"That's why Oxford Languages, the creator of the Oxford English Dictionary, chose 'vax' as its 2021 Word of the Year."
"Word nerds FTW! Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words and definitions to the dictionary — including nods to online culture, food favourites and the pandemic — to reflect our ever-evolving language." (Grokked form Dan)
"There are five big publishing houses in the United States right now, and one of them, Penguin Random House, wants to buy Simon & Schuster, one of its most robust rivals, for $2.75 billion dollars. But that presents a problem, says U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. He said the merger would create a "publishing behemoth," in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday." It's interesting that the complaint is written from an author's point of view instead of a consumer's point of view.
"On Monday, NASA announced that the Hubble Space Telescope's science instruments were in an extended shutdown after problems appeared in late October. The issues arose as failed internal communications caused the science instruments to switch into safe mode twice over a two-day period. Everything outside the instruments is behaving normally, so the telescope is not at risk." Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in again? (Grokked from John)
"An international team of space researchers working with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has found previously unknown organic molecules on Mars using a new experiment aboard the Curiosity rover. The results are published in the journal Nature Astronomy."
"The Biden administration is proposing stricter regulations to reduce leaks of methane from oil and gas industry operations. It comes as world leaders at the U.N. climate meeting in Glasgow are pushing countries to join a global pledge to cut methane, a climate warming gas that's even more potent than carbon dioxide."
"Greenland's ice sheet, the biggest ice sheet in the world behind Antarctica, has melted so much in the past decade that global sea levels rose by 1 centimeter, and trends predict sea levels can rise nearly a foot higher by the end of the century." We're boned.
"So Umashankar came up with an idea. Instead of using charcoal to heat up the irons, the vendors could use something abundantly available in India: the power of the sun. Over the span of six months in 2019, when she was just 12 years old, she designed a cart that had solar panels to power a steam iron. She pored over college-level physics textbooks to get an understanding of how solar panels work. Then, she submitted her concept to the National Innovation Foundation, run by the Indian government. Engineers there helped her build the full-scale working prototype and apply for a patent."
"I had my first symptom of breast cancer when I was 25 years old. As a nurse, I knew that the nipple discharge I was experiencing wasn't normal. I went to the doctor, but I was told not to worry about it - I was too young for breast cancer. Come back if the discharge becomes bloody, they said… Over the next six years my symptoms escalated, but still my treatment was either denied or delayed. I had painful periods and more nipple discharge. I was diagnosed with a dilated breast duct but told it wasn't anything to be concerned about… I had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer." Sometimes the hoof beats are fucking zebras.
"The agreement announced Tuesday would allow Medicare Parts B and D to negotiate prices directly with drug manufacturers on certain drugs and cap out-of-pocket spending for seniors at $2,000 per year, the first innovation of its kind in the program's history."
"Earlier this year, researchers found that many wild deer in Michigan had antibodies that suggested the animals had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was a significant cause for concern, as a large population of susceptible animals could act as a reservoir that allows the virus to spread back to humans." Rhut rho.
"The CDC issued formal recommendations Tuesday for children as young as 5 years old to get vaccinated against COVID-19, clearing the final regulatory hurdle for younger kids to start receiving Pfizer's vaccine this week."
"Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva warned Tuesday of a possible public safety threat due to a "mass exodus" of deputies from the department and blamed the county's vaccine mandate… Villanueva accused the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors of poor policy-making and pointed to an executive order issued by the chair of the board in August that required all county employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no later than October 1." Why won't the police comply with lawful orders?
"A reexamined autopsy ordered by the FBI in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene has rejected the Louisiana State Police claim that a car crash caused his fatal injuries, narrowing prosecutors' focus on the troopers seen on body camera video beating, stunning and dragging the Black motorist."
"Inflation has climbed to its highest level in three decades as Americans have gone on a spending spree that has sparked widespread shortages… For now the Fed is straddling a middle line as it navigates the uneven economic recovery." It's time for rates to go up.
"Thousands of workers across the U.S. are currently on strike, demanding better wages, better working conditions and more benefits… In what some have called 'Striketober,' workers in factories as well as the health care and food industries have either started or authorized strikes in the past month…It comes after more than a year of working during the pandemic, and as millions of workers are quitting in what has been named the 'Great Resignation'." The disrupted status quo.
"Like many PhD students, Aimée Lê needed her hourly paid job – as an English lecturer – to stay afloat. But what her students never guessed was that for two years while she taught them she was living in a tent… Lê decided to live outside as a last resort when she was faced with a steep rent increase in the third year of her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London, and realised she would not be able to afford a flat and cover all her costs on her research and teaching income." Now do the Adjunct Faculty in the US.
"But labor issues are making that sustenance hard to find, triggering the worst supply chain headaches schools have faced in decades. Sourcing is a nightmare. Some staples of school dining, like chicken, can be hard to come by, and your kid's lunch might have to be served on a plastic nacho tray lid, according to nutritionists and school district officials NPR interviewed."
"Ford built the vehicle to showcase its new 'e-crate motor' that’s now on sale online and at its dealerships. Such 'crate' engines or motors are assembled by the company but are available for general purchase for building, fixing or customizing vehicles… Each of Ford’s e-crate motors produces 281 horsepower and 317 foot-pounds of torque and is street-legal in all 50 states, according to the company. Ford said the motor will retail for $3,900." I'm doubting that includes a battery pack.
"An undersea collision that injured 11 crew members of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine last month was caused by an uncharted seamount (an underwater mountain), the U.S. Navy says." Oopsie.
"The Taliban has banned the use of foreign currencies in Afghanistan, a move that could further disrupt an economy on the brink of collapse… 'The economic situation and national interests in the country require that all Afghans use Afghani currency in their every trade,' the Taliban said." That's gonna leave a mark.
"A Torah belonging to a George Washington University fraternity was desecrated over the weekend, fraternity and university officials said… Members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and top school authorities have condemned what they're calling an antisemitic attack."
"NSO Group has been placed on a US blacklist by the Biden administration after it determined the Israeli spyware maker has acted 'contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US'… The finding by the commerce department represents a blow to the Israeli company and reveals a deep undercurrent of concern by the US about the impact of spyware on national security interests."
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is asking the state's association of school boards to 'ensure no child is exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content in a Texas public school,' in the latest Republican attempt to dictate what can and can't be taught in classrooms." And while the governor didn't include examples, "Texas state Rep. Matt Krause… a candidate for attorney general"sent a letter that did. "Krause attached a 16-page list of roughly 850 book titles, most of which appear to be related to gender identity, sexuality, race and sexual health. They were published between the 1960s and this year, and several have won awards. An analysis from The Dallas Morning News found that 'of the first 100 titles listed, 97 were written by women, people of color or LGBTQ authors.'" It's like the 80s all over again.
"David Wilson was elected as a trustee on the Houston Community College board, but he soon was at odds with other board members, blasting them on robocalls, on the radio, on his website, and filing four lawsuits against the board, which the trustees said cost the public $300,000 in legal fees. He even hired a private investigator to see if a fellow board member really lived in the district she represented. Eventually, the board voted to censure Wilson for his behavior and it limited some of his board privileges." And now that power to censure it at SCOTUS.
"Republican Glenn Youngkin pulled off the upset in Virginia, defeating Terry McAuliffe in the governor's race. And in perhaps an even bigger stunner in New Jersey, Republican Jack Ciatarelli was within a percentage point of incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy… The New Jersey race could be headed for a recount, but just the fact that the election was this close shows how much energy Republicans had on their side heading into Tuesday night. Both results are sending shockwaves through a Democratic political establishment that has had little good news over the last few months." It's always bad news for the Democrats.
"Minneapolis voters ousted at least two incumbent council members Tuesday in an election that largely hinged on the future of policing after the murder of George Floyd and how best to address rising violent crime in the city… Candidates who opposed the failed public safety charter amendment — which would have replaced the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety and eliminated a requirement for the city to have a minimum number of police officers — appeared to have leads in several key wards."
"Sen. Joe Manchin has announced he cannot yet support the $1.75 trillion framework for President Biden's social spending package that congressional Democrats were hoping to push through this week." Dear Democrats, Sen. Manchin is a no. He has been not negotiating in good faith. He never intended to support the bill. It's time to go big and let Sen. Manchin (and Sinema) that you will sell this as the solution, and if they do sink the bill, you will hang it around their neck like the preverbal albatross and support primary contenders in their states. So they can get on the bandwagon and help their constituents, or they can start drafting their concession speech.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a major shift, announced on Wednesday that four weeks of paid family and medical leave will be added back into the social spending bill, after Democrats had previously scrapped the provision from the package."
"Serious politician that he is, Fox News invited (Arizona Attorney General Mark) Brnovich on the air Monday to discuss what could happen to parents who are voicing their objections to mask mandates and critical race theory at school board hearings… 'Joe Biden and Merrick Garland essentially want to weaponize the Department of Justice,' Brnovich said. 'Just because parents are exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out against critical race theory or even vaccine mandates does not make them domestic terrorists. If we allow the Biden administration to continue this, God forbid, you’re going to end up with mom and pop at Gitmo. Think about how outrageous that is, Harris.'" Whackaloon quotient remains stratospheric. (Grokked from John)
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