Post by mhbruin on Dec 29, 2021 10:53:13 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 506 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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Icemageddon?
The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell.
Temperatures soared to a record 19.4C (67F) on the island of Kodiak on Sunday - almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high.
But elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows.
In the south-eastern town of Ketchikan, temperatures dropped to -18C (-0.4F) on 25 December - one of the town's coldest Christmas Days in the past century.
The weather extremes have prompted warnings of an "Icemageddon" from authorities, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads.
Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air - usually cold and dry during December - more moist. This has meant heavy rain and snow storms are more likely in interior regions, away from the balmy coastal areas.
Heavy snowfall was followed by torrential rain that left the region coated with ice as the rain quickly froze, resulting in widespread power failures, road closures and offices being shut.
Thick ice formed on roads and made them treacherous for drivers, warned the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
"Ice is extremely difficult to remove once it has binded to the road surface. Even though air temps were warm... roads were at sub-zero temps, which caused ice to bind to the surface," the department said on Twitter.
The ice would likely cling to the roads until at least March or April, Climate Scientist Rick Thoman, of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told the BBC.
Ice-pocalypse? Cat-ice-clysm? The World Turned Upside Down.
With new statewide record, parts of Alaska were warmer than Southern California last weekend
And You Can See Russia From Your Porch
--------------
Trained Officers Shoot An Innocent By-Stander
A mother whose 14-year-old girl was accidentally killed by a stray police bullet in Los Angeles says her daughter "died in my arms".
Valentina Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a clothes shop on 23 December when an officer opened fire on a suspect.
The bullet pierced a wall and hit her.
Soledad Peralta wept as she described begging officers to help her daughter, but that they "just left her laying there".
Mrs Peralta said seeing a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the "most profound pains any human being can imagine".
LA Police Chief Michel Moore has promised a "thorough, complete and transparent investigation" into what he called a "chaotic incident".
Any Police Use Of Force Policy Should Say You NEVER Fire Unless You Know Everything in Your Field of Fire.
--------------
Every Move Your Make, I'll Be Watching You
French car manufacturer Citroën has been accused of normalising sexual harassment in an advertisement in Egypt that features the pop star Amr Diab.
In the video, Diab uses a camera on his car to photograph a woman crossing the road, apparently without her consent. They are later seen driving together.
The advert was released on 3 December but it has been criticised on social media in recent days.
The Egyptian-American journalist Reem Abdellatif described it as "creepy".
This Song Is Creepy, Too.
--------------
A Trained Officer Shoots His Own Kids
A North Carolina police officer shot his 15-year-old son in the head Monday afternoon in an incident that appears to be an accident, officials said.
The father, who has not been identified, is an officer with the Jacksonville Police Department, near the North Carolina coast. The unidentified teen suffered a life-threatening injury and was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Pitt County, according to District Attorney Ernie Lee. He remained in critical condition Wednesday, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not clear Wednesday if the weapon was the officer's department-issued handgun.
Yet Some People Want Untrained Teachers to Bring Guns to School
--------------
Reports of the Death of Retail May Be Premature
Just one year after a record number of stores closed for good at the height of the pandemic, the retail store has made a comeback, with more store openings than closings in 2021.
This year through Dec. 16, major retailers announced 5,083 store openings compared to 5,079 store closures, signaling that retailers are reaching a balance between online and in-store shopping in the age of e-commerce, according to Coresight Research, a global advisory and research firm specializing in retail and technology.
Major retailers including Walmart, Target and Home Depot beat profit expectations over the last quarter despite supply chain woes slowing down inventory. Tapestry, which owns brands such as Coach and Kate Spade, showed a rebound from the crushing pandemic in the last quarter reporting a 26 percent increase in revenue from last year.
No Report on the Status of Smaller Shops.
--------------
The Good News, Bad News Wave
The United States has punched through its record for daily coronavirus cases, as the Omicron variant has surpassed Delta in distribution across much of the country amid a massive surge.
"Mild to Moderate" SUCKS.
Physicians around the country facing the latest surge of Covid-19 cases, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, have a straightforward message based on what they're seeing in their emergency rooms: Vaccinations and boosters are having a positive effect.
“The general trend that I’m seeing is, if you’re boosted and you get Covid, you really just at worst end up with bad cold symptoms. It’s not like before where you were coughing, couldn’t say sentences and were short of breath,” said Dr. Matthew Bai, an emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Queens in New York City.
We Need to Still Be Careful
--------------
This Should Be Fun. Any Parent, Any Book. So An Oklahoma Parent Can Get Doctor Seuss Removed?
An Oklahoma state senator is pushing for two bills that would give parents the power to remove any book in a public school library they find objectionable. Republican state Sen. Rob Standridge, who is championing Senate Bill 1142, says it addresses the “indoctrination in Oklahoma schools.”
SB-1142 will give any parent the right to have a book removed within 30 days if they find it offensive. If a librarian chooses not to remove the book, they can be fired and will be unable to work for any public school for two years, McAlester News-Capital reports. Parents can also receive “monetary damages including a minimum of $10,000 per day” from school districts refusing to remove the book as demanded.
Standridge claims that families have been denouncing the sexual content of books on school library book shelves for years.
What About Books By Jewish Authors? Muslims? Blacks? White Men?
--------------
Poor Guy. No One Wants to Lock Arms With Him.
Does That Make Him An Incel?
--------------
How to Steal Merchandise. Pick It Up and Pay For It On Your Way Out.
How to steal an election: “Seeding an area heavy with potential Democratic votes with as many absentee ballots as possible, targeting and convincing potential voters to complete them in a legally valid way, and then harvesting and counting the results.”https://t.co/LwE3MdeWeG
— Senator Rand Paul (@randpaul) December 27, 2021
--------------
MTG Has a Message For All You Kwanzians
Of course, Kwanzaa isn’t a religion at all but a seven-day holiday festival that’s observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
It was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a way for Black people to honor their shared African roots, and is celebrated by millions around the world alongside Christmas and Hanukkah.
On the First Day of Kwanza, MTG Sent to Me. A Tweet From A Looney Bird in a Pear Tree.
--------------
Is a False Negative Worse Than No Test?
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that preliminary research shows some rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive at detecting the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The FDA, along with researchers from the National Institutes of Health, used samples from patients confirmed to be infected with the omicron variant to study how well antigen tests work. The agency said early results suggest that antigen tests “do detect the omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity,” meaning it's possible the tests could miss an infection, known as a "false negative."
Case numbers are surging across the country, prompting high demand for at-home rapid testing. Antigen tests can be done at home, with results in minutes, while PCR tests are processed in labs and have longer turnaround times.
The FDA didn't say people should avoid using antigen tests.
"The FDA continues to authorize the use of these tests as directed in the authorized labeling and individuals should continue to use them in accordance with the instructions included with the tests," the agency said in a statement. "Antigen tests are generally less sensitive and less likely to pick up very early infections compared to molecular tests."
--------------
Moving For Fun and Profit
Cities and states are shelling out serious cash to lure remote workers. Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay you $10,000 to move there and telework. West Virginia is offering $12,000 and two years of free outdoor gear rental. Move to Maine, and the state will help you pay off your student loans.
These incentives are appealing, especially for newly minted remote workers who want to capitalize on their newfound flexibility. But a snap decision could cost more than the money you're chasing.
Read the program fine print, talk to your employer and assess your own deal breakers before you pack your bags and head to, say, Topeka, Kansas, where remote workers can get up to $10,000.
Most remote relocation programs have an application process with several rounds of interviews to screen prospective residents. Only a fraction of applicants are accepted.
Tulsa Remote accepted just 3% of its 30,000 applicants in 2021, according to Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote.
The Opportunity Maine Tax Credit doesn't cap participation, but it does have a host of other stipulations. Whether the tax credit is refundable, for example, depends on the year you graduated from school and your field of study.
And the Ascend West Virginia program only accepts applicants for certain cities, at certain times of the year.
Relocation incentives are designed to boost the local tax base, so most programs pay the benefit over a year or two. And many encourage you to put down roots.
There Is a Reason It Isn't Easy to Get People to Move To West Virginia. Joe Manchin
--------------
CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Dec 29 | 1,042,911 | 243,182,423 | 205,638,307 | ||
| Dec 28 | 1,091,279 | 242,813,374 | 205,420,745 | 277,241 | 1,085 |
| Dec 27 | 1,034,442 | 242,433,620 | 205,196,973 | 240,408 | 1,096 |
| Dec 26 | No Data | 206,577 | 1,041 | ||
| Dec 25 | No Data | 196,511 | 1,053 | ||
| Dec 24 | No Data | 195,713 | 1,108 | ||
| Dec 23 | 1,189,954 | 241,520,561 | 204,740,321 | 192,453 | 1,199 |
| Dec 22 | 1,283,244 | 241,583,543 | 204,818,717 | 176,097 | 1,213 |
| Dec 21 | 1,542,936 | 241,132,288 | 204,578,725 | 161,261 | 1,223 |
| Dec 20 | 1,554,261 | 241,881,712 | 204,098,982 | 149,331 | 1,188 |
| Dec 19 | 1,558,720 | 241,571,084 | 203,926,479 | 132,659 | 1,169 |
| Dec 18 | 1,562,366 | 241,205,528 | 203,727,446 | 127,445 | 1,182 |
| Dec 17 | 2,065,555 | 240,775,382 | 203,479,206 | 125,775 | 1,182 |
| Dec 16 | 2,043,207 | 240,321,022 | 203,159,327 | 122,296 | 1,179 |
| Dec 15 | 1,795,384 | 239,975,167 | 202,748,005 | 119,546 | 1,187 |
| Dec 14 | 1,904,464 | 239,553,956 | 202,504,037 | 117,950 | 1,143 |
| Dec 13 | 1,951,329 | 239,274,656 | 202,246,698 | 117,890 | 1,147 |
| Dec 12 | 1,984,721 | 239,008,166 | 201,975,235 | 116,742 | 1,131 |
| Dec 11 | 2,020,853 | 238,679,707 | 201,688,550 | 116,893 | 1,131 |
| Dec 10 | 1,721,570 | 238,143,066 | 201,279,582 | 118,575 | 1,146 |
| Dec 9 | 1,583,662 | 237,468,725 | 200,717,387 | 118,052 | 1,089 |
| Dec 8 | 1,611,831 | 237,087,380 | 200,400,533 | 118,515 | 1,092 |
| Dec 7 | 1,781,389 | 236,363,835 | 199,687,439 | 117,488 | 1,097 |
| Dec 6 | 1,780,807 | 236,018,871 | 199,313,022 | 117,179 | 1,117 |
| Dec 5 | 2,264,301 | 235,698,738 | 198,962,520 | 103,823 | 1,154 |
| Dec 4 | 2,009,864 | 235,297,964 | 198,592,167 | 105,554 | 1,150 |
| Dec 3 | 1,700,056 | 234,743,864 | 198,211,641 | 106,132 | 1,110 |
| Dec 2 | 1,428,263 | 234,269,053 | 197,838,728 | 96,425 | 975 |
| Dec 1 | 1,116,587 | 233,590,555 | 197,363,116 | 86,412 | 859 |
| Nov 30 | 1,152,647 | 233,207,582 | 197,058,988 | 82,846 | 816 |
| Nov 29 | 937,113 | 232,792,508 | 196,806,194 | 80,178 | 804 |
| Feb 16 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 73.2% | 61.9% | 33.1% |
| % of Population 5+ | 77.9% | 65.9% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 83.4% | 71.1% | 35.9% |
| % of Population 18+ | 85.4% | 72.8% | 47.8% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 87.6% | 57.9% |
--------------
Icemageddon?
The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell.
Temperatures soared to a record 19.4C (67F) on the island of Kodiak on Sunday - almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high.
But elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows.
In the south-eastern town of Ketchikan, temperatures dropped to -18C (-0.4F) on 25 December - one of the town's coldest Christmas Days in the past century.
The weather extremes have prompted warnings of an "Icemageddon" from authorities, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads.
Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air - usually cold and dry during December - more moist. This has meant heavy rain and snow storms are more likely in interior regions, away from the balmy coastal areas.
Heavy snowfall was followed by torrential rain that left the region coated with ice as the rain quickly froze, resulting in widespread power failures, road closures and offices being shut.
Thick ice formed on roads and made them treacherous for drivers, warned the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
"Ice is extremely difficult to remove once it has binded to the road surface. Even though air temps were warm... roads were at sub-zero temps, which caused ice to bind to the surface," the department said on Twitter.
The ice would likely cling to the roads until at least March or April, Climate Scientist Rick Thoman, of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told the BBC.
Ice-pocalypse? Cat-ice-clysm? The World Turned Upside Down.
With new statewide record, parts of Alaska were warmer than Southern California last weekend
And You Can See Russia From Your Porch
--------------
Trained Officers Shoot An Innocent By-Stander
A mother whose 14-year-old girl was accidentally killed by a stray police bullet in Los Angeles says her daughter "died in my arms".
Valentina Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a clothes shop on 23 December when an officer opened fire on a suspect.
The bullet pierced a wall and hit her.
Soledad Peralta wept as she described begging officers to help her daughter, but that they "just left her laying there".
Mrs Peralta said seeing a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the "most profound pains any human being can imagine".
LA Police Chief Michel Moore has promised a "thorough, complete and transparent investigation" into what he called a "chaotic incident".
Any Police Use Of Force Policy Should Say You NEVER Fire Unless You Know Everything in Your Field of Fire.
--------------
Every Move Your Make, I'll Be Watching You
French car manufacturer Citroën has been accused of normalising sexual harassment in an advertisement in Egypt that features the pop star Amr Diab.
In the video, Diab uses a camera on his car to photograph a woman crossing the road, apparently without her consent. They are later seen driving together.
The advert was released on 3 December but it has been criticised on social media in recent days.
The Egyptian-American journalist Reem Abdellatif described it as "creepy".
This Song Is Creepy, Too.
--------------
A Trained Officer Shoots His Own Kids
A North Carolina police officer shot his 15-year-old son in the head Monday afternoon in an incident that appears to be an accident, officials said.
The father, who has not been identified, is an officer with the Jacksonville Police Department, near the North Carolina coast. The unidentified teen suffered a life-threatening injury and was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Pitt County, according to District Attorney Ernie Lee. He remained in critical condition Wednesday, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not clear Wednesday if the weapon was the officer's department-issued handgun.
Yet Some People Want Untrained Teachers to Bring Guns to School
--------------
Reports of the Death of Retail May Be Premature
Just one year after a record number of stores closed for good at the height of the pandemic, the retail store has made a comeback, with more store openings than closings in 2021.
This year through Dec. 16, major retailers announced 5,083 store openings compared to 5,079 store closures, signaling that retailers are reaching a balance between online and in-store shopping in the age of e-commerce, according to Coresight Research, a global advisory and research firm specializing in retail and technology.
Major retailers including Walmart, Target and Home Depot beat profit expectations over the last quarter despite supply chain woes slowing down inventory. Tapestry, which owns brands such as Coach and Kate Spade, showed a rebound from the crushing pandemic in the last quarter reporting a 26 percent increase in revenue from last year.
No Report on the Status of Smaller Shops.
--------------
The Good News, Bad News Wave
The United States has punched through its record for daily coronavirus cases, as the Omicron variant has surpassed Delta in distribution across much of the country amid a massive surge.
Avg. daily hospitalizations 74,926--------------
Two-week trend +11.4%
Avg. daily child hospitalizations 2,198
Two-week trend +39.2%
"Mild to Moderate" SUCKS.
Physicians around the country facing the latest surge of Covid-19 cases, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, have a straightforward message based on what they're seeing in their emergency rooms: Vaccinations and boosters are having a positive effect.
“The general trend that I’m seeing is, if you’re boosted and you get Covid, you really just at worst end up with bad cold symptoms. It’s not like before where you were coughing, couldn’t say sentences and were short of breath,” said Dr. Matthew Bai, an emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Queens in New York City.
We Need to Still Be Careful
--------------
This Should Be Fun. Any Parent, Any Book. So An Oklahoma Parent Can Get Doctor Seuss Removed?
An Oklahoma state senator is pushing for two bills that would give parents the power to remove any book in a public school library they find objectionable. Republican state Sen. Rob Standridge, who is championing Senate Bill 1142, says it addresses the “indoctrination in Oklahoma schools.”
SB-1142 will give any parent the right to have a book removed within 30 days if they find it offensive. If a librarian chooses not to remove the book, they can be fired and will be unable to work for any public school for two years, McAlester News-Capital reports. Parents can also receive “monetary damages including a minimum of $10,000 per day” from school districts refusing to remove the book as demanded.
Standridge claims that families have been denouncing the sexual content of books on school library book shelves for years.
What About Books By Jewish Authors? Muslims? Blacks? White Men?
--------------
Poor Guy. No One Wants to Lock Arms With Him.
Does That Make Him An Incel?
--------------
How to Steal Merchandise. Pick It Up and Pay For It On Your Way Out.
How to steal an election: “Seeding an area heavy with potential Democratic votes with as many absentee ballots as possible, targeting and convincing potential voters to complete them in a legally valid way, and then harvesting and counting the results.”https://t.co/LwE3MdeWeG
— Senator Rand Paul (@randpaul) December 27, 2021
--------------
MTG Has a Message For All You Kwanzians
Of course, Kwanzaa isn’t a religion at all but a seven-day holiday festival that’s observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
It was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a way for Black people to honor their shared African roots, and is celebrated by millions around the world alongside Christmas and Hanukkah.
On the First Day of Kwanza, MTG Sent to Me. A Tweet From A Looney Bird in a Pear Tree.
--------------
Is a False Negative Worse Than No Test?
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that preliminary research shows some rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive at detecting the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The FDA, along with researchers from the National Institutes of Health, used samples from patients confirmed to be infected with the omicron variant to study how well antigen tests work. The agency said early results suggest that antigen tests “do detect the omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity,” meaning it's possible the tests could miss an infection, known as a "false negative."
Case numbers are surging across the country, prompting high demand for at-home rapid testing. Antigen tests can be done at home, with results in minutes, while PCR tests are processed in labs and have longer turnaround times.
The FDA didn't say people should avoid using antigen tests.
"The FDA continues to authorize the use of these tests as directed in the authorized labeling and individuals should continue to use them in accordance with the instructions included with the tests," the agency said in a statement. "Antigen tests are generally less sensitive and less likely to pick up very early infections compared to molecular tests."
--------------
Moving For Fun and Profit
Cities and states are shelling out serious cash to lure remote workers. Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay you $10,000 to move there and telework. West Virginia is offering $12,000 and two years of free outdoor gear rental. Move to Maine, and the state will help you pay off your student loans.
These incentives are appealing, especially for newly minted remote workers who want to capitalize on their newfound flexibility. But a snap decision could cost more than the money you're chasing.
Read the program fine print, talk to your employer and assess your own deal breakers before you pack your bags and head to, say, Topeka, Kansas, where remote workers can get up to $10,000.
Most remote relocation programs have an application process with several rounds of interviews to screen prospective residents. Only a fraction of applicants are accepted.
Tulsa Remote accepted just 3% of its 30,000 applicants in 2021, according to Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote.
The Opportunity Maine Tax Credit doesn't cap participation, but it does have a host of other stipulations. Whether the tax credit is refundable, for example, depends on the year you graduated from school and your field of study.
And the Ascend West Virginia program only accepts applicants for certain cities, at certain times of the year.
Relocation incentives are designed to boost the local tax base, so most programs pay the benefit over a year or two. And many encourage you to put down roots.
There Is a Reason It Isn't Easy to Get People to Move To West Virginia. Joe Manchin
--------------
