I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Linkee-poo Thursday April 21

"Wow, NASA just released a video shot by the Mars Perseverance rover of a solar eclipse by the moon Phobos." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

"Astronomers have discovered a new kind of star explosion called a micronova. Although it may be smaller than the giant supernova explosions that claim the lives of stars, this incendiary event still packs a punch… Each micronova can burn through 'around 3.5 billion Great Pyramids of Giza' of material (or 20,000,000 trillion kilograms) in just a few hours, according to the researchers."

"The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on Thursday and Friday, and will be best seen from the northern hemisphere… The Lyrids, which are active from April 15 to 29, are known for their fast and bright meteors that often leave glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the sky, according to NASA."

"As western regions contend with drier conditions, New York City is under fire for sometimes releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day from a key reservoir in the Catskill Mountains… The occasional releases, often around storms, have been used to manage water levels in the Ashokan Reservoir and to keep the water clear. But residents downstream say the periodic surges cause ecological harm along the lower Esopus Creek. They say the high flows churn up the water so much it turns the scenic Hudson River tributary into the color of chocolate milk."

"In its first detailed plan to slow the rise in drug overdose deaths, the Biden administration is emphasizing harm reduction… That means increasing access to clean needles, fentanyl test strips and naloxone. Clean needles help reduce the spread of disease. Fentanyl test strips enable drug users to check if they are about to consume this powerful opioid that can shut down breathing in seconds. Naloxone is a drug that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose."

"A Waldo County resident has died after being infected by a rare virus spread by infected ticks, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed… Officials say the adult-aged person developed neurological symptoms and died while in the hospital. They believe the person became infected with the Powassan virus while in Maine."

"Lu’s death underscores how the true extent of the virus toll in Shanghai has been obscured by Chinese authorities. Doctors told Lu’s relatives she died because COVID-19 exacerbated her underlying heart disease and high blood pressure, yet she still was not counted… Interviews with family members of patients who have tested positive, a publicly released phone call with a government health official and an internet archive compiled by families of the dead all raise issues with how the city is counting its cases and deaths, almost certainly resulting in a marked undercount."

"The U.S. Justice Department said it's appealing the ruling by a federal judge that voided the mask mandate for public transportation… DOJ spokesperson Anthony Coley said a notice of appeal had been filed in light of the determination by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that wearing a mask 'remains necessary to protect the public health.'"

"A surge in robberies at licensed cannabis shops — including a pistol-whipping, gunshots and killings in Washington state last month — is helping fuel a renewed push for federal banking reforms that would make the cash-dependent stores a less appealing target."

"When Starbucks announced Howard Schultz would return to the company as interim CEO, investors cheered. His first tenure as chief executive turned the company into a global brand and his second, years later, revived both the business and its stock price… But the applause has since quieted as Wall Street forecasts that the coffee giant will keep spending money in its effort to stem a unionization tide."

"Workers at an Apple Store in Atlanta filed for a union election on Wednesday in a bid to become the first group of retail employees at the tech giant to unionize."

"The problems date back to the founding of Los Angeles-based Break The Floor Productions; as the company has grown into an industry powerhouse, its leaders perpetuated a culture of sex and silence, according to interviews with dozens of former and current staff and students."

"Elon Musk says he's secured money for his bid to take Twitter private and is considering making his pitch directly to shareholders." Heard this one before.

"But she could no longer afford the pay cut that came with being in the classroom… That changed in 2020, when Hawaii started paying special education teachers $10,000 more per year… But Hawaii's pay increase, which began in 2020, was a game changer. Before the incentive, in October 2019, almost 30% of the state's special education positions were vacant or staffed by teachers without appropriate licenses, district data shows. By October 2021, that number dropped by half, to about 15%." Funny how that works.

"The Biden administration is launching a program that will allow U.S. citizens and groups to financially sponsor Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion of their country so that they can come to the U.S. sooner, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday… Ukrainians who are selected to travel to the U.S. under the initiative will be granted humanitarian parole, allowing them to bypass the visa and refugee programs, which typically take years to complete. While it does not offer permanent status, parole would allow Ukrainians to live and work in the U.S. for two years."

"The United States will send a new $800 million arms package to Ukraine, supplementing its military with heavy artillery as Ukrainians try to fend off renewed Russian attacks on the eastern and southern parts of the country… Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to ditch its plan to storm the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, where several thousand Ukrainian troops as well as civilians are encamped, opting instead to continue to seal off the facility via blockade." It's called a siege.

"Theis called Sen. Mallory McMorrow a liberal social media 'troll' and accused her of wanting to 'groom' and 'sexualize' kindergartners and teach 'that 8-year-olds are responsible for slavery.'… McMorrow responded Tuesday with a forceful, impassioned floor speech that resonated nationwide."

"A bystander video that shows Syracuse, New York, police detaining a sobbing 8-year-old boy has prompted an internal investigation, officials said… The video, which had garnered 5.5 million views Wednesday evening, shows an officer restraining the boy by both arms from behind while the child is crying."

"Florida Senate approves stripping Disney of self-government power…" and their gerrymandered map.

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