(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Good News Roundup for ELECTION DAY 2022! [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']
Date: 2022-11-08
Good News in Politics
x Happy Monday all!
Been a good few days, Ds closing strong:
- Ds big early vote lead keeps growing
- Ralston calls NV for Cortez Masto
- Last 6 non-partisan natl tracks have Ds up 1.5 pts
- Ds favored to keep Senate in non-partisan polls
- red wave may come, not here yet 1/ — Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) November 7, 2022
And an important caveat for those of you planning to stay in front of the TV late into the night.
How long will it take to know who won in U.S. midterm elections?
From Reuters:
Here's some advice for anyone following the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 8: Be ready for a long night and maybe days of waiting before it's clear whether Republicans or President Joe Biden's Democrats will control Congress. ✂️ ...with dozens of races expected to be close and key states like Pennsylvania already warning it could take days to count every ballot, experts say there's a good chance America goes to bed on election night without knowing who won. "When it comes to knowing the results, we should move away from talking about Election Day and think instead about election week," said Nathan Gonzales, who publishes the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections. ✂️ If the fight for the House still looks close as vote tallies start coming in from the West Coast - where there could be more than a dozen tight House races - it could be days before control of the chamber is known, experts said. California typically takes weeks to count all its ballots, in part because it counts ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive days afterward. Nevada and Washington state also allow late ballots if postmarked by Nov. 8, slowing down the march to final results. ✂️ It may take longer, perhaps weeks longer, to know which party will control the Senate, with close contests in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia likely to determine final control.
And just remember this as you go to bed tonight. It might help you sleep better.
Pollsters Have ‘No F*cking Idea What’s Going to Happen’ This Election
From The Daily Beast:
If the pollsters and handicappers end up being spectacularly wrong on Election Night, there’s one group that won’t be too surprised: the pollsters and handicappers themselves. ✂️ According to Dave Wasserman, the U.S. House editor at the Cook Political Report, the big problem is that “response rates suck.” “We’re down to 1 percent of people on a good day who are willing to talk to a pollster for free,” he told The Daily Beast.
* * * * *
🍿 Repellent Republicans Rushing toward Ruin 🍿
Virginia’s governor set up a tip line to crack down on CRT. Parents used it for other reasons
Also see the DKos diary Walter Einenkel published about this last Thursday.
From USA Today:
Complaints about special education violations. Praise for teachers. Concerns about academic rigor and options. These are some of the main themes in a sampling of the emails sent to a so-called tip line set up by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year for parents to report, as he put it, “any instances where they feel that their fundamental rights are being violated” and schools are engaging in “inherently divisive practices.” The email tip line was part of a larger campaign by the governor to root out the teaching of critical race theory. But few of the tips flag the types of practices Youngkin was describing. The records became public this week through a settlement between the governor’s office and 13 media organizations, including the USA TODAY Network, which in April had sued for the emails after requests to see the correspondence were denied. ✂️ A spokeswoman for the governor confirmed on Thursday that the tip line was deactivated in September, having "received little to no volume." Constituents, she said, are still able to send confidential correspondence to the governor through other methods. ✂️ If the sampling of emails is any indication, many parents are underwhelmed with Youngkin’s education achievements thus far. And that could have a bearing on the midterms. A lot of the parents [special education advocate Kandise] Lucas knows are “going to send his whole party a strong message in this next election about being betrayed,” she said.
U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Michigan redistricting challenge to Congress map
From The Detroit News:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the appeal of Michigan Republicans who had challenged the state's new congressional map as drawn by the redistricting commission last year. The Republicans had argued that the congressional map unjustifiably deviated from constitutional requirements for apportionment by failing to have more equal population among the 13 districts, pointing to a roughly 1,200-person difference between the largest and smallest districts by population. They had sought to enjoin the state from using the congressional map in any election in Michigan; however, a three-judge district court in April denied their request for a preliminary injunction, finding the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim and calling the state's justification for the "small" population deviation "undisputedly legitimate." The justices on their Monday order list dismissed the appeal as "moot," without further explanation, meaning the case no longer presented an open legal question. The new congressional boundaries will be used in Tuesday's general election.
Right-Wingers Turn On Trump for Mocking DeSantis
From Daily Beast via Yahoo News:
Former President Donald Trump mocked Ron DeSantis at his Saturday night rally—calling the Florida governor “Ron DeSanctimonious.” And hours later, Trump found himself in hot water with fellow conservatives who weren’t pleased that he’d taken aim at the increasingly popular DeSantis. ✂️ “Trump isn’t going to be able to take this one [DeSantis] down with a dumb nickname. He better have more than that up his sleeve,” [right-wing Daily Wire pundit Matt Walsh] wrote. “Also, nice job launching your public attack against the most popular conservative governor in America three days before the midterms when we’re all supposed to be showing a united front.”
* * * * *
The media misbehaving
I’ve felt the need for this category for a long time, so here it is. I’m inaugurating it with a couple of Wonkette’s trademark snarkfests. The first takes on the NYTimes, which unsurprisingly is a favorite target for their insistence on tweaking articles to make them fit pre-determined story lines.
New York Times Will Have Its Red Wave If It Has To Make It Up Itself!
From Wonkette:
..in a story last Thursday on polling the Times and Siena College conducted in "four archetypal swing districts," the second paragraph soberly proclaims that the polling "offers fresh evidence that Republicans are poised to retake Congress this fall as the party dominated among voters who care most about the economy." That sure sounds like bad news for Democrats, especially in those four bellwether districts. At least it sounds like bad news until you get to the third paragraph, which notes that the actual polling results show the Democratic candidates "were still tied or ahead in all four districts — three of which were carried by Mr. Biden in 2020." What's more, we learn in the 11th paragraph that although Biden's approval rating "does not top 44 percent in any" of the four districts, the four Democrats who currently hold the seats are "running ahead of the president’s poor ratings." ✂️ In a Twitter thread on the data that went into the article, coauthor Nate Cohn said that "on balance, the polls are better for Democrats than I would have guessed given our national polling," and repeated the point that Democrats can't afford to lose more than five seats and still hang on to control of the House. The article's conclusion that the national polling still seems to show a GOP advantage drew a skeptical reply from the Other Data Nerd Named Nate, Nate Silver, who objected, Dude, the Ds in your polls are collectively outperforming Biden, who won the popular vote by 4.5 points! I don't know if this is a case where you don't want to throw your editors under the bus, but these are good polls for Ds and the narrative in the story doesn't match the data. Cohn stammered a bit about the "overall House picture" and suggested Silver hadn't considered it, and suggested that the strong showing for Davids in Kansas was an "outlier," but couldn't quite explain why data showing the House will likely be a squeaker means a Red wave. ✂️ New York Times politics editors, go fuck yourself.
The second is a much-deserved evisceration of Glenn Kessler.
WaPo Fact Checker Shocked, SHOCKED That Anyone Would Say GOP Wants To Kill Medicare!
From Wonkette:
Earlier this month, Glenn Kessler, whose Washington Post column is whimsically called "the Fact Checker," grudgingly acknowledged that Hillary Clinton never had any classified emails on her server — although he did crankily accuse her of hair-splitting that she hadn't done. We figured it wouldn't take very long for Kessler to atone for that, and by golly, here he is with a new column (free gift linky) giving Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) ALL THE PINOCCHIOS for a tweet in which she promised to protect Social Security and Medicare from privatization. Shame on her! To be sure, Murray's offense was truly grave. On Sunday, she tweeted thusly: Republicans plan to end Social Security and Medicare if they take back the Senate.
Washington seniors who have spent their lives paying into these programs deserve better—and I’ll keep fighting to make sure they get it. Kessler was quick to swat down Murray's untruth, pointing out that, at the moment, Republicans don't actually have a formal plan to end either program, so Murray is four-alarum lying! Heck, he could have gone farther and said that Republicans haven't had any actual plans to do virtually any governing for years, because trolling is so much more satisfying than policy. Kessler explains that Murray is engaging in one of those scurrilous campaign tactics that jaded experts like him call “Mediscare” attacks — an effort to warn seniors that Republicans will take away their hard-earned benefits. Then he reassures seniors not to worry, since "There is no such plan." That's an arguable claim all its own. It depends on how you define "plan." There is definitely not a policy document signed by all Republicans stating "we will end Social Security and Medicare." But there's a long history of Republican calls to privatize or limit Medicare and Social Security, including multiple examples from candidates on the ballot this year. ✂️ [Kessler concludes:] This is yet another example in which Democrats strain to conjure up a nonexistent GOP plan regarding Social Security and Medicare. Murray earns Four Pinocchios. You know, we're thinking that maybe the column's name should be changed from the "Fact Checker" to the "Explainer-Awayer"
* * * * *
Good news from my corner of the world
Landlord rescinds 50% rent spike after affordable housing tenant rallies
When people organize and persist in fighting back, they usually win.
From KOIN:
After low-income tenants in affordable housing units at the Prescott Apartments in North Portland exposed that their landlord was implementing 50% rent increases, the tenants now tell KOIN 6 News the landlord is no longer increasing their rent for the remainder of the affordable housing program. Kelsey Schreiner is a single mother raising her 4-year-old daughter in her one-bedroom apartment. Schreiner and dozens of others in the city’s affordable housing program were facing a nearly 50% rent increase — reaching upwards of more than $400 for some tenants. Schreiner formed a union among the tenants in the affordable housing units. KOIN 6 News followed along for weeks as they hosted rallies, demonstrations, had meetings and passed out flyers — calling on their landlord to make a more reasonable rent increase. “So, we’ve fought really, really hard for the last two months and this new agreement for us means we get to keep our homes,” Schreiner said. After the tenants turned down two previous offers, this week, Green Cities Company agreed to rescind the rent increase altogether for the remainder of their affordable housing program.
Oregonians favor environmental protection, candidates who will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, survey finds
From the Oregon Capital Chronicle:
Most Oregonians would prioritize protecting the environment to spur economic growth, rather than rolling back environmental regulations on companies, according to a new survey. Most also said they would vote for candidates in the November general election who are committed to reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. About 1,500 adults participated between Sept. 13 to 21 in an online questionnaire from the nonpartisan Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, based in Portland. The questions were centered on respondents’ attitudes about climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Most said state government should not relax environmental regulations to make it easier for companies to operate in Oregon. About 60% said maintaining a healthy environment was more important for attracting people and businesses to the state. ✂️ About half of Republicans thought protecting the environment should be prioritized compared with more than three-quarters of Democrats. ✂️ Just 20% of survey respondents said Oregon’s environmental regulations should be less strict than they are currently. Oregon has some of the most ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and strictest environmental regulations in the country.
[An Oregon strategy] to prevent an anti-government revolution
From High Country News:
In eastern Oregon, one strategy has proven effective at inoculating communities against extremist ideology. ✂️ ...in Harney County, the work of conserving the [Malheur National Wildlife Refuge] and its surrounding rangelands has continued almost uninterrupted [since the failed occupation by the Bundys in 2016]. Here, locals consider the occupation a mere bump in the road — though its failure was no accident, according to political ecologist Peter Walker, whose book, Sagebrush Collaboration, tracks the refuge takeover from start to fizzle. Thanks in large part to a land-management strategy that local ranchers, conservationists and federal employees developed 15 years before the Bundys arrived, the community was largely inoculated against their simplistic solutions and fiery but empty rhetoric. Through years of homegrown collaboration led in part by the nonprofit High Desert Partnership, the community was already tackling many of the issues that inspired the Bundys to take up arms: fences, water access, poverty. To many locals, these were not ideological struggles, but tangible problems they were solving together. ✂️ Researchers say that recent national and global upheavals — economic recession, the pandemic and the accelerating effects of climate change — have encouraged a further embrace of extremist views, as people on both left and right feel increasingly helpless in the face of disaster and ignored by those in power. Harney County’s approach is, in many ways, an antidote to that sense of alienation. “Very few people would go away from one of our collaborative meetings saying they weren’t heard,” said Brenda Smith, director of the High Desert Partnership, which now oversees six collaboratives working on issues from wildfire prevention to youth empowerment. The organization was founded in 2005 by Gary Marshall, a local rancher, and Chad Karges, then director of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, who realized that the area’s history of litigation and conflict over public lands had created more problems than solutions. Today, Karges said, restoration work on Forest Service land is generating biomass that heats local institutions; planned fire-resilience projects on Bureau of Land Management acreage involve a once-unlikely alliance of ranchers, scientists, tribal members and government staffers; and refuge staff have partnered with nearby landowners to remove invasive carp. None of this was possible 20 years ago, he said, and the collaboratives are still gaining momentum.
* * * * *
Good news from around the nation
4 million NYC workers will now see how much jobs pay before they apply—here’s what to know
🎩 to Laura Clawson for her DKos diary about this last Wednesday. I thought the news was important enough to re-post.
From CNBC:
After months of waiting, landmark legislation affecting New York City’s roughly 4 million private-sector workers is finally going into effect: Starting Nov. 1, most employers in New York City will be required to list the salary range on all posted job ads, promotions and transfer opportunities. ✂️ The law specifically states that beginning Nov. 1, “employers advertising jobs in New York City must include a good faith salary range for every job, promotion, and transfer opportunity advertised.” A “good faith” range is one the employer “honestly believes at the time they are listing the job advertisement that they are willing to pay the successful applicant(s),” the New York City Commission on Human Rights says. Employers must post the minimum and maximum salary on offer for a particular role when it’s listed on an internal job board, as well as external sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed and other job search platforms. It also applies to any written description of an open job that’s printed on a flyer, distributed at a job fair or submitted to newspaper classifieds. The salary requirement is specific to base salary, whether it’s annual or hourly, but doesn’t require employers to list things like health insurance, time off, severance pay, overtime pay, commissions, tips, bonuses, stock, 401(k) matching or other types of compensation. Ranges must be specific and can’t be open-ended (for example, $15 an hour and up).
It’s Official: Business Boomed on New York’s Car-Free Streets
From Reasons to Be Cheerful:
At the peak of New York City’s pandemic, 83 miles of city streets were closed to traffic to give city-dwellers more public space for social distancing. According to a new analysis, the Open Streets program had financial benefits, too: Patrons flocked to outdoor dining along these car-free stretches. The city says restaurants and bars on popular Open Streets made more money than those on trafficked roads. And those same streets saw new eateries open even as pandemic shutdowns threatened businesses everywhere. Even as some critics charge that the rise in al fresco eating has increased congestion and litter, advocates insist it’s a cultural and economic boon to the city — a position now backed by empirical evidence. “New York offers cities evidence that the same strategies that can bring life into the open during a public emergency can also help cities recover long after,” said former transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
She noticed many women in STEM were overlooked. So she's written more than 1,700 Wikipedia pages about diverse pioneers.
From CBS News:
Throughout history, female scientists, engineers and mathematicians have changed the world. But while their accomplishments have been massive, their names and their stories have rarely been publicized. Physicist Jess Wade wanted to share the stories of great STEM pioneers who may be overlooked – and she came up with a unique way to do that: writing Wikipedia pages. ✂️ "I became really interested in ways we could try and improve that diversity but also improve the way we celebrate and honor the incredible scientists who are from historically marginalized backgrounds — so people who are women, or people of color, or people who are LGBTQ+ — who historically have been underrepresented in science," she said. In her free time, Wade scours the internet to collect information, then she gets to work writing Wikipedia pages. She's written more than 1,700 so far. She said it is always shocking to her when someone notable doesn't have a page – but a few stand out. Like Kizzmekia Corbett, a viral immunologist and assistant professor at Harvard who developed the way to artificially create spike proteins to create the Moderna MRNA COVID-19 vaccine in 2020. "If you think about the kind of people who probably had the most impact on all of our lives, in the past two years, Kizzie is way up there, right. She's world leader in facilitating some kind of return to normality," Wade said.
* * * * *
Good news from around the world
Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Truce agreed From BBC.com: A surprise deal has been reached in the Ethiopian civil war with both sides agreeing to halt their two-year conflict which led to thousands of deaths and warnings of a famine. ✂️ The agreement between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces should allow aid deliveries to resume. Almost 90% of people in the northern Tigray region need food aid, the World Health Organization says. About a third of the region's children are suffering from malnutrition. Although it's a major breakthrough, it'll be received with some degree of caution. This is not the first ceasefire in the conflict - a previous one was breached in August, just months after both sides committed to it. This time though, the agreements have gone further. The Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) have signed up to a disarmament plan and the restoration of crucial services, including aid supplies. "Ethiopia has only one national defence force," reads the joint statement. The TPLF has made a major concession - to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate fighters into the federal army. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has described the agreement as "monumental" and committed to implementing it. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who mediated the deal agreed after a week of talks in South Africa, said it was just the beginning of the peace process. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was "a welcome first step, which we hope can start to bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that have really suffered during this conflict".
UK law firm to sue Wagner PMC and founder Evgeny Prigozhin on behalf of Ukraine
From Meduza:
The UK law firm McCue Jury & Partners announced Wednesday that it will file a lawsuit against Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner private military company (PMC), which he founded, on behalf of Ukrainians. “Wagner’s use of terrorism to achieve Putin’s goals is borne out through their war crimes, including the use of torture, murder, and rape as weapons of war to terrorise civilian populations into submission. [...] Not only is Putin’s war in Ukraine an inherently illegal one, but it is also illegal in the way it is being waged—purposely inflicting significant loss and damage on Ukrainian civilians,” the firm said in a press release. According to the statement, the lawyers intend to pay for the case through crowdfunding. If enough money is raised, they said, the suit could “turn into a billion-pound reparations claim once the full mass of potential claimants are joined,” and could expand to “include the likes of Putin himself, as well as his kleptocratic cronies who have supported his illegal war.” Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Concord catering company and the founder of the Wagner PMC, has been under U.S. sanctions since 2016 and EU sanctions since 2020. The businessman denied having any connection to the mercenary group until September 2022, when he said publicly that he founded Wagner on May 1, 2014, to “protest Russians” in the Donbas.
Saint Javelin now has a YouTube channel!
And it’s awesome. (If by any chance you’re unaware of Saint Javelin and the NAFO fellas, click this link and this link.)
Here’s a taste of Saint Javelin’s YouTube offerings:
x YouTube Video
Misinformation Experiment Has Potential to ‘Inoculate’ Millions of Social Media Users
From Good News Network:
Briefly exposing social media users to the tricks behind misinformation boosts awareness of harmful online falsehoods, says new research—and Google is set to deploy an anti-disinformation campaign based on the findings. Short animations placed in YouTube’s Ad slot gave viewers a taste of the strategies behind misinformation, according to the huge online experiment led by the University of Cambridge. Working with Jigsaw, a unit within Google dedicated to tackling threats to open societies, a team of psychologists from the universities of Cambridge and Bristol created 90-second clips designed to familiarize users with manipulation techniques such as scapegoating and deliberate incoherence. This “pre-bunking” strategy preemptively exposes people to tropes at the root of malicious propaganda, so they can better identify falsehoods online—regardless of subject matter. Researchers behind the Inoculation Science project compare it to a vaccine: by giving people a “micro-dose” of misinformation in advance, it helps prevent them falling for it in future — an idea based on what social psychologist’s call “inoculation theory.” The findings, published in Science Advances, come from seven experiments involving a total of almost 30,000 participants—including the first “real world field study” of inoculation theory on a social media platform. The team reports that even a single viewing of one of the film clips increased awareness of misinformation. [Here’s their clip on scapegoating:] x YouTube Video
* * * * *
Good news in medicine
New RSV vaccines are coming. This is very, very good news.
From Vox:
RSV generally causes cold symptoms but can also lead to severe lung inflammation or infection in very young and very old people. And it’s started off cold season with a bang: As of October 22, babies under a year old were being hospitalized at rates six times higher than they were at the same point in 2019, and the overall hospitalization rate was seven times higher for people of all ages. Every year, hundreds of children die of RSV, and tens of thousands more are hospitalized. But for a change, this year brings some good news: It might be the last time the virus wreaks this kind of havoc. After decades of failed efforts to produce an RSV vaccine, several highly effective ones are finally on the verge of approval. On Tuesday, Pfizer announced that in a trial, its vaccine — which is given to pregnant people so infants are protected at birth (more on that later) — prevented 69 percent of severe RSV cases among infants 6 months and younger. Also on the horizon are vaccines for older adults, and new monoclonal antibodies (i.e., human-made proteins that function like antibodies in our immune systems) to help prevent infections. All told, experts say these products are effective enough to prevent more than three-quarters of severe disease in both age groups. Experts anticipate these products could be broadly available for use within one to two years — if drug approval and recommendation processes at the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention go smoothly. That means that, barring any surprises, babies and adults in the US could be able to rely on them for RSV protection as soon as next fall. Expect global vaccine authorities to weigh in on these products soon, as well.
Major breakthrough in cancer research: Papers reveal 'dark matter' that contributes to disease's growth
Cancer research is progressing at mind-boggling speed.
From Interesting Engineering:
Two major studies published in Nature have uncovered a new level of control of cancer gene activity within tumors, termed cancer's "dark matter." The revelation shows that epigenetics, cells controlling gene activity, play a crucial role in the development of cancer. Cancers are usually tested for DNA mutations alone, which can miss this level of control, thereby failing to predict how cancers may behave and respond to treatment. Professor Trevor Graham, Director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), said in a statement: "We've unveiled an extra level of control for how cancers behave – something we liken to cancer’s 'dark matter.' For years, our understanding of cancer has focused on genetic mutations which permanently change the DNA code. But our research has shown that the way the DNA folds up can change which genes are read without altering the DNA code and this can be very important in determining how cancers behave." ✂️ "I hope our work will change the way we think about cancer and its treatment – and should ultimately affect the way patients are treated. Genetic testing for cancer mutations only gives us part of the picture about a person’s cancer – and is blind to ‘epigenetic’ changes to how genes are read. By testing for both genetic and epigenetic changes, we could, potentially, much more accurately predict which treatments will work best for a particular person’s cancer," said Graham.
Delicious Cancer Breakthrough: Pomegranates Found to Significantly Fuel Tumor-Fighting Immune Cells
From Good News Network:
A new study shows that a substance found in pomegranates significantly boosts the immune system to fight cancer—triggering a constant supply of endless rejuvenated T cells. German scientists studying therapies for colorectal cancer discovered that a metabolite in the red fruit, known as urolithin-A, rejuvenates immune T cells to make them better at fighting tumors. ✂️ When the pomegranate agent is introduced, old and damaged mitochondria in the T cells are removed and replaced by new, functional ones. This changes the genetic make up of the T cells, which are then more capable of fighting the tumor. “Our findings are particularly exciting because the focus is not on the tumor cell but on the immune system—the natural defense against cancer,” said Dr. Dominic Denk of the Frankfurt University Hospital and first author of the study. “This is where reliable therapeutic approaches are still lacking in the reality of colorectal cancer patients. By improving the combination therapy with existing immunotherapies, the study opens up meaningful possibilities.” “We hope to use this to sustainably improve the therapy of colorectal cancer, but also of other cancers.”
* * * * *
Good news in science
Record-breaking chip can transmit entire internet's traffic per second
This is simply astounding. I truly can’t wrap my brain around it.
From New Atlas:
The speed record for data transmission using a single light source and optical chip has been shattered once again. Engineers have transmitted data at a blistering rate of 1.84 petabits per second (Pbit/s), almost twice the global internet traffic per second. It’s hard to overstate just how fast 1.84 Pbit/s really is. Your home internet is probably getting a few hundred megabits per second, or if you’re really lucky, you might be on a 1-gigabit or even 10-gigabit connection – but 1 petabit is a million gigabits. It’s more than 20 times faster than ESnet6, the upcoming upgrade to the scientific network used by the likes of NASA. Even more impressive is the fact this new speed record was set using a single light source and a single optical chip. An infrared laser is beamed into a chip called a frequency comb that splits the light into hundreds of different frequencies, or colors. Data can then be encoded into the light by modulating the amplitude, phase and polarization of each of these frequencies, before recombining them into one beam and transmitting it through optical fiber. In experiments, researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Chalmers University of Technology used the setup to transmit data at 1.84 Pbit/s, encoded in 223 wavelength channels, down a 7.9-km-long (4.9-mile) optical fiber that contained 37 separate cores. For reference, the global internet bandwidth has been estimated at just shy of 1 Pbit/s, meaning this system could potentially handle all of that at once with plenty of room to grow.
Vibrations From Mobile Phones Traveling on Bridges Can be Used to Assess Structural Integrity
Whoever thought up this study was brilliant.
From Good News Network:
Data collected by mobile phones could be used to assess the structural integrity of bridges, suggests a new study, informing potential maintenance requirements and keeping them in action for 30% longer. Using the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as an example, researchers showed that smartphones can capture the same kind of information about bridge vibrations picked up by stationary sensors. The findings suggest that crowdsourced monitoring could be a cheap and convenient way to monitor the structural integrity of transportation infrastructure worldwide, and could potentially increase the lifespan of bridges by up to 30%. ✂️ The structural health of bridges is usually visually assessed by engineers on-site, which is often time consuming and infrequent, or measured using static sensors incorporated into the bridge, which are expensive. ✂️ Publishing their work in the journal Nature Communications Engineering, a team at MIT developed an Android-based app that collects data while travelling across a bridge which they compared with traditional bridge-based sensors.
* * * * *
Good news for the environment
This Chilean desert sometimes fills with flowers – and it’s becoming a national park
How wonderful that at least part of this unique ecosystem will be protected!
From Timeout:
The Atacama Desert, the world’s driest non-polar desert, in bloom after heavy rainfall Chile’s Atacama desert is one of the world’s most fascinating places. The sunniest place on Earth and the planet’s driest non-polar desert, the Atacama is known for its spectacular lava fields, vast salt flats and abandoned mineral mines. Being so desolate, it’s also renowned for its astronomical observatories and stargazing. But there’s one other natural spectacle that really makes it unique. The Atacama is a pretty barren place but, every three to five years, the desert spectacularly bursts into bloom. If the area gets particularly heavy rainfall during the winter season, over 200 species of plant flower in the desert and create a vivid carpet of colour. And now, excitingly, huge bits of the Atacama are set to be made into a national park. Earlier this month, Chilean president Gabriel Boric announced plans to protect the area from development and fund research into its ecosystems. As it stands, the desert is a bit of a flashpoint for ongoing conflicts between environmental activists and companies mining for lithium. Demand for the rare metal is soaring, as it’s used in batteries for electric vehicles and other consumer products. As yet, the exact boundaries of the protected area haven’t been confirmed. However, the park is unlikely to cover the entire desert, which stretches over 41,000 square miles between Chile’s Pacific coast and the Andes. No date has been set yet for the formal designation. But when it does happen, the Atacama will become Chile’s forty-fourth national park. From the glaciers of northern Patagonia to the vineyards of the country’s middle regions, much of the country’s landscape is already officially protected. And now the miraculous blooms of the Atacama will also be secured for future generations.
Indigenous communities protect forests best
From Positive News:
There was more evidence this week that the best way to protect forests is to hand them over to Indigenous communities. A study published in Current Biology, a scientific journal, found that the world’s healthiest, most biodiverse forests are located on protected Indigenous lands. The authors said the findings show that protecting Indigenous and human rights is not only compatible with conservation goals, but vital to achieving them. A growing body of research has drawn similar conclusions. See three examples of community forest stewardship in action here.
* * * * *
Good news for and about animals
Brought to you by Rosy, Nora, and Rascal.
Ukrainian military dogs gain new legal rights as service members
From The Jerusalem Post:
The Ukrainian Border Guard announced via social media...that they are codifying new standards of care for the dogs in uniform. Search and attack dogs will become an official part of the Ukrainian Border Guard service. Like their human counterparts, these dogs will be tasked with searching out and detaining enemies. All dogs can be retired at age 8, although they are permitted to work past that age if they still prove able to do so. Once retired, four-legged veterans will be sent to civilian homes to be taken care of in their twilight years. The exact text of the announcement (in translation) reads that they can be transferred to "legal entities of any form of ownership, with their consent in accordance with the legislation." Reading the text in translation, it is truly unclear whose consent is needed - the dog or the handler. Presumably, it is referring to the handler's consent. ✂️ The Ukrainian military has made extensive use of four-legged soldiers since the outbreak of the war in February 2022. In May, Ukrainian mine-sniffing Jack-Russel Terrier, Patron (along with his handler), was awarded a Medal for Dedicated Services by President Zelensky. Patron has also amassed a dedicated following on social media. Also in May, the United States sent over canine body armor for the furriest members of the Ukrainian military. "Now, our four-legged helpers who will be serving in dangerous areas will also be protected," the Ukrainian State Border Guard said at that time.
Top Gun Owl Kitty!
Nora can’t resist posting each new video from her hero (and fellow Portlander!) Owl Kitty.
x YouTube Video
This 120-Million Year Old Bird/Dinosaur Combo Is Teaching Scientists How Birds Came to Be
From Good News Network:
Artistic reconstruction of Jeholornis A bizarre cross between a bird and a dinosaur had blue, brown and grey feathers, a long tail, and small teeth. What’s more, their brain morphology is perfectly transitional between bird and reptile, with a brain likely built to smell like reptiles, but also to see well in daylight like birds. Jeholornis lived 120 million years ago, and recently scientists have digitally-reconstructed its skull for the first time at the Field Museum in Chicago. “If you look at the skulls of dinosaurs...” said co-author Professor Matteo Fabbri at the museum, “...they have very large olfactory bulbs, and the optic lobes in the midbrain are reduced. They probably had a very good sense of smell and not great sight, which is very reptilian. And on the other hand, if you look at modern birds, they do the reverse. They have small olfactory bulbs, and very large optic lobes. Jeholornis falls in the middle.” Raven-sized Jeholornis is the earliest known animal to eat fruit. The international team selected the best specimen unearthed from prehistoric graveyards in China. ✂️ Dr. Fabbri said the story of Jeholornis is “not just different from dinosaurs and modern birds, it is different from other early birds too. It is not a straightforward evolutionary story. Its special position as one of the most primitive birds during the dinosaur-bird transition determines completing its story will reveal the true scenery of that critical evolutionary period, and also, tell us why and how the modern birds—the only living dinosaurs—evolved to be what we see now.”
And finally, Future Crunch posted this tweet with the comment “The nature documentary we all need right now.”
x Better than the original
https://t.co/R3RAlTYL42 — David Attenborough (@AttenboroughSir) October 27, 2022
* * * * *
Art break
Self-Taught Teen Sews and Models Her Own Beautiful Historically-Inspired Dresses
It’s astounding that these extraordinary dresses were created by a self-taught designer/seamstress.
From My Modern Met:
Eighteen-year-old Angela Clayton adores historical fashion and costumery, taking her love one step further by sewing her own garments. The seamstress crafts long, flowing dresses fit for royalty and exquisite gowns that would make Cinderella the belle of the ball (without a Fairy Godmother). Her projects take an incredible amount of skill, featuring complicated ruching, hand applique, and bodice forming. When each garment is complete, Clayton models her handiwork, taking on the look and attitude of the character who has inspired her. With such complex patterning and construction, it might surprise you to learn that Clayton began sewing only three years ago. Originally, she was interested in creating things for cosplay, since it combined her love of creating, makeup, photography, and dressing up. Since then, she has also translated her interest in history into garments that were worn many centuries ago, including the Renaissance and mid 1800s. Clayton is almost entirely self taught. Thanks to the Internet as well as some trial and error, she dove into the hobby head first. Despite her lack of formal instruction, she's not afraid to tackle the hard stuff. “If I want to create something,” she writes, “I'll do something regardless of how complicated it is.” This attitude will undoubtedly keep her learning and growing, leading her to her future goal of working in the costume industry. “I'm not sure what job would suit me best, but I know I want to spend my life doing what I love, so it has to somehow involve sewing and dresses.”
* * * * *
Hot lynx
www.nytimes.com/… The Untold Story of ‘Russiagate’ and the Road to War in Ukraine. A fascinating and indispensable deep dive into the connection between “Putin’s assault on Ukraine and his attack on American democracy.” “Putin’s American adventure might be best understood as advance payment for a geopolitical grail closer to home: a vassal Ukrainian state.”
www.communityheartandsoul.org/… How One Small Town Practices Democracy. “Many citizens in a small town working together to make small, and ultimately big changes.”
www.nationalgeographic.com/… How mail-in voting began on Civil War battlefields. “From Kentucky to Vermont, voting rights were extended to those far away from the polls for the first time—though not without significant legal challenges and public skepticism.”
www.newyorker.com/… The Shoddy Conclusions of the Man Shaping the Gun-Rights Debate. “John Lott is the most influential pro-gun researcher in the country. But his methods and findings have been repeatedly debunked.” It was Lott’s work that led to a federal court overturning California’s AR-style rifle ban. Important reading.
lithub.com/… A Sense of Belonging: Inside the Only U.S. School Dedicated to Teaching Refugee Girls. “The Global Village Project, located on the second floor of a church on the outskirts of Atlanta, teaches roughly forty young women, all born into conflict. ” A very inspiring article.
www.theatlantic.com/… ABBA’s Triumphant return. An ecstatic, truly mind-blowing review of ABBA’s “95-minute digital hallucination...Four figures appear onstage before us, ...denser than holograms, more shimmeringly charged than human beings, with a kind of atomic brightness, composites of light and longing.”
* * * * *
Wherever is herd…
A tip of the hat to 2thanks for creating this handy info sheet for all Gnusies new and old!
Morning Good News Roundups at 7 x 7: These Gnusies lead the herd at 7 a.m. ET, 7 days a week:
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Thanks to all of you for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤️💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤️
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/8/2132846/-Good-News-Roundup-for-ELECTION-DAY-2022
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
