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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. I had the correct word ringing in my ear at the end, but I wasn't sure if it was actually a real word. One huge mistake I made was guessing words in the plural, which I don't think Wordle allows for.
  2. I'm afraid I might lose over-the-air access to NPR. I already can't get PBS. The signal's too weak here, and I don't do cable. I'm not in one of the affected orange ZIP codes, but Texas Public Radio, based in San Antonio, has a transmitter that serves my community. This morning, they're already asking for increased donations for a "resiliency fund" in response to the cuts, and I doubt many out here contribute or even know TPR exists. So, if they end up having to cut service, I'm sure we'll probably be on the chopping block (I do still listen to KUT quite a bit with the phone app). Regardless of my local access, cutting funding sounds like it could cause a cascading effect throughout the NPR network. Where Congress’s Cuts Threaten Access to PBS and NPR President Trump’s proposal to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasters threatens scores of radio and TV stations across the United States that air PBS and NPR programs. Early Friday, the House gave final approval to a measure that would eliminate $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the company that funds NPR, PBS and stations in major cities and far-flung towns like Unalakleet, Alaska, and Pendleton, Ore. The measure will now be sent to President Trump, who has pushed for the cuts, for his signature. The cuts are a time bomb for the public media system. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has disbursed funding for stations through September. After that, more than 100 combined TV and radio stations that serve millions of Americans in rural pockets of the country will be at risk of going dark, according to an analysis from Public Media Company, an advisory firm. But the troubles could run deeper than that, said Tim Isgitt, the organization’s chief executive. The sudden and dramatic reduction in funding will result in a pool of fewer stations to buy programming and solicit donations, potentially creating a β€œdoom loop” with dire consequences for the rest of the system. β€œFailing stations will create a cascade effect in this highly connected and interdependent system, impacting content producers and leading to the potential collapse of additional distressed stations in other areas of the country,” Mr. Isgitt said. An analysis by Public Media Company identified 78 public radio organizations and 37 TV organizations that were at risk of going dark as a result of the cuts. In some cases those organizations operate multiple stations, allowing them to reach even greater populations. The stations rely on grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal funding for at least 30 percent of their budgets, and some of them serve counties with limited access to local news. Republicans have been trying to defund public media for decades, arguing that news coverage on NPR has a liberal bias and that taxpayers should not be required to support coverage they disagree with. Those attempts have repeatedly failed, with lawmakers unwilling to choke off funding to local stations that serve their constituents. This week was different. In a Senate vote that mostly broke down along party lines, Republicans clawed back funding from public media organizations in their own states, with some exceptions. In some states with stations at risk of going dark, such as Mississippi, both senators voted to defund public media. But there was some Republican support in some of the most-affected states, such as Alaska, where Sen. Lisa Murkowski cast a β€œno” vote, and Maine, where Sen. Susan Collins also opposed the measure. In those states, the combined federal funding for the stations as a proportion of their total budgets is relatively high.
  3. Wordle 1,490 5/6 πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #768 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1271 7️⃣4️⃣ 5️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  4. Wordle 1,488 5/6 β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #766 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1269 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟩🟩 🟨🟨⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  5. The early 90s throwbacks with the non-beveled Double T will always be my personal favorite for home games, followed by the black/red/black. On the road, I like the black/white/black combo the most.
  6. I think a few posters should consider making an appointment with their doctors to get checked for whiplash from this sudden about-face.
  7. Hear, hear. WIRED has been doing some really excellent investigative journalism the last few months.
  8. The Florida Tomato Exchange (decent band name) is confident they can make up the difference. With what labor force? The fine folks imprisoned in Alligator Alcatraz? Their attempt at changing child labor laws in Florida failed this year. I guess there's always the next session when growers are all pissed about tomatoes rotting in the fields. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/business/economy/trump-tariff-mexican-tomatoes.html The 17 percent duty is calculated to measure the percentage by which Mexican tomatoes have been sold in the United States at unfair prices, the Commerce Department said. The United States imported $2.8 billion of tomatoes from Mexico in 2023, according to data from the World Bank, representing more than 85 percent of American imports. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, which represents companies that import and sell produce and flowers, said it was β€œdisappointed” in the decision. It said that its members distributed vine-ripened, greenhouse-grown tomatoes from Mexico that are not replaceable by tomatoes grown in Florida and the Southeast, most of which are grown in an open field, picked green and gassed to induce a color change. β€œAs an industry, we are saddened that American consumers will have to pay a tomato tax, or duty, for a reduced selection of the tomatoes they prefer,” the group said. Robert Guenther, the executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, said that the previous five agreements with Mexico had failed, and that strong enforcement of U.S. trade laws was needed to protect β€œthe stability of our food supply chain.” β€œThis decision will protect hardworking American tomato growers from unfair Mexican trading practices and send a strong signal that the Trump administration is committed to ensuring fair markets for American agriculture,” he said.
  9. It is absolutely news that the House Rules Committee voted against releasing the files. There's no opinion or editorializing in my post. I'm just puzzled why you guys lost interest. I'm sorry that this news is so upsetting.
  10. The other evening on NPR, one of the reporters mentioned that Newsom is on record as stating that for every district Texas fucks up with more gerrymandering, they'd do the same in California.
  11. Fucking bullshit. Every Nazi collaborator needs to be in the historical record so that their complicity is remembered. The fact that they don’t want their names recorded only goes to show they know this is wrong.
  12. But aren't you upset that those people are being protected? Don't you care about powerful pedophiles getting away with it? You seemed so passionate about this topic before.
  13. I agree with this comment from the second page of this thread, so why are you silent now? For the life of me, I can't understand why--after so much caterwauling for so long--they don't want it released now. @statsman, as the thread's OP, it's kind of odd you haven't posted on the topic lately. Did you lose interest in the case?
  14. Lucky second guess. Wordle 1,487 3/6 πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #765 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1268 7️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣4️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
  15. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-cease-fire.html An Israeli proposal to force much of Gaza’s population into a small zone in the territory’s south has threatened to derail the latest effort to achieve a truce between Israel and Hamas. In recent weeks, Israeli officials have briefed journalists and foreign counterparts on a loose plan to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into an area controlled by Israel’s military close to the Gaza-Egypt border. Legal experts have warned that the plan would violate international law because the civilians would be barred from returning to their homes to the north, a restriction that would constitute a form of ethnic cleansing. While the Israeli government has yet to formally announce or comment on the plan, the idea of a new encampment in southern Gaza was first proposed last week by Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister. He discussed it at a briefing with Israeli correspondents who focus on military affairs, and The New York Times reviewed readouts of the briefing written by its attendees. Several attendees also wrote articles that attracted widespread attention among both Israelis and Palestinians. A spokesman for Mr. Katz declined to comment on the reports, as did the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Now, Hamas has cited Mr. Katz’s proposal as one of the latest obstacles to a new truce. During a cease-fire, in exchange for releasing roughly 25 hostages, Hamas wants Israeli troops to withdraw from much of Gaza. The new Israeli plan makes such an outcome far less likely, since it would ensure that Israeli troops remained in charge of a large area over which Hamas seeks to reestablish control. Husam Badran, a senior member of Hamas, described the establishment of the encampment as a β€œdeliberatively obstructive demand” that would complicate the fraught negotiations. β€œThis would be an isolated city that resembles a ghetto,” Mr. Badran said on Monday in a text message. β€œThis is utterly unacceptable, and no Palestinian would agree to this.” Hopes for an imminent truce rose last week after Mr. Netanyahu went to Washington for meetings with President Trump that many expected would result in an Israeli compromise. Instead, Mr. Netanyahu β€” who has previously slow-walked negotiations for personal and political reasons β€” returned to Israel without a breakthrough. The negotiations remain stuck on issues including the permanence of any truce: Israel wants to be able to return to war, while Hamas wants guarantees that any cease-fire would evolve into a full cessation of hostilities. Israel also wants Hamas to commit to disarmament, an idea that the militant group has rejected. There are also disagreements over how aid will be delivered during a truce. According to some of the readouts of the briefing by Mr. Katz, the defense minister described the proposed new encampment as a β€œhumanitarian city” that would, at first, house at least 600,000 Palestinians. Mr. Katz said it would later hold the entire population of Gaza, or roughly 2 million people, according to the readouts and reports. Israeli critics likened it to a modern-day β€œconcentration camp” because its residents would not be allowed to leave the area’s northern perimeter in order to return home. That could constitute β€œforcible transfer,” a crime under international law, according to a group of Israeli international law experts who wrote an open letter on the matter to Mr. Katz and the head of Israel’s military, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. If implemented,β€œthe plan would constitute a series of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and under certain conditions, could amount to the crime of genocide,” the letter said. Israel’s military declined to comment on whether it had been ordered to implement the plan.
  16. Wordle 1,486 3/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #764 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1267 4️⃣9️⃣ 7️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  17. Epstein's death occured in 2019.
  18. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. American Allies Want to Redraw the World’s Trade Map, Minus the U.S. Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous other countries are seeking to forge a global trading nexus that is less vulnerable to American tariffs. Trade chaos is forcing America’s allies closer together, and further from the United States. And as that happens, the European Union is trying to position itself at the center of a new global trade map. The bloc learned this weekend that Washington would subject it to 30 percent tariffs starting Aug. 1. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the E.U. executive branch, responded with a pledge to keep negotiating. She also made it clear that, while the European Union would delay any retaliation until early August, it would continue to draw up plans to hit back with force. But that was not the entire strategy. Europe, like many of the United States’ trading partners, is also looking for more reliable friends. β€œWe’re living in turbulent times, and when economic uncertainty meets geopolitical volatility, partners like us must come closer together,” Ms. von der Leyen said on Sunday in Brussels at a news conference alongside the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto. Just as Mr. Trump threatens to put hefty tariffs on many countries, including Indonesia, the European Union is working to relax trade barriers and deepen economic relations. β€œIn hard times, some turn inward, toward isolation and fragmentation,” Ms. von der Leyen said. Then, in a message implicitly extended to world leaders who have been jolted by Mr. Trump’s tariffs, she added, β€œYou are always welcome here, and you can count on Europe.” It is a split screen that is becoming typical. On one side, the United States sows uncertainty as it blows up weeks of painstaking negotiations and escalates tariff threats. On the other, the 27-nation European Union and other American trading partners are forging closer ties, laying the groundwork for a global trading system that revolves less and less around an increasingly fickle United States. β€œWe in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, we really consider Europe to be very, very important in providing global stability,” Mr. Prabowo said on Sunday. It will be hard to move away from the United States, and Mr. Prabowo predicted that America would always be a world leader. It is home to the world’s largest economy, a bustling consumer market and cutting-edge technologies and services. But many American trading partners feel that they are left with little choice but to diversify. And while trade relationships are difficult to alter, they are also difficult to change back once they have been totally reorganized. That is what is happening right now. cont'd: https://archive.is/un9rE Under Attack by Trump’s Tariffs, Asian Countries Seek Out Better Friends Most nations are still negotiating in hopes of avoiding punitive import taxes. At the same time, they’re looking for trading partners as a way around the United States. For most countries that received President Trump’s letters last week threatening steep tariffs, especially the Asian nations with economies focused on supplying the United States, there are no obvious substitutes as a destination for their goods. But they are doing their best to find them. Business and political leaders around the world have been roundly baffled by the White House’s imposition of new duties, even as governments shuttled envoys back and forth to Washington offering new purchases and pledges of reform. Mr. Trump is erecting new trade barriers and demanding deep concessions by Aug. 1, claiming years of grievance because America buys more than it sells. β€œAcross the world, tools once used to generate growth are now wielded to pressure, isolate and contain,” Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, said at a gathering of Southeast Asian leaders on Wednesday. β€œAs we navigate external pressures, we need to fortify our foundations. Trade among ourselves. Invest more in one another.” There are already a few signs of such efforts. South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, sent special envoys to Australia and Germany to discuss defense and trade issues, and plans on dispatching delegations to several others. Brazil and India announced plans to increase their bilateral trade by 70 percent, to $20 billion. Indonesia says it is nearing a treaty with the European Union that would drop most tariffs on both sides to zero. And in Vietnam, which Mr. Trump said had accepted 20 percent tariffs on its goods headed to the United States before last week’s letters, the deputy trade minister emphasized efforts to reduce her country’s reliance on American consumers by leveraging other trade agreements. β€œAs more and more countries are feeling that it’s more difficult to satisfy U.S. demands, then their interest in working with others is going to intensify,” said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. cont'd: https://archive.is/ziHGW
  19. I don't know why Daily Beast does that sometimes. To get around most anything, just copy/paste the URL into Archive.org. Re: the article. This guy, at 18 years of age as a HS senior, tried to cyberbully a 16-year-old boy over a 16-year-old girl, and their dads had to get involved. That was a mere four years ago. https://archive.is/gYxHc
  20. Wordle 1,485 3/6 β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ© β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #763 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 Has anyone noticed that Quordle has suddenly become more difficult over the last week or so? Or is it just me? πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1266 8️⃣4️⃣ 5️⃣πŸŸ₯ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨⬜🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
  21. bolverk

    LBGTQ

    Miss Thang, the Aztecan goddess, leading the parade was fun. Good for you, Troph. So glad y'all had a nice escape.
  22. It looks like that greaseball just got back from smuggling Bolivian marching powder in an old two-seater Cessna, which would explain his prolonged absence.
  23. Oooh, it didn't register with me that it was Rosie O’Donnell and not Roseanne Barr. I always get their names confused; hence, my calling her crazy in another thread. It also explains so much more.
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