I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Linkee-poo Wednesday

"A strange white dwarf star hurtling through the Milky Way may be the survivor of a 'partial supernova,' a new study finds."

"According to a new study, published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, the moon is actually 85 million years younger than we once thought."

"(Lower birth rates worldwide) has nothing to do with sperm counts or the usual things that come to mind when discussing fertility… Instead it is being driven by more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children… In many ways, falling fertility rates are a success story." Not the first time this particular warning bell has been rung. And it's been wrong. Also this is not necessarily a problem, unless you have bought into the current economic models which demand increasing population.

"The Dakota Access Pipeline may continue to pump crude oil through South Dakota after a federal appellate court on Tuesday temporarily blocked a shutdown ordered by a lower court that was to begin next month."

"The importance of Trump wearing a mask cannot be understated. Perhaps by doing so, the President can help close an unnecessary partisan gap on how Americans view them and the coronavirus pandemic in general… The latest Axios/Ipsos poll bears out well how there really is a Democratic and Republican America when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus."

"Hospital data on coronavirus patients will now be rerouted to the Trump administration instead of first being sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to CNN on Tuesday… The move could make data less transparent to the public at a time when the administration is downplaying the spread of the pandemic, and threatens to undermine public confidence that medical data is being presented free of political interference." JFC. This sabotages our response to all diseases. "The Times said hospitals are to begin reporting the data to HHS on Wednesday, noting also that the 'database that will receive new information is not open to the public, which could affect the work of scores of researchers, modelers and health officials who rely on C.D.C. data to make projections and crucial decisions.'"

"A Covid-19 vaccine developed by the biotechnology company Moderna in partnership with the National Institutes of Health has been found to induce immune responses in all of the volunteers who received it in a Phase 1 study." Pump that stock, baby!

"In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, President Trump said the killing of George Floyd was 'terrible' but appeared to bristle when asked why Black Americans are 'still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country'… 'So are White people. So are White people. What a terrible question to ask. So are White people,' Mr. Trump told CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge at the White House."

"The Trump administration on Tuesday backed down from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement rule change requiring foreign students on visas to attend some classes in-person this fall or be forced to leave the country." So the administration can learn and change, they just choose not to in the majority of cases.

"The Washington NFL franchise announced on Monday that it would be changing its team name, but one man has already beaten them to the punch by trademarking a number of potential options… Philip Martin McCauley, 61, told CNN that he's been a fan of the franchise since the 1980s, and that quarterback Joe Theisman is his favorite player in franchise history. He says his goal is simply to get the team to change its name."

"For most of America's history, debt was something to be avoided. But in the past hundred years, the country's relationship to debt has drastically changed. Companies, even the government, began to urge people to borrow money, linking that borrowing and subsequent spending to a healthy economy. One way they convinced Americans to buy into this idea was through re-branding. In the 1980s, for example, second mortgages became known as 'home equity loans.'" The Hidden Brain podcast with some good perspective on our broken economy.

"But while both sides of the aisle agree more funds will be necessary to help families, workers, businesses and the country's economy recover, Republicans, Democrats and the administration still have significantly different ideas of what should be included in the next package, including the possibility of another stimulus check for some Americans."

"Ivanka Trump is facing backlash after tweeting a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya beans. The tweet from the president's daughter includes Goya's slogan, 'If it's Goya, it has to be good,' in both English and in Spanish. She also posted the image to her Facebook and Instagram pages." While it's a clear violation of ethics rules and the Hatch act, I don't believe any of the Trump administration will be held to account as long as Republicans have control.

"The United States and the world 'will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire,' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, prompting China to hit back, reflecting a ratcheting up of tensions between the two powers amid deteriorating relations." Wag that dog.

"The nation’s top diplomat for East Asia said in remarks Tuesday that the Trump administration could use sanctions to target Chinese officials’ actions in the hotly contested South China Sea."

Look, actual election fraud… "Just weeks before his first primary to defend his congressional seat, U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins is facing multiple charges stemming from him registering to vote using the address of a UPS storefront." Guess which party he belongs to. It's no fun unless you guess.

"Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump‘s top trade adviser, blasted Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday, claiming that the nation’s top infectious disease expert and the public face of the White House‘s coronavirus response has been consistently wrong while advising on how to contain the disease." Again, you can't be more popular than the boss or they will try to tear you down.

To wit… "Jeff Sessions has lost a bid to regain his old Alabama U.S. Senate after falling from grace as President Trump's attorney general."

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