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Tuesday, June 04, 2024

Tiananmen Square: Lawyers to Plastics Makers: Prepare for ‘Astronomical’ PFAS Lawsuits

DON’T FORGET:  How To Commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989


Liberalism As a Way of Life Damon Linker. “O my God, I worship only YOU”


SKYNET SMILES, OFFERS CANDY: Strange Discovery Suggests Children Trust Robots Over Humans.




All the privileged must have prizes Times Higher Education

          Mountain peaks

You can force employees to come back to the office, but not the good ones! RTE 


David Graeber’s Magic Words Compact Magazine


Laugh it out: Can humor ease tension in polarizing times? MPR 


Something Strange Happens to Wolves Infected by an Infamous Mind-Altering Parasite ScienceAlert



Charles Taylor’s Sublime Shortcomings Chronicle of Higher Education 


Lawyers to Plastics Makers: Prepare for ‘Astronomical’ PFAS Lawsuits

The New York Times [no paywall]: “At an industry presentation about dangerous “forever chemicals,” lawyers predicted a wave of lawsuits that could dwarf asbestos litigation, audio from the event revealed…

A wide swath of the chemicals, plastics and related industries are gearing up to fight a surge in litigation related to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of nearly 15,000 versatile synthetic chemicals linked to serious health problems. 

PFAS chemicals have been detected almost everywhere scientists have looked: in drinking water, in rain falling over the Great Lakes, even in Antarctic snow. They are thought to be present in the blood of nearly every American

Researchers have linked exposure to PFAS to testicular and kidney cancers, developmental delays in children, decreased fertility, liver damage and thyroid disease. The man-made chemicals are so long-lasting that scientists haven’t been able to reliably identify how long it might take for them to break down…”


Caleb Carr, Military Historian And Author Of “The Alienist,” Has Died At 65

"The scarred and gifted son of founding Beat Lucien Carr, (he) endured a traumatizing childhood and became a bestselling novelist, accomplished military historian and late-life memoirist of his devoted cat, Masha." - AP