All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

‘We live in a desert. We have to act like it’: Las Vegas faces reality of drought | Climate crisis in the American west | The Guardian

Kaye is one of nearly 50 water waste investigators deployed by the local water authority to crack down on even the smallest misuse of a liquid perilously scarce in the US west, desiccated by two decades of drought. The situation in Las Vegas, which went a record 240 consecutive days without rain last year, is increasingly severe. Lake Mead, the vast reservoir that supplies Las Vegas with 90% of its water, has now plummeted to a historic low, meaning Nevada faces the first ever mandatory reduction in its water supply next year. This looming cutback is forcing restrictions upon the city that has somehow managed to thrive as a gaudy oasis in the baking Mojave desert.

Source: ‘We live in a desert. We have to act like it’: Las Vegas faces reality of drought | Climate crisis in the American west | The Guardian

Biden Raises Ransomware Topic During Putin Phone Call – Slashdot

“The President […] underscored the need for President Putin to take action to disrupt these ransomware groups,” Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said today during the daily White House press briefing. “REvil operates in Russia and other countries around the world, and we do not have new information suggesting the Russian government directed these attacks […] but we also believe they have a responsability to take action. The President made clear the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and critical infrastructure,” Psaki said. Source: Biden Raises Ransomware Topic During Putin Phone Call – Slashdot

South Korea increase social distancing measures as covid infections hit record – The Washington Post

South Korea is increasing social distancing curbs in its capital to the highest level after a steep rise in coronavirus infections amid a slow vaccine rollout. The country reported 1,316 new coronavirus cases Friday, setting a record for the second day running. Friday’s figure is twice as high as the daily average across the first seven days of July. South Korea was one of the first East Asian countries to chart a path out of the pandemic. In June, it announced plans to permit partially inoculated residents to go mask-free outdoors, while also allowing private gatherings of up to six people and for restaurants to stay open until midnight. It had also actively sought quarantine-free travel agreements with other countries. Experts said the country lowered its guard against the coronavirus too soon, with the majority of the population still unvaccinated and outbreaks continuing in the densely populated Seoul area.

Source: South Korea increase social distancing measures as covid infections hit record – The Washington Post

Op-Ed: I’m a Black COVID Long-Hauler Who Wore My Credentials So Doctors Would Listen. They Didn’t.

It took eight doctors before I finally found one who took me seriously and started a course of treatment that would help improve my health over time. I left that appointment overwhelmed with emotion, but this time mainly out of sheer relief and happiness.

But commingled with the solace I felt in that moment was also fury at the doctors who refused to listen to me. I hated the fact that I had to wear that sweatshirt or remember to gratuitously share information about my occupation and where I worked, all in a desperate attempt to be taken seriously when my life was hanging in the balance. I hated having to question if this would have been the case had I been white, knowing the answer all too well.

Semhar Fisseha is a Senior Administrator of a department in a large NYC-based hospital. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her 9-year-old daughter.

Source: Op-Ed: I’m a Black COVID Long-Hauler Who Wore My Credentials So Doctors Would Listen. They Didn’t.

Virginia School Pauses Black Math Program Due to White Feelings

“I didn’t start looking into critical race theory until my program was accused of critical race theory and when I looked it up it’s like, where did they get this from? I mean, this is absolutely nothing about what’s in the program. It’s about mathematics. It’s about the African contributions to mathematics. We’re discussing crypto-currency, algorithm and its use in google searches. It’s advanced level mathematics,” she added.

It’s tragic to me that white people are so damn fragile that they’re willing to deny children access to education. Just because you’re okay with being a dumbass doesn’t mean our kids need to be subjected to the same fate. While the school has put a pause on the program, Jefferson County Schools has said it’s not abandoning it.

Source: Virginia School Pauses Black Math Program Due to White Feelings

Covid Surge in Cuba Appears Out of Control – Havana Times

The 6,422 confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday were up an astounding 68% more than the record setting 3,819 on Wednesday. Cuba’s population is 11.2 million inhabitants.

The province of Matanzas alone had 3,559 positive cases identified on Thursday, up from 1,327 on Wednesday, almost the total of the entire island the day before.

The government is enforcing greater restrictions on movement of the population but has done little to relieve the lack of basic food or medicine shortages that makes many people take the risk and leave their homes to get in crowded lines to purchase something to eat for themselves and their families.

On paper, the officials have everything in order. However, on the ground it is a different realty, report numerous HT contributors.

It is important to note that the government officials and planners seen nightly haranging the population on the State news broadcast are rarely (if ever) seen in lines or on the crowded, deficient public transportation. However, they do seem healthy and well fed.

The following is the list of positive cases from Thursday published Friday morning by the Cuban Ministry of Health.

By province:

  • Pinar del Río: 146 cases
  • Artemisa: 93
  • Havana: 524
  • Mayabeque: 104
  • Matanzas: 3 559
  • Isla de La Juventud: 2
  • Cienfuegos: 166
  • Villa Clara: 218
  • Sancti Spíritus: 160
  • Ciego de Ávila: 199
  • Camagüey: 168
  • Las Tunas: 112
  • Granma: 81
  • Holguín: 212
  • Santiago de Cuba: 366
  • Guantánamo: 322

Source: Covid Surge in Cuba Appears Out of Control – Havana Times

Commitment To Ignorance?

Filosofa's Word

More than a few times in the past few months/years, I have thought that the biggest hurdle to sanity in our country was one thing:  ignorance.  I don’t say ‘stupidity’, for that implies an inability to comprehend, but rather ignorance, which is the refusal to comprehend, to consider other options, other ways of doing things.  A few days ago, I came across this OpEd by Paul Krugman writing for the New York Times that I think speaks volumes about our current situation.


What Underlies the G.O.P. Commitment to Ignorance?

By Paul Krugman

Opinion Columnist

June 28, 2021

As everyone knows, leftists hate America’s military. Recently, a prominent left-wing media figure attacked Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declaring, “He’s not just a pig, he’s stupid.”

Oh, wait. That was no leftist, that was Fox News’s Tucker Carlson. What set Carlson off was testimony in…

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Los colores y los lápices grises

Me gustò

Santiago Galicia Rojon Serrallonga

SANTIAGO GALICIA ROJON SERRALLONGA

Derechos reservados conforme a la ley/ Copyright

En el morral del artista, cuando pinta sus lienzos, conviven la armonía, el equilibrio, la mezcla adecuada, la profundidad, el dominio de la técnica, la destreza, el estilo, la originalidad, los espacios, el ritmo, la creatividad, los colores, la inspiración, los detalles, las pausas y los compases, elementos que se abrazan fraternalmente y se hermanan con el amor que no desperdician y que se comparten siempre, hasta componer una obra bella y magistral, un cuadro sublime. Los pinceles deslizan, aplican y mezclan la pintura sobre la tela. Los colores son tan prodigiosos y encantadores, que, juntos, forman parte de la obra maestra que cautiva. Lo mismo acontece, en realidad, cuando los seres humanos destierran sus enojos, intereses egoístas, odio, rivalidades y diferencias para sumar y multiplicar el bien, debilitar la ignorancia y fortalecer la convivencia armónica y el progreso…

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CDC: Vaccinated students can skip masks in fall – UPI.com (Me: Lack of clear policy endangers students, staffs and families!)

Students in grades K-12 who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can go without masks at school this fall, according to new guidelines released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their classmates who have not had their shots, however, still should wear masks, the CDC said.

The new guidelines, which are recommendations and not requirements, come after the CDC cleared the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for use in children ages 12 and older in May. Still, many school districts across the country already have lifted mask mandates ahead of the start of the 2021-22 school year, agency officials acknowledged.

Source: CDC: Vaccinated students can skip masks in fall – UPI.com