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In Northern Hemisphere, Catch a New Comet Before It Vanishes for 400 Years (Maria)
The author writes, “A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years. Stargazers across the Northern Hemisphere should catch a glimpse as soon as possible — either this week or early next — because it will be another 400 years before the wandering ice ball returns. The comet, which is kilometer-sized (1/2-mile), will sweep safely past Earth on Sept. 12. … The comet last visited about 430 years ago, [Paul] Chodas [manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies] said. That’s about a decade or two before Galileo invented the telescope.”
John Eastman Declines to Elaborate on Trump World Discussions About Grassley Presiding on Jan. 6 (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “John Eastman, testifying at his own disbarment trial, sidestepped a question Wednesday about whether he and others in former President Donald Trump’s orbit discussed the possibility that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — rather than Mike Pence — would preside over the Jan. 6, 2021, session of Congress. During several hours of sworn testimony in a California disbarment proceeding, Eastman said discussions on that topic were protected by attorney-client privilege. When pressed about which client of his he was referring to, Eastman replied: ‘President Trump.’”
Nikki Haley Brings the GOP’s Gender Politics Home (Laura)
From The Intercept: “Don’t mistake her for a moderate — or a feminist. In a field of candidates falling off the right side of the earth, she only looks like one.”
Supreme Court Case Could Have a Major Impact on Small Hotels (Reader Steve)
From Fodor’s Travel: “A 2010 regulation that requires hotels to disclose information about the availability of accessible rooms for guests with disabilities could be in jeopardy if a case before the Supreme Court results in some portions of the law being struck down. The suit scheduled to appear before the high court is an appeal to a lawsuit brought by Deborah Laufer against Acheson Hotels. Laufer sued the hotel company, claiming that Maine’s Coast Village Inn and Cottages does not adequately disclose information about accessible rooms on its website. There’s just one catch — Laufer, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, never intended to stay at the hotel in Maine before filing the lawsuit.”
The Lies in Your Grocery Store (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Most people accept the gimmicks of food labelling. One lawyer can’t stomach them.”
The Physics of Fat Droplets Reveal DNA Danger (Mili)
The author writes, “Researchers have looked beyond biochemistry to publish groundbreaking work on the physics of fat droplets found inside many types of cells, revealing them to be a potential threat to a cell’s nucleus. They have discovered fat-filled lipid droplets’ surprising capability to indent and puncture the nucleus, the organelle which contains and regulates a cell’s DNA. The stakes of their findings are high: a ruptured nucleus can lead to elevated DNA damage that is characteristic of many diseases, including cancer.”
Florida Man Arrested After Attempting to Cross Atlantic in ‘Human-Powered Hamster Wheel’ (Dana)
The author writes, “A man from Florida who was trying to cross the Atlantic in a ‘human-powered hamster wheel’ was arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to court documents. Reza Baluchi was 70 miles off of Georgia’s coast when officers found him during a ‘manifestly unsafe voyage’ while Hurricane Franklin was headed toward the area, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on Facebook Wednesday. The Coast Guard said the vessel ‘was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys.’ Baluchi was arrested on Aug. 28 after a ‘bizarre three-day standoff’ with authorities.”
