"On June 7, 2021, NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew closer to Jupiter’s ice-encrusted moon Ganymede than any spacecraft in more than two decades. Less than a day later, Juno made its 34th flyby of Jupiter. This animation provides a 'starship captain' point of view of each flyby. For both worlds, JunoCam images were orthographically projected onto a digital sphere and used to create the flyby animation. Synthetic frames were added to provide views of approach and departure for both Ganymede and Jupiter." So, still an animation, but that this is more than models on a blue screen with remote cameras is damn amazing.
"The European Union unveiled sweeping new legislation Wednesday to help meet its pledge to cut emissions of the gases that cause global warming by 55% over this decade, including a controversial plan to tax foreign companies for the pollution they cause."
"At least 46 people have died due to severe flooding in western Europe, caused by what experts described as the heaviest rainfall in a century."
"The Hubble Space Telescope is one of NASA's most beloved projects. After over 30 years in service, it's now facing one of its greatest challenges, as a technical glitch has left it in safe mode for over a month. On Wednesday, NASA said it may have tracked down the source of the issue."
"That March night in the emergency room, Jameson Rybak had fallen victim to two huge gaps in the U.S. health care system: a paucity of addiction treatment and high medical costs. The two issues — distinct but often intertwined — can come to a head in the ER, where patients and families desperate for addiction treatment often arrive, only to find the facility's staff may not be equipped to deal with substance use. Or, even if they are, the treatment is prohibitively expensive."
"More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year — a record number that reflects a rise of nearly 30% from 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials said the increase was driven by the lethal prevalence of fentanyl as well as pandemic-related stressors and problems in accessing care."
"The condition — officially called "cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome" but now known to health care workers as 'scromiting,' a mashup of 'screaming' and 'vomiting' — has popped up with increasing frequency at hospitals in Colorado, doctors say… The condition was first reported in scientific literature in 2004. The available research since then indicates that it stems from chronic use of especially powerful marijuana." Here's a little know secret in healthcare, everybody reacts differently to medications. Some people, while they might not have Crohns, are sensitive to gluten. Some people do not react to morphine (and it's not just the heavy users, but normal people). This is not "there's something wrong with marijuana" (although, yes, this is not your grandfather's marijuana) this is "these people should not use it" in the same way some people shouldn't use vicodin, or many other drugs (and foods).
In a medical first, researchers harnessed the brain waves of a paralyzed man unable to speak – and turned what he intended to say into sentences on a computer screen… It will take years of additional research but the study, reported Wednesday, marks an important step toward one day restoring more natural communication for people who can’t talk because of injury or illness." Right now these experiments are replicating known pathways and attempting to replace existing functions. They are also quite crude and basic, and there is a problem with scarring that eventually renders these devices useless. The brain is very plastic. And while there are limitations, I'm waiting for the day when these scientist realize that we can rewire the brain to create new interfaces and functions.
"The surgeon general is warning Americans about the 'urgent threat of health misinformation' amid the government's current push to boost stalling vaccination rates."
"British doctors have urged authorities to make flu testing available amid concerns that an influenza epidemic may be about to collide with a third wave of Covid-19." Here we are again.
"Russia is battling a deadly third wave of coronavirus infections. For days, the country has reported record numbers of daily deaths, and hospitalizations are skyrocketing thanks in part to the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant." Stay safe, my Russian friends.
"Critical race theory is an academic approach that looks at how race and racism has shaped U.S. institutions — and the discourse around it has been hard to miss. Some families, mostly white, accuse K-12 schools of teaching children to be ashamed of their race and their country. Many educators and school leaders insist they're simply teaching U.S. history, and that they are victims in a culture war drummed up by conservative activists."
"Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to a new pandemic-era low last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday… First-time filings for benefits totaled 360,000, in line with Dow Jones estimates and the best number since March 14, 2020."
"On average, a renter in search of a modest two-bedroom home, who is seeking to stay within the 30% income window, needs to earn $24.90 per hour, the study says. (That figure is more than 3.4 times the federal minimum wage.) Those in search of a one-bedroom are in a similar position; they need to make $20.40 per hour."
"A Delta Air Lines pilot is suing the company for $1 billion, saying it stole the idea for an app he'd developed and pitched to it, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday." I wonder if Delta's contracts cover IP created while an employee?
"Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel for the first time is offering some self-criticism while saying that government shortcomings in handling shortages and other problems played a role in this week's protests."
"There is distrust of the US as a reliable long-term partner, after an only partly successful war in Afghanistan and years of widely fluctuating US engagement regionally and globally, say former American diplomats. Russia also says a permanent US military base in its Central Asia sphere of influence would be 'unacceptable'."
"ICE became the public face of the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies. Now the Biden administration wants to overhaul the agency, and is turning to Gonzalez to lead the effort."
"At 51 years old, having made it through a long and tumultuous period of substance use, Hunter Biden has poured himself into painting. A New York gallery is preparing to show and sell his work, prompting the White House to announce an arrangement aimed at insulating President Biden and his son from ethical pitfalls… But the arrangement is not convincing experts in the art world or government ethics." I can't wait for ArtGate to start trending. And then there's all the discussion that basically comes down to someone's taste in art.
"Apt Cape Cod closed its doors through its normal breakfast and lunch hours for one day last week, with owners Brandi Felt Castellano and Regina Felt Castellano saying they wanted to treat their employees to a 'day of kindness.'"
"Justice Stephen Breyer has not decided when he will retire and is especially gratified with his new role as the senior liberal on the bench, he told CNN in an exclusive interview -- his first public comments amid the incessant speculation of a Supreme Court vacancy."
"Manchin, who hails from coal-producing West Virginia, told CNN that he's "very, very disturbed" by provisions he believes would eliminate fossil fuels -- a warning sign for Democrats who need all 50 members of their caucus to sign off on the plan in order to get it through the Senate. But the climate provisions are key to getting support from liberals, particularly in the House." It's one thing to be concerned about constituents' businesses, it's another thing to be completely ignorant.
"The self-appointed 'Grim Reaper' of the Senate, a minority leader who said just two months ago that '100% of my focus is on standing up to this administration,' has been remarkably circumspect about the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure deal. He’s privately telling his members to separate that effort from Democrats’ party-line $3.5 trillion spending plan and publicly observed there’s a 'decent' chance for its success." Oh, we're doing this dance again.
"Privately, former administration officials and top campaign aides are particularly concerned about the upcoming tell-all from former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, Politico reports. Conway is reportedly 'expected to give a hold-no-punches account of her time in the White House and those she worked alongside,' per Politico."
"In the end, Trump did not seek to turn the military on the American people or stage the most alarming showdown in living memory between a modern commander-in-chief and top military brass. But that seasoned military officers thought it was a real possibility and hatched a plan for rolling resignations to thwart Trump's autocratic impulses underscores the… impression repeatedly left by Trump himself that he was unfit to ever be President." And this cohort of protectors and enablers aren't much better.
"Former President Donald Trump will meet with Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Thursday as the House minority leader weighs whether to appoint Republicans to the select congressional committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol." Hey Kevin, grow a pair.
You might remember me saying that Putin would burn Trump at the moment he felt it would cause the most damage to our political system. "Vladimir Putin personally authorised a secret spy agency operation to support a 'mentally unstable' Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election during a closed session of Russia’s national security council, according to what are assessed to be leaked Kremlin documents." Apparently the calculous says now is the time. Wind up the spin machines. Hang on, everybody, it's about to get bumpy. Also, as I've stated before, just electing Trump wasn't the goal, it was a milestone along the way. "Various measures are cited that the Kremlin might adopt in response to what it sees as hostile acts from Washington. The paper lays out several American weaknesses. These include a 'deepening political gulf between left and right', the US’s 'media-information' space, and an anti-establishment mood under President Barack Obama." An alternate reading of this (if you wish to believe Trump was not Russian operation) is the disinformation campaign to destabilize the West opens up a new front.
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