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

Snarky Snippets Volume 100+

Filosofa's Word

Some days my head simply spins on its axis (my neck) trying to keep up with everything happening in the nation, the world today.  There are days that I can pick a topic, focus, and write a relatively coherent post on a single topic.  Other days, however, I simply cannot gain that level of focus that is requisite, so instead I toss out a few snippets, usually snarky ones.  Today is such a day.  The week is topsy-turvy and my mind is spinning at somewhere around 136 rpm (revolutions per minute).  Thus, today I give you another episode of Snarky Snippets …


Will Congress find their conscience, or will millions be living on the streets soon?

The current eviction moratorium, that prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who have fallen behind on their rent, is set to expire tomorrow.  This means, in a nutshell, that millions of people could be without…

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More than 40% of healthcare staff at long-term care facilities not fully vaccinated, CDC reports – UPI.com

More than 40% of staff at long-term care facilities across the country are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: More than 40% of healthcare staff at long-term care facilities not fully vaccinated, CDC reports – UPI.com

Greece sends police to Covid hotspot islands to step up controls | Coronavirus | The Guardian

 in Athens
Fri 30 Jul 2021 00.00 EDT

Greece has begun deploying police units to holiday island hotspots as the country’s tourism season moves into high gear amid a worrying spread of coronavirus variants.

Authorities moved to beef up police presence on party isles such as Mykonos and Ios as concerns mounted over local entrepreneurs failing to comply with health measures aimed at curbing the pandemic. “The Delta variant has meant that every country is dealing with the fourth wave now and not as expected in November,” the Greek tourism minister Haris Theoharis told the Guardian. “While hotels and family-type venues are implementing protocols diligently, there’s more congestion than we would like to see in bars, especially among the younger crowd … so we are trying to ensure some balance is kept.”

Some 186 law enforcers have been sent to Mykonos alone, up from the 56 stationed there this time last year.

On Thursday, an additional 30 policemen, backed up by security officials and undercover agents, were dispatched to Ios, the 11-mile-long Cycladic isle popular with younger tourists drawn to its bars, discos and rock clubs.

The Greek deputy civil protection minister, Nikos Hardalias, said Mykonos and Ios were “one step” away from authorities imposing further restrictions, and that the situation on the islands of Zakynthos, Tinos, Lefkada, Santorini, Paros and Rhodes was also worrying.

Source: Greece sends police to Covid hotspot islands to step up controls | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Biden administration tells Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to rescind border order | The Texas Tribune

Source: Biden administration tells Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to rescind border order | The Texas Tribune

LAUSD to require COVID-19 testing of students and staff – Los Angeles Times

All students and employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District will be required to take weekly coronavirus tests regardless of their vaccinations status, under a new district policy announced Thursday.

The district had previously required such testing only for those who are unvaccinated.

The announcement was made by interim Supt. Megan K. Reilly in a letter sent to parents.

“We are closely monitoring evolving health conditions and adapting our response in preparation for our full return to in-person learning on August 16,” Reilly said in the letter. Baseline testing for students returning to campus begins Aug. 2, she added.

Source: LAUSD to require COVID-19 testing of students and staff – Los Angeles Times

U.S. federal workers must mask up unless vaccinated: Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday ramped up the government’s vaccination campaign against the spread of a contagious variant of the novel coronavirus, requiring millions of federal employees to wear masks on the job and comply with regular testing unless vaccinated.

The U.S. capital, meanwhile, said it will make indoor masks mandatory for all people over the age of 2, regardless of their vaccination status, effective Saturday morning.

Source: U.S. federal workers must mask up unless vaccinated: Biden

Eurosurveillance | An outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in a secondary care hospital in Finland, May 2021

In conclusion, this outbreak demonstrated that, despite full vaccination and universal masking of HCW, breakthrough infections by the Delta variant via symptomatic and asymptomatic HCW occurred, causing nosocomical infections. As the Delta variant continues to spread in Europe, we suggest that utilization of FFP2/3 respirators while treating COVID-19 patients should be included in national guidelines.

Source: Eurosurveillance | An outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in a secondary care hospital in Finland, May 2021

The Community Paralegal Programme: supporting Jamaican victims of violence

Petchary's Blog

The discussion about gender-based violence continues in the Jamaican media; in fact, it never really goes away. But very often, those who suffer are not aware that help is available.

The Community Paralegal (CP) programme is there to help. It is delivered by the non-governmental organization Stand Up For Jamaica, with grant funding from the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC). The programme is geared at providing free legal and psychosocial support to victims of gender-based and inter-personal violence, in particular women and girls.

This is all about justice, and even more importantly, about protection, information, reaching out for and obtaining help. It uses the CVC’s Shared Incident Database.

I hope that you will take note of this important programme, and share this information (including contact information at the end of this post) with any organization or individual who may find it useful. Let’s get the word out that help…

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