BBC News

A series of camel sculptures carved into rock faces in Saudi Arabia are likely to be the oldest large-scale animal reliefs in the world, a study says.

When the carvings were first discovered in 2018, researchers estimated they were created about 2,000 years ago.

This was based on their similarity to reliefs at Jordan's famous ancient city of Petra.

But a fresh study puts the camels at between 7,000-8,000 old.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259

Buzzfeed has an article with some bizarre Australian news headlines. This:





Link: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/australian-news-headlines?origin=web-hf

We are visiting friends in NJ and have been shocked to find almost nobody is wearing masks. There is no mask mandate. It seems the mandate was lifted around Memorial Day, so could this be in order to cater to the tourism industry?

I checked on the state COVID info site and the last update was in JULY.

NBC4Washington

A tornado watch is in effect for the D.C. area as heavy rain and possible flooding are expected.

The tornado watch is in effect until at least 8 p.m. in D.C.; 16 Maryland counties including Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George's counties; and 20 Virginia counties including Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties; and the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

A flash flood watch is in place for parts of the D.C. area until at least 10 p.m. The greatest risk for flash flooding will be along and west of Interstate 95.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/weather-stories/wednesday-weather-forecast-dc-maryland-northern-virginia/2776065/

What happened with the Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants?

Oh-oh

By David J. Lynch
July 26, 2021 at 6:46 p.m. EDT
Washington Post (paywall)

Fresh coronavirus outbreaks are forcing factory shutdowns in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, aggravating supply chain disruptions that could leave some U.S. retailers with empty shelves as consumers begin their back-to-school shopping.

The overseas work stoppages are just the latest twist in almost 18 months of pandemic-related manufacturing and transportation woes. The new infections come as two of the largest U.S. railroads last week restricted shipments from West Coast seaports to Chicago, where a surge of shipping containers has clogged rail yards.

Supply headaches stretching from Asian factory towns to the American Midwest are intensifying as the economic recovery tries to outrun the highly infectious delta variant. Aftershocks from earlier limits on a major Chinese port following a rash of covid-19 cases are expected later this month to worsen backlogs at U.S. West Coast facilities.

Chronic shipping delays also are feeding inflation, just as consumers prepare to stock up for the coming school year. Spot shortages of clothing and footwear could appear within weeks, and popular toys may be scarce during the holiday season. Even as the U.S. economy is slated to enjoy its fastest growth since 1984, supply lines now are expected to remain snarled through the first half of next year or longer, according to corporate executives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/07/27/supply-chains-freight-rail-ports/



My daughter saw an unusual number of empty shelves at the Giant supermarket yesterday.

I couldn't get a new filter for the kitchen faucet water filter. Customer service said they were all out and had no idea when or if it would be available again.

Been trying to buy a new refrigerator for months, but the brand and model remain unavailable.

I'm getting a worried feeling.

I just wrote this today.

Feel free to share.

May your health be excellent
May your happiness be multiplied
May you have all you need
For the good of all, and according to free will
So mote it be

By Dee-ann Durbin
NBC News

The Girl Scouts have an unusual problem this year: 15 million boxes of unsold cookies.

The 109-year-old organization says the coronavirus — not thinner demand for Thin Mints — is the main culprit. As the pandemic wore into the spring selling season, many troops nixed their traditional cookie booths for safety reasons.

“This is unfortunate, but given this is a girl-driven program and the majority of cookies are sold in-person, it was to be expected,” said Kelly Parisi, a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA.

The impact will be felt by local councils and troops, who depend on the cookie sales to fund programming, travel, camps and other activities. The Girl Scouts normally sell around 200 million boxes of cookies per year, or around $800 million worth.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/girl-scouts-have-millions-of-unsold-cookies-as-pandemic-takes-a-bite-out-of-sales/2700674/