"The White House": A New Film by The Coen Brothers

Many years from now, some kids who don't know history are going to express skepticism that "It couldn't have happened like that. That's way too ridiculous and unrealistic!"

And I'm going to respond by telling them to get off my lawn.

(I look forward to the Coen Brothers version. Because we are in a Coen Brothers movie right now. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion from a seat on the train.)

Also: Truth is stranger than fiction. Never doubt that.

Update: By the way, Frances McDormand would make a spectacular Bettsy DeVos.

Update: Last year, I referred to the Brexit fiasco as something out of a Coen Brothers film (and I included the train-wreck comparison), but the way things have been playing out in the US (including last year, but especially since the election) is, hands down, even more extreme in that direction.

"Peer Review Ring" Busted

A "peer review ring" (kind of like a prostitution ring, except with more scientists) at Journal of Vibration and Control has been busted. The situation is described in this article, and you can find more information about this peer-review scandal in this article.

The now-former Editor in Chief of JVC is Ali Nayfeh, who has written some very nice books on nonlinear vibrations. (I have one of his books. There is some really good stuff in there.) He has apparently "retired" as EiC, though my expectation is that it is a combination of genuine retirement and embarrassment that this scandal took place on his watch.

The choice quote comes from Retraction Watch, who started their report in the busting of the peer-review ring with "This one deserves a 'wow.'"

(Tip of the cap to Jennifer Nicoll Victor.)