"(Thursday), the Ursula K. Le Guin Trust announces the Shortlist for the first Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction."
"The chase for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot is over – because a single ticket has claimed the whole estimated $1.28 billion… One ticket bought in the Chicago area hit the top prize in Friday night’s drawing, according to the Illinois Lottery, securing the third-largest jackpot of any US lottery game and ending a buildup that began when Mega Millions last drew a jackpot winner in mid-April." If you bought a ticket just remember there is a whole series of lesser amounts you can win. Check your numbers.
"Search and rescue teams backed by the National Guard are still searching for people missing in record floods that wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday at least 25 people have died, a toll the governor said he expected to grow, adding that it could take weeks to find victims."
"Researchers have turned dead spiders into necrobotic grippers capable of lifting items that weigh more than 100 times their own body weight."I got nothing.
"Just one day after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate, mortgage rates took a sharp turn lower… The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.22% on Thursday from 5.54% on Wednesday, when the Fed announced its latest rate hike, according to Mortgage News Daily. The rate fell even further Friday to 5.13%." I wouldn't say that was a "sharp" turn, but whatever. Also note, there is no reason to fix mortgage rates to either the prime interest rate or any other stupid metric. No matter what banks may say later. And when they do talk about, just remember that when faced with falling applications, they moved quickly to decouple that metric.
To wit… "'Nationally and locally we're seeing a cooling down, a decrease in demand, and an increase in supply,' said Ashley Jackson, a realtor with Realty Austin in Austin, TX. 'We're seeing that across the board, which you would expect with such a sharp increase in interest rates.'"
"By aggressively raising interest rates, the Federal Reserve is making a big wager that recession is worth the risk if it takes the heat off of consumer prices, which are rising at their fastest pace in four decades… But many economists and lawmakers are pushing back on that idea, arguing that the so-called cure of a recession would be far worse than the disease of inflation." As someone who lived through the 70s, no it's not. Most recessions aren't noticeable to the average consumer, historically. We're in an odd moment that the last two recessions were helladeep and accompanied by other crisis that exacerbated the economic hit. Yes, recessions are bad economically (hey, ask the designer how their jobs fair during even a minor recession), but high inflation is much, much worse. And the argument here is all about who is going to feel the pain to put the economy back together (if it can be). High inflation means the average person takes the big hit. Recession means businesses take the big hit.
Why are gas prices so high? "ExxonMobil and Chevron both reported record massive profits thanks to record gasoline prices during the quarter… Exxon’s profit, excluding special items, came to $17.6 billion in the second quarter, nearly double what it made in its very profitable first quarter as oil and gas prices started to soar in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Second-quarter profit was up 273% from the same period a year ago."
"A subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co has used child labor at a plant that supplies parts for the Korean carmaker's assembly line in nearby Montgomery, Alabama, according to area police, the family of three underage workers, and eight former and current employees of the factory… Underage workers, in some cases as young as 12, have recently worked at a metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC, these people said." At some point we're going to have to cut this, "but we outsourced this and assumed they were following all the rules" bullshit out.
"Four years after he was accused of ordering the murder of prominent Saudi critic and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the crown prince has been welcomed in two European capitals and a Saudi-funded golf tournament teed off this weekend at Trump’s Bedminster golf club."
"Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denounced as a war crime a prison attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian-occupied Donetsk, as both sides traded blame for the deaths." Besides other evidence, it seems odd that no Russians were reported injured in the attack. Also, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Russians would stage this, as they have other incidents.
"The mass exodus of an entire police department after the hiring of a Black town manager in North Carolina has opened a conversation about public safety and race relations in a small town of just over 1,500 residents… Last week, the entire police department in Kenly, North Carolina, resigned, citing a 'hostile' work environment less than two months after Justine Jones, a Black woman, began her role as the town’s newly selected city manager."
"Several women being held at a jail in southern Indiana have filed a federal lawsuit against corrections officers there, alleging they allowed a group of men in custody to rape, assault, threaten and harass the women… Eight women listed as plaintiffs say Clark County Jail Officer David Lowe gave the men keys to the women's cells in exchange for $1,000 on the night of Oct. 23, 2021."
"Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has told George Washington University that he won't be returning to teach at its law school this fall. The decision followed student protests over the Supreme Court's vote to overturn Roe v. Wade."
"Will Smith is 'deeply remorseful' about slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March… Smith posted a video to his verified Instagram account on Friday that began with the words on screen, 'It’s been a minute.'"
"A conservative member of the US Supreme Court has mocked world leaders who criticised last month's ruling that overturned American abortion rights… Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the ruling, dismissed criticism from a host of prominent figures, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson… He joked that Mr Johnson, who leaves office in September, had "paid the price" for arguing against the verdict." Sounds like someone had their feeling hurt.
"The parking lot of H&L Lumber in Mariposa, California, was host to a flurry of activity Sunday as members of a local militia sporting military-style fatigues handed out pancakes and steak sandwiches to evacuees of the Oak Fire raging nearby. Along with breakfast, they doled out business cards with QR codes and directions to join their militia."
"U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, whose legislative skills have torpedoed many Democratic priorities, suffered a rare defeat himself this week, when Democrats thwarted his plan to block their new $430 billion drugs and energy bill." This is why we can't have nice things. Politics has become a personal win or loss for politicians. And by nice things I'm including doing what is right by our veterans.
"Veterans and their loved ones gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for what was supposed to be a long-awaited celebration… The Senate finally was poised to pass a bill that would provide health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins, from Agent Orange in Vietnam to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, in a surprise move, 25 Republican senators blocked the measure on Wednesday — even though they had voted in favor of it just one month earlier."
"A pro-Trump social media influencer who was convicted of disorderly and disruptive conduct on the Capitol's grounds for his actions Jan. 6 is upset over the release of court filings this week that were supposed to be sealed and detail the assistance he provided to federal authorities investigating the siege." There's more than one way to punish them.
No comments:
Post a Comment