Arlington, VA — Mine operators should train miners on recognizing highwall hazards and following procedures for their safe control, the Mine Safety and Health Administration advises in a recent safety alert.

by Taylor Griggs

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! 

Good morning, Portland! There's rain on the menu for today, but you probably didn't need me to tell you that. Hopefully you know how to layer for November in Portland by now. Anddddd that's all the small talk we have time for this morning, so chop chop. It's news time. 

IN LOCAL NEWS: 

• Portland City Council is set to vote today on a five-year contract renewal for the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district, as well as a major expansion of the service area it covers and a fee hike. A couple weeks ago, when this item was first brought to the council, many Portlanders testified against the contract renewal. Now, four incoming city councilors (Mitch Green, Sameer Kanal, Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo)—along with community organizations and dozens of residents, have penned a letter to the current City Council asking them to postpone the contract renewal. 

Why the negativity for Clean & Safe? Well, as an excellent new article from our Courtney Vaughn details, the Clean & Safe district is overseen by an organization that has significant overlap in its management with the Portland Metro Chamber, AKA the Portland Business Alliance. The new contract would funnel a good portion of the $58 million contract to the Metro Chamber, which they will spend on lobbying efforts for private business interests. The program is also convoluted and lacks oversight, and it contributes majorly to the criminalization of homeless people in downtown Portland. So there's a lot wrong with it. Read the article for more of the details, and stay tuned for City Council's decision today. 

• The Portland Auditor's Office has released a much-anticipated (by me, at least) report on the Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) Vision Zero Action Plan, which the city adopted in 2016 in an effort to eliminate traffic crash fatalities and serious injuries. But in the eight years since the Vision Zero plan was adopted (and been updated twice), traffic crash deaths have increased in Portland, especially in the last four years. In 2023, 69 people were killed in traffic crashes on Portland streets. Given the current reality, it's understandable that people are questioning how effective the Vision Zero program is. 

While the Auditor's Office isn't seeking an overhaul of the program, the report recommends PBOT makes several key changes to improve Vision Zero outcomes. The audit report says PBOT should create a better project evaluation system, install more speed cameras, and use more qualitative data to determine the most equitable safety projects. According to PBOT, most of the concerns expressed in the audit report have already been addressed in the most recent Vision Zero update.

PBOT leaders did say they are hopeful more traffic safety improvements will be possible when Portland finally (fully) transitions to its new, less-siloed form of government in January. The report just came out this morning, so there hasn't been much in the way of community response yet, but I'm sure it will spark some Thoughts, capital "T." 

•  On a related note, the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims is this Sunday, an annual day to honor the many lives lost prematurely to traffic violence. Community organizations Families for Safe Streets, BikeLoud PDX, and Oregon Walks will join PBOT, elected leaders, and community members for a gathering at Portland City Hall. Find out more about the event here. 

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Families for Safe Streets PDX (@fss_pdx)

• Here's a painful fact, courtesy of a new investigation from OPB and ProPublica: Despite President Biden's repeated promises to save old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, the Bureau of Land Management is allowing timber companies to log such forests now more than in the last 10 years. Biden's BLM is on track to log 47,000 acres of public lands during his four years in office— about the same amount that Trump oversaw during his first term in office. And, get this: This is after Biden made an executive order to protect mature and old-growth forests in 2022! Considering the rare beauty of these forests—and, more importantly, their importance to ecosystems and ability to mitigate carbon emission—this is very unfortunate. The Biden administration hasn't answered for the BLM's actions, or if they're planning to take steps to further protect old growth forests in preparation for the next Trump administration. Let's hope he makes some changes while he still can, because we all know Trump will be a lot worse. 

• Rene Gonzalez, after losing his bid for mayor, is seeking donations of up to $579 because his campaign is in debt. I wonder if anyone will pay him. 

Stealing this from the other site because y’all need to see it. Anyone gonna donate $579 to Rene Gonzalez’s failed campaign for mayor??? @pradapdx.bsky.social

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— Taylor Griggs (@taylorgriggs.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 5:11 PM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: 

• President-elect Donald Trump (ouch) has asked Vivek Ramaswamy (ouch again) and Elon Musk (commentary unnecessary here) to lead a new government agency that he plans to create in order to regulate federal spending. The new agency will be called the Department of Government Efficiency, which just happens to create the acronym DOGE, a reference to the Shiba Inu meme of the mid-2010s and the joke cryptocurrency by the same name that Musk promoted. Apparently, a Department of Government Efficiency needs to be run by two people. I hope I am adequately conveying my tone of contempt here. 

As ridiculous as this all is, it's also extremely bad. Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy's plan is to fire thousands of federal employees, cut necessary regulations, and ultimately destroy many of the most crucial components of the federal government. All we can do is hope that SOME Republicans in Congress (we don't need all of them!) will realize how idiotic this is and block Trump's attempt to create a new government agency, which he can't do without congressional approval. Or can he? The limit to this idiocy knows no bounds.

However, given these men's volatility—which is replicated in many others in Trump's sphere—it does seem pretty likely that they'll all be in a huge fight by the time Trump takes office. I do think there are some major catfights on the horizon, if that gives you any comfort in these trying times. 

fundamentally this is what Trump administrations are all about: the guys. there will be new guys every week. they will startle you, you'll be astounded by them, and then as quickly as they appeared they will fade into an indistinguishable mass, leaves on the forest floor.

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— Peter (@notalawyer.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 4:39 PM

• Here's something that will NOT give you comfort in these trying times: Despite the hope last year would mark a global carbon dioxide emissions peak, humans are burning more fossil fuels this year than we did last year. The world is on track to put 0.8 percent more carbon into the atmosphere than in 2023. Though this is not surprising, it IS actually crazy behavior from humanity (and let me be clear, it's a tiny minority of humans leading the charge on this, though a substantially larger minority are eagerly/mindlessly participating in burning fossil fuels at a rate incompatible with the future of life on this planet). Good thing we will have strong climate leadership in the White House come January. NOT!!!! 

• One way people are attempting to #resist Elon Musk after he helped Trump get into office and will now seemingly play a key role in his administration? Leaving Twitter, AKA X, the social media site he bought and ruined. Bluesky may be the place to be now. (I am finding it much more pleasant.) 

In the week since the U.S. presidential election, Elon Musk has used X, the social media platform he owns, to reiterate his support for President-elect Donald Trump. Some of X’s users have decided they want to post elsewhere. Among the largest beneficiaries of that desire is Bluesky. nyti.ms/48JtYAt

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) November 12, 2024 at 10:46 PM

• Okay, here's some actual good news: The U.S. House voted down a bill that would've helped Trump censor and persecute his political opponents. The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act had previously received bipartisan support, but after Trump was elected, some Democratic lawmakers (and The Intercept) raised alarm bells. The bill would give the U.S. Treasury Department complete authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it deems are "terrorist supporting organizations," which Trump could use to enable the destruction of nonprofits that the future president doesn't politically align with. WHEW. 

• Finally, please watch this video of a little boy and his crow friend. ???????? Bye bye! 

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A post shared by Dogs | Puppies | Family (@yourpaws.global)

A road bridge collapsed between the villages of Izumrudnoye and Maslovo in Crimea, two people were hurt. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the bridge collapse occurred over railway tracks, all services are working on the scene. At the time of the accident, a car and an eighteen-wheeler were traveling across the bridge. It is believed that the bridge could not withstand the weight of the truck and collapsed.

After the San Francisco 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons for the right to go to the Super Bowl, I tweeted my appreciation of a California team going to the game.  If no local team is in the running (or exists), I'm always glad to root for a Bay Area team that makes it.

My tweet got responses from some Southern Californians who have no interest in supporting a San Francisco team, especially given the Giants' World Series championship.  It goes without saying that many Dodger fans are loathe to support the Giants, under any circumstances. 

Given the historic bad blood between the teams, that's no surprise, but I think it runs even deeper.  The divide between Northern and Southern California is about more than sports, or even water rights.  It's rooted in distinct cultural differences between the two.

However, California has evolved to the point where the bigger cultural divide now might be between coastal and inland regions.  Rural Northern Californians typically dislike San Francisco far more than Angelenos do.  Similarly, inland Southern California residents often see Los Angeles as the prohibitively expensive home of two-hour traffic jams.

Until the Inland Empire or the San Joaquin Valley get major league teams, we won't see that rivalry playing out at a stadium near you.   In the meantime, I'm cheering on the Niners, and my state, on February 3rd.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

In preparation for cookie season, the late-night bakery is offering Insomniacs warm, indulgent flavors.

Terlato Wine Group, Lake Bluff, Ill., announced Academy Award-nominated actor, No. 1 New York Times Best Selling author, and entrepreneur Taraji P. Henson has joined the Seven Daughters family as strategic adviser and creative collaborator of the brand.

A new report describes the dire state of Earth's snow and ice, suggesting several major tipping points are likelier than scientists once thought.

The Space Development Agency (SDA) on Tuesday said it has awarded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions [KTOS] a potential $116.7 contract to create and operate a missile defense fire control […]

Hi Ozbargainers,

I was watching in amazement as the TravelKon sim card deal clocked over 300+ votes, great deal and also indicative of the number of Ozbargainers thinking about taking off overseas in the next 3 months, so on this note being the ambulance chaser entrepreneur that I am, I thought - what a great time for a deal on Diarrhoea relief. I reached out to a new supplier and asked for a deal so I could offer an ATL on diarrhoea relief. Nova Pharma came good and after scouring the web I think I can say, this is by FAR the best price for this item delivered anywhere in Oz - At this price, why risk taking off without a box in your hand luggage.

The box says: "Lorrex acts to restore normal bowel function", and we all want that!

Item: 20x Lorrex Liquicaps, Loperamide Hydrochloride 2mg
Link: https://pharmacysavings.com.au/products/travel-essentials-tr…
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I'm going to give a special shout out to a very Shorted dated product, but I know many of you don't mind buying short dated at the right price:

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Price: $4.99
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Ozbargains Favourites have again been restocked:

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Google Maps - When crossing state lines, you’re welcomed to the new state.

/via Thomas Park

Trump taps Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for defence secretary in surprise move

"He's pulled strings like that before. And it baffles me, right? Because it really does make zero sense." A sweet, strange, short piece of memoir (note that the title has a NSFW profanity in it) about a workplace, and saving geckos, and a sorting-out of a misunderstanding, and what builds trust.

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This item belongs to: texts/godaneinbox.

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By Don Thompson, KFF

California public health officials are dipping into state and federal stockpiles to equip up to 10,000 farmworkers with masks, gloves, goggles, and other safety gear as the state confirms at least 21 human cases of bird flu as of early November. It’s the latest reminder of the state’s struggle to remain prepared amid multibillion-dollar deficits.

Officials said they began distributing more than 2 million pieces of personal protective equipment in late May, four months before the first human case was confirmed in the state. They said they began ramping up coordination with local health officials in April after bird flu was first detected in cattle in the U.S. Bird flu has now been confirmed at more than 270 dairies in central California, and traces were recently detected at a wastewater sampling site in Los Angeles County. Bird flu was also recently detected in a flock of commercial turkeys in Sacramento County.

California is putting a number of lessons from the covid-19 pandemic to use, such as coordinating emergency response with local health officials and tracking infectious diseases through wastewater surveillance, as the state tries to limit the spread of bird flu to humans. It’s striving to maintain an adequate emergency stockpile to withstand the first wave of any new public health disaster without hemorrhaging the state budget.

“We are far better prepared to respond to a pandemic than we were in 2020,” said Amy Palmer, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

For instance, before the coronavirus struck in 2020, the state’s emergency supplies stockpile was barely big enough to crowd two basketball courts.

By the time California ramped up its pandemic response, it had enough personal protective equipment and other disaster supplies to fill 52 football fields. California spent $15.6 billion on direct pandemic response during the covid crisis years, much of it provided by the federal government.

Today, the stockpile fits into about 12½ football fields, though it can seesaw from month to month.

According to the state, the current stockpile includes 101 million face masks, 26 million more than the 90-day supply recommended by the state’s pandemic preparedness guideline.

That includes 88 million N95 masks, more than the emergency services agency said was needed last year. The high-efficiency masks are considered crucial to protect against airborne viruses such as covid-19.

Although the state is building up its stockpile, Palmer could not say if the additional masks are related to fears of bird flu, only that planners are always working “to keep pace with the current risk environment.”

The state’s goal, Palmer said, is to have “an initial supply during emergencies to allow us the time to secure resources,” whether through the federal government or by buying more.

There is no indication of spread between humans in the recent California bird flu cases, and health officials say public risk remains low. Human transmission of bird flu is among several worst-case scenarios for a new pandemic, alongside the possibility of a resurgent mutant coronavirus; wider international spread of mpox, Marburg virus, or Ebola; or an entirely new virus for which there initially is no immunity or vaccine.

Yet, health officials nationwide have struggled to track bird flu transmission. And California has a history of swinging back and forth on preparedness.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered an increase in California’s pandemic preparedness in 2006 in response to an earlier threat from bird flu. That included three mobile hospitals that could immediately be deployed during disasters.

Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, ended the program in 2011 as state finances went bust. By the time covid struck, the state released 21 million N95 masks, some so old they were past their expiration date.

Now hospitals are required to maintain their own three-month supply of masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment under a state law passed in 2020. California’s aerosol transmissible disease standard also uniquely requires hospitals and other high-risk workplaces to follow precautions such as using negative pressure isolation rooms and the highest level of protective equipment until more is known about a new pathogen.

“It is difficult to overstate the level of unpreparedness exhibited by hospitals both in and outside of California in dealing with the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19,” according to a legislative analysis. “Harrowing images of nurses walking the corridors of hospitals in makeshift masks and garbage bags became commonplace.”

California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea said hospitals “continuously prepare to respond to all types of disasters, including outbreaks of transmissible viruses.”

In addition, Palmer said California has five mobile hospitals acquired from the federal government, though they got little use during the pandemic. She said they have to be maintained, such as making sure pulse oximeters have working batteries.

But, once again, the current deficit has the state trying to strike a balance.

While lawmakers rejected most of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $300 million proposed cut to public health funding, the state slashed funding for its stockpile of personal protective equipment by one-third a year ago after it determined that no additional covid-related purchases were necessary, according to the Department of Finance. California eliminated funding this year for eight 53-foot-long trailers that would have moved stockpiled items between warehouses. It’s also cutting nearly $40 million over the next four years from its $175 million disaster stockpile budget.

The state’s preparedness wasn’t good enough for Californians Against Pandemics, which gathered more than 1 million signatures to put a ballot measure before voters in November. The measure would have increased taxes on people with incomes over $5 million and used that money for pandemic prevention and response.

But that effort collapsed after one of its key financial supporters, former cryptocurrency executive Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of defrauding customers and investors. In exchange for initiative backers dropping the measure, state officials agreed to broaden the scope of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, which was created in 2015 to focus on developing new medicines and therapies, to include technologies for preventing another pandemic.

“By harnessing the power of precision medicine, California is moving to the forefront of pandemic preparedness and prevention,” Newsom said at the time.

Rodger Butler, a spokesperson for the state Health and Human Services Agency, said it’s unclear if the precision medicine initiative will receive additional funding.

By Hailey Gomez President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening that Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth will be his pick for secretary of defense in his upcoming administration. Since last week, Trump has been releasing names for his cabinet after winning both the Electoral College and popular vote. He announced his decision of the […]

The post Trump Taps Fox News Host, Combat Vet For Secretary Of Defense appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

ANC Mayor Bongani Hadebe's attempts to suspend Dannhauser municipal manager Mandla Sithole without following due process, and in the middle of the municipality's regulatory audit, has backfired spectacularly.

The following article, Fake News MSNBC, CNN Ratings Collapse after Trump’s Massive Win, was first published on Conservative Firing Line.

Two of the worst fake news purveyors, MSNBC and CNN, both suffered ratings bloodbaths since Donald Trump won his historic victory last week. And it couldn’t happen to any more serving networks. Let’s take the extremist, left-wing MSNBC. Take a look at this delicious drop in ratings: Major Nielsen ratings plunge at MSNBC since Trump …

Continue reading Fake News MSNBC, CNN Ratings Collapse after Trump’s Massive Win ...

From layoffs to selloffs, the news is grim for corporate propaganda mills.

The post Trump Gets Last Laugh As Corporate Media Collapses appeared first on Clash Daily.

President-elect Donald Trump chose Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as secretary of state; Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as U.S. attorney general and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.

A time lapse of the moon rising over Windsor, Ont., Nov. 12, 2024, from a CBC tower camera.

Centre County’s pre-eminent classical ballet school’s annual production of "The Nutcracker" will transport audiences to a magical world where life-sized toy soldiers fight giant mice, snowflakes dance, and the Sugar Plum Fairy welcomes all to the Nutcracker’s Kingdom from the Land of Sweets. 

Teraco Data Environments hired Absa to syndicate an R8 billion loan as the company gears up for a new facility to meet rising demand from artificial intelligence applications.

A video has shed light on the plight of villagers in Kalluru of Nirmal-Kuntala district in Telangana where a man is crossing a stream, Sudda Vagu, by sliding through a pipe from one end to the other.

Gaetz, who faced a federal probe and opposed key bills, would oversee deportations and Jan. 6 pardons while dismantling what Trump calls a 'weaponized government.'

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., praised Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after President-elect Trump tapped him for attorney general on Wednesday.

1. Rajasthan Congress rebel Naresh Meena ‘slaps’ local SDM during bypolls  The Indian Express
2. Rajasthan bypolls: SDM assaulted, stones pelted, vehicles torched in Tonk; 60 arrested  Hindustan Times
3. SDM slap row: 10 cops hurt in stone-pelting in post-poll violence in Rajasthan's Samravata village  The Times of India
4. Video: Rajasthan Official Slapped By Independent Candidate Outside Booth  NDTV
5. India News Today Live Updates: Tonk violence: 60 arrested after Naresh Meena ‘slaps’ SDM, stones pelted at cops; candidate warns 'would've beaten him…'  Mint

Wouldn't it be nice if you could go out for a run without fear of being harmed? Technology has a way of making us both safer and at greater risk while out and about, but a new tool from Strava might help with the former. Strava has announced Night Heatmaps, a feature that shows which areas have more activity — or "heat" — between sunset and sunrise. Yes, Heatmaps is the feature that accidentally revealed the location of US military bases. 

The update is a welcome one with sunset getting very early in some areas of the world, while night seems to last late into the morning. It also comes alongside a new Weekly Heatmap, which shows heat levels in an area over the last seven days. Again, this can help you know which paths will have the most people, but at all times of the day. While this added awareness is great for knowing where to go, some people might also purposely choose to avoid the busiest times, for fear of unwanted attention (there's no winning here). 

In either case, the Night and Weekly Heatmaps are only available on subscriber accounts (a membership will cost you $12 monthly or $80 annually). It's also worth noting that Heatmaps pull solely from public activities on Strava, so you're not getting the full story of how many people go where. 

Night and Weekly Heatmaps join the Global Heatmaps (also subscriber exclusive) and your Personal Heatmap. You can access any of them through the Map tab and filter the Heatmap by activity type. 

US President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists with little experience for several key cabinet positions on Wednesday (Nov 13), stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping — and in some cases testing — America's institutions. Trump's choice of congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, for US attorney general, America's top law enforcement officer, was a surprising pick. The former attorney has never worked in the Justice Department, or as a prosecutor, and was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations. His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors he would not face criminal charges. Trump tapped Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. The former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trump-ally has in the past spoken out against military intervention in the civil war in Syria under former President Barack Obama and implied that Russian President Vladimir Putin had valid grounds for invading Ukraine, America's ally.

UNITED NATIONS — An entire generation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would "be denied the right to education" if the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA collapses in the enclave under new Israeli legislation, the head of UNRWA warned on Wednesday (Nov 13). Israel's parliament passed a law last month that will ban UNRWA from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said its implementation "will have catastrophic consequences." "In Gaza, dismantling UNRWA will collapse the United Nations humanitarian response, which relies heavily on the agency's infrastructure," he told a UN General Assembly committee. "Glaringly absent from discussions about Gaza without UNRWA, is education." "In the absence of a capable public administration or state, only UNRWA can deliver education to more than 660,000 girls and boys across Gaza. In the absence of UNRWA, an entire generation will be denied the right to education," he said, warning that this would sow "the seeds for marginalisation and extremism."

Try Google Maps new explore feature, which finds hidden gems along your journey.

Unauthorised purchase of medicines and equipment from a private agency has come under the scanner of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is probing the financial irregularities in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

1. Trump taps former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard as US intel chief; Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State  The Hindu
2. Who is Tulsi Gabbard? Meet the Hindu American appointed by Trump as US Director of National Intelligence  The Times of India
3. Trump Tracker: Ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard Appointed US Intelligence Chief  NDTV
4. Who is Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s Hindu pick for director of national intelligence?  The Economic Times
5. Trump picks ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence  India Today

Tulsi Gabbard demanded U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq and Syria during her 2020 Presidential run; Marco Rubio would be the first Hispanic as the top U.S. diplomat

Taapsee Pannu's off-screen style too reflects her eye for detail, making her a fashionista worth following.

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