October 31, 2022

Samhain blessing!

October 29, 2022

Voter Protection Hotlines by State

October 21, 2022

NYT reporter confirms rumors that Trump's eyeing Marjorie Taylor Greene as running mate

https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/1583415339400204294

https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-2658485188/

October 17, 2022

Russian Booby Trap Installed in Ukrainian Beehive Was Defused By Bees

Bee News
Thomas Hochwarter
October 17, 2022​

A Ukrainian beekeeper was saved by his bees after they defused grenades that had been left in his hives by withdrawing Russian troops.

The explosive devices had, according to images obtained by Bee News, been hidden in the hive at an apiary in a forest in the Bucha region northeast of Kyiv by Russian troops who fled when Ukrainian forces regained ground.

But the booby trap failed to explode when the beekeeper checked the hives because the bees had covered their pins with honey and propolis.

Russian Armed Forces were accused of abusing and killing more than 400 Ukrainian civilians during the occupation of Buch where the hives were located in March.

More

https://buzz-feed.news/russian-booby-trap-installed-in-ukrainian-beehive-was-defused-by-bees/

October 14, 2022

How an urban myth about litter boxes in schools became a GOP talking point

NBC News
Oct. 14, 2022, 8:30 AM EDT
By Tyler Kingkade, Ben Goggin, Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny

At a luncheon for Republican women in Mesa County, Colorado, last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., warned that educators “are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.”

To a person not steeped in the culture war battles over gender identity that have engulfed school districts nationwide, it’s the kind of claim that would sound bizarre and confusing — and, from high-profile GOP members, authoritative.

The week before, on Sept. 29, Minnesota GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen asked during a campaign stop, “Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry?”

***

At least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have claimed this year that K-12 schools are placing litter boxes on campus or making other accommodations for students who identify as cats, according to an NBC News review of public statements.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/urban-myth-litter-boxes-schools-became-gop-talking-point-rcna51439

Apparently they have now gone catshit crazy

October 14, 2022

Cancer-causing pesticide polluted local rivers for decades, D.C. alleges

Washington Post
By Kyle Swenson
Updated October 13, 2022 at 6:29 p.m. EDT|Published October 13, 2022 at 2:20 p.m. EDT

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced a lawsuit against a chemical manufacturer on Thursday, alleging that its pesticide contaminated the Potomac and the Anacostia rivers for decades with chemicals it knew were linked to cancer.

Flanked by environmentalists and representatives of the local NAACP, Racine (D) said at a news conference that the effects of Velsicol Chemical’s alleged contamination particularly hit “low-income Black and Brown” residents, in a case that bridges environmental and racial justice.

“The history of our country is such that whenever there is trash that needs to be disposed of or there are things that could hurt people, it always went to where people had less power,” Racine said. “And, yes, that means Black and Brown communities.”

Beginning in 1945, Illinois-based Velsicol was the sole maker of chlordane as a pesticide for killing insects, Racine said. Although the company was aware the product could cause cancer by 1959, he alleged, Velsicol opted for a campaign of “misinformation and deception” and continued to sell the product until 1988.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/13/dc-anacostia-potomac-river-pollution-lawsuit/

Chlordane was banned by the federal government in 1988, but persists in the environment

October 13, 2022

'Rare' Roman mosaic found in Rastan, Syria

.webp

BBC News
Oct. 13, 2022

A 1,600-year-old virtually intact Roman mosaic has been discovered in central Syria.

The mosaic, measuring 20 x 6m (65.5 x 20ft), was found under a building in Rastan near Homs, which was held by rebels in the civil war until 2018.

Showing mythical scenes including the Trojan and Amazon wars, it is said to be the rarest of its kind.

***

But the latest find is being described as the most important archaeological discovery since the start of the conflict in 2011.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63240648

I'm not sure what language the words on the mosaic are. They don't look like Latin. Greek, maybe?

October 10, 2022

Climate Protesters Spur Miles-long Backup on Capital Beltway in Silver Spring

Maryland State Police arrested seven people after protesters shut down part of I-495 in Montgomery County, Maryland

NBC4Washington
By Sophia Barnes • Published October 10, 2022

Protesters calling for action against climate change blocked traffic on the Capital Beltway in Silver Spring, Maryland, Monday morning, causing several miles of delays.

More than 10 demonstrators wearing neon yellow vests sat across the road and blocked all lanes of traffic about 10:30 a.m. on the Beltway (Interstate 495) before Colesville Road (U.S. 29), Maryland State Police said.

Some of them held up signs for Declare Emergency, a group that previously shut down D.C.-area highways to demand that President Joe Biden declare an emergency to address climate change. One demonstrator carried a large turtle sculpture.

Chopper4 video showed the protesters sitting on the pavement. Another group of protesters held signs on the overpass above the Beltway, including a person in Native American clothing.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/climate-protesters-spur-miles-long-backup-on-capital-beltway-in-silver-spring-officials/3178304/

October 3, 2022

Dem Senator Targets Gun Group Over Its Secret Gun Registry

Daily Beast
Jose Pagliery, Political Investigations Reporter
Published Oct. 03, 2022

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is taking aim at a gun industry association for the way it engaged in a tax-dodging “voter education” scheme that also violated a core tenet of Second Amendment enthusiasts: compiling a detailed database of gun buyers.

The Daily Beast has obtained a letter, which Blumenthal sent to the National Shooting Sports Foundation on Friday, calling out the association for allegedly amassing a list of gun owners and what types of guns they own—all to further its voter influence campaigns.

NSSF is made up of the nation’s largest gun makers and once had a running political campaign deal with Cambridge Analytica, the now-defunct British data analytics company caught meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Blumenthal’s letter cites damning details that were exposed when Cambridge Analytica emails were leaked two years ago but received little attention at the time.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/dem-senator-richard-blumenthal-targets-gun-group-national-shooting-sports-foundation-over-secret-gun-registry?ref=home

IOW, They can have a (secret) gun owner registry, but we, the people, can't demand registration of firearms.