Does the world face an epidemic of loneliness?

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Some folks need hugging lessons

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic, ringing the alarm that social isolation was causing mental and physical harm. Teenagers were reporting record levels of sadness. Suicide rates were at a record high. While Covid kept people from their friends, families and peers, there were other factors at play, which Dr. Murthy described in his May 2023 report—namely the advent of smartphone technology and the rise of social media. Once heralded as innovations, these creations of private industry were suddenly the problem…

Investor money is fueling…startups that aim to strengthen friendships and provide community. The founders of SoulCycle received $7.2 million in funding from Maveron, the venture-capital firm…for its new wellness center Peoplehood, which runs guided group conversations aimed at improving relationships. Former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg has raised $4.9 million from investors…to make Meeno, an AI chatbot that helps people practice difficult conversations. 

Miki Agrawal says Belong Center has secured about $750,000 of committed funding from donors including Sam Ben-Avraham, co-founder of sneaker store Kith, celebrity mycologist Paul Stamets and Monty Moran, a former Chipotle executive. Its board members include the physician and social-media personality Mark Hyman; former CEO of period-underwear company Thinx…software entrepreneur Ping Fu, who is also on the board of Burning Man; and the chef and philanthropist (and Elon’s brother) Kimbal Musk.

It’s the American Way, folks. If you’re confronting a social issue…never been “aware” of it in your lifetime…it’s automagically more ghastly than anything humanity has ever faced. We invent a congregation to encourage more folks to join us. And, yes, some folks will step aside and founder in unhappiness, self-pity.

But, it really doesn’t require “big thoughts”. Just backbone and concern for the rest of the folks in the same boat.

Stand together.

Google gives data to police based on your search keywords

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There are few things as revealing as a person’s search history, and police typically need a warrant on a known suspect to demand that sensitive information. But a recently unsealed court document found that investigators can request such data in reverse order by asking Google to disclose everyone who searched a keyword rather than for information on a known suspect.

In August, police arrested Michael Williams, an associate of singer and accused sex offender R. Kelly, for allegedly setting fire to a witness’ car in Florida. Investigators linked Williams to the arson, as well as witness tampering, after sending a search warrant to Google that requested information on “users who had searched the address of the residence close in time to the arson.”  

The July court filing was unsealed on Tuesday. Detroit News reporter Robert Snell tweeted about the filing after it was unsealed.

Isn’t that special?

NASA balloons start Antarctic flights

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NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program successfully launched the first balloon mission of its Antarctic Long Duration Balloon Campaign with the Long durAtion evalUation solaR hand LAunch (LAURA). The balloon took flight Dec. 11 at 1200 NZT from the Long Duration Balloon Camp near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. LAURA…has reached a float altitude of more than 117,000 feet over the icy continent…

NASA kicks off its annual Antarctic Long Duration Balloon Campaign around Dec. 1, which includes three scientific balloon flights planned for launch from the long-duration balloon (LDB) Camp near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. NASA’s stadium-sized, zero-pressure balloons will support a total of five missions on the long-duration flights with one mission vying to break NASA’s heavy-lift, long-duration balloon flight record, which stands at 55 days, 1 hour, and 34 minutes.

“The annual Antarctic long-duration balloon campaign is the program’s flagship event for long-duration missions,” said Andrew Hamilton, acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office (BPO). “The environment and stratospheric wind conditions provide a unique and valuable opportunity to fly missions in a near-space environment for days or weeks at a time. The BPO team is excited to provide support to all our missions this year.”

BRAVO!

Who does Biden watch on TV? YOU!

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Click image to run video. Access sometimes unpredictable. Message as strong as ever!

When Ozzie & Co. produced this video, this song, I was 22 years old. Already refused to participate in Uncle Sugar’s war in Vietnam. Ozzie Osbourne always was my kind of working-class hero. Same sort of tough neighborhood streets I grew up on in Bridgeport.

I was singing BITD. Me and my beloved Epiphone Bard 12-string. Some of my peers are still at it. Yes, I still have an axe in the house. Sort of resumed several times over the years; but, I was always capable of expressing heartfelt emotion straight-up verbally in one or another form and forum…with the advent of the Web. Been good enough for me.