The threat of nuclear war has become a hallmark of the Ukrainian conflict, with Russia regularly issuing thinly veiled threats at the West should it become more involved in Moscow's invasion. Only this weekend did Aleksey Zhuravlyov, the deputy chairman of the Kremlin’s defence committee, warn that a nuclear strike could wipe out Britain in less than four minutes and Finland in ten seconds. Footage of commentators on Russian state-backed media regularly surfaces on English language social media appearing to show analysis and animated diagrams of Russia's nuclear capabilities that would destroy "the enemy".
Nikolai Patrushev: Russia's 'next President' is ‘more barbaric than master Putin'
Right Hand Man Nikolai Patrushev
The Smash-and-Grab Economy Mother Jones. From an issue devoted to private equity.
Column: Disney allegedly has cheated hundreds of writers out of pay for Star Wars and other properties Michael Hiltzik, LA Times
New York construction industry ‘flaggers’ allege rampant wage theft City and State
Finding Legislative Information on Topics of Interest Using the Library of Congress
Teaching with the Library of Congress: “The best place to start for insights into the workings of the U.S. Congress is Congress.gov. Congress.gov is the official source of information on Congress, and includes searchable records of legislation from 1973 to the present. For example, a quick search on “technology” for the current Congress produces a long list of bills and other results. The search facets on the results page allow students to narrow down the results by bill type, status of legislation, and many other factors. Congress.gov also offers a series of educational videos on the legislative process for learners of all ages, on topics ranging from the introduction of bills to presidential actions. In addition, the Congressional Research Service provides access to a selection of the reports it prepares for Congress. These reports cover a wide range of topics, and students might search the CRS reports on subjects of interest to them.
For example, a quick search on “technology” produces a number of promising results, including a CRS publication on blockchain technology and agriculture. United States Reports (Official opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court) is a collection of the official reports of the Supreme Court’s decisions. The collection currently includes reports covering the years 1754-2012 and can be both searched and browsed. Students may find that browsing by major case topic allows them to explore topics of interest to them.
Looking into the nation’s past, the Library’s digital collectionsdocument countless moments of civic engagement, conflict, and growth from across centuries of American life that might help students make connections to the present day. Students can browse these collections by topic or search for terms that are of interest to them. For example, a quick search on “suffrage” results in materials in more than a dozen online collections. Again, the search facets on the results page allow students to narrow down the results by format, creation date, and many other options…”
'The Big Jubilee Read'
Among the ways they're celebrating British Queen Elizabeth II's "record-breaking reign" is with The Big Jubilee Read -- featuring seventy titles, ten from each decade of her reign, from all across the Commonwealth.
The emphasis is definitely on the Commonwealth, beyond England -- neither Amis makes the cut, for example. Meanwhile, not all the works were written in English: translations include from the Welsh -- Caradog Prichard's One Moonlit Night -- and also from the French -- Scholastique Mukasonga's Our Lady of the Nile.
Lord Judge calls for revolution against the government – starting in the House of Lords
I share this speech from the former Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge (yes, he really was Judge Judge), given to the House of Lords this
Read the full
25 Years of Book Publicity in the US
Publishers Weekly is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a wide variety of pieces, including now Sophia Stewart surveying Getting the Word Out: 25 Years of Changes to Book Publicity, showing just how much has changed -- from the time when print book review outlets were pretty much all there was to the current: "proliferation of publicity channels".
A lot here on the appearance of 'literary blogs' -- "outlets for voicy, literary-minded young writers eager to share their opinions" -- and the rise of social media, 'Bookstagram', and, more recently, BookTok.
Stewart notes that: "Today, most of the influential literary blogs of the 2000s are defunct"; of course, some of us less influential ones are still chugging along .....
Happy the Elephant Has Lawyers Arguing to Free Her From the Zoo Wall Street Journal. Happy the Elephant LLC
CAN INSECTS BE CONSCIOUS? LET’S LOOK AT BEES FIRST Mind Matters
Soldier Is Killed by Brown Bear on Alaska Military Base New York Times
Calling a Man Bald Counts as Sexual Harassment, UK Judge Rules CNBC
Why smoke follows you around a fire Boing Boing
We Just Got Closer to Mapping Nearly Every Single Cell Type in The Human Body ScienceAlert