All posts by nedhamson

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

We Need to Reckon with the Aerosol Spread of Covid-19

A group of people indoors, without masks, breathing heavily, over long periods of time in what I’m guessing is not a properly ventilated room — this is exactly the sort of thing that has been shown over and over again to be problematic.

The science is there, but governments and public health agencies have not caught up with this yet. If you take the transmission by aerosols into account, the rules for gyms (and bars and restaurants) being open is that they should probably not be open at all — or if they are, they should be well-ventilated and the wearing of masks should be mandatory at all times. Source: We Need to Reckon with the Aerosol Spread of Covid-19

Opinion | Why Would a Republican Vote Biden? Ask Arizonans – The New York Times

Why is Arizona suddenly a swing state?

The answer is frequently attributed to changes in the demographics of our electorate. It is true that Arizona’s population is increasingly urban, college-educated and Latino — trends that favor the Democratic Party.

But this influx of Democratic-leaning groups doesn’t explain the change. After all, the proportions of registered Republicans and Democrats in Arizona have remained remarkably stable: Registered Republicans solidly outnumber registered Democrats.

What has changed is that more Republicans aren’t voting for the party’s candidate in elections for national office.

8 Million Have Slipped Into Poverty Since May as Federal Aid Has Dried Up – The New York Times

The number of poor people has grown by eight million since May, according to researchers at Columbia University, after falling by four million at the pandemic’s start as a result of an $2 trillion emergency package known as the Cares Act.

Using a different definition of poverty, researchers from the University of Chicago and Notre Dame found that poverty has grown by six million people in the past three months, with circumstances worsening most for Black people and children.

Significantly, the studies differ on the most recent month: While the Columbia model shows an improvement in September, the Chicago and Notre Dame analysts found poverty continued to grow.

New State Jobless Claims Surge as Employers Shed Jobs: Live Updates – The New York Times

The number of workers newly seeking unemployment benefits jumped last week, underscoring the U.S. economy’s lingering weakness and the lack of fresh stimulus 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.

After dropping in late spring and early summer as pandemic-related lockdowns eased, new claims for state jobless benefits had been steadily totaling about 800,000 a week.

YouTube Cracks Down on QAnon Conspiracy Theory, Citing Offline Violence – The New York Times

The company announced in a blog post that it was updating its hate speech and harassment policies to prohibit “content that targets an individual or group with conspiracy theories that have been used to justify real-world violence.” The new policy will prohibit content promoting QAnon, as well as related conspiracy theories such as Pizzagate, which falsely claims that top Democrats and Hollywood elites are running an underground sex-trafficking ring from the basement of a Washington pizza restaurant.

Gandhi’s thought. – THE READERS DESK

Let’s recall the most inspiring and motivational quotes by Mahatma Gandhi;

 

-“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”.

 

– “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.

 

– “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”.

 

– “We need not wait to see what others do.”

 

-“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

 

– “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

 

– “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

 

– “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

 

                 

-MAHATMA GANDHI.

Source: Gandhi’s thought. – THE READERS DESK

Is Herd Immunity Reliable? Scientists Say It Will Just Kill People : US News : Latin Post – Latin news, immigration, politics, culture

Over 80 researchers said that the idea of herd immunity is a dangerous notion unsupported by the scientific evidence.

A community is considered to have herd immunity when enough people have built up a protection against a pathogen.

This is through natural infection or through a vaccine.

For instance, in measles, which is an extremely contagious virus, about 90 percent of the community needs to be protected to prevent transmission.

As of now, no one knows exactly how many people need to be protected to stop the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading.

Source: Is Herd Immunity Reliable? Scientists Say It Will Just Kill People : US News : Latin Post – Latin news, immigration, politics, culture

Why a story about Joe Biden, his son Hunter and Ukraine is being blocked online – National | Globalnews.ca

The Post says it received a hard drive containing the messages on Sunday from Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who has pushed the unfounded idea that Ukraine was trying to interfere with the 2016 election instead of Russia. He’s also repeatedly alleged that the younger Biden may have enriched himself by selling his access to his father.

The idea that Ukraine meddled in the election has been found by U.S. intelligence to be Russian disinformation, yet has been continually seized upon by right-wing lawmakers and media.

Source: Why a story about Joe Biden, his son Hunter and Ukraine is being blocked online – National | Globalnews.ca

New York Sweet 16 party dubbed COVID-19 ‘super-spreader’ as 37 test positive | TheHill (Delusional thinking wins and humanity loses again… how many chances will we get to get it right?)

A Sweet 16 party in New York has been labeled a “super-spreader” by officials after 37 people tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the event. The party, held at the Miller Place Inn in Suffolk County on Sept. 25, violated the state’s indoor gathering limit of 50 people with 49 students and 32 adults attending the festivities. Of those 81 attendees, 29 have tested positive for the coronavirus. Additionally, seven household contacts and one person close to a party-goer were infected, officials said.

Source: New York Sweet 16 party dubbed COVID-19 ‘super-spreader’ as 37 test positive | TheHill