“Don’t go – not with Trump in charge. It’s totally out of control over there. There’s no accountability. They don’t seem to need a reason for detaining you. […] I worry about young people going out there for the World Cup – I really do. I imagine a group of young guys getting drunk at a game, getting arrested. I could see them easily ending up in the same place as I did. They’d find some reason to detain them. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody.” - Mrs. Newton, 65, was on holiday in the USA w a British passport and a tourist visa

“Florida is no longer a safe destination for international tourists. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 coming to Miami, travelers may face unprecedented risks of racial profiling, wrongful detention in inhumane conditions without consular access, and heinous human rights violations—regardless of legal travel status.” - https://floridaimmigrant.org/fifa-26-travel-advisory

tl;dr highlights (516 words):

• Last week, the Cuban Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) announced a major health breakthrough with VAXIRA, a vaccine treatment for lung cancer. This is a remarkable achievement, made only more impressive by the fact this is Cuba’s second lung cancer vaccine.

• In 1962, the polio campaign launched through mobilizing 100,000 members of newly founded revolutionary committees to conduct a population census and vaccinate all children. Within months, polio was eradicated in Cuba making it one of the first countries in the world to do so.

• Its vaccination programs have eradicated diseases that continue to cause death and suffering around the world including diphtheria in 1979, measles in 1993, whooping cough in 1994, and rubella in 1995.

• In 1981, Cuba opened the Biological Research Center, despite the blockade stopping entry of equipment, materials, access to research journals, and medicines. […] Cuba produced the world’s first human vaccine to contain a synthetic antigen, for Haemophilus influenzae type B.

• In 1989, Cuba produced the world’s first Meningitis B vaccine during a severe breakout of the disease in the country. This was the first ever vaccine produced to protect against Meningitis B and was exported to protect people in countries across Latin America.

• As the US blockade made it virtually impossible and far too expensive to import the [Hepatitis B] vaccine [in 1990], Cuba produced their own and eliminated Hepatitis B under 15.

• In 2006, Cuba developed Heberprot-P, the only medicine in the world to reduce the amputation rate of patients with diabetic foot ulcers by 75%. Within 10 years, it was used in 23 countries. It has treated more than 400,000 people with foot ulcers.

• In 2011, Cuba developed CIMAvax, which remains the world’s only approved lung cancer vaccine. This vaccine works to induce the immune system to stop the growth of cancer cells to slow the progression of a tumors. This vaccine has already treated more than 5,000 people across the world and many more thousands in Cuba itself.

• By 2015, Cuba became the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. […] This world historical achievement came as a result of Cuba’s universal health system that integrated maternal and child health programs with HIV and STI treatment.

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba produced five vaccines: Ablada, Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Soberana Plus, and Mambisa. Cuba had one of the lowest COVID deaths in the Western Hemisphere - and by 2021, Cuba’s fatality rate was just 0.59% compared to the 2.2% worldwide average. […] By 2023, Cuba had the third highest rate of vaccinations per 100,000 people.

• Cuba has restored the eyesight for more than four million people with its joint program with Venezuela, Operation Miracle.

• They have sent more than 600,000 health workers on medical missions to 160 countries in response to pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters, and other crises where no other country would act.

• They have and continue to train doctors from the Global South for free so they go back to their home countries to practice medicine.

Having worked in the homes of very wealthy folk, I can confirm that “move fast and break things” was always missing the part where the rich bastard’s nanny/gardener/housekeeper/etc takes the blame for shit being broken and gets their pay docked, while the Baby Elon-Zuck-Altmans of the world get an ice cream and a snuggle. Same shit happens when they grow up to be Big Boys.

Where hog bosses do favours for hog bosses? Pretty much.

I was thinking the same thing, but from a PR perspective, getting caught helps normalize the obscenity.

30 million gallons and it’s a “mistake.” Next time it’ll be 25 million and hey, at least that’s not as bad. After that it’ll be 40 million and it’s “sure that’s a lot but not too much more than usual. Besides you took a shower this morning so Both Sides amirite? Now let me explain in little words how condensation works…”

there were no consequences for exceeding peak limits

imo, that’s the lesson. I mean you’re probably right, but our Lords and Masters are super performative about their resource extraction grabs.

I hope so too.

In other news:

The Ontario government is welcoming a multi-billion-dollar investment from Microsoft, as part of the company’s previously announced $19 billion commitment to Canada. Through this investment, Microsoft is expanding its cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure across Ontario, significantly scaling up the province’s computing capability while reinforcing Ontario’s position as a leader in the tech and digital economy. […]

This expansion in Ontario will further bolster the reliability of its data infrastructure to strengthen the province’s domestic data capacity as more businesses begin to adopt and scale AI technologies. Through the company’s Community-First approach, Microsoft will also prioritize alignment with regional economic priorities, including advancing Ontario’s investment readiness and competitiveness, fostering the conditions for job creation and apprenticeships and laying the foundation for advanced AI innovation. (Apr 7, '26)

Wonderful writing. Thanks for the link!

Yes! All that civility and decorum training. I’ll add to yours “Don’t speak ill of the dead.”

Stops people from learning about intergenerational trauma and fascists/terrorists in the family. Sure, my grandad was wildly abusive to his daughters and disgustingly racist about black people in Nova Scotia, Canada (the ones in Jamaica are fine btw). But he’s dead now so “we don’t talk about that.” Totes cool to mention his army medals tho.

One of the worst, isn’t it? Blaming the victim in advance.

He’s just looking for attention. Paying attention to him makes him do more of the thing he’s already doing, so if he’s doing a thing and you’re paying attention, it’s actually your fault now because circular reasoning works because circular reasoning works.

My conspiracy theory is Corey Comperatore was a blood sacrifice for Project 2025 ghouls. He was also proof that the gun was loaded with real bullets.

Leading up to the election, Christian fundie social media spaces were stuffed with bible verses (Leviticus and Revelations) and commentary about whether earblood was A Sign. So now they’re shifting the narrative from Trump’s being annointed by god to being the outright antichrist? Even when his supporters seem to be distancing themselves, you can see he’s still the most important person in the world to them. It’s so frigging weird.