Category Archives: News to use

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

I’m a doctor who volunteered to get one of the first coronavirus shots. Here’s why I got involved, and what the side effects have been like. – Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH Oct 20, 20 | Just Sayin’

Overall, I want people to stop listening to politicians talk about science.  I’m confused about why people in the media interview politicians about scientific processes. They’re not experts in this area; doing so only serves to confuse the public, just as we are seeing now. I’m committed to using my expertise to help people understand coronavirus and the vaccine trial process. I’ve also added my voice to a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary consortium founded to address COVID-19 misinformation in the Black community, the Black Coalition Against Covid (BCAC). Among many successful efforts to raise awareness, in collaboration with Black Doctor.org, the organization has convened two virtual town hall meetings featuring Black doctors and scientists like me from across the country to help educate the community.

Source: I’m a doctor who volunteered to get one of the first coronavirus shots. Here’s why I got involved, and what the side effects have been like. – Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH Oct 20, 20 | Just Sayin’

Health, Local Gov’t Ministries Uncover COVID-19 Cluster in Senior Citizens’ Home — Petchary’s Blog – Jamaica

As a member of and volunteer for the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP), the non-governmental organization that advocates for the needs of our senior citizens, I have regularly asked about the condition of care homes in Jamaica at the weekly COVID-19 briefings with the Ministry of Health and Wellness. I have been assured that […]

Health, Local Gov’t Ministries Uncover COVID-19 Cluster in Senior Citizens’ Home — Petchary’s Blog

Emails sent to Alaskans on Tuesday warned them to “vote for Trump or else” – Alaska Public Media

An unspecified number of Alaskans received emails Tuesday morning warning them to “vote for Trump or else,” in an incident that’s drawn the attention of the FBI and the state Division of Elections.

Alaskans reported messages being sent Tuesday to people in Anchorage, Soldotna, Homer, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Bristol Bay and the Fairbanks area, and news reports from Florida indicated that the same messages were sent to at least 183 voters there.

In a copy of the email shared by Anchorage resident Kane Stanton, the sender told Stanton that “we are in possession of all your information (email, address, telephone).”

“You are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure,” said the message to Stanton, a 36-year-old hardware store manager. “You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply.”

The emails also said the senders would know how Alaskans voted. But that’s not possible: The Alaska Constitution guarantees the secrecy of residents’ ballots.

Identical messages were sent to residents of Petersburg, in Southeast Alaska, and in Bristol Bay, in Southwest Alaska.

Federal law bars voter intimidation. But officials would not release details about their response to reports of the emails Tuesday, or speak to the seriousness of the threat.

Source: Emails sent to Alaskans on Tuesday warned them to “vote for Trump or else” – Alaska Public Media

An Anonymous Juror in Breonna Taylor’s Case Just Made a Startling Statement – Mother Jones

in a statement on Tuesday, the anonymous grand juror said that Cameron did not give the jury an opportunity to pursue homicide charges against the two officers who shot Taylor, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove. “The grand jury was not presented any charges other than the three Wanton Endangerment charges against Detective Hankison,” the juror wrote. “Questions were asked about additional charges and the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn’t feel they could make them stick.”

“The grand jury didn’t agree that certain actions were justified, nor did it decide the indictment should be the only charges in the Breonna Taylor case,” the juror wrote. “The grand jury was not given the opportunity to deliberate on those charges and deliberated only on what was presented to them.”

Source: An Anonymous Juror in Breonna Taylor’s Case Just Made a Startling Statement – Mother Jones

Opinion | The Intelligence Director Who Is Undermining Trust and Truth – The New York Times

Mr. Ratcliffe, like Maj. Gen. Willoughby before him, seems to think his job is to serve only his boss, who requires that everyone agree with him at all times. As General MacArthur is often quoted: if you control intelligence, you control decision-making. Intelligence professionals call this politicization and see it as a poison that can harm national-security decision-making.

We can see today, through Mr. Ratcliffe, just what can happen when the office is politicized.

Rather than operating as an honest steward of the large and important intelligence community, Mr. Ratcliffe appears to regard the nation’s secrets as a place to hunt for nuggets that can be used as political weapons — sources and methods be damned. Even if the particular material he declassifies is not especially sensitive, the failure to provide proper context, sourcing or background only serves to confuse the public and distract voters.

That may be the point. Creating a fictional narrative for political purposes requires corrupting a system that relies on in-depth, contextual and all-source analysis. However, if you are sending damaging signals to allies, potential sources or even your own officers, it is child’s play to concoct any story you wish by plucking selective details from the millions and millions of pages held by the intelligence agencies.

FBI Investigating Threatening Emails Sent To (some) Democrats In Florida – WUFT News

“We will know which candidate you voted for,” the email said, though ballot selections are secret under Florida law. The email directed Democrats to change their party affiliation to Republican “to let us know you received our message and will comply.”

Attempting to threaten or intimidate voters in federal elections is a federal crime punishable by fines and up to one year in prison.

The emails appeared to be sent from a computer server associated with the officialproudboys.com internet address, but control over the account – which was originally created in March 2017 – was changed Monday night, according to internet records. The website was offline by Tuesday afternoon.

Source: FBI Investigating Threatening Emails Sent To Democrats In Florida – WUFT News