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etherealist.bsky.social
Etherealistic
@etherealist.bsky.social
Macroeconomist. Philosopher. Childless cat lady.

I curate and share credible but surreal news.
#WTF
#NotTheOnion

The eye roll in my avatar is for all the cultists who don't have a clue how right-wing politico-economic policies are actually hurting them.
Pinned
Could AI help democracy?

What if Trump supporters started verifying economic policy history to learn what is true vs false?

Check out the answers to these questions I asked ChatGPT today!

Sadly, the Trump supporter here - for whom I collected these answers - still doesn't want to believe it.
Nephrologist with valid H1B visa and no criminal record is deported.

On what grounds? This is unreal.

#WTF
Brown Medicine professor and doctor deported to Lebanon despite having valid visa, court filings claim
Court documents say Customs and Border Protection violated a court order to halt the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, which the agency allegedly carried out “without any justification.”
www.nbcnews.com
March 17, 2025 at 2:04 AM
In a video posted to X, the company showed the owl being struck by a Tesla Cybertruck and floating up into the clouds.

“Reward for whoever can identify the driver,” the company posted. “Please post any leads on Twitter.”

#NotTheOnion
Duolingo owl dead, killed by Cybertruck, company says
(KRON) — In what some are calling a “master class” in killing off a company mascot, language-learning app Duolingo announced Tuesday that its trademark mascot, “Duo,” …
www.kron4.com
February 13, 2025 at 6:41 AM
So much for claiming to support free market capitalism.

#NotTheOnion
Missouri prosecutors sue Starbucks over DEI practices, claiming they raise prices and slow service
A new lawsuit filed by Missouri's attorney general alleges that Starbucks is unlawfully relying on "race-and-sex-based hiring practices."
www.cbsnews.com
February 12, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Danish citizens have launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy California.

This one-page website is awesome! Definitely worth checking out.

Their plan is to rename California to New Denmark. And Los Angeles? More like Løs Ångeles.

For 10,000 DKK, you get your name on a street there.
Help Denmark Buy California – Because Why Not?
Buy it from Trump, the bigliest crowdsourcing ever
denmarkification.com
February 12, 2025 at 6:52 AM
On Tuesday, Georgia Representative Buddy Carter unveiled the Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025.

Apparently, they're moving forward with renaming in anticipation of the purchase.

A mere 6 percent of Greenlanders want their nation to join the U.S., according to a poll last month.

#NotTheOnion
‘Red, White and Blueland?’ Republican unveils bill to rename Greenland
Georgia Representative Buddy Carter hopes to assist the U.S.’s ‘negotiator-in-chief’ with his plans to acquire the Arctic island
www.the-independent.com
February 12, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the DoJ to pause prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign govt officials to win or retain business in their countries.

A White House factsheet said the law makes American companies less competitive.

#NotTheOnion
Trump to loosen enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials
President Donald Trump on Monday planned to sign an executive order that directs the Justice Department to pause prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials while trying to gain business in their countries.
www.reuters.com
February 11, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Researching women's health is now DEI and ineligible for grants.

Staff at the National Science Foundation are scouring thousands of research projects for dozens of words that could violate DEI orders. The agency directed scientists to halt work that doesn’t adhere to Trump's directives.

#WTF
Federal list of forbidden words may jeopardize research at UCSD
The banned words include: women, disability, bias, status, trauma, Black, Hispanic communities, as well as socioeconomic, ethnicity and systemic.
www.kpbs.org
February 11, 2025 at 1:09 AM
THIS is how you convince conservatives to join the resistance!
From the missouri community on Reddit: Missouri Farmers on Trump and P2025
Explore this post and more from the missouri community
www.reddit.com
February 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I used to think, "thankfully, this would never happen here."

And then I see all the censorship going on X, while claiming free speech.

And then I see the owner of X become the de-facto US President

And then I see US papers self-censoring political news.

I can't say "never" to myself anymore.
Leeds student jailed in Saudi Arabia for 34 years over tweets is released
Salma al-Shehab was arrested in 2021 during holiday in Saudi Arabia
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Predicting this would be taken down, somebody saved this to isavedit.

I really don't understand the whole unintelligible babbling thing. Do you?

#NotTheOnion
Paula White, the leader of Trump’s White House Faith Office, speaking in tongues - PublicFreakout | ISaveddit
ISaveddit is the leading platform for saving and sharing Reddit videos.
isaveddit.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Ohio to be the next state introducing a "Conception Begins at Erection Act" to regulate male behavior regarding pregnancy.

“Fair is fair, right?" If they want to deny women "access to contraceptives then let’s start policing men in the same way,” Somani (D) said.

#NotTheOnion
“Conception Begins At Erection Act” could be a new law in Ohio which would make it illegal for men to have sex without intent to make a baby
A memo sent out by Rader and Somani to other representatives to co sponsor says “the legislation seeks to ensure that men share responsibility in reproductive health, particularly in light of…
www.wtrf.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:28 AM
A PRRI survey released last month showed White evangelicals were the only faith group in which a majority — 62 percent — of members agreed that immigrants who enter the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country.”

But they're a big group and are now attacking everyone who disagrees.
Attacks on Catholics, Lutherans suggest new Trump approach on religion
Allies of the president are leveling attacks on religious groups, including Catholics and Lutherans, and questioning their efforts to help migrants.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 10, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Romance novelists (and video commentators) are freaking out over this Oklahoma bill.

As it stands now, this bill would ban anything with a sex scene, sexual action, or depiction in it, meaning even romance novels or boudoir photos.

#WTF
Language in pornography ban bill concerns some
As it stands now, this bill would ban anything with a sex scene, sexual action, or depiction in it, meaning even romance novels or boudoir photos.
kfor.com
February 9, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Paula White-Cain, 58, is a Florida megachurch “prosperity theology" preacher.

This teaches that God rewards the truly faithful with material wealth and personal success.

Since these are the congregations growing the most, it's wild to watch Christianity literally turning into money worshiping.
Trump Enrages Christian MAGA By Naming ‘Heretic’ Pastor to White House
President Donald Trump angered some of his Christian supporters on Friday when he named a televangelist who even some conservative evangelicals have labeled a “heretic” as part of his White House admi...
www.yahoo.com
February 9, 2025 at 9:09 AM
The eggs were stolen from a trailer at Pete & Gerry's Organics.

Police are still scrambling to try to figure out whodunit.

I feel sorry for them as a small biz doing organic. That hit has got to be rough.

Elsewhere I read that it would have taken 4 pickup trucks. How do you move/sell stolen eggs?
Someone has stolen 100,000 eggs from a Pennsylvania company. Police say they're worth $40K
Around 100,000 eggs were stolen from Pete & Gerry's Organics in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, state police said.
www.usatoday.com
February 9, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Petro also said the drug trafficking business "could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine."

Since 2022. when he came to power, he's been trying to end the six decades of conflict with Colombia's armed drug traffickers.
Cocaine "no worse than whiskey," would be "sold like wine" if legalized worldwide, Colombia's president says
Cocaine "is no worse than whiskey" and is only illegal because it comes from Latin America, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose nation is the world's biggest cocaine producer and exporter.
www.cbsnews.com
February 9, 2025 at 8:37 AM
If you're going to spend a ridiculous amount on eggs, these researchers think you should at least know the scientifically best way to cook them.

The research was published in Communications Engineering.

Apparently it's all about the 2-part structure (white & yolk) needing different temperatures.
These researchers have found a scientifically perfect way to cook eggs
An Italian study published this week has found the way to cook a perfect egg — you'll just need to spend 32 minutes to make it happen.
www.npr.org
February 9, 2025 at 8:26 AM
When it comes to hate speech, "It is always one rule for Elon, another rule for everyone else," the head of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate said.

Reddit banned the subs:

r/IsElonDeadYet
Where a user posted daily that he was STILL alive

r/WhitePeopleTwitter
Where people shared wtf X posts
Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies
The tech billionaire had complained that some Reddit users were advocating violence against his staff.
www.bbc.com
February 9, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, said his department will prioritize grants to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.

Brookings says it's basically nuts.

Biden prioritized grants for historically disadvantaged communities.

#NotTheOnion
Federal transportation funding to hinge on birth, marriage rates
Secretary Sean Duffy said his department will prioritize grants to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Russian state TV unknowingly ran a story made up by Panorama, Russia's version of The Onion.

The story said that DeepSeek - the impressive Chinese AI tech that's freaking everyone out - built its advanced models with long-lost Soviet-era code.

That's some next level wishful thinking.

#NotTheOnion
www.technology.org
February 9, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Some cute news - you deserve a break from the political drama.

I love it when animals joke with humans to remind us we're not as great as we think we are.

The photo (in thread) of the finished dam is impressive.

#NotTheOnioin
The government had been planning it for 7 years, beavers built the dam in two days and saved them $1 million
castorIn the Czech Republic, beavers built a dam in two days, which local authorities had planned for 7 years
www.voxnews.al
February 9, 2025 at 7:51 AM
First Budde, now Dolan,

It's kind of wild to see MAGA trashing clergy while they're creating a task force to "protect" Christianity.

It's actually about using Christianity to justify atrocities. Like usual, from authoritarians, over the course of history.
Cardinal Dolan fires back at VP J.D. Vance over immigration policy comments
Vice President J.D. Vance is facing backlash from Cardinal Timothy Dolan after Vance accused Catholic bishops of profiting from immigration aid.
www.fox5ny.com
February 9, 2025 at 7:36 AM