Free Republic

Americans are itching to get out of the house while Native communities remain under quarantine. In an article published last week by The Wall Street Journal, novelist and reporter Mark Childress wrote that he wanted to spend time traveling to “the parts of the country where nobody is.” Documenting his pandemic roadtrip, Childress wrote that he “felt the pandemic lifting up as the civilization thinned out.” Having altered virtually everything else about American life, the coronavirus is now having it’s way with our summer vacation plans. While demand for air travel is seeing a “slow but steady” uptick, airlines are...

Remote wilderness areas and national parks in the western United States are getting a dusting of plastic every year, perhaps 1000 tons or more, according to a new study. Up to one-quarter of the microscopic pieces of plastic—which come from carpets, clothing, and even spray paint—may originate in storms passing over nearby cities, whereas the rest likely comes from farther flung locations. The findings, the first to tease apart geographic origins, add to mounting evidence that such microplastic pollution is common worldwide. “We created something that won’t go away,” says Janice Brahney, a biogeochemist at Utah State University and lead...

A bear who couldn't apparently bear the temperatures any longer was recorded lapping up a margarita and hanging in an unheated hot tub at a California home over the weekend — proving the furry mammals have more in common with humans than science may have taught us. Mark Hough, of Altadena, filmed the encounter Friday afternoon in which the bear was spotted lazing around his tub. The man told The Associated Press that he mistook the bear climbing a fence into his yard as noise coming from his neighbor's property. A bear broke into a car in California’s Placer County...

By the time it floats down from the atmosphere it will have traveled more than 5,000 miles, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said. While it sounds dramatic, it's actually pretty normal. Right now the cloud is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to drift over the U.S. by next Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported. It will most likely sap some of the humidity from the air, the Chronicle said. While its presence is usually innocuous, the dust can irritate people who have respiratory issues, depending on its concentration in the air, the Chronicle said. Saharan dust tends...

Florida and Georgia FReepers - looking at the RADAR and moisture images tonight, it looks like a storm is forming off the SE coast of FL. What if anything are the weather peoples saying in FL?

Two women, Tara Davoli, 31 years old, and Sarah A. Piotrowski, 30, both of Philadelphia, were sentenced this week for being off-trail in a thermal area of Yellowstone National Park. The charges are the result of an incident on June 11, 2020, where both women were seen off the boardwalk walking in a thermal area, which resulted in damage to orange bacterial mats at Opal Pool in the Midway Geyser Basin. Numerous witnesses saw the two walking on the feature and confronted them in an effort to get them to stop.

The peak for shark activity along the waters off Massachusetts begins in August, but the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy began its summer research examining them Wednesday. In partnerships with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy began its 2020 shark research by tagging three white sharks off of Monomoy. The sharks were circling a whale carcass when they were tagged.In previous years, researchers were only on the water about twice a week. Now, boats are out at least five times a week leading to more sightings.

The first jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown will look a bit different in 2020. Instead of the Kentucky Derby acting as the opening event, the Belmont Stakes—typically the final leg of the Triple Crown—will kick off the sport's championship season. Oddsmakers aren't too hopeful fans will see the first Triple Crown winner since Justify accomplish the feat in 2018. Bovada lists the odds of a Triple Crown winner in 2020 at +700 (bet $100 to win $700) while the odds that there will not be a Triple Crown winner are -1600 (bet $1,600 to win $100). That doesn't mean...

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV)-- A herd of goats is helping Madison Parks with its conservation efforts. A herd of goats helps remove invasive species at Acewood Conservation Park. An unusual-looking group of helping hands, the 40 goats grazing at Acewood Conservation Park stopped passersby on their tracks. “This is not a common city sight,” Nura Capriglione said. “I think it’s really fun for kids to see farm animals that they don’t have access to when they live in the city.” The herd traveled from Greenside Park to Acewood, with plans to stop at Turville Point Conservation Park in the fall. All...

A South Dakota company expects to start human trials next month for a Covid-19 antibody treatment derived from the plasma of cows. But these aren't just any cows. Scientists genetically engineered the animals to give them an immune system that's part human. That way, the animals produce disease-fighting human antibodies to Covid-19, which are then turned into a drug to attack the virus. "These animals are producing neutralizing antibodies that kill [the novel coronavirus] in the laboratory," Eddie Sullivan, CEO of SAB Biotherapeutics said in a statement to CNN. "We are eager to advance to the clinic as we move forward...

Bloomberg on MSN - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-ties-climate-change-to-the-struggle-for-racial-equality/ar-BB15Aw3T?ocid=a2hs

President Donald Trump's campaign called for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to stop holding campaign events virtually and resume campaigning publicly. After an extended pause on large-scale events such as campaign rallies due to the threat of coronavirus, Trump announced a series of four in-person events on Wednesday, beginning with a stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma this Saturday. Biden has done a majority of his campaigning by holding virtual town halls and fundraisers. In a Tuesday statement, Trump's campaign called Biden's online campaign events an example of Biden's "timidity." "This is obviously a tactic to help [Biden] avoid errors and...

Since he started tagging great whites 11 years ago, DMF shark researcher Gregory Skomal has gradually filled in gaps in buoy coverage and this summer will have 100 buoys, encircling the Cape and extending north to Cape Ann, most of them within a quarter-mile of the beach. Over 200 sharks already have been tagged. “The larger ones show up first and stay the longest,” Skomal said, as their body mass and ability to regulate their body temperature allows them to endure the cooler extremes of the seasons.The season typically starts at the end of May, with detections focused on Monomoy...

I have a slight handicap (a bad - really bad - hip). For quite some time now I’ve been looking for a hand-powered scooter. I don’t want a hand-powered bike or trike. They are too difficult for me to transport. I’ve done many Google searches for “hand-powered scooter”. All I get back are electric-powered scooters results. I don’t want that. If anyone knows about a good hand-powered scooter, I’d be very grateful to hear about it.

When photographer Kristian Laine went out to the Great Barrier Reef near Lady Elliot Island to photograph some turtles, manta rays, and sharks, he wasn't expecting to stumble across the only known pink manta ray in the world. "I had never even heard of a pink manta and when I first saw it, I thought my camera was playing up," he told ScienceAlert. "Only later that night I saw a photo of a pink manta on the restaurant's notice board and thought it was a joke until I rushed to check the belly patterns in my camera." The pink reef...

SEATTLE, WA—Seattle has been taken over by Antifa forces, forcing desperate police to fight back with fire hoses full of Axe body spray. With massive Axe Body Spray tanks strapped to their backs, the brave police charged into occupied territory and hit them with a full blast of the stuff. "This was a last resort," said one Seattle police lieutenant. "For the safety of the city, we had to force the protesters to take some kind of shower. Even if it's just Axe." "Plus, there's nothing Antifa hates more than any kind of personal hygiene." Antifa fled in terror from...

After statues of Christopher Columbus were defaced around the country this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he supports keeping Manhattan’s statue of the Italian explorer, saying it represents “the Italian-American legacy” in America. Asked by a reporter at his daily coronavirus press briefing whether it is time for the 14-foot marble statue in Columbus Circle outside Central Park to go, Cuomo responded that while he understands the feelings surrounding the controversial historical figure, he supports keeping the monument. “I understand the dialogue has been going on for a number of years,” Cuomo said. “The Christopher Columbus...

LA CROSSE, Wis. (FOX 9) - So many mayflies hatched at once near the Mississippi River Sunday night it was picked up on the National Weather Service’s radar. The National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin shared an image of the radar, showing a mass appear over the Mississippi River on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border around 10 p.m.

A Milwaukee resident found a way into Miller Park, home of the Brewers, last week and attempted to write his name in cursive on the field with a stolen tractor, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team released a statement saying an individual caused "minor damage" to the playing surface. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the damages caused by Keyon A. Lambert were valued at $40,000. According to the criminal complaint, he told the police he attempted this stunt and took the tractor because he had never driven one. Grounds crew members were present when he got into the...

Grizzly 399 stands to get a better look at the growing crowd of bear watchers while her four cubs play. Photograph: Thomas D Mangelsen/mangelsen.com ‘399’, at 24 one of the oldest grizzlies living outside a zoo, becomes symbol of bears’ recovery in Yellowstone ecosystem Supported by SEJAbout this content Todd Wilkinson in Moose, Wyoming Tue 9 Jun 2020 05.30 EDTLast modified on Tue 9 Jun 2020 08.50 EDT Shares 448 Grizzly 399 stands to get a better look at the growing crowd of bear watchers while her four cubs play. Grizzly 399 stands to get a better look at the...