Extra, Extra
Phone Home: “The calls offer a rare glimpse of the war as it looked through Russian eyes — a point of view that seldom makes its way into Western media, largely because Russia has made it a crime to speak honestly about the conflict in Ukraine. They also show clearly how the war has progressed, from the professional soldiers who initially powered Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion to men from all walks of life compelled to serve in grueling conditions.” AP: Intercepted calls from the front lines in Ukraine show a growing number of Russian soldiers want out. (Let’s hope Congress doesn’t want out, too.)
+ Diploma Mill: “The place where Martin got her diploma, Springfield Preparatory School, bills itself as an umbrella school for Christian homeschoolers. Most students there do attend the school to work toward an education through actual classes or tutoring. However, principal Kitty Sibley Morrison is also willing to grant a diploma to anyone whose parents say they were homeschooled, even years earlier.” Diplomas for sale, $465: Inside one of Louisiana’s unapproved schools. (This is part of a much bigger trend of families pulling out of public schools and the rise of homeschooling.)
+ Running Off That Hill: These days, just watching C-Span is almost impossible to stomach. Imagine actually being part of Congress. Hence: Lawmakers are ditching Congress at a record pace. (And they won’t be replaced my more reasonable folks itching to join this club…)
+ Rat Race: “Three of us will go inside the tunnel, one will do the drilling the other will collect muck and the third one will push the muck through the trolley. We have been doing it for more than 10 years and there’s enough space for us. The 41 men are also labourers and we all want to bring them out.” ‘Rat miners’ burrow to rescue 41 men stuck in Indian tunnel.
+ Chauvin Survives: “Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd, is expected to survive following an attack in a prison in Arizona.”
+ Inglorious Pistorius Victorious : “Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison Jan. 5, as he was granted parole in a hearing at Atteridgeville Correctional Facility in South Africa on Friday. The decision comes almost 11 years after the former South African sprinter was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.”
+ The System is Cigged: “Measures included restricting the number of tobacco retailers, and reducing the level of nicotine in cigarettes. Modelling had suggested the Smokefree laws could save up to 5,000 lives each year.” But New Zealand just scrapped its antismoking law to drive more tax revenue.
+ Whatever Floats Your Boat:The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade packed a punch for NBC in its 99th edition. The New York holiday tradition delivered a record audience of 28.5 million viewers across airings Thursday on the network and its streaming sibling Peacock. (Those numbers seem more inflated than the floats. It’s so alienating that others spend their time watching television that’s so inferior to the television I waste my time watching.)
