Poll: Few Americans Believe a College Education is Worth It

Has Biden Gone MAD?

Dealing with dead whales might be about to change thanks to a study that’s highlighted the sustainable, cultural, and ecosystem benefits of leaning on nature to get rid of the bodies. Not only has it revealed that we can forecast where they might turn up with “surprisingly high accuracy,” but the alternative solution can keep whales’ nutrients in the marine ecosystem and off of our cars – something previous disposal methods have failed to achieve.Who could forget the great Oregon Whale Explosion of 1970? Back in 2020, we got to witness it in glorious 4K when the Oregon Historical Society celebrated its 50th anniversary by releasing footage of the frankly baffling event.When the highway patrol was tasked with disposing of a beached sperm whale, they called the Navy and were informed the best course of action was to blow it up. Many flocked to the beach to witness the bloody spectacle, but left with more than just a few gory photos as cars were destroyed by giant falling chunks of dead whale.It seems evident, then, that blowing up carcasses isn’t the way to go, but leaving enormous corpses to rot – and possibly explode of their own volition – isn’t ideal when members of the public are around. So, what else?A chance encounter with a 14-meter female humpback whale offered scientists led by Dr Olaf Meynecke, from Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program, an opportunity to work that out. It’s thought a ship strike brought the whale’s life to a premature end back in July 2023, and so they intercepted the remains before they washed up on the shore.Instead, they repositioned it 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) out to sea and attached a satellite tag that could tell them where it went during the six days it drifted before sinking. It was the first study of its kind to track the movements of whale remains, and proved to be an efficient way to keep the whale away from any beaches until it was ready to become whale fall – known to be a big event for bottom-dwelling scavengers."As we’ve seen more and more whales stranding on Australian beaches in past years, the effective, safe, and culturally sensitive removal of whale remains near or on public beaches has become a major issue,” said Meynecke in a statement. “Our study shows that forecasting of where whale remains might end up when floating at sea is possible with surprisingly high accuracy.” Whale carcasses are highly valuable to critters on the seafloor, but it takes a few days for them to sink, during which time they can end up on beaches.Image credit: Craig Smith NOAA, Public Domain, via WikimediaAt present, there are seven key ways of disposing of whale carcasses:Move to landfillTransport to a facility that can break them down to by-productsCompostingBurialNatural decomposition where they beachedSinking the remainsUsing explosives to break them downHowever, none of these are a perfect solution as they are all either costly, logistically complex, or – as we saw with the Oregon incident – not especially safe. It seems, then, that simply towing the whales out to sea could provide a simple solution with multiple benefits.“Perished whales provide a substantial nutrient source for marine ecosystems, and strategically placing whale remains offshore can enhance nutrient cycling and foster biodiversity, contribute to carbon removal and marine floor enrichment for up to seven years,” Meynecke added. “Their gradual decomposition sustains scavengers and detritivores, and support microbial communities and deep-sea organisms.”“The best strategy for handling whale remains depends on multiple factors and should be decided on a case-by-case basis. Offshore disposal can be an ethical, cost-effective, and safe option if managed appropriately.”The study is published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.

The global climate crisis is playing havoc with temperatures and environments across the world. In Death Valley, the highest-ever recorded temperature looks like it could be broken once again as scorching heat leads experts to put out warnings. Sea level rise has also claimed its first local extinction in the USA in the form of the Key Largo tree cactus. The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii) was only discovered in 1992, in a small population in the Florida Keys. The species does still grow on the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas and northern Cuba. By 2021, the population in Florida had been reduced from 150 stems to just six, owing to harsh weather conditions, saltwater intrusion, and the effects of mammals grazing on the plants. “Unfortunately, the Key Largo tree cactus may be a bellwether for how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change,” said Jennifer Possley, director of regional conservation at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and lead author on a study that documents the population’s decline, in a statement.In good conditions, the species can grow to be more than 6 meters (20 feet) tall, and has flowers that both smell like garlic and reflect the moonlight, which attracts their bat pollinators. Initially, when first discovered, the Key Largo tree cactus resembled the Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii), leading to confusion about the identity of this new species. Both species also possess purple and red fruits but there are key differences between them.“The most striking difference is the tuft of long, woolly hairs at the base of the flowers and fruits,” said Alan Franck, currently the herbarium collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The hair is so thick, it looks as if the cactus is covered in drifts of snow. The spines of the Key Largo cactus are also twice as long as those of the Key tree cactus.The Key tree cactus has also faced significant problems, declining 84 percent between 1994 and 2007, and listed as federally endangered in 1984. The two biggest problems facing these species seem to be herbivory and the increased salinity of the surrounding soil, caused by particularly high ocean tides know as "king tides".                In February 2016, a rescue mission began and the researchers collected stem fragments to cultivate at a nursery. By 2021, it was clear that the population did not have hope of recovery. A final fruiting season allowed the researchers to collect the cactus fruits which contained some viable seeds. The green parts of the cactus were then harvested and taken to two nurseries. Now, the population is restricted to this captive collection of 36 salvaged fragments, 25 seedlings, and more than 1,000 seeds held in storage. The researchers had no choice but to remove the cactus from the habitat to try to save the species.Image Credit: Trudy FerraroThe team returned to the area in both 2022 and 2023 in the hopes of collecting more samples that could have been missed. Only in 2023 did they find a small fragment that they chose to remove from the area since it was clear it would succumb to sea level rise. Species in the Florida Keys are especially vulnerable to sea level rise because of the low-lying nature of the land in that region. Extreme weather, habitat destruction, and poaching all play a part in reducing population sizes of vulnerable species. The team suggests that long-term conservation plans for other at-risk plants are already in progress, and cooperation is still needed at both local and governmental levels to succeed at protecting these species both in and ex-situ. The paper is published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

A new study has precisely calculated how fast time on the Moon goes compared to time on Earth, and the Solar System's barycenter.Time passes at different rates for different observers, depending on their relative speeds and their proximity to (and strength of) nearby gravitational fields. This doesn't normally figure into your everyday calculations. If you want to meet someone next Tuesday, you don't need to worry about your clocks being all that different – unless, in the intervening days, one of you spends that time flying around at relativistic speeds, or on a planet or Moon with vastly different gravity.This is a problem for NASA and other space agencies, however, as humanity aims at creating bases on the Moon and Mars. Currently, there is no agreed time zone on the Moon. Uncrewed missions generally use the time corresponding to the craft's country of origin, while the crewed Apollo missions used Ground Elapsed Time (GET), counting from the moment of launch. As the Moon becomes more full (of robots, and then, fingers crossed, humans) this could pose some problems that the US hopes to overcome by establishing a Coordinated Lunar Time."The establishment of a standardized lunar time is essential for synchronizing activities and operations on the Moon," the new paper posted to pre-print server arXiv, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, explains. "With missions involving multiple landers, rovers, and orbiters, having a common time reference ensures that all units can coordinate effectively, avoiding conflicts and enhancing collaboration. Accurate timing is crucial for communication between Earth and lunar missions, facilitating reliable data transmission and reception, and ensuring that autonomous systems can operate seamlessly."In the new paper, the team calculated the relative speed of time on the surface of the Moon, Earth, and at the solar system's barycenter, the common center of mass of the Solar System. "Although relativistic time transformations between the Solar System Barycentric (SSB) coordinate reference frame and the surface of the Earth are familiar, an analogous transformation for the surface of the Moon has not been established," the team writes. "In particular, the constants that describe the behavior of the two time scales as time progresses are needed."According to the team's calculations, time on the lunar surface ticks by at 0.0000575 seconds faster than on the surface of the Earth per day. For ease of calculation, it would take around 100,000 days (or about 274 years) for someone on the Moon to age 5.75 seconds more than somebody on Earth. That doesn't sound like a whole lot to worry about, but if the difference is not accounted for it could cause problems in lunar operations."Failing to account for the discrepancy between a transmitter clock on the Earth and how it is perceived by a receiver on the Moon will result in a ranging error," Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote in a memorandum instructing NASA and other agencies to work together to create the new Moon time system. "Precision applications such as spacecraft docking or landing will require greater accuracy than current methods allow."More discussion and calculations will take place before the establishment of coordinated lunar time, and we will have to see the exact system that NASA and other space agencies come up with. One thing that NASA is clear on already, however, is that the Moon, with its 29.5 Earth days-long days, will not have to endure daylight savings time.The paper is posted to the pre-print server arXiv.

Caroline, a 16-year-old girl, recently captured widespread admiration for her bravery and quick thinking during an extraordinary rescue. This young heroine found herself in the midst of a dangerous and chaotic situation when she saved a runaway horse on a busy highway. Her remarkable act of courage not only ensured the horse’s safety but also... The post Teen watches a runaway horse sprint towards the highway and takes matters into her own hands appeared first on Animal Channel.

Two women renting space in a house quickly realized they were not going to be friends. What began as a shared living arrangement soon turned into a hostile environment, with tensions escalating significantly between the two. Their cohabitation woes reached a breaking point, culminating in a bizarre and troubling incident that has since captivated public... The post Fed-up woman dumps tarantula down the stairs to get roommate to move out appeared first on Animal Channel.

After a couple of weeks of vacation, the full slate of late night comedy shows returned on Monday to reveal their reactions to President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance and subsequent interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. While nobody called for Biden to step aside, there were definitely calls for him to step up his game because democracy is allegedly at stake. On CBS and The Late Show, Biden fundraiser Stephen Colbert lamented that Biden was not up to the task, “Trump proved once again that he is demonstrably a monster. He is a demonster! And keep in mind, keep in mind, Joe called for this debate, it's the earliest they've ever had a presidential debate. And going into it, all Joe had to do was allay people's fears that he was too old. But instead, Biden's shakiness allowed Trump to get away with 90 minutes of lies, racism, and weird golf brags, which is why a lot of people are saying this was the worst debate performance of all time.”     After playing a clip of Biden telling Stephanopoulos, “I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that's what this is about,” a distressed Colbert shot back, “Actually, I don't think that's what this is about. I think that's what The Karate Kid was about. This is about democracy and nuclear war, and you know, that stuff.” Later in the show, Colbert welcomed CNN’s Abby Phillip and wondered why Biden even debated in the first place, “Do you think the debate should happen?” After Phillip replied “absolutely,” Colbert asked, “Why? You know he's going to lie and the other guy is the president of the United States, who should not be dignifying this criminal who tried to overthrow democracy and does not believe in the process.” Phillip argued that “there are a lot of people who have kind of forgotten what Trump is like, what he was like… there was COVID. A lot of this has kind of left the brain.” Over at Comedy Central and The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, who was the only one to react to the debate when it first happened, reacted to the same Biden-Stephanopoulos clip, “That is not what this is about! There are no participation trophies in ‘End-game democracy.’ Yes, I remember FDR saying, ‘Well, if the Nazis take over Europe, at least both teams had fun.”   NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers set up his debate commentary by first attacking Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, “Trump's ambition to turn the U.S. into a dictatorship will only be buoyed by a compliant right-wing Supreme Court that essentially just handed him royal powers. So, that's the situation. A wildly dangerous criminal and pathological liar is leading a radical movement to dismantle American democracy and he's within striking distance of the presidency.” With that as context, a dejected Meyers introduced Biden’s “beat Medicare” gaffe, “The stakes of this election cannot be any higher, which is why it would be nice to have a Democratic candidate who could competently articulate those stakes to the American people, instead of whatever the hell this was.”     Some Democrats want to dump Biden because they feel he will certainly lose, but Meyers claimed the existence of the debate is proof Democrats are morally superior to Republicans: However you feel about Biden, and whether he should stay in the race or not, I do think it's worth noting that this conversation is even happening at all. Biden had a bad debate performance, and Democrats are having a vigorous back and forth over whether he should stay in. Donald Trump fomented a violent coup attempt and was convicted of 34 felony counts, and not only did every Republican immediately fall in line, they showed up at the courthouse in matching suits like they were flight attendants on MAGA Airlines. That’s one giant difference between the two parties. Later, Meyers also denounced Biden’s answers to Stephanopoulos, “No! That's not what this is about! ‘Giving it your all’ is what salsa lessons at a retirement home is all about. This isn't about how you feel. This is about how voters feel. If you truly believe American democracy is at stake, and it is, then you have to act like it. You can't claim to be the last bulwark against fascism and also have a ‘more sleep’ plan. If you think this is serious, you need to act like it's serious.  The other late night hosts were less long-winded. NBC’s Jimmy Fallon found it odd on The Tonight Show that, “the media has spent almost two weeks calling on a candidate to drop out of the race, and somehow it's not the convicted felon.”     Meanwhile, on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, guest host and Biden fundraiser alongside the regular eponymous host, Kathryn Hahn, lamented, “The truth is, both candidates are very old. This might be the first presidential race where a slick bathtub could alter the course of history. Okay. Here's the thing, I would vote for a skeleton over Donald Trump. In fact, I may literally be voting for a skeleton over Donald Trump.” For years, the late night comedy shows have joked about Biden’s senior moments to avoid making fun of his liberalism in order to distinguish him from the threat supposedly posed by Trump. However, the debate and fallout from it proved those senior moments are more serious than just another blooper or gaffe. Here are transcripts for the July 8 shows: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 7/8/2024 11:38 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: So, should he stay? Should he go? Who am I to recommend? I don't know what's going on in Joe Biden's mind, something I apparently have in common with Joe Biden. The debate was 11 days ago, and everyone's still talking about it, and it's a shame because Joe Biden is a great president and in the debate—yes, he's a great president. And in that debate 11 days ago, Trump proved once again that he is demonstrably a monster. He is a demonster! And keep in mind, keep in mind, Joe called for this debate, it's the earliest they've ever had a presidential debate. And going into it, all Joe had to do was allay people's fears that he was too old. But instead, Biden's shakiness allowed Trump to get away with 90 minutes of lies, racism, and weird golf brags, which is why a lot of people are saying this was the worst debate performance of all time … JOE BIDEN: I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that's what this is about. COLBERT: Actually, I don't think that's what this is about. I think that's what The Karate Kid was about. This is about democracy and nuclear war, and you know, that stuff. Now, you might have noticed if you're a keen-eyed viewer, that there was a part where the leader of the Free World said the word "goodest." But according to the White House, no, he didn't. They demanded that ABC News change the transcript to read, "I did the good as job as I know I can do." That correction makes even less sense. I'd like to know how that phone call went. "Excuse me, the president of the United States never said 'goodest' and I demand that you fix this the possible as soon.” … COLBERT: Do you think the debate should happen? ABBY PHILLIP: Absolutely. COLBERT: Why? You know he's going to lie and the other guy is— PHILLIP: I think— COLBERT: — the president of the United States, who should not be dignifying this criminal who tried to overthrow democracy and does not believe in the process.  PHILLIP: I absolutely  —   I think the American people need to know what they're getting from these candidates. COLBERT: But they already know. They’ve both been president of the United States. It's not like one of them is a mystery. PHILLIP: But, listen, there are a lot of people who have kind of forgotten what Trump is like, what he was like. [audience booing] They're not in the audience tonight. But a lot of Americans, it’s almost like, there was COVID. A lot of this has kind of left the brain and so, I just think, look, people need to see not only what is Trump like generally, but what is he like right now? And what is he really going to say? And it was President Biden’s job to put the pressure and the spotlight on Trump.  I mean, that's what his aides told us that he was going to do and I think they acknowledge that he didn't execute on that game plan and that's why the debate was not great for him. But they didn't set the standard of saying “oh, well, he doesn't want to be in a position to challenge Trump.” They asked for the debate.  COLBERT: Right. PHILLIP: They wanted to challenge.  COLBERT: They agreed to those rules. PHILLIP: They agreed to those rules. *** Comedy Central The Daily Show 7/8/2024 11:10 PM ET JON STEWART: Or when the president sat down with George Stephanopoulos to prove once and for all how cogent he is and to film a bronzer ad. Orange man good? None of this was reassuring! And we're told that the threat of Trump is so great and the stakes are so high that even bringing up these absolutely legitimate concerns about the president's ability to do the most vigorous job in the world for the next four years is "enabling fascism," yet even the president doesn't seem particularly alarmed! GEORGE STEPHANOPULOS: If you stay in and Trump is elected, and everything you're warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January? JOE BIDEN: I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest as job as I know I can do, that's what this is about. STEWART: That is not what this is about! There are no participation trophies in "End-game democracy." Yes, I remember FDR saying, "Well, if the Nazis take over Europe, at least both teams had fun." And it's really troubling that, as this new information has been introduced, we just learned about this, and now we are being told, "Well, you should have thought of that before you knew it!" *** NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers 7/9/2024 12:48 AM ET SETH MEYERS: His aides are involved, and his super PAC is running ads on it. The only way Trump could be any more directly linked to Project 2025 is if he sold it as a companion piece with his Bibles. [TRUMP IMPRESSION] "Order now and we'll throw in a free copy of Ye Olde Jugs Magazine.  [NORMAL VOICE] And Trump's ambition to turn the U.S. into a dictatorship will only be buoyed by a compliant right-wing Supreme Court that essentially just handed him royal powers.  So, that's the situation. A wildly dangerous criminal and pathological liar is leading a radical movement to dismantle American democracy and he's within striking distance of the presidency. The stakes of this election cannot be any higher, which is why it would be nice to have a Democratic candidate who could competently articulate those stakes to the American people, instead of whatever the hell this was. JOE BIDEN: Making sure that we're able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I've been able to do with the  —   with the COVID — excuse me, with  —   dealing with everything we have to do with  —  look. If we finally beat Medicare— JAKE TAPPER: Thank you, President Biden. MEYERS: In fairness, it's very easy to confuse saving Medicare with defeating Medicare. It's like when Obama famously said, "Tonight the United States conducted an operation that successfully saved Osama bin Laden, I mean killed him, right? Killed him?” … MEYERS: However you feel about Biden, and whether he should stay in the race or not, I do think it's worth noting that this conversation is even happening at all. Biden had a bad debate performance, and Democrats are having a vigorous back and forth over whether he should stay in. Donald Trump fomented a violent coup attempt and was convicted of 34 felony counts, and not only did every Republican immediately fall in line, they showed up at the courthouse in matching suits like they were flight attendants on MAGA Airlines. That’s one giant difference between the two parties. … JOE BIDEN:  I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that's what this is about. MEYERS: No! That's not what this is about! "Giving it your all" is what salsa lessons at a retirement home is all about. This isn't about how you feel. This is about how voters feel. If you truly believe American democracy is at stake, and it is, then you have to act like it. You can't claim to be the last bulwark against fascism and also have a "more sleep" plan. If you think this is serious, you need to act like it's serious.  It's like if you caught Smokey Bear with a cigarette in his mouth. "Smokey, can't that start a forest fire?" "Hey, blame the tobacco companies, kid. This [bleep] Is addictive."  I have no idea what will happen, or if Biden will stay in or not. But as we've established on this show for years now, the stakes of a Trump presidency are incredibly high. The job of any Democrat running against him is to articulate the strongest possible case against him at all times, especially when everyone is watching. And right now, it's pretty clear that's not happening. Trump's agenda is dangerous and terrifying. The only way it could be any crazier is if he promised to – ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Eat a human.  *** NBC The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 7/8/2024 11:37 PM ET JIMMY FALLON: Seriously, the media is crazy right now. The only 2 people they're covering 24/7 are Joe Biden and the Hawk Tuah Girl. That's all they're talking about. Maybe she should run. Yeah, the media has spent almost two weeks calling on a candidate to drop out of the race, and somehow it's not the convicted felon. *** ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 7/8/2024 11:40 PM ET KATHRYN HAHN: The truth is, both candidates are very old. This might be the first presidential race where a slick bathtub could alter the course of history. Okay. Here's the thing, I would vote for a skeleton over Donald Trump. In fact, I may literally be voting for a skeleton over Donald Trump.

Actress Kerry Washington largely defended the label of "felon" in an interview where she said that President Trump's felony convictions have changed what the word will mean to many.Pointing to a corrupt justice system, Washington said that "everything has changed."Washington was interviewed by outlet Bustle while doing promotion for her show "UnPrisoned," a television series about a single mother whose father moves in after he gets out of prison. Washington has also starred in "Scandal," "Boston Legal," and "The Simpsons."Due to the nature of her show, Washington was asked about the definition of "felon," and if it has changed due to Trump's conviction.'Donald Trump may not be able to vote in his home state.'"Everything has changed in terms of how I feel about the so-called justice system," Washington replied. "We're in such an interesting moment when it comes to [the question of], 'What is a felon?' I love what people have been sharing on social media, [saying that] if a person who is a convicted felon can still run for president, then we should be removing that box from job applications."Bustle interviewer Kendra James pointed to the idea that the word would have a "different face" and not one that looks like the actor Delroy Lindo, who plays a felon in the aforementioned "UnPrisoned" series. The allusion to racial connections to the word felon is certainly strange given that Lindo is an incredibly recognizable actor, who has had roles in the movies "Malcolm X," "Get Shorty," and "The Devil's Advocate."The reporter then stated to Washington, "If a felon can run for president, a felon should be able to vote. Full stop."Washington then claimed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been "trying to make it impossible in Trump's home state.""A bill was passed in Florida to allow formerly incarcerated folks to vote, and DeSantis has been trying to do everything he can to [undercut] that. Donald Trump may not be able to vote in his home state," she claimed.However, in late May 2024, DeSantis stated that he would ensure Trump would be able to vote in Florida and provide clemency if he had to."Given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair," DeSantis said, according to Politico.Washington's interview continued with racial and serial-activist themes, equating racist stereotypes with astrological stereotypes:"Being a felon has become just another box that we put people in, to assume who they are and what they're capable of, in the same way we do with gender or race, or that I can do with astrology."The actress added that the United States has begun to allow a kind of "psychological deepening with felons and returning citizens" and said she was excited that her show helps people "understand and connect to the humanity of returning citizens," by which she meant people getting released from prison.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The White House and the media have been deceiving the public about the president’s mental decline.