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He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. - Friedrich Nietzsche


It's shameful that people who benefited from adults willing to pay taxes for their college education now are unwilling to do the same for young people today.


If we gave everyone a decent standard of living, could we sustain it?
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/a-basic-standard-of-living-could-be-environmentally-sustainable/


Climate disruption is increasing flood risks in Europe
[I guess Pruitt would say this is good, because the people who cleanup and repair after these events get more business.]
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/feb/08/climate-change-is-increasing-flood-risks-in-europe


US flu season now as bad as 2009 swine flu epidemic
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/09/us-flu-season-epidemic


Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday that “Dreamers” serving in the military will not be deported, even if the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program expires.
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/373021-mattis-vows-dreamers-serving-in-military-will-not-be-deported


What 'Hillbilly Elegy' Won't Tell You About Appalachia
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/what-hillbilly-elegy-wont-tell-you-about-appalachia?akid=16697.215065.1nllmr&rd=1&src=newsletter1088443&t=6


Robert J. O'Neill, Navy SEAL who says he killed bin Laden: ‘A military parade is third world bullshit’
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/372941-navy-seal-who-says-he-killed-bin-laden-a-military-parade-is-third


Former President George W. Bush on Thursday said that there is “clear evidence” of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/372879-george-w-bush-russia-meddled-in-election


The data indeed show that children who are spanked do not internalize a notion that their behavior was wrong. They do, however, become more likely to endorse aggression and physical means as acceptable forms of resolving conflicts.
http://quillette.com/2018/02/02/the-spanking-debate-is-over/
tags: child abuse

A National Park Service (NPS) senior official requested the Department of Interior (DOI) make $32,000 worth of design and construction upgrades to an agency-owned housing unit in an attempt to profit from renting out the space as if it were his personal residence, according to an internal report.
[I am guessing they were able to see info on what races people voted in, what primary they voted in, what party they registered with. This could have been used to target voters with fake news via social media.]
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/372806-nps-official-requested-thousands-in-upgrades-for-park-housing-unit


Russians penetrated U.S. voter systems, says top U.S. official/ There is no evidence that any of the registration rolls were altered in any fashion, according to U.S. officials.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/russians-penetrated-u-s-voter-systems-says-top-u-s-n845721


Trained for the Culture Wars in Home School, Awaiting Someone Like Mike Pence as a Messiah
[I remember warning people about this decades ago and being considered paranoid. Liberals are so inept at working together and consistently over a long time, and not oriented to striving for power, that they are not able to understand people like this, and therefore unprepared to prevent them taking power and influence.]
https://www.autostraddle.com/i-was-trained-for-the-culture-wars-in-home-school-awaiting-someone-like-mike-pence-as-a-messiah-367057/


I saw a post on Facebook repeating the claim that immigration has no harmful effects on workers, just wonderful benefits to “the economy”.
Actually, large-scale immigration does hurt those they compete with. Saying it doesn't just causes them to more strongly doubt statements from outsiders. The fact that if one recounts a personal experience with this causes liberals to pile on and call you a racist makes it much worse.
Studies usually focus on immigration's favorable effects on "the economy". They may admit that it depresses wages for people with only a high-school education, and immigrants already here, but dismiss it as unimportant in relation to other effects. But these people whose wages are depressed are human beings, not statistics, not objects whose purpose in life is to make life comfortable for those who make good money. They are already making so little money that a "small" decrease in their wages has a large negative effect on their lives. Treating this as unimportant is neither moral nor useful in influencing them to more rational ways of thinking.


A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge to the $25 million settlement that President Trump was ordered to pay to former students of the now-shuttered Trump University.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/372552-appeals-court-upholds-25-million-trump-university-settlement


Scientists find massive reserves of mercury hidden in permafrost
https://news.agu.org/press-release/scientists-find-massive-reserves-of-mercury-hidden-in-permafrost/


Venus flytraps give insects that pollinate their flowers a break. They don't eat them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/02/07/venus-flytraps-give-insects-that-pollinate-their-flowers-a-break-they-dont-eat-them/?utm_term=.32decff717d9


DNA shows early Briton had dark skin
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42939192


Your smart TV may be prey for hackers and collecting more info than you realize, Consumer Reports warns
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/02/07/your-smart-tv-may-prey-hackers-and-collecting-more-info-than-you-realize-consumer-reports-warns/311903002/


Russians already meddling in US midterms, Tillerson says
[People on both sides of the political divide are still easy to dupe with fake news designed to provoke ill will toward each other.]
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/06/russians-already-meddling-in-us-midterms-tillerson-says.html


Death toll rises, search effort continues after Taiwan quake
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taiwan-earthquake-update-death-toll-rises-search-missing-hualien/


Senate leaders reach agreement on two-year budget deal, adding billions of dollars in federal spending
[So republicans think it's fine to greatly increase the national debt for the sake of giving huge tax breaks to the very rich, but they are scared of increasing the budget to help the military, middle- and working-class people, aid to victims of the horrible disasters we have been having.]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/spending-deal-in-jeopardy-as-pelosi-issues-last-minute-demand-on-immigration/2018/02/07/a07e4e68-0c1b-11e8-8890-372e2047c935_story.html?utm_term=.6ee683a40dfd


Pentagon considering Washington military parade at Trump’s request
[We can't afford to provide health care for poor people, but we can afford to pay for a big parade that takes soldiers away from their duties, to plan and implement this. ]
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/pentagon-eyeing-military-parade-d-c-trump-s-request-n845331


America's poor subsidize wealthier consumers in a vicious income inequality cycle
[In addition to what the article discusses, banks will give things like free checks and safety deposit box to their larger depositors.]
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/america-s-poor-subsidize-wealthier-consumers-vicious-income-inequality-cycle-ncna845091