Reading archive 2023-02-07

Heat pumps boom in Maine, despite frigid cold and oil industry pushback: Fossil fuel industry groups say the technology isn’t ideal for the state’s climate. Mainers aren’t buying it. - "'Oh, hell no,' Casagranda said, when asked recently if she missed her propane furnace. As part of the experiment, the agency promised residents they could have their fossil fuel-burning systems back if they didn’t like the results. So far, none of the homeowners have wanted to go back, according to agency officials, and Casagranda said she is more than satisfied. ...

"'It’s a simple fact that a high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump saves carbon relative to utility gas (methane), fuel oil, or [liquefied petroleum] gas, in virtually every electric market in the U.S., and certainly in all of the Northeast,' Bruce Harley, a veteran energy consultant based in Vermont, said in an email."

BP dials back climate pledge amid soaring oil profits: The energy giant is aiming for a 20 to 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions, backing off of an earlier goal of 35 to 40 percent

On routine house call, pest control finds 700 pounds of acorns in the walls

Obesity in the age of Ozempic: Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are changing how patients view their own weight struggles. Will society follow?

What data on 3,000 murderers and 10,000 victims tells us about serial killers

A federal judge mocks the Supreme Court on abortion: A Democratic federal judge suggests that banning abortion violates the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on “involuntary servitude.” - "The argument that the Thirteenth Amendment protects a right to abortion is fairly straightforward. In Bailey v. Alabama (1911), the Supreme Court held that this amendment sought to abolish 'that control by which the personal service of one [person] is disposed of or coerced for another’s benefit, which is the essence of involuntary servitude.'

"As Koppelman writes, 'forced pregnancy and childbirth' by its very nature, operates 'by compelling the woman to serve the fetus.' ... 

"... [I]n a better world, judges would behave as servants of the law — rather than trying to stretch that law to serve their particular agenda. 

"But here in the actual world, lower courts do not always operate as loyal followers of the Supreme Court’s precedent. They often act as think tanks for new legal ideas that haven’t gained support on the Supreme Court, but that could at some point in the future. The Fifth Circuit more or less operates as a generator and legitimizer of right-wing ideas that are often, but not always, rejected by this Supreme Court. So do several federal trial judges that have become favorites among right-wing advocates seeking to move the law hard to the right."

Reading archive 2023-02-06

Bowser proposes changes to D.C. criminal code bill as congressional action nears

China claims ownership of second suspected spy balloon over Latin America

White people have flocked back to city centers — and transformed them: In the past decade, the White population increased significantly in urban cores across the country, bringing changes both sweeping and intimate - "'The Faustian bargain we make when we improve neighborhoods is in doing so, you drive out people who can no longer afford to live here,' said Drew Dutcher, president of the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood association and one of the few longtime White residents. 'Now, housing costs are going up, and pretty soon the only people who are going to be able to afford to live here are wealthier, Whiter people.'" [ed. note: yeah]

Neo-Nazi leader and girlfriend accused of targeting Md. power stations: Atomwaffen founder Brandon Russell and a girlfriend, Sarah Clendaniel, are accused of a plot to attack power substations around Baltimore

Eagles' Sirianni: 'Chip' on shoulder after not being retained by Andy Reid [ed. note: eyeroll]

Reading archive 2023-02-05

China blames U.S. politics for ‘overreaction’ to suspected spy balloon

Trump Denies Pentagon’s Claim That China Flew Balloons Over U.S. During His Term: “China had too much respect for ‘TRUMP,’" the former president wrote, calling the Pentagon's claim of "at least three" incidents "fake disinformation."

The Colorado River drought crisis: How did this happen? Can it be fixed?

Land-dwelling rats are upending life for coral reef fish: When rats invade tropical islands, they can trigger a chain reaction that reverberates all the way to coral reefs, researchers say - "Bathed in smelly guano, algae around bird-filled islands is more nutritious, previous research has shown. Both coral and fish appear to grow faster around rat-free islands. Scientists have found the fertilizing effect of guano, too, from the Scattered Islands near Madagascar to Fiji in the South Pacific."

The deepening chill of Afghanistan’s second Taliban winter: Washing clothes in the snow, heating homes with scavenged trash, families struggle to survive

Meet Nimbee, the mascot who scorns bike lanes, development and change: Nimbee wants his hive, and yours, left alone — and he’s not afraid to sting (with words) anyone who disagrees with him - "'I dislike anyone or anything that threatens to change my neighborhood from what it was like the day I moved here. Any change that happened up until that moment is totally cool, though, and should be given historic preservation protection in perpetuity.' ...

"'I’m totally for affordable housing! I’m also for multi-family housing, density, public transit, and all kinds of things like that. I just don’t want any of it near me, on the way to where I’m going, or any place where I would have to even look at it. That’s all.'"

Comparing green funeral options, from composting to natural burial to water cremation: Throwing a funeral that leaves Earth a bit better off, maybe

Spending time in nature may protect against the risk of dementia: Older adults who lived in an area with more green space had a lower rate of hospitalization for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, a large study showed

Opinion  Artificial light harms our bodies and souls. It doesn’t have to be this way. - "Too often, city planners assume adding more light is an effective way to address crime. Yet many lights are used in ways — unshielded and shining into the sky, blazing over empty parking lots through the wee small hours — that serve little purpose. While artificial light at night might make us feel safer, there is no clear evidence that it actually improves our safety."

Opinion  D.C. must address its crime issue - "We have funded violence interrupters and social workers for 30 years. This is not a new idea. Unfortunately, it has never worked. Let’s figure out why before spending more money. 

"At a recent meeting, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said one young man told him people don’t commit as many crimes in Maryland and Virginia because 'they don’t play.' Well, if we want a safer city for our residents, we should create the same atmosphere here: We don’t play."

Reading archive 2023-02-04

China rushes to cap damage over suspected spy balloon as Blinken delays trip

U.S. military downs Chinese balloon over Atlantic Ocean

‘I didn’t know, Mom’: The force that drives the most improved player in college basketball

Alex Jones’ Texts Highlight Infowars Overlap with Proud Boys

Reading archive 2023-02-03

Opinion  In America, you have to opt out of religion in public life. That’s backward.

Pete Buttigieg says U.S. can fix the most dangerous thing in transportation: The transportation secretary is targeting safety during a ‘season of building’ brought on by the 2021 infrastructure law

Employers added 517,000 jobs in January, astonishing labor market growth: January marked the 25th straight month of solid job growth, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.4 percent

Reading archive 2023-02-02

Infowars’ Alex Jones Says He Lives ‘in Hell,’ Texts Show

Laptop email suggests Hunter Biden read newspapers, not classified documents - "For nine years, The Fact Checker was diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post. I’ve seen my share of backgrounders, State Department cables and even the odd classified document. Far from being especially sophisticated, Hunter Biden’s email appears to be largely the product of diligent reading of recent newspaper and magazine articles."

U.S. reaches military base access agreement in the Philippines

'A big deal': US, Philippines tighten military ties

What made George Santos lie so much? Experts weigh in on his deception.

Reading archive 2023-02-01

‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes’: Advancing Racial Equity Through Highway Reconstruction

How Interstate Highways Gutted Communities—and Reinforced Segregation: America's interstate highway system cut through the heart of dozens of urban neighborhoods.

How to do the laundry better, according to a TikTok cleaning queen: Ann Russell draws on nearly 20 years of cleaning experience to deliver no-nonsense housekeeping tips. We asked her 10 burning questions about laundry. - "Add half a mug of oxygen bleach powder (such as OxyClean) to a bucket of hot water, add your whites and stir with a wooden spoon — then put something heavy on top of the clothes inside the bucket, like a plate, to keep everything submerged for 24 hours. Finally, wash everything in the machine twice, without detergent: 'Usually, it comes out beautifully.'"

PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL GROUP TO PAY RECORD FINE

When I was 15, a psychiatric hospital nearly ruined my life. This advice saved me.: By the time I left the hospital, I was the scattered wreckage of a teenager

Opinion  Industry’s last great electric-car skeptic accepts the inevitable

Which food is better for the planet? Salmon or cod? Pork of Beef? Rice or Potatoes?

Buried in a leaked membership list of Oath Keepers from Kansas, a chilling set of skills

Metro employee killed while trying to stop man shooting at D.C. commuters: A witness said the gunman muttered, ‘I’m the killmonger’ before entering the station and firing several shots - "One commuter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of his safety, said he was on the bus on his way to work when he saw a man pull a gun and put it to the head of another passenger. The armed man told the passenger, who seemed to be a stranger, to get off his cellphone. The passenger responded, 'Yes, sir,' the witness said. The gunman, he said, threatened to shoot the passenger." [ed. note: the hero we deserve?]

Fairfax launches plan to combat invasive spotted lanternfly in parks: Experts are focusing on getting rid of the insect’s favored host, the tree of heaven

An alleged $500 million Ponzi scheme preyed on Mormons. It ended with FBI gunfire.: In Las Vegas, a lawyer with huge gambling debts is accused of a financial fraud that left hundreds of victims in its wake

Calif. sinkhole swallows third car as drivers ignore ‘ROAD CLOSED’ sign