Sunday, August 15, 2021

And another day of fake vaccine cards, not wanting to return to in-person schooling (and not because of Covid), no unemployment benefits, public forums, one of the world’s biggest anti-vax websites, a ‘preview’ of the coming climate crisis, and Afghanistan falls comes to a close:

“If these old walls; If these old walls could speak.” -- Nanci Griffith (Simply a beautiful song.)

Deaths

US: 637,561 (+122)

World: 4,374,689 (+7615)

Cases

US: 37,466,718 (+30,883)

World: 207,980,418 (+456,314)

Schumer calls for federal crackdown on fake vaccine cards. Schumer is demanding U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FBI team up with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services to launch a crackdown on the counterfeit cards and start a campaign to make clear that forging the cards could land people in federal prison.

Some kids don't want to return to in-person schooling. As schools reopen across the US, many children are excited to get back into classrooms with their friends. But for some others, especially kids with social anxiety, online learning was a welcome respite from bullying and the stress of trying to fit in. For them returning to school, with its classroom dynamics and cafeteria social pressures, can feel daunting.

New Orleans to Require Vaccination or Negative Covid-19 Test to Enter Bars, Stadiums, and More. Louisiana's covid-19 vaccination rate is stubbornly low at just 37.9%. The new rules will go into effect on Monday, August 16 and the list includes virtually every indoor activity open to the public, including gyms, casinos, skating rinks, pool halls, strip clubs, and just about anything else you can think of that happens indoors.

Unemployment benefits may be denied to workers fired for not being vaccinated. More business owners are requiring their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to stay employed. But if you are fired for not being vaccinated, experts say the chances of getting unemployment benefits are not very high.

“So many have died who didn’t need to. 

“So many suffering who could’ve been protected. 

“So much sadness that will endure. 

“So much lost that will never be regained. 

“I will never understand why wearing masks was a big deal. 

“I will never understand why vaccines became the enemy.” -- Dan Rather

Misinformation at public forums vexes local boards, big tech. Videos of local government meetings have emerged as the latest vector of COVID-19 misinformation, broadcasting misleading claims about masks and vaccines to millions and creating new challenges for internet platforms trying to balance the potential harm against the need for government openness.

This Woman Secretly Runs One of the World's Biggest Anti-Vax Websites From Her House. By presenting unverified data as fact, OpenVAERS has become one of the most powerful tools in the anti-vaxxer community. By scrubbing the data of all context and presenting it as fact, claiming to show how many people have died from the COVID-19 vaccine or have suffered from long-term irreversible damage post vaccination, OpenVAERS is carrying on the long tradition of anti-vaxxers misrepresenting public data.

“Game over:” Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans. Taliban forces moved early Sunday into a capital beset by fear and declared they were awaiting a peaceful surrender, capping a stunning sweep of Afghanistan in just the past week.

Here's Why Biden Is Sticking With The U.S. Exit From Afghanistan. Here are five reasons why the U.S. is not likely to return to war in Afghanistan.

“The world knows that post WW2 American military “credibility” was destroyed by Democratic & Republican presidents & generals in Vietnam. If you know what happened in Vietnam, you always knew what was going to happen in Afghanistan.” — Lawrence O’Donnell

Death toll from 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti rises to over 700 people. The Haitian government declared a state of emergency after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the country Saturday, leaving at least 724 people dead and injuring another 2,800, according to Haiti's civil protection agency.

Heat waves, wildfires & drought: How this summer is a 'preview' of Earth's coming climate crisis. Sizzling temperatures in the United States and Canada and persistent heat in parts of Europe and northern Africa are creating dangerous health conditions, aggravating droughts and fueling wildfires around the world. And it's this troubling confluence of climate threats that researchers have been warning about for two decades...But to many experts, these events offer just a glimpse of what lies ahead in future summers because of climate change.

RIP Nanci Griffith. She was 68.

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

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