The Sun Bay Paper Page 24 January 7, 2022 - January 13, 202 On the cusp of an absolute glut of liberal-media anniversary coverage of the Jan. 6 riot, CNN media reporter Brian Stelter was cranky. "We live in a world where Donald Trump's top supporters malign the media for being 'obsessed' with January 6." You don't have to be a Donald Trump supporter to see it. The media obsession with Jan. 6 is easily quantifiable. Saying there's not an obsession is like claiming the media didn't do enough coverage of Princess Diana's car crash and funeral. The New York Times editorial board recently posted an article titled "Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now," and the daily media coverage reflects that mentality. You don't have to be an election denier who thinks Trump won in a landslide to acknowledge it. But Stelter maligned everyone who thinks the pro-Biden media is overdoing Jan. 6 as a deranged kook: "We're not a single story or smoking-gun confession or criminal charge away from snapping back to a shared reality. Instead, we're experiencing something that might be best explained by psychologists or therapists or algorithm developers." There's the phrase: a "shared reality." Liberal journalists mourn the existence of conservative media by lamenting the lack of a "shared reality." Everyone should accept the "reality" as announced by CNN or else they need a therapist. As a media reporter, Stelter should understand that an emphasis is not a "reality." Making something the "top story" for a year is an editor's decision, and the coverage could be completely factual and still look like an "obsession." Stelter is appalled by anyone who would "minimize" Jan. 6 -- that is, anyone who doesn't think it should be an everyday story. The "shared reality" people didn't even pause when their fellow liberal Matthew Dowd announced on MSNBC that casualty counts aside, "January 6 was worse than 9/11." Stelter yawned. No "independent fact-checker" gets involved. The wildest liberal exaggeration should be "shared reality." The reality here is the Democrats have become deeply invested in Jan. 6 as a way to prevent losing their majorities in Congress on Nov. 8. The House "select committee" on the riot was so selective that the Republican minority was not allowed to place anyone on it. No "minimizers" were allowed. Two Republicans who align with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "shared reality" were allowed. This makes the process incredibly partisan, but our incredibly partisan media treats this committee like it's entirely objective ... as they like to imagine that they are. Stelter's CNN will host a two-hour Jan. 6 special, to be held in Congress' Statuary Hall. The CNN press release announced anchors Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper will be interviewing 12 Democrats and Liz Cheney. Their interviewees are just as balanced as the committee. No "minimizers" -- only the maximizers. The reality here is Jan. 6 has replaced Russian collusion as the media's favorite anti-Republican narrative. The players have changed, but it has all the same impulses -- that Trump is a dangerous threat to democracy. The only difference is that the collusion narrative reflected the view that Trump's 2016 election was illegitimate, and now Trump's stubborn refusal to concede the 2020 election makes the charge of Trump hating democracy carry more weight. The riot at the Capitol was a horrible event, and every thug and goon who beat a police officer should be prosecuted. But everyone knows that when thugs and goons tried to set a federal courthouse on fire in Portland with federal employees inside it last year, these self-appointed "reality" definers didn't find an "insurrection." They have a double standard on violent revolts against the government ... when the thugs are on the left. Tim Graham Do We Need a January 6 News Glut? Water Quality quality by reducing the amount of pollutants like fertilizer, pesticide and manure getting into the state's waterways. Having more specific data on how much and what is flowing from farms will help agencies and scientists working to improve their health, Fried said. In the past farmers were welcome and encouraged to adopt the practices, but it was on the honor system. Fried’s office has aimed to change that. For the past two years, it’s navigated the fraught territory using a combination of outreach and mandates. While acknowledging Wednesday that “none of this would happen without … buy-in from producers,” said Fried, “Agriculture is the best steward of the land." She also urged support of two proposed bills to update Florida’s water quality rules. Her department’s Clean Water Initiative, announced in August, is a start, Fried said, but the legislation would support and expand the effort. Senate bill 904, sponsored by Fort Lauderdale Sen. Gary Farmer, and House bill 807, sponsored by St. Petersburg Rep. Michele Rayner, would create landmark action, Fried said It “requires, rather than authorizes” the department to make rules on best management practices to reduce pollution while providing financial help for farmers implementing them and fines for those who don’t. The honor system will be eliminated, as self-reporting would be replaced by mandatory recordkeeping and inspections. The changes would increase transparency and accountability, as well as giving us the necessary data to make sound, science-based management decisions, she said. Though he said he’s been impressed with the field staff’s efforts, Brandon Lynn, of Florida Agri-Management, said the new system has been a challenge for some well-meaning but technologically challenged farmers. Elders, like his 85-year-old cattlewoman grandmother, can have trouble navigating the world of computers and digital filing. ”It’s that older generation that doesn’t understand how to use the electronics,” that needs extra help. “I don’t know how you bridge that gap.” Brandon said Fried’s agricultural water policy director, Chris Pettit, said his office was working on outreach and getting help to farmers who need it. Another change would be a shift in enforcement responsibility. Previously, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been the one leading that effort, but the new rules would give Fried’s department the ability to enforce rules and take action. Meanwhile, the agency has been updating its best management practices manuals for ag sectors like citrus, livestock and row crops. The guidelines these 10 handbooks lay out must be approved by the DEP. So far, just two of the 10 Water Quality Best Management Practices manuals (for cattle and sod) needing to be updated have been shared with DEP,” wrote spokeswoman Alexandra Kuchta in an email, and “It is important to note, FDACS has not finalized these manuals. They have yet to be transmitted to partner agencies for further review or to the public for comment.” Kuchta said her department is ready to review the other manuals and will keep working with Fried’s agency to implement science-based solutions to water pollution from agricultural lands. In the past, there’s been tension between the two agencies. Currently, if ag inspectors find violations, they’re forwarded to the state’s environmental protection department, which reports to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, unlike Fried, a Democrat, whose office is independent. Pettit and Fried emphasized that they’re trying to improve the partnership. “We're still working on that relationship,” she said, But it is nice to see at least that there is communication, which had not always been the case previously.” Pettit called DEP staffers “hardworking, dedicated folks … working to come up with the memorandums of agreement to implement the statutory requirements we've been tasked with.” Overall, “those relationships are very positive,” he said. Bottom line, it’s the “farmers who are truly the stewards of the land to protect our state's most valuable resource,” Fried said. “Our economy depends on clean water.” Cont. from pg 1 Caged mice provided with a running wheel will partake for hours on end, enough to perhaps run a marathon every few days (26.1 miles), which is quite an accomplishment given their tiny legs. All that running keeps them fit, physically and cognitively, boosting blood flow to the brain, growing more neurons and improving navigation skills and memory. And when scientists transfuse well-exercised mouse blood into a sedentary rodent, the latter gets the same brain boost. Researchers have identified a single protein that seems to drive the cognitive benefits of regular exercise. It's called clusterin. They think that, besides making mice brainier (and maybe humans, too), clusterin might have anti-inflammatory properties that could be used for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Body of Knowledge The human body sheds approximately 200 million skin cells per hour. These discarded cells may actually decrease air pollution. When shed, the skin cells take with them skin oils, such as cholesterol and squalene. Studies have shown that squalene can reduce levels of ozone, a harmful pollutant that can irritate your eyes, nose and throat and exacerbate asthma symptoms. In fact, the squalene in settled dust containing skin cells can reduce ozone in indoor spaces, reducing indoor pollution levels by up to 15%. Scott LaFee Wheel of Fortune
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