"The deepest samples—taken from the giant's elbows and feet—rule out a prehistoric Roman origin, indicating that the giant was probably first made by late Saxons sometime between 700 and 1100 AD. However, other samples indicate a later date of around 1560—still predating the first recorded mention of the giant in the 1694 church warden's account."
"A wildfire raging in Oregon is currently the largest fire in the nation, burning more than 201,000 acres across the state, officials said Tuesday. The Bootleg Fire started in Klamath County on July 6, forcing officials to place more than 100 homes under mandatory evacuation orders… As of Tuesday, the fire destroyed 54 structures and 21 homes, according to CBS affiliate KOIN. The cause of the fire is currently unknown."
"'In half of the Moon's 18.6-year cycle, Earth's regular daily tides are suppressed: High tides are lower than normal, and low tides are higher than normal,' NASA explains. 'In the other half of the cycle, tides are amplified: High tides get higher, and low tides get lower. Global sea-level rise pushes high tides in only one direction – higher. So half of the 18.6-year lunar cycle counteracts the effect of sea-level rise on high tides, and the other half increases the effect.'… But this time around, scientists are more concerned. With sea-level rise due to climate change, the next high tide floods are expected to be more intense and more frequent than ever before, exacerbating already grim predictions." To everything, there is a season.
"Johnson & Johnson’s beleaguered COVID-19 vaccine may be associated with a small increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare but potentially serious neurological condition, federal officials said Monday. The Food and Drug Administration has added a warning about the potential side effect to its fact sheets about the vaccine."
"Concern about the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant is rising in Mississippi… State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in a tweet Tuesday that seven children are in the ICU and two are on life support because of a surge in delta variant cases."
"The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents." In other news, don't go to Tennessee. So that means all disease will have a ready pool of victims in Tennessee. Flu, COVID, Mumps, measles, chicken-pox and what is probably a major part of this push, HPV.
"Canadians can fly to the U.S. but can't cross by land, and most non-Canadians cannot enter Canada either by land or by air. The two countries continue to extend their travel measures — which are not the same in both directions — month by month… In the latest step, which began July 5, the Canadian government lifted a mandatory 14-day quarantine for fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning to Canada. However, federal ministers have resisted providing a timeline or clear benchmarks for next steps in admitting more visitors."
"Citigroup on Wednesday posted second-quarter results that benefited from a $1.1 billion boost from releasing reserves the bank had set aside for loan losses… While the bank managed to top expectations for revenue, the figure declined 12% from a year earlier, driven by lower results in fixed income trading, falling credit card loans and dropping interest rates."
"Though remote work is sweeping corporate America, Google has been reluctant to let employees do it permanently, an approach Twitter and Reddit have taken. Google isn't the only tech company wrestling with its workforce's increasing desire for flexibility. Apple is facing its own backlash from employees, while Facebook just extended remote work options to all of its employees. But the way the search giant has handled the rollout of its plans has drawn particular scrutiny."
"McDonald’s, perhaps more than any brand, has been caught in the center of that criticism and controversy, even though its franchise model means the vast majority of restaurant locations are actually operated by independent franchisees, like Locke’s TomTreyCo, rather than the franchisor — McDonald’s itself. But thanks to the intensely interwoven nature of the relationship between franchisor and franchisee, a decision to raise wages on either side of the franchise equation can have complex implications."
"For the prior year, Ballmer reported making $656 million. The dollar figure he paid in taxes was large, $78 million; but as a percentage of what he made, it was tiny. Records reviewed by ProPublica show his federal income tax rate was just 12%… That’s a third of the rate James paid, even though Ballmer made five times as much as the superstar player. Ballmer’s rate was also lower than Avila’s — even though Ballmer’s income was almost 15,000 times greater than the concession worker’s."
"Now, cruise ships will be banned from sailing through the city center of Venice from August 1, the Italian government has announced… Instead of sailing past the iconic St Mark's Square, and up the narrow Giudecca Canal, docking in the city-center port, from next month large cruise ships will be rerouted through the Venice lagoon, and dock on the mainland, at the industrial port of Marghera."
"Some seventeen people have died after a hotel collapse in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou… After 36 hours of search operations, rescue workers found 23 people buried in the rubble - six of whom were found alive."
"Crowds looted shops and businesses in South Africa Wednesday, defying government calls an end to a week of violence that has killed more than 70 people, wrecked hundreds of businesses and shut down a refinery… Protests that followed the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma last week for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry have widened into looting and an outpouring of general anger over the hardship and inequality that persist 27 years after the end of apartheid."
"The Taliban are reported to have raised their flag above a key border post between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and claim it is now under their control."
"The men are among five fugitives who police said are armed and dangerous as they continued Wednesday to track down those suspected in the July 7 pre-dawn attack at Moïse’s private home in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, wounded."
"The 43-page indictment unsealed Tuesday details the plan by an Iranian intelligence official and his three assets to track a Brooklyn-based journalist with the goal of bringing her back to Iran. The court records also include information on a fifth person, a woman based in the U.S. who prosecutors say helped fund the operation."
"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released sweeping draft legislation Wednesday to legalize weed, officially kickstarting a difficult debate in his chamber that also makes a major splash for one of his campaign promises… The measure floated by the New York Democrat — along with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — proposes removing federal penalties on cannabis, expunging nonviolent federal cannabis-related criminal records and letting states decide if or how to legalize the drug."
"The Miami protests mark just over three months since DeSantis signed the so-called 'anti-mob' legislation into law as a response to the summer demonstrations in 2020 against racism and for police reform, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The new Florida law makes blocking a highway a felony offense, among other things… When asked about the Miami protests, DeSantis instead talked about the protests in Cuba and how they are 'fundamentally different' from the protests last year." One law for you, another for me.
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "A protest broke out in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday in support of the anti-government protesters in Cuba and participants appealed to the Biden administration to take a firmer stance on the crackdown in Havana… 'Where is Biden?' the protesters chanted, according to Fox 13 News. 'Where is Biden?'" You have to go 3 more paragraphs to learn that President Biden has indeed already voiced his support of the protestors in Cuba.
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