All posts by nedhamson

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

USDA Increases Monthly SNAP Benefits by 40%

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Prompted by COVID-19, the emergency benefits provide the average five-person household an additional $240 per month in food purchasing power.

McConnell Says States Should Consider Bankruptcy, Rebuffing Calls for Aid – The New York Times

Mr. Cuomo accused Mr. McConnell of hyperpartisanship, criticizing him for distinguishing among states based on their political leanings, rather than “states where people are dying. Why don’t we think about that? Not red and blue. Red, white and blue. They’re just Americans dying.” Representative Peter T. King of New York, a fellow Republican, called Mr. McConnell’s remarks “shameful and indefensible.” “To say that it is ‘free money’ to provide funds for cops, firefighters and healthcare workers makes McConnell the Marie Antoinette of the Senate,” Mr. King said on Twitter on Wednesday night.

Most doctors don’t want to be political activists, but coronavirus forces us to act | Rob Davidson

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Believe me, many doctors would prefer to avoid the topic of politics altogether. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible

Across America, more and more doctors are proudly working longer shifts, under challenging conditions, in an effort to protect our communities from Covid-19. But we’re also performing a second, unpaid gig not commonly associated with being a physician: entering the arena of media and politics after our shifts end, to publicly advocate for the needs of our patients and fellow health workers.

After long shifts at our hospitals, doctors are now going on social media and speaking to politicians and others with the ability to implement safe policies and practices. In issuing exhortations to the government – institute a national lockdown, expedite production of tests, send ventilators and protective equipment immediately – what drives us is concern for our patients and ourselves. While many of us have political views we’ll express outside of work, we’re used to keeping that part of ourselves walled off when we don our scrubs and lab coats. But because of our growing frustration at the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that now puts every American at risk, thousands of physicians have become activist doctors.

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Earth Day: Greta Thunberg calls for ‘new path’ after pandemic | Environment | The Guardian

“Whether we like it or not, the world has changed. It looks completely different now from how it did a few months ago. It may never look the same again. We have to choose a new way forward,” she told a YouTube audience in a virtual meeting to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. “If the coronavirus crisis has shown us one thing, it is that our society is not sustainable. If one single virus can destroy economies in a couple of weeks, it shows we are not thinking long-term and taking risks into account.”

Source: Earth Day: Greta Thunberg calls for ‘new path’ after pandemic | Environment | The Guardian

Hundreds of fans to attend motor races in South Dakota this weekend

killing their patrons

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  • Events are legal due to absence of stay-at-home order
  • One Twitter user intends to travel from Iowa for event

More than a thousand people are set to attend motor races in South Dakota this weekend with the state yet to issue a stay-at-home order for its residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Park Jefferson Speedway, which has a capacity of 4,000, says it has sold all 700 tickets it has allocated for a race on Saturday while the New Raceway Park had sold 310 of its 500 tickets for an event on Sunday. Both tracks are in Jefferson, and all attendees will be required to wear face coverings.

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Coronavirus: Millions in India on the brink of starvation despite overflowing granaries, South Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

On the ground though, much of the food rations have not reached their intended recipients. In many regions, food ration shops are giving less than the stipulated amounts, or turning people away for lack of IDs or because there’s no grain left. Economists and activists also say more than 100 million Indians entitled to cheap grain may be excluded, as the government’s count of who is eligible for subsidised food-grain is based on outdated census figures. Many others may be left out because they have not managed to obtain a ration card. The tribal state of Jharkhand, for instance, has pending ration card applications from 700,000 households. When Mr Balappa asked Bangalore authorities about the promised food-grain kits, officials demanded to see his government-issued ration card. “My ration card is in the village with my father. Why can’t they just give all people rations? Only the desperate will line up for it anyway,” said Mr Balappa.

Source: Coronavirus: Millions in India on the brink of starvation despite overflowing granaries, South Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

Reopening the Economy Will Send Us to Hell | Labor Notes

People desperately need to go back to work and save what they can of their lives. But heeding the siren call of the MAGA demonstrators, puppets on strings manipulated by hedge funds and billionaire casino owners, to “reopen the economy” would only result in tragedy. Consider these points: Sending millions of people back to work without protection or testing would be a death sentence for thousands. Thirty-four million workers are over 55; 10 million of them over 65. Millions more suffer from diabetes, chronic respiratory problems, and so on. Straight from home to work to ICU to morgue. Millions of our “essential workers” face intolerable hazards because of the shortage of protective equipment. It will be weeks, at best, before there will be an adequate supply for medical workers. Workers in warehouses, markets, and fast food have no guarantee of ever receiving masks, unless legislation compels it. If this is a war, Trump’s refusal to use existing laws to federalize the manufacture of masks and ventilators is a war crime. The proposal to test people’s blood and then issue back-to-work certificates if they have the right antibodies is mere fantasy at the moment. Washington has allowe

Source: Reopening the Economy Will Send Us to Hell | Labor Notes