Why having more than a rover can be nice… "'Ingenuity is allowing the Perseverance science team to be in two places at once,' said Hand. 'Right now, we are at the "Crater Floor Fractured Rough," where the rover is preparing for the mission’s first sample acquisition on Mars. Yet at the same time, Ingenuity is providing a detailed preview of a potentially intriguing geologic features hundreds of meters away from us.'" Rovers move at a relatively slow pace. Ingenuity can travel fast and do reconnaissance.
"McArthur tweeted, 'Is it weird that after 100 days on the space station, when I see a small piece of lint or food float by, my body still reacts like "SPIDER!!" a split second before my brain can chime in with, "Relax, you're in space, remember? No spiders."'"
"A newly ignited fire in Northern California has forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes as the US fights 96 large active fires that have scorched nearly two million acres… The River Fire, raging in Nevada and Placer counties in California, has destroyed or damaged 80 structures since it started Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. It has already torn through 2,400 acres and was not contained at all Thursday afternoon."
"That was before the lean years that led into the Great Recession of 2008. By the time the complex was abandoned more or less overnight in 2013, it had fallen into vermin-infested disrepair and held a fraction of the dedicated employees who had once walked its halls. City officials gave up on the building — and dismantled the public health department it had come to represent. Eventually, the city sold Herman Kiefer to an out-of-town developer, who has marketed it as a commercial complex." Privitizing Public Health.
"Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine is effective at preventing severe disease among those infected with the delta variant, according to a large-scale trial in South Africa."
"United Airlines will require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated against Covid by no later than Oct. 25 or risk termination, a first for major U.S. carriers that will likely ramp up pressure on rivals."
I usually don't post these stories, but… "Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the three congressional Republicans suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi over fines for not wearing masks during a vote on the U.S. House floor, has contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19, the second member of South Carolina’s delegation to do so."
"Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' approval rating tumbled to 43.7 percent in a new poll published on Wednesday, as the state grapples with a surge in cases of COVID driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant."
"A battle is brewing in Florida over whether students will have to wear masks when they return to the classroom this fall… Several Florida school districts are keeping their mask mandates in place for the upcoming school year, despite an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that leaves it up to parents to decide whether their children wear face coverings in school. School boards that don't eliminate mask mandates could face the loss of state funding."
"CNN has fired three employees who violated company policy by coming to work unvaccinated against the COVID-19 virus… CNN chief Jeff Zucker told staff members of the firing in a memo sent Thursday that reminded them that vaccines were mandatory if they report to the office or out in the field where they come into contact with other employees."
"Hiring rose in July at its fastest pace in nearly a year despite fears over Covid-19's delta variant and as companies struggled with a tight labor supply, the Labor Department reported Friday… Nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000 for the month while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4%, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The payroll increase was the best since August 2020."
"Restaurants are dangling vacation and matching 401(k), but many workers aren't biting." Gee, ya think being assholes for decades might have a thing to do with it. Like people who worked for you don't trust you. And people are holding back until their kids are back in school because all parents have to work to make ends meet (and full late stage capitalism)? Gee, if only we could have, I don't know, included such things in a large piece of legislation…
"Like other importers, Poses is contending with a perfect storm of supply trouble — rising prices, overwhelmed ports, a shortage of ships, trains, trucks — that is expected to last into 2022. The experience proved disturbing enough that Poses is reconsidering a cost-saving decision he made five years ago: to shift production of his games and toys out of the United States to China. Now, he thinks, it might make sense to bring production back — at least to Mexico, if not the United States — to protect him from the risks of relying on factories an ocean away in China." DOn't worry, once this is over we'll be back to pursuing all profit at any cost.
"On Wednesday, Kroger (KR) named former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to its board of directors, sparking a flurry of backlash on Twitter from its customers, many of whom said they will no longer shop at the grocer’s stores over the appointment."
"The Justice Department is launching an investigation of the Phoenix Police Department over allegations of excessive use of force and homeless abuse."
"Apple unveiled plans to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused, including by governments looking to surveil their citizens."
"Earlier this week, Raisi, who has long been vocally anti-Western and is under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, was given the final approval for the presidency by Iran's all-powerful supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was elected in June, in a vote many Iranians and Western advocacy groups say was rigged."
"The US has called on Iran's new president to return to talks on reviving a historic nuclear deal… The window for diplomacy would not remain open forever, a spokesman for the US state department warned… Tensions between the US and Iran have soared since 2018, when then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal and restored sanctions." Although Ebrahim Raisi is a killer, unfortunately he's the guy we have to deal with.
"Nearly 1,800 Americans directly affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are opposing President Joe Biden’s participation in any memorial events this year unless he upholds his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence that they believe may show a link between Saudi Arabian leaders and the attacks… The victims’ family members, first responders and survivors will release a statement Friday calling on Biden to skip 20th-anniversary events in New York and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon unless he releases the documents, which they believe implicate Saudi officials in supporting the acts of terrorism. The group says that as a candidate Biden pledged to be more transparent and release as much information as possible but that his administration has since then ignored their letters and requests."
"Despite a rocky week of fits and starts, President Joe Biden on Friday praised the Senate for edging the bipartisan infrastructure plan closer to passage, ahead of a key vote on the $1 trillion package."
Or… "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set up a pivotal vote on President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan for Saturday, after breakneck talks to wrap up the bill on Thursday night fell apart… Senators in both parties spent the entire day assembling a package of amendments for consideration that could grease the wheels to final passage, but Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) refused to sign off under intense lobbying from Republican colleagues."
"Timeline: What Georgia prosecutors are looking at as they investigate Trump’s efforts to overturn the election."
"Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry 'Trump Cards.'… Trump's PAC sent two emails on Wednesday asking supporters to get on board with carrying the red-and-gold cards, which look like credit cards and bear the former president's signature." Totally not a grift, totally not a Nazi design homage, totally not misspelling "official" on one of the cards, totally not like the Mark of the Beast. "'They will be a sign of your dedicated support to our movement to SAVE AMERICA, and I'm putting my full trust in you.'"
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