Category Archives: News to use

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

Make It Go Bang!

In Saner Thought

By now everyone has heard about the moron that blew up himself and his RV in Nashville. The thing is this person is handled with kid gloves in the media (at least that is how it appears)…..my question is….WHY?

The Nashville narrative is pretty clear: Authorities say Anthony Quinn Warner packed his RV with explosives and blew it and himself up on Christmas while parked downtown. He was, by the most basic definition of the term, a suicide bomber. And yet you’d be hard-pressed to find the phrase in media coverage, writes Danielle Campoamor at Refinery29. The same applies to “domestic terrorist.” Campoamor calls out “legacy publications” in general for avoiding the terminology, particularly the New York Times and the local Tennessean, which is part of Gannett. Instead of being called a suicide bomber or a domestic terrorist, Quinn is being described as a lonely, older white guy…

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Is IQ more important than EQ?

Saania's diary - reflections, learnings, sparkles

In a person’s schooling years, a high IQ is certain to make them pass with flying colours. We all hear about Albert Einstein having the greatest IQ, we all hear that intelligence is something that takes us far in terms of educational achievement. While it is a vital skill set of life, there is something else that matters…

Emotional intelligence. This may sound as an oxymoron to some, as we often tend to take emotions and intelligence as two very different things. But really, these two things put together makes something that guarantees overall success in life. It has been defined as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions”. This includes the ability to manage emotions, accept flaws,having empathy for others, and having certain social skills.

People having high IQs normally tend to be born that way, naturally having the ability to…

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Pain!!!

Soni's thoughts

Deep down my heart…
Pain is a vital part…
All i wonder if there is no path!!

I cry loud, i shout loud…
Teardrops from my eyes flowing out…
No choice than making myself mute!!

I question is it destined?
I wonder if happiness cannot be mine…
I console to leave it on time!!

Often i think, what if life has no sorrows…
Often i wish, cheerfullness to overshadow…
Then i come back to reality, thoughts swallows!!

Why life cant be simple?
Why difficult time is ample?
May be there is a way to tackle!!

This dejection kills me from inside…
This torture hides the ray of light…
This vaxation keeps all hope aside!!

Still i fight back to rise…
I dont give up and dont compromise…
I raise voice to the precise!!

I learn from the mistake…
I know life doesnt have much retakes…
Still i will not break…!

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In the heart of the tropical forest! – “Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl”

The Amazon and its children need care and understanding for our survival and theirs.

Barbara Crane Navarro

illustration from “Amazon Rainforest Magic – The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl”

A Christmas present this year, we spread the telling of this story over several evenings, reading it out loud. Our 8-year-old son couldn’t wait to hear what would come next.  This subject matter was new for him, and he was fascinated by learning about shamans, traditions with plants and details of Yanomami life in the Amazon.  He loved the talking plants and animals and the names of all the characters (he adored rolling the names around in his mouth long after the story was told)

The story is supported by beautiful, intriguing illustrations and the book’s highly original graphic design.

This is a storybook that needs to be in the hands of more of us, young and old alike!

Review by J. Harris

More information about the book series is here:

“Amazon Rainforest Magic” et “La Magie…

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Texas officials push hospitals, local health authorities to administer COVID-19 vaccines faster as infection rate reaches “red flag” levels

Medical personnel wear personal protective equipment as they register residents at a COVID-19 testing site at Nations Tobin Park in El Paso on  Nov. 19, 2020.

The proportion of Texans whose coronavirus tests come back positive has hit levels not seen since a summer wave of cases that overwhelmed some hospitals.

Credit: Joel Angel Juarez for The Texas Tribune

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Top Texas officials again urged health care providers to administer more coronavirus vaccines Tuesday, the same day the state reported that the proportion of Texans whose coronavirus tests come back positive has hit levels not seen since a summer wave of cases that overwhelmed some hospitals.

The state reported Tuesday that 163,700 Texans had been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine. About 1.2 million doses have been allocated to providers across the state through the first three weeks since their arrival, according to the Department of State Health Services.

“A significant portion of vaccines distributed across Texas might be sitting on hospital shelves as opposed to being given to vulnerable Texans,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a tweet Tuesday evening.

That tweet came after health officials asked providers that received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to “immediately vaccinate” all eligible Texans, including people 65 and older and those who are at least 16 with a qualifying medical condition. That renewed push echoed a statement Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas DSHS, sent to providers last week directing them to “administer their entire allotment with all deliberate speed.”

“Dr. Hellerstedt put out that statement today to make it clear to all providers that people over the age of 65 and people with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of severe disease of death from COVID-19 are eligible to receive vaccine now,” said spokesperson Douglas Loveday. “Vaccine supply remains limited but more vaccine will be delivered to providers each week. It will take time to vaccinate everyone in those priority groups.”

Texas officials’ push for providers to administer more vaccines comes as Texas’ seven-day average COVID-19 positivity rate has remained above 15% for one week, according to data the state released Tuesday. And that sustained rise in the rate comes one day after the state reported a record number of Texans hospitalized with the virus.

“We can expect an increasing surge in case numbers over the coming weeks as a result, and not far behind the surge in cases will be a surge in hospitalizations and potential fatalities,” said Angela Clendenin, an epidemiologist and biostatistician at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health.

Clendenin said the rising positivity rate is likely in part due to a greater number of tests among people who are asymptomatic and those who have only mild symptoms.

On Tuesday, the state reported that 17.15% of molecular coronavirus tests came back as confirmed cases over the last seven days. The seven-day average positivity rate has remained above 15% since Dec. 22.

Abbott in May said that a sustained positivity rate above 10% was cause for alarm.

“If the positivity test rate is more than 10%, that’s one of those red flags that we begin to look at,” Abbott said at a May 5 press briefing.

But in recent months, Abbott has repeatedly sworn off any new shutdowns. Instead, he has pointed to a statewide mask mandate that remains in effect and certain occupancy reductions that are triggered when the proportion of a region’s COVID-19 patients exceeds 15% of hospital capacity for seven days. A Texas Tribune analysis found those restrictions did little to ease burdened health care systems in areas hit hardest by the virus.

“Gov. Abbott continues to rely on the data-driven hospitalization metrics used by doctors and medical experts to help inform and guide the state’s ongoing efforts to mitigate COVID-19,” said spokesperson Renae Eze. “As some communities experience a rise in hospitalizations, the state of Texas is working closely with local officials to quickly provide the resources needed to address these spikes and keep Texans safe, including surging medical personnel and supplies.”

In September, the Texas DSHS began publishing a new version of the state’s positivity rate. It takes into account the date a test was administered, not when it was reported. That change in reporting revealed that the share of people receiving positive test results was higher in the spring than originally disclosed.

Texas’ rising positivity rate is the latest in a series of metrics that has worried public health experts, particularly in the midst of the holiday season which could exacerbate an already spreading virus.

On Monday, the state reported more Texans were hospitalized with the virus than at any point during the pandemic. And earlier this month, the state’s stock of available intensive care beds sank to its lowest point yet. There were 11,775 people in hospitals on Tuesday and 653 available ICU beds.

Two weeks ago, Texas began vaccinating front-line health care workers and nursing home residents and staff, marking a significant first step in the fight against the coronavirus. But experts estimate that it will take between six and nine months for the COVID-19 vaccine to be widely available.

“It is more important than ever, where we find ourselves today, to remain extra vigilant about physical distancing, mask wearing, good hand hygiene, and avoiding non-essential travel and gatherings with others outside of our households until the vaccine becomes widely available and a significant number of people become vaccinated,” Clendenin said.

Mandi Cai contributed to this story.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Covid: U.S. needs to vaccinate 3 million people per day to hit goal

  • “We need to start vaccinating about 3 million people a day,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio.  “That is a huge effort and it’s going to require a major coordinating effort and it’s going to require funding.”
  • Operation Warp Speed leaders promised that the country would have 20 million doses by the end of the year, and so far, states have only received 11.4 million doses and approximately 2 million Americans have received shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Del Rio said that reaching the vaccination goal will require recruiting more people to administer vaccines, especially as health-care personnel remain busier than ever.

Source: Covid: U.S. needs to vaccinate 3 million people per day to hit goal

he U.S. Air Force’s Secret New Fighter Jet Will Have An AI-Copilot

Skynet is real?

Popular Mechanics: The Air Force’s Secret New Fighter Jet Will Come With an R2-D2 

Not a trashcan-shaped droid, but something much cooler. 
 * Air Force pilots in the not-so-distant future could fly and fight together like Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. 
 * One of the Air Force’s top officials is confident the service’s secret new fighter jet will have an artificial intelligence copilot.
 * The AI could take over key tasks, flying and fighting the plane, to prevent the human pilot from being overwhelmed. 
The U.S. Air Force’s secret new fighter jet, which it designed, built, and tested in just one year, will feature some kind of artificial intelligence copilot—a trusted computer algorithm that human pilots can rely on to assume critical tasks in the air. 
That’s according to Will Roper, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, who in September shocked the world when he revealed the surprise existence of the service’s new, mysterious Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter. 
WNU Editor: This explains why the US Air Force wants to enlist programmers. They need these specialists to develop and manage these platforms.