Post by mhbruin on Jan 25, 2022 10:03:44 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 535 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Jan 25)
We had a great December, but January has been pretty terrible. We have 3-4 months to get some significant rain.
There are no big storms in the 10-day forecast.
Reservoirs are still low, but they are filling up a bit.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Damon Albarn Wasn't "Best Known" For Anything.
Damon Albarn, best known as the lead singer of Blur and later Gorillaz, recently gave an interview to the LA Times, where he stated Taylor Swift did not write her own music. His statement was catergorically incorrect
She Is Done Giving a Damn About Anyone Else. Of Course She Works for the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page
Author and journalist Bari Weiss is having a serious bout of COVID fatigue!
On Friday’s episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Weiss told host Bill Maher that she is “done.”
“I’m done,” she said. “I’m done with COVID.”
Bari Weiss said that when the pandemic first started, she, like many others, followed the CDC guidelines to the letter.
“I sprayed the Pringles cans that I bought in the grocery store,” she told Maher. “I stripped my clothes off because I thought COVID would be on my clothes.”
“Then we were told… you get the vaccine and you get back to normal,” she continued. “And we haven’t gotten back to normal.”
“And it’s ridiculous at this point,” she added. “If you believe the science, you will look at the data we did not have two years ago. You will find out that cloth masks do not do anything. You will realize you can show your vaccine passport at a restaurant and still be asymptomatic and be carrying omicron.”
“And you will realize most importantly that this is going to be remembered by the younger generation as a catastrophic moral crime,” she added.
Blaming the Son of a President. No Irony There.
As Russian troops ominously mass on Ukraine’s border and the U.S. and NATO steel for a possible invasion, Donald Trump Jr. can think of only one possible culprit (who has not occurred to anyone else): Hunter Biden.
“Will it ultimately be Hunter’s lucrative and shady AF business dealings in Ukraine that gets us into a war with Russia?” Trump Jr. wondered, without offering a single reason why that would be the case.
In fact, it was his dad who bragged as president about his friendship with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, the clear aggressor in the Ukraine situation, and who accepted Putin’s denials of Kremlin interference in the 2016 U.S. election despite the findings of his own intelligence officials.
Former President Donald Trump also denounced Ukraine — and was impeached for threatening to withhold vital military assistance to stave off a Russian incursion unless Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, launched a baseless investigation into presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
Hooray! Out Kids Can Spread Disease!
As cases retreat in the Northeast, the New York State Supreme Court struck down the Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s statewide mask mandate, saying it’s unconstitutional and in violation of state law.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman applauded the decision.
“Tomorrow morning, our school kids are going to be able to go to school and not have to wear masks, and that these mandates are no longer in effect, with respect to all of the mandates that the Supreme Court ruled against the governor and the health commissioner,” Blakeman said Monday night.
$1,000 To Walk Through the Door. That Must Be Some Door.
A Missouri man says his family received an emergency room bill for more than $1,000 — even though a doctor never even saw his son.
Dhaval Bhatt says his wife and toddler waited to see a doctor at the hospital for over an hour. They eventually left without being seen.
"I had heard stories from my friends that unless literally like you're dying or in a very serious condition, only then you should visit an ER," Bhatt said.
Bhatt, an immigrant from India, always avoided hospitals in the U.S. because he feared large medical bills. But when his 2-year-old son burned his hand on the stove in April, Bhatt's wife, Mansi, called their pediatrician, who told them to go to the hospital.
"I was very much worried," she said. "The blisters came on his hand. So at that time, I really panicked."
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital coded the burn as a level 3 — a moderately severe problem. Mansi said a nurse took her son's vitals, looked at his wound, and said a surgeon would look at it more closely. But after waiting more than an hour, they decided to leave without seeing a doctor.
"It was so annoying and frustrating," she said. "I was just thinking, why isn't someone coming to take a look at my son if his wound is so severe?"
Their son's hand healed on its own after a few days, and then the hospital bill arrived. It was for $1,012 and Bhatt owed more than $850 after insurance adjustments, he said. Almost all of the bill was the "facility fee" — something hospitals can charge anyone who walks in and registers even if they aren't treated.
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Today's Best Person in the World Nominees
Biden Speaks Truth.
Another Senior Nominee
A 73-year-old grandmother lured a scammer to her home in Long Island, New York, where he was pounced on by police.
A quick-thinking former 911 dispatcher who gave her name as Jean turned the tables after receiving a phone call Thursday from someone claiming to be her grandson asking for $8,000 bail money following a DUI arrest.
“I knew he was a real scammer. I just knew he wasn’t going to scam me,” she told CBS New York.
The giveaway? Jean does not have a grandson who drives.
Jean later talked with another man claiming to be her grandson’s lawyer and told the swindlers she had the cash. She filled an envelope with paper towels and called the police.
When a man showed up at her house, she handed over the envelope and officers pounced. The arrest was recorded on her doorbell camera.
This Must Be the Septuagenarian Edition
Neil Young had a strong message for Spotify on Monday: "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." The 76-year-old rocker apparently doesn't want to share a platform with Joe Rogan, whose podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" has an exclusive deal with Spotify and has frequently spread false information about COVID-19.
Rogan has famously questioned COVID-19 vaccines on his show, and when he got COVID-19 last year, said he took ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that's been heavily promoted on social media despite having no proven benefit against COVID-19.
In an open letter to his management and record label posted on his website, Young, who survived polio as a child, said he wanted to remove his music from Spotify because of the "false information about vaccines being spread — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them." Polio has been eliminated in the United States due to widespread vaccination against it.
No It's Not Amy Schumer
Amy Schneider broke yet another "Jeopardy!" record on Monday, knocking fellow star Matt Amodio out of the second-place spot for consecutive wins on the quiz show. Schneider, the first woman to earn $1 million in winnings on the show, has now won 39 games and $1,319,800.
Like many of her games, Schneider dominated throughout Monday's show, finding and correctly answering two Daily Doubles and ending the first two rounds $33,000 ahead of the competitor in second place. A wrong answer in the category of "U.S. Museums" in Final Jeopardy cost her $25,000, but she still left the episode with an additional $12,600.
The win comes weeks after she broke James Holzhauer's third-place record of 32 games. When asked by current host Ken Jennings how it felt to beat Holzhauer, Schneider said beating him had become "a target of mine" after she began to do well on the show.
Jennings is now the only person standing between Schneider and the top spot. But Jennings, who went on a historic winning streak in 2004, is still far ahead with 74 consecutive wins. Schneider is in fourth place — behind Jennings, Holzhauer and Amodio — for the total amount of money won in regular-season play.
Schneider is also the first transgender "Jeopardy!" contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, and is the highest-earning female contestant in the show's history.
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I Was in Court When a Man Wanted to Change His Name From Something Ordinary to Something Like Trent Hopkins Duckweather.
A black man in Nevada spent six days in jail after police mistook him for a suspect with the same name who is white and twice his age, a lawsuit says.
Shane Lee Brown, 25, was arrested in January 2020 in a traffic stop after he failed to show his licence. Las Vegas police found a warrant in his name.
But that warrant was actually for Shane Neal Brown, a middle-aged white man with a beard, the lawsuit claims.
The younger man was not charged with a crime and is now suing for damages.
A spokeswoman for the city of Henderson told US media that the younger man had been lawfully detained for driving with a suspended licence. The city did not refer to the allegation of mistaken identity in the legal action.
The lawsuit says officers wrongly thought Mr Brown was Shane Neal Brown, a white man with brown hair, blue eyes and a beard. Now 51, he was first jailed for a felony in 1994, before the younger Mr Brown was even born, reports US media.
Shane Lee Brown stands about 4in shorter than the older man, adds the lawsuit against the Las Vegas and Henderson police departments.
"During his unlawful detention, Shane Lee Brown repeatedly explained to numerous unknown Henderson police officers and supervisors that he was not the 49-year-old white 'Shane Brown' who was the subject of the felony warrant," the lawsuit says.
It accuses officials of failing to perform "due diligence" by comparing his booking photo to the one on file for the older white man.
Shane Lee Brown was eventually released nearly a week after his arrest when his lawyer had a judge compare the two photos.
He is now seeking $500,000 (£370,000) in punitive damages.
The Man Had the Same Name and Birthdate as a Wanted Felon. When Asked Why He Chose the New Name He Said He Wanted to Make Sure He Didn't Have the Name of Anyone Else. (True Story)
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Do You Recognize Your Friends' Wheeze Honks
Wild hippos are noisy creatures, their calls travelling long distances across lakes and rivers.
But until now the precise function of the loud "wheeze honks" the animals make has been a mystery.
Scientists studying hippos at a nature reserve in Africa say the distinctive honks enable the large mammals to tell friend from foe.
And the team says the animals can probably recognise individuals from their "voices".
In the 1960's I Knew a Long-Haired Girl Who Like to Work With Clay. She Was a Hippy Potteress.
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Today's Dumbest Tourist in the World
A French tourist has been jailed for eight years for spying by a court in Iran, his lawyer in Paris has said.
Benjamin Brière, 36, was arrested in May 2020 after flying a drone near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
The lawyer, Philippe Valent, said his client "did not have a fair trial in front of impartial judges", AFP news agency reported.
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The Night of the Long Knives is Coming, Mitch
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is waging a quiet campaign to keep his caucus from getting a whole lot Trumpier after the midterms.
"He wants people who he knows are team players, people who are interested in solutions," said a GOP senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering fellow Republicans. "There are a lot of people who are running for office these days who have different agendas."
In Alaska's Senate race, McConnell is backing incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict former President Donald Trump on impeachment charges last year. She faces a Trump-backed challenge from Kelly Tshibaka.
In Arizona, McConnell is trying to recruit Gov. Doug Ducey, who angered Trump by refusing to overturn his state's electoral votes, to run in a Republican primary that already features multiple Trump-aligned hopefuls. Many Washington Republicans are concerned that the party could blow its chance to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly if it nominates a candidate who is seen as too extreme.
Mitch Kept Previous Guy in Power. Now He is Just Starting to Pay the Cost
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Did Ned Stark Say, "Crypto Winter Is Coming"? He Did Have a Crypt.
As cryptocurrency investors reel from the sharp sell-off in bitcoin and other digital currencies, some fear the worst is yet to come.
Bitcoin, the world’s largest virtual currency, briefly plunged below $33,000 Monday to its lowest level since July. It’s since recovered back above the $36,000 mark, but is still down almost 50 percent from a record high of nearly $69,000 in November.
Meanwhile, the entire crypto market has shed more than $1 trillion in value since bitcoin’s all-time high, as top tokens such as ether and solana followed the No. 1 digital currency to trade sharply lower. Ether has more than halved in value since reaching its peak in November, while solana has suffered an even steeper decline, falling 65 percent.
That’s got some crypto investors talking about the possibility of a “crypto winter,” a phrase referring to historic bear markets in the young digital currency market’s history. The most recent such occurrence happened in late 2017 and early 2018, when bitcoin crashed as much as 80 percent from all-time highs.
David Marcus, the former head of crypto at Facebook-parent Meta, appeared to admit a crypto winter has already arrived. In a tweet Monday, he said: “It’s during crypto winters that the best entrepreneurs build the better companies. This is the time again to focus on solving real problems vs. pumping tokens.”
Why Do People Call Crypto an "Investment"?
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Merrick Fiddles While Previous Guy Skates
Meanwhile, Back in the States
A Georgia prosecutor investigating possible 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and others has been granted a special grand jury to proceed with the probe.
The grand jury requested by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will have the power to subpoena witnesses in an investigation that focuses on any "coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections" in Georgia.
Christopher Brasher, the chief judge of Fulton County Superior Court, granted the request Monday, saying it was "considered and approved by a majority" of the judges on the court. The special grand jury will begin May 2 and continue for not more than 12 months, according to Brasher's order.
Willis, who is leading the investigation, made the request last week.
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This Ban Was not a Roll-On. It Also Destroyed Lives.
Mohammed Saleh never got a chance to say goodbye to his son.
In 2018, Saleh petitioned for a visa so his son — Ayman, who lived in Aden, Yemen, and was 20 at the time — could come to the United States to seek treatment for a congenital heart condition. He wanted to hold Ayman, take him to his doctor appointments, and give him a chance at life. That opportunity didn’t exist in Yemen, where less than half of all health facilities were functioning after years of civil war.
The last time Saleh saw his son was during a visit to Yemen in June 2019. He still hoped then they could reunite in New York, where Saleh has lived for nearly three decades.
But then-President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, issued in January 2017, meant Ayman’s visa application was delayed indefinitely. Saleh begged lawyers and advocates for help, but the ban made legal recourse all but impossible.
Ayman’s application was still being processed when he died at a Yemeni hospital in May 2021, during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.
A year-long HuffPost investigation found hundreds of cases of Trump’s ban changing the lives of Muslims, both inside the United States and around the world. Families have been ripped apart. Educational and employment opportunities have been denied, maybe forever. People have missed milestones like birthdays, funerals and weddings. Some gave up on coming to the U.S. and instead relocated to another country, while others have been trapped in war zones.
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You Want More Proof that QOP People Are Stupid?
Former President Donald Trump comfortably leads the field of potential Republican presidential candidates for 2024, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis placing a distant second, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll obtained by The Hill.
In a hypothetical race of eight potential candidates, Trump leads 57%. DeSantis grabbed 12% in the survey and former Vice President Mike Pence placed at 11%. None of the other candidates reached double digits.
But, if Trump wasn’t in the mix, DeSantis received 30%, Pence grabbed 24% and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz nailed 14%.
Ted Cruz?
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I Have Mixed Feelings. I Support Labor, But I Don't Like Coal Mining
About 1,100 coalminers in Alabama have entered 2022 still on strike, more than 10 months since they walked out back in April last year, making it the longest strike in the US since the Covid-19 pandemic began and the longest in Alabama’s history.
Workers started the unfair labor practice strike over claims of bad faith bargaining by Warrior Met Coal over a new union contract. In the previous contract settled in 2016, miners accepted several concessions, including a $6-an-hour pay cut and reductions in health insurance and other benefits as the mines switched employers in the wake of a bankruptcy.
The miners on strike have received support from US politicians such as Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin and Sherrod Brown, and received donations to their strike fund from dozens of labor unions across the US.
Over the past 10 months they have held rallies and extended protests to the Alabama state capitol to criticize the use of public resources for state troopers escorting strikebreaking replacement workers to the mines throughout the strike. Miners have also held rallies in New York City outside the offices of BlackRock Investment Group, the largest shareholder of Warrior Met Coal. As of 2 November, the strike has cost the company $6.9m.
“Most of us are working other jobs and receiving strike pay but some have crossed the line,” said Rily Hughlett, a miner at Warrior Met Coal, who has worked as a roof bolter in the mines for 13 years and believes that workers will win the strike. “We’re not going anywhere. The scabs and the bosses are all humored but he who laughs last laughs loudest.”
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Snow White and the Seven Imps?
Peter Dinklage has called out Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs,” slamming the retelling of the “fucking backward story.”
The “Game of Thrones” actor, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, accused Disney of double standards on the latest episode of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast. He pointed out how the entertainment company was garnering praise for promoting a racially diverse cast while at the same time reverting to harmful stereotypes with its portrayal of people with disabilities.
“No offense to anything, but I was a little taken aback … They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs,’” Dinklage told Maron.
“Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,” Dinklage continued. “You’re progressive in one way, but you’re still making that fucking backward story of seven dwarfs living in the cave. What the fuck are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
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Congrats, Scientists and Engineers!
The world’s biggest, most powerful space telescope arrived at its observation post 1 million miles from Earth on Monday, a month after it lifted off on a quest to behold the dawn of the universe.
On command, the James Webb Space Telescope fired its rocket thrusters for nearly five minutes to go into orbit around the sun at its designated location, and NASA confirmed the operation went as planned.
The mirrors on the $10 billion observatory still must be meticulously aligned, the infrared detectors sufficiently chilled and the scientific instruments calibrated before observations can begin in June.
But flight controllers in Baltimore were euphoric after chalking up another success.
“We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
The telescope will enable astronomers to peer back further in time than ever before, all the way back to when the first stars and galaxies were forming 13.7 billion years ago. That’s a mere 100 million years from the Big Bang, when the universe was created.
Besides making stellar observations, Webb will scan the atmospheres of alien worlds for possible signs of life.
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What Are Good Predictors of College Success?
The controversial SAT exam, dumped as an admission requirement by the University of California, will move to an all-digital format with shorter, more concise content that is expected to better prevent cheating and widen access to an exam that is coming under growing scrutiny as a gatekeeper in the college application process.
The College Board, which owns the test, unveiled the changes Tuesday. They will be rolled out for international students in spring 2023 and for U.S. students in 2024. The duration of the test, which will be administered at schools and testing centers with proctors, will be cut from three to two hours. Long reading passages will be shortened.
In a key change, the digital format will allow for a unique test for each student. That will increase security — test-takers can't crib an answer from someone else — but could raise questions about how to fairly assess students who are taking different tests.
The announcement comes amid a growing national movement to eliminate standardized testing requirements for admissions decisions. More than 1,800 colleges and universities — nearly 80% of U.S. institutions that grant bachelor's degrees — have dropped requirements for fall 2022 applicants, with most making submission of test scores optional, according to the educational organization FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
3 Key Predictors of College Success
Student behavior during high school
Seems obvious, but certain student behaviors in high school can predict college success—and not the ones you might think. According to a joint 2015 report from the USDE, IES, and NCEE, these two behaviors were predictors of college success:
Fewer high school absences
Taking the SAT or ACT (regardless of score)
So students, take heed: high school attendance matters, and whether or not your colleges of interest require a standardized test score, you should probably take a shot at it anyway!
High School GPA
This next predictor of college success is probably a given in most people’s minds: high school GPA. According to a 2016 report from NACAC, which surveyed 400 colleges and universities high school GPA was the most important predictor of college performance—that is, high school and college grade point averages were closely correlated. (One school’s report showed correlations of .63 and .71.)
Good students are good students, case closed.
Family Income
The third predictor comes maybe not so much as a surprise, but as a disappointment. Based on a 2015 report from the Pell Institute, household income was the most important indicator of whether or not a student will graduate from college. (More than 75% of students from high-income households graduated in 2013, compared to less than 10% of students from low-income households.)
This is extremely unfortunate, since it is a factor that is entirely outside of the student’s control. However, the (marginally) good news is that this finding ought to lead to more discussions about solving economic equality at large, which will solve more than just the education gap.
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If a Body Meet a Anti-body, Comin' thro' the Rye
Florida's monoclonal antibody sites are shutting down after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked emergency use authorization for the treatment19.
The Florida Department of Health has said all the state-run sites for administering the antibodies will close following the FDA's decision in what will be seen as a blow to Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis, a Republican, has been an outspoken advocate of monoclonal antibodies as a COVID treatment and has been pressuring the federal government to provide more of them to his state.
On Monday, the FDA revoked emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibody treatments, produced by Regeneron and Eli Lilly respectively.
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What Are We Going to Do About Chips?
Manufacturers and other buyers of computer chips had less than five days’ supply of some chips on hand late last year, leaving them vulnerable to any disruptions in deliveries, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday as it pushed Congress to endorse federal aid for chipmakers.
The report highlighted the severity of a global shortage that has hobbled manufacturing and fueled inflation for more than a year, and that defies easy solutions.
Manufacturers’ median chip inventory levels have plummeted from about 40 days’ supply in 2019 to less than five days, according to a survey of 150 companies worldwide that the Commerce Department conducted in September 2021.
“This means a disruption overseas, which might shut down a semiconductor plant for 2-3 weeks, has the potential to disable a manufacturing facility and furlough workers in the United States if that facility only has 3-5 days of inventory,” the Commerce Department concluded in a six-page summary of its findings.
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CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Jan 25 | 1,011,603 | 251,289,667 | 210,682,471 | ||
| Jan 24 | 1,201,186 | 250,964,433 | 210,459,963 | 692,359 | 2,166 |
| Jan 23 | 1,101,405 | 250,763,600 | 210,358,008 | 663,908 | 1,936 |
| Jan 22 | 1,002,322 | 250,568,431 | 210,229,586 | 686,715 | 1,939 |
| Jan 21 | 1,035,111 | 250,262,153 | 210,021,766 | 716,829 | 1,974 |
| Jan 20 | 1,094,988 | 250,028,635 | 209,842,610 | 726,870 | 1,843 |
| Jan 19 | 1,135,453 | 249,702,939 | 209,509,297 | 744,615 | 1,749 |
| Jan 18 | 1,158,537 | 249,393,487 | 209,312,770 | 755,095 | 1,669 |
| Jan 17 | No Data | 736,350 | 1,746 | ||
| Jan 16 | No Data | 771,131 | 1,851 | ||
| Jan 15 | 1,268,202 | 248,707,432 | 208,995,438 | 788,628 | 1,858 |
| Jan 14 | 1,286,773 | 248,338,448 | 208,791,862 | 798,335 | 1,784 |
| Jan 13 | 1,291,013 | 247,987,225 | 208,564,894 | 794,587 | 1,730 |
| Jan 12 | 1,234,672 | 247,695,845 | 208,182,657 | 782,765 | 1,729 |
| Jan 11 | 1,213,113 | 247,321,023 | 207,954,605 | 761,535 | 1,656 |
| Jan 10 | 1,307,445 | 247,051,363 | 207,796,335 | 750,996 | 1,633 |
| Jan 9 | 1,331,635 | 246,812,939 | 207,662,071 | 674,406 | 1,552 |
| Jan 8 | 1,286,783 | 246,447,823 | 207,452,448 | 680,330 | 1,544 |
| Jan 7 | 1,226,151 | 246,050,320 | 207,229,983 | 668,497 | 1,513 |
| Jan 6 | 1,164,127 | 245,653,518 | 207,016,514 | 614,552 | 1,350 |
| Jan 5 | 1,117,999 | 245,278,020 | 206,797,799 | 586,391 | 1,245 |
| Jan 4 | 1,093,005 | 244,947,293 | 206,581,659 | 554,328 | 1,238 |
| Jan 3 | No Data | 491,652 | 1,165 | ||
| Jan 2 | No Data | 438,082 | 1,174 | ||
| Jan 1 | No Data | 411,871 | 1,151 | ||
| Dec 31 | No Data | 391,098 | 1,135 | ||
| Dec 30 | 1,234,917 | 243,527,564 | 205,811,394 | 360,276 | 1,144 |
| Dec 29 | 1,042,911 | 243,182,423 | 205,638,307 | 316,277 | 1,100 |
| Dec 28 | 1,091,279 | 242,813,374 | 205,420,745 | 277,241 | 1,085 |
| Dec 27 | 1,034,442 | 242,433,620 | 205,196,973 | 240,408 | 1,096 |
| Dec 26 | No Data | 206,577 | 1,041 | ||
| Dec 25 | No Data | 196,511 | 1,053 | ||
| Feb 16, 2021 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 75.7% | 64.5% | 40.3% |
| % of Population 5+ | 80.5% | 67.5% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 85.6% | 72.3% | 43.4% |
| % of Population 18+ | 87.5% | 73.9% | 54.7% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 88.2% | 63.2% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesday Jan 25)
We had a great December, but January has been pretty terrible. We have 3-4 months to get some significant rain.
There are no big storms in the 10-day forecast.
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | 2 Weeks ago | 3 Weeks ago | 4 Weeks ago | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 124% | 134% | 149% | 158% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 110% | 121% | 138% | 156% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 101% | 112% | 127% | 145% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 117% | 128% | 135% | 134% | |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 114% | 129% | 148% | 148% | |
| Snow Water Content - South | 121% | 135% | 160% | 158% |
Reservoirs are still low, but they are filling up a bit.
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Today's Worst Person in the World Nominees
Damon Albarn Wasn't "Best Known" For Anything.
Damon Albarn, best known as the lead singer of Blur and later Gorillaz, recently gave an interview to the LA Times, where he stated Taylor Swift did not write her own music. His statement was catergorically incorrect
She Is Done Giving a Damn About Anyone Else. Of Course She Works for the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page
Author and journalist Bari Weiss is having a serious bout of COVID fatigue!
On Friday’s episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Weiss told host Bill Maher that she is “done.”
“I’m done,” she said. “I’m done with COVID.”
Bari Weiss said that when the pandemic first started, she, like many others, followed the CDC guidelines to the letter.
“I sprayed the Pringles cans that I bought in the grocery store,” she told Maher. “I stripped my clothes off because I thought COVID would be on my clothes.”
“Then we were told… you get the vaccine and you get back to normal,” she continued. “And we haven’t gotten back to normal.”
“And it’s ridiculous at this point,” she added. “If you believe the science, you will look at the data we did not have two years ago. You will find out that cloth masks do not do anything. You will realize you can show your vaccine passport at a restaurant and still be asymptomatic and be carrying omicron.”
“And you will realize most importantly that this is going to be remembered by the younger generation as a catastrophic moral crime,” she added.
Blaming the Son of a President. No Irony There.
As Russian troops ominously mass on Ukraine’s border and the U.S. and NATO steel for a possible invasion, Donald Trump Jr. can think of only one possible culprit (who has not occurred to anyone else): Hunter Biden.
“Will it ultimately be Hunter’s lucrative and shady AF business dealings in Ukraine that gets us into a war with Russia?” Trump Jr. wondered, without offering a single reason why that would be the case.
In fact, it was his dad who bragged as president about his friendship with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, the clear aggressor in the Ukraine situation, and who accepted Putin’s denials of Kremlin interference in the 2016 U.S. election despite the findings of his own intelligence officials.
Former President Donald Trump also denounced Ukraine — and was impeached for threatening to withhold vital military assistance to stave off a Russian incursion unless Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, launched a baseless investigation into presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
Hooray! Out Kids Can Spread Disease!
As cases retreat in the Northeast, the New York State Supreme Court struck down the Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s statewide mask mandate, saying it’s unconstitutional and in violation of state law.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman applauded the decision.
“Tomorrow morning, our school kids are going to be able to go to school and not have to wear masks, and that these mandates are no longer in effect, with respect to all of the mandates that the Supreme Court ruled against the governor and the health commissioner,” Blakeman said Monday night.
$1,000 To Walk Through the Door. That Must Be Some Door.
A Missouri man says his family received an emergency room bill for more than $1,000 — even though a doctor never even saw his son.
Dhaval Bhatt says his wife and toddler waited to see a doctor at the hospital for over an hour. They eventually left without being seen.
"I had heard stories from my friends that unless literally like you're dying or in a very serious condition, only then you should visit an ER," Bhatt said.
Bhatt, an immigrant from India, always avoided hospitals in the U.S. because he feared large medical bills. But when his 2-year-old son burned his hand on the stove in April, Bhatt's wife, Mansi, called their pediatrician, who told them to go to the hospital.
"I was very much worried," she said. "The blisters came on his hand. So at that time, I really panicked."
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital coded the burn as a level 3 — a moderately severe problem. Mansi said a nurse took her son's vitals, looked at his wound, and said a surgeon would look at it more closely. But after waiting more than an hour, they decided to leave without seeing a doctor.
"It was so annoying and frustrating," she said. "I was just thinking, why isn't someone coming to take a look at my son if his wound is so severe?"
Their son's hand healed on its own after a few days, and then the hospital bill arrived. It was for $1,012 and Bhatt owed more than $850 after insurance adjustments, he said. Almost all of the bill was the "facility fee" — something hospitals can charge anyone who walks in and registers even if they aren't treated.
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Today's Best Person in the World Nominees
Biden Speaks Truth.
Another Senior Nominee
A 73-year-old grandmother lured a scammer to her home in Long Island, New York, where he was pounced on by police.
A quick-thinking former 911 dispatcher who gave her name as Jean turned the tables after receiving a phone call Thursday from someone claiming to be her grandson asking for $8,000 bail money following a DUI arrest.
“I knew he was a real scammer. I just knew he wasn’t going to scam me,” she told CBS New York.
The giveaway? Jean does not have a grandson who drives.
Jean later talked with another man claiming to be her grandson’s lawyer and told the swindlers she had the cash. She filled an envelope with paper towels and called the police.
When a man showed up at her house, she handed over the envelope and officers pounced. The arrest was recorded on her doorbell camera.
This Must Be the Septuagenarian Edition
Neil Young had a strong message for Spotify on Monday: "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." The 76-year-old rocker apparently doesn't want to share a platform with Joe Rogan, whose podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" has an exclusive deal with Spotify and has frequently spread false information about COVID-19.
Rogan has famously questioned COVID-19 vaccines on his show, and when he got COVID-19 last year, said he took ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that's been heavily promoted on social media despite having no proven benefit against COVID-19.
In an open letter to his management and record label posted on his website, Young, who survived polio as a child, said he wanted to remove his music from Spotify because of the "false information about vaccines being spread — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them." Polio has been eliminated in the United States due to widespread vaccination against it.
No It's Not Amy Schumer
Amy Schneider broke yet another "Jeopardy!" record on Monday, knocking fellow star Matt Amodio out of the second-place spot for consecutive wins on the quiz show. Schneider, the first woman to earn $1 million in winnings on the show, has now won 39 games and $1,319,800.
Like many of her games, Schneider dominated throughout Monday's show, finding and correctly answering two Daily Doubles and ending the first two rounds $33,000 ahead of the competitor in second place. A wrong answer in the category of "U.S. Museums" in Final Jeopardy cost her $25,000, but she still left the episode with an additional $12,600.
The win comes weeks after she broke James Holzhauer's third-place record of 32 games. When asked by current host Ken Jennings how it felt to beat Holzhauer, Schneider said beating him had become "a target of mine" after she began to do well on the show.
Jennings is now the only person standing between Schneider and the top spot. But Jennings, who went on a historic winning streak in 2004, is still far ahead with 74 consecutive wins. Schneider is in fourth place — behind Jennings, Holzhauer and Amodio — for the total amount of money won in regular-season play.
Schneider is also the first transgender "Jeopardy!" contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, and is the highest-earning female contestant in the show's history.
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I Was in Court When a Man Wanted to Change His Name From Something Ordinary to Something Like Trent Hopkins Duckweather.
A black man in Nevada spent six days in jail after police mistook him for a suspect with the same name who is white and twice his age, a lawsuit says.
Shane Lee Brown, 25, was arrested in January 2020 in a traffic stop after he failed to show his licence. Las Vegas police found a warrant in his name.
But that warrant was actually for Shane Neal Brown, a middle-aged white man with a beard, the lawsuit claims.
The younger man was not charged with a crime and is now suing for damages.
A spokeswoman for the city of Henderson told US media that the younger man had been lawfully detained for driving with a suspended licence. The city did not refer to the allegation of mistaken identity in the legal action.
The lawsuit says officers wrongly thought Mr Brown was Shane Neal Brown, a white man with brown hair, blue eyes and a beard. Now 51, he was first jailed for a felony in 1994, before the younger Mr Brown was even born, reports US media.
Shane Lee Brown stands about 4in shorter than the older man, adds the lawsuit against the Las Vegas and Henderson police departments.
"During his unlawful detention, Shane Lee Brown repeatedly explained to numerous unknown Henderson police officers and supervisors that he was not the 49-year-old white 'Shane Brown' who was the subject of the felony warrant," the lawsuit says.
It accuses officials of failing to perform "due diligence" by comparing his booking photo to the one on file for the older white man.
Shane Lee Brown was eventually released nearly a week after his arrest when his lawyer had a judge compare the two photos.
He is now seeking $500,000 (£370,000) in punitive damages.
The Man Had the Same Name and Birthdate as a Wanted Felon. When Asked Why He Chose the New Name He Said He Wanted to Make Sure He Didn't Have the Name of Anyone Else. (True Story)
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Do You Recognize Your Friends' Wheeze Honks
Wild hippos are noisy creatures, their calls travelling long distances across lakes and rivers.
But until now the precise function of the loud "wheeze honks" the animals make has been a mystery.
Scientists studying hippos at a nature reserve in Africa say the distinctive honks enable the large mammals to tell friend from foe.
And the team says the animals can probably recognise individuals from their "voices".
In the 1960's I Knew a Long-Haired Girl Who Like to Work With Clay. She Was a Hippy Potteress.
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Today's Dumbest Tourist in the World
A French tourist has been jailed for eight years for spying by a court in Iran, his lawyer in Paris has said.
Benjamin Brière, 36, was arrested in May 2020 after flying a drone near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
The lawyer, Philippe Valent, said his client "did not have a fair trial in front of impartial judges", AFP news agency reported.
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The Night of the Long Knives is Coming, Mitch
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is waging a quiet campaign to keep his caucus from getting a whole lot Trumpier after the midterms.
"He wants people who he knows are team players, people who are interested in solutions," said a GOP senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering fellow Republicans. "There are a lot of people who are running for office these days who have different agendas."
In Alaska's Senate race, McConnell is backing incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict former President Donald Trump on impeachment charges last year. She faces a Trump-backed challenge from Kelly Tshibaka.
In Arizona, McConnell is trying to recruit Gov. Doug Ducey, who angered Trump by refusing to overturn his state's electoral votes, to run in a Republican primary that already features multiple Trump-aligned hopefuls. Many Washington Republicans are concerned that the party could blow its chance to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly if it nominates a candidate who is seen as too extreme.
Mitch Kept Previous Guy in Power. Now He is Just Starting to Pay the Cost
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Did Ned Stark Say, "Crypto Winter Is Coming"? He Did Have a Crypt.
As cryptocurrency investors reel from the sharp sell-off in bitcoin and other digital currencies, some fear the worst is yet to come.
Bitcoin, the world’s largest virtual currency, briefly plunged below $33,000 Monday to its lowest level since July. It’s since recovered back above the $36,000 mark, but is still down almost 50 percent from a record high of nearly $69,000 in November.
Meanwhile, the entire crypto market has shed more than $1 trillion in value since bitcoin’s all-time high, as top tokens such as ether and solana followed the No. 1 digital currency to trade sharply lower. Ether has more than halved in value since reaching its peak in November, while solana has suffered an even steeper decline, falling 65 percent.
That’s got some crypto investors talking about the possibility of a “crypto winter,” a phrase referring to historic bear markets in the young digital currency market’s history. The most recent such occurrence happened in late 2017 and early 2018, when bitcoin crashed as much as 80 percent from all-time highs.
David Marcus, the former head of crypto at Facebook-parent Meta, appeared to admit a crypto winter has already arrived. In a tweet Monday, he said: “It’s during crypto winters that the best entrepreneurs build the better companies. This is the time again to focus on solving real problems vs. pumping tokens.”
Why Do People Call Crypto an "Investment"?
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Merrick Fiddles While Previous Guy Skates
Meanwhile, Back in the States
A Georgia prosecutor investigating possible 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and others has been granted a special grand jury to proceed with the probe.
The grand jury requested by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will have the power to subpoena witnesses in an investigation that focuses on any "coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections" in Georgia.
Christopher Brasher, the chief judge of Fulton County Superior Court, granted the request Monday, saying it was "considered and approved by a majority" of the judges on the court. The special grand jury will begin May 2 and continue for not more than 12 months, according to Brasher's order.
Willis, who is leading the investigation, made the request last week.
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This Ban Was not a Roll-On. It Also Destroyed Lives.
Mohammed Saleh never got a chance to say goodbye to his son.
In 2018, Saleh petitioned for a visa so his son — Ayman, who lived in Aden, Yemen, and was 20 at the time — could come to the United States to seek treatment for a congenital heart condition. He wanted to hold Ayman, take him to his doctor appointments, and give him a chance at life. That opportunity didn’t exist in Yemen, where less than half of all health facilities were functioning after years of civil war.
The last time Saleh saw his son was during a visit to Yemen in June 2019. He still hoped then they could reunite in New York, where Saleh has lived for nearly three decades.
But then-President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, issued in January 2017, meant Ayman’s visa application was delayed indefinitely. Saleh begged lawyers and advocates for help, but the ban made legal recourse all but impossible.
Ayman’s application was still being processed when he died at a Yemeni hospital in May 2021, during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.
A year-long HuffPost investigation found hundreds of cases of Trump’s ban changing the lives of Muslims, both inside the United States and around the world. Families have been ripped apart. Educational and employment opportunities have been denied, maybe forever. People have missed milestones like birthdays, funerals and weddings. Some gave up on coming to the U.S. and instead relocated to another country, while others have been trapped in war zones.
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You Want More Proof that QOP People Are Stupid?
Former President Donald Trump comfortably leads the field of potential Republican presidential candidates for 2024, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis placing a distant second, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll obtained by The Hill.
In a hypothetical race of eight potential candidates, Trump leads 57%. DeSantis grabbed 12% in the survey and former Vice President Mike Pence placed at 11%. None of the other candidates reached double digits.
But, if Trump wasn’t in the mix, DeSantis received 30%, Pence grabbed 24% and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz nailed 14%.
Ted Cruz?
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I Have Mixed Feelings. I Support Labor, But I Don't Like Coal Mining
About 1,100 coalminers in Alabama have entered 2022 still on strike, more than 10 months since they walked out back in April last year, making it the longest strike in the US since the Covid-19 pandemic began and the longest in Alabama’s history.
Workers started the unfair labor practice strike over claims of bad faith bargaining by Warrior Met Coal over a new union contract. In the previous contract settled in 2016, miners accepted several concessions, including a $6-an-hour pay cut and reductions in health insurance and other benefits as the mines switched employers in the wake of a bankruptcy.
The miners on strike have received support from US politicians such as Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin and Sherrod Brown, and received donations to their strike fund from dozens of labor unions across the US.
Over the past 10 months they have held rallies and extended protests to the Alabama state capitol to criticize the use of public resources for state troopers escorting strikebreaking replacement workers to the mines throughout the strike. Miners have also held rallies in New York City outside the offices of BlackRock Investment Group, the largest shareholder of Warrior Met Coal. As of 2 November, the strike has cost the company $6.9m.
“Most of us are working other jobs and receiving strike pay but some have crossed the line,” said Rily Hughlett, a miner at Warrior Met Coal, who has worked as a roof bolter in the mines for 13 years and believes that workers will win the strike. “We’re not going anywhere. The scabs and the bosses are all humored but he who laughs last laughs loudest.”
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Snow White and the Seven Imps?
Peter Dinklage has called out Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs,” slamming the retelling of the “fucking backward story.”
The “Game of Thrones” actor, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, accused Disney of double standards on the latest episode of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast. He pointed out how the entertainment company was garnering praise for promoting a racially diverse cast while at the same time reverting to harmful stereotypes with its portrayal of people with disabilities.
“No offense to anything, but I was a little taken aback … They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs,’” Dinklage told Maron.
“Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,” Dinklage continued. “You’re progressive in one way, but you’re still making that fucking backward story of seven dwarfs living in the cave. What the fuck are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
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Congrats, Scientists and Engineers!
The world’s biggest, most powerful space telescope arrived at its observation post 1 million miles from Earth on Monday, a month after it lifted off on a quest to behold the dawn of the universe.
On command, the James Webb Space Telescope fired its rocket thrusters for nearly five minutes to go into orbit around the sun at its designated location, and NASA confirmed the operation went as planned.
The mirrors on the $10 billion observatory still must be meticulously aligned, the infrared detectors sufficiently chilled and the scientific instruments calibrated before observations can begin in June.
But flight controllers in Baltimore were euphoric after chalking up another success.
“We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
The telescope will enable astronomers to peer back further in time than ever before, all the way back to when the first stars and galaxies were forming 13.7 billion years ago. That’s a mere 100 million years from the Big Bang, when the universe was created.
Besides making stellar observations, Webb will scan the atmospheres of alien worlds for possible signs of life.
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What Are Good Predictors of College Success?
The controversial SAT exam, dumped as an admission requirement by the University of California, will move to an all-digital format with shorter, more concise content that is expected to better prevent cheating and widen access to an exam that is coming under growing scrutiny as a gatekeeper in the college application process.
The College Board, which owns the test, unveiled the changes Tuesday. They will be rolled out for international students in spring 2023 and for U.S. students in 2024. The duration of the test, which will be administered at schools and testing centers with proctors, will be cut from three to two hours. Long reading passages will be shortened.
In a key change, the digital format will allow for a unique test for each student. That will increase security — test-takers can't crib an answer from someone else — but could raise questions about how to fairly assess students who are taking different tests.
The announcement comes amid a growing national movement to eliminate standardized testing requirements for admissions decisions. More than 1,800 colleges and universities — nearly 80% of U.S. institutions that grant bachelor's degrees — have dropped requirements for fall 2022 applicants, with most making submission of test scores optional, according to the educational organization FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
3 Key Predictors of College Success
Student behavior during high school
Seems obvious, but certain student behaviors in high school can predict college success—and not the ones you might think. According to a joint 2015 report from the USDE, IES, and NCEE, these two behaviors were predictors of college success:
Fewer high school absences
Taking the SAT or ACT (regardless of score)
So students, take heed: high school attendance matters, and whether or not your colleges of interest require a standardized test score, you should probably take a shot at it anyway!
High School GPA
This next predictor of college success is probably a given in most people’s minds: high school GPA. According to a 2016 report from NACAC, which surveyed 400 colleges and universities high school GPA was the most important predictor of college performance—that is, high school and college grade point averages were closely correlated. (One school’s report showed correlations of .63 and .71.)
Good students are good students, case closed.
Family Income
The third predictor comes maybe not so much as a surprise, but as a disappointment. Based on a 2015 report from the Pell Institute, household income was the most important indicator of whether or not a student will graduate from college. (More than 75% of students from high-income households graduated in 2013, compared to less than 10% of students from low-income households.)
This is extremely unfortunate, since it is a factor that is entirely outside of the student’s control. However, the (marginally) good news is that this finding ought to lead to more discussions about solving economic equality at large, which will solve more than just the education gap.
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If a Body Meet a Anti-body, Comin' thro' the Rye
Florida's monoclonal antibody sites are shutting down after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked emergency use authorization for the treatment19.
The Florida Department of Health has said all the state-run sites for administering the antibodies will close following the FDA's decision in what will be seen as a blow to Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis, a Republican, has been an outspoken advocate of monoclonal antibodies as a COVID treatment and has been pressuring the federal government to provide more of them to his state.
On Monday, the FDA revoked emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibody treatments, produced by Regeneron and Eli Lilly respectively.
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What Are We Going to Do About Chips?
Manufacturers and other buyers of computer chips had less than five days’ supply of some chips on hand late last year, leaving them vulnerable to any disruptions in deliveries, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday as it pushed Congress to endorse federal aid for chipmakers.
The report highlighted the severity of a global shortage that has hobbled manufacturing and fueled inflation for more than a year, and that defies easy solutions.
Manufacturers’ median chip inventory levels have plummeted from about 40 days’ supply in 2019 to less than five days, according to a survey of 150 companies worldwide that the Commerce Department conducted in September 2021.
“This means a disruption overseas, which might shut down a semiconductor plant for 2-3 weeks, has the potential to disable a manufacturing facility and furlough workers in the United States if that facility only has 3-5 days of inventory,” the Commerce Department concluded in a six-page summary of its findings.
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