It's ALIVE! "Millions of lightning strikes may have been just what life needed to begin on Earth, according to a new study… One of the key ingredients needed for life as we know it is phosphorus -- and the multitude of lightning strikes that happened when Earth was young 4 billion years ago may have unlocked the necessary amount of phosphorus to create the foundation for life."
"Israeli government archaeologists say they have discovered tiny fragments of an ancient biblical scroll near the Dead Sea, the first time in more than 60 years that Dead Sea Scroll parchments were discovered in a professional excavation and not by looters… The archaeologists also found a 6,000-year-old mummified child and what they think is the world's oldest fully intact basket, dating back about 10,500 years."
"Perseverance, which landed inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, successfully dropped the "belly pan" covering its sampling system last week." Hey, don't leave that there.
"Experts say there's a tough race between Covid-19 vaccinations and a contagious variant that's rapidly spreading across the US, threatening another dangerous surge -- and the eased restrictions only further complicate things."
"A top executive for Pfizer suggested to investors last week that pricing for its COVID-19 vaccine could increase post-pandemic. The suggestion raises questions about whether a drug, developed at the behest of the federal government to respond to a global crisis, could turn a profit for one company."
"But the tense, emotional exchange Monday night between James and former girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell — where he revealed why he broke off their relationship after photos of her at an antebellum South-themed party surfaced on social media — is the kind of conversation about race and white cluelessness that The Bachelor has been avoiding for far too long."
"As the coronavirus spread last year, people around the world were forced inside and apart from each other. For many Dungeons & Dragons players, that meant putting a stop to their regularly scheduled in-person tabletop sessions… And yet, the D&D brand had its biggest year ever."
"The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law last week includes a welcome tax break for unemployed workers. The law waives federal income taxes on up to $10,200 in unemployment insurance benefits for people who earn under $150,000 a year, potentially saving workers thousands of dollars. States that currently tax unemployment benefits have yet to decide whether they will allow those state taxes to be waived as well."
"Honda Motor Co said late Tuesday supply chain issues will force a halt to production at a majority of U.S. and Canadian auto plants for a week… The Japanese automaker added the issue will result in some production cuts next week at all U.S. and Canadian plants, citing 'the impact from COVID-19, congestion at various ports, the microchip shortage and severe winter weather over the past several weeks.'"
"President Joe Biden said that his dog, Major, is working with a trainer at Biden's home in Delaware following a biting incident at the White House."
"At least eight people were killed and several others injured in a series of shootings at three spas in the Atlanta metro region Tuesday. A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with all three shootings, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution."
"A new report by the U.S. intelligence community on Tuesday says Russia sought to help former President Donald Trump in last year's presidential election. But the document also emphasized there was no indication Russia or any other country attempted to alter actual votes." Waves to my Russian friends.
"President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will 'pay a price' in the wake of a new report from the U.S. intelligence community that concluded the Kremlin interfered in the 2020 White House race."
"Mainstream companies such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were already policing their services before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but they accelerated their efforts following the riot. It has led to an exodus of extremists to new platforms and the growth of 'alt-tech,' a term used to describe the sort of clone technology created by extremists to get around 'deplatforming.' The techniques are not particularly sophisticated but show a resourcefulness among those who have been marginalized by the mainstream companies.
There's this old joke about large animal veterinary care where everything ends with "shoot the horse." "When Republican Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia rolled out a plan this month to reduce the state's personal income tax, he referred to maps and charts that showed that the state has been hemorrhaging population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia is the only state to have lost population, overall, since 1950… But the plan would cost the state more than a billion dollars — or nearly a quarter — of its general revenue budget. To account for that revenue loss, Justice has proposed massive hikes on tobacco, alcohol and soda taxes." With Republicans, every problem leads to "cut taxes for the rich."
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