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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. Snake oil salesmen Dipshits Still Embrace Ivermectin Five years after the pandemic began, interest in the anti-parasitic drug is rising again as right-wing influencers promote it — and spread misinformation about it. Joe Grinsteiner is a gregarious online personality who touts the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin. In a recent Facebook video, he produced a tube of veterinary-grade ivermectin paste — the kind made for deworming horses. He gave the tube a squeeze. Then he licked a slug of the stuff, and gulped. “Yum,” Mr. Grinsteiner said in the Feb. 25 video, one of a number of ivermectin-related posts he has made that have drawn millions of views on Facebook this year. “Actually, that tastes like dead cancer.” Ivermectin, a drug proven to treat certain parasitic diseases, exploded in popularity during the pandemic amid false claims that it could treat or prevent Covid-19. Now — despite a persistent message from federal health officials that its medical benefits are limited — interest in ivermectin is rising again, particularly among American conservatives who are seeing it promoted by right-wing influencers. Mr. Grinsteiner, 54, is a Trump supporter and country music performer who lives in rural Michigan. He has claimed in his videos that ivermectin cured his skin cancer, as well as his wife’s cervical cancer. In a video last month, he said a woman told him her nonverbal autistic child had become verbal after using ivermectin. In a recent phone interview, Mr. Grinsteiner said that he takes a daily dose of ivermectin to maintain his general well-being. There is no evidence to support people taking ivermectin to treat cancer or autism. Yet Mr. Grinsteiner believes that the medical and political establishments just want to keep average people from discovering the healing powers of a relatively affordable drug. “These guys are absolutely money driven,” he said in one video. “And when I say ‘these guys,’ I’m talking about all those politicians in Washington taking money from the big pharma.” Indeed, ivermectin has become a sort of enduring pharmacological MAGA hat: a symbol of resistance to what some in the movement describe as an elitist and corrupt cabal of politicians, scientists and medical experts. While many of those experts fear that misinformation about ivermectin could lead to overdoses — or prompt people to reject proven treatments for Covid or other ailments — conservative lawmakers in a number of states are promoting legislation that would allow ivermectin to be sold without a prescription, often in the name of medical freedom. cont'd
  2. Israel doing what it does best: steal land from its neighbors. Also, a reminder, Netanyahu illegally "annexed" the Golan Heights a few years ago. Of course, Trump's recognition of that annexation makes the US the only country in the world to do so. Israel Digs In Beyond Its Northern Border Israel has built a growing network of outposts and fortifications in Syria and Lebanon, deepening concerns about a protracted occupation in parts of the two countries. Israel says it wants to prevent another surprise attack across its borders like the October 2023 Hamas-led attack that ignited the war in Gaza. It has not said how long its forces will remain in its neighbors’ territories, where groups hostile to Israel are present. But there are signs that Israel appears prepared to remain indefinitely, a visual analysis by The New York Times has found. The military has set up watchtowers, prefabricated housing modules, roads and communication infrastructure, according to local residents and the United Nations. An image taken in January of an area near the Syrian town of Jubata al-Khashab shows heavy equipment at work and a newly built perimeter wall. Archived link because it has so many photos and maps, which would be a pain in the ass to copy/paste: https://archive.is/quTEL OG link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/31/world/middleeast/israel-border-military-outposts-syria-lebanon-border.html
  3. Canceling the refugee resettlement plan is putting Afghan students who were promised visas under threat of being deported back to Afghanistan, where they'll assuredly be in physical danger. ‘They Will Label Us as Spies’: The Afghan Students Abandoned by America Students at the American University of Afghanistan in Qatar fear having to return to their Taliban-ruled homeland after aid and visa cutoffs by the Trump administration. When she finds it hard to focus, Nilab jots down her worries on slips of paper and pins them to her wall, a strategy she picked up in a seminar on mental health at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. She makes a mental note to deal with the issues at a scheduled time and then gets back to studying. That kept her sane when the U.S.-backed Afghan government was overthrown in 2021, when the Taliban made it illegal for women to receive an education and when she left in July 2023 to study at the university’s campus-in-exile in Qatar. Now, in Nilab’s dorm room in Doha, the little notes are stacking up. The Trump administration’s shutdown of foreign aid and refugee admissions has left her terrified that she will be forced to return to Afghanistan. There, she would be alone and deprived of any rights as a woman. Her hard-earned American-style education would be all but worthless. She imagines the worst. “How can girls go back to Afghanistan?” said Nilab, 30, who asked that only her first name be used to protect her identity. “What will happen to us? Rape, forced marriage and death.” On Jan. 20, just as Nilab was planning her final project for her cybersecurity degree, President Trump signed an executive order suspending refugee resettlement. The U.S. government had promised refugee status for her and her classmates, but Nilab’s hopes of rejoining her family, who received asylum in the United States after the Taliban took over, were shattered. A month later, her university lost most of its funding when Mr. Trump dismantled American foreign aid programs, to reorient spending in line with the administration’s foreign policy goals. Funding was partly restored on March 16, the university’s leadership said, but only enough to operate into June. If the university closes, students will lose their housing, cafeteria meal plans and Qatari student visas. A third thunderbolt came on March 15, with word that Mr. Trump was considering putting Afghanistan on a list of countries whose citizens would be barred from entering the United States. Nilab does not know when she will ever see her family again, much less resettle with them. As she and other Afghan students find their lives thrown into chaos, they are caught between the infinite possibilities promised by a university education and a crushing sense that there are no doors left to open. “I thought this long journey was finished,” she said. “I was wrong.” With midterms approaching, Nilab has little time for her concerns. She has a presentation on arrays and algorithms due soon. So she writes down her fears and pins them to her bulletin board. cont'd
  4. On the one hand, they like him, but they steered your bets against him or at least protected against him. So, ultimately, they did their job, I suppose, but what explains cognitive dissonance other than knee-jerk support for a Republican? Given your wealth, I'm sure you have the sway to tell them to their faces they're fucking idiots.
  5. I'd have a sit-down with my advisor and say, "Look, if you're unable to provide unbiased financial advice based on what's actually going on instead of putting your partisan head in the sand, I'll take my business elsewhere."
  6. Add it to the pile of Republican "wars on ______." https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/science/trump-science-nas-letter.html
  7. Nothing really new except what's said about Asia. Taken in totality, everything we've lost is so depressing. How Trump Supercharged Distrust, Driving U.S. Allies Away Trust is very hard to build and easy to destroy. America and its partners are caught in a spiral of distrust. The F-35, a fifth-generation fighter, was developed in partnership with eight countries, making it a model of international cooperation. When President Trump introduced its successor, the F-47, he praised its strengths — and said the version sold to allies would be deliberately downgraded. That made sense, Mr. Trump said last week, “because someday, maybe they’re not our allies.” For many countries wedded to the United States, his remark confirmed a related conclusion: that America can no longer be trusted. Even nations not yet directly affected can see where things are heading, as Mr. Trump threatens allies’ economies, their defense partnerships and even their sovereignty. For now, they are negotiating to minimize the pain from blow after blow, including a broad round of tariffs expected in April. But at the same time, they are pulling back. Preparing for intimidation to be a lasting feature of U.S. relations, they are trying to go their own way. A few examples: Canada made a $4.2 billion deal with Australia this month to develop cutting-edge radar and announced that it was in talks to take part in the European Union’s military buildup. Portugal and other NATO nations are reconsidering plans to buy F-35s, fearing American control over parts and software. Negotiations over a free trade and technology deal between the European Union and India have suddenly accelerated after years of delays. Brazil is not only increasing trade with China, it’s doing it in China’s currency, sidelining the dollar. In several countries, including Poland, South Korea and Australia, discussions about whether to build or secure access to nuclear weapons are now commonplace. Some degree of distancing from the United States had already been in motion as other countries became wealthier, more capable and less convinced that American centrality would be permanent. But the past few months of Trump 2.0 have supercharged the process.
  8. Legal accountability - what a novel idea. Maybe we should've tried that. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/world/europe/france-marine-le-pen-embezzlement-2027-election-ban.html
  9. Try doing an Archive link. It's really simple. Go to: https://archive.is/ Then, copy/paste the article link into this red box, like you see here, and click save: If someone has already archived the article, it'll pop up quickly. If not, it might take a few seconds or a half minute to generate one. So, here's the link to your article from last night: https://archive.is/BcpTj The only downside is that you lose any interactive elements because it basically creates a screenshot of the article. Give that a shot next time for anything you suspect might be behind a paywall and that you'd like to share. I'd guess this works roughly 95% of the time.
  10. I don't like Mondays. Wordle 1,381 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #659 🟦🟨🟦🟦 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🙂 Daily Quordle 1162 8️⃣4️⃣ 5️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  11. Wordle 1,380 3/6 ⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛ ⬛🟨⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 See spoiler, @MirrOlure. 🙂 Daily Quordle 1161 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  12. Sounds like it was the same thing, but maybe just a different name? From what I remember, it started out as just a thing where some guys who owned a boa or some other scary snake would feed a rabbit to their slithery critter. I only went to it once before the move happened and didn't see the "sacrifice" part. Basically, it was an annual block party in the Tech ghetto that evolved into being a bigger deal with bands playing in a big field with a stage somewhere south or maybe southwest of town. I can't recall exactly since it's been 30-some-odd years, but what you describe sounds right with alternative college Texas bands playing.
  13. Penny pitchers at the Kitchen Club, schooners at the O Bar, trippin' ballz at The Planet (changed its name at one point to Mars, I think, aka Peaches), and trivia night at Bash's or that sports bar (can't remember the name) in that strip mall at Indiana & 4th. I won the Peanuts dance from that piano player guy at J. Pats once. Hey, did you ever go to the Easter Bunny Sacrifice Party or hang out with Ron and Dina? They'd house traveling bands, who were touring through Lubbock, at their place near downtown.
  14. No, it wasn't clear at all. That's why I bothered to actually check the source. If he meant to post it as satire, then we've got a thread for that.
  15. Unchecked misinformation is one of the main ways we got to where we are today.
  16. That's why I asked and didn't attack. If you're going to post stuff misinformation, please indicate you know it's bullshit and label it as such. Sure, okay, you knew it wasn't true but left it hanging out there without comment. Lots of lurkers read these boards, and posting something like that, again without any indication that you know it was absurd drivel, is just spreading the misinformation for some gullible idiot to read it. Don't do that.
  17. Why are you posting tweets from a known purveyor of misinformation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_Report
  18. I'm planning to head out there in about a month and will report back.
  19. At first, I half expected that one guy on the floatie get washed over the side.
  20. And isolation. With the trade wars, the economic isolation is obvious. But there's also the physical isolation from making the prospect of coming here, even for tourists, so unpleasant no one does. And, if countries start retaliating against our citizens visiting elsewhere, we won't travel. Plus, we're already seeing academics/scientists, even American ones, beginning to flee.
  21. Making up warrants on the fly to justify rounding up folks after the fact, just so they can meet a quota. So sloppy that they even arrested a US citizen. Land of the free, and the home of the brave.
  22. From The Athletic, a long read on the battle over H-town Blue and Titans Blue along with lore/history about the move. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5932880/2025/03/28/titans-texans-oilers-throwback-uniforms-nfl/ No gift link option is available, so here's an Internet Archive one instead: https://archive.is/5zmtE
  23. As the son of two public school teachers, that was a horrible oversight on my part. Thanks for mentioning it.
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