There is an allegation that Federal officials misused money set aside in the biomedical research fund in the years before the coronavirus emerged. Officials overseeing the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, an arm of the federal health department, used millions of dollars from the fund to pay for unrelated salaries, administrative expenses and even …
Were you a harmless, nameless tree, just standing there, Motionless and proud, your boughs spread wide, The product of a hundred fruitful summers, Surviving the convulsions of Caribbean hurricanes, Cold fronts and brisk north winds, You might neither notice nor much care about The arrival, perching quietly, of yet another bird. Thousands stop from year …
Continue reading ‘The Strangler Tree at The Moorings, Islamorada’ »
The commander of the D.C. National Guard has said the Pentagon restricted his authority ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, requiring higher level sign-off to respond that cost time as the events that day spiraled out of control. Local commanders typically have the power to take military action on their own to save …
Every lion has its own individual roar. A lion’s roar is an impressive sound: it can be as loud as 114 decibels (equivalent to a chainsaw), and the creatures can recognise the roars of other individuals, even when they are several miles apart. Now a team of scientists has used sophisticated recording devices to pinpoint …
New Zealanders recently voted to legalize euthanasia for the October general election ballot paper. The results are binding and the Act will come into effect 22 months from the final results on 6 November 2021. The vote makes New Zealand the seventh country in the world to legalize assisted dying. On the other hand, New …
Continue reading ‘Legalizing assisted dying (but cannabis remains illegal)’ »
When you read about desperate refugees crossing the English Channel in dinghies, do you ever ask yourself why these people left home in the first place? Few give it much thought. To most, migrants seem just a fact of life. But the reality is they’re “the thin edge of the wedge of a vast exodus” …
Continue reading ‘The cataclysm caused by the war on terror’ »
Lisa Montgomery was executed in Indiana last Wednesday morning, becoming the first woman to die under the federal death penalty in nearly seven decades. Her sentence was carried out after the Supreme Court lifted one stay and declined to grant another last-minute request for a delay from her attorneys. The court’s three liberals, Justices Stephen …
Continue reading ‘The disgraceful execution of Lisa Montgomery’ »
Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first-ever youth poet laureate read the following poem during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20th. One cannot replicate Amanda’s excellent presentation, unfortunately. But the words are wonderful. An amazing talent: When day comes we ask ourselves, Where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we …
The Capitol riot highlighted the need for DC statehood in tragic, terrifying relief. The 700,000 residents of DC watched as racist armed insurrectionists took over city streets, hotels, restaurants, Airbnbs, and peaceful neighborhoods before and after the Capitol attack, powerless to do anything about it. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was hamstrung in her attempt to …
Continue reading ‘The attempted coup and the District of Columbia’ »
Getting a Covid vaccination where I live reminds me of feeding chickens. I arrive at the chicken run with a full bowl of corn. “Mornin’ all, I call”, to be totally ignored – until they see the tell-tale bowl. I dip my hand into the corn, take a full handful of chicken-feed and throw it …
Studies have shown that attending church frequently does not make white christians less racist. In fact, the data suggests that the opposite is true. The connection between holding more racist views and white christian identity is actually stronger among white evangelicals who attend church frequently than it is among those who attend less frequently. My …
In January, the World Economic Forum, backed by US president Donald Trump, announced the One Trillion Trees to plant or protect a trillion trees by 2030, bolstering the estimated 3 trillion that already exist. The scheme joins existing reforestation efforts such as the “Trillion Trees” project launched by conservation groups in 2017. “One Trillion Trees” …
Continue reading ‘What happened to all the tree-planting plans?’ »
Birds fly at tens of thousands of metres high. Ice forms on the wings of planes at this altitude, so why don’t the birds freeze? Birds can sometimes reach astonishingly high altitudes. The record is a massive 11,278 metres by a Rüppell’s vulture that collided with an aircraft. The resulting “snarge” – that is to …
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The following is my personal list of qualities needed for anyone, woman or man to be judged a good and civilized human being. (There is no significance to the order in which they are listed): Consideration for others Empathy for the sick and old Generosity with time and money, according to means Critical thinking Ethical …
“Have you noticed that all the people in favor of birth control are already born?” – Benny Hill Very clever, but my serious point of views is as follows: we should only bring into the world human beings that are wanted, cherished, loved ….and in due course educated. A woman should always be allowed to …
