$650,000,000,000 to fight Covid Worldwide

IMF Approves $650 Billion in Emergency Currency to Combat Pandemic

Posted: 03 Aug 2021 06:23 AM PDT

By Olivia Engling

The IMF Board of Governors convened a special virtual session for final approval of US $650 billion in emergency reserve currency or Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). Countries will receive their share of Special Drawing Rights on August 23rd.

“More than $200 billion of these new reserve funds will go to developing countries to support pandemic relief and recovery efforts,” said Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA Network. “While these resources are needed, developing countries must receive more aid to get beyond the crisis.”

More than $400 billion of the emergency currency goes to wealthy countries. Wealthy countries can donate their SDRs to developing countries directly, or through initiatives from the IMF or development banks.

“Most wealthy countries don’t need their share of Special Drawing Rights and they need to donate them quickly to developing countries struggling with the health and economic crisis,” stated LeCompte.

Read Jubilee USA’s IMF COVID response letter calling for Special Drawing Rights aid with nearly 270 signatories here.

‘Enough is enough’: Vigil held for 15-year-old killed in shooting at Sycamore Park

NEWS

by: Sharifa Jackson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The community came together Thursday evening to remember a teenager who was killed at a south Kansas City park earlier this week.

A vigil was held for 15-year-old Terrell Bell who was shot Tuesday afternoon at Sycamore Park.

Friends and family at the vigil spoke of the aspiring football player and good student they all loved.Police say juvenile arrested and charged in killing of 15-year-old at Sycamore Park in south Kansas City 

“He was talking about going pro and going to college. He had a future on him. He had a future. I just wish that he was still here with us,” said Ruskin High School football teammate, Kenderal Webber. “I lost a lot of friends, but I was real close with Terrell. I wouldn’t never thought this would happen.”

Bell was described as a stand-out athlete at Ruskin High School. Many of his classmates, teachers and even coaches came to show their respects.‘It’s got to end’: Kansas City family devastated after 15-year-old shot, killed at park 

“He was like another little brother. I see him and my cousins running around. He was a good person and ya’ll took him from everybody now,” said Bell’s friend, Tyisha Peak.

Earlier this week FOX4 spoke to the teen’s pastor, Dennis Lester who said the teen was active and faithful member at the neighborhood church, Bethel Family Worship Center.

The pastor shared his grief and called for unity in the community.Victims identified in three fatal shootings in Kansas City Tuesday 

At the vigil, there were also calls for change and peace.

Local gospel artist Christian Fly delivering an emotional plea before the crowd.

“Enough is enough. Until we teach our kids that their neighbor is deserving of the same respect of those in their household. This going to continue to happen,” Fly said. “We got to teach them better problem-solving skills. Until pain hurts you enough to make you want to change, we are going to keep going through things like this.”

A juvenile has been arrested and charged in Bell’s death.

Juvenile charged with second-degree murder in connection to fatal shooting of KCMO teen

Terrell Bell was shot Tuesday near Sycamore Park

https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/juvenile-arrested-charged-in-connection-to-fatal-shooting-of-kcmo-teenshooting-of-kcmo-teen

KCPD announced the arrest in Terrell Bell’s death Thursday night as family and friends gathered to honor the boy’s life.

Bell, who attended Ruskin High School, was shot Tuesday afternoon near Sycamore Park.

He initially suffered life-threatening injuries, but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police did not identify the juvenile, who currently is detained at the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center.

Bell was one of four people who died Tuesday due to gun violence.

Gun Survivor’s Week in Review

Dear Kevin,

National Gun Violence Survivors Week is about elevating our voices and stories, because after living through terrible tragedy, we have found the strength to speak out to help prevent others from experiencing the same pain. It is an emotionally intense week, and after reading and sharing so many stories, I hope you will continue to practice self care and explore resources with the Everytown Survivor Network.  

I also wanted to share some of the incredible things you accomplished in the third year of National Gun violence Survivors Week.

Field Events: Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers organized close to 95 virtual events with more than 1700 in attendance, including the first ever NGVSW student summit. Thank you to all of you who organized and spoke at events to ensure survivor voices were heard across the country: from panel discussions to acts of service such as blood drives and book drives, it had a powerful impact. 

A moving event lead by California Survivor Engagement Leads

Social Media: Thousands of survivor stories were shared on social media, including 55k mentions of the hashtag #GVSurvivorsWeek and related terms. I was honored to be a part of the Survivor Twitter team — a truly powerful force — who were sharing stories of survivors in the Network all throughout the week to reach more Americans with the urgent message that we must address our country’s gun crisis. If you haven’t already and would like to, you can join the Survivor twitter team here, which engages on campaigns throughout the year. 

Federal, State, City Leaders: More than 370 survivors of gun violence released an open letter to the 117th Congress highlighting the shared life-changing trauma of gun violence, which we shared with elected officials and on social media and media during the week. Thank you to all of you who signed the letter. 

Our partners in Washington responded by lifting up your voices through social media, virtual conversations,  press releases, and floor speeches, including Ambassador Susan Rice, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA-03). The week was even featured during floor speeches in both chambers of Congress by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA). 

Beyond the federal government, dozens of mayors and state officials from across the country shared your stories on social media and issued mayoral proclamations. Everytown’s research team also put together a fact sheet for local government leaders on “Community-Led Services for Survivors.”

Partnerships: Over 65 partners, including nearly every gun violence prevention organization, national membership groups, non-profit organizations, and faith partners across various issue areas, joined the effort to lift stories and facts about the impact of gun violence. 

In the week leading up to Survivors Week, PEOPLE Magazine released People Features: Gun Violence Survivor Athletes, a virtual roundtable where members of the Everytown Athletic Council shared their personal experiences with gun violence.

Throughout the week, there were many media clips in which survivors spoke out about the impact of gun violence across the country. Here are just a few of them:

Aurora Cox,   Gun safety education is vital

Crystal Turner: Everything just changed:’ Jacksonville mom who lost 2 children works to change gun laws

DeAndra Dycus, Shot in 2014, my son still fights to live. Here’s what I want more than sympathy.

Jessica Curran-Lameroux, We need to change our laws so other families aren’t hurt by gun violence

John Owens, As a survivor of a point-blank shooting, a plea to see the gun epidemic we’re ignoring

Joshua Harris-Till, I grew up amid gun violence. We don’t have to live like this

Lisa Lowman, Survivors Lend Their Voices to Movement to Fight Gun Violence Crisis – Maryland Matters

Mollie Peterson, My Abusive Husband Had a Gun; Michigan Can Keep Others Safe

Neca Allgood, Survivors of gun violence know we don’t need HB60

Pastor Lorenzo Neal, I’m a pastor, gun violence survivor: I preach, pray that no family goes through such pain

Pam Simon, For Survivors of the Jan. 8 Tucson Shooting, Every Week Is National Gun Violence Survivors Week

Sharon Risher, Guns are white supremacy’s deadliest weapon. We must disarm hate

Taina Patterson, I am a survivor of gun violence, but it took me years to realize it. Here’s why 

An enormous thank you for all that you do. 

Together we care,

Debbie 

P.S. If you have feedback on National Gun Violence Survivors Week, we want to hear from you. Please fill out this brief feedback form.

America Can Still Help Save the World

America’s extra vaccine doses could be key to global supply

Data: Duke Global Health Innovation Center. Chart: Michelle McGhee/AxiosThe Biden administration’s purchase of 200 million additional Pfizer and Modern doses means the U.S. could fully vaccinate 300 million people with just those two vaccines — and 355 million more people if four additional vaccines gain FDA approval, Axios World editor Dave Lawler reports.Why it matters: The White House says the U.S. will eventually donate excess doses to other countries, but it hasn’t released a plan to do so.Between the lines: Sources in the administration emphasize that despite the bulk orders, only two vaccines have been approved and supplies remain scarce.Most of the 1.2 billion doses of six vaccines currently on the books were purchased as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed.Keep reading.

Facial Recognition Wars

Coming conflict over facial recognition

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Efforts to restrict facial recognition are gathering momentum around the country, including the investigation of the Capitol insurrection, Axios Future author Bryan Walsh writes.Why it matters: With dozens of companies selling the ability to identify people from pictures of their faces — and no clear federal regulation governing the process — facial recognition is seeping into the U.S.Driving the news: The Minneapolis City Council voted yesterday to bar its police department from using facial recognition technology, Axios Twin Cities’ Nick Halter reports.Minneapolis will join other cities that have restricted the technology, including Portland, San Francisco and Boston.Keep reading.

Has Impeachment failed us Again?

What history will say about Impeachment II

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) greets Jason Miller, adviser to President Trump, at the Capitol yesterday. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty ImagesHistorians are already drawing lessons from Impeachment II, Axios managing editors David Nather and Margaret Talev report:The power of impeachment: That’s pretty much gone. Historian Douglas Brinkley says if former President Trump is acquitted, it’ll be clear impeachment is a political process, not a legal one.America’s changing demographics: Renee Romano, an Oberlin College professor who specializes in the field of historical memory, says that outcome would raise the question: “Can America ever truly be a multiracial democracy?'”Congress leaves the field: With a Trump acquittal, the Senate would have passed on two chances to hold a president accountable for undermining the authority of Congress, said Andrew Rudalevidge, expert on presidential power.Share this story.

Nonprofit and AARP to Offer Online Tech Classes for Older Adults

AARP Joins With Nonprofit to Teach Tech to Older Adults

Alliance allows OATS/Senior Planet to offer its free classes across the country

by Linda Dono, AARP, February 8, 2021 |

OATS/SENIOR PLANET

En español | A nonprofit organization that specializes in teaching technology skills to older adults is uniting with AARP to offer its courses to even more older adults nationwide — for free.

Senior Planet and its parent organization, Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), have been working with AARP on projects for a decade or more, including a How to Use Zoom class early in the coronavirus pandemic that drew more than 10,000 participants, says Tom Kamber, executive director of OATS/Senior Planet. Now OATS has joined forces with AARP as an affiliated charity, like AARP Foundation, Legal Counsel for the Elderly and Wish of a Lifetime.

OATS will continue to offer its programs independently. AARP will support OATS in expanding its offerings and making them known to a wider audience through AARP’s new Virtual Community Center. The relationship with AARP allows both organizations to help more people learn the computer skills they need now more than ever because so many activities and events are available only online.

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Before the pandemic, nearly three-quarters of adults in the United States had high-speed internet access at home, according to recent Pew Research Center data. But that number misses differences among age groups. About 4 of 5 adults ages 50 to 64 had high-speed internet then, higher than the U.S. average, but only 3 of 5 people 65 and older had the same access.

More than a quarter of people 65 and older told Pew researchers that they never went online. Past Pew studies have shown that online use drops even more among those 80 and older.

Tech anxiety transformed

In many cases, older adults lack confidence in their ability to use new devices and software designed to make their lives easier, the Pew researchers found. They watch from the sidelines as younger family members easily adopt new technology, potential employers use code words for age bias to target “digital native” job candidates, and the pandemic increases their isolationbecause of the COVID danger that meeting friends face to face may bring.

Jolynn Bailey, 67, a retired teacher who lives in Clifton, Texas, was a reluctant convert to technology. She had used a computer at work and for her grade books, but only because her school required it, she says. She used the computer her daughter bought her only to look at email and log on to Weight Watchers’ website.

Learn online

AARP has two places where you can sign up for free online classes and workshops:

• Senior Planet’s upcoming events

• AARP’s Virtual Community Center

Then the pandemic left her alone in her studio apartment with poor TV reception and a few DVDs — unable to go to the nearby gym, head to Weight Watchers meetings in Waco or meet with friends. Her daughter, who works for a tech company in California, found out about Senior Planet in April and suggested she try it. She waited three months, becoming more and more desperate for things to do.

“The first time I went on Senior Planet I was hooked,” Bailey says. “It gave me my world back and more than that, a whole new world.” Now she joins stretch or chair yoga classes to keep fit; participates in the virtual book club; and takes tech classes, even learning how to use an HDMI cable so she can watch YouTube videos from her computer on the bigger TV screen. She’s in Senior Planet discussion groups where she’s met people from across the country and often takes part in several workshops each day.

The idea for OATS/Senior Planet began when Kamber was working on part of the project to revitalize Lower Manhattan after 9/11. An 87-year-old woman in the area called him after learning about his website launch related to the project. But she didn’t have a computer and didn’t know about the internet. 

Kamber ended up tutoring her in his office. 

OATS was founded in 2004 in New York City as an outgrowth of those lessons. It now has Senior Planet physical centers in five additional cities: Palo Alto, California; Denver; Rockville, Maryland; Plattsburgh, New York; and San Antonio. Classes are entirely online during the pandemic, which allows anyone from across the country to participate, but in-person instruction will resume when it’s safe to do so.

Engagement erases isolation

Senior Planet programs are designed to teach adults 60 and older basic computer skills — including how to start, stop, mute, skip ads and enlarge a YouTube video — and more advanced options. Its interactive online classes, offered in English, Spanish and Chinese, are free to anyone of any age. About 50 classes are on the schedule each week.

“A lot of Latino adults aren’t up to date with technology. Some don’t even have internet access,” says Braulio “Brad” José Veloz Carvajal, a 73-year-old retiree in San Antonio who found out about the Senior Planet classes through his membership in the Pride Center San Antonio. He knew how to use a computer but retired from his job at the Pentagon in 2003, so he wanted to learn all about Google, Facetime and Zoom.

“With what I learned, I was able to talk to my family in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. That made me so happy.”— Brad Veloz, 73, of San Antonio

“With what I learned, I was able to talk to my family in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. That made me so happy,” he said after the months of lockdown because of the pandemic. “I hope Senior Planet teaches technologies that can provide a way to talk to other seniors in the Latino LGBT community and start support groups.”

Class participants can decide to just listen, speak up with questions or type comments in the chat area. Most sessions aren’t archived for future playback, although some how-tos are posted to Senior Planet’s YouTube channel, but popular courses are offered frequently.

“In some of our classes, we find that they come early and stay late to talk to each other,” Kamber says. “Our trainers seek out opportunities to engage people. They draw people out.” Follow-up with students has shown that participants are using their newfound knowledge.

Technology topics include a range of how-tos such as shopping on Amazon, using Google Maps and hosting a Zoom meeting. Some workshops focus on helping participants struggling with tech issues or learning how to keep their personal information secure. Better balance, chair yoga and stretching sessions are among Senior Planet’s fitness offerings.

“If I can Zoom, you can Zoom,” says Bailey, who decided to become a member of Senior Planet to go along with her 17-year AARP membership. “It’s not that complicated. You just need somebody to guide you through it. And that’s what Senior Planet knows how to do.”

Monica Bentivegna contributed to this story. Linda Dono is an executive editor for AARP. Previously, she served as a reporter and editor for USA Today, Gannett News Service and newspapers in four states, including The Cincinnati Enquirer.

AARP Virtual Community Center opens

Though anyone can register for most of Senior Planet’s free online classes on its website, some of the AARP-affiliated nonprofit’s most popular courses are being offered through AARP’s new Virtual Community Center, including these, which all start at 1:30 p.m. ET:

• Feb. 15, All Things Zoom
• March 1, Protecting Your Personal Info Online
• March 15, Online Health Resources
• March 29, Streaming and Smart TVs

The Virtual Community Center uses Zoom and a few other online platforms to allow users with common interests to learn together. As with Senior Planet’s offerings, these events are live and allow for interactivity — speaking or typing — with others in attendance. It’s not on-demand video.

“The Virtual Community Center is designed in many ways to be like an in-person community center. You sign up for a class and go to it” online, says Heather Nawrocki, AARP’s vice president of fun and fulfillment.

Events on a wide variety of topics, including books, fitness, history, music and screenings of AARP Movies for Grownups, are available now for signup. All are free, have no age restrictions and don’t require AARP membership to participate. Although the programs initially are in English, AARP is looking at expanding the signup platform as well as course offerings for Spanish speakers.

More on Personal Technology

• Programs can help older adults get or upgrade computers, internet access
• How to slim down your email inbox — and why it matters
• 3 easy steps to set up Bluetooth on your device
• 7 tips to take better photos and video on your smartphone
• How to get a free phone number for calls or texts

Join the Discussion

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Recently, the United Kingdom appointed a Minister of Loneliness to attend to the growing public health crisis of loneliness reported by 9 million people in their country

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

-Luke 15:20

Recently, the United Kingdom appointed a Minister of Loneliness to attend to the growing public health crisis of loneliness reported by 9 million people in their country. Our culture has mastered the art of relational distance. Too many of us are content to view one another from a long way off. Our past hurts, pains, disappointments and biases keep us so isolated and alone. But like this father who saw his son and became proximal to him, we are being nudged to close the chasm of difference and remember our shared humanity.

Pastor Michael McBride (known as “Pastor Mike”) is a native of San Francisco and has been active in ministry for over 20 years. Pastor McBride’s commitment to holistic ministry can be seen through his leadership roles in both the church and community organizations. A graduate of Duke University’s Divinity School, with a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Ethics and Public Policy, Pastor McBride founded The Way Christian Center in West Berkeley, where he presently serves as the Lead Pastor.

Stephen King on Trump’s Fanatics:“Jesus, man ….You act like the Red Chinese army was invading.”– “They’re just a bunch of scared and hungry people…”

Stephen King
(Image by commons.wikimedia.org)  Permission   Details  DMCA

Bestselling author Stephen King on Monday weighed in on President Trump’s recent warnings to the migrant caravan moving through Mexico toward the United States. King’s criticism came in response to a tweet Trump shared on Sunday stating that “full efforts are being made to stop the onslaught of illegal aliens from crossing our Souther (sic) Border.” “Jesus, man,” King said in response to the tweet. “You act like the Red Chinese army was invading.” “They’re just a bunch of scared and hungry people,” the author said.

Read the rest of the story HERE:

At thehill.com

A Dad’s Work to Stop Superbugs

Antibiotic Resistance Project

Inside NIH’s Fight Against Superbugs Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addresses some of the greatest superbug threats—and what the agency is doing about them. EXPERT Q&A

In Superbug Fight, ‘Victory Is Not at Hand’ “It’s a long road from exciting things happening in the lab to getting through a clinical process to the patient’s bedside,” Kathy Talkington, director of Pew’s antibiotic resistance project, explains in a Chicago Tribune editorial. READ ON

A Dad’s Work to Stop Superbugs For Men’s Health Month—June—get to know Chris Linaman. After his heartbreaking superbug experience, he’s working to help others avoid the trauma he endured. WATCH

IN THE MEDIA Antibiotics Weren’t Used to Cure These Patients. Fecal Bacteria Were. THE NEW YORK TIMES Superbugs Could Render Even the Most Routine Procedures Deadly, Warns Chief Medical Officer THE TELEGRAPH Stanley Falkow, Microbiologist Who Studied Bacteria and the Diseases They Cause, Dies At 84 THE WASHINGTON POST Antibiotic-Resistant UTIs Are on the Rise Around The World COSMOPOLITAN Antibiotics May Raise the Risk for Kidney Stones THE NEW YORK TIMES

Was this forwarded to you? Don’t miss the next email! SIGN UP Antibiotics are fundamental to modern medicine, essential for treating everything from routine skin infections to strep throat, and for protecting vulnerable patients receiving chemotherapy or being treated in intensive care units. Pew’s antibiotic resistance project is working to ensure both the prudent use of existing drugs and a robust pipeline of new drugs in order to meet current and future patient needs. SaveAntibiotics.org

Even if John Stewart is Gone, We all Need to Keep taking on FOX and all the Media

I am going to put a lot of John Stewart videos in the comment section, like this one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO_om3iK9kE

• Reports Accuse Bill O’Reilly of False “War Zone” Claims

You probably heard the great news – after a few years of progressive activism, FOX finally cancelled Glenn Beck’s show–but the Boycott Must Go On!!

Ten years ago, Media Matters launched with a revolutionary mission: to systematically monitor the U.S. media for conservative misinformation every day, in real time. We’ve been calling out right-wing lies for a decade — and we’re not done yet. Will you contribute now to help us raise $10,000 for our 10th anniversary?

For ten years, we’ve successfully fought back against the bad actors that poison our media with right-wing lies and smears. It’s been an amazing beginning, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.

We’re in this for the long haul. Make an anniversary gift today to kickstart the next ten years of media accountability.

Dear Kevin,
You probably heard the great news – after two years of progressive activism, FOX finally cancelled Glenn Beck’s show.
Beck was targeted after he slandered President Obama by saying, “This president has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture, I don’t know what it is… This guy, I believe, is a racist.”
Activists at ColorOfChange, Media Matters, StopBeck, FoxNewsBoycott, and of course Democrats.com responded with a boycott of advertisers on Glenn Beck’s show. Ultimately over 300 advertisers pulled their ads from Beck, costing FOX over $40 million.
Advertiser boycotts work! And it’s time to boycott all FOX News advertisers:
http://www.democrats.com/boycott-proactiv
We’re starting our boycott of all FOX News with Proactiv, which sells acne medicine to teenagers and young adults. Why?
First, there are lots of other acne treatments. Second, young adults above all are hurt by FOX News, which promotes right-wing policies on race, education, healthcare, the environment, and war. Let’s get our future leaders to lead the fight against FOX News!
Sign the petition to Proactiv and enter the email address of every young adult over 18 you know:
http://www.democrats.com/boycott-proactiv
Beyond President Obama, FOX regularly slanders nearly everyone: Democrats, unionized workers, the unemployed (including veterans and 99ers), environmentalists, feminists, blacks, Hiics, Jews, Muslims, progressives, scientists, and any other group it disagrees with.
FOX News broadcasts rightwing extremist slander, incitement to violence, political propaganda, and outright lies to promote its rightwing political agenda. This is not “news,” but rather a never-ending “war on news” – and it’s all documented in our petition.
Why would any decent company want to fund it? Tell Proactiv to stop advertising on FOX News:
http://www.democrats.com/boycott-proactiv
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik

GLEN BECK ADMITTED in 2007, “I Am RACIST and Barack Obama is very White” THIS MAKES Boycotting FOX NEWS needed NOW

By Kevin Stoda

Dear, American supporters of the Fascist Oddball Xenophobic (FOX) news networks.

AMERICANS are getting less tolerant of your racism and stronghold on our major media.

For example, we have noted that in his 2007 TV program from FOX (See on You-Tube), Glen Beck admitted he himself was racist. Further, Beck then, in contrast to 2009, called Barrack Obama much more white than black. (Apparently, Beck now he has other nonsense to mush men’s minds.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0tgvWxC_6A

Using a major news platform to promote racism and to tell people to disrespect a whole presidential administration through mixed truths, outright lies, and xenophobia, is not to be tolerated any more.

On Democracy Now today, Amy Goodman asked Benjamin Jealous of the NAACP what he thought of Wal-Mart’s pull-out from advertising on the Glen Beck program on FOX.

NOTE: Goodman had simply asked , “The whole attack by Glenn Beck that drove this (resignation)? In your response from the NAACP to Van Jones, it says, ´The only thing more outrageous than Mr. Beck’s attack on Van Jones is the fact that there are sponsors that continue to pay him to provide this type of offensive commentary.` Do you support the continued boycott of companies like Wal-Mart of Beck’s show on Fox?”

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/8/white_house_environmental_adviser_van_jones

This is a particularly important point because Glen Beck´s HATE CAMPAIGN ON THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION led recently to a great American policy maker, Van Jones, quitting the government this week.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/06/van-jones-resigns/

Mr. Jealous said, “We certainly support them (Walmart) choosing with their dollars who they’re going to support. I mean, it’s—Glenn Beck is somebody who’s told a seven-year-old girl, a seven-year-old black girl, that he would buy her a ticket back to Africa, that she needed to go back to Africa. And then he comes out, and he says that healthcare is the beginning of reparations. I mean, this guy plays the race card on a weekly basis. He does it very aggressive—you know, in a very hateful way.”

Recall, first, that Van Jones is one of the most important and thoughtful men in America—however, the FOX (Fascist Oddball Xenophobic) news network chose to support a man, like Glen Beck, rather than seeing that tens of millions of Americans need to get health care from promoters like Jones and that our America economy needs to move starting today to the kind of economy that its competitors worldwide are already doing.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/95963/what_will_the_green_economy_look_like/

Let’s quote the wisdom and influential words of Van Jones on the absolute necessity to green the American economy NOW!

“I think it’s really important to point out that we’re sort of at the end of an era of American capitalism, where we thought we could run the economy based on consumption rather than production, credit rather than creativity, borrowing rather than building, and also, most importantly, environmental destruction rather than environmental restoration.”

Jones continued, “We’re trying to make the case in this book that that era is over. We now have to move in a very different direction. And key to that will be basing the US economy not on credit cards, but based on clean energy and the clean energy revolution that would put literally millions of people to work, putting up solar panels all across the United States, weatherizing buildings so they don’t leak so much energy and put up so much carbon, building wind farms and wave farms, manufacturing wind turbines. We argue you could put Detroit back to work not making SUVs to destroy the world, but making wind turbines, 8,000 finely machine parts in each one, twenty tons of steel in each wind tower, making wind turbines to help save the world.”

Finally, Van Jones wisely noted, “So we think that you can fight pollution and poverty at the same time. We think that you can actually power our way through this recession by putting people to work, but we’re going to have to start building things here and re-powering, retrofitting, retooling America, and that that’s the way forward both for the economy, for the earth and for everyday people.”

Note: These statements came from a program on DN from October of last year:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/28/van_jones_on_the_green_collar

Van Beck has written a book of the same title, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems.

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061650758/The_Green_Collar_Economy/index.aspx

America needs such voices as Van Jones in government leadership in America—not Fascist Oddball Xenophobic (FOX) types.

Clean up the American airwaves of all its fascism and racism, today.

http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/a-petition-against-fox-conservative-host-glenn-beck.aspx

NOTE: One way to change the noise of Fascist Oddball Xenophobic (FOX) media moguls is to support alternative media organizations

http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/index

and alternative monitoring websites.

http://americas.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/64380

Another way, is to demand that local radio and TV channels put better programming on, such as Democracy Now or news sources promoted by serious progressive journalists:

http://www.tacomapjh.org/progressive_news.htm

Kearney, Missouri—‘This is a white town’– KC area family sues school district after racism

BIG PICTURE

: A Black male student at Kearney High School was regularly subjected to white classmates hurling racial slurs, making monkey sounds and sending him threatening messages, according to a lawsuit filed against the school district this month.

: The Kansas Supreme Court held oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the GOP-drawn congressional map, which divides Wyandotte County.

: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday afternoon signed a bill that will allow Kansas students in 2024 to enroll in any public school in the state, as long as the school has space.

HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

As a freshman at Kearney High School, a Black male student was told by a white female classmate that she would have “all the whites in Kearney beat your ass.” When a teacher overheard the conversation, the Black student was sent to the principal’s office.

There, the principal told him to ignore the white student’s conduct because she was poorer than he was, according to a lawsuit filed against the district in Clay County Circuit Court this month.

It was only one in a series of incidents where the student was racially targeted and harassed while enrolled in the school, The Star’s Sarah Reports.

The student’s family claims administrators were aware of the discrimination and failed to take action to effectively protect the student and “tacitly condoned and tolerated the racial harassment.”

The suit states that the student was regularly subjected to white classmates hurling racial slurs at him, making monkey sounds and sending him threatening messages, including those suggestive of lynching.

Unable to take the continual harassment, the family moved the student out of the school. The student is only referred to by his initials in court documents because he is a minor.

‘THIS IS GOVERNMENT ACTION TARGETING OTHER KANSANS’

The Kansas Supreme Court had sharp questions on Monday for both sides in a historic fight over whether the state constitution prohibits gerrymandering that will decide the future of the Kansas City-area congressional district held by Democrat Sharice Davids, The Star’s Katie Bernard and Jonathan Shorman report.

The justices have never before ruled on a challenge to a congressional map, but a group of voters alleges Republican-drawn district boundaries passed earlier this year dilute the power of minority voters and violate guarantees of free speech, equal protection and the right to vote in the state constitution.

During arguments, the justices appeared to search for a standard to use to evaluate whether the map is unconstitutional. The state constitution doesn’t include any specific provisions about the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts following the U.S. Census.

A majority of the seven-member Kansas Supreme Court was appointed by Democratic governors. Of the justices who spoke, Caleb Stegall, appointed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, appeared the most skeptical of ruling against the map, while Dan Biles, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleeen Sebelius, appeared ready to rule against it.

The others gave less indication of which way they’re leaning.

National Parks and Great Quotes

In 1872, the U.S. Congress established Yellowstone National Park, and in doing so created the first national park in America — and the world. Protected areas had existed before Yellowstone; in Europe, for example, wealthy landowners developed preservation areas to protect wildlife for hunting and trees for timber. The American model, however, went far beyond this.

Inspired by transcendentalist writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman, and naturalists like John Muir, the national parks in the United States weren’t developed for the rich and privileged. Instead, they were created out of democracy, art, and philosophy, to preserve the majesty and beauty of nature for all people.

When Yellowstone was established, it was officially declared a “public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” More national parks were created across the United States in the years after, but it took decades before an agency was created to manage the protected areas. Until, on August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service. Today the NPS manages 423 sites across the country, covering more than 84 million acres.

National Parks are now found all across the globe, from Banff National Park in Canada to Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), close to 15% of Earth’s land and 10% of its territorial waters are now covered by national parks and other protected areas. These parks have long been a source of inspiration, and many famous figures have commented on both their beauty and their importance.

However orderly your excursions or aimless, again and again amid the calmest, stillest scenery you will be brought to a standstill hushed and awe-stricken before phenomena wholly new to you.
– Naturalist John Muir, writing about Yellowstone National Park in 1889  

Within National Parks is room — glorious room — room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve.
– Enos Mills (1870-1922), American naturalist, author and primary creator of Rocky Mountain National Park

A sort of national property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy.
– William Wordsworth, writing of the concept of a national park in the Lake District in “A guide through the district of the lakes in the north of England,” 1835

The tendency nowadays to wander in the wilderness is delightful to see. Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.
– John Muir, writing in “Our National Parks,” 1901

There is nothing so American as our national parks… The fundamental idea behind the parks… is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.
– President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1934

National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.
– Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer and environmentalist, 1983

National parks and reserves are an integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resources. It is the course of wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today.
– President John F. Kennedy, World Conference on National Parks, 1962

The national parks belong to everyone. To the people. To all of us. The government keeps saying so and maybe, in this one case at least, the government is telling the truth. Hard to believe, but possible.
– Edward Abbey, American author and essayist, in “Appalachian Wilderness,” 1970

When I was about 15, I went to work at Yosemite National Park. It changed me forever. Nature had carved its own sculpture, and I was part of it, not the other way around.
– Robert Redford

I’ve been through legislation creating a dozen national parks, and there’s always the same pattern. When you first propose a park, and you visit the area and present the case to the local people, they threaten to hang you. You go back in five years and they think it’s the greatest thing that ever happened.
– Congressman Mo Udall in “Too Funny to Be President,” 1988

Photo Credit: Halie West/ Unsplash

About the Author

Tony Dunnell

Tony is an English writer of non-fiction and fiction living on the edge of the Amazon jungle.

Too many developing countries lack access to vaccines, treatments and medical equipment to fight the coronavirus

Blog the Debt

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Biden, G7, G20 Host Second COVID Summit Posted: 13 May 2022 01:53 PM PDTLeaders Pledge Vaccines, Treatments and Health InvestmentBy Mizraim BelmanPresident Biden hosted heads of state and philanthropy and private sector leaders for a second summit on COVID-19 response. At the virtual gathering, leaders of over 35 countries pledged actions to vaccinate 70% of the world population, expand access to tests and treatments and invest in global health security. “Too many developing countries lack access to vaccines, treatments and medical equipment to fight the coronavirus,” said Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA Network. “The White House is playing a vital coordinating role for a global response to the health crises spurred by the pandemic.” President Biden co-hosted the summit with chairs of the G7, G20, the African Union and CARICOM. In September, the Biden Administration organized the first COVID summit, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.The World Health Organization estimates 15 million people have died due to the coronavirus. In Africa, only 12% of the population is fully vaccinated. “Continued spread of the virus keeps alive the threat of new mutations that could be more lethal or elude vaccines,” added LeCompte. “Now developing countries are also dealing with food and fuel challenges because of the war in Ukraine. Without more aid and debt relief, many countries won’t have the resources to confront the pandemic or prepare for future health threats.” The US pledged additional funds for a proposed global pandemic fund at the World Bank that the G20 supports, bringing the US total pledges to $450 million. At the meeting World Bank chief David Malpass announced he expects to launch the fund, which collected almost $1 billion in commitments, in June.Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to deliver one billion vaccines to developing countries, half of which the US already sent.“ While vaccine distribution played into the conference, much of the focus was on preparing for future health crises,” stated LeCompte.

AFL-CIO/Jubilee Ukraine Pandemic Barron’s CommentaryPosted: 12 May 2022 07:38 AM PDTEric LeCompte and Cathy Feingold, the Deputy President of the ITUC and International Director of the AFL-CIO, writing for Barron’s call for global economic policies in response to the Ukraine war and the health and economic crises severely impacting most of the world due to the pandemic. Read the full article here.A Resilient Global Economy Is Within ReachBy Eric LeCompte and Cathy FeingoldWar rages in Ukraine and a global crisis looms. Gas prices rise and around the world, wheat, corn and fertilizer prices skyrocket. The International Monetary Fund says the global economy will slow, contributing to food shortages in developing countries. Russia’s war on Ukraine combined with Covid-19 made a terrible global situation worse. There are economic policies that Republican and Democratic leaders can find common ground with the Biden administration to make the U.S. and global economy more resilient in the face of these threats.Before the war, the pandemic revealed the catastrophic consequences of persistent global poverty and inequality for everyone—not just the poor. In response, U.S. economic strategy must focus on transparency, democracy, and what Pope Francis calls “a preferential option for the poor.”The Ukraine crisis shows what a difference U.S. leadership makes. As the world suffers impacts from the war and pandemic, our country can and must be the respected neighbor whom others look to in a crisis. We can bring other countries together to help ensure our global future is peaceful, prosperous and democratic. Covid shows that public health is global—when some of us are vulnerable to the disease, we all are. The same is true of economic prosperity. With supply and economic shocks, U.S. prosperity depends on global prosperity.

And It’s Planetary, Too as Well as Personal

The Personal Is Still Political

And It’s Planetary, Too

By Rebecca Gordon

I have never said this publicly before, but in December 1974 I had an abortion.

I was 22 years old, living in a cold, dark house in Portland, Oregon, spending my days huddled in front of a wood stove trying to finish my undergraduate senior thesis. I did not want to have a baby. I didn’t know what would come next in my life, but I knew it would not include raising a child. Until the moment the doctor told me I was pregnant — we didn’t have at-home tests in those days — I’d always believed that, although it was perfectly ethical for other women to have abortions, I would never do so. In that electric instant, however, I knew that what I had believed about myself was wrong.

Click here to read more of this dispatch.

Why did the Baby Formula Weaken the Bacteria Safety Standards

BABY FORMULA INDUSTRY SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED TO WEAKEN BACTERIA SAFETY TESTING STANDARDS

The current formula shortage is traced in part to a contamination-induced shutdown at a key manufacturing plant.

Lee Fang

May 13 2022, 1:38 p.m.

THE ABBOTT NUTRITION facility in Sturgis, Michigan, which produces much of the U.S. supply of baby formula, shut down in February, bringing production lines to a grinding halt. Following a voluntary recall and investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the stoppage stemmed from a bacterial outbreak whose effects would be felt months later. Starting last September, five babies who had consumed the plant’s formula contracted bacterial infections. Two of them died.

The production pause is now contributing to a national shortage of formula, a crisis that experts believe will continue for months. Abbott, however, disputes that there is any link between its formula and the infant illnesses.

Questions are now swirling about alleged problems at the Abbott-owned factory, which produces popular brands such as Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare. A recently disclosed whistleblower document claims that managers at the Sturgis plant falsified reports, released untested infant formula, and concealed crucial safety information from federal inspectors.

https://o.prod.theintercept.com/checkout/template/cacheableShow?aid=hsZyoAWmIE&templateId=OTEXERHVRCE9&templateVariantId=OTVEIU52VT7IF&offerId=fakeOfferId&experienceId=EX3LBE28N473&iframeId=offer_d95877cf7d9b23ea09ec-0&displayMode=inline&pianoIdUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fid.tinypass.com%2Fid%2F&widget=template&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com

But eight years earlier, the formula industry rejected an opportunity to take a more proactive approach — not only for increasing supply capacity, but also for preventing a potential outbreak. Records show that the industry successfully mobilized against a 2014 proposal from the FDA to increase regular safety inspections of plants used to manufacture baby formula.

At the time, the FDA had proposed rules to prevent the adulteration of baby formula in any step of the process in order to prevent contamination from salmonella and Cronobacter sakazakii, which led to this year’s Sturgis plant shutdown.

The largest infant formula manufacturers quickly stepped up to delay the safety proposals. The International Formula Council, now known as the Infant Nutrition Council of America, is the lobby group that represents Abbott Nutrition (owned by Abbott Laboratories), Gerber (owned by Nestlé), Perrigo Co., and Reckitt Benckiser Group, the companies that control 89 percent of the baby formula market in the U.S.

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In March 2014, the group wrote to FDA officials to request additional time to respond to the proposed rules. The agency, the industry claimed, had used a cost-benefit analysis that “overestimates the expected annual incidence of Cronobacter infection” using “outdated data.” The formula representatives asked for an additional 30 to 45 days.

“We feel the agency and the industry would benefit from this additional time,” wrote Mardi Mountford, an official with the International Formula Council.

That June, after months of deliberation, the FDA released a new interim final proposal that incorporated some of the industry concerns. The rules reduced the frequency of stability testing for new infant formulas from every three months to every four months. The FDA also provided a number of exemptions for manufacturers, allowing them to shirk testing requirements if the “new infant formula will likely not differ from the stability of formulas with similar composition, processing, and packaging for which there are extensive stability data.”

Later that year, the lobby group petitioned the FDA to revisit the safety manufacturing rule with even lower standards, including fewer inspections. In a letter to regulators, Mountford wrote that compliance costs would reach slightly over $20 million a year, including increased personnel and lab fees. “The IFC believes that the additional requirements for end of shelf-life testing under the Final Rule are unnecessary and burdensome and do not provide any additional public health benefit,” Mountford wrote in the September 2014 request. “Based on the frequency of manufacture and store inventories,” the letter noted, “virtually all infant formula is consumed early in its shelf-life (consumers typically purchase and use infant formula between 3 and 9 months after manufacture and do not stockpile infant formula at home).”

The Infant Nutrition Council of America did not respond to a request for comment from The Intercept.

As critics have noted, the formula industry had wide latitude to expand production and increase spending on safety standards. Abbott last year announced that it had spent $5 billion purchasing its own stock.

Abbott Nutrition has declined to inform other outlets whether additional cases of Cronobacter have been identified.

Following publication of this story, a spokesperson for Abbott provided a statement disputing the whistleblower allegations.

“This former employee was dismissed due to serious violations of Abbott’s food safety policies. After dismissal, the former employee, through their attorney, has made evolving, new and escalating allegations to multiple authorities. Abbott is reviewing this new document and will thoroughly investigate any new allegations,” said the Abbott spokesperson.

The spokesperson also provided a statement regarding the Abbott’s trade group lobbying efforts. The International Formula Council’s efforts, said the spokesperson, do “not align with Abbott’s actual past or current practices with regards to testing for Cronobacter sp. Abbott has been conducting finished product testing for Cronobacter sp. in our powdered manufacturing facilities long before the Infant Formula Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) rule requiring this testing was finalized.  Additionally, Abbott has always tested for Cronobacter sp. at more than twice the sample size (volume) that FDA requires in 21 CFR Part 106.”

The company on its website claims that there is “is no evidence to link our formulas” to the recent wave of infant illnesses.”

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is scheduled to hold a hearing on May 25 to investigate.

The Abbott whistleblower allegation was sent to the FDA and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in October 2021 and made public last month. DeLauro has demanded that regulators move swiftly in obtaining answers from the company. Despite the whistleblower tip, the FDA did not inspect the Sturgis plant until January 31 of this year, and the recall was not issued until February 17, according to a report from Food Safety News.

Approximately 40 percent of baby formula products were sold out during the week that started on April 24, according to a recent survey. Desperate parents have reportedly turned to eBay, where canisters cost more than six times the retail price. Viral images of empty shelves have alarmed parents, and the Biden administration has said it will take urgent action to address the shortage.

The shortage has other contributing factors. The U.S. maintains strict limits on imports of European brands of infant formula, despite studies showing that products under European Union regulations have high safety and nutrition standards. Competing brands in the U.S. have attempted to ramp up production to make up for the loss of Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis factory but have encountered supply chain problems.

Update: May 14, 2022, 1:36 p.m.
This article was updated with a statement from Abbott.

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These Schools improved P.E. to prioritize student interests and motivation

Six ways schools improved P.E. to prioritize student interests and motivation

Linda Flanagan

May 2022

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Gym class can’t get a break. A highly unscientific sampling of the conventional wisdom on physical education reveals a lot about what kids think of regular, enforced school exercise. “My least favorite thing about elementary school gym class was the boys being absolutely psycho,” one young woman told me. “Locker rooms were definitely fraught,” said another, about her middle school PE. “It’s not so much the body, as it is performing,” offered another—that pressure to throw and run well for an impromptu team, “so if you screw up a catch or whatever in dodgeball you let them down.”

The humiliation of being passed over when kids pick teams; the awkwardness of having to socialize with strangers from different grades; the Hobson’s choice of either undressing and showering in front of peers or returning to class in sweaty clothes: all these features of physical education contribute to kids’ discomfort.

Studies of student views toward PE add to these accounts. According to researcher Analisa Packham, who examined the impact of a comprehensive physical education program in Texas, kids resist PE because it invites bullying. Packham reported to Alia Wong in The Atlantic that the lack of adult supervision in locker rooms, and ease with which unathletic and overweight kids are teased, explains why PE is unpopular.

The trouble with this resistance is that physical movement is linked to brain health and well-being. Exercise contributes to happiness. It blunts anxiety and thwarts depression. Even 30 minutes of daily “brisk walking,” the World Health Organization asserts, can lift the mood. A study comparing the brain MRIs of active and inactive nine and ten-year-olds found a higher volume of the “white matter” that’s associated with memory and learning among the fit children. In her book “The Extended Mind,” Annie Murphy Paul explains how moving at varied levels of exertion affects the brain: low-intensity enhances executive function; moderate improves problem-solving, focus, memory, and other cognitive advantages; and high-intensity exercise stokes creativity. “The best preparation for such (metaphysical) acts as wrestling with ideas or running through possibilities is to work up an (actual) sweat,” she writes.
How Can High School Sports Better Serve Students?

These cognitive and emotional advantages that come with exercise suggest that gym class, despite its stigma, is essential to learning. Is there a way to make physical education less alienating—and possibly even appealing—to the thousands of kids who take part?

Some schools have succeeded in making their PE programs popular and well-attended. At A.D. Henderson University School in Florida, the gym elective among middle schoolers is always full; though kids who play sports after school are allowed to skip it, 95 percent attend anyway. At the Girls Athletic Leadership Schools, charter programs for middle and high school kids, physical activity is integrated throughout the school day, and “morning movement” takes the place of PE. At Tuscarora High School in Maryland, where students are required to attend just one physical education section during their four years, about one-third of the students take it throughout high school.

These schools have adapted their physical education programs to help kids enjoy exercise. Educators there explained what makes their programs popular:

“We change it up a lot,” said Chris Childs, the athletic director at A.D. Henderson. Childs said that instructors switch units every two to three weeks and include sports that most students will have limited experience playing, like pickleball. Offering new sports options keeps PE fresh. Instructors also make up new games for the students to play as a way to level the playing field; even the most experienced athletes, then, have to learn these games from scratch. And teachers divide units into separate skills, so that a ten-day volleyball section, say, might start with four people working together to practice serving.

“Choice is a big buy-in,” Alyssa Worbetz, the director of athletics at GALS charter school, told me. Students progress through three large exercise “units” over the course of the year: team games and yoga; cardio; and choice, wherein kids decide for themselves if they’d like to play soccer or basketball, say, or take up self-defense or running, among other options. Free choice also appeals to students at Tuscarora High School, who get to decide for themselves, every “free-day Friday,” what activity they’ll play that day.

“We’re sensitive to kids’ wariness about the locker room,” said Howard Putterman, the athletic director at Tuscarora. As a practical matter, that means allowing kids who won’t change clothes to play anyway. “We work with the kids,” Putterman added. Instructors at A.D. Henderson permit some kids to use the locker room earlier, ahead of the crowd. They also put an adult in the locker room to preempt any bullying. “We accommodate kids who are awkward,” Childs told me.

They offer competitive and non-competitive games. Rather than throw aggressive athletes in with reluctant participants, the PE instructors at A.D. Henderson offer everyone the chance to choose between intense and relaxed play. Thus, kids who want to go hard at the game can compete against other gung-ho players, while those who prefer a relaxed and fun approach can participate with similarly mellow students. Childs said that the stigma around PE has persisted in part because the kids who relish gym class growing up are more apt to become physical education instructors as adults; they naturally assume that all kids enjoy aggressive play. More students will benefit from regular exercise if athletic departments find ways to reach kids who balk at competition.

“We don’t use fitness as a punishment,” Childs said. Sentencing the tardy student to three laps around the field won’t teach kids that exercise can be enjoyable. Students start moving as soon as they’ve changed clothes and teachers take attendance while kids walk the gym’s perimeter. Some kids use pedometers to measure their distance. At GALS, girls are taught that physical activity is central to life, and that anyone with a body is an athlete.

They focus on relationships. At Tuscarora, PE instructors strive to know the students personally. “They’re the most personable people in the building,” a 12^th grader there said. Students at GALS relish morning movement because the teachers participate with the girls. “We don’t just talk about it, we’re a part of it,” Worbetz said.

Linda Flanagan is the author of the forthcoming book, “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports—and Why It Matters,” published by Penguin Random House.

Social-Media Disrupters–and Us

Social-Media Disrupters

This past week, Elon Musk declared that he would allow Donald Trump back on Twitter, then wavered over his planned purchase of the social-media behemoth. As billionaire tech magnates dominate the public square and transform how we consume information, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about social-media disrupters and their impact.

In “Plugged In,” from 2009, Tad Friend profiles an earlier incarnation of Musk, when the Tesla C.E.O. was focussed primarily on pitching his vision for electric cars and colonizing Mars. In “Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy?,”

Evan Osnos writes about the social-media platform’s evolution (or devolution) from a networking site to one of the leading disseminators of extremist rhetoric and propaganda. In “Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet,”

Andrew Marantz examines the destructive impact of rampant online conspiracy theories and hate speech. Finally, in “What Is It About Peter Thiel?,” Anna Wiener considers the influence of the first outside investor in Facebook—who, after serving as one of Trump’s biggest donors in 2016, continues to make forays into Republican politics, recently backing two Trumpian Senate candidates, J. D. Vance, in Ohio, and Blake Masters, in Arizona.

For Thiel, Wiener writes, “the processes of liberal democratic life are either an obstacle or a distraction. . . . What’s on offer is a fantasy of a future shaped purely by technology.”

—David Remnick

How The Pandemic May Be Fueling ‘Deaths Of Despair’ while Dealers are spiking drugs with fentanyl, and killing even more

How The Pandemic May Be Fueling ‘Deaths Of Despair’ – NPR

https://www.npr.org › 2021/01/26 › deaths-of-despair-ho…

Jan 26, 2021 — As drug overdose deaths rise during the pandemic, a former White House economist says social isolation could be partly to blame.

• 
  U.S. Sees Deadly Drug Overdose Spike During Pandemic – NPRhttps://www.npr.org › sections › 2020/08/13 › u-s-sees-de…Aug 13, 2020 — New data from around the U.S. confirms that drug overdoses are spiking during the coronavirus pandemic, rising by roughly 18%.
• 
  Teen drug overdose deaths rose sharply in 2020 … – NPRhttps://www.npr.org › sections › health-shots › 2022/04/12Apr 12, 2022 — Teens started dying in greater numbers from fatal drug overdoses in 2020, raising alarm that the trend could continue or worsen.
• 
  Drug Overdose Deaths Surge Among Black Americans During …https://www.npr.org › 2021/03/03 › drug-overdose-death…Mar 3, 2021 — Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say fatal drug overdoses nationwide have surged roughly 20% during the pandemic, …

Nation’s drug-related overdose and death epidemic continues …

https://www.ama-assn.org › system › files › issue-…

PDF

Sep 8, 2020 — death epidemic continues to worsen. *Updated May 12, 2022. The nation’s drug overdose epidemic continues to change and become worse.

The Spike in Drug Overdose Deaths During the COVID-19 …

https://www.commonwealthfund.org › blog › spike-dru…

Mar 25, 2021 — Overdose Deaths Spiked After Start of the Pandemic, Driven by Synthetic Opioids Like Fentanyl. The CDC’s National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) …

Missing: npr ‎worsened

Dealers are spiking drugs with fentanyl, and killing even more …

https://www.kcur.org › news › 2022-01-10 › dealers-ar…

Jan 10, 2022 — For many people, he said, “addiction is a disease of isolation.” Staying abstinent from drugs requires support, and the pandemic cuts off …

During Covid-19 pandemic, overdose deaths reached new …

https://www.statnews.com › 2021/02/16 › as-pandemic-…

Feb 16, 2021 — “Anecdotally, I can tell you drug abuse has definitely risen,” he said. Even worse, addiction experts say, is that the financial toll of the …

Johns Hopkins Psychiatry in the Media

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org › about › news › media

An overarching focus on mental health during the pandemic may have played a … for Addiction in Baltimore, says treatment narrowly focused on medication …

COVID-19 and the opioid crisis: When a pandemic … – AAMC

https://www.aamc.org › news-insights › covid-19-and-o…

Jul 27, 2020 — Over 20 million people in the U.S. have a substance use disorder. During COVID-19, experts see signs of relapses, overdoses, and other …

Milwaukee County sees record number of drug overdose …

https://www.wpr.org › milwaukee-county-sees-record-n…

Mar 9, 2022 — Drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County broke records again last year … but the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social isolation played a …

Pandemic Claims Even More Lives Through Alcohol

https://www.addictioncenter.com › news › 2022/04 › p…

Apr 6, 2022 — Alcohol-Related Deaths Spiked During First Year Of COVID-19 · Changes In Alcohol Consumption During The Pandemic · Drug Overdoses Rise Alongside …

COVID-19 Worsens Mental Health, Sparks Overdoses – WFYI

https://www.wfyi.org › news › articles › covid-19-wors…

Nov 17, 2020 — And overdose deaths increased more than 30 percent between January and May. The pandemic has made a lot of problems worse — including depression …

Drug Overdose Deaths Surge Among Black Americans During …

https://www.wbur.org › npr › drug-overdose-deaths-sur…

Mar 3, 2021 — Black Americans with addiction face “pervasive and continuing … and isolation of the pandemic made her substance use disorder worse.

Black opioid overdose deaths in St. Louis are up 500% in 6 …

https://news.stlpublicradio.org › show › 2022-04-13

Apr 13, 2022 — Opioid overdoses have been on a devastating climb for Black drug users in St. Louis and St. Louis County, with the latest data showing a …

How the pandemic has worsened Colorado’s part in America’s …

https://www.kunc.org › show › 2022-03-07 › how-the-…

Mar 7, 2022 — Last November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that for the first time, drug overdose deaths topped 100000 …

In Shadow of Pandemic, U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Resurge …

https://www.nytimes.com › 2020/07/15 › upshot › drug-o…

Jul 15, 2020 — Deaths from drug overdoses remain higher than the peak yearly … the drugs that started the nation’s addiction epidemic back in the 1990s.

Drug overdoses are soaring during the coronavirus pandemic

https://www.washingtonpost.com › health › 2020/07/01

Jul 1, 2020 — Suspected overdoses jumped 42 percent in May, data obtained by Post shows. Fueling the surge are isolation, economic devastation and …

Early Data Show Overdose Deaths and Substance Use Rose …

https://www.chcf.org › blog › early-data-overdose-deat…

May 10, 2021 — Stories That Caught Our Attention: Recent data on overdose deaths and substance use paint a grim picture of what the COVID-19 pandemic year …

Addiction to drugs, alcohol deepens in Oregon, report shows

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com › 2022/02/07 › oreg…

Feb 7, 2022 — The state’s addiction crisis has worsened since the pandemic hit, according to … Overdose deaths in Oregon are going up, and the number of …

The Horror They Are Putting Our Non-Partisan Election Workers Through

Kevin, Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a phone call from an unknown number. You answer it thinking it must be urgent, only to hear someone on the other end threatening to kill you.This isn’t a horror movie. It’s the reality for nonpartisan election workers across America who are just doing their jobs and administering our elections according to the law. And we have video proof that it’s happening all over the nation right now.  Will you watch and share this video to alert your friends and family to the crisis? Extremists are threatening nonpartisan election workers with one goal in mind: Scare them enough that they resign from their positions. As positions open up, authoritarians step in and amass more power over our elections. If successful, they’ll be able to make it harder to vote, stop vote counts, and even outright refuse to certify the results of elections when they don’t like the outcome.This is already happening in battleground states like Georgia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where subtle manipulation can have a big impact. But this isn’t just happening in a handful of states – it’s a national problem. That’s why RepresentUs is launching a campaign to protect our elections. We’re mobilizing across the nation, putting country over party, and ensuring our democracy stays strong.Share this video with your friends and family.  It’s crucial that everyone sees the threats of violence trying to weaken democratic elections.Knowledge is the first step to fighting back against extremists. Spread the word now and let’s face this head-on. Jen Johnson Movement Director RepresentUs