Seriously, Tigran, Relax Already

I have a small electric rice cooker. You can make maybe one cup of rice in it, tops. You'd be pushing it if you tried. It's the simple kind with a heater, bucket, and glass lid with ventilation hole on top. There's an automatic switch with two modes: cook and warm. It's great.

I will eventually get one of those fancy, pressurized and programmable units from Japan. They're even greater and on the verge of awesome, but, for now, my Black&Decker Deluxe-No-Frills Bachelor Edition rice cooker will do.

I have discovered, when making rice in an electric rice cooker, you can throw in some cheese which has been cut up into cubes of about a centimeter or two. They'll melt into the rice perfectly. It's delicious. Don't blame me if you gain a few pounds. I'm only the messenger.

With no further ado, here's this week's reading list...

• Who Will Debunk The Debunkers? – In 1937, scientists realized that the original measurement of the iron in 100 grams of spinach — 35 milligrams — was off by a factor of 10. That’s because a German chemist named Erich von Wolff had misplaced a decimal point in his notebook back in 1870, and the goof persisted in the literature for more than half a century. (FiveThirtyEight).
• Obama Is Expanding Trump’s War-Making Powers on His Way Out the Door – The scope of war-making authorities and powers available to the Trump administration depends on decisions made by the Obama administration. Two recent news reports shed some troubling light on its approach to the coming transition. (Foreign Policy).
• They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals – Inside President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal antidrug campaign in the Philippines, our photojournalist documented 57 homicide victims over 35 days. Photographs and Text by Daniel Berehulak. (The New York Times).
• Trump Has Declined Many Intelligence Briefings Offered to Him According to Senate Aide – Even during the campaign, there were reports that Trump was at odds with what intelligence officials briefed him on. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in late October that he told Mr. Trump that Russia was trying to influence the U.S. election through hacking, but he said Mr. Trump rejected that information. (CBS News).
• The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President – Americans talk about democracy like it’s sacred. In public discourse, the more democratic American government is, the better. The people are supposed to rule. But that’s not the premise that underlies America’s political system. Most of the men who founded the United States feared unfettered majority rule. (The Atlantic).
• May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications – Fred Rogers testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce Subcommittee on Communications to defend $20 million in federal funding proposed for the newly formed non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (YouTube)