Wheaties

They have to frame it like that because the alternative is, "We had to kill people who lived differently from us so we could have freedom" and that's too much of a blatant contradiction. Swapping "freedom" for "democracy" doesn't really change the sentiment, but it does somewhat obscure an otherwise nonsensical justification as merely incredibly ghoulish.

I could have sworn it was being thrown around earlier than that. Like, around 2014 or 15

happy to help!

Yeah! Lets halt the Duma and install a leader more aligned with our values! I'm sure nothing unintended could come of this.

there's this classification called "trophic level", which is basically a breakdown of how far removed a species is from getting energy directly from the sun

So we're not seeing a planet wide die-off of plants because their source of energy is broadly unchanged (this becomes a different story when you start looking at how specific regions are changing). Insects are specifically vulnerable to a changing climate, as /u/beambrain points out. They tend to live short, fast lives and need a consistent intake of energy, water, and nutrients as they don't have much in the way of long term storage (specific species may vary, this is in general). Overall, they're immediately vulnerable to any large scale disruption in the environment, the first to feel those shocks.

Vertebrates tend to be one or two trophic levels removed from insects, with (comparatively) larger stores of energy to last them from meal to meal. This means they're also a level removed from any shock to the overall flow of energy. This doesn't mean they're immune, just that any consequences are delayed. The shock has to flow through the lower levels first.

Now, he [David Wagner, entomologist and a professor of ecology] finds himself coming home empty-handed. “I just got back from Texas, and it was the most unsuccessful trip I’ve ever taken,” he says. “There just wasn’t any insect life to speak of.”

It was not only the insects missing, he says, it was everything. “Everything was crispy, fried; the lizard numbers were down to the lowest numbers I can ever remember. And then the things that eat lizards were not present – I didn’t see a single snake the entire time.”

Dimon outlined two crucial conditions that must be met to safeguard the US dollar’s position:

Effective Financial Management: The US government must demonstrate effective management of its finances. This includes addressing national debt levels and ensuring the sustainability of social safety nets such as pensions.

The deficit hawking is nothing, but it's interesting to see he's noticed that its a problem when your workers can't reasonably expect to retire.

Geopolitical Stability: The US must maintain its preeminence in global military and economic affairs. Dimon warned that failure in these areas could lead to diminished confidence in the dollar, pushing countries to consider alternative currencies for reserves.

Keep chasing that high, baby! What could possibly go wrong? Docha' wanna be on top? Doncha wanna be Preeminant?

Specifically a four year old typing to a chatbot for several hours. Sure, there are kids that age that read, but to write? and for that long? Seems off. That it's supposedly about Thomas is just the too-on-the-nose cherry on the cake.

gotta say, this one sounds made up

I can only assume Plot is happening inside that gas station.

If we had a real opposition party in this country, they'd be quietly prepping to abolish ICE as soon as they have the presidency and even a slim congressional majority.

They won't, and it will be the biggest act of self-sabotage since they gleefully stripped back all the COVID expansions to the welfare state.

commenting so I come back to this latter

yeah, well whites were also a minority during the apartheid government, so your preferential treatment was less than half a century ago and still very much in living memory (to say nothing of the current wealth distribution). Cry me a fuckin' river.