James Can, and so it goes.
"After analyzing data gathered when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired its thrusters to back away immediately after it grabbed dust and rock from the asteroid’s surface… It turns out that the particles making up Bennu’s exterior are so loosely packed and lightly bound to each other that if a person were to step onto Bennu they would feel very little resistance, as if stepping into a pit of plastic balls that are popular play areas for kids."
"We are now just (less than) five days away from the public release of the first science images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and anticipation is running pretty high. After more than two decades, and $10 billion, it's time for Webb to pay off… Early indications are that it will."
"Methane is four times more sensitive to global warming than previously thought, a new study shows. The result helps to explain the rapid growth in methane in recent years and suggests that, if left unchecked, methane related warming will escalate in the decades to come.">
"In a former gold mine a mile underground, inside a titanium tank filled with a rare liquified gas, scientists have begun the search for what so far has been unfindable: dark matter… Scientists are pretty sure the invisible stuff makes up most of the universe’s mass and say we wouldn’t be here without it – but they don’t know what it is. The race to solve this enormous mystery has brought one team to the depths under Lead, South Dakota."
"A team of scientists in Argentina say they have discovered a new giant predatory dinosaur that had a huge head - but tiny arms for its size."
"Jeni Rae Peters would make promises to herself as she lay awake nights after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago… Multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy controlled the cancer. But, despite having insurance, Peters was left with more than $30,000 of debt, threats from bill collectors, and more anxious nights thinking of her kids."
"Physicians caution, however, that rest is an important part of weathering a COVID-19 infection. Plugging away from home is better than putting others at risk of getting infected, but it can still strain the immune system, worsening the toll of a COVID infection, experts say."
"Job growth accelerated at a much faster pace than expected in June, indicating that the main pillar of the U.S. economy remains strong despite pockets of weakness… Nonfarm payrolls increased 372,000 in the month, better than the 250,000 Dow Jones estimate and continuing what has been a strong year for job growth, according to data Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "The U.S. posted strong job growth in June, but the total number of employed Americans remained below its pre-pandemic level, federal data showed."
"Job gains have slowed since the first third of the year, when employers were adding nearly 500,000 jobs per month on average. But economists say a slowdown isn't surprising, now that the U.S. has replaced most of the jobs lost during the pandemic downturn two years ago. Employment at private-sector businesses is higher now than it was in February of 2020, while government employment still lags."
"Mortgage rates dropped for the second week in a row, notching the largest decline since December, 2008… The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.30% in the week ending July 7, down from 5.70% the week before, according to Freddie Mac. That is still significantly higher than this time last year when it was 2.90%"
"The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday stunned and saddened people in a country where firearms are strictly regulated and political violence is extremely rare."
"Police say Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots at Abe as he was making a political speech in the city of Nara. The first shot missed, but the second hit Abe's chest and neck, and despite attempts to revive him he died several hours later."
"One of Canada's largest mobile and internet providers, Rogers, has apologised for the country-wide outage of its services which began on Friday… The company's CEO Tony Staffieri said the failure followed "a maintenance update in our core network'."
"India risks damaging its reputation among foreign investors with its "frequent investigations" into Chinese companies, Beijing said this week… China's embassy in India said in a statement Thursday that probes by Indian authorities into Chinese companies were disrupting "normal business activities" and chilling 'the confidence and willingness of market entities from other countries, including Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in India.'"
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is just getting started in its war with Ukraine, despite the conflict dragging on for over 130 days and Moscow's forces suffering heavy casualties… The Associated Press reported on Putin's statements at a Kremlin parliament meeting, where the Russian leader said it was clear that 'the West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian.'"
"The Russian foreign minister left the G20 meeting of leading economies early after telling his counterparts that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not responsible for a global hunger crisis and that sanctions designed to isolate Russia amounted to a declaration of war."
"The Fourth of July parade shooter's location -- concealed on a rooftop along Highland Park's Central Avenue -- made it hard for law enforcement to figure out immediately where bullets were raining from when he opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, the Illinois city's police chief said Thursday… 'The noise was bouncing off the buildings. People were pointing in different directions,' Chief Lou Jogmen told CNN of the scene of fear and chaos that left seven people dead and dozens more wounded in yet another mass shooting in America."
"A Pennsylvania 911 operator faces a rare charge of involuntary manslaughter for failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who died of internal bleeding a day later, despite a plea from the woman's daughter that without medical help 'she's going to die.'"
"A Georgia prosecutor described the apparent targeting of a mysterious monument (the Georgia Guidestones) with an explosive device as an 'act of domestic terrorism,' saying Thursday that the alleged crime was aimed at the county authorities that own the site."
"First Amendment advocates are considering their options in response to an Arizona law signed last week making it a crime to record video police officers from closer than 8 feet away… The law, which was signed on Wednesday by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, states that people can be charged with a misdemeanor if they record police from less than 8 feet away after getting a verbal warning, as they are conducting law enforcement activity like arrests, questioning suspicious individuals, and handling those who are emotionally disturbed."
"Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years in a federal prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights. Chauvin, who pleaded guilty in December, will also be required to pay restitution."
"The actions Biden outlined are intended to head off some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions… Biden acknowledged the limitations facing his office, saying it would require an act of Congress to restore nationwide access to the way it was before the June 24 decision."
"Former President Donald Trump quietly removed himself from the board of his budding social media venture shortly before it was hit with federal subpoenas "by both the Securities and Exchange Commission and a grand jury in Manhattan," documents obtained exclusively by The Sarasota Herald-Tribune have revealed… On Thursday, the Florida newspaper reported that on June 8th, Trump, the then-chairman of Trump Media and Technology Group, joined five other executives – 'Kashyap Patel, Trump's former point man in the White House; Scott Glabe, a former assistant to Trump who was counsel for the media company; and Donald Trump, Jr.' – in a mass exodus from the organization."
"The House Jan. 6 committee Saturday issued a statement describing the input of an ex-White House lawyer as 'reinforcing' alleged misconduct by former President Donald Trump… The idea that the former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone might have confirmed other witnesses' damning accounts in his much-anticipated private interview Friday was initially tempered by the possibility that he may have invoked executive privilege, a legal concept intended to allow presidents to speak freely with legal advisers." While his attempt to grab the steering wheel or choke one of his detail are certainly the most "Hollywood" and headline seeking accusations, unless the agents would file charges, they aren't criminal. I really wish the media would focus on what is important.
"Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone invoked executive privilege in his closed-door interview Friday with the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol despite the panel's attempts to pose questions that would not have required such a response, according to a person familiar with the interview." And, again, you can see Trump's defense taking shape. "Cipollone told the committee that he didn't believe the 2020 election was stolen but that he thinks Trump did and still does hold that belief, according to the source." For many of the crimes Trump could be accused of, intent is a very big part of it. If Trump can show he honestly believed the election was "stolen," while his actions are still horrible, they lack criminal intent.
"Steve Bannon -- who defied a congressional subpoena and is set to go to trial on criminal contempt charges -- told the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection on Saturday that he is now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing, according to a letter obtained by CNN… Bannon's reversal comes after he received a letter from former President Donald Trump waiving executive privilege, although both the House select committee and federal prosecutors contend that privilege claim never gave Bannon carte blanche to ignore a congressional subpoena in the first place." Nah, still take him to court over refusing to testify.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Linkee-poo Tuesday July 5
Things are going to be a bit wonky for the next few weeks, folks. At the end of this week I'm being let go by the day job and there's a lot of things to get accomplished before then. I still have the hospital job, which is the major source of income and benefits. I'm still in a little bit of shock over it, but debating what I want to do with all the extra time I'll have.
"The international LHCb collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has observed three never-before-seen particles: a new kind of pentaquark and the first-ever pair of tetraquarks, which includes a new type of tetraquark. The findings, presented today at a CERN seminar, add three new exotic members to the growing list of new hadrons found at the LHC. They will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together into these composite particles."
"DALL-E mini is the AI bringing to life all of the goofy 'what if' questions you never asked: What if Voldemort was a member of Green Day? What if there was a McDonald's in Mordor? What if scientists sent a Roomba to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?… You don't have to wonder what a Roomba cleaning the bottom of the Mariana Trench would look like anymore. DALL-E mini can show you."
"A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again."
"About 50,000 people have been urged to evacuate their homes as floods hit Australia's largest city for the third time this year… Parts of Sydney have received about eight months of rain in four days… Roads have been cut off, some houses are under water and thousands have been left without power."
"'Water Memories' is a companion to the intricately-beaded clothing and other objects in the 'Art of Native America' galleries. But 'Water Memories' tells a story… The exhibit explores water's many uses - for fishing, for travel, for ritual, for play. But it also points out how political water is. American power companies have flooded tribal land by building dams; a photograph by Cara Romero shows two Native Americans immersed in water, "still and suspended in a drowned landscape," says the artist's website. And a documentary-style video from Cannupa Hanska Luger shows a line of "water protectors" holding their mirrored shields at the Standing Rock Reservation. They glide across the snow to create a spiral - it represents a giant water snake."
"A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit that accused them of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in one West Virginia county ravaged by opioid addiction."
"As Akron police released body-camera footage Sunday of the fatal shooting of Black motorist Jayland Walker showing multiple police officers discharging a hail of bullets, policing experts say the video produces more questions than answers early on." When I was a student at the University of Akron there was a joke about the Akron City Police. It goes like this, "Akron City Police! Bang! Bang! Bang! Halt or I'll fire."
"The outlook for the UK and global economy has 'deteriorated materially' due to inflationary pressures largely stoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, putting extra strain on British household and business finances, the Bank of England (BoE) has warned."
"Ford Motor on Tuesday reported a slight increase in new vehicle sales for the second quarter that missed automotive analysts’ expectations… The company said sales rose 1.8% to 483,688 new vehicles in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, but noted that results improved in June and were up 31.5% for the month. Analysts expected the Detroit automaker’s sales to rise between 3.3% and 5.1%."
"The Biden administration may trim mortgage costs for new and low-income homebuyers in a move to make homebuying more accessible, The Wall Street Journal reports… Industry officials are asking the Federal Housing Administration to cut premiums it charges for loans they insure by $50 to $70 a month per buyer, though some analysts say the federal agency is unlikely to make such deep cuts, the newspaper reports."
"The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals — and possible political trouble in Turkey."
"Two police officers were shot during a July Fourth celebration in Philadelphia, authorities said… 'We don't know if this was ricochet from celebratory gunfire, we don't know if this was intentional,' (Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle) Outlaw said. 'We're just extremely grateful this wasn't worse than it was.'"
"The shooting in Highland Park, about 25 miles north of Chicago, began shortly after 10 a.m. CT as parade-goers enjoyed a sunny Fourth of July parade along Central Avenue… Firearm evidence was found on the rooftop of a business near the shooting, police commander Chris O'Neill said earlier. The gunman used a ladder attached to the building on a wall in an alley to access the roof, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force."
"Robert 'Bobby' E. Crimo III, the person of interest identified by police after Monday’s shooting in a Chicago suburb that killed six people and wounded 38 others, left a long trail of tributes to mass shootings and public killings on social media platforms, according to numerous profiles that appear to belong to him."
"And for abortion providers and funders, the next round of this fight is about more than politics and law. It's become increasingly about money and logistics: providing women in states that restrict abortions the option — and the resources — to travel to states where abortion is legal and accessible."
"That’s because the buyer of the land was a Chinese company, the Fufeng Group, based in Shandong, China, and the property is just about 20 minutes down the road from Grand Forks Air Force Base — home to some of the nation’s most sensitive military drone technology… The base is also the home of a new space networking center, which a North Dakota senator said handles 'the backbone of all U.S. military communications across the globe.'"
"At a recent gathering of thousands of religious conservative activists held by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, one thing immediately stood out: the crowd isn't as white as it used to be… That's not an accident, according to founder Ralph Reed."
"Public universities in Florida will be required to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs and viewpoints, with the institutions at risk of losing their funding if the responses are not satisfactory to the state's Republican-led legislature." Next up, a discussion why there are plenty of liberal arts degrees, but no program for conservative arts degrees. And then there's this, "… Barney Bishop, one of the top lobbyists pushing the bill in Florida's state legislature over the past year, shone a light on the justifications behind such measures — which he said were less about 'intellectual diversity' and more concerned with maintaining the country's conservative Christian identity in the face of younger, more diverse generations that share a dimmer view of religious right-wing orthodoxy." Well hello, thought police. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"While the House select committee carefully lays out a timeline of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the events that led to it, false claims of a stolen election are still spreading… Now, a new strategy has emerged. Instead of trickling down from former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, the movement has gone grassroots, with election denial influencers traveling the country to share their conspiracy theories with politicians and voters."
"The international LHCb collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has observed three never-before-seen particles: a new kind of pentaquark and the first-ever pair of tetraquarks, which includes a new type of tetraquark. The findings, presented today at a CERN seminar, add three new exotic members to the growing list of new hadrons found at the LHC. They will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together into these composite particles."
"DALL-E mini is the AI bringing to life all of the goofy 'what if' questions you never asked: What if Voldemort was a member of Green Day? What if there was a McDonald's in Mordor? What if scientists sent a Roomba to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?… You don't have to wonder what a Roomba cleaning the bottom of the Mariana Trench would look like anymore. DALL-E mini can show you."
"A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again."
"About 50,000 people have been urged to evacuate their homes as floods hit Australia's largest city for the third time this year… Parts of Sydney have received about eight months of rain in four days… Roads have been cut off, some houses are under water and thousands have been left without power."
"'Water Memories' is a companion to the intricately-beaded clothing and other objects in the 'Art of Native America' galleries. But 'Water Memories' tells a story… The exhibit explores water's many uses - for fishing, for travel, for ritual, for play. But it also points out how political water is. American power companies have flooded tribal land by building dams; a photograph by Cara Romero shows two Native Americans immersed in water, "still and suspended in a drowned landscape," says the artist's website. And a documentary-style video from Cannupa Hanska Luger shows a line of "water protectors" holding their mirrored shields at the Standing Rock Reservation. They glide across the snow to create a spiral - it represents a giant water snake."
"A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit that accused them of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in one West Virginia county ravaged by opioid addiction."
"As Akron police released body-camera footage Sunday of the fatal shooting of Black motorist Jayland Walker showing multiple police officers discharging a hail of bullets, policing experts say the video produces more questions than answers early on." When I was a student at the University of Akron there was a joke about the Akron City Police. It goes like this, "Akron City Police! Bang! Bang! Bang! Halt or I'll fire."
"The outlook for the UK and global economy has 'deteriorated materially' due to inflationary pressures largely stoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, putting extra strain on British household and business finances, the Bank of England (BoE) has warned."
"Ford Motor on Tuesday reported a slight increase in new vehicle sales for the second quarter that missed automotive analysts’ expectations… The company said sales rose 1.8% to 483,688 new vehicles in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, but noted that results improved in June and were up 31.5% for the month. Analysts expected the Detroit automaker’s sales to rise between 3.3% and 5.1%."
"The Biden administration may trim mortgage costs for new and low-income homebuyers in a move to make homebuying more accessible, The Wall Street Journal reports… Industry officials are asking the Federal Housing Administration to cut premiums it charges for loans they insure by $50 to $70 a month per buyer, though some analysts say the federal agency is unlikely to make such deep cuts, the newspaper reports."
"The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals — and possible political trouble in Turkey."
"Two police officers were shot during a July Fourth celebration in Philadelphia, authorities said… 'We don't know if this was ricochet from celebratory gunfire, we don't know if this was intentional,' (Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle) Outlaw said. 'We're just extremely grateful this wasn't worse than it was.'"
"The shooting in Highland Park, about 25 miles north of Chicago, began shortly after 10 a.m. CT as parade-goers enjoyed a sunny Fourth of July parade along Central Avenue… Firearm evidence was found on the rooftop of a business near the shooting, police commander Chris O'Neill said earlier. The gunman used a ladder attached to the building on a wall in an alley to access the roof, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force."
"Robert 'Bobby' E. Crimo III, the person of interest identified by police after Monday’s shooting in a Chicago suburb that killed six people and wounded 38 others, left a long trail of tributes to mass shootings and public killings on social media platforms, according to numerous profiles that appear to belong to him."
"And for abortion providers and funders, the next round of this fight is about more than politics and law. It's become increasingly about money and logistics: providing women in states that restrict abortions the option — and the resources — to travel to states where abortion is legal and accessible."
"That’s because the buyer of the land was a Chinese company, the Fufeng Group, based in Shandong, China, and the property is just about 20 minutes down the road from Grand Forks Air Force Base — home to some of the nation’s most sensitive military drone technology… The base is also the home of a new space networking center, which a North Dakota senator said handles 'the backbone of all U.S. military communications across the globe.'"
"At a recent gathering of thousands of religious conservative activists held by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, one thing immediately stood out: the crowd isn't as white as it used to be… That's not an accident, according to founder Ralph Reed."
"Public universities in Florida will be required to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs and viewpoints, with the institutions at risk of losing their funding if the responses are not satisfactory to the state's Republican-led legislature." Next up, a discussion why there are plenty of liberal arts degrees, but no program for conservative arts degrees. And then there's this, "… Barney Bishop, one of the top lobbyists pushing the bill in Florida's state legislature over the past year, shone a light on the justifications behind such measures — which he said were less about 'intellectual diversity' and more concerned with maintaining the country's conservative Christian identity in the face of younger, more diverse generations that share a dimmer view of religious right-wing orthodoxy." Well hello, thought police. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"While the House select committee carefully lays out a timeline of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the events that led to it, false claims of a stolen election are still spreading… Now, a new strategy has emerged. Instead of trickling down from former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, the movement has gone grassroots, with election denial influencers traveling the country to share their conspiracy theories with politicians and voters."
Sunday, July 3, 2022
Linkee-poo Sunday July 3
"At least nine people died and an estimated 11,500 people were injured in fireworks-related accidents last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission… The number of injuries has risen 25% since 2006, and federal regulators are warning people ahead of July Fourth to be careful handling any recreational pyrotechnics." Full disclosure, this year July 4th is my summer holiday to work. Mostly what we see are burns from people being too close or (in one case) holding a bottle rocket for launching.
"Once again, Florida plans to eradicate the giant African land snail, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls 'one of the most damaging snails in the world.'… It's a 'highly invasive agricultural pest' that can feed on over 500 types of plants, USDA says."
"But at the end of the Triassic, about 202m years ago, more than three-quarters of land and marine species were wiped out in a mysterious mass extinction event linked to vast volcanic eruptions that sent much of the world into cold and darkness. The devastation set the stage for the reign of the dinosaurs."
"A new Minnesota law lets people 21 and over buy and consume food and beverages with a small amount of hemp-derived THC, but some legislators might not have fully understood the bill before passing it… The new law says food and beverages cannot contain more than 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving and no more than 50 milligrams per package."
"After a string of steady increases, mortgage rates fell this week — a mixed blessing for the fragile U.S. economy… The lower rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is a relief for home shoppers who have been watching rates climb, but it’s also a sign that a recession could very well be around the corner as the market slows."
"American Airlines says it's restored most of the affected flights after a technical glitch in the company's scheduling system reportedly forced the airline to drop thousands of trips this month… More than 12,000 flights between Sunday and the end of July were wiped out on Friday night because they lacked either a captain, first officer or both, after pilots had changed their assigned trips, the Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American Airlines pilots, told CNBC."
"Those are some of the factors causing travel chaos this summer, but a shortage of pilots that has been brewing for years has also added strain to the industry."
"The average monthly car payment crossed $700 a month earlier this year, the highest on record, according to Cox Automotive/Moody's Analytics."
"The Edwardses received more than $8 million after Josh filed paperwork falsely claiming that their ministry, ASLAN International Ministry, had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million, according to a federal forfeiture complaint… A federal investigation raised serious red flags. Among them: The accountant who purportedly signed off on the loan allegedly had dementia and hadn’t done any work for the organization since 2017."
"In the 1950s and 1960s, when states were liberalizing abortion laws, 'the charge for that actually came from doctors who said, "This is insane, we can't practice medicine, we can't exercise our medical judgment if you're telling us that this is off the table,"' explains Melissa Murray, law professor at New York University."
"Hours after the Supreme Court action, the Buckeye state had outlawed any abortion after six weeks. Now this (Ohio) doctor had a 10-year-old patient in the office who was six weeks and three days pregnant… But for now, the procedure still is legal in Indiana. And so the girl soon was on her way to Indiana to Bernard's care."
"The U.S. Supreme Court’s top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying protests and 'threatening activity' have increased."
"Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in a dissenting opinion Thursday cited claims that Covid-19 vaccines were 'developed using cell lines derived from aborted children.'… None of the Covid-19 vaccines in the United States contain the cells of aborted fetuses. Cells obtained from elective abortions decades ago were used in research during the development of the Covid vaccine, a practice that is common in vaccine research."
"Several dozen white supremacists marched through the streets of Boston Saturday… The men, some of whom carried police shields and flags, were part of the white supremacist group Patriot Front, CBS Boston reports. At one point, they boarded a subway train at a downtown station."
"Why the hell should I have any faith that (Trump is) going down this time?" Jim Wright on the current situation.
"While the details from those who heard the accounts differ, the Secret Service sources say they were told an angry confrontation did occur. And their accounts align with significant parts of Hutchinson's testimony, which has been attacked as hearsay by Trump and his allies who also have tried to discredit her overall testimony."
"Taylor is a fringe, far-right figure in Georgia with a history of making false claims about the 2020 election, voting machines and how elections are run. In the days following her defeat, Taylor has asked followers to sign affidavits stating they voted for her to prove she won the election — despite no evidence the vote totals are incorrect and with the deadline to challenge an election already passed… Taylor is not an outlier, but rather an indicator of a new crop of candidates who insist they won their elections, facts be damned." She had 3.4% of the vote.
"Once again, Florida plans to eradicate the giant African land snail, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls 'one of the most damaging snails in the world.'… It's a 'highly invasive agricultural pest' that can feed on over 500 types of plants, USDA says."
"But at the end of the Triassic, about 202m years ago, more than three-quarters of land and marine species were wiped out in a mysterious mass extinction event linked to vast volcanic eruptions that sent much of the world into cold and darkness. The devastation set the stage for the reign of the dinosaurs."
"A new Minnesota law lets people 21 and over buy and consume food and beverages with a small amount of hemp-derived THC, but some legislators might not have fully understood the bill before passing it… The new law says food and beverages cannot contain more than 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving and no more than 50 milligrams per package."
"After a string of steady increases, mortgage rates fell this week — a mixed blessing for the fragile U.S. economy… The lower rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is a relief for home shoppers who have been watching rates climb, but it’s also a sign that a recession could very well be around the corner as the market slows."
"American Airlines says it's restored most of the affected flights after a technical glitch in the company's scheduling system reportedly forced the airline to drop thousands of trips this month… More than 12,000 flights between Sunday and the end of July were wiped out on Friday night because they lacked either a captain, first officer or both, after pilots had changed their assigned trips, the Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American Airlines pilots, told CNBC."
"Those are some of the factors causing travel chaos this summer, but a shortage of pilots that has been brewing for years has also added strain to the industry."
"The average monthly car payment crossed $700 a month earlier this year, the highest on record, according to Cox Automotive/Moody's Analytics."
"The Edwardses received more than $8 million after Josh filed paperwork falsely claiming that their ministry, ASLAN International Ministry, had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million, according to a federal forfeiture complaint… A federal investigation raised serious red flags. Among them: The accountant who purportedly signed off on the loan allegedly had dementia and hadn’t done any work for the organization since 2017."
"In the 1950s and 1960s, when states were liberalizing abortion laws, 'the charge for that actually came from doctors who said, "This is insane, we can't practice medicine, we can't exercise our medical judgment if you're telling us that this is off the table,"' explains Melissa Murray, law professor at New York University."
"Hours after the Supreme Court action, the Buckeye state had outlawed any abortion after six weeks. Now this (Ohio) doctor had a 10-year-old patient in the office who was six weeks and three days pregnant… But for now, the procedure still is legal in Indiana. And so the girl soon was on her way to Indiana to Bernard's care."
"The U.S. Supreme Court’s top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying protests and 'threatening activity' have increased."
"Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in a dissenting opinion Thursday cited claims that Covid-19 vaccines were 'developed using cell lines derived from aborted children.'… None of the Covid-19 vaccines in the United States contain the cells of aborted fetuses. Cells obtained from elective abortions decades ago were used in research during the development of the Covid vaccine, a practice that is common in vaccine research."
"Several dozen white supremacists marched through the streets of Boston Saturday… The men, some of whom carried police shields and flags, were part of the white supremacist group Patriot Front, CBS Boston reports. At one point, they boarded a subway train at a downtown station."
"Why the hell should I have any faith that (Trump is) going down this time?" Jim Wright on the current situation.
"While the details from those who heard the accounts differ, the Secret Service sources say they were told an angry confrontation did occur. And their accounts align with significant parts of Hutchinson's testimony, which has been attacked as hearsay by Trump and his allies who also have tried to discredit her overall testimony."
"Taylor is a fringe, far-right figure in Georgia with a history of making false claims about the 2020 election, voting machines and how elections are run. In the days following her defeat, Taylor has asked followers to sign affidavits stating they voted for her to prove she won the election — despite no evidence the vote totals are incorrect and with the deadline to challenge an election already passed… Taylor is not an outlier, but rather an indicator of a new crop of candidates who insist they won their elections, facts be damned." She had 3.4% of the vote.
Friday, July 1, 2022
Linkee-poo Friday July 1
"It was an astonishing sight. Despite being buried for over 30,000 years, the baby mammoth found in Canada's Yukon territory still had hair, skin and tusks intact… The extinct animal was covered in mud and resting in a fetal position when gold miners discovered the remains this month. Geologists from the Yukon Geological Survey and the University of Calgary believe the mammoth calf was female and likely died in permafrost during the ice age."
"That's what Wang and his team tried to figure out in a series of experiments described in a new study published in today's edition of Cell. They blew air over two cohorts of mice — one infected with either dengue or Zika, the other not — and the mosquitoes flocked to the odor wafting off the infected mice… 'These two viruses can alter a person's body odor to be more attractive to mosquitoes,' Wang concludes. They do so by changing the skin's microbiome to get the bacteria to produce an aroma that — if you're a mosquito — is just intoxicating."
"Artemis 1 recently wrapped up its 'wet dress rehearsal,' a crucial series of tests and simulations designed to help determine a vehicle's readiness for flight. This wet-dress success was hard-won; the Artemis 1 team first tried to notch the milestone in early April but were thwarted by several technical issues, including a stuck valve. Team members ended up rolling the stack back to the VAB for repairs on April 25, then sent it to the pad for another attempt earlier this month."
"Reddit user sanfrannie posted earlier this month that about a dozen 8-inch silver fish 'rained down from the sky' onto their friend’s roof and back deck in the Outer Richmond. Several other users commented with similar experiences — one person said they 'heard a whoosh sound behind me and heard a massive splat' before seeing fish scattered on a nearby driveway. Another commented that they 'almost got hit by a fish waiting for a bus' in the Castro, and a third person said they assumed 'a band of roving kids were doing a Tik Tok sardine-throwing challenge on a roof somewhere' after seeing several fish fall onto an Outer Richmond sidewalk."
"Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday aims to significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging in the state and drastically boost recycling rates for what remains. It sets the nation's most stringent requirements for the use of plastic packaging, with lawmakers saying they hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow." I'll give it about 2 years until the "and this is why prices are so high" stories start.
"One death and nearly two dozen hospitalizations are tied to a new listeria outbreak of unknown origin, health officials said Thursday… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not identified a food that might be spreading the deadly bacteria, but officials said the public should be alert to symptoms and the possibility of infection."
"Consumers, employers and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can?"
"If you're worried about incurring debt during a health crisis or are struggling to deal with bills you already have, you're not alone. Some 100 million people — including 41% of U.S. adults — have health care debt, according to a recent survey by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)… But you can inform and protect yourself. NPR and KHN spoke with patients, consumer advocates, and researchers to glean their hard-won insights on how to avoid or manage medical debt… 'It shouldn't be on the patients who are experiencing the medical issues to navigate this complicated system,' said Nicolas Cordova, a health care lawyer with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. But consumers who inform themselves have a better chance of avoiding debt traps."
"General Motors’ U.S. vehicle sales were down about 15% in the second quarter from a year ago as the automaker continues to battle supply chain issues, but showed improvement from earlier in the year."
"In one case, the coffee company's founder sat down with his staff, heard their grievances, and made significant changes. His cafés have remained union-free… In the other, an entrepreneur's long-cherished dream of owning his own café and running it his own way turned dark the day his employees voted yes to a union." A case study in how and why unions are formed. Part of it is compensation, but only part. The main thing is respect and giving the employees a say in how their workplace is run. And talk to them, tell them what is happening, tell them why you are making certain decisions.
"More than 1,200 Delta pilots and staff engaged in seven airport-wide demonstrations on Thursday calling for higher pay, among other things, all while flight cancellations continue around the U.S. on the eve of the holiday weekend."
"Passengers on a Delta flight from Michigan to Minnesota say that the airline offered them $10,000 cash to give up their seats on an oversold domestic flight."
"This has been the worst start to a year for stocks in more than half a century… A record-setting run fueled by cheap money has ended, and Wall Street is having a hard time adjusting to a new reality. With the Federal Reserve aggressively hiking interest rates to fight high inflation, the economic landscape has changed dramatically." Buy low, sell high. Or in other words, if you're eligible for a 401(k) type plan and you're not currently contributing, start now. At least put in enough to get the maximum match from your employer (if your employer matches at all).
"The (UK) Conservative deputy chief whip has resigned after admitting he had 'embarrassed myself and other people' following reports that he drunkenly groped two men at a private club… Chris Pincher wrote to Boris Johnson saying he was standing down after drinking too much. However, he did not address the allegations that he was reported to the whips by Conservative MPs who had witnessed his behaviour towards two men at the Carlton Club in Piccadilly."
"At about 8:23 p.m., the woman was walking with her 3-month-old in Manhattan, near the corner of East 95th Street and Lexington Avenue, when a man dressed in a black hoodie and black sweatpants shot her 'from very close range,' NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said… No arrests have been made yet. Sewell was unable to confirm if the shooting was a domestic violence incident."
"A Floyd County man is accused of killing two police officers and shooting six more people during a barricade situation… It all unfolded Thursday night in the city of Allen off US 23. The sheriff said deputies were serving a domestic violence order when a man opened fire. That man was identified as Lance Storz." I'm sure his facial wounds happened when he fell into a doorway, tripped down several concrete steps, and ran face first into the patrol vehicle all by himself.
"It has been 10 years since the Department of Justice filed a biennial report on the federal government's compliance with accessibility standards for information technology, a bipartisan group of concerned senators say. The reports are required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act… On Thursday, a group of seven senators sent a letter to the department asking for the DOJ to once again issue these reports, and the lawmakers want to know why the agency hasn't filed them."
"In a setback for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers, a Florida judge has ruled that a new state law banning abortions at 15 weeks is unconstitutional and he intends to block it from taking effect on Friday."
"President Biden said he would support changing the filibuster rules in the Senate to ensure that privacy rights, including abortion rights, are enshrined into law in the wake of the historic Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade."
"In their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, however, the Republican lawmakers argue that the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause gives state legislatures the power to determine how congressional elections are conducted without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts… Based on this independent state legislature theory, they contend that the North Carolina state courts' decision to throw out and replace the legislature-drawn map violates the federal constitution — an argument that radically departs from the U.S. Supreme Court's historical record of deferring to state courts on how state constitutions and laws should be interpreted." Yes, this SCOTUS will strip you of whatever rights they have to.
"Republican Rep. Liz Cheney was able to find common ground with her four challengers for Wyoming's lone congressional seat on issues including voting against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, supporting America's energy systems and reprimanding the Biden administration during their first debate Thursday night… But when it came to topics such as the Jan. 6 committee's findings and the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, she found herself an outlier. And Cheney's belief that the 2020 election was not stolen could cost her her seat." Whackaloon quotient ticking up.
"Hutchinson received a message from an associate of Meadows saying: '[A person] let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re loyal, and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.' The redaction was Meadows, the sources said, but the associate’s identity could not be confirmed on Thursday night."
"More and more white evangelical Christians are now talking about the U.S. as a Christian nation in ways that verge on or outright embrace Christian nationalism — the idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation and its laws should be rooted in the Bible."
A tweet with a handy info graphic on Christian (White) nationalism.
"Eleven people are registered to vote at this (Texas) address. One of them is Loving County Commissioner Ysidro Renteria, who has been in office since 2011 and listed this property in December as his permanent address on his application to run for re-election, signed under oath. He and at least three relatives used the address to vote in the March primaries… The secret?… 'No one lives there,' Loving County Sheriff Chris Busse, who also serves as the registrar of voters, said in May. 'I can attest that I’ve been here since 2008 and there has never, ever, ever been any of the Renterias — not even Ysidro — occupying it.'"
"That's what Wang and his team tried to figure out in a series of experiments described in a new study published in today's edition of Cell. They blew air over two cohorts of mice — one infected with either dengue or Zika, the other not — and the mosquitoes flocked to the odor wafting off the infected mice… 'These two viruses can alter a person's body odor to be more attractive to mosquitoes,' Wang concludes. They do so by changing the skin's microbiome to get the bacteria to produce an aroma that — if you're a mosquito — is just intoxicating."
"Artemis 1 recently wrapped up its 'wet dress rehearsal,' a crucial series of tests and simulations designed to help determine a vehicle's readiness for flight. This wet-dress success was hard-won; the Artemis 1 team first tried to notch the milestone in early April but were thwarted by several technical issues, including a stuck valve. Team members ended up rolling the stack back to the VAB for repairs on April 25, then sent it to the pad for another attempt earlier this month."
"Reddit user sanfrannie posted earlier this month that about a dozen 8-inch silver fish 'rained down from the sky' onto their friend’s roof and back deck in the Outer Richmond. Several other users commented with similar experiences — one person said they 'heard a whoosh sound behind me and heard a massive splat' before seeing fish scattered on a nearby driveway. Another commented that they 'almost got hit by a fish waiting for a bus' in the Castro, and a third person said they assumed 'a band of roving kids were doing a Tik Tok sardine-throwing challenge on a roof somewhere' after seeing several fish fall onto an Outer Richmond sidewalk."
"Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday aims to significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging in the state and drastically boost recycling rates for what remains. It sets the nation's most stringent requirements for the use of plastic packaging, with lawmakers saying they hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow." I'll give it about 2 years until the "and this is why prices are so high" stories start.
"One death and nearly two dozen hospitalizations are tied to a new listeria outbreak of unknown origin, health officials said Thursday… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not identified a food that might be spreading the deadly bacteria, but officials said the public should be alert to symptoms and the possibility of infection."
"Consumers, employers and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can?"
"If you're worried about incurring debt during a health crisis or are struggling to deal with bills you already have, you're not alone. Some 100 million people — including 41% of U.S. adults — have health care debt, according to a recent survey by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)… But you can inform and protect yourself. NPR and KHN spoke with patients, consumer advocates, and researchers to glean their hard-won insights on how to avoid or manage medical debt… 'It shouldn't be on the patients who are experiencing the medical issues to navigate this complicated system,' said Nicolas Cordova, a health care lawyer with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. But consumers who inform themselves have a better chance of avoiding debt traps."
"General Motors’ U.S. vehicle sales were down about 15% in the second quarter from a year ago as the automaker continues to battle supply chain issues, but showed improvement from earlier in the year."
"In one case, the coffee company's founder sat down with his staff, heard their grievances, and made significant changes. His cafés have remained union-free… In the other, an entrepreneur's long-cherished dream of owning his own café and running it his own way turned dark the day his employees voted yes to a union." A case study in how and why unions are formed. Part of it is compensation, but only part. The main thing is respect and giving the employees a say in how their workplace is run. And talk to them, tell them what is happening, tell them why you are making certain decisions.
"More than 1,200 Delta pilots and staff engaged in seven airport-wide demonstrations on Thursday calling for higher pay, among other things, all while flight cancellations continue around the U.S. on the eve of the holiday weekend."
"Passengers on a Delta flight from Michigan to Minnesota say that the airline offered them $10,000 cash to give up their seats on an oversold domestic flight."
"This has been the worst start to a year for stocks in more than half a century… A record-setting run fueled by cheap money has ended, and Wall Street is having a hard time adjusting to a new reality. With the Federal Reserve aggressively hiking interest rates to fight high inflation, the economic landscape has changed dramatically." Buy low, sell high. Or in other words, if you're eligible for a 401(k) type plan and you're not currently contributing, start now. At least put in enough to get the maximum match from your employer (if your employer matches at all).
"The (UK) Conservative deputy chief whip has resigned after admitting he had 'embarrassed myself and other people' following reports that he drunkenly groped two men at a private club… Chris Pincher wrote to Boris Johnson saying he was standing down after drinking too much. However, he did not address the allegations that he was reported to the whips by Conservative MPs who had witnessed his behaviour towards two men at the Carlton Club in Piccadilly."
"At about 8:23 p.m., the woman was walking with her 3-month-old in Manhattan, near the corner of East 95th Street and Lexington Avenue, when a man dressed in a black hoodie and black sweatpants shot her 'from very close range,' NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said… No arrests have been made yet. Sewell was unable to confirm if the shooting was a domestic violence incident."
"A Floyd County man is accused of killing two police officers and shooting six more people during a barricade situation… It all unfolded Thursday night in the city of Allen off US 23. The sheriff said deputies were serving a domestic violence order when a man opened fire. That man was identified as Lance Storz." I'm sure his facial wounds happened when he fell into a doorway, tripped down several concrete steps, and ran face first into the patrol vehicle all by himself.
"It has been 10 years since the Department of Justice filed a biennial report on the federal government's compliance with accessibility standards for information technology, a bipartisan group of concerned senators say. The reports are required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act… On Thursday, a group of seven senators sent a letter to the department asking for the DOJ to once again issue these reports, and the lawmakers want to know why the agency hasn't filed them."
"In a setback for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers, a Florida judge has ruled that a new state law banning abortions at 15 weeks is unconstitutional and he intends to block it from taking effect on Friday."
"President Biden said he would support changing the filibuster rules in the Senate to ensure that privacy rights, including abortion rights, are enshrined into law in the wake of the historic Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade."
"In their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, however, the Republican lawmakers argue that the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause gives state legislatures the power to determine how congressional elections are conducted without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts… Based on this independent state legislature theory, they contend that the North Carolina state courts' decision to throw out and replace the legislature-drawn map violates the federal constitution — an argument that radically departs from the U.S. Supreme Court's historical record of deferring to state courts on how state constitutions and laws should be interpreted." Yes, this SCOTUS will strip you of whatever rights they have to.
"Republican Rep. Liz Cheney was able to find common ground with her four challengers for Wyoming's lone congressional seat on issues including voting against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, supporting America's energy systems and reprimanding the Biden administration during their first debate Thursday night… But when it came to topics such as the Jan. 6 committee's findings and the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, she found herself an outlier. And Cheney's belief that the 2020 election was not stolen could cost her her seat." Whackaloon quotient ticking up.
"Hutchinson received a message from an associate of Meadows saying: '[A person] let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re loyal, and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.' The redaction was Meadows, the sources said, but the associate’s identity could not be confirmed on Thursday night."
"More and more white evangelical Christians are now talking about the U.S. as a Christian nation in ways that verge on or outright embrace Christian nationalism — the idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation and its laws should be rooted in the Bible."
A tweet with a handy info graphic on Christian (White) nationalism.
"Eleven people are registered to vote at this (Texas) address. One of them is Loving County Commissioner Ysidro Renteria, who has been in office since 2011 and listed this property in December as his permanent address on his application to run for re-election, signed under oath. He and at least three relatives used the address to vote in the March primaries… The secret?… 'No one lives there,' Loving County Sheriff Chris Busse, who also serves as the registrar of voters, said in May. 'I can attest that I’ve been here since 2008 and there has never, ever, ever been any of the Renterias — not even Ysidro — occupying it.'"
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Linkee-poo Thursday June 30
"The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a major blow to the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate carbon emissions that cause climate change. The decision by the conservative court majority sets the stage for further limitations on the regulatory power of other agencies as well… By a vote of 6 to 3, the court said that any time an agency does something big and new – in this case addressing climate change – the regulation is presumptively invalid, unless Congress has specifically authorized regulating in this sphere." Activists judges. This has never been the way laws have worked.
NPR's Books of the year. In past years I've known a large percentage of the books in the Speculative Fiction category, but not so this year's list. Don't know if it's me, or them.
"An international group of geneticists and archaeologists has discovered that the ancestry of dogs can be traced to at least two populations of ancient wolves. The research moves us a step closer to uncovering the mystery of where dogs underwent domestication, one of the biggest outstanding mysteries in human antiquity."
"Six months have passed since a European rocket lofted the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit. Since that time, the ultra-complex telescope has successfully unfolded its expansive sunshield, commissioned its science instruments, and reached an observation point more than 1 million km from Earth… This white-knuckle period in space followed nearly two decades of effort to design, build, and test the telescope on Earth prior to its launch on Christmas Day, 2021. But now, all of that effort is in the rearview mirror, and Webb's massive 6.5-meter diameter mirror is gazing outward and collecting scientific data and images. It is the largest and most powerful telescope that humans have ever put into space, and it's already revealing new insights about our cosmos."
"Finishing Super Heavy itself was a monumental task. As that vehicle required 33 Raptor rocket engines, the company had work to do in terms of production to spool up that kind of capability. By way of comparison, the one-time propulsion leader in the United States, Aerojet Rocketdyne, has set a goal of building four RS-25 rocket engines for NASA's Space Launch System a year. SpaceX is now building at least four Raptor rocket engines a week. The two engines are comparable in terms of their overall power."
"Over the past decade, nuclear power plants across the country have been shutting down early in favor of cheaper natural gas power… Now, an influx of investment from the government and the private sector is changing the trajectory of the aging U.S. nuclear fleet and spurring development of new nuclear technology… But many of the same old hurdles to scaling up nuclear power remain."
"The big problem this big study found concerned gas exchange – the ability to perfuse oxygen into the muscles and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) patients did reach their anaerobic threshold at lower levels of ventilation, at lower levels of ventilatory efficiency, and with fewer breaths – and here was the kicker – while moving more air overall. (These indices were also reduced at their peaks)." (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"The American Heart Association has updated its checklist to measure cardiovascular health. It is now called Life’s Essential 8™ and adds healthy sleep as essential for optimal cardiovascular health… Other health and lifestyle factors in the checklist, which were part of the previous, 7-item scoring tool, are physical activity, weight, nicotine exposure, diet, cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure."
"Spirit Airlines on Wednesday delayed shareholder vote on its proposed merger with Frontier Airlines until July 8, hours before a meeting scheduled for Thursday so it can further discuss options with Frontier and rival suitor JetBlue Airways."
"Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday launched a $1 billion first-of-its-kind pilot program aimed at helping reconnect cities and neighborhoods racially segregated or divided by road projects, pledging wide-ranging help to dozens of communities despite the program's limited dollars."
"This effect is known as the 'benefit cliffing effect,' in which a household loses public benefits or receives a reduction in those benefits due to a temporary or insubstantial increase in earnings, such as increased hours at work or a pay raise. Millions of Ohio workers rely on public benefits to afford basic needs like baby formula, rent, or daycare. Losing these supports feels like a penalty and results in workers forgoing a pay increase to prevent losing the assistance that makes it possible to make ends meet and protect their family’s welfare." I have personally experienced this twice, and I've seen many of my friends have to make choices because of these ridiculous rules. (Grokked from Marie Vibbert)
"A team searching a Mississippi courthouse basement for evidence about the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till has found the unserved warrant charging a white woman in his 1955 kidnapping, and relatives of the victim want authorities to finally arrest her nearly 70 years later… A warrant for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham — identified as 'Mrs. Roy Bryant' on the document — was discovered last week by searchers inside a file folder that had been placed in a box, Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill said Wednesday."
"A plot of beachfront land along the Southern California coast has been returned to the descendants of a married Black couple who lost it to eminent domain nearly a century ago… Bruce's Beach, a once thriving resort for Black families owned by Willa and Charles Bruce, was seized by the town of Manhattan Beach in 1924 with the stated goal of building a park."
"China has issued a strong rebuke at Nato, calling out what it said was 'cold war thinking and ideological bias', after the western military bloc said Beijing posed “serious challenges” to global stability… Nato allies agreed for the first time to include challenges and threats posed by China into a strategy blueprint in its latest summit in Madrid this week. The alliance’s previous document, issued in 2010, made no mention of China."
"President Joe Biden and his fellow NATO leaders depart a highly consequential summit Thursday that rendered the defense alliance larger, more muscular and more focused… Yet after a pair of high-profile meetings in Europe this week, questions persist about Biden's ability to convince both his fellow leaders and the American people that the costs of supporting Ukraine and punishing Russia are still worth bearing."
"French president Emmanuel Macron was caught revealing some bad news to President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit Monday… Macron told Biden the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, informed him that OPEC’s top oil exporters were already at their production maximum."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Fox News contributor Douglas Murray told 'Fox & Friends' on Wednesday that a conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and President Biden caught on tape at the G7 was not a dialogue between two equal world leaders." Ah, but have we heard from the body language experts yet?
"Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, was sworn in as Philippine president Thursday in one of the greatest political comebacks in recent history but which opponents say was pulled off by whitewashing his family's image."
"The parents of a teen injured during the mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan last year are suing the dealer that sold the handgun used to kill four students and injure seven others… The Oxford Community School District and school officials are also named in the lawsuit. Mary and Matthew Mueller, the parents of the injured child, say the school district and its employees failed to address serious concerns about the shooter, Ethan Crumbley. More than a dozen students have already filed a similar federal lawsuit against the school district and some of the high school's employees."
"The disgraced R&B star R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison… 'This case is not about sex,' the judge said. 'It is about violence, cruelty and control.'" Note Ghislaine Maxwell only received 20 years for a crime spree that was much longer and included more victims. I'm not saying R Kelly shouldn't get 30 years, I'm just noting the disparity.
"President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would support making an exception to the filibuster -- the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass most legislation -- in order to codify abortion rights and the right to privacy through legislation passed by Congress… However, despite Biden's newly announced support for the filibuster carveout, his best bet in doing so would be next year -- and only if Democrats gain at least two Senate seats and hold the House of Representatives, an extremely tall task." No do voting rights.
"After the Supreme Court decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade, J feared she wouldn't be able to keep her appointment at the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, one of Louisiana's three clinics that offers abortions, as Louisiana moved to enforce its abortion bans. She already knew she couldn't get a legal procedure at home in Texas, under a state law that took effect in September, banning most abortions after about six weeks."
"The Supreme Court on Thursday gave President Joe Biden the green light to end the controversial 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy that originated under the Trump administration."
"The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that states have the authority to prosecute non-tribal members who commit crimes against Native Americans on Indian territory… The ruling limits a major tribal ruling issued by the Supreme Court in 2020 and cuts back on tribal sovereignty." And why would SCOTUS make such an obvious mistake (reservations are explicitly federal land)? "Stitt has been fighting for state sovereignty on the issue and had expressed fear that if his side were to lose, it could open an avenue for individuals to gain access to abortion on tribal lands, as a way of sidestepping the state's strict abortion rules."
"Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday at noon, when Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement becomes official, the court said Wednesday. She will be the first Black woman to serve on the high court."
"The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a case that could dramatically change how federal elections are conducted. At issue is a legal theory that would give state legislatures unfettered authority to set the rules for federal elections, free of supervision by the state courts and state constitutions." Flashing red warning lights and alarm sounds here.
"Most Americans support abortion rights, but a dedicated minority of conservative activists has been working for decades to dismantle Roe v. Wade, and one man in particular has played an outsized role in that effort: Leonard Leo… Leo leads the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society, through which he has spent the majority of his adult life getting conservatives appointed to the most powerful courts in this country, including the Supreme Court."
"Toulouse Oliver said the threatening email touched upon social media and video commentary by a conservative filmmaker in defense of his widely debunked documentary “2000 Mules” that alleges widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election."
"Republicans and other sources are rebutting elements of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, handing Donald Trump and his allies ammunition as they seek to discredit her and portray her as an unreliable witness."
"The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has issued a subpoena to former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, a critical figure in the final days of the Trump White House who the committee has been publicly pleading with to appear."
"Throughout the testimony presented in the Jan. 6 select committee hearings, former President Donald Trump, who may yet face criminal charges stemming from the emerging evidence, has sought to shape public perceptions about the Republican witnesses who have appeared." Criminal who did crimes says he's not a criminal and everybody was responsible, anyway.
NPR's Books of the year. In past years I've known a large percentage of the books in the Speculative Fiction category, but not so this year's list. Don't know if it's me, or them.
"An international group of geneticists and archaeologists has discovered that the ancestry of dogs can be traced to at least two populations of ancient wolves. The research moves us a step closer to uncovering the mystery of where dogs underwent domestication, one of the biggest outstanding mysteries in human antiquity."
"Six months have passed since a European rocket lofted the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit. Since that time, the ultra-complex telescope has successfully unfolded its expansive sunshield, commissioned its science instruments, and reached an observation point more than 1 million km from Earth… This white-knuckle period in space followed nearly two decades of effort to design, build, and test the telescope on Earth prior to its launch on Christmas Day, 2021. But now, all of that effort is in the rearview mirror, and Webb's massive 6.5-meter diameter mirror is gazing outward and collecting scientific data and images. It is the largest and most powerful telescope that humans have ever put into space, and it's already revealing new insights about our cosmos."
"Finishing Super Heavy itself was a monumental task. As that vehicle required 33 Raptor rocket engines, the company had work to do in terms of production to spool up that kind of capability. By way of comparison, the one-time propulsion leader in the United States, Aerojet Rocketdyne, has set a goal of building four RS-25 rocket engines for NASA's Space Launch System a year. SpaceX is now building at least four Raptor rocket engines a week. The two engines are comparable in terms of their overall power."
"Over the past decade, nuclear power plants across the country have been shutting down early in favor of cheaper natural gas power… Now, an influx of investment from the government and the private sector is changing the trajectory of the aging U.S. nuclear fleet and spurring development of new nuclear technology… But many of the same old hurdles to scaling up nuclear power remain."
"The big problem this big study found concerned gas exchange – the ability to perfuse oxygen into the muscles and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) patients did reach their anaerobic threshold at lower levels of ventilation, at lower levels of ventilatory efficiency, and with fewer breaths – and here was the kicker – while moving more air overall. (These indices were also reduced at their peaks)." (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"The American Heart Association has updated its checklist to measure cardiovascular health. It is now called Life’s Essential 8™ and adds healthy sleep as essential for optimal cardiovascular health… Other health and lifestyle factors in the checklist, which were part of the previous, 7-item scoring tool, are physical activity, weight, nicotine exposure, diet, cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure."
"Spirit Airlines on Wednesday delayed shareholder vote on its proposed merger with Frontier Airlines until July 8, hours before a meeting scheduled for Thursday so it can further discuss options with Frontier and rival suitor JetBlue Airways."
"Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday launched a $1 billion first-of-its-kind pilot program aimed at helping reconnect cities and neighborhoods racially segregated or divided by road projects, pledging wide-ranging help to dozens of communities despite the program's limited dollars."
"This effect is known as the 'benefit cliffing effect,' in which a household loses public benefits or receives a reduction in those benefits due to a temporary or insubstantial increase in earnings, such as increased hours at work or a pay raise. Millions of Ohio workers rely on public benefits to afford basic needs like baby formula, rent, or daycare. Losing these supports feels like a penalty and results in workers forgoing a pay increase to prevent losing the assistance that makes it possible to make ends meet and protect their family’s welfare." I have personally experienced this twice, and I've seen many of my friends have to make choices because of these ridiculous rules. (Grokked from Marie Vibbert)
"A team searching a Mississippi courthouse basement for evidence about the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till has found the unserved warrant charging a white woman in his 1955 kidnapping, and relatives of the victim want authorities to finally arrest her nearly 70 years later… A warrant for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham — identified as 'Mrs. Roy Bryant' on the document — was discovered last week by searchers inside a file folder that had been placed in a box, Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill said Wednesday."
"A plot of beachfront land along the Southern California coast has been returned to the descendants of a married Black couple who lost it to eminent domain nearly a century ago… Bruce's Beach, a once thriving resort for Black families owned by Willa and Charles Bruce, was seized by the town of Manhattan Beach in 1924 with the stated goal of building a park."
"China has issued a strong rebuke at Nato, calling out what it said was 'cold war thinking and ideological bias', after the western military bloc said Beijing posed “serious challenges” to global stability… Nato allies agreed for the first time to include challenges and threats posed by China into a strategy blueprint in its latest summit in Madrid this week. The alliance’s previous document, issued in 2010, made no mention of China."
"President Joe Biden and his fellow NATO leaders depart a highly consequential summit Thursday that rendered the defense alliance larger, more muscular and more focused… Yet after a pair of high-profile meetings in Europe this week, questions persist about Biden's ability to convince both his fellow leaders and the American people that the costs of supporting Ukraine and punishing Russia are still worth bearing."
"French president Emmanuel Macron was caught revealing some bad news to President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit Monday… Macron told Biden the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, informed him that OPEC’s top oil exporters were already at their production maximum."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Fox News contributor Douglas Murray told 'Fox & Friends' on Wednesday that a conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and President Biden caught on tape at the G7 was not a dialogue between two equal world leaders." Ah, but have we heard from the body language experts yet?
"Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, was sworn in as Philippine president Thursday in one of the greatest political comebacks in recent history but which opponents say was pulled off by whitewashing his family's image."
"The parents of a teen injured during the mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan last year are suing the dealer that sold the handgun used to kill four students and injure seven others… The Oxford Community School District and school officials are also named in the lawsuit. Mary and Matthew Mueller, the parents of the injured child, say the school district and its employees failed to address serious concerns about the shooter, Ethan Crumbley. More than a dozen students have already filed a similar federal lawsuit against the school district and some of the high school's employees."
"The disgraced R&B star R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison… 'This case is not about sex,' the judge said. 'It is about violence, cruelty and control.'" Note Ghislaine Maxwell only received 20 years for a crime spree that was much longer and included more victims. I'm not saying R Kelly shouldn't get 30 years, I'm just noting the disparity.
"President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would support making an exception to the filibuster -- the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass most legislation -- in order to codify abortion rights and the right to privacy through legislation passed by Congress… However, despite Biden's newly announced support for the filibuster carveout, his best bet in doing so would be next year -- and only if Democrats gain at least two Senate seats and hold the House of Representatives, an extremely tall task." No do voting rights.
"After the Supreme Court decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade, J feared she wouldn't be able to keep her appointment at the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, one of Louisiana's three clinics that offers abortions, as Louisiana moved to enforce its abortion bans. She already knew she couldn't get a legal procedure at home in Texas, under a state law that took effect in September, banning most abortions after about six weeks."
"The Supreme Court on Thursday gave President Joe Biden the green light to end the controversial 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy that originated under the Trump administration."
"The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that states have the authority to prosecute non-tribal members who commit crimes against Native Americans on Indian territory… The ruling limits a major tribal ruling issued by the Supreme Court in 2020 and cuts back on tribal sovereignty." And why would SCOTUS make such an obvious mistake (reservations are explicitly federal land)? "Stitt has been fighting for state sovereignty on the issue and had expressed fear that if his side were to lose, it could open an avenue for individuals to gain access to abortion on tribal lands, as a way of sidestepping the state's strict abortion rules."
"Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday at noon, when Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement becomes official, the court said Wednesday. She will be the first Black woman to serve on the high court."
"The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a case that could dramatically change how federal elections are conducted. At issue is a legal theory that would give state legislatures unfettered authority to set the rules for federal elections, free of supervision by the state courts and state constitutions." Flashing red warning lights and alarm sounds here.
"Most Americans support abortion rights, but a dedicated minority of conservative activists has been working for decades to dismantle Roe v. Wade, and one man in particular has played an outsized role in that effort: Leonard Leo… Leo leads the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society, through which he has spent the majority of his adult life getting conservatives appointed to the most powerful courts in this country, including the Supreme Court."
"Toulouse Oliver said the threatening email touched upon social media and video commentary by a conservative filmmaker in defense of his widely debunked documentary “2000 Mules” that alleges widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election."
"Republicans and other sources are rebutting elements of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, handing Donald Trump and his allies ammunition as they seek to discredit her and portray her as an unreliable witness."
"The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has issued a subpoena to former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, a critical figure in the final days of the Trump White House who the committee has been publicly pleading with to appear."
"Throughout the testimony presented in the Jan. 6 select committee hearings, former President Donald Trump, who may yet face criminal charges stemming from the emerging evidence, has sought to shape public perceptions about the Republican witnesses who have appeared." Criminal who did crimes says he's not a criminal and everybody was responsible, anyway.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Linkee-poo Wednesday June 29
"The skies over a scattering of Western U.S. cities will stay dark for the third consecutive Fourth of July as some major fireworks displays are canceled again this year — some over wildfire concerns amid dry weather and others because of enduring pandemic-related staffing and supply chain issues." But I'll bet this year's backyard displays will still increase.
"Japan is sweltering under the hottest day yet of its worst heatwave since records began in 1875… The blistering heat has drawn official warnings of a looming power shortage, and led to calls for people to conserve energy where possible… But the government is still advising people to use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke as cases of hospitalisation rise with the heat."
"Martian rock samples collected by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover show signs of key ingredients for life as we know it on Earth… The venerable Curiosity Rover drilled samples from Gale crater, the site of an ancient lake on Mars. Using these samples, scientists were able, for the first time, to measure the total amount of organic carbon in Martian rocks, according to a statement from NASA(opens in new tab)."
"Watch Mercury roll by as BepiColombo probe makes superclose flyby (video)."
"'Our results suggest that amino acids are destroyed by cosmic rays in the Martian surface rocks and regolith at much faster rates than previously thought,' said Alexander Pavlov of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 'Current Mars rover missions drill down to about two inches (around five centimeters). At those depths, it would take only 20 million years to destroy amino acids completely. The addition of perchlorates and water increases the rate of amino acid destruction even further.' 20 million years is a relatively brief amount of time because scientists are looking for evidence of ancient life on the surface which would have been present billions of years ago when Mars was more like Earth." We're going to need a deeper hole.
"A Colorado man required medical treatment at a hospital after he was gored by a bull bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, officials said… The 34-year-old man was walking with his family on a boardwalk near the Giant Geyser at Old Faithful on Monday when the bull bison charged at the group, according to a news release from the park." Leave. The wildlife. Alone.
"Eating a larger proportion of protein while dieting leads to better food choices and helps avoid the loss of lean body mass, according to a Rutgers study… An analysis of pooled data from multiple weight-loss trials conducted at Rutgers shows that increasing the amount of protein even slightly, from 18 percent of a person’s food intake to 20 percent, has a substantial impact on the quality of the food choices made by the person." Unleash the Keto hounds of war! But if you read carefully, it's mostly because of people eating healthier (fewer processed foods and simple sugars).
"Reacting to a surprising and growing monkeypox outbreak, U.S. health officials on Tuesday expanded the group of people recommended to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus… They also said they are providing more monkeypox vaccine, working to expand testing, and taking other steps to try to get ahead of the outbreak."
"The monkeypox virus (MPXV) has recently mutated at a far faster rate than scientists would typically expect, which could potentially explain the ongoing explosion of cases in the parts of the world where the virus doesn’t usually thrive… New research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests that the MPXV has recently embarked on an 'accelerated evolution' at a rate that's surprised some scientists." There are two trains of though in evolution. There's the "gradual change over a great period of time" and then there are the "swift change within a few generations" camps. The truth is somewhere in-between. But for a virus, every cell infected is a new generation and a chance for dramatic evolutionary changes.
"China cut the quarantine period for international travelers on Tuesday, a big step toward loosening Covid controls that have persisted for more than two years… Overseas travelers will only need to quarantine at a centralized facility, such as a hotel, for seven days upon arrival in mainland China, the National Health Commission announced Tuesday. Travelers will need to spend three additional days at home before they can venture out, the commission said."
"A little over a month after the more transmissible BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariant became officially dominant in the U.S. on May 24, two sister subvariants of Omicron have quickly eclipsed BA.2.12.1 across the country… BA.5 and BA.4 are, like BA.2.12.1, more transmissible, but have the added advantage of reportedly being more able to reinfect those who’ve already had Covid."
"Some U.S. adults are a step closer to getting updated COVID-19 boosters this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak shots to better match the most recent virus variants."
"The dominos are starting to fall in the U.S. economy… A host of companies have announced job cuts or hiring freezes in just the last two weeks. They range from Tesla and JPMorgan Chase to Redfin and Coinbase."
"Ernst & Young, one of the world’s largest auditing firms, has agreed to pay a $100 million fine after U.S. securities regulators found that some of its auditors had cheated on ethics exams — and that the firm did not do enough to stop the practice… 'It’s simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams of all things,' said Gurbir S. Grewal, the commission’s director of enforcement, in announcing the settlement on Tuesday." Oh, Uncle Earnie. Full disclosure, I worked for E&Y in their Management Consulting practice (which no longer exists).
"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the NATO summit in Madrid this week aims to showcase the Western allies’ united front in defense of democratic values in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while increasing the bloc’s deterrence capabilities."
"Monroy's son died in one of the darkest chapters of Colombia's 50-year guerrilla war. To run up body counts, Colombian soldiers kidnapped and executed more than 6,400 civilians from 2002 to 2008 and falsely reported them as Marxist guerrillas killed in combat, a special tribunal found… The killings, known in Colombia as 'false positives,' were never fully investigated by Colombian courts. But now the tribunal, set up under a 2016 peace deal, is trying to get to the bottom of what happened. And it could result in a former high-ranking officer in the country's U.S.-backed military being convicted of war crimes."
How do you treat Nazis? "A 101-year-old man believed to be a former concentration camp guard was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to 3,518 counts of murder… The man, identified only as Josef S. due to Germany’s strict privacy laws, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison by The Neuruppin Regional Court, according to The New York Times. He's believed to be the oldest living person to be tried on charges from the Holocaust era."
"The death toll has climbed to 18 people in a deadly Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava… Authorities say up to 1,000 people were inside the mall late afternoon on Monday when two missiles struck the Amstor shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk. 36 people are still missing."
"Russia's ruble is so strong it could hurt the country's businesses that rely on exports, the country's minister of economic development warned Wednesday… After hitting all-time lows in the first weeks after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the ruble has mounted a stunning recovery, this month reaching its highest exchange rate since May 2015." Pull the other one, it's got bells on it. Although it is true that the ruble has recovers to almost $0.02 per, which is a significant boost from less than $0.01, and such a move can cause problems. Still, the ruble is in the basement.
"NATO on Wednesday branded Russia the most "direct threat" to allied security after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and vowed to modernise Kyiv's beleaguered armed forces, saying it stood four-square behind Ukrainians' 'heroic defence of their country'."
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was staunch in his demands of Sweden and Finland, which centered on their relationships with groups that Turkey’s government deems a terrorist threat… What is a big win for NATO is also a victory for Erdogan, analysts say, and one that the president needed in order to shore up domestic support as his economy flounders and Turks struggle with inflation that’s exceeded 70%."
"President Biden announced on Tuesday that the U.S. would enhance its military presence in Europe, including more naval destroyers stationed in Spain, two F-35 fighter jet squadrons positioned in the United Kingdom and a permanent headquarters in Poland for the U.S. 5th Army Corps."
"At least 50 migrants were found dead in the back of a tractor trailer in San Antonio on Monday, federal law enforcement officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. Sixteen others — 12 adults and four children — were taken to local hospitals with heat-related injuries."
"Three people are dead and at least 50 injured after an Amtrak train derailed Monday in Missouri, authorities said Monday evening… Cpl. Justin Dunn, a spokesperson for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B, told reporters that two of the people who were killed were aboard the train while the third was in a dump truck that the train struck."
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said the chamber’s Democrats are exploring legislation to protect personal data stored on reproductive health apps, ensure the right to free travel between states and codify the right to an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case."
"Take, for example, levonorgestrel, a form of emergency contraception better known under the brand name Plan B, although it's also available in generic versions with names including My Way, Take Action and My Choice, to name a few. Borrero says Plan B is supposed to be available over the counter, on the shelf, stocked for all ages… But when Borrero sent a team of medical students to pharmacies across western Pennsylvania to see what these stores actually had on hand, they found a third of pharmacies didn't stock Plan B at all. And when they did have it, most of the time it wasn't really on the shelf."
"Amazon and some large drug store chains began this week limiting purchases of emergency contraception to three pills per customer, company representatives confirmed to CNN."
"Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure… Such social media posts ostensibly aimed to help women living in states where preexisting laws banning abortion suddenly snapped into effect on Friday. That's when the high court overruled Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision that declared access to abortion a constitutional right." And yet they say they still can't do anything about the damn Nazis or trading guns. Despite what the whackaloon right says, social media companies tend to the right and punish the left disproportionately. This is just another example.
"As soon as the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, some states' trigger laws banning abortion began to take effect. In others, including Michigan, bans from before Roe had never been taken off the books, and may take effect again."
"The U.S. Supreme Court has put a temporary hold on a lower court's order for the creation of a second majority Black congressional district in Louisiana… The order by the high court, released Tuesday with dissents from the three liberal justices, comes after the lower court found that a newly drawn map of voting districts for Louisiana's six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives would likely violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of Black voters."
"'We're not going back to the days of the Aryan Nations,' said Coeur d'Alene Mayor Jim Hammond, two days after the Patriot Front arrests on June 11. Hammond was referring to a neo-Nazi group headquartered in that region between 1974 and 2000… But many Coeur d'Alene residents said the events that day, and the hostilities that built up to them, felt eerily similar to that earlier chapter in the region's history." It's the same people and the same ideology.
"Charges against the man accused of slapping Rudy Giuliani on the back were downgraded Monday, the same day the former New York City mayor called for him to be fired and prosecuted."
"The centrist side of Colorado’s Republican Party easily won all three statewide primaries on Tuesday night, sweeping away right-wing challengers who had focused on election denial and culture wars… At victory parties in Denver and Douglas County, the party’s nominees said they were putting aside intra-party fighting and moving on from the 2020 election. Instead, the victors set their sights on President Joe Biden and the economy." So Colorado is the outlier here.
"John Eastman, the former Trump lawyer who wrote memos arguing then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 election, has dropped his lawsuit that tried to block the House Jan. 6 committee from getting his call logs."
"Explosive firsthand testimony was delivered Tuesday before the Jan. 6 committee from a former Trump White House aide about the former president's conduct on the day of the insurrection and those leading up to it… Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a principal aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified under oath about a volatile and angry president. Trump, she said, was prone to throwing dishes and once even grabbed the wheel of the presidential limousine because that's how badly he wanted to go to the Capitol with the rioters." Just a note, it wasn't the limousine, called The Beast, but The Suburban.
"President Trump didn't want to do anything to stop the rioters attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, testified before the House committee investigating the attack Tuesday as she recounted conversations between White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows."
"Trump talked about walking to the Capitol, where he might give a speech or enter the House chamber. And when staff stopped those plans, Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of the vehicle to direct it that way, she said."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Two Secret Service agents are prepared to testify before Congress that then-President Donald Trump did not lunge at a steering wheel or assault them in an attempt to go to the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, a source close to the Secret Service tells Fox News." If one of them isn't Bobby Engel, who the fuck cares? Also, great, let's get them swear in and testify under oath.
"Japan is sweltering under the hottest day yet of its worst heatwave since records began in 1875… The blistering heat has drawn official warnings of a looming power shortage, and led to calls for people to conserve energy where possible… But the government is still advising people to use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke as cases of hospitalisation rise with the heat."
"Martian rock samples collected by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover show signs of key ingredients for life as we know it on Earth… The venerable Curiosity Rover drilled samples from Gale crater, the site of an ancient lake on Mars. Using these samples, scientists were able, for the first time, to measure the total amount of organic carbon in Martian rocks, according to a statement from NASA(opens in new tab)."
"Watch Mercury roll by as BepiColombo probe makes superclose flyby (video)."
"'Our results suggest that amino acids are destroyed by cosmic rays in the Martian surface rocks and regolith at much faster rates than previously thought,' said Alexander Pavlov of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 'Current Mars rover missions drill down to about two inches (around five centimeters). At those depths, it would take only 20 million years to destroy amino acids completely. The addition of perchlorates and water increases the rate of amino acid destruction even further.' 20 million years is a relatively brief amount of time because scientists are looking for evidence of ancient life on the surface which would have been present billions of years ago when Mars was more like Earth." We're going to need a deeper hole.
"A Colorado man required medical treatment at a hospital after he was gored by a bull bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, officials said… The 34-year-old man was walking with his family on a boardwalk near the Giant Geyser at Old Faithful on Monday when the bull bison charged at the group, according to a news release from the park." Leave. The wildlife. Alone.
"Eating a larger proportion of protein while dieting leads to better food choices and helps avoid the loss of lean body mass, according to a Rutgers study… An analysis of pooled data from multiple weight-loss trials conducted at Rutgers shows that increasing the amount of protein even slightly, from 18 percent of a person’s food intake to 20 percent, has a substantial impact on the quality of the food choices made by the person." Unleash the Keto hounds of war! But if you read carefully, it's mostly because of people eating healthier (fewer processed foods and simple sugars).
"Reacting to a surprising and growing monkeypox outbreak, U.S. health officials on Tuesday expanded the group of people recommended to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus… They also said they are providing more monkeypox vaccine, working to expand testing, and taking other steps to try to get ahead of the outbreak."
"The monkeypox virus (MPXV) has recently mutated at a far faster rate than scientists would typically expect, which could potentially explain the ongoing explosion of cases in the parts of the world where the virus doesn’t usually thrive… New research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests that the MPXV has recently embarked on an 'accelerated evolution' at a rate that's surprised some scientists." There are two trains of though in evolution. There's the "gradual change over a great period of time" and then there are the "swift change within a few generations" camps. The truth is somewhere in-between. But for a virus, every cell infected is a new generation and a chance for dramatic evolutionary changes.
"China cut the quarantine period for international travelers on Tuesday, a big step toward loosening Covid controls that have persisted for more than two years… Overseas travelers will only need to quarantine at a centralized facility, such as a hotel, for seven days upon arrival in mainland China, the National Health Commission announced Tuesday. Travelers will need to spend three additional days at home before they can venture out, the commission said."
"A little over a month after the more transmissible BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariant became officially dominant in the U.S. on May 24, two sister subvariants of Omicron have quickly eclipsed BA.2.12.1 across the country… BA.5 and BA.4 are, like BA.2.12.1, more transmissible, but have the added advantage of reportedly being more able to reinfect those who’ve already had Covid."
"Some U.S. adults are a step closer to getting updated COVID-19 boosters this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak shots to better match the most recent virus variants."
"The dominos are starting to fall in the U.S. economy… A host of companies have announced job cuts or hiring freezes in just the last two weeks. They range from Tesla and JPMorgan Chase to Redfin and Coinbase."
"Ernst & Young, one of the world’s largest auditing firms, has agreed to pay a $100 million fine after U.S. securities regulators found that some of its auditors had cheated on ethics exams — and that the firm did not do enough to stop the practice… 'It’s simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams of all things,' said Gurbir S. Grewal, the commission’s director of enforcement, in announcing the settlement on Tuesday." Oh, Uncle Earnie. Full disclosure, I worked for E&Y in their Management Consulting practice (which no longer exists).
"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the NATO summit in Madrid this week aims to showcase the Western allies’ united front in defense of democratic values in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while increasing the bloc’s deterrence capabilities."
"Monroy's son died in one of the darkest chapters of Colombia's 50-year guerrilla war. To run up body counts, Colombian soldiers kidnapped and executed more than 6,400 civilians from 2002 to 2008 and falsely reported them as Marxist guerrillas killed in combat, a special tribunal found… The killings, known in Colombia as 'false positives,' were never fully investigated by Colombian courts. But now the tribunal, set up under a 2016 peace deal, is trying to get to the bottom of what happened. And it could result in a former high-ranking officer in the country's U.S.-backed military being convicted of war crimes."
How do you treat Nazis? "A 101-year-old man believed to be a former concentration camp guard was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to 3,518 counts of murder… The man, identified only as Josef S. due to Germany’s strict privacy laws, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison by The Neuruppin Regional Court, according to The New York Times. He's believed to be the oldest living person to be tried on charges from the Holocaust era."
"The death toll has climbed to 18 people in a deadly Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava… Authorities say up to 1,000 people were inside the mall late afternoon on Monday when two missiles struck the Amstor shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk. 36 people are still missing."
"Russia's ruble is so strong it could hurt the country's businesses that rely on exports, the country's minister of economic development warned Wednesday… After hitting all-time lows in the first weeks after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the ruble has mounted a stunning recovery, this month reaching its highest exchange rate since May 2015." Pull the other one, it's got bells on it. Although it is true that the ruble has recovers to almost $0.02 per, which is a significant boost from less than $0.01, and such a move can cause problems. Still, the ruble is in the basement.
"NATO on Wednesday branded Russia the most "direct threat" to allied security after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and vowed to modernise Kyiv's beleaguered armed forces, saying it stood four-square behind Ukrainians' 'heroic defence of their country'."
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was staunch in his demands of Sweden and Finland, which centered on their relationships with groups that Turkey’s government deems a terrorist threat… What is a big win for NATO is also a victory for Erdogan, analysts say, and one that the president needed in order to shore up domestic support as his economy flounders and Turks struggle with inflation that’s exceeded 70%."
"President Biden announced on Tuesday that the U.S. would enhance its military presence in Europe, including more naval destroyers stationed in Spain, two F-35 fighter jet squadrons positioned in the United Kingdom and a permanent headquarters in Poland for the U.S. 5th Army Corps."
"At least 50 migrants were found dead in the back of a tractor trailer in San Antonio on Monday, federal law enforcement officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. Sixteen others — 12 adults and four children — were taken to local hospitals with heat-related injuries."
"Three people are dead and at least 50 injured after an Amtrak train derailed Monday in Missouri, authorities said Monday evening… Cpl. Justin Dunn, a spokesperson for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B, told reporters that two of the people who were killed were aboard the train while the third was in a dump truck that the train struck."
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said the chamber’s Democrats are exploring legislation to protect personal data stored on reproductive health apps, ensure the right to free travel between states and codify the right to an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case."
"Take, for example, levonorgestrel, a form of emergency contraception better known under the brand name Plan B, although it's also available in generic versions with names including My Way, Take Action and My Choice, to name a few. Borrero says Plan B is supposed to be available over the counter, on the shelf, stocked for all ages… But when Borrero sent a team of medical students to pharmacies across western Pennsylvania to see what these stores actually had on hand, they found a third of pharmacies didn't stock Plan B at all. And when they did have it, most of the time it wasn't really on the shelf."
"Amazon and some large drug store chains began this week limiting purchases of emergency contraception to three pills per customer, company representatives confirmed to CNN."
"Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure… Such social media posts ostensibly aimed to help women living in states where preexisting laws banning abortion suddenly snapped into effect on Friday. That's when the high court overruled Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision that declared access to abortion a constitutional right." And yet they say they still can't do anything about the damn Nazis or trading guns. Despite what the whackaloon right says, social media companies tend to the right and punish the left disproportionately. This is just another example.
"As soon as the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, some states' trigger laws banning abortion began to take effect. In others, including Michigan, bans from before Roe had never been taken off the books, and may take effect again."
"The U.S. Supreme Court has put a temporary hold on a lower court's order for the creation of a second majority Black congressional district in Louisiana… The order by the high court, released Tuesday with dissents from the three liberal justices, comes after the lower court found that a newly drawn map of voting districts for Louisiana's six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives would likely violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of Black voters."
"'We're not going back to the days of the Aryan Nations,' said Coeur d'Alene Mayor Jim Hammond, two days after the Patriot Front arrests on June 11. Hammond was referring to a neo-Nazi group headquartered in that region between 1974 and 2000… But many Coeur d'Alene residents said the events that day, and the hostilities that built up to them, felt eerily similar to that earlier chapter in the region's history." It's the same people and the same ideology.
"Charges against the man accused of slapping Rudy Giuliani on the back were downgraded Monday, the same day the former New York City mayor called for him to be fired and prosecuted."
"The centrist side of Colorado’s Republican Party easily won all three statewide primaries on Tuesday night, sweeping away right-wing challengers who had focused on election denial and culture wars… At victory parties in Denver and Douglas County, the party’s nominees said they were putting aside intra-party fighting and moving on from the 2020 election. Instead, the victors set their sights on President Joe Biden and the economy." So Colorado is the outlier here.
"John Eastman, the former Trump lawyer who wrote memos arguing then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 election, has dropped his lawsuit that tried to block the House Jan. 6 committee from getting his call logs."
"Explosive firsthand testimony was delivered Tuesday before the Jan. 6 committee from a former Trump White House aide about the former president's conduct on the day of the insurrection and those leading up to it… Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a principal aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified under oath about a volatile and angry president. Trump, she said, was prone to throwing dishes and once even grabbed the wheel of the presidential limousine because that's how badly he wanted to go to the Capitol with the rioters." Just a note, it wasn't the limousine, called The Beast, but The Suburban.
"President Trump didn't want to do anything to stop the rioters attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, testified before the House committee investigating the attack Tuesday as she recounted conversations between White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows."
"Trump talked about walking to the Capitol, where he might give a speech or enter the House chamber. And when staff stopped those plans, Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of the vehicle to direct it that way, she said."
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Two Secret Service agents are prepared to testify before Congress that then-President Donald Trump did not lunge at a steering wheel or assault them in an attempt to go to the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, a source close to the Secret Service tells Fox News." If one of them isn't Bobby Engel, who the fuck cares? Also, great, let's get them swear in and testify under oath.
Monday, June 27, 2022
Linkee-poo Monday June 27
"Authors are protesting Amazon's e-book return policy, a system they say allows readers to 'steal' from self-published authors. Amazon's current return policy for e-books allows customers to 'cancel an accidental book order within seven days.' But, for some readers, seven days is more than enough time to finish a book and return it after reading, effectively treating Amazon like a library."
"A tiny satellite is poised to set the stage for something far grander: a full-blown lunar space station. NASA’s CAPSTONE satellite is scheduled to launch on Monday and then travel to a unique lunar orbit in a pathfinder mission for the Artemis program, which is seeking to return humans to the Moon later this decade." The launch is now on hold.
"On Friday, NASA held a press call to announce that its planned mission to the asteroid Psyche, planned for launch this autumn, was on indefinite hold. While the spacecraft is ready and has been delivered to the Kennedy Space Center, there has been a delay in validating the software that will run the mission as it operates in remote areas of the Solar System."
"Temperatures are rising nearly everywhere because of global warming, combining with brutal drought in some places to create more intense, frequent and longer heat waves. The past few summers have been some of the hottest on record… Just in the county that includes Phoenix, at least 130 homeless people were among the 339 individuals who died from heat-associated causes in 2021."
"The debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland-area hospitals is also about racism and redlining." (Grokked from Marie Vibbert)
"Both patients have the same insurance coverage through Anthem Blue Cross of California; they had identical cataract surgeries; and both providers were in Anthem's coverage network. Marilou owed $204, while Danilo was on the hook for a staggering $4,057."
"Health officials on Wednesday recommended that men in Florida who have sex with other men get a meningococcal vaccine following one of the worst outbreaks among gay and bisexual men in U.S. history of a bacteria that causes meningitis."
"On the surface, the monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. doesn't look that bad, especially compared with other countries. Since the international epidemic began in May, the U.S. has recorded 201 cases of monkeypox. In contrast, the U.K. has nearly 800 cases. Spain and Germany both have more than 500… But in the U.S., the official case count is misleading, Makofane and other scientists tell NPR. The outbreak is bigger — perhaps much bigger — than the case count suggests." Best healthcare system in the world my ass.
"The World Health Organization has stopped short of declaring the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern as a result of an emergency committee meeting… The WHO convened an emergency committee meeting Thursday to discuss the severity of the monkeypox outbreak. The result of the meeting was announced Saturday."
"Exacerbating these high gas prices is a huge shortage in refining capacity in the U.S., which isn't likely to be resolved any time soon… Refiners turn crude oil into usable products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. There's just fewer refiners in the U.S. today than a couple of years ago."
"'It’s almost unbelievable': People are having their job offers rescinded days before they start." Remember when business were complaining about hiring people who didn't show up? Yeah. They do the same thing. "But over the past few weeks, many employers started scrambling to tighten their budgets due to rising inflation, rumblings of a looming recession and swings in the crypto market." Here it comes, the self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Pending home sales, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, rose slightly in May, up 0.7% compared with April, according to the National Association of Realtors… That broke a six-month streak of declining demand. Sales were still 13.6% lower than in May 2021."
"Schwedes eventually found a place at his former rent, a much smaller townhouse with no yard or garage and farther from his kids' school. He says the whole process has shaken his longtime hope that at some point he'd be able to buy a home. He wants to build equity and have something to pass on to his children. He also craves a place he can decorate, where the family could always gather for holidays and future grandkids could visit, 'the stuff that you think is normal, that you see in movies growing up.'… Now he feels this cornerstone of the American dream will never happen for him."
"Ecuador has been brought to a near standstill after two weeks of tumultuous protests over a spike in fuel and food prices as global inflation inflames discontent over widening inequality across Latin America."
"A defiant British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in a stubborn standoff with his frustrated Conservative Party on Saturday, after two thumping special election defeats renewed calls for a major change of government direction."
"At least 21 teenagers, the youngest possibly just 13, died this weekend after a night out at a township tavern in South Africa in a tragedy where the cause remains unclear. Many are thought to have been students celebrating the end of their high-school exams on Saturday night, provincial officials said… There were no visible wounds on the bodies. Officials have ruled out a stampede as a possible cause and said autopsies would determine if the deaths could be linked to poisoning."
"Ukrainian troops have 'almost left' Sievierodonetsk after weeks of intense fighting against Russian forces, the mayor of the eastern city said on Saturday, signaling the biggest setback for Ukraine since losing the port of Mariupol in May."
"Russia is believed to have defaulted on its debt for the first time since 1998 after missing a key deadline… Russia has the money to make a $100m payment, which was due on Sunday, but sanctions made it impossible to get the sum to international creditors… The country had been determined to avoid the default, which is a major blow to the nation's prestige."
"Schulz brought more than backstage clout to Title IX. In 1966, he'd introduced a pioneering character: a confident girl jock with freckles, sandals and swagger. Easily the best athlete of all the kids, Peppermint Patty managed her own baseball team, played hockey and raced motocross. The sporty girls in Peanuts, who ice skated and enjoyed throwing balls, helped normalize something as simple and positive as girls playing sports, said Jean Schulz."
"Abortion is now illegal or heavily restricted in at least 11 states following the Supreme Court's historic decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. Twelve other states have laws in place that pave the way to quickly ban or severely restrict access to them, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute, a group that favors abortion rights. Several additional states appear likely to pass new laws."
"Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, medical ethics experts say many physicians will be caught in a bind: unable to fulfill their professional obligations to provide care to their pregnant patients because of state laws that forbid it."
"Using existing data from the National Survey of Family Growth, a recent study estimates that one in five men have impregnated someone who's had an abortion. That's likely an undercount, according to Dr. Brian Nguyen, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California, who helped oversee the project."
"Several hundred demonstrators gathered and marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, channeling anger, frustration and grief as they denounced the Supreme Court’s decision to end a constitutional right to abortion."
"Abortion-rights protesters continued to voice their fury and anguish nationwide Saturday following the seismic ruling by the US Supreme Court to eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion… Smaller gatherings of people celebrating the ruling are also taking place." Oh look, the police still have their riot gear. I was worried what with the Jan 6 response and the activities of Proud Boys storming LGBTQ Pride events.
"Patients were in the lobby, waiting, the moment it became a post-Roe America… The staff at Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services Clinic in San Antonio had just received a call from their attorney: abortion procedures in Texas would have to stop immediately. The dozen or so patients in the lobby on Friday morning would have to be turned away. The clinic staff would have to be the ones to tell them."
"JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in America, and two athletic apparel giants with a significant presence in the Northwest have joined a host of companies saying they will cover the cost for employees who need to travel out of state for abortions… Nike and Adidas have also issued statements saying they’ll help employees access abortion if the procedure is restricted where they live. While abortion access is still protected in Oregon, the two companies also have employees in states where abortion will now be banned or severely restricted." That's really nice, but will they change their political donations as well?
"Majorities of Americans say they disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, think it was politically motivated, are concerned the court will now reconsider rulings that protect other rights, and are more likely to vote for a candidate this fall who would restore the right to an abortion, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll."
"Groups that are opposed to abortion have welcomed the decision, including the Family Resource Council, which has called it 'a major victory for life.' But many global reproductive and women's rights groups are condemning the decision and warn that the U.S. overturning of the constitutional right to abortion will have far-reaching effects around the globe."
"Benjamin Franklin is revered in history for his fixation on inventing practical ways to make everyday life easier. He was a prolific inventor and author, and spent his life tinkering and writing to share his knowledge with the masses… One of the more surprising areas Franklin wanted to demystify for the average American? At-home abortions."
"Now, a still-more conservative Court will hear arguments in the fall about Alabama’s redistricting, in a case targeting the other central piece of the Voting Rights Act: Section 2, which prohibits voting practices and procedures that discriminate on the basis of race. The result of the case could make it more difficult for minority communities to claim new election laws are discriminatory — and raise the bar for what has to happen to get relief from the courts."
"The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a former football coach for a high school in western Washington who lost his job after praying on the 50-yard-line after games… The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that the free exercise and free speech clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in religious expression. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion for the majority in the case, known as Kennedy v. Bremerton School District."
"A Providence police officer and Republican political candidate is facing charges after he allegedly assaulted his Democratic opponent outside the Rhode Island State House Friday night, in an incident that has quickly drawn national attention."
"The photographer documenting the event captured one of the documents Biden used during the meeting: a cue card titled 'The President' with the title of the event and bullet-pointed instructions seemingly for Biden." Well thank god he wasn't wearing a tan suit at the time. Also, that traitor Steve Miller can bite my shiny metal ass. Do I need to go find the several instances of Trump's notes being photographed and how they were more explicit on what he was supposed to say?
"But one crucial aspect of his ascent to stratospheric wealth has transpired out of public view. Using the same prowess that he’s applied to race tracks and options markets, Yass has taken aim at another target: his tax bill… There, too, the winnings have been immense: at least $1 billion in tax savings over six recent years, according to ProPublica’s analysis of a trove of IRS data. During that time, Yass paid an average federal income tax rate of just 19%, far below that of comparable Wall Street traders." Eat the rich.
"Voters in Illinois are seeing first-hand what money can buy when it comes to political office… Three different mega-donors are spending tens of millions of dollars to try to influence the outcome of the Republican primary for Illinois governor in Tuesday's election."
"A federal criminal investigation is threatening the proposed merger between former President Donald Trump’s social media enterprise and a special purpose acquisition company, a deal that would give the combined company access to billions of dollars in public markets… That company, Digital World Acquisition Corp., revealed in a securities filing Monday that it became aware on June 16 that each member of its board of directors received subpoenas from a federal grand jury in New York."
"The ShopRite grocery store worker who has been accused of attacking former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has been 'suspended pending termination,' Wakefern Food Corporation, ShopRite's parent company, told Insider on Monday." Yeah, I've seen the video, it's not that much.
"A tiny satellite is poised to set the stage for something far grander: a full-blown lunar space station. NASA’s CAPSTONE satellite is scheduled to launch on Monday and then travel to a unique lunar orbit in a pathfinder mission for the Artemis program, which is seeking to return humans to the Moon later this decade." The launch is now on hold.
"On Friday, NASA held a press call to announce that its planned mission to the asteroid Psyche, planned for launch this autumn, was on indefinite hold. While the spacecraft is ready and has been delivered to the Kennedy Space Center, there has been a delay in validating the software that will run the mission as it operates in remote areas of the Solar System."
"Temperatures are rising nearly everywhere because of global warming, combining with brutal drought in some places to create more intense, frequent and longer heat waves. The past few summers have been some of the hottest on record… Just in the county that includes Phoenix, at least 130 homeless people were among the 339 individuals who died from heat-associated causes in 2021."
"The debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland-area hospitals is also about racism and redlining." (Grokked from Marie Vibbert)
"Both patients have the same insurance coverage through Anthem Blue Cross of California; they had identical cataract surgeries; and both providers were in Anthem's coverage network. Marilou owed $204, while Danilo was on the hook for a staggering $4,057."
"Health officials on Wednesday recommended that men in Florida who have sex with other men get a meningococcal vaccine following one of the worst outbreaks among gay and bisexual men in U.S. history of a bacteria that causes meningitis."
"On the surface, the monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. doesn't look that bad, especially compared with other countries. Since the international epidemic began in May, the U.S. has recorded 201 cases of monkeypox. In contrast, the U.K. has nearly 800 cases. Spain and Germany both have more than 500… But in the U.S., the official case count is misleading, Makofane and other scientists tell NPR. The outbreak is bigger — perhaps much bigger — than the case count suggests." Best healthcare system in the world my ass.
"The World Health Organization has stopped short of declaring the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern as a result of an emergency committee meeting… The WHO convened an emergency committee meeting Thursday to discuss the severity of the monkeypox outbreak. The result of the meeting was announced Saturday."
"Exacerbating these high gas prices is a huge shortage in refining capacity in the U.S., which isn't likely to be resolved any time soon… Refiners turn crude oil into usable products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. There's just fewer refiners in the U.S. today than a couple of years ago."
"'It’s almost unbelievable': People are having their job offers rescinded days before they start." Remember when business were complaining about hiring people who didn't show up? Yeah. They do the same thing. "But over the past few weeks, many employers started scrambling to tighten their budgets due to rising inflation, rumblings of a looming recession and swings in the crypto market." Here it comes, the self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Pending home sales, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, rose slightly in May, up 0.7% compared with April, according to the National Association of Realtors… That broke a six-month streak of declining demand. Sales were still 13.6% lower than in May 2021."
"Schwedes eventually found a place at his former rent, a much smaller townhouse with no yard or garage and farther from his kids' school. He says the whole process has shaken his longtime hope that at some point he'd be able to buy a home. He wants to build equity and have something to pass on to his children. He also craves a place he can decorate, where the family could always gather for holidays and future grandkids could visit, 'the stuff that you think is normal, that you see in movies growing up.'… Now he feels this cornerstone of the American dream will never happen for him."
"Ecuador has been brought to a near standstill after two weeks of tumultuous protests over a spike in fuel and food prices as global inflation inflames discontent over widening inequality across Latin America."
"A defiant British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in a stubborn standoff with his frustrated Conservative Party on Saturday, after two thumping special election defeats renewed calls for a major change of government direction."
"At least 21 teenagers, the youngest possibly just 13, died this weekend after a night out at a township tavern in South Africa in a tragedy where the cause remains unclear. Many are thought to have been students celebrating the end of their high-school exams on Saturday night, provincial officials said… There were no visible wounds on the bodies. Officials have ruled out a stampede as a possible cause and said autopsies would determine if the deaths could be linked to poisoning."
"Ukrainian troops have 'almost left' Sievierodonetsk after weeks of intense fighting against Russian forces, the mayor of the eastern city said on Saturday, signaling the biggest setback for Ukraine since losing the port of Mariupol in May."
"Russia is believed to have defaulted on its debt for the first time since 1998 after missing a key deadline… Russia has the money to make a $100m payment, which was due on Sunday, but sanctions made it impossible to get the sum to international creditors… The country had been determined to avoid the default, which is a major blow to the nation's prestige."
"Schulz brought more than backstage clout to Title IX. In 1966, he'd introduced a pioneering character: a confident girl jock with freckles, sandals and swagger. Easily the best athlete of all the kids, Peppermint Patty managed her own baseball team, played hockey and raced motocross. The sporty girls in Peanuts, who ice skated and enjoyed throwing balls, helped normalize something as simple and positive as girls playing sports, said Jean Schulz."
"Abortion is now illegal or heavily restricted in at least 11 states following the Supreme Court's historic decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. Twelve other states have laws in place that pave the way to quickly ban or severely restrict access to them, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute, a group that favors abortion rights. Several additional states appear likely to pass new laws."
"Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, medical ethics experts say many physicians will be caught in a bind: unable to fulfill their professional obligations to provide care to their pregnant patients because of state laws that forbid it."
"Using existing data from the National Survey of Family Growth, a recent study estimates that one in five men have impregnated someone who's had an abortion. That's likely an undercount, according to Dr. Brian Nguyen, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California, who helped oversee the project."
"Several hundred demonstrators gathered and marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, channeling anger, frustration and grief as they denounced the Supreme Court’s decision to end a constitutional right to abortion."
"Abortion-rights protesters continued to voice their fury and anguish nationwide Saturday following the seismic ruling by the US Supreme Court to eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion… Smaller gatherings of people celebrating the ruling are also taking place." Oh look, the police still have their riot gear. I was worried what with the Jan 6 response and the activities of Proud Boys storming LGBTQ Pride events.
"Patients were in the lobby, waiting, the moment it became a post-Roe America… The staff at Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services Clinic in San Antonio had just received a call from their attorney: abortion procedures in Texas would have to stop immediately. The dozen or so patients in the lobby on Friday morning would have to be turned away. The clinic staff would have to be the ones to tell them."
"JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in America, and two athletic apparel giants with a significant presence in the Northwest have joined a host of companies saying they will cover the cost for employees who need to travel out of state for abortions… Nike and Adidas have also issued statements saying they’ll help employees access abortion if the procedure is restricted where they live. While abortion access is still protected in Oregon, the two companies also have employees in states where abortion will now be banned or severely restricted." That's really nice, but will they change their political donations as well?
"Majorities of Americans say they disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, think it was politically motivated, are concerned the court will now reconsider rulings that protect other rights, and are more likely to vote for a candidate this fall who would restore the right to an abortion, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll."
"Groups that are opposed to abortion have welcomed the decision, including the Family Resource Council, which has called it 'a major victory for life.' But many global reproductive and women's rights groups are condemning the decision and warn that the U.S. overturning of the constitutional right to abortion will have far-reaching effects around the globe."
"Benjamin Franklin is revered in history for his fixation on inventing practical ways to make everyday life easier. He was a prolific inventor and author, and spent his life tinkering and writing to share his knowledge with the masses… One of the more surprising areas Franklin wanted to demystify for the average American? At-home abortions."
"Now, a still-more conservative Court will hear arguments in the fall about Alabama’s redistricting, in a case targeting the other central piece of the Voting Rights Act: Section 2, which prohibits voting practices and procedures that discriminate on the basis of race. The result of the case could make it more difficult for minority communities to claim new election laws are discriminatory — and raise the bar for what has to happen to get relief from the courts."
"The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a former football coach for a high school in western Washington who lost his job after praying on the 50-yard-line after games… The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that the free exercise and free speech clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in religious expression. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion for the majority in the case, known as Kennedy v. Bremerton School District."
"A Providence police officer and Republican political candidate is facing charges after he allegedly assaulted his Democratic opponent outside the Rhode Island State House Friday night, in an incident that has quickly drawn national attention."
"The photographer documenting the event captured one of the documents Biden used during the meeting: a cue card titled 'The President' with the title of the event and bullet-pointed instructions seemingly for Biden." Well thank god he wasn't wearing a tan suit at the time. Also, that traitor Steve Miller can bite my shiny metal ass. Do I need to go find the several instances of Trump's notes being photographed and how they were more explicit on what he was supposed to say?
"But one crucial aspect of his ascent to stratospheric wealth has transpired out of public view. Using the same prowess that he’s applied to race tracks and options markets, Yass has taken aim at another target: his tax bill… There, too, the winnings have been immense: at least $1 billion in tax savings over six recent years, according to ProPublica’s analysis of a trove of IRS data. During that time, Yass paid an average federal income tax rate of just 19%, far below that of comparable Wall Street traders." Eat the rich.
"Voters in Illinois are seeing first-hand what money can buy when it comes to political office… Three different mega-donors are spending tens of millions of dollars to try to influence the outcome of the Republican primary for Illinois governor in Tuesday's election."
"A federal criminal investigation is threatening the proposed merger between former President Donald Trump’s social media enterprise and a special purpose acquisition company, a deal that would give the combined company access to billions of dollars in public markets… That company, Digital World Acquisition Corp., revealed in a securities filing Monday that it became aware on June 16 that each member of its board of directors received subpoenas from a federal grand jury in New York."
"The ShopRite grocery store worker who has been accused of attacking former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has been 'suspended pending termination,' Wakefern Food Corporation, ShopRite's parent company, told Insider on Monday." Yeah, I've seen the video, it's not that much.
Friday, June 24, 2022
Linkee-poo Friday June 24
"The U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade on Friday, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for nearly a half century, no longer exists… Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that the 1973 Roe ruling and repeated subsequent high court decisions reaffirming Roe 'must be overruled' because they were 'egregiously wrong,' the arguments 'exceptionally weak' and so 'damaging' that they amounted to 'an abuse of judicial authority.'" Whelp, here we are. I would expect that for those state legislatures that are still in session who have not previously affirmed a right to an abortion will have legislation banning abortions by the end of the day. Those legislatures out of session will have a call for an "emergency" session by Monday. Next up, gay marriage and interracial marriage.
"The Mercury-bound probe BepiColombo has taken its second look at its target planet today during a superclose flyby designed to slow the spacecraft down and adjust its trajectory."
"Bacteria typically live out their teeny-tiny lives in the microscopic realm, but now scientists have found a gargantuan one the size and shape of a human eyelash… The new find is 'by far the largest bacteria known to date,' says Jean-Marie Volland of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems. 'These bacteria are about 5,000 times larger than most bacteria.'"
"A bunch of small but hungry bugs might hold the key to saving the planet thanks to their uncanny ability to devour polystyrene — the material behind plastic foam. These so-called 'superworms' could one day help rid landfills of this waste and thus put a dent in one of the drivers of global warming."
"Media coverage of climate change can influence Americans to adopt more accurate beliefs about the environment, but the information doesn't stay with them for long, according to a new report… After reading accurate articles about climate change, Americans may see it more as a problem that impacts them and lean toward supporting the government's climate change policies… But those changes are quickly reversed when participants are exposed to articles that doubted climate change." Or, disinformation works because they've been priming that well for 50 years.
"Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots had been reached, researchers reported Thursday."
"The union representing United Airlines pilots has approved a tentative deal that would give the aviators pay raises of more than 14%, making it the first major U.S. carrier to reach a deal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and setting the bar for the rest of the industry… The agreement comes as the airline and others grapple with a shortage of pilots, which some carriers say have forced them to trim flight schedules."
"United Nations human rights workers documented over 200 cases of enforced disappearances of civilians between February, when the Russians launched their invasion, and late May. Mainly the perpetrators are Russian military or affiliated armed groups."
"U.S. artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez was finishing her routine in the solo free final at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday when the two-time Olympian suddenly sank to the bottom of the pool, unconscious."
"After passing a nearly $3 billion plan that would extend pandemic school meal waivers through the summer and next school year, the House will have to vote on the bill a second time after the Senate sent it back with changes… Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked the bill in the Senate, urging lawmakers to bring back the 'reduced price' category of the National School Lunch Program." Fuck Rand Paul.
"The National Labor Relations Board is asking a court to reinstate seven Starbucks workers who were allegedly fired illegally because they were involved in union organizing… If approved by a judge, the NLRB filing would allow the former Starbucks employees, who worked at multiple Buffalo, N.Y. locations, to return to work while anti-union allegations against Starbucks are heard in court, a process that can take months. The case is set to be heard on July 11."
"The Department of Education said Thursday that it plans to reinstate Title IX regulations tossed out by the Trump administration. Proposed changes would combat sexual discrimination in schools by boosting victim protections and modifying language to include sexual orientation and gender identity for LGBTQI+ students."
"The Biden administration has agreed to cancel an estimated $6 billion in federal student loan debt for about 200,000 borrowers who have claimed they were defrauded by their college… The administration had previously approved $25 billion in loan forgiveness for 1.3 million borrowers. Around 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt."
"The court's ruling will cut back on an individual's protections against self-incrimination by barring the potential to obtain damages. It also means that the failure to administer the warning will not expose a law enforcement officer to potential damages in a civil lawsuit. It will not impact, however, the exclusion of such evidence at a criminal trial."
"Marianne lives with her partner, two dogs, and two sons — Eli, age 11, and toddler Charlie. She says she feels at peace with her life, but admits she sometimes wonders about how it might have turned out differently — if she'd made a different decision, more than a decade ago." Two sisters, and how choices are made, secrecy ties our hands, and what we all stand to lose.
"Three months after the ruble's value fell to less than a U.S. penny amid the toughest economic sanctions imposed on a country in modern history, Russia's currency has mounted a stunning turnaround. The ruble has jumped 40% against the dollar since January." This is the illusion of fractions. The ruble is still worth less than 2 pennies. When it's that far down, even minor changes can make a "big" impact (in percentages). But just to be clear here, we're still talking about a difference that in the US is a rounding error and cause to use the "take a penny, leave a penny" tray. And that "improvement" comes at a stiff long term cost.
"However, Herschmann noted that the pardon Gaetz was angling for may have been intended to also protect him from the sex trafficking investigation swirling around him." Matty, maybe you want to sit this one out. Jordan, you too.
"A handful of House Republicans who strategized with Donald Trump about overturning the 2020 election hotly denied seeking pardons after the Jan. 6 select committee released testimony Thursday stating they’d pursued clemency from the former president after the Capitol attack… Several top Trump aides during the post-Jan. 6 period, including special assistant Cassidy Hutchinson and aide Johnny McEntee, described outreach to White House officials from multiple members of Congress seeking clemency: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)."
"In a clip of the documentary from filmmaker Alex Holder, which was obtained by CNN, Pence reacts to an email he is shown by a member of his staff. The documentary says the then-vice president was shown a draft of the House resolution demanding that Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power… But a Pence spokesman said that characterization was false. 'In the documentary, Vice President Pence was reacting to a confirmation that his letter was sent to Speaker Pelosi rejecting her ploy to invoke 25th amendment,' the Pence spokesman said."
"'Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen,' former President Trump said, according to testimony Thursday from Richard Donoghue, former acting deputy attorney general, in the fifth Jan. 6 committee hearing… Donoghue, who took contemporaneous notes on that conversation, and several others with the former president, emphasized that it was an "exact" quote. Trump made the remarks in the transition period between the 2020 presidential election he lost and the Jan. 6 insurrection."
"Trump planned to install a new acting attorney general, Jeffrey Clark, to help spread his false claim that President Joe Biden’s electoral victory was rigged through widespread fraud, the committee said… Three ex-DOJ officials — former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel Steven Engel — said they threatened to resign over the scheme and said hundreds of others would do the same."
"Skeptics call the Congressional hearings on the January 6th siege of the U.S. Capitol show business. On Fox News, critics call them 'show trials.'… Yet the House select committee investigating the attack is achieving something rare on Capitol Hill: Hearings that are surprisingly tangible, understandable, and substantive instead of the typical Congressional ping-pong match of clashes, arguments and even more arguments about whose turn it is to argue." You mean not having conservatives on the committee who's sole purpose is disruption and obfuscation might actually mean work is getting done?
"The Mercury-bound probe BepiColombo has taken its second look at its target planet today during a superclose flyby designed to slow the spacecraft down and adjust its trajectory."
"Bacteria typically live out their teeny-tiny lives in the microscopic realm, but now scientists have found a gargantuan one the size and shape of a human eyelash… The new find is 'by far the largest bacteria known to date,' says Jean-Marie Volland of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems. 'These bacteria are about 5,000 times larger than most bacteria.'"
"A bunch of small but hungry bugs might hold the key to saving the planet thanks to their uncanny ability to devour polystyrene — the material behind plastic foam. These so-called 'superworms' could one day help rid landfills of this waste and thus put a dent in one of the drivers of global warming."
"Media coverage of climate change can influence Americans to adopt more accurate beliefs about the environment, but the information doesn't stay with them for long, according to a new report… After reading accurate articles about climate change, Americans may see it more as a problem that impacts them and lean toward supporting the government's climate change policies… But those changes are quickly reversed when participants are exposed to articles that doubted climate change." Or, disinformation works because they've been priming that well for 50 years.
"Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots had been reached, researchers reported Thursday."
"The union representing United Airlines pilots has approved a tentative deal that would give the aviators pay raises of more than 14%, making it the first major U.S. carrier to reach a deal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and setting the bar for the rest of the industry… The agreement comes as the airline and others grapple with a shortage of pilots, which some carriers say have forced them to trim flight schedules."
"United Nations human rights workers documented over 200 cases of enforced disappearances of civilians between February, when the Russians launched their invasion, and late May. Mainly the perpetrators are Russian military or affiliated armed groups."
"U.S. artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez was finishing her routine in the solo free final at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday when the two-time Olympian suddenly sank to the bottom of the pool, unconscious."
"After passing a nearly $3 billion plan that would extend pandemic school meal waivers through the summer and next school year, the House will have to vote on the bill a second time after the Senate sent it back with changes… Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked the bill in the Senate, urging lawmakers to bring back the 'reduced price' category of the National School Lunch Program." Fuck Rand Paul.
"The National Labor Relations Board is asking a court to reinstate seven Starbucks workers who were allegedly fired illegally because they were involved in union organizing… If approved by a judge, the NLRB filing would allow the former Starbucks employees, who worked at multiple Buffalo, N.Y. locations, to return to work while anti-union allegations against Starbucks are heard in court, a process that can take months. The case is set to be heard on July 11."
"The Department of Education said Thursday that it plans to reinstate Title IX regulations tossed out by the Trump administration. Proposed changes would combat sexual discrimination in schools by boosting victim protections and modifying language to include sexual orientation and gender identity for LGBTQI+ students."
"The Biden administration has agreed to cancel an estimated $6 billion in federal student loan debt for about 200,000 borrowers who have claimed they were defrauded by their college… The administration had previously approved $25 billion in loan forgiveness for 1.3 million borrowers. Around 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt."
"The court's ruling will cut back on an individual's protections against self-incrimination by barring the potential to obtain damages. It also means that the failure to administer the warning will not expose a law enforcement officer to potential damages in a civil lawsuit. It will not impact, however, the exclusion of such evidence at a criminal trial."
"Marianne lives with her partner, two dogs, and two sons — Eli, age 11, and toddler Charlie. She says she feels at peace with her life, but admits she sometimes wonders about how it might have turned out differently — if she'd made a different decision, more than a decade ago." Two sisters, and how choices are made, secrecy ties our hands, and what we all stand to lose.
"Three months after the ruble's value fell to less than a U.S. penny amid the toughest economic sanctions imposed on a country in modern history, Russia's currency has mounted a stunning turnaround. The ruble has jumped 40% against the dollar since January." This is the illusion of fractions. The ruble is still worth less than 2 pennies. When it's that far down, even minor changes can make a "big" impact (in percentages). But just to be clear here, we're still talking about a difference that in the US is a rounding error and cause to use the "take a penny, leave a penny" tray. And that "improvement" comes at a stiff long term cost.
"However, Herschmann noted that the pardon Gaetz was angling for may have been intended to also protect him from the sex trafficking investigation swirling around him." Matty, maybe you want to sit this one out. Jordan, you too.
"A handful of House Republicans who strategized with Donald Trump about overturning the 2020 election hotly denied seeking pardons after the Jan. 6 select committee released testimony Thursday stating they’d pursued clemency from the former president after the Capitol attack… Several top Trump aides during the post-Jan. 6 period, including special assistant Cassidy Hutchinson and aide Johnny McEntee, described outreach to White House officials from multiple members of Congress seeking clemency: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)."
"In a clip of the documentary from filmmaker Alex Holder, which was obtained by CNN, Pence reacts to an email he is shown by a member of his staff. The documentary says the then-vice president was shown a draft of the House resolution demanding that Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power… But a Pence spokesman said that characterization was false. 'In the documentary, Vice President Pence was reacting to a confirmation that his letter was sent to Speaker Pelosi rejecting her ploy to invoke 25th amendment,' the Pence spokesman said."
"'Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen,' former President Trump said, according to testimony Thursday from Richard Donoghue, former acting deputy attorney general, in the fifth Jan. 6 committee hearing… Donoghue, who took contemporaneous notes on that conversation, and several others with the former president, emphasized that it was an "exact" quote. Trump made the remarks in the transition period between the 2020 presidential election he lost and the Jan. 6 insurrection."
"Trump planned to install a new acting attorney general, Jeffrey Clark, to help spread his false claim that President Joe Biden’s electoral victory was rigged through widespread fraud, the committee said… Three ex-DOJ officials — former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel Steven Engel — said they threatened to resign over the scheme and said hundreds of others would do the same."
"Skeptics call the Congressional hearings on the January 6th siege of the U.S. Capitol show business. On Fox News, critics call them 'show trials.'… Yet the House select committee investigating the attack is achieving something rare on Capitol Hill: Hearings that are surprisingly tangible, understandable, and substantive instead of the typical Congressional ping-pong match of clashes, arguments and even more arguments about whose turn it is to argue." You mean not having conservatives on the committee who's sole purpose is disruption and obfuscation might actually mean work is getting done?
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