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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:46:47 GMT -8
Before I criticize a man, I like to walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when I do criticize him, I'm a mile away and I have his shoes. Some Good News from Cold TurkeyA new-born baby and his mother have been rescued from rubble in Turkey, around 90 hours after the first of Monday's deadly earthquakes. The 10-day-old boy, named Yagiz, was retrieved from a ruined structure in the southern Hatay province.  Footage showed the child being carefully taken out overnight - a sight described by local media as miraculous. Hopes of finding many more survivors are diminishing, amid freezing-cold weather four days after the disaster. The rescue of a number of small children has lifted the spirits of weary crews searching for survivors on the fifth day after a major earthquake struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 21,000 people. At least seven children were rescued on Friday, videos released by disaster services showed, their astonishing survival inspiring search crews who also saved several trapped adults. Even Assad Shows Some Rare Humanity. He Will Go Back To Mass Murder Soon.The Syrian government has approved humanitarian aid delivery across the frontlines of the country’s 12-year civil war, says state media. |
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:48:23 GMT -8
There is a Fungus Among Us
Fungal infections are becoming more common in the United States, but unlike illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses, there’s no vaccine to protect against a fungal threat.
While scientists aren’t worried that a fungal infection like the one seen in HBO’s “The Last of Us” will wipe out humanity, the infections are certainly a cause for concern.
Fungi cause a wide range of illnesses in people, from irritating athlete's foot to life-threatening bloodstream infections.
In the U.S., fungal infections are responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations and nearly 9 million outpatient visits each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, around 7,200 people died from fungal diseases. These numbers, the CDC said, are likely an underestimate.
One type of fungus, Candida auris, can be resistant to all of the drugs used to treat it, and is particularly dangerous for hospitalized and nursing home patients. The fungus was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since been found in over 30 countries, including the U.S., the CDC said.
Climate change also threatens to make several infection-causing fungi more widespread: The fungus that causes Valley fever thrives in hot, dry soil, and the fungus that causes an illness called histoplasmosis prefers high humidity.
Fungi Don't Make You a Fun Guy
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:49:56 GMT -8
Don't Ask. Period.
Florida schools will no longer ask student-athletes to share their menstrual histories in order to play high school sports, following months of opposition from parents, physicians and advocates.
On Thursday, the Florida High School Athletic Association's board of directors voted 14-2 at an emergency meeting to adopt a proposal that removes questions about a student-athlete's menstrual history from the state’s pre-participation physical evaluation form.
Until now, the form included five optional questions about a student-athlete's menstrual history.
The issue became the subject of controversy after the athletic association’s sports medicine committee last month recommended the questions be mandatory, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Additionally, the Palm Beach County School District announced that this school year, student-athletes could submit the form digitally via the sports management software company Aktivate, The Palm Beach Post reported. But the platform's privacy policy, and federal law, could require it to turn data over to legal authorities or other officials if they had a valid subpoena.
Some parents and critics argued that requesting menstrual information from students and storing it digitally would violate their privacy — particularly at a time of increased debate and concern over regulations relating to women's bodies following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Other opponents feared the questions could be used to target trans and nonbinary athletes playing on teams that align with their gender identities.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:53:20 GMT -8
Could They Have Shot Her With a Water Bottle?After a sweeping state investigation, the Georgia State Election Board said Tuesday that a group of Black volunteers who handed out food and water to voters in 2020 were not legally at fault. But, the white woman who filed a complaint against them and brought a gun to the voting location will potentially face charges. As initially reported by Georgia Public Broadcast, when Sarah Webster arrived at her Albany, Georgia, polling place in 2020, she saw members of Black Voters Matter handing out water and food to voters waiting in an hours-long line. Music was playing, and folks were chatting while they waited to cast a ballot. But Webster, describing the event, says she was “scared for [her] safety.” The election took place before the infamous voter suppression law SB 202 went into effect—essentially making it illegal for non-poll workers to hand out food or water within a 150 barrier from the voting place. Although the election board found the volunteers innocent, Webster’s case was referred to the attorney general’s office—not because they believed the poll workers were at fault, but because Webster thought carrying a gun to the polls was a good idea. Webster defended her actions to the board, claimed the gun wasn’t functional, said the board was attempting to cover up election fraud, and compared the Black voting rights group to the Black Panthers, making her fear for her life. "I remember the Black Panthers that stood in front of the polling place with their guns. That's how I felt when I pulled up to vote in Albany, Ga.," Webster told board members. "That's what I felt. 71 years old, I don't run as fast as I used to, and I was totally intimidated. I'm still intimidated and shaking." Who Wouldn't Be Frightend By This Scene?
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:55:03 GMT -8
Who Actually Tried to Cut Social Security and Medicare?
Much like President Joe Biden, Donald Trump sees an opportunity to pummel his GOP rivals on their support for slashing Social Security and Medicare. Unlike Biden, Trump actually sought to cut the popular programs while he was in the White House.
In fact, Trump routinely released proposed budgets that targeted Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for hundreds of billions in cuts collectively.
In 2019, Vox reported that over the next decade, Trump’s 2020 budget proposal sought to spend $1.5 trillion less on Medicaid by diverting $1.2 trillion to a block-grant program in the states, $25 billion less on Social Security, and $845 billion less on Medicare.
The Trump administration said some of those reductions would result from cost savings rather than actual cuts in benefits, but the intent was very clearly an effort to cut the programs, particularly Medicaid and Social Security.
Trump made a similar push in his 2021 budget proposal.
And yet, last month, Trump released a video in which he warned House Republicans not "to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security." Trump's admonishment came as House Republicans were raising the specter of leveraging the debt ceiling negotiation to secure social-safety-net cuts.
It's a well-worn path for Trump—pay no attention to what I do, just internalize my vaporous rhetoric.
In his 2016 bid, Trump regularly pledged to "save" Social Security and leave them untouched, a contrast he relished using against his fiscally hawkish Republican opponents.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:56:58 GMT -8
Could a Speech Matter?
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 10:58:20 GMT -8
Irony Alert
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:05:55 GMT -8
Fisherman, Beware!
“Eating one freshwater fish caught in a river or lake in the United States is the equivalent of drinking a month's worth of water contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals".
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:08:01 GMT -8
I Tried to Telephone, They Said You Were Not Home. That's a Lie.
Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.
But Austin’s effort Saturday fell flat, when Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe declined to get on the line, the Pentagon says.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:10:24 GMT -8
Simple-Minded Folks Need Representation, Too. That's Why There is a QOP.
“Having somebody like me come and represent other people who are just like me — simple-minded folks who come from absolutely nothing and have a voice in Congress,” George Santos said.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:14:14 GMT -8
If We Amended the House Rules to Deal with George Santos, Would That Be a George Santos Clause?
The Federal Election Commission is asking embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., to clarify by March 14 if he's running again in 2024, according to a letter sent by the agency.
The letter, sent to Santos on Tuesday, noted that his primary campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress, reported raising and spending funds for the 2024 election, triggering a requirement for officially declaring a reelection campaign.
The letter comes after the Santos campaign, which lost its longtime treasurer last month amid questions regarding the source and use of his campaign funds, reported in its latest disclosure filing more than a dozen contributions amounting to $28,000 and expenditures amounting to $43,000 that are dated after the November election day and attributed to the 2024 primary and general election.
"You must either disavow these activities by notifying the Commission in writing that you are not a candidate, or redesignate your principal campaign committee by filing a Statement of Candidacy," the FEC wrote in the letter.
A spokesperson for Santos' congressional office declined to comment when reached by ABC News. Asked last month if he was planning to run for reelection, Santos said, "That's too early. I told you, I just got here."
Under federal election law, candidates must file a statement of candidacy to the FEC if they raise or spend more than $5,000 for an election.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:18:20 GMT -8
What you gon' do with all that junk
All that junk inside your trunk?
President Joe Biden said Americans are "being played for suckers" by airlines, banks and other service providers in this week's State of the Union speech.
He said so-called "junk fees" are hurting families' budgets and causing significant financial harm.
His administration is leading a crackdown on these charges as part of its efforts to promote competition in the US economy.
The president is urging Congress to pass a Junk Free Prevention Act, which would specifically reduce or eliminate four types of junk fees:
-Service charges, processing fees and other additional costs tacked on to the online ticket sales for concerts, sporting events and other entertainment
-Airline booking fees for family seating
-Early termination fees for mobile phone, wireless and cable TV services
-Resort fees or destination fees charged at the end of online hotel reservations
"Junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy, but they matter to most other folks," Mr Biden said on Tuesday. "They add up to hundreds of dollars a month."
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 10, 2023 11:19:45 GMT -8
Voldemort Wants Vuhledar
Russian forces likely lost dozens of armoured vehicles in a single, failed attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, British intelligence said on Friday, as one pro-Russian blogger warned of a "crisis" in troop command.
Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held bastion at the strategic intersection between the eastern and southern front lines, has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the war as Russia continues a relentless assault on the eastern front.
"Russian troops likely fled and abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armoured vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault," Britain's defence ministry said in a daily briefing.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the British ministry's claim. Unverified photos shared by military bloggers appeared to show several armoured vehicles and tanks strewn across the battlefield.
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