And another day of emergency meetings, state steps against school boards, arresting absent lawmakers, ‘major environmental risk,’ the Afghanistan debacle, the rise of white identity politics, and even the weather is politicized in 2021 comes to a close:
“Have you noticed the people who don’t want to help refugees because we ‘have our own poor’ also don’t want to help our own poor?” -- mohamad safa
Deaths
US: 640,093 (+1295)
World: 4,394,676 (+11,179)
Cases
US: 37,896,582 (+159,596)
World: 209,379,296 (+693,652)
Meanwhile in Florida, after four days of school in one district: 5K+ Hillsborough Co. students in quarantine/isolation, emergency meeting called for Wednesday. The Hillsborough County School Board will hold an Emergency School Board Meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 1-3:30 p.m. due to rising COVID-19 cases across the county. As of 7 a.m., Monday, 5,599 students and 316 employees in Hillsborough County Public Schools are in isolation or quarantine. Isolation refers to individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 while quarantine refers to those who have had close contact with a positive case.
Florida state school board takes steps against two districts over mask mandates. Florida's State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday at an emergency meeting to recommend investigations into two school districts whose mask mandates defy Gov. Ron DeSantis. The board authorized the state education commissioner "to take all legal steps" against Alachua and Broward counties for requiring people in their school districts to wear masks. Those steps could include withholding funds, salaries, removing officers, reviewing district conduct, including how money is being spent for public relations or activities deemed political.
Oregon once again surpasses record COVID case numbers, hospitalizations. There is one ICU bed available in all of Jackson, Josephine, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake and Wheeler Counties.
Arizona governor issues order banning cities and counties from enacting vaccine mandates. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) issued an executive order Monday banning cities and counties from enforcing vaccine mandates for their employees, days after Tucson voted to require the shot for its workers.
Texas governor tests positive for COVID-19, in ‘good health’. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to his office, who said the Republican is in good health and experiencing no symptoms. Abbott, who was vaccinated in December and has refused calls to reinstate mask mandates as the highly contagious delta variant surges in Texas, was isolating in the governor’s mansion in Austin and receiving monoclonal antibody treatment. -- Hmmm. He was fully vaccinated and asymptomatic but is receiving Regeneron?
“All Texans deserve the health care Gov. Abbott is receiving.” — Jessica Cisneros
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates, is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars. DeSantis has been promoting the treatment as virus cases spike. -- For Republicans it’s always about getting richer. Always.
A licensed pharmacist was arrested in Chicago for allegedly selling dozens of authentic Covid-19 vaccination cards on eBay, the Justice Department said in a news release.
Want to go to a US national park? You must bring a face mask.
Texas Supreme Court sides with Republicans, says law allows arrest of absent lawmakers. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday evening that the state’s constitution allows the state House of Representatives to arrest absent members to force them to return to the chamber to conduct legislative business.
The Afghanistan Debacle: How Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden Bamboozled the American Public. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and the calamitous collapse of Kabul are the result of years of American failure to understand that nation and that war—an immense failure that was covered up by the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Taliban promise women’s rights, security under Islamic rule. The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population.
Facebook has reiterated its ban on accounts praising, supporting or representing the Taliban.
The first-ever water shortage has been declared in the country's largest reservoir, affecting tens of millions of people. The Bureau of Reclamation announced the first-ever water shortage for the lower Colorado River basin on Monday, which will prompt a reduction in water releases to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico in 2022 to make sure there is enough water in the reservoir to keep generating power and provide water for essential uses.
Exxon’s oil drilling gamble off Guyana coast ‘poses major environmental risk’. ExxonMobil’s huge new Guyana project faces charges of a disregard for safety from experts who claim the company has failed to adequately prepare for possible disaster…But experts claim that Exxon in Guyana appears to be taking advantage of an unprepared government in one of the lowest-income nations in South America, allowing the company to skirt necessary oversight. Worse, they also believe the company’s safety plans are inadequate and dangerous.
In 2021, even the weather is politicized. What is perhaps more surprising – or perhaps not – is the apparent influence of politics on their answers: nationwide, 72% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say they have noticed extreme weather events in their area compared to just 36% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Republicans are more than twice as likely to say they have not noticed extreme weather events (60%) than Democrats (22%)…Democrats are more likely than Republicans to report noticing extreme weather in both the 14 heat wave states (78% vs. 49%) and elsewhere in the U.S. (70% vs 33%). Even in the states bearing the brunt of the record-setting heat wave, 48% of Republicans say they have not noticed more extreme weather events where they live.
How The Rise Of White Identity Politics Explains The Fight Over Critical Race Theory. The war on critical race theory suggests that the white grievance politics Trump helped activate isn’t going anywhere; rather, it’s a key part of the GOP strategy moving forward.
New Data Visualization Tool Shows Just How Bad the Recent Explosion of Transphobic Bills Is. “Their goal is pretty clear, which is to cleave transgender issues away from a larger coalition,” Bales says, and “to create policies that keep trans people out of public lives. Understanding that dynamic is fundamental to being able to combat it.”
North Carolina is child bride destination; bill could end it. Known for its coastlines, mountains and the state that was “first in flight,” North Carolina has also developed a more dubious reputation recently: as a regional destination for adults who want to marry children. State lawmakers are nearing passage of a bill that could dampen the state’s appeal as the go-to place to bring child brides — but would still leave it short of a national push to increase the age to 18. The proposed legislation would raise the minimum marriage age from 14 to 16 and limit the age difference between a 16-year-old and their spouse to four years. -- Yeah. Read that again.
New Ebola case in Ivory Coast sparks mass vaccinations of health workers. An 18-year-old woman tested positive for the virus in Abidjan, marking the first case of the disease in Ivory Coast in more than a quarter of a century.
Death toll from Haiti’s weekend earthquake rises to 1,941.
Brett Favre, citing CTE risk, says kids shouldn't play tackle football until they are 14. — They shouldn’t play at all, ever.
Controversial dating sim Boyfriend Dungeon given new content warning over stalking plot. The developers behind new hit dating sim Boyfriend Dungeon have agreed to amend a content warning at the start of the game… “This game may include references to unwanted advances, stalking, and other forms of emotional manipulation. Play with care.”…However, many players feel that a warning is not enough and are asking for the stalking elements to be removed or for players to be given an opt out.
Ice cream van firm banned from street in Suffolk over noise complaint. An ice cream van operator has been banned from a street over a complaint that one of its vehicles sounded its chimes for too long. — Apparently we all don’t scream for ice cream.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment