The New York Times has a huge story about the "seating arrangement of the White House pool." If you hit a paywall, google changes coming to White House press room: who, where, when, and how. In the big scheme of things, it's a pretty ridiculous article. Whatever.
Meanwhile, CNBC has a thoughtful article on the Trump rally and trade issues with China.
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Did Warren Bet On The Wrong Battery Company In China?
Speaking of China, there's an interesting article about EVs, batteries and China being reported by Reuters. Data points and comments from the article:
- EV battery plant located near Ningde, a third-tier city China's southeast
- the company: Contemporary Amperex Technology: could be China's answer to Japan's Panasonic Corp and South Korea's LG Chem Ltd
- CATL: has tripled its production capacity for lithium-ion car batteries in the past year
- surge required to keep up with a surge in China's sales of electric cars
- growing very, very fast; has already overtaken LG Chem in lithium-ion car battery output; is chasing down Panasonic and Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co Ltd
- CATL plans to grow its battery capacity sixfold by 2020 to 50 gigawatt hours; this could put it ahead of Tesla Motor Inc's gigafactory in Nevada
- CATL was founded just five years ago; offices in Sweden, Germany, and France; plans to build a factory in Europe; due to non-disclosure agreements, can only list BMW as a customer for now
Much more at the link.
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Wrong On So Many Levels
This is really cool. I missed it when I first read the story. But then watching Christie Hefner's recent keynote speech at Brandeis University on C-SPAN and then re-reading a few articles about free speech and the first amendment, resulted in some unusual dots being connected.
I assume folks are following the story linked over at Drudge: "Yes California," a pro-secession group, filed paperwork with the state attorney general in November for a proposed 2018 ballot measure to strike language in the state constitution binding California to the United States. This month, the group announced the opening of a "cultural center" in Moscow -- "the first of many planned California culture centers which will serve to build a bridge between the nation of California and the nations of the world," read a statement on Yes California's website.
What did I miss when I first read that article? I was concentrating on the issue of secession. The much bigger story is the location of their first "cultural center": Moscow.
It was like a light switch being turned on. The light: To the Finland Station, by Edmund Wilson, c. 1940.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
And, then, of course, the real irony: why would Californians want their first "cultural center" in a country run by Putin? Am I missing something? And Moscow in the winter? It seems, based on what little I know, France has a lot more in common with "Yes California" than Moscow. Or even Athens.
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A Note For The Granddaughters
Every Christmas there are three television shows that will be shown:
I think there's a new contender, but before I make my suggestion, I will check wiki for "classic Christmas movies" and see if it makes the list.
My suggestion was on neither list.
Apollo 13.
If Die Hard can make both lists (top 100, top 50) then certainly Apollo 13 needs to be on that list.
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Down With A Cold
A little over a year ago, September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II of England, became England's longest-serving monarch. She is 90 years old; her husband is 95.
