@cosmicallyf@beige.party part of the trick is you also use the space between.
@grantimatter careful. you'll go blind.
"Media commentators are mystified about why Joe Biden has not gotten more credit for an improved economy, with inflation down nearly to pre-pandemic levels and job creation setting records. The reason is not hard to grasp. None of the recent improvements have altered the basic situation of most Americans, in which reliable careers are scarce, college requires the burden of debt, health coverage is more expensive and less reliable, and housing is unaffordable." https://prospect.org/politics/2024-04-04-liberals-need-to-be-radicals/
do you use your knuckles to figure out how long the month is?
A really thoughtful review of my sister #AdelleWaldman's new book "Help Wanted" by #ChrisJesuLee. https://salieriredemption.substack.com/p/should-art-be-time-capsules
the great thing about juggling projects is whatever you are procrastinating there is something to do.
@chrisp Lots of familiar themes in that one! But yeah, indirection according to my conjecture tilts the economy in favor of Christenson’s “efficiency innovations”, to the exclusion of both others.
[new draft post] Indirection and the character of capitalism (Part I) https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2024/04/04/indirection-and-the-character-of-capitalism-part-i/index.html
“Pay to stay” for prison sentences?
This is absolutely horrific, and would be absolutely horrific even if it didn’t come with the kafkaesque orwellian absurdity of billing for time inmates never stay if the sentence is modified, like a prison sentence is a no-refund low price hotel reservation.
I cannot believe how barbaric the governance of the state in which I now live has become. Although most US states enslave and exploit prisoners and their families.
there’s a lot of friendly fire and collateral damage in information warfare.
@BenRossTransit @Alon The Times article omits the rather obvious point that, regardless of host country, diplomatic facilities are usually considered territory of the country that maintains it, so under a colorable interpretation of international law, Israel has attacked the territory of Iran. Here's a piece where an expert making that point. https://archive.is/VnPTu
@BenRossTransit @Alon Obviously China and Algeria and stuff say it was a violation of international law and norms. We can discount that as biased. https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15650.doc.htm Still, I suspect they'd find experts to make a case, and I bet The Times could have too.
@BenRossTransit @Alon And, the European Union condemned, with a European Commission spokesman noting: "The principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases and in all circumstances in accordance with international law." https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/eu-condemns-attack-irans-embassy-damascus-urges-restraint-2024-04-03/
@BenRossTransit @Alon If The Times had wanted to practice both sides journalism, it would not have had a hard time finding credentialed people willing to take the other side of the case. It made an editorial choice not to, to treat it in the piece as a settled matter. I'm sorry you didn't love the headline and subhead, but The Times has been very generous to Israel here.
Word problem, inspired by NASA moon clocks:
Quito is 2820m above sea level. I live at sea-level. From my perspective, about how much is the life expectancy of a Quito-an reduced by virtue of gravitational time dilation?
(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_time_dilation ht @dpp the formulas are right there so it's just plug 'n chug, right? right?)
@jcrabapple I have complete and total faith in you.
@jcrabapple yes, but now you have to maintain it.
@Alon @MisuseCase as Russia is reminding us this week, you can always spin your most ridiculous intelligence failures into a crisis you needn't let go to waste.
@Alon @MisuseCase The non-targeting of people not right-wing and under 60 (even just a few years under 60) I can testify has worked very effectively.
@MisuseCase @Alon Right. Yet another tragedy is Israel simply has no credibility when it claims it was a terrible mistake. Terrible mistakes do happen in war! But it's hard to conclude from Israel's behavior broadly that it would not at least shrug off the lack of discipline that enables such events in the same way it shrugs off and abets settler violence in the West Bank. (If Israel cared abt "hasbara" at all, controlling that is the first thing it would have done. It's shocking they have not.)
@Alon @MisuseCase There are and have long been a lot of idiots on the issue. The whole "settler colonial" edifice, Franz Fanon, a "right to resist" when what resistance means is murder and provocation of armed conflict. A treasure chest of idiocies, and yes Oct 7 brought out lots of idiots.
But it's tragic how effectively Israel choices are making an effective case that it wasn't the idiots who were idiots.
@Alon @MisuseCase I sure hope it's not happening. But if it's not happening, then it's already the day after, so what now? Why is North Gaza starving? What will be done to prevent that?
@Alon @MisuseCase English language Haaretz has comported itself pretty admirably, I think. But I'm skeptical all the perspectives you find there make it into local, non-print media.