"If you're tired of binge-watching TV during the pandemic, Mother Nature has an alternative. All you have to do is go outside between about 2 a.m. Wednesday and dawn local time, lie on your back and look up at the sky. The meteors and fireballs of the Perseid meteor shower should be streaking."
"One of the largest radio telescopes in the world, used by NASA as part of its planetary defense program, is out of service indefinitely after suffering damage from a broken cable."
Well, it could be worse. "Enormous 'terror crocodiles' once roamed the earth and preyed on dinosaurs, according to a new study revisiting fossils from the gigantic Late Cretaceous crocodylian, Deinosuchus."
"A new species of dinosaur related to the Tyrannosaurus rex has been discovered in England… Paleontologists at the University of Southampton have spent months studying four bones that were found last year in the village of Shanklin, on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England."
"It took six months for the world to reach 10 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. It took just over six weeks for that number to double… The worldwide count of known COVID-19 infections climbed past 20 million on Monday, with more than half of them from just three countries: the U.S., India and Brazil, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University."
"Spencer Rollyson says he experienced mild COVID-19 symptoms in May and didn’t think much of it… He said initially, his symptoms felt like those of the flu or a cold. Then, just weeks later, he said, he nearly lost his life."
"US healthcare worker deaths are under investigation by the Guardian and KHN… Did they have to die?" Tracking COVID-19 death among healthcare workers. (Grokked from Laura J Nixon)
"Etowah High School in Cherokee County will close until the end of the month as administrators try to contain the rapidly-growing COVID-19 case count at the school." Well that escalated rapidly (but not unexpected).
"Across the country, it’s move-in season for colleges, and while universities are desperately trying to save their academic year and preserve the finances of struggling schools, local officials are bracing for a virus explosion among young people who live in tight quarters, don’t follow social distancing rules and often behave as though they are young and invincible."
"In a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration, lawmakers are urging the agency to temporarily clear the market of all e-cigarettes for the duration of the coronavirus crisis… The letter, sent to FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn on Tuesday, makes this call based on emerging research that suggests vaping or using e-cigarettes can come with an increased risk of being diagnosed with Covid-19 and suffering symptoms." Yeah, not going to happen.
"President Vladimir Putin is trying to score 'a domestic win' with the planned rollout of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, after mismanaging his country’s outbreak and failing to revive the economy, an expert said on Wednesday." I don't believe his political situation is as dire as some of these people say. But yes, this is more about national pride than about safety.
"Unless Americans use the dwindling weeks between now and the onset of 'indoor weather' to tamp down transmission in the country, this winter could be Dickensianly bleak, public health experts warn." It appears as if :: checks notes :: "Winter is coming."
Oh, not the dog?! "A dog that passed away in North Carolina after demonstrating signs of respiratory distress has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, officials said."
"'Serious injuries' have been reported after a passenger train derailed near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire as storms caused disruption across Scotland… A major incident has been declared and about 30 emergency service vehicles - including air ambulance support - have been called to the scene."
"The Labor Department reported Wednesday that the increase last month in its consumer price index matched a 0.6% rise in June. The uptick was about twice what economists expected. But inflation remains in check: Consumer prices are up just 1% over the past year." Yeah, have you really looked at food prices? I'm not sure where they're shopping, because our food bill just keeps rising.
"A U.S. district court struck down the legal opinion used to justify the Trump administration’s coming rollback of protections for migratory birds late Monday, writing that the Department of the Interior memo was 'contrary to law.'"
"The Trump administration's decision to entrust $765 million of taxpayer money to Eastman Kodak raised several questions about the financial vetting of the struggling camera company even before the deal was put on hold amid an investigation into potential insider trading."
"Belarus security forces viciously beat and detained largely peaceful protesters over the country’s election outcome on August 9 and 10, 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. The security forces variously used stun grenades, rubber bullets and slugs, blanks from Kalashnikov-type rifles, and tear gas against the large numbers of people who gathered in Minsk and several other Belarusian cities to protest the official election results in the country’s August 9 presidential vote, which they contend was rigged."
"Nearly 200 women gathered in Belarus’ capital on Wednesday to show solidarity with protesters injured in the latest rallies against the results of the country’s presidential election after police assaulted journalists, fired guns and broke into residential buildings to make arrests."
"Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's plans to shake up the agency are gathering opposition from some of its workers… The U.S. Postal Service has had financial problems for years. It lost $9 billion last year. It's not supported by tax dollars; it's funded by postage and services." That "loss" is because the USPS is required to prepay retirement benefits on a timescale of 75 years into the future. That means some of the "employees" it's funding its retirement plan for haven't been born yet.
"President Trump wants to give a $100 billion boost to the U.S. economy by hitting the "pause" button on workers' payroll taxes… That would leave more money in people's paychecks. But the move — which Trump ordered over the weekend — is only temporary. And that could produce headaches down the road for workers, employers and the Social Security system." You make that sound like that last part wasn't the point.
"Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a member of the progressive 'Squad' in Congress, defeated a well-funded challenger in a Minnesota Democratic primary on Tuesday, CNN projected." Is this the face that launched a thousand think-pieces and burned the topless towers of late-stage capitalism?
The hard work after the election. "Six former Environmental Protection Agency chiefs are calling for an agency reset after President Donald Trump’s regulation-chopping, industry-minded first term, backing a detailed plan by former EPA staffers that ranges from renouncing political influence in regulation to boosting climate-friendly electric vehicles."
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