WTF-Beta

Power came back on a little while ago. Glad it did; more storms coming tonight and I wouldn't have left the generator running in the rain. Packed it all up and put it away. Hopefully this round of storms either misses us or doesn't cause another power outage!

We had a wicked storm blow through here midday. Rained like crazy and we had gale force winds. Took out some really large limbs from two different trees less than a block from me. Both fell across the street, blocking access. Plus another one on an adjoining street. I'm guessing there were straight line winds that came through that particular area.

My neighbor lost a big limb from her tree but thankfully it didn't hit her house or the neighbor's.

None of these trees took down any power lines, but something somewhere did. Our power is still out. The status from ComEd is "assessing problem", which means they aren't really working to fix our stuff right now. With the winds that came through I'm guessing there are a lot of outages in our neck of the woods and it may be a while. I decided to haul out the generator and hook it up.

other

Are Crows Really Our Friends?

An investigation into the state of corvid–human relations.

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/are-crows-really-our-friends

Treating sprains and strains.

A few years back, spectators at an intramural indoor soccer game at the University of California at Davis might have seen Keith Baar, a professor of physiology and membrane biology at the university, practicing state-of-the-art soft-tissue injury care.

Having turned his ankle moments before, he was plopped down on the sidelines, his injured leg extended, gently tracing the alphabet in midair with his foot.

He repeated that routine multiple times at home that evening and the following day.

Two days after the injury, he was running again. “It’s the fastest I’ve ever recovered” from an ankle sprain, he said.

For decades, at-home treatments for common, non-traumatic sports or similar injuries, such as sprains, strains, tendinopathies and slight tissue tears, centered on a protocol known by the acronym RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Many people supplement that regimen with ibuprofen, such as Advil, or similar anti-inflammatory painkillers. (See a doctor if you have any concerns about a possible fracture, bleeding or other serious conditions.)

But there’s growing evidence from Baar’s lab and others’ that the full RICE approach may, in fact, impede recovery, not speed it.

Instead, newer research about the microscopic environment inside sore, injured joints and tissues suggests moving and exercising in the right ways is key to recovery. Some of the researchers have even coined a new acronym for how best to treat these injuries. It’s all about, they say, PEACE and LOVE.

https://archive.is/WoQIw

deconstruct

Nuns

immigration

Hope our Canadian WTFers (@dolmansaxlil and @kluurs ) are having a great day!!

Pavement buckling here from the heat. This one isn't too far from us. There were a couple of other incidents, one on an expressway and one in a suburb to the northwest of us.

His entire presidency is a huge branding and money-making exercise. Anyone who thinks he gives a damn about the country is deluding themselves.

Guess it's not just happening at Ford.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/01/employers-who-laid-off-workers-for-ai-are-reversing-their-decisions.html

They are determined.

After losing the birthright citizenship case at the Supreme Court, President Trump's aides and MAGA allies quickly pivoted to a new plan: blocking pregnant foreign women from entering the United States.

Why it matters: The proposal would open a new immigration battle over pregnancy, travel and citizenship, shifting the conversation from challenging the rights of children born in the U.S. to restricting who can enter the country.

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/01/trump-birth-tourism-crackdown-citizenship

New disease threats follow Trump administration's health program cuts

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disease-threats-trump-administration-health-program-cuts/

Tourism transformed Mawlynnong's fortunes. But after decades of welcoming visitors, residents decided one day a week should belong to themselves.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260625-why-asias-cleanest-village-bans-tourists-on-sundays?at_bbc_team=studios%3Fat_medium%3Demails&at_objective=awareness

What Split-Brain Patients Reveal About Consciousness

Their lives and symptoms offer a rare window into how the brain binds experience into a single mind.

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/what-split-brain-patients-reveal-about-consciousness/

The eaglets have fledged. Or in one case, fludged. It's an accidental/unintentional fledge. Both babies seem to be doing fine.

On Sunday, Sandy fell out of the nest in an accidental fledge. She appeared to be startled by Luna as he attempted to jump over her. Sandy then lost her footing, falling out of the nest in an accidental fledge, or a "fludge."

Friends of Big Bear Valley said that Sandy appeared to be on another branch below on Sunday, getting her bearings out of the camera's view. Her mother, Jackie, was there right away to keep an eye on Sandy and has been through this with other eaglets in the past.

In an update on Monday, conservationists with the nonprofit said they heard some distant vocals between Jackie and what they believe is Sandy. Then, in a later update, Friends of Big Bear Valley posted a video showing that Sandy was spotted not too far from Luna, midway up in a tree. They said she was moving around and looking good.

https://abc7.com/post/jackie-shadows-eaglet-luna-takes-first-flight-1-day-sandy-fell-big-bear-bald-eagle-nest/19415819/

We in the US have joined the Europeans in their heat misery. Today it was 94 degrees (temp), 74 degrees (dew point), and 105 (heat index).

All those numbers add up to: Miserable.

Two more days of this. Then it cools off a bit but stays humid.

I'm ready for October.

pendulum

money