Open thread 2/7/24
I read a book about her that really disturbed me when I was a child of around nine or ten:
Continue reading →neo
Crumbley’s mother found guilty of manslaughter
[NOTE: I’m in a hurry at the moment so this post will be short, but I may revisit this in the not-too-distant future.] This must be one of the worst legal decisions I’ve ever seen: Jennifer and James Crumbley are … Continue reading →
McConnell does an Emily Litella and says “never mind” on the border bill
On McConnell’s latest move: In a dramatic turnaround, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recommended to GOP senators in a closed-door meeting that they vote against the first procedural vote Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were … Continue reading →
DC appeals court rules against Trump’s presidential immunity as a legal bar in the election interference case
This is unsurprising: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim that he has presidential immunity in the D.C. election interference case. Former President Trump moved to dismiss the … Continue reading →
On the Biden administration’s foreign policy
I often refer not to Biden himself but to the Biden administration when I discuss policies of the executive branch since Biden’s inauguration three long years ago. That’s because it’s never been clear how much Biden has been in charge. … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/6/24
Astaire and Rogers were subsidiary characters in the movie Flying Down to Rio, where they danced together onscreen for the very first time:
Continue reading →Newsom wants electricity costs to be income-based
In 2022 the California legislature passed a bill with the intention of implementing “equitable” electricity charges – in other words, charge the non-poor more. Must have seemed like a great idea to the California legislators at the time, but guess … Continue reading →
The House versus the Senate on the border bill
Speaker Johnson of the House says “no” to the new “bipartisan” border bill sent by the Senate: … Speaker Johnson said, “I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border … Continue reading →
Extraordinary article by former Sudanese slave, plus video about violence and slavery in Africa today
First, an excerpt from the article by Simon Deng, entitled: “First They Came for My People, Then They Came for the Jews: A South Sudanese former slave recognized the Palestinian pogrom on Oct. 7”: My name is Simon Aban Deng. … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/5/24
Walpurgis Nacht in competition
This “Bacchante” variation from Walpurgis Nacht was Maya Plisetkaya’s forte, and nobody else is Plisetskaya or even close. But many give the variation a try, especially in dance competitions where they face a particularly daunting task: to perform the variation … Continue reading →
The New York Times notices that “sudden gender dysphoria” might be a fad-like thing and that the “affirmative” model of treatment might be hurting many young people
I noticed this yesterday, and I think it may be significant and represent a sea-change, however slight: ?: NYT published a long article today about detransitioners and how the “always affirm” model has destroyed the bodies and lives of many … Continue reading →