Linkee-poo Thursday

"The latest problem to be linked to global warming: male sperm counts." Now they're just reaching for things to get conservatives' attention. It won't work. Those you're trying to reach are also those who buy the testosterone pills on TV.

"The Food and Drug Administration said Losartan could contain an impurity that has been classified as a probable human carcinogen, known to cause cancer." That sucks. I wonder how that contaminate mysteriously got into the process? Doesn't Big Pharma continuously tell us how stringent their production quality issues are, which are a reason why drug prices are so high? It's almost as if they were lying the whole time.

"A couple of raccoons in West Virginia aren't rabid, they're just 'drunk,' police say." Alright, buddy, recite the alphabet backwards.

"NASA has announced the discovery of a massive meteorite impact crater hidden deep beneath the Greenland ice. The crater measures over 19 miles wide and 1,000ft deep, making it one of the top 25 largest impact craters on the planet. The discovery was made by a team of researchers led by the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark."

"Scientists announced this week that the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor in Hefei has finally achieved a temperature exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, setting a new record in fusion technology and bringing us closer to a new age in energy." Imagine going away and forgetting that you left that oven on. "Tokamaks like China's EAST reactor use the magnetic fields produced by the moving plasma itself to keep its wobble in check. This makes it less stable, but allows physicists to turn up the heat." What could possibly go wrong.

"Americans seeking to stay healthy can get their exercise in small increments of just a few minutes at a time, according to new guidelines issued by the government Monday that again encourage a largely sedentary nation to start moving."

"Researchers expect that three dozen new drugs will come on the market over the next few years with astronomical prices — some likely topping a million dollars per patient." So, how do you pay for a $1m dose of medicine? And will insurance actually pay for it? And if they do an installment plan, while they are covering their asses in case the treatment doesn't work, what happens if you change insurance plans (or employers, or get laid off, or switch to Medicare…). They don't cover that part.

"Ford Motor Co. delivered a message to skeptical investors wanting answers about its Auto 2.0 strategy: We're doing more than you think." (Look busy, the boss is coming) No, really we are working hard.

The rich are just like you and me. "Just like in many of the towns and neighborhoods in this region, Hidden Hills residents were ordered to evacuate their homes as the Woolsey fire approached. But unlike thousands of others, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian did not have to leave their fate up to erratic winds and unpredictable floating embers. They had other options. They called in a team of private firefighters who saved their $60 million mansion and many of the other houses in their neighborhood." 'Cause that's cheaper than paying actual taxes that would support everybody's safety.

"As the scope of a deadly Northern California wildfire set in, the sheriff said more than 450 people had now been assigned to comb through the charred remains in search for more bodies. The blaze has killed at least 56 people and authorities say 130 are unaccounted for."

"If California electric utility PG&E is responsible for California's wildfires, it may not be able to afford the payouts it would owe." This is why you carry insurance, they just didn't carry enough insurance. Also note that utilities are actually responsible for a lot of the wildfires in California.

An in an attempt to give cover to conservative candidates and their racist or ignorant statements, Fox News would like you to know that people also get upset over liberals' statements. Like John Cleese making a joke about people escaping the California wildfires eating diner in a restaurant and ordering everything "flambeed." Because, yes, that's just like calling immigrants "dirt", making a public hanging spectator reference when your opponent is African-American, or saying people are evil for condoning (and trying to make safe) abortion. Exactly the same. I didn't get a harrumph outta that guy.

"'He tried to explain to us that he was making his own version of a firework,' Lake Helen Police Chief Mike Walker said." While there's a lot of "TATP is used by ISIS" in the article, understand that it's a well known compound. But they are correct, most people who try making it without some assistance usually blow themselves up (making bombs is a skill). And he might have been making it for himself, except for the switches. It depends on his construction of those switches (and exactly what type of switches they are). While there's not much to go on from the photo on the article, that doesn't look like it's meant for home use (but I'm not an expert here).

"Tyler Barriss, 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to making a false report resulting in a death, after he placed a hoax call late last year that resulted in police fatally shooting an unarmed man in Wichita, Kan."

"Saudi prosecutors said Thursday they would seek the death penalty for five people allegedly involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi… It also shared details of the journalist's murder, saying Khashoggi was killed following 'a fight and a quarrel' at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He was tied up and injected with an overdose of a sedative that killed him, then his body was chopped up and given to a local collaborator, the prosecutor said." Yeah, that totally sounds accidental. Do you all test these ideas outside a conference room?

"Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s senior campaign adviser, Brad Todd, repeatedly refused to commit to certifying the results of Florida’s US Senate election, during CNN interviews Monday night and Tuesday morning, if Scott ends up losing in a recount to Democrat Bill Nelson." Republicans want all votes counted, unless it means they lose. This sloppy rhetoric isn't just aspirational, it's the kind that will get people killed. "Scott’s evidence-free howls about election fraud have been echoed by President Trump. On Tuesday, Trump suggested Democrats in Broward and Palm Beach counties are fabricating ballots. Again, there is no reason to believe they are." If these charges were true, that is a crime of immense impact. But they're treating it like someone stealing a pack of gum.

"Sterling plunged by over 1 percent against the dollar Thursday morning after U.K. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned from his post, piling yet more pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May." I'm not sure 1% constitutes a "plunge", but the narrative is "ZOMG! The. Sky. Is. Falling."

"The slump reflects a fundamental change in the outlook for the oil prices. A month ago, traders were concerned that a looming shortage of oil would push crude futures to $100 a barrel. Now, supply is expected to swamp demand at the start of 2019." Why it's almost as if there's a global slowdown (as well as "tough sanctions again Iran" that are neither tough nor real sanctions). Fancy that.

"Gas prices are plunging as the Thanksgiving holiday travel period approaches… Gas prices neared a four-year high in October, when they briefly topped $2.90 per gallon, but have since retreated." Why it's a Nightmare Before Christmas miracle. Here I'll just note that over the summer the American oil industry was riding high. Prices were back in the "time to explore/speculate, again" range and crews were getting back to work. Drilling platforms were in short supply. Now all that ramping up with either try to coast on fumes, expecting another oil price spike, or will collapse even more than before. "Other factors include declining global demand. Investors believe the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries may cut production in a bid to prop up prices, but anticipating that relief hasn't helped boost prices." How's our relationship with the Saudis and Venezuela?

"President Trump on Tuesday announced the nomination of retired Army Gen. John Abizaid as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia — a move that would fill a vacancy that's been open since the administration's first days." Oh, hey, 2 years in and we're finally getting around to filling (some) ambassadorships. Great work there, Donny.

"Vice President Mike Pence confronted Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday over the 'violence and persecution' of her country's Rohingya Muslims." The VP goes for the low hanging fruit. Also, conservatives are still upset at Suu Kyi winning the peace prize when they think GW should have. Not to mention they're still stinging from President Obama having won one. While you'r sin the mood, Mr. VP, and in the area why don't you call out China's persecution of Uighurs and point out to our friends in the Philippines that the extra-judicial kills need to stop. And while you're at it, maybe tell our Saudi allies to stop their campaign of assassinations and political extortion. And then look Putin in the eye and tell him to stop the killing and harassment of the LGBTQ population. Frankly, Mr. Pence, I don't think you have the intestinal fortitude to do it.

"Israel's defence minister has resigned over the cabinet's decision to accept a ceasefire ending two days of fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza."

Trump is doing such a good job for veterans. "A House committee will hear testimony Thursday from Department of Veterans Affairs officials over delayed GI Bill payments potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of veterans. NBC News reported Sunday that IT glitches at VA have caused GI Bill benefit payments covering education and housing to be delayed for months or never be delivered, forcing some veterans to face debt or even homelessness." That person is leaving that position to run one of the local VA facilities. The problem is still not fixed.

Whelp, thank the gods that election is (almost) over. Whew. "The holiday dinner conversations are going to be intense in several high-profile Democratic households in the coming weeks, as potential candidates near decisions on whether to run for president in 2020." Oh fuck. Well, for me, I could scratch 9 off that list right away.

"Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's temporary appointment was legal, the Justice Department said in a memo on Wednesday — but it did not address whether he must recuse himself from the Russia investigation." So the DoJ, which Whitaker now head, released a memo that states his appointment was legal. So, "Man says what he's doing is legal." Not exactly unexpected. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

"'Yes, he's pissed -- at damn near everyone,' a White House official said, noting the mood in the Oval Office is darker than normal this week. After nearly a month straight of campaigning before adoring crowds, the applause has gone silent and the President has retreated. The tempest has led to rampant speculation inside the building about the fates of other senior staffers, some of whom are beginning to plan their exits." Apparently the president is a sore loser (as well as a sore winner). Can't wait to hear the hot takes on how all this disfunction is actually good for the country and exhibits Trump's winning style.

"The U.S. will not require North Korea to provide a complete list of its nuclear weapons and missile sites before President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong Un meet for a second time, Vice President Mike Pence told NBC News exclusively on Thursday." The world is laughing at you, Donnie.