Short Takes – 3-6-23

Sick Bug Facts. Twitter thread. Geeky fun. Pull quote: “my dad is an entomologist, so I often find that something I have basically always known about bugs totally blows regular people's minds. I'm gonna start a thread of sick bug* facts that normies may or may not know.”

Residents of California city warned not to eat food grown in gardens after toxic dust release. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““Foods grown in soil that contains certain metals may pose health concerns – anyone who is growing food is encouraged to understand the make-up of their soil,” wrote the health department. “Until further environmental testing is complete, the health department recommends not eating foods grown in soil that may have been exposed to the spent catalyst.””

Election deniers take aim at group that helps states maintain voter rolls. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Others say three pieces of data that ERIC provides are especially valuable: national change of address records from the U.S. Postal Service, which some member states receive from ERIC as frequently as once a month; death records from the Social Security Administration, which are costly; and voter participation records, which enable member states to identify and prosecute voters who fraudulently cast ballots in more than one state.”

UK considers buying spy balloons fleet. TheTimes.co.uk article. Pull quote: “The technology is being developed for the Ministry of Defence as part of Project Aether, named after the personification of the bright upper sky in Greek mythology. The surveillance balloons fly between 50,000ft and 80,000ft, meaning that they are less likely to be battered by turbulence.”

Bipartisan rail safety bill runs into Republican roadblock. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Ohio Sens. J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) unveiled a rail safety proposal last week that has already won over the White House and top Democrats. But winning support from Republicans is proving to be harder as some question if it is too soon to move on a bill that could have unintended consequences.”