'2000 Meters to Andriivka' leads Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary and Best Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

I decided I had enough in me to continue my series on the nominees at the News & Doc Emmy Awards today, so I'm going right after the category with the most nominated documentary.

Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary
Antidote
FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Passion Pictures | Bellingcat | Impact Partners | Channel 4 | M4 Studios]
Life After
Independent Lens
Multitude Films | PBS [ITVS | Straw House Production]
Lost in the Jungle
Little Monster Films [National Geographic]
2000 Meters to Andriivka
FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press]
Thoughts & Prayers
HBO Documentary Films [Tony Tina]

2000 Meters to Andriivka leads all documentaries with six nominations, including Best Documentary. Life After follows with four, also including Best Documentary. Antidote, Lost in the Jungle, and Thoughts & Prayers tie at two to round out the category. I think this is the first category where every nominee has at least one other nomination — such quality! Not even Best Documentary can claim that distinction for its nominees. This will mean 2000 Meters to Andriivka winning, which I expect, will mean that much more.

As per usual, I am embedding the trailers in the above order, beginning with 2000 Meters to Andriivka (official trailer) | FRONTLINE.

From the Oscar®-winning team behind 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA documents the toll of the Russia-Ukraine war from a personal and devastating vantage point.

Following his historic account of the civilian toll in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov turns his lens towards Ukrainian soldiers — who they are, where they came from, and the impossible decisions they face in the trenches as they fight for every inch of their land.

Amid a failing counteroffensive in 2023, Chernov and his AP colleague Alex Babenko follow a Ukrainian brigade battling through approximately one mile of a heavily fortified forest on their mission to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka. Weaving together original footage, intensive Ukrainian Army bodycam video and powerful moments of reflection, 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA reveals with haunting intimacy, the farther the soldiers advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that, for them, this war may never end.

That's every bit as gripping as I thought it would be.

Now for the other Best Documentary nominee, Life After Official Trailer.

LIFE AFTER is a gripping investigative documentary that exposes the tangled web of moral dilemmas and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport uncovers shocking abuses of power while amplifying the voices of the disability community fighting for justice and dignity in an unfolding matter of life and death.

I still expect 2000 Meters to Andriivka will win, but I would not be surprised if this upsets it. If so, it might upset 2000 Meters to Andriivka in every category in which it's nominated, because it's competing against my pick to win in all four. Otherwise, it will likely come home empty-handed, because I expect 2000 Meters to Andriivka to sweep.

Moving on to the other FRONTLINE nominee, Antidote | Trailer | Laemmle [Theatres].

What is the cost of speaking truth to power? In Putin’s Russia, it could mean your life. An immersive and chilling documentary, Antidote follows in real time a whistleblower, Vladimir Kara-Murza, from inside Russia's poison program as he attempts to escape. He is a prominent political activist who is poisoned twice and now stands trial for treason. Also profiled is his wife Evgenia and Christo Grozev, the journalist exposing Putin's murder machine. He too is under threat and is forced to flee.

Antidote's other nomination is for Outstanding Graphic Design: Documentary, and it shows in the trailer.

Next, Lost in the Jungle | Official Trailer | National Geographic Documentary Film.

After a deadly plane crash strands four young siblings deep within the Colombian rainforest, a dramatic rescue mission unfolds, uniting Indigenous trackers and the military in a race against time. For the first time ever, LOST IN THE JUNGLE offers the exclusive account of this incredible true story directly from the children themselves and the rescuers who scoured the Amazon rainforest for a grueling 40 days and nights to find them. From National Geographic Documentary Films and Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, along with Emmy® Award-winning director Juan Camilo Cruz, LOST IN THE JUNGLE is a gripping tale of survival, courage and hope.

Lost in the Jungle's second nomination is for Outstanding Sound: Documentary and I can hear it in the trailer.

Thoughts and Prayers | Official Trailer | HBO is the final trailer for today.

How to survive an active shooter in America.

The HBO Original Documentary #ThoughtsAndPrayers captures the current landscape of safety rituals in schools and communities across America.

I first cited the statistic that "gun violence was the number one cause of death among U.S. children and teens in 2020, passing auto accidents" in 'Teenage Dream' and 'The Lost Class' — two PSAs about gun violence nominated for Outstanding Commercial at the 2022 Emmy Awards. It's depressing that it's still true.

I'm not going to recycle all the other categories in which these documentaries earned nominations; my readers can go through the posts below and read my opinions, which haven't changed. In the meantime, stay tuned for the nominees for Best Documentary whose trailers I haven't yet embedded tomorrow.

Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards

• 'Sally' leads Science and Technology Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Secrets of the Penguins' leads Outstanding Nature Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Earth Day
• 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations
• 'Songs from the Hole' leads arts and culture documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Prime Minister' leads nominees for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Katrina: Come Hell and High Water' leads social issue documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Flashback Friday
• 'The Stringer' leads nominees for Outstanding Investigative Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Flashback Friday
• Vietnam War and Hurricane Katrina subjects of leading nominees for Outstanding Historical Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

'The Perfect Neighbor' leads Gold Derby odds for Documentary Feature at the Oscars

I made two predictions about two winners in 'The Perfect Neighbor' wins five Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary that won't come true.

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) unveiled the winners of the Tenth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards at a gala event in New York City. The Perfect Neighbor won the top award of the evening, Best Documentary Feature. The film also took home awards in four other categories including Best Director for Geeta Gandbhir, Best Editing for Viridiana Lieberman, Best Archival Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary.

The only category I clearly called for The Perfect Neighbor was Best True Crime Documentary. I thought it was a co-favorite with Riefenstahl and Orwell: 2+2=5 for Best Director, so no clear call, picked Orwell: 2+2=5 to win Best Documentary and Best Archival Documentary, and made no call for Best Editing, although I'm not surprised; editing is what makes a good archival documentary. Just the same, congratulations and good luck at next year's Emmy Awards, either as Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards or Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special/Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards...

The trophy for Best Political Documentary was awarded to The Alabama Solution.

While I thought The Alabama Solution could win, I also thought Orwell: 2+2=5 would win. Nope. Just the same, congratulations and good luck at the relevant Emmy Awards next year.

Neither The Perfect Neighbor nor The Alabama Solution will be nominated at either Emmy Awards because both earned nominations at the Academy Awards, disqualifying them for Emmy consideration. I'm not the least bit upset; this is exactly the kind of wrong I'd like to be. Also, congratulations to the producers and directors of both movies. I'm thrilled for them!

Now that the nominees have been announced, what are their Gold Derby odds? The Perfect Neighbor leads with every expert, 33.3% of editors, and 90.4% of users picking it to win. The Alabama Solution sits in second because it has the support of 5.4% of users and 16.7% of editors. Mr. Nobody Against Putin is actually the other top choice of editors at 33.3%, but only 2.3% of users, placing it third in the odds. Come See Me in the Good Light is currently in fourth as the selection of the remaining 16.7% of editors and 1.0% of users. Cutting Through Rocks has the remaining 0.9% of users. I have the feeling that the editors will consolidate around one or two nominees once the PGA Awards, DGA Awards, and BAFTA Awards have been presented. The Perfect Neighbor is the only Oscar-nominated documentary nominated or longlisted at all of them.

I embedded the trailer for The Perfect Neighbor in 'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' lead nominees for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and am sharing again here.

One woman. Dozens of 911 calls. And a close-knit neighborhood caught in a nightmare. What begins as one woman’s relentless harassment of children spirals into a shocking act of violence. Captured through gripping police bodycam footage, The Perfect Neighbor - Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Directing Award - delivers a hauntingly powerful experience that keeps you on edge from start to finish.

Yikes! This looks like a real-life version of multi-Razzie nominee Karen. That movie was about racism and harassment, and it's even uglier when it's fact instead of fiction.

Follow over the jump for the trailers of the other four nominees.

Colbert says good-bye to Mitch McConnell as Senate Minority Leader

Yesterday's news that the Supreme Court decided to hear Trump's immunity appeal was not good news. That was almost balanced out by the good news the same day of Mitch McConnell announcing he was stepping down as Senate Minority Leader in November. Watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cold open, Mitch McConnell Steps Down.

The Late Show shares exclusive footage of Senator Mitch McConnell stepping down as the Senate's Republican leader.

Poor turtle, and I don't mean McConnell. I hope his shell protected him down the stairs.

Now for the monologue, McConnell Walks Away | Trump’s Creepy Putin Infatuation | House GOP’s Russian Spy Scandal.

Stephen puts aside politics to acknowledge Mitch McConnell’s big announcement, the former PM of Australia confirmed that Trump is obsessed with Vladimir Putin, and the star witness in the House GOP’s impeachment case against President Biden took bogus intelligence from Russian spies and was arrested for lying to the FBI.

I guess Stephen decided that if he couldn't say anything nice about McConnell, he shouldn't say anything at all, even if it meant getting poked with a broomstick for a punchline and transition.

Speaking of transitions, file the rest of the described part of the monologue under Trump and Putin's bad bromance. That's now become a relationship between the GOP and Russia. Watch Chris Hayes: The GOP Would Like Putin’s Help Again In The 2024 Election, the second half of the interview I shared yesterday.*

The host of “All In with Chris Hayes” offers a reminder of how Russia helped Donald Trump win the presidency in 2016 and warns that the former president’s GOP allies remain cozy with Russia as the 2024 election nears.

Chris Hayes is right about why we're almost certain to get a rematch between Biden and Trump as far as he goes. I'm adding what I wrote in 'Trump' brags about his cognitive abilities as 'SNL' returns after winning 2 Emmy Awards.

The likely rematch between Biden and Trump reminds me of what I first wrote last February.

A fellow guest at a party I attended in the summer of 2016 asked me how we got TFG and Hillary Clinton as nominees. I told him that the parties got the nominees they deserved. The Republicans got TFG because the party was too weak and the Democrats got Hillary Clinton because the party was too strong. He laughed ruefully and asked if the American people deserved the nominees. I told him that was another matter entirely.

I elaborated on that last month, writing "That's still true and is why we're almost certainly going to get a rematch between TFG and Joe Biden next year" — now this year.

As for the reversal of the Republican Party's position on Russia, I'm also going back to 2016, when I wrote in a comment on a friend's Facebook timeline that the Democrats will be the anti-Russian party for the next decade based on Russian assistance to Trump's campaign. I revisited that a few years later when I expressed surprise that the GOP would become the pro-Russian party at least partly in response. That's only become more so since.

Enough current events. Stay tuned for World Wildlife Day followed by a highlights post of tonight's Saturday Night Live.

*The part of the monologue not mentioned in the description is about the Michigan Primary. I knew about all of it except Marianne Williamson unsuspending her campaign. I guess that counts as learning something new, making today a good day.

Jon Stewart roasts Tucker Carlson's Putin interview and Russia visit

It's time to laugh at some not actually funny news with Jon Stewart on Tucker Carlson’s Putin Interview & Trip to Russia on The Daily Show.

In response to online backlash over his criticism of Joe Biden last week, Jon studies Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin in Russia for a lesson in speaking "of course" to power. Plus, Michael Kosta reports from North Korea to demonstrate how nice life under a dictatorship can be.

I shouldn't be surprised that Carlson is carrying Putin's water. As I asked Nebris in a comment to Jon Stewart examines the problem with Fox News, "did you know that his dad was head of the Voice of America during the closing years of the Cold War? Broadcasting propaganda runs in the family." Also, a moment of silence for Alexei Navalny. May the Oscar-winning Navalny not be the only thing that carries on his memory and cause.

By the way, I was hoping to write a post around John Oliver offering Clarence Thomas $1 million dollars a year and an RV to retire from the Supreme Court, but HBO hasn't uploaded a video of it. Darn. Good thing I posted 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' returns after winning two Emmy Awards with 'A History of Chuck E. Cheese,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse to welcome him back. Fortunately, Stewart and his guests discussed that deal in Melissa Murray & Kate Shaw - “Strict Scrutiny” & Trump’s Fight for Immunity.

Constitutional experts and “Strict Scrutiny” podcast co-hosts, Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw, join Jon Stewart to discuss Donald Trump’s “platinum due process plan” and the judicial system’s handling of the cases against Trump. The law professors also discuss the threat of Trump’s presidential immunity and whether the former president will ever stand trial for the Jan. 6th insurrection.

I'm sure Thomas won't retire, at least while Joe Biden is President, despite Oliver's generous offer. Also, consider this to be the comedy update to Updates on three Trump trials. So is this.


We're already halfway through this schedule. Time for an update!

'20 Days in Mariupol' and 'The ABCs of Book Banning' leading documentary nominees according to Gold Derby

I told my readers "Gold Derby hasn't made any predictions for the Razzies or the Oscars yet. When they do, I'll return with their odds. Stay tuned" to conclude 'Exorcist: Believer' and 'Expend4bles' tie for most Razzie nominations as the Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again! Gold Derby's editors and experts have made their Oscar predictions, so I'm making good on my promise for today's Sunday entertainment feature, beginning with the nominees for documentaries.

Both the editors and experts are picking 20 Days in Mariupol to win, with eleven editors ranking it first and the twelfth choosing Four Daughters. Eighteen experts have also made 20 Days in Mariupol their first choice, while two have picked The Eternal Memory and one choosing Four Daughters. I'm with them on this, for the same reasons that helped Icarus and Navalny win this category before, the quality of the films and the importance of their subject matter, which made a political points at Putin's expense. The bulk of entertainment professionals in Hollywood have neither forgotten nor forgiven Putin for his role in the 2016 election and what he's done in Ukraine has only incensed the members of the Motion Picture Academy even more.

Speaking of what has happened in Ukraine, watch 20 Days In Mariupol (trailer) | FRONTLINE.

Ukrainian filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mstyslav Chernov offers a window into the practices of conflict zone reporters and an unflinching, anguishing account of the 20 days he and colleagues spent covering Mariupol. "20 Days in Mariupol" is a @frontline and @AssociatedPress collaboration. The documentary premieres in select theaters this summer and comes to PBS this fall.

Seeing that this is a Frontline documentary makes me sorry that there is a rule prohibiting Oscar nominees from being eligible for Emmy Awards: "programs that have received an Oscar® nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) are ineligible for submission to any Emmy® award contest administered by NATAS." This includes the News & Documentary Emmys. Darn. Otherwise, I would have expected 20 Days in Mariupol to earn multiple nominations later this year. Not happening, not that Frontline is lacking in potential documentary nominees.

Gold Derby interviewed '20 Days in Mariupol' filmmakers Mstyslav Chernov and Raney Aronson: 'This is a symbolic story'.

'20 Days in Mariupol' filmmakers Mstyslav Chernov and Raney Aronson: 'This is a symbolic story.' The director and producer are nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. Gold Derby editor Denton Davidson hosts this webchat.

In addition to winning the DGA Award, which Denton Davidson mentioned, 20 Days in Mariupol won 24 other awards, including two Critics Choice Documentary Awards, two Cinema Eye Honors Awards, one Online Film Critics Society Award, one Cinema for Peace Award, one of the Top Five Documentaries by the National Board of Review, and a number of film festival and local critics groups awards, including the Audience Award at the Sundance Film festival. Wow!

As for the Oscar and other awards, including today's BAFTA Award for Documentary, which all eighteen Gold Derby experts and eleven Gold Derby editors have predicted will go to 20 Days in Mariupol, bringing more visibility to the film, I believe they will, but the film has plenty of viewers already, with the upload of the entire documentary already having 1,582,039 views on Frontline's YouTube channel. Again, wow!

I'll get to the rest of the nominees later, especially after Gold Derby and Factual America upload more interviews with their creators. Until then, follow over the jump for the trailer for The ABCs of Book Banning, a report from MSNBC, and an interview of its director.

CNBC explains 'Why The World Is Rushing Back To The Moon'

I wrote "I might post another entry today" at the end of The 2023-2024 Environmental Media Association Awards nominees. As my readers can see, I was able to compose one, a follow up to 'NASA 2024: Onward and Upward' and 'ESA’s future of space travel' early this month. I return to the topic of the future of space travel with CNBC explaining Why The World Is Rushing Back To The Moon.

During the Cold War, competition between the the United States and the former USSR was fierce, as the two countries rallied for the chance to make history by getting to the moon first. In 1959, the Soviet Union beat the U.S. to become the first nation to reach the surface of the moon with its Luna 2 spacecraft. But, the United States was the first country to put man on the moon in 1969, and to this day is still the only nation to have landed people on the moon. To date, only five nations, the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and India, have completed a successful soft landing on the moon. But bolstered by evidence of the presence of water and other natural resources, many more nations and private companies are now seeking to get to the moon. And whoever is able to establish a significant lunar presence first could have big implications on Earth as well as the cosmos.

I'll take a space race between the U.S. and China if it motivates the U.S. to return to the Moon and spurs us to go on to Mars. I'm also glad that CNBC mentioned that Artemis was one program the Biden Administration retained from the Trump Administration. I being a good environmentalist by recycling what I wrote in NASA and '60 Minutes' on women in NASA for International Women's Day and reused in The Artemis program and NASA's proposed 2022 budget for Yuri's Night 2021.

I'm glad that Joe Biden's Administration publicly supports the continuation of the Trump Administration's plans for space exploration. As I wrote five years ago and repeated the next year, "space policy is the one area where Trump might actually be good for the country" and "Trump's plan is actually not a bad idea." I was worried that the Biden Administration would dump the one Trump policy I supported along with all the ones I couldn't stand. I'm relieved that they didn't.

File this under "even a stuck clock is right twice a day" and Donald Trump is definitely a stuck clock.

That was earlier this week. CNN examined the subject earlier today when it asked Could space be the next platform for war? Hear what NASA official thinks.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour speaks with NASA deputy administrator Pamela Melroy about the potential that space could be the next platform for war between nations.

Fortunately, Pamela Melroy thinks the answer is no. However, I wonder if she would get the same answer from a high-ranking officer of Space Force. Now I'm tempted to leave that as a suggestion in a comment to the video.

That's it for today's space update. Stay tuned for the highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live tomorrow.

PBS Digital's 'Be Smart' recounts 'How the CIA Secretly Spied On Climate Change'

Yesterday, the subject was Beat plastic pollution on World Environment Day. Today, it's a different environmental problem, climate change. PBS Digital's "Be Smart" has an interesting story about it, along with space, technology, and history, in How the CIA Secretly Spied On Climate Change.

Cold War… warming planet?
...
A few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a top-secret, first-of-its-kind US spy satellite program was declassified, leading to the unexpected story of how former enemies became scientific allies, and technology invented for Cold War espionage was repurposed to study and combat the newest and greatest threat to human civilization: Climate Change.

This story is what a lot of science fiction depicts, humanity uniting in the face of a greater threat. Unfortunately, this only works if everyone agrees that something is a greater threat. Note when the program was suspended and discontinued, during the administrations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. They didn't regard climate change as a larger threat than terrorism or illegal immigration, respectively. The Biden Administration takes the issue more seriously, but the war in Ukraine precludes resuming this king of cooperation with Russia — yet another reason to oppose Russia's aggression.

Russia issues arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham after banning 500 Americans from entering country

I found a shinier object than the debt ceiling deal, Russia issues arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham | NewsNation Now.

Russia’s Interior Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, after he praised U.S. military aid to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent.” The South Carolina senator said Monday "it brings me immense joy" to know that his support for Ukraine “has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime.”

I have the same reaction to this news that I had to my ex-wife after she threatened to throw me out 30 years ago: "I can understand you throwing me out after doing the wrong thing. I don't understand you wanting to throw me out for doing the right thing." Russia is threatening to arrest Senator Graham after he did the right thing, so Russia in general and Vladimir Putin in particular can go fly a kite.

That's not to say that Graham may not be arrested in the future. One of the Trump investigations you should actually care about is Donald Trump's other 'perfect call' to the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, which resulted in Graham and others being subpoenaed followed by a grand jury report. Graham may yet face charges for that. If so, I support it, as he would have been caught doing the wrong thing.

This comes after Russia adds Trump's political enemies to sanctions list, as MSNBC reported last week.

Russia has banned hundreds of U.S. citizens, including former President Obama, Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow and Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from entering its territory. The Morning Joe panel discusses.

I used that for the preview image, the subject line, and the description, which connected to what I wrote about Graham and Raffensberger. Joe Scarborough blustered a bit much to be very informative. For that, I'm turning to Joy Reid and her guest, who said ‘Putin is a sending signal to MAGA base’: Fmr. CIA director on Putin's sanctions, including Maddow.

Vladimir Putin has signaled support for Donald Trump with new sanctions targeting Trump’s critics. Putin’s likely subsequent influence on the MAGA base is analyzed by former CIA director John Brennan who tells Joy Reid, "I find it hard to believe in this day and age, particularly after the bloody assault and plundering of Ukraine, that any American would look favorably upon Vladimir Putin[.]”

All of this confirms what I wrote seven years ago: Trump and Putin have a bad bromance. I have something more complementary to say to Graham and the 500+ Americans on Russia's sanction list: Congratulations, you have the right enemies.

Fox News didn't have to apologize, so 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' did it for them

Happy Flashback Friday! As I quoted "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in Fox and Dominion settle — silly to serious reactions from Colbert, CNN, and MSNBC, "After settling with Dominion for $787.5 million, Fox News will not have to acknowledge its election lies on the air." I found that disappointing, commenting that "This is probably the best outcome both companies could have achieved — Dominion gets the money while Fox doesn't have to publicly retract its statements on air — but not a good result for truth or democracy. Unfortunately, neither truth nor democracy are parties to the suit." However, not all entertainment value has been lost, as Colbert and his writers and editors created An Apology From Fox News.

The settlement in Fox’s defamation lawsuit doesn’t require them to apologize on their network, so Stephen makes them apologize on The Late Show! Elsewhere, the former president’s new NFT collection is out of this world, and the Iowa state senate passed a bill loosening restrictions on child labor.

Fox News didn't have to apologize, so "The Late Show" crew did it for them. It's the next best thing to the real thing, and I'll take it. Also, I hope CBS and the show submits this clip to the Television Academy for an editing nomination at the Emmys. The show deserves it.

Despite 'SNL' snickering at Trump's NFTs last December, he decided that they were enough of a money-maker that he issued some more. I think they're just as silly the second time around and so did Colbert and his audience.

I think relaxing child labor laws is not a good way to deal with a labor shortage. I prefer raising wages and improving working conditions so more adults will return to the workforce. Instead, Iowa has joined Arkansas and several other states in permitting teens to work more. I find that worrisome and a reversal of a century of progress.

I suppose I'll get to the coronation of King Charles III in a future post, but I'd rather have my readers follow me over the jump for a retrospective about all the political posts from the back catalog I haven't already covered.

'The Elephant Whisperers' and 'Haulout' - two Oscar-nominated short documentaries for World Wildlife Day

Happy World Wildlife Day! For this year's celebration, I'm reaching back to 2018's theme of wildlife documentaries to feature two short documentaries nominated at the Academy Awards, "The Elephant Whisperers" and "Haulout." I begin with The Elephant Whisperers | Official Trailer | Netflix India.

What unravels when a tribal couple decides to foster an orphaned baby elephant? Watch how the arrival of the gentle giant Raghu, transforms the lives of his foster parents forever.

This is the second documentary from India about wild animals, the other being "All That Breathes." Indian media have made a big deal of the two films' Oscar nominations, along with that of "RRR," and created graphics like this. India cares what the U.S. movie industry thinks of its films and is thrilled to receive recognition.


I have a Factual America video about "All That Breathes" to share, but first I'm embedding Haulout | Trailer | Berlinale 2022.

The trailer for "Haulout" by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev.

About the film: A man is waiting in his hut in the desolate expanse of the Russian Arctic. He is holding out in order to observe a natural event that occurs here, every year. But ocean warming is taking its toll.

Part of the Berlinale Shorts programme 2022.

I'm billing this as a wildlife film, but where are the animals? You can watch the entire documentary on The New Yorker's YouTube channel and read the video description to find out.

A lone scientist on the coast of the Siberian Arctic finds that warming seas have taken a toll on the walrus migration, as documented in a film by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev. "Haulout" is nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 2023 Academy Awards.

I'm a biologist, so I knew that "haulout" referred to pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses) and figured that walruses were the most likely animals based on the location. I'm glad to see I was right. I'm also pleased to have pursued this subject, as I've found two more documentaries I can recommend to my environmental science students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

Follow over the jump for the Factual America video about "All That Breathes" I promised as a bonus.

'Navalny,' 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,' and 'A House Made of Splinters' — three political and social issue documentaries nominated at the Oscars

I ended 'Fire of Love' and 'All That Breathes' — two Oscar-nominated documentaries I'm recommending to my students with a preview of coming attractions.

The other three Documentary Feature nominees at the Academy Awards are political and social issue documentaries and I plan on getting to them in a future installment. That's when I'll finish my handicapping of the nominees and maybe even make a prediction. Stay tuned.

In reverse alphabetical order, the three nominees are "Navalny," "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed," and "A House Made of Splinters." This also happens to be order of their likelihood of winning, so I begin with CNN telling its viewers to Watch the trailer for award-winning film ‘Navalny”.

The fly-on-the-wall documentary follows Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, through his political rise, attempted assassination and search to uncover the truth.

This is longest and most complete trailer I found on YouTube. That it's by CNN and promoting an HBO Documentary is not an accident. To paraphrase what I wrote in CNN defends Big Bird after Ted Cruz calls one of the character's tweets 'Propaganda,' a pandemic update, CNN is promoting one of the parent company's productions. Doing so is in its interest, which, in this case, helps the public interest by supporting democracy (and opposing Putin). Still, my readers should keep that relationship in mind when watching the clip above. It's not just news value that's driving it.

Gold Derby interviewed Daniel Roher ('Navalny' director): 'The way that this film came together was such a fever dream' after the movie won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

Daniel Roher ('Navalny' director): 'The way that this film came together was such a fever dream.' The Russian opposition leader Alexei recovered from an assassination attempt and was arrested upon returning to Moscow. Gold Derby's Tony Ruiz hosts this webchat.

In addition to the BAFTA, "Navalny" just won the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures and won Best Political Documentary and the Bronze Medal at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards beating the next nominee, "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed." Watch ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED - Official Trailer from Neon.

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is an epic, emotional and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.

I wrote the following footnote to the previous entry about the Documentary Feature nominees about this film.

Oscar nominee "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" is about the Sackler family, who are at the center of the opioid crisis, and might just be worth mentioning to my Human Structure and Function class. That way, all my students this semester will have recommended films to watch for extra credit.

I did recommend this to my Human Structure and Function class, although this is more about the activism than the effects of opioids on the human body. In that regard, it's like the last documentary I recommended to the students in that course, "Icarus," which made a political point at Putin's expense. That last phrase is one of the reasons I expect it will lose to "Navalny," which also makes a political point at Putin's expense. The other is that Laura Poitras has already won an Academy Award for "Citizenfour," which also won an Emmy. I'm surprised was even nominated, as I wrote in 'Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution' at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, "The Documentary Branch normally does not [nominate] films by previous winners." They like to spread the recognition around.

Anti-Putin and pro-Ukraine sentiment also helped "A House Made of Splinters." Watch its official trailer.

A sobering window into the little lives and high hopes of three children seeking refuge at a temporary shelter in eastern Ukraine.

That's a moving story, but "Navalny" makes a more direct point against Putin. "Navalny" is also more recognized, so I think it's favored.

To determine how favored, I'm turning to Gold Derby, where nine experts, including my two favorites Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen, have it winning. Eight experts currently have "Fire of Love," six have picked "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed," and one lone expert thinks the Oscar will go to "All That Breathes." Looks like it will be close among the top three choices.

Stay tuned for more awards show coverage.

'SNL' sends up Trump's visit to the train derailment site in Ohio in its cold open and Weekend Update

"Saturday Night Live" began last night's episode with Trump Train Visit Cold Open.

Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) delivers a message to the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, following the train derailment.

SNL's writers decided that the best news story for comedy since it shot down the Chinese 'spy balloon' in its cold open and Weekend Update to begin the month was the Ohio train derailment. I'm not surprised. It resumed the roast in Weekend Update: Biden Meets with Zelensky in Ukraine, The Oscars' Crisis Team.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Donald Trump visiting East Palestine, Ohio, after the recent train derailment.

Both The Former Guy and Pete Buttigieg earned laughs for their appearances, although TFG was tacky and Buttigieg was just a little overdressed. I prefer the latter. Both had to wait until Jost and Che invited the audience to have a good laugh at Biden's visit to Ukraine on Presidents Day. That was bigger news, but I guess Jost, Che, and their writers didn't find it as funny as TFG in Ohio.

The mention of the "Oscars crisis team" in the first video of Weekend Update already qualified this post as the Sunday entertainment feature; Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly's Prison Sentences, NBA Slam Dunk Contest leaned heavily into stories about books, movies, music, and sports to further justify its status.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like an alligator being found at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Also animals and art, making this a quick-paced roundup of lighter news.

Speaking of lighter news, follow over the jump for a couple of clips from the first show of this month that I'm serving as dessert made of leftovers.

'Russia’s private military force, explained' by Vox for the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

I closed Biden visits Ukraine on Presidents Day with "The first anniversary of Putin's war on Ukraine beginning is this Friday and I might have more to say about it then." Vox did the work for me by uploading Russia’s private military force, explained last week.

Inside the Wagner Group’s playbook.
...
On January 10, 2023, the Ukrainian town of Soledar was reportedly captured. But it wasn’t captured by the Russian army under Vladimir Putin’s command. The announcement came from a relatively unknown man, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said his troops now controlled the town. The troops are part of the Wagner Group, a private army that has become a prominent force alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine.

But they aren’t new. They've been secretly fighting for Russia around the world since 2014. In this video, we take a look at their playbook and examine the three main steps they use to spread Russian influence around the world in brutal ways. We also look at how they’ve transformed from a ghost army to a recognizable private military group with insignias and an online brand, changing the nature of this secret group and its role in the world.

Wagner Group's "Little Green Men" aren't just fighting for Russian interests in Ukraine. They're also in Syria, Mali, and Sudan, a Russian proxy presence on three continents. Wagner Group's mining operations are also all over Africa. Now I'm wondering what the Chinese think of this.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about the war in Ukraine. Stay tuned.

Biden visits Ukraine on Presidents Day

Happy Presidents Day! For today's celebration, I'm covering current events as CNN reports Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden made an unannounced trip to Kyiv early for the first time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago.

I'm glad to see Joe Biden paying Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time's Person of the Year for 2022, a visit in Ukraine instead of having Zelenskyy come to the U.S. It shows how much the U.S. supports his country.

CNN explains what this visit and US support mean in ‘A really big deal’: Retired colonel on Biden’s wartime visit to Ukraine.

CNN military analyst Col. Cedric Leighton (Ret.) explains the significance of President Joe Biden’s surprise trip to Kyiv nearly one year after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

I'm especially glad to hear that Lindsey Graham is calling for training Ukrainian pilots to start as soon as possible. That's a sign of bipartisan support, which Ukraine needs. Now I want to hear that from a member of the Republican House majority.

I turn to MSNBC to wrap up this part of Biden's trip with President Biden leaves Kyiv after historic visit.

President Biden has now left Kyiv on his historic visit to Ukraine. NBC News' Richard Engel reports.

The first anniversary of Putin's war on Ukraine beginning is this Friday and I might have more to say about it then. In the meantime, stay tuned for Paczki Day AKA Fat Tuesday tomorrow.

Doomsday Clock is now 90 seconds to midnight, the least remaining time ever — again

It's the time of year to update the Doomsday Clock. Watch The Doomsday Clock Is Closer to Catastrophe Than Ever Before from Time.

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic tracker that represents the likelihood of human-made destruction, was updated Tuesday to 90 seconds to midnight—the closest to global catastrophe it’s ever been. It was the first time the clock had been updated since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Reuters explained the signficance of this event in What is the 'Doomsday Clock'?

Atomic scientists set the 'Doomsday Clock' in 2023 to 90 seconds to midnight – closer than ever before to the threat of complete annihilation of humanity. But what is the Doomsday Clock?

ABC News gave a historical perspective in Doomsday Clock: A look back.

Scientists revealed that the "Doomsday Clock" has been moved up to 90 seconds before midnight — the closest humanity has ever been to armageddon.

Here are past evaluations of how close we are to the end of the world.

The clock has been at 100 seconds to midnight since 2020, so moving the hands ten seconds closer is a big deal and bad news. I wish I could say I am surprised, but between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and 2022 being the fifth-warmest year on record, demonstrating that climate change remains a threat, the situation has become more dangerous. While the Reuters video showed clips related to the pandemic, I don't think it factored much into the decision to move the hands closer to midnight. On the other hand, artificial intelligence, depicted as a Boston Dynamics robot "dog" instead of the AI art and writing that is making news, may be causing more anxiety than I think the technology deserves, although I think I should still blog about the latest developments in mimicking human creativity. Just the same, this is one of the rare times when I use the doom label seriously.

So ends January 2023's blogging. Stay tuned for the first post of February.

Trevor Noah examines Manchin deal, monkeypox, and Russia announcing it will leave the ISS plus six Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show' and its spinoffs

I concluded Colbert examines Manchin agreeing to the reconciliation bill that would fight climate change by telling my readers "Stay tuned as I continue examining the Emmy nominees with the categories recognizing "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," possibly as early as tomorrow." I'll do that over the jump, but first I'm sharing three clips from "The Daily Show" about my picks for top stories last week, starting with Manchin Shocks Washington and McConnell with Bill Compromise.

In a surprise turn of events, Sen. Joe Manchin released a statement saying he’s on board with the Inflation Reduction Act, a renamed version of the Build Back Better bill, shocking Washington, D.C. and Mitch McConnell.

I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling what I wrote yesterday for the first part of my reaction.

The good news is that Joe Manchin agreed to a bill that would fight climate change, making it possible to follow the IPCC roadmap to fix climate change. Even better, he helped the Senate Democrats bypass Mitch McConnell, who prides himself on being the Grim Reaper for progressive legislation. I just hope Kyrsten Sinema doesn't gum up the works.

Trevor even mentioned the possibility that Sinema could mess things up. On the other hand, he showed even more enthusiasm for the deal and he and his writers came up with even funnier jokes about it.

That was the good news. "The Daily Show" uploaded two segments featuring bad news last week, beginning with some that Stephen Colbert mentioned, Monkeypox Labeled Global Health Emergency, U.S. Sizzles & Robot Breaks Kid's Finger.

The World Health Organization labels monkeypox a global health emergency, cities across America hit record-breaking temperatures, and a chess-playing robot breaks a 7-year-old's finger.

As I wrote in June, "it looks like I may have been too sanguine about monkeypox." I didn't think it would get this bad. Now I expect it will get worse. I'm also recycling my reaction to Trevor's treatment of the climate and weather news from yesterday's post: "That was grim, but at least we're doing something about climate change now."

Now for Russia Pulls Out of International Space Station & The Pope Issues Historic Apology, which at least opened with good news, even if it got second billing in the subject and description.

Russia announces it will leave the International Space Station, and the pope issues an apology to Canada’s Indigenous people.

I've been worried about the possibility of Russia exiting the ISS since 2014, when I posted Returning without Russia and other space and astronomy news for the Ides of March, but my anxiety became more pronounced this April in Vox explains 'What Russia's war means for the International Space Station' plus DART and Artemis updates. Now we have two more years to figure out what to do. At least the U.S. has crewed spaceflight again, so we aren't dependent on Russia to get to and from the ISS.

Follow over the jump to read about the Emmy nominations for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" and two of its spinoffs, "Between the Scenes" and "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Globe - Hungary for Democracy."

CNBC explains 'What Happens If There’s A Nuclear Attack' and 'The Big Business of Nuclear Weapons Manufacturing'

I commented on the danger of the international situation in Seth Meyers takes closer looks at the State of the Union and Russian invasion of Ukraine last month.

As for Vladimir Putin making nuclear threats, that's why I wrote "Here's to the Russian invasion of Ukraine not spiraling out of control to prevent next year's parade from happening" yesterday. It's also not how I want him to be the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Since I would be remiss as a doomer blogger in not examining the topic, especially when it's timely, I'm sharing CNBC's What Happens If There’s A Nuclear Attack.

Nearly 70% of Americans surveyed by the American Psychological Association said they worry the invasion of Ukraine could potentially lead to nuclear war and they fear that we could be at the beginning stages of World War III.

Researchers estimate there are about 12,700 nuclear weapons spread between nine countries, with the United States and Russia holding the majority, but experts consider an attack to be unlikely. Watch the video above to learn how a nuclear attack could play out.

All of this is horrifying, but it's not news to me. My interest in events that could cause the end of civilization began when I was eleven or so years old when I started reading about nuclear war and nuclear weapons. Macabre, but learning about it made me less anxious, as I could use my knowledge as a source of power over my fears. That's still true, as it's one of the reasons I blog about possible causes of collapse and decline as well as ways to forestall them. They are still frightening and fascinating and knowing about them gives me a sense of control, however illusory.

The first video showed Alejandra Munoz of PAX mentioning that the nuclear states are still spending money updating their arsenals. CNBC followed up on that in The Big Business of Nuclear Weapons Manufacturing.

Defense companies secure billions of dollars every year from government contracts to maintain and construct nuclear weapons. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the U.S. government could spend $634 billion between 2021–2030 on nuclear forces. Many of these companies like Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have seen a rise in stock prices amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Watch the video above to learn about the companies profiting off of nuclear weapons and how the investor community feels about it.

This video reminded me that my father worked for aerospace and defense companies during most of my youth, so I benefited for spending for weapons growing up. The company that he worked for the longest, Litton Industries, no longer exists as an independent company but is now split between Northrop Grumman and Huntington Ingalls, both of which CNBC mentioned in their video, particularly Northrop Grumman. My father actually started off working in the Ingalls Shipbuilding division before moving to Litton Guidance and Control, now part of Northrop Grumman, so his legacy lives on in two companies.

Enough nostalgia. I have work to do, as final exams began yesterday. Stay tuned for a retrospective tomorrow on Throwback Thursday.

Vox explains 'What Russia's war means for the International Space Station' plus DART and Artemis updates

A belated happy Yuri's Night AKA International Day for Human Space Flight! As I wrote five years ago, this is the day of the year when I celebrate the promise of space. Today is Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space. Vox uploaded a video this morning that exemplifies both, What Russia's war means for the International Space Station, although the threat is to space exploration from Earth, not from space to the planet.

The International Space Station has been orbiting above us for the last 20 years. It’s been home to astronauts from more than a dozen different countries — but mostly Americans and Russians. The two former “Space Race” countries control the main parts of the station. The science done there has required close collaboration and so it’s been largely insulated from politics on Earth.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may change that. The two countries have agreed to cooperate through 2024… but after that, the future of the space station is uncertain.

So far, Putin's war on Ukraine has not had major effects in space, but that could change if the Russians don't extend their involvement in the ISS beyond 2024. It could speed up the decommissioning of the space station, which is currently expected to happen by 2030. At least there are plans for commercial space stations associated with NASA beyond 2030 along with other projects like Artemis.

Now for the usual subject of Apophis Day, the threat of asteroid impact with an update to PBS NOVA asks 'Can Humans Deflect an Asteroid?' for Asteroid Day 2021 from CBC News: NASA spacecraft en route to smash into asteroid.

NASA has launched a spacecraft that will reach an asteroid in 10 months and smash into it — on purpose — to see if it's possible to change the space rock's orbit.

I'm looking forward to the results of DART's collision with Dimorphos later this year. I expect I'll have an update on the mission for Asteroid Day and again after it happens.

I conclude today's post with "Invincible" by Eddie Vedder, featuring NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission (Official Video), a musical update on the Artemis mission.

Grammy-award winning artist Eddie Vedder's "Invincible" video collaboration with NASA is inspired by our Artemis I Moon mission.

The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft – the only human-rated spacecraft in the world capable of deep-space travel – are planned to lift off from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon. Through the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence, and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars. This video includes footage of various prelaunch tests, along with animations of launch, the orbit around the Moon, and the return to Earth.

Last year, I featured Lindsey Stirling. This year, Eddie Vedder. Stirling didn't surprise me; she's something of a geek goddess. I had no idea Vedder was this into space!

CNBC explains 'Why Russia’s War Drove Up U.S. Gas Prices'

One of the top posts last year was Trevor Noah and 'The Daily Show' explain why gas prices are so high, so I'm following my usual pattern of following a silly explanation with a serious one. Watch CNBC explain Why Russia’s War Drove Up U.S. Gas Prices.

Gasoline prices rose to record highs in the United States after Russia invaded Ukraine. But the U.S. is the largest oil producer in the world and imports very little petroleum from Russia. So why did prices jump?

Because oil is a global commodity and supply or demand shocks can reverberate around the world. There are also other factors that have made it challenging for oil producers to respond - foreign and domestic U.S. producers have been pulling back production in recent years. A series of boom and bust cycles and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have drained the industry of qualified personnel and made companies wary of big investments.

That's such a good explanation of oil production, refining, distribution, and markets that I'm tempted to show it to my students, especially since I'm lecturing on energy and mineral resources in my environmental science classes right now and will soon be doing the same in my geology classes. I don't know if I'll have the time. Instead, I'm sharing it with my readers, who I hope learn something from it. I know I did, which was about the mismatch between the oil the U.S. produces and what our refineries require. I did not know that until recently.

By the way, Calculated Risk not only keeps track of the trade deficit, but breaks out the contribution of petroleum and petroleum products to the trade deficit.


For the past two to three years, petroleum has contributed little or none to the trade deficit and actually produced a small surplus during 2020, in contrast to the twenty years before that, where it made up a significant portion of the trade deficit. That's why I'm not as concerned about oil prices causing a recession now as I was in 2001 or 2008 (or will be again by the end of this decade). Then, a lot of the money being spent on petroleum was leaving the country, which will reduce GDP even without decreased economic activity. Enough of that will technically tip the country in to recession. Most of the money being spent on petroleum now stays in the U.S., which won't reduce GDP directly, although it will cause other economic hardships and move enough money around in ways that could cause a recession indirectly. PBS NewsHour updates the effects in U.S. lawmakers grill oil executives about sharp rise in gas prices.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fuel prices have shot up and stayed high. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday were laying blame for rising gas prices on executives from BP, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil and others. Meanwhile, everyday Americans are feeling the pressure. Amna Nawaz reports.

PBS is showing both sides trying to score political points, Democrats against big corporations and Republicans against environmental regulation. It's no surprise that I'm on the Democrats' side on this. However, if CNBC is correct about gasoline and diesel retailers being reluctant about lowering prices at the pump so that they can recoup losses incurred on the way up, then gas station owners are to blame for the continued high cost of fuel. That would mean beating up on local small businesses. I don't think that would play well for either party's politicians, who would rather be seen as defending the public against big business or "big government." That doesn't mean it can't be done. Bill Schuette did exactly that in Michigan ten, nine, and seven years ago. It didn't help him much, as he lost to Gretchen Whitmer for Michigan Governor. That might serve as a bad example that Congress doesn't want to follow, even when both parties are upset about gas prices as they continue to drop.

Follow over the jump for a brief retrospective.

Colbert and others have a good laugh at Zuckerberg saying his employees call him 'Sauron'

I told my readers to "Stay tuned for a Flashback Friday retrospective about Facebook" yesterday. That's because the next two posts in last year's default top ten were about the social media company. I'll get to them over the jump, but first I'm sharing Stephen Colbert's monologue from Wednesday night, New Sanctions Punish Russia For War Crimes | Zuckerberg's Pals At Work Call Him "Sauron".

The U.S. added new sanctions to punish Russia for war crimes in Ukraine, and renowned Tolkein expert Stephen Colbert reacts to news that Facebook employees use a "Lord of the Rings" reference when poking fun at their boss Mark Zuckerberg.

Colbert spent even more time on Elon Musk and Twitter than he did on what Facebook/Meta employees call Zuckerberg. Still, it made for an appropriate video to share today, as the top post about Facebook last year also featured a Colbert clip.

That's not all. The Late Show's cold open was Facebook Employees Have So Many Great Nicknames For Mark Zuckerberg.



Have any to add to the list?
I don't, but Big 102.1 (KYBG) in Lafayette, Louisiana, did in Mark Zuckerberg Says Employees Call Him The 'Eye Of Sauron', complete with a preview image to match.

Mark Zuckerberg revealed what some of his Meta colleagues call him: the Eye of Sauron aka the villain from Lord of the Rings.

That was a hilarious impression of Jeff Bezos as Dr. Evil listing villains both billionaires should be compared to. The only one I thought the DJ missed was Lex Luthor. After all, the same actor has played both Zuckerberg and Luthor.

I have one more recent story about Facebook to share before I look at last year's top posts about it, CNBC Television reporting Facebook tries to turn public against TikTok.

Washington Post Tech Columnist Taylor Lorenz joins Shep Smith to discuss her story about Facebook's efforts to turn users against social media company TikTok.

Now I wonder if TikTok will start calling Zuckerberg Sauron, too.

As a reminder of the importance of Facebook, Facebook knows your political affiliation and much more is the single most read entry on this blog. It includes a meme that I first used in Facebook: There is no such thing as a free lunch.


This is a lesson all social media users should remember.

Follow over the jump for the top posts about Facebook during the blogging year just ended.