Linkee-poo once had the rarest rose that ever deigned to bloom

Petra Mayer, and so it goes.

"World leaders signed off on a new climate change agreement after two weeks of intense negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland. While some countries committed to more ambitious cuts to heat-trapping pollution, many nations did not agree to rein in emissions fast enough for the world to avoid the worst damage from climate-driven storms, heat waves and droughts… Still, the summit's progress means that goal could still be within reach, experts say — if countries follow through on their promises." That's a huge fucking "if".

"But he soon discovered that the shade from the towering panels above the soil actually helped the plants thrive. That intermittent shade also meant a lot less evaporation of coveted irrigation water. And in turn the evaporation actually helped keep the sun-baked solar panels cooler, making them more efficient." But note it took a change in zoning and everyone needed to be sold on the idea.

"Influenza is sweeping the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus, with 528 cases diagnosed at the University Health Service since Oct. 6… The outbreak is so sudden and large — 313 cases were identified the week of Nov. 8 alone and 37% of flu tests that week were positive — that it's drawn the attention of federal health leaders."

An On the Media podcast short… ?"In the world of journalism, death is a metric that’s important. It indicates significance, newsworthiness, and tragedy. But death is also an inevitable part of the human experience. This is a fact that journalist Katie Engelhart highlights in the title of her new book The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die. Brooke Gladstone spoke to Engelhart about the complicated ethics of physician-assisted deaths and the surprising parameters within which people can end their lives."

"A doctor from Texas who spread COVID-19 misinformation on her personal Twitter account has had her privileges suspended… Dr. Mary Bowden of the Houston Methodist Hospital posted a series of tweets praising the antiparasitic drug ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment. She also called vaccine mandates 'wrong.'" If you can't (or won't) sort truth from fiction, you really shouldn't be a doctor.

"At only 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the 'Sesame Street' canon. She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding. The children's TV program, which first aired 52 years ago this month, gave The Associated Press a first look at its adorable new occupant."

"When a 21-year-old Native American woman from Oklahoma was convicted of manslaughter after having a miscarriage, people were outraged. But she was not alone… Brittney Poolaw was just about four months pregnant when she lost her baby in the hospital in January 2020."

"The SAFE Alliance in Austin helps survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. Back before Texas' new abortion law went into effect, the organization counseled a 12-year-old girl who had been repeatedly raped by her father… The girl was eventually able to get help, but if this had happened after Sept. 1, when the state law went into effect, her options would have been severely curtailed, Nelson says."

"This week, On the Media takes a look at one sector that’s been booming: cryptocurrency and, in particular, NFTs. Hear how a technology invented to give artists more control over their work has become a tool for speculators hoping to win big." So there was this thing several centuries ago about rich people having shoes that curled up at the toes as a way of displaying their importance and wealth. It eventually was taken to the point where they really couldn't walk without tripping themselves, so the King of France had to intervene and legislate how long toes on shoes could be. Don't know why I'm reminded of that story with this.

"Middle managers who are millennials are particularly likely to be feeling the squeeze. A MetLife study showed millennial managers are far more likely than managers of any other generation to report burnout. That’s partly due to growing up in a culture that glorifies overwork, plus being a generation saddled with care responsibilities for both parents and children. And with the pandemic nearing the two-year mark, it’s no wonder that millennial middle managers are finding themselves exhausted, demoralised and stressed." I was a middle manager at the same inflection point for Gen-X, and you know how our burnout was framed? We were all slackers. And in this article they're still blaming the younger managers and not addressing the fundamental problems in business. And this is why, when I am asked, I will not allow myself to be placed in that position again. And that does create some stress, especially at the hospital. But that is also where I have been most vocal that I absolutely do not want a management position. However, there is no other concept within management because they think everyone wants to be the boss. What I love is when they tell me, "you have leadership potential". Ha! Well, yeah, I was an officer, I held a management position that was above the level of the people I now report to, I've been a councilman, I own my own businesses (small as they are). I should fucking hope I did have leadership potential. But then I'm also expected to act as if I have 8 years seniority (which I have), when they're only giving me the actual benefit of 1.5 years of seniority (for vacation and position selection). Hi, let me point out the problem with that and with the culture that doesn't think I was a real employee for those first 6.5 years as (usually) their only PRN (as needed) employee. Can I solve some of their management issues and give them direct answers and solutions? You bet your bippy (am I wrong sometimes, yes). Do I? Fuck no. Pay me first. I will not be backed into management again and give away my talent and skills. I should say, I actually do tell them, but I don't take the time to reiterate or push my thoughts to them. If they listen or understand what I say, good for them (they don't usually). I'm not going to make the political moves to gain stakeholder acceptance of my viewpoint.

"A year ago, many of us stayed home or went to small gatherings for turkey, stuffing and Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish, but this year, the wide availability of coronavirus vaccines in the U.S. is making more people feel comfortable flying longer distances for Thanksgiving… If you're among them, brace yourself for long lines in crowded airports and jam packed flights, because the early pandemic days of half-empty planes are long gone."

"On today's episode, the once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill. What's in it? Who might get some of the money? We visit a snowy rural airport, a scary-but-important bridge and some orphaned infrastructure that is destroying the world." The Planet Money podcast.

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation is acknowledging that hackers compromised its email servers and sent spam messages. But the bureau says hackers were unable to access any personal identifiable information or other data on its network."

"An explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Sunday has been declared a terror incident by police… A taxi exploded and was engulfed in flames just before 11:00 GMT at a drop-off zone near the entrance, killing the passenger and injuring the driver who has been named locally as David Perry… Four men have been arrested in the city under the Terrorism Act."

"It’s a hidden crisis that has existed for years inside one of the most well-funded institutions on the planet and has only worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 160,000 active-duty military members are having trouble feeding their families." Funny how these stories only really gain traction during democratic administrations.

"Conrad, unsurprisingly, did not show up for work that Monday. He had a two-day head-start on law enforcement, and managed to avoid capture for 52 years… It wasn't until earlier this month that U.S. Marshals based in Cleveland discovered that a man named Thomas Randele was, in fact, Conrad. Randele lived in Lynnfield, Mass., and had been living in a suburban neighborhood since the 1970s until he died of lung cancer in May at the age of 71."

On the Media Podcast… "For decades, Silicon Valley leaders have been borrowing ideas from science fiction — from the metaverse to the latest tech gadgets. On this week’s show, hear why they might need to start reading their source material more closely. Also, why the midterm election results tell us so little about what’s coming next in American politics. And a forgotten behemoth of American literature gets a closer look." Very much for the first segment, "Paul Waldman, opinion columnist at the Washington Post and senior writer for The American Prospect, on why off-year elections need historical context." The fight for the narrative context of Nov 2022 has already begun. Also for the second segment… "Jill Lepore, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer; Gene Seymour, culture critic with work in Newsday, the Nation, the Baffler, and more; and Annalee Newitz, science fiction author and science journalist, on the makings (and potential mishaps) of the metaverse."

"James Ho, Stuart Kyle Duncan and Cory Wilson are among six judges appointed by former president Donald Trump to the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit, skewing one of the most conservative – and influential – courts in America even further to the right… The consequences of Trump’s reshaping of the federal judiciary are being felt acutely at the fifth circuit on issues ranging from abortion to immigration to the coronavirus pandemic. The court’s willingness to entertain Republican extremism has effectively made it their principal legal bulwark against Joe Biden."

"Under federal law, when multiple lawsuits involving 'one or more common questions of fact' are filed in separate courts, the petitions are consolidated and heard by one court chosen at random. The procedure is often used to handle product liability and antitrust cases, when thousands of lawsuits may be consolidated and heard by a single court… Challenges to the OSHA rule have been filed in almost every U.S. Circuit court, and each one of those courts will get one entry, regardless of the number of cases filed in each court. According to the law, all of the entries will be placed in a drum, and the clerk of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, based in Washington, D.C., shall randomly draw one."

"Democrat Beto O’Rourke is running for governor of Texas, pursuing a blue breakthrough in America’s biggest red state after his star-making U.S. Senate campaign in 2018 put him closer than anyone else in decades."

"Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the longest serving US senator still in office, announced Monday he won't seek reelection for a ninth term next year, after serving in the chamber since 1975." Ah, it's retirement announcement season again.

"Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, surrendered to federal authorities on Monday to face contempt charges after defying a subpoena from a House committee investigating January’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol."

The On the Media Podcast with… "The satire site The Babylon Bee, a conservative Christian answer to The Onion, stirred controversy when some readers mistook its headlines for misinformation. In this episode of WNYC/The Atlantic's The Experiment, religion reporter Emma Green sits down with the editor-in-chief, Kyle Mann, to talk about where he draws the line between making a joke and doing harm, and to understand what humor can reveal about American politics." Funny how a lot of conservative humor is punching down. Also when "to own the libs" becomes a self-referential punch line.