The largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed ‒ the 11-ton GBU-43/B, nicknamed the “mother of all bombs” ‒ was used in combat for the first time on Thursday against Islamic State in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has released aerial footage of the blast, which caused non-stop gleeful coverage from the mainstream media.
Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals of the land—and it’s no wonder, their bodies are built for speed. While cheetahs can run up to 70 mph on land, peregrine falcons can dive at speed of over 200 mph. That’s faster than a 100 mph sneeze and around the same speed as a Formula One racing car. Peregrines are light in weight, aerodynamically shaped, and have robust respiritary systems; all of which allows them to be the fastest birds of prey, and animals in general. Peregrine falcon numbers took a massive hit during much of the 20th century in North America. They became nearly extinct because of pesticides, specifically DDT. The chemical made the falcon’s—and many other birds — eggshells thinner, preventing the embryos from developing, in addition to poisoning adult falcons. In 1972, DDT was banned and recovery efforts for peregrine falcons began soon after. By 1999, with concerted effort peregrine falcons saw their numbers increase dramatically and were removed the Endangered Species list.
Economist Dr. Richard Wolff, Capitalism’s Crisis Deepens Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown/Democracy At Work(For tickets/info on Dr. Wolff’s speaking events, click Democracy At Work.) There is a bright line from Carter and Reagan deregulating the airlines to what happened United Airlines Flight 3411 and the PR disaster that’s followed.