[01/04] A writer who decided to travel from Detroit to LA by bus as an adventure discovered that traveling around the US by bus has become ugly, highly uncomfortable, even dangerous:
the Guardian
A beautiful, broken America: what I learned on a 2,800-mile bus ride from Detroit to LA
Gone are the small, clean, cheap motels and public spaces where anyone can find a place to nurse a cup of coffee. Yet the camaraderie of the Greyho...
 All the things that made it acceptable and enjoyable decades ago have ceased to exist — stations have no food, no water fountains, no real toilets, no ticketing facilities, no staff, and hardly any chairs. And even the cheapest hotels in cities are painfully expensive.
A different Florida official says that schools can teach the AP Psychology course:
the Guardian
AP Psychology can be taught ‘in its entirety’, says Florida official
State had told superintendents the course violated a new law prohibiting content on sexual orientation and gender identity
 This countermands previous instructions that it was forbidden.
Many MPs (and their family members) have been denied bank accounts because they are in politics. Under special rules for banks and "politically exposed persons", that makes their accounts more expensive to handle:
the Guardian
Many MP fall foul of ‘politically exposed persons’ bank rules, says Chris Philp
Policing minister says case of private bank Coutts closing Nigel Farage’s account is ‘not unique’
Fiji is growing coral on underwater steel sculptures in the hope of finding or breeding varieties that can tolerate hotter water:
the Guardian
Art’s new wave: Fiji turns to underwater sculptures to restore its bleached reefs
A series of steel artworks sitting off the coast of Nacula Island is growing coral in hope of creating more climate-resilient organisms
 It may work for a while, but the only term solution is to reduce global heating and curb the increase in CO2 in the ocean.
Orcas have been attacking boats and ships occasionally for centuries:
the Guardian
Orcas ‘attacked’ my boat too. What does this say about the sea?
Violent interactions with humans off the Iberian coast have caused alarm but mystery still surrounds the apex predators
 One naturalist observed that they used the same approach that they use for hunting seals. This does not tell us what their motives are, but does suggest it has nothing to do with revenge for altering Earth's ecology.
A judge ruled that Texas's abortion ban must not prohibit abortion of pregnancies that endanger the pregnant woman:
the Guardian
Texas judge rules abortion ban too strict for risky pregnancies
State attorney general immediately appeals against ruling that says doctors must be allowed to end unsafe pregnancies
 A fanatical state official immediately appealed this decision, of course. No amount of suffering they cause to other people will change their minds about imposing their cruel religion.
In Boston: rally on Aug 10 for ranked choice voting. 6 - 7:30 PM at Sam Adams Park, 1 Faneuil Hall Sq, Boston
Volunteers in Houston ticketed for offering food to homeless people face the threat of fines of thousands of dollars:
the Guardian
Houston volunteers face thousands in fines for feeding homeless
Police have issued 44 tickets in a crackdown on food sharing after the mayor vowed to ‘retake’ the downtown public library
 San Francisco engaged in similar repression of Food not Bombs.
The EPA approved use of a new chemical in fuel whose chance of causing cancer, over a lifetime of exposure to exhaust from jets or boats, is close to 1:
the Guardian
EPA approved fuel ingredient with sky-high lifetime cancer risk, document reveals
Chevron component approved even though it could cause cancer in virtually every person exposed over a lifetime
Expert panel calls for urgent rethink on Great Barrier Reef management amid "unremitting" climate crisis:
the Guardian
Expert panel calls for urgent rethink on Great Barrier Reef management amid ‘unremitting’ climate crisis
Group chaired by former chief scientist Ian Chubb writes to Tanya Plibersek, saying ‘business as usual’ on the reef is not an option
 The rethink has to reach the conclusion that preventing total loss of the Great Barrier Reef is the least of all reasons to hurry up in cutting greenhouse emissions, and especially CO2 which will chemically wipe out all coral.