Category Archives: News to use

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

Fontana man arrested on charges of assaulting officer in Capitol riot – Los Angeles Times

Daniel Rodriguez, 38, was accused of injuring a D.C. Metropolitan police officer with an electroshock weapon as the mob of Trump backers was forcing its way into the building in an attempt to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. In an eight-count indictment unsealed Wednesday, a federal grand jury also charged Rodriguez with smashing a window of the Capitol and carrying deadly weapons — a flagpole and the electroshock weapon — during his unlawful presence in the building. Rodriguez is also accused of stealing one of the emergency escape hoods stored beneath the seats of members of Congress. Many lawmakers grabbed their hoods — designed for protection in a terrorist attack — as they fled the House and Senate chambers moments before the mob’s arrival.

Source: Fontana man arrested on charges of assaulting officer in Capitol riot – Los Angeles Times

Peace Corps announces second-ever domestic deployment to assist with vaccination efforts | TheHill

The Peace Corps is preparing to roll out its second-ever domestic deployment, recruiting volunteers to help assist with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The move is the first time since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that the Peace Corps, which sends volunteers to serve in 61 countries around the world, will be deploying teams to help fellow Americans.

It comes a year after the Peace Corps evacuated all of its roughly 7,300 volunteers around the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The program will only be open to evacuated volunteers, who will be serving in various Federal Emergency Management Agency posts.

Source: Peace Corps announces second-ever domestic deployment to assist with vaccination efforts | TheHill

Covid-19: Few people with symptoms are self-isolating, study finds – BBC News (Me: being dumb about health is epidemic and drives new surges of pandemic)

Just 18% of those with coronavirus symptoms said they had requested a test, while 43% with symptoms in the previous seven days adhered to full self-isolation, the BMJ study found.

Men, younger people and those with young children were less likely to self-isolate, as were those from more working-class backgrounds, people experiencing greater financial hardship, and those working in key sectors.

Common reasons for not fully self-isolating included needing to go to the shops or work, for a medical need other than Covid-19, to care for a vulnerable person, to exercise or meet others, or because symptoms were only mild or got better.

The findings are based on 74,697 responses to online surveys from 53,880 people aged 16 or older living in the UK.

Source: Covid-19: Few people with symptoms are self-isolating, study finds – BBC News

Vaccine passports against ‘British instinct’ – Starmer – BBC News (Me: Total BS – if you travel to some areas you must have proof of vaccination for – cholera, diphtheria, typhoid fever, yellow fever, Hep A&B – before you can return to UK)

The Labour leader says there could be opposition to vaccine passports if the virus is under control.

Source: Vaccine passports against ‘British instinct’ – Starmer – BBC News

France shutters schools, bans travel in new COVID-19 lockdown – UPI.com

The country reported more than 30,000 new cases and some 1,000 deaths Tuesday. Those figures represent a 55% and 30% increase, respectively, over the past 14 days. Case figures haven’t been this high since mid-November, when France was coming down from its all-time peak of 86,000 daily cases. Macron’s announcement means lockdown measures in 19 regions of France will now be expanded nationally. Schools will be closed for at least three weeks and travel restrictions will be in place for a month.

Source: France shutters schools, bans travel in new COVID-19 lockdown – UPI.com

A Haiku, The Critters

Travis J. McRoy

I was creek fishing a few years ago, and I cast my line upstream and noticed what looked like a skinny log coming towards me. I stepped to the side to let it pass by and saw it slither in the stream. It was a snake. I said to myself, “hmm, that was interesting,” and continued on with my fishing. Within a minute, here come two more “skinny logs.” Two more snakes coming downstream. I decided to move out of the water for a moment to try a different lure. I was curious about the snakes all of a sudden coming downstream. I was fishing in that creek for at least two hours before the snakes came floating by. I looked in the sky and noticed birds flying with great haste as if they were in a hurry to move out of the area. No sooner I finished the thought…

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The Clever Architectural Feature That Makes Life on Bermuda Possible – Atlas Obscura

The roofs are also resistant to hurricanes, and many old buildings retain their original roofs. Bermudians are some of the most water-conscious people in the Western world, and this consciousness is built into their homes. The blindingly white, limestone Bermuda Roof—an architectural rain-catch concept with roots dating back to the 17th century—is singularly responsible for making human life possible in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The roof of each home is mandated, by law, to catch and redirect rain into underground cisterns that serve as islanders’ primary source of freshwater. While initially conceived as a means of survival, the elegant roofs have become an aesthetic landmark. “Architecturally, Bermuda really hasn’t changed,” says Guilden Gilbert, a born-and-raised Bermudian. “It’s unlikely that you’d see any modern design in island architecture, which I think is actually a good thing.” Source: The Clever Architectural Feature That Makes Life on Bermuda Possible – Atlas Obscura