Extra, Extra
Cheech and Long: “The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.” US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift. It’s crazy it’s taken this long to come to the conclusion that pot is not as dangerous as heroin.
+ U Doth Protest Too Much? It’s official. The protests about a war are getting a lot more coverage than the actual war. CNN: Protests disrupt colleges across the US. One of the most remote (and most surprising and most aggressive) protests is happening in a place that we’d usually associate with the story above. “When university administrators across the nation worry about the potential fallout from campus protests, they may have Siemens Hall in mind. The building, at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, includes the campus president’s office and has been occupied for a week by pro-Palestinian protesters who barricaded themselves inside and fought off an early attempt by police to remove them.” I’m all for the freedom to protest. But here’s one thing that sticks in my mind. Some people NYC and elsewhere were tearing down posters of Israeli hostages before Israel even responded the Oct 7 attack.
+ Bibi Gun: I’m sure I’ll receive some wildly antisemitic responses to that thought (or maybe even be called pro-genocide). After all, someone recently accused me of being supportive of the Netanyahu government, which is about as accurate as calling me a Trump apologist. Now, with a ceasefire seemingly close, Bibi seems determined to torpedo it. Israeli PM Netanyahu says Rafah attack will happen regardless of deal. If you think Bibi is extreme, you should hear the lunatics with whom he’s formed his hellish coalition.
+ Alice in Sunderland: “Nearly 40 million families, or 29% of the population, fall in the category of ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — according to United Way’s United for ALICE program, which first coined the term to refer to households earning above the poverty line but less than what’s needed to get by.”
+ Connecting the Nots: “When COVID-19 hit and the sheer scope of the digital divide in America became clear, Congress moved quickly to create an emergency fund to help people pay for internet access. That fund later grew into what’s known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, a $30 monthly benefit that more than 23 million low-income households.” Millions of Americans are about to lose internet access, and Congress is to blame.
+ Sub Zero: “‘Being ‘underway’ on a sub, the sailors say, is like working in a small office space with no windows, no way to leave, no Wi-Fi and zero cell service. Crucial military decisions are made entirely on the boat, with no outside communication.” NYT (Gift Article) with a very cool (and very cold) look Inside a Navy Submarine Navigating the Arctic.
+ YA Titillated: “Young adult fiction such as The Hunger Games, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Heartstopper graphic novels might be aimed at teenagers – but new research has shown that more than a quarter of readers of YA in the UK are over the age of 28.”
