Thursday, December 12, 2019
Impeachment hearings
Dec. 12, 2019
When Democrats started addressing the lying propaganda from the republicans, in a calm and rational manner, the first one I heard this afternoon was cut off by NPR for a station break. They they went back to more ranting lies by Collins, etc. Then when another Democratic started correcting the republican lies, NPR cut off entirely from the hearing.
Dec. 11, 2019
l feel like it is my duty to listen to the impeachment hearings on the radio, but being a person to whom truth is a high value, having to listening to republicans go on and on telling the same lies over and over is painful. Eg., saying Democrats are rushing the process when it has already gone longer than the impeachment of Clinton.
Just now one saying the IG report said Trump did nothing wrong, another blatant lie.
A R. just said Mueller report said Trump did not conspire with Russians. A lie. It said there wasn't sufficient evidence, a very different thing. Until an email came to light laying out the plan, there was no evidence, except common sense, that the Trump administration wanted to ask people about citizenship for the census in order to discourage people in Democratic areas from being counted, and so decrease the number of members of Congress they could choose. Until this email was made public, republican members of the supreme court made statements indicating they had no problem with adding this question to the census. Afterward, they ended up ruling against it, because they knew that otherwise it would show they were working for the benefit of republicans.
A R said Ukraine leader did not know aid had been delayed at the time of the phone call, which has already been shown not to be true. What does it say about R's that they keep saying this over and over.
They keep saying D's are impeaching because they "don't like" Trump. Darn right, we don't like him selling us out to the Russians, working to divide us to benefit his own pocketbook. We don't like him bragging about assaulting women, which encourages other men to do the same to me. We don't like him encouraging his fans to attack his political opponents, which has happened. We don't like him rousing hatred toward others, such as immigrants and non-Christians, which has resulted in murder against them.
Campaign edits Time 'Person of the Year' cover to show Trump's face on Thunberg's body
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/474311-campaign-edits-time-person-of-the-year-cover-to-show-trumps-face-on
By John Bowden - 12/12/19 01:14 PM EST
President Trump's reelection campaign on Thursday tweeted an edited cover of Time magazine's "Person of the Year" issue that depicted the president's head on the shoulders of Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate change activist.
The tweet, sent Thursday morning, suggested that the magazine had erred in naming Thunberg Person of the Year and listed accomplishments of the administration.
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By John Bowden - 12/12/19 01:14 PM EST
President Trump's reelection campaign on Thursday tweeted an edited cover of Time magazine's "Person of the Year" issue that depicted the president's head on the shoulders of Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate change activist.
The tweet, sent Thursday morning, suggested that the magazine had erred in naming Thunberg Person of the Year and listed accomplishments of the administration.
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After Greta Thunberg Wins 'Time' Honor, Trump Suggests She 'Chill' And Watch A Movie
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/12/787488397/after-greta-thunberg-wins-time-honor-trump-tweets-chill-and-go-to-the-movies
Laurel Wamsley
December 12, 20192:51 PM ET
Sixteen-year-old activist Greta Thunberg has quickly risen to prominence with her clarion call for climate action and Time's naming her its 2019 Person of the Year this week.
Since her first school strike for action in August 2018, Thunberg has grown her protest into a global youth movement calling on the world leaders of today to take decisive action on climate change and prevent further global warming.
One leader is evidently not impressed with accolades the young Swede has earned: Donald Trump.
"So ridiculous," Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"
•••••
Laurel Wamsley
December 12, 20192:51 PM ET
Sixteen-year-old activist Greta Thunberg has quickly risen to prominence with her clarion call for climate action and Time's naming her its 2019 Person of the Year this week.
Since her first school strike for action in August 2018, Thunberg has grown her protest into a global youth movement calling on the world leaders of today to take decisive action on climate change and prevent further global warming.
One leader is evidently not impressed with accolades the young Swede has earned: Donald Trump.
"So ridiculous," Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"
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The Threat of Tribalism
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-threat-of-tribalism?utm_source=pocket-newtab
The Threat of Tribalism
•••••
When we think of tribalism, we tend to focus on the primal pull of race, religion, or ethnicity. But partisan political loyalties can become tribal too. When they do, they can be as destructive as any other allegiance. The Founders understood this. In 1780, John Adams wrote that the “greatest political evil” to be feared under a democratic constitution was the emergence of “two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other.” George Washington, in his farewell address, described the “spirit of party” as democracy’s “worst enemy.” It “agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”
For all their fears of partisanship, the Founders failed to prevent the rise of parties, and indeed, it’s hard to imagine modern representative democracy without multiparty electoral competition. They were right to be apprehensive, as is all too clear when you look at the current state of America’s political institutions, which are breaking down under the strain of partisan divisions.
•••••
The Threat of Tribalism
•••••
When we think of tribalism, we tend to focus on the primal pull of race, religion, or ethnicity. But partisan political loyalties can become tribal too. When they do, they can be as destructive as any other allegiance. The Founders understood this. In 1780, John Adams wrote that the “greatest political evil” to be feared under a democratic constitution was the emergence of “two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other.” George Washington, in his farewell address, described the “spirit of party” as democracy’s “worst enemy.” It “agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”
For all their fears of partisanship, the Founders failed to prevent the rise of parties, and indeed, it’s hard to imagine modern representative democracy without multiparty electoral competition. They were right to be apprehensive, as is all too clear when you look at the current state of America’s political institutions, which are breaking down under the strain of partisan divisions.
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For third year in a row, Trump’s budget plan eliminates arts, public TV and library funding
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-third-year-in-a-row-trumps-budget-plan-eliminates-arts-public-tv-and-library-funding/2019/03/18/e946db9a-49a2-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html?fbclid=IwAR0RdREbtsDsuO-zQwysPAbYlOLYXRI-BlCtTZIubxz-T4o5Etj-hjC_lXo
There are people who's only access to the internet, which they need to look for jobs or find out their job schedules, is at a library.
By Peggy McGlone
March 18, 2019 at 4:34 p.m. EDT
The Trump administration has again proposed the elimination of federal funding for the arts and humanities, public television and radio, libraries and museums.
For the third time in as many years, the White House has proposed a federal budget that would shutter the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which supports PBS and NPR — and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Like last year, the plan provides small appropriations for each agency to facilitate its orderly demise.
•••••
President Trump called for eliminating these agencies in his first two budget plans, but the Republican-led Congress funded them both times, with the NEA, NEH and IMLS each seeing small increases in 2019.
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Donald Trump Jr killed rare endangered sheep in Mongolia with special permit
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/11/donald-trump-jr-mongolia-rare-endangered-sheep-permit
Luke O'Neil
Wed 11 Dec 2019 14.33 EST
Last modified on Wed 11 Dec 2019 18.35 EST
On a hunting trip to Mongolia earlier this summer the US president’s son Donald Trump Jr killed a rare species of endangered sheep. A permit for the killing was retroactively issued after Trump met with the country’s president, according to new reporting from ProPublica.
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Luke O'Neil
Wed 11 Dec 2019 14.33 EST
Last modified on Wed 11 Dec 2019 18.35 EST
On a hunting trip to Mongolia earlier this summer the US president’s son Donald Trump Jr killed a rare species of endangered sheep. A permit for the killing was retroactively issued after Trump met with the country’s president, according to new reporting from ProPublica.
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Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected
https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-removed-feature-protects-787-121302177.html
(Sinéad Baker)
,Business Insider•December 11, 2019
Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected
•••••
The FAA approved the change after Boeing appealed its rejection, which had said Boeing could not sufficiently prove that the fuel tank would not ignite.
The FAA's decision will today be scrutinized by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in light of its oversight of Boeing's 737 Max planes, which was involved in two fatal crashes.
•••••
(Sinéad Baker)
,Business Insider•December 11, 2019
Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected
•••••
The FAA approved the change after Boeing appealed its rejection, which had said Boeing could not sufficiently prove that the fuel tank would not ignite.
The FAA's decision will today be scrutinized by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in light of its oversight of Boeing's 737 Max planes, which was involved in two fatal crashes.
•••••
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Report: Climate change is making specific weather events more extreme
https://www.noaa.gov/news/report-climate-change-is-making-specific-weather-events-more-extreme
December 9, 2019
A drought that parched the southwestern U.S. Extraordinary flooding in the Mid-Atlantic states. Heat waves that baked the Iberian peninsula and northeast Asia. Vanishing sea ice in the Bering Sea.
Scientists say these remarkable 2018 extreme weather events were made more likely by human-caused climate change, in new research published today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Societyoffsite link (BAMS).
The eighth edition of the report, "Explaining Extreme Events in 2018 From a Climate Perspective," presents 20 new peer-reviewed analyses of extreme weather around the world looking at both historical observations and model simulations to determine whether and by how much climate change might have influenced specific extreme events.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
December 9, 2019
A drought that parched the southwestern U.S. Extraordinary flooding in the Mid-Atlantic states. Heat waves that baked the Iberian peninsula and northeast Asia. Vanishing sea ice in the Bering Sea.
Scientists say these remarkable 2018 extreme weather events were made more likely by human-caused climate change, in new research published today in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Societyoffsite link (BAMS).
The eighth edition of the report, "Explaining Extreme Events in 2018 From a Climate Perspective," presents 20 new peer-reviewed analyses of extreme weather around the world looking at both historical observations and model simulations to determine whether and by how much climate change might have influenced specific extreme events.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
College Republicans launch campaign calling for GOP to take action on climate change
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/473946-college-republicans-launch-campaign-calling-for-gop-to-take-action
By Rebecca Klar - 12/11/19 06:00 AM EST
College Republicans across the country are calling on the GOP to back a conservative climate action plan, arguing that failing to do so will hurt both the future of the earth and the Republican Party.
The new group, Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, is lobbying Republicans to embrace a “Carbon Dividends” plan which aims to reduce carbon emissions with a free-market-based solution.
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“There’s a lot of single-issue young voters; I think that climate change is one of those moving forward,” Mears, a senior at Wabash College, added. “I think a lot of people will vote for the candidate they believe will best fall into their line of thinking when it comes to climate action."
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By Rebecca Klar - 12/11/19 06:00 AM EST
College Republicans across the country are calling on the GOP to back a conservative climate action plan, arguing that failing to do so will hurt both the future of the earth and the Republican Party.
The new group, Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, is lobbying Republicans to embrace a “Carbon Dividends” plan which aims to reduce carbon emissions with a free-market-based solution.
•••••
“There’s a lot of single-issue young voters; I think that climate change is one of those moving forward,” Mears, a senior at Wabash College, added. “I think a lot of people will vote for the candidate they believe will best fall into their line of thinking when it comes to climate action."
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GOP senator blocks bill aimed at preventing Russia election meddling
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/473994-gop-senator-blocks-bill-aimed-at-preventing-russia-election-meddling?fbclid=IwAR0cEp3IGvsbA-55QsfdazfQlEsD84-qLGFn9EwpwufFtd0Wr9Z9ioyqZnk
By Jordain Carney - 12/10/19 07:17 PM EST
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to pass legislation meant to prevent Russia and other countries from interfering in elections.
Crapo's move came after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked for consent to pass the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines, or DETER Act. Van Hollen argued the bill would underscore that there would be a "very tough price to pay" if Moscow meddles in U.S. elections.
"It's designed to send a very clear and simple message to Russia or any other country that is thinking about interfering in our elections and undermining our democracy that if we catch you, you will suffer a severe penalty," Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) re-introduced the bill earlier this year. It requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to determine whether there was any foreign interference in federal elections and impose sanctions on any nations found to interfere.
•••••
By Jordain Carney - 12/10/19 07:17 PM EST
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to pass legislation meant to prevent Russia and other countries from interfering in elections.
Crapo's move came after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked for consent to pass the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines, or DETER Act. Van Hollen argued the bill would underscore that there would be a "very tough price to pay" if Moscow meddles in U.S. elections.
"It's designed to send a very clear and simple message to Russia or any other country that is thinking about interfering in our elections and undermining our democracy that if we catch you, you will suffer a severe penalty," Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) re-introduced the bill earlier this year. It requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to determine whether there was any foreign interference in federal elections and impose sanctions on any nations found to interfere.
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Christmas presents
Instead of buying Christmas stuff that people don't need, why not treat them to a concert of pay.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Greenland's ice sheet melting seven times faster than in 1990s
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/10/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-seven-times-faster-than-in-1990s
Fiona Harvey in Madrid
Tue 10 Dec 2019 11.00 EST
Greenland’s ice sheet is melting much faster than previously thought, threatening hundreds of millions of people with inundation and bringing some of the irreversible impacts of the climate emergency much closer.
Ice is being lost from Greenland seven times faster than it was in the 1990s, and the scale and speed of ice loss is much higher than was predicted in the comprehensive studies of global climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, according to data.
That means sea level rises are likely to reach 67cm [26 in] by 2100, about 7cm more than the IPCC’s main prediction. Such a rate of rise will put 400 million people at risk of flooding every year, instead of the 360 million predicted by the IPCC, by the end of the century.
Sea level rises also add to the risk of storm surges, when the fiercer storms made more likely by global heating batter coastal regions. These impacts are likely to strike coastal areas all around the world.
•••••
Greenland has lost 3.8tn tonnes of ice since 1992, and the rate of ice loss has risen from 33bn tonnes a year in the 1990s to 254bn tonnes a year in the past decade. Greenland’s ice contributes directly to sea level rises as it melts because it rests on a large land mass, unlike the floating sea ice that makes up much of the rest of the Arctic ice cap.
About half of the ice loss from Greenland was from melting driven by air surface temperatures, which have risen much faster in the Arctic than the global average, and the rest was from the speeding up of the flow of ice into the sea from glaciers, driven by the warming ocean.
•••••
Louise Sime, a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, said of the new paper: “This finding should be of huge concern for all those who will be affected by sea level rise. If this very high rate of ice loss continues, it is possible that new tipping points may be breached sooner than we previously thought.”
Fiona Harvey in Madrid
Tue 10 Dec 2019 11.00 EST
Greenland’s ice sheet is melting much faster than previously thought, threatening hundreds of millions of people with inundation and bringing some of the irreversible impacts of the climate emergency much closer.
Ice is being lost from Greenland seven times faster than it was in the 1990s, and the scale and speed of ice loss is much higher than was predicted in the comprehensive studies of global climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, according to data.
That means sea level rises are likely to reach 67cm [26 in] by 2100, about 7cm more than the IPCC’s main prediction. Such a rate of rise will put 400 million people at risk of flooding every year, instead of the 360 million predicted by the IPCC, by the end of the century.
Sea level rises also add to the risk of storm surges, when the fiercer storms made more likely by global heating batter coastal regions. These impacts are likely to strike coastal areas all around the world.
•••••
Greenland has lost 3.8tn tonnes of ice since 1992, and the rate of ice loss has risen from 33bn tonnes a year in the 1990s to 254bn tonnes a year in the past decade. Greenland’s ice contributes directly to sea level rises as it melts because it rests on a large land mass, unlike the floating sea ice that makes up much of the rest of the Arctic ice cap.
About half of the ice loss from Greenland was from melting driven by air surface temperatures, which have risen much faster in the Arctic than the global average, and the rest was from the speeding up of the flow of ice into the sea from glaciers, driven by the warming ocean.
•••••
Louise Sime, a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, said of the new paper: “This finding should be of huge concern for all those who will be affected by sea level rise. If this very high rate of ice loss continues, it is possible that new tipping points may be breached sooner than we previously thought.”
‘We were lied to’: bankruptcy leaves truckers stranded as holidays near
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/10/celadon-bankruptcy-truckers-stranded
According to the Trump administration and media, including NPR, the economy is great, low unemployment, so they should be able to quickly find new jobs.
Michael Sainato
Tue 10 Dec 2019 05.00 EST
Last modified on Tue 10 Dec 2019 11.32 EST
•••••
Smith is one of about 4,000 truck drivers across the US who were notified on Monday that their employer was ceasing operations after filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing makes it the largest bankruptcy in trucking history.
The logistics carrier, based in Indianapolis, reported annual revenues more than $1bn as recently as 2015. But a federal fraud investigation, huge debts and the “enormous challenges” in the industry, according to the chief executive, Paul Svindland, have forced the trucking company off the road.
Many of the truck drivers were left stranded in the midst of making deliveries, as they await receiving bus tickets from the company to return home, now jobless and left without benefits two weeks before Christmas. Their fuel cards were shut off, and many were reported left without any directions on where or how to turn in their rigs.
•••••
Celadon has its own issues. The bankruptcy comes just days after Celadon’s former chief financial officer Bobby Lee Peavler and former chief operating officer Eric Meek were arrested and indicted on nine federal charges each involving a $60m fraud scheme, including conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud and conspiracy to make false statements to the company’s accountants and falsify records. The company also has debts of $293m.
But Celadon’s collapse also comes at a difficult moment for the industry. Thousands of truckers have lost their job in 2019 as the freight market stalled and “spot” prices for shipping – those bought on the open market rather than as part of a contract – fell.
A slowdown in a variety of markets, including housing and autos, and the impact of the US’s trade wars have also contributed to the drop.
About 795 companies shutdown in the first three quarters of 2019, according to transportation industry data firm Broughton Capital, three times the total number of trucker failures for the same period in 2018.
The impact on workers is severe. Scott Riley of Anderson, Indiana, just started working for Celadon in August, and his health insurance coverage began 1 November. His $200-a-week health insurance plan left him with a $23 copay for the $1,400-a-month medication he needs to treat his diabetes. His wife’s $450-a-month medication was completely covered. Now, Riley and his wife, Jennifer, are left with no health insurance coverage, and unsure how they are going to afford their medication.
“I don’t know if I have enough medication to make it through for 90 days,” said Riley. “Rumor has it we will get our final paycheck Friday. They owe me over $1,000, I don’t know if I’m going to get it or not. Honestly it’s just going to be cross your fingers and hope.”
Riley returned his truck to Celadon’s Indianapolis terminal on the morning of 9 December, where he said dozens of other drivers were left stranded, waiting to receive bus tickets to return home.
“We had no clue what was going on. Celadon themselves didn’t even alert drivers. We had to find out from different driving companies what was going on,” said Stephanie Floyd of Denton, North Carolina, whose husband, Travis, drove for Celadon. “It’s a stressful time of year to be out of work and with three small children it makes it harder.”
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Eight in 10 girls in western Nepal forced to sleep outside during periods
https://news.yahoo.com/eight-10-girls-western-nepal-000100403.html
By Gopal Sharma, Thomson Reuters Foundation
,Reuters•December 9, 2019
Teenage girls are still being forced to sleep outside during their periods in parts of Nepal despite a string of deaths and a law banning the ancient custom, researchers said on Tuesday.
A new study published days after the latest victim suffocated to death found nearly eight out of 10 girls in Karnali, a province in western Nepal where the practice is prevalent, were banished from their homes while menstruating.
Because menstruating girls and women are viewed as impure, many have to sleep in huts, where they are at risk of being raped, bitten by snakes or dying from carbon dioxide poisoning from fires lit to keep warm.
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The centuries-old Hindu practice known as chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005, but penalties including a fine and jail time were only introduced last year after the deaths of a teenager and a mother and her sons led to a parliamentary investigation.
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But there are signs that attitudes are changing - last week, a village in western Nepal announced a reward of 5,000 Nepali rupees ($44) for each woman who refused to be confined to a hut, in a bid to end the practice.
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Saudi who killed 3 sailors was infuriated by ‘Pornstache’ nickname
https://news.yahoo.com/saudi-killed-3-sailors-infuriated-152444875.html
Dec. 10, 2019
The Saudi air force trainee who killed three sailors at a U.S. Navy base last week reportedly made an official complaint about being called “Pornstache” by one of his instructors.
Dec. 10, 2019
The Saudi air force trainee who killed three sailors at a U.S. Navy base last week reportedly made an official complaint about being called “Pornstache” by one of his instructors.
Newly identified jet-stream pattern could imperil global food supplies, says study
https://phys.org/news/2019-12-large-atmospheric-jet-stream-global.html
by Columbia University
Dec. 9, 2019
Scientists have identified systematic meanders in the globe-circling northern jet stream that have caused simultaneous crop-damaging heat waves in widely separated breadbasket regions-a previously unquantified threat to global food production that, they say, could worsen with global warming. The research shows that certain kinds of waves in the atmospheric circulation can become amplified and then lock in place for extended periods, triggering the concurrent heat waves. Affected parts of North America, Europe and Asia together produce a quarter of the world food supply.
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by Columbia University
Dec. 9, 2019
Scientists have identified systematic meanders in the globe-circling northern jet stream that have caused simultaneous crop-damaging heat waves in widely separated breadbasket regions-a previously unquantified threat to global food production that, they say, could worsen with global warming. The research shows that certain kinds of waves in the atmospheric circulation can become amplified and then lock in place for extended periods, triggering the concurrent heat waves. Affected parts of North America, Europe and Asia together produce a quarter of the world food supply.
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Monday, December 09, 2019
Researchers say there’s a simple way to reduce suicides: Increase the minimum wage
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/04/30/researchers-say-theres-simple-way-reduce-suicides-increase-minimum-wage/?fbclid=IwAR1ZGKxim1L5yykJBy_2bOriEhneUu8FUn6__IXAUf3Lr23ByIcP0gvcBiI
By Andrew Van Dam
April 30, 2019 at 12:28 p.m. EDT
Since 2000, the suicide rate in the United States has risen 35 percent, primarily because of the significant increase in such deaths among the white population.
There are hints that these deaths are the result of worsening prospects among less-educated people, but there are few immediate answers. But maybe the solution is simple: pursue policies that improve the prospects of working-class Americans.
Researchers have found that when the minimum wage in a state increased, or when states boosted a tax credit for working families, the suicide rate decreased.
Raising the minimum wage and the earned-income tax credit (EITC) by 10 percent each could prevent about 1,230 suicides annually, according to a working paper circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research this week.
•••••
Raising the minimum wage and increasing the tax credit help less-educated, low-wage workers who have been hit hardest by what are now known as “deaths of despair,” according to the analysis of 1999-2015 death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by University of California at Berkeley economists Anna Godoey and Michael Reich, as well as public-health specialists William Dow and Christopher Lowenstein.
•••••
Although raising the minimum wage led to an immediate decrease in suicides, raising the EITC had a delayed effect, resulting in fewer suicides the following year, once the tax change came into force. In both cases, it appears as though taking home more money had a positive effect.
•••••
The effect was strongest among young women and others who were most likely to have minimum-wage jobs. Among men, black and Hispanic Americans saw the largest effect.
A March study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also found that a one-dollar increase in the minimum wage was associated with a 1.9 percent decrease in suicides, and that the association was strongest between 2011 and 2016, the most recent year studied.
•••••
In a paper to be published in American Economic Review: Insights, David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Dorn of the University of Zurich and Gordon Hanson of the University of California at San Diego drew on data from between 1990 and 2014 to find that the death rate among men tended to rise in cities where jobs were vanishing because of competition from cheap foreign goods.
By Andrew Van Dam
April 30, 2019 at 12:28 p.m. EDT
Since 2000, the suicide rate in the United States has risen 35 percent, primarily because of the significant increase in such deaths among the white population.
There are hints that these deaths are the result of worsening prospects among less-educated people, but there are few immediate answers. But maybe the solution is simple: pursue policies that improve the prospects of working-class Americans.
Researchers have found that when the minimum wage in a state increased, or when states boosted a tax credit for working families, the suicide rate decreased.
Raising the minimum wage and the earned-income tax credit (EITC) by 10 percent each could prevent about 1,230 suicides annually, according to a working paper circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research this week.
•••••
Raising the minimum wage and increasing the tax credit help less-educated, low-wage workers who have been hit hardest by what are now known as “deaths of despair,” according to the analysis of 1999-2015 death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by University of California at Berkeley economists Anna Godoey and Michael Reich, as well as public-health specialists William Dow and Christopher Lowenstein.
•••••
Although raising the minimum wage led to an immediate decrease in suicides, raising the EITC had a delayed effect, resulting in fewer suicides the following year, once the tax change came into force. In both cases, it appears as though taking home more money had a positive effect.
•••••
The effect was strongest among young women and others who were most likely to have minimum-wage jobs. Among men, black and Hispanic Americans saw the largest effect.
A March study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also found that a one-dollar increase in the minimum wage was associated with a 1.9 percent decrease in suicides, and that the association was strongest between 2011 and 2016, the most recent year studied.
•••••
In a paper to be published in American Economic Review: Insights, David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Dorn of the University of Zurich and Gordon Hanson of the University of California at San Diego drew on data from between 1990 and 2014 to find that the death rate among men tended to rise in cities where jobs were vanishing because of competition from cheap foreign goods.
Pregnant smokers at higher risk for gestational diabetes, Hebrew University study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/thuo-psa120919.php
News Release 9-Dec-2019
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most significant risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. In the United States, 10.7% of all women smoke during their pregnancy or are exposed to second-hand smoke. In doing so, they place their babies at a higher risk for premature birth, low birth weight and developmental delays than do their non-smoking counterparts.
In addition to these risks, an international research team headed by Dr. Yael Bar-Zeev at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Haile Zelalem and Professor Ilana Chertok at Ohio University, found that smoking during pregnancy may also increase a woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Gestational diabetes leads to higher risks for pregnancy and birth complications such as macrosomia (larger than average babies) and caesarean deliveries.
•••••
News Release 9-Dec-2019
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most significant risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. In the United States, 10.7% of all women smoke during their pregnancy or are exposed to second-hand smoke. In doing so, they place their babies at a higher risk for premature birth, low birth weight and developmental delays than do their non-smoking counterparts.
In addition to these risks, an international research team headed by Dr. Yael Bar-Zeev at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Haile Zelalem and Professor Ilana Chertok at Ohio University, found that smoking during pregnancy may also increase a woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Gestational diabetes leads to higher risks for pregnancy and birth complications such as macrosomia (larger than average babies) and caesarean deliveries.
•••••
How does political news affect moods? New study in young doctors shows real-time effects
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/mm-u-hdp120619.php
News Release 9-Dec-2019
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
•••••
The new paper focuses on daily mood ratings from 2,345 interns who were in their first year of training at American hospitals anytime between mid-2016 and late 2018, and how they changed in the immediate aftermath of major national and world events.
Three events -- the 2016 U.S. election, the 2017 U.S. presidential inauguration, and the failure of a federal spending bill to fund a Mexican border wall - were followed by the largest collective changes in mood.
The first of these events was actually associated with a drop in mood larger than the drop that interns experienced in the first weeks of their intense training. The second led to a sizable mood drop, while the third led to a collective mood boost.
The authors note in an accompanying commentary, the decline in mood immediately after the election was four times greater than any other day they had tracked, and female interns' mood drop was twice as large as that seen among male interns. The study group was 55% female, a slightly higher percentage than the current generation of recent medical school graduates.
Two-thirds of the major political events in the study period prompted significant changes in interns' moods. No non-political event during the study period - not mass shootings, hurricanes, wildfires, a royal wedding or a solar eclipse - affected interns' moods.
•••••
News Release 9-Dec-2019
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
•••••
The new paper focuses on daily mood ratings from 2,345 interns who were in their first year of training at American hospitals anytime between mid-2016 and late 2018, and how they changed in the immediate aftermath of major national and world events.
Three events -- the 2016 U.S. election, the 2017 U.S. presidential inauguration, and the failure of a federal spending bill to fund a Mexican border wall - were followed by the largest collective changes in mood.
The first of these events was actually associated with a drop in mood larger than the drop that interns experienced in the first weeks of their intense training. The second led to a sizable mood drop, while the third led to a collective mood boost.
The authors note in an accompanying commentary, the decline in mood immediately after the election was four times greater than any other day they had tracked, and female interns' mood drop was twice as large as that seen among male interns. The study group was 55% female, a slightly higher percentage than the current generation of recent medical school graduates.
Two-thirds of the major political events in the study period prompted significant changes in interns' moods. No non-political event during the study period - not mass shootings, hurricanes, wildfires, a royal wedding or a solar eclipse - affected interns' moods.
•••••
Even light alcohol consumption linked to higher cancer risk in Japan
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/w-ela120419.php
News Release 9-Dec-2019
Wiley
In a study conducted in Japan, even light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with elevated cancer risks. In the study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the overall cancer risk appeared to be the lowest at zero alcohol consumption.
Although some studies have linked limited alcohol consumption to lower risks of certain types of cancer, even light to moderate consumption has been associated with a higher risk of cancer overall.
•••••
News Release 9-Dec-2019
Wiley
In a study conducted in Japan, even light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with elevated cancer risks. In the study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the overall cancer risk appeared to be the lowest at zero alcohol consumption.
Although some studies have linked limited alcohol consumption to lower risks of certain types of cancer, even light to moderate consumption has been associated with a higher risk of cancer overall.
•••••
Infant morbidity decreases with incentive-based prenatal tobacco interventions
News Release 6-Dec-2019
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
•••••
In Colorado, smoking in the third trimester of pregnancy is three to four times higher among women who live in poverty relative to women with higher incomes, according to Colorado Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System 2012-2014. Smoking during pregnancy is the most substantial modifiable risk factor for infant morbidity and mortality in the United States.
"The problem of prenatal smoking will not go away, especially when tobacco products target a younger generation, and nicotine addictions begin before becoming pregnant. This study is important because successful interventions improve the health of mothers and children, disrupt familial propagation of tobacco use while also saving Coloradans millions in healthcare costs," Crume said.
•••••
New report shows dramatic health benefits following air pollution reduction
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/ats-nrs112519.php
News Release 6-Dec-2019
American Thoracic Society
Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
The study by the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) reviewed interventions that have reduced air pollution at its source. It looked for outcomes and time to achieve those outcomes in several settings, finding that the improvements in health were striking. Starting at week one of a ban on smoking in Ireland, for example, there was a 13 percent drop in all-cause mortality, a 26 percent reduction in ischemic heart disease, a 32 percent reduction in stroke, and a 38 percent reduction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interestingly, the greatest benefits in that case occurred among non-smokers.
•••••
In the United States, a 13-month closure of a steel mill in Utah resulted in reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis and asthma by half. School absenteeism decreased by 40 percent, and daily mortality fell by 16 percent for every 100 μg/m3 PM10 (a pollutant) decrease. Women who were pregnant during the mill closing were less likely to have premature births.
A 17-day "transportation strategy," in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games involved closing parts of the city to help athletes make it to their events on time, but also greatly decreased air pollution. In the following four weeks, children's visits for asthma to clinics dropped by more than 40 percent and trips to emergency departments by 11 percent. Hospitalizations for asthma decreased by 19 percent. Similarly, when China imposed factory and travel restrictions for the Beijing Olympics, lung function improved within two months, with fewer asthma-related physician visits and less cardiovascular mortality.
In addition to city-wide polices, reducing air pollution within the home also led to health benefits. In Nigeria, families who had clean cook stoves that reduced indoor air pollution during a nine-month pregnancy term saw higher birthweights, greater gestational age at delivery, and less perinatal mortality.
•••••
News Release 6-Dec-2019
American Thoracic Society
Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
The study by the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) reviewed interventions that have reduced air pollution at its source. It looked for outcomes and time to achieve those outcomes in several settings, finding that the improvements in health were striking. Starting at week one of a ban on smoking in Ireland, for example, there was a 13 percent drop in all-cause mortality, a 26 percent reduction in ischemic heart disease, a 32 percent reduction in stroke, and a 38 percent reduction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interestingly, the greatest benefits in that case occurred among non-smokers.
•••••
In the United States, a 13-month closure of a steel mill in Utah resulted in reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis and asthma by half. School absenteeism decreased by 40 percent, and daily mortality fell by 16 percent for every 100 μg/m3 PM10 (a pollutant) decrease. Women who were pregnant during the mill closing were less likely to have premature births.
A 17-day "transportation strategy," in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games involved closing parts of the city to help athletes make it to their events on time, but also greatly decreased air pollution. In the following four weeks, children's visits for asthma to clinics dropped by more than 40 percent and trips to emergency departments by 11 percent. Hospitalizations for asthma decreased by 19 percent. Similarly, when China imposed factory and travel restrictions for the Beijing Olympics, lung function improved within two months, with fewer asthma-related physician visits and less cardiovascular mortality.
In addition to city-wide polices, reducing air pollution within the home also led to health benefits. In Nigeria, families who had clean cook stoves that reduced indoor air pollution during a nine-month pregnancy term saw higher birthweights, greater gestational age at delivery, and less perinatal mortality.
•••••
What side are they on?
Dec. 9, 2019
As time goes on, I wonder less about whether some republican politicians have been recruited by Russia, and wonder more how many have been.
'An outright lie': Ohio lawmaker shown to be linked to group pushing rightwing Christian bills
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/09/ohio-timothy-ginter-project-blitz
Jessica Glenza in New York
Mon 9 Dec 2019 05.00 EST
An Ohio legislator who said he had “no knowledge” of a rightwing Christian bill mill called Project Blitz is, in fact, the co-chair of the state branch of an organization behind the campaign.
The Ohio state representative Timothy Ginter sponsored a bill called the Student Religious Liberties Act. Opponents argued the bill would provide students with a religious exemption to facts, and would frighten teachers and school administrators into including religion in school functions.
•••••
Jessica Glenza in New York
Mon 9 Dec 2019 05.00 EST
An Ohio legislator who said he had “no knowledge” of a rightwing Christian bill mill called Project Blitz is, in fact, the co-chair of the state branch of an organization behind the campaign.
The Ohio state representative Timothy Ginter sponsored a bill called the Student Religious Liberties Act. Opponents argued the bill would provide students with a religious exemption to facts, and would frighten teachers and school administrators into including religion in school functions.
•••••
Donations by super-rich to republicans paid off big
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/08/donald-trump-citizens-united-anti-democracy-decade
Robert Reich
Dec. 8, 2019
•••••
Trump is the consequence rather than the cause of the anti-democratic decade. By the 2016 election, the richest 100th of 1% of Americans – 24,949 very wealthy people – accounted for a record-breaking 40% of all campaign contributions.
That same year, corporations flooded the presidential, Senate and House elections with $3.4bn in donations. Labor unions no longer provided any countervailing power, contributing only $213m – one union dollar for every 16 corporate.
Big corporations and the super-wealthy lavished their donations on the Republican party because Republicans promised them a giant tax cut. As Lindsey Graham warned his colleagues, “financial contributions will stop” if the GOP didn’t come through.
The investments paid off big. Pfizer, whose 2016 contributions to the GOP totaled $16m, will reap an estimated $39bn in tax savings by 2022. GE contributed $20m and will get back $16bn. Chevron donated $13m and will receive $9bn.
Groups supported by Charles and the late David Koch spent more than $20m promoting the tax cut, which will save them and their heirs between $1bn and $1.4bn every year.
•••••
workers have been shafted. Despite the longest economic expansion in modern history, real wages have barely risen. The share of corporate profits going to workers still isn’t back to where it was before the 2008 financial crisis. Never in the history of economic data have corporate profits outgrown employee compensation so clearly and for so long.
The so-called “free market” has been taken over by crony capitalism, corporate bailouts and corporate welfare.
•••••
Robert Reich
Dec. 8, 2019
•••••
Trump is the consequence rather than the cause of the anti-democratic decade. By the 2016 election, the richest 100th of 1% of Americans – 24,949 very wealthy people – accounted for a record-breaking 40% of all campaign contributions.
That same year, corporations flooded the presidential, Senate and House elections with $3.4bn in donations. Labor unions no longer provided any countervailing power, contributing only $213m – one union dollar for every 16 corporate.
Big corporations and the super-wealthy lavished their donations on the Republican party because Republicans promised them a giant tax cut. As Lindsey Graham warned his colleagues, “financial contributions will stop” if the GOP didn’t come through.
The investments paid off big. Pfizer, whose 2016 contributions to the GOP totaled $16m, will reap an estimated $39bn in tax savings by 2022. GE contributed $20m and will get back $16bn. Chevron donated $13m and will receive $9bn.
Groups supported by Charles and the late David Koch spent more than $20m promoting the tax cut, which will save them and their heirs between $1bn and $1.4bn every year.
•••••
workers have been shafted. Despite the longest economic expansion in modern history, real wages have barely risen. The share of corporate profits going to workers still isn’t back to where it was before the 2008 financial crisis. Never in the history of economic data have corporate profits outgrown employee compensation so clearly and for so long.
The so-called “free market” has been taken over by crony capitalism, corporate bailouts and corporate welfare.
•••••
The Anatomy of Charisma
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-anatomy-of-charisma?utm_source=pocket-newtab
This article was originally published on February 16, 2017, by Nautilus
Nautilus | Adam Piore
For weeks I had been researching what science has to say about the power of charisma. Why do some people so clearly have it and others don’t? Why do we fall so easily under its influence? Charismatics can make us feel charmed and great about ourselves. They can inspire us to excel. But they can also be dangerous. They use charisma for their own purposes, to enhance their power, to manipulate others.
Scientists have plenty to say about charisma. Individuals with charisma tap our unfettered emotions and can shut down our rational minds. They hypnotize us. But studies show charisma is not just something a person alone possesses. It’s created by our own perceptions, particularly when we are feeling vulnerable in politically tense times. I’m going to tell you about these studies and spotlight the opinions of the neuroscientists, psychologists, and sociologists who conducted them.
•••••
Campolo had long believed that was true. “I was convinced charisma flowed directly from God,” he told me. “It was a gift.” As he began to lose his faith, he said, “I passed through every stage of apostasy on my way to heresy, I slowly left my ability to believe in all this stuff.” He began to preach that charisma may be something you’re born with, but it wasn’t supernatural; you could employ it at will. “You can use it to get women in bed, you can use it to win people down the aisle for Jesus, or you can use it to sell insurance,” Campolo said. What’s more, it was a quality that could, at least in part, be learned and perfected.
That was precisely what John Antonakis, a professor of organizational behavior, and the director of the doctoral program in management at the University of Lausanne who has spent years studying charismatic speakers, told me. “Charismatic techniques can be taught,” he said. Antonakis has identified a series of what he calls Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs), which range from the use of metaphors and storytelling to nonverbal methods of communication like open posture and animated, representative gestures at key moments. When taken together, he has shown, they have helped decide eight of the last 10 presidential elections. “The more charismatic leadership tactics used, the more individuals will be seen as leader-like by others,” he said.
•••••
A charismatic leader, Aberbach said, “releases the individual of the pressures of life under stress. If you join a group in those circumstances, you feel more protected. But that presupposes the vulnerability of the individual. When individuals feel more secure, they have less need for salvation, less need for a charismatic bond. But when they feel vulnerable, then there is a possibility of a charismatic attachment. This can be very dangerous in certain circumstances.”
Aberbach, a noted academic at McGill University and the London School of Economics, points to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler—two sides of the historical coin—as telling case studies. They both grew out of Depression-era needs of their respective nations. And they illustrate how profound an influence an individual charismatic can have.
•••••
That was the final point Bart Campolo wanted to make about charisma: We could learn not to be taken in.
“You’re not going to stamp out charisma,” Campolo said. “The way to protect people from demagogues is not to kill all the demagogues but rather to teach people how charisma works so they can recognize whether it’s being wielded responsibly or abused. I always think charisma is like fire. You can use it to heat your house or you can use it to burn your house down.”
This article was originally published on February 16, 2017, by Nautilus
Nautilus | Adam Piore
For weeks I had been researching what science has to say about the power of charisma. Why do some people so clearly have it and others don’t? Why do we fall so easily under its influence? Charismatics can make us feel charmed and great about ourselves. They can inspire us to excel. But they can also be dangerous. They use charisma for their own purposes, to enhance their power, to manipulate others.
Scientists have plenty to say about charisma. Individuals with charisma tap our unfettered emotions and can shut down our rational minds. They hypnotize us. But studies show charisma is not just something a person alone possesses. It’s created by our own perceptions, particularly when we are feeling vulnerable in politically tense times. I’m going to tell you about these studies and spotlight the opinions of the neuroscientists, psychologists, and sociologists who conducted them.
•••••
Campolo had long believed that was true. “I was convinced charisma flowed directly from God,” he told me. “It was a gift.” As he began to lose his faith, he said, “I passed through every stage of apostasy on my way to heresy, I slowly left my ability to believe in all this stuff.” He began to preach that charisma may be something you’re born with, but it wasn’t supernatural; you could employ it at will. “You can use it to get women in bed, you can use it to win people down the aisle for Jesus, or you can use it to sell insurance,” Campolo said. What’s more, it was a quality that could, at least in part, be learned and perfected.
That was precisely what John Antonakis, a professor of organizational behavior, and the director of the doctoral program in management at the University of Lausanne who has spent years studying charismatic speakers, told me. “Charismatic techniques can be taught,” he said. Antonakis has identified a series of what he calls Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs), which range from the use of metaphors and storytelling to nonverbal methods of communication like open posture and animated, representative gestures at key moments. When taken together, he has shown, they have helped decide eight of the last 10 presidential elections. “The more charismatic leadership tactics used, the more individuals will be seen as leader-like by others,” he said.
•••••
A charismatic leader, Aberbach said, “releases the individual of the pressures of life under stress. If you join a group in those circumstances, you feel more protected. But that presupposes the vulnerability of the individual. When individuals feel more secure, they have less need for salvation, less need for a charismatic bond. But when they feel vulnerable, then there is a possibility of a charismatic attachment. This can be very dangerous in certain circumstances.”
Aberbach, a noted academic at McGill University and the London School of Economics, points to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler—two sides of the historical coin—as telling case studies. They both grew out of Depression-era needs of their respective nations. And they illustrate how profound an influence an individual charismatic can have.
•••••
That was the final point Bart Campolo wanted to make about charisma: We could learn not to be taken in.
“You’re not going to stamp out charisma,” Campolo said. “The way to protect people from demagogues is not to kill all the demagogues but rather to teach people how charisma works so they can recognize whether it’s being wielded responsibly or abused. I always think charisma is like fire. You can use it to heat your house or you can use it to burn your house down.”
Death-Cap Mushrooms Are Spreading Across North America
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/
Craig Childs
Feb. 1, 2019
“There’s nothing in the taste that tells you what you are eating is about to kill you.”
•••••
he fished out a damp cloth to clean his hands. He explained that he couldn’t use a moist towelette with alcohol because it could facilitate the passage of toxins through the skin. While he thought the mushrooms could usually be handled safely, a whole day of repeated touching was risky, since it was always possible to forget and touch one’s face, nose, or lips. “Just to be safe,” he said, wiping his hands and offering the cloth to me.
Dr. Kathy Vo, a medical toxicologist in San Francisco, publishes case studies on rare or unusual poisonings. Amanita phalloides poisonings, she told me, are some of the worst. “When the liver starts to fail, you see bleeding disorders, brain swelling, multi-organ failure. It’s very, very rough,” she said.
The levels of fluid loss, Vo said, are some of the most dramatic she’s seen. The body flushes everything it has. “There’s not an antidote,” she said. “That’s what makes this particularly deadly. We institute a variety of therapies, but there’s not an A, B, C, D. It’s not always the same. The best bet for the patient is fluid, fluid, fluid; keep watching the liver, and if the liver is failing, go for a transplant.”
•••••
Craig Childs
Feb. 1, 2019
“There’s nothing in the taste that tells you what you are eating is about to kill you.”
•••••
he fished out a damp cloth to clean his hands. He explained that he couldn’t use a moist towelette with alcohol because it could facilitate the passage of toxins through the skin. While he thought the mushrooms could usually be handled safely, a whole day of repeated touching was risky, since it was always possible to forget and touch one’s face, nose, or lips. “Just to be safe,” he said, wiping his hands and offering the cloth to me.
Dr. Kathy Vo, a medical toxicologist in San Francisco, publishes case studies on rare or unusual poisonings. Amanita phalloides poisonings, she told me, are some of the worst. “When the liver starts to fail, you see bleeding disorders, brain swelling, multi-organ failure. It’s very, very rough,” she said.
The levels of fluid loss, Vo said, are some of the most dramatic she’s seen. The body flushes everything it has. “There’s not an antidote,” she said. “That’s what makes this particularly deadly. We institute a variety of therapies, but there’s not an A, B, C, D. It’s not always the same. The best bet for the patient is fluid, fluid, fluid; keep watching the liver, and if the liver is failing, go for a transplant.”
•••••
Saturday, December 07, 2019
After Russian trolls target black Americans, one city fights back
https://news.yahoo.com/russian-trolls-target-black-americans-112408831.html
An African-American recently told me he wouldn't vote for anybody for president who doesn't support reparations. I have been wondering if this is something that Russia is encouraging.
The article shows ways Charlotte has improved in response.
Patrik Jonsson
,Christian Science Monitor•December 6, 2019
•••••
About two-thirds of Russian activity on Facebook and other social media platforms seeking to influence the 2016 election was aimed at black Americans, according to a new Senate Intelligence Committee report. And at least one of the Moscow-linked trolls was focusing on Charlotte.
The internet campaign appeared designed to convince African Americans, who traditionally favor Democrat candidates, that it was not worth voting – at least not for Hillary Clinton. It was built on false messages such as “HILLARY RECEIVED $20,000 DONATION FROM KKK FOR HER CAMPAIGN.”
It is impossible to gauge the campaign’s precise impact. But in 2016, African American voter turnout was 7% lower than in 2012, the largest such drop on record. It was even steeper in North Carolina, one of the six swing states in which President Donald Trump eked out narrow victories en route to winning the Electoral College.
•••••
Nor did the Russians call off their campaign after the U.S. presidential election. In fact, the Senate Committee report says, IRA-created posts appeared on the internet even more frequently after the poll. And last month Facebook took down a network of 50 Russia-linked Instagram accounts that it said were engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
•••••
“So much of the messaging wanted to stop forward progress, overpower it,” he adds. “It is an agenda to cause separation. It’s the perfect way to separate people. If you can get one crew to hate the other crew, then chaos happens.”
•••••
Ex-boyfriend pleads guilty in helpful-homeless-man scam
https://news.yahoo.com/ex-boyfriend-pleads-guilty-helpful-163505515.html
[Associated Press]
Associated Press•December 6, 2019
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Friday to a state charge stemming from a scheme that raked in more than $400,000 in online donations with a phony story about a homeless man helping a stranded woman.
•••••
New Jersey prosecutors have said the tale might not have been uncovered if it hadn't been for a dispute among the three people involved that led Bobbitt to bring a lawsuit against D'Amico and McClure.
•••••
[Associated Press]
Associated Press•December 6, 2019
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Friday to a state charge stemming from a scheme that raked in more than $400,000 in online donations with a phony story about a homeless man helping a stranded woman.
•••••
New Jersey prosecutors have said the tale might not have been uncovered if it hadn't been for a dispute among the three people involved that led Bobbitt to bring a lawsuit against D'Amico and McClure.
•••••
Iowa worker who took bathroom photos may have many victims
https://news.yahoo.com/man-stalked-state-co-workers-171725295.html
DAVID PITT
,Associated Press•December 6, 2019
A settlement between the state of Iowa and three of its Department of Revenue workers whose genitals were secretly photographed by a male colleague while they were going to the bathroom won't bring the matter to a close, as files found on the fired employee's work computer show he may have victimized dozens of other men.
•••••
DAVID PITT
,Associated Press•December 6, 2019
A settlement between the state of Iowa and three of its Department of Revenue workers whose genitals were secretly photographed by a male colleague while they were going to the bathroom won't bring the matter to a close, as files found on the fired employee's work computer show he may have victimized dozens of other men.
•••••
https://news.yahoo.com/philippines-floods-force-66-000-homes-002905143.html
Global warming has caused the amount of moisture in the air to increase, leading to more incidents of severe flooding.
AFP•December 5, 2019
The Philippines' north has been hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy runoff forcing 66,000 from their homes and prompting rescues of trapped locals, authorities said Friday.
•••••
tags: severe weather, extreme weather
Google deletes malware apps from Play Store; uninstall these from your Android phone
https://www.ibtimes.sg/google-deletes-malware-apps-play-store-uninstall-these-your-android-phone-35577
By Bhaswati Guha Majumder
December 7, 2019 20:04 +08
Here is the entire list of vulnerable apps which may have infected your Android phone with malware or adware
•••••
By Bhaswati Guha Majumder
December 7, 2019 20:04 +08
Here is the entire list of vulnerable apps which may have infected your Android phone with malware or adware
•••••
Why the Supreme Court Rebuked the Trump Administration’s Quest for Speedy Executions
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/12/supreme-court-executions-trump-justice-department.amp
Trump people obviously want to be able to give their supporters thrills by doing executions on the run up to next year's elections.
By Mark Joseph Stern
Dec 07, 20191:20 PM
On Friday night, the Supreme Court finally ran out of patience with the Trump Administration’s attempts to circumvent the appellate process in search of quick victory. With no noted dissents, the justices refused to set aside a district court decision that blocked the execution of four federal prisoners. Attorney General William Barr had hoped to kill these individuals in December and January. He will now have to wait for them to exhaust their appeals.
•••••
Put differently, the Justice Department told the Supreme Court that it would be “irreparably injured” if it could not execute four men in the next few weeks. The notion that these prisoners’ continued existence somehow injures the federal government is bizarre. So is the DOJ’s attempt to end this case by killing the prisoners before they have a chance to argue their case in circuit court. Can the Justice Department really run to SCOTUS and get permission to execute inmates while they are actively pursuing their rights under law?
•••••
On Friday, however, the Supreme Court finally drew the line. The court denied the DOJ’s request for a stay pending appeal in a two-sentence order noting: “We expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch.” Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, wrote a snitty statement explaining why he believes the DOJ will ultimately win. (He also pointed out “the prisoners’ 17-attorney legal team,” a gratuitous dig at the lawyers fighting fiercely for the rule of law.) But even these conservative justices had to acknowledge that, “in light of what is at stake, it would be preferable for the District Court’s decision to be reviewed on the merits by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit before the executions are carried out.” (No justice publicly dissented.)
•••••
Boeing knew of problems with wing parts, but told FAA planes were safe, agency alleges
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/boeing-knew-of-problems-with-wing-parts-but-told-faa-planes-were-safe-agency-says/2019/12/06/fc8190f0-1874-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html
I know from long observation that this will not keep some people from saying we should do away with government regulations, and that businesses would not do something like this because they would be afraid of losing business.
By Michael Laris and Ian Duncan
Dec. 6, 2019 at 9:37 p.m. EST
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a rare $3.9 million civil penalty against Boeing on Friday, alleging the company “knowingly submitted aircraft” to the agency for safety certification even after learning that crucial wing components “could not be used due to a failed strength test.”
The FAA alleged in a statement and enforcement letter to Boeing on Friday that the company installed parts on some of its 737s that were “weakened” and “more prone to fatigue and failure.” The so-called “slat tracks” are critical, serving to guide the slats that slide out from the front of wings and add stability and lift during takeoff and landing.
The agency said the weakened components could allow the slats “to depart and potentially strike the aircraft, resulting in injury to aircraft occupants and/or preventing continued safe flight and landing.”
•••••
Boeing “failed to adequately oversee its suppliers,” then presented the resulting planes to the FAA as safe despite those known problems, according to the allegations. Boeing gave those safety assurances on paperwork required for planes to fly in the United States, on export certificates, and in one case a statement that the planes conformed with military requirements, the FAA alleges.
•••••
Flu season comes early this year due to unexpected virus
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flu-season-comes-early-this-year-due-to-unexpected-virus-cdc-says/
By Audrey McNamara
December 7, 2019 / 10:46 AM
Flu season has come early this year due to a strain of the virus not typically seen during this time of year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC announced Friday there has already been an estimated 1.7 million flu illnesses, 16,000 hospitalizations, and 910 flu-related deaths this year in the United States, at a minimum.
•••••
"Nationally, influenza B/Victoria viruses are the most commonly reported influenza viruses among children age 0-4 years (46% of reported viruses) and 5-24 years (60% of reported viruses)," reads the agency's website.
B/Victoria viruses are generally not dangerous to older people.
•••••
"On an average year, 125-200 people a day die of the flu. So, this is preventable most of these deaths with the vaccine."
It is not too late to get vaccinated. According to the CDC, the flu vaccine is the best way to reduce risk from the potentially dangerous complications of the flu.
By Audrey McNamara
December 7, 2019 / 10:46 AM
Flu season has come early this year due to a strain of the virus not typically seen during this time of year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC announced Friday there has already been an estimated 1.7 million flu illnesses, 16,000 hospitalizations, and 910 flu-related deaths this year in the United States, at a minimum.
•••••
"Nationally, influenza B/Victoria viruses are the most commonly reported influenza viruses among children age 0-4 years (46% of reported viruses) and 5-24 years (60% of reported viruses)," reads the agency's website.
B/Victoria viruses are generally not dangerous to older people.
•••••
"On an average year, 125-200 people a day die of the flu. So, this is preventable most of these deaths with the vaccine."
It is not too late to get vaccinated. According to the CDC, the flu vaccine is the best way to reduce risk from the potentially dangerous complications of the flu.
Climate change: Oceans running out of oxygen as temperatures rise
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50690995
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, Madrid
Dec. 7, 2019
Climate change and nutrient pollution are driving the oxygen from our oceans, and threatening many species of fish.
That's the conclusion of the biggest study of its kind, undertaken by conservation group IUCN.
While nutrient run-off has been known for decades, researchers say that climate change is making the lack of oxygen worse.
Around 700 ocean sites are now suffering from low oxygen, compared with 45 in the 1960s.
Researchers say the depletion is threatening species including tuna, marlin and sharks.
•••••
As more carbon dioxide is released enhancing the greenhouse effect, much of the heat is absorbed by the oceans. In turn, this warmer water can hold less oxygen. The scientists estimate that between 1960 and 2010, the amount of the gas dissolved in the oceans declined by 2%.
That may not seem like much as it is a global average, but in some tropical locations the loss can range up to 40%.
Even small changes can impact marine life in a significant way. So waters with less oxygen favour species such as jellyfish, but not so good for bigger, fast-swimming species like tuna.
•••••
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, Madrid
Dec. 7, 2019
Climate change and nutrient pollution are driving the oxygen from our oceans, and threatening many species of fish.
That's the conclusion of the biggest study of its kind, undertaken by conservation group IUCN.
While nutrient run-off has been known for decades, researchers say that climate change is making the lack of oxygen worse.
Around 700 ocean sites are now suffering from low oxygen, compared with 45 in the 1960s.
Researchers say the depletion is threatening species including tuna, marlin and sharks.
•••••
As more carbon dioxide is released enhancing the greenhouse effect, much of the heat is absorbed by the oceans. In turn, this warmer water can hold less oxygen. The scientists estimate that between 1960 and 2010, the amount of the gas dissolved in the oceans declined by 2%.
That may not seem like much as it is a global average, but in some tropical locations the loss can range up to 40%.
Even small changes can impact marine life in a significant way. So waters with less oxygen favour species such as jellyfish, but not so good for bigger, fast-swimming species like tuna.
•••••
Friday, December 06, 2019
Texas man convicted of 2010 murder released from prison while new DNA evidence is examined
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-man-lydell-grant-convicted-2010-murder-released-from-prison-as-new-dna-evidence-examined-2019-11-26/
November 26, 2019 / 9:11 PM / CBS/APA Texas inmate serving a life sentence for a fatal 2010 stabbing was released on bond Tuesday while authorities re-investigate his case. New DNA evidence that was presented several months ago could exonerate the man, who was convicted in 2012, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reported.
•••••
Grant, now 42, was convicted of the 2010 murder of 28-year-old Aaron Scheerhoorn in the parking lot of a Houston night club. Police say Scheerhoorn ran to the club looking for help after being stabbed. He was turned away and stabbed several more times in front of dozens of witnesses.
Grant was arrested five days later during a traffic stop when police discovered he was driving with a suspended license. Thanks to a tip, police labeled him as a suspect in the stabbing, and six witnesses from outside the nightclub identified Grant's picture in a photo lineup.
Now, DNA evidence from the victim's fingernails appears to exonerate Grant and point to another suspect. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said there is "substantial new evidence that points toward a person of interest," but stressed authorities are "not there yet" in declaring the new suspect the definitive culprit.
•••••
November 26, 2019 / 9:11 PM / CBS/APA Texas inmate serving a life sentence for a fatal 2010 stabbing was released on bond Tuesday while authorities re-investigate his case. New DNA evidence that was presented several months ago could exonerate the man, who was convicted in 2012, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reported.
•••••
Grant, now 42, was convicted of the 2010 murder of 28-year-old Aaron Scheerhoorn in the parking lot of a Houston night club. Police say Scheerhoorn ran to the club looking for help after being stabbed. He was turned away and stabbed several more times in front of dozens of witnesses.
Grant was arrested five days later during a traffic stop when police discovered he was driving with a suspended license. Thanks to a tip, police labeled him as a suspect in the stabbing, and six witnesses from outside the nightclub identified Grant's picture in a photo lineup.
Now, DNA evidence from the victim's fingernails appears to exonerate Grant and point to another suspect. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said there is "substantial new evidence that points toward a person of interest," but stressed authorities are "not there yet" in declaring the new suspect the definitive culprit.
•••••
Low-Fat Diet Might Improve Breast Cancer Survival in Postmenopausal Women?
https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/can-low-fat-diet-improval-survival-for-postmeno
•••••
In 2017, results from the Women’s Health Initiative Trial suggested that postmenopausal women who ate a low-fat diet after a breast cancer diagnosis were less likely to die from any cause compared to women who ate a diet that was higher in fat. Still, researchers wanted to know how much the low-fat diet affected survival.
A secondary analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative data suggests that postmenopausal women who eat a low-fat diet after being diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to be alive 10 years after diagnosis compared to women who ate a diet that was higher in fat after being diagnosed.
The research was published online on May 24, 2018 by JAMA Oncology. Read the abstract of “Association of Low-Fat Dietary Pattern With Breast Cancer Overall Survival: A Secondary Analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trial.”
•••••
•••••
In 2017, results from the Women’s Health Initiative Trial suggested that postmenopausal women who ate a low-fat diet after a breast cancer diagnosis were less likely to die from any cause compared to women who ate a diet that was higher in fat. Still, researchers wanted to know how much the low-fat diet affected survival.
A secondary analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative data suggests that postmenopausal women who eat a low-fat diet after being diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to be alive 10 years after diagnosis compared to women who ate a diet that was higher in fat after being diagnosed.
The research was published online on May 24, 2018 by JAMA Oncology. Read the abstract of “Association of Low-Fat Dietary Pattern With Breast Cancer Overall Survival: A Secondary Analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trial.”
•••••
Warming waters, disease threaten Georgia shrimp
https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/environment/warming-waters-mysterious-parasite-warns-change-georgia-coast/wXGRYjfM3FTdJVR0xThK4M/?fbclid=IwAR1ul3cJnzo0j1El3igOgayYrwgM76LgR-ZdQmuk4ljkXvuy72V0Tk1dV-g
By Meris Lutz, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec. 1, 2019
The fall of 2013 should have been a blessing for Georgia shrimpers.
A bacterial infection had wiped out the Asian shrimp farms that drove many Americans out of business. Early sampling at the time indicated a bumper crop of white shrimp on the way. Many poured money into fixing up their boats in preparation for long, rewarding days on the water.
But the nets came up empty.
“They were gone,” recalled Dr. Marc Frischer, a microbiologist at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography near Savannah. “There were no shrimp.”
•••••
As shrimpers follow their crop north into colder waters, and a new shrimp parasite reaches epidemic proportions, scientists are investigating how changes in climate could influence the future of shrimp and shrimping in the Southeast.
“Temperature, current, rainflow — all of those are related to climate and all of those play very critical roles in the complicated biology and ecology of the system,” said Frischer. “Not just for shrimp, for everything.”
•••••
Experts say there appears to be a strong correlation between black gill and climate conditions. While correlation does not equal causation, this theory is supported by experiments in the lab on the shrimp themselves.
In one study, changing water temperature by just two degrees had a huge impact on mortality rates for shrimp exposed to the parasite—a difference of up to 70 percent.
Coastal water temperatures in Georgia have increased by nearly five degrees over the past four decades, according to data collected by the state. Even with seasonal variation, the increasing trend is clear. Using a commonly employed statistical test developed by U.S. government scientists, the AJC concluded that such a consistent and steady increase is unlikely to arise randomly.
•••••
By Meris Lutz, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec. 1, 2019
The fall of 2013 should have been a blessing for Georgia shrimpers.
A bacterial infection had wiped out the Asian shrimp farms that drove many Americans out of business. Early sampling at the time indicated a bumper crop of white shrimp on the way. Many poured money into fixing up their boats in preparation for long, rewarding days on the water.
But the nets came up empty.
“They were gone,” recalled Dr. Marc Frischer, a microbiologist at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography near Savannah. “There were no shrimp.”
•••••
As shrimpers follow their crop north into colder waters, and a new shrimp parasite reaches epidemic proportions, scientists are investigating how changes in climate could influence the future of shrimp and shrimping in the Southeast.
“Temperature, current, rainflow — all of those are related to climate and all of those play very critical roles in the complicated biology and ecology of the system,” said Frischer. “Not just for shrimp, for everything.”
•••••
Experts say there appears to be a strong correlation between black gill and climate conditions. While correlation does not equal causation, this theory is supported by experiments in the lab on the shrimp themselves.
In one study, changing water temperature by just two degrees had a huge impact on mortality rates for shrimp exposed to the parasite—a difference of up to 70 percent.
Coastal water temperatures in Georgia have increased by nearly five degrees over the past four decades, according to data collected by the state. Even with seasonal variation, the increasing trend is clear. Using a commonly employed statistical test developed by U.S. government scientists, the AJC concluded that such a consistent and steady increase is unlikely to arise randomly.
•••••
Greta Thunberg says school strikes have achieved nothing
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/06/greta-thunberg-says-school-strikes-have-achieved-nothing
It's easy to get kids to skip school. How many have made a real effort to change energy-wasting habits?
Fiona Harvey in Madrid
Fri 6 Dec 2019 12.25 EST
The global wave of school strikes for the climate over the past year has “achieved nothing” because greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, Greta Thunberg has told activists at UN climate talks in Madrid.
Thousands of young people were expected to gather at the UN climate conference and in the streets of the Spanish capital on Friday to protest against the lack of progress in tackling the climate emergency, as officials from more than 190 countries wrangled over the niceties of wording in documents related to the Paris accord.
In the four years since the landmark agreement was signed, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 4% and the talks this year are not expected to produce new commitments on carbon from the world’s biggest emitters.
Thunberg, whose solo protest in Sweden in 2017 has since snowballed into a global movement, spoke at a press conference before a march through the centre of Madrid. She said that although schoolchildren had been striking around the world, this “has not translated into action” from governments.
•••••
PodShare
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/06/podshare-sharing-economy-startup
Still too much for many people. I assume this could be done cheaper in places with lower costs of land.
Shawna Kenney
Fri 6 Dec 2019 01.00 EST
Privacy is rare, quiet hours are sacred, and don’t even think about hooking up. Meet the grownups who call the glorified dormitories of PodShare home
•••••
or $60 a day, each of us gets access to two community kitchens and two co-ed bathrooms inside a converted church building, plus one of the 38 wooden bunk bed “pods”. But this isn’t a youth hostel. Many of the “podestrians” are fully grown adults with full-time jobs – who choose to live semi-permanently in a 50-sq-ft – pod. There are six similar PodShare locations across Los Angeles and one in San Francisco.
•••••
Each pod contains a bed, linens, an electrical outlet, a small Netflix-loaded HDTV, built-in shelving, one clothing hook and a dry-erase board. Atop the hospital-cornered beds are welcome kits consisting of one rolled-up hand towel, two energy drinks donated by little-known brands, and a pamphlet listing the PodShare rules:
Share (Don’t take.)
STFU (Quiet hours: 10pm – 10am.)
No Privacy (Do not build a tent, fort or clothesline – we’re an open community space on purpose.)
Friends (Make new ones – visitors may wait in the lobby for 20 minutes. Anyone staying longer should purchase a day pass for $15.)
•••••
http://podshare.com/
$50/night, $280/week, or $1000/ month to live across our network
More than 500 law professors sign letter calling Trump actions impeachable
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/473389-over-500-law-professors-sign-letter-calling-trump-actions?fbclid=IwAR366A54MdmyUA6MTKf0L8XEw6zTzMMYLLzVUhbP_GxfPjZl-L99hn1hEJI
By Rachel Frazin - 12/06/19 12:56 PM EST
More than 500 law professors have signed an open letter calling President Trump's conduct impeachable the day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that committee chairmen should begin drafting articles of impeachment.
The 520 professors said in the letter posted to Medium that impeachment does not require a crime, but rather an abuse of the public trust.
"There is overwhelming evidence that President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to use presidential power to pressure a foreign government to help him distort an American election, for his personal and political benefit, at the direct expense of national security interests as determined by Congress," the professors wrote.
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"His conduct is precisely the type of threat to our democracy that the Founders feared when they included the remedy of impeachment in the Constitution," they added.
•••••
By Rachel Frazin - 12/06/19 12:56 PM EST
More than 500 law professors have signed an open letter calling President Trump's conduct impeachable the day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that committee chairmen should begin drafting articles of impeachment.
The 520 professors said in the letter posted to Medium that impeachment does not require a crime, but rather an abuse of the public trust.
"There is overwhelming evidence that President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to use presidential power to pressure a foreign government to help him distort an American election, for his personal and political benefit, at the direct expense of national security interests as determined by Congress," the professors wrote.
ADVERTISEMENT
"His conduct is precisely the type of threat to our democracy that the Founders feared when they included the remedy of impeachment in the Constitution," they added.
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Thursday, December 05, 2019
Climate models have accurately predicted global heating, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/04/climate-models-have-accurately-predicted-global-heating-study-finds
Dana Nuccitelli
Wed 4 Dec 2019 12.00 EST
Last modified on Thu 5 Dec 2019 05.48 EST
Climate models have accurately predicted global heating for the past 50 years, a study has found.
The findings confirm that since as early as 1970, climate scientists have had a solid fundamental understanding of the Earth’s climate system and the ability to project how it will respond to continued increases in the greenhouse effect. Since climate models have accurately anticipated global temperature changes so far, we can expect projections of future warming to be reliable as well.
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“We found that climate models – even those published back in the 1970s – did remarkably well, with 14 out of the 17 model projections indistinguishable from what actually occurred,” said Zeke Hausfather, of the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Based on modern climate model projections, if countries follow through with current and pledged climate policies, the world is on track for about 3C of warming above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100 – a situation the IPCC and others predict would be catastrophic.
•••••
Dana Nuccitelli
Wed 4 Dec 2019 12.00 EST
Last modified on Thu 5 Dec 2019 05.48 EST
Climate models have accurately predicted global heating for the past 50 years, a study has found.
The findings confirm that since as early as 1970, climate scientists have had a solid fundamental understanding of the Earth’s climate system and the ability to project how it will respond to continued increases in the greenhouse effect. Since climate models have accurately anticipated global temperature changes so far, we can expect projections of future warming to be reliable as well.
•••••
“We found that climate models – even those published back in the 1970s – did remarkably well, with 14 out of the 17 model projections indistinguishable from what actually occurred,” said Zeke Hausfather, of the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Based on modern climate model projections, if countries follow through with current and pledged climate policies, the world is on track for about 3C of warming above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100 – a situation the IPCC and others predict would be catastrophic.
•••••
Donald Trump buried a climate change report because 'I don't believe it'
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
Updated 1557 GMT (2357 HKT) November 27, 2018
President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed a study produced by his own administration, involving 13 federal agencies and more than 300 leading climate scientists, warning of the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change.
Why, you ask?
"I don't believe it," Trump told reporters on Monday, adding that he had read "some" of the report.
•••••
If you missed the study's release, well, that was the point. It was originally slated to be made public next month but was suddenly released on the day after Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday, when the country shops, eats, hangs with family and pays a total of zero attention to what's going on in politics. Outside of Christmas and the actual day of Thanksgiving, there's no better day to drop bad news that you don't want people to see.
Because there are VERY few coincidences in politics, the decision to speed up the release of the report to the day after Thanksgiving -- rather than, say, today -- was clearly a move by the administration to cover up what they see to be bad news. Or, better put, news that challenges Trump's fact-free position that all of this talk of global warming and climate change is belied by, uh, the fact that it was cold in the Northeast on the day before Thanksgiving.
The report, the second of four such annual studies commissioned by Congress, concludes not only that the world's temperature is rising and but also that the preponderance of evidence suggests human actions play a role in it. The report's authors conclude that the changing climate "is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us." And that, unless we change our practices and policies, there will be "substantial damages to the US economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades."
The report goes on to detail the economic impact of climate change (hundreds of billions lost, with farms being hardest hit) and the physical toll it could take on our collective health, as factors like air quality, disease transmission by insects, food and water will "increasingly threaten the health and well-being of the American people."
•••••
The decisions Trump makes -- or, more likely, doesn't -- on climate change are not the sort of thing that are easily reversible. This latest report -- you know, the one that the Trump administration sought to bury because its conclusions are at odds with the President's personal beliefs -- suggests they may not be reversible at all.
Five Common Misconceptions About the Electoral College
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/five-common-misconceptions-about-electoral-college/602596/?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Interesting history of the electoral college
November 29, 2019
G. Alan Tarr
Board of Governors Professor at Rutgers University-Camden
Two of the nation’s last three presidents won the presidency in the Electoral College, even though they lost the popular vote nationwide. In 2000, Al Gore outpolled George W. Bush by more than 540,000 votes but lost in the Electoral College, 271–266. Sixteen years later, Hillary Clinton tallied almost 3 million more votes than Donald Trump but lost decisively in the Electoral College, 306–232. And, as a recent New York Times poll suggested, the 2020 election could very well again deliver the presidency to the loser of the popular vote.
•••••
Below, I identify five common mistakes made in arguing for the preservation of the Electoral College.
•••••
In “Federalist No. 68,” Alexander Hamilton contended that the Electoral College would frustrate “the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.” It would also “afford a moral certainty that the office of President [would] seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” In addition, it would keep from the office candidates with “talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity.” In evaluating the Electoral College today, one must judge whether Hamilton’s hopes have been vindicated.
Wednesday, December 04, 2019
The U.S. Army Is Making Ear Protection for Its Very Good Boys
https://news.yahoo.com/u-army-making-ear-protection-154300826.html
Kyle Mizokami
,Popular Mechanics•December 4, 2019
Military working dogs (MWDs) have become a major part of the U.S. Military. From base security to dogs that accompany special forces on raids, dogs are indispensable assets, capable of running down bad guys on the field. A new technology known as CAPS now promises to protect their hearing, ensuring that the rigors of working in the field won’t render an Army working dog deaf.
•••••
Kyle Mizokami
,Popular Mechanics•December 4, 2019
Military working dogs (MWDs) have become a major part of the U.S. Military. From base security to dogs that accompany special forces on raids, dogs are indispensable assets, capable of running down bad guys on the field. A new technology known as CAPS now promises to protect their hearing, ensuring that the rigors of working in the field won’t render an Army working dog deaf.
•••••
Permanent Hair Dyes and Chemical Straighteners May Be Linked to Breast Cancer, Study Says
https://news.yahoo.com/permanent-hair-dyes-chemical-straighteners-090048101.html
Jamie Ducharme
,Time•December 4, 2019
Two common beauty products—permanent hair dyes and chemical straighteners—may be associated with an elevated risk for breast cancer, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
•••••
Overall, using permanent dye was associated with a 9% higher risk of developing breast cancer, compared to non-use. But black women who used permanent dye had a 45% higher risk of breast cancer, compared to non-users, and those who used these products every eight weeks or more often had a 60% higher risk.
Black women were also far more likely to report using chemical straighteners—74% had, compared to 3% of white women—which were associated with an 18% higher risk of breast cancer in the study population as a whole.
•••••
the study is a reminder that beauty and self-care products in the U.S. are not well-regulated. The vast majority of cosmetic products and ingredients do not need Food and Drug Administration approval or safety testing before they go to market, and the agency does not have the authority to recall tainted products. (One exception is color additives, which the FDA does regulate. In 2018, it ordered companies to reformulate products that contained lead acetate for this purpose, citing potential health risks.)
•••••
Jamie Ducharme
,Time•December 4, 2019
Two common beauty products—permanent hair dyes and chemical straighteners—may be associated with an elevated risk for breast cancer, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
•••••
Overall, using permanent dye was associated with a 9% higher risk of developing breast cancer, compared to non-use. But black women who used permanent dye had a 45% higher risk of breast cancer, compared to non-users, and those who used these products every eight weeks or more often had a 60% higher risk.
Black women were also far more likely to report using chemical straighteners—74% had, compared to 3% of white women—which were associated with an 18% higher risk of breast cancer in the study population as a whole.
•••••
the study is a reminder that beauty and self-care products in the U.S. are not well-regulated. The vast majority of cosmetic products and ingredients do not need Food and Drug Administration approval or safety testing before they go to market, and the agency does not have the authority to recall tainted products. (One exception is color additives, which the FDA does regulate. In 2018, it ordered companies to reformulate products that contained lead acetate for this purpose, citing potential health risks.)
•••••
Tuesday, December 03, 2019
2 of the men who took down the London Bridge terrorist were convicted felons, including a murderer in the final stages of his sentence
I read years ago, probably pre-internet, that people who intervene to help crime victims are often people who tend to act impulsively, and therefore had been in trouble with the police and were not very successful in other parts of life. It takes a variety of kinds of people for a successful society.
Bill Bostock
,INSIDER•December 2, 2019
•••••
Two of the men who helped take down the London Bridge terrorist were convicted felons, one of whom was a murderer serving the final stage of his sentence.
A number of civilians detained and disarmed 28-year-old Usman Khan after he began attacking people near London Bridge just before 2 p.m. on Friday.
Amongst them were James Ford, convicted of murdering 21-year-old Amanda Champion in 2004, and ex-offender Marc Conway, now working as a policy officer for the Prison Reform Trust.
•••••
Measles can cause immune amnesia
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/03/measles-vaccine-protect-disease-immune-amnesia/
October 31, 2019
Measles is alarmingly contagious: It’s spread through the air and can linger in a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left. The disease is responsible for more than a hundred thousand deaths each year among unvaccinated people.
What’s more, danger still lurks even for those who survive an outbreak.
Measles not only weakens your immune system in the short term, bouts with the virus seem to wipe your immune system's memory, causing the body to forget how to fight off things that you may have already conquered. For some people, this so-called immune amnesia may linger for months to years after an infection.
•••••
Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, it was nearly guaranteed that every child would catch measles, and an estimated 2.6 million died from the disease each year. The measles vaccine, which is often combined with mumps and rubella, is incredibly effective, with two doses imparting nearly 97-percent protection, resulting in dramatic declines in measles deaths around the world.
•••••
“The benefit of the vaccines has actually been kind of its own downfall,” says Yvonne Maldonado, an epidemiologist at Stanford Medical School. “People just don’t see this as a relevant intervention.”
However, the data show that’s not true: Not only did measles cases plummet once vaccine use became widespread, but cases of other diseases dropped as well—pneumococcus, diarrhea, and more. In resource-poor regions, the decline was as dramatic as 50 percent; in impoverished regions, it dropped by as much as 90 percent.
“We actually saw the whole overall baseline for childhood mortality drop precipitously,” says Harvard's Michael Mina, an author on a 2015 study analyzing this decline and lead author of the new study in Science. In essence, the measles vaccine seems to not only protect populations against measles, it may be keeping a slew of other infections at bay, and one way it could be doing this is through prevention of immune amnesia.
•••••
Everywhere the monkey has lymphoid tissues—which house immune cells—glowing green speckles appeared, twinkling like stars in the night sky. These winks of light revealed that the virus favors what's known as immune memory cells. These cells record and catalog your lifetime of infections, helping you efficiently battle future invaders on repeat encounters. Later in the infection, the virus also settles into the surface lining of the lungs and nose, which help it launch into the air with each cough.
Once the immune system kicked in to clear the infection, this viral constellation vanished. The sudden darkness highlighted an important step of immune amnesia: By infecting memory cells, the virus not only wiped out some of the body's immune recollections, it essentially turned the system against itself by forcing healthy immune cells to kill off their infected comrades.
“If the virus didn’t kill those memory cells already, the immune system would finish the job off,” de Swart says. “We could literally see it happening under our hands.”
The team later confirmed that a similar mechanism is likely at play in humans. But it's unclear exactly how much immune memory vanished; that probably varies from person to person, de Swart notes. Still, the process emphasizes why secondary disease is so common with measles: Not only does the virus assault the immune system's first line of defense and damage your skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract, it also erases your other hard-won resistances.
•••••
So could secondary infections affect people who currently have measles in the United States?
“I absolutely think so,” Mina says, though he emphasizes that the U.S. healthcare system is strong enough to treat these infections and prevent most of them from turning deadly.
That isn't the case in many developing regions, where something as seemingly mild as diarrhea can kill. And because the virus attacks the immune system, the severity of infections depends on the general health of the population. In essence, measles acts like an infection amplifier, turning up the volume of background disease. This means that in resource-limited areas, the virus will cause higher overall death rates.
“In lots of developing countries still today, we see one in 50 or one in a hundred kids still dying from measles, primarily due to these sort of immune effects,” Mina says. To make matters worse, measles is contagious long before those infected even know it, making it easy for the virus to tag along if its unwitting hosts take to traveling.
•••••
October 31, 2019
Measles is alarmingly contagious: It’s spread through the air and can linger in a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left. The disease is responsible for more than a hundred thousand deaths each year among unvaccinated people.
What’s more, danger still lurks even for those who survive an outbreak.
Measles not only weakens your immune system in the short term, bouts with the virus seem to wipe your immune system's memory, causing the body to forget how to fight off things that you may have already conquered. For some people, this so-called immune amnesia may linger for months to years after an infection.
•••••
Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, it was nearly guaranteed that every child would catch measles, and an estimated 2.6 million died from the disease each year. The measles vaccine, which is often combined with mumps and rubella, is incredibly effective, with two doses imparting nearly 97-percent protection, resulting in dramatic declines in measles deaths around the world.
•••••
“The benefit of the vaccines has actually been kind of its own downfall,” says Yvonne Maldonado, an epidemiologist at Stanford Medical School. “People just don’t see this as a relevant intervention.”
However, the data show that’s not true: Not only did measles cases plummet once vaccine use became widespread, but cases of other diseases dropped as well—pneumococcus, diarrhea, and more. In resource-poor regions, the decline was as dramatic as 50 percent; in impoverished regions, it dropped by as much as 90 percent.
“We actually saw the whole overall baseline for childhood mortality drop precipitously,” says Harvard's Michael Mina, an author on a 2015 study analyzing this decline and lead author of the new study in Science. In essence, the measles vaccine seems to not only protect populations against measles, it may be keeping a slew of other infections at bay, and one way it could be doing this is through prevention of immune amnesia.
•••••
Everywhere the monkey has lymphoid tissues—which house immune cells—glowing green speckles appeared, twinkling like stars in the night sky. These winks of light revealed that the virus favors what's known as immune memory cells. These cells record and catalog your lifetime of infections, helping you efficiently battle future invaders on repeat encounters. Later in the infection, the virus also settles into the surface lining of the lungs and nose, which help it launch into the air with each cough.
Once the immune system kicked in to clear the infection, this viral constellation vanished. The sudden darkness highlighted an important step of immune amnesia: By infecting memory cells, the virus not only wiped out some of the body's immune recollections, it essentially turned the system against itself by forcing healthy immune cells to kill off their infected comrades.
“If the virus didn’t kill those memory cells already, the immune system would finish the job off,” de Swart says. “We could literally see it happening under our hands.”
The team later confirmed that a similar mechanism is likely at play in humans. But it's unclear exactly how much immune memory vanished; that probably varies from person to person, de Swart notes. Still, the process emphasizes why secondary disease is so common with measles: Not only does the virus assault the immune system's first line of defense and damage your skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract, it also erases your other hard-won resistances.
•••••
So could secondary infections affect people who currently have measles in the United States?
“I absolutely think so,” Mina says, though he emphasizes that the U.S. healthcare system is strong enough to treat these infections and prevent most of them from turning deadly.
That isn't the case in many developing regions, where something as seemingly mild as diarrhea can kill. And because the virus attacks the immune system, the severity of infections depends on the general health of the population. In essence, measles acts like an infection amplifier, turning up the volume of background disease. This means that in resource-limited areas, the virus will cause higher overall death rates.
“In lots of developing countries still today, we see one in 50 or one in a hundred kids still dying from measles, primarily due to these sort of immune effects,” Mina says. To make matters worse, measles is contagious long before those infected even know it, making it easy for the virus to tag along if its unwitting hosts take to traveling.
•••••
Hot weather raises risk of early childbirth, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/02/climate-hot-weather-raises-risk-early-childbirth-study
Nina Lakhani
Mon 2 Dec 2019 11.00 EST
Last modified on Mon 2 Dec 2019 14.50 EST
Hot weather increases the risk of early childbirth, which in turn is linked to worse health and developmental outcomes for children, a major new study has found.
The report could have fresh implications for the impact of global heating on human health.
In the US, about 25,000 babies were born up to two weeks early each year as a result of heatwaves between 1969 and 1988, according to the research published in Nature Climate Change (NCC).
Childbirth rates increased by 5% on days when temperatures reached 90F, but access to air conditioning mitigated three-quarters of the impact of heat exposure.
Across the world, hot days are getting hotter and more frequent as a result of global heating.
If greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly curtailed, by the end of the century the National Climate Assessment estimates there will be up to 30 more days over 90F each year in the US. Another study projects that the annual number of days above 100F will double.
•••••
In later life, these slightly early babies are more likely to have respiratory problems and higher blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of psychiatric and neurological conditions. Academic outcomes are also negatively affected in early babies, according to a millennium cohort study of 6,000 British children.
•••••
Nina Lakhani
Mon 2 Dec 2019 11.00 EST
Last modified on Mon 2 Dec 2019 14.50 EST
Hot weather increases the risk of early childbirth, which in turn is linked to worse health and developmental outcomes for children, a major new study has found.
The report could have fresh implications for the impact of global heating on human health.
In the US, about 25,000 babies were born up to two weeks early each year as a result of heatwaves between 1969 and 1988, according to the research published in Nature Climate Change (NCC).
Childbirth rates increased by 5% on days when temperatures reached 90F, but access to air conditioning mitigated three-quarters of the impact of heat exposure.
Across the world, hot days are getting hotter and more frequent as a result of global heating.
If greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly curtailed, by the end of the century the National Climate Assessment estimates there will be up to 30 more days over 90F each year in the US. Another study projects that the annual number of days above 100F will double.
•••••
In later life, these slightly early babies are more likely to have respiratory problems and higher blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of psychiatric and neurological conditions. Academic outcomes are also negatively affected in early babies, according to a millennium cohort study of 6,000 British children.
•••••
US Congress commits to act on climate crisis, despite Donald Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/02/congress-commits-to-take-action-on-climate-crisis
Fiona Harvey in Madrid
Mon 2 Dec 2019 14.09 EST
The US will take action on greenhouse gases and engage with other countries on the climate emergency despite Donald Trump’s rejection of international cooperation, a delegation from the US Congress has told the UN climate conference in Madrid.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, struck a defiant stance on Monday, declaring: “Congress’s commitment to action on the climate crisis is iron-clad. This is a matter of public health, of clean air, of clean water, of our children, of the survival of our economies, of the prosperity of the world, of national security, justice and equality. We now must deliver deeper cuts in emissions.”
Her rallying call came as developing countries accused the US president of “ecocide” and the UN secretary-general said the world’s biggest emitters were falling behind.
•••••
Fiona Harvey in Madrid
Mon 2 Dec 2019 14.09 EST
The US will take action on greenhouse gases and engage with other countries on the climate emergency despite Donald Trump’s rejection of international cooperation, a delegation from the US Congress has told the UN climate conference in Madrid.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, struck a defiant stance on Monday, declaring: “Congress’s commitment to action on the climate crisis is iron-clad. This is a matter of public health, of clean air, of clean water, of our children, of the survival of our economies, of the prosperity of the world, of national security, justice and equality. We now must deliver deeper cuts in emissions.”
Her rallying call came as developing countries accused the US president of “ecocide” and the UN secretary-general said the world’s biggest emitters were falling behind.
•••••
Some nursing homes are illegally evicting elderly and disabled residents who can't afford to pay
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/some-nursing-homes-are-illegally-evicting-elderly-disabled-residents-who-n1087341
Nov. 29, 2019, 4:30 AM EST
By Katie Engelhart
•••••
As the family later learned, Glenda Moore had the right to appeal the Medicare decision, or to apply for Medicaid — and, if she qualified (which she later did), to stay in the nursing home on Medicaid for as long as she needed nursing care. Instead, Moore’s family said, Moore became one of thousands of Americans discharged against their wishes or evicted from nursing homes each year.
•••••
Nationally, long-term care ombudsmen, who advocate for elderly and disabled residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, received 10,610 complaints about discharges and transfers in 2017, up from 9,192 in 2015. The ombudsmen, whose work is federally mandated and state-funded, receive more complaints about discharges and transfers than any other grievance.
•••••
Advocates, experts and the federal government say that nursing homes tend to evict low-income, longer-term residents who receive Medicaid, to make room for shorter-term rehabilitation patients who are covered by Medicare. Medicare reimburses nursing homes at a higher rate than Medicaid, so it’s more lucrative for facilities to house Medicare patients who stay for short stints before recovering and moving elsewhere.
•••••
In one case in Los Angeles, in April 2018, Ronald Anderson said he was woken at night by the nursing home staff at the Avalon Villa Care Center and told he was being evicted. Anderson, 51 at the time, had moved into the facility over a year earlier to recover from a partial foot amputation. He said he was loaded into a van and dropped off on a sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the country, according to a report from the California Department of Public Health.
•••••
In some instances, she and other experts said, nursing homes drop residents off at a low-cost motel and pay for a night or two. “We’ve seen cases with residents who have dementia put into a van and dropped downtown onto the streets, without the ability to care for themselves,” she said.
•••••
But the federal government has made changes that reduced fines against nursing homes that harm or endanger residents. Nursing homes used to receive fines for each day a violation was observed, but after a change the Trump administration implemented in July 2017, nursing homes are now usually fined just once per retroactive violation.
•••••
Nov. 29, 2019, 4:30 AM EST
By Katie Engelhart
•••••
As the family later learned, Glenda Moore had the right to appeal the Medicare decision, or to apply for Medicaid — and, if she qualified (which she later did), to stay in the nursing home on Medicaid for as long as she needed nursing care. Instead, Moore’s family said, Moore became one of thousands of Americans discharged against their wishes or evicted from nursing homes each year.
•••••
Nationally, long-term care ombudsmen, who advocate for elderly and disabled residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, received 10,610 complaints about discharges and transfers in 2017, up from 9,192 in 2015. The ombudsmen, whose work is federally mandated and state-funded, receive more complaints about discharges and transfers than any other grievance.
•••••
Advocates, experts and the federal government say that nursing homes tend to evict low-income, longer-term residents who receive Medicaid, to make room for shorter-term rehabilitation patients who are covered by Medicare. Medicare reimburses nursing homes at a higher rate than Medicaid, so it’s more lucrative for facilities to house Medicare patients who stay for short stints before recovering and moving elsewhere.
•••••
In one case in Los Angeles, in April 2018, Ronald Anderson said he was woken at night by the nursing home staff at the Avalon Villa Care Center and told he was being evicted. Anderson, 51 at the time, had moved into the facility over a year earlier to recover from a partial foot amputation. He said he was loaded into a van and dropped off on a sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the country, according to a report from the California Department of Public Health.
•••••
In some instances, she and other experts said, nursing homes drop residents off at a low-cost motel and pay for a night or two. “We’ve seen cases with residents who have dementia put into a van and dropped downtown onto the streets, without the ability to care for themselves,” she said.
•••••
But the federal government has made changes that reduced fines against nursing homes that harm or endanger residents. Nursing homes used to receive fines for each day a violation was observed, but after a change the Trump administration implemented in July 2017, nursing homes are now usually fined just once per retroactive violation.
•••••
Monday, December 02, 2019
At Least 20 Billionaires Behind ‘Dark Money’ Group That Opposed Obama
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2019/10/26/at-least-20-billionaires-behind-dark-money-group-that-opposed-obama/?fbclid=IwAR26yP720eUbu7mX6Z9ucFpfWke2LZa9Nq3F_9oGootQw6gKJtjufs_bzvY#170396d86c66
The real "deep state" is the 0.1%
Michela Tindera
Oct. 26, 2019
A nonprofit group with a bland name, Americans for Job Security, spent $5 million supporting Republicans in the 2010 midterms and $15 million denouncing former President Obama in the 2012 election, but until this week, the group never had to file disclosures showing where its money was coming from.
•••••
The biggest individual donor to the group appears to be Charles Schwab, the brokerage titan worth an estimated $7.8 billion. Over the span of three months in 2012, he donated nearly $9 million. Gap cofounder Doris Fisher—along with her sons Robert, John and William—gave another $9 million.
•••••
The new FEC filing shows billionaire donors from around the country. The late Republican megadonors Richard and Helen DeVos gave $1 million to the group in October 2012. Texas oil-and-gas billionaires Richard Kinder, Dan Wilks, Farris Wilks and late Houston Texans owner Robert McNair were also among the donors that year. Others include Dennis Washington of Montana, who got rich in mining and railroads, and Leon Black of New York, who cofounded private equity giant Apollo. WWE chief executive Vince McMahon donated, along with his wife Linda McMahon, who Donald Trump later appointed to his cabinet
The companies of several billionaires are also on the list, including Wynn Resorts, which was cofounded by billionaire Steve Wynn and his then-wife Elaine Wynn (Steve Wynn resigned as chairman and CEO in February 2018 and sold all his Wynn Resorts shares), and Bass Pro Shops, the sporting goods retailer founded and majority owned by billionaire John Morris. Wynn Resorts contributed $500,000 and Bass Pro Shops contributed $50,000 in 2012. (Morris himself contributed another $50,000, according to the filing.)
•••••
Sperm whale found dead on Scotland beach with 220 pounds of trash in stomach
https://abcnews.go.com/International/sperm-whale-found-dead-scotland-beach-220-pounds/story?id=67437630&fbclid=IwAR3eQd1Jckb2_WKmz6x_q67YzWb1HqrlfNmSUOu-1r5iaB0Q5MIlvykJxP0
By julia jacobo
Dec 2, 2019, 12:57 PM ET
A sperm whale found stranded on a beach in northeast Scotland had more than 220 pounds of trash in its stomach when it died, according to the organization that found it.
•••••
The debris found inside the whale included "a whole range of plastic," including plastic cups, gloves, packing straps and tubing as well as bundles of rope and sections of netting, Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme said in a Facebook post.
•••••
The material was packed into the whale's stomach "in a huge ball" and some of it had likely been ingested some time ago, according SMASS.
•••••
By julia jacobo
Dec 2, 2019, 12:57 PM ET
A sperm whale found stranded on a beach in northeast Scotland had more than 220 pounds of trash in its stomach when it died, according to the organization that found it.
•••••
The debris found inside the whale included "a whole range of plastic," including plastic cups, gloves, packing straps and tubing as well as bundles of rope and sections of netting, Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme said in a Facebook post.
•••••
The material was packed into the whale's stomach "in a huge ball" and some of it had likely been ingested some time ago, according SMASS.
•••••
Sunday, December 01, 2019
Millions could lose access to food stamps under Trump proposal, study finds
The Trump administration's response to increasing inequality, decreasing income for the poor, and decreasing life expectancy
Oliver Milman
,The Guardian•November 30, 2019
Millions of Americans face losing access to food assistance under proposed rule changes by the Trump administration, a new analysis has found.
The changes, if they had been instituted last year, would have resulted in 3.7 million fewer people and 2.1m fewer households receiving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as Snap or food stamps, during an average month, according to the study.
The altered rules would also reduce benefits received by many people, with 2.2m households set to have their average monthly assistance cut by $127. Nearly one million students would lose access to free or discounted lunches.
•••••
The US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Snap program, has put forward new rules that would create stricter work requirements to be eligible for Snap and cap deductions for utility allowances. The third change would restrict the way 40 states automatically provide Snap to families once they get other types of federal assistance.
•••••
Life expectancy in the US keeps going down, and a new study says America's worsening inequality could be to blame
https://news.yahoo.com/life-expectancy-us-keeps-going-131200521.html
Aylin Woodward
,Business Insider•November 30, 2019
•••••
The US is the only wealthy country in the world where the life expectancy needle is moving the wrong way.
Between 1959 and 2014, the average length of time that Americans were expected to live was on the rise. Now, for the third year in a row, it's declining, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
•••••
This decline can't be linked to just one ethnicity, gender, or geographic area, either: It originates among an entire age group. People between the ages of 25 and 64 in the US are dying at higher rates, wracked by health problems like opioid addiction, obesity, alcoholic liver disease, and suicide.
Despite having the highest per capita health care spending in the world, Americans are "more likely to die before age 65 than people in other countries," Woolf added. "Their children, too, are less likely to live as long."
•••••
The news isn't good if you compare it to other countries, either. In 1960, Americans had the highest life expectancy of any country in the world. But in the past couple of years, the US has plummeted to the bottom of the list of countries with a similar GDP and high average income, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In fact, the US is currently ranked in the mid-40s globally in terms of life expectancy, squished between countries like Lebanon, Cuba, and Chile, which have GDPs that fall far short of our own.
•••••
These deaths can't be traced back to a single cause, either. Woolf's research revealed that mortality among members of this age group has increased from 35 different causes. However, drug overdose, alcohol abuse, and suicide — referred to by some as "deaths of despair" — appear to be the primary culprits.
•••••
Upticks in suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related diseases "are all symptoms of people struggling in a poor economy who can't afford housing, find consistent jobs," and despair because of it, according to Woolf.
•••••
"Forces like income inequality and unstable employment cause psychological distress and drive conditions by which diseases and deaths occur," he added.
In countries around the world, research has shown that people with lower incomes die sooner than their wealthier counterparts. A 2017 study linked low socioeconomic status to significant reductions in life expectancy.
But what makes the US unique, according to Woolf, is that "poor people in other countries live longer than poor people in our country."
•••••
According to Koh's editorial commentary on the new study, the difference in life expectancy between America's top and bottom 1% can be up to 14 years for men and 10 years for women.
•••••
Aylin Woodward
,Business Insider•November 30, 2019
•••••
The US is the only wealthy country in the world where the life expectancy needle is moving the wrong way.
Between 1959 and 2014, the average length of time that Americans were expected to live was on the rise. Now, for the third year in a row, it's declining, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
•••••
This decline can't be linked to just one ethnicity, gender, or geographic area, either: It originates among an entire age group. People between the ages of 25 and 64 in the US are dying at higher rates, wracked by health problems like opioid addiction, obesity, alcoholic liver disease, and suicide.
Despite having the highest per capita health care spending in the world, Americans are "more likely to die before age 65 than people in other countries," Woolf added. "Their children, too, are less likely to live as long."
•••••
The news isn't good if you compare it to other countries, either. In 1960, Americans had the highest life expectancy of any country in the world. But in the past couple of years, the US has plummeted to the bottom of the list of countries with a similar GDP and high average income, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In fact, the US is currently ranked in the mid-40s globally in terms of life expectancy, squished between countries like Lebanon, Cuba, and Chile, which have GDPs that fall far short of our own.
•••••
These deaths can't be traced back to a single cause, either. Woolf's research revealed that mortality among members of this age group has increased from 35 different causes. However, drug overdose, alcohol abuse, and suicide — referred to by some as "deaths of despair" — appear to be the primary culprits.
•••••
Upticks in suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related diseases "are all symptoms of people struggling in a poor economy who can't afford housing, find consistent jobs," and despair because of it, according to Woolf.
•••••
"Forces like income inequality and unstable employment cause psychological distress and drive conditions by which diseases and deaths occur," he added.
In countries around the world, research has shown that people with lower incomes die sooner than their wealthier counterparts. A 2017 study linked low socioeconomic status to significant reductions in life expectancy.
But what makes the US unique, according to Woolf, is that "poor people in other countries live longer than poor people in our country."
•••••
According to Koh's editorial commentary on the new study, the difference in life expectancy between America's top and bottom 1% can be up to 14 years for men and 10 years for women.
•••••
Samoa measles cases, deaths more than double over past week
https://news.yahoo.com/samoa-measles-cases-deaths-more-043432925.html
By Lidia Kelly
,Reuters•November 30, 2019
The number of suspected cases of measles on the Pacific island of Samoa has more than doubled over the past week to 3,530 and deaths related to the outbreak rose to 48 from 20 a week ago, the country's Ministry of Health said on Sunday.
Samoa has become vulnerable to measles outbreaks as the number of people becoming immunized has declined with the World Health Organisation (WHO) saying vaccine coverage is just about 31%.
•••••
Of the 48 deaths, 44 where among children under the age of four. Since Saturday, there have been 173 new cases of measles recorded and four people have died.
•••••
By Lidia Kelly
,Reuters•November 30, 2019
The number of suspected cases of measles on the Pacific island of Samoa has more than doubled over the past week to 3,530 and deaths related to the outbreak rose to 48 from 20 a week ago, the country's Ministry of Health said on Sunday.
Samoa has become vulnerable to measles outbreaks as the number of people becoming immunized has declined with the World Health Organisation (WHO) saying vaccine coverage is just about 31%.
•••••
Of the 48 deaths, 44 where among children under the age of four. Since Saturday, there have been 173 new cases of measles recorded and four people have died.
•••••
Should You Warm Up Your Car When It's Cold? No
https://news.yahoo.com/warm-car-cold-213000169.html
This is the way I've always operated, and my cars last a long time unless some idiot runs into me.
Jay Bennett, Ezra Dyer
,Popular Mechanics•December 1, 2019
In the thick of winter, the common wisdom is that when you are gearing up to take your truck out in the cold and snow, you should step outside, start up your engine, and let it idle to warm up. But contrary to popular belief, this does not prolong the life of your engine; in fact, it decreases it by stripping oil away from the engine's cylinders and pistons.
•••••
The best thing to do is start the car, take a minute to knock the ice off your windows, and get going. The obvious caveat here is that if it's below freezing, you need to make sure your defroster is working before you go tearing out of your driveway. Don't be the person peering through a porthole in your ice-covered windshield.
•••••
UN chief warns of ‘point of no return’ on climate change
https://news.yahoo.com/un-chief-warns-point-no-121918983.html
ARITZ PARRA and FRANK JORDANS
,Associated Press•December 1, 2019
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that the world’s efforts to stop climate change have been “utterly inadequate" so far and there is a danger global warming could pass the “point of no return.”
Speaking before the start Monday of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid, the U.N. chief said the impact of rising temperatures — including more extreme weather — is already being felt around the world, with dramatic consequences for humans and other species.
He noted that the world has the scientific knowledge and the technical means to limit global warming, but “what is lacking is political will.”
“The point of no return is no longer over the horizon,” Guterres told reporters in the Spanish capital. “It is in sight and hurtling toward us.”
•••••
But he insisted that his message was “one of hope, not of despair. Our war against nature must stop and we know that that is possible.”
•••••
ARITZ PARRA and FRANK JORDANS
,Associated Press•December 1, 2019
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that the world’s efforts to stop climate change have been “utterly inadequate" so far and there is a danger global warming could pass the “point of no return.”
Speaking before the start Monday of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid, the U.N. chief said the impact of rising temperatures — including more extreme weather — is already being felt around the world, with dramatic consequences for humans and other species.
He noted that the world has the scientific knowledge and the technical means to limit global warming, but “what is lacking is political will.”
“The point of no return is no longer over the horizon,” Guterres told reporters in the Spanish capital. “It is in sight and hurtling toward us.”
•••••
But he insisted that his message was “one of hope, not of despair. Our war against nature must stop and we know that that is possible.”
•••••
Don't go into deby for Christmas
Dec. 1, 2019
Reading that many people go into debt to buy Christmas presents makes me sad. When my siblings and I were grown, our family agreed to stop buying Christmas and birthday presents for the adults in the family. If we didn't already have something we wanted, it was because we couldn't afford it, and others in the family wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. And we didn't want our homes cluttered with a bunch of stuff that people gave us because they felt obligated to do so.
'Performance-enhancing substance': How Thanksgiving gratitude may improve your health
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/28/thanksgiving-health-advice-how-gratitude-good-your-heart/4320321002/
Grace Hauck
USA TODAY
Nov. 28, 2019
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving. It's good for your health.
Expressing gratitude improves cardiovascular strength, sleep quality and more, researchers said.
"Gratitude enhances performance in every domain that's been examined, psychological, relational, emotional, physical," said Robert Emmons, a professor and psychologist at the University of California-Davis. "This is why it's been referred to as the ultimate performance-enhancing substance."
The field of gratitude health studies is young, but researchers said practicing gratitude may positively affect physical health in two main ways: It can change your biology and your behavior.
•••••
Practicing gratitude is also tied to lower stress levels, Simon-Thomas said, because people who regularly express gratitude have a greater capacity to regulate emotions in a constructive way. It can even "short-circuit" the body's stress response.
•••••
Grace Hauck
USA TODAY
Nov. 28, 2019
Show your gratitude this Thanksgiving. It's good for your health.
Expressing gratitude improves cardiovascular strength, sleep quality and more, researchers said.
"Gratitude enhances performance in every domain that's been examined, psychological, relational, emotional, physical," said Robert Emmons, a professor and psychologist at the University of California-Davis. "This is why it's been referred to as the ultimate performance-enhancing substance."
The field of gratitude health studies is young, but researchers said practicing gratitude may positively affect physical health in two main ways: It can change your biology and your behavior.
•••••
Practicing gratitude is also tied to lower stress levels, Simon-Thomas said, because people who regularly express gratitude have a greater capacity to regulate emotions in a constructive way. It can even "short-circuit" the body's stress response.
•••••
Climate change making El Ninos more extreme: Study
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/climate-change-making-el-ninos-more-extreme-study/articleshow/72220970.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TOIDesktop&fbclid=IwAR2DT22XUTidQ5mp-dgp1vP_yXTzyeSVNBNbbggZ5WTT1p8H6fBkOwzcxoI
IANS | Nov 25, 2019, 13:47 IST
Human-induced climate change has made El Ninos, La Ninas, and the climate phenomenon that drives them more extreme in the industrial age, new research has found.
With greater intensity, these events can worsen storms, drought, and coral bleaching in El Nino years.
The findings, published in the journal Geophysical Review Letters, showed compelling evidence in the Pacific Ocean that the stronger El Ninos are part of a climate pattern that is new and strange.
•••••
The team found the industrial age El Nino Southern Oscillation swings to be 25 per cent stronger than in the pre-industrial records.
•••••
Every two to seven years in spring, an El Nino is born when the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation swells into a long heat blob in the tropical Pacific, typically peaking in early winter. It blows through oceans and air around the world, ginning up deluges, winds, heat or cold in unusual places.
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IANS | Nov 25, 2019, 13:47 IST
Human-induced climate change has made El Ninos, La Ninas, and the climate phenomenon that drives them more extreme in the industrial age, new research has found.
With greater intensity, these events can worsen storms, drought, and coral bleaching in El Nino years.
The findings, published in the journal Geophysical Review Letters, showed compelling evidence in the Pacific Ocean that the stronger El Ninos are part of a climate pattern that is new and strange.
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The team found the industrial age El Nino Southern Oscillation swings to be 25 per cent stronger than in the pre-industrial records.
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Every two to seven years in spring, an El Nino is born when the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation swells into a long heat blob in the tropical Pacific, typically peaking in early winter. It blows through oceans and air around the world, ginning up deluges, winds, heat or cold in unusual places.
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Why It Was Easier to Be Skinny in the 1980s
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-it-was-easier-to-be-skinny-in-the-1980s?utm_source=pocket-newtab
The Atlantic
Olga Khazan
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A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise.
The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006. They grouped the data sets together by the amount of food and activity, age, and BMI.
They found a very surprising correlation: A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.
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Just what those other changes might be, though, are still a matter of hypothesis. In an interview, Kuk proffered three different factors that might be making harder for adults today to stay thin.
First, people are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight.
Second, the use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain.
Finally, Kuk and the other study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now. It’s well known that some types of gut bacteria make a person more prone to weight gain and obesity. Americans are eating more meat than they were a few decades ago, and many animal products are treated with hormones and antibiotics in order to promote growth. All that meat might be changing gut bacteria in ways that are subtle, at first, but add up over time. Kuk believes the proliferation of artificial sweeteners could also be playing a role.
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The Atlantic
Olga Khazan
•••••
A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise.
The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006. They grouped the data sets together by the amount of food and activity, age, and BMI.
They found a very surprising correlation: A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.
•••••
Just what those other changes might be, though, are still a matter of hypothesis. In an interview, Kuk proffered three different factors that might be making harder for adults today to stay thin.
First, people are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight.
Second, the use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain.
Finally, Kuk and the other study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now. It’s well known that some types of gut bacteria make a person more prone to weight gain and obesity. Americans are eating more meat than they were a few decades ago, and many animal products are treated with hormones and antibiotics in order to promote growth. All that meat might be changing gut bacteria in ways that are subtle, at first, but add up over time. Kuk believes the proliferation of artificial sweeteners could also be playing a role.
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