Linkee-poo on a Tuesday, is it only Tuesday

Alligators were around waist high this morning, but bitey as all get out. This afternoon's forecast is for more alligators.

We was robbed! "Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett shouldn't have been called for roughing the passer in the second quarter of the Browns' 21-21 tie Sunday with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL's senior vice president for officiating said Monday." Then there was this, "The Browns will be relieved to know the call was wrong, because the flag perplexed them." Um, tied game. Might not have been had it been called correctly (I have to admit I didn't see the game because I was working at the hospital).

"Hurricane Florence, a Category 4 storm that continues to strengthen, is bearing down on the North and South Carolina coasts, forcing residents and visitors to evacuate." It's expected to hit as a Cat 5. If you live on the coast, or in low lying areas in those states, get the fuck out now if you can. The Navy has emptied Norfolk. Hopefully the state is assisting those who don't have the means to evacuate with transportation (and notification). Also getting people in hospitals, assisted living, and nursing homes out of the worst of it. The storm is expected to head straight inland, which means even if you survive the initial strike of the eyeball coming on shore, you'll have to deal with the flooding as all that rain comes down off the mountains.

"Last year's mysterious outburst of deep-space light flashes was even more frenzied than previously thought, a new study reports." Come in, Swindon…

"Hundreds of ancient, gold coins were found last week in the basement of a former theater in northern Italy. Archaeologists uncovered the jackpot in Como, on the border with Switzerland."

"One hurdle is economic. The transplant recipient's insurance pays the donor's medical bills. But donors are out of work for weeks recuperating. The U.S. Labor Department last month made clear that a donor's job can be protected under the Family Medical Leave Act. But that's unpaid leave and donors lose income if their employer doesn't allow some form of paid time off. They also may have other expenses such as travel and hotel bills for visits to a far-away transplant center." On changing the rules for live organ donation. I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, yeah for more people needing transplants getting those organs. On the other hand, there are more hidden costs to live organ donation. One person I know who did do a live organ donation for their liver was just told of their increased risk for cirrhosis (a high likelihood) and that their liver is not growing back (and probably never will).

"A study published this month showed that the patients achieved lower blood pressure levels after six and 12 months. But the improved levels went away after patients completed the program, in which they checked their blood pressure at home at least six times per week and regularly talked by phone with pharmacists about the results… Five years after the pharmacist consultations ended, their blood pressure levels returned to the same levels as a comparison group of patients in the study who received only routine clinic care, according to the study results, released Friday in the publication JAMA Network Open."

"Massacres like this were a major part of what some historians call a forgotten genocide during the colonization and settlement of the American West. The perpetrators of these massacres were sometimes honored with mountains, valleys and towns."

On colonialism, identity, and those that survive. Dr. Crocker talks about memory, the historic erasure of Native Americans, and a little about crickets. (Grokked from Elizabeth Bear)

"The 2016 presidential election tilted to Donald Trump with fewer than 80,000 votes across three states, with a dramatic impact on the country. Yet, only about 6 in 10 eligible voters cast ballots in 2016." Waiting for unicorns and for someone to help them. Unfortunately, even if these populations do begin to vote, it'll be about a decade before they get what they want (if they ever do), and most people don't have that long of vision for it to matter.

"Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he’s immediately resigning from Congress to focus on his campaign for governor of Florida, less than two months before Election Day." Campaign a little tougher than you thought?

"Kevin Hassett, the cheery chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, had quite a story to tell after being asked by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to explain 'America's economic winning streak.' He reached beyond standard growth and jobs numbers to invoke a roaring Trump boom, enthusing over capital investment, business optimism, capital goods shipments and the purchasing managers index." I've seen this movie before. Also, "The Economy is fabulous… for the 1%. Not so much for everybody else." Final thought, "Hey look, it's not only a rising tide, it's a rising King Tide." Are you better off than you were 2 years ago? Not all boats are being floated, and the poor suckers treading water are drowning after being so tired waiting for a boat. "Even the act of holding a briefing appeared to be an attempt to stress normalcy after a wild week of claims of administration dysfunction -- though it forced White House aides to wipe off the podium, in a reminder of how rarely it has been used this summer."

An example. "'As far as I was concerned, things were going really well,' he said, 'except I wasn’t aware of all the things that could go wrong.'" Have I mentioned how some of those regulations the Trump administration wants to roll back are the Dodd-Frank financial sector reforms (which when passed were thought of as a "good first step")?

"North Korea's Kim Jong-un has written to US President Donald Trump asking for a follow-up to their historic summit, the White House says."

"(Ken) Starr is offering, at long last, a defense of his most famous work as a lawyer. But it may also be read as a cautionary tale. He is warning that even when the facts at hand seem damning, even incontrovertible, impeachment proceedings may not produce the expected result." Meh, he just comes off as a hack who see everything as the political struggle between the two parties (which was why he was chosen, from both sides).

Here we are now, entertain us. "This sort of paranoia and backbiting is the direct result of Trump's management style. He's made no secret of the fact that he likes to watch his advisers fight it out over policy. He also purposely plays favorites and seems to change his views on people at the drop of a hat. John Kelly was going to bring order to the White House as chief of staff. Then Kelly was on the outs because he was limiting Trump's ability to be himself. Then Trump said Kelly had agreed to stay on as chief of staff for the entirety of his presidency. Then Kelly might be the person who wrote the op-ed. And on and on and on." Are we not entertained?