Slog AM: Firefighter Charged in Sawant Email Threat Case, NASA Rover to Land on Mars, Cruz Vacays as Texans Freeze - TheStranger.com | Canada News Media
This man gets more and more vile with every passing day. Getty Pool
Let’s start our morning looking to the heavens: NASA’s Perseverance rover journeyed 293 million miles over the past seven months to our twin red planet, Mars. It’s scheduled to touch down on Mars’s dusty surface at around 12:55 p.m. PST inside the Jezero Crater. It will apparently take seven minutes for the $2.4 billion rover to complete the landing process, what NASA has called “seven minutes of terror.” Once it’s landed (fingers crossed), Perseverance will search for signs of microbes, collect rocks in hopes of finding “biosignatures,” and carry around a mini-helicopter for NASA to fly around for it’s first controlled flight on another planet. The live broadcast starts at 11:15 a.m.!
Today’s the day. Trip to Mars, 99.9% complete. The most dangerous part comes last: the final seven minutes.
356-foot fishing vessel in the Port of Tacoma erupted into flames last night: Firefighters battled the blaze on the Aleutian Falcon for several hours, extinguishing the majority of the fire by 5:15 a.m. Officials were concerned about the reported 48,000 gallons diesel fuel and 10,000 pounds of ammonia onboard the ship catching on fire, which thankfully did not. There have been no reported injuries.
Malia Obama and Donald Glover join forces: The eldest Obama daughter landed a writing role on one of Glover’s untitled forthcoming projects, according to Vulture. This news comes after Glover reportedly signed an eight figure overall multiyear deal with Amazon Studios. Of course, the Biden cultural era would be shaped by an Obama.
Texas is still suffering from the extreme winter weather: Half a million people are still without power in the Lone Star state. Scores of Texans were sent boil water notices after water systems across the state became paralyzed due to the loss of power. Relief is still, unbelievably, days away as some resort to burning furniture in order to stay warm and try to brace themselves for yet another winter storm.
And Senator Ted Cruz?He’s in Cancún! Though his office has not yet responded to multiple requests for comment, AP confirmed that images of the wormy senator traveling to warmer climates were indeed taken while Texas shivered in the cold. He’s pathetic!
Not the turtles! Volunteers in Texas are rescuing thousands of “cold-stunned” turtles as the region is hit with a historic winter storm over this past week. Sea Turtle, Inc., the organization behind the rescue effort, had to get creative with housing, keeping these gentle sea creatures warm by placing them in plastic kiddie pools, tarps, and boxes.
Point Roberts residents: Will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test negative when traveling to Canada “for essential services,” says Daddy Inslee.
Seattle Police Department release body cam footage from Tuesday’s shooting: Here we are again. Two nights ago, SPD shot and killed a man in crisis near the waterfront on Alaskan Way. The victim wielded a knife and threatened to cut his own throat. SPD claims that Port of Seattle Police tried to use a less-lethal tool but the device was “ineffective”—though watching the footage, it’s unclear what tool was used. With knife in hand, the victim approached a SPD police officer asking him to “do it” and “please kill me” before the officer shoots and kills him. You can watch the disturbing video here, but be warned, it’s graphic.
Facebook blocks Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on its platform, causing an uproar: All major and local news outlets were blocked from the social media site Thursday morning. The drastic move is in response to a proposed law that would “make tech giants pay for news content on their platforms.” While behemoths like Facebook and Google claim that it unfairly penalizes them, lawmakers believing the proposed bill would level the playing field for smaller publishers.
Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams 6-4, 6-3 at the Australian Open: I don’t really care about sports, but I wanted both of these icons to somehow win.
OK, ugh, did anyone else see the Cruella de Vil origin story trailer? Others have rightly pointed out that Disney’s Cruella starring Emma Stone as the eponymous character feels a little Joker-meets-girlboss. My first thought is that Stone’s accent reminds me Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen which isn’t a compliment! [embedded content]
Charges came down for Seattle firefighter at the center of Sawant email threat case: Andrew Finseth has been charged with second degree identity theft and two counts of misdemeanor cyberstalking, says CHS Blog. Finseth was arrested on Friday for allegedly using another firefighter’s email to send threatening emails to Councilmember Sawant. He has yet to enter a plea in the case.
Another 861,000 Americans applied for unemployment last week: A reflection of our pandemic-afflicted job market, this number is 100,000 claims more than economists predicted and has not meaningful improved in months. On top of that, 516,299 Americans filed claims through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, bringing total first-time claims to 1.4 million last week. Continued jobless claims stood at 4.5 million.
Seattle will pay $10,000 in encampment removal case: To Ada Yeager, who sued the city in federal court in December over its plan to remove her from her tent in Cal Anderson where she had been living since last June. Her lawsuit argued that “giving Yeager and others 48-hours notice to remove their belongings from the park violated their civil rights through ‘warrantless seizure and destruction of personal property,’ among other claims.” Sydney Brownstone has more on the case over at the Seattle Times.
And now for the weather: More rain!
Rain is approaching the coast this morning with rain at times through today. A rain/snow mix is possible this morning for areas of the Hood Canal and Whatcom County with no snow accumulation expected. Mountain snow through tonight. #WAwxpic.twitter.com/eYP9Jj4ERj — NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 18, 2021
Prince Philip is in the hospital: The 99 year old was admitted as a “precautionary measure” after not feeling well. Before you ask, it’s probably not COVID.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo can’t cover his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, anymore: Though the governor appeared on his brother’s TV show early on in the pandemic, a CNN spokesperson confirmed that the Cuomo-on-Cuomo coverage ban is back in place.
That being said, Gov. Cuomo isn’t doing so hot right now: Andy and his coronavirus task force is currently under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office over his handling of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. No allegation of wrongdoing has been made yet, but the feds are looking into his delaying of data regarding COVID-19 long-term care facility deaths. This is on top of an effort in the New York state Assembly to repeal Cuomo’s emergency pandemic powers. Do the #Resistance mommies think he’s still competent and sexy?
OneBusAway gets an iOS update that’s ready for beta testing: This open source software has saved my butt! You can try out the beta version of the app using Apple’s TestFlight, which you can download from the App Store on your iPhone. For an explainer on what’s new, OneBusAway developer Aaron Brethorst has a blog post here.
For your listening pleasure: “Not About You (Extended Mix)” by Honey Dijon featuring Hadiya George. [embedded content]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
The European Space Agency is fast-tracking a new mission called Ramses, which will fly to near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis and join the space rock in 2029 when it comes very close to our planet — closer even than the region where geosynchronous satellites sit.
Ramses is short for Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety and, as its name suggests, is the next phase in humanity’s efforts to learn more about near-Earth asteroids (NEOs) and how we might deflect them should one ever be discovered on a collision course with planet Earth.
In order to launch in time to rendezvous with Apophis in February 2029, scientists at the European Space Agency have been given permission to start planning Ramses even before the multinational space agency officially adopts the mission. The sanctioning and appropriation of funding for the Ramses mission will hopefully take place at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting (involving representatives from each of ESA’s member states) in November of 2025. To arrive at Apophis in February 2029, launch would have to take place in April 2028, the agency says.
This is a big deal because large asteroids don’t come this close to Earth very often. It is thus scientifically precious that, on April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass within 19,794 miles (31,860 kilometers) of Earth. For comparison, geosynchronous orbit is 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth’s surface. Such close fly-bys by asteroids hundreds of meters across (Apophis is about 1,230 feet, or 375 meters, across) only occur on average once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. Miss this one, and we’ve got a long time to wait for the next.
When Apophis was discovered in 2004, it was for a short time the most dangerous asteroid known, being classified as having the potential to impact with Earth possibly in 2029, 2036, or 2068. Should an asteroid of its size strike Earth, it could gouge out a crater several kilometers across and devastate a country with shock waves, flash heating and earth tremors. If it crashed down in the ocean, it could send a towering tsunami to devastate coastlines in multiple countries.
Over time, as our knowledge of Apophis’ orbit became more refined, however, the risk of impact greatly went down. Radar observations of the asteroid in March of 2021 reduced the uncertainty in Apophis’ orbit from hundreds of kilometers to just a few kilometers, finally removing any lingering worries about an impact — at least for the next 100 years. (Beyond 100 years, asteroid orbits can become too unpredictable to plot with any accuracy, but there’s currently no suggestion that an impact will occur after 100 years.) So, Earth is expected to be perfectly safe in 2029 when Apophis comes through. Still, scientists want to see how Apophis responds by coming so close to Earth and entering our planet’s gravitational field.
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“There is still so much we have yet to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the solar system to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surface,” said Patrick Michel, who is the Director of Research at CNRS at Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, in a statement. “Nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself. All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and squeezed by strong tidal forces that may trigger landslides and other disturbances and reveal new material from beneath the surface.”
The Goldstone radar’s imagery of asteroid 99942 Apophis as it made its closest approach to Earth, in March 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/NSF/AUI/GBO)
By arriving at Apophis before the asteroid’s close encounter with Earth, and sticking with it throughout the flyby and beyond, Ramses will be in prime position to conduct before-and-after surveys to see how Apophis reacts to Earth. By looking for disturbances Earth’s gravitational tidal forces trigger on the asteroid’s surface, Ramses will be able to learn about Apophis’ internal structure, density, porosity and composition, all of which are characteristics that we would need to first understand before considering how best to deflect a similar asteroid were one ever found to be on a collision course with our world.
Besides assisting in protecting Earth, learning about Apophis will give scientists further insights into how similar asteroids formed in the early solar system, and, in the process, how planets (including Earth) formed out of the same material.
One way we already know Earth will affect Apophis is by changing its orbit. Currently, Apophis is categorized as an Aten-type asteroid, which is what we call the class of near-Earth objects that have a shorter orbit around the sun than Earth does. Apophis currently gets as far as 0.92 astronomical units (137.6 million km, or 85.5 million miles) from the sun. However, our planet will give Apophis a gravitational nudge that will enlarge its orbit to 1.1 astronomical units (164.6 million km, or 102 million miles), such that its orbital period becomes longer than Earth’s.
It will then be classed as an Apollo-type asteroid.
Ramses won’t be alone in tracking Apophis. NASA has repurposed their OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned a sample from another near-Earth asteroid, 101955 Bennu, in 2023. However, the spacecraft, renamed OSIRIS-APEX (Apophis Explorer), won’t arrive at the asteroid until April 23, 2029, ten days after the close encounter with Earth. OSIRIS-APEX will initially perform a flyby of Apophis at a distance of about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the object, then return in June that year to settle into orbit around Apophis for an 18-month mission.
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Furthermore, the European Space Agency still plans on launching its Hera spacecraft in October 2024 to follow-up on the DART mission to the double asteroid Didymos and Dimorphos. DART impacted the latter in a test of kinetic impactor capabilities for potentially changing a hazardous asteroid’s orbit around our planet. Hera will survey the binary asteroid system and observe the crater made by DART’s sacrifice to gain a better understanding of Dimorphos’ structure and composition post-impact, so that we can place the results in context.
The more near-Earth asteroids like Dimorphos and Apophis that we study, the greater that context becomes. Perhaps, one day, the understanding that we have gained from these missions will indeed save our planet.
