December 21, 2022

China's new covid nightmare could become a global catastrophe

President Xi Jinping’s government had imposed draconian requirements for lockdowns, tests and forced quarantines during most of the pandemic. But once lifted on Dec. 7, the measures were followed by little guidance from the top. China’s party-state usually declares that everything is under control. Now, it appears to be quite unsettled. A wave of omicron infections is sweeping Beijing and might soon hit the rest of China. It has triggered panic buying of food and cold remedies. A government known for its rigidity and certitude stopped reporting some daily infections data and deactivated the ubiquitous covid-19 tracking app, adding to the uncertainty. Instead of basking in newfound freedom to go out, many people are scared, hunkering down inside.

China has troubled days ahead. Among those 60 years and older, only about 69 percent have received booster shots, and the uptake is even less among those over 80 years old. They are extremely vulnerable to omicron, and reports from China have indicated that a surge of deaths has already started, with crematoriums working around the clock. Mathematical models predict 1 million or more deaths early next year. China’s government has announced a plan to accelerate vaccination campaigns for the elderly, who have been hesitant to get the shots. For a long while, China has grossly underreported deaths due to covid and probably will continue to do so.
...
Mr. Xi’s motive for ditching the zero-covid policy was to kick-start a lagging economy, burdened by lockdowns and worker unrest. But the new approach might deal a roundhouse blow to the economy. It is causing widespread disruption to production and supply chains. Should China’s manufacturing slow, the world will feel the pain in the form of shortages and inflation.

China unwisely eschewed the effective mRNA vaccines for less-effective Chinese-made shots. The population has not been widely exposed to omicron, and thus lacks natural immunity. A potential lifeline is an aerosol vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics. It is being offered as a booster, in the form of an inhaled mist taken in through the mouth, after studies show it triggered an immune system response in people who had previously received two shots of a Chinese vaccine. The best strategy is pressing this vaccine and importing millions of mRNA shots, too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/20/china-covid-policy-endanger-world/

December 10, 2022

Scientists finally know why people get more colds and flu in winter

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In what researchers are calling a scientific breakthrough, scientists behind a new study may have found the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter. It turns out the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.In fact, reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of virus and bacteria-fighting cells in the nostrils, according to the study published Tuesday in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
...
“Cold air is associated with increased viral infection because you’ve essentially lost half of your immunity just by that small drop in temperature,” said rhinologist Dr. Benjamin Bleier, director of otolaryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

As it turns out, the pandemic gave us exactly what we need to help fight off chilly air and keep our immunity high, Bleier said.

“Not only do masks protect you from the direct inhalation of viruses, but it’s also like wearing a sweater on your nose,” he said.

https://www.ocregister.com/2022/12/06/scientists-finally-know-why-people-get-more-colds-and-flu-in-winter/?utm_email=24187445D41C24C5440EA4500A&g2i_eui=AUZpzE8iXCQTP0RCQY9jQd2JSaE9ALgL&g2i_source=newsletter&lctg=24187445D41C24C5440EA4500A&active=yesD&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.ocregister.com%2f2022%2f12%2f06%2fscientists-finally-know-why-people-get-more-colds-and-flu-in-winter%2f&utm_campaign=scng-ocr-coronavirus&utm_content=automated

November 12, 2022

Disney announces hiring freeze after dismal earnings report

Disney plans to institute a targeted hiring freeze and eliminate some jobs after the company’s latest earnings report sent shares plummeting earlier this week, CNBC reports.

“We are limiting headcount additions through a targeted hiring freeze,” CEO Bob Chapek said in a memo to division leads obtained by CNBC. “Hiring for the small subset of the most critical, business-driving positions will continue, but all other roles are on hold. Your segment leaders and HR teams have more specific details on how this will apply to your teams.”

Disney shares hit a 52-week low Wednesday after the Burbank-based entertainment giant missed earnings expectations and announced that its streaming service, Disney+, lost $1.47 billion last quarter despite adding 12 million subscribers.

On Tuesday’s earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy told investors that losses will narrow in 2023. Chapek says Disney’s streaming business will become profitable by the end of 2024.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disney-enacting-hiring-freeze-after-dismal-earnings-report/

They've been jacking up prices at the Disney theme parks. I guess it was to try to make up for the losses at Disney+ streaming service.

November 5, 2022

Tiffany Cross 'Disheartened' By MSNBC Ouster, Says 'My Work Is Not Done'

The outspoken weekend anchor, whose show was cancelled earlier Friday by the NBCUniversal-owned cable outlet, said in a statement Friday night that her freewheeling, outspoken style was on the mark for a disruptive era in politics, and indicated she would continue her work elsewhere.

“I am disheartened to learn of MSNBC’s decision to cancel my show, ‘The Cross Connection,’ at such a crucial time — four days before the midterm elections,” Cross said, while spotlighting the program’s ratings. “And we were intentional about centering marginalized voices of the rising majority — from all communities of color.”

MSNBC cut ties with Cross unexpectedly Friday morning, telling her production staff of the decision Friday morning, according to three people familiar with the matter. A rotating group of anchors will lead her weekend hours until a replacement is found, and the production staff assigned to her show is believed to be likely to stay in place.

At partial issue, according to people familiar with the matter, are on-air volleys between Cross and commentators like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, who have criticized the MSNBC anchor’s views in recent months, sometimes spurring across to retort. MSNBC executives felt the segments were not up to standards, but Cross supporters wonder why the network didn’t do more to shield her from the criticism. After all, the show drew an average of more than 600,000 last month, according to Nielsen, though it captured fewer viewers than its time-slot rivals on Fox News and CNN.

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/tiffany-cross-disheartened-msnbc-tv-news-1235423889/amp/

October 30, 2022

Elon Musk Pushes Conspiracy Theory On Twitter About Paul Pelosi Attack

Source: Huffington Post

“The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result,” former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted on Saturday, linking to a Los Angeles Times story about DePape’s apparent far-right associations. “As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.”

The article in question was written by The Santa Monica Observer, a right-wing outlet known for routinely publishing disinformation and conspiracy theories. The website once went as far as to peddle an outrageous conspiracy that Clinton died, and that the Democratic candidate running for president against Trump in 2016 was actually a robot.

“There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye,” Musk responded to Clinton’s tweet, attaching a link to an article falsely claiming that Paul Pelosi’s attacker was a lover he met at a bar in the middle of the night. The claim is not credible by any means and further threatens the safety of not only Pelosi and her family but also those in the LGBTQ community.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told host Chuck Todd that she does not trust Musk to run Twitter ethically. Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing federal elections, said she endorses reducing social media companies’ Section 230 immunity, which would allow them to be sued for making money off of amplifying election disinformation and hate speech.

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1586705231177474050

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-pushes-conspiracy-theory-paul-pelosi_n_635eaa7ce4b01c1b94e78407

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Sickening. Elon Musk should be banned from Twitter, not in charge of it.

October 29, 2022

Charlie Crist for the win...

https://twitter.com/CharlieCrist/status/1586043500507824133

October 26, 2022

Florida attorney who opposed state helmet law dies in motorcycle crash while not wearing one

Ron Smith, an experienced rider, was killed on Aug. 20 after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a utility trailer. His girlfriend, Brenda Volpe, was his passenger and also died.

Smith, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene. Volpe, 62, died hours later at a hospital.

A medical examiner said Smith and Volpe died from head trauma, the Times reported. The office did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday.

The accident report noted that neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, although it is unknown whether one would have prevented their deaths.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-attorney-opposed-state-helmet-law-dies-motorcycle-crash-not-we-rcna54095

And more irony: Ron Smith was heading to a memorial service for another biker who died in August when he crashed his bike as he tried to slow for traffic in front of him.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-lawyer-who-fought-helmet-laws-killed-in-motorcycle-crash-while-not-wearing-a-helmet

October 24, 2022

Nearly 100 Cuban migrants returned to homeland amid continued flight

Source: NBC News

The Coast Guard said the migrants were apprehended in one of four interdictions of unstable vessels headed to the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, responding to the rising number of Cubans discovered in "dangerous and unforgiving" conditions at sea, last year drew a red line."

Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States," he said in July 2021.

Traditional U.S. policy allowing Cubans who make it to dry land in the U.S. to apply for legal status was ended under President Donald Trump, but the government still processes applications for asylum by migrants who reach the border in Mexico.



Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nearly-100-cuban-migrants-returned-homeland-rcna53649

September 29, 2022

Lara Trump posts video of her crying 5 yr old son in hurricane as a "character building exercise."

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjDXQvXDhAb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Lara Trump made a big splash on social media Wednesday, but probably not in the way she intended.

Trump — who is married to Eric Trump, the second-born son of former President Donald Trump — posted a video on Instagram showing her 5-year-old son riding a toy bulldozer on a Florida street while rains from Hurricane Ian pour down on both of them.

The video was captioned, “Thought we had a clear window, turns out we did some character building instead 🙈🤣🌧🌀 stay safe everyone! 🙏🏽”

But what Lara Trump called “character building” others called cruelty, mainly because the child was visibly sad and crying in the video.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lara-trump-hurriciane-son-video_n_6334aae2e4b03e8038ba4abc

https://twitter.com/markos/status/1575211595424153600

https://twitter.com/tonyposnanski/status/1575157338595540992

September 29, 2022

Soccer world reacts to Iranian national team's brave gesture

https://twitter.com/davenewworld_2/status/1575052847066288128

With the FIFA World Cup coming up in less than two months, even though FIFA (and especially Qatar) would like players to be apolitical, it’s a worldwide platform for players to shine a spotlight on what’s going on in their nation. And that’s what the Iranian men’s national team did in a friendly against Senegal in Vienna, Austria.

The team wore black jackets that covered up any Iranian emblems during the national anthem and kept their jackets on until just before kickoff.

Iran went further as goalscorer Sardar Azmoun refused to celebrate his 64th minute goal. This coming a few days after the Bayer Leverkusen forward posted (and deleted) an Instagram story saying that players were forbidden from speaking out and said that being kicked off the national team is a “small price to pay” and said, “Shame on you for easily killing the people and long live women of Iran.”

And while some say this is an empty gesture and that they shouldn’t have played the game, that small number of people saying that is missing the point. Full disclosure, maybe three people had that sentiment in over five minutes of scrolling for responses. Sure, they could always do more, but these players are forcing the entire world to look at what is going on in Iran in a way that not even news people can do. The news can report what’s going on, but that can be tuned out if you try hard enough. But if you’re watching a soccer game that has players wearing all black to support the protests, maybe it means others become aware and support the cause.

http://amp.thecomeback.com/soccer/soccer-to-iran-national-team-protest.html