“Insurrection Index is a searchable database of records on individuals and organizations in positions of public trust who were involved in the deadly attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. As of January 2022, the Insurrection Index has over 1,000 records of those in public trust who played a role in the insurrection…Below is… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2022
The best books of the year 2021
BBC – “From award-winning fiction to moving memoir, here are BBC Culture’s top reading picks of 2021. Following two acclaimed, heavyweight (and Pulitzer Prize-winning) novels, 2016’s The Underground Railroad, made into a TV series this year, and 2019’s The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead’s latest is a crime caper, set partly against the backdrop of race… Continue Reading
Parler and the Road to the Capitol Attack Investigating Alt-Tech Ties to January 6
New America: “The January 6, 2021 mob assault on the U.S. Capitol exposed deep fissures between Americans and shook the very foundations of the country. The violence that day and the tech industry’s response to the tsunami of polarizing content triggered a major public debate over how social media and tech companies manage their platforms… Continue Reading
A Year After Capitol Riot, Facebook Remains an Extremist Breeding Ground
Technology Transparency Project: “A year ago, Facebook tried to wash its hands of responsibility for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, despite the fact that, as the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) documented, its platform was a prime tool for organizing the rally and spreading the conspiracy theories and militant extremism that drove the rioters. Now, as… Continue Reading
Omicron cases are exploding. Scientists still don’t know how bad the wave will be
Science.org: “As this year begins, the Omicron variant is smashing COVID-19 infection records across Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia. With massive numbers of people infected or in quarantine, tens of thousands of flights and trains have been canceled, and work and schools disrupted. Earlier in the pandemic, the frightful, near-vertical rise in cases would… Continue Reading
After the Riot – It’s been 100 days since the attack on the Capitol, and those who were inside still struggle with their memories
NBC News: “Frank Thorp V, April 16, 2021 – “When a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the world watched as the rioters entered the building, breaking windows and pushing through barriers. But it was more than just physical space that was violated. The seat of government was occupied by hundreds of lawmakers… Continue Reading
AG Garland – Remarks on Jan 6 Capitol Riot and Investigation
Axios: “Acknowledging frustration with the pace of the federal investigation of the attack on the Capitol, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a major speech this afternoon: “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.” Garland said the Justice Department “remains committed to holding all January 6 perpetrators, at any level,… Continue Reading
A law banning plastic packaging for some fruits and vegetables in France went into effect on Jan. 1
Why not in America? “Thirty types of fruits and vegetables – including cucumbers, carrots, apples, and bananas – will no longer be allowed to be wrapped in plastic, with only packages of over 1.5kg receiving exemptions. Chopped or processed fruits will also be exempted, and providers of some fruits, like raspberries or cherry tomatoes, will… Continue Reading
Seriously, Upgrade Your Face Mask Omicron is everywhere.
NYMag Intelligencer – “Dr. Abraar Karan explains why cloth masks don’t cut it….One of the most vocal advocates for the use of higher-quality masks throughout the pandemic has been Stanford infectious-diseases doctor Abraar Karan, who has researched COVID transmission and been calling for the use of high-filtration masks since the spring of 2020. His Twitter… Continue Reading
What is Uncivil Religion?
Uncivil Religion: January 6, 2021 – “A Collaborative Digital Project Between the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Religious symbols, rituals, identities, banners, signs, and sounds suffused the events surrounding the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This project begins to trace the thread… Continue Reading
Facebook Hosted Surge of Misinformation and Insurrection Threats in Months Leading Up to Jan. 6 Attack
“A ProPublica/Washington Post analysis of Facebook posts, internal company documents and interviews, provides the clearest evidence yet that the social media giant played a critical role in spreading lies that fomented the violence of Jan. 6… Facebook groups swelled with at least 650,000 posts attacking the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory between Election Day and… Continue Reading
Researchers Find Election Falsehoods Surged on Podcasts Before Capitol Riots
The New York Times: “A new study analyzed nearly 1,500 episodes, showing the extent to which podcasts pushed misinformation about voter fraud….Researchers at the Brookings Institution reviewed transcripts of nearly 1,500 episodes from 20 of the most popular political podcasts. Among episodes released between the election and the Jan. 6 riot, about half contained election… Continue Reading
