Biden's statement on the end of the chemical weapons stockpile
For more than 30 years, the United States has worked tirelessly to eliminate our chemical weapons stockpile. Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the final munition in that stockpile—bringing us one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons.
Successive administrations have determined that these weapons should never again be developed or deployed, and this accomplishment not only makes good on our long-standing commitment under the Chemical Weapons Convention, it marks the first time an international body has verified destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction. I am grateful to the thousands of Americans who gave their time and talents to this noble and challenging mission for more than three decades.
Today—as we mark this significant milestone—we must also renew our commitment to forging a future free from chemical weapons. I continue to encourage the remaining nations to join the Chemical Weapons Convention so that the global ban on chemical weapons can reach its fullest potential. Russia and Syria should return to compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and admit their undeclared programs, which have been used to commit brazen atrocities and attacks. We will continue to stand with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to prevent the stockpiling, production, and use of chemical weapons around the world. And together with our partners, we will not stop until we can finally and forever rid the world of this scourge.
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A look at Uri Geller's changing legacy
The article starts with a focus on Uri Geller, his life, and the evolution of someone who wasn outspoken critic of his. It then turns to discussing the current era of AI/LLMs and the threat of deepfakes. The latter is a weak pivot, taking the idea of magicians as those who mislead for entertainment and draws the parallel of the misleading deepfakes which pose a very real threat.
Charm and a seemingly bottomless supply of chutzpah were essential to his fame, and with fame came a one-man, multimillion-dollar enterprise, built on sales of tickets and books, and the reality TV show "The Next Uri Geller," which had versions in Israel, in the United States and around Europe.
It's a fortune he might have never earned, he said, without a group of highly agitated critics. Mr. Geller was long shadowed by a handful of professional magicians appalled that someone was fobbing off what they said were expertly finessed magic tricks as acts of telekinesis. Like well-matched heavyweights, they pummeled one another in the '70s and '80s in televised contests that elevated them all.
Mr. Geller ultimately emerged the victor in this war, and proof of his triumph is now on display in the museum: a coffee-table book titled "Bend It Like Geller," which was written by the Australian magician Ben Harris and published in May.
Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the "Talk-In" appearance, the book celebrates Mr. Geller as a brilliant and highly original magical entertainer. Which represents a significant change of heart for Mr. Harris, who was once among Mr. Geller's most avid debunkers.
The next portion I liked was the discussion about James Randi's opposition to him:
James Randi, a Canadian magician and escape artist, known professionally as the Amazing Randi, went much further. A relative unknown at the time, Mr. Randi, who eventually won a MacArthur Fellowship as a professional skeptic, was the loudest anti-Geller voice in the world.
"He is intending to enter the 'psychic healing' field soon, and when he starts into that racket he can kill people," he wrote in an edition of his book "The Truth About Uri Geller." He also called Mr. Geller a "dangerous and insidious figure," one he intended to stop "at all costs."
...
So watching the Geller haters now is like watching people run into nursery schools shouting that there is no Santa Claus. Consider Mr. Randi's appearance on Barbara Walters's talk show in 1974. He arrived soon after Mr. Geller had been there and entranced the host by bending her door key, apparently with his mind. Mr. Randi had now come to prove that there was nothing psychic about this feat.
"Here is my identical key," Ms. Walters told Mr. Randi, challenging him to equal Mr. Geller, and clearly hoping he would fail. "Touch it and make it bend."
A few moments later, the key is bent. Ms. Walters deflates. Suddenly, Mr. Geller seemed like a workaday huckster and the world seemed a little duller. She looked at the key that Mr. Randi had just bent and began theatrically boohooing, as if to say, "Thanks for nothing, you buzz killer."
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Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
I continue my efforts of homemade ice cream. This batch is mint chocolate chip with chopped Andes mints. Pretty good, though I could use a bit more peppermint extract next time.
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Automated Archives for July, 9th 2023
This post was automatically generated
Wallabag Additions
These are articles that which I saved today so that I may read them later. Substance and quality will vary drastically.
Chess For the Day
Record: 2-0-2
Net Elo Change: -1
Games Played
Blog Posts On This Day
- 2022-07-09 (12 posts)
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