Lê Vĩnh Tài, an acclaimed Vietnamese poet, born 1966 in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. The retired doctor is still a resident of the Western …

Lê Vĩnh Tài | SAIGON IN LOCKDOWN (34/56)

Source: Homer and Rudy Drawing by Nancy Jones

Source: Homer Big Bowl Drawing by Nancy Jones

“Now the government is going to take it over and it’s going to go to agencies. That 40 hours a week I managed to squeak out of getting treatment for my son, he may get five hours now out of an agency.” Source: Planned changes to B.C. autism funding meet with growing backlash | Globalnews.ca

Only 68% of all FDNY employees have shown proof of at least one dose. Based on headcount estimates provided by the Independent Budget Office, that comes out to 5,700 unvaccinated employees. That includes EMS employees, who on their own have a 74% vaccination rate. Firefighters, meanwhile, are hovering at 64%, bringing down FDNY’s overall average.  Source: As NYC COVID Vaccine Mandate Approaches, More Than 19,000 First Responders Remain Holdouts – Gothamist

Source: Avian Flu Diary: Denmark SSI: COVID Cases Jump 73% In Epi Week 42

While Arizona’s most populated areas have closely managed groundwater for decades, 80% of the state has no laws protecting how much is taken from the ground. In places like Cochise County, unregulated large-scale irrigation by corporate farms is already causing a crisis as household wells run dry.

“People really need to understand groundwater is a finite resource,” said Kathleen Ferris, a researcher and former policymaker who spent 45 years developing groundwater legislation in Arizona. “If you keep depleting it, it will not be there when you need it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

The Colorado River is Arizona’s largest renewable water source, providing 36% of its supply each year. Most of this — 70% — is used for agriculture. For centuries, farmers in the Southwest have used river water to irrigate crops. But hotter temperatures, less predictable snowpack, and lower soil moisture are depleting the Colorado at an alarming rate. From 2000 to 2019, its flow was 18% less than the previous century’s average, and studies show its decline could reach 35% to 50% by the end of this century.

Source: Colorado River Shortage Creates Arizona Water Crisis

Research showed that a booster dose enhanced the antibody response to the vaccine in certain immunocompromised people. That would make for a fourth shot at least six months after completing the third mRNA vaccine dose. At this time, the CDC does not have a recommendation about the fourth shot. People should talk to their doctors to determine if it is necessary, the CDC says. People who are immunocompromised who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot should get a booster at least two months after their initial vaccine. People who choose a Moderna vaccine as a booster, even if they received a different vaccine as the first dose, should get the half-dose sized shot that was authorized as a booster for Moderna’s vaccine, the CDC said. Source: Immunocompromised May Need a Fourth COVID-19 Shot, CDC Says – Slashdot

Source: Philadelphia school district, CCP degree program gives students a headstart on college | Local News | phillytrib.com