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NYC Deploys Drones to Warn Residents About Impending Storm Dangers (Maria)
The author writes, “New York City emergency management officials have turned high-tech, using drones to warn residents about potential threatening weather. With a buzzing sound in the background, a drone equipped with a loudspeaker flies over homes warning people who live in basement or ground-floor apartments about impending heavy rains. ‘Be prepared to leave your location,’ said the voice from the sky in footage released Tuesday by the city’s emergency management agency. ‘If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.’ About five teams with multiple drones each were deployed to specific neighborhoods prone to flooding.”
After an Extraordinary Run of Political News, Interest in the Presidential Election Is Perking Up (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Between July 13 and 23, former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt and accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. President Joe Biden dropped his bid for re-election, and Vice President Kamala Harris secured the support of enough Democrats to be the party’s presidential nominee. … More than 57 million people read news stories about the campaign on more than 2,000 news sites measured by Taboola over the past 45 days. That’s a 56% increase over the previous 45-day period, the company said. Trump had been the No. 1 topic on news sites for most of 2024 until July — when Harris surpassed him.”
Former Geography Teacher Tim Walz Is Really Into Maps (Dana)
From the Minnesota Reformer: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz really, really likes maps. The former Mankato geography teacher, now a vice presidential candidate, identifies as a ‘GIS nerd’ and proclaimed November 15, 2023 as Geographic Information Systems day, writing that an understanding of maps and data ‘helps community leaders and government officials make data-driven decisions’ governing important policy issues like education, public safety and the environment. Over the past several years Walz has given several addresses at conferences hosted by ESRI, the company that makes leading GIS software ArcGIS. Part stump speech and part GIS infomercial, the talks underscore how maps shaped Walz’s understanding of the world as a young educator and member of Congress, and how he now relies on them as the ‘tools’ to implement the ambitious policy agenda crafted by Minnesota’s DFL trifecta.”
Kim Jong Un Wants Trump Back, Elite Defector Tells BBC (Russ)
The author writes, “Donald Trump returning to the White House would be ‘a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity’ for North Korea, according to a man in a unique position to know. Ri Il Kyu is the highest-ranking official known to have defected from North Korea since 2016 and has been face to face with Kim Jong Un on seven separate occasions. … In his first interview with an international broadcaster, Mr Ri provides a rare understanding of what one of the world’s most secretive and repressive states is hoping to achieve. He says that North Korea still views Mr. Trump as someone it can negotiate with over its nuclear weapons programme, despite talks between him and Kim Jong Un breaking down in 2019. Mr. Trump has previously hailed the relationship with Kim as a key achievement of his presidency.”
‘This Used To Be a Beautiful Place’: How the US Became the World’s Biggest Fossil Fuel State (Laura)
From The Guardian: “The rise of the US as the world’s oil and gas powerhouse has come at an astonishing pace. Within just the last decade, Congress lifted a ban on exporting crude oil and the US became one of the world’s leading oil exporters, elbowing aside classic petrostates like the UAE and Kuwait. In that timeframe, US exports of gas, frozen to liquid form and shipped, also started in earnest and last year America became the world’s leader. … Domestic oil and gas production, turbocharged by the advance of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has rocketed. No country in history has extracted as much oil as the US has in each of the past six years, with a fifth of all oil drilled in 2023 being American flavored.”
A ‘Hypervirulent’ Superbug Is Spreading and Scaring Health Experts (Sean)
The author writes, “The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm about a ‘hypervirulent’ superbug. The agency has received increasing reports of people being infected by worrying strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae — strains that can resist the last remaining antibiotics available against the bacteria and can severely sicken anyone. Little is known about widespread or common these bacteria are, so the WHO is pushing for countries to step up surveillance of the threat.”
A Foot-Long Worm From Hell Is Invading Texas — and It’s Really Hard to Kill (Mili)
From Popular Mechanics: “They might not be as ferocious as the sandworms from Dune, but hammerhead worms are nothing to sneeze at themselves. They’re toxic. They can carry parasites. They can grow to over a foot long. If they’re cut in half, both halves regenerate. And they’re invading Texas. Well, strictly speaking, they already invaded Texas. News of the presence and continual re-emergence of this invasive species has been circling for some time, but the recent heavy rains of Hurricane Beryl have brought upsettingly large numbers of these worms to the surface.”
