The occasional blue sky

 

On just pretending it never happened

What the Jan. 6 probe found out about social media, but didn’t report

But in the end, committee leaders declined to delve into those topics in detail in their final report, reluctant to dig into the roots of domestic extremism taking hold in the Republican Party beyond former president Donald Trump and concerned about the risks of a public battle with powerful tech companies…

[Washington Post] 

Is our teachers learning?

The lights have been on at a Massachusetts school for over a year because no one can turn them off

The lighting system was installed at Minnechaug Regional High School when it was built over a decade ago and was intended to save money and energy. But ever since the software that runs it failed on Aug. 24, 2021, the lights in the Springfield suburbs school have been on continuously, costing taxpayers a small fortune.

Fortunately, according to Assistant Superintendent of Finance Aaron Osborne, that small fortune is only thousands of dollars per month, not tens of thousands.

And maybe it's all China's fault. Or the pandemic's. Or both.

(Apologies to Dubya for the headline.)

[H/T Shawn]

Pop Quiz

To what city does this Associated Press story refer?

A fire destroyed about 60 makeshift homes in a densely packed neighborhood surrounded by some of the wealthiest streets of…

Give up? Want a hint? OK — if this were an American city they would be called homeless shelters. But apparently they're called makeshift homes when you're writing about Seoul, South Korea. Don't ask why. (Or do.)

The story is here.

Food is not just about eating any more

 I caught a video of some guy at the World Economic Forum in Davos rambling on about a billion people not eating meat — seemingly, that's a good thing — so I naturally wondered what they're eating at Davos. Whatever it is, it's complicated. According to this article on Food Security from WEF it takes a massive amount of effort, computer processing —AI, even — and cookery to get it right. (Also it takes a private jet to get to Davos in the first place.)

For comparison, I checked the White House Mess, a restaurant run by the U.S. Navy in the White House basement, next to the War Situation Room. The sample breakfast menu there looks pretty meaty, although the sausage is low-fat. They don't specify Breakfast Taco's what, but it must be something pretty good.

Also, this delicious note:

Guests of the White House Mess are invited to bring their menus home with them as a souvenir along with a box of presidential M&Ms.

Sustainable M&Ms, I presume. Although…chocolate… 

The mix report

 Where I live, in the winter, we don't have snow, sleet, rain, fog, or mist: We have all of the above. At once. It's called wintry mix.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the week, we're looking at temps from 18º to 40º. In other words, who knows.

Clarity

Information can be classified at different levels: “Confidential,” “Secret,” “Top Secret,” and “SCI.”

Each label is supposed to convey the level of harm that could reasonably be expected to occur if the information is disclosed without authorization, as follows: “Confidential” (“damage to the national security”); “Secret” (“serious damage to the national security”); and “Top Secret” (“exceptionally grave damage to the national security”).

“Sensitive Compartmented Information” describes classified information that is derived from or relates to sensitive intelligence sources, methods, or analytical processes.

[SOURCE] 

Believe it: New Englanders are experts with extension cords

Puddle Jumpers Point the Way to Greener Aviation

With 40 routes under 250 miles and plans to electrify its fleet, New England’s Cape Air says it can be a leader in decarbonizing flight.

Covering all the bases

 Walgreens sent me an email this morning about boosting my health, plus a twofer on potato chips.

They know me too well.

There's the Third World, the First World, and Davos*

Tricks of the trade: $2,500-a-night prostitute reveals how business rockets at this week's Davos summit - and why she wear business clothes to blend in and NEVER gossips about elite clients

In 2020, an investigation by The Times found at least 100 prostitutes travel to Davos for the summit according to a Swiss police officer.

And, not to be outdone…

Greenpeace International also blasted use of corporate jets that ferry in bigwigs, saying such carbon-spewing transportation smacks of hypocrisy for an event touting its push for a greener world.

It said over 1,000 private-jet flights arrived and departed airports serving Davos in May.

Just imagine our surprise. 

*Is there a Second World? I don't know.

Pizza for breakfast…

…is The Best. Doesn't happen very often but when it does, it's the next-best thing to coffee. 

Here we are with a really encouraging statement

Human Waste Safe for Growing Vegetables, Researchers Say

"In general, the risk for human health of pharmaceutical compounds entering the food system by means of fecal compost use, seems low." 

 Not kidding, apparently. A person would have to eat nothing but cabbage for most of a lifetime before experiencing ill effects from "pharmaceutical compounds," this article claims.

Maybe the scientists need to be a little less menacing in their language.

Starting to sound a little bit like a shell game

Analysis: Europe boosts Russian diesel buying ahead of ban set to rock market

The ban is likely to create a diesel supply shortfall that Europe hopes to fill with Chinese fuel, some of which will be produced from Russian crude.

Just how loose?

Loose cow visits Olive Garden restaurant in Oklahoma

"Officers questioned the cow and learned that the cow had heard about the never ending soup and salad option at Olive Garden and decided to see for itself," police joked in a Facebook post.

Why is this not a national holiday?

 

(Sorry it doesn't fit too well. I'm too lazy to fix it. But be patient: Everything scrolls.)