All posts by nedhamson

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

FCC Chairman says he will move to ‘clarify’ Section 230, threatening tech’s legal shield

You’d be better be planning on what to do when you are relieved of your duties.

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The rules could cause tech platforms to change their business models to avoid liability for their moderation practices.

Remdesivir Has Little Effect on Covid-19 Mortality, WHO Study Says – Slashdot

Results from the WHO’s highly anticipated Solidarity trial, which studied the effects of remdesivir and three other potential drug regimens in 11,266 hospitalised patients, found that none of the treatments “substantially affected mortality” or reduced the need to ventilate patients, according to a copy of the study seen by the Financial Times. “These remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon regimens appeared to have little effect on in-hospital mortality,” the study found. The results of the WHO trial also showed that the drugs had little effect on how long patients stayed in hospital. However, WHO researchers said the study was primarily designed to assess impact on in-hospital mortality. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed. Remdesivir was one of a series of drugs used to treat US President Donald Trump after he tested positive for Covid-19. It was developed by US drugmaker Gilead Sciences, initially as a potential medicine to treat Ebola. Source: Remdesivir Has Little Effect on Covid-19 Mortality, WHO Study Says – Slashdot

Billy Graham’s granddaughter urges evangelicals not to support Trump | TheHill

Jerushah Duford, granddaughter of evangelical icon Billy Graham, on Thursday criticized President Trump for his “attempt to hijack our faith.”

“Trump’s attempt to hijack our faith for votes, and the evangelical leaders’ silence on his actions and behavior, has presented a picture of what our faith looks like — that’s so erroneous it’s done significant damage to the way people view Jesus,” she said on a press call through the group Not Our Faith, a PAC that focuses on faith voters.

Source: Billy Graham’s granddaughter urges evangelicals not to support Trump | TheHill

Giuliani’s latest B.S. Ukraine smear failed. You can thank the Trump impeachment for that | Salon.com

Rudy Giuliani will go down as one of the more perplexing mysteries of our time. Even though the man was a terrible mayor of New York City, he was likely going to be remembered fondly as the guy who actually stepped up and did his job on 9/11. But instead of spending his retirement years sipping martinis and resting on that particular laurel, Giuliani has apparently decided that being a basement-level launderer of Russian disinformation is the best use of his dotage. And all on behalf of Donald Trump, whose guaranteed role in American history will be, at best, as our nation’s greatest embarrassment.  Source: Giuliani’s latest B.S. Ukraine smear failed. You can thank the Trump impeachment for that | Salon.com

Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter Caroline on Voting for Joe Biden | Vanity Fair

As a child, I saw firsthand the kind of cruel, selfish politics that Donald Trump has now inflicted on our country. It made me want to run as far away from them as possible. But trust me when I tell you: Running away does not solve the problem. We have to stand and fight. The only way to end this nightmare is to vote. There is hope on the horizon, but we’ll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

We are hanging by a single, slipping finger on a cliff’s edge, and the fall will be fatal. If we remove ourselves from the fight, our country will be in freefall. Alternatively, we can hang on, elect a compassionate and decent president, and claw our way back onto the ledge. If I, after decades of despair over politics, can engage in our democracy to meet this critical moment, I know you can too.

Source: Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter Caroline on Voting for Joe Biden | Vanity Fair

FCC head says commission can interpret Section 230 regulations, signals plan to do so

Wants to pander to Trump and McConnell – watch out for bashing 1st Amendment too. Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday announced that the agency would move forward with new rules that would “clarify the meaning” of the law that regulates Internet publishers and platforms.

Credit: FCCCredit: FCC

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides broad protections for online platforms shielding them from liability for content posted by others on their sites — including illicit material assuming certain actions were taken by the platforms. The protections allowed early platforms to flourish, but has come under scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.

Read more…

IDA Treaties Explorer – treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States

While treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States affect virtually every area in the USA, there is as yet no official list of all the treaties. The US National Archives holds 374 of the treaties, where they are known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. Here you can view them for the first time with key historic works that provide context to the agreements made and the histories of our shared lands. Source: IDA Treaties Explorer