And another day of not being done, bombing theaters, election police, Manchin’s coal corruption, the Amazon Rainforest’s tipping point, a ‘slave auction,’ banning same-sex marriage, signs of early Alzheimer’s, ticks, Amazon, Netflix, and Dolly Parton comes to a close:
“The best propagandists for Putin in the world are US Republican politicians.” — Ron Filipkowski
“When the leader of your nation starts talking about “cleansing” your people, it’s time to acknowledge that the real mess is located in the castle, not in the streets.” — John Collins
“Russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values, against our right to live freely in our own country, against our national dreams. Just like the same dreams you Americans have.” — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
“‘Protect your own health’ is not a PUBLIC health policy.” — Dr. Lucky Tran
Putin: “I am convinced that such natural and essential self-cleansing of the society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.” — We’ve seen this movie before. We know how it ends. Putin must be stopped.
Deaths
US: 996,072 (+3770 over two days)
World: 6,087,899 (+14,166 over two day)
Cases
US: 81,350,883 (+105,947 over two days)
World: 466,472,159 (+4,459,201 over two days)
Europe thought it was done with Covid-19. But the virus isn't done with Europe. It has been two years since the Covid-19 pandemic became a reality for millions of people in Europe and many of the region's leaders now believe it is time to move on. But as countries shed restrictions, cases and hospitalizations are slowly inching up and public health experts are worried about the consequences…The situation has caught the eye of American public health experts, who worry that Europe's rise in infections may be a preview of what's to come in the US.
Germany to let virus restrictions expire even as cases surge. The German government on Thursday defended its decision to let many pandemic restrictions expire at the weekend, even as the country hit a new record high for newly confirmed cases.
Moderna asks FDA to authorize second booster dose for all adults. It said it made the request based in part on recent data from the U.S. and Israel following the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant.
Russia bombed a theater in Mariupol that had 'CHILDREN' written in Russian outside, satellite images show. The theater was serving as a shelter for hundreds of civilian refugees, including many children, in the embattled city of Mariupol, which has been left without water, heat, and food for several days amid Russia's escalating attack.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a uniquely talented communicator. — He speaks directly to the Russian people about what is really goin on in its war with Ukraine. Hear what he has to say. It’s good.
Some GOP states seek new police units for election probes. Republicans responding to the myth of widespread voter fraud are turning to a new tactic to appease voters who believe the claims: election police.
Manchin's Coal Corruption Is So Much Worse Than You Knew. The senator from West Virginia is bought and paid for by Big Coal. With his help the dying industry is pulling one final heist — and the entire planet may pay the price. The only reason anyone still burns coal today is because of the enormous political power and inertia that the industry has acquired since the 19th century. In America, that power and inertia is embodied in the cruel and cartoonish character of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who, paradoxically, may have more control over the trajectory of the climate crisis than any other person on the planet right now…The truth is, Manchin is best understood as a grifter from the ancestral home of King Coal. He is a man with coal dust in his veins who has used his political skills to enrich himself, not the people of his state. He drives an Italian-made Maserati, lives on a houseboat on the Potomac River when he is in D.C., pals around with corporate CEOs, and has a net worth of as much as $12 million. More to the point, his wealth has been accumulated through controversial coal-related businesses in his home state, including using his political muscle to keep open the dirtiest coal plant in West Virginia, which paid him nearly $5 million over the past decade in fees for coal handling, as well as costing West Virginia electricity consumers tens of millions of dollars in higher electricity rates (more about the details of this in a moment)…In contrast, Manchin is effectively taking money right out of the pockets of West Virginians when they pay their electric bills. They have no say in it. “It’s one of the most egregious conflicts of interest I’ve ever seen.”…However it plays out, the idea that the fate of the Earth’s climate has wound up in the hands of a Maserati-driving senator from coal country is a plot twist that belongs in a Hollywood disaster movie, not here in the real world where millions of people suffer as a consequence…There is no future for coal in America. It is a new Lost Cause. But that won’t stop Manchin and the fossil-fuel confederacy from spreading the big lie that life as we know it today depends on burning black rocks for power…”Joe Manchin doesn’t need to be in Congress,” Swearengin says. “He needs to be in jail.”…It’s difficult to overstate how fucked up this is. If the PSC were working in the best interests of West Virginians, it would have demanded that the money-losing Grant Town plant be shut down years ago. Instead, West Virginians have been paying millions of dollars each year in higher electricity costs in order to keep running a dirty, inefficient power plant that is sickening and killing people with dirty air, but paying the Manchin family handsomely. And who knows how deep this cesspool of corruption really goes…Once you understand how the Manchin family business works, you understand why the senator drives a Maserati (“Hollywood could not cast a better vehicle for this guy to be driving,” says Kidus Girma). And you can also understand why he knifed the Build Back Better bill, which has a variety of provisions that would accelerate the demise of coal…Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2024, also profited from right-wing donors who appreciated him mucking up Biden’s agenda. During the first nine months of 2021, he raked in $3.3 million in campaign donations — 14 times more than his haul through the same period the previous year. Not surprisingly, being the roadblock to climate action is a lucrative position…Like the disemboweled mountain itself, Manchin is a scar from a time when blasting the Earth to mine coal to burn for energy that cooked the climate was a profitable thing to do. As I stood there on the ridgetop, it occurred to me that if future historians want to tell the story of how humans turned our home into a hell zone of fire, drought, and rising seas, this would be as good of a place as any to begin. — Fuck Manchin. And fuck you if you support him.
The Amazon Rainforest May Be Reaching a Point of No Return. Scientists can’t yet say when the Amazon as a whole might reach that tipping point, as there are a galaxy of variables at play, like the rate of deforestation and how droughts might intensify. But in the rainforest’s southeast, they’re getting glimpses of what that point might look like. Here, as the forest fragments and the edges are exposed to more sun, big trees that need a lot of water are dying off. The ones that tend to survive are similar to those you’d see on a savanna—they might even lose their leaves during the dry season, unlike the evergreens of a rainforest.
California man died screaming ‘I can’t breathe’ as police restrained him, video shows. Newly released clip from two years ago shows Edward Bronstein being forced to a mat with at least five officers holding him down
A North Carolina schools superintendent has apologized for a mock “slave auction” in which white middle-schoolers pretended to sell their Black classmates.
Bermuda ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional, London court says. A London tribunal on Monday ruled that a 2018 Bermuda law that bans same-sex marriage in the British overseas territory is constitutional, a departure from the broad trend towards legalization of gay marriage in the West.
Team That Owes Most of Its Success to a Russian Oligarch Now Wants Other Teams to Be Punished For It. Last week, the United Kingdom sanctioned Abramovich, meaning his various assets, including Chelsea, were effectively frozen. With its financial backer in legal limbo, Chelsea was permitted to keep playing games and paying its players, but could not sell tickets or merchandise. Now, here’s the part where, if you are Chelsea, you eat it. You take the hit and move on. You’ve lived and been rewarded—as fans and as a club—by the money that is fueling a war and you admit, hey, that was fucked up. But, no. They did not do that. Chelsea instead acted like idiots. They drew a line in the sand over a domestic cup match this weekend against Middlesbrough, a club in the second division of English soccer. The club sent out a public request that Middlesborough not invite their fans, too.
Most people don't know these possible signs of early Alzheimer's. Mild cognitive impairment is an early stage of subtle memory loss or other cognitive ability loss, such as language or visual/spatial perception, according to research published Tuesday in the Alzheimer's Association's 2022 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report. The signs can be serious enough to be noticed by the affected person and loved ones, yet mild enough that the affected person can maintain their ability to do most activities of daily living. Many people confuse this impairment, often called MCI, with normal aging, but it is different -- around one-third of people with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia due to Alzheimer's disease within five years, according to the research.
Long naps may be early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, study shows. Excessive daytime napping likely to be symptom rather than cause of mental decline, say scientists
Lone star tick, linked to Heartland virus, now found in 6 states. Not much is yet known about the Heartland virus, which when transmitted to a person by a tick bite can cause fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle or joint pain. It's unclear if other ticks can also spread the virus or if people can be infected in other ways, the CDC said.
Amazon.com closes deal to buy MGM movie studio. Amazon.com Inc on Thursday said it had closed its $8.5 billion deal to buy MGM, combining the fabled movie maker behind "Rocky" and "James Bond" with the online retailing giant as it looks to draw consumers through more streaming video.
Netflix tests charges for sharing passwords between households. The days of sharing Netflix passwords could soon be over. The streaming company has begun testing a new feature that would charge people to add multiple profiles to an account.
Rock Hall of Fame: Dolly Parton Is On the Ballot Whether She Wants It or Not. “From its inception, Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music,” they wrote. “It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture. Dolly Parton’s music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed. Her nomination to be considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame followed the same process as all other artists who have been considered.”
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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