SCRAPINGS OF THE DAY – 02/04/23

Teri Kanefield announces a soon to be published book and provides a preview in the form of a brief review of the history of the political use of disinformation going back to 500BC.

The Power of Disinformation

Speaking of the use of lies, some January 6 defendants told judges how sorry they were and now sing a different tune. Some judges are angry.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jan-6-defendants-sorry-not-sorry-sentencing_n_63dddd85e4b0c2b49ae30c8c

If you build a machine that can make decisions and actions that you cannot control or predict, are you still morally and ethically responsible for what it does?

https://www.wired.com/story/philosophy-artificial-intelligence-responsibility-gap/?bxid=5bd6730124c17c1048004ec8&cndid=31950619&esrc=AUTO_PRINT&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=WIR_Daily_020423&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_020423&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=P1

Somewhat surprisingly, it turns out that nearly all of the most watched Tik-Tok videos with medication abortion information are factual and accurate. The caution, of course is that is most, but not all.

Medication Abortion TikTok Videos Tend to Be Accurate and Reliable

Sepsis harms in two ways. There is the infection itself, and then there is the overreaction, the inflammation, of the immune system. One is treated with antibiotics. The other is now found to be able to be treated with certain cancer drugs. The combination is claimed to have much better outcomes.

A New Hope for Sepsis Treatments: Anticancer Drugs

QUOTE OF THE DAY – 02/04/23

PHOTO OF THE DAY – 02/04/23

Photo by Robert G. Wertzler

SONG OF THE DAY – 02/04/23

what it is to be quixotic

EMJE – Once Quixotic. always Quixotic?

Quixotic Mama

ever since i realized i no longer identify as an invisible exhibitionist
i have wondered what else about me has changed
like
am i still quixotic?
a quick search reports quixotic as meaning: extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. 
i always tell people it means “delusionally hopeful”
i even gave my fourth son
who came into my life by accident, not planning
the middle name “quixotic”
because i thought “serendipitous” would be too obvious
going through with a fourth pregnancy when dirt poor
in an abusive relationship
& struggling with motherhood,
felt hopeful in a delusional way….
& i guess unrealistic & impractical…
but is that bad? it sounds bad
maybe i should re-think my quixotic ways?
hmmm
i thought about changing the name of this website/blog to something less quixotic
but i am pretty sure
that even on my deathbed
i will be dreaming of ways to really fuck those…

View original post 21 more words

SCRAPINGS OF THE DAY – 02/03/23

They knew the truth and deliberately chose to campaign and raise money with the lie. That smells to me like fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud at that, and evidence thereof.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-pivoted-to-lies-after-wisconson-loss-audio-recording_n_63dca8efe4b0c8e3fc83defe

It was legal to beat your wife when the Constitution was ratified. Therefor, following the reasoning on gun rights in a previous decision written by Justice Thomas, someone who has, or is alleged to have beaten his wife and subject to an order of protection now cannot be denied the right to possess a gun. Is this decision really about a man’s right to a gun, or a denial of a woman’s right to be safe?

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/3/2150897/-Clarence-Thomas-opened-door-for-more-gun-violence-against-women-and-another-court-just-went-through

This finding goes deeper than unconscious bias, right down to how our politics shapes how we hear words.

Study Offers Neurological Explanation for How Brains Bias Partisans Against New Information

A study of twins, one exposed to trauma and the other not, seeks to find what may predispose someone to develop PTSD, and someone else, also trauma exposed to not develop PTSD.

Shining a Light on the Biological Origins of PTSD

In the heat of the summer, trees in cities can save lives.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/01/planting-trees-cities-cut-deaths-summer-heat-study

QUOTE OF THE DAY – 02/03/23

PHOTO OF THE DAY – 02/03/23

Photo by Robert G. Wertzler – Hector, my dad’s last dog, sleeping. He was a Mountain Feist and a very good boy.

SONG OF THE DAY – 02/03/23

SCRAPINGS OF THE DAY – 02/02/23

It does seem anti-intuitive that after voters showed strong support for abortion rights in the recent election, that the GOP would drive hard in the opposite direction. This writer sees the simple answer in misogyny and distrust of women.

https://www.salon.com/2023/02/02/the-overturn-of-roe-cost-the-gop-so-why-are-now-doubling-down-on-abortion-bans/

And this other writer sees an even simpler answer, the greed of the super wealthy.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/2/2150656/-Why-the-Republicans-want-more-babies

Performing acts of kindness appears to be an effective treatment for depression.

Feeling Depressed? Scientists Have Found That Performing Acts of Kindness May Help

In a Brazilian town, two species work together to catch fish.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1153569182/humans-and-dolphins-work-together-to-fish-in-southern-brazilian-city-ecologist-s

Trees and forests as we now know them began to develop 385 million years ago. Climate scientists long have thought that that change led to a large decrease in CO2 in the atmosphere, and a cooling trend. New research appears to show that other vegetation is just as good at capturing the gas.

Researchers Disprove 30-Year-Old Climate Paradigm