"Torrential rains across Tennessee flooded homes and at least one church and left roads impassable, prompting dozens of people to be rescued in the Nashville area. Authorities said four bodies were found Sunday in the flood’s aftermath."
"Octopuses have alternating periods of 'quiet' and 'active' sleep that make their rest similar to that of mammals, despite being separated by more than 500 million years of evolution… During their active periods of sleep, octopuses' skin color changes and their bodies twitch, according to a report in the journal iScience, and they might even have short dreams." Surrounded by the usual "humans are not animals, so animals can't be like humans" nonsense.
"New York is poised to join a growing number of states that have legalized marijuana after state lawmakers reached a deal to allow sales of the drug for recreational use."
"Imagine you're part of a project that goes horribly wrong at work, causing a scandal, costing your company a ton of money, maybe even putting people at risk. Now imagine after that kind of performance your company rewards you with a raise and a bonus… Critics say that's happening right now with CEOs at big drug and health care companies tangled up in the opioid crisis." When times are good, they get spectacular raises. When times are bad, they still get spectacular raises.
"A joint World Health Organization-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press."
"It's a plea that's been echoed by health experts across the country, who have urged state leaders to wait a little longer before easing Covid-19 restrictions and Americans to double down on safety measures as the country races to vaccinate more people. Those actions are especially crucial now that a highly contagious -- and potentially more deadly -- variant is spreading across the US, they've warned." No, people are not going to wait. So the race between immunization and mutation is a very real one, and it's one we are likely to lose.
"Travelers don't need a COVID-19 test to fly to Mexico, but they can't board a flight back to the United States from the country or any international destination without showing a negative test taken no more than three days before departure or proof of recovery from COVID-19." It's a long article with lots of whining ("I didn't feel sick…"). Just some insight into privileged behaviors.
"There's not much solid data on this, but some clinicians, like Dr. Booth Watkins and Elisa Nebolsine, a cognitive behavioral therapist in Falls Church, Va., say that the levels of distress, including suicidality, in their adolescent patients is among the highest they've seen in their careers. Nebolsine says that's because the pandemic is making it hard for teenagers to meet basic developmental needs."
Better living through chemistry… "As new data published by Bennington College this week documents, the US military ordered the clandestine burning of over 20m pounds of AFFF and AFFF waste between 2016-2020. That’s despite the fact that there is no evidence that incineration actually destroys these synthetic chemicals. In fact, there is good reason to believe that burning AFFF simply emits these toxins into the air and onto nearby communities, farms, and waterways. The Pentagon is effectively conducting a toxic experiment and has enrolled the health of millions of Americans as unwitting test subjects."
"When you take a photo, your smartphone or digital camera stores 'metadata' within the image file. This automatically and parasitically burrows itself into every photo you take. It is data about data, providing identifying information such as when and where an image was captured, and what type of camera was used."
"The Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks of caregivers at its rapidly expanding network of emergency sites to hold thousands of immigrant teenagers, alarming child welfare experts who say the waiver compromises safety." Bad Idea™.
"For many small museums across the country, it's been over a year since their doors have been open to visitors, putting them in the same life-or-death situation as much of the rest of the arts sector… Some smaller museums have struggled with accessing federal grants. And unlike large institutions, they don't have large endowments and can't fall back on deep reserves."
"While Congress’s failure to raise the minimum wage dealt a blow to the Fight for $15 movement, advocates say there is still enough momentum behind the issue to build pressure on lawmakers in DC to bring a $15 minimum wage back to the table. Activists also say the Democratic party risks losing the support of some of its base if a new minimum wage fails to pass."
"Somehow, one of the most powerful and valuable companies on Earth has decided its bold new PR strategy should involve playing immature semantics with a US senator."
"The Ever Given, the massive container ship that became wedged in the Suez Canal and cut off traffic in the vital waterway for almost a week, has been refloated, authorities said Monday."
"A right-wing rally outside the state capitol in Salem was met with counter-protesters, resulting in some scuffles between the two groups… The first event billed as the Freedom Rally on social media in February. A second event appeared soon after, named Fascist Free 503, indicating a counter-protest to the Freedom Rally, according to Salem Police."
But on Bullshit Mountain… "Salem Police arrested at least three people and urged others to stay away from Oregon's State Capitol building Sunday evening as violence linked to Antifa-aligned protesters broke out… The 'heavily armed' crowd had grown to as many as 200 people, Fox 12 Portland reported. The chaos unfolded as a planned right-wing protest and Antifa counter-protest were scheduled in Salem for the same day."
"President Biden on Sunday expressed confidence that a 'rational' gun control bill can pass the evenly-divided Senate. In the wake of two deadly mass shootings in two weeks that left 18 people dead, the White House has said Mr. Biden is considering executive action that would bypass the Senate, although Mr. Biden has previously called on the Senate to pass two gun control bills that have already passed in the House." Hope spring eternal.
"When New York was hit hard in the early days of the pandemic last March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration gave his family members preferential access to coronavirus testing, according to several news reports." His two weeks are up.
"To a growing number of Democrats, the filibuster is a giant barrier to everything they want to accomplish. At the funeral last year for congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis, former President Barack Obama listed some of them: ending partisan gerrymandering, making Election Day a national holiday, as well as statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico."
"President Joe Biden called a sweeping elections law signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp this week an 'atrocity,' and said the Justice Department is 'taking a look' at the measure… The new law includes provisions to require voter identification for absentee ballots, limit the use of ballot drop boxes, give state officials more power over elections and make it a crime to offer voters food and water as they wait in line."
"The former president is obsessed with defeating him next year. He’s getting mauled by his own state party. Last week alone, a Republican congressman announced he’d challenge in the primary and the state legislature voted to strip his office of some official powers… By most accounts, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger doesn’t have a prayer of being reelected." Republicans eating their own.
"Former President Trump on Thursday defended his supporters who laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in an attack that resulted in five deaths, arguing they posed "'zero threat.' Lawmakers were inside the Capitol that day to confirm the Electoral College results certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory… 'It was zero threat. Right from the start, it was zero threat,' Mr. Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham." Are you gonna believe me or your lying eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment