Thursday, December 31, 2020

And the last day of a most dystopian year comes to a close. Here’s to a brighter 2021. Peace and love, my friends. Happy New Year. Stay safe and protect others.

“Never in the last 15 years have we found the old year so heavy and never have we, despite all the worries and some skepticism, looked forward to the new one with so much hope.” -- Angela Merkel

Deaths

US: 354,215 (+3437)

World: 1,825,780 (+13,672)

Cases

US: 20,445,654 (+228,663)

World: 83,809325 (+746,294)

Countdown 1: 5 days.

Countdown 2: 20 days.

“We're living through:

1) Worst pandemic in modern history

2) Worst economy since Great Depression (maybe worse)

3) Worst hack of US govt ever

4) An attempted coup

5) A brewing civil war

6) A brewing foreign war

7) An admin serving organized crime

8) Led by a nuke-loving sociopath”

--Sarah Kendzior

At least 140 House Republicans to vote against counting electoral votes, two GOP lawmakers say. Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory. President Donald Trump's Republican allies have virtually zero chance of changing the result, only to delay by a few hours the inevitable affirmation of Biden as the Electoral College winner and the next president. -- The GOP is an embarrassment to democracy.

Pence asks judge to toss GOP lawmaker's bid to overturn election results.

“Your reminder that the total cost of providing $2,000 checks ($465 billion) is less than half the amount American billionaires have made during the pandemic ($1 trillion).” — Robert Reich

Doctors, nurses 'can't take much more' amid Covid-19 surge in Southern California.

Data from the state Department of Health shows only a fraction of the more than 356,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine delivered to Washington state have been used.

Are you eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine? Washington state to launch tool, rely on honor system. The state plans to launch an online questionnaire — called PhaseFinder — soon where people can determine their own eligibility for vaccination.

In Arizona, a shortage of public health staffers is slowing the vaccine rollout. At least in Arizona, one reason for the slow pace was frustratingly simple: Years of belt-tightening and neglect of state and local health budgets mean there aren't enough trained people to administer vaccinations, current and former government officials said.

Wisconsin hospital employee fired, arrested after 'intentionally' destroying 500 doses of Covid vaccine.

Vaccines take a while to kick in. Experts say that means the body is doing its job.

As Statues Of America's Racist Past Were Removed This Year, So Were Tattoos.

Microsoft Says SolarWinds Hackers Also Broke Into Its Source Code.

Becky Hammon becomes first woman to coach NBA team.

Britain ends long Brexit journey with economic break from EU.

Bill legalizing abortion passed in pope’s native Argentina.

This Pet Food Is Being Recalled After the Deaths of at Least 28 Dogs That Ate It. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall for some Sportmix pet food products, following the deaths of at least 28 dogs after eating the food.

These robots can boogie down better than most humans. In a stunning dance video that's part celebration of an incredible engineering achievement and part advertisement for the robotics company, Boston Dynamics showed four of its robots performing fully choreographed dance moves to The Contours' hit "Do you love me." — The video is pretty good. I don’t recall the T-800 having such cool dance moves. 

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

And another day of McConnell’s shit, forcing Congress to vote on overturning Biden’s win, a raging virus, 56 new billionaires since March, B-52 bombers, a ‘bonkers’ poll, unintended consequences, and snake massages comes to a close:

“Even on Gilligan’s Island they listened to the Professor not the millionaire.” — Anonymous 

Death

US: 350,778 (+4199)

World: 1,812,108 (+15,725)

Cases

US: 20,216,991 (+239,287)

World: 83,063,031 (+740,861)

Countdown 1: 6 days.

Countdown 2: 21 days.

Senate Majority Leader McConnell blasts the US House's CASH Act, which would boost the recently passed stimulus money from $600 to $2,000, and mocks Democrats for calling them "survival checks," arguing some of the cash goes to families who don't need it. In his speech on the Senate floor, McConnell also complained about the $464 billion cost of the measure and highlighted the rising national debt — an issue that Republicans have paid little attention to as they cut taxes during President Donald Trump's administration. — Cutting taxes for wealthy GOP donors is okay because they “need” the tax breaks. Little ol’ you struggling to pay your bills in the midst of a pandemic? You’re looking for handouts. As the GOP has shown over and over again, they are all for socialism for the rich...and to Hell with the rest of us. So much of what McConnell does is nothing more than a war on poor people.

GOP senator to object to Electoral College results, forcing Congress to vote on overturning Biden's win. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced Wednesday that he would object to the certification of some states' Electoral College results on Jan. 6, a move that will force his fellow Republicans to vote on a choice between rejecting President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud in this year's election or disenfranchising millions of voters.

Texas' most populous county tells residents to 'cancel all gatherings' for New Year's.

California has nation’s 2nd confirmed case of virus variant.

New coronavirus variant leads to record hospitalizations in England.

Scientists call for full lockdown in England as new Covid cases multiply.

Republic of Ireland moves to Level Five restrictions.

The US has gained 56 new billionaires since the pandemic began. Between roughly mid-March and Dec. 22, the United States gained 56 new billionaires, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, bringing the total to 659. The wealth held by that small cadre of Americans has jumped by more than $1 trillion in the months since the pandemic began.

US flies two B-52 bombers to Middle East ahead of possible Iranian attack.

Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon And Other Conspiracy Theories. A significant number of Americans believe misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus and the recent presidential election, as well as conspiracy theories like QAnon.

Foster care crisis: More kids are entering, but fewer families are willing to take them in. Experts and state agencies say families are reluctant to take in foster children for fear of spreading Covid-19.

Sex workers warn of unintended consequences in Section 230 fight.

In a year of pain, one silver lining: fewer mass shootings.

This Egyptian spa is offering snake massages.

RIP Dawn Wells. She was 82.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

And another day of “ten years,” McConnell obstruction, dead at 18 and 41, psychiatric symptoms caused by Covid, Arizona’s ballot-harvesting law, and lessons learned from unfulfilled ones comes to a close:

“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.” -- William Gaddis

Deaths

US: 346,579 (+3397)

World: 1,796,383 (+14,787)

Cases

US: 19,977,704 (+196,080)

World: 82,322,170 (+650,835)

Countdown 1: 7 days.

Countdown 2: 22 days.

Adequately vaccinating Americans will take 10 years at current pace.

McConnell blocks Senate Democrats' move to pass $2,000 coronavirus checks.

Colorado reports first confirmed case of U.K. coronavirus variant.

Louisiana’s newest Republican member of the U.S. House, Luke Letlow, has died from complications related to COVID-19 only days before being sworn into office. He was 41.

“She was a healthy young lady who had just turned 18 in November and had the world in her hands.” 18-year-old Lincoln-Way High School senior died of COVID-19 infection, medical examiner finds.

Severe psychiatric symptoms reported worldwide in some COVID-19 patients. A 42-year-old mother in New York described continually seeing her children being murdered and said she heard voices telling her to kill her children and herself. In New York City, a 30-year-old man tried to strangle his cousin after becoming convinced they were planning on murdering him. A 49-year-old man described hearing voices and believed himself to be the devil. The physician treating the 42-year-old mother, Hisam Goueli, told the Times the cases were unique due to the patients' self-awareness of their mental health decline...Goueli also noted it was unusual that most of these patients were in their 30s and 40s. According to the physician, the symptoms that patients described were more often attributed to schizophrenia in younger people or dementia in the elderly.

Religion, Abortion, Guns And Race. Just The Start Of A New Supreme Court Menu. — Some things never change. 

2 Yuma women indicted under Arizona's controversial ballot-harvesting law. They are accused of collecting four ballots during the state's August primary election. The law, which has faced legal challenges and is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, makes it illegal for anyone other than a family member, caregiver or household member to collect and turn in election ballots.

Wiser resolutions? Lessons from COVID’s unfulfilled ones. But when life is difficult, sustaining even a small amount of momentum can be tough...Yet amid all this uncertainty and psychological labor, people are looking back and realizing they did discover a quiet productivity...People may not have tackled the home improvement projects they planned or written novels. But many focused on their own well-being, and their kids’, and asked themselves what really matters.

Mormon church sued for allegedly covering up Boy Scouts sex abuse in Arizona.

Fatal skin disease in dolphins linked to climate crisis. It’s the first time that scientists have been able to attribute a cause to the condition since it appeared 15 years ago in bottlenose dolphins.

Science's most fascinating and awe-inspiring discoveries in 2020. Science's biggest achievement in 2020 was undoubtedly the rapid development of effective vaccines against Covid-19 -- a massive feat that should be widely celebrated and lauded with prizes in the years to come. Away from the coronavirus pandemic, however, there were discoveries in many different fields that inspired much-needed moments of awe and wonder in this tumultuous year. As 2020 comes to a close, here is a roundup of some of the fascinating findings you may have missed.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Monday, December 28, 2020

And another day of ‘promoting terrorism,’ increasing the stimulus package, the first step to overriding a veto, a GOP lawmaker sues Pence, Russia lies about Covid deaths, shattered records, and small drone privileges comes to a close:

“I always believed the vast majority of folks were good. 2020 taught me I was wrong. Here, the depth of selfishness & inhuman depravity is incomprehensible, where so many kill to avoid  wearing a face mask, where cruelty & abuse is cheered by millions. It was a horrific awakening.” — Kurt Eichenwald

Deaths

US: 343,182 (+2044)

World: 1,781,505 (+9621)

Cases

US: 19,781,624 (+207,777)

World: 81,671,335 (+529,206)

Countdown 1: 8 days.

Countdown 2: 23 days.

A year ends. Another begins. Just like always. Yet like nothing ever before. From that vantage point, the United States is barely a teenager. Left alone, it will eat junk food and scroll its phone until 3 a.m. It will test boundaries and taunt others with whom it disagrees. It won’t do the dishes or take out the garbage. Sometimes, it will seem to have no future other than playing XBox, watching “The Bachelorette” and eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Remember, though, as 2021 creeps in: Teenagers are the ultimate embodiment of in-betweenness — caught between two confusing eras, never quite sure what of yesterday to retain and what of the future to grab at and make real. And teenagers, of course, grow up. Eventually.

2020 was a difficult year for many, but according to historians, it's not the most stressful year in U.S. history. Bloom asked the historians to choose what they believed to be the most stressful year in U.S. history. The eight most stressful years listed below are ranked based on the number of historians who chose each year as the worst.

National Security Experts Warn Trump “Is Promoting Terrorism”. "There is a reluctance to identify the kind of violence that Trump is propagating, maybe because it seems too close to calling him a terrorist. You can call him whatever you want, but the tactics he’s using are clearly a form of terrorism.”

The House has passed a bill to increase stimulus payments to $2,000. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where its future is unclear.

House overrides Trump's National Defense Authorization Act veto — the first of his presidency. — Now we’ll see what happens in the Senate.

GOP lawmaker sues Pence in bid to overturn Biden win. But the Republican lawsuit, which was filed against Pence in his official capacity as vice president, asks a federal judge in Texas to strike down the law as unconstitutional. The GOP plaintiffs go further: They ask the court to grant Pence the authority on Jan. 6 to effectively overturn Trump's defeat in key battleground states. — The fact this is even being attempted shows that the GOP is no longer interested in American democracy.

Increase in coronavirus admissions prompts a Los Angeles hospital to use chapel and gift shop for new patients.

Fauci: Differing state responses a "major weakness" in fighting coronavirus.

Russia acknowledges COVID-19 death toll is three times what was previously reported.

Donald Trump delivers an historic week of disarray from America’s Nihilist-in-Chief.

Ohio officer who fatally shot Andre Hill in Columbus is fired. Officer Adam Coy's actions "do not live up to the oath of a Columbus Police officer," Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus, Jr. said in his decision.

From the Atlantic hurricane season to wildfires in the West: How 2020 weather shattered records. “The years we're experiencing now aren't just the warmest years on record into the past, they're going to be some of the coolest years on record going into the 21st century."

Hospital admissions for children with eating disorders rise by a third in England.

U.S. to allow small drones to fly over people and at night.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Sunday, December 27, 2020

And another day of relief packages, holiday traveling, vaccine passports, other 2020 medical stories, a suicide bomber the media refuses to call a suicide bomber, an upcoming Trump rally, bug drones, and hail and farewell to those we lost in 2020 comes to a close:

“You know what solves it? When the economy crashes, when the economy goes to total hell and everything is a disaster. Then you’ll have a [chuckles], you know, you’ll have riots to go back to where we were when we were great.” — Donald Trump, February 2014

“It’s not a coincidence that the coronavirus numbers in the U.S. are the worst in the world. The culture of this country is rooted in selfishness and entitlement.” — Frederick Joseph

Deaths

US: 341,138 (+1217)

World: 1,771,884 (+7321)

Cases

US: 19,573,847 (+140,000)

World: 81,142,129 (+426,249)

Countdown 1: 9 days.

Countdown 2: 24 days.

Trump Signs COVID-19 Relief Package After Threatening To Derail It.

December is the deadliest month in the US since the pandemic began.

TSA says it screened more than 1.1 million people at airports yesterday.

Canadian officials confirm two cases of new COVID-19 strain first seen in UK.

Fauci: US taking hard look at variant of coronavirus. U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serious illness or be resistant to vaccines than the strain afflicting people in the United States but it still must be taken “very seriously,” the government’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday.

If you want to travel next year, you may need a vaccine passport.

Covid-19 wasn't the only medical story this year. Here's what you missed in 2020. A treatment for Ebola. Weekly insulin shot. One pill to cut risk of heart problems. A blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. Getting close to a cure for sickle cell disease. And a heart pump to be used in children in need of a heart transplant.

Anthony Quinn Warner identified as Nashville bomber. -- He was a suicide bomber. Say it. It doesn’t matter that he was a white male Trump supporter, he was still a suicide bomber. That phrase is not reserved only for Muslims.

Trump to hold rally in Georgia on eve of Senate runoff elections.

UK army buys 30 'Bug' drones that can spy on targets 2km away.

Meet the blind piano player who's so good, scientists are studying him.

Hail and farewell to those we lost in 2020. “While the sun isn't out just yet, the hope is that it's just over the horizon.”

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Saturday, December 26, 2020

And another day of dying in America, the new strain spreading, America’s economy, the white-collar/blue-collar split, another death of an unarmed black man, racial disparities in the Air Force, transportation inequities, and some positive things that happened in 2020 comes to a close:

“The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality.” -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Deaths

US: 339,921 (+1658)

World: 1,764,563 (+6923)

Cases

US: 19,433,847 (+223,681)

World: 80,715,880 (+508,725)

Countdown 1: 10 days.

Countdown 2: 25 days.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. If you’ve read it, you remember how you felt the first time you did. If you’ve never read it, you should. It’s short.

The United States reached a grim milestone on Saturday: 1 in 1,000 Americans have died from Covid-19 since the nation's first reported infection in late January.

One COVID patient is dying every 10 minutes in L.A. County.

Spain confirms first case of coronavirus variant found in UK. Announcement comes after authorities in France and Lebanon also confirm cases of the UK variant.

Biden-voting counties equal 70% of America’s economy. What does this mean for the nation’s political-economic divide? The problem—as we have witnessed over the past decade and are likely to continue seeing—is not only that Democrats and Republicans disagree on issues of culture, identity, and power, but that they represent radically different swaths of the economy. Democrats represent voters who overwhelmingly reside in the nation’s diverse economic centers, and thus tend to prioritize housing affordability, an improved social safety net, transportation infrastructure, and racial justice. Jobs in blue America also disproportionately rely on national R&D investment, technology leadership, and services exports. By contrast, Republicans represent an economic base situated in the nation’s struggling small towns and rural areas. Prosperity there remains out of reach for many, and the party sees no reason to consider the priorities and needs of the nation’s metropolitan centers. That is not a scenario for economic consensus or achievement.

How the 2020 Election Deepened America’s White-Collar/Blue-Collar Split. Since the Reagan era, the two parties have essentially traded their core supporters. Democrats, the party of union halls and working-class America, now include much of the nation’s professional class. Republicans, once the party of Americans with four-year college degrees, are increasingly the party of the white working-class—and, the 2020 election showed, of a larger minority of Hispanic Americans.

President Donald Trump has left a deep imprint on federal courts. More than 230 Trump-appointed judges, several still in their 30s, hold lifetime positions, and his three Supreme Court picks could remain there for decades. — That is all McConnell’s doing. One person should not have as much power as Mitch McConnell does. It’s a flaw in the system.

Fact check: Georgia Republicans run more misleading attack ads against Warnock and Ossoff.

Andre' Hill was unarmed when was shot and killed by Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy early Tuesday morning.

Black service members in the Air Force are far more likely to be investigated, arrested, face disciplinary actions and be discharged for misconduct, according to a new report that looked at racial disparities across the service.

For Blacks and Other Minorities, Transportation Inequities Often Keep Opportunities Out of Reach. In a study by Shima Hamidi, more than 73% of Section 8 federally subsidized housing was unaffordable to residents when factoring in transportation costs, leaving low-income and minority residents with little left in their budget for other necessities.

After a permit was approved for a whites-only church in a Minnesota town, residents are pushing back. “I think they thought they could fly under the radar in a small town like this,” said Peter Kennedy. “Racism is not welcome here.”

A film director in Bangladesh has been arrested and charged after a scene depicting police harshly interrogating a rape victim and highlighting attitudes toward violence against women in the conservative nation sparked the ire of the force.

China has lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old for "abominable" crimes such as murder or causing injury that leads to death or severe disabilities by extremely cruel means, the China Daily said.

Japan to eliminate gas-powered cars as part of "green growth plan".

Pilot's video appears to capture person flying jet pack in Los Angeles area.

Ancient snack stall uncovered in Pompeii, revealing bright frescoes and traces of 2,000-year-old street food.

Good news in 2020? Yes, it's true! Here are 100 positive things that happened this year. The best news of all: 2020 is nearly over, and we are taking its painful but necessary lessons with us into the new year. Practice gratitude, hug your friends and family when you can and don't wait to live your best life.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.