Auntie G

Ugg. I'm sorry this happened.

I played one without knowing it was a fake. FWIW, it was immediately evident that it was AI slop. The script was bland & repetitious, and utterly lacking in your unique style. And when I peered closely to the screen, the words don't even sync to the image correctly.

(For some reason this landed back in my feed...)

I've since learned that the reason I never heard of this is probably because I'm Catholic, not Protestant (we have our own racist tropes to be ashamed of, just not that one).

But given that the US culture is Protestant-coded, it's good to know.

This really makes it sound like a Border Patrol agent tried to kill an anti-ICE activist in Chicago and DHS lied to cover for him

They know the GOP is the ONLY group whose leaders are guilty of insurrection. They NEED for protest to be re-labeled "insurrection", because they need a whatabout for false equivalency.

It's the "We're not insurrectionists, YOU are!" strategy.

Plus it always helps tyrants to criminalize dissent.

Please tell me that referencing Caine is not a red flag. I've been referring to ICE officials as "earning the Mark of Caine" recently, I'd be mortified if I had been invoking a racist meme.

I’m currently overwhelmed with Hugo reading, but it’s # 1 on my TBR once I get through 2 more novels, 5 novellas, and assorted graphic & short fiction.

Too much reading wonderfulness in this world!!!

It’s like Miller practices in the mirror.

As many anticipated, the Administration's claim that it can't bring back Abrego Garcia means judges will be much more willing to find for Plaintiffs in other cases.

See Judge Hellerstein's reasoning below.

Plus: "If that is not irreparable harm, what is?"

Re-posting to check out when I get home.

Ada Palmer is a brilliant lecturer and her prose style is exquisite, fascinating, and (at times) dryly hilarious. (She’s a pretty great singer, too.)

I can’t wait to read her newly-published non-fiction history, “Inventing the Renaissance”.

You are in for SUCH a treat!

Your regular reminder that almost everything Trump is getting away with is not because of presidential strength, but because of congressional weakness and judicial deference.

The constitutional tools are already there to fix this, but those who can fix it are refusing to do so.

This is why I went in and adjusted my setting to do searches that specifically reject AI results.

And also why my preferred search engine is Duck Duck Go.

29 days since I discovered this BS summary of Clarkesworld being served by Google. Multiple complaints have been filed, yet it is still there, mispresenting us. It's like they refuse to acknowledge the articles that now surround it. (My blog, The Guardian, NPR)

I don't think people realize that in important respects tariffs are now higher & more inflationary than what was announced on last Wednesday.

Since then we've gone from 54% to 125% on China, our 3rd largest trading partner. That outweighs delaying the increases on 70+ others.

OK, I took your word for it and I am SO THANKFUL.

I thought this was going to be one of those tedious set-ups where someone keeps doing a job while a nemesis keeps getting the credit and OH BOY I shouldn't make assumptions after only p.60. COMPLETELY different story.

Thanks again. 😉 On to Book 2!

The ACA was cool because it made it illegal to deny you access to health care for needing access to health care

the things it banned were so horrifying that people straight up don't believe they were real

“If he’s in this country illegally then fine, deport him. But to do it in way under authorities that are legal is not the way to go”

To do it in ways that are not legal IS KIDNAPPING.

People need to stop tiptoeing around on this. This was a mass kidnapping and everyone behind it belongs in prison.

Former US attorney for Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber found dead at 43 Jessica Aber, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), was found dead Saturday morning, the Alexandria Police Department said. She was 43 years old. The cause and circumstance...

It never got a lot of attention, but Aber put a WHOLE LOT of child predators w/ties to law enforcement in prison.

www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/f...

I'm only on p.60 of the first book - Bambleby has just made an appearance and I swear, I'm having ptsd symptoms from recalling all the times a (usually male) colleague swept in and took credit for the work of others (often me).

PLEASE tell me he doesn't get away with it, because I'm ready to DNF.

45/7's administration has been erasing American heroes who come from minority groups, including the 442nd Infantry Regiment & Indigenous Code Talkers.

But the editors at Wikipedia are on the ball, tracking deletions at the US DoD & reporting on website status.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-DE...

Cover to "Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings" by Neil Price, alongside a quote: "The week ended with a day that in English is named after a Roman god, Saturnus. But in the Scandinavian languages, is still Lørdag, derived from the old Norse word for a hot thermal spring. In other words, bath night."

Currently reading "Children of Ash and Elm" (Neil Price). Fascinating subject, delightful prose.

Scandinavia had such a wonderfully weird culture that when relatable bits break through it's wonderful. Time to take it back from ignorant posers who'd twist & pervert it to purposes of white supremacy.

See links to our past selections (hosted by the Chicago Library, though our usual meeting place is the Oak Park Library):

2021-present chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/disp...

2014-2021 chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/disp...

2006-2014 chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/disp...

3/3

To attend Chicago SF book meetings online, we have a Discord channel, "Chicago-SF-book-discussions". Links to join are normally posted on our Facebook page the day before. I will try to post one here, too.

This group has been meeting for 18 years and counting. For a list of past selections...

Cover to the novel "The Stardust Grail" by Yume Kitasei

The next Chicago SF book discussion pick is "The Stardust Grail", by Yume Kitasei. We'll meet on April 26 at 2 PM at the Oak Park (IL) Library. (To attend online, see reply.)

We'll also pick the featured books for May, June, July, and August at the next mtg. (Probably 2025 Hugo nominees.)
1/3

Cover art for the US edition of "Service Model", the 2024 novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Cover art for the UK edition of "Service Model", the 2024 novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I just finished "Service Model" by @aptshadow.bsky.social this book last week.

Holy $!@% it's amazing. A hilariously sharp social satire, thoroughly original characters, and an ending that rejects nihilism.

Just in case anyone is looking to fill a slot on their "Best Novel of 2024" Hugo ballot.

Sounds like someone's ready for SpiderSnakePork™, the delectable flesh of the eight-legged snakepig, a genetically-engineered abomination that may ultimately destroy humanity but is also very, very delicious.

Ask your retailer for SpiderSnakePork™. From Monsanto.

So, not a comfy mystery?

It isn’t “gun jumping.” It’s capitulation to an authoritarian. Again, if this keeps up, they should all resign. There was nothing untoward or unethical here. It was basic video editing. Admitting to anything else would be journalistic malpractice.