REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - The Commentariat -- July 3, 2016

The Ledes

Monday, June 30, 2025

It's summer in our hemisphere, and people across Guns America have nothing to do but shoot other people.

New York Times: “A gunman deliberately started a wildfire in a rugged mountain area of Idaho and then shot at the firefighters who responded, killing two and injuring another on Sunday afternoon in what the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' Law enforcement officers exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned, and officials later found the body of the male suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at a news conference on Sunday night. The authorities said they believed the suspect had acted alone but did not release any information about his identity or motives.” A KHQ-TV (Spokane) report is here.

New York Times: “The New York City police were investigating a shooting in Manhattan on Sunday night that left two people injured steps from the Stonewall Inn, an icon of the L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. The shooting occurred outside a nearby building in Greenwich Village at 10:15 p.m., Sgt. Matthew Forsythe of the New York Police Department said. The New York City Pride March had been held in Manhattan earlier on Sunday, and Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that the shooting happened as Pride celebrations were ending. One victim who was shot in the head was in critical condition on Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the Police Department said. A second victim was in stable condition after being shot in the leg, she said. No suspect had been identified. The police said it was unclear if the shooting was connected to the Pride march.”

New York Times: “A dangerous heat wave is gripping large swaths of Europe, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms and prompting widespread health and fire alerts. The extreme heat is forecast to persist into next week, with minimal relief expected overnight. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are among the nations experiencing the most severe conditions, as meteorologists warn that Europe can expect more and hotter heat waves in the future because of climate change.”

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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The Commentariat -- July 3, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Anthony Smith of Mic.com: Donald Trump got that anti-Semitic Star of David graphic he tweeted yesterday "from an Internet message board for the alt-right, a digital movement of Neo-Nazis, anti-Semites and white supremacists newly emboldened by the success of Trump's rhetoric." CW: Trump is really plugged in to the hatemonger network. ...

... Kevin Robillard of Politico: "Former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Sunday blamed the blowup over his former campaign's use of imagery some saw as anti-Semitic on 'political correctness.'" CW: We really must all stop being so squeamish about a presidential nominee retweeting anti-Semitic, white supremacist messages.

Kristen East of Politico: "An aide to the former president gave a statement on condition of anonymity to both CNN and The Associated Press, describing the meeting as 'entirely social in nature.'... But recognizing how others could take another view of it, he agrees with the attorney general that he would not do it again,' the aide said." CW: Really? Apology by anonymous aide? Heartfelt, I'm sure.

Annie Waldman in the New York Times: New Jersey's student loan program does not forgive debts when a student dies. In 2007, the state agency that runs the program "was caught in what amounted to a kickback scheme.... In 2010, Congress and the Obama administration decided to effectively eliminate the role of state agencies by having only the federal government lend directly to students" because many state agencies were "unwieldy, expensive and marked by scandal.... The combination of a lack of flexibility, an unwillingness to discharge loans and the state [of New Jersey]'s power to seize wages has resulted in even 'more intractable problems for our clients than predatory mortgages, deceptive car loans or illegal internet payday lending,' said David McMillin, a lawyer with Legal Services of New Jersey...." -- CW

*****

Falih Hassan & Tim Arango of the New York Times: "As Iraqis gathered late on Saturday night in central Baghdad to eat, shop and just be together to celebrate one of the last evenings of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a huge bomb exploded and killed at least 123 people, the third mass slaughter of civilians in three countries carried out by the Islamic State in recent days."-- CW

** Joseph Berger of the New York Times: "Elie Wiesel, the Auschwitz survivor who became an eloquent witness for the six million Jews slaughtered in World War II and who, more than anyone else, seared the memory of the Holocaust on the world's conscience, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 87." -- CW

Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "With an assist from members of the Hello Racist Facebook community, [a new Website] Hello Bigot shines a light on the racists among us -- allowing followers to spread the word via social media of the not-so-secret lives of folks who can't seem to help themselves when it comes to posting hateful memes and horrific comments." -- CW

Presidential Race

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. interviewed Hillary Clinton on Saturday morning for its investigation into whether she or her aides broke the law by setting up a private email server for her use as secretary of state, her campaign said.... The campaign declined to elaborate on the substance of the interview, which lasted about three and a half hours at F.B.I. Headquarters in Washington." -- CW ...

... The Washington Post story, by Anne Gearan & Matt Zapotosky, is here.

CW: Dan Balz of the Washington Post, BTW, has twisted his shorts in knots over the meeting between Bill Clinton & Loretta Lynch. Either that, or he's just trying to give his GOP buds some better talking points: "Bill Clinton has made a mess. It was either out of foolish indifference or plain foolishness, but it has created a terrible moment for his wife and the Democrats, and for President Obama and perceptions of the integrity of his administration." Sorry, Dan, this is pure bull. Why don't you cover the Trump child-rape case with such fervor? ...

... Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker agrees with Balz: "Whatever Bill Clinton thought he was doing, he has cast a pall over what should have been his wife's most triumphant moment in politics." -- CW ...

... Also, too, Charles Pierce: "My god, is it even necessary to describe how stupid and reckless this is? For the second presidential campaign in a row, Hillary Rodham Clinton is afflicted with a husband who can't make a political move any more without breaking the china across the room.... This would be bad enough if it were only the appearance of impropriety. This exercise in Mixed Doubles Stupid actually was improper." ...

... CW: I still think the story is much ado about nothing. However, mitigating "nothing" is the fact that Bill Clinton certainly knew that the FBI would be interviewing Hillary Clinton this weekend. That does make his decision to go "chat about the grandkids" with Lynch stoopid (or, as contributor Haley S. suggested, an attempt to derail his wife's candidacy). As for Lynch, I don't think she made a mistake. When a former president comes calling, that's a command performance. You don't, as Pierce suggested, "have ... armed agents stop him halfway up the jet-stairs." The armed agents, BTW, according to news reports, were in the room with Lynch & Clinton when they spoke. There are, in other words, independent witnesses to the "grandkids" chat.

Anne Gearan: "Hillary Clinton will attempt to paint Donald Trump as a callous and irresponsible businessman with a campaign stop next week in Atlantic City, site of shuttered Trump casinos." -- CW

Zack Beauchamp of Vox: "Saturday morning, Donald Trump tweeted out a graphic attacking Hillary Clinton as corrupt.... [The graphic] overlays a six-pointed star, which looks a lot like a Star of David, on a pile of money.... The idea that politicians are controlled by Jewish money is one of the defining tropes of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. The apparent subtext of the graphic is that Hillary Clinton is corrupt, and that the source of the corruption is the Jews.... About two hours after the first tweet, he sent out a new version of the graphic which replaced the six-pointed star with a circle. He deleted the six-pointed star tweet about an hour later." CW: Includes reproduction of graphic, which I won't post.

Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "On the 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump has insisted that he is worth more than $10bn. However, a statement filed to the Securities and Exchange Commission by Wells Fargo Securities on Trump's behalf in 2012 indicated that the real estate developer was then worth less than half that, with comparatively few of the liquid assets that may now [be needed to] finance his campaign for president.... A a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo, insisted the 2012 filing was correct." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Harper Neidig of the Hill: "Arizona now has the strictest regulation on welfare of any state. A new law enacted Friday prohibits low-income families from receiving cash assistance from the Temporary Aid to Needy Families program for more than a year, according to the Arizona Republic. The state legislature approved the law last year in the midst of a budget crisis, but the state has since recuperated and had a modest surplus this year. Arizona's Democratic minority fought to keep the current limit of two years...." -- CW

Graig Graziosi & Jerod MacDonald-Evoy of the Arizona Republic: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Attorney General's Office have arrested an 18-year-old Tucson man they say conspired to carry out acts of terrorism against government buildings in Maricopa and Pima counties. Mahin Khan was arrested in Tucson following an investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to the FBI. He was booked into Maricopa County jail on suspicion of conspiring to commit terrorism." -- CW

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Rees Shapiro of the Washington Post: Court documents, including the Rolling Stone reporter's extensive notes, show that there were red flags -- even before publication of the story -- that the supposed victim was lying when she claims fraternity boys at the University of Virginia gang-raped her. -- CW

Way Beyond

Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post: "U.S. State Department officials confirmed Saturday that an American was among the hostages killed in the attack [on a Dhaka, Bangladesh, restaurant]. The identity of the victim, however, was not released.... At least one of the assailants has been taken into custody, according to reports." -- CW ...

... Emily Reyes, et al., of the Los Angeles Times: "Three students from American universities were among the victims of an armed attack at a restaurant in Bangladesh early Saturday, university and foreign officials confirmed." -- CW

Rukmini Callimachi of the New York Times: "For the Islamic State terrorist group, which broadly advised operatives it sent to Europe to kill 'anyone and everyone,' the group's tactics in Bangladesh have seemed more controlled. In the past nine months, it has claimed 19 attacks in the South Asian country, nearly all of them targeted assassinations singling out religious minorities and foreigners.... They included hacking to death a Hindu man, stabbing to death a Shiite preacher, murdering a Muslim villager who had been accused of converting to Christianity and sending suicide bombers into Shiite mosques.... A closer look ... suggests a group that is tailoring its approach for different regions and for different target audiences." -- CW

Ed Vulliamy of the Guardian: Tens of thousands of upper-crusty Brits marched in the streets of London in the "March for Europe." "At the end of the march, in Parliament Square, protesters listened to speakers including Bob Geldof and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker as well as politicians..." -- CW

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The unadulterated hatred directed toward the poor by Confederate controlled states, urged on , no doubt, by far right radio millionaires who themselves take advantage of every tax loophole designed to make life easier for the rich, is displayed in wide screen technicolor in Florida and Arizona. Forcing poor families in need of assistance to wait a year--two years??-- before they get anything is the kind cruelty the worst Dickens villains would stand in awe of.

Does anyone think for a second these or any other Republican controlled state would tell giant corporations like Exxon or filthy rich oligarchs like the Kochs they'd have to wait two years before their corporate welfare bennies kicked in?

July 3, 2016 |

Akhilleus

It seems to be the case with republican governors "monkey see,
monkey do". We now (in Michigan) have a bill pending to regulate
which restroom transgender persons will use. One republican
governor does it and the rest follow suit. Don't think about the
consequences, just do it. Should increase employment though.
Somebody has to check all those birth certificates. Der trump
should be good at that; he spent months checking out President
Obama's.

July 3, 2016 |

forrest morris

@Ak - law actually says they would get corporate welfare right away, but only for a year.

July 3, 2016 |

Whyte Owen

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