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Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #256 on: July 17, 2022, 04:15:32 AM »
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The Seattle Mariners make it 13 straight.

For historical perspective, only 47 teams in MLB history have won more than 13 in a row, and just 8 teams since 2000 (including M’s record of 15 in 2001). MLB record seems safe at 26 straight by 1916 NY Giants.

Surging Seattle Mariners outlast Texas Rangers in 10 innings, extend winning streak to 13 games



ARLINGTON, Texas -- J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners stretched their winning streak to 13 games, defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.

Carlos Santana homered as the Mariners (50-42) moved closer to the club-record 15-game winning streak set in their last playoff season in 2001. They have won 21 of their past 24 games overall to take eight series in a row, their most since winning 14 straight sets during that 116-win season 21 years ago.

Seattle would match the longest winning streak in the majors this year with a victory in the series finale Sunday, its final game before the All-Star break. Reigning World Series champion Atlanta won 14 games in a row last month.

Crawford chopped a one-out single down the line past first base off Brett Martin (0-5), who was the fifth Texas pitcher and went the last two innings. That scored automatic runner Sam Haggerty, who came on as a pinch runner for Santana, who had an inning-ending groundout in the ninth.

A confident Haggerty told Seattle manager Scott Servais before the inning began that he could steal third base off Martin, and Servais went along with it. "If you feel it, take it," Servais said. "Don't play scared."

"Made our jobs a whole lot easier," Crawford said of the stolen base. "Changed the whole infield. Now a lot of more holes are open, and we have an extra opportunity not to waste an out to try to get him over. Just get him in."

Diego Castillo (7-1) faced only three batters in the ninth, benefitting from a double-play liner after walking the leadoff batter. Matthew Festa struck out the side in the 10th for his first save.

"Today, we had a chance to win the game and we didn't," Texas manager Chris Woodward said. "We didn't make baseball plays today. That's plain and simple. We had a chance to win that game. We should have won that game in my opinion."

Crawford and Santana both returned to the Mariners' lineup. Crawford had missed two games because of a bruised right index finger, and Santana was reinstated from the restricted list after being away from the club for a day after a fire at his home in Florida.

Ty France, who had three more hits to raise his batting average to .306, singled in the third before Santana hit his eighth homer of the season to put the Mariners up 2-1. France had a one-out double in the ninth, but his pinch runner got stranded on base.

Nathaniel Lowe, mired in a 4-for-26 slide, led off the Texas second with a double and scored on a single by Jonah Heim. The Rangers tied the game in the seventh after another leadoff double, this one by hot-hitting Leody Taveras before Elier Hernandez singled to get his first career RBI. Taveras has hit .593 (16-of-27) with six doubles in a seven-game hitting streak.

Chris Flexen (6-8, 3.84 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts against Texas, will take the mound for the Mariners in the final game before the All-Star break Sunday.

"Everybody's just doing their job, pitching in and really keeping a very calm demeanor about them," Servais said. "You're not always going to get the big hit or get a big shutdown inning. But we've been able to do it through the streak, and it has been awesome."

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34255601/surging-seattle-mariners-outlast-texas-rangers-10-innings-extend-winning-streak-13-games

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #256 on: July 17, 2022, 04:15:32 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #257 on: July 17, 2022, 04:33:23 AM »
Does the COVID vaccine protect against BA.5 variant? A doctor answers

The new BA.5 is one of the “worst” subvariants circulating the country, infecting even those who have immunity from previous infections and vaccines.

Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of Scripps Research Translational Institute, called the new subvariant “the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen” in an online post in June. He cited its advanced ability to escape immunity and high transmission, in contrast to the original omicron and its family variants, including BA.2 and BA.4.

California’s seven-day test positivity rate is at 16.1%, as of July 12, an increase from 4.3% on May 11, according to the state’s public health dashboard. Reported COVID case numbers have remained steady with 36.1 new cases per 100,000, but hospitalizations with confirmed cases have jumped from the last week — at more than 4,000.

Will current vaccines protect me from BA.5?

Preventing infection from BA.5 with vaccines is probably limited, if it provides any protection at all, said Dr. Stuart Cohen, infectious disease professor and chief of UC Davis Health’s division of infectious diseases.

According to a UC Davis Health news release, BA.5 is a “whole different animal.” It’s the most easily transmissible variant and can evade previous immunity from both infections and vaccinations.

Cohen explained that the changes with the COVID-19 virus are in the areas that the immune response from the vaccines target. As the virus continues to mutate, it becomes different from what the vaccine was designed against, he said.

But while current COVID vaccines might not prevent infection, Cohen said it can minimize the amount of damage that the virus causes. He added that those who are experiencing severe infection are unvaccinated people.

Symptoms of BA.5

According to UC Davis, symptoms of BA.5 are similar to previous COVID infections. Signs include “fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headaches, muscle pain and fatigue.”

If you notice you have COVID-related symptoms, you should get tested. The federal government is providing free at-home COVID tests. You can order them online.

Should I get another booster?

If you’ve already had the two-series COVID shot and booster — three shots total — you don’t need another booster, unless you are older and have underlying medical conditions, Cohen said.

In March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended immunocompromised people and those over 50 years old who had their first booster dose at least four months ago to get another mRNA booster.

Cohen said he’s gotten the four shots, but the second booster isn’t necessary for everyone. He advised that those who can wait look ahead to the fall, when a new vaccine may become available.

To prevent infection from BA.5, consider re-employing safety measures. Cohen said the practices from the beginning of the pandemic, including masking, not gathering in large groups and social distancing, likely still serve a significant purpose in preventing infection.

© The Sacramento Bee

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #258 on: July 18, 2022, 06:06:30 AM »
Sharks mistaking feet for fish are likely behind Long Island attacks



A series of five shark attacks in two weeks on New York's Long Island probably has many beachgoers in the Northeast hesitant to wade into the water.

But the sharks aren't targeting humans — they're after fish.

A sand tiger shark nursery located just off the Long Island coast and an abundance of bait fish close to shore could explain the recent string of unwanted encounters, according to Florida Program for Shark Research Program Director Gavin Naylor.

The sand tiger shark is one of the more menacing looking creatures lurking beneath the ocean's surface. It can grow up to 10 feet in length and has a set of jagged teeth protruding from its jaws.

However, as far as sharks go, this big fish shouldn't be cause for alarm.

The sand tiger is a relatively docile species of shark that wants little to nothing to do with humans. Attacks are almost always carried out by smaller juveniles that accidentally bite someone while chasing fish.

"Off the coast of Long Island there are lots of juvenile sand tiger sharks, a lot of them, and usually we don't have a problem with them. But as you've probably heard reported, a lot of the baitfish — the bunker (the menhaden) — are actually closer in this year and there's a lot more," Naylor said. "... It's a statistical fact that sharks don't target people. If they did, we'd have about 10,000 bites a day."

Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium announced the discovery of a sand tiger shark nursery off the southern Long Island coast in 2016. Naylor said this could explain why encounters, such as the five in the past two weeks, didn't result in life-threatening injuries.

Adult sharks are considerably larger and are capable of delivering more damage in the event of an attack, but they're also more mature, and less likely to mistake a human for food.

What to do if you see a shark

Having said all that, there are some extra precautions you can take to better avoid an unwanted encounter with sharks: don't swim between dusk and dawn; don't go into the water alone; avoid flashy jewelry, which can be mistaken for fish scales; don't go in if you've got an open wound.

If you've done your due diligence and still come face to face with a shark, the best thing you can do is remain calm — easier said than done. Square up with the shark and don't take your eyes off of it, Naylor said. Move purposefully, while watching the shark, and back towards the shore.

And if the shark gets too close for comfort — or it tries to bite you — defend yourself. Your best bet is to punch or kick the shark in the nose or gills.

Having said all of that, our fear of sharks is a bit out of proportion, Naylor said. The odds of getting bit by a shark are a little less than 1 in 4 million, according to the International Shark Attack File. In fact, you're 10 times more likely to get killed by fireworks.

"You're probably 200 times more likely to drown in the ocean than you are to get bitten by a shark," Naylor said. "And I think that people aren't that worried about drowning."

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/17/1111940993/possible-explanation-behind-long-islands-recent-series-of-shark-encounters

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #258 on: July 18, 2022, 06:06:30 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #259 on: July 18, 2022, 06:12:23 AM »
Uvalde Police body cam video released showing clueless police trying to figure out what to do



The body cam footage of a police officer has been revealed to the families and now to the public showing the catastrophic failure of the Uvalde police during the mass shooting that killed 22 people.

The footage shows Uvalde Police Sgt. Daniel Coronado, who was one of the first on the scene along with UPD Officer Justin Mendoza.

He's shown running inside the school talking to dispatchers on the radio that there is a shooting. Gunshots are then heard. Coronado races outside the building to take cover. Meanwhile, inside, the children are being killed. Coronado radios in saying, that the dispatch that he thinks the shooter is contained and in an office, not in a classroom.

Coronado asked if he could open the door to the building because there were more officers arriving asking what they should do

"What are we doing here?" one asks on video.

Coronado is then seen helping children out of a window. He goes back inside, and the video shows Chief Pete Arredondo pleading with the shooter on a cell phone to come out and let the incident end peacefully. Police dispatch radios call the officers to tell them that a child was on the phone with 911. Coronado can be heard asking, "what did they say?" The dispatch then said that the shooter was inside with all of the victims, "oh f*ck," Coronado can be heard saying.

It has been eight weeks since the mass shooting and none of the families had seen the body cam video until this weekend. It shows the 77 minutes of inaction officers standing around outside the classrooms where the gunman was firing.

Speaking to CNN after showing the video, former FBI deputy assistant director Andrew McCabe said that the widely trained and accepted process is that first responders grab their weapon and try to take the shooter out.

"The district attorney, the investigators here, have been holding this video back. The mayor felt that out of transparency, this needed to be released," said CNN's Shimon Prokupecz.

McCabe went on to say that with a department this small the only reasonable option is to eliminate the force and rebuild it from the bottom up.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1548799795590053888

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #260 on: July 18, 2022, 06:34:26 AM »
Leading space science expert predicts a 'direct hit' on Earth from a solar storm
It can cause significant blackouts to GPS navigation systems.
https://interestingengineering.com/solar-storm-direct-hit-earth

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #260 on: July 18, 2022, 06:34:26 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #261 on: July 18, 2022, 06:41:50 AM »
Mariners' winning streak: Seattle enters All-Star break on high note with 14th straight victory

The Mariners' streak is tied for the longest in MLB this season

You can't go into the All-Star break on a higher note than the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners beat the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park on Sunday (SEA 6, TEX 2) to extend their winning streak to 14 games. It is tied for the longest winning streak in baseball this season (the Atlanta Braves won 14 straight from June 1-15) and is the second longest winning streak in franchise history.

At 51-42 (.548), the Mariners have their best first half record since going 58-39 (.598) prior to the All-Star break in 2018. The 2018 Mariners went 31-34 (.477) in the second half and Seattle missed the postseason by eight games. Here are the longest winning streaks in franchise history:

1. 15 games: May 23 to June 8, 2001
2. 14 games: July 2-17, 2022 (and counting)
3. 10 games: April 8-17, 2002
4. 10 games: Sept. 12-21, 1996
5. 9 games: May 27 to June 5, 2003
6. 9 games: April 19-28, 2001

All-Stars Ty France and Julio Rodríguez (who else?) were the heroes Sunday. France, who was named to the All-Star team earlier in the day, slugged a solo home run in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the seventh. Rodríguez broke the game open with a two-run double in the seventh. Those two went 4 for 9 with a double, a homer, and 4 RBI on Sunday.

Following their most recent loss on July 1, the Mariners were five games behind the third and final American League wild-card spot with five teams ahead of them. The 14-game win streak has moved Seattle into the second wild-card spot, and they are only a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the first wild-card spot. Seattle is three games up on a postseason spot in general.

The Mariners have not been to the postseason since Ichiro's rookie season in 2001. It is baseball's longest postseason drought by a decade. According to FanGraphs, the winning streak has improved Seattle's postseason odds from 11.0 percent to 63.1 percent.

A year ago Seattle went 90-62 and missed the postseason by two games.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mariners-winning-streak-seattle-enters-all-star-break-on-high-note-with-14th-straight-victory/

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #262 on: July 19, 2022, 03:51:02 AM »
These maps show how excessively hot it is in Europe and the U.S.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/18/heatwave-europe-unitedstates-records-uk/


Europe suffers from deadly heat wave as wildfires displace thousands of people

- A deadly heat wave in Western Europe has triggered intense wildfires, disrupted transportation and displaced thousands of people as the continent grapples with the impact of climate change.

- The heat is forecast to grow more severe this week and has prompted concerns over infrastructure problems such as melting roads, widespread power outages and warped train tracks.

- More than five countries in Europe have declared states of emergency or red warnings as wildfires, fueled by the hot conditions, burn across France, Greece, Portugal and Spain.



Tourists fill the Levante beach in Benidorm to quench high temperatures as a heatwave sweeps across Spain on July 16, 2022 in Benidorm, Spain.

At least 350 people have died in Spain from high temperatures during the past week, according to estimates by Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute. In Portugal, health officials said that nearly 240 people died in the first half of July due to the high temperatures, which reached 117 degrees Fahrenheit earlier in the month.

In the U.K., train service was limited amid concerns that the rails would buckle in the heat. The U.K. Met Office, for the first time ever, issued a red warning for heat, its most extreme alert. And Wales recorded its highest-ever temperature of 98.8 Fahrenheit on Monday, according to Britain’s national weather service.


An aerial view shows boats in the dry bed of Brenets Lake (Lac des Brenets), part of the Doubs River, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland, in Les Brenets on July 18, 2022.

Flights were also delayed and disrupted into and out of Luton Airport in London after a defect was identified on the runway surface due to extreme temperatures, according to the airport. Temperatures had reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday in north London and were forecast to rise on Tuesday.

As people across Europe endured the heat, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a dire warning to leaders from 40 nations gathered in Berlin to discuss climate change response measures as part of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

“Half of humanity is in the danger zone from floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires. No nation is immune. Yet we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction,” Guterres said in a video message to the leaders on Monday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/18/europe-suffers-from-deadly-heat-wave-as-wildfires-displace-thousands.html

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #262 on: July 19, 2022, 03:51:02 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #263 on: July 19, 2022, 04:00:00 AM »
'Collective action or collective suicide': UN chief pleads for real climate response



Governments can either come up with a collaborative and urgent plan to tackle the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency that is already wreaking deadly havoc across the globe or keep allowing corporations to pollute the atmosphere without limit, thereby condemning humanity to a grim future.

That stark warning comes from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who said Monday: "We have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide."

"This has to be the decade of decisive climate action."

"It is in our hands," he told diplomats from 40 countries gathered in Berlin for a three-day conference called the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. The meeting, hosted annually for the past 13 years by the German government, marks one of the last chances to work out an international agenda for mitigation, adaptation, and compensation before the U.N.'s COP27 climate summit kicks off in Egypt this November.

At the conclusion of COP26 eight months ago, Guterres noted, the Paris agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5ºC above preindustrial levels was left "on life support."

"Since then, its pulse has weakened further," he continued. "Greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, and ocean heat have broken new records."

"Half of humanity is in the danger zone from floods, droughts, extreme storms, and wildfires," Guterres pointed out. "No nation is immune."

The U.N. chief's latest warning comes as large swaths of the planet are being pummeled by heatwaves and wildfires, with no immediate respite in sight—at around 1.2ºC of warming.

Extreme heat has killed more than 1,000 people in Portugal and Spain in recent days, and France is experiencing what experts are calling a "heat apocalypse." Thousands of people in the region have been forced to evacuate due to wildfires. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is bracing for its hottest day on record, with temperatures expected to climb even higher on Tuesday.

It's not just Europe that is being seared. The United States, China, and parts of Africa and the Middle East are also suffering from heatwaves and wildfires, which climate scientists have long warned will increase in frequency and severity as a result of unmitigated greenhouse gas pollution.

And yet, "we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction," Guterres lamented Monday. Global energy market disruptions triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have led many nations to double down on coal, gas, and oil extraction at a moment when investments in a swift green transition are sorely needed.

Most troubling of all, said Guterres, is that governments of the world "are failing to work together as a multilateral community."

"Nations continue to play the blame game instead of taking responsibility for our collective future," he said. "We cannot continue this way. We must rebuild trust and come together—to keep 1.5 alive and to build climate-resilient communities."

Emphasizing that "time is no longer on our side," Guterres said that "we need to move forward together on all fronts," referring to mitigation, adaptation, and financial support for climate-related damages and losses. The latter is a long-standing demand—made by many poorer nations that have contributed the least to the problem but are already bearing the brunt of its consequences—for more green funding from richer nations most responsible for planet-heating pollution.

"First, we need to reduce emissions—now," Guterres stressed. "Everyone needs to revisit their Nationally Determined Contributions," he continued, referring to currently inadequate and nonbinding emission reduction targets. "We need to demonstrate at COP27 that a renewables revolution is under way. There is enormous potential for a just energy transition that accelerates coal phase-out with a corresponding deployment of renewables."

"Second, we must treat adaptation with the urgency it needs," he said. "One in three people lack early warning systems coverage. People in Africa, South Asia, and Central and South America are fifteen times more likely to die from extreme weather events. This great injustice cannot persist."

"Third, let's get serious about the finance that developing countries need," he added.

While wealthy governments originally vowed to contribute $100 billion annually by 2020 to help low-income nations switch to sustainable energy sources and improve infrastructure, they have missed their target. Just $80 billion is expected this year, with the $100 billion pledge now postponed until 2023.

In addition to redistributive investments in mitigation and adaptation, the provision of more money to address the mounting losses and damages from a rapidly changing climate and increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather disasters "has languished on the sidelines for too long," said Guterres. "It is eroding the trust we need to tackle the climate emergency together."

"We need a concrete global response that addresses the needs of the world's most vulnerable people, communities, and nations," he added. "This has to be the decade of decisive climate action."

https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1549038782833385472