Linkee-poo Monday Jan 10

Bob Saget, and so it goes.

So there is this persistent believe among newly minted writers that people at publishing houses will "steal their ideas" when they submit. This is not true. One, ideas are a dime a dozen. Two, because working with professionals they don't do stupid shit like that. And three, because this is what happens when someone tries… "An Italian man has been arrested in New York for impersonating figures from the publishing industry online, in order to fraudulently obtain unpublished manuscripts of novels and other books."

On the Media podcast with… "In 2013, 26-year-old software developer and political activist Aaron Swartz died by suicide. He had been indicted on federal charges after illegally downloading 4.8 million articles from JSTOR, a database of academic journals, and potentially faced a million dollar fine and decades in jail. While his death made headline news, Swartz had long been an Internet folk hero and a fierce advocate for the free exchange of information. In his book, The Idealist, writer Justin Peters places Swartz within the fraught, often colorful, history of copyright in America. Brooke talks with Peters about Swartz's legacy and the long line of 'data moralists' who came before him." Including a discussion about the history and purpose of copyright and a little about "information wants to be free."

"Uccellini spent a great deal of his time as director on improving technology at the weather service. But the agency's biggest challenge is effective messaging about the weather, especially extreme events, Uccellini says."

"Global spread of autoimmune disease blamed on western diet… New DNA research by London-based scientists hopes to find cure for rapidly spreading conditions." Maybe. Although many diseases have already been linked to a "western diet" (ie. fast food/cheap carbs).

"About 24% of US hospitals are reporting a 'critical staffing shortage,' according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, as public health experts warn the Covid-19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant threatens the nation's health care system."

"That lack of regular communication has spurred criticism of the agency. In recent days, public health experts have called out CDC for confusing isolation and quarantine guidance, and asked the agency to communicate more often and more clearly."

What is it lime inside hoispitals, well it's not always like this… "Newly released video shows an anti-vaxxer violently attacking COVID-19 clinic workers in California… The incident occurred Dec. 30 in Tustin, outside a clinic operated in a parking lot by Families Together of Orange County… The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Thomas Apollo, reportedly called the clinic workers 'murderers.' Apollo grew angrier after a security guard asked him to wear a mask, accusing workers of being complicit in a COVID-19 'hoax' and saying he was 'not a sheep.'" But to say this shit doesn't happen is to lie. Mostly the violence is more restrained and it's not always about COVID. Although this weekend I was called several names to my face by a few patients. Mostly I try not to react, and that throws them off their guard. "You know you're a mf'in son of b#$ches, right?" "Yes sir, can we have to return to the cart so I can take your chest x-ray?"

"The new year has gotten off to a very bad start in Kazakhstan. On Jan. 1, the government lifted a price cap on fuel, setting off a sudden and steep increase in the cost of liquefied petroleum gas, which most people in the Central Asian nation use to run their vehicles. That move sparked widespread protests that turned violent as security forces cracked down." But it's not really about gas prices.

"American and Russian officials held high-stakes talks Monday about the build-up of troops near Ukraine's border, as fears mount over a possible Russian invasion… US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov's meeting wrapped up after more than 7 hours in Geneva, Switzerland, after holding a working dinner on Sunday evening."

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she believes a deal can still be reached with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin on President Biden's $1.75 trillion social spending plan after negotiations were put on ice last month." While they believe the goal can be met with negotiations, I think in this case we need a bigger stick and not a bigger carrot. And Manchin is vulnerable.

"It’s been one year since the armed insurrection at the Capitol, what do we know now about how it happened? On this week’s On the Media, hear about the signs that reveal militia groups were preparing for that day — or something like it — long before January 6th. Plus, how the attack may have transformed the far-right in America." Micah Loewinger updates his reporting on how the right used Zello to coordinate the attack, how it's now being used against them, and a possible path from here.

"Donald Trump's lawyers on Monday will try to persuade a federal judge to throw out a series of lawsuits by Democratic lawmakers and two police officers alleging that the former president incited the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol."

"The Ohio Republican Jim Jordan is the second sitting congressman to refuse a request for cooperation from the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack… In a Sunday night letter to the committee chair, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the Trump ally accused the panel of 'an outrageous abuse' of its authority."