presence in the courtroom, perhaps overlapping with the Republican National Convention or even Election Day itself.

Chutkan had originally intended to begin the election-subversion trial on March 4, but she nixed that start date due to the delays caused by Trump’s immunity claim. The trial, if it happens, is expected to last several months.

Excerpts (thehill):

That timetable is much faster than usual, but assuming the justices deny Trump’s immunity bid, it’s not clear whether a trial can be scheduled and concluded before the November election. Early voting in some states will begin in September.

In the end, the timing of a possible trial could come down to how quickly the justices rule. They have shown they can act fast, issuing a decision in the Watergate tapes case in 1974 just 16 days after hearing arguments. The decision in Bush v. Gore came the day after arguments in December 2000.

By taking up the legally untested question now, the justices have created a scenario of uncertainty that special counsel Jack Smith had sought to avoid when he first asked the high court in December to immediately intervene. In his latest court filing, Smith had suggested arguments a full month earlier than the late April timeframe.

Though their Supreme Court filing did not explicitly mention the upcoming November election or Trump’s status as the Republican primary front-runner, prosecutors described the case as having “unique national importance” and said that “delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict.”

 
 

Archive link | Excerpts:

A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Its disappearance, which has not been previously reported, was so concerning that intelligence officials briefed Senate Intelligence Committee leaders last year about the missing materials and the government’s efforts to retrieve them, the sources said.


The former president had ordered it brought there so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. Under the care of then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the binder was scoured by Republican aides working to redact the most sensitive information so it could be declassified and released publicly.

Instead, copies initially sent out were frantically retrieved at the direction of White House lawyers demanding additional redactions.

Just minutes before Joe Biden was inaugurated, Meadows rushed to the Justice Department to hand-deliver a redacted copy for a last review. Years later, the Justice Department has yet to release all of the documents, despite Trump’s declassification order. Additional copies with varying levels of redactions ended up at the National Archives.

But an unredacted version of the binder containing the classified raw intelligence went missing amid the chaotic final hours of the Trump White House. The circumstances surrounding its disappearance remain shrouded in mystery.


One theory has emerged about the binder’s whereabouts.

Cassidy Hutchinson, one of Meadows’ top aides, testified to Congress and wrote in her memoir that she believes Meadows took home an unredacted version of the binder. She said it had been kept in Meadows’ safe and that she saw him leave with it from the White House.

“I am almost positive it went home with Mr. Meadows,” Hutchinson told the January 6 committee in closed-door testimony, according to transcripts released last year.

A lawyer for Meadows, however, strongly denies that Meadows mishandled any classified information at the White House, saying any suggestion Meadows was responsible for classified information going missing was “flat wrong.”

 

Excerpt:

“President Magill’s actions in front of Congress were an embarrassment to the university, its student body, and its vast network of proud alumni,” the six congressmen wrote in a news release. “She has shown the university and the entire world that she is either incapable or unwilling to combat antisemitism on the university’s campus and take care of its student body. As such, I respectfully call on you to relieve President Magill of her duties as president to protect the lives of Jewish American students at the University of Pennsylvania.”

 

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/10115569

Norman Lear, the television writer and producer who introduced political and social commentary into situation comedy with “All in the Family” and other shows, proving that it was possible to be topical as well as funny while attracting millions of viewers, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 101.

His death was confirmed by Lara Bergthold, a spokeswoman for the family.

 

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/10112418

Denny Laine, the original lead singer of the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s co-founder/guitarist in Wings, died December 5 after a short battle with Interstitial lung disease. He was 79.

“I was at his bedside holdings his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him,” his wife Elizabeth Hines wrote in a statement. “My world will never be the same. Denny was an amazingly wonderful person, so loving and sweet to me. He made my days colorful, fun, and full of life – just like him.”

 

The main allegation is that Costco lets Meta collect communications related to health care from its website, violating HIPAA and effectively acting as a wiretap of the customer.

The first lawsuit was news earlier in October, and the new one from the 25th appears to be similar. Links to first suit:

 

I got the "Spooky Chocolate Bundt" cake from my local Costco and absolutely hated it. To me, it wasn't chocolatey and the over-sweet icing tasted off. My better half thought it was delightful, so it'll get eaten but not by me. If you've tried it, please let us know which of us is right.

P.S. the only link I could find with an image was the linked yahoo piece.

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