Links for you. Science:
Insect ‘apocalypse’ in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides
‘It makes me angry’: is this the end for America’s Joshua trees?
The three technologies bioinformaticians need to be using right now
How much Public #Microbiome or #Metagenomics data is out there?
The Endangered Species Act is incredibly popular and effective. Trump is weakening it anyway.
Other:
The World Is Ever Ending (excellent)
Here’s The Big Gun Reform Idea Getting Attention From 2020 Democrats
YouTube’s Conspiracy Theory Crackdown Has One Big Winner: Fox News
Open Borders Made America Great
Google’s War on Publisher Paywalls
You can easily secure America’s e-voting systems tomorrow. Use paper
Amid a literacy crisis, Michigan’s school librarians have all but disappeared
Danica Roem, Trans History Maker, Fights Another Anti-LGBT Candidate—and Their Donors—in Virginia
This Is What Latinos Think Everyone Got Wrong About El Paso
Public library receipt shows how much money you saved by borrowing instead of buying books
#GreenShirtGuy: How I went viral
The Global Machine Behind the Rise of Far-Right Nationalism
The #MoscowMitch moniker is working: McConnell is finally running scared
Bad Information: Border Patrol Arrest Reports Are Full of Lies That Can Sabotage Asylum Claims
The Politics of Criticism: My life with heavy metal, Tucker Carlson, NPR, and strong opinions
After the White House, she probably can’t go back to the city that made her. So she has cannily devised another exit strategy.
Director of Alaska college resigns due to state budget cuts
In D.C., New York and beyond, Jews mark annual day of mourning by protesting Trump immigration policies
University of Texas researchers aiding Salvadoran teen were threatened with arrest by Mexican authorities
Nearly All Of Mexico’s Gun Violence Is Committed With Illegal Firearms Coming From U.S., Officials Says
‘Dying of whiteness’: why racism is at the heart of America’s gun inaction
mikethemadbiologist
hello Mike. Thank you for the link to https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/08/10/el-paso-shooting-227612 . I also posted on this. The white nationalist terrorist are winning as they have managed to terrorize a segment of our population. Somehow this must be stopped. Hugs
*** Dying of whiteness’: why racism is at the heart of America’s gun inaction ***
Where was the bookstore owner when the gun nuts with bullhorns came in?
*** In D.C., New York and beyond, Jews mark annual day of mourning by protesting Trump immigration policies ***
Who is the genius organizing these “protests”? In today’s environment all American Jews need is a new label: Jews For Open Borders. If they feel this must be done, for heaven’s sakes wear generic clothing.
*** The Politics of Criticism ***
Why is this woman surprised? Her adventure is merely another instance of how The Golden Rule works, meaning those with the gold make the rules. Ask Steven Salaita. Or maybe Cynthia McKinney.
*** The #MoscowMitch moniker is working: McConnell is finally running scared ***
Trashing opposition politicians is a hallowed American tradition. I always laugh when I recall how LBJ told an aide to put out the word his opponent **cked pigs – just to make the SOB deny it. McConnell is a genuine low-life, and deserves all the kicking around he gets. That this particular slur isn’t true ought to be kept in mind, though. The man takes bribes/contributions from electronic voting machine companies, and he didn’t allow a Senate vote on paper ballots. Corrupt swine? Yes. Biden has accused him of preventing Obama from warning the US about Russian Interference. Total BS, and thus quite typical of Biden. Here is a nice little essay on the “moscowmitch” topic by an author named Aaron Freedman: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/moscow-mitch-mcconnell-nancy-pelosi-democrats-russia-republicans-a9060881.html
*** You can easily secure America’s e-voting systems tomorrow. Use paper ***
Bad headline – the “You” leads a person to believe a paper ballot is some kind of hidden option. Consider arranging your personal affairs come election day in 2020 so you won’t be in the county during voting hours. Then go apply for an Absentee Ballot. Filled out with a medium ball point pen and very heavy pressure, it ought to be difficult to alter.
*** Open Borders Made America Great ***
The headline is OK – if you can stomach the genocides which made the US so underpopulated. And of course the very long period of time the Employers were riding high with generations of desperate people seeking work – and the resulting low wages. Now compare the headline with the ending paragraph:
^^^ As the Founding Fathers recognized, open borders are the key to making America great. Engaging with this history, contemporary Americans may well come to that conclusion, too. ^^^
This is pure horse manure. An author using the same name wrote the sensible and well reasoned piece about moscowmitch. They might be the same person, but this fellow seems hellaciously prolific. I’m of a mind this is a situation like at the zerohedge site where every post names the author as “Tyler Durden”. Somehow I prefer this explanation to a single guy with no scruples who will write anything at all if the price is right.
*** Here’s The Big Gun Reform Idea Getting Attention From 2020 Democrats ***
I’m not optimistic about this scheme because NOBODY trusts The Government anymore, and for good reason. I do like the link piece though, for the author doesn’t try to hide the problems. If the police must be involved, why not build a large safe/storage locker at each station?. Civilian firearms which are not singles or doubles would be stored there except for those times the owner wanted to access them. (I’ve read the Swiss use some version of this) I’d propose the checkout involve presentation of full liability insurance for any misuse of that firearm while out of storage.
I liked the article on the library that showed how much a patron saved by borrowing rather than buying a book, but I was surprised that the author, David Pescovitz, didn’t question the value of the book in the first photo. Robinson Crusoe saved $164.80? On what planet does a copy of Robinson Crusoe cost $164.80? (I especially liked the 80 cents part — the illusion of precision lends credibility to such bizarre claims…) You can get it for $1 online, and a kindle version is 99 cents — considering that the library patron probably spent more than that on gas to get to the library, a kindle version would have been the better choice.