Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
August 13, 2023
https://www.thedailybeast.com/shan-wu-writes-hunter-biden-special-counsel-david-weiss-shows-ag-merrick-garland-is-clueless
https://archive.li/rfQey
After spending a half-decade investigating Hunter Biden, the U.S. Department of Justice has now decided that it needs a special counsel to finish the job. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that he would name David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, as the special counsel for the prosecution of President Biden’s only surviving son after Weiss requested the appointment and in light of what Garland termed to be the “extraordinary circumstances” of the case which made such an appointment to be in the public interest.
Weiss–originally appointed by former President Trump—first opened the investigation in 2019 and was allowed by the Biden administration to continue on in his position as U.S. Attorney. It is unclear why Weiss and Garland found it necessary after five years to make Weiss special counsel. Earlier this month, Weiss came tantalizingly close to wrapping up the case with a plea bargain but suffered a spectacular collapse in court when the federal judge overseeing the case refused to approve the deal. Amidst recriminations from both prosecution and defense the case now appears to be headed for a trial after Weiss moved to dismiss the current case in order to bring charges in Washington D.C. or California.
While some commentators have opined that the need to bring charges outside of Delaware may underlie the decision to give Weiss the special counsel title—he will continue to serve as U.S. Attorney as well—such a rationale would appear unfounded because Attorney General Garland could have given Weiss the authority to prosecute outside of Delaware under 28 U.S.C. section 515. This provision authorizes the Attorney General to give any DOJ attorney extra-territorial authority as a “special attorney.” Moreover, as recently as June, Garland had asserted that Weiss had essentially no limits on his authority.
Weiss himself referenced the special attorney provision when he disputed claims by so-called “whistleblowers” that he had been frustrated in efforts to bring charges in other districts and that Garland had refused to make him a special counsel. In a letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Weiss wrote that he had never asked to be made a special counsel but had sought to be made a “special attorney” so that he could bring charges in other jurisdictions and that he had been told he would be given that authority “if it proved necessary.”
snip
AG Garland on Doomed Quest Over Hunter Biden Special Counsel
Merrick Garland is known as a stickler for the rules. So why has he decided to break them?https://www.thedailybeast.com/shan-wu-writes-hunter-biden-special-counsel-david-weiss-shows-ag-merrick-garland-is-clueless
https://archive.li/rfQey
After spending a half-decade investigating Hunter Biden, the U.S. Department of Justice has now decided that it needs a special counsel to finish the job. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that he would name David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, as the special counsel for the prosecution of President Biden’s only surviving son after Weiss requested the appointment and in light of what Garland termed to be the “extraordinary circumstances” of the case which made such an appointment to be in the public interest.
Weiss–originally appointed by former President Trump—first opened the investigation in 2019 and was allowed by the Biden administration to continue on in his position as U.S. Attorney. It is unclear why Weiss and Garland found it necessary after five years to make Weiss special counsel. Earlier this month, Weiss came tantalizingly close to wrapping up the case with a plea bargain but suffered a spectacular collapse in court when the federal judge overseeing the case refused to approve the deal. Amidst recriminations from both prosecution and defense the case now appears to be headed for a trial after Weiss moved to dismiss the current case in order to bring charges in Washington D.C. or California.
While some commentators have opined that the need to bring charges outside of Delaware may underlie the decision to give Weiss the special counsel title—he will continue to serve as U.S. Attorney as well—such a rationale would appear unfounded because Attorney General Garland could have given Weiss the authority to prosecute outside of Delaware under 28 U.S.C. section 515. This provision authorizes the Attorney General to give any DOJ attorney extra-territorial authority as a “special attorney.” Moreover, as recently as June, Garland had asserted that Weiss had essentially no limits on his authority.
Weiss himself referenced the special attorney provision when he disputed claims by so-called “whistleblowers” that he had been frustrated in efforts to bring charges in other districts and that Garland had refused to make him a special counsel. In a letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Weiss wrote that he had never asked to be made a special counsel but had sought to be made a “special attorney” so that he could bring charges in other jurisdictions and that he had been told he would be given that authority “if it proved necessary.”
snip
August 13, 2023
When overwhelmed I schedule in a cooking day: playful, daring and full of memories. Beats any other stress-reliever for me
https://psyche.co/ideas/if-you-dont-fancy-mindfulness-then-try-cooking-instead
As a people-pleaser and a freelance writer who’s constantly craving approval, I feel overwhelmed on a weekly basis. My mind often races unstoppably. Of course, I’m aware of the various, popular anti-anxiety techniques: meditate, breathe, journal, and so on. I’ve tried all of them, but I failed. Or, perhaps, they failed me. I spend most of my day immobile, sitting at a desk, quietly trying to weave together the ideas that dance messily in my head. Relaxation exercises that involve sitting or lying down just feel too close to what causes my anxiety in the first place. When I’m finished with work, I’m looking to do something drastically different. That might be how it is for you, too: perhaps you need to hit the pavement in running shoes, take art classes, go for a swim, or break away with some other activity. Maybe you are still looking for one.
For me, the activity that opens up a restorative mental space is cooking. I can spend whole afternoons in the kitchen preparing granolas, quiches or breads without noticing the time pass. Cooking makes me forget the notion of time altogether, with the exception of when the timer reminds me to punch down the air in my resting dough. I personally find baking to be the most stress-relieving form of cooking. I happen to be a big bread-eater (of course, I’m also French). But I believe that each person can find their own respite in preparing the food they love most, whether it’s pastries, sushi or smoothies.
Cooking, in short, is how I mindfully unwind. And the world of mindfulness, so commonly recommended to those who need to decompress, is bigger than you might think. Generally speaking, mindfulness refers to the practice of being conscious of one’s present thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and/or surrounding environment, and doing so without judgment. Mindfulness meditation is a widely practised way of achieving a state of mindful awareness, but it’s not the only option. ‘All mindfulness is good mindfulness,’ says Todd Essig, a training and supervising psychoanalyst at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City, and a fervent advocate of the mental benefits of home cooking. ‘Whether it’s meditating, running or cooking that brings you there, that’s great.’
Whenever I’ve had a few stressful weeks, I typically schedule a ‘cooking day’. I make a plan for what I’ll be eating the following week, grab some ingredients and spend the afternoon making three or four recipes. Working on recipes that I already know builds my confidence; trying out some new ones adds an element of surprise. In the end, I feel satisfied by the products of my work, even if not all the recipes were a success. After hours spent moving around the kitchen, absorbed in the process, I actually appreciate feeling physically exhausted – a sensation that I rarely experience these days – even as I feel mentally refreshed.
snip
If you don't fancy mindfulness, then try cooking instead
When overwhelmed I schedule in a cooking day: playful, daring and full of memories. Beats any other stress-reliever for me
https://psyche.co/ideas/if-you-dont-fancy-mindfulness-then-try-cooking-instead
As a people-pleaser and a freelance writer who’s constantly craving approval, I feel overwhelmed on a weekly basis. My mind often races unstoppably. Of course, I’m aware of the various, popular anti-anxiety techniques: meditate, breathe, journal, and so on. I’ve tried all of them, but I failed. Or, perhaps, they failed me. I spend most of my day immobile, sitting at a desk, quietly trying to weave together the ideas that dance messily in my head. Relaxation exercises that involve sitting or lying down just feel too close to what causes my anxiety in the first place. When I’m finished with work, I’m looking to do something drastically different. That might be how it is for you, too: perhaps you need to hit the pavement in running shoes, take art classes, go for a swim, or break away with some other activity. Maybe you are still looking for one.
For me, the activity that opens up a restorative mental space is cooking. I can spend whole afternoons in the kitchen preparing granolas, quiches or breads without noticing the time pass. Cooking makes me forget the notion of time altogether, with the exception of when the timer reminds me to punch down the air in my resting dough. I personally find baking to be the most stress-relieving form of cooking. I happen to be a big bread-eater (of course, I’m also French). But I believe that each person can find their own respite in preparing the food they love most, whether it’s pastries, sushi or smoothies.
Cooking, in short, is how I mindfully unwind. And the world of mindfulness, so commonly recommended to those who need to decompress, is bigger than you might think. Generally speaking, mindfulness refers to the practice of being conscious of one’s present thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and/or surrounding environment, and doing so without judgment. Mindfulness meditation is a widely practised way of achieving a state of mindful awareness, but it’s not the only option. ‘All mindfulness is good mindfulness,’ says Todd Essig, a training and supervising psychoanalyst at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City, and a fervent advocate of the mental benefits of home cooking. ‘Whether it’s meditating, running or cooking that brings you there, that’s great.’
Whenever I’ve had a few stressful weeks, I typically schedule a ‘cooking day’. I make a plan for what I’ll be eating the following week, grab some ingredients and spend the afternoon making three or four recipes. Working on recipes that I already know builds my confidence; trying out some new ones adds an element of surprise. In the end, I feel satisfied by the products of my work, even if not all the recipes were a success. After hours spent moving around the kitchen, absorbed in the process, I actually appreciate feeling physically exhausted – a sensation that I rarely experience these days – even as I feel mentally refreshed.
snip
August 13, 2023
Welcome to Your 2024 Election
https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/brahmin-left-vs-populist-right
The basic contours of the 2024 election are coming into view. The two sides might be loosely described as “Brahmin Left” and “Populist Right.” “Brahmin Left” is a term coined by economist Thomas Piketty and colleagues to characterize Western left parties increasingly bereft of working-class voters and increasingly dominated by highly educated voters and elites. The Brahmin left has evolved over many decades and certainly includes today’s Democratic Party.
Consider the class split in the latest New York Times/Siena poll. Among college-educated voters, Biden is favored by 22 points. Among working-class (noncollege) voters, Trump is favored by 13 points. That’s a 35-point gap. Compare to the 2020 election, where the gap was “only” 22 points (plus 18 points for Democrats among college voters and plus four for Republicans among noncollege voters). And in that election, modeled estimates by the States of Change project indicate that Trump carried the working-class vote in 35 out of 50 states, including in critical states for the Democrats like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as well as in states that are slipping away from the party like Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. The results from the NYT/Siena and other polls suggest Democrats are unlikely to do better among working-class voters in these states in 2024.
Another indicator of the Brahminization of the Democratic Party is the current distribution of congressional seats. Democrats now dominate the more affluent districts while Republicans are cleaning up in the poorer districts. Marcy Kaptur, who represents Ohio’s working-class 9th district and is the longest-serving female member of the House in American history, has said of this pattern:
How indeed. Kaptur has a two-page chart that arrays Congressional districts from highest median income to lowest with partisan control color-coded. The first page is heavily dominated by blue but the second, poorer page is a sea of red. You can access the chart here. It’s really quite striking. Overall, Republicans represent 152 of the 237 Congressional seats where the district median income trails the national figure.
snip
On edit, I forgot the link
Now added
Brahmin Left Vs. Populist Right
Welcome to Your 2024 Election
https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/brahmin-left-vs-populist-right
The basic contours of the 2024 election are coming into view. The two sides might be loosely described as “Brahmin Left” and “Populist Right.” “Brahmin Left” is a term coined by economist Thomas Piketty and colleagues to characterize Western left parties increasingly bereft of working-class voters and increasingly dominated by highly educated voters and elites. The Brahmin left has evolved over many decades and certainly includes today’s Democratic Party.
Consider the class split in the latest New York Times/Siena poll. Among college-educated voters, Biden is favored by 22 points. Among working-class (noncollege) voters, Trump is favored by 13 points. That’s a 35-point gap. Compare to the 2020 election, where the gap was “only” 22 points (plus 18 points for Democrats among college voters and plus four for Republicans among noncollege voters). And in that election, modeled estimates by the States of Change project indicate that Trump carried the working-class vote in 35 out of 50 states, including in critical states for the Democrats like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as well as in states that are slipping away from the party like Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. The results from the NYT/Siena and other polls suggest Democrats are unlikely to do better among working-class voters in these states in 2024.
Another indicator of the Brahminization of the Democratic Party is the current distribution of congressional seats. Democrats now dominate the more affluent districts while Republicans are cleaning up in the poorer districts. Marcy Kaptur, who represents Ohio’s working-class 9th district and is the longest-serving female member of the House in American history, has said of this pattern:
How indeed. Kaptur has a two-page chart that arrays Congressional districts from highest median income to lowest with partisan control color-coded. The first page is heavily dominated by blue but the second, poorer page is a sea of red. You can access the chart here. It’s really quite striking. Overall, Republicans represent 152 of the 237 Congressional seats where the district median income trails the national figure.
snip
On edit, I forgot the link
Now added
August 13, 2023
A look at key shifts likely to re-shape American politics in the coming years.
https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/three-demographic-trends-underlying
It’s no secret that partisan loyalties and ideological persuasions amount to some of the strongest dividing lines in America today. When President Biden first took office, he enjoyed the widest partisan approval gap of any president in the modern polling era. 1 Before him, Trump had the honor of owning that achievement, and before Trump, it was Obama. Such political divides are also evident among politicians themselves: by one measure, the two major parties in Congress are more ideologically divided today than at any time since the Civil War.
Americans who are loyal to one of the two parties are also increasingly likely to find themselves closer to an ideological pole. According to Gallup, the overwhelming majority of Republicans have long described themselves as “conservative.” Meanwhile, the share of Democrats identifying as “liberal” has steadily grown over the past three decades—finally reaching an outright majority during Trump’s presidency and further widening the ideological chasm separating the country’s two partisan camps.
These types of divides are still the clearest way of understanding the nation’s political trends. For instance, as the two parties become more ideologically homogenous and less open to moderates—and as more voters self-sort into states whose governments better reflect their individual politics—we are bound to see fewer true presidential battlegrounds and less ticket-splitting. But the country’s shifting political alliances and growing polarization haven’t happened in a vacuum—they’ve been driven by the deepening of demographic fault lines in American life. It’s therefore worth understanding these other divisions and the ways they’re likely to impact politics at all levels of government in the years ahead.
https://twitter.com/amyewalter/status/1684598359896489991
The Diploma Divide
Perhaps the most noteworthy shift underlying the country’s politics in recent years has been the divide between college degree-holders and non-degree holders. This change, which is deeply tied to each group’s evolving views on cultural issues, has played out in a couple different ways. The first is through ideological self-identification. The Pew Research Center has gauged Americans’ political views over time and found that those who hold at least a college degree have grown much more consistently liberal than those who do not.
snip
Three Demographic Trends Underlying Our Growing Partisan Polarization
A look at key shifts likely to re-shape American politics in the coming years.
https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/three-demographic-trends-underlying
It’s no secret that partisan loyalties and ideological persuasions amount to some of the strongest dividing lines in America today. When President Biden first took office, he enjoyed the widest partisan approval gap of any president in the modern polling era. 1 Before him, Trump had the honor of owning that achievement, and before Trump, it was Obama. Such political divides are also evident among politicians themselves: by one measure, the two major parties in Congress are more ideologically divided today than at any time since the Civil War.
Americans who are loyal to one of the two parties are also increasingly likely to find themselves closer to an ideological pole. According to Gallup, the overwhelming majority of Republicans have long described themselves as “conservative.” Meanwhile, the share of Democrats identifying as “liberal” has steadily grown over the past three decades—finally reaching an outright majority during Trump’s presidency and further widening the ideological chasm separating the country’s two partisan camps.
These types of divides are still the clearest way of understanding the nation’s political trends. For instance, as the two parties become more ideologically homogenous and less open to moderates—and as more voters self-sort into states whose governments better reflect their individual politics—we are bound to see fewer true presidential battlegrounds and less ticket-splitting. But the country’s shifting political alliances and growing polarization haven’t happened in a vacuum—they’ve been driven by the deepening of demographic fault lines in American life. It’s therefore worth understanding these other divisions and the ways they’re likely to impact politics at all levels of government in the years ahead.
https://twitter.com/amyewalter/status/1684598359896489991
The Diploma Divide
Perhaps the most noteworthy shift underlying the country’s politics in recent years has been the divide between college degree-holders and non-degree holders. This change, which is deeply tied to each group’s evolving views on cultural issues, has played out in a couple different ways. The first is through ideological self-identification. The Pew Research Center has gauged Americans’ political views over time and found that those who hold at least a college degree have grown much more consistently liberal than those who do not.
snip
August 13, 2023
The work of John Rawls shows that liberal values of equality and freedom are fundamentally incompatible with capitalism
https://aeon.co/essays/what-can-we-learn-from-john-rawlss-critique-of-capitalism
Completed in 1910, the renaissance revivalist Mahoning County Courthouse in Youngstown, Ohio would make any city proud. Its Honduran mahogany, terracotta, 12 marble columns and 40-foot diameter stained-glass dome stand testament to the region’s turn-of-the-century success as a moderate industrial power. Across Market Street, the humbler federal courthouse completed in 1995 invokes a then-au courant corporate office-building style: concrete and panelised stone relieved by blue-black glass, with decorative squares and circles scattered here and there.
The Thomas D Lambros Federal Building and Courthouse is named for Judge Thomas Demetrios Lambros (1930-2019), native son of Ashtabula, Ohio, who in 1967 was appointed to the federal bench by the US president Lyndon B Johnson. The website of the US General Services Administration remembers Judge Lambros as ‘a pioneer in the alternative dispute resolution movement’ – arbitration, as it is generally known. But the people of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley might remember Judge Lambros for a different reason.
Lambros presided over a fiercely contested lawsuit in 1979-80 filed by 3,500 steelworkers laid off by United States Steel Corporation’s Youngstown Works plant – part of a wave of closures across what we now call the Rust Belt. The lawsuit was an avowedly desperate effort to compel US Steel to sell the company either to the city or else to the workers who, hopefully with federal loans, would continue to operate the plant and keep sending paychecks to the thousands of families depending on them.
In an early hearing, Judge Lambros made a remarkable – revolutionary, almost – suggestion to the workers’ lawyers. They might have a shot if they argued that the people of Youngstown had a ‘community property right’ accrued from the ‘lengthy, long-established relationship between United States Steel, the steel industry as an institution, the community in Youngstown, the people of Mahoning County, and the Mahoning Valley in having given and devoted their lives to this industry’. Because steel production had become such a central part of community life, the judge suggested, the community arguably had a right to decide what happened to the steel mill.
snip
a LOT more at the link
Liberalism against capitalism
The work of John Rawls shows that liberal values of equality and freedom are fundamentally incompatible with capitalism
https://aeon.co/essays/what-can-we-learn-from-john-rawlss-critique-of-capitalism
Completed in 1910, the renaissance revivalist Mahoning County Courthouse in Youngstown, Ohio would make any city proud. Its Honduran mahogany, terracotta, 12 marble columns and 40-foot diameter stained-glass dome stand testament to the region’s turn-of-the-century success as a moderate industrial power. Across Market Street, the humbler federal courthouse completed in 1995 invokes a then-au courant corporate office-building style: concrete and panelised stone relieved by blue-black glass, with decorative squares and circles scattered here and there.
The Thomas D Lambros Federal Building and Courthouse is named for Judge Thomas Demetrios Lambros (1930-2019), native son of Ashtabula, Ohio, who in 1967 was appointed to the federal bench by the US president Lyndon B Johnson. The website of the US General Services Administration remembers Judge Lambros as ‘a pioneer in the alternative dispute resolution movement’ – arbitration, as it is generally known. But the people of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley might remember Judge Lambros for a different reason.
Lambros presided over a fiercely contested lawsuit in 1979-80 filed by 3,500 steelworkers laid off by United States Steel Corporation’s Youngstown Works plant – part of a wave of closures across what we now call the Rust Belt. The lawsuit was an avowedly desperate effort to compel US Steel to sell the company either to the city or else to the workers who, hopefully with federal loans, would continue to operate the plant and keep sending paychecks to the thousands of families depending on them.
In an early hearing, Judge Lambros made a remarkable – revolutionary, almost – suggestion to the workers’ lawyers. They might have a shot if they argued that the people of Youngstown had a ‘community property right’ accrued from the ‘lengthy, long-established relationship between United States Steel, the steel industry as an institution, the community in Youngstown, the people of Mahoning County, and the Mahoning Valley in having given and devoted their lives to this industry’. Because steel production had become such a central part of community life, the judge suggested, the community arguably had a right to decide what happened to the steel mill.
snip
a LOT more at the link
August 12, 2023
Avicii, Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Martin Garrix & Kygo, The Chainsmokers Style - Summer Vibes #5
August 11, 2023
In this new episode Steven sits down with philosopher, neuroscientist, podcast host and author Sam Harris.
00:00 Intro
02:02 6 years later, where do you stand on AI?
16:36 Is this not the most pressing problem?
33:16 Why I deleted twitter
45:43 Narrow AI
58:26 The meaning of AGI
01:02:00 In the age of AI how do we create purpose?
01:10:06 Who will AI replace?
01:14:41 Should we be doing universal basic income?
01:21:40 Would you stop AI if you could?
01:27:31 How do we change our minds to be happier?
01:34:28 Why not lying & telling the truth will make you happier
01:41:28 The last guests question
ChatGPT Could Be The Start Of The End - Sam Harris
In this new episode Steven sits down with philosopher, neuroscientist, podcast host and author Sam Harris.
00:00 Intro
02:02 6 years later, where do you stand on AI?
16:36 Is this not the most pressing problem?
33:16 Why I deleted twitter
45:43 Narrow AI
58:26 The meaning of AGI
01:02:00 In the age of AI how do we create purpose?
01:10:06 Who will AI replace?
01:14:41 Should we be doing universal basic income?
01:21:40 Would you stop AI if you could?
01:27:31 How do we change our minds to be happier?
01:34:28 Why not lying & telling the truth will make you happier
01:41:28 The last guests question
August 10, 2023
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/gluten-and-dairy-tolerance-in-europe-tiktok-debate
What sets a European apart from her American counterpart is her flair for doing a lot and suffering very little: She saunters down to her local market, fresh cheese and baguette in tow, and sits down to enjoy her (legit) pain quotidien like it's nothing—or at least that’s how the story goes. And lately, it’s a narrative a lot of US TikTokers are adopting—after discovering that their gluten and dairy intolerances seem to vanish when dining in countries like Italy and France.
As travel to Europe continues to skyrocket, this pesky little snippet of carbohydrate-fueled discourse prevails. The TikTok scripts from the sensitivity-no-more camp go a little something like this: “You get to eat as much bread as you want in Europe because it’s not poisonous”; “Look how much weight I’m losing in Italy!”; “This is how you know something’s up with America.” Non-believers, on the other hand, tend to respond with, “Maybe it’s just because you’re walking more on vacation.”
Naturally, Gen-Z’s renewed interest in the alleged magical powers of bread and cheese overseas begs the question: Is it really possible to stuff your face with all the pasta and gelato you want while abroad, not suffer from any indigestion or bloating, and maybe even lose weight in the process? In the name of journalism, we turned to experts to find out if there’s really something special about the chemical makeup of cacio e pepe on European shores.
Does gluten affect people differently in Europe?
First thing’s first: Celiac disease is not an American phenomenon. According to research foundation Beyond Celiac, “Plenty of Europeans have celiac disease—in fact, the incidence of celiac disease in Europe in the last 50 years has been increasing at a rate similar to that of the United States.” Europeans with celiac disease avoid gluten in their own countries, and as such, a robust market for gluten-free products exists over there, too.
snip
Why Can I Eat Endless Bread and Gelato in Europe and Never Feel Bloated?
We tapped experts to weigh in on the raging TikTok debate.https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/gluten-and-dairy-tolerance-in-europe-tiktok-debate
What sets a European apart from her American counterpart is her flair for doing a lot and suffering very little: She saunters down to her local market, fresh cheese and baguette in tow, and sits down to enjoy her (legit) pain quotidien like it's nothing—or at least that’s how the story goes. And lately, it’s a narrative a lot of US TikTokers are adopting—after discovering that their gluten and dairy intolerances seem to vanish when dining in countries like Italy and France.
As travel to Europe continues to skyrocket, this pesky little snippet of carbohydrate-fueled discourse prevails. The TikTok scripts from the sensitivity-no-more camp go a little something like this: “You get to eat as much bread as you want in Europe because it’s not poisonous”; “Look how much weight I’m losing in Italy!”; “This is how you know something’s up with America.” Non-believers, on the other hand, tend to respond with, “Maybe it’s just because you’re walking more on vacation.”
Naturally, Gen-Z’s renewed interest in the alleged magical powers of bread and cheese overseas begs the question: Is it really possible to stuff your face with all the pasta and gelato you want while abroad, not suffer from any indigestion or bloating, and maybe even lose weight in the process? In the name of journalism, we turned to experts to find out if there’s really something special about the chemical makeup of cacio e pepe on European shores.
Does gluten affect people differently in Europe?
First thing’s first: Celiac disease is not an American phenomenon. According to research foundation Beyond Celiac, “Plenty of Europeans have celiac disease—in fact, the incidence of celiac disease in Europe in the last 50 years has been increasing at a rate similar to that of the United States.” Europeans with celiac disease avoid gluten in their own countries, and as such, a robust market for gluten-free products exists over there, too.
snip
August 10, 2023
The Who - Who Are You (Promo Video) Filmed in London on 4 May 1978, 4 months before Keith Moon died
August 10, 2023
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/09/ken-chesebro-memos-trump-coconspirator-00110458
Attorney John Eastman is often credited as the architect of Donald Trump’s last-ditch attempt to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election. But the work of lesser-known attorney Kenneth Chesebro — identified as “Co-Conspirator 5” in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment — may have been more instrumental in stoking the chaos that ultimately unfolded. The House Jan. 6 select committee helped unearth several key documents drafted or contributed to by Chesebro that would become Trump’s strategy at crucial moments in the weeks following his loss to Joe Biden. The special counsel team unearthed another — an internal campaign memo referenced in the 45-page indictment last week and first revealed publicly Tuesday by The New York Times.
The memos and emails reveal the underpinnings of a desperate strategy to assemble slates of fraudulent electors, first to preserve legal options and later to foment a conflict on Jan. 6, 2021, that might lead to Trump retaining the presidency. Along the way, Chesebro concocted methods for avoiding unfavorable court rulings, enlisting friendly allies in Congress to grease the skids and ultimately counting on Mike Pence to take “bold” steps to derail the impending Biden presidency. (Chesebro, through his lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Here’s a chronology of Chesebro’s key documents and proposals, which show how his thinking evolved from philosophical discussions to operational plans — and at times veered into outright fantasy.
DEC. 6, 2020 MEMO:.................
snip
'Co-Conspirator 5': Ken Chesebro and the evolution of Donald Trump's Jan. 6 strategy
Read the documents that formed the rough draft of Trump’s scheme to stay in power.https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/09/ken-chesebro-memos-trump-coconspirator-00110458
Attorney John Eastman is often credited as the architect of Donald Trump’s last-ditch attempt to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election. But the work of lesser-known attorney Kenneth Chesebro — identified as “Co-Conspirator 5” in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment — may have been more instrumental in stoking the chaos that ultimately unfolded. The House Jan. 6 select committee helped unearth several key documents drafted or contributed to by Chesebro that would become Trump’s strategy at crucial moments in the weeks following his loss to Joe Biden. The special counsel team unearthed another — an internal campaign memo referenced in the 45-page indictment last week and first revealed publicly Tuesday by The New York Times.
The memos and emails reveal the underpinnings of a desperate strategy to assemble slates of fraudulent electors, first to preserve legal options and later to foment a conflict on Jan. 6, 2021, that might lead to Trump retaining the presidency. Along the way, Chesebro concocted methods for avoiding unfavorable court rulings, enlisting friendly allies in Congress to grease the skids and ultimately counting on Mike Pence to take “bold” steps to derail the impending Biden presidency. (Chesebro, through his lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Here’s a chronology of Chesebro’s key documents and proposals, which show how his thinking evolved from philosophical discussions to operational plans — and at times veered into outright fantasy.
NOV. 18, 2020 MEMO: Chesebro’s initial foray into Trump world’s upper echelons came as states prepared to certify their election results. Chesebro was advising Wisconsin-based Trump attorney Jim Troupis about a legal strategy for challenging the results there in court. Here, Chesebro first emphasized that Jan. 6, 2021 was the real “hard deadline” for courts to rule on Trump’s election challenges. But he stressed that in order to sustain legal challenges to Wisconsin’s results, a slate of pro-Trump electors must convene on Dec. 14, 2020 and cast ballots as though they were legitimately elected.
“It may seem odd that electors pledged to Trump and Pence might meet and cast their votes on December 14 even if, at that juncture, the Trump-Pence ticket is behind in the vote count,” Chesebro wrote. “However, a fair reading of the federal statutes suggests that this is a reasonable course of action.” Chesebro noted that if courts ruled in Trump’s favor, Congress may only be able to count electoral votes cast by the legally prescribed deadline of Dec. 14. In other words, it was a contingency plan while lawsuits were pending.
“It may seem odd that electors pledged to Trump and Pence might meet and cast their votes on December 14 even if, at that juncture, the Trump-Pence ticket is behind in the vote count,” Chesebro wrote. “However, a fair reading of the federal statutes suggests that this is a reasonable course of action.” Chesebro noted that if courts ruled in Trump’s favor, Congress may only be able to count electoral votes cast by the legally prescribed deadline of Dec. 14. In other words, it was a contingency plan while lawsuits were pending.
DEC. 6, 2020 MEMO:.................
snip
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 43,834
