"Whenever you decide to directly quote, excerpt, or reproduce someone else’s work in your own—whether that’s a book, blog, magazine article, or something else—you have to consider, for each use, whether or not it’s necessary to seek explicit, legal permission from the work’s creator or owner." (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu a year ago, and the spinning top-shaped space rock has been full of surprises. The latest findings now classify it as an active asteroid with observable events happening on the surface."
"Infrared photography has helped to identify tattoos on seven mummified individuals dating to at least 3,000 years ago at a site called Deir el-Medina, archaeologist Anne Austin of the University of Missouri–St. Louis reported November 22 at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Although the identities of these tattooed folks are unknown, artisans and craft workers at Deir el-Medina built and decorated royal tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens."
"New research raises concern about the safety of permanent hair dye and chemical hair straighteners, especially among African American women. The study was published Wednesday in the International Journal of Cancer."
"After decades of progress against one of the most contagious human viruses, the world is seeing measles stage a slow, steady comeback… The World Health Organization and the CDC say in a new report that there were nearly 10 million cases of measles last year, with outbreaks on every continent… And so far 2019 has been even worse."
"Samoa has arrested an anti-vaccination campaigner as the country continues to battle a deadly measles outbreak… Edwin Tamasese was charged with incitement against a government order after he was detained on Thursday."
Who needs regulations? "A Detroit property contaminated with uranium and other dangerous chemicals partially collapsed into the Detroit River on Nov. 26, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has confirmed… The news is especially concerning because the Detroit drinking water intake lines are nearby downriver." I'm sure there's no reason (not) to panic. (Grokked from Joy Reid)
"A study designed to test the effectiveness of a controversial practice known as 'abortion pill reversal' has been stopped early because of safety concerns." Whispers, it doesn't work no matter what the pro-lifers want to believe.
"In recent years though, biologists and fisherman noticed something was wrong. On sections of the Clinch and other waterways in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, dead mussels were turning up on shores and could be seen glinting from the river bottom. Surveys revealed more fresh dead or dying mussels half-buried and rotting in still-clasped shells." They might not be sexy, but freshwater mussels do a lot of heavy lifting in the food web. Another spoke in the mass extinction event going on around us.
"The U.S. Justice and Treasury departments took action Thursday against a Russian hacking group known as 'Evil Corp.,' which stole 'at least' $100 million from banks using malicious software that swiped banking credentials, according to a joint press release." To my Russian friends, I've really been restraining myself from making Boris and Natasha jokes, but if you keep this up with things like "Evil Corp" and Maksim Yakubets I'm not going to be able to hold back. I mean, come on, at least come up with something like SPECTRE. Let's not be lazy here. And for everyone else, these days there is very little difference between the government, intelligence, and organized crime in Russia. They all tend to stew in the same pot. (Grokked form Kathryn Cramer)
"Uber disclosed 3,000 sexual assaults reported in U.S. rides last year in its long-awaited safety report, amid widespread criticism of its safety practices and pressure to increase its transparency over the issue." Da fuq? "In a lengthy report, which divides sexual misconduct into 21 categories, Uber said it recorded 235 rapes last year and hundreds more reports of assault that could involve unwanted touching, kissing or attempted rape." Oh, well, at least we broke it down. Oh, and that statement about how they're bringing transparency to "something that touches every corner of society"… That's PR speak for, "not our fault." (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
How goes Brexit? "But old ties are being tested to their limits with a possibly devastating impact on Labour, which is fighting to defeat the ruling Conservative Party. Voters in Hartlepool feel they have missed out on the economic growth of the last few decades, which has transformed London and the southeast of England. This is the eastern edge of what pollsters have called the 'red wall' of Brexit-supporting seats Labour holds with a majority of less than 8,000 votes."
How go the Trade Wars? "China will waive import tariffs for some soybeans and pork shipments from the United States, China’s finance ministry said on Friday, citing a decision by the country’s cabinet." China's pork industry has suffered catastrophic losses because of African Swine Fever and they've already been pulling from their strategic frozen pork stock.
"The tariff war has caused a lot of anxiety for business owners and farmers. But how much has it hurt the overall economy?" It's a mixed picture.
"U.S. employers added a better-than-expected 266,000 jobs in November in a sign the economy continues to power ahead… The unemployment rate dipped to 3.5%. Job gains for the two previous months were revised up by a total of 41,000." The numbers were juiced by the end of the UAW strike, but still a good number.
"The wealth of the top 1% of Americans has grown dramatically in the past four decades, squeezing both the middle class and the poor. This is in sharp contrast to Europe and Asia, where the wealth of the 1% has grown at a more constrained pace." I wonder how that could happen?
"Thousands of people are marching in the streets of Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and other French cities Thursday, as more than 30 unions launch a massive workers' strike that's meant to shut down the country and force President Emmanuel Macron to reevaluate his plans for pension reform." They're marching in Paris, again.
"Four men held over a high-profile rape and murder case in India have been shot dead by police while they were in custody, an official confirmed Friday, drawing praise from the family of the victim." When vigilantism is praised, there's a problem with law enforcement.
"A video taken by a Mexican citizen shows the newly replaced border fence in Mexicali being scaled by two men with a rope ladder, one of whom makes it over to the United States." The CBP says the system worked as intended, and only one person got over and they were caught. Yeah, sure, Bob.
"A sick Guatemalan boy who died in government custody was lying on the floor for hours before someone found him dead, a video first obtained by ProPublica shows… But Border Patrol logs obtained by ProPublica indicate that three welfare checks were done on Carlos over the period in which the video suggests the boy laid on the floor. The logs do not indicate how those checks were done or note that anything was amiss." Falsification of records is a crime.
"Two Muslim US congresswomen have been targeted by a vast international operation that exploits far-right pages on Facebook to inflame Islamophobia for profit, a Guardian investigation has found… A mysterious Israeli-based group uses 21 Facebook pages to churn out more than a thousand coordinated fake news posts per week to more than a million followers around the world. It milks the traffic for revenue from digital advertising." Like Uber, but for fake news. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
Why diversity in representation matters… "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump administration’s decision to implement cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), referencing her family’s past reliance on food stamps."
"The first House member to endorse Donald Trump, Chris Collins of New York, pleaded guilty to insider-trading charges…The second House Trump endorser, Duncan Hunter of California, pleaded guilty to criminal misuse of campaign funds… Is a pattern emerging?" I wouldn't say it's emerging, more like deepening in color and texture. We've already seen the pattern. Note the article doesn't mention the number of people in his inner circle, campaign and administration who have gone to jail or been accused of crimes. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"The story of the House Democrats' impeachment report has quickly become all about the phone records." And with this, "Nunes said… 'I'll go back and check all my records. It seems very unlikely that I'd be checking calls from random people.'" I agree, Devin. It seems unlikely that you'd spend time talking with someone you don't know, just some bloke from off the street. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"CNN has learned that the number the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment report said was 'associated' with the Office of Management and Budget is a number that could go to multiple officials within the White House complex, including the White House itself. Real Clear Politics was first to report on the phone number issue." Well, yeah, you can transfer phones almost anywhere. Considering Giuliani also called numbers that go to the West Wing, this is a very bogus defense. And then… "'For his part, Mr. Giuliani has now confirmed speaking to Mick Mulvaney, who continues to serve as both the head of OMB and Acting Chief of Staff in the White House,' the House Intel committee official said in a statement."
"Other officials in the West Wing and numerous Trump associates learned about his latest foreign adventure, which included a stop in Ukraine, by reading the news. Many of them expressed exasperation at the thought of Giuliani—himself reportedly in the crosshairs of federal investigators—continuing to cause headaches for the White House. Others feared he would cause tangible damage to U.S. foreign policy." It's the Daily Beast, so take that as you will.
"Parnas' lawyer Joseph Bondy said that Parnas 'remembers' what the pair allegedly spoke about in a tweet directed at Nunes yesterday, responding to the California representative's claim that he was 'not able to confirm' whether the pair had any phone conversation." And now you see why professionals in government keep copious notes.
"The California Democrat forcefully pushed back on the idea that she and her caucus are proceeding with articles of impeachment because of a personal dislike of Trump, after being asked by a reporter from Sinclair, James Rosen, if she hates him on her way out of the weekly press conference." That was a moment.
Meanwhile in the Senate… "But Senate Republicans are beginning to deliver a reality check to the president and House Republicans that there are limits to what they can do."
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