Department of Self-Owns: Gun rights activist Philip Van Cleave has a very-hard-to-believe explanation about why he went along with Sacha Baron Cohen’s character in his new show.
Get this skipper a medal! This is some serious tugboating.
“Not on my watch!” – Someone deserves a raise. pic.twitter.com/zRpuzFUzrj
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) July 17, 2018
Walmart Convenience Stores? Yep. In Texas, the mega-retailer is trying a new, smaller format. No offense, but when you have Buc-ee’s and QT, why even bother?
By the time you read this, Prime Day will likely be over. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get awesome gas station / restaurant ice nuggets at home.
Herding Cats. Non-profits around the District of Columbia are teaming up to spend $1.5 million on a census of the Capital City’s cat population.
Germany’s overbearing hate speech law has a hefty price tag. Digiday reports:
The Network Enforcement Act, or NetzDG, was passed before Germany held its federal election last September and took effect in January. It requires platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take down perceived illegal content within 24 hours or seven days, depending on the charge, or risk eye-watering €50 million ($60 million) fines.
Regulation of tech platforms can become a blunt tool for an issue that requires nuance. The law is vague on what constitutes hateful content, leaving platforms to make the final call. And with the risk of big fines, tech giants have reason to be more zealous with content takedowns.
“It’s like taking a sledgehammer to fix a wristwatch rather than a surgical instrument,” said Scott Vernick, a partner at law firm Fox Rothschild in the U.S.
Scotland’s regressive alcohol tax is here. Over at Reason, Jillian Keenan reports on efforts to escape Scotland’s over-the-top alcohol tax:
And if the Amazon fee is too steep for your liking? No problem. Scottish social media users who work across the border are offering to bring booze back home with them—for a price, of course.
For now, delivery starts at just 1 pound.
Why didn’t we listen to Milton Friedman? Because of politics, probably. Politics are nearly always the reason sensible economic policy isn’t pursued, and now in 2018 we’re ratcheting up a senseless trade war when we could have gone down a path towards freer trade. Shame.
Fishy Cuomo donor shares address with Cuomo aide. Politicians love touting their average donation amount. But that could be easy to game, right? Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times is on it: “Christopher Kim, the Cuomo donor who gave 69 times, reported the same Long Island City address (down to the apt. #) as Cuomo aide Julia Yang.” His donations totaled $77.
Afternoon Links are part of the Daily Standard newsletter, a free daily newsletter that goes out Monday through Friday. Sign up here!
