"On Memorial Day, 51 tornadoes were reported across eight states -- Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio -- and severe weather is forecast to continue Tuesday and Wednesday."
"Laptop with some of world’s most dangerous malware sells for $1.35 million." It's art, of a sort.
"Those aren't an intelligent extra-terrestrial army moving in to take over planet Earth -- they're just SpaceX's Starlink satellites, designed to provide broadband services across the globe… However, as the unusual display in the night sky quickly gathered steam across social media, some astronomers began to point out the potential problems the satellite system may pose for radio astronomy. At present, only 60 satellites are moving into their orbit, but eventually that number will reach 12,000 and a megaconstellation will encircle the Earth. That would nearly triple the current amount of satellites currently orbiting the Earth."
Here is a longer video of the Starlink satellites. (Grokked from Dan)
"The ROSETTA-Ice project, a three-year, multi-institutional data collection survey of Antarctic ice, has assembled an unprecedented view of the Ross Ice Shelf, its structure and how it has been changing over time. In a study published today in Nature Geoscience, the ROSETTA-Ice team members detail how they discovered an ancient geologic structure that restricts where ocean water flows. The discovery suggests that local ocean currents may play a critical role in the ice shelf's future retreat."
"A team of scientists from Arizona State University has taken a significant step closer to unlocking the secrets of photosynthesis, by determining the structure of a very large photosynthetic supercomplex." Mmm, swirly and squiggly protein folding.
"American soil… Those are two words that are commonly used to stir up patriotic feelings. They are also words that can't be be taken for granted, because today nearly 30 million acres of U.S. farmland are held by foreign investors. That number has doubled in the past two decades, which is raising alarm bells in farming communities." Exporting our water to the world. Also, foreign companies see the dearth of renewable development and sense a market begging to be filled.
"It's a feeling of extreme work stress that's long been embedded in the cultural lexicon, and now it might be codified in your medical records as well… Burnout is now a legitimate medical diagnosis, according to the International Classification of Diseases, or the ICD-11, the World Health Organization's handbook that guides medical providers in diagnosing diseases." To bad the US is only on ICD-10. And welcome to my world.
"But that help list that Beaudis was able to get on is emblematic of a bigger problem in the way we respond to natural disasters: Disaster strikes, emergency help is deployed, checks are cut, communities are rebuilt — even in high-risk places. Many say that reactive response has to change."
"At least two victims are dead, including an 11-year-old girl, and about 17 others were injured in a mass stabbing attack near Tokyo, Tuesday morning."
How goes Brexit? "Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt has warned that his party will be committing "political suicide" if it tries to push through a no-deal Brexit… He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the move to no-deal would result in a general election, which could see Labour take power." Sure, all you have to do is change the deal May struck with the EU. But how and what would you change, and would the EU go along with it. Those are the actual questions.
"Europe's traditional centrist coalition lost its majority in the European Union's parliamentary elections Sunday, with far-right populist parties and liberal, pro-European Union parties both gaining ground. The results suggest a complicated future for the EU, as voters look for new ways forward." Divided politics, the US export of the century.
How go the Trade Wars? "China’s middle class, particularly better-educated white collar workers, are growing increasingly confused and anxious over how the trade war with the United States will affect the lives of ordinary citizens, in contrast to official press and social media which have been dominated by messages urging the country to stand strong in face of the adversity."
"The Trump administration's ban on goods produced by a Chinese tech giant would seem to have little to do with rural America. But rural cell service providers across the U.S. are almost entirely dependent on the company, Huawei, which produces inexpensive wireless communications equipment." Can confirm that rural comms use cheap as shit equipment and can barely keep it running. Also, while we're all talking about 5G, there are many places were we don't even have 4G yet.
"The Chinese government has slammed Washington for engaging with Taipei and ordered the Trump administration to cease diplomatic engagements with the island, after a highly unusual public meeting between top officials from the US and Taiwan."
"The U.S. Army issued a tweet ahead of Memorial Day weekend with a question for service members and veterans: 'How has serving impacted you?'" I don't see how this could possibly go wrong.
"Trump said he passed a private-sector health care program, Veterans Choice, after failed attempts by past presidents for the last '45 years.' That's not true. The Choice program, which allows veterans to see doctors outside the government-run VA system at taxpayer expense, was first passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama." Next up, Trump takes credit for the sun rising in the East.
"President Donald Trump often gripes about his bad press -- but as his state visit to Japan shows, sometimes he's his own worst enemy." Our stable genius president, everybody.
"'I have to wish you all a very happy Memorial Day,' Trump said. 'On this Memorial Day evening in the United States, Americans are concluding a sacred day of remembrance, reflection and prayer.'… Before appearing on the USS Wasp, Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited a Japanese destroyer, the J.S. Kaga, docked nearby. Standing alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump delivered the same 'happy Memorial Day' message to the Japanese forces." Any functioning adult, 2020.
"'You know, they were saying — one of the folks said, "No, the electric works faster. But, sir, we can only get the plane there every couple of minutes,"' Trump said aboard the USS Wasp, according to a White House transcript, adding: 'So, really, what they did was wrong.'" Positively anyone who doesn't make me facepalm every 5 minutes in 2020. I'm begging you. (Grokked from Jim Wright who likes to remind us, "USS Wasp is an LHD. Not a CV. It doesn't have even HAVE catapults.")
"Democrats’ frustrations centered on claims first raised by Whitley and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in January that 98,000 noncitizens had potentially registered to vote, and that tens of thousands had illegally cast ballots since 1996. Critics quickly found, however, that many of those names were listed in error and thousands of people were actually naturalized U.S. citizens who were eligible to vote." Funny how that turned out.
"Done sparring with Robert Mueller, Donald Trump’s personal attorney is now training his attacks on the president’s reelection rivals. Giuliani plans to meet with the president and his campaign in the coming weeks to discuss pivoting to this new role, which he expects will also include making policy and political connections for the 2020 effort." Oh sweet Jesus, do we have to? Well, I guess when you're so far down in the opinion polls finding a guy who polls even lower might me an ego boost for the candidate.
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