Horrors of the Night category archive
The Haunting 0
At Above the Law, Joe Patrice warns us to fear the Ghost of Chevron Deference, summoned from the past by the Supreme Supremacist Court.
Navigating the Disinformation Superhighway 0
WHYY, an excellent radio station which I listened to when l lived in the Philly area, offers some excellent pointers for avoiding misdirection ploys on the Disinformation Superhighway.
A Tune for the Times 0
The Parody Project looks back at the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency (and wonders why anyone would want to go through that again).
Empty Suits 0
At Above the Law, Liz Dye reports that Devin Nunes’s prolific pleadings seem to be proceeding poorly.
A Bridge To Fall 0
Keeping on the theme of debunking de bunk, Rebecca Watson takes on some the ludicrous conspiracy theories that have sprung up regarding the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.
Or you can read the transcript.
Industrial Devolution 0
And, in related news:
(snip)
“Over half of littered single-use plastic bottles collected during Truckee Day, the annual Town-wide litter cleanup, were water bottles,” the town of Truckee wrote in a March 17 news release. “These plastics do not decompose but break apart into harmful microplastics that enter local waterways and are potentially consumed by wildlife or the public.”
Spoiling the System 0
Lindsay M. Chervinsky looks at Donald Trump’s plans to effectively destroy the civil service and replace career civil servants with his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers.
Much more at the link.
Have Cake, Eat It Too 0
Apparently, Texas believes in the “right to life,” except when it doesn’t.
Just go read it. See if you can wrap your brain around it.
I certainly cannot.
Artificial Covert Intelligence 0
At Psychology Today Blogs Steven Hassan, who has spent four decades studying the use of “undue influence” in cults, politics, and relationships, explores the darker potential of AI. A snippet:
We already know that “social” media isn’t.
In view of the “golly gosh gee whiz” attitude with which many are greeting the AI/ChatGPT hype, I think his piece is worth a look.
A Twit Owns Twitter 0
Yet another reason I’m glad I never leaped on the Twitter manure spreader.
A Tale of the Trumpling 0
The Washington Post’s Stephanie McCrummen follows an Alice down the Trumpian rabbit hole.
No excerpt or summary can do this report justice.
Just read it. It is–er–disquieting.
Our Impending Idiocracy 0
David discusses a truly disturbing campaign ad and what it implies about the state of our can-you-still-call-it-a polity. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
The Deleteriousness of the Disinformation Superhighway 0
Psychologist Michelle Druin is less that optimistic about the effects of the internet on dis coarse discourse (and, by “the internet,” I think, based on the examples she cites, that she refers primarily to “social” media). She cites five negative effects that she has observed; follow the link for a detailed discussion of each.
- It’s pushing us towards inauthenticity . . . .
- It may be increasing our paranoia . . . .
- It’s making us care too much about what other people think . . . .
- It’s pressuring us to create stage-worthy moments . . . .
- It’s making us want the impossible
All that Was Old Is New Again, Salem Redux 0
I think David misses the point. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
I disagree with David that the tax exemption of churches is the issue here. The issue is the simmering brew of manipulative, gullible, and stupid masquerading as faith, of self-styled shepherds whose only purpose is to sheer their flocks.
For a reasonably unbiased discussion of why churches are tax exempt in the U. S., see this article from the archives of the Los Angeles Times.
Maskless Marauder Taylor Greene 0
We are a society of stupid.
