Macon Media

10/25/2023

Round #4 of the Voting for a Speaker of the US House of Representatives is live on C-SPAN at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lww0mSZLGIs

The House reconvenes today at 12pm ET for legislative business. Following the quorum call, there will be nominating speeches for candidates for Speaker. Las...

10/20/2023

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Election | C-SPAN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rdRZVzhGSs

The House will reconvene today after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) fell short of receiving 217 votes to win the speakers gavel Wednesday afternoon. Today, the House...

10/18/2023

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Election Day Two Part One https://www.youtube.com/live/vHCAwxFJiM0

The House reconvenes today after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) fell short of receiving 217 votes to win the speakers gavel yesterday afternoon. 20 Republicans voted...

10/05/2023

Macon Media aggregates links to news articles and videos that is then included in the a daily news and weather briefing. The news klinks are grouped by National News, International News, COVID-19 News, Science, Culture, Technology, and History Articles and Videos, and then three sections on the Russo-Ukraine War by news articles, videos, and then a pro-Russian section.

This post will focus on COVID-19, Science, Technology, Culture, and History Headlines for October 4th, 2023.
This section begins at https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/wx20231005.html and you can scroll up or down to see other sections.

Sometimes a clarifying sentence from the article will be added. Going forward, the regular time for these posts will be earlier in the day, with each section being posted abouit 30 minutes apart to avoid flooding your timeline. IF you wish to see these articles earlier, the daily news and weather briefing is usdually published between 4.30am and 5am, with some days being earlier and some days being later. Unless there is major breaking news, no headlines will be posted on Saturday or Sunday.

COVID-19 Section

• (video) COVID TWiV 1049: Long COVID's book of homeostatic cats | Microbe TV
• Say goodbye to the Covid-19 vaccination card [Politico (via Yahoo News)]
• These rapid COVID tests are less than $8 each on Amazon [Houston Chronicle]
• Virological characteristics correlating with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein fusogenicity [BioRxiv (PDF)]
• TWiV 1044: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 1045: Less Lassa, CRISPR RNA viruses [Microbe TV]

Science and Technology News Roundup

• The Sky This Week from September 29 to October 6: The year’s last Super Moon [Astronomy Magazine]
• The annular eclipse is coming soon. Here’s where and when to see it [Astronomy Magazine]
• (video) How Fat Bears Bulk Up To Hibernate (And Why We Love To See It) | WIRED
• OSIRIS-REx’s Overflowing Treasures: A Stellar Surprise From Asteroid Bennu [SciTechDaily]
• After Shunning Scientist, University of Pennsylvania Celebrates Her Nobel Prize [Wall Street Journal]
• Google search ad dominance takes center stage in fourth week of antitrust trial [Courthouse News Service]
• Report: Amazon made $1B with secret algorithm for spiking prices Internet-wide [ARS TECHNICA]
• Amazon shuts down Amp live audio service [CNBC]
• Is Sam Bankman-Fried’s defense even trying to win? [The Verge]

Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

• (video) The Level1 Show October 4 2023: Hot Phones and Delicious Pi | Level1 Techs
• (video) Facebook Does Want to Charge You - DTNS 4617 | Daily Tech News Show
• Why Korea is Dying Out | Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
• SpaceX Starlink 111 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 5 October 2023 | SciNews
• Ancient Earth: Birth of the Sky | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS
• Japan's Post-War M**h Panic (& How They Stopped It) | Audio | Asianometry
• Why Didn't the N***s Invade Sweden? | Kings and Generals
• Civilization: Is the West History? | Episode 2: Science | BBC Select



Published at 12.00pm on Thursday, October 05, 2023

10/05/2023

Macon Media aggregates links to news articles and videos that are then included in the daily news and weather briefing. The news links are grouped by National News, International News, COVID-19 News, Science, Culture, Technology, and History Articles and Videos, and then three sections on the Russo-Ukraine War by news articles, videos, and then a pro-Russian section.

This post will focus on the National and International News Roundup for October 4th, 2023.
The National News section begins at https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/wx20231005.html #6 and you can scroll up or down to see other sections. Since most of the news space has been taken up by the battle among Republicans in the US House of Representatives, most of the links today are concerned with that. You can see the article and video titles below. Sometimes a clarifying sentence from the article will be added. Going forward, the regular time for these posts will be earlier in the day, with each section being posted about 30 minutes apart to avoid flooding your timeline. IF you wish to see these articles earlier, the daily news and weather briefing is usually published between 4.30am and 5am, with some days being earlier and some days being later. Unless there is major breaking news, no headlines will be posted on Saturday or Sunday.

• (video) WATCH LIVE at 4pm: Memorial held for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, with tributes from Harris, Pelosi and Schumer| PBS NewsHour
• (video) Sen. McConnell Calls for House to Get Rid of Motion to Vacate | C-SPAN
• (video) Adam Schiff: This Is Why Democrats Didn't Save Kevin McCarthy From Ouster From Speaker Position | Forbes Breaking News
• Mortgage rates reach highest since November 2000
The average weekly rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hit 7.53% in the week ended Sept. 29 from the week prior's 7.41%, according to data released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The increased rate was accompanied by a 6% fall in home loan applications. [Reuters]
• Kaiser Permanente: Over 75,000 US healthcare workers go on strike [BBC News]
• Mayorkas cites ‘immediate need’ to waive regulations, build border wall in Texas as immigration surges [Fox News]
• From a Capitol Hill Basement, Bannon Stokes the Republican Party Meltdown [New York Times]
• House speaker succession battle heats up: Jordan, Scalise and Trump in the mix [CNBC]
• Fact Check: Do Donald Trump Indictments Bar Him From House Speaker Role? [Newsweek]

International News

• (video) Venice tourist bus plunges from bridge, killing 21 | BBC News
• (video) What is behind a police swoop on journalists in India? | Inside Story | Al Jazeera
• Why Western democracy faces a nightmare made online [Politico]
• 'False positives': Colombian army apologises for killing civilians [BBC News]
• How Nigeria averted a nationwide shutdown [DW News]
• How a landmark caste census in India threatens Modi’s grip on power [Al Jazeera]
• Ivory Coast: Cocoa production expected to fall by 28.5% in Q1 [Africa News]
• Pentagon chief renews support for Japan's 'counterstrike' capabilities amid N. Korean threats [Yonhap News Agency]

News Programs (Video/Audio))

• Washington Today (10-4-23): Reps. Jordan (R-OH) & Scalise (R-LA) officially enter race for Speaker | C-SPAN
• Global National: Oct. 4, 2023 | Manitoba's next premier Wab Kinew hopes for unity
• Nightly News Full Broadcast - Oct. 4 | NBC News
• PBS NewsHour full episode, (October 04, 2023)



Published at 11.00am on Thursday, October 05, 2023

10/04/2023

Macon Media uses a number of social networking platforms to share information. If you use these other platforms, please consider adding us.

https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/social-media-accounts-update-for.html

Social Media Accounts Update Macon Media uses several social media platforms to share information. The best place to get t...

07/19/2023

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07/19/2023

Here is Macon Media's link aggregation for news stories. They are divided into three groups, "National Headlines," "World Headlines," and in order to promote media literacy, a section called "On The Media: News About Journalism, Media Literacy, and Ethics in Journalism". Each section begins with a video and contains at least 5 links to news articles.

Link: https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/wx20230719.html #6

National News Headlines

• Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Hunger | CNBC

• Phoenix scorches at 110 for 19th straight day, breaking big U.S. city records in global heat wave [AP News]

• Trump, 5 rivals qualify for first GOP debate [Politico]

• Trump told by special counsel he is criminal target in Jan. 6 probe [CNBC]

• Michigan AG charges 16 GOP activists who falsely claimed to be electors in bid to aid Trump [News Facts Network]

• US soldier facing disciplinary action flees into North Korea [Reuters]

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International News Headlines

• History of Wagner Before Ukraine - Early Story | Kings and Generals

• Extreme heat radiates around the globe as 50C recorded in US and China [Taiwan News]

• There are now four ‘heat domes’ around the world: Weather watch [GazetteXtra (Janesville, WI)]

• Arresting Putin would be declaration of war against Russia, Ramaphosa says in confidential affidavit [News 24]

• Photos: Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts [Al Jazeera]

• Yoon designates 13 special disaster zones over deadly downpours [Yonhap News Agency]

• Egyptian rights researcher sentenced to three years in prison [Africa News]
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On The Media: News About Journalism, Media Literacy, and Ethics in Journalism

• Ethics 101: The Difference Between Free Expression And Journalism | Ethical Journalism Network

• International journalist Thomas Sparrow joins MediaWise’s media literacy ambassador program [Poynter]

• OpenAI will give local news millions to experiment with AI [Nieman Lab]

• THE MEDIA TODAY: What just happened at the BBC? [Columbia Journalism Review]

• The Latest Fact Checks curated by Media Bias Fact Check 07/18/2023 [Media Bias/Fact Check]

• The Importance of Ethics in Journalism [St Bonaventure University]

05/23/2023

Macon Media National and World News Roundup
Link: https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/wx20230523.html #6

• Debt Limit Negotiators Resume Talks | Bloomberg
• What it would mean for the global economy if the US defaults on its debt [AP News]
• Senators issued satellite phones, offered demonstrations on upgraded security devices [CBS News]
• If You Want to Understand Russian Power, Listen to the People Who Leave It [Time Magazine]
• Five takeaways about the consumer from Walmart, other retailers after a big week of earnings [CNBC]
• What is being done to curb spread of 'misinformation'? [RTÉ News and Current Affairs]
• Jeffrey Epstein Appeared to Threaten Bill Gates Over Microsoft Co-Founder’s Affair With Russian Bridge Player [https://archive.is/Eb79S]
• Ex-Trump White House Lawyer Predicts Bad News for Former President [Newsweek]
• The BRICS Economies | Economics Explained
• Two men sentenced for planning to attack US electric substations [Jerusalem Post]
• Shootout at Baja California Car Rally Leaves 10 Dead, 10 Wounded [Bloomberg]
• Federal Inquiry Finds Trump-Appointed CEO Abused Power at Voice of America [Rolling Stone (via Yahoo! News)]
• Washington Today (5/22/2023): Debt Limit Drama Continues | C-SPAN
•Global National: May 22, 2023 | RCMP's warning for those hindering firefighting in Alberta wildfires
• NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - May 22
• PBS NewsHour full episode, (May 22, 2023)



Published at 5.30am on Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article. Back to Top Weat...

04/30/2023

ViaSat-3 Americas Mission
(photo via SpaceX)

This will be the 6th launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket and all three Falcon-9 boosters will be expended in order to get to geostationary orbit with larger payloads. The launch window opens at 7.24pm and closes at 9.02pm. SpaceX is targeting 7.29pm per the FAA Calendar.

The main payload is one of three internet service satellites called Viasat-3 that will be capable of delivering 100-plus megabits of bandwidth to customers. Also on board this mission is Astranis's first MicroGEO satellite (also aimed at providing internet service from geostationary orbit) and Gravity Space’s GS-1 satellite (also aimed at geostationary orbit, this one with multiple payloads on a 16-U CubeSat platform).

Here are three places to watch the launch:

Official SpaceX Webcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFbp6PVbJQA

NASA Spaceflight (citizen journalists)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFw_zbcRtwo

Everyday Astronaut (citizen journalists)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfS0--ozD9U

Published at 7.05pm on Sunday, April 30, 2023

05/02/2022

The intent is to post these war updates to this page at 6am every morning.

Russo-Ukraine War Updates
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/wx20220502.html

Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/wx20220502.html

For those wishing to keep up to date with local postings, visit (and like) fb.com/MaconMedia.com

Today's news and weather briefing for Macon County for 05-02-2022 is at https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/wx20220502.html

Daily updated segments include:

Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and State News
Russo-Ukrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
On This Day
Support Macon Media




Published at 12:50pm on Monday, May 2, 2022

04/25/2022

The Splashdown of this mission is expected to occur a little after 1pm Eastern time today.

SpaceX, Axiom Space, and NASA are targeting no earlier than Sunday, April 24 at 8:55 p.m. ET (00:55 UTC Monday, April 25) for Dragon and the Ax-1 astronauts ...

04/17/2022

Updates on the Russo-Ukrainian War for April 17th can be seen at the following links:

Articles and maps
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/wx20220417.html

Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/wx20220417.html

04/17/2022

excerpt:

"The state's Department of Environmental Protection said the device, a portable nuclear gauge, is often used at construction sites to "evaluate the properties of building and road-bed materials." But if mishandled or damaged, people could be exposed to radiation contamination."

“As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety,” David Allard, director of the Bureau of Radiation Protection, said.

04/16/2022

For those who are interested in recent information (as of early on 04-16-2022) about the war in Ukraine, here are a couple of links where articles, maps, and videos are linked or embedded:

• Russo-Ukrainian War Updates https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/wx20220416.html

• Russo-Ukrainian War Videos https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/wx20220416.html

04/12/2022

NYC Subway Shooting. Several unexploded 'devices' found. The shooter was wearing a gas mask and an orange construction vest, according to three senior law enforcement officials. He fled the scene and has not been caught.
,
https://nypost.com/2022/04/12/nypd-investigating-possible-explosion-in-brooklyn-subway-station/

The NYPD’s bomb squad is investigating the incident in Sunset Park.

04/08/2022

The first all-private mission to the International Space Station will launch later this morning. This is the first in a series of flights that will eventually result in Axiom Space having their own private space station. Watch live at the link.

SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 8 for Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station from historic Launch Complex 39A (...

04/07/2022

excerpt:

Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed to the Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman to be appointed to the bench in its 233-year history.

The Senate voted 53-to-47 on Thursday to confirm Jackson, who will fill the vacancy left by retiring Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Breyer will step down at the end of the current term, which runs through June.

Read the rest at https://www.newsweek.com/ketanji-brown-jackson-confirmed-supreme-court-1691530

Jackson, 51, the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, has vowed to be an independent and neutral justice.

04/04/2022

A vote by the US Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to take place this morning.

Today, Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faces her first hurdle in the Senate, with the Judiciary Committee expected to deadlock 11-to-11 on ...

03/28/2022

President Announces FY 2023 Budget

https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/president-biden-speaks-about-pandemic.html

PRESS RELEASE (03-28-2022) WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 has exacted an unfathomable toll on our nation and the world, causi...

03/24/2022

For those interested in following the confirmation hearings of Kentaji Jackson, here are some links:

[C-SPAN] Confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (Day 4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm4Alws0t7w (live at 9am)

The SCOTUSblog collection of articles about the nomination: https://www.scotusblog.com/category/nomination-of-ketanji-brown-jackson/

Previous Days of Hearings (all from C-SPAN)

Day 1: https://youtu.be/7nCeqUkTKFQ

Day 2: https://youtu.be/q8TZsBTzJ5o

Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwYTg4JyI5k

03/23/2022

Updates on the Russo-Ukrainian War for Day 26

Videos and links to articles at https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220323.html #6, including:

• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 22
• A Ukrainian Town Deals Russia One of the War’s Most Decisive Routs
• ‘We want them to go to the Stone Age’: Ukrainian coders are splitting their time between work and cyber warfare
• Biden to announce new Russia sanctions while in Brussels
• The Azov Battalion: Extremists defending Mariupol

03/04/2022

Links to the various sections of Macon Media's news aggregation for 03-04-2022. This is mainly for those not interested in the local weather report.

Please note that news about the Russo-Ukraine War is not only in the Special Section but is also in other sections. For example, if a news item is both about the war and Science or Technology, it will be placed in the Science and Technology section

Local and StateNews https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220304.html #1

Special Section: Russia Invades Ukraine (Day 9) https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220304.html

National News Roundup https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220304.html #6

COVID-19 News and Updates https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220304.html

Science and Technology News https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/wx20220304.html #9

02/27/2022

Check out the news and weather briefing from this morning (02-27-2022).

Ukraine Section: http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/wx20220227.html
Science and Technology Section: http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/wx20220227.html #9

01/09/2022

The 01-09-2022 news and weather briefing for Macon County
(this is an experiment in news delivery)

• Local Weather for Macon County, NC
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #2

• Almanac for Macon County, NC
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #4

Drudge-style News Curation

• Local and State News for North Carolina
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #1

• World and National News Roundup
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #6

• COVID-19 News and Updates
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html

• Science and Technology News and Podcasts
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #9

• On This Day
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #7

• Support Macon Media
https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/wx20220109.html #8

12/25/2021

in 1914 – A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.

• Wikipedia: Christmas truce
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

• SABATON - Christmas Truce (Official Music Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdHkHslFIU

• WW1 Christmas Truce: Silent Night - Extra History - #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUlPNWDvk-c

• WW1 Christmas Truce: Letters from the Trenches - Extra History - #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pey-HmXGfs

• Christmas Truce of World War I - Joyeux Noel 2005 film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmJeWxwbSio

• The Remarkable Story Of The Christmas Truce | WW1 Christmas Truce | Timeline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCRjN6qqgHc

• Christmas Truce WWI: The Real Story Behind 1914's Most Famous Event | History Hit | War Stories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKNr0i-RT3A

I try to have several events in my OnThisDay segment in my daily news and weather fleshed out with links to where you can find more information about events. It will probably take a few more years until I can cycle back around and fill in each event with more information. Here is today's edition: http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/wx20211225.html #7

12/25/2021

The live webcast of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to start at 6am. Here is a link to watch it in case you do not have NASA TV: https://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/wx20211225.html #9

12/11/2021

The launch is scheduled to take place around 10am today On Wednesday, December 8, 2021, Smoky Mountain Jeeps and Smoky Mountain Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Dealership presented a $3000.00 donation to the Franklin Police Department for the annual Shop with a Cop program that assists with taking children shopping for Christmas presents.

Blue Origin will conduct its third human spaceflight on Saturday, December 11, the first with six astronauts on board. The astronaut manifest includes, Laura...