i think that platner reflecting the preferences of the idiosyncratic coalition that elected him is going to be annoying, but much less damaging than manchin reflecting the preferences of the idiosyncratic coalition that elected him, or sinema reflecting the preferences of her scumbag donors.

50% of them did

first step is you form up all your infantry into those big arrow shaped formations on the battlefield

Thanks!

where are these collected? would LOVE to read more of them

i recognize this is translated (by ai no less) but it still seems much more condemnatory of the IDF than i’d expect from Ravid

imagining a press conference where the DoD’s press secretary is asked about the mysterious explosion that killed bukele and just pretending she didn’t hear the question

I hear tell that Mr. Paine is already compoſing one of his Interminable Broadſides, his guns fix’d now upon the wretch’d Nermal. The beaſt wearies me unto the grave; like the noble Garfield, I find myſelf divert’d from nobler Purſuits when I am stricken by its dreadful Viſage.

what i mean is that attacks that would be effective against google, in terms of compelling changes while being both legally achievable and politically feasible, are difficult and will take lots of prep work. a committed DoD could drive palantir into bankruptcy quickly, easily and with little risk.

musk does stupid things because he’s stupid, karp/thiel/luckey do stupid things because they inhabit a completely fictional reality 24/7

there are some very large and evil companies that the us government is not really well positioned to act against, at least quickly or decisively - amazon, google, facebook, etc. palantir is not one of them, president AOC could turn them into a smoking crater in two months

iran was handed control of one of the world’s most critical waterways tbh

it’s easy to make fun, but i’m
sure there are plenty of folks out there who would jump at the chance to get a death grip handie from an audhd database engineer in TCOAAL cosplay

the cost to redeveloping already-built housing is high and can only be recouped over time (and the size of the benefit is dependent on factors outside of your control). If you stop development you place upward pressure on rents, accruing certain and immediate gains.

i think one reason NIMBYism is so pervasive is that different parts of the NIMBY coalition derive material and non-material benefits from blocking new construction

the worst part of housing discourse is when NIMBYs frame the debate as “developers vs renters,” when in fact the group that benefits the most from halting new construction is *landlords* - but when you phrase it as renters vs. landlords it’s immediately obvious that NIMBYs are on the wrong side

Have you heard anything about whether ships taking the “coordinated” route are being required to pay tolls (and, if so, if they are paying them)? That’s the key question and I have seen no reliable reporting one way or the other.

my understanding is that ships that are willing to follow the IRGC’s route, and (possibly?) pay a toll, are allowed to traverse. Given that the ceasefire ends in a few days, though, I would not expect many ships to be on the inbound route, since they will end up trapped if hostilities resume

the ur-example here is Kissinger, who was frequently considered an “evil genius” even by his enemies, when in reality he was an incompetent, bullying toady who oversaw pretty much every significant american strategic humiliation of the 20th century

i wonder if the markets read the iranian statement, which says that 1) the strait is only open for the remaining duration of the ceasefire and 2) is subject to “security arrangements” ie the ayatollbooth

i think the key here is that people’s anger isn’t tethered to specific current facts, but to the gap between facts and expectations. we just had two elections in a row where the winning platform was “i will make things how they were five years ago” and neither winner actually did that.

reasonable people can disagree but i think the most telling names are hassan and shaheen. they’re reliable votes *against* the dem base on controversial bills; this shows that there really is no “default” support for israel within the party anymore, it’s *just* committed zionist ideologues

ngl if i actually did teleport somewhere, even once, i would never shut up about it. i would become obsessed. not ruling out the possibility that aliens or demons actually did teleport this guy one time just to fuck with him.

there is a persistent false belief across the political spectrum that a significant number of americans live in dire, grinding poverty of the kind typically associated with, like, favelas or sub-saharan africa

the concern is that trump is too stupid to recognize that and may try something that ends in #2. the romanian option is very unpleasant to live through even if it ultimately works out.

probably, but it’s awkward if we’re spinning back up and trump is on TV saying “and i told them, good luck to you, but you don’t need our help so we’re going home”

no worse than 30%. odds he actually responds, though? like imagine if israel decides to go nuts and tehran responds with a big wave of missiles, and a bunch of them get through because israel's ABM stocks are low... what then? does trump say "ok fine we're back" or does he say "oh well good luck"

over on the bad website the chuds are all hooting and hollering about how good this is for the US, because it's such a big oil producer, and i want to shake them by the shoulders and shout "you, personally, do not own a drilling operation or refinery! this is going to be very bad for you!"

the UAE “does not accept” iran’s possession of ballistic missiles in the same way that my toddler “does not accept” naptime