Jilly_in_VA
Jilly_in_VA's JournalGiants' Alyssa Nakken makes MLB history as first female coach on field
Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game, and the Giants pounded the San Diego Padres 13-2 on Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old Nakken took over at first base in the third inning after Antoan Richardson got ejected. When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the crowd at Oracle Park. She also received a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
“I think we’re all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis and I think, yes, this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility, obviously there’s a historical nature to it,” Nakken said. “But again, this is my job.”
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had “prepared for this moment” while working with Richardson and others.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/apr/13/alyssa-nakken-first-female-coach-san-francisco-giants
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And one more barrier down. Not a Giants fan, but thanks, guys.
Back from the dead? Elusive ivory-billed woodpecker not extinct, researchers say
In terms of elusiveness, it is the Bigfoot or Loch Ness monster of the bird world, so rare and undetectable that the US government declared it extinct last year. But the ivory-billed woodpecker is, in fact, still alive and pecking in the forests of Louisiana, a team of researchers has claimed.
A series of grainy pictures and observations of the bird, which had its last widely accepted sighting in 1944, show that the scrupulously furtive woodpecker is still holding on in the swampy forests of the US south, according to the team’s new research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed.
A three-year quest to find the woodpecker involved scientists trudging through an undisclosed portion of Louisiana woodland to observe the bird and take audio recordings. Unmanned trail cameras, set up to take pictures on a time lapse, and a drone were used to capture photos of the creature.
Steve Latta, the director of conservation at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh who led the effort, said each member of the team had encounters with the ivory-billed woodpecker and often heard its call, which has been described like hearing a child puff into a tin trumpet.
Latta himself saw the bird fly upwards in front of him, showing the distinctive white edges to its wings. “It flew up at an angle and I watched it for about six to eight seconds, which was fairly long for an ivory-billed woodpecker,” he said. “I was surprised. I was visibly shaking afterwards. You realize you’ve seen something special that very few people had the opportunity to see.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/13/ivory-bill-woodpecker-not-extinct-researchers-say
Bolsonaro faces hard scrutiny over military's purchase of penile implants
Further questions have been raised about military spending on impotence treatments under Jair Bolsonaro after allegations Brazil’s defense ministry had approved the purchase of penile implants costing more than half a million pounds.
Those claims followed revelations on Monday that the armed forces had forked out for more than 35,000 Viagra pills in what one leading opposition politician called an erectile “outrage”.
“[We] won’t allow Bolsonaro to turn Brazil into an orgy,” tweeted the leftist congresswoman Vivi Reis as the disclosures sparked an online outpouring of indignation and smirks.
The military insists its acquisitions are above board. The navy and air force claimed they used Viagra to treat pulmonary hypertension. The army alleged it had bought only three silicone penile implants, rather than the 60 reported by the Brazilian media, and had spent far less than the 3.5m reais (£560,900) originally claimed. “The army healthcare system is assigned with treating male patients for various types of ailments that might require surgery for the implantation of such prostheses,” it said in a statement noting that it catered to about 700,000 patients.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/13/brazil-military-penile-implants-purchase-jair-bolsonaro
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Let the puns begin!
The Hubble telescope confirms the largest comet nucleus ever seen by astronomers
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed the largest icy comet nucleus ever seen by scientists. The C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) nucleus is about 80 miles in diameter, which is larger than the state of Rhode Island, NASA says.
The comet's nucleus is about 50 times larger than most comets and its mass is estimated to be a staggering 500 trillion tons.
"This comet is literally the tip of the iceberg for many thousands of comets that are too faint to see in the more distant parts of the solar system," David Jewitt, a professor of planetary science and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement.
"We've always suspected this comet had to be big because it is so bright at such a large distance. Now we confirm it is," Jewitt added.
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/13/1092535922/hubble-telescope-comet-biggest-nasa
What we know about Frank James, suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting
More information was emerging Wednesday about a series of videos made by the man police say is now a suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting that left about two dozen people injured.
Frank R. James, 62, was initially a "person of interest in the case." The New York City Police Department on Wednesday confirmed James was now a suspect and that no arrests had been made.
James has ties to Wisconsin and Philadelphia, authorities said. No additional information has been found connecting James to New York City, Mayor Eric Adams told MSNBC on Wednesday morning.
A law enforcement official who was not authorized to comment publicly told USA TODAY that authorities were reviewing several social media pages, including YouTube videos appearing to feature James ranting and threatening violence.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/04/13/frank-james-named-brooklyn-subway-shooting-suspect/7303407001/
Hamblen Co. Schools changes policy to allow man with no education background to serve as director of
Hamblen Co. Schools changes policy to allow man with no education background to serve as director of schoolsLeaders of Hamblen County school met Tuesday evening to decide who would oversee a school district with 18 schools and around 10,000 students.
Before that, they voted to use an emergency protocol to change some of the board's policies. Normally, a proposal to change the policy would need to pass two readings over the course of two separate meetings. However, because they used an emergency protocol, the policy changed after one reading.
They removed the requirement for directors of schools to have a background in education. That paved the way for General Arnold W. Bunch Jr. to be chosen as the district's next superintendent. While he has no experience teaching children, he does have an extensive résumé in military service.
He has a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College and currently serves as a commander of the Air Force Material Command. He has also flown more than 2,500 hours and earned a Distinguished Service Medal.
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/education/hamblen-co-schools-changes-policy-to-allow-man-with-no-education-background-to-serve-as-director-of-schools/51-5305c7f8-a8c5-4133-86d3-eb5df534ef95
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This is so awful on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin. This county is where I used to live and always stood out among others for its excellent schools. I stiil have grandkids in those schools.
South Dakota attorney general Jason Ravnsborg impeached over fatal crash
The South Dakota House on Tuesday impeached state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg over a 2020 fatal crash in which he initially told authorities he thought he had struck a deer or another large animal.
Ravnsborg will at least temporarily be removed from office pending the historic Senate trial, where it takes a two-thirds majority to convict on impeachment charges.
Ravnsborg pleaded no contest last year to a pair of traffic misdemeanors in the crash, including making an illegal lane change. He cast Joseph Boever's death as a tragic accident.
On Monday night, he sent lawmakers a pair of defiant letters urging them to vote against impeachment.
"In a few hours, your vote will set a precedent for years to come," Ravnsborg said in the first of two letters sent Monday night and obtained by the Argus Leader. "No state has ever impeached an elected official for a traffic accident."
The South Dakota Legislature had never investigated impeachment for an elected official, and only once, in 1917, launched an impeachment inquiry into a circuit judge.
Ravnsborg's letter also accused Republican Gov. Kristi Noem of interfering in the investigation and of supporting impeachment because of the attorney general's investigations into her behavior. A second letter from Ravnsborg's spokesman delved into "evidence, allegations and misconceptions," about the case.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-dakota-house-of-representatives-vote-impeaching-attorney-general-jason-ravnsborg
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Internecine warfare. And no, ya damn assclown, you're being impeached for LYING
Here is the kind of garbage Tennessee (RepubliKKKan) legislators are doing
Instead of taking care of important things, Tennessee RepubliKKKans are fcuking around with stuff like this:
Bill would require hospitals report if a person is suffering a drug overdose to police in Tennessee
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/politics/tennessee-bill-would-require-hospitals-report-when-a-person-is-suffering-a-drug-oversose/51-63abe20b-bb0d-4aa5-8bd3-7f8df6fca3fa
(which could be a Constitutional violation at most and a HIPAA violation at least)
and
Tennessee lawmakers debate several anti-LGBTQ bills, one headed to Governor's desk
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/education/tennessee-legislators-debate-anti-lgbtq-legislation/51-d3d39bae-b50a-41a0-89e5-70b4546dcf00
I thought about including the one defining antisemitism, but after reading the article, that one actually makes some sense, because it speaks to the internationally accepted definition. Still, RepubliKKKans do nothing else much but play around with culture war issues because it distracts from the fact that the states they run are near the bottom in education, health, care for women and children, and other economic and social issues, and would collapse entirely if it were not for assistance from blue states. Perhaps we should let them.
Much ado about Doug: second gentleman takes spotlight at Shakespeare debate
“I haven’t been in court for a few years, so excuse me if I’m a bit rusty,” said Doug Emhoff. “You know, not too much has changed in my life – except for the Secret Service, Air Force Two, the selfies, the cameras following me everywhere, and oh: my wife is the vice-president of the United States.”
The theatre erupted in whoops and clapping. Kamala Harris, sitting in the fifth row with her sister Maya, blew kisses through a black face mask and applauded her husband.
It was one of those only-in-Washington moments. On Monday, the Shakespeare Theatre Company hosted a “mock trial” inspired by William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing and presided over by retiring supreme court justice and good sport Stephen Breyer.
Much Ado is best known for Beatrice and Benedick, two proud intellects who only fall in love after others play Cupid. That seemed fitting for Harris and Emhoff, who were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend and married just shy of their 50th birthdays.
But the question before the not-so-serious court was: should Margaret be held liable for Don John’s defamation of Hero? Emhoff, who was a prominent entertainment lawyer for nearly 30 years, was lead advocate on Margaret’s behalf.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/12/much-ado-doug-emhoff-shakespeare-debate-kamala-harris
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I do wish I could have attended this!
In an Ominous Pattern, People Are Dying Once Transferred to Louisiana Prison
Victoria Law
On November 18, 2020, 37-year-old Javon Kennerson was transferred to Louisiana’s Catahoula Correctional Center, a prison that until recently was run by LaSalle Corrections, a private prison corporation. Less than one month later, after a series of mental health crises, hospitalizations and prison officials’ apparent failure to supervise and monitor him, Kennerson was dead.
Across LaSalle’s constellation of prisons, several dozen people have died from delays in medical treatment or the lack of necessary medical treatment since 2014. Four of those deaths occurred at Catahoula. Over the past five years, at least 105 lawsuits have been brought against LaSalle for failing to provide medical care.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Louisiana has not only the highest per-capita incarceration rate, but also the highest death-in-custody rate, with 786 deaths between 2015 and 2019. The vast majority of deaths (nearly 86 percent) were related to medical illnesses; fewer than half of known deaths were from a medical condition that existed before incarceration. A 2021 report prepared for the Louisiana legislature found a number of barriers to accessing basic health care in state-run prisons, including medical co-pays, lack of annual exams and preventive care, lack of confidentiality in requesting sick call visits, and threats of malingering charges, which can result in forfeiting earned good time (thus prolonging incarceration) or loss of visits and canteen (the ability to buy food and other items from the prison’s sole store).
Over a year later, Kennerson’s mother, Jennifer Bartie, still doesn’t know why her son died. After repeated and unsuccessful efforts to obtain his medical records, she has filed suit against the prison, LaSalle Corrections, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC), prison officials, and the companies that insure LaSalle, the DPSC and the parish sheriff.
https://truthout.org/articles/in-an-ominous-pattern-people-are-dying-once-transferred-to-louisiana-prison/
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You all know by now that prison medical neglect is one of my hot buttons.....
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Gender: Do not displayCurrent location: Virginia
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