Archive for 2020
May 22, 2020
LET’S GET BACK TO WORK: New Coronavirus Data Gives Reasons for Hope — and Reopening.
MICHIGAN DAM OWNER FOUGHT WITH STATE OVER LAKE LEVELS BEFORE FLOOD:
Boyce Hydro, which has been criticized for failing to keep the Edenville Dam in compliance with federal regulations, said it sympathizes with those affected by the flood but defended its actions in the weeks and months before record rainfall caused the dam to fail.
In April, Boyce and the state sued each other in state and federal court over the company’s attempts to lower Wixom Lake, an impoundment reservoir that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) says is home to endangered freshwater mussels that were killed by drawdowns in 2018 and 2019.
Boyce says it asked EGLE for permission to lower Wixom Lake last fall “due to concern for the safety of its operators and the downstream community.” EGLE and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources denied the request. Boyce lowered the lake without approval in mid-November “believing its safety concerns were paramount.”
Boyce sued the state on April 29 in Grand Rapids federal court, arguing the state lacks scientific validation for its endangered species concerns and should allow the drawdowns.
Gov. Whitmer: If it saves just one mussel, it’s worth it.
RULES ARE FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY FOR ILLINOIS POLS: Illinois construction workers traveling to Wisconsin to work on Gov. Pritzker’s farm amid stay-at-home order.
I BLAME THE KAREN MEDIA: Bubble-Wrapped Americans: How the U.S. Became Obsessed with Physical and Emotional Safety.
AMERICA’S PAPER OF RECORD: Biden: ‘If You Don’t Let Me Sniff Your Hair, You Ain’t A Woman.’ “After hearing the news, feminists around the country responded by lining up outside Biden’s house to get a complimentary hair sniff, thereby affirming their statuses as real women.”
I’VE USED REPEATERS AND POWERLINE CONNECTORS WITH GOOD RESULTS: How to Soup Up Your Home WiFi With Multiple Repeaters and Access Points.
SHORTAGES OF MEAT AND TOILET PAPER, NO AIR TRAVEL — THE GREEN DREAM! Study: Global climate emissions down almost 20% since COVID-19. Of course, this is all happening amidst global cooling from a solar minimum, so we really are living in Fallen Angels.
CDC: Coronavirus ‘does not spread easily’ except for close contact with infected patients.
The new guidelines come after several months of concerns that the virus was spreading quickly and easily through items such as grocery store packaging and delivered packages.
Research announced in late-March determined that the virus could live on some materials for several days, leading to grim warnings that consumers should be wary of shopping carts, glass surfaces and other common objects.
As Glenn wrote last night about a similar report, this suggests that a lot of what we’re doing to control the spread is misdirected.
GOD AND MAN AT HARVARD: Hot take: Republicans want to reopen the country because they believe in the afterlife which makes them devalue actual life.
Steven Pinker is a cognitive scientist at Harvard, and on Thursday he shared a very hot take via the Washington Post. Republicans are evangelicals, right? And evangelicals believe in an afterlife. And because they believe in an afterlife, they deliberately do things that will shorten their lives, like partially reopening some parts of the country that aren’t COVID-19 hotspots.
Impressive ratio as of midnight:
Related: California doctors say they’ve seen more deaths from suicide than coronavirus since lockdowns.
HOW MANY GUESSES DO I GET? Iran Wants To Hack the 2020 Elections, Guess Who They Want to Win?
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, ELITE STANDARDS EDITION: University of California Will Stop Using SAT, ACT: Admissions tests, allegedly biased against minority students, will be phased out over five years. “The University of California board of regents voted Thursday to stop using the SAT and ACT college admissions exams, reshaping college admissions in one of the largest and most prestigious university systems in the country and dealing a significant blow to the multibillion-dollar college admission testing industry.”
The actual purpose here is to facilitate racial discrimination.
SUPER GAFFE-O-MATIC ‘46! “The Republican Party put together a supercut of Joe Biden’s gaffes — 46 minutes in total — partially give conservatives some laughs and partially to educate the left-leaning journalists who didn’t get the joke. Enjoy!”
Video at link.
WHAT ARE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS?
YOU WILL BE MADE TO CONFORM: Church That Defied Coronavirus Restrictions Is Burned to Ground. “A message at the scene that said, in part, ‘Bet you stay home now,’ has led the police in Mississippi to suspect arson.”
BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS AND THE PRESS (AND USUALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT) ARE JUST DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY APPARAT? Bad Education: Why Shocking Public School Corruption Remains Hidden.
IN THE MAIL: Timely book by author and classical pianist Hyperion Knight called “The Manuscript.” Set in medieval Italy under the siege of a pandemic. Hyperion is an interesting guy, and one of my first pals to call the 2016 election accurately.
AMERICA’S PAPER OF RECORD: Florida Ruled To Be In Violation Of Science For Not Having More People Die.