The NSA launches a podcast
Gail Sherman / 11:39 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
In the era of "everyone has a podcast," it should not be surprising that the notoriously secretive National Security Agency now has one. In a play on the nickname "No Such Agency," the podcast is called No Such Podcast.
"NSA employees defend the nation every day, applying their expertise and work ethic to challenging, time-sensitive problems," said Sara Siegle, NSA's Chief of Strategic Communications. "Because it's sensitive, we can't talk about some of our work, but it's time to start telling more stories that we can talk about, sharing more of that expertise, and highlighting these incredible public servants."
In case it wasn't already obvious that No Such Podcast is looking to create positive PR for the NSA, the first episode is about the use SIGINT (signals intelligence) in tracking down Osama Bin Laden.
This and a second episode about the importance of cybersecurity are available now in all the usual locations and on YouTube. They are already watching you, so you might as well watch them, right?
Previously: The NSA tweeted a response to Tucker Carlson's claim that the agency is spying on him
Doctor who punched police in Jan 6 riot gets 9 months jail time
Rob Beschizza / 11:10 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Starer in her old medical practice photo and on police bodycam
Jacquelyn Starer joined the mob on Jan 6, 2021 to sack the U.S. Capitol and was caught on camera attacking the police, punching an officer. The high-income M.D. isn't going to spend as long in jail as some of her MAGA brethren, though, many of whom are off to the clink for years, if not decades. Starer will be out in less than 9 months.
Starer told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly that she isn't proud of her actions that day, including her "regrettable encounter" with the officer.
"I accept full responsibility for my actions that day, and I truly wish reason had prevailed over my emotions," she said.
Starer also turned to apologize to the officer whom she assaulted. The officer, identified only by her initials in court filings, told the judge she feared for her life as she and other officers fought for hours to defend the Capitol from the mob of Donald Trump supporters.
Ah, she regrets the encounter. That'll be it.
Previously:
• 5 years in jail for Jan 6 rioter who injured cop
• Jan 6 rioter flashes white power sign after receiving 20 year jail sentence
• Jan. 6 rioter who attacked Officer Michael Fanone with stun gun gets more than 12 years in prison
• Jan 6 rioter who bear-sprayed cops gets 6-year sentence
• Reagan-appointed judge calls out Jan 6 riot as an affront to America: Sentences MAGA rioter to 7+ Years
• Seven year sentence for Jan 6 rioter described as 'one-man wrecking ball'
• Proud Boy who rioted on Jan 6 jailed for six years after insulting judge
Flutist punished for blowing whistle
Thom Dunn / 10:09 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Hugh Rance is a Cork-based flute teacher—who, according to The Irish Times, recently filed a whistleblower report over getting paid too much. Specifically, Rance said, the state-funded music program that employed him had for years been paying him and his colleagues for music lessons that never happened because of student vacancies:
Rance, a veteran employee of the Cork Education and Training Board School of Music, claimed that he and some of his colleagues had been paid for an "enormous number" of teaching hours with student vacancies over the past five years.
[…]
He told the Commission he calculated that his own teaching hours were 63 per cent vacant, costing the State in the region of €50,000 a year – calling it a "waste and misuse of public funds" and "gross mismanagement".
Rance raised the issue with management back in October 2023. But now he alleges that he has not been assigned any new students since the flutist first brought it up. Furthermore, he claims that the Cork Education & Training Board chief executive has also been harassing him with messages criticizing him for making his complaints.
I guess that's what happens when a flutist blows a whistle.
Previously:
• Boston Symphony Orchestra flautist files lawsuit over unequal pay
Trump's incoherent word salad elicits applause
Jason Weisberger / 9:45 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com
Folks at the Economic Club of New York burst into applause after Donald Trump rambled incoherently.
NBC's Chris Hayes supplies a supercut of recent garbage Donald Trump has tried to pass off as clear thoughts on issues. The real capper is Trump's wildly nonsensical comments about child care getting applause from the Economic Club of New York. Every member should be ashamed.
But the real topper, he noted, was when Trump was asked today at an economic forum what specific legislation he'd support on child care reform, and he offered up this response.
"I was sitting down and somebody, we had Senator Marco Rubio and my daughter Ivanka were so impactful on that issue, it's a very important issue," said Trump. "But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I'm talking about, that, because childcare is childcare, you know, it's something you have to have it in this country, you have to have it. But when you talk about those numbers, compared to the kind of numbers that I'm talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they're not used to, but they'll get used to it very quickly. And it's not going to stop them from doing business with us, but they will have a very substantial tax where they send product into our country. Those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we're talking about, including childcare, that it's going to take care, I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time."
Trump proceeded to speak in the same vein for another minute, and concluded, "This is about America First. This is about Make America Great Again. We have to do it because right now we are a failing nation."
Previously:
• 'They are gooch-like.' Watch Trump's cringeworthy TikTok word salad
An Arkansas Republican Party county meeting burst into fisticuffs
Jason Weisberger / 9:26 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
A fight broke out at a Saline County, Arkansas Republican Party meeting.
Video has been shared of the moments after two women have a tense moment over something not shared in the reporting, and two men escalate things quickly. Raw Story shares that the initial assailant claims to be a professional fighter and a talk show radio host. It must be nice for his fans to put a fist to his voice.
No charges have been filed, and Benton police are still gathering video evidence and witness testimony.
The local news website MySaline identified the man who threw the punch as talk radio host Jimmie Cavin, whose Twitter bio describes him as a "professional bully fighter," and the larger man as Jon Newcomb.
Kenneth Wallis, who frequently records video of GOP meetings, told the website that the punch was "followed by a wrestling match on the floor," and he said Newcomb appears to be "okay" following the fight.
Previously:
• The formula for defeating a Trump dictatorship: 'Unite the Democrats, split the Republicans'
Phoenix records 100 days straight of temperatures over 100F
Jennifer Sandlin / 9:24 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
This week, Phoenix, Arizona, set a new heat record. Tuesday marked the 100th straight day where the temperature reached at least 100 degrees. The previous record, 76 days in a row, was set in 1993, and we blew right by those weeks ago. CBS News explains:
"That is definitely an eye-catching number," NWS meteorologist Sean Benedict said.
The temperature hit 102 F in Phoenix on May 27 and has made it to triple digits every day since. In 2023, Phoenix — also known as the "hottest large city in America" — endured a record 31 consecutive days of 110-plus degree weather in July.
Arizona is not the only state suffering, as much of the Western United States is in the same hot predicament. And there's no end in sight, unfortunately. Thank goodness many locales are setting up cooling stations, but there clearly aren't enough. CBS News reports that in Maricopa County alone, as of August 24, there have been over 150 heat-related deaths, with 443 more currently under investigation.
To learn more about Arizona's extreme heat records, check out these stats from the National Weather Service.
Previously:
• Phoenix, Arizona continues its streak of record-breaking temperatures: 19 days over 110 degrees and counting
A salad recipe is causing a cucumber shortage in Iceland
Gail Sherman / 8:37 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Image: New Africa/Shutterstock.com
This TikTok cucumber salad recipe is a big hit – if you can get some cucumbers.
Canadian TikToker Logan Moffitt, AKA "Cucumber Guy," posted about the "best way to eat a whole cucumber," starting with what would become his catchphrase: "Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber." He slices the cucumber with a mandoline directly into a quart takeout container, adds the ingredients, shakes it up, and eats it right out of the container.
The recipe is a huge hit, with over a million views. It has become especially popular in Iceland, where Icelandic influencers have posted their own versions. The BBC reports that it is so popular it has caused a cucumber shortage across the island nation.
The recipe has been such a hit that farmers in the country have been unable to keep up with spiralling demand, Iceland's farmers association – the Horticulturists' Sales Company (SFG) – told BBC News.
While one supermarket chain – Hagkaup – questioned the link between demand and the trend, it conceded that purchases of cucumber had more than doubled.
SFG's marketing director said that as things stand farmers in Iceland are not managing to keep up with surging consumer demand, but said she hopes supply will be back to normal "in a week or so".
Kristín Linda Sveinsdóttir said the recipe had proven to be "really popular" and other ingredients in the recipe were selling out as well.
Logan puts the much-maligned but delicious MSG on everything, which I respect. Some of his recipes, however, call for one clove of garlic, which is absurd. The only recipe that should call for one clove of garlic is a recipe for one clove of garlic.
Previously: Cats startled by cucumbers
Could you care less or couldn't you care less?
Popkin / 7:00 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Photo: BublikHaus/Shutterstock. Illo: Rob Beschizza / Boing Boing
Someone created a website called Could Care to show the world that the common phrase "I could care less" is grammatically incorrect. I am guilty of using this phrase on the regular, despite knowing it doesn't make sense.
The intended meaning behind this phrase is that someone doesn't care at all, but if you think about it literally, "could care less" suggests they do care to some degree, since they could care less than they currently do.
The correct phrase to convey complete indifference is "couldn't care less." This means there is no possible way for them to care any less than they already do. On Could Care, you can slide a marker on a scale to show how much you care. If you slide the marker anywhere further than 0% of caring on the care-meter, it shows that actually, yes, you COULD care less, because you care at least a bit.
Personally, I get slightly annoyed when people correct my grammar during casual, everyday speech, but I think this website is a funny and great way to explain the silliness of this popular phrase.
See also: Apostrophe Protection Society wants to make sure we're using apostrophe's correctly
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax evasion
Rob Beschizza / 6:55 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Domenico Fornas/shutterstock.com
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax charges yesterday, denying cable news the pastel extravaganza of his forthcoming trial.
The judge, who is a Trump appointee, set a sentencing date for December 16. President Joe Biden's son could now face up to 17 years in prison for his crimes, which include tax evasion, filing fraudulent tax returns and failing to pay taxes. The judge also said he could also impose a hefty fine, perhaps as much as $1.3 million.
Hunter ultimately paid his $1.4m tax bill, so those numbers are unlikely even if the judge is partisan. A sentencing date of Jan 20 would have been funny, though.
Previously:
• Hunter Biden found guilty
• Hunter Biden turns the tables — subpoenas Donald Trump for 'vindictive' harassment
• Three felony charges for Hunter Biden, the president's tax-evading offspring
Texas sues to unmask women who get abortions out of state
Rob Beschizza / 6:24 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Ken Paxton. Photo: Shutterstock
Texas is suing to block a new rule that protects the privacy of women who travel over state lines to receive an abortion. Attorney General Ken Paxton wants to know who they are—as a matter of "state investigative authority"—so they and anyone helping them leave the state may ultimately be prosecuted.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said in announcing the rule in April that no one should have their medical records "used against them, their doctor, or their loved one just because they sought or received lawful reproductive health care."
The measure came in response to efforts by authorities in some Republican-led states that ban abortion, including Texas, to restrict out-of-state travel for abortion. So far, no criminal prosecutions or civil judgments have resulted from those efforts.
Goverment so small it not only gets to know where you are and what you're doing, but gets to know everything everyone else knows about those things in the service of physically controlling what you do.
Texas already struck out on a similar plan for drug users, but 2017 was three Supreme Court seats ago. As an administrative law judge said then, why isn't Texas charging people for gambling in Vegas, given that it's illegal in Texas?
Previously:
• New doctors avoiding states with abortion bans
• Texas woman sues prosecutors who charged her with murder for using abortion medication
• Beverly Hills is an abortion rights battleground
• Arizona repeals 1864 abortion ban
Cat heads out on a POV adventure
Popkin / 6:00 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Image: pudiq / shutterstock.com
Have you ever wondered what cats do when out and about on their own? The maker of this video had this very question, so they attached a camera to their cat's collar and let their kitty venture outside for the day.
My first thought when I watched this video was that the cat has a more exciting social life than I do. The cat mingles with lots of other outside cats, and some of the interactions involve hissing and pouncing, while others are full of love and cat kisses. I thought a day in the life of a cat would be a lot calmer, but I felt like I was watching a cat soap opera during this video (and I can't get enough of it).
The little captions describing the cat's activities and imaginary thoughts are one of my favorite parts of the video. This video is probably the best way that a human can experience what it's like to live a day in the life of a cat. Seeing the world from this cat's POV was an absurdly fun experience that made me feel like I was getting a sneak peak into a secret world.
Nicole McLaughlin's 'Heel Punch' shoes are crafty and chic
Popkin / 5:00 am PT Fri Sep 6, 2024
Nicole McLaughlin is a designer who makes incredibly fun and playful sustainable fashion. Her work often upcycles everyday objects by transforming them into wearable items. I can't get over how cool these "Heel Punch" shoes are, which combine heart and star shaped, paper hole-puncher tools with a pair of cute, vintage looking high heels.
These shoes would be a fantastic conversation starter at parties. Plus, they're practical if you need to quickly get some arts and crafts done while also being dressed and ready for a night out on the town. The colorful hole punchers also look adorable, and take me back to when I was a kid and used to use hole punchers with cute shapes to make confetti and cards for people.
You can see more of McLaughlin's fabulous work on her instagram and website. I love how her work combines art, fashion, play, and is focused on being sustainable.
See also: Incredible high fashion inspired by string theory
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Yoy Luadha / 7:17 pm PT Thu Sep 5, 2024
Image: Pressmaster / shutterstock.com
I've given up on the MSM. They are incapable of holding Trump accountable. They hold Democrats to an unfair standard while letting Trump's absurdities, lies, vitriol, malevolence, and mental decline go unchallenged. His nonsensical word salads are given the same weight as a normal politician's thoughtful response. It's profoundly sad — I used to venerate the press and the difficult, crucial work they used to do.
Is this happening because their corporate masters are desperate to maximize profit? Or does their training make them so afraid of being tagged as "biased" that they're paralyzed, unable to comment on the obvious? In the end, the reason is irrelevant — the outcome is the same.
This story about a mid-level VP employed by the Washington Commanders is all over the press in the past day and is perfectly emblematic of everything that has gone wrong with journalism. Here's ESPN's version of what they're all reporting:
The Washington Commanders have suspended an employee who made comments about the team's players being anti-gay, accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of being racist and anti-gay and called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a "$50 million puppet."
The team said it has suspended its vice president of content, Rael Enteen… for comments he made to an undercover reporter for the O'Keefe Media Group.
I read at least 10 articles covering this story. They all told the same story. But not one of them told The Actual Story. Notice the wording?
They referred to the woman who secretly recorded this guy as a "journalist." We don't know her identity, but we know she works for O'Keefe Media, which is not in any way a news outlet. O'Keefe is run by James O'Keefe, who also founded Project Veritas. He is a right wing provocateur, a gotcha "journalist" who specializes in sand-bagging people on live camera, hoping to get them to embarrass themselves, the Democratic Party or liberalism generally. Guess they forgot to mention that in their article.
Here's some more, if you can stand it:
He told the undercover reporter that, "over 50% of our roster is white religious, and God says, 'F— the gays."
"Undercover reporter?" That's like calling Mata Hari an undercover diplomat.
Maybe there was pushback out in the world, because today some MSM articles have been revised — this one from NBC Sports gives us a little more context for her brand of journalism:
Enteen was shown talking about players being homophobic and said some of them are "dumb as all hell" in a video taken by a hidden camera by O'Keefe Media during what appeared to be a date with a woman who works for the company.
Aha – at least now the word "journalist" has now been removed from her description. I could be wrong but I don't think real journalists pretend to connect with someone on Tinder, then secretly record them on their "date."
Was this some corrupt politician or evil mogul they went after? No — their target was just a mid-level guy who had his career burned down so these assholes could score teeny tiny points in the Culture War. Why can't the MSM just say that?
Is The Pornitor the worst-named computer peripheral in history?
Rob Beschizza / 12:55 pm PT Thu Sep 5, 2024
Image via Amazon
The Pornitor [Amazon] is an otherwise normal 15.6" 1080-line USB-C dual display, graced by unremarkable specifications and an incredible name. Presumably a portmanteau of the words Portable and Monitor, it suggests English as a second language while landing at a point of impossible marketing honesty. And at the moment of posting, I find that there is a 10% off deal.
Nothing whatsoever in the listing hints at the possibility the seller knows what they have on their hands. One can hardly read innuendo into terms such as "full-featured ports," "VESA holes" and "easily mount it." But one can try.
Previously:
• People at DC's Union Station enjoy free pornography streamed from kiosk
• People in Ireland are asked 'What is pornography?' in 1972