Daily Archives: April 5, 2021

2021-04-05: News Headlines

Philip Doe (2021-04-05). A Friday Night Massacre in Colorado. counterpunch.org Last Friday night I listened to the state of Colorado and the Suncor Corporation vote as one against independent monitoring and public health analysis of the Suncor refinery's massive air pollution. The Suncor refinery's nay vote was cast by its public relations flak, Brandy Radey. It was her opinion that since the corporation was already monitoring

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2021-04-05). Russia Making Headway In Mobilizing Domestic Resources In Fight Against Coronavirus Pandemic — OpEd. eurasiareview.com With a strong structured plan and that includes President Vladimir Putin weekly meetings with regional governors and related ministry officials, Russia is indeed making headway in mobilizing first its own domestic resources in fighting and controlling the coronavirus pandemic. | Under these time-testing conditions, the Russian government also ponders on the necessity to adopt a concerted approach to the economic sectors related to public health system, efforts to strengthen fundamental research in all health disciplines and close the pitfalls in its policy. | Arguably, Russia is really moving with innovative o…

_____ (2021-04-05). Thousands Take To The Streets Saying 'Kill The Bill'. popularresistance.org Thousands took part in a weekend of action against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The size and passion of the demos shows that people are willing to fight to stop this bill, which the Conservative government tried to sneak through under the cover of the coronavirus (Covid-19) health crisis. | 50 demonstrations were called across the UK. | The proposed Police Bill is arguably the biggest attack on our freedoms since the Public Order Acts of the '80s and '90s. The controversial bill passed its second reading in parliament during March. The bill will give the police unprecedented draconian powers to…

WSWS (2021-04-05). More reports highlight undercounting of Florida COVID-19 deaths. wsws.org Last month, an investigative report released by the American Journal of Public Health found that Florida is dramatically undercounting the number of people who are dying from COVID-19.

Michael Berkowitz (2021-04-05). "Coastal Elites": Diary of the Plague Year. peoplesworld.org Form follows function in Paul Rudnick's lively new theater piece "Coastal Elites". Rudnick ("Sister Acts", "In and Out", "Stepford Wives", "Addams Family Values"), one of our most clever and amusing writers, digs a little deeper this time with a well-crafted theater piece consisting of five monologues which forcefully break the fourth dramatic wall, speaking directly …

Michael Berkowitz (2021-04-05). 'Coastal Elites': Diary of the Plague Year. peoplesworld.org Form follows function in Paul Rudnick's lively new theater piece "Coastal Elites". Rudnick ("Sister Acts", "In and Out", "Stepford Wives", "Addams Family Values"), one of our most clever and amusing writers, digs a little deeper this time with a well-crafted theater piece consisting of five monologues which forcefully break the fourth dramatic wall, speaking directly …

Henry Giroux (2021-04-05). The Plague of Historical Amnesia in the Age of Fascist Politics. counterpunch.org As the boundaries of the unthinkable become normalized, historical consciousness is replaced by manufactured forms of historical amnesia and ignorance. As white supremacy becomes entrenched at the highest levels of power and in the public imagination, the past becomes a burden that must be shed.[1] Disparaging, suppressing or forgetting the horrors of history has become

WSWS (2021-04-05). The CDC guidelines for social distancing in schools are based on distorted science: neither three feet nor six feet distancing is safe. wsws.org The recent CDC guidelines claiming that social distancing measures can be curtailed to three feet are based on erroneous studies. Their primary aim is to provide a pseudoscientific cover for attempts to reopen schools.

WSWS (2021-04-05). St. Vincent nurses in Massachusetts in fourth week of strike for safe staffing. wsws.org The Massachusetts Nurses Association, with more than 23,000 members at 85 health care facilities, has not mobilized its membership in defense of the striking St. Vincent nurses and does not provide them guaranteed strike pay.

lombardi (2021-04-05). A Plague on For-profit "Homes" dsausa.org Much of both the revenues and the business model of the nursing home industry is attributable to private equity (PE) penetration of the industry. PE investment in nursing homes skyrocketed from $5 billion in 2000 to over $100 billion today, with PE firms acquiring four of the top ten nursing home operators. The most extensive study of the industry found that, after being acquired by a PE firm, the home's performance declined on patient care measures, but the enterprise brought in more occupants and increased revenue.

The Conversation (2021-04-05). How Solar technologies can speed up vaccine rollout in the Global South. juancole.com By Cyrus Sinai and Rob Fetter | — There's hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against COVID-19 in the coming months. Yet the effort to vaccinate even the most essential workers in developing countries has only just begun. By current estimates, achieving herd immunity (to current strains) will require at least 75% …

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-04-05). Fauci Says Federal Government Won't Mandate Vaccine Passports. commondreams.org The administration's chief medical adviser also urged people not to "declare victory prematurely" against the coronavirus by forgoing public health measures like physical distancing. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2021-04-05). Headlines for April 5, 2021. democracynow.org India Hits 100,000 Daily COVID Cases; More Nations Enter Lockdown; Pope Calls for Vaccine Equality, U.S. Vaccinations Pick Up Speed, But Health Experts Say Country Is Still at Risk for New Wave, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Killed After Man Rams Car into Security Checkpoint, Veteran Minneapolis Police Officer Calls Chauvin Kneeling on Floyd's Neck "Totally Unnecessary", U.S. and Iran Holding Talks Via Nuclear Deal Signatories in Attempt to Revive 2015 Accord, Jordan Arrests Ex-Crown Prince, Other Top Figures Accused of Plotting Coup Against King, Demonstrations Continue Against New U.K. Bill That Would Empower Pol…

Staff (2021-04-05). World's Poorest Nations Face Setback as India Suspends Vaccine Exports Amid Fight over Patent Rights. democracynow.org We look at the urgent push to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all nations, rich and poor, and growing calls for Big Pharma to waive their patent rights, as COVID-19 cases soar in India and the Modi government has suspended exports of coronavirus vaccines to many of the world's poorest countries that depend on AstraZeneca vaccines it produces. "These are not India's vaccines," says Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for equitable access to medicines. "The number of vaccine doses that have gone out to a third of humanity — 91 poor countries — is 18 millio…

teleSUR (2021-04-05). China to Donate 150,000 COVID-19 Vaccines to El Salvador. telesurenglish.net China's Ambassador to El Salvador Ou Jianhong Sunday confirmed that her country will donate 150,000 Sinovac vaccines to this Latin American nation. | RELATED: | "China seeks to support El Salvador in its fight against the pandemic as it aims to protect the people's health," Jianhong tweeted and informed that the donation will arrive on Tuesday night. | The 150,000 doses, which are in addition to the 2 million Sinovac…

Staff (2021-04-05). India Suspends Vaccine Exports as Calls Grow to Waive Big Pharma's Patent Rights. truthout.org We look at the urgent push to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all nations, rich and poor, and growing calls for Big Pharma to waive their patent rights, as COVID-19 cases soar in India and the Modi government has suspended exports of coronavirus vaccines to many of the world's poorest countries that depend on AstraZeneca vaccines it produces. "These are not India's vaccines," says Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for equitable access to medic…

Owen Dyer (2021-04-05). COVID-19: EMA Defends AstraZeneca Vaccine as Germany and Canada Halt Rollouts. globalresearch.ca The Oxford AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine is facing a further wave of …

teleSUR (2021-04-05). Baby With COVID-19 Antibodies Is Born in Spain. telesurenglish.net A boy born last week on the Ibiza island has become the first newborn in Spain with COVID-19 antibodies, after his mother received the vaccine in the third trimester of her pregnancy. | RELATED: | A sample from the baby's umbilical cord analyzed at the Hospital Son Espases in Mallorca confirmed that he had developed antibodies against COVID-19, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported. | Manuel Grandal Martin, deputy…

MEE staff (2021-04-05). Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Saudi Arabia to allow only 'immunised' pilgrims for Umrah | Individuals who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine or have previously recovered from virus will be granted permit to perform pilgrimage | Mon, 04/05/2021 – 19: 45 | Nearly two million people had performed Umrah since it had reopened last October when restrictions were eased (AFP) | Saudi Arabia said on Monday that only pilgr…

Dean Baker (2021-04-05). Inside the Economic Bounce. counterpunch.org The March employment reports show the economy bouncing back sharply due to the spread of vaccines and the first effects of the Biden recovery package. The establishment survey showed the economy adding 916,000 jobs in the month. The household survey was also encouraging, with the unemployment rate dropping 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 percent, a

Dr. Mike Yeadon (2021-04-05). The PCR False Positive Pseudo-Epidemic. Dr. Mike Yeadon. globalresearch.ca This important article by Dr. Mike Yeadon was first published in November …

Staff (2021-04-05). Being "Anti-Racist" Isn't Enough. The Violence of Whiteness Must Be Exposed. truthout.org Even if the movement for reparations someday transforms the profound economic disparities that fall along racial lines in this country — addressing income disparities, the wealth gap, housing and health care inequities, and unemployment disparities — a fundamental problem of anti-Black racism still won't be solved. | What remains is a fundamentally ontological problem: the reality of the being of whiteness, and its denial of Black humanity within white racist America. | White privilege…

_____ (2021-04-04). Study: Canada Is One Big Pandemic Response Experiment. popularresistance.org An extensive French study has surveyed nations' responses to COVID-19 and concludes that those taking an aggressive "Zero COVID" approach fared better than others by both health and economic measures. | The study rests its analysis in part on the experience of Canada, where six large provinces face steeply rising infection rates tied to evolved variants of the virus, while provinces and territories that hewed closer to the Zero COVID approach do not. | Zero COVID, also called Go for Zero or elimination, employs a range of tactics designed to drive infection rates to negligible. Such tactics include one hard serio…

Eurasia Review (2021-04-04). Developed A Safe And Cheap Technology Of Disinfection Of Packed Eggs. eurasiareview.com Russian researchers have developed an inexpensive, safe, and reliable packed eggs surface disinfection technology. This technology helps to kill bacteria, including salmonella, on eggshells. Also, it allows growing broiler chickens with strong immunity to viral diseases. Packed eggs are disinfected with 50 nanoseconds (one billionth of a second) electron beam. Disinfection takes place in plastic containers. The description of the technology was published in Food and Bioproducts Processing. | "Disinfection of the packed eggs protects eggs from subsequent contamination during storage", said Sergey Sokovnin, a pr…

www.academia.edu (2021-04-04). Two letters to the editor on the pandemic lockdown. indybay.org Our collective thinking has often been manipulated and corrupted (eg Vietnam, Iraq, Nicaragua, Iran). According to GlobalResearch.ca, the WHO made a late admission on Jan 20, 2021 that "the lockdown has no scientific basis" and test results are misleading. "Release the vaccines and put an end to the lockdown," urges Jens Berger, editor of nachdenkseiten.de.

Eurasia Review (2021-04-04). Prioritizing Who Gets Vaccinated For COVID-19 Saves Lives. eurasiareview.com Waiting for your turn can be frustrating, especially when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. But prioritizing who receives the limited supply of vaccines available saves lives and reduces spread of infection, according to a study published in the journal PNAS from the University of California, Davis. | While there is mostly universal agreement that older people should be prioritized, debates are currently underway about prioritizing a variety of other groups. Still others argue against targeting at all. | "Prioritization has benefits because people differ in at least two key ways — their risk of infection and…

Staff (2021-04-04). Some Eligible People Are Being Denied COVID Vaccines. Chances Are It's Illegal. truthout.org This article was first published by ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for As the United States seeks to end its coronavirus crisis and outru…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-04-04). Explained: How Intellectual Property Rights are blocking vaccine production. peoplesdispatch.org Estimates suggest that the mass of the population in wealthier countries are likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid of 2022. However, in poorer economies, mass immunization will take until 2024, if it happens at all. These countries will pay the cost of this delay in the form of 2.5 million avoidable deaths. | What is standing in the way of expanding production and carrying out mass vaccination campaigns across the world?

Staff (2021-04-04). Biden Could Chart a New Path for US on Palestinian Rights. Will He? truthout.org Every day my friend in Palestine sends me the local paper as a way to keep in touch. For the past five decades, the headlines have been consistent: "Land Annexed," "Trees Uprooted," "Houses Demolished," "Curfew Inflicted," "Youth Arrested," "Village Attacked," Young Man Shot"… often all on the same front page. For the last year, they have also included a tally of COVID-19 cases and fatalities. | Israel leads the world in vaccine distribution, but it has largely refused to vaccinate Palestinians. In th…

Randall G. Holcombe (2021-04-04). Vaccine Passports: Why? How? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com There's only one reason to require COVID vaccine passports: to coerce people into getting the vaccine. While vaccination is not required, a passport requirement would say, "Whether you get the vaccine is up to you, but if you want to travel or shop or do anything outside your home, a passport is required." | For those who are concerned about getting the virus from unvaccinated people, get vaccinated! Unvaccinated people pose a very small threat to those who have been vaccinated. Sure, the threat's not zero, but any time you are around other people, you could catch a cold, or the flu, or Ebola, from them. You c…

RT (2021-04-04). 'I would be vaccinated with Sputnik V': German pharma CEO praises Russia's vaccine & 'outstanding scientists'. rt.com Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has "a lot of good scientific data" behind it, the head of Germany's Bionorica SE pharmaceutical company, Michael Popp, told RT, as he shared his company's experience working with Russian specialists. | "Russian researchers have a lot of experience and expertise in vaccine development," said the CEO of the German-based international company, which calls itself a global leader in the production of herbal medicines. Bionorica SE has production sites in almost 20 nations, including the US, Austria, Spain, Brazil, and Russia, and sells its products in more than 40 countries. | Also on rt…

teleSUR (2021-04-04). Why Africa Gets Fewer Jabs: Roots of Vaccine Apartheid. telesurenglish.net The batch of 600,000 vaccine doses landing in Ghana on February 24, 2021, was the first shipment to sub-Saharan Africa under the multilateral COVAX facility led by the United States and the European Unions. By then, tens of millions had already been vaccinated in the US and the UK, writes Howard Stein, a professor of Afroamerican and African studies at the UniversIty of Michigan, in Africa is a Country…

teleSUR (2021-04-04). Chile Neglects Ocular Trauma Victims From Police Brutality. telesurenglish.net Chile's Coordinator for Ocular Trauma Victims (COTV) Natalia Aravena denounced the "precariousness" and "negligence" in the service provided by the Comprehensive Eye Repair Program (PIRO). | RELATED: | The Health Ministry promoted the PIRO to care for hundreds of people who suffered eye injuries due to police attacks exercised to repress the social unrest in October 2019. | Aravena warned of the lack of health personn…

Amy Traverso (2021-04-04). You can level-up this zucchini gratin with some slices of fresh eggplant. salon.com As any gardener knows, a few healthy zucchini plants can outpace a family's ability to consume the harvest…

Staff (2021-04-04). Koch-Backed Donor Network Wants to Blame COVID Deaths on Public Health Measures. truthout.org DonorsTrust, the preferred donor conduit of the Koch political network, has launched a new funding stream to resist public health measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and use the crisis to further its broader policy goals. | The $422 million donor advised fund often referred to as the Right's "dark money ATM" pins the "humanitarian crisis" created by the pandemic not on the 549,000 deaths in the U.S., but on "the actions of elected officials" who have tried to limit the virus'

Eurasia Review (2021-04-04). Kirigami-Style Fabrication May Enable New 3D Nanostructures. eurasiareview.com A new technique that mimics the ancient Japanese art of kirigami may offer an easier way to fabricate complex 3D nanostructures for use in electronics, manufacturing and health care. | Kirigami enhances the Japanese artform of origami, which involves folding paper to create 3D structural designs, by strategically incorporating cuts to the paper prior to folding. The method enables artists to create sophisticated three-dimensional structures more easily. | "We used kirigami at the nanoscale to create complex 3D nanostructures," said Daniel Lopez, Penn State Liang Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer…

Right to Health Action (2021-04-04). Sunday 4/11: Climate Justice & Planetary Health: Stopping the Next Pandemic. indybay.org Online teach-in…

Jamal Journal interviews Michael Richardson (2021-04-04). 50 Years of Injustice: Free Black Panther Political Prisoner Ed Poindexter Now! indybay.org In our interview conducted earlier this week, author Michael Richardson discusses the role of the FBI's infamous COINTELPRO in the frameup of the Omaha Two and provides an important update on Ed Poindexter's urgent health situation. Richardson also explains how you can help Ed Poindexter, an elder in poor health who is a 50-year victim of an obvious and well documented COINTELPRO frameup. We highly recommend reading Michael Richardson's book to learn more about this extreme injustice that needs to end immediately. Free Ed Poindexter now!

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