Did COP28 accomplish anything?  According to Time magazine: COP28 Ends With Historic Deal to ‘Transition Away’ From Planet-Warming Fossil Fuels This global warming annual meeting this year was held in Dubai and chaired by Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates.  He is, of course, a fossil fuel baron.   This UAE Consensus ended the summit to applause and cheers by the delegates. While it falls short of any kind of details to actually phase out, no previous COP text ever mentioned moving away from oil and gas. Considering who was in charge and where this gathering occurred, it was better than nothing. I brought with me on my 5-week Japan trip the October 2023 issue of  Scientific American .  There were several noteworthy articles that over the next few weeks could well become blog postings. What happens during a supernova? Metals that self-heal. Talking with animals.  How AI is changing the potential for intelligent communication. A fourth article,  Why We'll Never Live in Space

  From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):          DAY     USA      WORLD     Brazil       India        South Africa June     9    1093     4732         1185           246            82 July    22     1205     7128         1293         1120          572 Aug    12     1504     6556        1242           835          130 Sept     9     1208      6222       1136          1168            82 Oct     21     1225      6849         571           703            85 Nov    25      2304    12025        620           518           118 Dec     30      3880    14748       1224          299           465 Jan      14       4142     15512        1151           189            712                  Feb      3       4005    14265       1209          107           398 Mar     2        1989      9490        1726          110           194 April   6          906     11787         4211          631            37 May    4         853     13667         3025        3786           59   June   1