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SpaceX sticks landing of Starship prototype, but then it explodes
SpaceX finally got its latest Starship prototype to land without blowing up. Well at least for a little bit. “Starship SN10 landed in one piece!” said company founder and CEO Elon Musk on his Twitter account. The company launched its SN10, as in serial number 10, version of its next-generation rocket from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility on Wednesday evening on a successful 10 km flight that finished with the rocket hitting its target landing pad without suffering the catastrophic fireball that beset the two previous Starship prototype flights. “Third time’s the charm as the saying goes,” said ...
Orlando Sentinel
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South Carolina bill banning trans girls from women's sports takes first steps in the state House
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A bill that would effectively ban transgender girls from participating in high school and middle school women's sports took its first steps in the South Carolina House on Wednesday. The bill was approved by a panel of lawmakers in a House Judiciary subcommittee by a vote of 3-1 after hearing testimony from dozens of residents. Lawmakers voted to move the bill forward after South Carolina Superintendent Molly Spearman and other critics of the legislation called on lawmakers to vote against the initiative. "My responsibility as state superintendent is to make sure every child fe...
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
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Microplastics found in 100% of sampled Pennsylvania waterways, study shows
Studies released this week suggest microplastics — tiny polymer fragments — are ubiquitous in local waterways, even finding their way into the guts and digestive tracts of the prized blue crabs that populate the Delaware Bay. PennEnvironment, a statewide environmental nonprofit, released a study Wednesday that found microplastics in 53 waterways sampled in Pennsylvania, including the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. And all local waterways, including many creeks, showed the presence of at least three of the four types of plastics sampled: tiny fibers, fragments, films or microbeads the size of ...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Free Georgia photo ID card proposed for absentee voting requirements
ATLANTA — Georgia House Speaker David Ralston announced a plan Wednesday to offer free state ID cards that could be used for voting, opening bank accounts and traveling on airlines. The ID cards would help voters comply with absentee voting identification requirements included in election overhaul legislation that passed the state House on Monday. Under House Bill 531, voters requesting an absentee ballot would need to provide a driver’s license number, a state ID number or a copy of other identifying documents. “I am committed to eliminating barriers to voting for all legally eligible Georgia...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Amazon tried to 'destroy' Parler, social network says in new lawsuit
Parler, a social network embraced by right-wing groups, launched a new lawsuit against Amazon in King County, Wash., Superior Court, two weeks after Parler's relaunch rendered moot its original accusation in federal court that Amazon had effectively killed its business. Parler's new lawsuit, filed late Tuesday, alleges a host of contractual offenses, as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices and defamation. The complaint casts Parler as a "victim of Amazon's efforts to destroy an up-and-coming technology through deceptive, defamatory, anticompetitive, and bad faith conduct." Parler is se...
The Seattle Times
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Sound Advice: Desktop computer speakers that won't break the bank
Q. A few years ago I contacted you about upgrading my stereo system. Everything you recommended is working great and I am very happy, so now I am contacting you again for desktop computer speaker suggestions. My estimated budget is $100 to $300. Do you have any specific recommendations? — J.R., Saint Anthony, Minnesota A. If you want something very small, consider the HiVi Swan H2 from The Audio Insider. The H2 would be your simplest and most compact choice, with each speaker holding a single full-range driver in an attractive aluminum shell. At $99 (currently reduced from $199) they are an en...
Tribune News Service
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Faced with rising crime and social upheaval, more Black Chicagoans are seeking out firearms for their own protection
CHICAGO — Moments after firing a gun for the first time, Alicea Burton proudly displayed the result of her marksmanship: a human silhouette target perforated with more than two dozen 9 mm holes. “It was easier than I thought,” the 30-year-old from Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood said after emerging from an Oak Forest gun range. “The sound of the bullets did throw me off, but after a while it just became normal so it didn’t scare me.” Burton, who was pursuing a concealed carry license, is among a surge of African Americans who are taking a new interest in firearms. A gun industry survey take...
Chicago Tribune
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Editorial: As Interior secretary, Haaland will seek common ground
As secretary of the Interior, U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., would restore balance to the vital and sprawling federal department and forward-thinking management of public lands. Her confirmation would reverse the erosion of transparency and integrity under Secretary David Bernhardt, and Ryan Zinke before him. It would achieve an important milestone: Haaland would be the first Native American to oversee the department, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She is a 35th-generation resident of the region that includes her home state, New Mexico, and is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of ...
The Seattle Times
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Black Amazon manager sues executives over alleged racial discrimination and sexual harassment
A discrimination lawsuit against Amazon by a current employee depicts a stark contrast between the company's public statements affirming its commitment to racial equity and how the employer treats its nonwhite workers. Amazon manager Charlotte Newman filed a federal suit Monday in Washington, D.C., alleging the Seattle-based commerce giant paid her less than similarly qualified white peers and executives used racial stereotypes to justify denying her opportunities for promotion. Newman, a Black woman who works in Washington, D.C., for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon's cloud-computing divisio...
The Seattle Times
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Costco, Whole Foods rise in Greenpeace rankings of grocery chains' plastic use
Costco's strides to reduce product packaging landed the Issaquah-based wholesale club at No. 6 on Greenpeace's best-to-worst ranking of 20 large grocery chains' progress in eliminating single-use plastics, three slots higher than in Greenpeace's 2019 audit. The environmental group lauded Costco for transitioning food court packaging to compostable alternatives and pledging to reduce its use of Styrofoam — but said Costco, and every other chain it analyzed, should still be doing much more to lessen its plastic footprint. Costco declined to respond to questions about Greenpeace's report. All of ...
The Seattle Times
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