This Ain’t No CNN.

Lights Out.

NPR’s David Folkenflik reports “NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as ‘state-affiliated media'”.

NPR will no longer post fresh content to its 52 official Twitter feeds, becoming the first major news organization to go silent on the social media platform. In explaining its decision, NPR cited Twitter’s decision to first label the network “state-affiliated media,” the same term it uses for propaganda outlets in Russia, China and other autocratic countries.

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/12/1169269161/npr-leaves-twitter-government-funded-media-label

Follow the link in the first paragraph for all the details. This is just another stone kicked out from the crumbling foundation of what’s left of Twitter.

End?

The Doomsday Clock was recently updated based on current events. For those not familiar with the clock, it is a symbolic representation of how close we currently are to man-made global catastrophe.

We are now “90 seconds to midnight”. It is the closest we’ve ever been to the end. Curious, I documented the clock settings during my lifetime.

  • 1968: 7 minutes to midnight
  • 1969: 10 minutes
  • 1972: 12 minutes
  • 1974: 9 minutes
  • 1980: 7 minutes
  • 1984: 3 minutes
  • 1988: 6 minutes
  • 1990: 10 minutes
  • 1991: 17 minutes
  • 1995: 14 minutes
  • 1998: 9 minutes
  • 2002: 7 minutes
  • 2007: 5 minutes
  • 2010: 6 minutes
  • 2012: 5 minutes
  • 2015: 3 minutes
  • 2017: 2 1/2 minutes
  • 2018: 2 minutes
  • 2020: 100 seconds
  • 2023: 90 seconds to midnight

Global climate change and associated in action, the war in Ukraine with threats of nuclear-based attacks, and other strife in the world are bringing us closer than ever before to global catastrophe.

Not to sound too grim, but I would not be surprised to see a globally catastrophic event in my lifetime.

You Will Consume Ads.

Twitter finally announced they will no longer allow third party applications to access the service. So for the thousands of people that used applications like Twitterrific or Tweetbot to access their Twitter accounts you’re out of luck. If you want to continue using Twitter, and I don’t know why you would want to but that’s another rant, you must use the official Twitter app. Historically I have found later versions of the official app overwhelming with ads and weird timelines and of course the ridiculous algorithm that tells me what to see instead of just a reverse-chronologically ordered timeline. Today’s Twitter is designed to engage, enrage, engage some more, and enrage some more in what they hope will be an infinite loop of visits, thus securing revenue by forcing you to see their ads while you’re seething in between tweets from Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ilk when you’re just looking for pics of naked men and/or cats.

A few links explaining how awful (actually how much of a dick) Twitter was with the handling of this transition.

From IconFactory, the creators of Twitterrific.

From Engadget.

And finally, a good hint as to why Twitter is starting to sweat ad revenue a little more. Elon Musk is REALLY killing the already questionably solvent business with his antics.

As a quick aside, Tesla’s stock price has been dropping like a stone since Elon Musk’s focus on Twitter. Stock holders are not happy.

Womp Womp, Part 2.

I have to admit I’ve been fascinated with Kevin McCarthy’s repeated failures to get elected as Speaker of the House in the House of the Representatives of the U.S. Government. Curiously (or probably not so much), this song has been going through my head all day while reading about repeated failure after repeated failure.

As of this writing, Mr. McCarthy has not been elected after 11 elections in three days. Will he continue the streak tomorrow?

Womp. Womp.

Photo from AP News.

I have to admit I’m a little fascinated by the drama going on with the new session of Congress, specifically the election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. As of this writing the fifth election is taking place to elect McCarthy in the role, and it’s not looking good. The “Freedom Caucus” is holding out and 20 Republican members of the House are casting their votes for others.

Now, ideologically I’m not aligned with these folks on the “Freedom Caucus”. But I’ve long held the belief that the U.S. Government in general needs a shake up and away from the “same old, same old” approach that’s been going on for decades and these 20 folks holding their ground are certainly shaking things up.

It’ll be interesting to see how this falls out, especially since there was no “red wave” at the midterm elections and the Republicans BARELY hold a majority in the House. On one hand, the GOP not getting their stuff together to elect a speaker is damaging to their political capital (aww, so sad). But on the other hand, more of these shake ups may be just what this country needs to start things moving forward again.

We just need to keep moving things in the proper direction.

UPDATE 14:31 MST as I finished up this entry, Mr. McCarthy lost his fifth round of voting in his efforts to become speaker.

Scam.

Yesterday Donald Trump announced he was making a “major announcement” today. The accompanying graphic had him superimposed onto a superhero outfit. “The country needs a superhero”.

Many theorized he was going to run for Speaker of The House, others thought that he was announcing his running mate. I saw tweets of folks theorizing his next major step in his Presidential campaign for 2024 (it’s still way too early for this, folks). His fervent supporters were EXCITED. EXCITED, I tell ya.

The announcement came out this morning.

MAGA folks can buy an NFT of Trump in a superhero outfit for $99, just in time for the holidays. It’s not a real trading card, it’s a digital trading card.

This is beyond “Four Seasons Landscaping Day” lunacy. I’m not going to share the graphics involved with this idiocy but I’m blown away by how stupid this is. I’ve checked several sources to confirm this wasn’t some sort of parody, and then I went to his “Truth Social” social media account and confirmed that yes, indeed, this was the major announcement.

‘ Merica, f*ck yeah! These NFTs are going to look great emblazoned on the sides of MAGA homes.

Calmer Now.

So, now that I took a short nap and I feel a bit calmer about the day’s events, I say this without a trace of hysteria in my voice.

This country is a ShitShow.

Anyone with an IQ higher than the speed limit knew that conservatives were stacking the Supreme Court expressly for the decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Anyone that claims the belief of what the latest round of judges said during their confirmation hearings is lying. There is no rule of law. It no longer matters if you lie under oath. We’ve lived through a Presidential Administration where hundreds of laws were ignored, subpoenas were tossed aside, and few questions were answered. Take off your seat belt, use lead paint, throw some asbestos confetti, the law no longer matters. There is no established law. Precedent is gone and it can be overturned by moody judges with an agenda.

Women are second class citizens. Full stop. I expect that by the end of next year, perhaps sooner, they will be relegated to cooking, cleaning, and carrying children until they are barren. Then they will take care of the whims of their husband, divorce will probably be outlawed, and they better have the pipe and slippers ready.

The gay stuff? I ain’t going back in the closet and I’ll probably be shot for it but at least I’m true to who and what I am. I don’t care. There’s no law, there’s no civil discussion, there’s no civility.

Foreseeable elections will be so compromised because of phony election laws and gerrymandered districts and over-regulated voting regulations to the point of no return. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m happy I’m on the back happy of my life. Grateful. Thankful. I remember what was.

The question is, who will collapse first, me or the country?

This Is How I Feel.

What is wrong with you people voting for those that put these idiots on the Supreme Court? Who could be so pathetic that they need the Supreme Court to tell them what they can and can’t do with their bodies?

This is just the beginning. And I again I will state, if they come for my marriage I will disavow, disassociate, and dissolve any relationship I have with anyone that supports this idiocy.

This is not the United States. This is a travesty. At best.

Few Words.

I wrote this on Facebook this morning. I don’t do much on Facebook these days, but it had to be said.

When I was a kid, at this time of year the side doors at Lura Sharp Elementary School near the gym and auditorium were often wide open to let the breezes blow through that majestic building as students and teachers made their way to the end of the school year. Inviting the spring weather into the building reminded us that summer vacation was just a few weeks away and it added that special element necessary to get us through the last chapters of our books and our final exams.

I understand that Lura Sharp Elementary is configured a bit differently today, and that gates and buzzers and ID badges and reinforced walls and bulletproof glass and all that are necessary because our schools are no longer safe for our students, teachers, and administrative personnel. I keep hearing “times are different”. Yes they are, and it makes my heart ache.

I hope the time comes when we start addressing the actual issues and not just the symptoms. Children should never feel unsafe. Our elected officials, on all sides of the aisle, are failing us. When nothing was done after Sandy Hook is when they gave up. We knew this would happen again. And I can’t even begin to count the number of times we’ve lost children to an active shooter in a school. No one wants to talk about solutions. “More guards!” “More barbed wire!” “More gates and buzzers!” Again, addressing the symptoms, not the problem. Oh don’t worry, there’s always tweets of condolences but in a few days time the politicians will start grandstanding and blustering about something idiotic again. Then it’ll be more students in another school, rinse and repeat.

Our children should never feel unsafe.