(Permanent
Musical Accompaniment
To The Last Post Of The Week From The Blog’s Favourite Living Canadian)
I have avoided watching the White House daily briefing ever since Karoline Leavitt assumed the podium. This is partly because I have resolutely resisted watching any extraneous political coverage on the electric teevee machine. This is also because, under Leavitt, the daily White House gaggle has traded institutions like the Associated Press for what appears to be the Sunday night lineup
from the Gaia channel
.
For example, there is one Kambree Nelson, who represents the America First Policy Institute, a wingnut welfare outfit that serves as the current side hustle for hires like Larry Kudlow, Lou Holtz, and Bobby Jindal. Kambree is an “influencer,” one of those modern new media words that have taken the job of reporting and writing stories and turned it into producing content across many platforms. Except that Influencers are as devoted to facts as vampires are to the crucified Christ. And Kambree is an Influencer’s Influencer. A Texas yahoo, she runs her own video channel which occasionally runs some fascinating exposes. Robyn Pennacchia of Wonkette reminds us that Kambree
was all over the story
when the moon disappeared.
A community note attached to her query explained, “[t]he Moon can be difficult to observe in the days around a New Moon because only a small portion of the sunlit side faces Earth and because the Moon is above the horizon mostly during the daytime in this phase. A new moon happens every 29.5 days, most recently on Oct 2.” A follower agreed with her, saying, “I have not seen it at all. It’s like it disappeared,” and Nelson responded, “It has. Why is everyone silent about this? They are quiet about the white sun, too.”
In case you were until now blissfully unaware, there’s a conspiracy that the sun used to be yellow or orange and has since turned white. It’s not clear what they think caused it, or why anyone would turn the sun white, but they definitely remember it being yellow or orange when they were kids. My guess is that it would have something to do with the flat earth belief that the US is covered by a giant glass firmament, kind of like a snow globe, but I see no mention of the two conspiracies together. Notably, whenever anyone said they had seen the moon, Nelson more or less called them liars.
On Monday, Kambree was invited to attend the briefing and, as all good reporters do, asked Leavitt what questions she would like Kambree to ask.
“I’m kind of the nerd when it comes to reporting,” Nelson said. “I’m not the headline news girl. I’m the nuts-and-bolts, I’m the policy-type nerd; so what direction do you advise me to go into? Like the White House files that y’all send out every single day? Because that’s what people are used to. When they wanna ask me questions, they wanna know the nuts and bolts of everything.” “I wish there were people in the legacy media that were like you,” Leavitt responded.
One question. When does “nuts and bolts” Kambree get to the “bolts” part?
Nature
brings us a dark prediction
of the lasting corruption of the National Science Foundation’s grant process.
Earlier this week, NSF leadership also introduced a new policy directing staff members to screen grant proposals for “topics or activities that may not be in alignment with agency priorities”. Proposals judged not “in alignment” must be returned to the applicants by NSF employees. The policy has not been made public but was described in documents seen by Nature. An NSF staff member says that although good science can still be funded, the policy has the potential to be “Orwellian overreach”. Another staff member says, “They are butchering the gold standard merit review process that was established at NSF over decades”. One program officer says they are resigning because of the policy. Nature spoke with five NSF staffers for this story, all on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
“Syncing with organizational goals” likely isn’t interpreted the same way anymore. Perhaps they will award a grant to Kambree for researching the vanishing of the moon.
Weekly WWOZ Choice Track
:
A Kiss to Construct a Dream Upon
(Coolbone Brass Band): Yeah, I still have strong feelings for New Orleans.
Weekly Visit To The Pathé Archives
: Here, from 1924, Black Gold
wins the 50th Kentucky Derby
, paying $6.50 for a chance to win.
Rosa Hoots
—a great name, incidentally—was the first woman to both own and breed a Kentucky Derby winner. Rosa belonged to the Osage tribe, and Black Gold gained recognition as “the Indian horse.” Black Gold is interred within the infield at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. As recounted by Winston Groom in his narrative,
Garden & Gun,
The story of Black Gold and Rosa Hoots
are tied to the Osage oil boom detailed in both the book and movie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Rosa’s spouse, Al, became deeply attached to a high-quality racehorse called Useeit, which he protected fiercely, even pointing a gun at someone once out of jealousy. As he lay dying, Al compelled Rosa to pledge that she would mate Useeit with a renowned stallion from Kentucky known as Black Toney. After two years, an oil well unexpectedly erupted on property owned by the Hoots. By 1921, Useeit and Black Toney had sired Black Gold. Then, in 1924, Rosa entered Black Gold into the races at Churchill Downs. This account comes from Groom’s narrative.
As soon as the starter’s gun went off, Black Gold tripped at the rails and things quickly deteriorated. Surrounded by horses yet keeping pace with the frontrunners, he faced bumps and fouls which nearly threw him off track, only to recover later and move wide past his rivals. He then started closing in on Chilhowee, who appeared well-positioned near the inside railing. Down the homestretch, Black Gold and Chilhowee were side-by-side, however, Black Gold refused to yield. With Jaydee Mooney urging him on, Black Gold summoned every last bit of strength and surged through the finish line just a half-length ahead at exactly 2:05:20. Though far from graceful, this hard-fought victory showcased remarkable resilience; indeed, renowned racing historian John Hervey commented that “Black Gold won it in classic fashion despite enduring a tough battle, revealing exceptional grit.”
Sadly, Black Gold’s tale concluded poorly. He developed hoof issues and upon attempting to retire him for breeding, it was discovered that he was infertile. Despite this, Rosa along with his trainer decided to return him to racing at age six even though an injury persisted in his foot. In 1928, during the Salome Stakes held at the Fairgrounds, he led but then fractured his leg. Remarkably, he completed the race using only three legs before being euthanized right there on the track; subsequently, he was interred within the infield area. This spot remains untouched amidst numerous wildfires and storms over time. Isn’t history fascinating?
Discovery Corner
: Hey,
look what we found
. From
EuroNews
:
Thought to be approximately 500-years-old, the boat’s remains were unearthed during the excavation of a former fish market—found more than five meters below sea level. Made up of 30 curved wooden ribs and seven hull planks, it measures 10 meters long and three meters wide. Its skeletal construction of wood and iron nails is traditional of mid-15th-century medieval boats once found in the Mediterranean and across Europe.
“We had anticipated that some archaeological remnants of boats might be discovered at this location, as it is close to the harbor and the man-made stone dock that safeguarded the harbor, serving as an active area during the 15th and 16th centuries. To our delight, two years later, we actually found a boat,” Palacios stated.
The Guardian
Other significant discoveries at the location encompass an air-raid shelter constructed in 1938, as well as constructions linked to the 18th-century Bourbon Citadel and the 19th-century Old Fish Market.
It’s a four-car history pileup! Somebody spent too much time in the Bourbon Citadel, I’m thinking.
Hey,
SciNews.
Is today turning out to be a nice one?
for dinosaur news?
Every day is a great day for dino updates!
According to the paleontologists, “The sample includes many bones and bone shards that seem interconnected and positioned on one stratum across roughly 60 cm by 40 cm.” This find was located in outcrops of the Kilmaluag Formation near the town of Elgol on the Isle of Skye. It represents the most comprehensive fossil of its type in Scotland, predating even the initial documented dinosaur remains from Skye. Researchers commented, “Fossil finds from the Kilmaluag Formation have significantly enhanced our understanding of Scottish Middle Jurassic fauna, underscoring their worldwide significance for comprehending vertebrate development during this era.” They added, “Despite being fragmented into several parts—comprising sections like part of an ilium, some neural arches, rib segments, and remnants of major skeletal components—it stands as the most intact confirmed dinosaur discovered thus far in Scotland.”
Mmmmm, portions of ribs. That makes me happy now.
I’ll return on Monday ready for whatever new challenges come my way. Take care and stay respectful, you rascals. Keep clear of trouble and make sure to use those masks and get vaccinated, particularly with booster shots and the latest vaccine updates. During your free moments, remember to think about everyone affected by the quakes in Myanmar and Thailand, the twisters across the Southeast, and the flooding in Kentucky and West Virginia. Don’t forget those impacted by accidents like the one in Washington or diseases such as the measles outbreak in the Southwest, along with wildfires near Dallas and fires spreading through areas around Los Angeles. Also keep thoughts toward the resilient fighters in Ukraine, the people enduring hardships in Gaza, and all those hit hard early this year in places including New Orleans, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Queens.
people in Dallas and Tallahassee
This week, those visited by the Crazy include individuals from drought-ridden northern Alabama. Also affected are residents battling floods and tornadoes in Nebraska. Additionally, people dealing with “record-breaking floods” in Kentucky have been impacted.
And in Oklahoma.
In Los Angeles, people are currently battling severe flooding and mudslides worsened by recent wildfires. In Pennsylvania’s wildfire areas, residents face similar challenges. The individuals in Lahaina continue with reconstruction efforts. Additionally, those affected by the nightclub disaster in the Dominican Republic remain in our thoughts. (Hold tight, Pedro.) We also remember everyone mentioned throughout this past year, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community, who rightfully expect more support from their nation. Lastly, let’s consider ourselves, set to receive precisely what we merit.