Day: April 14, 2021

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NPR

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Falun Gong, Steve Bannon, And The Battle Over Internet Freedom Under Trump : NPR

Of all the disruptions unleashed by the Trump White House on how the federal government typically works, the saga of one small project, called the Open Technology Fund, stands out.

The fantastical tale incorporates the spiritual movement Falun Gong, former White House strategist Steve Bannon, the daughter of a late liberal Congressman, and a zealous appointee of former President Donald Trump.

And specifically, it involves a fierce, months-long battle over whether the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the U.S. State Department should subsidize software developed by adherents of Falun Gong. The decision to prioritize this software stripped money intended for critical apps from a federal fund designed to bolster technology vital to dissidents overseas, officials say. On top of that, once approved for funding, over a six-month period the software served a grand total of four people. That's right, four.

I am fine today after round 2 of the COVID-vaccine

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I am fine today after round 2 of the COVID-vaccine … famous last words ! 💉

I was totally knocked out from the vaccine, and dozed off a while today at work. The sore shoulder kind of expanded over my whole body, and just really knocked me out. Achy, and just out of it. I thought I missed my meeting, but no, it was a different time zone, so itw as okay. But I figure if it good that the vaccine is kicking in and while today may suck, it’s necessary for a better future.

A Farmer’s First Foray into Hemp

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A Farmer’s First Foray into Hemp

4/15/2020 by Field Work

Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=102128754
Episode: https://play.podtrac.com/APM_Fieldwork/play.publicradio.org/itunes/o/the_water_main/field_work/2020/04/15/fieldwork_20200415_6_128.mp3

Growing hemp was illegal in the U.S. for decades. But recent changes in federal law have opened the door to growing the crop. So as farmers across the country begin to experiment with hemp, hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora decide to learn more about commercial hemp production. In October, Mitchell visited Scott Thellman at Juniper Hill Farms in Kansas to hear about his first stab at growing industrial hemp. They talk sourcing seeds, keeping hemp under legal THC limits, harvesting with chainsaws, and much more.

I’ve heard a lot about hemp farming in the past but didn’t know much about it. Apparently it’s a good thing for farmers to live in a state that also has a recreational system in case the hemp comes in too hot. Also, since hemp has become federally legal the growers have greatly expanded while the market have grown more slowly, leaving it hard to market some of the production. Definitely interesting interview.

Area of States

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New York is a tiny state area wise compared to Texas.
Texas = 261,231 sq mi (land)
New York = 47,126 sq mi (land)

You can put 5.5 NY in landmass of TX.

I was noticing the other day that the last time New York State did a complete aerial survey of Albany County was in 2017

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I was noticing the other day that the last time New York State did a complete aerial survey of Albany County was in 2017. It seems likely that they will be taking a new set of orthophotos of county and much of the Capital Region this April, as they typically survey each region of the state every 3-4 years during the month of April before the leaves are on the trees.

… It should be interesting to see how land use has changed during the past four years locally. 🚜 🌲 🐮 🏭 🏢 🏡