According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, tomorrow is the Full Sap Moon. This video really warms my heart. I think it is the wonder that these people show as they look at the moon. It helps that these folks are in the middle of LA when they are looking at it. Humans may not be as terrible as I thought.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Good Friday Links
Here are the latest stories I found interesting:
What the Spending Bill Could Mean for Minor-League Baseball Players – The New Yorker
How Loyola used information and skill -- not luck -- to reach the Final Four – ESPN
Blackhawks Play 36-Year-Old Local Accountant As Emergency Goalie - Deadspin
Flint investigator says greed and fraud led to drinking water crisis – Detroit Free Press. I'm guessing the state attorney general (who is running for governor) won't find the wrongdoing on the state level that I think probably occurred.
A Prefabricated Tragedy - Slate. A bit simplistic in parts, but it makes some interesting points.
The best federal agency you've never heard of: It helps manufacturers and now Trump wants to kill it - Philadelphia Inquirer
The robots are killing Tesla – Business Insider. That's not all that's killing it, but the piece makes some very interesting points about automation.
New Ecological Economics: Superorganism and Ultrasociality-How the agricultural revolution changed the trajectory of our social and economic evolution - Evonomics
The End of Winter - The New Yorker
More Than 75 Percent of Earth’s Land Areas Are ‘Broken,’ Major Report Finds – Motherboard
Chicago's Awful Divide - The Atlantic
Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics – The New Yorker. I hate this man with the energy of a thousand suns.
The Brutal Origins of Gun Rights – The New Republic
Republicans Promised to Cut the Deficit. It’s Only Getting Worse – Bloomberg. Continuing a nearly 40 year tradition. There are some great charts about how "welfare reform" isn't going to close the deficit.
What the Spending Bill Could Mean for Minor-League Baseball Players – The New Yorker
How Loyola used information and skill -- not luck -- to reach the Final Four – ESPN
Blackhawks Play 36-Year-Old Local Accountant As Emergency Goalie - Deadspin
Flint investigator says greed and fraud led to drinking water crisis – Detroit Free Press. I'm guessing the state attorney general (who is running for governor) won't find the wrongdoing on the state level that I think probably occurred.
A Prefabricated Tragedy - Slate. A bit simplistic in parts, but it makes some interesting points.
The best federal agency you've never heard of: It helps manufacturers and now Trump wants to kill it - Philadelphia Inquirer
The robots are killing Tesla – Business Insider. That's not all that's killing it, but the piece makes some very interesting points about automation.
New Ecological Economics: Superorganism and Ultrasociality-How the agricultural revolution changed the trajectory of our social and economic evolution - Evonomics
The End of Winter - The New Yorker
More Than 75 Percent of Earth’s Land Areas Are ‘Broken,’ Major Report Finds – Motherboard
Chicago's Awful Divide - The Atlantic
Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics – The New Yorker. I hate this man with the energy of a thousand suns.
The Brutal Origins of Gun Rights – The New Republic
Republicans Promised to Cut the Deficit. It’s Only Getting Worse – Bloomberg. Continuing a nearly 40 year tradition. There are some great charts about how "welfare reform" isn't going to close the deficit.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Monday, March 26, 2018
More March Links
A few stories that caught my eye over the weekend and the first day of work this week:
For Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto, spring is about the process, not the batting average - Cincinnati Enquirer
To Save Whales, Maine's Iconic Lobster Industry May Have To Change - The Salt
How Syngenta won the war over weedkillers - Politico
China needs more water. So it's building a rain-making network three times the size of Spain – South China Morning Post. You have to click through just for the pictures, and the description of the "rocket technology" in use. Looks crazier than hell to me.
Elon Musk Is the Henry Ford of His Age. That's Bad. – Bloomberg
Rural hospital shutdowns force communities to take care of their own – CNBC
Can the Most Hated Man in West Virginia Win? – Politico. This dude is too ridiculous to be a cartoon villain. Why do Republican voters flock to the biggest pieces of shit and believe every ridiculous lie they tell?
The Battle For Paradise – The Intercept. Rich assholes versus Puerto Ricans.
Land of the Lawless - Lapham's Quarterly
In California's rural, conservative north, there are big dreams for cleaving the state – LA Times. If rural voters are for it, it is probably a very bad idea.
How Trump's Protectionism Could Backfire - New York Times. Great maps.
Retirees Reshape Where Americans Live – Wall Street Journal. I don't really care about the retiree angle. I just wanted to show the map of where rural areas are declining in population. Downstate Illinois looks awful.
For Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto, spring is about the process, not the batting average - Cincinnati Enquirer
To Save Whales, Maine's Iconic Lobster Industry May Have To Change - The Salt
How Syngenta won the war over weedkillers - Politico
China needs more water. So it's building a rain-making network three times the size of Spain – South China Morning Post. You have to click through just for the pictures, and the description of the "rocket technology" in use. Looks crazier than hell to me.
Elon Musk Is the Henry Ford of His Age. That's Bad. – Bloomberg
Rural hospital shutdowns force communities to take care of their own – CNBC
Can the Most Hated Man in West Virginia Win? – Politico. This dude is too ridiculous to be a cartoon villain. Why do Republican voters flock to the biggest pieces of shit and believe every ridiculous lie they tell?
The Battle For Paradise – The Intercept. Rich assholes versus Puerto Ricans.
Land of the Lawless - Lapham's Quarterly
In California's rural, conservative north, there are big dreams for cleaving the state – LA Times. If rural voters are for it, it is probably a very bad idea.
How Trump's Protectionism Could Backfire - New York Times. Great maps.
Retirees Reshape Where Americans Live – Wall Street Journal. I don't really care about the retiree angle. I just wanted to show the map of where rural areas are declining in population. Downstate Illinois looks awful.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Late March Weekend Links
Well, I forgot to make my NCAA hockey predictions (and saved myself from demonstrating my ignorance), but I did read a few interesting stories in the last few days (and I forgot a few links that I was planning on including in the last links):
How Charles Koch Turned Wichita State into a College-Basketball Powerhouse – The New Yorker
Sisters of Sister Jean Embrace Her Loyola Team and Marvel at Her Fame – New York Times. The Times has been all over the Sister Jean story. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks cultural Catholics love a good nun story.
How $42K-a-year priest built mansion worth millions - Detroit News. And this is one of the reasons there are so many cultural and not practicing Catholics.
Robots Are Trying To Pick Strawberries. So Far, They're Not Very Good At It - The Salt
Offutt's former SD farm goes all-organic for General Mills - Ag Week. Even if farmers think it is garbage, the corporate titans are buying into organic. In other words, the consumer is steering the ship.
The last whalers - Aeon
American History for Truthdiggers: Were the Colonists Patriots or Insurgents? - Truthdig. This is a question. I have considered similar thoughts when reading about the nation's birth.
Tom and Jerry – why they’re a cat and mouse double act for the ages - The Conversation
The Intellectual We Deserve - Current Affairs. I've generally avoided the Jordan Peterson hype, but this seems like an epic takedown.
Dearborn mayor backs Ford expansion to Michigan Central Station - Detroit Free Press. It would be amazing if this comes to fruition.
How One Houston Suburb Ended Up in a Reservoir – New York Times. Mainly it is that the Corps didn't buy all the ground they should have, and nobody had the balls to tell developers to GTFO.
Radar images show large swath of West Texas oil patch is heaving and sinking at alarming rates - SMU Research. This may be nothing, or it may end up being very significant.
The Democrats’ Rural Voter Problem (and How to Fix It) - The New Republic. The argument is interesting, if flawed, but it gets at the central issue with the Democratic party: how have they ceded economically populist voters to the party of Oligarchs (it is because they have become the party of socially progressive Oligarchs)?
Everyone Tries To Dodge The Tax Man, And It Keeps Getting Easier - FiveThirtyEight. The perfect chart for the week of National Ag Day.
How Charles Koch Turned Wichita State into a College-Basketball Powerhouse – The New Yorker
Sisters of Sister Jean Embrace Her Loyola Team and Marvel at Her Fame – New York Times. The Times has been all over the Sister Jean story. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks cultural Catholics love a good nun story.
How $42K-a-year priest built mansion worth millions - Detroit News. And this is one of the reasons there are so many cultural and not practicing Catholics.
Robots Are Trying To Pick Strawberries. So Far, They're Not Very Good At It - The Salt
Offutt's former SD farm goes all-organic for General Mills - Ag Week. Even if farmers think it is garbage, the corporate titans are buying into organic. In other words, the consumer is steering the ship.
The last whalers - Aeon
American History for Truthdiggers: Were the Colonists Patriots or Insurgents? - Truthdig. This is a question. I have considered similar thoughts when reading about the nation's birth.
Tom and Jerry – why they’re a cat and mouse double act for the ages - The Conversation
The Intellectual We Deserve - Current Affairs. I've generally avoided the Jordan Peterson hype, but this seems like an epic takedown.
Dearborn mayor backs Ford expansion to Michigan Central Station - Detroit Free Press. It would be amazing if this comes to fruition.
How One Houston Suburb Ended Up in a Reservoir – New York Times. Mainly it is that the Corps didn't buy all the ground they should have, and nobody had the balls to tell developers to GTFO.
Radar images show large swath of West Texas oil patch is heaving and sinking at alarming rates - SMU Research. This may be nothing, or it may end up being very significant.
The Democrats’ Rural Voter Problem (and How to Fix It) - The New Republic. The argument is interesting, if flawed, but it gets at the central issue with the Democratic party: how have they ceded economically populist voters to the party of Oligarchs (it is because they have become the party of socially progressive Oligarchs)?
Everyone Tries To Dodge The Tax Man, And It Keeps Getting Easier - FiveThirtyEight. The perfect chart for the week of National Ag Day.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Spring Snowstorm Links
Sure, it was only 4 or 5 inches of snow, but I think that was the most we've gotten in any storm this winter, and it is no longer winter. Anyway, I was busy imbibing on St. Patrick's Day, so it took a few extra days to find enough good stories. Here you go:
Exploring great Indiana high school gyms - Indianapolis Star. I hate the state of Indiana, but I do think they have some very cool basketball gyms.
For St. Patrick's Day, A True Tale Of 8 Sailors Saved By Guinness – The Salt
Catholic group offers alternative to payday lenders – Columbus Dispatch. This is something I wanted to start up.
Attack of the extreme floods – Nature
This Father-Daughter Team Says It Has a Cheaper, Safer Way to Bury Nuclear Waste – Bloomberg
Meet the world's deadliest female sniper who terrorized Hitler's Nazi army – The Independent
Opinion: FCC Set to Waste Billions on the Wrong Rural Broadband Providers – Daily Yonder
The Asset – Buzzfeed News
The Last Temptation – The Atlantic
Tomgram: Andrew Bacevich, A Memo to the Publisher of the New York Times – TomDispatch. From the 15th anniversary of the Iraq war.
The biggest Republican megadonor you’ve never heard of - Politico. At least the Schlitz heir's governor candidate lost.
The Population Slowdown in the Outer Suburbs of the East and Midwest – NYT
Exploring great Indiana high school gyms - Indianapolis Star. I hate the state of Indiana, but I do think they have some very cool basketball gyms.
For St. Patrick's Day, A True Tale Of 8 Sailors Saved By Guinness – The Salt
Catholic group offers alternative to payday lenders – Columbus Dispatch. This is something I wanted to start up.
Attack of the extreme floods – Nature
This Father-Daughter Team Says It Has a Cheaper, Safer Way to Bury Nuclear Waste – Bloomberg
Meet the world's deadliest female sniper who terrorized Hitler's Nazi army – The Independent
Opinion: FCC Set to Waste Billions on the Wrong Rural Broadband Providers – Daily Yonder
The Asset – Buzzfeed News
The Last Temptation – The Atlantic
Tomgram: Andrew Bacevich, A Memo to the Publisher of the New York Times – TomDispatch. From the 15th anniversary of the Iraq war.
The biggest Republican megadonor you’ve never heard of - Politico. At least the Schlitz heir's governor candidate lost.
The Population Slowdown in the Outer Suburbs of the East and Midwest – NYT
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Pi Day Mini-Links
I hope you had a great Pi Day. I figured I would throw a few links up, especially since the first one involves a high seed that might not be in the tournament very long:
The Nun in Loyola-Chicago’s Huddle Has a Few Things to Say – New York Times
Why No. 1 Virginia’s Plodding Pace Makes It Ripe for an Upset – Wall Street Journal
The EU Is Going After the U.S. Cranberry Industry – Bloomberg. Targeting Paul Ryan's home state.
The Number of Monarch Butterflies Wintering in Mexico Is Down Again – Modern Farmer. For what it's worth, I've been avoiding the milkweed when mowing waterways and scrubland. I've noticed more Monarchs the last couple years than I saw in previous years.
When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home - The New Yorker
Stephen Hawking Is Still Underrated – The Atlantic
Pi Day 2018: the math of pi explained, as simply as possible - Vox
Trump's mining giveaway – Politico. There is no better example of the ineptitude and corruption of Congress than the fact that a law as shitty as the General Mining Act of 1872 is still the law of the land after 146 years.
Canadian Amateurs Discovered a New Type of Aurora. It’s named Steve. - The Atlantic
The Nun in Loyola-Chicago’s Huddle Has a Few Things to Say – New York Times
Why No. 1 Virginia’s Plodding Pace Makes It Ripe for an Upset – Wall Street Journal
The EU Is Going After the U.S. Cranberry Industry – Bloomberg. Targeting Paul Ryan's home state.
The Number of Monarch Butterflies Wintering in Mexico Is Down Again – Modern Farmer. For what it's worth, I've been avoiding the milkweed when mowing waterways and scrubland. I've noticed more Monarchs the last couple years than I saw in previous years.
When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home - The New Yorker
Stephen Hawking Is Still Underrated – The Atlantic
Pi Day 2018: the math of pi explained, as simply as possible - Vox
Trump's mining giveaway – Politico. There is no better example of the ineptitude and corruption of Congress than the fact that a law as shitty as the General Mining Act of 1872 is still the law of the land after 146 years.
Canadian Amateurs Discovered a New Type of Aurora. It’s named Steve. - The Atlantic
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
I'm Getting a Bad Feeling About This
I have to say that my fear that we will end up in a war with Iran or North Korea or both increased significantly today. I can't say that Mike Pompeo is as dumb as Trump, considering his extremely impressive resume, but the fact that he agrees with Trump about North Korea, Iran, climate change and environmental regulation is absolutely terrifying. I didn't really think our country's future was tremendously bright before today, but it got quite a bit darker in this spin on the earth's axis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)