"At least 375 people are now known to have died after a powerful storm struck the Philippines on Thursday, police say… Super Typhoon Rai - with winds of about 195km/h (120mph) - sent some 400,000 people running for safety when it hit the country's south-eastern islands."
"Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting at an "exceptional" rate because of global warming, threatening the water supply of millions of people in Asia, a study published Monday said… The study revealed that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking far more rapidly than glaciers in other parts of the world."
"If you want to be dazzled by a spectacular northern lights display, your best bet is to skywatch near the North Pole. But that wasn't the case 41,000 years ago, when a disruption of Earth's magnetic field sent auroras wandering toward the equator."
"A Biden administration rule that requires workers at companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated against Covid or undergo weekly testing is back on… The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on the rule Friday evening. The rule was blocked on Nov. 6, just one day after it was formally issued by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration." Hello, SCOTUS.
"With Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 case numbers more than tripling in the span of a week, health experts indicate that restrictions may soon return."
"A surge in coronavirus cases in the U.S. is seriously altering previously promising holiday plans for many Americans. As many people traveled over the weekend, health officials and state leaders issued serious warnings about the coronavirus as the U.S. experienced record new infections… On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 156,754 new COVID cases. In early November, the country was averaging about 70,000 cases." Here we go again.
"Let's face it: We're all fed up with COVID. And with Omicron spreading rapidly, there's more uncertainty ahead… Like many doctors, I'm often asked how to stay safe. The answer is: the more layers of protection, the smaller the risk."
"Moderna said Monday that its Covid-19 booster does appear to provide protection against the omicron variant that is currently surging across the world… The company said it would still be working to develop an omicron-specific booster, however, with the shot expected to advance into clinical trials in early 2022."
"Since then, scientists have come to learn that omicron spreads faster than the delta variant and is the quickest-spreading variant the world has yet faced. It also has a huge ability to bypass immune protection and cause breakthrough infections… The big open-ended question right now centers on omicron's severity: Does omicron cause milder disease, compared to previous variants? Does it thereby lower the risk of severe disease and hospitalization?"
"Students in every grade are taught how thoughts, feelings and behaviors are linked and how learning how to control and reframe thoughts can lead to more positive outcomes. The program includes more intensive lessons for kids struggling with anxiety, depression or trauma, along with sessions on suicide prevention. All district employees learn about the concepts."
"The annual January get-together of world leaders, billionaires and executives in Davos, Switzerland will be postponed due to health and safety concerns over Covid-19."
"Families who come to the Christmas party today will receive a meal, and get a box full of food to take home with them. And for the kids, all sorts of fun holiday activities. Armstrong says for the first time this year, that includes a Black Santa Claus… 'To be honest with you, you know, the kids here can't relate to a white Santa because they see in their community Black and brown people,' he said. 'And so it was very important for cultural representation, that kids see that someone as magical and amazing as Santa can be Black like them.'" /begin right wing freak out in 3… 2… 1…
"Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of the electric car company Tesla, has said he will pay more than $11bn in tax this year – which could be a record amount of annual tax paid by a single person… Musk, who was earlier this year accused of paying zero federal taxes in 2018 despite sitting on an estimated $243bn (£184bn), said he would pay the unusually high tax bill this year after the sale of millions of Tesla shares." Enter damage control mode. Note, he was about to lose stock options, so he had to exercise them. By doing so, he now owes capital gains. He still has gone years paying minimal taxes while he used his "potential" wealth (in stock options) to leverage loans (which he could write off as a loss). So, yes, Mr. Musk, my eyes are open. You've been getting off cheap for decades, and you still are getting off cheap now (he's held the options long enough he's paying the lower rate, which is also less than income tax).
"Hong Kong's first 'patriots only' legislative election witnessed a record low turnout on Sunday, reflecting a steep decline in civic and political engagement following Beijing's overhaul of the city's electoral processes."
"A man was beaten to death in the northern Indian city of Amritsar after he allegedly attempted to commit a sacrilegious act inside the historic Golden Temple, one of Sikhs’ most revered shrines." Well that's not something you expect to read.
"A staff member at a Washington, DC, elementary school is under investigation after allegedly telling third-grade students to reenact incidents from the Holocaust, DC Public Schools (DCPS) said in a statement to CNN… The instructor was placed on leave Friday pending the investigation, a DCPS official said."
"Captured on smartphones and closed-circuit cameras, thefts involving groups of people smashing windows or individuals wheeling loaded shopping carts past security guards and out the door have been looping on social media and TV news, raising the specter that crime rings reselling boosted merchandise present a major threat to retailers… Although some retail and law enforcement lobbyists cite eye-popping figures, there is reason to doubt the problem is anywhere near as large or widespread as they say. The best estimates available put losses at around 7 cents per $100 of sales on average." The media worm has turned.
"With billions of dollars for clean energy, the Build Back Better legislation has the potential to substantially and rapidly cut heat-trapping emissions in the U.S. But after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin rejected the bill on Sunday, Build Back Better is effectively dead, at a time when scientists say the world can't afford to wait on climate change."
"For months, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has been watering down the climate provisions in the Build Back Better legislation. Now, his final rejection of a stripped down version effectively kills President Biden's ambitious plans to reduce carbon emissions deeply enough to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. But the objections Manchin described to the bill's climate measures are misleading… Here's what's really going on…" Manchin's fortune rests on dirty energy production.
"Donald Trump has sued New York state attorney general, Letitia James, seeking to halt her long-running investigation of his business practices, the New York Times reported on Monday… The paper said Trump’s suit alleges that James, a Democrat, 'is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent'." Trump is left to revert to his old playbook.
"Flurry of recent revelations raises the specter that the committee is swiftly heading towards an incriminating conclusion… Donald Trump is increasingly agitated by the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack, according to sources familiar with the matter, and appears anxious he might be implicated in the sprawling inquiry into the insurrection even as he protests his innocence." We can only hope they will hold the guilty accountable.
No comments:
Post a Comment