Category Archives: News to use

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

Premature Reopening Could Bring Another COVID Catastrophe, Fauci Warns – Mother Jones

  On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, echoed a warning that rolling back public health restrictions on mask-wearing and mass gatherings too quickly could lead to a spike in COVID cases as the nation races to vaccinate millions of people each day and a more contagious and potentially dangerous COVID variant spreads throughout the United States.

As of Sunday, the United States reported, on average, 60,000 new COVID cases and 2,000 deaths per day. Although the numbers have declined in recent weeks, the decline seems to be leveling off too early. “Historically if you look at the different surges, plateauing at a level of 60,000 to 70,000 cases per day is not an acceptable level,” Fauci said. He pointed to a disturbing trend in Europe, where cases have increased 9 percent in the last week after a plateau.

Source: Premature Reopening Could Bring Another COVID Catastrophe, Fauci Warns – Mother Jones

Clyburn: Allowing filibuster to be used to deny voting rights would be ‘catastrophic’ | TheHill

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in a new interview that allowing the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights would be “catastrophic” as a sweeping elections bill awaits consideration in the Senate.

“There’s no way under the sun that in 2021 that we are going to allow the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights. That just ain’t gonna happen. That would be catastrophic,” Clyburn told The Guardian in an interview published Sunday, just days after the House voted largely along party lines to pass H.R. 1, also known as the For The People Act.

Clyburn clarified that he was not “going to say that you must get rid of the filibuster” but said the party “would do well to develop a Manchin-Sinema rule on getting around the filibuster as it relates to race and civil rights.”

Source: Clyburn: Allowing filibuster to be used to deny voting rights would be ‘catastrophic’ | TheHill

Andrew Marr show: ‘We have to prepare for hard winter says Dr Hopkins – BBC News

(Ned – Seems she has not been reading the news – flu seasons in US and Australia, as well as England this past winter have been nil due to many people masking up, washing hands, and physically distancing. Kids, the biggest transmitters of flu, not in school, as well. Want fewer missed work days and people dying from flu? Mask up, wash hands, distance physically and think about having a lengthy winter school holiday instead of a summer holiday…)

Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said that this winter could see a surge in other respiratory viruses.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr, she said that there was a possibility the population’s immunity to other viruses had fallen, after a year with no flu.

While she was optimistic that summer holidays could take place if the data allowed, she said it was her job to plan for “the worst case scenario.”

Source: Andrew Marr show: ‘We have to prepare for hard winter says Dr Hopkins – BBC News

Unions call for total strike in Myanmar; Party official dies in custodY – The Jerusalem Post

People flash three-finger salutes as they attend a funeral of U Khin Maung Latt, 58, a National League for Democracy (NLD)'s ward chairman, in Yangon, Myanmar, March 7, 2021. (photo credit: REUTERS) Myanmar’s major trade unions called on members to shut down the economy from Monday to support a campaign against last month’s coup, turning up the pressure on the junta as security forces cracked down on demonstrators staging widespread protests.

“To continue economic and business activities as usual…will only benefit the military as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people,” an alliance of nine unions said. Source: Unions call for total strike in Myanmar; Party official dies in custod – The Jerusalem Post

Avian Flu Diary: MMWR: Mask Mandates & Indoor Restaurant Dining Impact On COVID Case & Death Growth Rates

The desire to return to some semblance of normalcy after a year of pandemic restrictions is both understandable and expected. The past 12 months have exacted a heavy toll on all of us. This urge is only increased by the approach of spring, economic hardships, and the recent reduction in COVID cases around the country.

But the trade off is we could lose the hard fought gains of the past few weeks, only to see a resurgence of COVID cases and deaths in the weeks and months to follow.

No one has a working crystal ball, and no one can say with certainty what will happen, but we’ve been down this road before and the results weren’t pretty. Indoor dining at restaurants has been linked to increased COVID transmission and superspreader events, while mask mandates have been shown to reduce COVID cases.

Reversing either of these policies prematurely runs the risk of exacerbating the pandemic.  Reversing both of them at the same time is a pretty big gamble.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: MMWR: Mask Mandates & Indoor Restaurant Dining Impact On COVID Case & Death Growth Rates

When Amazon raises wages, local companies follow suit | | myheraldreview.com

In the areas where Amazon operates, though, low-wage workers at other businesses have seen significant wage growth since 2018, beyond what they otherwise might have expected, and not because of new minimum-wage laws. The gains are a direct result of Amazon’s corporate decision to increase starting pay to $15 an hour three years ago, which appears to have lifted pay for low-wage workers in other local companies as well, according to new research from economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Brandeis University. The findings have broad implications for the battle over the federal minimum wage, which has stayed at $7.25 an hour for more than a decade, and which Democrats are trying to raise to $15 by 2025. For one, the research illustrates how difficult it can be for low-wage workers to command higher pay in the modern American economy — until a powerful outside actor, like a large employer or a government, intervenes. Most directly, there is little evidence in the paper that raising the minimum wage would lead to significant job loss, even in low-cost rural areas, a finding consistent with several recent studies. Other research, including a recent report from the C

Source: When Amazon raises wages, local companies follow suit | | myheraldreview.com

China calls for restraint and dialogue for relevant parties in Myanmar – YouTube

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called for restraint for relevant parties in Myanmar and settling differences through dialogue and consultation. Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) , where he answered questions from journalists from home and abroad on China’s foreign policy and foreign relations.

Wahad (One) – Mira Awad Cover (Original song by U2) – YouTube

Lyrics: عم يتحسن شي ولا احساسك راح يدوم? معقول الدنيا اسهل عليك اذا عندك مين تلوم بتقولي حب واحد, كيان واحد وبالليالي واحد الاحتياج حب واحد بجمعنا واذا ما اعتنينا فيه بهجرنا يمكن خاب ظنك فيي وفي مراره ع اللسان وكأنه عمرك ما عرفت حنان لا تحرمني انا كمان والليله, راح الاوان, مات اللي فات لايش نفيق الماضي من السبات احنا واحد مع اننا مختلفين لازم نساند بعضنا, نحمل بعضنا واحد جاي تطلب مني الغفران او تصحي الاموات جاي تلعب دور المسيح لمرضى بالخيالات يمكن كان طلبي كبير, اكبر من المفروض اعطيتني ولا شي وهذا كل الموجود احنا واحد مع اننا مختلفين وعم مناذي بعضنا بتقولي: الحب هو عباده, الحب اعلى قانون هو عباده, هو اعلى قانون ع الهيكل بتعزمني تا تحنيني وتهزمني وما فيي اتعلق فيك وباللي عندك واللي عندك جروح حب واحد, دم واحد وواحد هو الكيان كيان واحد نعيش سوا اخوات واخوان واحد مع اننا مختلفين لازم نساند بعضنا نحمل بعضنا واحد One love, one blood One life, you got to do what you should One life, with each other Sisters, brothers One life, but we’re not the same We get to carry each other, carry each other واحد/ دم واحد/ مصير واحد/ امل واحد/ حلم واحد/ واحد ***

7th Day of March – Fatcowco – 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone

Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. Bell’s father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell’s life’s work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876. Many other inventions marked Bell’s later life, including ground breaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics.

Source: 7th Day of March – Fatcowco

Parkinson’s surprise: Scientists discover sesame seed chemical can protect against disease – Study Finds

OSAKA, Japan — Could the cure for Parkinson’s disease be sitting to the top of a toasted bun? A new study finds sesaminol, a naturally occurring chemical in sesame seeds, can protect the body’s neurons and dopamine levels — the two main targets of the condition. Researchers in Japan say their early tests are so promising, they are speeding into clinical trials to see if this common and natural ingredient in food stops Parkinson’s in humans. Source: Parkinson’s surprise: Scientists discover sesame seed chemical can protect against disease – Study Finds