Wednesday, September 30, 2020
White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says | US policing | The Guardian
White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says | US policing | The Guardian: A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states
The case for quarantining extremist ideas | The far right | The Guardian
The case for quarantining extremist ideas | The far right | The Guardian: When confronted with white supremacists, newspaper editors should consider ‘strategic silence’
Trump, the far right, and the return of vigilante repression - PM Press
Trump, the far right, and the return of vigilante repression - PM Press: By Matthew N. Lyons Originally posted on Three Way Fight September 1st, 2020 Trump’s relationship with the far right is just as important in 2020 as it was in 2016, but the character of the relationship has changed dramatically. I’ve been revisiting the articles I wrote about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, taking stock …
Proud Boys | Southern Poverty Law Center
Proud Boys | Southern Poverty Law Center: Established in the midst of the 2016 presidential election by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys are self-described “western chauvinists” who adamantly deny any connection to the racist “alt-right,” insisting they are simply a fraternal group spreading an “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” agenda.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Trumpism, Fascism, and the Lessons of History – Active History
Trumpism, Fascism, and the Lessons of History – Active History: By Geoff Read, Cheryl Koos, and Samuel Kalman Many articles have appeared in the past year debating whether or not Donald Trump is a fascist.[1] Although some of these pieces are mere exercises in …
Monday, September 28, 2020
(315) The Supreme Court: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - YouTube
(315) The Supreme Court: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - YouTube: Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The US is stalling global progress on pandemic preparedness - Indy100 Conversations
The US is stalling global progress on pandemic preparedness - Indy100 Conversations: The failure of leadership at the highest level is stalling global progress on pandemic preparedness
Malignant Narcissism: Does the President Really Have It? | Psychology Today
Malignant Narcissism: Does the President Really Have It? | Psychology Today: Erich Fromm was a psychiatrist in the United States who immigrated from Hitler’s Germany in the 1930s. He was a world leader in many aspects of mental health and diagnosis. In his 1964 book, The Heart of Man: Its Genius for Good and Evil, Fromm used this term for the first time when he identified the pathology of narcissism as having two types, “benign narcissism” and “malignant narcissism.”2
Fromm said that benign narcissism focuses on pride in one’s work, one’s effort. In the process of achieving something, the person has to stay in touch with the reality around the task in order to accomplish it. "The energy which propels the work is, to a large extent, of a narcissistic nature, but the very fact that the work itself makes it necessary to be related to reality, constantly curbs the narcissism and keeps it within bounds. This mechanism may explain why we find so many narcissistic people who are at the same time highly creative.”3
On the other hand, there is a malignant narcissism. This is not about achievement, but rather something the person thinks they inherently have that’s special, “for instance, his body, his looks, his health, his wealth, etc. ... Malignant narcissism, th
Fromm said that benign narcissism focuses on pride in one’s work, one’s effort. In the process of achieving something, the person has to stay in touch with the reality around the task in order to accomplish it. "The energy which propels the work is, to a large extent, of a narcissistic nature, but the very fact that the work itself makes it necessary to be related to reality, constantly curbs the narcissism and keeps it within bounds. This mechanism may explain why we find so many narcissistic people who are at the same time highly creative.”3
On the other hand, there is a malignant narcissism. This is not about achievement, but rather something the person thinks they inherently have that’s special, “for instance, his body, his looks, his health, his wealth, etc. ... Malignant narcissism, th
The Stranglers: Vladimir and the Beast
The Stranglers' keyboard player Dave Greenfield has died at the age of 71 after testing positive for coronavirus.
Umberto Eco Makes a List of the 14 Common Features of Fascism | Open Culture
Umberto Eco Makes a List of the 14 Common Features of Fascism | Open Culture: One of the key questions today is can we use words like fascism with fidelity to the meaning of that word in world history?
Sunday, September 27, 2020
The Hatch Act: Misuse of Official Positions - CREW
The Hatch Act: Misuse of Official Positions - CREW: Several officials have been reprimanded for violating the Hatch Act, but the problematic political behavior continues with no signs of stopping.
Trump’s Taxes Show Chronic Losses and Years of Income Tax Avoidance - The New York Times
Trump’s Taxes Show Chronic Losses and Years of Income Tax Avoidance - The New York Times: The Times obtained Donald Trump’s tax information extending over more than two decades, revealing struggling properties, vast write-offs, an audit battle and hundreds of millions in debt coming due.
Remembering the Battle of Holbeck Moor
Remembering the Battle of Holbeck Moor: On this day in 1936, Blackshirts led by Oswald Mosley organised a rally in Leeds to intimidate the city's Jewish population – and were driven back by 30,000 anti-fascists to the tune of The Red Flag.
The Stranglers - Just Like Nothing On Earth Live 1981
R.I.P. Dave Greenfield, sadly taken from us by the global pandemic on 3rd May 2020.
Friday, September 25, 2020
50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers: President Trump has said he would ‘protect’ and ‘fight for’ workers. Instead, his administration has systematically done the opposite. | Economic Policy Institute
50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers: President Trump has said he would ‘protect’ and ‘fight for’ workers. Instead, his administration has systematically done the opposite. | Economic Policy Institute: This report provides a review of the Trump administration’s 50 most egregious attacks on working people since Trump took office. The Trump administration’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic marks the administration’s most glaring failure of leadership. But long before that—since Trump’s first day in office—the administration was already systematically promoting the interests of corporate executives and shareholders over those of working people and failing to protect workers’ safety, wages, and rights.
Thursday, September 24, 2020
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Monday, September 21, 2020
(218) Trump's racism through the decades - YouTube
(218) Trump's racism through the decades - YouTube: Donald Trump has been openly racist for as long as he's been in the public eye. His reaction to the "Central Park Five" case in 1989 is now notorious, and wa...
It’s worth remembering that Daddy Trump made his fortune from the same social context that denied black veterans homes after WWII and then by ripping off a liberal government to the tune of millions and depriving taxpayers of the money they reserved for affordable housing. He was then busted for refusing to rent to blacks (vampire lizard Roy Cohn and mafia connections produced a settlement). He taught his son, Donald, the family neofascist belief that there are genetically supreme ‘winners’ (at least one of his sons, the youngest, is considered in this line) and the 99% of human beings are subhuman scum to be exploited and abused.
It’s worth remembering that Daddy Trump made his fortune from the same social context that denied black veterans homes after WWII and then by ripping off a liberal government to the tune of millions and depriving taxpayers of the money they reserved for affordable housing. He was then busted for refusing to rent to blacks (vampire lizard Roy Cohn and mafia connections produced a settlement). He taught his son, Donald, the family neofascist belief that there are genetically supreme ‘winners’ (at least one of his sons, the youngest, is considered in this line) and the 99% of human beings are subhuman scum to be exploited and abused.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Opinion | Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World - The New York Times
Opinion | Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World - The New York Times: How much longer are we going to allow its platform to foment hatred and undermine democracy?
Friday, September 18, 2020
Badfinger -Hey Mr Manager
Warner Bros. Records sued Badfinger's business manager, Stan Polley, after an advance vanished and, after Polley disappeared, the band were left penniless. Believing his finances had been wiped out, Ham hanged himself in his garage three days before his 28th birthday. He left a note telling his pregnant girlfriend and her son that he loved them. It read, "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better. Pete. PS Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me."
Wildlife in 'catastrophic decline' due to human destruction, scientists warn - BBC News
Wildlife in 'catastrophic decline' due to human destruction, scientists warn - BBC News: Conservation group WWF says global wildlife populations have shrunk by two-thirds since 1970.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
(157) Louisville Settles with Breonna Taylor’s Family & Celebs Nix Insta |The Daily Social Distancing Show - YouTube
(157) Louisville Settles with Breonna Taylor’s Family & Celebs Nix Insta |The Daily Social Distancing Show - YouTube: Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Lee Camp anecdote on ecology and Ohio
I heard a right-wing radio show host two weeks ago talking about how the battle against environmentalists is winnable. He was saying the right wing had almost won the war. I heard this WHILE I was driving in Ohio on a main highway that was six inches above the flood waters. I can't imagine your average Ohio Republican voter is standing up to his waist in his flooded house thinking, “Goddamn straight! We've almost won the war against environmentalists! Time for a celebration!” talk about out fo touch with voters' concerns! You think they give a shit about whether there's a group oof people whoo think wind and solar power would help the world? No! Their number one concern is finding the front half of their house that rumor-has-it is a mile away on top of a Pizzeria Uno. Their main concern is not defending a billionaire's right to drill for oil in the last remaining polar bear's living room. Their main concern is finding something too weigh down their 2-year-old Corgi so he doesn't shoot off into the twister clouds like the last one did. - Lee Camp
Cultural Historical Note on Roy Cohn
On 1954, Cohn pressured Senator McCarthy to announce an investigation into prosecuting suspected communists in the U.S. Army, as a means for Cohn to receive special favours that included the waiving of draft orders for the rich hotel chain heir he had a very unhealthy crush on. This became one of the first reality TV events in U.S. history, broadcast to over 20 million viewers and including the nasty smears aimed at Cohn's suspected homosexuality and the total discrediting of his decency. This only fuelled the world-class bully's pathological shame. With his fingers on combined mafia and media networks, it was inevitable that both he and Roger Stone would encounter a crook like Donald Trump and his mobbed-up father. With regard to the future president of the United States, Cohn said that both men were attracted to each other's “crazy”.
Cohn taught Trump to attack, to lie, never apologize, and to create phoney issues and filler in order to change the debate, get off point, and avoid admitting one's own involvement. From his first case settling the Trump Organization's refusal to provide homes for blacks, Cohn taught Trump how to shift the blame and evade the police and justice department.
Cohn was a bridge between the legitimate and illegitimate worlds, someone who believed that if you make enough bullshit appear it will soon stick and become reality.
Cohn is also the likely source of Trump's creepy fake Fire Island tan. He cheated the American people out of more than 7 million dollars in taxes ans was eventually disbarred for stealing from his own clients. He was addicted to sex with young men, including sex workers, and valium. Like most neofacists gays, he adored Nancy Reagan. In 1980, Reagan won the election because Cohn arranged for John Anderson, who had challenged Reagan for the Republican nomination, to be the liberal party nominee. This created a three-way split in New York, allowing Reagan to win the electoral votes with 45 percent of the vote. In exchange for a New York Post endorsement for Reagan, Cohn gave Rupert Murdock a window into the campaign, preparing the way for the special relationship between the ruling echelons and Fox News. Nancy Reagan herself called Cohn to thank him for fixing the election.//
This Is How It Happens. A study of men in Hitler’s Germany… | by Colin Horgan | Aug, 2020 | Medium
This Is How It Happens. A study of men in Hitler’s Germany… | by Colin Horgan | Aug, 2020 | Medium: Shortly after the Second World War ended, American journalist Milton Mayer set out to investigate how Germany had become a totalitarian state. Mayer wanted to know why, as Adolf Hitler’s Nationalist…
Some College Administrators Ignored Campus Coronavirus Models | Time
Some College Administrators Ignored Campus Coronavirus Models | Time: Epidemiologists and disease modelers tried to predict what would happen when students moved back to campus. Although some universities listened to their advice, that didn’t stop outbreaks from happening.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
What is biodiversity and why does it matter to us? | News | The Guardian
What is biodiversity and why does it matter to us? | News | The Guardian: For many people living in towns and cities, wildlife is often something you watch on television. But the reality is that the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat all ultimately rely on biodiversity. Some examples are obvious: without plants there would be no oxygen and without bees to pollinate there would be no fruit or nuts.
Others are less obvious – coral reefs and mangrove swamps provide invaluable protection from cyclones and tsunamis for those living on coasts, while trees can absorb air pollution in urban areas.
Others appear bizarre – tropical tortoises and spider monkeys seemingly have little to do with maintaining a stable climate. But the dense, hardwood trees that are most effective in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rely on their seeds being dispersed by these large fruit-eaters.
When scientists explore each ecosystem, they find countless such interactions, all honed by millions of years of evolution. If undamaged, this produces a finely balanced, healthy system which contributes to a healthy sustainable planet.
The sheer richness of biodiversity also has human benefits. Many new medicines are harvested from nature, such as a fungi
Others are less obvious – coral reefs and mangrove swamps provide invaluable protection from cyclones and tsunamis for those living on coasts, while trees can absorb air pollution in urban areas.
Others appear bizarre – tropical tortoises and spider monkeys seemingly have little to do with maintaining a stable climate. But the dense, hardwood trees that are most effective in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rely on their seeds being dispersed by these large fruit-eaters.
When scientists explore each ecosystem, they find countless such interactions, all honed by millions of years of evolution. If undamaged, this produces a finely balanced, healthy system which contributes to a healthy sustainable planet.
The sheer richness of biodiversity also has human benefits. Many new medicines are harvested from nature, such as a fungi
Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US | Birds | The Guardian
Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US | Birds | The Guardian: Wildfires and climate crisis cited as possible causes for the deaths of thousands of migrating species heading south for the winter
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Larry Householder affidavit: Ohio energy law that bailed out FirstEnergy was fueled by bribery - Vox
Larry Householder affidavit: Ohio energy law that bailed out FirstEnergy was fueled by bribery - Vox: Electric utilities’ corruption problem is much bigger than FirstEnergy’s alleged bribery of Larry Householder.
Monday, September 14, 2020
Is Plastic Recycling A Lie? Oil Companies Touted Recycling To Sell More Plastic : NPR
Is Plastic Recycling A Lie? Oil Companies Touted Recycling To Sell More Plastic : NPR: An NPR and PBS Frontline investigation reveals how the oil and gas industry used the promise of recycling to sell more plastic, even when they knew it would never work on a large scale.
For decades, the oil and plastics industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn't work — that the majority of plastic could and would be recycled — in order to sell more. In reality, less than 10% of plastic has ever been recycled: https://npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled…
For decades, the oil and plastics industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn't work — that the majority of plastic could and would be recycled — in order to sell more. In reality, less than 10% of plastic has ever been recycled: https://npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled…
Sunday, September 13, 2020
California Can’t Afford To Wait for Climate Action
California Can’t Afford To Wait for Climate Action: If the historic fires of 2020 in California, Oregon, and Washington State horrify you, consider what it will be like in thirty years when, as experts predict, two to four times as much land area will burn annually in the American West no matter what.
Eugene Mirman - Theremin Jokes - Eugene Mirman: An Evening of Comedy in a Fake Underground Laboratory (Video Clip) | Comedy Central
Eugene Mirman - Theremin Jokes - Eugene Mirman: An Evening of Comedy in a Fake Underground Laboratory (Video Clip) | Comedy Central: Eugene Mirman combines his two passions.
Saturday, September 12, 2020
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