Category Archives: News to use

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

Kenneth Lougee: Mask refusal is not liberty. It is anarchy. – The Salt Lake Tribune

In 1905, The United State Supreme Court expressed support for universal smallpox vaccine.

“The liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint,” the court decided. “There are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good. On any other basis organized society could not exist with safety to its members.”

The court said that otherwise we would not have liberty but anarchy. That is equally true of wearing face masks to protect others from virus spread. This includes the elderly, health workers and the immune compromised.

 

Source: Kenneth Lougee: Mask refusal is not liberty. It is anarchy. – The Salt Lake Tribune

‘Antifa’ website cited in conservative media attack on Biden is linked to — wait for it — Russia

Records for “antifa.com” in the domain name database Whoisology.com show the site was registered in the Russian Federation from 2013 through last July. Starting last November, the site’s registration was moved to Panama, The website has always been anonymously registered and its owners could not be reached for comment.

Source: ‘Antifa’ website cited in conservative media attack on Biden is linked to — wait for it — Russia

New Zealand scrambles to trace cluster, reporting 13 new coronavirus cases

Dr Bloomfield raised the possibility on Wednesday that the virus had arrived in New Zealand via freight, given one of the infected family members works in a cool store that takes imported frozen goods from overseas.

On Thursday, he said that was considered “a low possibility”, but did not detail other potential sources.

Ms Ardern said it was a positive sign that all the new 13 cases were linked back to the infected family, either via work or broader family connections. All were being transferred into quarantine facilities.

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WELLINGTON (REUTERS) – New Zealand officials were scrambling to trace the source of an outbreak of the coronavirus, reporting 13 new cases on Thursday (Aug 13), as long queues of people formed to escape a renewed lockdown in the country’s biggest city and be tested.

The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland two days ago shocked a country that had not recorded a case of Covid-19 for more than three months, raising some criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis.

New Zealand announced on Thursday that there were 13 new cases in the community,  and one overseas arrival who was in quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases to 36.

“We can see the seriousness of the situation we are in,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a televised media conference. “It’s being dealt with in an urgent but calm and methodical way.”

Ms Ardern reimposed tight movement restrictions in Auckland and social distancing measures across the rest of the country on Wednesday, echoing her early response to the pandemic, which was praised for its apparent effectiveness. 

Ms Ardern noted that experience showed “things will get worse before they get better”, and more cases were likely to be reported in coming days. 

“Once again we are reminded of how tricky this virus is and how easily it can spread,” she said. “Going hard and early is still the best course of action.”

However, doubts over the origin of the latest cases have raised some questions about that strategy.

Officials reported on Thursday that three more people at a refrigerator storage facility, where one of the family members worked, had tested positive.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said health officials were getting “closer every hour” to finding the patient zero of the outbreak.

“We are working flat out to do the contact-tracing we need to do and trace back to find out what the source of this infection is,” Dr Bloomfield told Newstalk ZB radio.

Dr Bloomfield raised the possibility on Wednesday that the virus had arrived in New Zealand via freight, given one of the infected family members works in a cool store that takes imported frozen goods from overseas.

On Thursday, he said that was considered “a low possibility”, but did not detail other potential sources.

Ms Ardern said it was a positive sign that all the new 13 cases were linked back to the infected family, either via work or broader family connections. All were being transferred into quarantine facilities.

Some prominent local health experts suggested it was more likely the virus had been quietly spreading in Auckland for weeks, infecting potentially dozens of people.

Residents of Auckland, home to around 1.7 million people, were given just hours to prepare for the return to level 3 restrictions on Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home unless for essential trips.

People in the city reported waiting hours to be tested for the virus, according to local media, and there was a rush to supermarkets to stock up on essentials.

The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level 2 restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday, when Ms Ardern will announce the next steps.

With an election scheduled just weeks away, Ms Ardern was facing criticism from the major opposition party for the decision to resume lockdown measures.

The NZ National Party also wants the September election to be pushed back to November. Ms Ardern has said she will make a decision on the poll before Monday.

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‘Leftists for Bibi’? Deepfake pro-Netanyahu propaganda exposed

Sharon Epstein used to be a left winger. She believed in peace and giving back the occupied territories to the Palestinians. But then the anti-Netanyahu protests began and something changed. Fed up with the alleged incitement against the prime minister, Sharon Epstein became, in her own words, a “Bibi-ist” — a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Epstein, whose Facebook profile picture showed a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes, shared her transition from leftist to Netanyahu supporter on a Facebook page called “Zionist Spring.” Except that the story was missing one crucial detail: Sharon Epstein does not exist. Rather, she was a fictional character created as part of a political campaign.

Source: ‘Leftists for Bibi’? Deepfake pro-Netanyahu propaganda exposed

South Korea installs anti-virus bus shelters with temperature sensors and UV lamps | World news | The Guardian

South Korea has opened a high-tech new front in the battle against coronavirus, fortifying bus shelters in the capital with temperature-checking doors and ultraviolet disinfection lamps.

To enter, passengers must stand in front of an automated thermal-imaging camera, and the door will slide open only if their temperature is below 37.5C.

A separate camera is installed lower down to test children.

Inside the glass-walled booths – which cost about 100m won ($84,000) each – the air-conditioning systems have ultraviolet lamps installed to kill viruses at the same time as cooling the air. Free wifi is also included.

A dispenser provides hand sanitizer, and users are advised to wear face masks at all times, while keeping at least one metre apart from others.

Ten advanced facilities have been installed in a north-eastern district of Seoul, offering protection from monsoon rains and summer heat as well as Covid-19.

Source: South Korea installs anti-virus bus shelters with temperature sensors and UV lamps | World news | The Guardian

New Zealand eyes freight contamination as possible COVID-19 cluster source | CIDRAP

Following the detection of its first cases in 102 days, a 4-person family cluster, New Zealand officials are trying to pinpoint the virus source and are examining the possibility that it was imported by freight, Reuters reported. Surface testing is underway at a cold storage facility in Auckland where a man from the infected family was employed.

An official from the company that owns the cold storage unit said the man had been on sick leave for several days and all employees were sent home.

 

Source: New Zealand eyes freight contamination as possible COVID-19 cluster source | CIDRAP