Sorry so late. Also, for the next two weeks, expect disruptions of publishing schedule. We should be back to normal around the 15th or so.
"In recent years, the (fantasy) genre has undergone a noticeable shift. Authors of color are breaking onto the fantasy scene with stories that center BIPOC characters and draw inspiration from non-Western cultures. In particular, Asian fantasy is growing as a distinct sub-genre. These stories, which feature Asian main characters and take place in settings directly influenced and shaped by Asian cultures, have found critical acclaim… However, not all Asian authors writing fantasy feel at home with the genre label."
"Whether it was bravery or just plain instincts, a teenage girl was able to fight off a bear that was attacking her dogs with her bare hands… Viral video shows the mother bear and her cubs climbing over a wall to get into 17-year-old Hailey Morinico’s backyard in Bradbury, California." The bear was already retreating and fighting a rear guard action to keep her cubs safe.
"Last month's 'super flower blood moon' lunar eclipse was hardly the only exciting celestial event of the season. Next week brings an even bigger spectacle — a rare 'ring of fire' solar eclipse… On June 10, skywatchers all over the world will be able to view the eclipse." Remember to wear protective glasses.
"The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins Tuesday, June 1, and the National Hurricane Center has designated 21 storm names for the six-month period ending Nov. 30… But as in the previous seven years, the season got an early start when Tropical Storm Ana formed in the Atlantic on May 22. Forecasters say that the short-lived storm is a likely sign of what's predicted to be another above-average season."
"For months, their trek through China’s south-western Yunnan province had gone almost unnoticed. But last week, when images of a herd of 15 Asian elephants walking through a residential area appeared on social media, it immediately captured the imagination of the nation, generating intense media interest and sparking questions as to what prompted the epic journey."
"The Biden administration Tuesday took its first steps toward reversing the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain to oil drilling, by suspending leases issued in the final days of the Trump administration."
"AMC Entertainment made a gutsy move Tuesday. The movie theater chain has pivoted back to an offensive strategy on a bet that its retail investors will stick with the company long enough for it to recoup its pandemic losses."
"Insight into the pressure that was heaped upon Fauci, the head of the national institute for allergy and infectious diseases, comes from thousands of pages of his communication records obtained by the Washington Post and the BuzzFeed news site, separately, and published on Tuesday." Part insight, part oversight, and a lot of voyeurism.
"An attorney for an Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs for missing a voluntary workout has announced plans to sue the school district." These coaches shouldn't just be suspended, they should be fired. I know football is big in Canton, but punishing a student for missing a practice by ordering him to eat an entire pizza by himself? That's just idiotic and childish even before we get to the religious issues of consuming pork. These people have no business being near kids let alone coaching them. Have some balls, Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert, fire them.
"Malaysia says it is to summon China's ambassador after 16 Chinese military aircraft flew over disputed waters off its eastern state of Sarawak… Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the transport planes on Monday after detecting 'suspicious' activity over the South China Sea."
"The US secretary of state has warned leaders of Pacific countries about 'threats to the rules-based international order' and 'economic coercion', in what appears to be a veiled swipe at China’s growing influence in the region."
"The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semiofficial news agencies reported."
"Now, a United Nations report about a March 2020 skirmish in the military conflict in Libya says such a drone, known as a lethal autonomous weapons system — or LAWS — has made its wartime debut. But the report does not say explicitly that the LAWS killed anyone."
"The language of the (2nd) amendment, Anderson says, was crafted to ensure slave owners could quickly crush any rebellion or resistance from those they'd enslaved. And she says the right to bear arms, presumably guaranteed to all citizens, has been repeatedly denied to Black people."
"President Joe Biden wants to raise the top income tax rate for wealthy households to 39.6%, from the current 37%, to help finance his legislative agenda… That top rate would apply to single individuals with taxable income of more than $452,700 and married couples filing a joint tax return with income over $509,300, according to a budget proposal issued Friday by the Treasury Department."
"The Senate on Friday agreed to delay final passage of a wide-ranging bipartisan bill aimed at confronting China after Republican senators forced a series of procedural hurdles that threatened to keep the chamber in session through the holiday weekend… A group of Republicans grinded the Senate to a halt on Thursday night and into the early hours on Friday over their objections to the sweeping legislation. The delays came even after senators struck a bipartisan eleventh-hour deal on a GOP push for changes to the bill which were eventually adopted." Again, Republicans get what they asked for, but still hold up or won't vote for the bills.
"House Democrats aren't giving up on their intention to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and are weighing a range of options -- even after Senate Republicans blocked legislation on Friday to create a special commission to investigate the events of that day… In a call with House Democrats on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered four options, including continuing to push for a commission or keeping the investigation inside of a congressional committee, according to multiple sources familiar with the call."
"Former President Donald Trump’s blog — a webpage where he shared statements after larger social media companies banned him from their platforms — has been permanently shut down, his spokesman said Wednesday." Blogs is hard, especially when you're a one-trick pony (goes whistling past the graveyard).
"And in all, at least four new Republican-aligned groups have cropped up, involving at least two dozen Trump alums and surrogates, with the goal of raising money, pushing Trump's policies and message to the public and in the courts, as well as backing candidates in the mold of the former president." But mostly raise money.
"A Florida man who stormed the U.S. Capitol and stood on the Senate floor during the Jan. 6 insurrection has become the second person to plead guilty in the federal investigation into the deadly riot… Paul Hodgkins entered his plea during a virtual hearing Wednesday in federal court in Washington. The 38-year-old was originally facing five charges, but under a deal negotiated with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding."
"More than three dozen members and associates across both the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers have been charged with crimes. Some local chapters cut ties with national leadership in the weeks after the deadly siege. The Proud Boys’ chairman called for a pause in the rallies that often have led to clashes with anti-fascist activists. And one Oath Keeper has agreed to cooperate against others charged in the riot."
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