Linkee-poo what have you done, you've made a fool of everyone

"Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasted into space Wednesday in a convergence of science fiction and science reality, reaching the final frontier aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company."

"Vietze is on the frontline of a sea change in America’s energy industry. For decades, blue-collar workers hammered out a good living in coal, oil and natural gas. Renewables have struggled to provide the same wages and benefits… Workers in onshore wind and solar tend to make less than their counterparts in fossil fuels. They are also less likely to belong to unions… Offshore wind represents an opportunity to change that."

"Right now, investment in clean energy projects and infrastructure is falling short. The IEA has said that development of new oilfields or coal mines projects must stop if the world is going to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius."

"The Food and Drug Administration is asking food manufacturers and restaurants to cut the salt in their products over the coming 2½ years, hoping to reduce Americans' overall sodium intake by 12 percent… The sweeping recommendation, announced Wednesday, is expected to cover a wide variety of foods — from chain restaurant meals to processed food on grocery store shelves and even baby food." That's a great goal, but we'll have to fortify other food with iodine then. But yes, recently there's been several foods I can no longer reliably eat because the sodium levels have been ticking up and they've become unpalatable to me (I don't include much added salt in my diet as it is).

"Adults who are 60 years old or older should not necessarily take a daily aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke… That is according to a draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed panel of independent experts. The task force is revising several key guidelines and warning that, for some people, the risks of aspirin outweigh the benefits." Stop taking aspirin prophylactically.

"Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that Moderna Inc had not met all of the agency's criteria to support use of booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, possibly because the efficacy of the shot's first two doses has remained strong."

"A federal judge in Texas ordered United Airlines to temporarily halt its plan to put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave if they have requested an exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate."

"The coronavirus could be harming vital cells in the pancreas and leaving people with diabetes, according to new research being pursued by scientists… The relationship between COVID-19 and diabetes is poorly understood and scientists don't yet have definitive answers… But as the pandemic progressed, a growing number of reports suggested that people who caught COVID-19 were noticing diabetes symptoms for the first time. It is too soon to say whether the condition is permanent." There's been renewed "concern" (denialism) about kids getting vaccinated. So put this into your long COVID calculations.

"The United States is taking a major step toward reopening its borders with Canada and Mexico… Beginning next month, the U.S. will allow nonessential travelers to enter the country along the long land borders it shares with its two neighbors."

"Consumer prices increased slightly more than expected in September as food and energy price rises offset declines in used cars, the Labor Department reported Wednesday… The consumer price index for all items rose 0.4% for the month, compared with the 0.3% Dow Jones estimate. On a year-over-year basis, prices increased 5.4% versus the estimate for 5.3% and the highest since January 1991."

"Here's another unexpected example of how supply chains have been upended by the pandemic: Glass bottles used for everything from vinegar to pasta sauces are getting tied up in their own bottlenecks. That's driving prices higher, when you can get the bottles at all."

How goes Brexit? "Member states are far more focused on struggling with post-Covid economic challenges, soaring gas prices and smouldering intra-EU strife with Poland and Hungary. The last thing EU capitals say they need or want right now is a trade war with the UK… But tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol are real."

"Russia has denied using energy as a political weapon, amid surging prices across Europe that have sent gas bills in many households skyrocketing… Russia, one of Europe's biggest natural gas providers, has been accused of intentionally withholding supplies."

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that oil prices could well reach $100 per barrel as demand for all energy commodities grows… Energy prices have soared across the board as economies reopen after months of pandemic-induced lockdowns and supply remains tight. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. oil benchmark, crossed $80 per barrel last week for the first time since Nov. 2014." That wouldn't solve his economic issues, though. But he thinks it would.

"Eventually Hernandez, who said he was arrested 113 times and beaten up by the police more than once, had had it. He and several other lowriders filed a lawsuit against then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and the police, alleging violations of their civil rights… In 1981, Hernandez united a group of car clubs to form the San Francisco Lowrider Council, an advocacy organization that helped lowriders stand up to police brutality then — and which just marked its 40th year in operation."

"The honeymoon is over. And the fading Republican support was inevitable. But Democrats are alarmed by President Joe Biden's decline in job approval among groups central to his base — most notably Black voters, Hispanics and women… Despite the slip in his job approval, Biden's economic agenda remains popular in the same polls, which find that voters support his plans to overhaul U.S. infrastructure, expand Medicare, fund universal pre-K and put money into clean energy." Well, yes. One, it's that time of the presidency (all presidents see this slump), but it also explains the reluctance of the GOP to help govern.

"The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation to raise the U.S. debt limit, the final legislative hurdle to averting a first-ever national default that was otherwise expected to occur next week… The bill, passed by the Senate last week, now travels to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature and enactment. He is expected to sign it later this week and likely Wednesday."

"Sanders has grown increasingly frustrated about what he described as a lack of details from Manchin and Sinema about what programs they want cut for a smaller package. On a conference call with fellow progressive leaders, Sanders told reporters on Tuesday, 'We are prepared to negotiate. We are prepared to compromise. But we are not going to negotiate with ourselves.'" That would be because Sinema and Manchin are not negotiating in good faith.

"Nine months after the attack on the US Capitol, Republicans in Congress are defending Donald Trump's role on January 6 in some of their strongest terms yet -- and signaling he'd have widespread backing from the party if he ran for president again in 2024." Of course he'd have it. The only major difference between Trump and Republicans is Trump doesn't hide his intentions very well.