Category Archives: News to use

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

Myanmar Junta Threatens to Shoot Protesters as Security Forces Kill Six — Radio Free Asia

Myanmar Junta Threatens to Shoot Protesters as Security Forces Kill Six

Myanmar’s military junta broadcast a threat Friday that anti-regime protesters would be “shot in the head,” as security forces killed six demonstrators in a southern coastal city, pushing the death toll since the Feb. 1 to more than 320, witnesses told RFA.

The junta’s warning, broadcast on state-run MRTV News prior to its 8 p.m. news program, said the protesters should learn that they “can be in danger of getting shot in the head and back,” and urged the people not to fall into a “colonialist propaganda trap.”

The warning came just hours before Saturday, Armed Forces Day, on which the junta is planning a show of force, including a military parade, and activists are calling for more protests across the nation of 54 million people.

Earlier in the day, police opened fire on a crowd of protesters in the southern coastal city of Myeik, killing six.

Among the dead were 19-year-old Min Myat Paing, an unidentified 32-year-old Muslim woman and mother of three, and four others who have yet to be identified.

Min Myat Paing was shot in the head and died immediately according to his brother’s Facebook page.

Source: Myanmar Junta Threatens to Shoot Protesters as Security Forces Kill Six — Radio Free Asia

Stealth Chemicals: A Call to Action on a Threat to Human Fertility – Yale E360

Toys found to have extremely high levels of phthalates at the Consumer Council in Hong Kong.

In particular, I am asking that chemicals that have been shown to alter hormones, the so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, not be permitted in household products because they have been shown to cause harm to human health, even at low doses. I’m asking that chemicals not be permitted in products that are hormonally active, that do harm at low doses, and that persist in the environment. That’s a tall order. Obviously, it will take time. And that will be facilitated by replacing the chemicals in commerce right now with alternatives that serve a similar function but do not have these health-damaging properties. Source: Stealth Chemicals: A Call to Action on a Threat to Human Fertility – Yale E360

Despite Pledges to Cut Emissions, China Goes on a Coal Spree – Yale E360

Coal remains at the heart of China’s flourishing economy. In 2019, 58 percent of the country’s total energy consumption came from coal, which helps explain why China accounts for 28 percent of all global CO2 emissions. And China continues to build coal-fired power plants at a rate that outpaces the rest of the world combined. In 2020, China brought 38.4 gigawatts of new coal-fired power into operation, more than three times what was brought on line everywhere else.

Source: Despite Pledges to Cut Emissions, China Goes on a Coal Spree – Yale E360

New California Data Shows Covid Is Spreading in Workplaces | Labor Notes

Outbreaks are generally defined as at least three probable or confirmed Covid cases within 14 days. The CDPH summarizes these outbreaks this way:

  • Residential care facilities: 21.7%
  • Restaurants: 7.0%
  • Skilled nursing facilities: 4.2%
  • Hospitals: 3.9%
  • Grocery stores: 3.5%
  • Construction: 3.5%

That nearly 26 percent of these outbreaks took place in residential care and skilled nursing facilities, as horrifying as it is for both the residents and the workers in those facilities, should come as no surprise.

But it is truly shocking to see that there are nearly twice as many outbreaks in restaurants as in hospitals. In the words of Mark Rabine of Mission Local, “The virus loves restaurants.” This should give pause both to potential diners eager to enjoy a night out on the town and to restaurant workers whose bosses want them to get back to work.

Source: New California Data Shows Covid Is Spreading in Workplaces | Labor Notes

Trails of Renewal – Micro of the Macro

Over the course of 3 years, I visited many places known for their visual charm, where I hiked hundreds of miles. I encountered moose, buffalo, elk, bears, marmots, all kinds of birds & reptiles, deer, squirrels, and chipmunks. The sights, sounds, and smells of these explorations in Nature were rejuvenating. And the experiences I had will forever make me smile.

Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God. ~George Washington Carver

Source: Trails of Renewal – Micro of the Macro

EPA sued over streptomycin use on citrus trees | CIDRAP

Among the concerns are that the massive amounts of streptomycin sprayed on citrus trees will end up in soil and nearby waterways and promote the emergence of streptomycin-resistant pathogens. The groups also argue that use of both antibiotics has not solved the citrus greening problem, but has only slowed the spread of the disease.

“First off, medically important antibiotics are the foundation of modern medicine, and we should not be using them for purposes of anything other than treating illness,” Wellington said. “When you add on to it the fact that spraying medically important antibiotics on citrus trees will not actually solve the citrus industry’s problem, it’s completely insane.”

Source: EPA sued over streptomycin use on citrus trees | CIDRAP