"It's the most wonderful time of the year, and while the holiday season may have snuck up on some of us, that doesn't mean your last-minute shipping woes need to sneak up on you as well… Retailers across the U.S. are urging customers to finish their holiday shopping early this year, as supply chain issues and other shortages are posing a concern for many hot products on this year's shopping lists."
"However, the Laetoli site G footprints weren't the only ancient trackways researchers came across at that time. A set of footprints a mile away, at a place called Laetoli site A, were attributed to a young bear walking upright on its hind legs because they were so different from the tracks left by Australopithecus afarensis… Researchers now believe the Laetoli site A footprints may belong to a different early human ancestor that also walked on two legs, a revelation that could rewrite this chapter of the human story."
"Scientists say they've witnessed a never-before-seen type of replication in organic robots created in the lab using frog cells. Among other things, the findings could have implications for regenerative medicine… The discovery involves a xenobot – a simple, 'programmable' organism that is created by assembling stem cells in a Petri dish — and is described by a team of researchers from Tufts University, Harvard University and the University of Vermont in a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."
"Robert Lunsford with the American Meteor Society told USA TODAY the comet won't be the most spectacular one ever but will be 'the brightest comet this year.' With the help of binoculars and telescopes, people across the country can already begin to spot it in the sky, and it won't be long before people can view the comet with the naked eye for this once-in-a-lifetime event."
"President Biden is set to announce on Thursday that private health insurance plans will soon reimburse people who buy over-the-counter at-home rapid tests for COVID-19 — one of a series of steps the White House is planning to encourage better detection and prevention of COVID this winter."
"A new kind of COVID-19 vaccine is about to roll out around the world. Although it won't replace the highly successful vaccines currently available, it could make a difference in the course of the pandemic, especially in lower resourced countriesæ These new vaccines are what's called protein subunit vaccines. They work by injecting people with a tiny portion of the virus. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, that tiny portion is the so-called spike protein critical for the virus to enter cells." So using the actual spike, instead of the mRNA code for the spike.
Remember the consternation over COVID precautions in the last election? "Former President Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 three days before his first presidential debate against Joe Biden, with a subsequent pre-debate test coming back negative, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed Wednesday." In my experience, the tests have a higher chance for a false negative than a false positive.
"With the first case of omicron confirmed in California and more cases expected across the U.S., public health officials who know the difference between good and bad crisis communication say they can't afford to be quiet and wait until scientists know how risky the new variant is before they speak out."
"Marcus Lamb, CEO and founder of the conservative Christian Daystar Television Network who was outspoken against COVID-19 vaccines, has died at age 64 after contracting the virus… Daystar confirmed his death Tuesday." I don't feel bad for them, but I do for all the people they hoodwinked and potentially exposed to this virus.
"As Major League Baseball's players and owners begin in the league's first work stoppage since the mid-1990s, a new published report has accused the league of secretly using two different baseballs during the 2021 season, potentially affecting players' performance and game outcomes… The current collective bargaining agreement between players and owners expired Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET. The two sides are not close to an agreement, according to reports." Oh look, a distraction.
"OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers, an influential group known as OPEC+, decided on Thursday to stick to a previously agreed upon plan of hiking output by 400,000 barrels per day in January… However the alliance said in a statement that 'the meeting remains in session,' meaning they can “make immediate adjustments” should the current market conditions shift."
"The report by the environmental groups Stand.earth and Amazon Watch found that on average 1 in every 7 tanks of gas, diesel or jet fuel pumped in southern California last year came from the Amazon rainforest. Among the top 25 largest corporate consumers are companies such as Costco, PepsiCo and Amazon, according to the report." The smarminess and "ha ha, caught you smug bastards" just drips from this article. Oil is international. Yes, oil produced in Ecuador (and the West cost of Central and South America) and shipped to the US would come in through California, and be processed there.
"A 15-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with murder, terrorism and other crimes for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at a Michigan high school."
"The parents of a teenager accused of killing four students and wounding seven others at a high school in Michigan this week could themselves face charges… Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she is considering charges against the parents of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, the suspect in Tuesday's mass shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit."
"Alec Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger on a prop firearm that discharged on the 'Rust' movie set. The October 21 shooting in Santa Fe killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza." Enter Miss Marple, stage left.
"The future of abortion rights faced its most consequential test in nearly 30 years Wednesday when the Supreme Court convened to hear a high-stakes showdown taking aim at early five decades of precedent, with the conservative justices appearing inclined to let stand a Mississippi law at the heart of the case and pave the way for states to impose more stringent limits on abortion."
"Leading Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate scrambled on Wednesday to head off the threat of a partial federal government shutdown posed by Republicans opposed to President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandates… Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a measure that would continue funding federal government operations during the pandemic, amid concerns about a new rise in COVID-19 cases and the arrival of the Omicron variant in the United States."
"The House reached a deal Thursday on a short-term government funding bill that would prevent a shutdown before a Friday deadline… The measure would fund the government at current levels through Feb. 18, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a statement. The House could vote on the legislation Thursday." Kicking the can again. Thanks, Republicans.
"Democrat Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday she's running for governor of Georgia in 2022, setting the stage for a possible rematch against the current governor, Republican Brian Kemp, who narrowly beat Abrams in 2018."
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