REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - A Love Letter from S. Pruitt

The Ledes

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

New York Times: “The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who emerged from the backwoods of Louisiana to become a television evangelist with global reach, preaching about an eternal struggle between good and evil and warning of the temptations of the flesh, a theme that played out in his own life in a sex scandal, died on July 1. He was 90.” ~~~

~~~ For another sort of obituary, see Akhilleus' commentary near the end of yesterday's thread.

The Wires

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New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts.

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

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Wednesday

Mar212018

A Love Letter from S. Pruitt

Dear Marlyn,

You may not remember me ha ha but I am your loving husband. I have been so busy traveling the world – which will be the last time ever because I am doing everything I can to like drown the whole planet. Remember when we were young & you said you wanted to climb the highest mountains in the world?? Well, we can do it now. In fact, we'll have no choice.

Speaking of when we were young, do you remember that time we did it in a phone booth? Those were the days!!! But you should see the phone booth I've got now. It cost $43,000! Don't worry, you don't have to get out the checkbook. Average Americans got together and paid for it. It's right in my office, believe it or not. And the office doors lock! A great place for fun and games, if you know what I mean hint hint. But knowing you, you'll probably want to kick out the security guards who stand around 24-7 to protect me from riff-raff like the office staff.

Anyhow, I'm in a place called Bologna now, but I can't stay long. Can you believe the Italians named a city after baloney? Either they have a great sense of humor or they're a very backward “civilization.” If the narrow streets here are any clue, I'd guess “backward.” But the restaurants are way good if you like Italian. No baloney! ha ha.

I don't know about this government job. I have to take military transports practically every time I go someplace.

Oops! Wrong picture. I mean this one.

Sometimes I take regular planes. I get to ride up front because I'm the boss & my guards and stuff have to ride in the back in these teensy little seats with their knees poking into the seats in front. You should come with me some time. First-class all the way of course. A guy I know named Dave Shulkin who has a job like mine – but not as important – took his wife on holiday to Europe & he said the government paid for their trip, too – no problem! He said he got an award for it.

Well, have to get to an important meeting with the President of the United States.*

Till next time – hopefully in a luxury phone booth,

Your husband,

s/Scotty

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Dearest Scotty,
As much as I harbor fond memories of our little "weenie in the poke" romantic interludes while jammed in a phone booth I'm distressed that you might think I don't remember you. Granted, you have been absent from our home for many a day––oh, let's make that many months–-but your scent lingers on, my love, and try as I may to wipe it away it refuses to disappear. Apparently you are under the impression that I––we–-miss you; nothing could be further from the truth. Since you took on the job to ruin our planet I have lost all the faith I once had that you would save those mountains you say we could climb. I never did cotton to your arrogance, mister, but this takes the cake! So––this missive is just to inform you that you can continue to fly about on the government's dime but know the door to your home is locked for good. I bid you farewell and doubt seriously you will fare well in whatever you pursue and for my money, that ain't no baloney!
Once yours in a phone booth,
Marlyn

March 21, 2018 |

PD Pepe

@PD Pepe: Hilarious! I laughed out loud. Would that Mrs. Pruitt really had the guts to tell it like it is, as you did.

March 21, 2018 |

Marie Burns

My thanks, too, PD. You took it and ran with it in a delightful direction.

Glad to see that Marlyn has seen the light, but the same question that I have with any woman who has seen the Pretender naked rises here.

What in the world was the matter with than woman in the first place?

It is to cringe.

March 21, 2018 |

Ken Winkes

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