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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 11:26
“Well, he died. You can’t get any older than that.” – Alan Arkin as “Yossarian” in Catch-22 One by one, the acting heavyweights of my lifetime are diminishing and going into the West. This happens, of course, to every generation at some point; and I’ve been advised by some even more ancient than I that “you get used to it”. I’m not quite there yet, because this one hurts. Sure, Alan Arkin was 89, but he didn’t burn out …nor did he fade away (sorry to blow your theory, Neil). As recently as 2021, he was garnering accolades and acting nominations for his wonderful work alongside Michael Douglas in the fourth season of the Netflix dramedy The Kominsky Method (if you are unacquainted, do yourself a favor). I’d venture to say Arkin invented “dramedy”, with his penchant for delivering performances that could be intense, deeply affecting, wry, understated, and riotously funny all at once. As all great actors do, he effortlessly embodied the whole of human expression – and (as the song goes) all he had to do was act naturally.
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 10:00
We’re overdue for some Red Panda cubs: North Carolina’s Greensboro Science Center is delighted to announce the birth of two adorable red panda cubs, one male and one female, adding to the growing red panda family. The cubs were born on May 26 to Tai and Usha. This is the second red panda litter born at the GSC. The cubs are currently staying in the GSC’s Shearer Animal Hospital surgery room, which has been converted into a nursery. They’ll make their debut on Thursday, June 15, 2023. The opening of the Shearer Animal Hospital to the public will be delayed until 9:15am on Thursday, 06.15.23. In addition to viewing the cubs through the surgery window, guests are invited to watch feedings. Although feeding times are subject to change with little to no notice, they are currently scheduled for 11:45am and 3:00pm. Via Zooborns Here’s some more Red Panda meditation material:
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 07:00
Amanda Marcotte has written a fascinating deep dive report on online radicalization for Salon that I highly recommend. I’ll just excerpt this piece of it: The same rabbit-hole phenomenon that can draw social media users deeper into the world of eating disorders or suicidal ideation also appears to be a factor in online radicalization. Lisa Sugiura notes that many of the men she interviewed while researching the “incel” community were first drawn into that world through unrelated or apolitical online material, before the algorithm turned their heads toward darker stuff. One interviewee, she said, had done a “simple Google search” about male pattern baldness and eventually ended up on “incel forums, which were heavily dissecting and debating whether being bald is an incel trait.” That man became an incel “very much through the algorithm,” Sugiura said, and through online conversations with people who “showed him a different way to view the world.” “Pathologies like eating disorders and suicidality exist on a continuum with radicalization,” said Brian Hughes, the American University scholar.
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 05:30
Or even Marge and Louis. Some lesser known House MAGA freaks to keep your eye on: Scott Perry: Perry is the leader of the pack and has served as HFC chair since January 2022. The Pennsylvania Republican was elected to succeed the term-limited but still very active Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) in late 2021. Despite leading the House’s most conservative caucus, Perry represents a purple district and is listed as a vulnerable Republican target by the DCCC. He’s also a U.S. Army combat veteran. Notably, Perry raised some eyebrows when he initially voted in support of the Democratic-led “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would require all states to recognize interracial and same-sex marriages lawfully performed in other states. Perry later reversed his vote from “yes” to “no,” citing that he had rushed to the floor to vote on the legislation and had made the “wrong choice.” Chip Roy: Roy is the HFC’s policy chair and is the fiscal hawk of the group. He often rails against the $31 trillion national debt and congressional spending.
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:58
For a few days, China, like the rest of the world, was transfixed by the Wagner Group’s tactical advance on Moscow, threatening the stability of the Russian government and the rule of President Vladimir Putin before the challenge collapsed suddenly. The mercenary army plot was worthy of the composer Richard Wagner, for whom the Group Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:55
In Asian Media this week: Modi should tackle public concerns. Plus: Blinken’s Beijing visit ‘achieves little’; China fights back against de-risking pressure; Australia’s dismal Asean investment record; the laggard in the middle of G7 gender campaign; environmental harm cruise ships cause Australian media lash China over its human rights performance but shrug their collective shoulders Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:54
When an anti-corruption agency issues a 688-page report with findings a former premier engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” and breached the public’s trust, it puts all public officials on notice. In an extraordinary report released today, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found former New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian had taken steps to award Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:53
CPI data shows that Australia has gone from inflation to deflation; We’re not allowing immigrants to put their skills to best use; and, was $1 too much to pay for PwC’s government consultancy business?  Read on for the Weekly Roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:52
What does the word ‘settler’ mean to you? We read it often in reference to Palestine-Israel. The recent horror of murder and violence in the Occupied areas of the West Bank (Palestinian Territory) needs to be explained; and not with vague and rhetorical reporting which too often suggests that the illegal Jewish settlers are once Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:50
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Carrie Xiao at PV Tech reports that in the first five months of 2023, China has installed 62.1 gigawatts of solar capacity at a cost of $13.6 billion. Year on year, it was a 140 per cent expansion. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this advance, Continue reading »
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 04:00
… one cruel ruling at a time Ian Millhiser takes this decision apart: Let’s not beat around the bush. The Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Nebraska, the one canceling President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, is complete and utter nonsense. It rewrites a federal law which explicitly authorizes the loan forgiveness program, and it relies on a fake legal doctrine known as “major questions” which has no basis in any law or any provision of the Constitution. If you were counting on loan forgiveness — and Biden’s loan forgiveness program would have forgiven $10,000 worth of loans for most student borrowers, and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients — you will not receive it because of a decision the Court handed down on Friday, in a 6-3 vote entirely along party lines. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the Court’s majority of Republican-appointees. Justice Elena Kagan dissented on behalf of the Court’s Democratic appointees. There are legitimate policy debates to be had over the Biden plan’s efficacy, fairness, and necessity.
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Sat, 01/07/2023 - 03:30
Preparation time: 20 minutesNo cookingServes 6 What to prepare:3 medium-ripe avocadoes1 can tuna fish (7 ozs.)2 cloves garlic, crushed1 onion, sliced (teaspoon full finely minced)2-3 spoons capersSalt, pepperPickled cucumbers (optional)Stuffed olives1 can ready-made techina (9 ozs.)1 lettuce (if in season)Black olives Peel the avocadoes, cut into halves, lengthwise, and remove pips. Set aside. Flake ¾-can […]