Alligators, lotsa fucking alligators.
"Researchers have discovered the only known animal that does not need oxygen to survive, a common parasite that largely preys on salmon… The study, published Tuesday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the parasite Henneguya salminicola does not require aerobic respiration in order to survive — a revelation that may change how we understand life on Earth and beyond." Something new has been added. The parasite does not have mitochondria which explains why it doesn't need O2. Life finds a way.
"It's recreation time at a Los Angeles County jail known as the Twin Towers. Nearly a dozen disheveled young men stand docilely as they munch on sandwiches out of brown paper bags… They're half-naked except for sleeveless, thick, blanket-like restraints wrapped around them like medieval garments… All are chained and handcuffed to shiny metal tables bolted to the floor." How we are dealing with mental illness in this country is a crime. Unfortunately we're treating mental illness as a crime instead. When I was a young child we had institutions, which weren't always good places to send people with mental illness, and in the 80s we closed most of them up (thank you Ronald Reagan and ersatz austerity). But even some of the worst things that came out of those asylums were better than what is happening in our criminal justice system.
"Health authorities (in South Korea) are also focusing resources on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, founded in 1984 by charismatic pastor Lee Man-hee, whose followers, estimated at up to 240,000 worldwide, believe he is the messiah. Its critics say it's a cult… Authorities are not sure how the disease was first transmitted to the group, but investigators have been looking into it. More than 9,000 Shincheonji members have been put under quarantine, and the government plans to test all of them for the virus." (Grokked from Dan)
"Right now, all sorts of products aren't reaching the U.S. because of the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, officially called COVID-19. Reciprocally, many U.S. agricultural and forestry products aren't shipping back into China and other Pacific Rim countries. Global trade watchers say backed-up trade is building up on both sides of the Pacific Ocean."
"'Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, the global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step up preparedness,' Breed said in a statement Tuesday. 'We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm.'" So as I commented on Twitter yesterday, it looks like we're going to go full panic and prepper mode now.
Like this… "Stocks fell sharply for a second day in a row. The Dow dropped 879 points on Tuesday, after tumbling more than 1,000 points on Monday." As of this writing stocks are a little up today.
And then this, "President Donald Trump is reportedly furious that stocks are plunging, believing that health officials’ warnings have spooked investors, The Washington Post reported Tuesday night, citing two people familiar with the president’s thinking… The president has reportedly cautioned aides against forecasting the impact of the virus over fears that stocks could fall further, The Washington Post said." Don't tell them what's going on, because that'll hurt profits.
"'A document that the Trump administration sent to Congress, which we have seen, indicates that the administration is transferring $37 million to emergency funding for the coronavirus response from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which funds heating for poor families,' they reported." Cruelty is the plan. "This program, a frequent target for cuts by the GOP, is essential to making sure low-income families’ homes are livable in parts of the country where winter temperatures are especially bad." (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"'It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen — and how many people in this country will have severe illness,' Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a call with reporters."
Who needs regulations? "A deadly sickness is spreading through villages near a Chinese natural gas project in Ethiopia’s Somali region, according to locals and officials who spoke to the Guardian. Many of Khadar’s neighbours have suffered the same symptoms. Like him, some died."
"Authorities were responding to a structure fire at an oil refinery in Carson Tuesday evening… Massive flames could be seen burning the Marathon Petroleum Corporation refinery located at South Main Street and East Sepulveda Boulevard." KFB. And there go your gas prices.
"Short-term health insurance plans sold as a cheaper alternative to Affordable Care Act plans may cost patients more in the long run… A new study from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a Washington-based blood cancer research organization, finds that the plans 'offer less benefit coverage and insurance protection than ACA-compliant policies,' meaning patients have to pay more out of pocket to get care." There's a reason these are called "junk" plans. They cost less upfront and only make sense for people who don't use medical services, ever. They're meant to be a net that keeps you from splatting in case something goes wrong. But they don't even do that well. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"What gets left out of the conversation is that 5G will likely be rolled out the same way as in technologies past — predominantly in wealthier areas. 5G will bring the next generation of wireless technology to cities across Texas, but advocates argue it will bring the fifth generation of digital inequality to low-income and rural areas." Right now, where I live, we barely have somewhat good 4G, and there are places during my commute where there is only 3G. And sometimes there isn't even that. While my community has cable modems, I can't get one at my house because the cable line the developer put in is too crappy and our providers (cable, phone, internet) has no intention of replacing the line or replacing their line extenders with signal repeaters (both of which would help). Trust me, I've developed plans, tried to lure suppliers into the area and have nearly pulled the plug and built my own neighborhood subnetwork. Last time I did, mine was the only wifi signal in the neighborhood (I can now see about 5 or 6 different routers from my home).
"The US supreme court has refused to open the door for foreign nationals to pursue civil rights cases in American courts, declining to revive a lawsuit by a slain Mexican teenager’s family against the US border agent who shot him from across the border in Texas." A total miscarriage of justice. And it's not just that the SCOTUS said, "If you shoot someone in Mexico from the US you can't be prosecuted." Actually they didn't say that. They said that, "If a duly deputized officer kills someone in the course of their job enforcing laws, you can't sue them." And that's a whole different ball of wax. A little bit more from an NPR report here.
"White supremacist mass murderer Dylann Roof staged a hunger strike this month while on federal death row, alleging in letters to The Associated Press that he’s been 'targeted by staff,' 'verbally harassed and abused without cause' and 'treated disproportionately harsh.'" While we do need prison reform, I don't have much sympathy for Dylann, who, you may remember, killed people because of their ancestry.
So, after the president praised India and PM Modi for their preservation of "religious freedoms", let's check in and see how's that going. "The death toll from the worst religious violence in Delhi in decades has risen to 21, as Muslims fled from their homes and several mosques in the capital smouldered after being attacked by Hindu mobs." Religious freedom is code, not what it states on the tin.
The moment it becomes real… "These trends have raised concern among top experts on authoritarianism, fascism, and democracy, but they've often said that the robust political system in the US, with its checks and balances and constitutional norms, has prevented Trump from becoming a full-blown authoritarian and doing whatever he wants… Since Trump was acquitted in the Senate earlier this month after being impeached in the House over his dealings with Ukraine, there's been a White House purge of impeachment witnesses, and Attorney General William Barr has intervened in the trial of a close associate of the president, Roger Stone. And the experts' tone has changed dramatically." No one is coming from the future to save us. (Grokked from Vincent O'Connor)
"President Trump criticized remarks by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as 'inappropriate' and said the Supreme Court justices should recuse themselves from cases involving the president." If this were an actual thing, the president would have to stop working because of his past comments. Although for writers Trump is an excellent study on how the villain never views themselves as villainous.
"Former Donald Trump campaign CEO and chief strategist Steve Bannon used a private jet apparently owned by a wealthy Chinese businessman to fly to events to promote Republican congressional candidates in 2018… The previously unreported flights could run afoul of a campaign finance law that bars foreign money from U.S. elections, according to campaign finance experts, though it depends on several factors that are not known. One of the unknowns is whether Bannon paid Guo Wengui — the Chinese businessman, who is a vocal critic of the Chinese regime, and with whom he has other reported financial ties — for the use of the jet." Oopsie. I'm sure a receipt will appear shortly. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"On Saturday, what most pollsters, politicos, and Bernie Sanders campaign organizers had been saying for days, if not weeks, proved true: namely, that the Democratic Socialist candidate for president had been well-poised for victory in Nevada, the most diverse state in the race thus far. Since the AP was able to call the race early in the day, the punditry had all the time they needed to speak to the moment." On the Media podcast with the left-wing freakout over Sanders. And while, yes, there is a Trumpesque nature of Sanders speaking more to the base, but I'm not totally sure they're comparable. Yes, there are operatives driving their narrative on ideology to shape the party. And yes, the party should have seen this coming (coughAOCcough). But the Democratic party in their attempt to be "moderate" has pissed off a lot of the base, and, frankly, thrown a lot of opportunity in the waste bin. But unlike the right, the "left-wing" wasn't coaxed into the party as they were pandered to, they were always here, and the party loses when they ignore them. And I don't doubt that a Sander's presidency would be as much a shock to the governmental institutions as Trump's presidency has been (although hopefully in a more positive direction). But I doubt that even if Sanders gets the nomination and wins that he will force all the party to venerate him. But then I'll also point out that while Senator Obama was considered a rising star in the party, most of the punditry and establishment felt 2008 was too soon for his peak. GW Bush wasn't the run away nominee either and he pushed the GOP even farther to the right. And Bill Clinton came from out of no where and pushed the party towards neoliberalism.
From last week… "President Donald Trump arrives Monday in a country featuring the most Trump properties outside the U.S.… The White House hopes the visit will advance trade talks and bolster the president’s standing with Indian-Americans ahead of the 2020 election. But it’s also a trip that will create attention that could help Trump-branded properties amid a slumping real estate market and slowing economy in India." (Grokked in a roundabout way from Michele)
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