In Spy Talk today, they caution that even if the leaks are against the candidate you despise, you should not want this going on because Iran is doing this to undermine the election and sow doubt and chaos. https://www.spytalk.co/p/oh-the-irony-trump-campaign-enraged
However, I am now wondering if that is how ProPublica got the 14 hours of Project 2025 training video. I just know that they got if from a leak. In any case, I am glad they published it because we the people should know what Trump has planned and he does not say anything of substance when he rambles on at the press, spewing his antidemocratic propaganda. Here is the link which is a summary of the videos with clips to illustrate points they make. At the end is a link to the full 14 hours of videos. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-project-2025-secret-training-videos-trump-election
Please share this link and help people to understand what Project 2025 is about.
While not publishing stolen / hacked materials should be a basic part of journalistic ethics, can we pause on how ironic it would be if the media chose THIS hack to start acting ethically? I mean, this is the guy who said, "Russia, if your listening . . . ." inviting Russia to hack the DNC, and said "I love Wikileaks" after it published the DNC email dump.
If the press decides to start acting ethically at this point, do you think they might say something like, "We owe apologies to Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden for our unethical behavior?"
To your first point, Robert, if the press chose this incident to start to show integrity, the irony may be more along the lines of, " Be careful what you wish for." To your second point, yes they do, but I'm sure it's a debt that will never be paid.
I am not sure whether leaked material should never be published. I think that the press will not apologize because MSM is does not seem to be owned by ethical people. Basically, unless the source is known, then they cannot publish. That puts the leaker at greater risk of being discovered since revealing themselves risks being found out. Still, ProPublica has not said they don't know the source of the leak, but it is not named. Reading about this big Iranian hack, and knowing that Russia, China, Venezuela, N. Korea are also supposedly doing the same intereference in our election and in European elections, I think the rules are changing, but I am not sure. I have assumed that even if it is righteous to be angered about Gaza, that the student crowds and leadership of the anti-Biden Gaza protesters might be infiltrated with these sorts of bad actors who are stirring them up more than they were for abortion. Of course this is an assumption knowing how they work and based on history. So, I am going to see the videos to see whether their leak is a public good, but not right now. I need a break from the Project 2025 from time to time since I am reading through it and discussing it in a group.
I think the advice of caution is valid, but what's good for the goose should be good for the gander. Let's see how the two entities treat this information. It seems to me that using it raw without verification would be irresponsible (as Hillary's emails and Hunter's laptop were), but using it to start investigating would be legitimate. In other words, it shouldn't be used as "evidence," but as "clues." Right?
Yes Bob. I am not sure how one fact checks leaked videos, but I will assume ProPublica has done that. I have attended a talk about it during the pandemic when Northwestern Unis communications dept had different people talking about their research, and I know that how you recognize deep fakes was discussed, but I don't remember the methods, since I don't usually need to do this. I am pretty sure Trump does not want to talk about Policy at all, and neither does Juvie Vance, so we are unlikely to hear their campaign discuss these Project 2025 training videos other than to deny it applies to the Trump Campaign. But, as Walz said in the Las Vegas rally, if you have a playbook you plan to use it. I do not hear anything from the Harris campaign, but they don't need to right now, because ProPublica is discussing it, but it is interesting that the MSM has not picked up on it. That is how ProPublica revealed the Thomas and Alito big money funders and their conflicts of interest first. They do real investigation. Don't see MSM doing that so much. They seem willing to be spoonfed the crumbs that Trump throws them. At this point, I am so grateful that I have independent press because I am not relying on the MSM to do anything other than likes and clicks reporting.
And speaking of stories that appear and disappear, what happened to the allegation that Trump had accepted $10MM from Egypt prior to the 2016 election? Or, is that an on-going investigation by someone....anyone....???? (Sorry to change the subject!)
I have been bringing it up today. As a member of Democrats Abroad, it has been made very clear to us that we cannot even have our non-American spouses buy a t-shirt from a Democratic campaign website. We have to do it for them. So, how $10 mil could just be ignored as yet another of Trump's criminal actions I am not sure. I think that what is being investigated is if there is any way to get around the fact that the expiration date on bringing it to trial has passed. Until that is clear it does not seem to be discussed much. Still, I have read that Trump puts journalists and papers on a list if he does not like their stories or questions, and then denies them access, so they are all trained to try to please him. It is a dog and pony show. Since Biden has been democratic MSM has gone after him like rabid dogs in heat, ostensibly to win brownie points from Trump so that they can keep getting access to his extremist positions on everything which enrage their viewers and apparently keep them coming back for more. Not me though, I gave that dog and pony show up! Not getting my time or my money. This election has proven to those who care to notice that the MSM is not designed to provide actually good democratic news coverage. In fact, they are anything but that. They lack the gravitas to ask serious questions and pursue them, so we have a campaign now, where one side talks issues and the other just complains and criticizes the others. That is all to keep from filling their time with substantial discussion of policy even though it is written for all to see who are willing to slog through 920 pages of very, poorly written and tedious prose. I know because I am on my 10th section, plus I have read the forward. Not reading in order, just as the issues resonate with me. Until these MSM journalists pick up a copy and read it, they won't have anything to say that is worth my time about Trump, Juvie Vance or the campaign.
The MSM did not do their job in 2016, 2018, 2020 or 2022. Why would today be any different than past years? This link details the six corporations that own almost all our media. And, at the top of every corporation, sits an oligarch - usually a very conservative male. I no longer follow the MSM nor do I expect them to cover this election fairly, with honor or truth. https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic/
While this is all true, I think it has been made crystal clear in this election when all we heard about a sitting president was not one piece of policy or action, but just his age every single day. I have long had other sources, since about 2019, I have gotten more substacks, but also always followed press outside the US because the US press has been so bad at covering other countries. Now they cannot cover their own either. it has been criminal to allow oligarchs to own our MSM, and especially since people who were not born in the USA have gotten such a foothold in our country's media. I think there should be a change in funding of media so we can be a democracy. In Germany every household pays 18€ a month for broadcast news. And, there is a good variety of print media which is covered by selling papers and subscriptions.Bar that, one still gets information from the MSM here.
I read and support several substacks and The Guardian. We also watch PBS NewsHour and Amanpour and Company. The reports are detailed, with both programs giving a lot of time to an issue. I wish our media was up to the challenge but, sadly, it’s not.
I am much bigger on print news than I used to be. I used to listen to NPR. I cannot access PBS in Germany. In fact, my Passport subscription goes to waste here. However, I have a lot of print sources, including ones for my neighborhood in Chicago, and the Chicago news. I also read The Guardian having gotten rid of NYT and WaPo. I watch both ARD and ZDF news in Germany, although ARD is the most watched in general. I also read a local paper in the city I live in here, and the local television radio station news. I have a lot of European news sources, as well as German, and expat news too. Keeping track of goings on internationally is important in my life. However, right now, the US election is important to me, though I do not need to follow every detail. I am paying attention to several Substacks and I also subscribe to foreign policy publications that cover topics of interest to me. It is a nice aspect of the Internet, but the dark aspects are starting to outweigh that. I love going for walks without tech. I was just on such a walk today, walking along a stream with breeze and trees blowing and it was so lovely and peaceful. I wish the MSM were more capable. I wonder what Journalism programs are teaching. It would be interesting to hear from them.
JD was the abreviation for juvenile delinquent when I was growning up, so it lends itself to that. A juvie is the abbreviation for it. So, someone's parents might say, "don't hang out with that JD!" and we knew just what they meant.
Other than his two core policies [ 1)me me me and 2) Racism] trump is not capable of understanding or discussing policy in any detail. . He has outsourced his policies to various extremist groups in exchange for money, votes and a veneer of loyalty. He is relieved when he can’t discuss them because they are known to be extremely unpopular(abortion ). But even when they are hush hush he will occasionally say too much (as he did in Georgia when he all but admitted they are going to mess with the vote count) because he is not really in control.
Trump is now the stooge for those extremist groups He is nothing more than a puppet they hope will get enough votes to be elected or to form a basis for stealing the election. To implement the policies, they have installed Vance as heir apparent epecting him to able to take over via 25thA when trump is sufficiently diminished. That’s when hell will be unleashed in America.
PS. Hi again linda! I saw you replied to a similar post of mine. Wanted to read your reply, but couldn’t locate it.
Vote Blue all down the ballot if you ever want the SCROTUS fixed. Only way we’ll get enough congresspersons and senators to undo the damage made by the TFG.
Exactly the same link as Lynell's. (I've almost canceled my subscription many times, as I did the New York Times a few months ago, but Bezos really needs my money more than I do. Sigh.)
I have another problem. Although I have a basic digital subscription, the comments sections have suddenly disappeared on all articles. I wonder if anyone else has the same problem. Trying to talk to Washington Post customer service on the weekend is Kafkaesque. The a.i. chat dutifully listens and then resets as if nothing happened, the e-mail link doesn't work, and the 800 number doesn't operate past noon. It's as if the whole customer interface is a Potemkin village.
I got through to customer service on Monday morning. After dumping Google caches, signing in and out a few times, etc. I finally got the "wheel of death" under the comments section, which indicated that WP was thinking very seriously about finally letting me see the comments. Then it came up with a "network error" message. Then I lost the phone connection with customer service. Going back to the Post, the comments section was once again missing in action. Well, that was a half-hour well spent...
Robert, belated plaudits for sharing your nebula photography and information. Just beautiful and fascinating. And, while looking up the word of the day, pareidolia, learned of the Face on Mars. Thanks for a wonderful start to the day!
No matter what, the GOP or GQP or Repubs or The Fascist Party will blame Hillary. Thank you. Robert , for this spectacular nebula and the reference to Paradise Lost, one of my favorite books.
I recalled the quote because my English classics class required us to memorize the opening stanzas to Canterbury Tales, Paradise Lost, and a poem of our choice (Ode to the West Wind by Shelley).
That's interesting you say that. The Marine Corps I knew (back pre-Vietnam) had promotion so slow that a guy was being promoted at lightspeed to make it to Corporal in four years.
I don’t fault anyone who served - and neither should he, especially as a former military. Shows his rotten ilk and lack of integrity - something he pretty much does daily.
On a side but interesting note: At the opening of the Men's Basketball event before the USA took the gold, French fans sang their anthem, "La Marseillaise." Their uplifted voices filled the stadium. What a treat to behold! As I watched, it brought to mind the scene in Casablanca where French citizens sang in unison, drowning out the Germans, causing them to retreat to their seats. And as Rick reminded Ilsa in the final act, the world can now also claim..."We'll Always Have Paris!"
One of the virtues of La Marseillaise.is that average people can sing it. The Star Spangled Banner has a range that challenges most people.
Almost invariably, the people chosen to sing the Star Spangled Banner aren’t even close to being up to the task, including most “professional” musicians. As a former (amateur), mostly choral singer, I *dread* U.S. opening ceremonies.
Understood, Michael. I've heard some appalling examples of those who've tried to sing it. But, so too, I suspect many don't even know the words to be able to NOT sing it!
Thanks, Robert. I learned a new word this morn,pariedolia.I do that a lot with clouds.☁️ Speaking of Milton and Paradise Lost, it was banned here in central Fl…..sigh.
“With mighty wings outspread Dove-like . . . brooding on the vast Abyss.”
They’ve basically banned everything but the Bible. The listed authors should wear their banning as a badge of honor. Interesting that Erik Larsen’s The Splendid and the Vile, which details the rise of Nazism in 1930s Berlin, made the list but Philip Roth’s The Plot Against American, which has Lindbergh winning the 1940 presidential election and making the US a fascist nation, did not. They probably view the latter as desirable prophecy.
Also banned were well-known literary works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, Saul Bellow, Raymond Chandler, J.M. Coetzee, Ralph Ellison, Louise Erdrich, Gustave Flaubert, Gabriel García Márquez, Thomas Hardy, Herman Hesse, Joseph Heller, Aldous Huxley, Barbara Kingsolver, John Milton, Toni Morrison, Haruki Murakami, Ovid, Marcel Proust, Philip Roth, Arundhati Roy, William Styron, Amy Tan, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Jesmyn Ward, Richard Wright, and Tom Wolfe. The opera Cendrillon and the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Huang were banned from classrooms.
Paradise Lost, and others, were most likely (hopefully temporarily) banned due to “depictions of sexual content”. The districts were told by the Florida Board of Education to “err on the side of caution”. To note, Orange County (think Orlando/Disney World) trends blue and has not been favored by the Fl Dept of Ed since the Covid pandemic.Oramge County is a 🎯. (Rep Maxwell Frost and Fl Rep,and Amend 4/reproductive rights warrior,Anna Eskamani’s districts are in Orange Co)
The original book banning law allowed anyone, parent , non-parent or non-district resident to challenge an unlimited amount of books, often by reading one line (out of context) at a school board meeting.When it got out of control, they tweaked the law so that people who don’t have kids in a school district are limited to one challenge/month.
The big picture here….Florida has been recognized as a “test case” for Project 2025. This is Project 2025 in action .In my opinion, we need to be talking less about Trump’s well-documented decline and more on the fact Project 2025 is happening NOW . Don’t make America Florida !
While I always value your writing/insights...I am TOTALLY JAZZED by the space photo's!! Thanks so much for both!
It will be interesting to see how the press treats this leak....regardless of who was tampered with...the larger issue is that it happens and so much is at stake...power grids, banking, and the like....
Well Robert, though I enjoy you when you let go and rant, you have not gone off the deep end! I never knew about a nebula before you started your photos. Amazing! I look forward to all your photos and all you share with us about them. Thank you!
An English major! Knew there was some reason I liked you—besides your pithy, articulate, well written, and grammatically correct newsletters which have played a major role in my sanity since I discovered them. This resembles a huge manta ray to me. Nevertheless, it’s a stunning photo! Thank you for all the things.
Good morning, Robert. Thank you for the informative and upbeat columns that you send. You are a beacon of light in what is often a morass of misinformation. The photos are also inspiring, today’s “wings” photo was beautiful, especially linked to the quotation. Your recommendation for the Status Kuo was also a valuable tip. I recently subscribed.
If the text of your newsletter fails to put a smile on my face (it often does), your wonderful photos of our night sky always does just that. I start my day with a coffee I brewed, and Mr. Hubbell on my iPad. Thank you.
Early voting has started in Broward County in Florida. Please be sure to check your status at Vote.org where
not only can you check your status but also register online if you are not registered. (This is great if you’re talking to a non-registered voter as you can help register them.). It also gives you a list of candidates who are on the ballot. Be wary of “provisional” ballots. It might seem that they will be counted but you have to go back and verify your information and depending on where and timing they just not might be counted.
It is so important that we don’t back down from this JOY FILLED momentum. Vote BLUE up and down the ballot so we have representatives, senators and state judges in the majority so we can start impeachments on Thomas and Alito as well as lowercased don’s maga cronies.
Early voting started yesterday in Brevard County.We voted to start the habit.🗳️VOTE ON DAY 1.
Monica ,and Joyce Vance, had excellent advice. Check your status, and screenshot it .
“ And here’s the best part, the National Motor Voter Act says you can’t be removed from the voter rolls closer than 90 days out from the election. We’re past that point now, so, if you check your status and you’re an active voter, your state can’t change that before the election. Take a screenshot, keep it handy, and if there are any issues, you’ve got proof that you’re an active voter. If there’s any question at the polls, you’ve got documentation.”
But check anyway. Some states may be removing registered voters post-primaries. Last week, depending on the date of your primary, may outside of the 90-day protection by the NVRA.
In Spy Talk today, they caution that even if the leaks are against the candidate you despise, you should not want this going on because Iran is doing this to undermine the election and sow doubt and chaos. https://www.spytalk.co/p/oh-the-irony-trump-campaign-enraged
However, I am now wondering if that is how ProPublica got the 14 hours of Project 2025 training video. I just know that they got if from a leak. In any case, I am glad they published it because we the people should know what Trump has planned and he does not say anything of substance when he rambles on at the press, spewing his antidemocratic propaganda. Here is the link which is a summary of the videos with clips to illustrate points they make. At the end is a link to the full 14 hours of videos. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-project-2025-secret-training-videos-trump-election
Please share this link and help people to understand what Project 2025 is about.
While not publishing stolen / hacked materials should be a basic part of journalistic ethics, can we pause on how ironic it would be if the media chose THIS hack to start acting ethically? I mean, this is the guy who said, "Russia, if your listening . . . ." inviting Russia to hack the DNC, and said "I love Wikileaks" after it published the DNC email dump.
If the press decides to start acting ethically at this point, do you think they might say something like, "We owe apologies to Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden for our unethical behavior?"
To your first point, Robert, if the press chose this incident to start to show integrity, the irony may be more along the lines of, " Be careful what you wish for." To your second point, yes they do, but I'm sure it's a debt that will never be paid.
I am not sure whether leaked material should never be published. I think that the press will not apologize because MSM is does not seem to be owned by ethical people. Basically, unless the source is known, then they cannot publish. That puts the leaker at greater risk of being discovered since revealing themselves risks being found out. Still, ProPublica has not said they don't know the source of the leak, but it is not named. Reading about this big Iranian hack, and knowing that Russia, China, Venezuela, N. Korea are also supposedly doing the same intereference in our election and in European elections, I think the rules are changing, but I am not sure. I have assumed that even if it is righteous to be angered about Gaza, that the student crowds and leadership of the anti-Biden Gaza protesters might be infiltrated with these sorts of bad actors who are stirring them up more than they were for abortion. Of course this is an assumption knowing how they work and based on history. So, I am going to see the videos to see whether their leak is a public good, but not right now. I need a break from the Project 2025 from time to time since I am reading through it and discussing it in a group.
I think the advice of caution is valid, but what's good for the goose should be good for the gander. Let's see how the two entities treat this information. It seems to me that using it raw without verification would be irresponsible (as Hillary's emails and Hunter's laptop were), but using it to start investigating would be legitimate. In other words, it shouldn't be used as "evidence," but as "clues." Right?
Yes Bob. I am not sure how one fact checks leaked videos, but I will assume ProPublica has done that. I have attended a talk about it during the pandemic when Northwestern Unis communications dept had different people talking about their research, and I know that how you recognize deep fakes was discussed, but I don't remember the methods, since I don't usually need to do this. I am pretty sure Trump does not want to talk about Policy at all, and neither does Juvie Vance, so we are unlikely to hear their campaign discuss these Project 2025 training videos other than to deny it applies to the Trump Campaign. But, as Walz said in the Las Vegas rally, if you have a playbook you plan to use it. I do not hear anything from the Harris campaign, but they don't need to right now, because ProPublica is discussing it, but it is interesting that the MSM has not picked up on it. That is how ProPublica revealed the Thomas and Alito big money funders and their conflicts of interest first. They do real investigation. Don't see MSM doing that so much. They seem willing to be spoonfed the crumbs that Trump throws them. At this point, I am so grateful that I have independent press because I am not relying on the MSM to do anything other than likes and clicks reporting.
And speaking of stories that appear and disappear, what happened to the allegation that Trump had accepted $10MM from Egypt prior to the 2016 election? Or, is that an on-going investigation by someone....anyone....???? (Sorry to change the subject!)
I have been bringing it up today. As a member of Democrats Abroad, it has been made very clear to us that we cannot even have our non-American spouses buy a t-shirt from a Democratic campaign website. We have to do it for them. So, how $10 mil could just be ignored as yet another of Trump's criminal actions I am not sure. I think that what is being investigated is if there is any way to get around the fact that the expiration date on bringing it to trial has passed. Until that is clear it does not seem to be discussed much. Still, I have read that Trump puts journalists and papers on a list if he does not like their stories or questions, and then denies them access, so they are all trained to try to please him. It is a dog and pony show. Since Biden has been democratic MSM has gone after him like rabid dogs in heat, ostensibly to win brownie points from Trump so that they can keep getting access to his extremist positions on everything which enrage their viewers and apparently keep them coming back for more. Not me though, I gave that dog and pony show up! Not getting my time or my money. This election has proven to those who care to notice that the MSM is not designed to provide actually good democratic news coverage. In fact, they are anything but that. They lack the gravitas to ask serious questions and pursue them, so we have a campaign now, where one side talks issues and the other just complains and criticizes the others. That is all to keep from filling their time with substantial discussion of policy even though it is written for all to see who are willing to slog through 920 pages of very, poorly written and tedious prose. I know because I am on my 10th section, plus I have read the forward. Not reading in order, just as the issues resonate with me. Until these MSM journalists pick up a copy and read it, they won't have anything to say that is worth my time about Trump, Juvie Vance or the campaign.
I saw it yesterday but didn't read it because I'm vacationing with family.
The MSM did not do their job in 2016, 2018, 2020 or 2022. Why would today be any different than past years? This link details the six corporations that own almost all our media. And, at the top of every corporation, sits an oligarch - usually a very conservative male. I no longer follow the MSM nor do I expect them to cover this election fairly, with honor or truth. https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic/
While this is all true, I think it has been made crystal clear in this election when all we heard about a sitting president was not one piece of policy or action, but just his age every single day. I have long had other sources, since about 2019, I have gotten more substacks, but also always followed press outside the US because the US press has been so bad at covering other countries. Now they cannot cover their own either. it has been criminal to allow oligarchs to own our MSM, and especially since people who were not born in the USA have gotten such a foothold in our country's media. I think there should be a change in funding of media so we can be a democracy. In Germany every household pays 18€ a month for broadcast news. And, there is a good variety of print media which is covered by selling papers and subscriptions.Bar that, one still gets information from the MSM here.
I read and support several substacks and The Guardian. We also watch PBS NewsHour and Amanpour and Company. The reports are detailed, with both programs giving a lot of time to an issue. I wish our media was up to the challenge but, sadly, it’s not.
I am much bigger on print news than I used to be. I used to listen to NPR. I cannot access PBS in Germany. In fact, my Passport subscription goes to waste here. However, I have a lot of print sources, including ones for my neighborhood in Chicago, and the Chicago news. I also read The Guardian having gotten rid of NYT and WaPo. I watch both ARD and ZDF news in Germany, although ARD is the most watched in general. I also read a local paper in the city I live in here, and the local television radio station news. I have a lot of European news sources, as well as German, and expat news too. Keeping track of goings on internationally is important in my life. However, right now, the US election is important to me, though I do not need to follow every detail. I am paying attention to several Substacks and I also subscribe to foreign policy publications that cover topics of interest to me. It is a nice aspect of the Internet, but the dark aspects are starting to outweigh that. I love going for walks without tech. I was just on such a walk today, walking along a stream with breeze and trees blowing and it was so lovely and peaceful. I wish the MSM were more capable. I wonder what Journalism programs are teaching. It would be interesting to hear from them.
You gave me an idea with "Juvie Vance." I shall henceforth refer to him as, "JV Vance." Tim Walz is playing at a whole 'nother level.
Charles Pierce over at Esquire refers to him as J. Divan Vance.
Now that's harsh! I love it!
And he deserves it!
JD was the abreviation for juvenile delinquent when I was growning up, so it lends itself to that. A juvie is the abbreviation for it. So, someone's parents might say, "don't hang out with that JD!" and we knew just what they meant.
Other than his two core policies [ 1)me me me and 2) Racism] trump is not capable of understanding or discussing policy in any detail. . He has outsourced his policies to various extremist groups in exchange for money, votes and a veneer of loyalty. He is relieved when he can’t discuss them because they are known to be extremely unpopular(abortion ). But even when they are hush hush he will occasionally say too much (as he did in Georgia when he all but admitted they are going to mess with the vote count) because he is not really in control.
Trump is now the stooge for those extremist groups He is nothing more than a puppet they hope will get enough votes to be elected or to form a basis for stealing the election. To implement the policies, they have installed Vance as heir apparent epecting him to able to take over via 25thA when trump is sufficiently diminished. That’s when hell will be unleashed in America.
PS. Hi again linda! I saw you replied to a similar post of mine. Wanted to read your reply, but couldn’t locate it.
A phrase has been popping up recently, and Tim Walz says it in the campaign rallies:
"I know I may be preaching to the choir,
but NOW it is time for the choir to SING!"
VOTE EARLY.
VOTE BLUE.
No regrets on November 6.
Thanks, Beverly, for highlighting what he said about what the choir needs to do now!
REGISTER BLUE. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Ahh, Daniel; I knew you had to be around to provide the link...thanks!
Vote Blue all down the ballot if you ever want the SCROTUS fixed. Only way we’ll get enough congresspersons and senators to undo the damage made by the TFG.
Absolutely, Max; my thoughts exactly.
The Washington Post article is NOT "accessible to all." If you have recently canceled your subscription, you are blocked unless you resubscribe.
Fuck you, Bezos.
TC--I think you might be on Jeff's "enemies" list!
I quit both NYT and WaPo 3 years ago. Saw how one-sided the coverage was back that far.
It wouldn't surprise me. I did write them a nastygram when they asked why I unsubscribed.
NO ACTUAL SURPRISE THERE!
Bezos,
Whaddash!thead!
You are prompted to create a “free account”…. TANSTAAFL for the wary.
Here's WaPo article - gifted.
https://wapo.st/46Fok0Y
Still didn't work. Thanks for trying!
Try again. I just used Lynell's gift link to post the article on FB and it worked.
I did cancel my subscription a few months ago and the link worked for me.
https://wapo.st/46Fok0Y
Exactly the same link as Lynell's. (I've almost canceled my subscription many times, as I did the New York Times a few months ago, but Bezos really needs my money more than I do. Sigh.)
LOL, agree, Eric. Somebody's got to prop his billions up!
Bummer. Thanks for letting me know, though. Here's a share without using
a gift link. Not sure it'll work, but...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/10/trump-hack-iran-vance-report/
I am in your situation and I was able to read it without resubscribing.
same
I have another problem. Although I have a basic digital subscription, the comments sections have suddenly disappeared on all articles. I wonder if anyone else has the same problem. Trying to talk to Washington Post customer service on the weekend is Kafkaesque. The a.i. chat dutifully listens and then resets as if nothing happened, the e-mail link doesn't work, and the 800 number doesn't operate past noon. It's as if the whole customer interface is a Potemkin village.
Customer service? Customer service! We don't need no stinking customer service, stinking Yankee!
(with apologies to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
I got through to customer service on Monday morning. After dumping Google caches, signing in and out a few times, etc. I finally got the "wheel of death" under the comments section, which indicated that WP was thinking very seriously about finally letting me see the comments. Then it came up with a "network error" message. Then I lost the phone connection with customer service. Going back to the Post, the comments section was once again missing in action. Well, that was a half-hour well spent...
They don’t want to hear complaints or get suggestions. I quit WaPo and NYT 3years ago for their bad reporting.
Robert, belated plaudits for sharing your nebula photography and information. Just beautiful and fascinating. And, while looking up the word of the day, pareidolia, learned of the Face on Mars. Thanks for a wonderful start to the day!
No matter what, the GOP or GQP or Repubs or The Fascist Party will blame Hillary. Thank you. Robert , for this spectacular nebula and the reference to Paradise Lost, one of my favorite books.
I too was an English major and remember Paradise Lost — but not this less-famous quote. Thanks for bringing us these beautiful and appropriate words!
I recalled the quote because my English classics class required us to memorize the opening stanzas to Canterbury Tales, Paradise Lost, and a poem of our choice (Ode to the West Wind by Shelley).
Who cares who they blame.
I normally agree with Marlene —- not so much on Paradise Lost. For me It may have been too complicated.
What"research" did they do on Corporal Six Months In An Air Conditioned Trailer In The Rear With The Gear? Obviously not enough.
I'm still wondering how Vance managed to serve in the Marine Corps for four years without ever advancing beyond the rank of Corporal...
That's interesting you say that. The Marine Corps I knew (back pre-Vietnam) had promotion so slow that a guy was being promoted at lightspeed to make it to Corporal in four years.
Love it! I'm borrowing that. :-)
I don’t fault anyone who served - and neither should he, especially as a former military. Shows his rotten ilk and lack of integrity - something he pretty much does daily.
On a side but interesting note: At the opening of the Men's Basketball event before the USA took the gold, French fans sang their anthem, "La Marseillaise." Their uplifted voices filled the stadium. What a treat to behold! As I watched, it brought to mind the scene in Casablanca where French citizens sang in unison, drowning out the Germans, causing them to retreat to their seats. And as Rick reminded Ilsa in the final act, the world can now also claim..."We'll Always Have Paris!"
One of the virtues of La Marseillaise.is that average people can sing it. The Star Spangled Banner has a range that challenges most people.
Almost invariably, the people chosen to sing the Star Spangled Banner aren’t even close to being up to the task, including most “professional” musicians. As a former (amateur), mostly choral singer, I *dread* U.S. opening ceremonies.
Understood, Michael. I've heard some appalling examples of those who've tried to sing it. But, so too, I suspect many don't even know the words to be able to NOT sing it!
Thanks, Robert. I learned a new word this morn,pariedolia.I do that a lot with clouds.☁️ Speaking of Milton and Paradise Lost, it was banned here in central Fl…..sigh.
“With mighty wings outspread Dove-like . . . brooding on the vast Abyss.”
Unbelievable!
What?? They banned PARADISE LOST?? It's a classic of Christian literature!! 🤯
They’ve basically banned everything but the Bible. The listed authors should wear their banning as a badge of honor. Interesting that Erik Larsen’s The Splendid and the Vile, which details the rise of Nazism in 1930s Berlin, made the list but Philip Roth’s The Plot Against American, which has Lindbergh winning the 1940 presidential election and making the US a fascist nation, did not. They probably view the latter as desirable prophecy.
They did??? On what grounds?
Seriously??! Banned!???
https://pen.org/books-banned-orange-county-florida/
Per the link:
Also banned were well-known literary works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, Saul Bellow, Raymond Chandler, J.M. Coetzee, Ralph Ellison, Louise Erdrich, Gustave Flaubert, Gabriel García Márquez, Thomas Hardy, Herman Hesse, Joseph Heller, Aldous Huxley, Barbara Kingsolver, John Milton, Toni Morrison, Haruki Murakami, Ovid, Marcel Proust, Philip Roth, Arundhati Roy, William Styron, Amy Tan, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Jesmyn Ward, Richard Wright, and Tom Wolfe. The opera Cendrillon and the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Huang were banned from classrooms.
Paradise Lost, and others, were most likely (hopefully temporarily) banned due to “depictions of sexual content”. The districts were told by the Florida Board of Education to “err on the side of caution”. To note, Orange County (think Orlando/Disney World) trends blue and has not been favored by the Fl Dept of Ed since the Covid pandemic.Oramge County is a 🎯. (Rep Maxwell Frost and Fl Rep,and Amend 4/reproductive rights warrior,Anna Eskamani’s districts are in Orange Co)
The original book banning law allowed anyone, parent , non-parent or non-district resident to challenge an unlimited amount of books, often by reading one line (out of context) at a school board meeting.When it got out of control, they tweaked the law so that people who don’t have kids in a school district are limited to one challenge/month.
The big picture here….Florida has been recognized as a “test case” for Project 2025. This is Project 2025 in action .In my opinion, we need to be talking less about Trump’s well-documented decline and more on the fact Project 2025 is happening NOW . Don’t make America Florida !
Good point!
While I always value your writing/insights...I am TOTALLY JAZZED by the space photo's!! Thanks so much for both!
It will be interesting to see how the press treats this leak....regardless of who was tampered with...the larger issue is that it happens and so much is at stake...power grids, banking, and the like....
I am receiving universal praise for the photos, but I worry that people who are NOT commenting are saying, "Has he gone off the deep end . . . ?"
Well Robert, though I enjoy you when you let go and rant, you have not gone off the deep end! I never knew about a nebula before you started your photos. Amazing! I look forward to all your photos and all you share with us about them. Thank you!
It’s truly eye opening, thank you!
Robert,
I rarely, if ever, comment on your astronomical photos because it would seem repetitive.
So I offer my blanket assessment that your photos are artistic and professional – in the current vernacular, *awesome* (double entendre intentional).
#ButtHisEmails (sic)
Exactly
NPR reports on their fact checking of T’s Thursday press conference detailing 162 lies. Amazing! Stunning!
We fact-checked Trump's recent news conference
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/11/nx-s1-5070566/trump-news-conference
Thanks for the link. I appreciate it when readers point me to resources I can. use.
"invoking the Heavenly Muse, whom Milton describes as follows:
With mighty wings outspread Dove-like . . . brooding on the vast Abyss."
And just think, we're but a tiny speck of that Abyss.
An English major! Knew there was some reason I liked you—besides your pithy, articulate, well written, and grammatically correct newsletters which have played a major role in my sanity since I discovered them. This resembles a huge manta ray to me. Nevertheless, it’s a stunning photo! Thank you for all the things.
Good morning, Robert. Thank you for the informative and upbeat columns that you send. You are a beacon of light in what is often a morass of misinformation. The photos are also inspiring, today’s “wings” photo was beautiful, especially linked to the quotation. Your recommendation for the Status Kuo was also a valuable tip. I recently subscribed.
If the text of your newsletter fails to put a smile on my face (it often does), your wonderful photos of our night sky always does just that. I start my day with a coffee I brewed, and Mr. Hubbell on my iPad. Thank you.
Early voting has started in Broward County in Florida. Please be sure to check your status at Vote.org where
not only can you check your status but also register online if you are not registered. (This is great if you’re talking to a non-registered voter as you can help register them.). It also gives you a list of candidates who are on the ballot. Be wary of “provisional” ballots. It might seem that they will be counted but you have to go back and verify your information and depending on where and timing they just not might be counted.
It is so important that we don’t back down from this JOY FILLED momentum. Vote BLUE up and down the ballot so we have representatives, senators and state judges in the majority so we can start impeachments on Thomas and Alito as well as lowercased don’s maga cronies.
Early voting started yesterday in Brevard County.We voted to start the habit.🗳️VOTE ON DAY 1.
Monica ,and Joyce Vance, had excellent advice. Check your status, and screenshot it .
“ And here’s the best part, the National Motor Voter Act says you can’t be removed from the voter rolls closer than 90 days out from the election. We’re past that point now, so, if you check your status and you’re an active voter, your state can’t change that before the election. Take a screenshot, keep it handy, and if there are any issues, you’ve got proof that you’re an active voter. If there’s any question at the polls, you’ve got documentation.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/joycevance/p/read-this-checking-your-voter-registration?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Keep up the “ JOY FILLED momentum” !
💙
Is this primary voting or general election? We just had primary voting in Michigan last week ...
Primary voting.
But check anyway. Some states may be removing registered voters post-primaries. Last week, depending on the date of your primary, may outside of the 90-day protection by the NVRA.