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Reposted by George A. LaBonty

Michael Paarlberg @mpaarlberg.bsky.social · 17h

Unlike Venezuela, which has been treated as a rogue state by multiple US administrations, Colombia has been the US’s closest ally in Latin America in terms of security and counternarcotics for decades. This is a big deal. It gives countries little incentive to partner with the US.

At least one US military strike on alleged drug trafficking boat in Caribbean targeted Colombians | CNN Politics

At least one US military strike in the Caribbean over the last two months targeted Colombian nationals on a boat that had left from Colombia, according to two people briefed by the Pentagon about the ...

www.cnn.com

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The Ass is the father of the legs @internethippo.bsky.social · 21h

"The president is illegitimate and should be removed from office" is the minimum pitch for anyone nominally opposing him

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21h

Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)

The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 21h

Possibly, wouldnt put it past these bozos, but agi lines up better with the standard adjective order than gai. "Artificial" is the origin, so should come before the purpose, "generality"
Slight difference in meaning of "artificial generality" vs "general artificiality"

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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 22h

Human Rights Watch found a major international company could be sourcing cattle from ranches linked to deforestation.

Is your beef linked to Amazon deforestation? A report highlights loopholes

Human Rights Watch found a major international company could be sourcing cattle from ranches linked to deforestation.

bit.ly

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 1d

This is not morally or legally different than lining up two dozen men and shooting them in the face.

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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 1d

it’s funny how Jeff bezos dedicated the Washington post to embracing “free markets” and the free market of newspaper subscribers completely rejected it

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 2d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

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Reposted by George A. LaBonty

misandrist fujoshi @likeadeuce.bsky.social · 2d

People are mostly not honoring the 'unhinged' part of this and are just going for 'perhaps mildly unpopular' or 'obviously wrong.'

An unhinged literary opinion is like 'Prince Hal and Hotspur should fuck on stage' so I'm going with that.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Kaye “Silent Hill f[emale]” Ross @kaye.zone · 2d

I loathe that we no longer have genre fiction because it was displaced by YA.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 2d

Ok ive got one thats a little more unhinged and related to the actual books instead of discourse about books

Its fun to skip ahead and read the last sentence of a book when youre in the middle, to imagine how the story will get from here to there

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Reposted by George A. LaBonty

The Tell-Tale Brian Phillips @brianphillips.bsky.social · 2d

All your unhinged literary opinions are so comprehensively hinged that I'm starting to suspect some of you aren't obeying the prompt

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 2d

Theres also probably not anything we can do about it short of butlerian jihad on all electronic entertainment (which would be worse). Given more free time and money, most people would very likely not spend it on books.
The situation is bad, and nothing can solve it.

George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 2d

Every few months, a take circulates on social media that tries to argue that the literacy crisis is economic (books are too expensive, people dont have enough free time) that just doesnt track when you consider time spent on games, movies, tv, tiktok, etc (many of which are also more expensive)

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 2d

The "literacy crisis" (people mean many things by this, but here I just mean "people reading fewer books at a lower reading level) is intractable, and the primary cause is that books are hard and boring and more entertaining options are easily accessible to most people

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Emily J. Edwards (but witchy) @msemilyedwards.bsky.social · 2d

…i think a lot of people actually hate books and writers but know admitting it would make them look dumb

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 3d

above all, poster bushido demands that you should not cry foul about a fight you started.

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 3d

PSA: if you quote post me first, you have formally invited me in

i abide by poster’s vampire rules

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Elise Wang @elisewang.bsky.social · 4d

For those not fluent in Catholic: refusing the Monstrance is not denying prisoners the Eucharist, it is refusing Christ himself, since Christ is present in the Monstrance.

If Portland’s blow up animals are the right language for Portland, this is the right language for Chicago.

Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 4d

Chicago priest Fr. Larry Dowling describes procession to ICE facility: “No one had the courage to speak directly to us. No one from Homeland Security could stand in the presence of the Monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. No wonder. Evil is repelled, recoils in the presence of Christ.”

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Patrick Cosmos @veryimportant.lawyer · 4d

Man I hope I’m wrong and hell is real

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 4d

After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 4d

Factorio decisively isnt woke (tho several attempts have been made at creating a woke factorio) which is probably for the best because if factorio didnt come with a twinge of guilt when playing it, it would consume even more lives a la the entertainment from infinite jest

Reposted by George A. LaBonty

jam @socialistboat.dad · 5d

Stella Sacco
@antlervel.vet
It's really funny that The Art of War is treated as this like alpha male book when it's clearly meant to be read by ancient Chinese failsons because it's all "please don't forget you have to feed your troops" and "if someone asks if you're going to attack them consider lying about it"
April 23, 2024 at 1:28 AM © Everybody can reply
486 reposts 45 quotes 1.9K likes 4 saves

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 4d

Deeply offended by this take

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Jacob Geller @jacobgeller.com · 7d

Just had a call with Lyle where we talked about possible edits to his essay, while at any time, North Carolina could decide to throw him in a gas chamber. How is it possible to create a system this cruel.

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Jacob Geller @jacobgeller.com · 7d

Due to a new bill signed by NC Governor Josh Stein (a Democrat), the moratorium on our state's death penalties has been ended and may now proceed via *any* method. Welcome back, barbarity.

Jacob Geller @jacobgeller.com · 26d

In the book, my essay “The False Evolution of Execution Methods” will be accompanied by a new essay by Lyle May. May interrogates capital punishment from his singular perspective; he has been incarcerated on North Carolina’s death row for over twenty years.

Jacob Geller @jacobgeller.com · 29d

THEY LET ME WRITE ANOTHER BOOK

"You’re Not Overthinking It" is available for pre-order right now. It collects the most meaningful essays of my career alongside hundreds of new annotations on each piece’s creation, background, and legacy. Far more details below: www.lostincult.co.uk/overthinking

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 7d

is more like "people *can* afford kids but would rather do something else with their money."
As to what you do about that, I agree, since we all need kids to take care of us in the retirement homes, we would ideally like to tax incentivize it so that it is at least economically net neutral

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 7d

Oh I see im following your argument now and I think we agree. My point at the beginning is about the naive framing of the issue you encounter online so much "people dont have kids because they don't make enough money" when the actual phenomenon...

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George A. LaBonty @galabonty.bsky.social · 7d

The $150k household could have a kid or even 2, take a 50% hit to their income with one parent becoming a full time stay at home, and still be well above the national median income, and way above the standard of living of the $10k household with or without kids

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