"At least 64 people have died in a massive fire at a shopping center in central Russia, while others remain unaccounted for, a Russian official confirmed Monday." And mostly kids. Fuck. "According to news reports, the alarm system did not work and some fire exits were blocked." Because who needs competent government and only have inspections that are veiled attempts at bribery? I know I joke with you, my Russian friends, but we seriuosly send our sympathy and condolences to the young ones and their families. Life is hard enough without tragedies like this.
"Thousands of people gathered in the Siberian city of Kemerovo on Tuesday to express anger over a fire that killed at least 64 people, many of them children, as reports indicated that the building's alarm system had been shut off and exits blocked." And Putin is shocked, shocked this is happening. For a supposed reformer, he ain't reforming very much except his bank accounts.
Thomas Ricks on a hard editorial letter and the rewrite to make the book better. (Grokked from Myke Cole)
"Ohio State sociologist Natasha Quadlin set out to study the effect of high academic achievement on women's employment, so she created 2,106 fictional job applicants, half male, half female, across a spectrum of GPAs and college majors, and submitted them via common recruiting sites… Quadlin found that men with high GPAs attract more job offers than low-GPA men, but that women are penalized for having higher GPAs, especially women who major in math." As almost any smart woman can tell you. Sometimes we find conformational bias, sometimes we create it. (Grokked from Cat Rambo)
"'Unpredictability, measured as the frequency of extreme errors in ... projections, has increased in the most recent decade,' according to an unusual new study by a team at Carnegie Mellon University that found analysts are getting worse at predicting both how much oil and gas will be produced and how much Americans will need."
"Women using these services in cities say they like the speed and no-hassle privacy they get by making a purchase through the app. And in some rural areas where women's health clinics are few and far between, being able to buy prescription contraceptives online — starting at around $15 for a month's supply — can be not only much more private, but much more affordable and less time-consuming than driving an hour or more to the closest clinic, or paying for a doctor's appointment." Buying birth control through an app.
"The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday withdrew from a 2016 agreement to partner with a private developer on a more than 700-mile transmission line that would have delivered wind power from blustery Oklahoma to Tennessee and beyond." The good part of this is that some of the reasoning is that the TVA thinks its customers are more interested in locally generated solar power than wind power from Tennessee. But it's still damn short sightedness and need to 1) upgrade our existing grid and 2) repurpose it for transfer of renewable energy sources. Although, in truth, I am all for point-source generation. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"Firearms manufacturer Remington Outdoor has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in hopes of staving off creditors amid a slump in sales and public outcry over gun violence." We won't mention the possibility of a lawsuit that may tie liability for mass shootings to the manufacturer of the weapons used. It's also the result of a small market blip for companies owned by holding companies who then over leverage the companies they own to cash out with bonuses.
"… Mexicali Resiste, an activist group fighting the opening of a new brewery by the Fortune 500 company Constellation Brands. Constellation makes wines, spirits and beer, including Corona, Modelo and Pacifico as well as beers from craft brewer Ballast Point. The company has set up offices in the city, and is working with the local government to build a $1.5 billion brewery that will use local water to make beer for American consumers." Local water that is already in short supply. Welcome to the water wars.
"Authorities now say that a student in Maryland who fatally shot a fellow classmate and seriously hurt another died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a confrontation with a school resource officer." So much for that NRA fantasy.
"Two people have been arrested over the murder of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor in Paris that is being investigated as a suspected anti-Semitic attack, a French judicial source told CNN on Tuesday." Nazis.
"The FBI has taken custody of multiple suspicious packages sent to military locations and the CIA in the Washington, DC area, officials said Monday… A law enforcement official told CNN there were more than 10 devices. All were very crude, involving black powder, and would not have caused fatalities had they gone off, the official said."
"The massive spending bill President Trump signed into law on Friday includes enough money to replace voting machines that leave no paper trail, a top priority for many election officials and cybersecurity experts. But according to a new analysis, it seems unlikely that's how the money will be spent."
"President Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian officials from the United States and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, the White House announced Monday." Before you get all, "Well, maybe he can do something against Russia," also know that "Many European countries made the same move on Monday. Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Estonia, Italy, Poland and Lithuania all announced that they would be asking Russian diplomats to leave." My guess is the UK called an Article 5.
"Daniels said she had sex with Trump, despite not wanting to or being physically attracted to him, because she felt trapped once she went back to his hotel room alone. Daniels was 27 years old at the time, and Trump was 60." In case anyone wanted to read about it.
"To start, the Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller asked the deputy press secretary Raj Shah to explain why Americans should believe what the White House says… Miller brought up a few recent instances in which the White House said things that were quickly determined to be untrue… 'Why should we in this room — and more importantly, the American people — trust anything this administration is telling them?' Miller asked." That's how it starts. Next is when they say something patently unbelievable, reiterate the question as a followup. Of course the next question is, "Is the president lying to you, or asking you to lie for him?" (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"A POLITICO review of public documents, newly obtained FEMA records and interviews with more than 50 people involved with disaster response indicates that the Trump administration — and the president himself — responded far more aggressively to Texas than to Puerto Rico." Which comes as little shock to people who pay attention. But hey, we're those paper towels the president tossed out great? (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"The balancing act for these Republicans is appealing to moderate voters enraged by Trump while trying to avoid alienating a party base enamored with the president." And as the "base" is considered more and more out of the mainstream, that will be harder.
"Records of President Trump's past depositions show a familiar pattern of boasting, sometimes battling opponents and giving little deference to factual details — pitfalls which could all come into play in various legal cases before too long." Basically he's himself, which could be a liability going forward.
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