Posts not related to that felon/ fascist nonsense:
1. China’s new and cheaper magic beans shock America’s unprepared magic bean salesmen (January 29, via) "'DeepBean’s new beans only require a third of the water that American beans need to not grow into anything of value,' an analyst said."
2. Home and whole and ‘back to normal’ (February 2) Those of you who follow the Slacktivist's blog may know that his wife has spent 3 years trying to get a surgery she needs because of constant pain, and it keeps being delayed. Well, she finally had the surgery. This is great news! Very happy for her!
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And the posts about that felon/ fascist nonsense:
1. Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral (January 29, via) "Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible."
2. As Part of 'Authoritarian Takeover,' Trump Signs Order to Deport Pro-Palestine Students (January 29, via)
3. A Line By Line Analysis Of Trump's Youth Care Ban Executive Order (January 30)
Also from Erin Reed: School Systems Across US Declare They Will Not Comply With Trump's Anti-Trans Executive Order (February 1) "The claims in their statement are false. We do not have a policy that violates anyone’s rights or indoctrinates children. What we do have is a culture of respect—one that honors the dignity and diversity of all students, families, and educators."
4. How They Lie: Trump's Executive Orders (January 30) "The executive order relies on cis normativity to communicate body horror that simply does not exist when trans care is provided to the right people at their own request in a patient-centered, patient-empowered context."
5. Mass Deportations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (February 3)
6. US Postal Service flip-flops on Hong Kong-China packages, lifting a ban imposed a day earlier (February 6) This is all a bit ridiculous. I'm an American in China, and I saw a lot of confusion in the WeChat groups for Americans the other day, people trying to figure out what to do about the package they need to mail back to their mom. These sudden policy changes are really not cool.
7. Are abortion bans across America causing deaths? The states that passed them are doing little to find out. (December 23, via) "'I can’t imagine the states that passed restrictions saying, ‘Now we want to know if that caused any deaths,’' said Eugene Declercq, a professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health who serves on Massachusetts’ maternal mortality review committee. 'The clinicians and the public health people might want to know, but the political leaders would be aghast.'"
8. Donald Trump’s Second Term Begins With a Crash (January 30, via) "Also on January 20, Trump imposed a hiring freeze across the entire federal government, and air traffic controllers (ATCs) are federal employees. The FAA has been struggling for years to make up for an ATC shortage caused by the pandemic; though it finally met its hiring goal in 2024, controllers are still reportedly stretched thin. As Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) pointed out in a joint press release, Trump’s move was both illegal, as the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 requires maximum staffing of ATCs, and dangerous. 'Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue according to the entire aviation industry,' they wrote."
9. Second judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order in back-to-back rulings (February 6) "'All I have wanted is to focus on my baby being born healthy and safe, but instead, even though my baby will be born in the U.S., I have been worried that they will be denied a right is that guaranteed under the constitution — the right to be a U.S. citizen,' Garcia said in a statement after the decision. 'This ruling will give mothers like me a bit of temporary relief as we navigate pregnancy and the uncertain future for our babies.'"
10. NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar (February 5)
11. This meme:
12. Is Somebody Doing Something?! (February 4) "It’s helpful to think of the response as falling into four distinct yet sometimes overlapping categories, each with increasing urgency. These responses include the personal, the political, the legal and the popular."