Extra, Extra
School Shooting: “What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.” A shooter believed to be 14 years old killed at least four people and injured many more at a high school in Georgia. Here’s the latest from CNN.
+ Total Dis: The criminal charges “represented a U.S. government effort at disrupting a persistent threat from Russia that American officials have long warned has the potential to sow discord and create confusion among voters. Washington has said that Russia remains the primary threat to elections even as the FBI investigates a hack by Iran of Donald Trump’s campaign and an attempt breach of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign.” US accuses Russia of using state media to spread disinformation before the November election. (Of course, the biggest source of disinformation isn’t coming from Russia or Iran. It’s coming from Mar-a-Lago.)
+ Stark Raving Maduro: “It’s September and it already feels like Christmas. So this year – as a way of paying tribute to you and thanking you – I’m going to decree that Christmas be brought forward to 1 October.” Maduro declares Christmas in October amid Venezuela’s post-election strife.
+ Star Crossed: “En masse, celebrity stan accounts posted tearful farewells over the weekend as X was suspended in Brazil amid a showdown between Elon Musk and a Supreme Court justice. Many of their hundreds of thousands of followers learned only then that their favorite celebrity’s most dedicated English-language fan accounts had actually been run by Brazilians.” There’s no X in Brazil. Celebrity fandom worldwide is in disarray. And from Axios: “Elon Musk’s Starlink said Tuesday it will comply with a Brazil court order to block access after all in the country to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that’s controlled by the billionaire.” (He owns too much. There’s too much news about him.)
+ Ethically Challenged: From ProPublica, a lede that truly captures an era when so many people have lost faith in once trusted institutions. “Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, privately heaped praise on a major religious-rights group for fighting efforts to reform the nation’s highest court — efforts sparked, in large part, by her husband’s ethical lapses.”
+ Shot Clock: StatNews: Trying to time your vaccines just right? There are no easy answers, but here are some factors to consider.
+ A Quiet Place: “It is essential that, except for the goalkeeper, offensive guide, or coach giving directions, no one speaks during the game. That’s partly because the ball itself is constructed with rattles sewn between the inner tube and the outer shell, which allow blind players to envision its location through sound suggestions. Spectators are asked to remain in strict silence so as not to disturb the players, who must rely on their hearing, such as when one of the players signals to the others that he is making an action toward an opponent. The audience can cheer only after goals.” Wired: How Blind Soccer Is Played at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
+ Episodic Memory: Rolling Stone with a fun list of The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time.
