Links

More than 100 people ill from parasite possibly linked to McDonald's salads
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/12/health/mcdonalds-cyclospora-parasite-outbreak-bn/index.html


President Trump really knows how to say thank you.
Just as festivities geared up for Public Service Recognition Week, which began Sunday, his administration sent a letter to Congress proposing $143.5 billion in compensation cuts for federal employees.
In a letter to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) on Friday, Office of Personnel Management Director Jeff T.H. Pon pushed four proposals that, over 10 years, would significantly cut retirement benefits for 2.6 million federal retirees and survivors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/05/08/trump-thanks-federal-employees-with-143-5-billion-in-retirement-cuts/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.460365f39c0d


Peter Strzok just gave a hard-to-rebut defense of the objectivity of the Russia investigation’s origins
In a written statement offered before he testified before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, Strzok pointedly noted that there was no effort on his part to keep Trump from winning the White House — and, further, that he was one of only a few people who could have potentially leaked details from the investigation in an effort to block Trump’s victory.
“In the summer of 2016,” Strzok wrote, “I was one of a handful of people who knew the details of Russian election interference and its possible connections with members of the Trump campaign. This information had the potential to derail, and quite possibly, defeat Mr. Trump. But the thought of exposing that information never crossed my mind.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/07/12/peter-strzok-just-gave-a-hard-to-rebut-defense-of-the-objectivity-of-the-russia-investigations-origins/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3ffad6c4de51


Finally bought another copy of my favorite Origami book. I've lost or given away several copies thru the years. It took some time to track it down, because the name was changed. Luckily, I was pretty sure I remembered it was published by Dover, and their description mentioned that the original name was "Paper Folding for Beginners".
The name is now "Fun with Paper Folding and Origami", by William D. Murray and Francis J. Rigney.
Dover is a good place to look for such things.
It specializes in reissues.
The instructions are very clear and understandable. It was great on baby sitting jobs, where I didn't want to frustrate and bore the children by making them wait while I tried to figure out obscure instructions that are found in some Origami books.


State Rep. Paul Mosley, an Arizona state lawmaker was seen telling a sheriff's deputy he sometimes drives as fast as 130 or 140 mph after he was pulled over for speeding. The deputy said in a report later that the driver claimed to have legislative immunity.
Mosley was going 97 mph in a 55 mph zone on state Route 95, the news outlet reported.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rep-paul-mosley-arizona-pulled-over-speeding-video-140-mph/


Top Maryland officials say the FBI told them this week that the state's voter registration platform was purchased by a Russian oligarch in 2015, without state officials knowing. The FBI did not indicate a breach occurred, but state officials say they're moving forward with a full review.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryland-voter-registration-platform-russian-oligarch/


The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever drug to treat smallpox, a disease that no longer exists.
It’s a just-in-case decision, made to ensure that there is a drug to treat people if smallpox were ever used as a bioterrorist weapon, the FDA said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/now-there-s-drug-treat-smallpox-just-case-n891331


Exxon Mobil Corp. said it has left the Koch-backed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) following a clash over climate change policy.
Exxon Mobil was one of the leading voices against a proposal within ALEC to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind the policy that allowed it to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The proposal ended up getting scuttled.
ALEC has lost numerous major members over its advocacy against climate change policies, including Royal Dutch Shell, Google and Microsoft. Companies like Ford Motor Co., Expedia Group Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Yelp Inc. have recently left as well, without specifically mentioning climate change.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/396700-exxon-leaves-conservative-advocacy-group-alec


8 Black Lung Indictments Allege Coal Mine Managers Lied About Health Safety
The indictments, announced by U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman at an Owensboro museum that tells the long history of coal mining in this part of the country, charge that the mine personnel sought to deceive regulators with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) about the daily levels of breathable dust at two mines owned by the Armstrong Coal. The company, which was based in Madisonville, Kentucky, has since gone bankrupt but was named as an unindicted co-conspirator.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11072018/kentucky-coal-mining-black-lung-disease-armstrong-indictments-parkway-kronos-mine-safety-health


The mercurial veteran GOP political operative, Roger Stone, has acknowledged that he is the unnamed Trump campaign regular who corresponded with an alleged Russian hacker, as described in a new indictment against a dozen Russians returned Friday by a federal grand jury.
The indictment by special counsel Robert Mueller targets 12 Russian intelligence officers for engaging in a sustained effort to hack Democrats and aides to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. All 12 defendants are members of Russia's intelligence service, according to the court filing.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/roger-stone-hes-us-person-mentioned-mueller-indictment/story?id=56577300


Severe heat poses another health risk for survivors still trapped inside their homes after deadly torrential rains flooded parts of Japan this week.
After one of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s recent history, rescue workers on Friday are still trying to locate missing people in parts of western Japan as temperatures soar. At least nine people have already been reported dead during a heat wave with temperatures as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit, which hit just as authorities began to assess the damage from flooding that poured muddy water into the streets and spurred dangerous mudslides throughout the western part of the country.
http://www.newsweek.com/japan-flood-rain-heat-wave-1023000

tags: extreme weather, severe weather


Study Finds People Become Less Intelligent During A Heat Wave
https://5newsonline.com/2018/07/13/study-finds-people-become-less-intelligent-during-a-heat-wave/