tingilinde

israel is winning

Vaccinations by country so far

 

randy rainbow

a tip of the hat to Dewayne

andy kim

The story behind the famous photo of the NJ Representative.

 

 

the riemann hypothesis

A very clear discussion of the Riemann Hypothesis  - one of the most important conjectures - maybe the most important - in math.

 

breaking up is hard to do

Mother Jones looks at the future of the GOP.  

Breaking up is hard as Trump is the GOP and visa vera.

Reaching out to the fringe is probably a fool's errand - they're into an alternate reality.  Germany offers experience.

snip

...

But the remaining fringe has only drifted further away. Right-wing leaders and conspiracy theorists have now redirected the anger at made-up causes largely decoupled from real world grievances: Many on the far-right in Germany believe that Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to create a “corona dictatorship” and that vaccines will be used to alter people’s genes. The American equivalent, of course, is that the election was stolen from Mr. Trump.

This is a problem. Political compromise, and ultimately, reconciliation, starts with recognition. But real-world politics cannot follow those who become believers in their alternate realities. A different strategy is needed.

German policymakers have started to realize this — and it’s only become clearer since the August protests. Germany’s secret service has decided to put sub-organizations of the AfD, which is increasingly radical, “under observation,” an administrative step that allows for the collection of personal data and the recruitment of informants within the party. Organizers of the coronavirus protest in August are becoming a focus, too. The minister of the interior banned several right-wing extremist associations in 2020

...

Maybe the current Trump/GOP party has to die and a mainstream conservative party emerge. It seems unlikely now, but the alternative is chilling.

 

 

 

 

lots of cameras and people working on identification

On identifying one of the insurrectionists.

I wonder how many went in with their cellphones?  Those are tracked inside the capitol with time stamps..  I'm guessing those records are being examined.   But if you're pumped for a violent coup you might not take precautions.

Pretending "this is not who we are" is foolish.  This has always been part of America.  It just periodically resurfaces.  We need to learn how to deal with it and realize we're not exceptional (the good kind of exceptional - the country may be exceptional in the level of political division)

 

 

 

 

 

 

revoking an honorary degree

Lehigh finally gets around to revoking Trump's honorary degree.  Faculty and students have been pushing for the action for some time - the board of trustees finally came around.

 

don't feel sorry for them

New York Magazine checks with some some of those left in the White House.

snip

...

On Friday afternoon, 48 hours after the U.S. Capitol was stormed by violent insurrectionists encouraged by Donald Trump in an attempt to overthrow the government in protest of his election loss, a senior member of his administration spoke to me while he was driving to work.

“This is confirmation of so much that everyone has said for years now — things that a lot of us thought were hyperbolic. We’d say, ‘Trump’s not a fascist,’ or ‘He’s not a wannabe dictator.’ Now, it’s like, ‘Well, what do you even say in response to that now?’”

For four years, people like this official — lifelong Republican operatives — have convinced themselves that Trump’s obvious faults were worth tolerating if it meant implementing a conservative policy agenda. These officials believed the benefits of remaking the courts with conservative justices, or passing tax reform, outweighed the risks that a Trump presidency posed to democracy and to the reputation of the country in the world. Now, at the eleventh hour, with twelve days left before Joe Biden is sworn into office, it’s clear to some that it was always a delusion.

...

 

 

double standards

The DC goons need to be tracked down and charged ..  John Schartz on the double standard. 

 

 

a simple flyer

Nearly as simple as it can get - until you try to work out the math, that is.

a tip of the hat to Greg