During the State of the Union address, Joe Biden basically yelled at Republicans, "Get off my lawn!" And in this case his lawn is the future of democracy and the modern world order. Look, a campaign year State of Union address isn't the kind of thing that's necessarily going to move undecided voters in an election 8 months away. But it can fire up the base (Biden just had his biggest fundraising day) and it can address lingering questions, the primary one in this case being about Biden's age. After last night's speech, described by just about everyone as feisty, the argument that Biden is too old isn't aging well. Here are few more takeaways from the night that The Atlantic's David Graham describes as, The Most Unusual State of the Union in Living Memory (which seems like a particularly low bar since most Americans have not remembered any State of the Union for much longer than about 45 minutes post completion). First, even in these crazy MAGA times, it's notable that we've lived long enough to see a president quote Reagan and only the Democrats clap. But that wasn't the half of it. Biden's speech was heavily combative to be sure, but no matter what he brought up, only half the chamber cheered. "The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer." Half. "American roads bridges and highways will be made with American products built by American workers creating good-paying American jobs." Half. "Respect free and fair elections! Restore trust in our institutions! And make clear — political violence has absolutely no place in America! " Half. And when Biden called for more humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the pursuit of a two state solution? Half. Anyway, I haven't told you the half of it, so watch the event for yourself. 2UFOMO"A lengthy Defense Department review of U.S. government activities related to 'unidentified anomalous phenomena,' more commonly known as UFOs, has found no evidence that extraterrestrial intelligence has visited Earth or that authorities have recovered crashed alien spacecraft and are hiding them from the public." WaPo(Gift Article): Pentagon report finds no evidence of alien visits, hidden spacecraft. With plane doors flying open and landing gear tires falling from the air, are UFOs really our biggest concern somewhere out there? 3Tik Tok Block Back on ClockIf the election match-up isn't giving you a severe enough case of Deja Vu, there's also the repeat of the 2020 story about politicians looking to ban TikTok. The outcome may be less similar than the set up. Platformer: A new TikTok ban gains steam. "What makes it feel different this time? One key difference here is speed. It’s rare for any legislation, much less a major tech regulation, to be introduced and pass out of committee in two days." 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Book: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is "a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us." In addition to being a good story, people I trust say that Robinson gets science right. Need a warmup? Marina Korena in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone. 5Extra, ExtraEven Aid is Dangerous: "In a video obtained by CNN on Friday, an airdrop goes wrong when the parachute on a pallet malfunctions. The pallet and its contents can be seen falling at a high speed towards a residential building near the Fairoz Towers in western Gaza." At least 5 killed after airdropped aid falls on them in Gaza. Meanwhile, Biden's announced pier to be used to receive aid will take weeks to build. In the meantime, like always, there's World Central Kitchen. Inside José Andrés' risky mission to get food to Gaza. (José Andrés would have been a perfect guest for last night's SOTU address.) 6Feel Good Friday"There was not much to offer the candidates. The pay: $38,000 per year but no recruiting budget or staff. The facilities: a gym whose court is seven feet short of regulation, whose showers don’t have running water and whose men’s locker room doesn’t have a toilet. And another thing: there were no players." Billy Witz in the NYT (Gift Article): This Man Turned the Worst Job in College Basketball Into a Slam Dunk. "South Carolina Salkehatchie had no budget, players or running water in the locker room when Matt Lynch arrived. One season in, the first publicly gay head coach is figuring out how to win, on the court and off." Have a good weekend, Dave Pell, Duke of URL
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Friday, March 8, 2024
You Kids Get Off My Longevity
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