The News Cycle

In another thought about news, I sometimes regret being someone who likes to listen to news because it can sometimes trigger one of my giant pet peeves: certain repetition in speech.

Between yesterday and today, I've probably heard some generally-the-same iteration of President Trump's Paris Climate Accord decision. It was annoying. Whether it was the BBC, the CBC, NPR, PRI, American Public Media, or KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah, I got it.

I had to brace to not exhale furiously.

I need to listen to some stories.

#trypod Review: The BBC Documentary Podcast

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-documentary/id73802620?mt=2

I don't remember exactly when I'd started listening to this podcast. I remember two things: it was impactful, because it was telling a story about something I'd never heard about before, and the guy on the cover was cute.

Yes, every time there's an episode I take a second to peep the cover, but it's a lot more than that. There have been episodes about Christian persecution in Syria, why people like President Trump, why people stand for Marine Le Pen, malaria, the old Irish art of keening...

People know I love stories, and so when people had gotten into this habit of asking about what podcasts we listen to, I'd never failed to chime in with this one.

BBC News: 'Justin Bieber impostor' on 931 child sex-related charges

'Justin Bieber impostor' on 931 child sex-related charges

The man posed as the singer online to gain explicit material from children, Australian police say.

Noooooo…

Seriously, this is probably the most amazing thing I've seen or heard this week.

Predation is something some people pride themselves on. "Oh, I'm an Alpha Male", even though they're really just annoying, boorish, and often ill-mannered. They pride themselves on getting the one-up on someone, or feel they can do whatever they please. I've seen posts of guys online who seem like predators, and they feel they're invincible, that no one else's feelings matter than their own satisfaction.

Then this guy decides to use the identity of another to further his goals.

It's… unfortunately a sadder side of humanity.

IS/Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL?

We've been hearing about them almost incessantly for the better part of the year. They'd seemingly started calling themselves the Arabic equivalent of ISIS, and then later "decided" to call themselves instead Islamic State, reasons in the news being they're exerting independence and individuality apart from Syria, the Levant, and Iraq.

Some media outfits, like Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, and elements of the BBC, had followed suit and called them IS or "the Islamic State group", still acknowledging some still call them ISIS or ISIL. I've never quite understood concretely why some elect to call them one way or another.

American news outlets like CNN and Fox News still predominately call them ISIS, and I think it may be partly because the US government in general still calls them that as well.

Is it perhaps to deny them the "satisfaction" of hearing people address them with the name they wish people to call them? I wouldn't doubt that's a probability, but there hasn't seemed to be any discussion on that. It's also seemed there are some who had gotten so used to calling them ISIS, or ISIL, that they just continue calling them that since all of it is generally coterminous.

It reminds me of something else I'd brought up in the past about maps that showed Crimea as still part of Ukraine rather than, at the least, showing it as a disputed area that happened to have had a referendum deciding to cede themselves to Russia.

I believe they should do both, at the very least, much like Deutsche Welle has done ("the Islamic State, also called ISIS"). That seems to be the fairest thing in my view.

BP CEO Tony Hayward criticised for yacht trip

BBC News:

Okay, so I read this story, and I didn't quite have the reaction most seem to have. Yes, BP's CEO Tony Hayward is sailing. Sailing is considered - generally - a rich person's sport, and I agree in some respects. You have to have a boat, maintain it, learn about its workings... It takes some effort which - as said - one could spend trying to resolve an environmental crisis.

I, however, take a more sympathetic view for Mr Hayward, and so have an advocate's view somewhat.

Being Human
Mr Hayward is human. As a human, he requires rest and diversion in order to function at his best, and to make decisive, important choices regarding the spill. Sometimes a weekend at home with family doesn't do it. While he's with his family, he isn't really going anywhere, is he? I'm certain that doing something he could only consider a hobby can do wonders to his mental health and ability to cope with the strain of having a monumental task of cleaning up, investigating the explosion and dealing with the media and public.

Deepwater Horizon/BP
The incident happened in April, and I doubt he imagined this would have gone on for so long. The company has never had to deal with all the things they have, as they've said. I've said often why they don't just shut the thing down entirely instead of culling petroleum where they can. I don't know anything, though, so who knows how hard it is just to do that. I'm sure they've brought out who they can to help. The United States Coast Guard has been working on this too. Seriously, one can't blame only BP, and I'm tired of everyone's always wanting to scapegoat whenever something happens. Forget blaming someone: just do something, right?

Round the Island Race 2010
This race, the 79th iteration with 1754 entries this year, opened registration back in January. With the way I imagine a CEO's life must be, he would have to have scheduled his registration. The Deepwater Horizon incident happened in April. I have no evidence to state this, but I imagine he would have had to pay a registration fee, one he would not have been able to recoup so close to the start of the competition.

Family
He was sailing with his son. Should his family suffer too?

Sympathy for the Affected
I do understand the people affected have less financial resources than Mr Hayward, and his job can theoretically continue because his job is to manage others, come up with ideas, and make the company profitable, not to use the resources of the gulf-now-polluted.

Google stops censoring in China

"Google says it has stopped censoring its search results in China, risking confrontation with the country's authorities."

Go to BBC to read the original article.

Now, I've been conservative on a number of subjects in my life. I remember there was a discussion in my Honors Colloquium class in my third year about pre-marital teenage sex, and I'd said I wish there were a pill that would block such thoughts and then alternative treatment would occur in the period when two come into an agreement to wed.

My mind has changed somewhat on this subject because it's a little hypocritical to want to curb human nature in one regard but want complete openness - in this case uncensored Internet use - in another.

The reason the Chinese government wants to censor people is because they know what they do is wrong. They stomp on people, they keep them from knowing things, and they keep them in a state of hopelessness and ignorance. This, I believe, is wrong, and Google stepping in - even at the risk of China throwing them out, thus losing a vital Internet-using market - and standing up for freedom of Internet use in China.

I have issues with that China has grown so vital to the United States' economic function without making any changes whatsoever in their human rights policies, stances on freedom of speech and expression, and general arrogance.

May something change.

Queen invented the phone, and other odd UK children's beliefs

Go to BBC to read the original article.

"Children's strange misconceptions about science are revealed in a science knowledge quiz."

Seriously? Well, this is certainly a Daily Mail-esque article without a good deal of the judgment, but I suppose I'd have to see a similar study done in the United States.

Pollution link to asthma in womb

BBC NEWS Health : Genetic changes... Wow. That's kind of scary.

What is Putin's game?

BBC NEWS Europe: One of those articles my boss likes, because it's very conspiracy theory-esque. Still, it's quite probable in my view due to that Medvedev is where his is as president of Russia because of Putin.

Ovary transplant baby 'a miracle'

BBC NEWS Health: The world's just getting to be a more interesting place, the amount of technology and breakthroughs we're going through. Now, if we can just nip greed in the bud and start doing things because they're actually good for people and not because they're more profit-producing, we'd be set.

"Ossetia's connection to Scotland"

BBC NEWS Programmes From Our Own Correspondent: Well, here we have My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Ossetian style.