Category Archives: Fail!

Pruitt’s Dinner With Cardinal Accused of Abuse Was Kept Off Public Schedule – The New York Times

emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that as early as May 12, Mr. Pruitt’s scheduler, Millan Hupp, was working on plans for Mr. Pruitt to meet with Cardinal Pell. “Dinner with Cardinal Pell and others,” an email says, proposing the dinner for June 7 and adding, “Note: His 76th birthday is tomorrow.” The dinner Cardinal Pell attended ultimately took place June 9 at La Terrazza, a restaurant in the five-star Hotel Eden overlooking Rome. Mr. Pruitt’s trip was an official E.P.A. visit tied to the G-7 summit in Bologna. Mr. Pruitt’s frequent first-class travel, including to Italy, is under investigation by the E.P.A.’s inspector general and the House Oversight Committee. An internal debate over whether to proceed with any meeting with Cardinal Pell had begun well before Mr. Pruitt left for Italy, according to three current and former agency officials. Mark Kasman, a career E.P.A. official who helps supervise international affairs at the agency, found media reports describing the allegations against Cardinal Pell and approached Mr. Chmielewski with them, Mr. Chmielewski said, urging the agency to cancel any such meetings.

Study suggests oral antibiotics may increase kidney stone risk | CIDRAP

Over the last 30 years, the prevalence of kidney stone disease has risen by 70%, with the greatest increases seen in children and young women. Although dietary and lifestyle factors have been suggested as possible causes for this increase, the exact reasons remain unclear. In a study today in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia suggest another possibility: oral antibiotic use.

Source: Study suggests oral antibiotics may increase kidney stone risk | CIDRAP

He Paid for His Mentos. Then an Officer Pulled a Gun on Him. – The New York Times – how many times does something like this happen daily? How many times does someone end up daed or arrested? What are good police doiong about this?

John DeCarlo, a former police chief and an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, said that he reminds police officers to treat everyone they encounter with respect, from mundane interactions to very intense ones. Everyday encounters, like seeing an officer in a gas station, shape people’s overall perceptions of the police, he said. “We have an innate fear of police to begin with,” Mr. DeCarlo said. “It’s about treating people how you want to be treated.” Mr. DeCarlo was startled as he watched the security footage of the off-duty Buena Park police officer. “Oh my goodness,” he said as he watched the officer retrieve his gun. “Holy mackerel.” He said that the officer violated the most basic rules governing the use of force by the police. No matter the situation, officers should issue verbal commands first. Pulling out a gun should be a last resort. “What the officer did was incredibly inappropriate,” he said.

Invasive fist-sized Cuban treefrogs discovered in New Orleans | Environment | The Guardian

The captured frogs probably arrived on palm trees from Florida that were planted in the zoo in 2016, USGS research ecologist Brad Glorioso wrote in a study published in the April issue of the journal Biological Invasions. “They have noxious skin secretions, lay their eggs in bird baths and fish ponds, and they can clog plumbing and cause power outages by short-circuiting utility switches where they seek refuge,” he said in a news release. They could easily cross the river on vehicles, boats, barges or debris and prey on smaller frogs, he wrote in the article. Local treefrogs are considerably smaller than Cuban treefrogs, said Jeff Boundy, a herpetologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Natural Heritage Program. “The natives are about a quarter- to half-dollar-size on your kitchen window at night. These guys get up to five and a half inches (14cm) in body length. You’re talking about a fist-sized frog now,” Boundy said in a phone interview.

Source: Invasive fist-sized Cuban treefrogs discovered in New Orleans | Environment | The Guardian

 

Frogs not the enemy – people are – they transplanted trees that were ferries for the frogs – duh –

Opinion | When Misogynists Become Terrorists – The New York Times

Despite a great deal of evidence that connects the dots between these mass killers and radical misogynist groups, we still largely refer to the attackers as “lone wolves” — a mistake that ignores the preventable way these men’s fear and anger are deliberately cultivated and fed online.

Here’s the term we should all use instead: misogynist terrorism. Until we grapple with the disdain for women that drives these mass murderers, and the way that the killers are increasingly radicalized on the internet, there will be no stopping future tragedies.

Over the past decade, anti-women communities on the internet — ranging from “men’s rights” forums and incels to “pickup artists” — have grown exponentially. While these movements differ in small ways, what they have in common is an organized hatred of women; the animus is so pronounced that the hate-watch group Southern Poverty Law Centertracks their actions.

Video of Iran ‘morality police’ wrestling with woman sparks outrage | World news | The Guardian

Source: Video of Iran ‘morality police’ wrestling with woman sparks outrage | World news | The Guardian

Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s vice-president for women’s affairs, denounced the treatment of the young woman on Twitter. “How could this treatment be justified?” she tweeted. “Even if they were insulted, should the police react like this? I categorically condemn this behaviour and will pursue the matter. This is a harsh and anti-religious treatment that no human deserves.”

North Korea: Mike Pompeo′s ′surprising′ empty-handed return from his secret trip | Americas| North and South American news impacting on Europe | DW | 18.04.2018

Source: North Korea: Mike Pompeo′s ′surprising′ empty-handed return from his secret trip | Americas| North and South American news impacting on Europe | DW | 18.04.2018

Pompeo did not come back with any of the three Americans that are still held captive in North Korean prisons. To me that raises the question of whether the status of these three prisoners was discussed. Did Pompeo try to bring any of them back? And will President Trump insist on their return before he meets with Kim Jong Un?

You think it should be a precondition for the US that the three American prisoners held in North Korea be returned before any talks take place between Trump and Kim?

I believe that it is impossible to negotiate with North Korea while there are American prisoners in the country. I believe releasing them in relatively good condition should be a precondition for talks. It is unclear how the administration is approaching this.