Monthly Archives: February 2018

[P]eople on online forums worked aggressively to undermine news reports about a troubled teen accused of killing 17 people

The Washington Post: We studied thousands of anonymous posts about the Parkland attack — and found a conspiracy in the making.

“Forty-seven minutes after news broke of a high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., the posters on the anonymous chat board 8chan had devised a plan to bend the public narrative to their own designs: “Start looking for [Jewish] numerology and crisis actors.“

The voices from this dark corner of the Internet quickly coalesced around a plan of attack: Use details gleaned from news reports and other sources to push false information about one of America’s deadliest school shootings.
[…]
The success of this effort would soon illustrate how lies that thrive on raucous online platforms increasingly shape public understanding of major events. As much of the nation mourned, the story concocted on anonymous chat rooms soon burst onto YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, where the theories surged in popularity.”

Link via Garret.

“Why is there suddenly so much traction? Has the country just finally had enough with these mass shootings?”

The Atlantic: The Parkland Students Aren’t Going Away. “American teens are shaping a new kind of debate about gun violence—but why now?” By Alia Wong. Feb 24, 2018.

“It quickly became clear that these survivors were poised to spearhead a political movement whose message is so loud, and so raw, it’s continued to dominate mainstream news coverage and radio shows and even late-night comedy a week after the shooting—an unusual phenomenon in today’s real-time news environment. They’ve written haunting op-eds and delivered viral speeches; they’ve instigated rallies and prompted nationwide walkouts by students and teachers.”

See the website March For Our Lives.

Der “Papa” des Sams

Mensch Otto – Mensch Theile: Mensch, Otto! – Mensch, Theile!
Paul Maar, Kinderbuchautor. (Podcast, 39min)

“Ein Pferd, mehr Taschengeld oder dass die Eltern sich wieder versöhnen: Kinderbuchautor Paul Maar kennt die Wünsche von Kindern und weiß, was sie fühlen und denken. Seit über einem halben Jahrhundert begeistert er Kinder mit seinen Büchern – rund 100 sind es mittlerweile. Seine berühmteste Figur: Das Sams. Paul Maar bekommt fast täglich Briefe von seinen kleinen Fans, die er handschriftlich beantwortet. […] Maar will Kinder unterhalten und sie natürlich fürs Lesen begeistern. Aber er will sie auch stark machen und ihnen Selbstvertrauen geben.”

Prost!

The New York Times: German Olympians Drink a Lot of (Nonalcoholic) Beer, and Win a Lot of Gold Medals.

“If nonalcoholic beer helped athletes recover more quickly from grueling workouts, then it could allow them to train harder. Scherr credits the nonalcoholic beer’s salubrious effects to its high concentration of polyphenols, immune-boosting chemicals from the plants with which its brewed.”

NPR the salt: Olympians Are Using Non-Alcoholic Beer As Recovery Drinks. Here’s The Science.

“In greek mythology, the Olympians were said to drink ambrosia, which bestowed upon them immortality. […] Today’s Olympians have been swept up in a new trend largely emerging from Bavaria: non-alcoholic athletic recovery beers. A number of breweries, such as Erdinger and Krombacher have, over the last few years, expanded their offerings of sober sports beers. This year, beers from both brands are a common sight in the Olympic Village.

But how much science is there to support the use of beer as an athletic recovery drink?”

“Another person with a gun won’t necessarily help you.”

dangerousmeta!: “My favorite thing to do for people who believe ‘more guns’ is the answer, is to drive them to the graveyard in Cimarron, New Mexico. The original “Wild West.” Often held up as some sort of John Wayne version of perfect American society. Well, here’s that society, as reflected in the cemetery:

Everyone had guns.

And they shot everyone.

Men. Women. Children. Dear lord, they even SHOT THE TOWN PREACHER.”