Month: February 2021
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Blaming the Wind for the Mess in Texas Is Painfully Absurd | The New Yorker
Blaming the Wind for the Mess in Texas Is Painfully Absurd Failures in renewable-energy generation accounted for only a small percentage of the state’s recent power outages. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/blaming-the-wind-for-the-mess-in-texas-is-ridiculous I’m glad that there were plenty of authorities to try to set the record straight, but, of course, the truth was still searching…
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They Thought, Why Not Iran? The Decision Upended Their Lives. – The New York Times
They Thought, Why Not Iran? The Decision Upended Their Lives. (Published 2021) An Iranian-American couple’s relocation to Iran after their daughters went off to college in the United States was a mistake paid for in accusations of spying, murky prosecution and prison. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/world/middleeast/Iran-American-prisoner-Shargi.html That decision upended their lives. Mr. Shargi is the latest dual…
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Rush Limbaugh’s Legacy of Weaponizing Radio Commentary – The New York Times
Rush Limbaugh’s Legacy of Venom: As Trump Rose, ‘It All Sounded Familiar’ (Published 2021) Weaponizing conspiracy theories and bigotry long before Donald Trump’s ascent, the radio giant helped usher in the political style that came to dominate the Republican Party. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/us/politics/limbaugh-death.html There was no person or subject that was off-limits for Mr. Limbaugh’s ire.…
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Facebook’s New Look in Australia: News and Hospitals Out, Aliens Still In – The New York Times
Facebook’s New Look in Australia: News and Hospitals Out, Aliens Still In (Published 2021) The social network’s decision to block journalism rather than pay for it erased more than expected, leaving many outraged and debating what should happen next. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/business/media/facebook-australia-news.html And then Australians discovered it wasn’t just those staples that were missing. Pages for…
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Facebook Blocks News in Australia, Diverging With Google on Proposed Law – The New York Times
Facebook Blocks News in Australia, Diverging With Google on Proposed Law (Published 2021) With Australia moving to make the tech companies pay for news, Facebook took a hard line, while Google has struck deals to pay publishers. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/technology/facebook-google-australia-news.html But by 9 a.m. in Sydney, the impact was apparent and even more wide-reaching than Facebook’s…
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The Haunted House of Soviets Gets a New Life – The New York Times
The Haunted House of Soviets Gets a New Life (Published 2021) Residents of Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost region, search for meaning in a building many see as an egregious architectural mistake. “It’s ugly, but it’s ours.” Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/world/europe/kaliningrad-russia-soviet-union-house-of-soviets.html The protruding balconies are eyes, above which looms an oversize braincase of office space intended for Communist Party…
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How Right-Wing Radio Stoked Anger Before the Capitol Siege – The New York Times
How Right-Wing Radio Stoked Anger Before the Capitol Siege (Published 2021) Shows hosted by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other talk radio stars promoted debunked claims of a stolen election and urged listeners to “fight back.” Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/business/media/conservative-talk-radio-capitol-riots.html A former Fox News host, Mr. Beck had speculated for weeks about baseless claims of voter fraud…
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She’s Ready to Discuss Just About Anything – The New York Times
She’s Ready to Discuss Just About Anything (Published 2021) Patricia Lockwood followed up on her memoir “Priestdaddy” with “No One Is Talking About This,” a novel that explores the chaotic feel of the internet and the pain of personal loss. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/books/patricia-lockwood-no-one-is-talking-about-this.html It was fitting that words occasionally fell short while Lockwood was discussing her…
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A Massacre in a Forest Becomes a Test of Poland’s Pushback on Wartime Blame – The New York Times
A Massacre in a Forest Becomes a Test of Poland’s Pushback on Wartime Blame (Published 2021) Two researchers are on trial for writing that a Polish mayor was complicit in a massacre. Critics say the government is trying to emphasize Polish suffering in World War II and downplay complicity in Nazi crimes. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/world/europe/poland-massacre-jews-nazis-blame.html Polish…
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The True Story of Jessica Krug | Washingtonian (DC)
The True Story of Jess Krug, the White Professor Who Posed as Black for Years—Until It All Blew Up Last Fall – Washingtonian “I am a coward.” Jessica Krug’s confession started ricocheting across screens one brutally muggy afternoon in late-summer Washington. “For the better part of my adult life,” it began, “every move I’ve made,…
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Lawsuits Take the Lead in Fight Against Disinformation – The New York Times
Lawsuits Take the Lead in Fight Against Disinformation (Published 2021) Defamation cases have made waves across an uneasy right-wing media landscape, from Fox to Newsmax. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/06/business/media/conservative-media-defamation-lawsuits.html “The competitive dynamic in the right-wing outrage industry has forced them all over the rails,” Mr. Benkler said. “This is the first set of lawsuits that’s actually going…
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The Trump administration’s terrible restaurant guests.
Trump People Were the Worst Restaurant Guests, Too Stephen Miller grilled me about caviar. Paul Manafort came in under a fake name. Wilbur Ross always got the cheapest wine (by the glass). via Slate Magazine: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/trump-administration-tippers-fine-dining-dc.html The restaurant adapted to the Trump era. We introduced a $45 three-course early bird special, which I recall was…
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When Reporting Becomes a Defense for Rioting | The New Yorker
When Reporting Becomes a Defense for Rioting John Sullivan, also known as Jayden X, claims that he was at the Capitol insurrection as a neutral journalist. Others say he was a riot chaser who urged the mob to “burn this shit down.” via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/when-reporting-becomes-a-defense-for-rioting John Sullivan uploaded videos in which he spoke…
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Turned Out A Punk: Episode 310 – Steve Von Till (Neurosis, Harvestman, Tribes Of Resistance) on Apple Podcasts
Turned Out A Punk: Steve Von Till from Neurosis, Harvestman and Tribes Of Resistance on Apple Podcasts Show Turned Out A Punk, Ep Steve Von Till from Neurosis, Harvestman and Tribes Of Resistance – Feb 5, 2021 via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-310-steve-von-till-neurosis-harvestman-tribes/id940288964?i=1000507857191 On this episode Damian is joined by one of his favourite voices in music,…
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The Race to Dismantle Trump’s Immigration Policies | The New Yorker
The Race to Dismantle Trump’s Immigration Policies Trump transformed immigration through hundreds of quiet measures. Before they can be reversed, they have to be uncovered. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/08/the-race-to-dismantle-trumps-immigration-policies By the end of Trump’s Presidency, Guttentag’s Trackers had logged a thousand and fifty-eight changes to the immigration system. Early in the process, he gave…