Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Parashat B’Midbar, & Who Counts??

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

     This week’s Torah portion, Parashat B’Midbar,  is the 34th (34/54 or 52, depending on the year: this year, 5782, we read 54 separate parshiot…) reading in the annual cycle, and the first parashah in the book of B’midbar/Numbers.  

   So, who counts, In The Desert, as B’Midbar (בְּמִדְבַּר) means, literally (ok, yes, the vocalization shown here is a stop, not the vowel “ah” for “in the desert” but rather “in desert” but…), as in: 

1. who is counted (men of military age, in this case), and

2.  who does the counting, or upon who’s orders is the count made, and why (I bet one hint might have to do with this week’s mention of hierarchy, again)?

       The question of who is valued and why, and who sets those values, in a society, should change over time, and does, in fact.  

     …

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Music — Covers or Originals?

Filosofa's Word

Our friend David posted yesterday evening about whether a cover can ever be as good as an original.  I’d say an unequivocal YES to that one, for I’ve heard many versions of songs that were more pleasing to me than the originals.  However, music is very much a matter of personal taste, and we don’t all agree.  Take a look at David’s post and see what you think of the selections he provided.  For me, I LOVE the Four Tops, so they get my vote in almost any case.  Thank you, David, for this treat!  Oh … and I do love your Queen and wish her BIG congratulations on her 70th Jubilee!  I am, as I’m sure you guys are, concerned for her health, but she is one kind, compassionate, majestic lady and I wish her the best!

Please leave any comments for David here, as the comments on his…

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Carbon Dioxide Levels Are Highest in Human History – The New York Times

It is now 50 percent higher than the preindustrial average, before humans began the widespread burning of oil, gas and coal in the late 19th century.

There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than at any time in at least 4 million years, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said.

The concentration of the gas reached nearly 421 parts per million in May, the peak for the year, as power plants, vehicles, farms and other sources around the world continued to pump huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Emissions totaled 36.3 billion tons in 2021, the highest level in history.

As the amount of carbon dioxide increases, the planet keeps warming, with effects like increased flooding, more extreme heat, drought and worsening wildfires that are already being experienced by millions of people worldwide. Average global temperatures are now about 1.1 degrees Celsius, or 2 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than in preindustrial times.

Growing carbon dioxide levels are more evidence that countries have made little progress toward the goal set in Paris in 2015 of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the likelihood of catastrophic effects of climate change increases significantly.

COVID-19 cases rise again in St. Louis | ksdk.com

And now that COVID-19 cases are once again heading in the wrong direction in the city of St. Louis, Tinsley is keeping her mask even closer.

“Even though I had my first and second boosters, I still my mask on,” she said.

“We’re now in the high transmission and community level in the city of St. Louis,” Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, director of health for the city of St. Louis, said during her virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday.

The city was previously at moderate COVID-19 transmission levels.

Right now, she says the number of new reported COVID-19 cases is as high as it was during last summer’s delta variant surge.

“It’s hard to get accurate numbers because people are not testing as much as they used to. Those numbers have plummeted,” she added.

“We’re also told hospitalizations across the region are on the rise,” Hlatshwayo Davis said.

Officials say hospitals with the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force have admitted an average of 39 new patients with COVID-19 each day.

 

Source: COVID-19 cases rise again in St. Louis | ksdk.com

US has rolled out 1,200 vaccines for monkeypox in response to outbreak – CNN

“We want to ensure that people with high-risk exposures have rapid access to vaccines and, if they become sick, can receive appropriate treatment. To date, we’ve delivered around 1,200 vaccines,” Panjabi said. “And 100 treatment courses to eight jurisdictions, and we have more to offer states.”
Health care workers in Massachusetts treating monkeypox patients were among the first to receive vaccinations to protect them against the virus.
In the United States, the two-dose Jynneos vaccine is licensed to prevent smallpox and specifically to prevent monkeypox. Another smallpox vaccine licensed in the United States, ACAM2000, can also be used for monkeypox.

Source: US has rolled out 1,200 vaccines for monkeypox in response to outbreak – CNN

Review: La Nuit Des Temps & Social Empathy?

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

I recall (having read this book NuitTemps when I was teaching myself French, so definitely needs a re-read) that I did not like the criteria for choosing the lady, and also didn’t really like the plot, but I did love the message: Let’s not ruin our planet, again…

Je me souviens que je n’avais pas aimait les critères pour avoir choisi la femme, ni le scénario, mais, le message, si, j’aime: ne gachent pas la planète, autre fois…

So, my question is this: how can a leader build enough empathy to get people to want to help provide housing for every person, even those not seen as “deserving” yet/anymore?

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Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan: Muhafiz/Protector, Lupin, or La Casa de Papel/Money Heist Reviews

Holistic High School Lessons,

Thoughtful Readers, if you are on Twitter, please consider…

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Marii Freire Pereira

Pensamentos.me/VEM comigo!

“A beleza da vida, dar-se através de pequenas delicadezas. Estas podem refletir o estético, assim como tudo aquilo que é grandioso. O grau de perfeição mais alto que existe é a beleza contida no admirável, não dito, mas desejado.”

Marii Freire Pereira

https://Pensamentos.me/VEM comigo!

Imagem: pinterest/Jigide Free online/ Viagem Turística/Portugal

Santarém, Pá 3 de junho de 2022

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