The Highway to Helvetica

The Highway to Helvetica Font Faceplant, Monogamous Mammals Apparently, the Trump administration doesn’t know that sans serif typefaces are more straight. During the Biden years, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken ordered the department to start using the sans serif font Calibri “to improve accessibility for readers with disabilities, such as low vision and dyslexia, and people who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers.” After this transition, Marco Rubio’s State Department memos and directives were being subjected to what can only be referred to as a woke font. We get it, Marco. Calibri is not your type. But fear not, State Department employees, Calibri has been officially deported from your printer port. In modern parlance, the Calibri font has been officially undocumented. The return of the Times New Roman Empire is upon us. “While mostly framed as a matter of clarity and formality in presentation, Mr. Rubio’s directive to all diplomatic posts around the world blamed ‘radical’ diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs for what he said was a misguided and ineffective switch from the serif typeface Times New Roman to sans serif Calibri in official department paperwork.” (It goes without saying that all files must only be printed in black and white: Documents of color are not welcome.) NYT (Gift Article): At State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against Woke . “Serif typefaces are ‘generally perceived to connote tradition, formality and ceremony,’ Mr. Rubio’s order said, adding that they were used by the White House, Supreme Court and other state and federal government entities.” If this administration really wants a font that represents the current American government, I suggest they consider Comic Sans. 2 Post Mortem “The Trump administration plans to require all foreign tourists to provide their social media histories from the last five years to enter the country, according to a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register. The data would be ‘mandatory’ for new entrants to the U.S., regardless of whether they are entering from countries that require visas, according to the notice from Customs and Border Protection.” (Too bad we didn’t have that requirement for running for president...) + As we make America less welcome, other countries are taking advantage. NYT (Gift Article): ‘Come North!’ Canada Makes Play for H-1B Visa Holders With New Talent Drive . 3 A Taxing Policy In general, it’s a bad time to be an immigrant and a pretty decent time to be a tax dodger. “President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out a sweeping overhaul of U.S. law enforcement this year, forcing out scores of attorneys and focusing large sections of the Justice Department on tracking ​down immigrants. Its retreat from tax enforcement illustrates the toll that shift has taken on other crime-fighting efforts.” Exclusive-Tax prosecutions plunge as Trump shifts crime-fighting efforts . + WaPo (Gift Article): DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of 737 jets for deportations . “The agency will spend nearly $140 million to buy the planes, funding that comes...

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