All posts by nedhamson

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

US COVID-19 cases surge on eve of Election Day | CIDRAP

On the eve of Election Day, the United States is entering uncharted territory in the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard, the nation reported 81,493 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 447 deaths, two days after nearly hitting 100,000 new infections. The 7-day average of new daily infections is higher than 81,000, according to a CNBC analysis of the Johns Hopkins data. And those numbers could be an undercount. Public health officials told the New York Times they’re worried that because several states don’t report the results of rapid COVID-19 antigen testing, there could be greater spread of the virus than is being reported. The paper reports that seven states plus Washington, DC, don’t publicly report antigen test results, while six keep the number separate from their total case count.

Source: US COVID-19 cases surge on eve of Election Day | CIDRAP

Belarus: Savage attack and possible 3-year sentences against journalists reporting March against Terror – Human Rights in Ukraine

300 Belarusians were brutally detained on 1 November during a March against Terror, with 231 participants now facing criminal charges.  A number of journalists were among those badly beaten and detained, with two Belsat correspondents reporting on the protests charged with ‘organizing riots’.

Belarusians have continued to come out in huge numbers in protest after Aleksandr Lukaszenko claimed to have won the presidential elections on August 9.  Threats that live weapons will be used against demonstrators have doubtless deterred some, but huge numbers have still continued to come out in often creative and moving protest, from the original protests of women in white with flowers, to demonstrations by large crowds of pensioners or the disabled.  The traditional Sunday demonstration on 1 November coincided with the annual March against Terror from the centre of Minsk to Kurapaty, a forested area outside Minsk where the mass graves lie of thousands of victims of NKVD Terror, executed between 1937 and 1941.

This was a march of remembrance, yet the enforcement officers who have demonstrated savagery, including among very young protesters and the elderly, blocked the columns of demonstrators from reaching the mass graves.

Source: Belarus: Savage attack and possible 3-year sentences against journalists reporting March against Terror – Human Rights in Ukraine

Utah officials say thousands attended Halloween rave protesting coronavirus rules | TheHill – (Faux-Freedom rants over health and concern for relatives and neighbors)

The Utah County Health Department said in a statement on Sunday, “As we struggle in our local and statewide communities to contain the COVID-19 virus and mitigate its impacts on our communities, it is unfortunate that some would ignore public health and medical guidance and plan and participate in an event that would allow for the ready spread of the disease between individuals which can then be taken back by these individuals to our communities and infect others who are trying to follow public health and medical recommendations.”

The health department also implored those who attended the parties to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested if any are noticed. NBC News noted that most counties in Utah are currently reporting “very high rates” of COVID-19 cases.

According to KSL, authorities responded to another party in a warehouse with about 1,500 people in attendance. It is unknown who hosted this event.

Source: Utah officials say thousands attended Halloween rave protesting coronavirus rules | TheHill

Teens turn to TikTok to boost Biden | TheHill

In just two months, Ni amassed more than 6 million views and 310,000 followers on TikTok. It is now the largest super PAC on TikTok, the closest being The Lincoln Project with 30,000 followers. The super PAC formed by Republicans opposed to Trump served as Ni’s inspiration to create MemePAC.

“I kind of wanted to do what they did. Rather than focusing on Republicans, I wanted to focus on the youth,” Ni said.

TikTok has banned paid political posts on its platform, but the platform’s guidelines do not bar users from posting unpaid political posts. Neither the Trump nor Biden campaigns have official accounts on the platform.

Source: Teens turn to TikTok to boost Biden | TheHill

Technology Makes Life Comfortable & Complex

Foundation Operation X for Languages, Cultures and Perspectives

Written by Ken Ho

Technology has played an important role in advancing human civilisation. Without technology, we would still be cavemen hunting with primitive tools. There would be no skyscrapers, no television nor air-conditioning.

However, every good stuff always comes with a catch. Technology brings us closer to one another, but it makes relationships also more complex. Technology has changed our social interaction with others. While we only knew the people who lived nearby before, we are now connected to everyone else in the world with access to the worldwide web. It is true that humans are social beings, but the current scale of interconnectivity exceeds human capacity and makes having real and meaningful connection difficult. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is actually not.The quality of connection is more important than the quantity thereof. We humans do not have an unlimited amount of empathy and careful rationing is…

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Port Authority Threatens Face Mask Scofflaws With $50 Fine At Airports, PATH Trains – Gothamist

The Port Authority is implementing a new $50 fine for anyone who isn’t wearing a face covering inside of the transportation agency’s facilities starting Monday.

The Port Authority says the “primary emphasis” remains on getting travelers to voluntarily wear a mask, but the fine would aid existing COVID-19 face covering rules in New York and New Jersey.

“This move is part of agency’s commitment to supporting the New York and New Jersey state requirements on mask wearing in transportation facilities,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a release.

All Port Authority facilities will fall under the new rule—including LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports; PATH stations and trains; AirTrain stations and trains; the Midtown Bus Terminal; the GWB Bus Station; and the Oculus in Lower Manhattan.

Source: Port Authority Threatens Face Mask Scofflaws With $50 Fine At Airports, PATH Trains – Gothamist

There’s no alternative to lockdown, Boris Johnson tells MPs | World news | The Guardian

Boris Johnson has sought to persuade mutinous Conservative backbenchers to support his plan for a new coronavirus lockdown across England, saying that failing to act now would risk the “medical and moral disaster” of an overwhelmed NHS. Addressing the Commons about his plans for a four-week shutdown starting on Thursday, the prime minister also rejected the idea he had been too slow to act, saying it had been right to first try a regional system of different tiers of restrictions.

Source: There’s no alternative to lockdown, Boris Johnson tells MPs | World news | The Guardian

Thessaloniki in full lockdown for two weeks, flights suspended | New Europe

Greece has imposed a two-week lockdown in the regions of Thessaloniki and Serres, in a bid to curb an alarming spread in COVID-19 cases. The new measures that were announced on Monday by government spokesperson Stelios Petsas and will come into effect on Tuesday 6am, aim to salvage the national h

Source: Thessaloniki in full lockdown for two weeks, flights suspended | New Europe

‘His Lies are Killing my Neighbors’: Swing-state Health Workers Try to Defeat Trump | Kaiser Health News

Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an OB-GYN in Appleton, in eastern Wisconsin, said she struggles to find the right words to describe her anger over the rallies, which have been linked to subsequent coronavirus outbreaks. On Oct. 24, at a rally in Waukesha, about 100 miles south of Appleton, Trump falsely accused health care workers of inflating the number of COVID cases for financial gain. “His lies are killing my neighbors,” she said. Lyerly, who is also running for state assembly, said she spends her days trying to reassure terrified pregnant patients, while fearing she might contract the virus herself. She and her colleagues are overwhelmed. She keeps her PPE in her car to ensure she never goes without it. “We’ve completely forgotten about the human impact on our health care workers. Our health care workers are exhausted, they’re burned out and they feel entirely disrespected,” she said. Lyerly said she decided to run for office in April, after the Republican-controlled assembly refused to postpone a statewide election, in which the Democratic presidential primary and a key state Supreme Court seat were on the ballot. The state GOP also stymied efforts to make it easier for Wisconsinites

Source: ‘His Lies are Killing my Neighbors’: Swing-state Health Workers Try to Defeat Trump | Kaiser Health News

Medicaid’s Future Hinges On Who Wins The White House | Vermont Public Radio

At this point, Anchia’s best hope is that his wife will be covered by a federal assistance program for uninsured COVID-19 patients. But that’s because he lives in one of the dozen holdout states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. That part of the ACA was intended to provide health coverage for adults who are working but who have no insurance through their job — either because it’s not offered or because they can’t afford the premiums.

Medicaid provides health care for millions of low-income Americans. But its future depends very much on politics. Over the past four years, the Trump administration has tried to impose conservative principles on the program and shrink it. A Joe Biden presidency would attempt to go the other way.

“For example, me, I always work. I’ve been working 36 years in the same company,” says Anchia, who builds signage for airports. “And now I find myself in this position. Medicaid would be great for regular people. I’m not the only one.”

Anchia’s wife is out of the ICU, but he also expects he’ll need help paying for prescription medication when she’s sent home.

In Florida alone, roughly 1.5 million people would be eligible for coverage under Medicaid expansion, according to estimates by the Florida Health Justice Project. It’s a number that has grown recently because of the economic trouble and job losses triggered by the pandemic.

Source: Medicaid’s Future Hinges On Who Wins The White House | Vermont Public Radio