Three German Shepherd dogs got into a stranger's car and just wouldn't get out so the police had to be called for help.

Things I Like: Aaron Sibarium of The Washington Free Beacon

Bad News for Biden: Governor Whitmer Uncertain of Outcome in Michigan

A gigantic balloon has spent a record-breaking 55 days‚ one hour‚ and 34 minutes in the air above Antarctica while scooping up scientific data to gain a deeper understanding of the cosmos. NASA’s GUSTO (Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory) scientific balloon mission was launched on December 31‚ 2023‚ near the US National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. On February 24‚ 2024‚ the balloon earned the record for the longest flight of any NASA heavy-lift‚ long-duration scientific balloon mission.More is yet to come‚ though. The GUSTO mission is set to run for just over 60 days‚ but will then continue to fly and push the record ever further. “After that‚ we plan to push the limits of the balloon and fly as long as the balloon is capable to really demonstrate the capabilities of Long Duration Ballooning‚” Andrew Hamilton‚ acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia‚ said in a statement.“The balloon and balloon systems have been performing beautifully‚ and we’re seeing no degradation in the performance of the balloon. The winds in the stratosphere have been very favorable and have provided stable conditions for extended flight‚” added Hamilton.The GUSTO satellite being hoisted above Antarctica by the giant balloon.Image credit: GUSTO team/Johns Hopkins UniversityThe balloon is absolutely enormous‚ measuring over 1.1 million cubic meters (39 million cubic feet) in area. Its job is to carry the van-sized GUSTO telescope to the stratosphere at an altitude of 36 kilometers (22 miles) above Antarctica‚ right at the edge of space. Here‚ the lack of water vapor allows the instrument to pick up on extremely faint terahertz signals that provide an insight into the life cycle of the interstellar medium‚ the gas‚ dust‚ and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy."We were all part of the interstellar medium – every atom and molecule in your body was at some point gas and dust flowing between the stars‚" Chris Walker‚ an astronomy professor at Steward Observatory and the principal investigator for the GUSTO mission‚ said in a statement.The chemistry of the universe has radically shifted since the Big Bang. To understand how the universe and our own galaxy came to be‚ astronomers must look at the interstellar medium in galaxies of different ages.GUSTO attempts to do this by looking at the makeup of carbon‚ oxygen‚ and nitrogen in the young Milky Way and in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud. By comparing these two celestial systems‚ researchers can learn about the different stages of the stellar life cycle‚ including the birth and evolution of stars.Planning their next move‚ Walker and the GUSTO team have recently applied for a new project that could see the same instrumentation currently aboard GUSTO being used in space to hunt for planet-forming systems and habitable zones."If you're not pushing the edge‚ what's the point?" Walker said.

“Water‚ water everywhere‚ and not a drop to drink.” So wrote Coleridge in 1834‚ unwittingly providing a pretty good description of the planet Earth: so inundated with water that our world looks blue from space‚ and yet only about 2.5 percent of it is actually drinkable – i.e. freshwater.Of that‚ almost all is groundwater – 99 percent‚ in fact‚ of all liquid freshwater is found in this form‚ hiding just under the Earth’s surface in cracks and pores of rock and sediment. It’s a crucial resource for some 2.5 billion people today‚ providing drinking water and irrigating crops – even generating energy and powering industries. So you’d think we’d keep an eye on how much we’re getting through.Instead‚ the world has been “squandering groundwater like there’s no tomorrow‚” Hansjörg Seybold‚ Senior Scientist in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich‚ told SciTechDaily. He’s a co-author of a new study into global groundwater decline‚ published last month – the findings of which provide a sobering look at humanity’s water consumption across the globe.Researchers "analyzed groundwater-level measurements taken over the last two decades from 170‚000 wells in about 1‚700 aquifer systems‚” wrote Mohammad Shamsudduha‚ co-author of the paper and an Associate Professor in the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction‚ in a blog post on the research. “This is the first study that has mapped trends in groundwater levels using ground-based data at the global scale in such an unprecedented detail that no computer models or satellite missions have achieved this so far.”What they found was an unprecedented decline in global groundwater levels: reductions of more than 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) per year in 36 percent – more than one in three – of sampled aquifer systems. In one-third of those‚ water was disappearing even faster – by more than 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) annually in 12 percent of the total number of aquifers. “We weren’t surprised that groundwater levels have fallen sharply worldwide‚” Seybold told SciTechDaily‚ “but we were shocked at how the pace has picked up in the past two decades.”The study covered more than 40 countries‚ but some stood out for their severity: West Qazvin Plain‚ in Iran‚ for example‚ is drying out faster than it used to‚ as is Lobo Flat in Texas. Areas like these are particularly vulnerable to groundwater depletion – their populations are growing‚ the natural conditions are arid‚ and the climate crisis is only making it hotter‚ drier‚ and less predictable. Even outside of such desert climes‚ groundwater loss is bad news. “Sustained groundwater depletion can cause seawater intrusion in coastal areas‚ land subsidence‚ streamflow depletion and wells running dry‚” wrote Shamsudduha. “Depletion of aquifers can seriously affect water and food security‚ and natural functioning of wetlands and rivers‚ and more critically‚ access to clean and convenient freshwater for all.”But there is good news. In amongst all the loss‚ there are pockets where groundwater reserves are showing a bounce back – areas where aquifer depletion is slowing‚ or even reversing course. Where strong regulations have been brought in to tackle water use‚ the effect has been particularly strong: pumping fees and licensing of wells have bolstered groundwater reserves in Thailand’s Bangkok basin‚ for example‚ while losses in Iran’s Abbas-e Sharghi basin were reversed by the diversion of water from a large dam in the west of the country.“Such examples are a ray of hope‚” Scott Jasechko‚ a researcher at the University of California‚ Santa Barbara‚ and lead author of the paper‚ told SciTechNews. But they’re far from guaranteed: “Once heavily depleted‚ aquifers in semi-deserts and deserts may require hundreds of years to recover because there’s simply not enough rainfall to swiftly replenish these aquifers‚” he added.Time is ticking. If groundwater reserves get too low‚ whole ecosystems and economies can be threatened: land can subside‚ wells can run dry‚ and water salinization can permanently destroy farms’ and wildlife’s chances of thriving.“That’s why we can’t put the problem on the back burner‚” warned Seybold. “The world must take urgent action.”“roundwater levels don’t always have to go only one way: down.”The paper is published in the journal Nature.

In the course of routine surveillance operations‚ a drone operated by the 406th Battalion has captured intriguing footage of a cigar-shaped UFO suspended above Ukraine’s front line. What sets this object apart is its absence of wings or discernible means of propulsion‚ setting it apart from conventional aircraft such as airplanes or helicopters. Theories abound regarding its identity‚ ranging from a reconnaissance balloon or drone to the more speculative possibility of an extraterrestrial craft conducting observations in the region. The brief 17-second footage of this mysterious object has piqued the curiosity of casual viewers and seasoned experts alike‚ adding an extra layer of intrigue to the current situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the history of UFO sightings‚ cigar-shaped craft have been reported worldwide. These large objects are often likened to “motherships” that come from very far away and may contain smaller flying saucers or triangular craft. Some even compare these “cigar” craft to ocean-going military aircraft carriers. As we await further information and analysis‚ one thing remains certain: the skies above Ukraine hold secrets yet to be fully revealed. The post Huge cigar-shaped UFO filmed above Ukraine’s front line appeared first on Anomalien.com.

In the aftermath of “from the river to the sea” anti-Israel protests on many college campuses and in the streets comes a perfectly timed book by Johns Hopkins University Professor Benjamin Ginsberg titled “The New American Anti-Semitism: The Left‚ The Right‚ and the Jews.” Professor Ginsberg is especially hard on progressives and urges American Jews to move away from their longtime support of Democrats to form a new political alliance‚ especially with evangelical Christians. While U.S. presidents have given lip service in support of Israel – and yes‚ the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland cannot be separated – in practice‚ some Republican and many Democratic presidents have pressured Israel to make concessions to her sworn enemies that would spell the death of the Jewish state. In Israel’s ongoing attempt to eliminate Hamas in Gaza‚ Politico reports: “ Biden administration officials have spent weeks quietly drafting a multiphase postwar game plan that envisions a revamped Palestinian Authority (PA) ultimately taking over the Gaza Strip.” It takes a leap of faith to ignore what Hamas and other terrorist groups have as their objective and to believe that a “revamped” PA would not be overtaken again by Hamas‚ or another terror group. Antisemitism extends back to ancient Egypt. The explanations are familiar – from the “chosen people” reference in Scripture‚ to blaming Jews for “killing Christ.” Ginsberg gets to what I think is the real source of antisemitism. He writes that because of the Jewish peoples’ rigorous emphasis on education and achievements‚ Jews often rise to the upper echelons of the societies in which they live. And yet‚ he says‚ such success breeds resentment and jealousy. Underachievers need someone to blame and for some this tiny minority is an easy target. In view of this‚ Ginsberg wonders why a large majority of Jews still vote for Democrats. “Since 1932‚” he writes‚ “Jews have unfailingly given a plurality of their votes to Democratic presidential candidates. … On seven occasions (they) received more than 80 percent of the Jewish vote.” Jews were once mostly loyal to Republicans‚ but since Franklin Roosevelt their allegiance has shifted. Given Roosevelt’s barring of thousands of Jewish refugees from entering the country (the excuse was they might be Nazi spies) and his refusal to bomb the rail lines leading to Auschwitz‚ their continued support of Democrats is hard to fathom. While Jews largely voted for and supported Roosevelt‚ in part because the president had so many Jews in high government positions‚ Ginsberg writes‚ “the president was leery of being identified too closely with Jews. FDR asked his Jewish advisors to keep a low profile.” During the “red scare” of the McCarthy era‚ many of those accused of communist sympathies or membership in the Communist Party‚ especially in Hollywood‚ were Jews. Modern antisemitism is egged-on by members of “The Squad” in Congress. One of those members‚ Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn)‚ has equated the United States and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban. That was too much for some of her Democratic colleagues‚ who denounced her comments. College campuses appear to be breeding grounds for modern antisemitism. A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found “ 73% of Jewish college students surveyed have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year alone. … Of the non-Jewish students erroneously assumed to be Jewish‚ nearly half (46%) stated that they had been targeted based on their assumed Jewishness.” The worldwide media fuels some of this by either adopting a moral equivalency position between Israel and her enemies‚ failing to report on Islamic leaders who claim a religious mandate to eliminate Israel and exterminate Jews‚ and slanting their coverage in favor of the Palestinians. Ginsberg’s book should be required reading for those who are unclear about the roots of antisemitism and how Jewish-hatred continues to poison the politics and culture of many countries‚ including our own. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).

“There are three kinds of lies‚” Mark Twain famously observed. “Lies‚ damned lies‚ and statistics.” You already know that the government's published statistics are not trustworthy. Federal agencies have shifted methodologies over the years‚ making it hard to compare data sets. In economic modeling‚ there is a concept called “GIGO” — garbage in‚ garbage out. And what we have been seeing does seem like a lot of garbage. Then‚ the number-crunchers perform adjustments‚ do other kinds of syntheses‚ and make revisions to that data. A good case could be made that government data has been politicized‚ too‚ and some methodologies are out of date vis-à-vis the makeup of today’s economy. But on top of all that‚ there’s another reason not to believe the data: Nobody wants to participate in government data collection. A recent Bloomberg story as well as a few different charts making the rounds show that response rates to government data collection surveys have taken a nosedive. This trend has accelerated in the post-COVID-mandate era. So when you have survey data that is questionable to begin with‚ and then you have a larger and larger percentage of non-responders‚ that further dilutes the usefulness and veracity of the data. Why has there been an increase in the number of people who don’t want to participate in government surveys? Well‚ the first answer is fairly obvious: People don’t trust the government or anyone that happens to be related to the government. Who wants the government to have more data on you‚ information that could be weaponized? So if survey participation is not required (as it is for some government surveys and data collection efforts)‚ why would you spend the time to respond? People and businesses are also more focused on privacy in general‚ making them more difficult to reach. Erica Groshen‚ a former commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics‚ suggested to Bloomberg News that some businesses might not want to give up data and information they regard as proprietary‚ as it could affect their competitive advantage. It also suggests that when you see sharp shifts in data over a short period‚ part of the reason could be attributed to declining response rates. In financial and economic modeling‚ there is a concept called “GIGO” — garbage in‚ garbage out. And what we have been seeing does seem like a lot of garbage. Data collection has become so difficult for the government that sometimes agencies offer financial “incentives” to persuade entities to participate in data collection. That effort could skew the data with specific biases as well. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has said time and again that the Fed remains data-dependent when making its policy decisions. Given the lack of quality data‚ however‚ it’s hard to believe the Fed governors are making choices armed with the very best information. If anything‚ they are likely to become hostage to America’s dire fiscal position over time. Data can be useful‚ but it must be useful data from the get-go. Do your own research‚ use your eyes‚ head‚ and gut‚ and take official data with a grain of salt.

Former CNN prime-time host Don Lemon is reportedly set to receive around $24.5 million as part of a deal with the mainstream news outlet almost a year after he was fired‚ according to the New York Post.The amount Lemon is expected to receive is what he would have earned had CNN kept him on the staff through the remaining three years that were left on his contract. Lemon was dismissed from the outlet in April 2023 after he was accused of misogyny and other misbehavior.Lemon expressed frustration that he was not informed of being fired by the upper brass of the outlet. Instead‚ he learned of his dismissal from his agent. “I am stunned after 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly‚” Lemon wrote on social media.“At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network‚” he continued. “It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”The network claimed that Lemon had the opportunity to meet with management‚ but he reportedly refused. However‚ it appears that this is not the last people will see of Lemon. In early January‚ Elon Musk's X announced that Lemon would be hosting an exclusive show that would only be available on the social media platform. Others who also secured exclusive shows on the platform were Tulsi Gabbard and sports commentator Jim Rome. At the time‚ X posted: "We’re delighted to announce a new content partnership with Don Lemon for his new project‚ The Don Lemon Show.""The award winning TV journalist will share his unique and honest voice in 30 minute episodes‚ three times a week‚ covering politics‚ culture‚ sports and entertainment."One key element that reportedly led to Lemon's firing from CNN was when he suggested that presidential candidate Nikki Haley was no longer "in her prime‚" which drew the ire of his co-hosts on the segment. — (@) The Wrap reported that Lemon suggested CNN was going in a direction he did not want a part in. “CNN‚ the strategy and their content and the direction they wanted to go in‚ I was not a part of that‚” Lemon later said during a conversation with Kara Swisher.“They did not want me to be a part of that‚ and I think that has‚ from what has played out publicly as it relates to CNN‚ as it relates to management‚ and what they’re doing now‚ I think that it’s obvious that they didn’t want me to be a part of that.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015