At precisely 9:46 pm on Thursday night, I was sitting in the living room sorting through news reports when I felt a sudden jolt, as if large object had suddenly hit the outside of the house.
I looked outside but saw nothing. But soon the messages started flowing in on social media, Next-door and Twitter:
"Sonic boom?"
"Did anyone else feel that?"
"My neighbors just slammed their door really loud!"
Within minutes, the messages focused in on the reality:
"Earthquake?"
"What's that rumble?"
"EARTHQUAKE!"
Whatever else you can say about how social media affects our lives for better or worse, there is no question that during natural disasters and extreme weather events, such services have become. vital part of the communication system
You used to have to cal the local police station or a media outlet at such times. But they were ill-prepared in most cases to respond with accurate information.
Here in earthquake country, we have the hyper-vigilant USGS.gov, which quickly confirmed it was a minor shaker, a 2.7 centered around nearby Kensington. Too small to cause damage, or generate perceptible aftershocks except in the immediate area of the epicenter.
But the experience was a reminder that during natural disasters, neighbors don't divide up by political party, race, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, wealth, religion or any other divisive category.
We all just at least for a moment become what we truly are -- neighbors.
***
The San Francisco Chronicle is out with a relatively dispassionate look at the actual crime charging rates during embattled D.A. Chesa Boudin's first two years in office. Those who say that minor street crimes like car break-ins are up can find evidence this is true. Those who say Boudin has lived up to his promise to prosecute serious crimes like rape, narcotics dealing and willful homicide have evidence to say that is true.
What Boudin has also done is charge a SF cop with voluntary manslaughter in the 2017 shooting of a young black man -- an unprecedented act.
What the statistics do not show is any reason why there is such a major push for Boudin to be recalled. That would require some serious investigative reporting, which is rare these days in San Francisco. The major question is where is all the "dark money" pushing his recall coming from?
***
Finally, there is the big news we've all been waiting for. After am investigation, the FBI believes the multiple sightings of "jetpack man" above L.A. may in fact have been balloons. This apparently solves one of the enduring mysteries of the pandemic era.
***
HEADLINES:
* Earth’s lakes are warming at a feverish pace, with the Great Lakes leading the way (WP)
* U.S. Sets Jan. 4 Vaccination Deadline for Big Private Employers (NYT)
* This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.-- Long marginalized and misrepresented in U.S. history, the Wampanoags are bracing for the 400th anniversary of the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621. (WP)
* Recognizing the impact that climate campaigners have had on raising public understanding of climate change, world leaders have praised the influence of youth activists Vanessa Nakate of Uganda and Greta Thunberg of Sweden in the run-up to the Glasgow summit. The two are expected to join other students in a protest by the Fridays for Future movement, not far from where activists have towed a giant iceberg from Greenland to Glasgow’s River Clyde. (Reuters)
* VIDEO: Europe Faces ‘Real Threat’ of Virus Resurgence, W.H.O. Official Says (Reuters)
* VIDEO: Hawaii Eases Covid Restrictions (AP)
* A trial of Pfizer's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 has been stopped early after the drug was shown to cut by 89% the chances of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease. Pfizer said it plans to submit interim trial results for its pill to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of the emergency use application it opened in October. (Reuters)
* High-risk Covid gene more common in South Asians -- University of Oxford scientists have uncovered a gene that doubles the risk of lung failure and death from Covid. They say 60% of people from South Asian backgrounds and 15% of people of European ancestry carry the high-risk version of the gene. (BBC)
* Democrats are working on legislation to give cash payments to parents and to slash child care costs, while Republicans are hoping that rage at public schools will outweigh any material benefit Democrats provide. The 2022 midterm elections will be a big test of whether improving people's lives is effective politics. [HuffPost]
* Indictment charges Steele dossier’s main source with lying to investigators (WP)
* Timeline of the coup: How Trump tried to weaponize the Justice Department to overturn the 2020 election (CNN)
* A Nuclear-Powered Shower? Russia Tests a Climate Innovation. -- A remote Siberian town now has its own miniature nuclear plant as a Russian state company tests a new model for residential heating. Some see it as a tool to minimize climate change. (NYT)
* Nine anti-government factions will form an alliance to push for a political transition in Ethiopia, two of the groups said, piling more pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Rebellious forces from the Tigray region have pushed to within a day's drive of the capital Addis Ababa and are threatening to march on the city of 5 million people. (Reuters)
* What never-before-seen crime data shows about Chesa Boudin’s decisions in office. (SFC)
* Over 40 nations pledge to phase out coal power (NHK)
* U.S. Adds 531,000 Jobs as Labor Market Rebounds (WSJ)
* By lifting some of Trump’s European tariffs, Biden prepares for competition against China (WP)
* A Love Letter to Kabul (BBC)
* A rebel, a bureaucrat: The women who stayed in Afghanistan (AP)
* The social media giant Meta is discussing opening retail stores that will eventually span the world. (Cal Today)
* Voting technology firm sues Newsmax, One America News, alleging defamation (WP)
* Ancient History Shows How We Can Create a More Equal World -- New research on humanity's deep past holds lessons for the future. (NYT)
* Investigators looking into a series of sightings of a mysterious "jetpack man" flying over Los Angeles say they may in fact have been balloons. -- The FBI launched an investigation after several pilots reported spotting "a guy in a jetpack" at 3,000ft (915m) above the city's LAX airport last year. But now officials say the pilots may have seen inflatables. (BBC)
* WHO: Europe, Central Asia at epicenter of pandemic (NHK)
* Global Study Shows San Francisco is Among Most Attractive Remote Work Destinations (WorkMotion)
* Woman Always Starts Texts With ‘Hey’ So Recipient Knows She Talking To Them (The Onion)
***
The Blues Man
Kind of a clinger to sad old songs
I'm not a walk-behinder, I'm a new note finder
But my name's a reminder of a blues man that's already gone
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