The unimportant news thread

[drogulus]

I expect Xi will be " retiring " before the end of the year, assuming some unfortunate accident or rare illness doesn't do the job beforehand.

     It seems the factions are trying to maintain the facade of unity. That's the case with the Hu Jintao group of elders. It's notable that Hu isn't seeking revenge for his public humiliation, and actually wants Xi to continue in some capacity under a return to collective leadership.

[LKB]

It seems the factions are trying to maintain the facade of unity. That's the case with the Hu Jintao group of elders. It's notable that Hu isn't seeking revenge for his public humiliation, and actually wants Xi to continue in some capacity under a return to collective leadership.

A good point. I sometimes fail to remember that Russia and China are different types of dictatorships, and the " Sino-subtleties " do allow for a wider range of options.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

International Travellers Disappear Across the US: Las Vegas Joins New York, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, and Texas in Tourism Freefall.



https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/las-vegas-joins-new-york-colorado-maine-new-hampshire-washington-and-texas-in-tourism-freefall-as-canadian-and-international-travellers-disappear-across-the-us/

[LKB]

International Travellers Disappear Across the US: Las Vegas Joins New York, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, and Texas in Tourism Freefall.



https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/las-vegas-joins-new-york-colorado-maine-new-hampshire-washington-and-texas-in-tourism-freefall-as-canadian-and-international-travellers-disappear-across-the-us/

Gee, I wonder why... 

[ritter]

International Travellers Disappear Across the US: Las Vegas Joins New York, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, and Texas in Tourism Freefall.



https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/las-vegas-joins-new-york-colorado-maine-new-hampshire-washington-and-texas-in-tourism-freefall-as-canadian-and-international-travellers-disappear-across-the-us/

TBH, the way the headline is written, no wonder international travellers visit the US less, as they would surely want to avoid the risk of disappearing, never to be seen again!

Aren't there any editors or proofreaders left in media? 

[hopefullytrusting]

I thought journalism was dead, maybe just in the United States in which the media has fully collapsed as an estate, but The Wire China is excellent. This is an in-depth interview with Kurt Campbell (Biden's Asia Chief) - couldn't even imagine any of the "major" "news" corporations doing something like this:

https://www.thewirechina.com/2023/07/16/kurt-campbell-on-talking-to-china-again/

[Todd]

I thought journalism was dead, maybe just in the United States in which the media has fully collapsed as an estate

English language news outlets from India, Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia are filling the void for international news for me.  I've been a bit leery of Chinese sources, though they do offer insight.  I find all western corporate or state sponsored press outlets to be suspect.  They can't even break hard news reliably.  In the past six months or so, even the Gray Lady has lagged behind on major breaking news when compared to tiny online news sources.  Even on something like the big quake in Kamchatka and following non-event in the states (thankfully), smaller sources were out front.  It was a story here because the entire west coast was put on tsunami watch, and one would have thought the usual suspects would take the lead.  The New York Times lagged five other sources in reporting it, and those are only the ones that I pay attention to. 

[Todd]

"Glass Is the Real Threat": New Study Finds Glass Bottles Leak 50x More Microplastics Than Plastic, Alarming Scientists Globally

Well, fuck.

[SimonNZ]

"Glass Is the Real Threat": New Study Finds Glass Bottles Leak 50x More Microplastics Than Plastic, Alarming Scientists Globally

Well, fuck.

Relax: "scientist" is just another word for "woke". We'll find a new head of department and get you the statistics that let you sleep better and purge those troublesome wokeists.

[Todd]

Relax: "scientist" is just another word for "woke". We'll find a new head of department and get you the statistics that let you sleep better and purge those troublesome wokeists.

What?

[LKB]

TBH, the way the headline is written, no wonder international travellers visit the US less, as they would surely want to avoid the risk of disappearing, never to be seen again!

Aren't there any editors or proofreaders left in media?   

Why pay such professionals, when AI will do the work for you...

[LKB]

International Travellers Disappear Across the US: Las Vegas Joins New York, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, and Texas in Tourism Freefall.



https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/las-vegas-joins-new-york-colorado-maine-new-hampshire-washington-and-texas-in-tourism-freefall-as-canadian-and-international-travellers-disappear-across-the-us/

At least we can rely on this bunch:

https://www.youtube.com/@yournewzealandfamily/videos

[Todd]

TV milestone: Streaming is now bigger than cable and broadcast combined

From La La Land.

[Todd]

From the Energy Institute (for 2024): Renewables soar, but fossil fuels continue to rise as global electricity demand hits record levels

Key Findings:

* Wind and solar combined grew by 16%, reinforcing their role as the fastest growing areas of the energy system. China was responsible for 57% of new additions, with solar almost doubling in just two years.

* Wind and solar grew nearly nine times faster than total energy demand, and fossil fuels also grew (just over 1%) in 2024.

* The world saw a 2% annual rise in total energy demand, reaching a new high of 592 EJ.

* All-time records were reached across ALL forms of energy (coal, oil, gas, renewables, hydro and nuclear).

* At 4%, electricity demand growth continued to outpace total energy demand growth, an indicator that the age of electricity is not just emerging but is shaping a new global energy system.

__________


From Gloomy Gus Daniel Yergin:

The Troubled Energy Transition


__________


With reporting on energy usage by source so far this year, it looks like 2026 would be the first year where fossil fuel usage does not set a new record.  Or, you know, not.  Fortunately, data centers needed for much vaunted AI are neither popular nor energy intensive.

[Todd]

From the South Asia Journal, but really from Radio Free Europe: Iran's Water Crisis Worsened By Taliban Dam

One can search the interwebs for articles from august news sources such as The Graun and the Ochs-Sulzberger Family Trust from earlier this very summer to see that Kabul also faces a severe water crisis.  The era of mid-scale water wars may soon begin.  (Smaller kerfuffles over covalently bonded hydrogen and oxygen atoms have gone on for a while.)