Wednesday, August 18, 2021

And another day of shipping hospital patients to other states, dress codes in TX, vax proof on your phone, fake Covid passes, restaurants suing over mask mandates, GA, pronouns, bans, and flight attendants train in self-defense comes to a close:

“Never regret a day in your life. Good days give happiness, bad days give experiences, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories.” -- Professor Richard Feynman

Deaths

US: 641,346 (+1253)

World: 4,405,341 (+10,665)

Cases

US: 38,072,656 (+176,074)

World: 210,093,271 (+713,975)

With no beds, hospitals ship patients to far-off cities. Many overwhelmed hospitals, with no beds to offer, are putting critically ill COVID-19 patients on planes, helicopters and ambulances and sending them hundreds of miles to far-flung states for treatment.

Texas school officials think they've found dress code loophole in Abbott ban. The board of trustees for a school district in Texas are amending their dress code for students to include masks in a bid to get around Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) executive order banning mask mandates in schools. The Paris Independent School District (PISD) announced the new changes to the dress code in a press release on Tuesday, weeks after Abbott issued an executive order banning schools from requiring face masks.

Proof of vaccination in a tap? Smartphone developers want to make it that easy. Apple, Samsung and Google have announced plans for features to readily call up a QR code that can be scanned to quickly verify a user’s vaccination status.

GOP Senator Railed Against Vax, Caught COVID, Then Hid It From Dem Colleagues. A Republican state senator who has proven to be one of Wisconsin’s most virulent critics of mask and vaccine mandates became sick enough to be hospitalized last week after contracting COVID-19, his office confirmed to The Daily Beast. What’s more, a possibly infectious Sen. André Jacque, who testified maskless during a Joint Senate and Assembly Education Committee meeting last Wednesday at the statehouse in Madison, neglected to inform his colleagues about their potential exposure—and they’re not happy.

Black market for fake Covid passes flourishes in France. People refusing to get Covid vaccines in France are coughing up hundreds of euros for fake health passes in an online black market that has flourished since the government required them to enter cafes, inter-city trains and other public places.

Restaurant owners sue New York City over vaccine mandate. A group of restaurant owners and five small businesses are suing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city over its vaccine mandate in the hopes of blocking the new requirement. -- How good is business if you kill your customers?

Country superstar Garth Brooks cancels 5 upcoming shows due to the nation's ongoing struggle with Covid-19 and the new surge brought about the delta variant of the coronavirus. "In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part," Brooks said in a statement.

Georgia inches toward possible takeover of Fulton elections. Georgia’s State Election Board inched forward Wednesday in a process set in motion by Republican lawmakers using a controversial provision of the state’s sweeping new election law that could ultimately lead to a takeover of elections in the state’s most populous county. -- This is all bad.

Teachers sue after being told to use correct pronouns for trans kids. They argue that using the correct pronouns for trans students goes against their religious beliefs. -- Religious beliefs. The catchall phrase that lets anyone be a hateful person.

“Bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry.” -- Anonymous

Dementia risk lower for people in stimulating jobs, research suggests.

EPA bans use of pesticide linked to developmental problems in children. In a statement on Wednesday, the agency said that it was revoking all food tolerances for a chemical called chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to lower IQ, impaired working memory and negative effects on motor development. 

Flight attendants are increasingly turning to self-defense training to learn how to defuse situations as well as protect themselves and their passengers.

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

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