"At least a quarter of the carbon humans put into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is soaked up by the ocean. It acts like a carbon sponge, but adding carbon to seawater makes it more acidic… It's harmful for animals that build shells, like oysters, and spells big trouble for the Pacific shellfish industry, worth more than $100 million."
"Scientists have figured out how to manipulate nearly unseen specks in the air and use them to create 3-D images that are more realistic and clearer than holograms, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Nature . The study's lead author, Daniel Smalley, said the new technology is 'printing something in space, just erasing it very quickly.'" Help me, Obi-Wan, you're our only hope. (Grokked from Dan)
"The instrument, called the MinION, works by pulling DNA through around 500 nanoscopic pores and reading it as it passes through by measuring an electrical signal produced by each nucleotide, or DNA letter. Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a private British company that has spent 12 years and about $200 million developing the invention, foresees its cheap DNA sequencers providing a way to study life in real time." What all the cool kids are talking about. (Grokked from a lot of people)
"Amazon, Warren Buffett and JPMorgan are forming a new company to address the health care costs of their employees, sending shares of health care companies down sharply across the entire sector despite the vague nature of the announcement." (Grokked from Dan)
"Now, Idaho has jumped in, with the insurance department saying Wednesday it will allow insurers to ignore some ACA rules on plans not sold on the marketplace. The department aims to make these state-based plans less costly. Several of the changes are viewed by the health law's supporters as hits to its core consumer protections." So will the Trump administration enforce the law? I think we can see the answer in the recent failure to impose sanctions on Russia.
"After a polyp is found, patients may have to chip in for colonoscopies." And ain't that a kick in the pants.
"Police in Canada say they are undertaking the grim task of searching backyards, flowerbeds and planters for human remains after a Toronto gardener was charged with killing at least five men and dismembering their bodies." So the butler didn't do it after all.
"Businesses pay between $4,000 and $6,000 to join Project Green Light, a program that allows police to monitor businesses’ video surveillance feeds in real time. The cost covers installation of high-definition cameras and lighting. There also is a monthly fee of up to $150 for cloud-based video storage… In exchange, participating companies are given Priority 1 status on police dispatches…" Dear Detroit Police, um, you may want to check with your legal department about prioritizing 911 dispatches. (Grokked from Joshua Parker)
"Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he will pay a fine after being arrested with a loaded handgun in his briefcase as he went through an airport security checkpoint." (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"As the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference reaches a fever pitch, Facebook rolled out a new News Feed alert Monday night. The bulletin told users who followed pages created by Russian trolls that those pages have been removed. And some of the affected users did not like this." Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
"Since the election, President Trump has made 31 specific claims about companies adding or saving American jobs thanks to his intervention. We went back to see what’s become of those announcements." (Grokked from Pat Rothfuss)
"Eight years ago, the Koch brothers' network spent millions to help boost the Tea Party wave… The topic of how to defend the conservative majority was all the buzz over the past few days as some 550 well-heeled donors gathered at the palatial Renaissance Esmeralda near Palm Springs, Calif." Remember when the Tea Party was all "we're grass roots" and got upset at being called astroturf? But also this is a warning to the democrats, the Koch brothers are looking at the long game. You need to as well.
"'As confirmed by U.S. Naval Forces Europe, a Russian [Su-27] engaged in an unsafe interaction with a U.S. EP-3 in international airspace, with the Russia pilot closing to within 5 feet and crossing directly in front of the EP-3's flight path,' State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement Monday."
"As the U.S. sends thousands more troops to Afghanistan and ratchets up airstrikes, a new report from a U.S. military auditor suggests that the war is still at a stalemate, with signs of continued decline in Afghan government control… And the amount of basic information available to the public about the war is getting smaller, making it more difficult for the U.S. taxpayer to understand how U.S.-supported forces are faring in their fight against the Taliban." Danger. Warning, Will Robinson.
"Reaction to President Trump's first State of the Union speech followed the familiar choose-your-own-partisan-narrative script that's dominated political life since the 2016 election." Next year I'm auditioning for the part of curmudgeon. "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz chastised Democrats for not sufficiently cheering on Trump's speech." Shorter Ted Cruz, "I didn't get a 'harrumph' outa that guy."
"One of the most striking facts about immigration to the U.S., unbeknownst even to many immigration advocates, is the superior education of Africans coming to this country. If we consider adults age 25 or older, born in Africa and living in the U.S., 41.7 of them have a bachelor’s degree or more, according to 2009 data. For contrast, the native-born population has a bachelor’s degree or more at the much lower rate of only 28.1 percent in these estimates, and foreign-born adults as a whole have a college degree at the rate of 26.8 percent, both well below the African rate." Those supposed $#!@hole countries are sending us their best. Unlike our other immigrant populations. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
Tweet of my heart: @waltshaub "There is a country whose leader is being investigated by an agency that's being investigated secretly by a legislator who was on the leader's transition team, which that agency is investigating for colluding with a nation that's subject to sanctions the leader refuses to enforce." (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)
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