Dr. Flowers @AlliFlowers@talkedabout.social

#Biden administration is launching a beta website for its new income-driven #StudentLoan repayment plan today, officials told CNN, allowing borrowers to begin submitting applications for the program as federal student loan payments are set to resume in October.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/30/politics/biden-student-loan-repayment-plan

Lol

Via Kyle Griffin:

The city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into the giant 'X' sign installed on top of #Twitter HQ.

City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings, or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons. #X

Scientists discover antibodies that neutralize COVID-19 variants
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/scientists-discover-antibodies-that-can-neutralize-covid-19-variants-potentially-prevent-future-coronavirus-outbreaks-1.6499952

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade3470

* potent antibodies neutralize virt. all known COVID-19 variants
* antibodies f. recovered SARS patient (vacc. against COVID-19) “exhibited remarkable breadth” against respiratory viruses SARS, COVID-19
* combination of prior coronavirus infection & vaccination gen. “extremely broad & powerful” antibody response capable of stopping nearly all coronaviruses

#COVID19 #ACE2 #SARSCoV2

@indigenous_commentator @Toastie @Yehuda @IndigenousFoodSov Great News! Ancestral lands known as the Chokla (721 acres!) were returned to the Pala Band of Mission Indians! https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/423/text

#landback

EDIT: and yes, it's law! It passed the house by a voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent. Biden signed it, so it's law!

Note the headline from 2016 used the term "political correctness," because that's what it used to be called, before RWers latched on to the term "woke."

It's the same thing. Conservatives hate it, no matter what you call it. I call it changing cultural norms about how we treat marginalized groups. The culture has changed; conservatives have not.

A Michigan attorney has confirmed she filed an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) complaint against Moms for Liberty, the parental rights group with positions against racially inclusive and LGBTQ+ education in schools. The complaint, which is private but was obtained by the Guardian, alleges that the rightwing organization is in violation of its 501(c)4 non-profit status.
#News #GOP #Politics #USA

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/29/moms-for-liberty-irs-tax-complaint

This article is from 2016 but bears re-reading. FIRE (Foundation For Invidivual Rights & Expression) is buying TV ads and billboard space in Nashville and Middle TN. They use progressive imagery (MLK, for ex.) in their ads. But they are not our friends. They're funded by ultraconservative groups. Their mission is to file lawsuits against colleges and universities that it says curtail First Amendment rights of students and professors. "Suppressing conservative speech."

https://prospect.org/education/conservatives-behind-campus-free-speech-crusade/#

South Dakota: A Catholic School Parent Explains Why He Opposes Vouchers - It’s public money, for public schools. And the commitment and responsibility to provide a free public education isn’t a new idea. https://dianeravitch.net/2023/07/30/south-dakota-a-catholic-school-parent-explains-why-he-opposes-vouchers/ via @dianeravitch #privatization

Nature is crazy.
https://patreon.com/lowqualityfacts

Scientists May Have Found Mechanism Behind Cognitive Decline in Aging in Mice
https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/scientists-may-have-found-mechanism-behind-cognitive-decline-in-aging
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36929090

* misregulation of brain protein CaMKII (crucial for memory, learning)
* suggests pharmacological treatment strategies

Paper [mouse model]:
Decreased nitrosylation of CaMKII causes aging-associated impairments in memory & synaptic plasticity in mice
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.ade5892

CaMKII: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca2%2B/calmodulin-dependent_protein_kinase_II

#neuroscience #cognition #ageing #CognitiveDecline

@GottaLaff I suggest his American citizenship be stripped and he be deported, along with his failing, right wing social media platform. He can afford to live anywhere. Make him make that choice.

I think a lot about how the #evangelicals that I grew up around turned into #Christofascists.

The pentecostals talked constantly about the afterlife. Heaven. In but not of the world. How did they get from that (which came with its own problems such as climate denial) to wanting to dominate and rule every aspect of society?

#Dominionism is the theological justification, but I think it's a subconscious realization that they wasted their time. They want their reward and power now.

They're not taking chances on the afterlife.

#exvangelical #musings

Trump's political action committee that has been paying Trump’s legal fees requested a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to the super PAC supporting the Republican front-runner

The decision of Trump’s political team to ask for a refund of money that was meant to help his 2024 campaign, and was instead diverted to an account paying his legal bills, is extraordinary. It reflects the choice to spend donor cash on lawyers rather than on television advertising

https://dnyuz.com/2023/07/29/60-million-refund-request-shows-financial-pressure-on-trump-from-legal-fees/

The main PAC funding Trump’s 2024 campaign spends the bulk of its money on legal fees, not only for Trump, also for many of his employees past and present. The entire operation is so shady. It works a lot like organized crime does, with people getting their legal bills paid to ensure loyalty to the top guy. Details reported here (gift access): https://wapo.st/452PZXO

Montana judge temporarily lifts Republican ban on drag performances ahead of major Pride event

The ruling will allow Montana Pride to advertise and hold some of its events in public places.
#News #GOP #Politics #USA #Trump #MAGA #Republicans

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/29/montana-lifts-drag-ban-pride-00108877

Speaking for itself....

I have frequently heard Christians argue that Christianity is true because atheism “lacks the moral language to explain why [x] is wrong.”

While that statement is simply false on multiple levels, I can’t help but notice that the Christian majority in Florida cannot seem to handle one of the simplest possible moral questions: “Is slavery a bad thing?”

Same methods 'used on the plantation': Black task force member scorches Florida slavery guidelines
https://www.rawstory.com/same-methods-used-on-plantation-desantis/

NPR: Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing "harmful" materials to minors.#news #NPR https://www.npr.org/2023/07/30/1190966505/an-arkansas-judge-has-blocked-a-law-targetting-librarians-over-harmful-books

We are all atheists about most of the #Gods that man has ever believed in. Some of us just go one #God further. - R. Dawkins

#atheism
Tooted by a #bot!
SN# 3142