All posts by nedhamson

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

Thoughtful Thursdays and racism, mentioning Dr. King’s Basic Income, in passing, and a Town Hall Link — ShiraDest: The 4 Freedoms for ALL via Language & Adult Education, Writing, and PublicDomainInfrastructure

It’s quarter to 5 P.T., so please watch the long-scheduled Biden Town Hall, and then read this post (I’d love to hear your comments on both, please…) — This reference to the Basic or Citizen’s Income, as Dr. King called for it in 1968, is from his last book. Here is where I am in […]

Thoughtful Thursdays and racism, mentioning Dr. King’s Basic Income, in passing, and a Town Hall Link — ShiraDest: The 4 Freedoms for ALL via Language & Adult Education, Writing, and PublicDomainInfrastructure

PolitiFact | 7 ways to avoid misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic — Rcooley123’s Blog

A guide for weeding the truth in planning and voting for or against any candidate in this era where facts and the truth are often given a back seat by unscrupulous candidates and their campaigns when producing advertising, delivering stump speeches, participating in “debates”, etc. Tonight’s dueling town halls being broadcast on competing mainstream media […]

PolitiFact | 7 ways to avoid misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic — Rcooley123’s Blog

Honoring Latinx Art, Personal and Political — Repeating Islands

El Museo del Barrio celebrates its own electric history, and present, in a show about the Puerto Rican workshop Taller Boricua. A review by Holland Cotter for The New York Times. The marketing of modern and contemporary art from Latin America is one of the cultural success stories of the globalist decades. What was once […]

Honoring Latinx Art, Personal and Political — Repeating Islands

Chris Christie says he ‘was wrong’ not to wear face mask at White House | TheHill

“I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day,” Christie said in a statement obtained by the newspaper. “I was wrong. I was wrong not to wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team.” “I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others,” he said.

Source: Chris Christie says he ‘was wrong’ not to wear face mask at White House | TheHill

COVID-19 cases climb in the US and Europe | CIDRAP

Europe’s cases soar to weekly pandemic high

Europe’s fall and winter surge continues to unfold, with exponential increases in daily cases and matching percentage increases in daily deaths, Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office, said today at a briefing.

He added that the region just registered its highest weekly incidence since the start of the pandemic, adding about 700,000 cases.

The region isn’t in the same situation as it was in March, because deaths are five times fewer and hospitalization doubling time is still two to three times longer, Kluge said. Lower mortality could reflect higher testing rates among younger, healthier people, but he warned that the situation could worsen dramatically if the disease spreads back into older age-groups with more indoor multigenerational social gatherings.

Epidemiological models show that simple measures like greater use of masks and stricter social distancing measures could save up to 281,000 lives across the region by Feb 1. “These projections do nothing but confirm what we always said: the pandemic won’t reverse its course on its own, but we will,” Kluge said.

Source: COVID-19 cases climb in the US and Europe | CIDRAP

Chamber of Commerce pushes back on Trump extending ban on racial discrimination training | TheHill

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged President Trump to withdraw his executive order that extended his administration’s ban on race- and sex-based discrimination training to include federal contractors.

The Chamber, joined by more than 150 state and local chambers, trade associations and nonprofits, wrote a letter to Trump on Thursday, saying the order creates significant obstacles for employers.

“Many of our members are federal contractors and subcontractors that will be covered by this E.O. As currently written, we believe the E.O. will create confusion and uncertainty, lead to non-meritorious investigations, and hinder the ability of employers to implement critical programs to promote diversity and combat discrimination in the workplace,” the groups wrote.

Source: Chamber of Commerce pushes back on Trump extending ban on racial discrimination training | TheHill

GOP congressman condemns Trump-promoted theory that Bin Laden killing was a hoax | TheHill

An outgoing Republican congressman blasted President Trump for amplifying a baseless conspiracy theory that the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden actually killed a body double and were later murdered to cover it up.

“It’s a dangerous tweet, and it’s the kind of thing we cannot do,” Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday. He went on to note that the since-suspended account the president retweeted linked to a YouTube video calling for the hanging of former President Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden.

“That is the language of radicalization,” Riggleman told Tapper. “People go down these rabbit holes and I think the people that believe this … are the same people that believe Lord of the Rings was a documentary and that’s how crazy they are.”

Source: GOP congressman condemns Trump-promoted theory that Bin Laden killing was a hoax | TheHill

Georgia gets Trump approval for Medicaid work requirements, partial expansion | TheHill (more than 800,000 in US filed for unemployment for 2nd month but gotta work for free to get Medicaid in Georgia if unemployed)

The Trump administration has given Georgia the green light to partially expand Medicaid without federal support, and to impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries Source: Georgia gets Trump approval for Medicaid work requirements, partial expansion | TheHill

Unemployment Claims Rise Anew in Latest Sign of Economic Distress – The New York Times

The American economy is showing fresh signs of deceleration, hammered by layoffs, a surge in coronavirus cases and the lack of fresh aid from Washington.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that 886,000 people filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, an increase of nearly 77,000 from the previous week. Adjusted for seasonal variations, the total was 898,000.

The rise follows the announcement of layoffs by major companies including Disney and United Airlines in recent weeks and an impasse between Republicans and Democrats over another round of aid for the economy. A recent jump in coronavirus infections, principally in the Midwest and Western states, only added to the grim outlook.