People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil. The real conflict is between truth and lies.
All I want for Christmas is for the leaders everywhere to tell the truth.
Standing room only… Rupert Murdoch to be deposed in $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox
Poe vs. Property: A detective story of shifting rationalizations. Cory Doctorow
Volcanic Eruptions Now Occurring in Indonesia and Italy.
The Science Behind Your Cheese Smithsonian
Computer Repair Technicians Are Stealing Your Data Bruce Schneier
Traffic Jam: Chinese Academics Find Starlink Satellites Routinely Break Space Safety RulesSputnik
How Capitalism—Not a Few Bad Actors—Destroyed the Internet Boston Review
Farts say more about your health than you think — now, scientists are listening Inverse
US sees surge in children under five hospitalized for respiratory viruses Guardian
Germany: RSV infection wave overloads children’s hospitals DW
How heaven became a place among the stars aeon
A Path to Freedom Commonweal: “It is sad when art needs a “defence”, and so all defences are sadder.”
Trump Companies Are Convicted in NY Criminal Tax Fraud Trial Bloomberg. FWIW, my tax maven buddy is exercised about this. GE with Jack Welsh and ton of other companies provide executive perks, treat it as a deduction and don’t report it as employee income. Yes, this is a violation, but the well-established sanction is fines and penalties, not criminal prosecution, particularly given that the total fine was $1.6 million. On top of that, the Financial Times (and therefore presumably many other outlets) are reporting the Trump Organization as having been convicted, when it was two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization. One sub is a payroll operation, so not affected by felony status impediments to borrowing. No idea how importan the other one is.
Michigan Presidential Primary Bill Stuck in End-of-Session Rush FrontloadingHQ. Userfriendly: “Well, I’m shocked they didn’t move SC to January 1st and NV to late October just to never have to worry about another Bernie problem again.”
Constant turmoil’ at FDA’s food regulatory agency, report says Politico
FIGHTING THE WAR CHINA STARTED: Time to Rid the World of China’s Trojan Horse Communications Gear.
For two decades we’ve had evidence that equipment manufactured by several Chinese corporations are potentially “dual use” systems.
At one level their equipment does what it’s supposed to do: connects communications systems like phones and computers. However, the systems have “backdoors” that give Chinese spies access to steal classified government secrets and your personal email.
Conceivably, the Chinese systems are offensive weapons: Trojan horses with intercontinental power. The CCP could use these pseudo-civilian systems to launch a cyber-Pearl Harbor attack on an adversary possessing them. The attack could damage the adversary’s economy (e.g., shut down banking). If executed quickly and pervasively, the sneak attack could disrupt military communications channels and disable high-tech sensors.