Search the Community

President Joe Biden's average approval rating is currently at its lowest of his entire time in office despite a positive reaction to his recent State of the Union address. Biden's approval rating currently stands at 37.4 percent, the lowest since he recorded an average of 37.6 percent in December 2023, according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight's national average calculations. Biden's disapproval rating is at 56.5 percent, giving the president a net disapproval score of 19.2 points—both of which are record markers of disapproval for the president. The average ratings come amid long-standing concerns Biden has faced about his struggling poll numbers and a lack of enthusiasm for the 81-year-old's reelection bid. On Tuesday night, both Biden and Donald Trump were confirmed as the Democratic and Republican nominees for the 2024 election respectively, setting up a rematch of the 2020 race. The White House has been contacted for comment via email. Biden's low approval rating comes close on the heels of recent polls suggesting that potential voters were encouraged by the president's State of the Union address on March 7. During the speech, Biden hit out at Trumpfor trying to win the November election by running on a campaign of "hate, anger, revenge, retribution" while also slamming the "insurrectionists" who "stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger to the throat of American democracy" during the January 6 attack. Biden listed his accomplishments in office, including stating the U.S. economy rose from being "on the brink" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to one which is now "literally the envy of the world." Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at the City University of New York, said Biden gave "one hell of a speech"on March 7. "President Biden literally said 'hell' more often than I could count. He was a bulldog in this SOTU. He was combative, funny, and aggressive. It also was the most pro-union speech I've ever heard from a U.S. president," Brown previously told Newsweek. "This clearly was the official launch of his reelection campaign, and a good one at that." Full article: https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-approval-rating-sotu-address-2024-1878673

UNESCO has just added six new entries to the list of intangible cultural heritage in Germany, including Berlin's techno scene. The intangible cultural heritage designation is meant to preserve cultural traditions.

He spent his whole life inside the iron lung. He had come home from playing outdoors when he felt feverish and had a headache. Within days he had been rushed to hospital and doctors operated to clear mucus from his lungs. He woke up in the mechanical iron lung - and spent most of his life inside it. An update posted on his GoFundme page revealed he died on Monday aged 78. It reads: "Paul Alexander, “The Man in the Iron Lung”, passed away yesterday. “After surviving polio as a child, he lived over 70 years inside of an iron lung. “"In this time Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author. "His story traveled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world. "Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered. "Paul, you will be missed but always remembered." Despite his physical constraints, Paul became a published author, lawyer and avid traveller, remembered worldwide for his smile and inspirational attitude to life. He became a trial lawyer and represented clients in court in a suit and modified wheelchair that held his body upright. He wrote a memoir that took him five years to complete, each word written with a pen attached to a stick in his mouth. More modern ventilators had been created during the course of his life but Paul decided to stay in the iron lung because he was used to it. Polio is a deadly virus that attacks the spinal cord, leaving some survivors paralysed. A vaccine was developed in 1955, largely wiping out the virus. The disease remains endemic in just four countries today: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many people who survived the virus were only able to breathe via an iron lung. A 7ft metal case that use a vacuum to push air in and out of their own lungs. Paul’s brother Philip said: “I am so gratitude to everybody who donated to my brother’s fundraiser. “It allowed him to live his last few years stress-free. It will also pay for his funeral during this difficult time. “It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/07/tech/congress-bill-bans-tiktok-america/index.html

The UK has landed in second place for the most miserable country in the world. With house prices skyrocketing and the cost-of-living crisis still in full swing, it's no wonder why Britain probably isn't one of the most desirable places to be at the minute. Data was collected via the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment, with scores ranging from -100 to 200. Scores under zero represent 'distressed or struggling', between zero and 50 meant 'enduring' while between 50 and 100 meant 'managing' and scores between 100 and 200 meant 'succeeding or thriving'. https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-news/uk-most-miserable-country-world-cost-of-living-crisis-010058-20240308

https://www.businessinsider.com/cars-recording-data-onstar-gm-lexisnexis-insurance-rates-increase-report-2024-3 Wow, that is ridiculous. Isn't that against privacy laws?

New York City 2021-2022 all over again, thankfully no murders like the seven there prior. Unlike the (mostly) gay men targeted there, that is not specified in its entirety here so not including that in title, despite the likelihood. Avoid Atlanta bars Five Paces Inn, Johnny’s Hideaway, The Ivy Buckhead, and Thirty Bar. Highly organized operation with multiple suspects implied from the stories, clearing their accounts after drink spiking/etc. and then either after kidnapping with threats and/or Face ID while incapacitated clearing their accounts on their phones. Tons of red flags here and I’m reading some irate comments on blogs (that I won’t link to) alleging intentional slow-walking by the APD and even allegations of pay-outs with bar security. No one’s been charged and no leads. Stay safe out there.

From: https://9to5google.com/2024/03/11/tiktok-photos-leak/ So, ATRLsties, will we be ditching Instagram, or not?

A statue commemorating a former prime minister has been daubed with a rather rude word – and police want to speak to an unlikely person. A pensioner has been caught on CCTV apparently spraying the word ‘b******’ onto the plinth holding a statue of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister. The act of vandalism happened overnight on March 5 in Thatcher’s hometown of Grantham, Lincolnshire. Police are asking the woman in the picture to come forward. The rude word has since been removed from the statue, which cost £300,000 and was unveiled in May 2022. https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/06/hunt-pensioner-defaced-margaret-thatcher-statue-slur-20414158/

Undercover footage of pigs at a Devon farm showing them exposed to “unimaginable suffering” has prompted calls for legal action against the owners. The film crew said the video of pigs being kept in filthy, cramped conditions – featuring instances of cannibalism and malnourishment, as well as animals with untreated, bleeding wounds and hernias – was filmed at Cross Farm in Holsworthy, owned by WJ Watkins and Son. In one clip, a screaming pig was trampled on and bitten by her pen-mates and apparently died in front of the crew from Glass Wall Films. A spokesperson for WJ Watkins confirmed he was aware that covert filming took place on the farm in October, but declined to comment further, referring the Guardian instead to the National Pig Association (NPA). On the basis of the footage, filmed across four non-consecutive nights, the solicitors firm Advocates for Animals has sent a letter of complaint to Heart of the South West trading standards alleging “several potential breaches of the law” at the farm, which is part of the Red Tractor scheme, used to mark food produced to a “high standard”. In 2017, Animal Equality investigated the same farm, estimated to hold 12,000 pigs, and said they found animals living in leaking, dilapidated buildings covered in slurry and forced to lie in their own waste, as well as two pigs with large hernias left in pens with other pigs, pregnant pigs kept in barren, concrete pens without any enrichment, and pigs that had had their tails docked. Christopher Shoebridge, from Glass Wall Films, said: “We were interested to document how animal welfare has improved over time on British farms, and so we visited a farm where improvements had been promised. It was a huge shock to us that, far from being improved, things were just as bad, maybe even worse than before. Full article:https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/10/calls-for-legal-action-after-unimaginable-suffering-filmed-at-devon-pig-farm

after spending 10 years on this site, i’m not sure how true this is

Malaysia Airlines Flight "MH370" was a scheduled international passenger flight that disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, lost contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff, and what exactly happened that day has remained a mystery despite extensive search and investigation efforts. The disappearance of MH370 is considered one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history. It has been 10 years since the tragic incident, and the families of the 239 passengers and crew aboard still seek closure and answers as to what happened to their loved ones. What started as a routine flight turned into a baffling mystery that has sparked countless theories and conspiracy theories. Do you believe the truth behind MH370's disappearance will ever be revealed? How has this event changed the aviation industry and the way we all perceive air travel? Share your thoughts, and keep the discussion respectful.

This is just one among many disgusting things the has said.

With only 2 being made public... Absolutely horrendous adminstration. Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza/