San Francisco poet and musician Watsky is attempting to freestyle rap for 33 straight hours to raise money for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund supporting musicians and music industry workers affected by COVID-19. From the YouTube page:how does watsky pee? - he has a mic on his shirt, continues to rap, and pees standing up.how does watsky eat? - one of his cups is a strawberry smoothie. View this post on Instagram For those of you wondering what’s up, here’s what’s up ❤️ A post shared by W▵TSKY (@gwatsky) on May 5, 2020 at 12:01pm PDT Read the rest
We've been battling pesky pantry moths in our kitchen cupboards. They get into any open container of rice, flour, cereal, chips, nuts, etc. Then they breed in the boxes and bags.I hate it when I open a cabinet and a couple of moths fly out. It's even worse when I look at a bag of rice, and it is alive with motion.Lately we've been putting our food into wide-mouth mason jars with these convenient one-piece plastic lids. That has reduced the problem but there are still a few stragglers. So I bought a pack of pantry moth traps. These traps fold into little A-frame houses. The interior is coated with a sticky material that traps the flies. The traps also come with a postage stamp size pheromone lure to fool the pests into thinking a sexy moth is inside waiting for them. These things work well. After using them for a few weeks the only moths I see now are the dead ones stuck to the inside of the traps. Read the rest
Via Futility Closet:Editorial guidelines from Spicy Detective magazine, 1935:In describing breasts of a female character, avoid anatomical descriptions.If it is necessary for the story to have the girl give herself to a man, or be taken by him, do not go too carefully into details. …Whenever possible, avoid complete nudity of the female characters. You can have a girl strip to her underwear or transparent negligee or nightgown, or the thin torn shred of her garments, but while the girl is alive and in contact with a man, we do not want complete nudity.A nude female corpse is allowable, of course.Also a girl undressing in the privacy of her own room, but when men are in the action try to keep at least a shred of something on the girls.Do not have men in underwear in scenes with women, and no nude men at all.“The idea is to have a very strong sex element in these stories without anything that might be interpreted as being vulgar or obscene.”(From Nicholas Parsons, The Book of Literary Lists, 1987.) Read the rest
• Fox News personality who once proudly boasted on TV of not having washed hands in 10 years tells Americans to go out and get coronavirus on purposeIn this clip, Fox News' Pete Hegseth calls for people to go out and get infected by coronavirus.“Now that we are learning more, herd immunity is our friend. Healthy people getting out there -- they are going to have to have some courage.”Fox News' Pete Hegseth calls for people to go out and get infected by coronavirus: "Now that we are learning more, herd immunity is our friend. Healthy people getting out there -- they are going to have to have some courage." pic.twitter.com/PCSHm9yUAW— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 7, 2020Notes Justin Baragona of The Daily Beast, who shared this nutty clip -- “Remember, Pete Hegseth is also the guy who proudly admitted last year that he hasn't washed his hands in 10 years.”Because there are likely to be waves of infection, and Trump makes rash decisions on the basis of his changing political interests, and bottom-feeders like @PeteHegseth will say whatever Trump wants them to, we’re in for a few more turns on the “it’s the enemy/it’s the flu” ride. https://t.co/Q1z4zfX46h— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) May 7, 2020 Read the rest
• Justice Dept. asked justices to temporarily halt lower-court order, saying executive branch would suffer irreparable harm if the evidence is disclosed.“The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to block Congress from seeing grand jury secrets gathered in the Russia investigation by Mueller, saying the executive branch would suffer irreparable harm if lawmakers see the evidence,” writes Charlie Savage at the New York Times.Excerpt:In a 35-page filing, Noel J. Francisco, the solicitor general, asked the justices to halt an order by a federal appeals court that imposed a May 11 deadline on the Justice Department to turn over the evidence to the House Judiciary Committee. He said the Justice Department should first get a chance to fully litigate an appeal of the ruling before the Supreme Court.“The government will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay. Once the government discloses the secret grand-jury records, their secrecy will irrevocably be lost,” Mr. Francisco wrote, adding, “That is particularly so when, as here, they are disclosed to a congressional committee and its staff.”Nothing could stop House Democrats, he added, from publicly releasing the evidence Mr. Mueller gathered by a simple-majority vote in the Judiciary Committee.READ MORE:Supreme Court Is Asked to Block House From Seeing Mueller’s Grand Jury Secrets[May 7, 2020, 1:59 p.m. ET] Read the rest
In 1976 someone shot 8mm footage of New York City and added a soundtrack to make a nice little Christmas vacation movie. It's a treat to see the kind of New York Travis Bickle drove his taxi around in.[via Dooby Brain] Read the rest
James Hoffman, "the weird coffee guy," looks at the benefits of adding salt to your coffee. Usually you shouldn't do it, he says, unless your coffee has the bad kind of bitterness. That's because ordinary table salt can mitigate bitter flavors. Read the rest
CNN reported today that one of Trump's personal valets has come down with Covid-19. Valets are in close contact with the president, doing things like them serving food and drinks and traveling with them. After hearing the news, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence supposedly got tested for the virus, and the tests came back negative.According to CNN:A White House source said the valet, a man who has not been identified, exhibited "symptoms" Wednesday morning, and said the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was "hitting the fan" in the West Wing.Trump, who is a self-described germophobe, has chastised aides before who coughed or sneezed in his presence. He has claimed to rarely get sick himself.Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the senior staffers who regularly interact with them are still being tested weekly for coronavirus, two people familiar told CNN.Still, the White House has not enforced strict social distancing guidelines for staffers and few people inside the building wear masks during the day, including valets.Image: GPA Photo Archive / Flickr Read the rest
Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist who leads the country's no-lockdown plan, said Sweden's high death rate from Covid-19 compared to neighboring countries has "come as a surprise."From Business Insider:Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, appeared on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Tuesday, when he described the country’s controversial approach.“We never really calculated with a high death toll initially, I must say,” he said.“We calculated on more people being sick, but the death toll really came as a surprise to us.”As of Tuesday, Sweden reported more than 2,700 COVID-19 deaths and more than 23,000 infections. That death toll is far higher than its Nordic neighbours’ and many other countries that locked down. Read the rest
South Dakota has asset trusts that allow people to hide and shield their wealth. According to CNBC, the world's global elite use these trusts, including Chinese and European billionaires who want to avoid paying taxes and keep their money away from governments who would otherwise seize their fortunes for one reason or another. For the ultra rich, South Dakota is becoming a kind of mini-Switzerland.The public became aware of these secretive South Dakota trusts when a billionaire couple recently divorced. While they were married, the husband transferred almost all of their assets into a South Dakota trust that she was not made a beneficiary of. The ex-wife is now suing her ex-husband, but the ex-husband's lawyers say the assets are controlled by the trust so they are not marital property.Trusts in South Dakota are perpetual, meaning a wealthy family can put assets into a trust that are held in perpetuity, rather than for a limited period of time. The state also gives trusts sweeping privacy and asset-protections against creditors, business partners, lawsuits or ex-spouses. Adding to its attraction, South Dakota has no inheritance or capital gains or income taxes.Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash Read the rest
Paper airplane enthusiast Mahir Cave teaches you how to make two different types of paper planes (5 minutes each) in this video. These are some of his easier folds – if you like them, check out his YouTube page, where he shares a new design (some this easy, some more advanced) every Friday. He says his specialty is "paper airplanes that fly far," and his goal is "to make the best paper airplane in the world." Read the rest
Upscale department store chain Nieman Marcus today filed for bankruptcy protection, the fanciest retailer to fail so far during the coronavirus pandemic.Creditors hope to have the company solvent again next year. Though knocked out by the lockdown, the company was already sickly after years of private equity buyouts and its own general decrepitude.At the end of March the coronavirus pandemic temporarily forced the closure of all 43 Neiman Marcus stores, as well as its two Bergdorf Goodman locations and Last Call outlets, all but stopping sales and crushing revenue. But while that may have been the immediate cause of Neiman’s filing, its problems had been building for years. The company took on an untenable amount of debt as part of two leveraged buyouts by private-equity firms and did not respond quickly enough to changes in shopping habits. Together, those developments left the group in a precarious position even before the virus hit. Read the rest
In this video of The Action Lab, the Action Man puts a small fan into a vacuum chamber and pours a bunch of little styrofoam beads in it. At atmospheric pressure the beads fly all over the place. As he reduces the pressure inside a vacuum chamber, the beads slow down and eventually stop moving. Pretty obvious, but still fun to watch.Image: YouTube Read the rest
For sale over at Bring a Trailer is a lovely 1964 AmphiCar 770.I first saw one of these as a kid and I was fascinated by the idea of being able to drive into a lake or the ocean. As an adult, I am horrified by the amount of preservation a vehicle like this must take.Kudos on the current owner for keeping it so function and not apparently rotted out!The 770 model designation refers to the vehicle’s purported ability to travel at speeds of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph on land. Finished in Beach Sand White, this example retains factory trim including a marine-style horn, lights, and side bumpers. Twin nylon propellers can be seen below the bumper, and the exhaust exits high on the back panel above the water line.When entering the water, the transmission is shifted into neutral and a lever is engaged to activate the propellers. The front wheels then become rudders. 13″ steel wheels wear Amphicar covers and Goodyear Vector whitewall tires. The white convertible top has a tear on the driver’s side as shown in the photo gallery below. Read the rest
Banksy hung this stunning painting in the foyer of Southampton General Hospital's emergency department. Apparently the installation of the framed, one meter square artwork was completed in cahoots with the hospital management. Video below. Banksy left a note that reads, "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."According to the BBC, "the painting will remain at Southampton General Hospital until the autumn when it will be auctioned to raise money for the [UK's National Health Service]." Read the rest
Yes, the crate said "killer bees" not "murder hornets," but we know what they meant. The above clip is from "Marge in Chains" (season 4, episode 21).A response from The Simpsons writer Bill Oakley:ok fine i guess we did https://t.co/Nf4suyC8A3— BILL OAKLEY (@thatbilloakley) May 6, 2020 Read the rest
One of Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN reports.The man who works with Trump as one of the President's personal valets is a member of the US Navy, and reportedly showed obvious symptoms. The fact that someone with intimate contact with the President has tested positive for coronavirus escalates concerns about the Trump's level of exposure to the virus.Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other senior staffers who regularly interact with both men are still being tested weekly for coronavirus, two unnamed sources who are familiar told CNN. Excerpt:The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the President and first family. Trump was upset when he was informed Wednesday that the valet had tested positive, a source told CNN, and he was subsequently tested again by the White House physician.In a statement, the White House confirmed CNN's reporting that one of the President's valets had tested positive."We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."A White House source said the valet, a man who has not been identified, exhibited "symptoms" Wednesday morning, and said the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was "hitting the fan" in the West Wing. Read the rest
Impeached U.S. President Donald Trump spoke today with Russian crimelord Vladimir Putin today, ostensibly to mark the 75th anniversary of V-E Day, but one wonders what other information may have been exchanged, don't one.Trump and Putin are reported to have also talked about what Trump refers to as the war on Coronavirus. The White House readout of their call says the two leaders also talked about ways to avoid a costly arms race that would include China. “President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia,” the White House readout says.Trump and Putin spoke by phone today.— Aamer Madhani (@AamerISmad) May 7, 2020WH says Pres Trump spoke today with Pres Putin to mark the 75th anniversary of V-E Day. They also discussed what @POTUS regards as the war on Coronavirus. WH readout says the two leaders also conferred about ways to avoid a costly arms race that would include China.— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 7, 2020Today, @realDonaldTrump spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to commemorate and reflect upon the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. President Trump and President Putin discussed progress on defeating the coronavirus pandemic.— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) May 7, 2020From the White House readout of today's Trump - Putin call: "President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia." Read the rest
Impeached and manifestly unfit U.S. President Donald Trump is telling his GOP MAGA allies that him wearing a mask would “send the wrong message,” and make him look ridiculous. PREVIOUSLY:• Trump wears goggles but no mask on Arizona PPE factory tour• Trump denies it: 'I can’t help it if you didn’t see me' wear face mask The president said doing so would make it seem like he is preoccupied with health instead of focused on reopening, reports AP.The president is wearing safety goggles but no mask on his tour of Honeywell PPE manufacturing line pic.twitter.com/e6RD3BXu3n— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 5, 2020Excerpt from the Associated Press story today:Trump has told advisers that he believes wearing one would “send the wrong message,” according to one administration and two campaign officials not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.The president said doing so would make it seem like he is preoccupied with health instead of focused on reopening the nation’s economy — which his aides believe is the key to his reelection chances in November.Moreover, Trump, who is known to be especially cognizant of his appearance on television, has also told confidants that he fears he would look ridiculous in a mask and the image would appear in negative ads, according to one of the officials.More at the Associated Press:Trump tells allies his wearing a mask would 'send the wrong message', make him look ridiculous Read the rest
Brazil's Trump, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, formally authorized deployment of military forces in the Amazon rainforest region, purportedly to fight deforestation and fires. Surely the massive influx of armed troops to the region populated by indigenous people won't result in coronavirus infections and COVID-19 deaths. The decree was published in the government gazette today.From Reuters:Last year, Bolsonaro waited until August to send troops into the region, following international outcry over a wave of fires in the rainforest, which traps vast amounts of greenhouse gases that cause climate change.The order is effective from May 11 to June 10, but can be extended to 60 days in total, as Bolsonaro did last year.Vice President Hamilton Maurao said last week that the government planned to send in the military as part of a plan to establish bases in the Amazon to fight deforestation.More:Brazil's Bolsonaro readies troops to fight Amazon rainforest destruction?: kremlin.ru Read the rest
Truly one of the greatest television shows of all time, Sanford and Son is memorialized with these Fred and Lamont FunkoPops.While I loved the show, the actors and their performances, the very, very best thing about Sanford and Son was Quincy Jones' themesong, The Streetbeater.I am fairly certain my father modeled his approach to parenting on Sanford and Son, with a healthy added dose of All In The Family.You big dummy!Funko Pop! TV: Sanford & Son - Fred Sanford, Multicolor via AmazonFunko Pop! TV: Sanford & Son - Lamont Sanford, Multicolor via Amazon Read the rest
From People:PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover of Sweet Child O'Mine, an upcoming picture book the band created in collaboration with James Patterson that takes the lyrics of Guns N' Roses' song of the same name and spins it into a story perfect for the littlest fans."As a longtime fan of Guns N' Roses, I'm thrilled to partner with the band in bringing their famed hit song to life on the page," Patterson, 73, says in a release.The book is illustrated by Jennifer Zivion, and will be available in September at whatever book retailers still exist by then.Guns N' Roses to Release Children's Picture Book Titled (What Else?) Sweet Child O' Mine [Jen Juneau and Sarah Michaud / PEOPLE] Read the rest
A woman in Oklahoma City opened fire on staff at an area McDonalds on Wednesday, shooting one and injuring three more in the resulting melee. The staff, according to KOCO news, had refused to open the seating area for her due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.Police arrested two women who fled the scene but have not released their names. Read the rest
It took Michelangelo four years to paint the frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Leonardo di Vinci may have taken up to 14 years to work on the famed Mona Lisa. And it took 33 years for Sabato Rodia to construct his legendary Watts Towers.The point being: good art takes time. And even if you’ve got a bunch of other stuff to do, sitting down and completing a graphic or illustration for a website or a presentation or a marketing campaign often ends up taking a lot longer than you originally planned.ITG.digital realizes you probably don’t have that kind of time. So instead, they offer eye-catching vector graphics for use in any of your media projects, all with ultimate customization options to help create just the image you want without sinking hours into making it happen. Once you’ve got access to the ITG.digital graphic builder, you’re off and running. Their stockpile includes more than 1,000 predefined illustrations with up to 1 million different customization possibilities. Off your template, you can adjust colors, modify characters to match the look you want, add fun extras like an animal, or a custom graphic, whatever you want. Each element of the graphic can be adjusted easily, even if you have zero design knowledge or experience.Once you’re done, you can download your image as a JPG, PNG or SVG file for use on your website, app, PowerPoint presentation, marketing materials, or anywhere you need a graphic. ITG.digital compositions are also presented in five distinct styles, so you can always choose the overall aesthetic that best fits your project. Read the rest
The Trump administration has blocked the Centers for Disease Control from releasing a detailed guide on to how to reopen public spaces. The 17-page report was titled "Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework” and was intended to help business, churches, schools and local governments recover from the coronavirus pandemic without endangering public health.No reason was given for suppressing the document, which was leaked to and summarized by the AP, but Trump and Republican allies have stated that reopening the economy must be done quickly, even if it results in many more deaths. The rejected reopening guidance was described by one of the federal officials as a touchstone document that was to be used as a blueprint for other groups inside the CDC who are creating the same type of instructional materials for other facilities.The guidance contained detailed advice for making site-specific decisions related to reopening schools, restaurants, summer camps, churches, day care centers and other institutions. It had been widely shared within CDC, and included detailed “decision trees,” flow charts to be used by local officials to think through different scenarios. One page of the document can be found on the CDC website via search engines, but it did not appear to be linked to any other CDC pages.Free at last. Please, keep your emotions down, keep your emotions down. Children, it will not hurt if you will be quiet, if you’ll be quiet, if you’ll be quiet. It’s never been done before, you say? Read the rest
I'm so-o-o tempted to take up knitting again, because that's the only way to get my hands on this badass Wonder Woman shawl. For those of you more in the practice of knitting, its designer, Carissa Browning*, has made the pattern available for free through Ravelry. When you go to that page, look at all the many variations people have made using the pattern! And, since you're going down the rabbit hole, go look at the RBG-inspired Dissent Cowl she made too.She writes:I tried to keep this pattern as simple as possible so it would be accessible to a wide range of knitters. However, some fairly basic short-rows were required to get the logo right. With that said, I think an advanced beginner, or even an adventurous newbie, could still handle it.(*You might remember Carissa's name from her awesome Yip Yips Stockings.)images via Carissa Browning, used with permission Read the rest
The AP's Jeffrey Collins reports a story that gets stranger with each sentence: a woman in South Carolina who was doing someone's nails, went outside after spotting an alligator, petted it, then got pulled into the water and drowned while saying “I guess I wont do this again.” Cynthia Covert, 58, died of drowning before Charleston County deputies and firefighters were able to shoot and kill the alligator and use poles to get her out of the pond, authorities said.Covert came to Kiawah Island, a gated community southeast of Charleston, to give the homeowner a manicure Friday, according to the police report.The woman told deputies Covert typically was professional in her salon, but was relaxed and excited at the home, talking about her boyfriend’s visit from Tennessee, and brought a glass of wine with her.South Carolina's first recorded death by alligator, according to the AP. Poor choice of emotional support animal. Read the rest
On Sunday, February 23, 2019, a 25-year-old black man named Ahmaud Arbery went out jogging in the city of Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia. He was shot and killed by two white men — a former police investigator and his 34-year-old son — who allegedly decided that Arbery fit some description of some burglar that had allegedly been terrorizing the neighborhood.There was no punishment or penalty — or, frankly, much news coverage. The shooters, George and Travis McMichael, had connections with the local police and district attorneys office, and, according to their lawyer, were acting within their rights to carry firearms and perform a citizens' arrest in the state of Georgia, thanks in part to Stand-Your-Ground laws that state, "A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge." The McMichaels claimed that Arbery attacked them after they chased him with guns, which, technically, made it self-defense; Arbery was not alive to refute this statement.The District Attorney recused himself from the case over personal conflicts of interest with the McMichaels family, but not before publishing a letter that smeared the late Arbery as a violent, mentally ill criminal.Two-and-a-half months later, dash cam footage has been made available, depicting a very limited perspective on the shooting. Those who support the legalized murder of unarmed black men who are jogging on a sunny Sunday afternoon will of course hyper-focus on the latter part of the video, which shows Arbery actively struggling against the older McMichaels, who carries a shotgun. Read the rest
If you're already an IT pro or you're looking to make the move and become one, one of the best ways to boost your career is by getting certified in Amazon Web Services. And why's that? Because AWS—a variety of cloud computing products and services—is pretty much running the show behind the scenes. And by "the show" we mean "basically the whole internet." In fact, it's the third-largest enterprise software business in the world.Both because you've likely got some spare hours on your hands and because the industry is booming, there's no better time than now to work on getting your piece of that pie with the help of the 2020 Ultimate AWS Certification Training Bundle.Earning an AWS certification shows the world (or at least whoever's looking at your LinkedIn profile) that you're an expert in the space, which will help you stand out among job applicants when applying to new roles and put you in a better position to command a higher salary. For real. In a recent survey, 70% of AWS professionals interviewed reported a salary increase of up to 20% after earning their certifications.Passing the exams isn't the easiest thing in the world though, which is why you'll benefit from the 249 lessons in this 6-course online training that includes content for absolute beginners with no prior experience and more advanced students. Go at your own pace through 89 hours of prep that includes an in-depth look at developing software and applications for AWS; the skill set, tools, and services needed for big data specializations; cloud concepts, security, architecture, pricing, and support; the advanced aspects of AWS for a systems operations administrator; what it takes to get certified as an associate solutions architect; and the principal concepts and practices behind the DevOps methodology. Read the rest
These harm reduction based practices, which are not unique to San Francisco, and are not paid for with taxpayer money, help guests successfully complete isolation and quarantine and have significant individual and public health benefits in the COVID-19 pandemic.— SFDPH (@SF_DPH) May 5, 2020Harm reduction is a good thing, and giving homeless drug addicts hotels and drugs that they are addicted to is a good thing during a pandemic, but some people don't get it, such as Twitter commentator T Wolf. Read the rest
Esteemed Beat poet Michael McClure has died of complications from a stroke he suffered last year. He was 87 years old. A key figure in the 1950s San Francisco scene that formed around Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin's City Lights Bookstore, McClure was a contemporary of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Philip Lamantia. Along with his ecstatic, rhythmic poems, McClure also penned plays, songs, novels, and journalism for the likes of Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. Above, McClure reads his poetry to lions in 1966 for the USA: Poetry television series. From the New York Times:A then 22-year-old McClure helped organize the famous Six Gallery beat poetry reading on Oct. 7, 1955, and later read at the Human Be-In at Golden Gate Park that launched the Summer of Love in 1967 and at The Band’s “Last Waltz” concert at Winterland in 1976[...]In McClure’s 1982 nonfiction account of the Six Gallery reading, “Scratching the Surface of the Beats,” he set the stage for the revolution that was to follow in the mid-1950s:“The world that we tremblingly stepped out into in that decade was a bitter, gray one," he wrote. “We saw that the art of poetry was essentially dead — killed by war, by academies, by neglect, by lack of love, and by disinterest. We knew we could bring it back to life.”With great sadness, City Lights wishes to note the death of our friend, the legendary beat poet Michael McClure, who passed away May 4 due to complications from a stroke he suffered last year. Read the rest
The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the risk of returning to coronavirus lockdowns remains ‘very real’ if countries don’t manage their transitions extremely carefully.“Government-ordered lockdowns have become increasingly unpopular as countries suffer rising unemployment and economic activity grinds to a halt,” report John Revill and Emma Farge at Reuters:Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to ensure they had adequate measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease like tracking systems and quarantine provision.“The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach,” he said at a virtual briefing in Geneva.WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove supported his concerns about the disease which has infected 3.71 million globally and killed more than 258,000 people, according to a Reuters tally.“If lockdown measures are lifted too quickly, the virus can take off,” Van Kerkhove told the briefing.READ MORE:WHO warns against rushed end to coronavirus lockdownsWorld Health Organization chief @drtedros warned that the risk of returning to lockdown remains ‘very real’ if countries don’t manage the transition from restrictions extremely carefully https://t.co/EOolL869o4 pic.twitter.com/KDKvHrH7rA— Reuters (@Reuters) May 6, 2020Testing, identifying who has the virus, & finding all cases — this will enable countries to control & suppress the #COVID19 pandemic (which is why @DrTedros has said for months, “test, test, test.”) https://t.co/Ck9Y2uQfmf— Gabby Stern (@gabbystern) May 6, 2020Pls look at the date on this speech by @DrTedros https://t.co/poVX0ak622 Read the rest
At least all we heard was the flush.From CNN:The case at issue concerned the Telephone Consumer Protection Act that prohibits unwanted calls to cellphones by use of an automated system. Challengers say one provision violates the Constitution. Lawyer Ramon Martinez, representing political groups challenging the law, was pressing his point when the offending flush occurred.Martinez did not seem fazed or publicly notice the interruption. Read the rest
“The notion that everyone needs to be tested for the coronavirus is nonsensical,” said Donald Trump's press secretary Kayleigh McEnany today. Her explanation: because COVID-19 tests would have to be given over and over again.The stupid, it burns.This is an obvious nonsensical lie, and contradicts what public health experts and the obvious basics of science and math tell us about COVID-19.At a briefing with reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump's Press Sec Kayleigh McEnany said "the notion that everyone needs to be tested is nonsensical,” because even if we tested every American now, they would have to retest an hour later. Let's dismiss a myth about tests now. If we tested every single American in this country at this moment, we would have to retest them an hour later and an hour later after that. The notion that everyone needs to be tested is nonsensical.?????The notion that everyone needs to be tested for the #coronavirus is non-sensical, @PressSec says, because tests would have to be given over and over again. pic.twitter.com/M9qK7oposm— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) May 6, 2020.@PressSec: "Let's dismiss a myth about tests now. If we tested every single American in this country at this moment, we would have to retest them an hour later and an hour later after that. The notion that everyone needs to be tested is nonsensical." https://t.co/RIaSu2bs1c pic.twitter.com/92W9VHLvnC— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 6, 2020WH Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: If we tested every American right now, we would have to retest them again an hour later. Read the rest
Why do otters juggle? It sounds like the opening to a joke, but many otters are frequently seen shifting pebbles back and forth between their hands, an activity referred to by scientists as "juggling." While animal behaviorists have thought that the juggling is a way for the animals to practice pulling meat from crustaceans and mollusks, a task that requires fine motor skills and coordination. However, researcher Mari-Lisa Allison and colleagues from the University of Exeter found that otters who frequently juggled didn't exhibit any better food-picking skills. Turns out they're probably just doing it because it's fun. From Science News:The possible disconnect between play and real-life skills doesn’t startle Gordon Burghardt of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Over decades, he has analyzed play behavior, refining definitions and even reporting play in such unexpected animals as a turtle romping with a basketball in a zoo. The thinking about the evolution of play has by now expanded beyond simple notions of the benefits of instinctive practice, he says[...]Otters that juggle may be doing so “for pleasure, out of boredom, or both,” he says. "The drivers and functions of rock juggling in otters" (Royal Society Open Science) Read the rest
Sophia Thomas, the head of the Natl. Assoc. of Nurse Practitioners:'PPE has been sporadic, but it's been manageable'Donald Trump, a president:'Sporadic for you, but not sporadic for a lot of other people.'Guess who was correct? The impeached and manifestly wacko tweeter-in-chief, or the nurse who is actually treating Americans who are sick with the novel coronavirus?A Louisiana nurse who serves as the leader of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners told Trump in the Oval Office today, National Nurse Day, that coronavirus protective gear access is 'sporadic.' At an event marking National Nurse Day at the Oval Office, acting U.S. President Donald Trump contradicted a nurse during an exchange about COVID-19 protective gear, which hospitals around the nation are begging for, while the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner flies around in private jets wheeling and dealing over.There is no bottom, there is nothing so deranged he won't do.Trump reproves nurse after she departs from party line on plentiful PPE. She quickly agrees the President is right. pic.twitter.com/YM9UBsMbBm— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 6, 2020At an event marking National Nurse Day at the Oval Office, Pres. Trump told a nurse he’s "heard the opposite" when she said the availability of personal protective gear has been "sporadic""Sporadic for you,” he said https://t.co/yR3ttA4W2g pic.twitter.com/GwgPJ7Yd92— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 6, 2020NEW | Louisiana nurse tells Trump that coronavirus protective gear is 'sporadic.' He pushes back.STORY: https://t.co/aYzaCbqiYNSophia Thomas: "PPE has been sporadic, but it's been manageable"Donald Trump: "Sporadic for you, but not sporadic for a lot of other people." Read the rest
I have a feeling this tweet will not age well.Bethany S. Mandel, @bethanyshondark. Homeschooling mom and writer, per the Twitter bio.My condolences for your mentions. The ratio looks brutal on this one, yes indeed.Author of the iconic "We Need To Start Befriending Neo Nazis” article now would like to be called “grandma killer” because she misses the zoo. pic.twitter.com/vE4iN2v7sT— Rafi Schwartz (@TheJewishDream) May 6, 2020From "we need to protect the elderly even if it means hurting the economy" to "I'm a Grandma Killer because I can't visit places for pleasure" in jusssst over 8 weeks.— Jeremy Levine (@Jeremy_Levine) May 6, 2020Thank you for letting us know we can you Grandma killer. Have fun at the zoo with the kiddos! https://t.co/lrL9wMQBNJ— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) May 6, 2020oh wow, an actual avowed grandma killer! are there others? https://t.co/AOADKJx51p— Marie Myung-Ok 명옥 Lee (@MarieMyungOkLee) May 6, 2020From the woman who brought us "We Need To Start Befriending Neo Nazis" comes a new and heartwarming tale: "Grandma Killer." https://t.co/icGTFNOMlC— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) May 6, 2020Grandma Killer would be a good name for a 70s soft rock cover band made up of 5 white women named Karen. https://t.co/duNNnXM4qN— Kevin Shanks (@forensictoxguy) May 6, 2020You're not only a Grandma killer, you've seemingly erased the psychological effects of KILLING GRANDMA. There are names for that too! https://t.co/MCebnllVqK— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) May 6, 2020 Read the rest
Wizarding World has launched a new Harry Potter at Home hub with crafts, articles, quizzes, and other fun activities for witches, wizards, and muggles alike. As part of the fun, they've invited actors, musicians, athletes and other celebrities to read chapters of the 1997 book that started it all, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. See below for the teaser video. The first chapter is now available read by none other than Daniel Radcliffe who played Harry in the films. Listen on Spotify. Read the rest
In today's edition of impeached president Donald Trump's brain melting down on live television, fresh word salad featuring health care and the verb 'terminate.'"What we are doing is we wanna terminate health care, for ... under Obamacare, because it's bad." -- Got it."What we are doing is we wanna terminate health care, for ... under Obamacare, because it's bad." -- Trump's latest word salad about health care featured some unfortunately phrasing pic.twitter.com/5Stf99SbMG— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2020 Read the rest
The world of stock photography can be a frustrating place for anyone who's in need of images for their own use, for freelance purposes, or for their small business. Most professional services are incredibly expensive, can be hard to navigate, and include limitations. As for the free options, the actual image inventory can be lacking, particularly when you need photos for more commercial purposes. If all of this sounds familiar, you'll be glad to learn about the stock photography startup JumpStory.JumpStory has reinvented the photo and video industry with its feature-packed service that allows access to the world's top imagery with ease. It boasts over 25 million (and counting) images, illustrations, vector icons, and videos that are perfect for your blog, website, portfolio, email signature, social media profiles, avatars, ASMR YouTube channel, and pretty much everything else. There's no limit to the number of downloads, no matter what you're using the images for.In addition to the fact that JumpStory lets you manually edit images (cropping, text overlay, contrast adjustment, logo overlay, and more), which is already a particularly useful tool, it boasts an impressive AI that removes backgrounds in just seconds. But that's not all the AI is used for.First, there's HighJumper AI, which predicts which images will have the most impact on your visitors, viewers, or customers. Second, there's TextMatch technology, which helps you find exactly what you're looking for. With TextMatch, instead of searching a basic keyword, you enter whatever copy you've already written, and the AI finds relevant images to match—this is a huge time saver especially for people who've found themselves somewhat unexpectedly performing image sourcing tasks at work (digital and content marketers—we see you). Read the rest
Land O’ Lakes recently removed the Indian woman from its butter packaging. The illustrations was created for the dairy in 1950s by Ojibwe artist Patrick DesJarlait. His son, Robert, a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation, believes it was a mistake to remove the maiden.From The Counter:In an op-ed for The Washington Post, he explains that his father, Patrick DesJarlait, redesigned “Mia” in 1954 and established himself as one of the first modernists in American Indian fine art. DesJarlait argues that stereotypes communicate misinformation while Mia did not. From the beadwork designs on her dress to the lake depicted in the background, every detail was intentional. Removing Mia left behind a landscape voided of identity and history, one familiar for many American Indians. Read the rest
In 1984, pioneering street artist Keith Haring painted a mural in Collingwood, Melbourne at a school there. Today, that mural is only one of 31 Haring murals that still exist, but it was almost lost to time and controversy. Above is "Keith Haring Uncovered," a documentary telling the story of Haring's time down under and what happened after he was gone. From CityLab:Collingwood was an industrial, blue-collar neighborhood when Haring arrived, but gentrification has swept through recently, filling it up with art galleries and expensive real estate. The school closed in 1987. In 2004, the mural was added to the Victorian Heritage Register but it continued to deteriorate. A concerned local stole the small wooden door that contained Haring’s signature to spare it from further decay. In 2010, Creative Victoria, a state agency that advocates for local creative industries, took over management of the site and an effort to conserve the mural began as part of a plan to make the former school into the new Collingwood Arts Precinct.Today, the mural looks as fresh as it ever has, restored in 2014 by Antonio Rava, who is now responsible for the same task in Amsterdam. The anonymous door thief—one of the more rewarding interviews in Uncovered—returned the prized possession to its right place knowing that the mural’s fate appears to be in good hands now. Read the rest
All you need to know before taking Google's Machine Learning Foundations course is "a little bit of Python." In this first episode, you'll learn what machine learning is and how it works.Image: YouTube Read the rest
It's not too difficult for anyone over the age of six or seven to figure out this magic trick, in which a nickel seemingly passes through the cardboard of a matchbox. But show it to a kid and let them have fun trying to learn how it works.Image: YouTube Read the rest
From the outside, it appears to be a small, gray wooden building [Zillow]. Inside, it's a sprawling yet utterly featureless place where everything is just a little off: peculiar angles, odd symmetries, expansive yet weirdly cramped spaces, and open areas with no sense of place or purpose abutting tiny kitchens or huge store-rooms. Not a right-angle to be found."Absolutely none of the rooms are shaped like rooms," writes @spindlypete on Twitter. "Doesn't seem like a place humans ought to live."Is it a former cult compound, a bland oregonian Hårga? A "HGTV renovation of a Doom map"? A more likely speculation, based on business records found online, is that it was the home and place of business of an engineer who invented specialized drilling equipment and really likes mitering drywall.If you have $525,000 and wish to live in a 3,500 square ft. maze of Home Depot dollar tile in the middle of nowhere, you're all set. Read the rest