Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Links



Stocks drop the most since August, Dow loses 362 points
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/us-stock-futures-dow-data-earnings-and-politics-on-the-agenda.html


How a doctor inspired a film about the Philippines' WWII effort to help Jews during the Holocaust
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-doctor-inspired-film-about-philippines-wwii-effort-help-jews-n839356


Seine River bursts its banks in Paris after days of non-stop rain
https://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/seine-river-bursts-its-banks-paris-after-days-non-stop-n841226


Microsoft releases emergency Windows update to hamstring earlier 'Spectre' defense
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3252165/microsoft-windows/microsoft-releases-emergency-windows-update-to-hamstring-earlier-spectre-defense.html


CNN's Toobin 'regrets' his role in pushing 'false equivalence' between Trump and Clinton
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/371221-cnns-toobin-says-he-regrets-his-role-in-pushing-clinton-false-equivalency


Top Six Red Flags that Identify a Conspiracy Theory Article
http://www.allgeneralizationsarefalse.com/top-six-red-flags-that-identify-a-conspiracy-theory-article/


Two percent of U.S. adults said they had gotten a raise, bonus or other additional benefits due to the Republican tax law enacted a month ago by President Donald Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-poll/few-u-s-adults-report-bonuses-raises-from-republican-tax-law-idUSKBN1FI16Q


In regards to some hysteria on Facebook about a bogus claim about supposed followers:
I don't care who is following me. I post stuff I think would be interesting, amusing, or useful, and that everybody should know. It would be fine with me if everybody on Facebook were following me.
I already get too much repetitive stuff in my newsfeed, so I would rather have people who post the same stuff follow me than friend me.
I sometimes follow people because I am interested in their music, and feel they might not be interested in having my political and local stuff clutter up their newsfeed.
I also follow people like politicians, reporters, and authors who want to be heard, but have so many followers and Facebook friends, that having my posts in their newsfeed would not be useful.
Eg., I just followed investigative reporter Jane Mayer, who wrote “Dark Money”. Her Facebook page invites people to follow her.
The following link explains what is really going on.
https://heavy.com/tech/2017/09/facebook-following-me-hoax-or-not-truth-snopes-blocked/


Lower-income households spend more when the stock market is rising
[I've been around long enough to know that rising stock markets don't mean that things are good for the average person.]
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/more-lower-income-households-overspend-when-the-stock-market-is-rising-2018-01-29


[Jan. 29, 2018 Dow, Nasdaq, U S&P all down today, as are Japan, Hong Kong, and German markets. Has Trump claimed responsibility for this?]
http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/


Floodwaters hit peak in Paris, now threaten Normandy
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/floodwaters-hit-peak-paris-now-threaten-normandy-52676825


U.S. soldiers are revealing sensitive and dangerous information by jogging
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-map-showing-the-users-of-fitness-devices-lets-the-world-see-where-us-soldiers-are-and-what-they-are-doing/2018/01/28/86915662-0441-11e8-aa61-f3391373867e_story.html?utm_term=.4d31fd262941


Sherry Johnson was raped, pregnant and married by 11. Now she's fighting to end child marriage in America
[The fruit of male domination.]
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/29/health/ending-child-marriage-in-america/index.html


Scientists grow new ears for children with defect
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/29/health/growing-ears-on-humans-study/index.html

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Americans reflexively link hard work with reward, but what happens as the two become ever more disconnected?


Please make a contribution to The Guardian to help them continue to operate w/o a pay wall.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/29/rich-people-wealth-america

Maia Szalavitz
Jan. 29, 2018

•••••

Americans reflexively connect hard work with deservingness. The American dream promises that if we work hard enough we will be rewarded, and that those who have wealth deserve to have it. We don’t think much about why a hedge-fund manager would “deserve” exponentially more than a doctor, scientist or teacher – or whether the measure of a person’s “worth” should be only economic.

But as effort and reward become ever more disconnected, what happens when strenuous labor is met with little money, or reward comes effortlessly, sometimes via inheritance?

•••••

Johannes Siegrist, senior professor of work stress research at the University of Dusseldorf, coined a term to study the health effects of unfair compensation: “effort/reward imbalance” (ERI). “There are two versions,” he says. “You can either do too little and receive too much or do too much and receive too little.”

The second condition, not surprisingly, is far more common and has been the subject of much more research.

In studies that followed thousands of workers in different countries, Siegrist and others found that ERI is linked to health problems: specifically, an increased risk of coronary heart disease by about 40% and an 80% increase in the risk for depression. Since roughly one quarter of people in these studies work hard and see little gain, ERI is a significant problem in the workforce.

With rising job insecurity and stagnant wages, many workers feel as though they have no choice but to accept salaries and conditions that they would otherwise view as unfair. Research shows that over time, the proportion of jobs with high level ERI has risen, says Siegrist.

But being excessively rewarded without putting in much effort may also cause problems.

Although Siegrist cautions that the evidence is so far weak, his group does have unpublished data suggesting that feeling as though you have received unmerited reward is also associated with mental health problems.

•••••

“People who have inherited wealth are more conflicted about their entitlement,” says Rachel Sherman, a sociology professor at the New School.

She interviewed dozens of wealthy people for her book Uneasy Street: The Anxiety of Affluence. She found that, in order to cope with this conflict, many simply pretend to be “self-made.” President Trump is a glaring example: even though grew up wealthy, he presents himself as an entrepreneur.

•••••

Meanwhile, few who make the “I did it all myself” argument question the absurdity of seeing earnings as a measure of grit and moral worth. Does anyone really think that a CEO, whose pay is on average 271 times greater than that of his typical worker, works 271 times harder than his employees, who might actually be doing strenuous physical labor?

If this is true, today’s CEO must be running mental ultra-marathons compared to their predecessors: in the 1980s, they only made 50 times more. And so, to avoid wrestling with this illogic, the rich compare themselves to imagined welfare recipients, who lie around all day leeching off taxpayers.

The Trump administration is taking this idea to a new extreme: it has decided to let states create work requirements for Medicaid recipients, as if having healthcare could somehow deter work, as if only those who work deserve life.

•••••

After years spent feeling isolated and conflicted, [Adam] Roberts decided to confront these issues. He became a national organizer for Resource Generation, a group aimed at helping rich young adults reduce inequality, partly by getting them to recognize how the wealthy can harm society. Through community organizing, the group works to connect people and intervene “at the level of systems and policy,” Roberts explains.

“I might not be able organize low-wage workers,” he says. “But I can connect with wealthy people who feel stuck and isolated and want to contribute to social justice.”

•••••

Lunar eclipse tonight Jan. 30, 2018



See the following link for what time the moon will eclipse in the U.S. early in the morning Jan. 31, 2018, before sunrise.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/super-blue-moon-eclipse-on-january-31

Eclipse calculator for your location

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/LunarEclipse.php



Monday, January 29, 2018

Former Colorado GOP chairman sentenced for voter fraud


We can see some of the reason he has two ex-wives, including the one whose vote he stole.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-curtis-former-colorado-gop-chairman-sentenced-for-voter-fraud/

Jan. 27, 2018

The former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party was sentenced to four years of probation and 300 hours of community service for voter fraud.

•••••

In October of 2016, Kelly Curtis called the Weld County Clerk and Recorder's Office to obtain her mail-in ballot. She was told she had already voted, CBS Denver reports.

The Weld County District Attorney's Office investigated and, using DNA evidence and handwriting analysis, alleged that Steve Curtis forged his wife's name on her ballot and mailed it to the clerk's office.

•••••

She hadn't even lived in the house for 11 months."

•••••

"It was a normal and customary thing in my house with my prior wife and with Kelly (Curtis), to fill out their ballots. … I didn't know that was illegal," Curtis said Friday to Weld District Court Judge Julie Hoskins, according to the Greeley Tribune

•••••

Steve Curtis served as the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party from 1997-99

•••••

Thirsty koala drinks entire water bottle from generous cyclist


See the link below for pictures.

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/thirsty-koala-drinks-entire-water-bottle-generous-cyclist/story?id=52604365

By KELLY MCCARTHY
Jan 25, 2018

A concerned cyclist took a pit stop during his ride through Adelaide, Australia, to help out a thirsty koala.

Matt Sully posted a video on Facebook, where he is seen squirting some water on the ground near the lethargic looking marsupial before allowing it to drink straight from his water bottle.

"This little guy called 'Slurpy' was so thirsty he emptied my entire bottle," Sully wrote in the post.

Sully said the temperature was "like a furnace" during his ride last Thursday and he'd never experienced heat like that.

•••••

Assessing the U.S. Climate in 2017

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-201712?position=1&list=YUifwFUJzIcmYCx11e6F8_vooKFgXHw55fyBhPtRgtc

Based on preliminary analysis, the average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 54.6°F, 2.6°F above the 20th century average. This was the third warmest year since record keeping began in 1895, behind 2012 (55.3°F) and 2016 (54.9°F), and the 21st consecutive warmer-than-average year for the U.S. (1997 through 2017). The five warmest years on record for the contiguous U.S. have all occurred since 2006.

During the year, the U.S. experienced 16 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion, with total costs of approximately $306 billion – a new U.S. annual record. The previous costliest year for the U.S. was 2005 with losses of $215 billion driven in large part by Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita. The number of events (16) ties 2011 for most billion-dollar disasters in a single year. Some of the more noteworthy events included the western wildfire season, with total costs of $18 billion, tripling the previous U.S. annual wildfire cost record. Hurricane Harvey had total costs of $125 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina in the 38-year period of record for billion-dollar disasters. Hurricanes Maria and Irma had total costs of $90 billion and $50 billion, respectively. Hurricane Maria now ranks as the third costliest weather and climate disaster on record for the nation and Irma ranks as the fifth costliest.

•••••

For the third consecutive year, every state across the contiguous U.S. and Alaska had an above-average annual temperature. Despite cold seasons in various regions throughout the year, above-average temperatures, often record breaking, during other parts of the year more than offset any seasonal cool conditions.

Five states – Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina and South Carolina – had their warmest year on record. Thirty-two additional states, including Alaska, had annual temperatures that ranked among the 10 warmest on record.

•••••

The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for 2017 was the second highest value in the 108-year period record at more than double the average. Only 2012 had a higher USCEI value. On the national scale, extremes in warm maximum and minimum temperatures, one-day precipitation totals, days with precipitation and landfalling tropical cyclones contributed to the elevated USCEI. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought and landfalling tropical cyclones across the contiguous U.S.

There were a record-tying 16 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion during 2017 including three tropical cyclones, eight severe storms, two inland floods, a crop freeze, drought and wildfires causing a total of 362 direct fatalities among these events. However, 2017 arguably has more events than 2011 given that our analysis traditionally counts all U.S. billion-dollar wildfires as a single, seasonal event. In the 38-year period of record, the U.S. has sustained 219 weather and climate disasters where the overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The cumulative costs for these 219 events exceed $1.5 trillion.

•••••

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Trump Says He 'Saved Coal,' But Miner Deaths Nearly Doubled In His First Year

http://www.newsweek.com/coal-miners-safety-health-trump-788576

By Nicole Goodkind On 1/27/18

•••••

This is the dirty secret of Trump’s much-touted effort to help the coal industry. The president has been quick to celebrate the 771 net workers that were hired in 2017, but the administration's push to support the dirtiest of fossil fuels has been accompanied by a surge in deaths of the workers who procure it. The 2017 death toll was the highest since 2014—when there were roughly 60,000 more miners at work in America.

Mining advocates put some of the blame on the president, whose support for mine owners has led to relaxed safety enforcement, scores of inexperienced new miners and inconsistent commitment to training programs and courses. In the meantime, Republicans in the House want to cut mine safety budgets further, and Trump, who says he supports coal miners, has been silent on a Senate bill that would shore up miners' pensions.

“When you look at the Trump administration policies and his ratcheting back of regulations ... this administration has no moral compass about ethics,” said Joe Main, who ran the Mine Safety and Health Administration under President Barack Obama. “Companies now think we have a less aggressive sheriff in town.”

•••••

Annual miner deaths did increase twice during the Bush administration and were higher than under his successor, Barack Obama, who, in 2009, brought total miner deaths down below 20 for the first time in American history.

Manchin expressed his own concerns, telling Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in a letter in September that MSHA inspectors were being instructed to remove their Representative Status credentials. Without the credentials, inspectors are not allowed to issue violations or remove miners from unsafe conditions.

•••••

He also questioned why miners' representatives were no longer able to walk with compliance assistants. "This is particularly alarming because, no one is better suited to spot inconsistencies or unsafe conditions that the very people who work at the mine day in and day out," Manchin wrote.

•••••

In the midst of the current mine safety crisis, Congress has proposed to cut MSHA’s coal enforcement budget by $11 million or 7 percent in the next fiscal year, leaving the agency with its lowest budget since FY 2013. Trump originally proposed to leave MSHA’s budget largely untouched but to reduce staffing by 42 positions.

“The proposed budget cut is absolutely a move towards reducing the inspectors in the coal industry,” said Smith, adding that the plan will result in an agency staffed by “inexperienced inspectors.”

•••••

Manchin is most upset with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who he says refuses to fund the pensions of 117,000 retired coal miners and dependents, who are at risk of losing their retirement funds due to the declining coal industry.

A Senate bill has 21 co-sponsors, but McConnell won't move it and Trump hasn't pushed the issue, Manchin said.

“We’re not talking big numbers here,” said Manchin. “Most pensions top out at $500 or $600 each month.”

Manchin added that Trump has been a sympathetic ear on the issue, but has not acted. To Joe Main, that means Trump's rhetoric about caring for coal miners is empty.

“I don't think I’ve ever heard the president talk about this pension,” he said. “These are people who produced the energy for this country to grow, they’re owed healthcare and a darn pension.”

•••••

Even with hundreds of new miners hired last year, the solar and wind industries still employed nearly three times as many people as the coal industry. Half of America’s coal-fired plants have shuttered since 2010 and since Trump took office at least 17 plants have announced they’ll be closing shop. Coal isn’t cost-competitive with cheaper natural gas and it faces new competition as the cost of renewable energy continues to decline.

•••••

Links



Cats are smarter than we take them for?
https://www.quora.com/Are-cats-smarter-than-we-take-them-for/answer/Steve-Jones-243


You never know how your actions may effect others around you, so you might as well be kind to all.
http://dailyheadline.com/an-old-lady-paid-for-a-customers-books-then-she-said-this-and-left-him-tears/


Adenovirus looks like flu, acts like flu, but it's not influenza
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/virus-looks-flu-acts-flu-it-s-not-influenza-n840651


Idiotic parents are making their children drink industrial bleach to cure them of autism—with the potentially deadly practice linked back to a U.S. cult.
http://www.newsweek.com/parents-are-making-their-children-drink-bleach-cure-them-autism-793197


Grounds for impeachment if Trump lied about trying to fire Mueller – Ken Starr
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/28/trump-robert-mueller-russia-ken-starr


Paris remains on high alert as Seine continues to rise
[4 meters = a little over 13 feet]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/28/paris-remains-on-high-alert-as-seine-continues-to-rise


'Super blue blood moon': stargazers prepare for rare celestial event
[Wed. Jan. 31, 2018]
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/28/super-blue-blood-moon-stargazers-gear-up-for-rare-celestial-event


How climate change is worsening public health problems
https://skepticalscience.com/2018-SkS-Weekly-News-Roundup_04.html


North of Lake Tahoe, the pika has gone locally extinct due to global warming
https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/01/north-of-lake-tahoe-pika-vanishes/


Being annoyed by sometimes having to try several times to load a web page, I realized that the software fix that is slowing down computers would be doing the same for the computers that are used as servera.


Saturday, January 27, 2018

Links



Kimberly-Clark — maker of brands such as Kleenex, Scott and Huggies — said the savings it receives from the new tax-cut law will help them pay for a restructuring program that includes layoffs.
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/370498-kimberly-clark-to-use-savings-from-tax-cuts-to-pay-for-layoffs


Get taxes done for free from Tax-Aide
https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide.html


Suspects placing skimming devices on metro-Atlanta ATMs
http://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/lawrenceville/be-cautious-suspects-placing-skimming-devices-on-metro-atlanta-atms/85-511765972


The muddy Seine River in Paris overflows its banks on Jan. 26, 2018 in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral after days of almost non-stop rain causes flooding in France.
https://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/seine-river-bursts-its-banks-paris-after-days-non-stop-n841226


Friday, January 26, 2018

Links



Russians got tens of thousands of Americans to RSVP for their phony political events on Facebook
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/25/russians-got-tens-of-thousands-of-americans-to-rsvp-for-their-phony-political-events-on-facebook/?utm_term=.71ecc2472fe9


Walmart Is Cutting Up to 500 Corporate Jobs This Week
http://fortune.com/2018/01/25/wal-mart-headquarter-job-cuts-amazon/


They discovered a flaw in computer hardware that leaves our computers open to hacking. They are fixing the problem with a software. It slow computers down, some so slightly as to not be noticed, some more significantly. Maybe some of us are being affected by the software fix. My older computer has always been slow, but I don't see how I could have finished my Tax-Aide certification if it had always been so slow. Thank goodness I have my newer computer back!

In 2017, the oceans were by far the hottest ever recorded


Please donate to The Guardian so it can continue its investigative reporting w/o a paywall.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jan/26/in-2017-the-oceans-were-by-far-the-hottest-ever-recorded

John Abraham
Fri 26 Jan 2018

Among scientists who work on climate change, perhaps the most anticipated information each year is how much the Earth has warmed. That information can only come from the oceans, because almost all heat is stored there. If you want to understand global warming, you need to first understand ocean warming.

This isn’t to say other measurements are not also important. For instance, measurements of the air temperature just above the Earth are really important. We live in this air; it affects us directly. A great commentary on 2017 air temperatures is provided by my colleague Dana Nuccitelli. Another measurement that is important is sea level rise; so too is ocean acidification. We could go on and on identifying the markers of climate change. But in terms of understanding how fast the Earth is warming, the key is the oceans.

This important ocean information was just released today by a world-class team of researchers from China. The researchers (Lijing Cheng and Jiang Zhu) found that the upper 2000 meters (more than 6000 feet) of ocean waters were far warmer in 2017 than the previous hottest year. We measure heat energy in Joules. It turns out that 2017 was a record-breaking year, 1.51 × 1022 Joules hotter than any other year. For comparison, the annual electrical generation in China is 600 times smaller than the heat increase in the ocean.

•••••

What is interesting is that from year to year (or over the span of a few years), the heat in the oceans may increase or decrease. This is because there are natural fluctuations that can transfer extra energy to or from the waters. One such natural event is the well-known El Niño/La Niña cycle in the Pacific Ocean. During an El Niño, the Pacific Ocean tends to have very warm waters at the surface, which causes heat loss to the atmosphere (so the ocean cools and the atmosphere warms). Conversely, during a La Niña, the reverse process occurs.

There are other fluctuations and natural occurrences like volcanic eruptions and other changes in ocean currents. But it just means we don’t want to take any one year as proof of global warming. The fact that 2017 was the oceans’ hottest year doesn’t prove humans are warming the planet. But, the long term upward trend that extends back many decades does prove global warming. The graph above is the most important image to show someone who denies the reality of a changing climate.

•••••

It’s interesting to look at the top five years on record in terms of ocean heat; they are listed below.

2017: 19.19 × 1022 J
2015: 17.68 × 1022 J
2016: 17.18 × 1022 J
2014: 16.74 × 1022 J
2013: 16.08 × 1022 J

Note that these are the five hottest years ever recorded.

•••••

The authors also calculated that all this heat resulted in approximately 2 mm rise in sea level (as water warms, it expands and so that ocean levels rise).

Further consequences of this heating include declining oxygen levels in the oceans, bleaching of coral reefs, and melting of both sea ice and ice shelves (the latter of which which will also raise sea levels). We are observing these effects. Arctic ice is undergoing a long-term decline, and it’s possible the Arctic will become ice-free. Massive coral bleaching events have been recorded, particularly in the waters off of Australia. The point is, the effects of global warming aren’t just academic; they are real.

The consequences of this year-after-year-after-year warming have real impacts on humans. Fortunately, we know why the oceans are warming (because of human greenhouse gases), and we can do something about it. We can take action to reduce the heating of our planet by using energy more wisely and increasing the use of clean and renewable energy (like wind and solar power).

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Links



Lloyd's of London to divest from coal over climate change
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/21/lloyds-of-london-to-divest-from-coal-over-climate-change


Are Climate Change and the Environment Driving Protests in Iran and Tunisia?
https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/24034/are-climate-change-and-the-environment-driving-protests-in-iran-and-tunisia


Annual poll finds 31 per cent of CEOs now 'extremely concerned' about threat to growth from environmental damage
CEO's concerns that climate change and wider environmental damage represent a threat to economic growth has doubled over the past year
https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3025128/pwc-poll-concern-over-climate-change-threat-surges-among-ceos


Ex-RNC chair rips evangelical leaders standing by Trump: 'Don't ever preach to me' again
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/370473-ex-rnc-chair-rips-evangelical-leaders-standing-by-trump-dont?amp&__twitter_impression=true


A dog in Florida nearly died after a purple hair dye job left her with severe burns and swollen eyes, according to an animal shelter.
https://nypost.com/2018/01/24/dog-nearly-dies-after-purple-hair-dye-job/


San Antonio-based module supplier Mission Solar Energy has announced it is ramping up production and hiring 50 additional employees to meet product demands for 2018.
https://solarindustrymag.com/mission-solar-energy-ramping-production-adding-workers


Tesla reiterates commitment to expanding solar product manufacturing in the US after new tariffs
https://electrek.co/2018/01/23/tesla-solar-product-manufacturing-us-tariffs/


Gore defends Trump solar tariffs decision
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/25/al-gore-trump-solar-tariff-367530


SolarWorld Aims To Ramp Up Solar Panel Production As Tariffs Kick In
http://ijpr.org/post/solarworld-aims-ramp-solar-panel-production-tariffs-kick#stream/0


Abrupt closure of Zoots dry-cleaning chain leaves customers hanging
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2018/01/24/abrupt-closure-zoots-dry-cleaning-chain-leaves-customers-hanging/Adzy20H4FkANnVz0IMtvYP/story.html?et_rid=208809002&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter


AI used to face-swap Hollywood stars into pornography films
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/25/ai-face-swap-pornography-emma-watson-scarlett-johansson-taylor-swift-daisy-ridley-sophie-turner-maisie-williams


What counts as satire in the Trump era? Not pointless Photoshop parodies
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/23/what-counts-as-satire-in-the-trump-era-not-pointless-photoshop-parodies


The US is the most expensive nation in the world in which to have a baby – and it may factor into thousands of bankruptcies each year
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/16/why-does-it-cost-32093-just-to-give-birth-in-america


Lousy Facebook. Several different people posted about a subject. I posted a relevant link to several different people, and because it was in a short period of time, Facebook marked it as "spam", which makes it look as if there is something wrong with the link from a respectable source.
To add insult to injury, the msg I get from Facebook asks if I want to review it, and when I try to, it just takes me to my newsfeed, not to the post where the problem is.



Billions of pieces of plastic on coral reefs send disease soaring, research reveals
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/25/billions-of-pieces-of-plastic-on-coral-reefs-send-disease-soaring-research-reveals



GOP senator: 'Real possibility' that FBI 'secret society' text was a joke
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/370707-ron-johnson-its-a-real-possibility-that-ex-fbi-agents-secret-society-text-was


White and far-right extremists kill more cops, but FBI tracks black extremists more closely, many worry
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article196423174.html


Someone posted wrong information in Facebook about the number of strong hurricanes in recent years. Here are the facts.
The number of tropical cyclones have there been each year in the Atlantic basin?
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E11.html


A great list of lists of Atlantic hurricanes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Atlantic_hurricanes


The U.S. Can No Longer Hide From Its Deep Poverty Problem
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/opinion/poverty-united-states.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Living On Almost Nothing In America
http://www.twodollarsaday.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/books/review/2-00-a-day-by-kathryn-j-edin-and-h-luke-shaefer.html

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Links



I noticed that the record low for Berkeley Lake, GA yesterday (Jan. 22) was -10F in 1985. I guess that was the time it got to -11F in Huntsville, AL, and was still -10 when I drove to work in the morning in a car w/o heat. For the rest of the winter, 20F didn't seem nearly as cold as usual, and 32 seemed positively balmy.


Michigan man arrested after caller threatens to kill CNN employees
[This is what Trump and other republicans are encouraging.]
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/22/us/michigan-man-arrested-cnn-threats/index.html


The Women's Marches may have been the largest demonstration in US history
https://www.vox.com/2017/1/22/14350808/womens-marches-largest-demonstration-us-history-map


Hawaii's governor couldn't correct the false missile alert sooner because he forgot his Twitter password
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html


Naomi Parker Fraley, the real Rosie the Riveter, dies aged 96
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42787869


Class war in the American west: the rich landowners blocking access to public lands
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/21/public-land-battle-private-landowners-montana


Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced on Saturday that she would donate her salary for every day the federal government remains shut down.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/369958-senator-says-she-will-donate-salary-for-everyday-government-is-shutdown


Long commutes really are bad for your health. Commuting has been linked to higher rates of obesity, stress, and depression. One Swedish study also found that it could shorten your life span.
https://www.vox.com/videos/2018/1/22/16919040/commuting-bad-health-work


‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ actually didn’t; books recalled
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/01/15/boy-who-came-back-from-heaven-going-back-to-publisher/?tid=a_mcntx&utm_term=.fd4bf9be0352


Tax bill won’t impact the federal solar tax credit
https://news.energysage.com/will-2017-tax-bill-impact-solar/


Toys 'R' Us to Close 182 Stores as Part of Restructuring
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/business/toys-r-us-to-close-stores.html


Paris on flooding alert as rising Seine causes travel disruption
The river overflowed earlier this week because of flood water from upstream where the basin that feeds the Seine has received twice as much rain as normal.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/paris-flooding-alert-rising-seine-transport-disruption


Scottish railway lines hit by flooding and landslides
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/24/scotland-railway-lines-flooding-landslides-weather-winds-storm-georgina


New anti-homeless architecture: Seattle uses bike racks to block rough sleepers
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jan/24/anti-homeless-architecture-seattle-bike-racks-block-rough-sleepers


Remote Amazon tribe hit by mercury crisis, leaked report says
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/andes-to-the-amazon/2018/jan/24/amazon-tribe-mercury-crisis-leaked-report


Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show
https://www.ft.com/content/075d679e-0033-11e8-9650-9c0ad2d7c5b5


SolarWorld Aims To Ramp Up Solar Panel Production As Tariffs Kick In
https://www.opb.org/news/article/solarworld-aims-to-ramp-up-solar-panel-production-as-tariffs-kick-in/

It's time for better capitalism



Henry Blodget
Jan. 23, 2018,

Over the past few decades, the US economy has undergone a profound change.

This change has helped rich Americans get richer. But it has also contributed to growing income inequality and the decline of the middle class. In so doing, it has fueled populist anger across the political spectrum and slowed the growth of the economy as a whole.

What is this change?

The embrace of the idea that the only mission of companies is to maximize short-term profit for shareholders.

Talk to some people in the money management business, and they'll proclaim that this is a law of capitalism. They'll also cite other supposed laws of capitalism, including the idea that employees are "costs" and competent managers should minimize these costs by paying employees as little as possible.

But these practices aren't actually laws of capitalism.

They're choices.

They're choices that arose out of the shareholder activism movement that began in the early 1980s — a movement that was reasonable and necessary back then but has since been taken too far.

•••••

Not long ago, America's corporate owners and managers made different choices — choices that were better for average Americans and the economy. These managers and owners also had a profoundly different understanding of their responsibilities.

"The job of management," proclaimed Frank Abrams, the chairman of Standard Oil of New Jersey, in 1951, "is to maintain an equitable and working balance among of the claims of the various directly interested groups… stockholders, employees, customers, and the public at large."

By paying good wages, investing in future products, and generating reasonable (not "maximized") profits, American companies in the 1950s and 1960s created value for all of their constituencies, not just one. As a result, the country and economy boomed.

Over more recent decades, however, this balance has radically shifted.

•••••

This "shareholder value" religion is visible in the divergence between profits and wages.

Corporate profit margins have been rising for 15 years and are now near their highest levels ever. Corporate wages, meanwhile, have been declining for four decades and are near their lowest level ever.

•••••

The richest 1% of Americans now own nearly 45% of the country's wealth, near the highest level since the "Gilded Age" of the 1920s. These Americans had an average net worth of $14 million in 2013. At the same time, the average wealth of "90%-ers" has plunged in recent years to just above $80,000, the same level as in the mid-1980s. Millions of Americans who work full time for highly profitable corporations earn so little that they're below the poverty line. The bottom 50% of Americans own nothing.

•••••

Consumers account for about 70% of the spending in the economy, so our spending is what drives economic growth. Most consumers work, so another name for them is "employees." And except for the richest Americans, most of us spend almost everything we make.

When we are paid less, we have less to spend, and economic growth slows. When we are paid more, we spend more, and growth accelerates.

Consumer spending also drives business investment. When consumers are flush, businesses invest aggressively to meet demand. When consumers are strapped, however, companies sit on their cash — or just hand it to shareholders. Amid today's already weak demand, companies are exacerbating the problem by cutting investments and increasing dividends and stock buybacks.

•••••

Some corporations have begun emphasizing the need for companies to have a triple or even quadruple bottom line, creating value for customers, employees, and society in addition to shareholders.

Perhaps most encouragingly, one of the world's largest asset managers, BlackRock, now expects companies to create value across multiple dimensions.

"Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose," BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote in an open letter to corporate CEOs. "To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society. Companies must benefit all of their stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, and the communities in which they operate."

That's better capitalism. Practicing it will make the world a better place.

Is this the end of civilisation? We could take a different path


Please donate to The Guardian to allow them to continue their investigative journal w/o resorting to a pay wall.

I suggest reading the whole article at the following link.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/24/end-civilisation-take-different-path

George Monbiot
Jan. 24, 2018

It’s a good question, but it seems too narrow: “Is western civilisation on the brink of collapse?” the lead article in this week’s New Scientist asks. The answer is, probably. But why just western? Yes, certain western governments are engaged in a frenzy of self-destruction. In an age of phenomenal complexity and interlocking crises, the Trump administration has embarked on a mass de-skilling and simplification of the state.

•••••

Defunding departments, disbanding the teams and dismissing the experts they rely on, shutting down research programmes, maligning the civil servants who remain in post, the self-hating state is ripping down the very apparatus of government. At the same time, it is destroying public protections that defend us from disaster.

A series of studies published in the past few months has started to explore the wider impact of pollutants. One, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that the exposure of unborn children to air pollution in cities is causing “something approaching a public health catastrophe”. Pollution in the womb is now linked to low birth weight, disruption of the baby’s lung and brain development, and a series of debilitating and fatal diseases in later life.

Another report, published in the Lancet, suggests that three times as many deaths are caused by pollution as by Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Pollution, the authors note, now “threatens the continuing survival of human societies”. A collection of articles in the journal PLOS Biology reveals that there is no reliable safety data on most of the 85,000 synthetic chemicals to which we may be exposed. While hundreds of these chemicals “contaminate the blood and urine of nearly every person tested”, and the volume of materials containing them rises every year, we have no idea what the likely impacts may be, either singly or in combination.

And there is also the large decrease in sperm counts in men around the world, which is probably due to pollution.

As if in response to such findings, the Trump government has systematically destroyed the integrity of the Environmental Protection Agency, ripped up the Clean Power Plan, vitiated environmental standards for motor vehicles, reversed the ban on chlorpyrifos (a pesticide now linked to the impairment of cognitive and behavioural function in children), and rescinded a remarkable list of similar public protections.

In the UK, successive governments have also curtailed their ability to respond to crises.

•••••

But these pathologies are not confined to “the west”. The rise of demagoguery (the pursuit of simplistic solutions to complex problems, accompanied by the dismantling of the protective state) is everywhere apparent. Environmental breakdown is accelerating worldwide.

•••••

But these pathologies are not confined to “the west”. The rise of demagoguery (the pursuit of simplistic solutions to complex problems, accompanied by the dismantling of the protective state) is everywhere apparent. Environmental breakdown is accelerating worldwide.

•••••

Complex societies have collapsed many times before. It has not always been a bad thing.

•••••

But today there is nowhere to turn. The wild lands and rich ecosystems that once supported hunter gatherers, nomads and the refugees from imploding early states who joined them now scarcely exist. Only a tiny fraction of the current population could survive a return to the barbarian life. (Consider that, according to one estimate, the maximum population of Britain during the Mesolithic, when people survived by hunting and gathering, was 5000).In the nominally democratic era, the complex state is now, for all its flaws, all that stands between us and disaster.

So what we do? Next week, barring upsets, I will propose a new way forward. The path we now follow is not the path we have to take.

How will the 2017 tax bill impact solar?


See the article at the link below for how the new tax bill might impact solar businesses positively and negatively.

https://news.energysage.com/will-2017-tax-bill-impact-solar/

•••••

The primary solar tax credit used by homeowners in the U.S. is the federal investment tax credit (ITC), which offers a 30 percent tax credit to the owner of a new solar energy system. This is one of the most significant financial incentives for installing solar at the federal level, and it benefits everyone from homeowners to large commercial property owners.

•••••

The bottom line: If you’re a homeowner considering solar today, there were not any new changes in the 2017 tax bill that will lessen the economic benefits you’ll receive from a solar installation. Start exploring your options today.

•••••

The House version of the tax bill would have eliminated the tax credit for electric vehicles, which offers up to $7,500 to buyers. However, that didn’t make it into the final bill, meaning that a big incentive to buy electric cars is still available.

•••••

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Open office macro to create hyperlinks


I created the following macros to help me save time in creating the hyperlinks in my Links posts
There are two macros for different situations.

The following creates a hyperlink from selected text, which should be a web address. A hyperlink will be created with the hyperlink and the visible text being the selected text.

This is Open Office Basic code.
I created it by using the record macro feature.


sub Hyperlink
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem The following creates a hyperlink from selected text, which should be a web address.
rem A hyperlink will be created with the hyperlink and the visible text being the selected text.
rem define variables


rem define variables
dim document as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:Cut", "", 0, Array())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args2(0) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args2(0).Name = "Text"
args2(0).Value = "<" dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertText", "", 0, args4()) rem ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:SwBackspace", "", 0, Array()) rem ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:Paste", "", 0, Array()) rem ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dim args7(0) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue args7(0).Name = "Text" args7(0).Value = ""

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertText", "", 0, args7())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertPara", "", 0, Array())


end sub


========================================================================

The following is used on web address that are in a separate paragraph. Position the cursor at the end of the link before activating the macro. The macro will take the text back to the beginning of the paragraph and turn it into a hyperlink, with the cursor then positioned after the hyperlink.

This is Open Office Basic code.
I created it by using the record macro feature, using the keyboard commands to select backwards to the beginning of the line, then replacing that part with the command I found to select backward to the beginning of the paragraph.



sub Hyperlink2
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem The following is used on web address that are in a separate paragraph.
rem Position the cursor at the end of the link before activating the macro.
rem The macro will take the text back to the beginning of the paragraph and turn it into a hyperlink,
rem with the cursor then positioned after the hyperlink.

rem define variables
dim document as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:StartOfParaSel", "", 0, Array())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:Cut", "", 0, Array())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args3(0) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args3(0).Name = "Text"
args3(0).Value = ""

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertText", "", 0, args5())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:Paste", "", 0, Array())

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args7(0) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args7(0).Name = "Text"
args7(0).Value = "
"

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertText", "", 0, args7())


end sub

Monday, January 22, 2018

Links



To keep from showing a picture caused by a link in your Facebook post from showing, hover the cursor over the little x on the top right of the picture until it says "remove", and click on it. Saves people time, and from having to look at a lot of pictures of Trump.


Former RNC (Republican National Committee) chair: 'This shutdown rests at the feet of the GOP'
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/369917-former-rnc-chair-gop-could-have-avoided-shutdown#_=_


The 1% grabbed 82% of all wealth created in 2017
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/21/news/economy/davos-oxfam-inequality-wealth/index.html


Trump imposes 30 percent tariff on solar panel imports
Suniva and SolarWorld Americas, the bankrupt companies which requested the tariffs, say tariffs would boost domestic manufacturing and add more than 100,000 jobs.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370171-trump-imposes-30-tariffs-on-solar-panel-imports


Congress funds children's health program after four-month delay
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/370195-congress-funds-childrens-health-program-after-four-month-delay


Los Angeles draws 600K participants to Women's March
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/369964-los-angeles-draws-600k-participants-to-womens-march


Majority Of National Park Service Board Resigns, Citing Administration Indifference
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/17/578525840/majority-of-national-park-service-board-resigns-citing-administration-indifferen?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180117


Violent crime in the U.S. has fallen sharply over the past quarter century.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/21/5-facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/


The Trump Protest-Song Boom, in the Eye of History
https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/550268/?__twitter_impression=true


This is how democracies die
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2018/jan/21/this-is-how-democracies-die


Apple CEO Tim Cook says he wouldn’t let a child use social media
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/21/apple-ceo-tim-cook-says-he-wouldnt-let-a-child-use-social-media/?utm_term=.9d9bc692435b

Pence says U.S. will move up date of embassy move to Jerusalem


When I heard that they are moving up the date for moving the embassy to Jerusalem, I wondered if they are trying to provoke an attack that they think might help them in the midterm elections.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pence-says-u-s-embassy-will-move-jerusalem-end-2019-n839776


Pence says U.S. Embassy will move to Jerusalem by end of 2019

by Reuters and Associated Press
Jan. 22, 2018

The U.S. embassy in Israel will move to Jerusalem by the end of 2019, Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday.

"In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem — and that United States Embassy will open before the end of next year," Pence said in a speech to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.

•••••

#SchumerShutdown becomes top hashtag used by Russian bots

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/370044-advocacy-group-schumershutdown-becomes-top-hashtag-used-by-russia-bots

By Jacqueline Thomsen - 01/21/18 10:58 PM EST

#SchumerShutdown became the top trending topic promoted by Russian bots on social media on Sunday night, a national security group found.

The Alliance for Securing Democracy, an organization led by national security officials from both political parties housed at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, found that the phrase was the top trending hashtag promoted by Russian bots as of 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The news was first reported by HuffPost.

The group tracks activity by about 600 Twitter accounts that are tied to Russian influence projects.

•••••

The White House Changeed Outgoing Message on Comment Line to Blame Democrats?

https://www.snopes.com/white-house-comment-line-trump/#.WmTkdNAMDOE.facebook

CLAIM

The White House updated the voice message on the automated telephone comments line to blame Democrats for a government shutdown.

RATING : TRUE

•••••

The Republican-controlled White House went so far as to change the outgoing message on the White House telephone comment line (202-456-1111) to an unprecedented message blaming Democrats:

Thank you for calling the White House. Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today, because Congressional Democrats are holding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate. Due to this obstruction, the government is shut down. In the meantime, you can leave a comment for the president at www.whitehouse.gov/contact. We look forward to taking your calls as soon as the government reopens.

The existence of the message was confirmed by various reporters:

We called and were able to confirm for ourselves that this was indeed the White House’s outgoing telephone message on 20 January 2018.

•••••

Some banks may step up for military customers if shutdown delays Feb. 1 pay



By: Karen Jowers
Jan. 19, 2018



Some financial institutions with large numbers of military customers plan to help ease troops’ financial stress in the event a government shutdown interferes with their Feb. 1 paychecks ... or beyond.

During a shutdown, by Defense Department guidelines, all active-duty military personnel would still report to work, but wouldn’t be paid until Congress makes funding available. During the last shutdown in 2013, Congress passed a law that required military members to be paid.

An unknown number of federal civilian employees could be furloughed, with no back pay. Those employees include military spouses, retirees and other veterans.

Here are some early shutdown announcements from financial institutions. As Feb. 1 approaches, check with your financial institution to see if similar plans are in place.

•••••

The legislative process re. the shutdown


From a Facebook post

Can I explain something about the government shutdown? The senate needs a majority of votes, not 3/5 to renew existing budget bills. They normally need the 3/5 cloture vote. The republicans could pass this budget, without any problem. So why isnt this happening, you ask?

The republicans have attached non-budget items on the bill. By doing this, they have to get the 3/5 vote. They put things on that they know the democrats will go against. So then, instead of renewing the budget, they can push their agenda and grandstand saying "the democrats caused a shut down." But really, if they take off the non-budget items, they only need a one vote majority and the budget is renewed. The republicans dont want the budget renewed. They want to force their agenda in the back door and hold government shut down over the heads of democrats.

Thats why I support the government shutdown.
During the election, everyone wanted to be political. Instead of raving about which candidate is the best, people should cut and paste this gem into their statuses and share this so their friends can learn something about how the government works. This isnt some debate. The GOP could pass a renewal bill today if they wanted to."

(YES PLEASE SHARE. I would like to credit the author of this clear and intelligent post, but I have no idea who that is.)

Cape Town Will Run Out Of Water In Fewer Than 100 Days


Normal human behariour, waiting to seriously address a problem until it's a crisis.

http://www.iflscience.com/environment/cape-town-might-soon-become-the-first-city-in-the-world-to-run-out-of-water/

By Tom Halw
Jan. 18, 2018

With fewer than 95 days left before they run dry, Cape Town might become the first major city in the world to run out of water.

The coastal South African city has been battling droughts for nearly three years, amounting to the worst one in their history. It’s now seriously reaching crunch time. With little rain on the horizon, the city has now ordered its 3.7 million residents to drastically cut their water consumption, take short stop-start showers, not wash their cars, and flush toilets as little as possible. If they don't, all of their taps could be shut off by April.

•••••

If the city fails to resolve the problem and secure alternative water sources, Capetonians will be forced to queue for their daily ration of water, no more than 25 liters (5.5 gallons), at numerous government-organized outposts around the city.

•••••

There are a few factors driving this water crisis. The earlier part of the drought in 2015 was largely blamed on the El Ni̱o weather pattern, however, as the situation continues to worsen, experts are now pointing towards poor city management, a growing urban population, and Рyou guessed it Рclimate change.

This Mad Max-like vision of “Day Zero” is daunting, and one that could become a more common sight around the world in the face of climate change. Scientists have estimated that North Africa and the Middle East will become so hot and dry they will be uninhabitable in the near future, even if every country meets its targets for the Paris climate agreement. Similar claims have been made about the Mediterranean suffering recurrent droughts. Most startling of all, one study found that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population will experience life-threatening heatwaves by the end of this century.

=======================================================

Six weeks before the report above

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-12-08/will-cape-town-run-out-of-water

Will Cape Town Run Out of Water?
If “Day Zero” comes, the 4 million residents of South Africa’s second-biggest city will face a catastrophe.
By Michael Cohen
Dec. 7, 2017

•••••

The city’s poor, who are wholly dependent on the municipal supply and have limited space to store water, have been the hardest hit.

Patricia Gxothelwa, 34, an unemployed resident of Imizamo Yethu township, about 12 kilometers south of the city center, has to use a bucket to collect water from communal taps a short walk away when the supply is cut off from the hillside shack she shares with her husband and four children. It’s an increasingly regular occurrence.

•••••

Three straight years of poor rains typically occur less than once in a millennium, according to University of Cape Town climatologists Piotr Wolski, Bruce Hewitson and Chris Jack. It’s unclear what’s caused such extreme drought, though climate change is a possible factor and the city should brace itself for a recurrence, they said in a study published Oct. 6.

•••••

While average daily consumption has plummeted to about 600 million liters (158 million gallons) of water a day from 1.1 billion liters a year ago, about half of households still aren’t adhering to the city’s usage targets. About 19,000 homes that have regularly exceeded their recommended quotas have had mandatory devices fitted to their inlet pipes that restrict them to 350 liters a day.

•••••

Links



The story of a woman who spent much of her life homeless.
https://www.quora.com/I-feel-no-sympathy-for-the-homeless-because-I-feel-like-it-is-their-own-fault-Are-there-examples-of-seemingly-normal-and-respectable-people-becoming-homeless/answer/Jacqueline-Homan


Nearly two-thirds say Trump doesn’t share their values
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/368345-poll-nearly-two-thirds-say-trump-doesnt-share-their-values


Victoria police say Daily Mail provoked African ‘gang flare-up’ scuffle
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/11/victoria-police-say-daily-mail-provoked-african-gang-flare-up-scuffle?CMP=soc_567

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Links



Twitter Admits There Were More Than 50,000 Russian Bots Trying to Confuse American Voters Before the Election
https://slate.com/technology/2018/01/twitter-admits-there-were-more-than-50-000-russian-bots-confusing-u-s-voters-in-2016.html

Friday, January 19, 2018

Links



OnePlus says up to 40,000 customers were affected by credit card security breach
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/19/16908990/oneplus-credit-card-security-breach-investigation-40000-affected


EPA drops rule requiring mining companies to have money to clean up pollution
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-epa-mining-pollution-20171201-story.html


Turpin case: Siblings allegedly starved, shackled and taunted with food
[The authorities are looking for homes for the children. First choice is given to relatives, and the elderly parents of this horrible father have been asked if they can take the children. They were the ones who raised this monster, and from reports of their child-rearing actions, I doubt they would give the children the nurturing they need, even if they had the energy at their age. They have expressed doubt that they can take the children on at their age.]
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/19/us/california-torture-case-turpin/index.html


Trump and your finances: Taxes, student and payday loans, tips targeted in 1st year
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/19/trump-and-your-finances-taxes-student-and-payday-loans-tips-targeted-1st-year/1040714001/


Supreme Court blocks redrawing of North Carolina congressional maps
[Not surprising. An example of why republicans worked so hard to block Obama's court nominations. If you didn't vote for Hillary, you enabled this.]
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-election/supreme-court-blocks-redrawing-of-north-carolina-congressional-maps-idUSKBN1F73C1


In world first, drone rescues 2 swimmers off Australian beach
Lifeguards launched drone, which dropped flotation device down to swimmers
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/drone-rescue-swimmers-australia-1.4492631


Poll: More than half of Americans strongly disapprove of Trump
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/poll-more-half-americans-strongly-disapprove-trump-n838926

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Links



Temperatures like these are now about fifteen times rarer. This is equivalent to cold waves being about 4ºF (2ºC) warmer than they used to be.
https://wwa.climatecentral.org/analyses/north-american-cold-winter-2017-2018/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/11/in-a-fast-warming-world-scientists-say-recent-cold-wave-was-exceptionally-weird/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories-2_cwg-coldwave-855pm%3Ahomepage/story&utm_term=.53f4f01bc04d

Of 21 Winter Olympic Cities, Many May Soon Be Too Warm to Host the Games
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/11/climate/winter-olympics-global-warming.html

One year in to Trump’s presidency, the world’s citizens give U.S. leadership a record low rating
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/01/18/one-year-in-to-trumps-presidency-the-worlds-citizens-give-u-s-leadership-a-record-low-rating/?utm_term=.b0cdd2df04bd

Chris Christie stopped by TSA for evading security checkpoint
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-christie-stopped-at-tsa-for-evading-security-checkpoint/

Repeated Head Hits, Not Just Concussions, May Lead To A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/18/578355877/repeated-head-hits-not-concussions-may-be-behind-a-type-of-chronic-brain-damage
A neurologist who studied violent criminals found that almost all of them showed signs of brain damage, usually from child abuse.

California torture house: 13 siblings allowed to eat once a day, shower twice a year
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-torture-house-13-siblings-allowed-eat-once-day-shower-n838671

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/17/opinions/california-horror-house-drexler/index.html

From my own experience, sadistic power freak parents use religion as an excuse, and as a weapon to keep their children subservient.

Aunts of 13 captive children reveal years of secrecy and concerns
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/17/us/turpin-relatives-interviews/index.html


Trump rode golf cart while G7 leaders walked through Sicily
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335424-trump-rode-golf-cart-while-g7-leaders-walked-through-siciliy

Like Oceans, Freshwater Is Also Acidifying
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/like-oceans-freshwater-is-also-acidifying/

Conservative Ohio Voters Support Green Energy, Oppose Coal Bailouts, Poll Finds
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2018/01/gop_voters_support_green_energ.html

How Much Has ‘Climate Change’ Been Scrubbed from Federal Websites? A Lot.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/climate/climate-change-trump.html

How a Coal Baron’s Wish List Became President Trump’s To-Do List
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/climate/coal-murray-trump-memo.html


FBI investigating whether Russian money went to NRA to help Trump



By Peter Stone And Greg Gordon
January 18, 2018

The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency, two sources familiar with the matter have told McClatchy.

FBI counterintelligence investigators have focused on the activities of Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank who is known for his close relationships with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the NRA, the sources said.

It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections.

•••••

The extent to which the FBI has evidence of money flowing from Torshin to the NRA, or of the NRA’s participation in the transfer of funds, could not be learned.

However, the NRA reported spending a record $55 million on the 2016 elections, including $30 million to support Trump – triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors.

Two people with close connections to the powerful gun lobby said its total election spending actually approached or exceeded $70 million. The reporting gap could be explained by the fact that independent groups are not required to reveal how much they spend on Internet ads or field operations, including get-out-the-vote efforts.

•••••

A long-simmering factor in Iran protests: climate change

http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-iran-protests-climate-change-2018-story.html

Shashank Bengali and Ramin Mostaghim
Jan. 17, 2018

•••••

On Dec. 30 of last year, about 200 people gathered in front of the provincial governor’s office to protest the water transfer project. Their slogans soon morphed into chants of “Death to the dictator,” the main rallying cry of anti-government protesters who poured into streets nationwide in the biggest spasm of public anger Iran has seen in years.

The uprising — in which at least 21 people died and thousands were arrested before authorities reimposed order — had many sparks: rising prices, persistent unemployment, bank collapses, a wide wealth gap, corruption in the theocracy.

But an overlooked factor, analysts say, is the impact of climate change and the widespread perception that Iran’s leaders are mishandling a growing problem of water scarcity.

“People believe that this is yet another major crisis the country is facing, and the people at the top are too incompetent and too corrupt to care,” said Meir Javedanfar, a professor of Iranian politics at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, an Israeli university.

“It does not seem to be a priority of the regime to address the drought issue,” he said. “As long as it’s not a priority, nothing will happen until something breaks.”

Many environmental activists believe Iran is quickly approaching its breaking point as diminishing rainfall and warmer temperatures have caused lakes to disappear, kicked up blinding dust storms and emptied out once fertile regions as farmers seek economic refuge in cities.

Drought is a concern across the Middle East, but Iran’s 80 million people are especially at risk. This month, the director of Iran’s Drought and Crisis Management Center, Shahrokh Fateh, said that 96% of the country’s land area was experiencing prolonged drought conditions, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

In some of the hardest hit areas, including border provinces where ethnic and religious minorities complain of official neglect, concerns over natural resources were a key driver of the demonstrations that began in late December.

“People in my area do not want to politicize their environmental concerns, but water shortages and pollution of the air and rivers are seen as political crises,” said Yusef Farhadi Babadi, an environmental activist in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari. “People want to reclaim their rights to clean air and water and efficient water use.”

•••••

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on the government to “manage climate change and environmental threats,” but the response from successive governments has been mixed.

•••••

Amazon announces finalists for second headquarters

http://beta.latimes.com/business/la-fi-amazon-headquarters-20180118-story.html

By James F. Peltz
Jan 18, 2018

Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that Los Angeles and 19 other places are the finalists for the $5-billion second headquarters the giant online retailer plans to build.

The largest concentration of contenders is in the Northeast; Los Angeles is the only finalist west of the Rocky Mountains.

•••••

The list includes Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Philadelphia; Toronto; Washington; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, N.C.; Nashville; Newark, N.J.; and Columbus, Ohio. It also listed northern Virginia and Maryland's Montgomery County — both near Washington, D.C. — as potential sites.

Amazon said that in the coming months, it would work with each finalist location "to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership" before making a final decision later this year.
Translation, they will try to extort the highest bribe of corporate welfare. Since state and local taxes are so regressive, lower income people will pay proportionally more.

•••••

When Amazon issued its request for a proposal from bidders, the company said it would give priority to areas with more than 1 million people that are within 45 minutes of an international airport.

Amazon also said it's looking for an area that has a "highly educated labor pool" and a "strong university system."

The e-commerce titan also made it clear that it's looking for incentives, such as tax breaks.

•••••

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Links


I am posting less for a few days because my newer laptop is in the shop, and I'm using an old one with 1 G of Ram which is very, very slow on the internet.


EPA eases path for new chemicals, raising fears of health hazards
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epa-eases-path-new-chemicals-raising-fears-health-hazards-n838201

Friday, January 12, 2018

Links



Man who filmed video of Baltimore woman left outside in hospital gown: 'No one would have believed me.'
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-md-imamu-baraka-video-20180112-story.html


only 36.7 percent of respondents in the state approve of the job Trump is doing in office, compared with 58.7 percent who do not.
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/368719-poll-trumps-approval-ratings-in-georgia-erode


Woman in Nepal dies after being exiled to outdoor hut during her period
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jan/12/woman-nepal-dies-exiled-outdoor-hut-period-menstruation


Uber developed secret system to lock down staff computers in a police raid
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/11/uber-developed-secret-system-to-lock-down-staff-computers-in-a-police-raid

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Links



people with intellectual disabilities — women and men — are the victims of sexual assaults at rates more than seven times those for people without disabilities
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/570224090/the-sexual-assault-epidemic-no-one-talks-about


Smoking iPhone battery forces Apple store evacuation
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/09/technology/apple-iphone-battery-burning-smoke/index.html


U.S. Marshals Task Force accused of excessive force, cover up after shooting man 76 times
http://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/lawrenceville/us-marshals-task-force-accused-of-excessive-force-cover-up-after-shooting-man-76-times/85-506792680


Birth tourism brings Russian baby boom to Miami
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/birth-tourism-brings-russian-baby-boom-miami-n836121

2017 finished as the third-hottest year in the U.S. since NOAA records began


See the link below for a graph of the ten hottest years on record in the U.S.

http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/10-hottest-us-years-on-record

Jan. 9, 2017

2017 finished as the third-hottest year in the U.S. since NOAA records began in 1895, with an average temperature 2.56°F above the 20th century mean.

Additional stats:

The four hottest years on record have come in the decade of the 2010s
Of the 10 hottest years on record, only two came before 1998 (1934, 1990)
The hottest locations, relative to normal, were in the Southeast and Southwest
Five states had their hottest year on record


•••••

Oceans play a dominant role in the earth’s long term temperature, with 93 percent of the energy from human-caused warming going into them. Even with the recent cold spell in the eastern half of the U.S., the ocean temperature in parts of the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico remains 2-5°F above the late 20th century average.
The warm ocean temperatures meant more moisture in the air, leading to more snow from the recent storm.

•••••

Tuesday, January 09, 2018

Links



Natural disasters cost a record-shattering $306 billion in 2017
https://www.axios.com/2017-was-the-most-expensive-year-on-record-1515433237-0a6aa784-96db-4fe8-a3a7-609c0a7a8b6c.html

Influenza kills 7-year-old boy; overcrowded hospitals forced to use tent
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/influenza-kills-year-boy-overcrowded-hospitals-forced-tents-52222306


Thousands of flying foxes die from heat, freaking people out as they fall from the sky
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/01/09/thousands-bats-are-boiled-alive-freaking-people-out-as-fall-from-sky.html

Tillerson and Mattis are reportedly trying to hold Trump back from striking North Korea


One has to wonder if Trump would do something like this to detract attention from something like important revelations from the Mueller investigation.

http://www.businessinsider.com/tillerson-mattis-trump-north-korea-strike-2018-1

Alex Lockie
Jan. 8, 2018

The Trump administration is debating a "bloody nose" attack on North Korea, recent reports say, with the president's inner circle split and apparently teetering between endorsing a strike and holding out hope for diplomacy.

Both The Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal have portrayed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis as trying to caution President Donald Trump against a strike, and the national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, as advocating it

•••••

Multiple outlets have reported in the past few months that Trump's team has considered replacing the secretary of state with Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director, who is thought to be on the hawkish side and could shift the balance of opinions in the Oval Office.

•••••

Trump to attend Davos economic forum

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/368102-trump-to-attend-davos-economic-forum

By Jordan Fabian - 01/09/18

President Trump plans to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month, the White House announced Tuesday.

•••••

The forum, which brings together powerful politicians and business leaders, is scheduled to run from Jan. 23 to 26.

Trump, a billionaire businessman who won the presidency by running as an economic populist, would be one of only two U.S. presidents to ever attend the forum.

U.S. presidents typically do not attend the gathering in the ritzy Swiss Alps resort town, an effort to avoid being seen as too cozy with some of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

The only sitting president to appear in person at the Davos conference was Bill Clinton in 2000.

The U.S., however, typically sends a high-ranking delegation.

Vice President Joe Biden attended the forum on behalf of President Obama in 2017, just days before Trump’s inauguration.

•••••

Links


Imagine if Obama lost in 2008 and over the next year we learned that many of the top political journalists in the country were secretly Ku Klux Klansmen.



Some of the most powerful men in media, who shaped the overtly negative and sexist coverage of Hillary Clinton, have been exposed as sexual predators.
https://shareblue.com/7th-man-who-controlled-clinton-media-coverage-ousted-for-predatory-behavior/


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/08/great-barrier-reef-rising-temperatures-turning-green-sea-turtles-female
Great Barrier Reef: rising temperatures turning green sea turtles female


Monday, January 08, 2018

7th man who controlled Clinton media coverage ousted for predatory behavior


And these men gave Trump a pass for lies and bad behaviour.

https://shareblue.com/7th-man-who-controlled-clinton-media-coverage-ousted-for-predatory-behavior/

By Oliver Willis | January 4, 2018

Steve Chaggaris, the political director for CBS News, was fired by the network after “accounts of inappropriate behavior” surfaced. In a statement, CBS News announced it had “severed ties with Mr. Chaggaris for violating company policy, effective immediately.”

Since 2012, Chaggaris served as the outlet’s senior political editor, then was promoted to political director in March 2017.

Chaggaris — like many other male journalists who have recently been outed, disciplined, and fired for sexually predatory behavior — was in a position to shape the extremely negative and often blatantly sexist coverage of Hillary Clinton’s historical presidential campaign.

As Rebecca Traister wrote in The New York Times, “Many of the male journalists who stand accused of sexual harassment were on the forefront of covering the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.”

She added:
A pervasive theme of all of these men’s coverage of Mrs. Clinton was that she was dishonest and unlikable. These recent harassment allegations suggest that perhaps the problem wasn’t that Mrs. Clinton was untruthful or inherently hard to connect with, but that these particular men hold deep biases against women who seek power instead of sticking to acquiescent sex-object status.

Complaints about the sexist nature of Clinton coverage were often dismissed or minimized, despite the mainstream media’s well-documented pattern of such behavior.

Now with these firings and revelations, those concerns turned out to have been very real. Several of the men who were determining how to cover Clinton and which issues should receive the most focus — her emails, her trustworthiness, her likability — were at the very same time mistreating and abusing women.

In addition to Chaggaris, men at some of the nation’s most influential outlets — including NBC, CBS, The New York Times, and PBS — were setting up Clinton while misbehaving behind closed doors.

•••••