George Dubya

@itisgeorge.bsky.social

1371

Posts

A mishmash: Middle East stuff, development stuff, organizational dysfunction, crisis response, carbon transition dynamics, silly sports things. Mostly here to read smarter people than me.

Posts Replies Media

The GOP pitch with Vance is pretty obvious, right? Blue collar Ohio guy who worked for his spot unlike all these out of touch elites and that DEI black girl from California, proof that if you’re poor and don’t prosper it’s because you’re lazy. I could definitely see him getting traction. 1/3

Read these stories. The global warming adaptation discourse is wack because how do you adapt every home, road, power line, and other piece of infrastructure? John Holdren said our response to global warming will be a mix of mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. I suspect it'll mostly be suffering.

I feel so bad for people in Houston, man

Not sympathizing with Trump at all, but killing people is really not how we want to do political conflict in this country. The bullets never just go one way. I've lived in places where leaders get blown up; trust me, it's not what you want. We already beat Trump at the polls and can do so again.

Reposted by

George Dubya

I shouldn't engage trolls but he's not transphobic and you fucking know it. 3 days ago he blasted transphobia in the NYT as the continuation of some really ugly history. Saying "you're transphobic if you don't quit your job the moment some internet randos tell you to" is bullshit.

Opinion | Trump’s Lust for Expulsion, Explainedwww.nytimes.com It is no accident that he is talking about immigrants’ “poisoning the blood of our country.”

If anybody involved in running off jbouie sees this, could you do me a favor and block me or otherwise disassociate so we don't interact? Because that was some bullshit and you're probably an unpleasant person. I'm here to see interesting conversations and that just got harder. thanks

oooooof Jamelle Bouie is gone

I feel like the Democrat's secret weapon is Trump de-activating his own voters with his horseshit about voting being rigged. There are likely 2-3 extra D senators thanks to this and I could see Biden or (candidate to be named later) picking up an extra state or 2 in 2024 the same way

it continues to be about activating voters rather than persuading people to shift positions. as it ever is ...

Have faith. Marshawn will make this awesome, he always does. The dude's Football Yoda and was in a weird way the smartest guy on a team full of extremely smart guys. Yes I'm a Seahawks fan who has had a crush on the man since before he caused a damn earthquake BUT STILL.

I’M IN HELL

Josh Marshall said this better but if the president is immune from prosecution for all official acts then it's hard to know what the founding fathers meant when they wrote high crimes and misdemeanors into the constitution. They weren't worried the president would smoke crack or shoplift from CVS

Reposted by

George Dubya

Had we listened to Anita Hill, we wouldn't be here today. Had we listened to the women sexually abused by Trump, we wouldn't be here today. Had we listened to Christine Blasey Ford, we wouldn't be here today.

The right wing legal universe is more baffling than late Star Wars movies. Some podunk judge can micromanage POTUS's decisions; also POTUS can murder people without consequence. It only makes sense working back from the premise of "our guys (Trump. bigots, oil companies, etc.) get to win."

It's not just the Supreme Court that's corrupt. Today, in Louisiana, another radical Trump appointed judge decided that dirty LNG projects should go forward, even if they poison Americans. A corrupt legal system benefits fossil fuel corporations. www.nytimes.com/2024...

Judge Orders Biden Administration to Resume Permits for Gas Exportswww.nytimes.com President Biden had paused new natural gas export terminals to assess their effects on the climate, economy and national security. A federal judge disagreed.

Just got back from vacation running around Yellowstone with the kids. I didn't miss anything did I?

Jesus why the hell would anyone believe that? Bint Jbeil is two miles from the border and the Israelis couldn't even take that in 2006. But sure man, this time around Israel can totally uproot Hezbollah from its heartland in a few days. If you believe those guys you're an idiot.

Oh man I jut put 2 and 2 together. In 2021 these goofs had a fundraiser with a weekend of indoor activities and no masks in sight that ended up getting over 10% of their town infected. They had to close the only grocery store and the only bank for 90 miles because the staff were all sick 1/3

Oh my God, I didn't realize this is literally the exact story I told in ONE NATION UNDER GOD. The Fraternal Order of Eagles was instrumental in spreading these Ten Commandments monuments across America in the 1950s ... as part of a promotional tour with the Cecil B. DeMille epic.

Indoor events bring virus outbreak in Republic, Washingtonwww.kxly.com About 10% of the population of Republic has tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak traced to large indoor events last month at the local Fraternal Order of Eagles hall.

Reposted by

George Dubya

1/3 Senior Israeli military commander Gur Rosenblat is explicit: All of Gaza, “not just the Hamas organization,” must be eliminated and its 2 million people driven out. The Strip, he writes on social media, should “cease to exist.”

"May Gaza burn": The flood of genocidal rhetoric from Israel's soldierszeteo.com Inside Israel's Insta-Genocide, Part Two of our Zeteo investigation

Very good thread re: concerts and climate change. I can't imagine buying an advance ticket for an outdoor summer concert these days--NOT because I'm an old fuddy duddy, shut up!--but because who knows if it will be a million degrees outside or shrouded in smoke or God knows what else

Last November when I was helping report on the fan who died from heat exhaustion at the Taylor Swift concert, an expert warned me that she was the tip of a very deadly iceberg. /1

One of those mystery flights? Is that a thing that Aussies do? I like to know where a plane is going before I get on it but we Americans are uptight like that

Anthony Albanese trying to explain Peter Dutton's stance using one of the most confused metaphors I've ever seen archive.ph/03rdj#select...

AI's use case seems more limited by the day beyond SEO optimization, but money launderers and tax cheats and goldbug weirdos will always be with us. The best regulation would be a mandated switch to proof of stake. Cuts power use 99%. Hell, the drug cartels using crypto could sell carbon offsets!

One of the key reasons why I think Bitcoin is a far greater worry than AI (which is still worrying!) in terms of destructive power demand: it is simply far, far more effective and rewarding in terms of fraud (and despite not featuring in headlines, is more power hungry than ever)

Everyone should go back to normal headlights. I want to buy well made things that I own, not piece of shit things that are part of "______ as a service" The damn kids these days with their high-waisted jeans and broccoli haircuts

What’s the most boomer complaint you have?

I have to confess I first read this as "Israel accuses Unrwa of frequently providing aid deliveries to Gaza" and had to read it again

Unrwa accuses Israel of frequently preventing aid deliveries to Gaza

Unrwa accuses Israel of frequently preventing aid deliveries to Gazawww.theguardian.com UN relief agency says authorities are hampering operations by failing to grant requests for access permits

Go go go

Batteries have replaced 50% of California's gas power compared to a year ago. "Last year, battery deployment in the energy sector increased by more than 130 per cent year over year" Storage replaced fossil fuels. And it is coming on fast and getting cheaper.

AI boom powers rivals to Tesla’s battery storage businesswww.ft.com Investors have been eyeing under-appreciated storage companies to bet on the AI revolution

Set aside the racism/imperialism/etc.--and that's a lot to set aside. Just on feasibility alone, our experience getting shot at for 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan should dissuade us from sending troops to Gaza. On the other hand maybe McKinsey powerpoints will bore Hamas to death

Such a stupid idea

God I hope they don't. We finally have the tools we need to beat climate change--not that we're using all of them, but we at least have them. But they're a mix of public pressure, technology, economics, and govt. regulations. If SCOTUS takes regulation off the table then we're in real trouble.

NEW: SCOTUS could soon overturn the "Chevron doctrine," upending numerous federal regulations designed to protect the public. At least 20 right-wing groups linked to court-whisperers like Charles Koch and Leonard Leo have backed the assault on Chevron. therevolvingdoorproject.org/amicus-spotl...

Amicus Spotlight: Loper Bright & Relentless | Revolving Door Projecttherevolvingdoorproject.org 20 right-wing groups linked to court-whisperers want SCOTUS to make its most dangerous regulatory power grab yet.

Good piece by @landdesk.bsky.social about building renewables in ways that avoid destruction, vs getting tied up in predatory delay. My impatience comes from a) the emergency we're in and b) how many arguments against this or that renewable project are obvious BS. But some should be taken seriously

Meditations on solar, Joshua trees, and the movement to kill clean energywww.landdesk.org And a Summer's a-coming subscription deal -- 20% off!

This may explain that poll where a bunch of respondents were claiming to have nuclear submarine licenses

Pollsters are simulating political surveys with AI because nobody answers the phone: ash.harvard.edu/articles/usi... "The big difference between humans and AI agents is that the AI agents always pick up the phone..."

Using AI for Political Polling – Ash Centerash.harvard.edu

"Assholes exist" is a good rule of thumb when trying to understand this kind of thing

Once again, its worth having a conversation about the fact that theres a growing trend online of people framing pretty bog standard anti-social behaviors & conservative beliefs within leftist/progressive language in order to argue that what they're doing is actually righteous and moral.

Gimme the permanent geoengineering. I mean, people are dropping dead from heatwaves in Delhi now, and here's an excellent talk by @rahmstorf.bsky.social on the Atlantic circulation possibly shutting off in the next few years, screwing up weather all over the world. (Go to 29:00 for the results)

The remaining carbon budget means that emissions need to go to zero to stop additional global warming. We have to live with the damage already caused (unless you are into mind boggling scales of carbon dioxide removal or permanent geoengineering). 7/

Tipping risk of the Atlantic Ocean's overturning circulation, AMOC. Keynote by Prof. Rahmstorfwww.youtube.com One of the most ominous risks for Europe is that of a major change in Atlantic ocean currents.Recent science suggests it has been greatly underestimated in t...

I was hoping it was a gay bar doing some excellent trolling, but alas. Anyway, any self-respecting straight male horndog out on the town will take one look at this place and immediately ditch it for somewhere with chicks.

This is a bar for only the most straight heterosexual men. Cowboys, Construction workers, Cops, Leather Bound Bikers, Firefighters, Wrestlers, and Sailors. No girl stuff. Just sweaty heterosexual men being sweaty & heterosexual & male with each other. No femmes. All He/him. Males for males. M4M.

In my experience the only people less conservative than the Palestinians are Lebanese. I once attended a Beirut security training where the American teacher told my female colleagues to dress like the locals so as not to offend. Their response: "So we should all be wearing Prada and push-up bras?"

People think of the Palestinians as the most fanatical and religious of the Arabs but it's more or less the opposite actually. Palestinians are far more cosmopolitan and less conservative than many of their neighbors. Jordan, the biggest center of Palestinians in-exile, certainly isn’t a theocracy.

Here’s one of the more depressing stories you’ll read, about a MAGA Youtube jackass calling himself a “first amendment auditor” starting pointless fights so he can get clicks and maybe kill someone. It's a new lethal schtick to be aware of; Youtube prankster + Kyle Rittenhouse. 1/18

Judge slams Coeur d'Alene man who livestreamed Second and Division shooting for antagonizing homeless peoplewww.spokesman.com An Idaho man antagonizing people near Division Street and Second Avenue in Spokane as he streamed it live on his YouTube channel had multiple chances to leave before he shot and seriously injured a pe...

A little bit of backstory here (mentioned briefly in the interview): Electricity is a service that lends itself to monopoly because if you own the power lines, you can make any competitor build their own set of power lines rather than use yours if they want to compete. 1/

"...how do we keep this stuff resilient when industry is incentivized to extract profit over reinvestment and grid hardening? If we believe energy is a human right, do we keep people's utility costs low and universal when shareholders are more important?" www.terrain.news/p/we-have-to...

We Have to Own the Gridwww.terrain.news An interview with Johanna Bozuwa on public power, effective climate policy, and movement-oriented research