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OYSTERS - Nature's Technological Wonders! New York Harbor is getting a pearl of underwater development off the shores of Brooklyn — one that will rival Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in terms of ecological importance. The Billion Oyster Project, a local environmental organization, announced the construction of a new oyster reef in Paerdegat Basin, a channel that connects to Jamaica Bay, located just a few yards away from the Canarsie shoreline. The underwater marine project is set to kick off next summer and, by its completion in 2029, will be home to approximately 90 million oysters. This is not the first oyster reef the organization has made in New York City, but at 6.5 acres in size, it will be one of its larger installations. “It is a unique site for us because it’s close to shore and in shallow water,” explained Pete Malinowski, executive director of the Billion Oyster Project. “All the reef structures will be under water all the time right below the surface. And the reef will actually help protect some of the restored shoreline in the basin.” So…why build an oyster reef in NYC? To start, oysters were once abundant in Big Apple waters until humans ate many of them. But they’re not just a delicacy; the mollusks are also pivotal for healthy aquatic habitats. “We’re very excited throughout the harbor to rebuild this three-dimensional habitat that used to be here, and through that work, provide homes and food for millions and millions of sea creatures that used to thrive in New York Harbor,” Malinowski said. Some of those creatures expected to return to the new reef include crabs, shrimp, dozens of fish species, and other marine life. Scientists consider oysters a keystone species for protecting shorelines in New York City and other areas and the animals who live there. Oyster reefs may not be as colorful as, say, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but their role in the environment is just as important. “They’re ecosystem engineers,” Malinowski said. “Oysters, just like coral reefs. Coral is that keystone species that builds that three-dimensional reef. Without oysters, there are no oyster reefs. Without oyster reefs, there is none of that habitat.” What does it take to build an oyster reef in NYC? The project, which is supported by a $968,000 grant from House Minority Leader and U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, will provide lots of on-water learning opportunities for thousands of Brooklyn students. The Billion Oyster Project’s education and community engagement departments work to engage schools and other groups with their projects. “Reef installations like this one in Paerdegat Basin are opportunities to make that learning real for students,” Malinowski said. Constructing the reef will include the placement of 1,015 concrete reef balls that are designed to protect the low-lying shore from storm surge in increasing significant storm events. And, it will reduce erosion throughout the basin. The Billion Oyster Program incorporates oyster larvae, imported from East Coast hatcheries, into tanks with reef structures. The larvae swim around and attach to the reef balls or other items in the tank. Eventually the concrete balls, covered with oysters, go into the water. Water quality in the Paerdegat Basin was poor for quite a long time, but has seen an improvement in recent years, Malinowski explained, because of work the NYC Department of Environmental Protection has done to install holding tanks and store and treat wastewater. Just like the Department of Environmental Protection, these little bivalves will also help keep New York’s waters clean. Adult oysters are filter feeders that keep waters clean by gobbling up pollutants. One adult oyster cleans about 50 gallons of water each day.

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I made three Shake 'n Bake chicken wings earlier & now have a cake about to come out. My toaster oven's favorite story as a child was definitely The Little Engine That Could.

Waymo robotaxis wake sleeping San Fran residents with honking horns while parking at 4 a.m.

Businessman’s wife found him ‘crushed’ by own Range Rover near helipad at their home so... a low-income family?

Grandmother strapped to wheelchair was forced to watch grave being dug before ex killed her

A study released Monday using data from NASA’s Mars InSight lander shows evidence of liquid water far below the surface of the fourth planet, advancing the search for life there and showing what might have happened to Mars’ ancient oceans. The lander, which has been on the red planet since 2018, measured seismic data over four years, examining how quakes shook the ground and determining what materials or substances were beneath the surface. Based on that data, the researchers found liquid water was most likely present deep beneath the lander. Water is considered essential for life, and geological studies show the planet’s surface had lakes, rivers and oceans more than 3 billion years ago. “On Earth what we know is where it is wet enough and there are enough sources of energy, there is microbial life very deep in Earth’s subsurface,” said one of the authors, Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “The ingredients for life as we know it exist in the Martian subsurface if these interpretations are correct.” The study found that large reservoirs of liquid water in fractures 11.5 kilometres (7.15 miles) to 20km (12.43 miles) beneath the surface best explained the InSight measurements. “On Earth, groundwater infiltrated from the surface” to deep underground, Wright said. “We expect this process to have occurred on Mars as well when the upper crust was warmer than it is today.” There is no way to directly study water that deep beneath the surface of Mars, but the authors said the results “have implications for understanding Mars’ water cycle, determining the fates of past surface water, searching for past or extant life, and assessing in situ resource utilization for future missions.” The study, whose other authors are Matthias Morzfeld of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Michael Manga of the University of California Berkeley, was published the week of Aug. 12 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “I’m inspired and I hope the public is also inspired,” Wright said. “Humans can work together to put instruments on a planet … and try to understand what’s going on there.” https://nypost.com/2024/08/13/world-news/ocean-with-life-giving-liquid-water-found-on-martian-subsurface-in-stunning-discovery/

H Mart expands Long Island City food court with new Korean vendors H Mart, the popular Korean supermarket located at 48-18 Northern Blvd. in Long Island City, has announced the expansion of its food court with the addition of five new vendors. The second phase of the grand opening will take place on Friday, Aug. 16, at 11 a.m., bringing an even wider variety of Asian flavors to the already bustling market. The new vendors include Goldmiss, known for its mochi donuts and Korean hot dogs, and Dduk Dabang, a Korean soul food vendor. Both have pre-existing locations in Edison, New Jersey. Don Chicken, a Korean fried chicken vendor with multiple locations across New York and New Jersey, will also make its debut. Namudol LIC, an authentic Korean eatery with a location in Flushing, and Kyodong Noodles, a Chinese-Korean noodle joint, round out the new offerings. To celebrate, the market is offering a 30% discount at the food court from Aug. 16 through Nov. 24. The first phase of the grand opening took place in May, with the launch of five food vendors. Among them were Kim Ga Nae, a Flushing-based restaurant specializing in Korean comfort food; Rice Boy, offering a variety of rice bowls; and L’Ami Bakery, known for its Korean-inspired baked goods and cakes. Bubble tea vendor Gong Cha and Oh! K-Dog, a popular chain serving Korean rice hot dogs, also opened stalls during the initial phase. The LIC food court is notable for its size, offering both a large seating area and a dedicated mini claw machine section with 18 different machines and prizes. H Mart’s operates eight locations in the borough, with five based in Flushing. H Mart LIC is open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit hmart.com or call (718) 489-8580. Specialty donuts with a Filipino flair to open store in Sunnyside Enjoy a free drink at select Queens bars with New York Blood Center’s ‘Pint for a Pint’ campaign this month Mets to hold celebration of diverse culture of Queens at Citi Field Aug. 13 and 14 NYPD vs. FDNY: ‘Battle of the Badges’ baseball game returning to Citi Field Sep. 12 Over 22,000 rally behind Forest Hills Stadium in petition to save concerts amid legal battle Apartment space in Queens among most costly in United States: report Search underway for stolen Woodside bodega cat beloved by local community A local nonprofit in Ridgewood is bringing access to clean showers to some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents. Shower Power runs a free, year-long shower program at Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, located at 59-14 70th Ave. The program is targeted towards the homeless population, migrants, and anyone in need of a fresh, clean shower. Current operating hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dates of service will move to Tuesday and Wednesday starting Aug 16. Shower Power staff provide every guest with their choice of toiletries and a clean, fresh towel. Additionally, every attendee has access to a clean pair of clothing, complete with new socks, underwear, hoodies, pants, and t-shirts, courtesy of the clothing brand Bombas. Guests also receive period products, snacks, water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other personal hygiene items. Ridgewood Presbyterian Church has indoor showers that are utilized yearlong for guests, which are used in tandem with the Shower Power-provided trailers. The church built the indoor showers in February after it converted part of the facility into a small-scale migrant shelter as part of a City Hall program. Only indoor showers are currently available due to a power supply issue with the trailers. https://qns.com/2024/08/ridgewood-nonprofit-queens-free-shower-program/

The Red Sox announced that they have suspended outfielder Jarren Duran for two games. During yesterday’s game, the outfielder was caught on microphone using a homophobic slur in response to a heckler (X link with video, including audio of the slur, from Awful Announcing). “In consultation with Major League Baseball, the Red Sox today issued an unpaid two-game suspension to outfielder Jarren Duran beginning with tonight’s game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park,” the club statement says. “Additionally, Duran’s salary from the two-game suspension will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the United States’ largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and those who love them.”

Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers The 20-year-old rookie, signed to that eight-year, $82 million contract in the offseason before he had played a major league game, looked overmatched the first two months, hitting .206 in April (with 34 strikeouts in 27 games) and .215 in May. But the Brewers stuck with the youngster -- perhaps understanding that he had improved throughout the season when jumping levels in the minors. He hit .315 in June and has been scorching hot since the All-Star break with a .358 average and five home runs in 19 games. In his first 50 games, he had a 47% strikeout rate; in his next 50, it was 16.5%. He has been a huge key to a Milwaukee offense that continues to score runs even without the injured Christian Yelich. Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles Talk about overmatched. We all remember how poorly his initial 10-game stint in April went: .059 (2-for-34, 18 strikeouts). Sent back to Triple-A Norfolk, he showed a propensity for getting on base (.431 OBP), although he was still whiffing quite a bit (77 strikeouts in 73 games). He was called back up on July 31, however, and has been dominant, hitting .250 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in 11 games, with his strikeout rate at an acceptable 27.3%. The Orioles have scuffled along as a .500 team since the middle of June, but a hot Holliday could help turn a very good offense into a great one. Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres It's a good year to be a rookie named Jackson. Merrill continued his outstanding season -- which included a trip to the All-Star Game -- with a game-tying home run on Saturday in the eighth inning, a day after hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth. The Padres won both games in extra innings to run their win streak to seven games (before dropping one to the Marlins on Sunday). A couple of days before that, he went 4-for-5 with two home runs in another extra-inning win. Merrill has five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning or later, tied with Mel Ott for the second most in a season by a player 21 or younger (Frank Robinson had six in 1956). His second-half numbers: .347/.376/.693, five home runs and 18 RBIs in 20 games. Question: What reliever has seven consecutive appearances of one inning and no walks, and 11 out of his last 12? Answer: Aroldis Chapman There's never been a season with 3 10-war players in one league. Judge, Witt, Henderson are all on pace and as of a couple of days ago, Soto – the guy who hit two homers and threw somebody out on the bases today – was on pace for 9.8. And at the start of the year, if I would've told you what Judge's statistics would be at this point, you would have said "well then, I guess he's neck and neck with Bobby Witt Junior for the MVP award", right? The Braves were leading 8 to 2 with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the eighth in Colorado today, then 8 to 4 with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the eighth. The Braves' ninth consisted of a lead off single, a double play, and a strike out looking which concluded a 9 to 8 loss, which has to be worse than anything The Mets or Yankees have managed this year. And I am just thrilled that if the Astros can get Verlander back and pitching decently and Kyle Tucker back and playing well, they have an excellent chance to win the west, and in that case would seem to have as complete a roster as any team in baseball, with playoff tested starting and relieving, and a high-powered offense to boot. A couple of "did you notice" stats: Arizona has now out-scored the Yankees by 10 runs in an equal amount of games and is the highest scoring team in baseball and, of all teams, the Brewers have the second best run differential in baseball, after the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said he "fell far short" after directing an anti-gay slur toward a fan during Sunday's 10-2 home loss to the Houston Astros. In the bottom of the sixth inning, in between pitches with the count 1-2 and Duran 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, a fan behind home plate could be heard shouting, "Tennis racket! Tennis racket! You need a tennis racket!" Duran looked at the fan and could be heard on the game telecast saying, "Shut up you f---ing f----t." "During tonight's game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan," Duran said in a statement released by the Red Sox. "I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person." The Red Sox said they "addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today's game." "We echo Jarren's apology to our fans, especially to the LGBTQ community," the team said in a statement. "We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continue to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusivity." The exchange with the fan came after Duran was honored during a pregame ceremony as the team's recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, which recognizes one player per team who "demonstrates a passion for the game and best embodies its values, spirit, and traditions." unfortunately, homophobic bigotry IS part of America's sporting traditions. Last month, Duran became the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP after hitting a decisive home run in the contest. In 116 games this season, he is batting .291 and leads Boston with 143 hits. tradition.wav Here Comes Trouble.wav oh shit.wav parental discretion advised.wav S.O.B Donald.wav what a bad boy you are.wav toodle-oo.wav

Right now I am wearing a pair the same color as he is in the picture. I have a collection from past hospital stays.

Thus your screen name?

COVID-19 no longer a top cause of US death — here’s what’s replaced it You invited the whole neighborhood over for a cook-out, didn't you?

Nicole Gelinas Don't romanticize Europe's unreliable high-speed rail With Paris closed this vacation season for the Olympics, what could be more fun for a train-lover like me than riding Europe’s reliable high-speed trains across the rest of the continent? Instead of enjoying spontaneous, easy travel, though, I’m getting an education. It turns out, one reason high-speed rail “works” in Europe is that its customers will put up with inconvenience and uncertainty that Americans would never tolerate. Germany’s Deutsche Bahn ICE — intercity express — trains seemed like a great place to start: The country has several cities a few hours away from each other, and a short ride from other European capitals as well. And the Germans must apply their world-famous precision to DB, the largest global railway, no? The German system, more than three decades old, rivals France’s high-speed lines for global status among railfans. The first ICE trip I take — a two-hour jaunt from Brussels to Cologne — goes well enough, although not without an ominous sign: It’s 10 minutes late departing and a few minutes late arriving, with no explanation. It’s most unlike the Japanese train company that, a few years ago, apologized for departing a few seconds early. But what should have been a four-hour journey from Cologne to Hamburg is a katastrophe. We arrive at the station and check the departure board; our train is nowhere to be found. It finally pops up, listed as about to leave five minutes late, and then 10 minutes late, and then 15 minutes late. Good thing I splurged the extra $60 or so for the first-class carriage, to relax in the DB Lounge for a bit. (That, and not sitting on top of strangers, is the only benefit you get in first class.) But no — the lounge is being “fixed,” replaced by a temporary lounge in a separate building that’s a 10-minute walk from the station. Unlike New York’s Penn Station, DB offers no waiting-room seating for passengers who wisely haven’t paid for the closed lounge, so you just stand around in the heat and noise. Finally, we get going. But the on-board screen — with no acknowledgement by train staff — informs us that our arrival will be 20 minutes late. Then 30. Then 40. Then an hour and five minutes. Then two hours. Then close to 2½ hours. A four-hour trip has turned into a nearly seven-hour odyssey. The only thing we get for this, the on-board café manager informs us, is free water. Not the chilled bubbly water that costs $4, but a warm box of water. Worse, the train silently takes on a mind of its own. It skips an important stop, causing people to miss a Berlin connection. It adds suburban stops, making us later. It terminates short of its scheduled final stop, so people heading there must find alternative transit. The strangest part is that nobody on board questions any of this. If Amtrak’s four-hour Acela train from New York to Boston were to run nearly three hours late — and, in decades of regular Acela trips, I’ve never had such an experience — passengers would demand an explanation. Why is the train delayed? Broken track, operator shortage, weather, sick passenger . . . give us a reason. But the weather has been perfect for days, and not a single reason is proffered. People accept this tardiness and diversion as normal. Yet a delayed, rerouted train is better than no train. Part of the fun of a rail-based vacation is that you don’t have to plan; when you’ve seen enough of one city, book passage to the next one. Nope: For three days straight, all trains from Hamburg to Denmark’s Copenhagen are booked. Our various legs of the journey also demonstrate that efficient, cheap rail travel requires packing people into cramped, uncomfortable spaces, to a degree that’s uncommon at home. Eurostar from London to Brussels crowds its ticketed passengers into a sweltering waiting room with inadequate seats (at least there are seats). An hour-long commuter-rail trip from Brussels to the medieval Belgian town of Bruges I had dinner there one night in 1990 is mostly spent standing in unventilated heat. Passengers open windows for DIY ventilation, so it’s also deafening. Things are no better in Italy, the European newspapers report, with vacationers complaining of long delays and crowding. Long-distance rail has its place in the transportation system, of course, in both Europe and the United States. Acela service has improved East Coast travel, for example. But high-speed rail is never going to rival the car for flexibility and cost on medium-length trips, or the plane for speed and cost on longer ones. If you’re able-bodied and non-elderly, and don’t have children to attend to, relying on rail may be a bemusing adventure. But it’s easy to see why most Europeans take summer trips by air (54%) and car (28%); only 10% rely on rails. Unless two seats open up on a train from Hamburg to Copenhagen soonish, I’ll be joining them. Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. 911 has been changed.wav crapfest.wav Here Comes Trouble.wav oh shit.wav Sorry...try something else.wav toilet flush.wav you're doing it wrong.wav

The “Catfish” host, 39, posted an Instagram on Saturday with details about the accident, in which he broke his neck, and photos of his brutal injuries. He explained that on Monday he was on his bike heading to his son’s school to pick him up when a crash with a truck occurred. “I broke my neck,” he continued. “C5 and C6 to be exact. Stable fractures. I’m not paralyzed. My hands were a question mark there for a minute but the human body is incredible and so are HUMANS.” https://nypost.com/2024/08/11/entertainment/nev-schulman-reveals-injuries-after-breaking-his-neck-in-bike-accide

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Dear Abby: I am a retiree with diabetes and heart trouble. My husband is disabled. I’m his sole caregiver when I have the energy to do it. Our adult daughter lives with us and works full time in the medical field on weekends. She does practically nothing around the house. The real problem is, we have four dogs. Two of them are large. All four spend a lot of time in the house. The youngest is a puppy that already weighs 50 pounds. She’s uncontrollable — jumping, biting, scratching my arms with her claws and barking. I’ve been a dog owner my entire life, and I have never seen another one behave like this. I was against getting the puppy but was outvoted by my husband and daughter. Of course, as soon as the novelty wore off, it became my responsibility to feed her, clean up her house-training messes and take care of her. I have begged my daughter to get her trained as she promised, but she always has an excuse. Abby, I am exhausted! I’m ready to say, “It’s the dog or me,” but I have nowhere else to go. My husband is barely mobile and is often confined to his bed. We had home health care last year, but that ended when Medicare would no longer pay. I can barely take care of him and do everything that must be done. The dog is just too much. Help! — Overwhelmed in Texas Dear Overwhelmed: I know you are exhausted, but enough is enough. For the sake of your own health, summon the strength to assert yourself. Is your daughter paying for her food and rent? If not, give her a list of chores you expect her to do — including starting dog-training classes with the animal she insisted become a member of the household. If she refuses, contact an animal rescue group to find it a new home. Then follow through. P.S. A large, undisciplined dog could cause you or your husband to trip and fall, and the result could be catastrophic. If your daughter decides to leave, she can take her canine wrecking ball with her. Problem solved. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN SUCH AN OBVIOUS SOLUTION… KILL THE BITCH, AND AFTERWARD, GIVE THE DOG AWAY. DEAR ABBY: I have a question about invitation etiquette. I want to invite family members and friends I haven’t seen or spoken with in a long time to my children’s birthday parties and special events like baptisms. However, I do not want to seem like I am soliciting gifts or money. I have heard that it is improper to request “no gifts” on the invitation because that assumes gifts would be given. What is proper etiquette for this? I want to see my family members, but I don’t want to offend them. — COME CELEBRATE IN NEW YORK DEAR CELEBRATE: I can’t see how family members who are invited to a child’s birthday party would be offended. If they want to attend, fine. If they can’t, so be it. However, children’s birthday parties do require some sort of gift, and it shouldn’t be a hardship to provide something. Relatives and friends whose children are invited to the party will automatically bring a gift. WHATEVER YOU DO, YOU WILL END UP A PARIAH… KIDS’ BIRTHDAY PARTIES ARE A HELLISH TRAP FOR PARENTS VIS-A-VIS GIFTS.

For the record, I think Alyson Hannigan would make a great Bette Midler in the role, though not such a great Whoopi Goldberg.

FamilyInsanity.wav flattery will get you anywhere.wav Get off the computer.wav self-destruct button.wav Thank you, precious!.wav That's the way I like it.wav toodle-oo.wav