Sunday, August 22, 2021

And another day of supporting vaccine mandates, what to do if you get a breakthrough infection, commercial airlines to assist evacuees, the Middle East running out of water, ‘rage and betrayal,’ and more comes to a close:

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -- Sinclair Lewis

Deaths

US: 645,058 (+218)

World: 4,444,470 (+7813)

Cases

US: 38,545,144 (+25,850)

World: 212,587,416 (+439,998)

Majorities support vaccine mandates for some activities amidst delta surge. Despite increased concern about contracting COVID-19, Americans’ precautionary habits have remained largely unchanged since June. At least half continue to stay away from large groups, wear face masks when around people outside their home, and avoid nonessential travel. Vaccinated Americans are more likely to maintain these habits than the unvaccinated.

What should you do if you get a breakthrough infection? Our expert weighs in. Many people have questions about what to do if they are vaccinated but test positive. Should they isolate, and for how long? What about family members — should they all get tested? What kinds of symptoms should make someone concerned that they might have a breakthrough infection? And how to address skeptics who question getting the vaccine if you can still get the coronavirus?

Expert shares equation that shows even a 100% vaccination rate is not enough to stop Delta variant. A professor of epidemiology at Boston University recently tweeted equations that explain why Delta has made it mathematically impossible to beat the virus now with just the vaccine:…Even if 100% of people got vaccinated, that would not bring the effective reproductive number under 1. Hence, other mitigation measures are needed, such as masking:…Even if we can't get rid of the virus entirely, the vaccines can help get rid of the "disease" in the form of worst outcomes. She says the math shows that the end game is vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.

Parents get coached on how to escape mask and vaccine rules. Across the U.S., religious figures, doctors, public officials and other community leaders are trying to help people circumvent COVID-19 precautions. While proponents of these workarounds say they are looking out for children’s health and parents’ rights, others say such stratagems are dishonest and irresponsible and could undermine efforts to beat back the highly contagious delta variant. — This truly is disgusting and angering. Your freedom ends when it endangers others.

Trump booed at rally in Alabama after telling supporters they should get vaccinated. — Frankenstein's monster cannot be controlled.

What’s wrong with Arizona’s 2020 audit? A lot, experts say. A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona’s largest country is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit — and whatever those revelations are, they cannot be taken seriously.

Among eight institutions and industries included in our survey, only one – churches and religious organizations – is viewed by a majority of Republicans as having a positive effect on the country.

Pentagon asks commercial airlines to assist in moving evacuees. The Pentagon announced Sunday that it is now formally seeking airlift help from commercial airlines, in an effort to relocate evacuees from Afghanistan once they have been taken out of the country by military aircraft.

22 dead, many missing after 17 inches of rain in Tennessee.

The Middle East is running out of water, and parts of it are becoming uninhabitable. The region has witnessed persistent drought and temperatures so high that they are barely fit for human life. Add climate change to water mismanagement and overuse, and projections for the future of water here are grim. Some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq and Jordan, are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency, Charles Iceland, the global director of water at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told CNN. That's happening as they experience a decrease in rainfall.

No containment, new threats from Northern California fire. A wildfire burning for a week in Northern California continued to grow out of control, one of about a dozen big blazes in the drought-stricken state that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate.

The first cross-river railway bridge between China and Russia has been completed. The bridge is 2,215 meters (7,300 feet) long and has been seven years in the making.

Sex workers feel 'rage and betrayal' as OnlyFans moves to ban 'sexually explicit' content.

Why did OnlyFans ban sexually explicit content? It says it's the credit card companies. OnlyFans' decision is also a result of a much wider and concerted crackdown in recent years across explicit parts of the internet, one driven largely by a group of powerful and increasingly assertive companies: The payment processors who, behind the scenes, handle every swipe of your credit card whether you're paying for gas, buying groceries or, yes, tipping a performer on OnlyFans.

Major League Baseball is ending a 70-year relationship with trading card company Topps after signing a new partnership with a rival company.

RIP Don Everly. He was 84.

“Bye bye love. Bye bye happiness. Hello loneliness. I think I’m-a gonna cry-y.” — The Everly Brothers

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

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