Good Tuesday morning, CivMixers.
Here’s a weird one for you: It’s National Near Miss Day.
This does not, as I first thought, refer to the general experience of coming close to something and not quite getting all the way there. Instead, it’s about a very specific incident that never occurred – namely, the end of the world
Huh? Yes. Apparently, on March 23, 1989, the entire Earth came close to being obliterated by a massive asteroid formally known as 4581 Asclepius. On that date, this mountain-sized asteroid came within 500,000 miles of relegated us to the store closet of history, much like the dinosaurs.
You read that right; 500,000 miles is, on the cosmic scale of things, a very close call.
Had 4581 Asclepius actually collided with us, it would have released energy comparable to the explosion of a 600 megaton atomic bomb. The effect would undoubtedly have been nothing short of catastrophic.
And here’s the kicked: Scientists didn’t find out about our collective near death experience until March 31 – nine days after it happened.
So today is a day of considerable appreciation for all the bad things that DON’T happen, leaving us around to enjoy things like…
National PUPPY DAY! Yep. There’s a day for that, and in case you’re wondering, the most popular breed in the U.S. for the past 30 years has been the Labrador Retriever, according to an annual ranking released by the American Kennel Club.
The list does shift around from year to year, despite the Lab’s continued dominance of the No. 1 slot.
For example, in 2020, the Frenchie squeezed past the German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever for the first time to capture second place. And the Dachshund made its way into the top 10, knocking the Pembroke Welsh Corgi down to #11.
Oh, the drama. Henry may never recover.
ANOTHER amazing spring day is on tap, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s. Get out while you can, because it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. But then on Thursday, it’s supposed to be in the mid-70s – in MARCH. And next week? Back to the 50s again. This weather roller coaster thing is really messing with my head this year.
In the headlines…
A man, bloodied and limping, was led away by police in handcuffs after being arrested on suspicion of killing 10 people, including a police officer, at a Colorado grocery store, marking America’s second fatal mass shooting in a week.
The officer has been identified by police as Eric Talley, 51. He had been a part of Boulder Police Department since 2010.
Talley acted “heroic” as he responded to the shooting, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said, fighting back tears as she spoke to reporters near the scene of the shooting.
“These were people going about their day, doing their shopping,” Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at a late-night press briefing. He described the day’s events as “a tragedy and a nightmare.”
This incident comes a week after eight people – the majority of them Asian Americans – were shot and killed in a series of attacks on Atlanta, GA spa – among at least seven mass shootings in the past week across the U.S. – including three on Saturday alone.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a government appeal to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, granting review of a lower court’s decision that errors during the trial tainted his sentencing.
The White House is pulling together a $3 trillion package to boost the economy, reduce carbon emissions and narrow economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan that may be partly financed through tax hikes on corporations and the rich.
The Biden administration will consider various options to pass the estimated $3 trillion economic recovery proposal, including splitting it into two bills.
Joe Biden is the first president in more than 30 years to have all of his original Cabinet secretary nominees confirmed to their posts. The U.S. Senate confirmed his final nominee, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, as Labor secretary last night.
As the number of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the US-Mexico border continues to rise, hundreds have been kept in U.S. Border Patrol facilities not meant for minors.
The Biden administration has so far denied journalists access to border facilities amid the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the US-Mexico border, which has raised questions about its commitments to increased transparency.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee launched into a fierce bipartisan debate yesterday on a measure to admit Washington D.C. as the 51st state, a once quixotic effort that now looks increasingly possible.
New cases of Covid-19 are once again on the rise across more than half of the United States as officials race to vaccinate additional people before highly contagious variants become prevalent in the country.
As COVID-19 variants are “a growing proportion” of cases across the US — and we could see “another avoidable surge” of the virus like Europe if mitigation efforts go out the window, the CDC director warned.
Britain’s AstraZeneca may have only used partial data when it announced the results from a U.S. trial of its coronavirus vaccine, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.
The concerns throw into question whether the British drugmaker can seek U.S. emergency use authorization for the vaccine in the coming weeks as planned, and come just one day after interim data from the trial had shown better-than-expected results.
Sinovac said its COVID-19 vaccine is safe in children ages 3-17, based on preliminary data, and it has submitted the data to Chinese drug regulators.
Biden administration officials are increasingly concerned Johnson & Johnson may not deliver the 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine it promised would be available by the end of this month.
Three people in Hawaii who were fully vaccinated have tested positive for COVID-19 — but health officials are still urging everyone to get jabbed, as in all three cases, the patients did not become severely ill.
Krispy Kreme is giving free doughnuts to anyone with proof of vaccination, all year long.
Miami Beach plans to extend its state of emergency instituted for the entertainment district by city officials on Saturday to control spring break crowds.
A very small study using objective measures — weight measurements from Bluetooth-connected smart scales — suggests that adults under shelter-in-place orders gained more than half a pound every 10 days.
DoorDash, the service so many relied on to have food delivered to their doorsteps during the pandemic, has unveiled its latest on-demand offering – COVID-19 test kits.
Doctors are increasingly reporting psychotic symptoms emerging weeks after coronavirus infection in some people with no previous mental illness.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its antibody drug reduced the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization or death by about 70% in a large clinical trial, the most definitive evidence yet that the medicine can aid recovery early in the course of disease.
A year after the coronavirus pandemic ground New York City’s economy to a near halt, most big companies and white-collar employees have emerged inconvenienced but intact, while many small businesses and low-wage workers struggle to stay afloat.
Caesars Entertainment sued a group of insurance carriers, accusing them of declining to cover an estimated loss of more than $2 billion because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
West Virginia became the third state to open Covid-19 vaccination to all adults, joining Alaska and Mississippi.
As of today, all New Yorkers age 50 and older are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine and can sign up beginning at 8 a.m.
Over the next few weeks, you’re going to see the production of the vaccine ramp up,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a media appearance for the launch of New York’s “Roll Up Your Sleeve” campaign, its latest push to equitably vaccinate residents.
The state Assembly Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a meeting today as part of the initial inquiry into the possible impeachment of Cuomo.
Debra Katz, who represents Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett, complained in a letter to state Attorney General Letitia James that the governor is interfering with her investigation of the sexual harassment claims against the him.
“It is my understanding that these attorneys are also ‘debriefing’ staffers after their interviews with investigators,” Katz wrote. “This is highly improper and we object in the strongest possible terms to this obvious interference with what you have stated would be a ‘thorough and independent’ investigation.”
The governor addressed a female supporter as “darling” on his way out of an event yesterday that was closed to the media.
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther described the remark as “shocking”.
Cuomo did tell reporters that he spent a lot of time enjoying the weather last weekend, and got “a little overdone by the sun.”
Cuomo’s administration signaled there’s no need for “significant” increases in taxes for the state budget, putting him at odds with Democratic lawmakers, who want to increase taxes on upper income earners and the financial industry to generate $7 billion.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed a controversy over Pennsylvania forcing nursing homes to take COVID-19-positive patients “does not sound at all” like the nursing home admissions scandal facing Cuomo in New York.
A surge in coronavirus variants in the Big Apple should prompt Cuomo to reassess the pace of reopening businesses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, just hours after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced he plans to put the brakes on rolling back COVID restrictions.
The coronavirus-related cancellation of a dance event at a New York City cultural venue has prompted concerns about whether such spaces can be safely reopened at this time.
State Sen. John Mannion sent a letter to Cuomo asking him to extend hours for bars and restaurants in Central New York for Syracuse fans watching the Syracuse men’s basketball Sweet 16 tip-off at 9:55 p.m. on Saturday.
A group of Republican state lawmakers say they’re taking action to overturn what they call the “arbitrary” 11PM curfew for New York bars and restaurants.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman is introducing a bill that would create a voluntary COVID registry, similar to one crafted in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack, that would be run by the state Department of Health.
New York City public high schools reopened for in-person learning yesterday, and de Blasio laid out plans to allow fully remote students to return to classrooms this academic year.
New York City parents whose children have been learning remotely this year in the city’s public schools system will have another opportunity to sign up for in-person learning, starting tomorrow until April 7.
New York City should go further than recent proposals from de Blasio on police reform, says government watchdog Citizens Union, which is calling for steps including a new deputy mayor for public safety and City Council approval of the next NYPD commissioner.
As protestors rallied against attacks on Asian Americans in New York City, five more of them occurred – at least four of which are being investigated as hate crimes.
As a result of these attacks, more than any other NYC mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang is in the spotlight, with the moment emerging as the most significant test yet of his ability to demonstrate leadership and empathy under pressure.
More than 300 people attended a rally at Albany’s Academy Park yesterday, holding signs denouncing systematic racism and to “Stop Asian hate.”
Billions of dollars in federal aid have pulled New York’s transit agency from the depths of its fiscal crisis. But a growing consensus that its ridership may never return entirely threatens its future.
A federal review last week of the structural integrity of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge found “no safety concerns,” the state Thruway Authority said — following allegations that bridge builders “covered up” faulty bolts in the $3.9 billion structure.
Chief Judge Judith DiFiore announced more court re-openings across New York, including the resumption of jury trials in all counties.
Women’s wages go furthest in Hartford, Connecticut when compared to the wages of women living in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country. Runners up are Poughkeepsie and Albany, according to a new study from Magnify Money.
Albany defense attorney Danielle Smith, part of the defense team for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, has left the case and departed the law firm of longtime area attorney Paul DerOhannesian.
Albany parents are frustrated with the city school district’s slow pace in getting secondary students back into classrooms.
New York will soon graduate its second class of high school seniors exempt from passing Regents exams, a shake-up that has many asking if the Empire State’s trademark exams should return post-pandemic.
The owners of a hunting camp in the Adirondacks were spared injury Saturday when an igniter set to trigger a propane explosion in the structure failed to work.
Troy Police Chief Brian Owens has decided to remain in his current post, with the city of Watervliet to name a former Troy detective captain as its next chief.
“The View” host Meghan McCain is apologizing for her defense of former president Donald Trump’s referring to COVID-19 as “The China Virus.”
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” a sturdy daytime hit, has had a steep ratings decline since the host addressed hostile workplace accusations by former staff members that led to firings and an internal investigation.
A “definitive picture book biography” about Dr. Anthony Fauci will be published this summer.
The first tweet that Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey posted to the microblogging site in 2006 has sold as a nonfungible token for about $2.9 million, the latest digital collectible to haul in more than $1 million amid a flurry of interest from buyers.
A former top national intelligence official hinted that an upcoming government report on UFOs will include information that cannot easily be explained.
The computer code underlying TikTok doesn’t pose a national security threat to the U.S., according to a new study by university cybersecurity researchers.
The state has installed a garbled new sign on the Staten Island Expressway — pointing motorists to the “Geothals Bridge.”
Beware hungry – and grumpy – bears that are emerging from their winter dens and might consider your bird feeders a nice snack.
