What's going on in your city/country/region?

[HighlyIrregular II]

Yesterday I read that Harris closed the gap in the latest poll. Essentially a tie, it sounded like (I read headlines more than articles). Now I think she will be ahead in the next poll thanks to Trump being Trumpier than ever.

And the headline Newsmax went with: "Trump calls for Christian vote: 'If you don't vote we're not going to win'"

Trump - wont have to vote headline.jpg (411.63 KiB) Viewed 6750 times

[Catoptric]

Yesterday I read that Harris closed the gap in the latest poll. Essentially a tie, it sounded like (I read headlines more than articles). Now I think she will be ahead in the next poll thanks to Trump being Trumpier than ever.

And the headline Newsmax went with: "Trump calls for Christian vote: 'If you don't vote we're not going to win'"

Trump - wont have to vote headline.jpg

"If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier... as long as I'm the dictator. Hehehe"
- Bush Jr

If you search Dicktator, this Trump meme pops up

https://bagofdicks.com/products/dicktator-tee

[Catoptric]

Flori-duh

Drew Kohn went into a coma after his motorcycle was hit by a vehicle and 7 years later was walking at 5:30 AM (pretty dark. . .) and hit by someone who didn't see him until the thud drew their attention.

He's not doing this now.


Florida man who woke up from 244-day coma dies after being hit by truck seven years later
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 1722450655

https://people.com/man-who-survived-244 ... ck-8685197


I thought he might not have been wearing a helmet but the crash footage in that video does show one. I knew someone who was riding a bicycle and had a similar prognosis of being very likely to die, and he ended up recovering (though he looked like someone's grandpa without any teeth and he seemed to prefer to keep his hair shaved down as though bald, possible because he had scars that made it look weird?) He seemed to imagine that he would sue the woman who hit him because he claims she was going the wrong direction (and yet I also tend to think bikes should be on sidewalks if no one else is using the sidewalks.) The person I knew wasn't that brain damaged and you would hardly knew he was in a coma (which I think was longer than the Kohn guy, who if he was walking the same way 2 years after his first accidental discovery of inertia, was probably not helping things by taking a quick breather. Assuming he was still being looked after by his mother, and likely receiving disability, it would be helpful to know what he was doing at such a time, which sounds like he was crossing the street (and possibly not wearing reflective clothing to make sure he was being visible.) I still take extreme precautions and will select atypical paths if I ever use a cycling bike, because if people aren't expecting someone, they usually don't feel the need to pay attention (too much of our everyday lives is processing what is most familiar to us, and too often people's brains take shortcuts of what they come to expect.)

I'm not 100% convinced the guy couldn't have picked a better time to be walking, and assume there is no chance in hell he didn't make choices that weren't in some way fatalistic. Too many people die making stupid choices and then if they somehow recover theirs this survivorship bias (and talk of clutching a bible or some other way to identify them once their particular version of the afterlife is imagined.) The thing with his ambition of going to school and getting a degree or becoming a preacher kind of reminds me of this 'Half-Wits' satire game show where at 2:50 he lists his ambitions to become a Circuit Judge.




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I'm glad the shitwad, Jair Bolsonaro is out of office, but it reminds me of Trump, where the turd sometimes floats to the top.

Bolsonaro is a catastrophe for the environment
https://www.greenpeace.org/internationa ... vironment/

[HighlyIrregular II]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/02/politics ... index.html

“We’ve heard the Supreme Leader loud and clear that he intends to avenge this killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran, and that they want to conduct another attack on Israel...We can’t just assume that we are also potentially going to be victims of that kind of an attack, so we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right resources and capabilities in the region.”

The quote, from the the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, seems to be correct but he misspoke. "...assume that we are also" should be "...assume that we are not also." The quote was repeated by other media. The media shouldn't quote someone's misspeak without clarifying, or saying it's unclear, or noting it in some way.

[Catoptric]

Multi-car crash, fight and stabbing shuts down I-635 through Northeast Dallas, police say
https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/da ... 8cf49c8e7d

Same story

Good Samaritan stabbed, two others struck by vehicle during chaotic scene on 635 in Dallas
https://dfwscanner.net/2024/08/06/good- ... in-dallas/




The suspect, identified as Angel Zamora Moreno, 26, is charged with seven counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, and one count of Criminal Mischief.



And in the same day (earlier I only knew about this) a semitruck carrying a crane had gone off the edge of an overpass and was dangling from it, with the driver able to get out supposedly.


Crane goes over North Texas overpass, shutting down highway ramp, police say
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local ... n%20police.


2 years ago this happened in the area:

One Dead after Semi-truck flies off US 75 overpass in Collin County / TX



But I guess this same kind of thing also happened at the end of June. . . (truck drivers are known to be especially retarded.)

Truck dangles from edge of interstate, caused by a crash (behind paywall)
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/loca ... 29579.html

Truck driver dead after 18-wheeler crashes into Texas home
https://abcnews.go.com/US/truck-driver- ... =111548081


8 months ago: Again. . . Stuck between two highway overpasses. . . Not sure how they fucking got there.




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Also, an auto theft ring was just arrested in the area.




7 facing charges in North Texas auto theft ring, over 200 vehicles stolen
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2 ... es-stolen/



***************



A giant snail looking worm:

A Foot-Long Worm From Hell Is Invading Texas—and It's Really Hard to Kill
https://www.popularmechanics.com/scienc ... e=facebook

[HighlyIrregular II]

People are talking about Trump's lisp in the Musk interview.

ChatGPT:
A sudden onset of a lisp could indicate a variety of underlying issues, some of which might require medical attention:

Dental Issues: Problems like loose or missing teeth, dental braces, or ill-fitting dentures can cause a lisp.

Neurological Conditions: A sudden lisp could be a sign of a neurological issue, such as a stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or other conditions affecting the brain or nerves that control speech.

Trauma: Injury to the mouth, tongue, or jaw can lead to a sudden lisp.

Muscle Weakness: Weakness in the muscles of the mouth or tongue, possibly due to a condition like Bell's palsy, could cause a lisp.

Medications: Certain medications that affect muscle control or coordination might lead to a lisp as a side effect.

Anxiety or Stress: High levels of stress or anxiety can sometimes cause temporary speech disturbances, including a lisp.

If the lisp is sudden and persists, it's important to consult a healthcare professional to determine the cause.

Trump has had bouts of forgetfulness in the past, mixing up names and stuff. That won't be getting any better. And now he seems to have something else.

[Catoptric]

Pretty odd

Man killed after being abducted along with two juveniles in Dallas, police say

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-a ... s/3630767/


Considering what they throw away and aren't clearancing off (despite selling the items in the store with stickers) they could have easily found ways to also list things for sale online, to capitalize on the shitstain that is Amazon.

[HighlyIrregular II]

The part I bolded is the fun part.

Trump asks federal court to intervene in hush money case in bid to toss conviction, delay sentencing

If the case remains in state court and Trump’s sentencing proceeds as scheduled on Sept. 18 — about seven weeks before Election Day — it would be election interference, his lawyers said, raising the specter that Trump could be sent to jail just as early voting is getting under way...Even if Trump’s case isn’t moved to federal court, ensuing legal wrangling could force his sentencing to be delayed, giving him a critical reprieve...

Meanwhile, Harris widens lead over Trump, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump 45% to 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Thursday

I thought it was 4 points in the previous poll, but whatever.

[Catoptric]

Fuckwads blindly side with Elon even though Mark Cuban had valid criticism.


The only reason

Elon Musk doesn't have a critique and is an insecure turd. The only reason shitholes like Musk and other billionaires support Trump is because he will continue the extreme inequality that is already plaguing society, and putting crap-weasels like himself at the forefront.


Robert Reich's 2022 statements are still relevant in 2024, etc.:

Trump and Elon Musk are dangerous narcissists tailored to 2022 America
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... 22-america

Spoiler

Show

We’re better off when people like them cannot gain such untrammeled wealth and influence. Our politics is the worst for it

‘Both wield sledgehammers to protect their fragile egos. Both are utterly lacking in empathy. Both push baseless conspiracy theories.’ Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images


We likely won’t know all the results of America’s midterm election for a while, but consider two people not on any ballot who are setting the tenor for much of what we have heard and seen.

First is Elon Musk, who last Friday fired half of Twitter’s 7,500 employees, including teams devoted to combating election misinformation – and did it so haphazardly and arbitrarily that most had no idea they were fired until their email accounts were shut off.

This was after he fired Twitter’s executives to avoid paying them the golden parachutes they’re owed. And after posting an article suggesting without evidence that Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was in a drunken fight with a male prostitute.

It has been a long 10 days since Musk bought Twitter.

But this has been his MO all along.

Taunting opponents. Treating employees like dung. Bullying adversaries. Demeaning critics. Craving attention. Refusing to be held accountable. Attracting millions of followers and gaining cult status. Spreading misleading information. Making gobs of money.

Impetuous. Unpredictable. Ruthless. Autocratic. Vindictive.

Remind you of anyone?

Musk is not exactly Donald Trump. They’re different generations, possess different skills, occupy different roles in the bizarre firmament of modern America. And Trump is far more dangerous to democracy – so far.

But both represent the emergence of a particularly American personality in the early decades of the 21st century: the wildly disruptive narcissist.

Both wield sledgehammers to protect their fragile egos. Both are utterly lacking in empathy. Both push baseless conspiracy theories (such as the one cooked up about Paul Pelosi).

Both are indefatigable self-promoters.

Both are billionaires, but they are not motivated primarily by money. Nor are they fueled by any larger purpose, principle or ideology.

Their singular goal is to imprint their giant egos on everyone else – to exercise raw power over people. To make others grovel.

Their politics is neither conservative nor liberal. Call it megalomaniacal authoritarian. (It seems likely Musk will give Trump back the giant Twitter megaphone Trump lost when he incited the attack on the US Capitol.)

But why have both achieved such prominence at this point in history? Why are so many enthralled with them?

The answer, I think, is that a large segment of the American public projects its needs and fantasies on them. People who are “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore” crave strongmen who shake up the system.

People who have been bullied their whole lives want to identify with super bullies who give the finger to the establishment, answerable to only their own ravenous egos.

Their arrogance and certitude attract millions of followers, fans, and cultish devotees, along with a fair number of goons and thugs, who want to vicariously feel superior.

But they are not leaders. They are bullies who demean America.

Others aspire to the same status – Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who flies undocumented immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who blames wildfires on Jewish space lasers. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who refuses to commit to the outcome of the election. And the other infamous high-tech zillionaires, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

Yet none comes close to Musk and Trump for sheer in-your-facedness, gleeful bombast and the brazen assertion of power to dominate and force others to submit.

Beware. The last time the world gave in to megalomaniacs it did not end well.

The robber barons of the Gilded Age – men like William (“the public be damned”) Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller – siphoned off so much of the nation’s wealth that the rest of the nation had to go deep into debt to maintain their standard of living and overall demand for the goods and services the nation produced.

When that debt bubble burst in 1929, the world got a Great Depression. And that depression paved the way for Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, who created the worst threats to freedom and democracy the modern world had ever witnessed, and the most deaths.

We are much safer when economic and political power is widely diffused. We are better off when people like Musk and Trump cannot gain such untrammeled wealth and influence.

We all do better when fewer Americans feel so helpless and insecure that they’re drawn to reprehensible bullies who parade across the public stage as if possessing admirable qualities.

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com

2016 (still relevant)
Inequality built the Trump coalition, even if he won’t solve it
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ineq ... -solve-it/

Spoiler

Show

Inequality, the issue that set Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic nomination alight, has gone underground in the presidential contest.

Hillary Clinton has occasionally tried to make political capital out of Donald Trump’s financial capital, most recently accusing him of proposing a child care tax-break that would “benefit wealthy families just like his own.”

But this is difficult territory for Clinton. She blundered by describing Bill and herself as “dead broke” when they left the White House. When she was struggling to fend off Sanders, leading figures in her own party were critical of her stance on inequality. Joe Biden heaped praise on Sanders for his “authenticity” on the issue before acidly noting that Clinton was “relatively new” to it. Add in her stratospheric speaker fees, the couple’s estimated net worth of more than $100 million and the recent furor over the funding of the Clinton Foundation, and it’s easy to see why inequality might feel like a double-edged sword to her campaign.

While Clinton tries to downplay her wealth, Trump glories in his own, conveniently forgetting that it was inherited. He uses his giant airplane as a prop at rallies and boasts about the size of his balance sheet. Refusing to release tax returns would be a fatal mistake for a traditional candidate in a normal election. It has barely dented Trump.

The race looks, on the surface, like a culture contest: white vs. minority; educated vs. uneducated; blue-collar vs. professional elite; nostalgia vs. optimism; nativism vs. cosmopolitanism. But while inequality has become a politically subterranean issue, it is nonetheless shaping the politics of 2016. Trump’s supporters are not especially poor or suffering from free-trade policies, according to a comprehensive study by Gallup. But they are more likely to live in areas with low rates of upward mobility and shorter-than-average life expectancy. In TrumpLand, compared with the rest of America, prospects are limited and life is short.

Clinton’s policies on issues such as taxes, child care, college funding and paid leave would inject a modest dose of redistribution. But she is understandably too fearful of the upper-middle class, and of accusations of hypocrisy, to push this agenda hard. Trump does not have a policy platform (after all, a platform is a stable structure of some kind), but he occasionally throws out ideas with potentially progressive implications, such as large public investments in infrastructure and the abolition of certain tax breaks. But taken as a whole, his plans would hugely increase economic inequality, according to a careful analysis by the Brookings-Urban Tax Policy Center.

Trump is not interested in reducing inequality. But it seems as if much of his support is coming from people who feel like they are falling behind and are looking for someone to blame: immigrants, “crooked” politicians, welfare recipients. They know Trump is extreme and a volatile anti-politician. It is not his ideas that attract them, it is his identity.

These are people who feel that the technocratic, rationalist elite has created a world that is amazing for themselves but much less awesome for everyone else. The hard part is that, however much we may dislike its expression, there is more than a kernel of truth here.

Political change is not an orderly process, and people do not always conform readily to the models of political scientists. In times like these, history is more useful than political science. As Richard Hofstadter reminded us in his book, “The Age of Reform,” the populist movement, often romanticized by those on the political left, was strongly flavored by nativism and even racism. “The demand for reform, many of them aimed at genuine ills,” he wrote, “was combined with strong moral convictions and hatred as a kind of creed.”

Describing the history of these movements in 19th- and 20th-century America, Hofstadter referred to the challenge of finding the line between “useful and valid criticism of a society and destructive alienation from its essential values.”

Precisely the same test faces us now. The temptation to dismiss Trump’s supporters as narrow-minded bigots is great, especially when some of them fit the description perfectly. Hatred does indeed seem to be their creed. But this won’t do.

It seems unlikely that Trump will win in November, though given recent polls, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. And even if he loses, there is a good chance he will win the majority of white votes. There is a sense among some potential voters that the American dream is slipping out of their reach. Whites in particular are becoming the pessimists of our society; recent evidence suggests that drug addiction and suicide rates are rising among middle-aged white Americans.

As a general rule, Americans are not as troubled by the gap between the rich and the rest as the citizens of other nations, so long as they feel that wealth is earned fairly. The health of the American dream is not captured by narrow measures of income inequality. Rather, it is about equality in both the sense and the substance of real opportunity, of individual possibility.

As MSNBC political analyst Chris Hayes has written, “Americans rise from their class, not with it.” I think that’s right, and unlike Hayes, I think that this is mostly a good thing. The problem is that class mobility is now lower in the U.S. than in most other countries, and especially so in the places leaning toward Trump.

Many Americans feel, for want of a better word, stuck. And they are getting sick of that feeling. Trump has brilliantly found a way to tap that vein. His political rise reflects their perceived fall. Whatever we think of him, we also need to think hard about how to restore the elements of American equality that are being lost.

The same issue with algorithms and vitriol (censoring dissent against shitty bullshitters) and these arguments made against social media by Cuban and Senator Kennedy are correct (and how am I not familiar with this Kennedy, as prior I would have assumed it was Ted if I didn't watch the video and know Ted was dead.)

(The video is click-bait and is referring to the user agreement policy)




The point being made about Mass Transit at 18:00 to 20:20 is also occurring with AI, where he is fearmongering about AI while pushing automation, spending $10 billion this year alone, and having people work 12-hour shifts every day of the week to carry out new robotics in his Tesla factories.

This was also fairly telling, regarding Blackwater and Secret Service, and the kinds of incompetence that proliferates in government when standards are decreased.

[HighlyIrregular II]

So, I can't bring myself watch the debate, I just don't like debates, but I can handle the live fact checking at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/l ... ial-debate

I also look at polls and things like https://www.newsweek.com/who-won-presid ... is-1951319

Newsweek is considered left by the right and right by the left. Center overall. Several of people's opinions in that article, and most say Harris won, several say it was a tie, and one said Trump one.

Taylor Swift said she supports Harris immediately after the debate.