Linkee-poo Sunday June 5

"Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, gained a bit more force as it headed toward Bermuda on Sunday after dumping rain on parts of Florida, flooding some roads… Alex reached tropical storm force after strengthening off Florida's east coast early Sunday."

"For the first time in 18 years, five planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — will be sequentially aligned and visible at dawn throughout this month… Those watching from the continental United States should be able to catch a look, as long as they're up early enough, Diana Hannikainen, Sky & Telescope's Observing Editor, told NPR."

"On May 3, the tribal council voted nearly unanimously to banish the Lakota Language Consortium — along with its co-founder Wilhelm Meya and its head linguist, Jan Ullrich — from setting foot on the reservation. What the council took into consideration wasn’t just the organization’s dealings with the Standing Rock Sioux; it turned out at least three other tribes had also raised concerns about Meya, saying he broke agreements over how to use recordings, language materials and historical records, or used them without permission." Who owns a language, and breaking the chain of exploitation.

"Nationwide celebrations of The Queen's historic Platinum Jubilee closed with a spectacular Platinum Pageant in London - along with an appearance from the monarch herself… Tens of thousands of people gathered on The Mall hoping to see the Queen as four days of festivities drew to a close following the pageant… The pageant was split into four acts, telling the story of the Queen's life, and included a feast for the eyes from the Gold State Coach with archive footage of the Queen projected onto the windows to a peloton of 300 cyclists led by Sir Chris Joy and Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny."

"All of the patients in the study had a rare genetic signature in their tumors, known as mismatch repair deficiency. This means that cells are not as able to repair errors in DNA, a process that can lead to cancer. Eight of the 12 patients described in the New England Journal paper, including Roth, had Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that causes mismatch repair and carries a much higher risk of colon cancer… …Immunotherapy drugs such as Jemperli or Merck’s Keytruda are thought to work against such cancer because all those changes in DNA make it easier for the immune system to learn to recognize and attack a tumor."

"At least two genetically distinct monkeypox variants are circulating in the U.S., according to new sequencing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." Wut?

"Starbucks is closing a store in Ithaca, N.Y., in what Starbucks union organizers are calling an illegal move of retaliation after workers at the location voted to unionize."

"The white-hot U.S. job market cooled to merely red hot last month, a mixed blessing for workers worried about runaway inflation and the possibility of a recession… While nearly all the private-sector jobs lost during the pandemic have returned, the pace of employment growth is noticeably slowing."

"More than two years into a pandemic that has no clear end, the debate over remote work has only intensified. Working from home isn't possible in many jobs. But for those who have the option, it's now evident that it is feasible, even beneficial… But how beneficial is a point of contention between workers and their bosses. Some bosses are deciding too much is lost when people aren't in the office and it's time to come back." The only thing missing in jobs for workers who can work remotely is the sense of control over their lives their bosses used to have. And I say that as a former manager. We are engaged in a large discussion of life/work balance. Work is starting to lose. when I started working from home (which I did a hybrid at a former employer while working on my Rad Tech degree), I really wasn't thrilled. It was a good option and time saver, though. Now after 2+ years for my part time job, while I won't say I love it, I certainly love the time and expense savings.

"A massive fire at a container depot near a port city in southeastern Bangladesh killed at least 49 people, including nine firefighters, and injured more than 100 others, officials and local media reported Sunday, as efforts to extinguish the blaze continued into a second night."

"Russia launched airstrikes on Kyiv for the first time in five weeks on Sunday, claiming it had targeted western-supplied tanks – while the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, warned more targets would be struck if weapons deliveries continued."

"Gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday and also detonated explosives, a state lawmaker said. Dozens were feared dead including children."

"Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L'Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013."

"A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Whitmer's office and a law enforcement source said Saturday."

"Three people were killed after gunfire broke out early Sunday morning outside a nightspot in Chattanooga, Tennessee, authorities said."

"A bustling entertainment district turned into a scene of carnage when multiple shooters opened fire in the South Street area of Philadelphia, police said… At least three people were killed and 11 others hit by gunfire Saturday night, said Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace."

"Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania who is among the group of senators negotiating a package of new gun laws, said Sunday that a proposal to expand background checks is 'on the table' as discussions continue." Haven't we been to this dance before?

"Over the last 10 days, two leading contenders, former Detroit police chief James Craig and self-funding businessman Perry Johnson, were disqualified from the August ballot, their candidacy petitions rejected because of allegedly forged signatures. Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, who had been polling in the single digits, earned the backing of Michigan’s highly influential DeVos family. And in the suddenly shrunken field, one poll showed fringe candidate Ryan Kelley — a real estate agent who attended the pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — jumping into first place."