A First: Nassau County Bans Men From Competing in Women's Sports

Has This Reporter Never Read Declaration of Independence?

A post on X set the social platform ablaze recently as user @Kairo_Anatomika shared some fascinating insights into fat distribution among animals in desert environments. Beginning with the camel whose fat humps are famous‚ the second post in the thread delivered a sucker punch in the form of the round rear-ends of fat-tailed sheep.This domestic breed is characterized by large fatty tails that‚ if left unchecked‚ get so long they drag along the ground. According to Atlas Obscura‚ in the time of fifth-century “father of history” Herodotus‚ shepherds even provided their sheep with wheeled carts to keep their droopy fat slabs off the ground.       While X was stunned to the tune of over 47‚000 likes (at time of writing)‚ fat-tailed sheep won’t come as a surprise to those familiar with livestock. After all‚ fat-tailed sheep really do make the rocking world go round‚ accounting for roughly a quarter of the planet's sheep.The trait first emerged as an energy store to keep these animals going in the harsh climates they’re native to‚ which include desert-like areas in the Middle East‚ Northern Africa‚ Northern India‚ and Central Asia. It was then selected for by humans because of the unique texture they bring to cooking‚ with tail fat having become an essential part of many cuisines.The fat-tailed sheep has so much junk in the trunk that historically people have made carts to help them get around.Image credit: Job Ludolphus via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)However familiar you may be with fat-tailed sheep‚ there’s no getting away from the fact that their plump posteriors are quite a sight. From fat-tailed sheep to curiously shaped starfish‚ we humans can’t resist a good rump‚ and it’s not surprising when you consider our butt-to-body ratio is among the largest in the animal kingdom.That’s because the gluteus maximus (aka‚ dat ass) muscle group plays a huge role in human locomotion‚ connecting the spine‚ hip and femur together to mobilize the hip as the gluteus maximus stretch and contract. This is why growing your glutes is helped by movements such as deadlifts‚ which sees the gluteus maximus stretch and contract to extend the hip before the butt muscle pulls it all back to an upright position.The gluteus maximus is constantly engaged as we go about our days as bipedal‚ upright animals. The more a muscle is used‚ the bigger it gets‚ and so in evolving to be upright animals we earned ourselves the skeletal position needed to claim the big butt title.While the human butt has got nothing on the rear-end of fat-tailed sheep‚ it too can be a fat store. As a fat store‚ the bottom is favored typically in biological females‚ while males’ fat tends to end up on the stomach‚ reports PopSci.So if you like big butts and lie you cannot‚ the fat-tailed sheep might just be your mascot.

Scientists in South Korea have announced a step forward in the development of semi-transparent perovskite solar cells that could someday allow windows to generate energy. In the latest tests‚ the semi-transparent perovskite solar cells achieved an efficiency of over 21 percent‚ which the researchers claim is a record for this type of technology. Furthermore‚ over 99 percent of the initial efficiency was maintained for up to 240 hours of operation.Developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER)‚ the new solar cell technology replaces the metal electrodes of typical solar cells with transparent electrodes that allow light to pass through. This process is easier said than done. For unknown reasons‚ initial tests with the semi-transparent materials resulted in reduced charge transporting properties and stability. To solve this‚ they closely analyzed the material using electro-optical analysis and atomic-level computational science.This revealed that lithium ions were causing the problem. Lithium ions are added to the “hole transport layer” of the solar cell to increase its conductivity‚ but they also diffuse into the metal oxide layer that serves as a buffer and degrades its useful qualities.To overcome the problem‚ they converted the lithium ions into stable lithium oxide‚ making the cell much more stable."This study represents a significant advance in the field by examining the degradation process occurring at the interface of organic compound and metal oxide buffer layer which is unique to semi-transparent perovskite solar cells‚" Dr Ahn SeJin‚ leader of the researcher at the KIER’s Photovoltaics Research Department‚ said in a statement."Our solution is readily implementable‚ demonstrating great potential for the future use of the technologies we have developed."Solar energy could become a major player in the transition away from fossil fuels. However‚ current solar cell technology has several shortcomings. One major problem is the materials they’re made from‚ which can be expensive‚ inefficient‚ and a pain to obtain.There’s also the question of where to put the solar panels. To soak up vast amounts of solar energy‚ you need a vast amount of solar panels – and not everyone is a fan of them‚ aesthetically speaking. As such‚ engineers and designers are keen to find inventive new ways to include solar cells that seamlessly blend into their surrounding environment. The idea goes that these semi-transparent perovskite solar cells could be installed in glass-paneled buildings‚ allowing light in and subtly producing electricity while barely being noticeable. There’s still a long way to go before sun-soaking windows adorn our homes and office blocks‚ but this latest breakthrough marks a small but significant step closer.  The new study is published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

Sharks evolved around 450 million years ago‚ which means they’ve hitched a lift on planet Earth around the galaxy twice. If that’s not yet given you a fact-induced headache‚ it may tip you over to hear that it also means sharks were on Earth before trees‚ at a time when Saturn didn’t have rings yet.Part of their success comes down to their flexibility when it comes to environmental conditions‚ able to survive in a wide range of oceans and at different depths."I think it is safe to say that it is partly because sharks are able to exploit different parts of the water column - from deep‚ dark oceans to shallow seas‚ and even river systems‚" Emma Bernard‚ a curator of fossil fish at the Natural History Museum said in a piece for the museum. "They eat a wide variety of food‚ such as plankton‚ fish‚ crabs‚ seals and whales. This diversity means that sharks as a group are more likely to survive if things in the oceans change."One of the longest-living sharks‚ the Greenland shark‚ certainly looks prehistoric. We actually only found out that they were capable of living to around 400 years old thanks to the atomic bomb‚ but the earliest sleeper sharks didn’t emerge until around 100 million years ago‚ by which time this group of fish had already been splashing around on Earth for well over a galactic year. Throughout their existence‚ they’ve taken on some pretty funky morphologies‚ from the bizarre whorl-toothed Helicoprion‚ to the warm-blooded mighty megalodon. For a long time‚ we thought megalodon was a stocky chunk of murder mouth‚ but a recent study revealed that they may actually have been long and slender predators.We’re still finding their ancient remains across the world – and while we’ve only got teeth to work from (those damn cartilaginous bones)‚ some of the specimens are quite remarkable. Just check out this manganese-encrusted megalodon tooth that was found at a depth of around 3‚090 meters (9‚842 feet).In the ~450 million years they’ve had to get settled‚ sharks have revealed some pretty unusual behaviors. In 2022‚ footage captured a shark strolling around on land like it was no big deal. At least nine species of sharks are known to use their fins to move about in shallow water‚ and some of these make brief jaunts entirely onto land. So whatever that saying is about old dogs and new tricks‚ we’re not buying it. Sharks seem to have an endless variety of curious tricks up their fins‚ including‚ most recently‚ possibly knocking up a stingray.

Imagine a tale so heartwarming it wraps you in a blanket of love and hope—this is the story of Denali‚ a pregnant shelter dog whose life teetered on the edge of uncertainty. Facing a dire need for a foster home as her delivery date approached‚ her future seemed bleak. Yet‚ in a stroke of luck... The post Scared pregnant foster dog gives birth to huge litter of puppies appeared first on Animal Channel.

Imagine a world where the Queen’s Guards‚ known for their stoic presence and impeccable discipline‚ are not just humans but an elite force of… geese! Yes‚ you heard that right. While the idea might tickle your funny bone‚ these feathered guardians are no joke. Tasked with the noble duty of protecting their charge‚ they embody... The post Loyal geese melt hearts acting as ‘bodyguards’ for sweet grandma appeared first on Animal Channel.

On Friday‚ Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell sent a letter to CBS and CBS News lambasting the Tiffany Network for their troubling and unprecedented decision to seize the files of correspondent Catherine Herridge – including notes and files that contain sensitive information and government sources – upon her sudden firing as part of layoffs from parent company Paramount Global. Thankfully‚ based on a statement from Herridge’s union SAG-AFTRA and CBS itself‚ the network appears set to fold after having messed with the wrong reporter. Bozell called the seizure – which was first reported by Jonathan Turley in his column for The Hill – a “journalistic malpractice” and “unquestionably against journalistic standards”‚ adding CBS laying her off “has damaged its reputation and journalism as a whole”. He then turned up the heat and tore into CBS for disrespecting “one of the core principles” of journalism in protecting sources and asking whether the choice in include her in the layoffs was due to her unflinching coverage of Biden family corruption or pressure from the Biden regime: Anyone familiar with the field of journalism‚ such as yourself‚ should know that one of the core principles is the protection of a reporter’s sources. To hold confidential files Ms. Herridge had‚ including some from her time at Fox News‚ is in rare form. Ms. Herridge’s files belong to her‚ not your network. (….) Ms. Herridge was one of the few remaining journalists at CBS that actually deserved to be called a reporter. Despite pressure from leadership‚ she actually covered the flaws of the Left‚ including the Biden Bribery Scandal. Was the seizure of her files retribution for her investigative reporting on Democrats? Did the White House have anything to do with this incident‚ or is it merely election interference on behalf of CBS? Your readers and viewers deserve answers. Along with calling for CBS to return her files and “apologize…on-air”‚ Bozell answered some of the above questions himself‚ ripping CBS for “hav[ing] not only terminated her for defying your political beliefs and retained her files in the face of basic journalistic ethics‚” but engaged in behavior that “reeks of election interference and deserves full investigation.” In the aforementioned SAG-AFTRA statement from Thursday night‚ they said CBS’s behavior was “absurd” and “deeply concerning to the union” and “sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals” because “[i]t is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter's files‚ inclusive of confidential source identification and information.” They added that such a “retention of a media professional's reporting materials by their former employer is a serious break with traditional practices”‚ but “are encouraged by recent outreach by CBS News to SAG-AFTRA on this matter‚ and we are hopeful that it will be resolved shortly.” Also on Thursday night‚ CBS seemed to have cried uncle‚ telling reporters such as CNN’s Oliver Darcy and Puck’s Dylan Byers that Herridge’s “personal belongings were delivered to her home one week ago‚ and we are prepared to pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf…as she requested” and “have respected her request to not go through the files‚ and out of our concern for confidential sources‚ the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure." Exit question: Does anyone actually believe this?

Madness costs. Just watch. We no longer have politics. The overflowing bucket of psychopathology that passes for the Democratic Party has gone entirely insane‚ and it's taking us all with it. If you haven’t had enough of lawfare and Russian collusion and transgender children‚ great news: You’ll get plenty more‚ louder and crazier. It isn’t working. A failure cascade is beginning — everywhere. The blue model is dying‚ hard and fast‚ and it deserves to die. It will not be saved. And the cause of death is becoming very clear. If you govern like Jacobin lunatics‚ you destroy everything you touch. The death cycle has two sides. Start with the decline side‚ the effect. In January‚ California faced a budget deficit estimated at $58 billion. A month later‚ that deficit is now estimated at $73 billion. There are several months to go in the state’s budget cycle‚ so no one knows what that final deficit number will turn out to be. I endorse the sentiment that Governor Gavin Newsom (D) “would run a child’s lemonade stand into the ground.” The state’s infrastructure is already in appalling condition‚ so sharp reductions in state spending will get interesting in a hurry. Invest in Los Angeles tire shops. The other side is the origin of the implosion. California’s decline is caused by a political process that doesn’t notice basic questions of governance because politicians are too busy preening and performing about social justice nonsense. California politicians spend their time on things like reparations and an endless stream of disgraceful anti-parent bills; last year‚ discussing a bill to penalize parents for failing to honor a child’s gender transition choices‚ one of the few Republican legislators in Sacramento warned parents to escape the state and “move to America.” Meanwhile‚ the California attorney general is suing a school district to prevent it from implementing a parental notification policy‚ fighting for secret sexual discussions on K-12 campuses. And so California has lost more than 800‚000 residents in three years‚ as people flee to sanity. They are‚ in fact‚ moving to America‚ and businesses are leaving with them. So Democrats keep winning elections in California‚ and they keep moving harder and harder to the left‚ and taxpayers are racing for the exits. And now: a $58 billion deficit that quickly turns into a $73 billion deficit. What voting won’t stop‚ capital flight will. That bill is coming due in a hurry. The problem with socialism‚ Margaret Thatcher said‚ is that you eventually run out of other people’s money. The problem with culturally insane anti-family woke socialism is that it strips out the “eventually.” If you govern like Jacobin lunatics‚ you destroy everything you touch. Watch this repulsive display‚ as Newsom signs a bill into law to guarantee children access to sexual materials in schools. They call it an “anti-book-ban” law‚ and nowhere near enough actual taxpayers are dumb enough to fall for it. Sexualize childhood‚ lose families to other states. Hubris invites nemesis. Arrogant scumbags destroy themselves and take institutions with them. New York is experiencing the same thing — and is about to experience the hell out of it. Manhattan juries and creepy Tammany-redux machine judges have proved to be extremely willing to punish Donald Trump for anything that shows up in their courtroom. Judge Arthur Engoron has imposed penalties that threaten to crush the Trump family business‚ with a fine north of $350 million and a years-long ban on doing business in the state. Attorney General Letitia James quickly followed up with a threat to start seizing Trump assets‚ including Trump Tower. But that punishment follows a supposed act of fraud with no victims‚ as willing lenders told the court that they were happy to make the fully repaid loans that allegedly constituted fraudulent acts. Businesses all over the state‚ and investors all over the world‚ quickly noticed the implications: Fraud is whatever the state says‚ whenever state officials don’t like your politics. “They still have no idea what they’ve done‚" investor Tony Seruga wrote. “What is that sucking sound? I do not want to cause any additional anxiety for my partners but our family office is working on pulling $2B out of NYC as cleanly as possible. A number of pension funds that have already abandoned ESG are now divesting from NY real estate.” New York‚ already facing considerable capital flight‚ has communicated to corporations that their assets aren’t safe. Some of them will act on that observation. Stability draws businesses and taxpayers. A steady and not noticeably insane politics builds; a punitive and socially unstable politics destroys. Forget for the moment about how people vote and how they speak‚ and forget about how officials perform for the cameras. Start thinking about assets. They'll tell you what course corrections have to happen. Democrats are going to get crazier‚ and they’re going to do it in a hurry. And the costs will become clear with equal speed.

American investment giants JPMorgan Chase‚ BlackRock‚ and State Street Global Advisors have dropped out of a United Nations-backed climate group reportedly because the next phase of the group's sustainability goals takes things too far. The climate group claimed that companies are not reaching their goals "fast enough."Climate Action 100+ is an initiative making a massive global push for environmental‚ social‚ and corporate governance‚ which is responsible for many of the progressive policies pushed in corporations. The idea is that if a company or entity does not incorporate the ESG doctrine into its business practice‚ it would not be preferred by investment firms.According to Fox News‚ the firms leaving the climate group signaled that they would be dealing with climate plans internally and that Climate Action's new "Phase 2" plans were over the top.JPMorgan Chase said its firm had "built a team of 40 dedicated sustainable investing professionals‚ including investment stewardship specialists who also leverage one of the largest buy side research teams in the industry.""Given these strengths and the evolution of its own stewardship capabilities‚ JPMAM (JP Morgan Asset Management) has determined that it will no longer participate in Climate Action 100+ engagements‚" the firm added.BlackRock withdrew U.S. business from the climate group and is shifting to its smaller international entity in its place. State Street‚ on the other hand‚ made it clear that the new climate commitments conflicted with the company's investment plans."SSGA has concluded the enhanced Climate Action 100+ phase 2 requirements for signatories are not consistent with our independent approach to proxy voting and portfolio company engagement‚" State Street said in a statement.Both groups noted that pending litigation against the climate group was also a contributing factor.Climate Action 100+ told the Washington Free Beacon that it "does not comment on individual signatories and their specific circumstances." The group reportedly noted that it added "more than 60 new signatories" last fall and "continues as intended with hundreds of global investors."According to the group's website‚ Climate Action 100+ is an investor-led initiative to "ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change."The group's Phase 2 plans align with the coveted 2030 goal of "decarbonization" across the world. The new phase includes making "lead investors and individual engagers" disclose their voting records on particular votes of the group's interest. Other listed benchmarks included "emissions reductions‚ and the key underlying factors leading to these‚" aligning with "pathways" dedicated to lowering the Earth's warming below 1.5°C‚ as well as "capital allocation‚ and asset-level change" regarding net-zero carbon transitioning.Climate Action summarized its recent data with a message similar to that of other failing green-energy initiatives."The results showed that most focus companies are not moving fast enough to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement and reduce investors’ risk."Pending litigation mentioned by investment groups is likely referring to a group of Republican attorneys general who have been conducting an investigation into Climate Action 100+ and its members. At least 20 attorneys general from states like Montana‚ Iowa‚ and Tennessee have investigated whether or not the asset managers have engaged in market manipulation or violated their fiduciary obligations.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!