"But methane -- the main component in natural gas and an even more effective heat-trapping gas -- is a close second. Scientists say that atmospheric methane is now responsible for about 25 percent of the human-caused warming we see today… Now, a new study finds that methane emissions from fossil fuels are between 25% and 40% larger than past research had estimated, revealing that oil and gas production is contributing far more to warming the planet than previously thought." This is my shocked face.
"The quarantine has been heavily criticized for failing to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 among passengers and crew. Even as hundreds of people disembarked, Japanese officials announced 79 more confirmed cases aboard the ship. And in at least one case, a family was informed of a positive test result just hours before they were scheduled to disembark." Quarantine isn't done to stop the spread of infection in those who are quarantined. But even with that, it has been handled poorly, and not just on this ship.
"The company working on the lobster blood project, Lobster Unlimited of Orono, is investigating whether lobster blood can be used as a potential weapon against viruses and cancer. Representatives with the company said results are promising — the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued them a patent in late October related to their work."
"TeamHealth is one of the two dominant ER staffing firms in the nation, running nearly 1 in 10 emergency departments in the United States. And its strategy of taking patients to court ramped up after it was purchased by the private equity giant Blackstone, according to an investigation by the journalism project MLK50, in Memphis… Under pressure from journalists, TeamHealth ultimately pledged to stop suing patients and to offer generous discounts to uninsured patients." There are several attempts at rectifying the problem of "surprise" bills from health care professions, such as TeamHealth (when you thought you went to your local hospital). But no one is suggesting the real solution, single-payer. Or the second best solution, if your practice is within a larger facility, such as a hospital, you are bound to obey the insurance agreement of the larger facility. That is if you're an ER doctor (or anesthesiologist) and you work in General Hospital A, even if you work for TeamHealth (who is the outsourced company for General Hospital A), your billing for care given at General Hospital A must conform to the insurance agreements negotiated by General Hospital A.
"Several former patients have alleged that a late University of Michigan physician sexually abused them during exams, with one accuser saying Dr. Robert E. Anderson’s actions over several decades made him a 'sexual predator.'" That wasn't the name I was expecting.
"The European Union unveiled proposals Wednesday to regulate artificial intelligence that call for strict rules and safeguards on risky applications of the rapidly developing technology." I wrote a story (unpublished) that starts with audits of AI systems.
"It was the obvious question after news broke that a 50-year-old charged with forcing college students into prostitution met some of them while living with his daughter in campus housing." Heck, sneaking someone in for an extra hour in our dorms was a heck of a feat when I was in school.
"State and local governments spend billions of dollars hiring contractors for goods and services, but most of those contracts go to white-owned businesses, not minority contractors — despite decades of affirmative action and other policies meant to make up for disparities." Again, this is my shocked face.
Hey, ho, way to go, Ohio. "A state law that bans carrying or using a firearm while intoxicated may be unconstitutional, according to a Clermont County man convicted for violating the statute… Frederick Weber, 50, of Felicity, is appealing the law's constitutionality to the Ohio Supreme Court next week. He says the law violates his Second Amendment rights." Oh fuck no. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to marshal the full force of his administration to alleviate California’s worsening homelessness crisis, a humanitarian imperative for the state and political necessity for a governor whose ambitious progressive agenda could be eclipsed if he fails to take effective action."
About that Mexican national arrested for being a Russian agent. "A Mexican microbiologist accused of spying for Russia in Miami is considered a benefactor in his native state of Oaxaca state, the mayor of his hometown said Wednesday, and he holds positions with at least two prominent universities."
"If you earn six figures and haven’t been filing your taxes, the IRS may come knocking… The agency said Wednesday that it is stepping up its efforts to visit high-income taxpayers who failed in prior years to file their tax returns on time." Looks at watch, "must be time to trim the IRS budget again." Also note that low 6-figure income is now considered "middle-class."
"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday." Well, that could be interesting if it proves out. Waits to see what passport stamps Dana Rohrabacher has. Also, Assange is still an asshole.
"At least 10 people were killed by a gunman in western Germany late Wednesday at several locations, including two hookah lounges frequented by ethnic Kurdish customers. The suspected shooter, who was later found dead, left a letter and video claiming responsibility, according to multiple German news agencies."
The purge continues. "President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon’s top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration’s release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists."
"'I’m a Trumpocrat,' said Blagojevich, flanked by his wife and two daughters. 'If I had the ability to vote, I would vote for him.'" Trump consolidates the convicted felon vote. "'Rod Blagojevich did not sell the Senate seat,' Trump tweeted." Which is true, he was arrested before he could finish the deal for selling the seat. Then he was impeached and removed by the Illinois legislature without filling the seat.
"A group of federal judges hastily postponed an emergency meeting that was scheduled to take place Wednesday to discuss concerns about President Donald Trump and the Justice Department's intervention in politically charged cases."
"The Washington publication The Hill issued a lengthy report on Wednesday finding fault with several articles by journalist John Solomon that it published last year and were used as discredited narratives by President Donald Trump and many of his supporters in their fight against impeachment… The Hill stopped short of retracting or apologizing for Solomon’s work." So, sure, they were had and helped the president's corrupt actions, but they don't accept culpability.
"President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has named Richard Grenell, a staunch loyalist, as acting spy chief… Grenell will retain his ambassadorship to Germany while he is acting DNI, according to a senior administration official." You may remember this alt-right/Nazi fucker from his appointment last year when he showed "questionable diplomatic skills by managing to offendi(ng) his new hosts within hours of taking on the role." There's also more about his questionable "diplomacy" here. He also has no intelligence experience, which is both apt and hilariously funny as well as deeply worrying. But hey, he's also a Fox News Contributor, so, you know, he ain't the sharpest crayon in the box (and yes, I meant it that way).
"It is true the Sanders was leading in the poll, conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC -- but only among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents when asked who they supported for the Democratic nomination. He had 27% support compared to Mike Bloomberg, Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, each with 14% support. And in a hypothetical matchup, he was narrowly ahead of President Donald Trump… But two-thirds of all voters -- Democrats plus everyone else -- said they would be uncomfortable with a socialist President." Whispers, "he's not a socialist." He is not advocating for a command economy. He is not advocating to nationalize industries (such as healthcare, and it's quite possible that a Medicare For All will still need "private" health insurance as many countries single-payer programs are built around). He is not advocating changing laws of ownership and property. Dear mass media, you're falling for conservative talking points. Yes, Americans have been trained to not like socialism, but they do like a government that works for them and supports them. Bernie Sanders is a "democratic socialist" because he is deep into the left-wing of politics and his views are not the "standard" Democratic views. He is not "the socialist who came in from the cold."
"New polls exclude Elizabeth Warren as supporters claim the media has 'erased' her candidacy." It's not just the "new polls." If you want to know whom the media and the establishment are truly afraid of, look for the people they try to erase. Why are the media afraid of her, because she exposes their deep incompetence. To cover Elizabeth Warren they're going to have to do the homework.
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