"Something went wrong. Disable your adblocker on TechCrunch
It looks like your adblocker is attempting to interfere with the intended operation of this site. Please add us to your adblocker's allowlist. Click below for instructions."
“We have received reports that some citizens have been hospitalized due to bacteria in the water. This is a serious public health concern that deserves immediate attention. If your water looks discolored, contains sediment, has a strong odor, or you have experienced related health issues, please send us a message. We are gathering information and reporting findings to the state.”
that is pretty solidly "free speech", not defamation, not allegations of anything, not "libel"‡
‡libel
noun
1. a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation
Example: he was found guilty of a libel on a Liverpool inspector of taxes
-defamation
-defamation of character
-character assassination
2. (in admiralty and ecclesiastical law) a plaintiff's written declaration
verb
1. defame (someone) by publishing a libel
Example: the jury found that he was libelled by a newspaper
----
But law can be complex and "injustices" happen all the time, so we'll see...
yeah it told me I'm "in Los Angeles" but that's just the time zone I'm in. It also "thinks" that because I have two different languages as inputs that it has scored some kind of "gotcha", but I just happen to also frequently use a second language .
"English · Chinese
Your browser’s primary language is English. It also carries Chinese. This tells us not just what language you speak, but often where you were raised, where you have lived, or who you live with. This is transmitted in the header of every HTTP request. It has been doing this for as long as you have used this browser."
No, the fact that I have English and Chinese as input languages does not tell it "where I was raised, where I have lived, or who I have lived with.". Might as well say "the fact that you're using a phone to look at the Internet tells reveals that you are someone who can access a phone to look at the Internet!". Yes, technologies interact with other technologies. That's how "technologies" work. Is it Orwellian? Yes. But is it more Orwellian than the surveillance states of Russia/China/North Korea. etc? We also can now find our phones/cars/devices that can share location, locate criminals by way of their online activity, record incidents that"need" to be recorded (like when ppl are committing crimes or when police officers need to be held accountable for their behavior). Catastrophizing about the "overreach" of tech is a cognitive choice. That all being said, it is good to be aware of what info our technologies "know" about us.
that's a good quote. I have to say though, despite the appeal of "rejecting 'tribalism' ", it is (or should be) "undeniable" that some "tribes" are "better" than others. There are reasons literally nobody wants to go to North Korea and people all over the world want to "flee" to countries that are meritocracies and support ideas like freedom of speech, women's rights, freedom of religion, etc. "Nobody" would claim (anymore) that "life is 'better' in countries that still have slaves".
Modern Slavery Stats:
1. Asia and the Pacific: ~29.3 million (6.8 per 1000 ppl)
2. Africa: ~7.0 million (5.2 per 1000)
3. Europe and Central Asia: ~6.4 million (6.9 per 1000)
100%. It's amazing how unfriendly/hostile MS has become with things like forced updates, trying to force users to use their shitty, bloated "Edge" browser, MS "Copilot", building location "services" as an "on-by-default" aspect of the OS. it's like they were deliberately trying to make users switch to Apple or Linux. But since Linux is a little more for "tech-savvy" ppl, I imagine Apple has been the biggest winner of MS's blindness.
100% 100% 100%
humanity is so obsessed with ai that we're losing...our humanity. "blame the mindless, soulless robots! how could we have possibly known that they need to be supervised?! aren't they basically just humans that don't need to rest or eat?"
-Overall, we rate the New York Times Left-Center biased based on wording and story selection that moderately favors the left.
- Overall, we rate The Washington Post as Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that moderately favor the left. Due to a few failed fact checks, they earn a Mostly Factual rating.
- Wired: These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation.
tangentially related, Dr. Andrew Huberman shared a video in which he asserts that exposing one's eyes to sunlight very soon after waking is "good for your brain" (essentially): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aWYjSA1Jc
Multiple peer-reviewed studies and analyses indicate an increase in traffic accidents—particularly fatal ones—following the spring transition to DST. This is often attributed to acute sleep deprivation (losing one hour of sleep), circadian rhythm disruption, and altered light conditions during peak commuting hours, which can impair alertness, reaction times, and visibility. Key findings include:
A large-scale U.S. study analyzing over 732,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents from 1996 to 2017 (published in Current Biology, 2020) reported a consistent 6% increase in fatal crash risk during the workweek immediately following the spring DST transition, equating to approximately 28 additional deaths annually in the U.S. The effect was more pronounced in western regions of time zones and persisted into afternoon hours despite longer evening daylight.
Other research has documented short-term spikes, such as increases of 16% on the first day and 12% on the second day after the spring change in some analyses, or broader elevations in fatal crashes linked to the "DST effect."
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses confirm short-term elevations in collision risk post-spring transition in many (though not all) contexts, with some evidence of higher fatal accident rates in the U.S. specifically.
The fall transition back to Standard Time shows more mixed or opposite patterns: some studies report small increases in certain crash types (e.g., due to darker evening commutes increasing pedestrian or deer-vehicle collisions), while others note decreases in vehicle-occupant fatalities or no net increase overall.
A 2017 systematic review of road traffic collision risk found inconsistent short-term effects across studies (some showing increases, decreases, or no change), but long-term analyses often suggested a net safety benefit from DST periods due to evening light. Recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) research (covering 2010–2019 U.S. data) indicated that spring DST increases fatal motor-vehicle occupant crashes (+12% in the following five weeks) but decreases fatal pedestrian/bicyclist crashes (−24%), resulting in a near-neutral net effect on total fatal crashes (slight increase in occupant deaths offset by fewer pedestrian/cyclist deaths).
In summary, your memory is correct in that empirical data—particularly from U.S.-based studies—support an increase in traffic accident frequency (especially fatal crashes) associated with Daylight Saving Time variations, most reliably in the immediate aftermath of the spring transition due to sleep loss and misalignment. However, effects are not uniform across all studies, regions, or crash types, and some research highlights trade-offs (e.g., benefits to pedestrians from evening light). Debates continue regarding permanent DST, permanent Standard Time, or abolition of changes altogether, with organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine favoring permanent Standard Time to minimize disruptions.
I used multiple sync "solutions" (terrible idea, in retrospect); Dropsync, Syncthing, Drivesync, in addition to paying for Obsidian Sync, because I was delusional about "backing up my data". Huge mistake on my part, I've spent many, many, many hours deduplicating worthless "backups". Agree with "just pay for Obsidian Sync".
Don't do what? Point out that "TFA' is selectively reporting on an (admittedly undeniably tragic and dystopian, as war inherently is) situation that has been weaponized by powerful, unfathomably wealthy “news” (”real” news can be framed such that it is “propaganda”) organizations?
Analysis of Potential Anti-Israel Bias
Bias in journalism is best assessed through criteria such as language tone, source selection and balance, contextual framing, omissions, and factual selectivity. This article exhibits several hallmarks of anti-Israel bias in its presentation, while reporting on verifiable elements of a tragic incident that has drawn international scrutiny.
Loaded and emotive language: Terms like "massacre," "executed," "execution-style killings," "ambushed," "point-blank range," and "deliberately" dominate descriptions of Israeli actions. Palestinian victims are consistently portrayed as unarmed, clearly identifiable "aid workers" with "emergency lights" and markings visible. Israeli forces are depicted as advancing methodically to kill survivors without provocation. By contrast, the article does not use neutral phrasing such as "incident," "exchange of fire," or "alleged." A quoted Forensic Architecture official explicitly links the event to "genocide," which the piece endorses without qualification.
One-sided sourcing and lack of balance: The core narrative relies on PRCS (a Palestinian organization), two named survivors, and Forensic Architecture/Earshot—entities whose prior work has frequently focused on alleged Israeli violations. A single supportive quote comes from a Center for Constitutional Rights attorney. The Israeli military's response is relegated to a brief paragraph near the end, presented without detailed rebuttal or independent corroboration of its claims (e.g., that the convoy was uncoordinated or posed a perceived threat in an active combat zone). No interviews with IDF personnel, Israeli forensic experts, or neutral third-party analysts appear.
Selective contextual framing and omissions: The article opens by noting Israel's "abandonment" of a January 2025 ceasefire and resumption of "scorched earth bombing," implying unprovoked aggression. It provides no discussion of the broader operational context in Rafah (an area of ongoing military activity post-ceasefire violations by both sides), Hamas's documented history of embedding in civilian and medical infrastructure, or any potential misidentification of vehicles/personnel in pre-dawn conditions. Claims of a "rescue convoy" responding to an airstrike omit whether movements were coordinated with Israeli forces (a point raised in Israeli accounts). Post-incident military engineering (the "Morag Corridor") is framed solely as evidence concealment rather than standard security measures. Autopsy details from PRCS/Guardian sources alleging "intent to kill" are accepted without cross-examination.
Publication context: Drop Site News, founded by journalists with records of critical coverage of Israel and U.S. policy, is rated left-biased by independent evaluators, with a tendency toward one-sided narratives on conflict issues. The timing aligns precisely with the Forensic Architecture/Earshot report release, functioning more as advocacy amplification than detached analysis.
Counterpoints and Broader Context
Independent reporting and Israeli statements acknowledge a serious incident involving the deaths of protected aid personnel, with autopsies indicating close-range upper-body wounds and an internal IDF probe admitting a "professional error" while denying executions. The audio-visual evidence cited (gunshot counts, shooter positioning via echolocation, lack of return fire) appears methodologically rigorous and has been cross-verified in allied outlets. However, Israeli accounts describe an ambush setup in a high-threat environment where the convoy's approach was deemed suspicious, with no coordination notified. The event occurred amid resumed hostilities following ceasefire breakdowns, and Palestinian Civil Defense has been alleged by Israel to have militant ties in other contexts. These elements receive minimal or no engagement in the article, limiting its analytical depth.
Overall Assessment
The article demonstrates clear anti-Israel bias through its adversarial framing, selective emphasis, emotive terminology, and near-exclusive reliance on sources critical of Israel, while marginalizing the Israeli perspective and relevant conflict context. It advances a narrative of deliberate, unprovoked executions as established fact, rather than a contested interpretation of evidence from a chaotic combat zone. That said, the underlying forensic reconstruction raises substantive questions about proportionality and accountability that merit transparent investigation by credible international bodies—not dismissal. A more balanced treatment would integrate diverse viewpoints, test competing hypotheses (e.g., misidentification versus intent), and avoid presuming genocidal motive. Readers seeking a fuller picture should consult primary sources, including the full Earshot/Forensic Architecture report, Israeli military statements, and contemporaneous coverage from multiple outlets.
Here's a list to help ease angst about how "necessary" or "appropriate" it may or may not be to universally villainize/dehumanize Republicans/conservatives:
Beyond the foundational achievement of Abraham Lincoln in preserving the Union and ending slavery, the Republican Party has initiated several major policies that are widely regarded as landmarks of progress in American and global history. Given your focus on “material and real-world results” rather than hypothetical concepts, these examples highlight tangible shifts in infrastructure, health, and civil rights.
1. The Creation of the National Park System (Theodore Roosevelt)
Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, is often called the “Conservationist President.” He used his authority to protect approximately 230 million acres of public land.
Material Result: He established the U.S. Forest Service and signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allowed for the protection of landmarks as National Monuments 1. This created the blueprint for the modern National Park System, ensuring that vast wilderness areas remained public rather than being depleted by unregulated industry.
2. The Interstate Highway System (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways.
Material Result: This is often cited as the largest public works project in human history. It fundamentally transformed the American economy by lowering transportation costs, enhancing national security (allowing for rapid troop movement), and physically uniting the country.
3. Founding of the EPA and the Clean Air Act (Richard Nixon)
While Richard Nixon is a controversial figure, his environmental record resulted in some of the most successful bipartisan legislation in U.S. history.
Material Result: In 1970, Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and signed the Clean Air Act. These actions led to a dramatic reduction in lead in the atmosphere, a decrease in acid rain, and significantly cleaner waterways across the nation 1. These laws prevented an estimated 205,000 premature deaths in their first 20 years alone.
4. The Americans with Disabilities Act (George H.W. Bush)
Signed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was a landmark civil rights law that prohibited discrimination based on disability.
Material Result: This act forced a “material” change in the physical world—requiring “reasonable accommodations” like ramps, elevators, and accessible public transit. It is considered the gold standard for disability rights globally and was passed with broad Republican leadership.
5. PEPFAR: The Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS (George W. Bush)
In 2003, George W. Bush launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, primarily in Africa.
Material Result: This program is almost universally praised as one of the most successful humanitarian programs in history. As of 2024, it is credited with saving more than 25 million lives and preventing millions of HIV infections. It reflects a massive, tangible victory in global health initiated by a Republican administration.
6. The First Step Act (Donald Trump)
In 2018, the First Step Act was signed into law to address issues in the federal criminal justice system, such as reducing recidivism and correcting sentencing disparities that disproportionately affected minority communities.
Material Result: This was a rare bipartisan “victory” that led to the immediate release of thousands of non-violent offenders and established new rehabilitative programs within federal prisons.
---
But yeah. "republicans are evil" is only three words and that's a whole lot easier to handle conceptually (and self-gratifyingly!), so let's just go physically attack people like Charlie Kirk, Edward Coristine ("Big Balls"), or set fire to a Tesla dealership!
"Glorious socialism is the only solution to defeating the 'evil capitalists' that are 'ruining the world' ", right?
Debating someone who emotes instead of reasons taps into an ancient human flaw:
In argument psychology, it’s called the *backfire effect* — *when presented with evidence, people often double down instead of reconsidering.* (Brains: delightfully stubborn jelly blobs.)