The unimportant news thread

[Karl Henning]

Rudy Giuliani took in a ballgame at Yankee Stadium for his 74^th birthday. The crowd booed him.

[geralmar]

Televangelist asks followers to pay for jet plane so he won't have to fly commercial with "a bunch of demons."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-televangelist-jesse-duplantis-private-jet-20180529-story.html

[Moonfish]

Televangelist asks followers to pay for jet plane so he won't have to fly commercial with "a bunch of demons."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-televangelist-jesse-duplantis-private-jet-20180529-story.html

Wait! I always feel that way when I fly! 

https://www.youtube.com/v/i1PikITKKYY

[André]

Televangelist asks followers to pay for jet plane so he won't have to fly commercial with "a bunch of demons."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-televangelist-jesse-duplantis-private-jet-20180529-story.html

Sickening.

[Karl Henning]

There's no question why he's smiling . . .

http://www.youtube.com/v/2-rfCnW5VlE

[Karl Henning]

Ohio man calls police when pig follows him home

[Moonfish]

Ohio man calls police when pig follows him home

I think WP is in decline....

[Karl Henning]

I think WP is in decline....

I think, rather, the environment is in decline.  The editors think, We give so many columns to this oafish President, we should give some space to actual pigs, for balance . . . .

[Mahlerian]

A whole bunch of news stories came out saying that pop music is more sad than ever, and science proves it.  Well, here's the paper in question...

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/5/171274

I have to say that those graphs are really, really awful.  Unmarked breaks in the Y axes, comparing different scales of Y axis, etc. etc.  It's difficult to extract meaningful information from them without actually looking at each individual item and analyzing the graph, because they are not visually comparable.

Looking at the data they give, though, it's not that pop songs are suddenly more sad than happy.  It's that there's been an upwards trend in successful sad songs and a downwards one in successful happy songs; there are still more successful happy pop songs.



Much stronger is the correlation they give with the increase in "Atonal" characteristics (whatever the heck they mean by that) among all songs across the corpus, so let's put an alternate headline to this story, equally attention-grabbing and just as stupid:

Science Says Pop Music More Atonal Than Ever Before

[Baron Scarpia]

I've mentioned this before an been poo-pood, but this is monumental:

China increasingly challenges American dominance of science

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/china-challenges-american-dominance-of-science/2018/06/03/c1e0cfe4-48d5-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?utm_term=.5770be876aa1

Starting in the 1990's, with Newt Gingrich and his "contract with America" US support for basic research has eroded. First science failed to grow as fast as the economy, then it failed to keep up with inflation, then it started going down in uncorrected dollars. In the next year or two China will surpass the US in support for basic science.

Having worked in academic science in the past, the trend is obvious. It used to be that students from China would come to the US, get their advanced degrees, then settle in the US to have academic careers, start companies, or become extremely valuable employees. Now, increasingly they are taking their American Educations and returning to China. Established Chinese scientists are being lured back to China because trying to make a career in basic science has become a miserable undertaking.

Maybe Trump is right, manufacturing will return to the US. We will be making socks, tennis shoes and throwaway clothes for export to China, and assembling advanced Chinese tech products in American sweat shops.

The absurdity of Trump claiming we have to dig coal and preserve coal fired generation for national security reasons! Maybe we have to revive steam engines for national security. The biggest threat to our national security is that we are handing technological leadership to our adversaries by eviscerating our scientific and technical infrastructure.

[LKB]

I've mentioned this before an been poo-pood, but this is monumental:

China increasingly challenges American dominance of science

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/china-challenges-american-dominance-of-science/2018/06/03/c1e0cfe4-48d5-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?utm_term=.5770be876aa1

Starting in the 1990's, with Newt Gingrich and his "contract with America" US support for basic research has eroded. First science failed to grow as fast as the economy, then it failed to keep up with inflation, then it started going down in uncorrected dollars. In the next year or two China will surpass the US in support for basic science.

Having worked in academic science in the past, the trend is obvious. It used to be that students from China would come to the US, get their advanced degrees, then settle in the US to have academic careers, start companies, or become extremely valuable employees. Now, increasingly they are taking their American Educations and returning to China. Established Chinese scientists are being lured back to China because trying to make a career in basic science has become a miserable undertaking.

Maybe Trump is right, manufacturing will return to the US. We will be making socks, tennis shoes and throwaway clothes for export to China, and assembling advanced Chinese tech products in American sweat shops.

The absurdity of Trump claiming we have to dig coal and preserve coal fired generation for national security reasons! Maybe we have to revive steam engines for national security. The biggest threat to our national security is that we are handing technological leadership to our adversaries by eviscerating our scientific and technical infrastructure.

Absolutely correct on all points.

During the Cold War, there used to be a saying among party members in the Soviet Union:

" When the time comes for America to stand with her head in the noose, an American will sell us the rope. "

A few years ago,  I lived in a boarding house owned by a Chinese couple. My former landlord and -lady are quite personable and intelligent, and appreciative of the opportunities they've been afforded by choosing to live in the USA.

One night we were discussing the " corporate espionage " which the Chinese government has been engaged in for many years now. I asked for confirmation that in China, the police have the de facto power to arrest anyone at any time, for any reason, regardless of whether a crime had been committed. They confirmed that this was the case, one of many reasons for their emigrating.

I then opined that even Chinese who were coming to work in the USA with perfectly innocent intentions could be suborned into espionage at some point, upon receiving an email informing them that their families were now " guests " of the government, and would remain so until certain data available from the hosting company ( or government agency ) had been obtained and delivered or transmitted to China.

My friends allowed that this was possible, though they had no actual first - hand knowledge of any such situation.  ( Nor have l, but when considering a police state it doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to envision such an occurrence.  )

It really is quite simple: Aside from diplomatic and ambassadorial staff, and  regardless of the economic, political or diplomatic consequences, no citizen of China should be allowed into the USA who hasn't gone through the immigration process.

Draconian? Perhaps,  but these are not " normal " times. The Chinese desire recognition as a superpower, preferably at the expense of the USA. And their bullying in the Pacific continues, since nobody has the will or courage needed to put a stop to it.

I could go on for a good long while,  but my point should be clear enough...

Democratically,

LKB

[Karl Henning]

Making Americans Boneheads Again!

[Moonfish]

Hmmmm

Star Wars fan spends $284,000 building the ultimate Darth Vader collection

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751836/The-Force-strong-one-Star-Wars-fan-spends-175-000-building-ultimate-Darth-Vader-collection.html

[Ken B]

Hmmmm

Star Wars fan spends $284,000 building the ultimate Darth Vader collection

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751836/The-Force-strong-one-Star-Wars-fan-spends-175-000-building-ultimate-Darth-Vader-collection.html

We should tag team Al.

[Baron Scarpia]

Absolutely correct on all points.

During the Cold War, there used to be a saying among party members in the Soviet Union:

" When the time comes for America to stand with her head in the noose, an American will sell us the rope. "

A few years ago,  I lived in a boarding house owned by a Chinese couple. My former landlord and -lady are quite personable and intelligent, and appreciative of the opportunities they've been afforded by choosing to live in the USA.

One night we were discussing the " corporate espionage " which the Chinese government has been engaged in for many years now. I asked for confirmation that in China, the police have the de facto power to arrest anyone at any time, for any reason, regardless of whether a crime had been committed. They confirmed that this was the case, one of many reasons for their emigrating.

I then opined that even Chinese who were coming to work in the USA with perfectly innocent intentions could be suborned into espionage at some point, upon receiving an email informing them that their families were now " guests " of the government, and would remain so until certain data available from the hosting company ( or government agency ) had been obtained and delivered or transmitted to China.

My friends allowed that this was possible, though they had no actual first - hand knowledge of any such situation.  ( Nor have l, but when considering a police state it doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to envision such an occurrence.  )

It really is quite simple: Aside from diplomatic and ambassadorial staff, and  regardless of the economic, political or diplomatic consequences, no citizen of China should be allowed into the USA who hasn't gone through the immigration process.

Draconian? Perhaps,  but these are not " normal " times. The Chinese desire recognition as a superpower, preferably at the expense of the USA. And their bullying in the Pacific continues, since nobody has the will or courage needed to put a stop to it.

I could go on for a good long while,  but my point should be clear enough...

Democratically,

LKB

I have to say, I don't follow you here. I can't say it is impossible that Chinese authorities could use extortion to force an individual to engage in corporate espionage, but you present no actual evidence of it and I have never seen a claim that such things happen.

I see it as a manifestation of American hubris, that if the Chinese gain a technical advance it must be stolen from the Americans. The fact is that industrial espionage only works if you have an infrastructure that can assimilate and utilize the technical data acquired. It is a way to take a shortcut in research and development, not a substitute.

My University president (who is Chinese) explained to our faculty how it works. American faculty member is working on some very clever bit of science. A Chinese colleague befriends him at a scientific conference, offers to collaborate. Some Chinese faculty and students visit the American lab and the work collaboratively, in the US and in China. The Chinese are equal partners with the Americans in the creative work. Then the Chinese scientists cheerfully reveals that with state support their idea is now the basis of a billion dollar company in China, while at the same time the American Scientist is lucky if he or he can get his or her grant renewed. There is no extortion involved, just the fact that China is supporting its scientist at a level that US researchers can only dream of.

The other way it works, brilliant Chinese researcher gets accepted to a prestigious American Institution. He or she does some brilliant piece of work, and when the appointment expires he or she can't get a visa to stay in the country. He or she gets an offer in China and the research continues there, whether or not there was some blanket agreement that the original intellectual property belongs to the US university.

The Chinese are not using extortion. Miserable people don't do good science. They are using the same technique the Soviets used, giving scientists a privileged life, luring them back from the Western countries that invested huge sums educating foreign nationals that they subsequently treat like garbage. I have a friend who came to the US from Asia, got a degree in physics from a prestigious US university, got a PhD from another prestigious US university, did postdoctoral training in a third prestigious US university. He was looking for a permanent job in the US when the institution hosting him made some sort of clerical error in his immigration paperwork. He got a notice from the US government that he had to leave the US (where he had lived for 15 years) within 30 days. The US invested at least 5 million dollars educating this person to the point that he was a leading researcher, then deport him. That is the level of intelligence we have in our xenophobic government.

And we read that Trump is crying foul that China is supporting technological important industries and wants that forbidden as part of a trade agreement. The US gained its technological advantage the same way. So what is Trump's argument? "We've decide to be idiots, so it is so unfair that you are not also idiots!

[LKB]

We should tag team Al.

quote author=Moonfish link=topic=6347.msg1154273#msg1154273 date=1528152496]
Hmmmm

Star Wars fan spends $284,000 building the ultimate Darth Vader collection

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751836/The-Force-strong-one-Star-Wars-fan-spends-175-000-building-ultimate-Darth-Vader-collection.html



[/quote]

Sure... but can he accurately kazoo his way through the Imperial March in the proper key of G minor,  whilst simultaneously producing the requisite percussion effects via hands in armpits?

I thought not.

Pshaw,

LKB

[Ken B]

The last Munchkin has died.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jerry-maren-20180606-story.html

There is actually one big silent star left: Baby Peggy is still alive!

[Karl Henning]

The last Munchkin has died.

Last Munchkin Standing.

Separately:  Please, don't laugh—it could happen to you . . .

[...] Alerted by his wife's panic, Jeremy came over with a shovel and decapitated the snake, a move that for many other animals would have meant swift death.

But what the Sutcliffes didn't know is that snakes can still bite and inject venom for at least an hour, if not more, after being decapitated. So when Jeremy went to pick up the snake's head about 10 minutes later, he never expected it to bite him in the hand, Jennifer said.

Poor chap nearly died from a wound inflicted by disembodied snake jaws.  Treat those venomous reptiles with respect, people.

[Baron Scarpia]

Donald Trump plans to parton Mohammed Ali for a conviction that was overturned on appeal in 1971. Does Mr. Trump not understand that there is no need to pardon someone of a crime for which they have been found not guilty? 

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/politics/trump-muhammad-ali/index.html

[Karl Henning]

No, we have no confidence that he understands any such thing.  It's just another day at . . . Celebrity Presidency!  Because actual governance is just too darned hard!