Author: Mark Alexander

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No. Just No. Well, Maybe No.

I present to you, the 2024 MINI Cooper:

But wait! There’s more!

And don’t even get me started on the MINI Countryman!

Even Ben, who is only a MINI fan insofar as his husband is one looked at these and said, “Ew! NO!”

The cars shown here are the new EV lineup, but MINI says this design language will carry over to their entire line.

I suppose change is inevitable, but it seems like MINI has lost some of its…quirkiness with this new aesthetic—especially the interior. And that fabric dash? It look like the fabric on Apple’s Homepods, and that shit is a dust magnet. I can’t imagine keeping it clean in an automotive environment.

I admit however, that the exteriors (with the possible exception of the taillights on the 3-door, whatever that white protrusion on the windows is behind the back seat doors on the Countryman and the wheels on both models) are kind of growing on me the more I look at them.

Maybe I’m just being a “GET OFF MY LAWN” curmudgeon and they’re not really as bad as I first opined. (It’s certainly possible.)

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Some Good News For A Change

A Federal judge issues s temporary restraining order against the Texas law banning drag shows is “likely” unconstitutional

LGBTQ+ groups sued the Texas attorney general’s office, hoping to stop authorities from enforcing Senate Bill 12, which was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June and was scheduled like most new laws to go into effect Friday.

“Based on evidence and testimony presented at the hearing, the court finds there is substantial likelihood that SB 12 as drafted violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution…” the judge wrote.

While just the first step, this is a great win for the LGBTQ community!

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Awesome

Japan’s iSpace HAKUTO-R lander captured this stunning photo in orbit around our Moon while a solar eclipse was occurring on Earth last week. You can see the Moon’s dark shadow passing above Australia as a dark smudge.

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As Bugs Bunny Would Say…

…what a maroon!

From Com!c Sands:

Cruz Fact-Checked After Trying To Blame Biden For Open Border Wall Gates

The GOP Senator tried to blame Biden over a video of an open border wall before being fact-checked with a community note on X about the true purpose of the gates.

In yet another incident of politicians falling for social media misinformation, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz shared a tweet on Monday that took a snippet of video out of context, leading to a misleading narrative about the border wall.

The tweet featured footage showing a section of the border wall appearing to be welded open, with a caption alleging that the Biden administration deliberately left the wall open as part of a strategic plan.

The original tweet claimed:

“The Biden administration welded open the Trump border wall in Tucson, AZ. It’s not a crisis. It’s by design.”

 

Cruz retweeted the post, adding his own commentary that echoed the sentiment, calling the situation “nuts” and placing the blame on President Joe Biden.

You can see Cruz’s tweet below.

Versions of the misleading message have been circulating within right-wing media circles, contributing to the perpetuation of the false narrative.

However, a crucial detail that emerged in an X Community Note appended to the original tweet casts the situation in a different light:

“These are floodgates that are required to be opened during Arizona’s monsoon season. If left closed, the force of flash floods caused by seasonal rain and the debris they carry would topple the border wall.”

“This practice was also done during the Trump administration.”

Many have mocked Cruz for his gaffe.

https://twitter.com/TheRealTanyaG/status/1696328582409162771

This is the second time in the last week that Cruz has made headlines for falling for misinformation.

Earlier, the Texas Republican was mocked online after he fell for a an old photoshopped image of a shark supposedly swimming along a flooded 405 freeway in Los Angeles that circulated as Tropical Stom Hilary lashed Southern California.

Cruz retweeted the photo with a caption expressing surprise, only to be swiftly corrected by internet users who recognized the image as a variation of a hoax that has been circulating online since 2011.

Cruz later admitted he fell for a hoax.

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