Fake News Is Free
As my students often remind me, news tends to be behind paywalls, while fake news is free. Global health expert Jonathan D Quick, of Duke University in North Carolina
Politics
Parts of Hanford nuclear waste site have not been inspected in 50 years
Yet again, Parts of Hanford nuclear waste site have not been inspected in 50 years The former defense site in Washington state has a troubled past. The latest lapse involves the Energy Department’s failure to analyze the cause of a tunnel collapse. washingtonpost.com Aaron Gregg
Reinbert de Leeuw, Dies at 81
Reinbert de Leeuw, Dutch Champion of Contemporary Music, Dies at 81 He pushed conservative institutions to program the new, and was a noted conductor of major avant-garde works. … Mr. de Leeuw declared his all-embracing philosophy in the 1995 program booklet. The ambition of approaching contemporary music “with a universal language comparable to the language … [Read more…]
GAS BAG DUET
The gas bag pictured below announced he has advanced lung cancer – then the other bloated gas bag gives him a medal – what a travesty! I hope he enjoys his chemotherapy.
Kasparov and Gessen – Experiences in Autocracy
From November 16, 2016, Masha Gessen writes in NYRDaily: Autocracy, Rules for Survival: Rule #1: Believe the autocrat. Rule #2: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality. Rule #3: Institutions will not save you. “The national press is likely to be among the first institutional victims of Trumpism. There is no law … [Read more…]
Disinformation For Hire: How A New Breed Of PR Firms Is Selling Lies Online
I get a digest of the latest news on news and reporting from the Pew Research Center. One recently caught my interest was from Buzzfeed on the new “Black PR firms” who will, for a fee, generate, structure and support any lie you wish. Scary isn’t a strong enough word, terrifying is more apt. It … [Read more…]
PFAS – Trump administration threatens to give forever chemicals another reprieve
Over at the website for the Union of Concerned Scientists, Kathleen Rest posted this “Profiles in Cowardice: Chemicals, Climate, and a Toxic Disregard by the Trump Administration” which is worth the time to read.
Energy Vault
From SwissInfo – Energy Vault Jan 3, 2020 Revolutionary idea to store green power for the grid By Armando Mombelli Stacking blocks of concrete with a crane to store energy and use the force of gravity to keep producing electricity when renewable sources are lacking: simple but revolutionary, the battery solution proposed by the Ticino … [Read more…]
Amsterdam Y2K
It was 20 years ago today … we were new to Europe. I had gone ahead in October of 1999 to find an apartment and get some basics set up. A stayed behind in Northern California to wind things down and take care of the odds and ends before coming in November to our new … [Read more…]