All posts by nedhamson

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

Val Demings is on Biden’s VP List. Will Her Police Career Hurt or Help?

With all respect – a police chief as VP – don’t think so. The former police chief in Orlando, Fla., Ms. Demings has emerged as a finalist to be Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s running mate. A review of her record shows a complicated history with episodes involving police misconduct.

Mysterious Coronavirus Outbreak Catches Vietnam by Surprise – The New York Times (There is no normal to go back to – the new normal requires constant vigilance and new habits)

 

“In my opinion, this outbreak is more dangerous than the previous one because it is happening at the same time in many places,” said Nguyen Huy Nga, the dean of public health and nursing at Quang Trung University in Binh Dinh Province. “We do not know the source of disease, especially with tens of thousands of tourists flocking to Danang.”

Coronavirus: Social media users more likely to believe false information, McGill study suggests | Globalnews.ca

“People who self-reported consuming a lot of Twitter news had more (misperceptions) about COVID-19, perceived it to be less of a threat and were less likely to kind of engage in social distancing measures,” Bridgman said. That is troubling news to Gilbert Boucher, an emergency room doctor in Montreal and president of the Quebec association of emergency medicine specialists. Now, in addition to treating patients, he says he feels a responsibility to battle misinformation online.

Source: Coronavirus: Social media users more likely to believe false information, McGill study suggests | Globalnews.ca

COVID-19 risk factors vary for nursing home staff, residents | CIDRAP

A study published yesterday in the Journal of Infection has found that staff working at more than one London nursing home during the peak of the UK COVID-19 outbreak had a quadruple risk of infection. Also, JAMA Network Open today published a research letter showing that US nursing homes that reported COVID-19 cases also had high numbers of deficiencies and substantiated complaints citing failures to comply with federal infection-control requirements. Working at more than one site The first study involved testing 250 staff members at six nursing homes with outbreaks for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in April and asking about any symptoms, contact with residents, and whether they worked in more than one home.

Source: COVID-19 risk factors vary for nursing home staff, residents | CIDRAP

Police Arrested 120 Anti-Racism Protesters in Omaha, and Barely Anyone’s Talking About It

The demonstration had nearly wrapped up when police suddenly blocked off the overpass and began placing people under arrest, according to protesters. By “kettling” the protesters on the bridge — a crowd control tactic that’s been used in recent months — police may have prevented the demonstrators from peacefully dispersing since many were so close to their endpoint, Conrad said. They could have been let off with a citation so they could return home, Conrad said.

“It was only in this last block or two in the march itself — when folks were heading back to the starting point — that really all hell broke loose,” Conrad said. “That’s troubling from a lot of different perspectives.”

 

Source: Police Arrested 120 Anti-Racism Protesters in Omaha, and Barely Anyone’s Talking About It

Houston’s Buffalo Soldier Museum vandalized with swastikas – The Jerusalem Post

The vandalism coincided with National Buffalo Soldier Day, a day meant to honor African-Americans who fought in the US military.

Vandals on Tuesday spray painted swastikas and other inflammatory messages on the walls of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, the museum said on Facebook.

Source: Houston’s Buffalo Soldier Museum vandalized with swastikas – The Jerusalem Post

Coronavirus spreading from young people to older relatives, experts fear | The Texas Tribune

As the death toll escalates in coronavirus hot spots, evidence is growing that young people who work outside the home, or who surged into bars and restaurants when states relaxed shutdowns, are infecting their more vulnerable elders, especially family members. Front-line caregivers, elected officials and experts in Houston, South Florida and elsewhere say they are seeing patterns of hospitalization and death that confirm fears this would happen, which were first raised in May and June. That was when Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and other states reopened in efforts to revive their flagging economies. The emerging trend highlights the difficulty of relying on the Trump administration’s strategy of sheltering the most vulnerable while the young and healthy return to work and school. That approach runs the risk of transmitting the virus when two or three generations share the same home and when many lower-income workers have little choice but to brave exposure to do their jobs.

Source: Coronavirus spreading from young people to older relatives, experts fear | The Texas Tribune

Protester Nikki Stone Thrown Into Unmarked Police Van, Released

 

Welcome to the new normal of policing, where behaving like a kidnapper is rationalized as a reasonable response to the dangerous conditions they themselves created. While this isn’t novel for many black and brown Americans, the police performing this stunt in broad daylight for all to see and capture on camera suggests an increasingly cavalier approach to so-called law and order, even at a time when police conduct is under increased scrutiny.

It is not clear if Stone has been charged, but she was released from police custody after receiving a desk appearance ticket.

In a tweet, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex said “Our civil liberties are on brink.” Well, what else is new?

 

Source: Protester Nikki Stone Thrown Into Unmarked Police Van, Released

Officials Promise NYC Schools Will Be Cleaned Constantly When They Reopen. Custodians Wonder How

“They intend to feed the children in the classrooms all of their meals. Well, suddenly every room is the cafeteria. The amount of cleaning required increases tremendously.” The city Department of Education released this photo of an employee spraying a school desk and cleaning.

“They intend to feed the children in the classrooms all of their meals. Well, suddenly every room is the cafeteria. The amount of cleaning required increases tremendously.” [ more › ]