Monday, September 19, 2022

And another day of not wanting to disclose ‘declassification’ information, flooding the VA suicide prevention crisis hotline, felony indictments and buying guns, the growing banning books movement, night owls, and ‘out of control’ STDs comes to a close:

“You’re either a Patriot or MAGA. YOU CANNOT BE BOTH!” — VoteVets

Deaths

US: 1,078,938

World: 6,531,909

Cases

US: 97,554,555

World: 617,573,821

Trump team says it doesn’t want to immediately disclose certain ‘declassification’ information in special master review. Lawyers for former President Donald Trump signaled Monday that they oppose having to immediately make disclosures about declassification related to the Mar-a-Lago documents as part of the special master process ordered by a federal judge this month. -- Delay tactics. It’s what Trump does. It’s what Trump has always done. Indict that waste of flesh already.

MAGA activists flooded the VA Suicide Prevention Crisis hotline today, tying up operators with calls demanding reinstatement of VA benefits for J6 prisoners. — Disgusting. MAGA are truly disgusting. 

Texas judge rules that people under felony indictment have the right to buy guns under the Second Amendment. A judge appointed by former President Donald Trump based his decision on a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down New York’s concealed carry law.

Burning world’s fossil fuel reserves could emit 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas. Burning the world’s proven reserves of fossil fuels would emit more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, easily blowing the remaining carbon budget before societies are subjected to catastrophic global heating, a new analysis has found. An enormous 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted if governments allow identified reserves of coal, oil and gas to be extracted and used, according to what has been described as the first public database of fossil fuel production. The database, which covers around three-quarters of global energy production, reveals that the US and Russia each have enough fossil fuel reserves to single-handedly eat up the world’s remaining carbon budget before the planet is tipped into 1.5C (2.7F) or more of heating compared to the pre-industrial era.

Fiona dumps more rain on Puerto Rico; troops rescue hundreds. Hurricane Fiona unleashed more rain on Puerto Rico on Monday, a day after the storm knocked out power and water to most of the island, and National Guard troops rescued hundreds of people who got stranded.

The movement to ban books is growing, report finds. Book bans are nothing new in the United States. But this time it's different. Now, the organization has tallied 2,532 instances of individual books being banned across the country between June of this year and June of 2021. Out of those books, 674 titles, or 41 percent of all banned books, have an LGBTQ+ protagonist or secondary character or focus on LGBTQ+ themes. Another 659 times, or 40 percent, have a protagonist or prominent secondary character of color, and 338 banned books, or 21 percent, talk about issues of race or racism…Book bans have taken place in 138 school districts across 32 states…Texas has the most bans with 801 in 22 school districts followed by Florida with 566 in 21 districts and then Pennsylvania with 457 in 11 districts, according to the report.  Tennessee comes in fourth place and Idaho, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas make the top 10 states with the most book bans…“What we are confronting is not a spontaneous reaction from individual parents against individual books in their homes or schools,” said Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programs at PEN America. “This is a movement that is growing and entails a lot of online organization and coordination.”…“A lot of book banning is amorphous; it takes place in the shadows,” said Friedman. “It entails actions by people in power in schools to restrict books without saying that they are doing so publicly.”

‘Out of control’ STD situation prompts call for changes. Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts...Officials are working on new approaches to the problem, such as home-test kits for some STDs that will make it easier for people to learn they are infected and to take steps to prevent spreading it to others, Mena said. Another expert said a core part of any effort must work to increase the use of condoms.

Night owls at high risk of certain chronic diseases, study says. If you prefer to go to bed and get up later – a sleep chronotype known as being a night owl – you may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study found.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.