I Didn't Know That

America's gourd addiction: Why President Biden must mandate a one-gourd-per-household rule
Opinion by Rex Huppke, USA TODAY - Yesterday 5:20 PM

• 
  
  1:52
  Recruiting McCartney | The Sound of 007 - Prime Video
  
  Dailymotion
• 
  
  0:56
  MassDOT video shows dump truck rollover on highway ramp in Boston
  
  WCVB Boston

Hey there, fellow Americans. It’s fall, and I think it’s time we had a talk about your autumnal gourd addiction.
If I’m being honest, it’s gotten out of hand.
You can’t throw a squash this time of year without hitting a gourd display. They’re in bins in front of grocery stores, in window boxes outside homes, uselessly encircling front-yard trees and filling decorative bowls on more dining room tables than I dare mention.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

We should've seen our gourd problem coming
We’ve known things were getting bad gourd-wise since the 2009 publication of humor writer Colin Nissan’s landmark McSweeney’s essay, “IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, (EXPLETIVES).”
That should’ve been a red flag that what was once an under-control gourd curiosity had turned problematic. But we sailed right past it, and now, in the year 2022, we find ourselves a nation strung out on largely inedible herbaceous fruit.
Cucurbitaceae have become the fall enthusiasts’ hard-shelled cocaine.

SECURITY CAMERA.........LOOKS GOOD.........WHO KNOWS........SHIPS FROM IDAHO??11111



https://www.buypurecare.com/p/light...GM*MTY2NTUzMjUzMy4xLjEuMTY2NTUzMjcyNC4wLjAuMA..

Biden Vows ‘Consequences’ for Saudi Arabia After Oil Production Cut

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=bf6f9c7805ff4c37b7589b932cf2a1bd

No, it doesn’t cost between $25-30K to replace most electric vehicle batteries
But some research has shown that it’s more costly to repair an electric vehicle than a gas-powered one.

Stephen Hawking's Fears About Artificial Intellegence

Stephen Hawking giving talk© Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
While Stephen Hawking was a proponent of using technology to maintain the perpetuation of the human race, he also believed that technology, if advanced far enough, could also pose a major threat to humanity. Specifically, Hawking was worried about A.I., artificial intelligence, and had been sounding the alarm about its potential danger for some time, like when he gave a talk at Centre for the Future of Intelligence at Cambridge University in 2014, saying "In the future, A.I. could develop a will of its own — a will that is in conflict with ours. The rise of powerful A.I. will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."

About 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Only about 0.85% is composed of another five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. All 11 are necessary for life. The remaining elements are trace elements, of which more than a dozen are thought on the basis of good evidence to be necessary for life.[1] All of the mass of the trace elements put together (less than 10 grams for a human body) do not add up to the body mass of magnesium, the least common of the 11 non-trace elements.

It probably won't be all that bad.

What Does Space Smell Like?

By Valerie Stimac

We won't say it stinks, but not all astronauts are fans of the extraterrestrial bouquet. Read more >>

Scientists grow human brain cells in rats

Experiment meant to give insight into neural development, diseases

LAURA UNGAR

AP SCIENCE WRITER

Scientists have transplanted human brain cells into the brains of baby rats, where the cells grew and formed connections.

It’s part of an effort to better study human brain development and diseases affecting this most complex of organs, which makes us who we are but has long been shrouded in mystery.

“Many disorders such as autism and schizophrenia are likely uniquely human” but “the human brain certainly has not been very accessible,” said said Dr. Sergiu Pasca, senior author of a study describing the work, published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Approaches that don’t involve taking tissue out of the human brain are “promising avenues in trying to tackle these conditions.”

The research builds upon the team’s previous work creating brain “organoids,” tiny structures resembling human organs that have also been made to represent others such as livers, kidneys, prostates, or key parts of them.

To make the brain organoids, Stanford University scientists transformed human skin cells into stem cells and then coaxed them to become several types of brain cells. Those cells then multiplied to form organoids resembling the cerebral cortex, the human brain’s outermost layer, which plays a key role in things like memory, thinking, learning, reasoning and emotions.

Scientists transplanted those or-ganoids into rat pups 2 to 3 days old, a stage when brain connections are still forming. The organoids grew so that they eventually occupied a third of the hemisphere of the rat’s brain where they were implanted. Neurons from the organoids formed working connections with circuits in the brain.

Ethical doubts

Human neurons have been transplanted in rodents before, but generally in adult animals, usually mice. Pasca, a psychiatry professor at the Stanford School of Medicine, said this is the first time these or-ganoids have been placed into early rat brains, creating “the most advanced human brain circuitry ever built from human skin cells and a demonstration that implanted human neurons can influence an animal’s behavior.”

Researchers, whose study was funded partly by the National Institutes of Health, said they could do the same sorts of experiments using organoids made from the cells of people with disorders such as autism or schizophrenia — and potentially learn new things about how these conditions affect the brain, too.

Such experiments in animals raise ethical concerns. For example, Pasca said he and his team are cognizant of the rats’ well-being and whether they still behave normally with the organoids inside them, which he says they do. Still, Pasca does not believe this should be tried in primates. Ethicists also wonder about the possibility of brain organoids in the future attaining something like human consciousness, which experts say is extremely unlikely now. Some scientists are studying human brain organoids outside of animals. For example, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland published a study in Nature earlier this month describing how they are growing brainlike tissue from stem cells in the lab and then mapping the cell types in various brain regions and genes regulating their development. Some are using these structures to study autism.

Pasca said brain organoids could also be used to test new treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders, the largest cause of disability worldwide. Such research, he said, should help scientists make strides that have been extremely difficult until now because it’s so hard to get at the human brain — which is “the reason why we’re so much more behind in psychiatry compared to any other branch of medicine in terms of therapeutics.”


A lab rat at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Department of Evolutionary Anthropology is pictured in July 2006 in Leipzig, Germany. Scientists at Stanford University have transplanted human brain cells into the brains of baby rats, in an effort to better study human brain development and diseases affecting the brain.

JAN-PETER BOENING | THE NEW YORK TIMES

Rats are smart enough now. They don't need any brain enhancements.

ndiana woman gets 115 years for poisoning man's oatmeal and strangling him with his favorite tie
Antonio Planas and Madelyn Urabe - Yesterday 7:37 PM
An Indiana woman who poisoned the oatmeal of her child's father and strangled him with his favorite tie has been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.
Heidi Marie Littlefield, 42, was sentenced Friday to 60 years for murder and another combined 55 years for conspiracy to commit murder, according to records with the Hamilton Superior Court.

A wind turbine just smashed a global energy record—and it's recyclable
Andrew Paul - Yesterday 3:00 PM
The new offshore turbine could power a Model 3 Tesla for over 1 million miles.

The Siemens Gamesa turbine generated 359 megawatt-hours in just 24 hours.© Siemens Gamesa
Siemens Gamesa announced Monday that its breakthrough development in offshore wind turbine technology, the 14-222 DD offshore prototype, has set a new world record for the most energy generated over 24 hours. As first reported by news outlets earlier this week, the prototype delivered 359 megawatt-hours in a single day—roughly enough to power 18,000 households, or keep a Tesla Model 3 charged for over 1 million miles.
“With every new generation of our offshore direct drive turbine technology—which uses fewer moving parts than geared turbines—component improvements have enabled greater performance while maintaining reliability,” Siemens Gamesa explains via the turbine's fact sheet.
[Related: Best home wind turbines of 2022.]

Georgia plant nears operation of first new US nuclear reactor in 30 years
Breanne Deppisch - Yesterday 9:48 AM

Georgia Power announced it has begun loading fuel into the nuclear reactor core of its Vogtle Unit 3 reactor in Georgia, a major milestone toward bringing online the nation’s first commercial nuclear reactor in more than 30 years.

Georgia plant nears operation of first new US nuclear reactor in 30 years© Provided by Washington Examiner
The announcement puts the Unit 3 reactor on track to come online in the first quarter of 2023. Unit 4 is expected to come online roughly six months after that, sometime in late 2023.
BIDEN FACES GOP HEAT FOR REPORTED DEAL TO LIFT SANCTIONS ON VENEZUELAN OIL
The announcement comes after the plant’s operators, Southern Nuclear, got the green light to move forward with fuel loading from the National Regulatory Commission in August.
During fuel load, nuclear technicians and operators transfer 157 fuel assemblies one by one from the Unit 3 spent fuel pool to the Unit 3 reactor core, operators said.

Endless summer' in Pacific Northwest to shatter more heat records, increase fire danger
Scott Sistek - Yesterday 11:23 AM

SEATTLE -- Summer has blown through the stop sign of the autumnal equinox in the Pacific Northwest and has continued to bake the region with several days of record-high temperatures and an absence of rainfall even as the calendar turns into mid-October.
Temperatures are set to rise again this weekend, combining with a hot, dry offshore wind that will create critical fire weather conditions and blow a renewed round of wildfire smoke into the Seattle area, setting more all-time heat records in the process.

Fire Weather Watches are in effect for the Cascades as gusty, dry easterly winds will drop humidity levels down to about 20%, meaning any fire starts will easily spread across the arid landscape. Much of the region has seen a half inch of rain or less since the start of July.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV
The dry weather has allowed wildfires to burn for months in central and eastern Washington. Frequent easterly winds have carried smoke into the Seattle and Western Washington area, and a renewed wave of thick smoke will push into the metro area over the weekend, further degrading air quality that had already been somewhat smoky for days.
"As we see that heat begin to build in, it gets hotter and that helps to trap more of the pollutants at the surface," said FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar. "Burning eyes, scratchy throat and runny nose — all signs you’re getting irritated from that smoke and air quality."

It could be that. Or... OR... Hear me out now... It might mean that you're getting a cold.

Or in my case it could be the cheese I ate in my breakfast this morning. When I get a cold I always blame it on dairy at first, because usually those symptoms really are what happens when I eat dairy. I only realize it's a cold when the symptoms don't go away in a few hours.

Business Insider
FollowView Profile
Alaska cancels snow crab fishing for a year after the population mysteriously collapsed
[email protected] (Morgan McFall-Johnsen) - 1h ago

A fisherman sorts and tags freshly caught snow crabs in Kasumi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, on November 6, 2020. Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images© Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

• Alaska canceled the Bering Sea snow crab fishing season for the first time ever on Monday.
• Snow crab populations mysteriously crashed after a baby boom, and scientists suspect warming waters.
• The king crab season is also canceled for the second year in a row, threatening Alaska's crabbing industry.

Overview
Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or less commonly Oryza glaberrima (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera Zizania and Porteresia
Data Source: en.wikipedia.org
From the Web

Images: Getty Images
Facts


Category:
Cereal Grain



Scientific name:
Oryza sativa

Nutrition Facts

Rice
Calories160 cal
Type
Adolphus rice
Serving Size
1/4 cup (45 g)
To burn these calories

Run
Run 15 mins at 6mph

Walk
Walk 43 mins at 3mph

Bicycle
Cycle 22 mins at 10mph
Macronutrients and calories

160Calories
Macronutrients (% calorie yield)% Daily Value*


Total Carbohydrate · 36 g (92%)




12%


Protein · 3 g (7%)




6%
Micronutrients
Iron · 1.1 mg


6%
Magnesium · 0 g


0%
View complete nutrition details
Disclaimer: *Bar represents Percent Daily Values and based on a 2,000 calorie diet with a max representaion of 100%. Your daily values may vary depending on your calorie needs.
Data Source: USDA · Nutritionix
From the Web
Health Effects
Perspectives from nutritionists across the world
1/3

Faith Seke
Pursuing PhD, Master's in Food Sc · 1 yrs exp - South Africa
Topics Covered
Benefits
Possible side effects
Quantity recommendations
Benefits
Rice helps in weight loss. It contains fiber an indigestible part of carbohydrates with the potential to lower cholesterol, promote bowel movements and aid in weight loss.
Rice is effective in reducing cancer. It contains antioxidants that help in keeping free radicals from damaging cells. + Know More

AMAZING!!!!!!!INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!SPECTACULAR!!!!!!

Astronomers are captivated by brightest flash ever seen
AFP - Yesterday 4:46 PM

Astronomers have observed the brightest flash of light ever seen, from an event that occurred 2.4 billion light years from Earth and was likely triggered by the formation of a black hole.

This picture provided by NASA on October 14, 2022 shows the Swift’s X-Ray Telescope capturing the afterglow of GRB 221009A about an hour after it was first detected© Handout
The burst of gamma-rays -- the most intense form of electromagnetic radiation -- was first detected by orbiting telescopes on October 9, and its afterglow is still being watched by scientists across the world.
Astrophysicist Brendan O'Connor told AFP that gamma-ray bursts that last hundreds of seconds, as occurred on Sunday, are thought to be caused by dying massive stars, greater than 30 times bigger than our Sun.
The star explodes in a supernova, collapses into a black hole, then matter forms in a disk around the black hole, falls inside, and is spewed out in a jet of energy that travels at 99.99 percent the speed of light.
The flash released photons carrying a record 18 teraelectronvolts of energy -- that's 18 with 12 zeros behind it -- and it has impacted long wave radio communications in Earth's ionosphere.
"It's really breaking records, both in the amount of photons, and the energy of the photons that are reaching us," said O'Connor, who used infrared instruments on the Gemini South telescope in Chile to take fresh observations early Friday.

This picture provided by Noirlab on October 14, 2022 shows record-breaking Gamma-Ray bursting caught with Gemini South in Chile© Handout
"Something this bright, this nearby, is really a once-in-a-century event," he added.








Continue reading

How Do You Grow a Giant Pumpkin?
Giant pumpkins need a lot of space for their vines to spread. They also require a ton of water, not to mention babying, by their growers. WIKIMEDIA/(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Technically, you can grow one of these giants in your home garden, but you'll need tons of space to make room for the vines to spread and climb. It also will need lots of sunshine, water and pollinators.
"The environment is intensively managed to keep the plant from getting too hot or too cold or too thirsty," Myers says. "There is a certain amount of cultural management such as hand pollinating, removing competing fruit and making sure that the nodes of the vine are rooted."
So just how much space and time does one of these gargantuan gourds need to grow? At least 1,200 square feet (111 square meters) and around 120 days to mature — that's about the same as a regular pumpkin. The difference is giant pumpkins grow much faster than small ones, sometimes gaining 20 to 60 pounds (9 to 27 kilograms) in one day.
Consistency is critical, too, especially when it comes to watering. Depending on your schedule, irrigation and rainwater can make a giant pumpkin happy or make it explode from too much moisture.
And you better protect your pumpkin if you plan on making it a prized one. Meyers suggests building a temporary fence around it to keep children, pets and livestock out.
"If you are growing in an urban setting, giant pumpkins will attract attention, and you may have people in your yard where you do not want them," Myers says. "Be prepared to spend a lot of time talking to passersby about pumpkins."
Competitors must think about something most home growers don't: transporting their giant pumpkins. For example, Gienger grew his in Minnesota but had to ship it to California for official weighing. How nerve-wracking is that?
"This pumpkin was massive and could easily have weighed a couple hundred pounds more, but you never know until you get to the scale!" Gienger says.
So what in the world happens to these massive gourds after they go to competition? Typically the growers get to keep them and some will carve them for Halloween. Other growers sell theirs, or trade and sell the seeds, according to NPR.
But if you think anybody will be eating them, think again. Giant pumpkins are usually not edible, but that doesn't mean they go to waste. The Oregon Zoo often treats its elephants to giant pumpkin snacks, and at the Bauman Harvest Festival in Oregon you can watch the Bauman's Giant Pumpkin Drop. It's exactly like it sounds: Giant pumpkins are hoisted 100 feet (30 meters) up in the air and dropped into an inflatable pool, all in the name of fall fun.
Now That's Interesting
The current Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest pumpkin was set in 2021. The 2,703-pound (1226-kilogram) pumpkin was grown by Stefano Cutrupi in Radda, Tuscany, Italy