editor: Fred Miller October 27, 2019, #18 October
Hello, If you get thrills from chills, ya gotta check out the scary stuff going down at 213 Black Knob beginning at 6:00 on Thursday October 31 Halloween! Eerie and bone-chilling! And last night at the Copper Queen Hotel there was a two block long line to get into the street party. That was preceded by the wonderful, wacky 10th Annual home grown B.R.A.T.S parade, complete with a substantial kazoo band, Bratedors with capes and fetching hats, and the stars of the shebang, the often ingenious rolling art carts. This year the cars had to maneuver around big rocks and a platoon of 'workers' with traffic cones fumbling around on Main street. Following the parade, the carts were on display and a band played into the evening. If you haven't seen it next year be in it-mark the calendar make a cart/sign up for the kazoo band/volunteer. Should be a vid on one or two of the Bisbee facebook pages in the next few days by intrepid Bisbee videographer Alison McLeod.
There is a bit of a lot in this issue. Fire safety is important in Bisbee and to that end Firewise is having a community meeting this week. A few Bisbee event dates to keep in mind. Trump diehards are mounting an increasingly erratic defense of the besieged dotard, read a few things below that indicate there is a ominous strategy unfolding. There are some helpful suggestions in a trio of tech articles, some blogs you may find interesting, and the rollback of environmental regs (read last issue to see the attack in Cochise County). A study with substantial data showing the decline in Christianity underscores why there are difficulties for churches in Bisbee. Moving the body is good for you say Twyla Tharp, and you might do that to the version of 'The Weight' noted below. A few other things round out the issue.
In coming newsletters I will take a more or less monthly look at the Bisbee economy, and hopefully an issue on politics, issues and elections-local, region and national.
Fred
BISBEE
FIREWISE Community meeting Wednesday Oct. 30 6:00-8:00 Bisbee High School. http://www.oldbisbeefirewise.org This is not just for Old Bisbee, but for all districts. Fire has played a prominent role in Bisbee's history. As recently as two years ago, a fire in Old Bisbee was barely contained before it could have rapidly spread. Firewise was begun to help bring a consciousness to residents for the need for fire protection and to also promote actions that can inhibit the spread of fires when they occur. It becomes an individual responsibility to know what to do to protect your property, how to help in an emergency, and generally be more fire-aware. This community meeting is an opportunity to learn from experts what to have on hand in case of an emergency, what to do if a fire occurs, and how to help.
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SCARE KIDS SILLY ON HALLOWEEN! Howdy Halloween lovers! We are once again creating a haunted trick-or-treat experience at 213 Black Knob View for Halloween night. We will be starting a bit earlier this year because it looks like it will be somewhat chilly. We will be putting up posters soon, online and around town, with exact info. I will also post again here. Kids are encouraged to come, the haunt / Trick-or-treat was created for them. But the haunt can be a bit bloody in places, so be forewarned if you have especially small or sensitive little ones. Parents are encouraged to go through with their kids (we like scaring you too!). Hope to scare you there!!! ................... RECYCLE: SHED IT-SHRED IT Saturday November 9.....9 till noon at ACE hardware parking lot For the past several years the Community Chorus has operated an onsite recycling event. A truck comes to the parking lot, you drop off old papers. They have added other stuff that can be recycled or destroyed such as outdated medicines, eyeglasses, personal toiletries. This year they will no longer take computers and related hardware because of a diminishing market. This is a valuable service and an opportunity for businesses, non-profits, residents to get rid of accumulated stuff. It is a good fundraiser for the chorus too! (According to the IRS you should keep federal tax returns for three years or two years from the date you paid the tax whichever is later. If there are extenuating circumstances to keep documents longer, go here for more detail: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-long-should-i-keep-records For Arizona taxes, keep for four years.) ................... ARTESMIA OPENS A NEW GALLERY Saturday November 9...24 Main Street The new gallery opens on Bisbee After 5 Saturday. The expanded space will be for the gallery. The current space at 51 Main will continue as a gift shop featuring merch from some of the country's major museums.
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FASHION SHOW Your Thrift Store has tix to their fashion show at the Royale. November 16, 6:00
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ENVIRONMENT
THE NOISE IN THE CHANDLER NIGHT A long Atlantic article about the incessant noise pollution from data centers in Chandler AZ with some history of the rise of noise and the diminished capacity of humans to deal with it. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/the-end-of-silence/598366/?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX1RoZUxvbmdSZWFkLTE5MTAxOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=TheLongRead&CMP=longread_email ...................
ENVIRONMENTAL RULE CHANGES-BACKWARDS WE GO https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks.html?fbclid=IwAR3Hi078AeN7yvBP-K1IMnMY3diqnft8nrngArEi3tv9kiCCup-4r4ktNuE
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BIRDS LOSS AT 25% https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/09/19/north-america-has-lost-billion-birds-years/?wpisrc=al_news__alert-hse--alert-national&wpmk=1
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ARIZONA TRAILS SURVEY Go here for your input on trails in our state, survey closes soon: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AZTrails2020 The Arizona Trails Plan will provide information about trail users, their preferences, opinions, and important issues facing recreational trails and off-highway vehicle routes in Arizona. The plan will also offer a list of recommendations and priority actions that both trail advocates and land managers can implement in order to protect and improve Arizona's thousands of miles of motorized and non-motorized trails.
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POLITICS
CYBER SECURITY STAFF PUSHED OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE There is increasing evidence that the Trump administration is systematically closing access to White House computer systems by forcing out professional staff. The cybersecurity systems protect the White House from outside hackers, but also guards the computer records of the President. As impeachment efforts proceed, the Trump administration is circling the wagons to protect likely detrimental information (to Trump) from becoming public. Those records a day to day recording of what goes on in the White House would normally be available to investigators. I believe that denial of access to information is a defensive move, protecting Trump's rump, but an important part of the the much larger overall offensive strategy (yes, there is a strategy including purposeful chaos) of defending Trump by trying to discredit the entire process-unremittingly attacking anyone who is in favor of impeachment proceedings, consistently lying about the legal basis for impeachment, and creating diversions from the main issues.
"The organizational structure for the cybersecurity mission going forward also raises questions about the continuity, oversight and retention of records that had been covered by the Presidential Records Act (PRA). "
TRUMP SPENDING BIG ON SOCIAL MEDIA
from https://popular.info/ While the Dotard-in-chief steps in cow pies, his campaign managers are at work spending a huge cash reserve on spreading disinformation and lies about his achievements and opponents. January through June the campaign has spent about $11 million. In the last week of September they have spent as much as $2 million on 1600 ads on social media ads (viewed by 16-18 million people) whining against impeachment. This is something to understand.
"For much of the campaign, Trump's ad spending on Facebook has dwarfed his spending on YouTube and other Google properties. But that is quickly changing. In the last week, where data is available, Trump's spending on Google properties exceeded $400,000.
Trump is currently spending about $580,000 per week on Facebook. Recently, Trump's ad spending on Facebook peaked at over $1.6 million per week. Overall, Trump has spent more than $8 million for ads on YouTube and other Google properties since May 2018.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is "is stepping up its efforts to snag more political-ad dollars away from local television and Facebook." It recently rolled out a new tool, called "Instant Reserve," that allows political campaigns to reserve ad space targeting key localities months in advance. In November, "Google plans to let ad buyers reserve slots on YouTube for the entirety of 2020." The company "has been eager to show political advertisers it can target audiences more effectively on YouTube than TV can." YouTube has been working to convince political campaigns that it can identify groups of "persuadable voters." The company has shared research with campaigns about how to target subgroups of swing voters, with names like “bargain hunters” and “30-minute chefs.”
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REPUBLICAN OPERATIVES CALL SHOTS AT FACEBOOK from https://popular.info/ In recent months, Facebook has repeatedly taken actions that benefit Republicans and the right-wing. For example:
Facebook altered the language of its advertising policy to allow political candidates to lie in Facebook ads. The decision benefits Trump, who is spending millions on ads featuring claims that have been debunked by Facebook's third-party fact-checkers.
Facebook recruited the Daily Caller, a far-right site founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, to become an official fact-checker for Facebook. The decision was made even though the Daily Caller has a history of inaccurate reporting targeting Democrats. No liberal publication was added to Facebook's fact-checking program.
Facebook hired former Republican Senator Jon Kyl to produce a report on whether Facebook is biased against conservatives. Facebook did not make any effort to study whether the platform had any bias against liberals.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg invited right-wing pundits to his home to discuss "partnerships" and "free speech." Invitees included Tucker Carlson, who recently said that immigrants were making America "dirtier," and Brent Bozell, who said President Obama looked like a "skinny ghetto crackhead." Zuckerberg does not appear to have met with any liberal pundits.
Why is this happening? ... All of them pointed to the leadership in Facebook's powerful DC office. The three top leaders of Facebook's DC office all have extensive backgrounds in Republican politics: Vice President for Global Public Policy Joel Kaplan; Vice President for U.S. Public Policy Kevin Martin; and Public Policy Director for Global Elections Katie Harbath..."
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POLITICIANS CAN LIE ON FACEBOOK (and other places too!) https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/24/pawn-not-platform/
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TECHNOLOGY
IF YOU USE FIREFOX AS YOUR BROWSER, READ THIS TO FIND WHO IS TRACKING YOU (or even if you don't use Firefox, it is illuminating) A complete review of how firefox protects your borwing habits as well as reports of who is tracking you and how many time and across which sites. firefox has some of the best security features of browsers. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/see-which-websites-are-tracking-you-with-new-firefox-browser/?ftag=CAD3c77551&bhid=24867379272108267615610596432948 ....................
THE END OF ANONYMITY Artificial Intelligence rapidly makes sense of surveillance https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-deep-dives-54d9b1ac-c774-4f8f-bbca-a750039f4563.html
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HOME OFFICE TECHNOLOGY; SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS This is a review of hardware and software for home use, not necessarily just for an 'office' but for everyday keeping track of stuff. I'm a user of the Wirecutter (https://thewirecutter.com), along with Consumer Reports( https://www.consumerreports.org/) and CNET (https://www.cnet.com/), because I want trusted review sites that sort out the good stuff from the tons of crap on the market when purchasing a product. https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-tech-and-apps-for-your-home-office/?utm_source=Wirecutter&utm_campaign=f9cc98031e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_12_01_24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bb5d08fe40-f9cc98031e-90636133
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SECURITY LIGHTS FOR YOUR HOME https://thewirecutter.com/ You can’t be home 24/7, so sometimes you need a plan for watching your house. Leaving the lights on all day to try and simulate people being home is a terrible idea and only invites attention from potential trespassers. A dog may actually be better—burglars don’t want to mess with unpredictable pooches. But if your dogs are at all like ours, we know they’ll happily exchange treats for access. Smart lights, on the other hand, are way better at providing home security, according to our smart-home writer, Rachel Cericola. She recommends the following:
Put lights on a schedule: You can use smart bulbs, such as the Philips Hue smart bulbs and the LIFX + BR30 outdoor bulb, or you can do what I do and plug lamps into smart plugs like our pick, the Wemo Mini, and set them to turn on and off randomly during the evening.
Get motion-activated lights: We recommend the bright Sengled Smart PAR38 LED Bulb with adjustable sensitivity for outdoor use, or Ring Pathlights.
Use IFTTT to combine actions: If you have a lighting device that can connect to IFTTT, you can create “recipes” that trigger actions—for instance, you can have a light turn on when your video doorbell senses movement. (Both devices need to have IFTTT to work.)
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BLOGS/NEWSLETTER/SITES
There are lots of specialized blogs and sites out there in the great internet beyond, here are just a few of ones I find interesting.
Creature Features animal/human/relationship news https://creaturefeature.substack.com/ Scrap Facts A science reporter writes about interesting science stuff that doesn't make it into her article. https://scrapfacts.substack.com/
Quartz https://qz.com
Health Blog This person debunks or explains popular articles about health. https://medium.com/@gidmk Boondoggle https://boondoggle.substack.com/
Numlock News http://walt@numlock.news Significant Digits https://fivethirtyeight.com State Rundown (economics) (ITEP has a ton of good economic info. Their weekly digest is also worth looking at.) https://itep.org/state-rundown
Notes From the Pen https://www.notesfromthepen.com
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EVERYTHING ELSE
THE DECLINE OF RELIGION
This article derived from Pew Research, details the changes in religion in the US population over the past decade. It is an interesting and detailed read. The article does not go into detail about the 'whys' of the decline in religiosity but it is happening across all sectors and all races.
"Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009. Members of non-Christian religions also have grown modestly as a share of the adult population."
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A MULTI-MUSICIAN, MULTI-INSTRUMENT COVER OF 'THE WEIGHT A really good listen.
"The project comes from Playing For Change, a group dedicated to “breaking down the boundaries and overcome distances between people.” That includes schools 15 music schools across 11 countries, documentaries and viral videos bringing artists from different cultures together; the group has released videos for “Redemption Song,” “What’s Going On” and more. “The Weight” was done on an epic scale, a year and a half of production over five continents."
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LIFE OF A FEMALE CANCER PATIENT
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THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING from coursera.org
Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. and Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S. If we had to select a single book to recommend to instructors of any kind, it would be this masterpiece—the best book on teaching that we’ve ever read.
In Powerful Teaching, Agarwal and Bain provide a tour de force of practical ideas and explanations involving retrieval practice, explaining how this vital topic is related to concepts such as interleaving, deliberate practice, formative assessments.
Retrieval practice is so much deeper than simple memorization: As Powerful Teaching notes: “we typically focus on getting information into students' heads. On the contrary, one of the most robust findings from cognitive science research is the importance of getting information out of students' heads. Based on a century of research, in order to transform learning, we must focus on getting information out – a strategy called retrieval practice.”
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YEA! WE GET MORE COMMERCIALS IN THEATERS
As if there weren't enough disincentives to go to a movie.
National CineMedia is the largest theater advertising company, controlling 65 percent of the market for in-theater ads. Tuesday, the company announced that Regal and Cinemark both agreed to run six minutes of commercials after the posted movie showtime — a period that has typically held only trailers, with advertisements taking place before the advertised showtime — including a minute-long mid-roll ad during the trailers. It’s one solution that exhibitors are turning to with box office sales down 6 percent this year, though AMC — the largest chain — rejected the strategy, because they’re not complete maniacs who want to make their core offering, a pleasant experience, bad. That new spot will begin November 1 on half their networks. Bloomberg
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GET CONNECTED TO YOUR BODY From an article about her book, dancer Twyla Tharp talks common sense about the need to keep your body moving as you age. "Take up space. Don't fight a fall. When you walk, think of yourself striding, not just taking mingy steps.”
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WORD PLAY A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence is unexpected. (thanks to RC for this)
I find it ironic that the colors red, white, and blue stand for freedom, until they're flashing behind you.Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool, so I gave him a glass of waterTake my advice — I'm not using it.My wife and I were happy for twenty years; then we met.Hospitality is the art of making guests feel like they're at home when you wish they were.Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.Ever stop to think and forget to start again?Women spend more time wondering what men are thinking than men spend thinking.He who laughs last thinks slowest.Is it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly?I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one.I was going to wear my camouflage shirt today, but I couldn't find it.If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let him sleep.Love of money is the root of all wealth.No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
SAVE MONEY
THE SCOOP ON CREDIT CARDS https://thewirecutter.com/money/credit-cards/
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MAKE USE OF AIRLINE MILES
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