THEY’RE ALWAYS IN THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK: Chicago School Kid Discovers New Cancer-Fighting Compound in Bird Poop.

WHY THEY’RE AFRAID OF PETE HEGSETH:

I’ve been banging the drum on this for years as a reporter, author, & Hill investigator. I was met with nothing but stonewalling & whitewashing by BidenAdmin, DOD, & even some Republicans. It’d be huge to have Hegseth change the tide as SecDef, & I know lots of Afghan vets agree. https://t.co/c6jHb6VyQX

— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) December 6, 2024

WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW: Breakthrough in Spinal Cord Injury Recovery: New Brain Stimulation Restores Movement.

DON SURBER: How We Know It Was A Landslide.

WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW: Researchers reprogram immune cells to decrease rejection of medical implants.

THE NAVY SEEMS TO BE FAILING AT A LOT OF MISSIONS: US Navy at risk of failing critical amphibious assault mission: A GAO report has found 50% of the US Navy’s amphibious assault fleet is in poor condition, with the service cutting maintenance on vessels.

There’s plenty of money for DEI training, though.

NO STOP SIGNS IN A GUNFIGHT: When To Stop Shooting. “An untrained shooter can fire four rounds per second while an elite, trained shooter is capable of firing seven or eight accurate rounds per second. This inherent delay to stop shooting generally translates into one to four rounds fired before being capable of stopping our fingers from rapidly pressing our triggers. It simply requires time to stop shooting after finally perceiving the threat is over.”

SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO NCSU: HowStuffWorks founder Marshall Brain sent final email before sudden death: Popular tech educator died in his office within hours of claiming retaliation for filing NCSU ethics reports.

NOT ALL PARTS OF AMERICA WORK EQUALLY WELL: NASA delays crewed Artemis II launch to April 2026 after heat shield issues. “Nelson said engineers need time to prepare the heat shield on the Orion capsule, which already is attached, but needs modifications to safely re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. More time also needed to ‘address the Orion environmental control and life support systems,’ he said.”

SOME PARTS OF AMERICA STILL WORK: SpaceX reaches milestone with 300th successful booster landing.

I DON’T KNOW IF THIS RESEARCH WILL PAN OUT, BUT WHY TAKE CHANCES: Dark chocolate might help ward off Type 2 diabetes.

IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT VALUE NASA IS ADDING HERE. OR THE FAA FOR THAT MATTER. NASA Delays Return to the Moon (Plus How Will DoGE Impact NASA).

MAKE THEM PAY: Florida High School Suspends Student for 3 Shell Casings.

The deputy sheriff told school officials that J.S. had committed no crime by possessing spent shell casings. The youth, the deputy said, had done nothing wrong. However, the principal ignored the deputy’s claims and called the student’s parents, who arrived about 40 minutes later. The parents were told to take their child home and wait for a phone call.

Van Ayres, the superintendent of Schools for Hillsborough County Public Schools – the seventh largest school system in the county – was told of the incident. According to his website, Ayers serves on a dozen local boards and civic groups. He is a named defendant in the lawsuit.

The principal called J.S.’s parents later that afternoon and told them their child was going to be suspended. . . .

There was no indication the student had threatened anyone, or that he had somehow intended to use the spent shell casings as a weapon. Instead, the student’s suspension was based on unwritten policies in play at the Hillsborough County Public Schools.

I’m delighted that the student is getting representation via Florida Carry. Examples need to be made.

COLOR ME SKEPTICAL: Is It Time To Reconsider the Draft? Our all-volunteer force won’t hold up in an era of great power conflict.

MAKE THEM PAY: Student sues South Carolina college after being suspended for gun-related social media post.

WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE: 10 outrageous taxpayer-funded higher ed research projects DOGE can investigate.

FROM A FRIEND, AND IT’S 100% CORRECT.

CHANGE: California Bar Will Consider Campus Protests In Moral Character Review For Lawyer Licensing.

PATTON SAID THAT SOLDIERS WHO WON’T F*CK WON’T FIGHT. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD HAVE SAID ABOUT SOLDIERS WHO WON’T DRINK BEER. BREAKING NEWS: Infantryman Drank Beer. “Pete Hegseth is being Kavanaughed. And the only people dumb enough to fall for it are Republican senators.”

To be fair, some of them are pretty dumb.

JOHN LUCAS: The Daniel Penny Case — Two Contrasting Timelines: When lives are at risk decisive action is a must. And it must come quickly. “Does anyone remember the story of Kitty Genovese? In March 1964 a Kitty Genovese was murdered in Queens, New York. She had been raped and stabbed at least 13 times. The assault lasted approximately a half-hour. Two weeks later The New York Times ran a front-page article that reported that numerous people had heard her screams and watched the attack but did nothing to aid her.”

DAVID LAT, Thomas and Alito are hiring clerks, so probably not retiring.

YOU CAN TELL WHO IS WHO, AND WHO IS WHAT, BY WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THIS NOMINATION. Joni Ernst – Who Voted for Lloyd Austin -Says Hegseth ‘Didn’t Persuade Her.’

OPEN THREAD: Because I love you and want to be happy.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: How American entrepreneurs can help win the space race against China.

MICROBIOME NEWS: Parkinson’s Link to Gut Bacteria Suggests an Unexpected, Simple Treatment.