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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:02:19 GMT -8
Women's Eyes are More Noticeable Because It's Mask Era. This is a Fine Kettle of FishA giant aquarium containing a million litres of water in the lobby of the Radisson Blu in Berlin has burst, flooding the hotel and nearby streets. The "AquaDom" - home to 1,500 tropical fish - is 15.85m high (52 ft) and was described as the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world. Two people were injured by falling glass after the blast. Police said there had been "incredible" damage. Video showed an empty tank with water pouring into the hotel lobby. Guests have been moved out of the hotel following the incident at 05:50  The AquaDom in Berlin contained about 1,500 tropical fish and over a million litres of water  |
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:03:58 GMT -8
Incompetent Executioners. Where Do They Get Their Training?
More than a third of executions in the US this year were botched or highly problematic, according to a new report.
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) said seven of 20 execution attempts were visibly problematic or took an inordinate amount of time.
In one incident, executioners in Alabama took three hours to set an IV line in what was the longest lethal injection in US history.
A total of 18 people were executed in six states throughout the year.
That is one of the lowest figures in recent years. "All the indicators point to the continuing decline in capital punishment," Robert Dunham, executive director of the DPIC, said.
The report from the non-profit, which takes no position on capital punishment, said the executions were visibly problematic because of incompetence, failures to follow protocol or defects in the protocols themselves.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:06:03 GMT -8
More Americans Favor Infecting My Grandkids
A small but growing measles outbreak in central Ohio has sickened at least 77 children, almost all under age 5. The vast majority are either unvaccinated or have received just one of the two recommended doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to City of Columbus Public Health.
More than a third of the children have been hospitalized.
The outbreak, the largest in the U.S. since 2019, is happening as resistance to school vaccination requirements is spreading across the country.
On Friday, the Kaiser Family Foundation released data showing that 28% of adults surveyed this summer were against vaccination requirements for kids entering kindergarten, up from 16% in 2019.
The percentage of parents who said they were against vaccination requirements for school was even higher. This year, 35% of surveyed parents said it should be up to moms and dads whether to have their kids vaccinated, up from 23% in 2019.
"That's a pretty substantial change in three years," said Lunna Lopes, a senior survey analyst for KFF's Public Opinion and Survey Research team.
The main driver of the increase has been the debate over vaccination mandates during the pandemic, Lopes said. The survey did not suggest people stopped believing in the need for vaccines; rather, the change reflected a shift in attitudes toward vaccination requirements to attend school.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:10:47 GMT -8
Previous Guy Is So Disgusting, Some of His Followers Actually Notice It
Donald Trump's 'major announcement' Thursday truly exceeded the already exceedingly low expectations. Trump digital trading cards! Priced to sell at just $99! An exclusive series of 'really incredible artwork' (i.e. hilarious parody) depicting, for instance, Trump as a strapping superhero bearing his sculpted chest, as a cowboy brandishing an American flag atop a white horse, and as an aviator-clad astronaut. But wait, there's more! Each card comes with a raffle ticket, giving lucky winners the chance to perhaps dine with Trump, hit the links on one of his glorious golf courses, or land an exclusive 1-on-1 Zoom meeting with the man, the myth, the legend! "Remember, Christmas is coming and this makes a great Christmas gift," Trump said in the video introduction of his new collectibles. The ultimate Holiday grift. But the most amazing thing about the announcement wasn’t how perfectly pathetic it is for Trump to be hawking digital trading cards online just before Christmas. It’s the fact that some of his MAGA cultists actually whiffed the stench wafting off Trump’s steaming pile of B.S. It was so bad, the Kool-Aid drinkers started setting down their cups to head for the hills. After right-wing journalist and noted Trump shill John Solomon tweeted out Trump's announcement, a number of his pro-Trump followers responded with dismay, disgust, and even anger (as documented by former Republican and right-wing tracker Ron Filipkowski). "Trump is becoming a joke," said someone with the handle @powerdownmedia. "Sad. I really hoped he could live up to his hype. But, he can't." "are you f(&King kidding me?" seethed @rolltide_2022. @rtcollins wrote, "Pretty sure I just fell off the Trump train. Unbelievable." "Has Trump lost his mind really trading cards how the f*** is that going to help our country," wondered @gunner6314. Over at reddit, conservative commenters were equally as brutal, calling Trump's trading card gambit "one of the cringiest things" ever and incredulously asking "Is... is this a joke?" Another reddit user responded, "It is a joke, and it's real." Filipkowski marveled at the fallout, writing, "I have never seen MAGA react like this to anything Trump has ever done." ![]()  Nothing as Dumb As Introducing NFTs, When All Things Crypto are Crashing and Burning
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:15:16 GMT -8
How's That BREXIT Thing Working Out For Ya?
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:20:41 GMT -8
All Speech is Free But Some Speech is More Free Than Other Speech
Twitter on Thursday suddenly suspended a host of prominent tech journalists, including many who reported about billionaire Elon Musk’s chaotic leadership at the social media giant in recent weeks.
The accounts for The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, Mashable’s Matt Binder and independent journalist Aaron Rupar all disappeared Thursday evening, as did several others. All of those reporters have written about Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter, the fallout after he laid off half of its employees and the company’s decision to ban, then un-ban, then re-ban an account that tracked Musk’s private plane flights.
Aaron Rupar told NBC’s Ben Collins he had “no idea” why the suspension happened. Other suspensions rolled in later in the evening, including for political commentator Keith Olbermann, Tony Webster, an independent journalist, and Micah Lee, a reporter for The Intercept.
And Some Animals are More Equal Than Others
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:22:41 GMT -8
Immigrants, They Get the Job Done
Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration while president — along with the effect of the COVID pandemic — has left the U.S. economy in critical need of workers, significantly hobbling growth, according to economists.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has estimated that the economy is short an astonishing 3.5 million workers, and economists estimate half of those workers would typically be migrants allowed into the country, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
“There is no question: We need more immigration,” Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan public policy organization, told the Post.
“Immigrants aren’t just workers, they are particularly flexible, mobile workers who help address acute labor shortages wherever they emerge,” he added. “And that’s particularly important in this constrained economy we’re facing right now.”
During his 2016 presidential campaign and while in office, Trump typically characterized immigrants as a detriment to the nation and specifically referred to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and criminals. While president, he complained about migrants coming from “shithole” nations.
But immigrants are tremendously valuable in national economies, according to data. They provide a flexible workforce and are often willing to do jobs Americans turn down, such as low-paying, physically demanding work in the hospitality, agriculture, construction and health care industries.
Worker shortages can lead to higher prices as employers raise wages to lure workers to jobs.
Previous Guy's Tariffs Also Led To Higher Prices
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 16, 2022 9:32:04 GMT -8
SC's Athletes Have Been Professionals For a Long Time
The Los Angeles regional head of the U.S. agency that enforces U.S. labor laws has sided with scholarship basketball and football players at the University of Southern California (USC) seeking recognition as employees and the right to unionize.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) director of the agency's Region 31 office issued a finding of merit in an unfair labor practice charge brought by the student athletes against USC, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 athletic conference.
The parties to the case were informed of the decision on Thursday, according to NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado.
It marks the first such ruling since the NLRB's top lawyer issued a legal opinion in September 2021 asserting that college athletes should be classified as employees, and thus protected by U.S. labor law, when providing services that generate profits through athletic activities their schools control.
The 2021 memo by Jennifer Abruzzo, the agency's general counsel, put colleges and universities on notice that the NLRB's 32 regions would support college players' valid organizing efforts, effectively inviting athletes to unionize.
Region 31's finding of merit was based on its determination that USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA, as joint employers, "have maintained unlawful rules and unlawfully misclassified scholarship basketball and football players as mere 'student athletes' rather than employees entitled to protections under our law," Abruzzo said on Thursday.
If Athletes Are Employees, They Are No Longer Amateurs. Forget NIL. Universities Can Pay Them Directly
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