Afternoon Tea 5.17.21 - Backwards Pageantry

Maybe if you'd ever been in a real fight, you might not be so keen for another.

Missouri tells voters to die, the US doesn’t validate IDFs claim that evidence justifying the AP building being bombed was shared, Colombian paramilitaries remind Venezuela they aren’t to be trifled with, a dozen people are responsible for ~65% of the anti-vaxx content on the internet, and a Hummer stocked with gas exploded…yes, it was Florida. It’s Monday, May 17th 2021, and this is your Tea.

Hummer Explodes After Driver Stockpiles Gasoline in the Back (Newsweek) To recap, a fuel shortage created combining a pipeline that took their billing system offline and panic buying, hit an apex with a Hummer exploding (in Florida) due to…physics.

Missouri Will Not Expand Medicaid Despite Voters’ Wishes, Governor Says (NPR) I really don’t understand how this doesn’t result in pitchforks, torches, tar, and feathers. Are there enough rail tracks left in America to run badly behaving elected officials out on them still?

Blinken hasn’t seen any evidence on AP Gaza building strike (Associated Press) & Israeli strikes hit Gaza tunnels as diplomats work for truce (Associated Press) The information asymmetry associated with Israel-Palestine stories in the media might have gone too far this weekend, with the building hosting AJZ, AP, and other media outlets being destroyed. The IDF stated Hamas was doing shady stuff in the basement & shared the evidence with the US, but in a surprising turn of events, the White House has not run with that story. In semi-related news, I heard Hamas is hiding rockets in Mar-A-Lago. IDF do ya thang.

Sana Saeed @SanaSaeed

.@iamjohnoliver on the problem of both-sides’ing the Israeli assault on Gaza. Not complete segment.

I tried my hardest not to comment on what’s been going on, but I hope we can all agree journalism offices being bombed and far right/ethnonationalist groups protected by cops attacking ethnic minorities in the street is not something anyone wants to see in any country. I have to share what John Oliver said, and for anyone who wants to bring up the “call ahead” as a way to justify the bombings…

Fact-checking Modi’s India (RestOfWorld) & India’s Covid Catastrophe Shows World the Danger of Complacency (Businessweek) The world is realizing that when you let presidents play ethnonationalist autocrat, there are real, serious, world-changing consequences. Letting our leaders play fast & loose with facts made the last year so much worse than it needed to be. If your family still has hold outs, send them this write-up from Noah Smith on how effective lockdowns were (Answer: Very).

Venezuela says eight soldiers captured in combat with Colombian groups (Reuters) I don’t care how tough you are, or how many hours you’ve put into Call of Duty. Mexican & Colombian paramilitaries have seen more action, brutality, and tactical combat than you have. Do not fuck with them.

Jeffrey Epstein Gave Bill Gates Advice on How to End ‘Toxic’ Marriage, Sources Say (Daily Beast) & Microsoft Conducted Probe on Gates’s Involvement With Employee (Bloomberg) Two really important takeaways from this story. First, never take relationship advice from a person who has a CHILD RAPE PLANE & ISLAND. Second, and this one people have more trouble with, don’t hit on the people HR explicitly tells you not to hit on.

Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows (NPR) & The Real Reason Behind the Misinformation Epidemic in Online Moms’ Groups (Mother Jones) & Army of fake fans boosts China’s messaging on Twitter (Associated Press) I will go to my grave knowing that most humans are inherently good, but social media profit-seeking has allowed a small number of bad actors insane unfettered reach. And I don’t just mean Ben Shapiro. For a comprehensive look at disingenuous VAERS usage, freshman skepticism, and unmoderated bilge spread, the Mother Jones evaluation of how it works in Mommy FB Groups is perfect. Also depressing. Of course it’s not just mommy bloggers, China might ban social media use internally, but weaponizes a legion of astroturfed accounts to run information operations. Think twice before you spend hours arguing with someone on Twitter or FB, one of you might be paid per hour.

Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof

Finally, a verified case of voter fraud emerges: Man charged with wife’s murder illegally cast her ballot for Trump, officials say: ‘I just thought, give him another vote’

washingtonpost.comMan charged with wife’s murder illegally cast her ballot for Trump, officials say: ‘I just thought, give him another vote’Barry Morphew was charged this month with murder in the disappearance of his wife Suzanne. Now he’s also accused of illegally voting in her name last fall.

Humans Are Happy To Help (On These Streets, In These Skies) Given how messed up the news is, I wanted to end with some fiction written by a dear friend. Many of you might remember the story of what humans, as soldiers or healers, could be when they finally reached space (If you haven’t read it, this is one of my favorite short stories on the internet). This deepens and carries forward that tradition, feeling very much like a Picard led Next Generation episode, with such a needed, wonderful ending. Lovely science fiction writing by a dear friend & veteran.

Song of the Tea: Here Comes the Sun is one of those songs I have pre-verbal memories associated with, so I’ll never go for any goofy dance remixes of it (If you show up at my door with a terrorcore remix of Rocky Raccoon, I might hunt you for sport). Thankfully Denis Turbide does the exact opposite of that. A fully instrumental, classical guitar cover, exactly the right speed to sip a refreshing beverage in the sun that is upon us.

Oh right, time to put in wall unit ACs.

Yours,

P.S. If you’re not familiar with the scene the title steals from, I’m so jealous you get to experience Letterkenny for the first time.