August 18, 2021

Tornado watch in DC area

NBC4Washington

A tornado watch is in effect for the D.C. area as heavy rain and possible flooding are expected.

The tornado watch is in effect until at least 8 p.m. in D.C.; 16 Maryland counties including Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George's counties; and 20 Virginia counties including Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties; and the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

A flash flood watch is in place for parts of the D.C. area until at least 10 p.m. The greatest risk for flash flooding will be along and west of Interstate 95.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/weather-stories/wednesday-weather-forecast-dc-maryland-northern-virginia/2776065/

August 13, 2021

Interesting voting maps

August 10, 2021

Just asking

What happened with the Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants?

July 28, 2021

From ports to rail yards, global supply lines struggle amid virus outbreaks in the developing world

Oh-oh

By David J. Lynch
July 26, 2021 at 6:46 p.m. EDT
Washington Post (paywall)

Fresh coronavirus outbreaks are forcing factory shutdowns in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, aggravating supply chain disruptions that could leave some U.S. retailers with empty shelves as consumers begin their back-to-school shopping.

The overseas work stoppages are just the latest twist in almost 18 months of pandemic-related manufacturing and transportation woes. The new infections come as two of the largest U.S. railroads last week restricted shipments from West Coast seaports to Chicago, where a surge of shipping containers has clogged rail yards.

Supply headaches stretching from Asian factory towns to the American Midwest are intensifying as the economic recovery tries to outrun the highly infectious delta variant. Aftershocks from earlier limits on a major Chinese port following a rash of covid-19 cases are expected later this month to worsen backlogs at U.S. West Coast facilities.

Chronic shipping delays also are feeding inflation, just as consumers prepare to stock up for the coming school year. Spot shortages of clothing and footwear could appear within weeks, and popular toys may be scarce during the holiday season. Even as the U.S. economy is slated to enjoy its fastest growth since 1984, supply lines now are expected to remain snarled through the first half of next year or longer, according to corporate executives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/07/27/supply-chains-freight-rail-ports/



My daughter saw an unusual number of empty shelves at the Giant supermarket yesterday.

I couldn't get a new filter for the kitchen faucet water filter. Customer service said they were all out and had no idea when or if it would be available again.

Been trying to buy a new refrigerator for months, but the brand and model remain unavailable.

I'm getting a worried feeling.

July 23, 2021

New anti-vaxxer slogan

I just wrote this today.

Feel free to share.

June 20, 2021

Summer Solstice blessings to everyone

May your health be excellent
May your happiness be multiplied
May you have all you need
For the good of all, and according to free will
So mote it be

June 14, 2021

Girl Scouts Have Millions of Unsold Cookies as Pandemic Takes a Bite Out of Sales

By Dee-ann Durbin
NBC News

The Girl Scouts have an unusual problem this year: 15 million boxes of unsold cookies.

The 109-year-old organization says the coronavirus — not thinner demand for Thin Mints — is the main culprit. As the pandemic wore into the spring selling season, many troops nixed their traditional cookie booths for safety reasons.

“This is unfortunate, but given this is a girl-driven program and the majority of cookies are sold in-person, it was to be expected,” said Kelly Parisi, a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA.

The impact will be felt by local councils and troops, who depend on the cookie sales to fund programming, travel, camps and other activities. The Girl Scouts normally sell around 200 million boxes of cookies per year, or around $800 million worth.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/girl-scouts-have-millions-of-unsold-cookies-as-pandemic-takes-a-bite-out-of-sales/2700674/

June 11, 2021

BuzzFeed News Has Won Its First Pulitzer Prize

Source: Buzzfeed News

BuzzFeed News won a Pulitzer Prize on Friday for a series of innovative articles that used satellite images, 3D architectural models, and daring in-person interviews to expose China’s vast infrastructure for detaining hundreds of thousands of Muslims in its Xinjiang region. The Pulitzer Prize is the highest honor in journalism, and this is the digital outlet’s first win since it was founded in 2012.

And the FinCEN Files series from BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Journalists, the largest-ever investigative reporting project, which exposed corruption in the global banking industry, was honored as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A former US Treasury Official was sentenced to prison just last week for leaking the thousands of secret government documents that served as its genesis.

The Xinjiang series won in the International Reporting category and was recognized as a finalist in the Explanatory Reporting category, and the FinCEN Files was recognized as a finalist in the International Reporting category. BuzzFeed News has been a Pulitzer finalist twice before.

Pulitzer Prizes were also awarded to the Minneapolis Star Tribune for their coverage of George Floyd’s killing by police and its aftermath. Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded the viral video of Floyd’s death, received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prizes. The Boston Globe won for investigative reporting that uncovered systemic failures by state governments to share information about dangerous truck drivers. Ed Yong of the Atlantic won the Explanatory Reporting prize for his pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic. He shared the prize with a team of Reuters reporters for their examination of how “qualified immunity” shields police who use excessive force from prosecution.

Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/pulitzer-prize-buzzfeed-news-won-china-detention-camps?origin=web-hf

May 30, 2021

Cicada flipping!

Flipping over 17-year cicadas that are struggling helplessly on their backs has become a thing in my part of Maryland.

Someone posted on NextDoor that she was helping the little critters right themselves, and in almost no time dozens of others admitted to doing the same. And like me, almost everyone thought they were the only ones doing it.

I was surprised and pleased to learn that so many folks are being kind to our temporary visitors.

May 28, 2021

New York City is sending vaccination buses to beaches and parks this Memorial Day weekend

By Mirna Alsharif, CNN
Updated 8:56 PM ET, Thu May 27, 2021

(CNN) New York City is posting buses at beaches and parks over the Memorial Day weekend offering free Covid-19 vaccinations, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.

"We're going to go the extra mile, whatever it takes," said de Blasio. "You're going to see our vaccine buses out all over New York City the next few days."

He added, "Go, get vaccinated, hit the beach. Real simple."

New Yorkers can expect to see buses at spots including Brighton Beach, the Rockaways, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Central Park and Governors Island, he said.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/27/us/new-york-vaccination-buses-beaches-parks-memorial-day/index.html