News blues
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| A groundhog, aka a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots and found mostly in eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska. |
If the weather is clear and the groundhog sees its shadow, it retreats to its burrow and winter persists for six more weeks. If the weather is cloudy and the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring is predicted to arrive early.
Other groundhog facts >>
The day has its own intrigue, too, with mysterious rodent deaths and cover-ups plaguing ceremony” >>
Vote while it counts (0:55 mins)
Last Week in the Republican Party (1:53 mins)
Winter is coming (0:55 mins)
Abbott’s Wall (0:55 mins)
Other groundhog facts >>
The day has its own intrigue, too, with mysterious rodent deaths and cover-ups plaguing ceremony” >>
and, the inevitable Groundhog Day cartoon - sign of the times
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| © 2021 Joe Heller - Hellertoon.com |
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US: Still numbah one!
Two years into the pandemic, the coronavirus is killing Americans at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations, a sobering distinction to bear as the country charts a course through the next stages of the pandemic.
Two years into the pandemic, the coronavirus is killing Americans at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations, a sobering distinction to bear as the country charts a course through the next stages of the pandemic.
Cumulative U.S. Covid-19 deaths per capita are highest among other large, high-income countries. Several countries had higher per capita Covid-19 deaths earlier in the pandemic, but the U.S. death toll now exceeds that of peer nations.
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| Sources: New York Times database of reports from state and local health agencies (U.S. deaths); The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (world deaths); World Bank (world populations); United States Census Bureau (U.S. population) Note: Countries shown are those with the highest gross national income per capita among countries with a population of more than 10 million people. |
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The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and the Omicron variant >> ***
The Lincoln Project:Vote while it counts (0:55 mins)
Last Week in the Republican Party (1:53 mins)
Winter is coming (0:55 mins)
Abbott’s Wall (0:55 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Photo essay: Beachcombed sculptures made of ocean plastic >>***
Scientists at University of Sydney found fish exposed to the industrial chemical BPA in warmer waters need more food to reach a given size.
Fish grow slower when exposed to higher temperatures and a common chemical in plastic. New research suggests that a combination of plastic pollution and global heating could have a concerning impact on marine populations.Read more >>
Scientists at the University of Sydney have found that fish exposed to the industrial chemical bisphenol A – commonly known as BPA – require more energy to grow in high-temperature waters.
BPA is a common chemical used in plastics manufacturing and is known to disrupt hormone signalling, with impacts in marine animals on metabolism and growth. In humans, it has also been linked to reproductive and developmental dysfunction. Millions of tonnes of the compound are produced globally each year.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Low tide at the tidal walkway.Same walkway at high tide.
