"An iron-rich planet spotted in a nearby solar system could help scientists understand the mystery of how the planet Mercury formed in our own neighborhood… The newly-described planet is about 31 light years away, according to a report in the journal Science. Astronomers haven't seen it directly, but they've been able to estimate its size and mass by watching its effects on the star that it orbits. It appears that this planet is largely made of iron."
"A massive voluntary recall suddenly took many sleep aid devices off the market without offering a replacement… Now, newly released documents are raising questions over whether the company at the center of that recall knew of the problems and risks with its devices for years, but did not immediately act." I'm still waiting on my recall to be processed.
"Their family is among hundreds of military families living near Pearl Harbor with similar complaints after the Navy's water system somehow became contaminated by petroleum. The problems have afflicted one of the most important Navy bases in the world, home to submarines, ships and the commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region. The issues may even threaten one of Honolulu's most important aquifers and water sources." Oopsie.
"The World Health Organization's chief scientist told the Reuters Next conference on Friday the Omicron variant could become dominant because it is highly transmissible, but that a different vaccine may not be needed… She said the WHO could not at this stage say that Omicron was a mild variant, even if many infections so far have been associated with less severe symptoms or no symptoms at all… There is not yet conclusive evidence about Omicron's impact on the effectiveness of antibodies." If it is more transmissible than Delta, but causes a milder form of COVID-19, that's Good News™. Also note the part about how we don't really know where it emerged, and punishing South Africa because they sequence more of their samples than most Western countries (coughUSAcough) is not helpful.
"At least five U.S. states have now confirmed cases of the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, as scientists investigate whether the heavily mutated strain is more infectious and virulent." Again, it's too late to try and stop this. Mostly because we don't test a lot of samples here in the west.
"A past coronavirus infection appears to give little immunity to the new omicron variant rippling across the globe, South African scientists warned Thursday, potentially tearing away one layer of defense that humanity has won slowly and at immense cost." Insert dramatic music here.
"German lawmakers have implemented new curbs for the unvaccinated and made plans to vote on making Covid vaccines mandatory… National and regional leaders agreed on Thursday to ban Germany’s unvaccinated population from all non-essential businesses, such as bars, restaurants and movie theaters in a bid to encourage vaccine uptake."
"New York City is extending a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to teachers and staff of private and religious schools, a plan that would affect approximately 56,000 employees at 938 schools across New York City. The move sets up a potential clash with some religious leaders who have opposed mandates for their communities."
"The U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than expected in November, in a sign that hiring started to slow even ahead of the new Covid threat, the Labor Department reported Friday… Nonfarm payrolls increased by just 210,000 for the month, though the unemployment rate fell sharply to 4.2% from 4.6%, even though the labor force participation rate increased for the month to 61.8%, its highest level since March 2020."
"Employers added just 210,000 jobs in November, according to a monthly snapshot from the Labor Department. Job growth appeared to lose momentum after stronger hiring in September and October. Hiring figures for those months were revised upwards."
"A South Florida teenager has been arrested after investigators learned he made a threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a mass shooting that killed 17 people on Valentine's Day in 2018."
"A 14-year-old Georgia girl was killed when her younger brother was trying to sell a homemade gun, and he fired a shot at people who took the weapon without paying, a sheriff said."
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to reestablish a World War II-era civilian military force that he, not the Pentagon, would control… DeSantis pitched the idea Thursday as a way to further support the Florida National Guard during emergencies, like hurricanes. The Florida National Guard has also played a vital role during the pandemic in administering Covid-19 tests and distributing vaccines." Well, that could be interesting. How I read it is a grift, some way to reward loyalists with a "job" and state pension, not really a "stazi" type organization. But it's interesting that a conservative wants to spend more money on duplicating what they already have (in the National Guard).
"Arrogantly self-righteous. Violently xenophobic. Confidently uneducated. Inordinately proud of their own miserable ignorance. Wrapped in the flag of dogmatic nationalism, mindless patriotism, and self-righteous piety. Waving a gun and their Bible… This is what the Republican Party has become: Lauren Boebert." Jim Wright on the current state of conservative politics. There have always been mind-mumblingly ignorant elected officials. But on the conservative side this has become a virtue instead of a liability.
"A group of lawyers aligned with former President Donald Trump -- including Sidney Powell and Lin Wood -- were ordered Thursday by a federal judge to collectively pay more than $175,000 in sanctions-related fees stemming from a bogus election fraud lawsuit they filed last year… US District Judge Linda Parker ordered that the lawyers pay the $21,964.75 in attorneys' fees for the Michigan state officials they sued in the lawsuit. She also ordered that the lawyers pay $153,285.62 in attorneys' fees for the city of Detroit, which was also a defendant in the election reversal lawsuit filed last year."
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