There is responsbility that comes with profits from social media.

Despite efforts from social-media platforms to clean up their acts, false and abusive posts about prominent scientists lingers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram. A study by international campaign group Avaaz looked at disinformation posted about three high-profile scientists: Anthony Fauci, head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; German virologist Christian Drosten; and Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst. Although all of the posts had been debunked by fact-checkers, online platforms had taken no action to address half of them. “Two years into the pandemic, even though they have made important policy changes, the platforms, and Facebook in particular, are still failing to take significant action,” says Luca Nicotra, a campaign director for Avaaz.

Mainstream news media must publish corrections, why is this not the case with social media?

28 January 2022
By Brian Owens

Online threats (click here) aimed at scientists has become a major problem during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey by Nature last year found that many scientists who had spoken publicly about the disease had experienced attacks on their credibility or reputation, or had been threatened with violence. Some 15% had received death threats.

Nicotra and his colleagues looked at pandemic-related disinformation targeting three prominent scientists: Anthony Fauci, head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland; German virologist Christian Drosten; and Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst. They checked posts across five social-media sites — Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram.

Between January and June 2021, the authors identified 85 posts across the platforms that contained disinformation targeting the scientists and their institutions, and that had been debunked by several fact-checking organizations. By late July 2021, when the study concluded, 49% of the posts were still live and had not been removed or labelled with a warning about the fact-checkers’ findings. The posts had collectively racked up nearly 1.9 million interactions.

The failure to label debunked disinformation is a problem, says Nicotra, because unlabelled posts get much more engagement than ones that are labelled. Labelling is a “very effective strategy” for fighting disinformation, Nicotra says. “Especially if users who have previously interacted with the content are also informed.”...

The social media came under scrutiny when it was discovered the extent Russia was effecting outcomes in an adverse way during the 2016 elections. The intelligence agencies have completed a rather important revamping of their surveillance to end such outside influence in elections and it is reported the 2020 elections were the most secure in the country's history.

That is wonderful, but, there are Americans using the former methodolgy to make money for elections. That method is intended to attract voters through very negative positions adverse to democracy. To state it is exploitive is an understatement. Such adverse methods can be said, in the case of COVID-19 and it's variants, to cause illness and death. That is not even close to an ethical standard. 

"First Amendment Handbook" (click here)

The media industy has ethical standards focused on the right of the media and its journalists. Can we say social media is a recognized method of journalism or is it simply tabloid content? Either way, doesn't it fall under the auspices of journalism?

The problem with social media is responsibility for it's content. Who is responsible ultimately and how does the media industry recognize freedom of speech within the concept of social media? What are the values of such content in the USA today and is it valuable to our society and our democracy?

I think the media industry has the right and responsibility to propose ethical content for social media and advocate for ethical standards with state legislators and Congress. Some of that guidance can also come from the intelligent agencies of the USA.

Currently, social media is a bit of a demon among Americans, including the self-image of young girls (click here).

“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls. ”This blunt acknowledgment appeared in an internal Facebook presentation on Instagram’s effects on its millions of young users. But it never appeared where anyone else could see it, until being published as part of a recent Wall Street Journal investigation....

The Washington Post frames some of the maladies of social media as a mental health issue. I tend to agree. Now, "Nature" a semi-professional journal has published an article about the vitally important work of our scientists and their role in our society to end the problems with a virus that should have been contained two years ago.

Recently, Dr. Fauci testified before Congress bringing his very serious reality to the US Senate panel in the way of a profound and real threat to his life and danger to his family. That was not a mental health issue, that was a person DRIVEN TO BELIEVE Dr. Fauci was causing harm and killing people. The man with a gun was influenced by social media. His social media exposure is more than a mental health issue, it is a transformative act to motivate him to take up a deadly weapon and kill. He thought in his sincerest opinion he was acting out of morality. That is not a simple social media post, it is highly dangerous to our society and intended to motivate people in a method that appears to be moral. In fact, the morality is an indoctrination to violence for the purpose of destroying our democracy.

This is extremely bad considering there are local officials that have resigned from their offices because of very real death threats. Before this disasterous method of raising political funds and spurring people to vote, it was an honor to be elected and those taking office esteemed to their ability to govern. That has all been erased. The honor is now a horror and adverse to our country's governance. 

Social media content MUST be viewed as a media posting with responsiblity that must reflect truth. That sort of posting should be monitored and monitored closely for action to remove such lies and dangerous motivations.

Freedom of speech is not absolute and to that reality media organizations work very hard to maintain integrity and ethics in order to deserve that priviledge granted by Freedom of Speech. Social media does not carry out that level of integrity or ethics.

As a woman that has valued the woman's movement to remove dangerous stigma from our society it was gratifying to have "Barbie" look normal as a reflection of a healthy appearance. That level of change in a society is hard fought for and comes with personal sacrifice to carry out writing campaigns and research to support such movements. To think one social media site can dismantle decades of struggle in such a short period of time is simply outrageous.

That same outrage belongs to this article in "Nature" that brings focus to the very problem we are having in citizens acting in their own worst interest. Scientists dedicated to protecting human life are being degraded and their importance destroyed by random know-nothings and it is working.

There is no editor looking at the social content for facts and shutting down runaway social media that causes profound harm and in the case of the virus deaths. There has to be a change in these platforms and it must take place quickly to bring about an end to the disinformation and an elevation of authority that matters. Not every decision by these scientists have to be understood, but, simply followed. Some aspects of their decisions can't be explained, but, only peer reviewed.

The adverse influence in our American society must be stopped and sanity and safety returned. Our hospitals are not able to handle the assault by these media platforms. It must change.

I congratulate the Irish fishermen in their diplomacy. Absolutely magnificent.

It is wonderful to see these types of concessions by a major power that quite literally terrified the people of Ireland. There is a new trust for these people. At least for now.

January 30, 2022

By Claire Parker

Irish fishermen have seen more success. (click here)

Russia said it would relocate naval exercises scheduled to take place off Ireland’s southern coast beginning Feb. 3 following an outcry from local fishermen, who had pledged to protest the exercises and launched a diplomatic campaign to convince Russia to change course.

Yuri Filatov, the Russian ambassador to Ireland, said in a news release Saturday that Russia’s defense minister had decided, “as a gesture of goodwill,” to move the military exercises outside of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone “with the aim not to hinder fishing activities by the Irish vessels in the traditional fishing areas.”...

I can't hear the English interpreter.

This meeting is the one of the efforts to disrupt war. I am sure Putin sees it as a matter of progression. Diplomatic efforts at a time when.

January 31, 2022

By Yuliya Talmazan

...The double salvo of diplomatic and economic pressure (click here) came as the West looked to ward off a potential Russian invasion of its neighbor. Ukraine says the Kremlin has now massed 130,000 troops on its border; Moscow has denied planning any attack but issued bold security demands to the U.S. and NATO....

Russia claims this is just normal military exercises. Why is it there are so many who believe this is more? Because it has happened before in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. Russia still has not earned the trust of it's neighbors.

17 January 2022
By Andrew Roth

Russia (click here) has begun moving troops to Ukraine’s northern neighbour Belarus for joint military exercises, in a move likely to increase fears in the west that Moscow is preparing for an invasion.

The joint military exercises, named United Resolve, are to take place as Russia also musters forces along Ukraine’s eastern border, threatening a potential invasion that could unleash the largest conflict in Europe for decades.

Social media videos from Belarus appeared to show artillery and other military vehicles arriving on flatbed carriages owned by the Russian state railway company, and Alexander Volfovich, the head of Belarus’s security council, said in a briefing that troops were already arriving before exercises scheduled for February....

30 December 2022

By Lorenzo Tondo

 ...What was a customs centre in the village of Bruzgi (Belarus) (click here) has been turned into a dormitory for asylum seekers. The EU has accused Belarus’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko, of deliberately provoking a new refugee crisis by organising the movement of people from the Middle East to Minsk and promising them a safe passage to Europe. Lukashenko’s critics say the exploitation of these people is a callous reprisal for sanctions that Brussels has imposed on his regime....

An unguarded border for Ukraine.

January 29, 2022

By Michael Schwitz

Novi Yarylovychi border crossing of Ukraine (click here) - On the other side of this border in northern Ukraine, not visible through the thick pine and birch forests that crowd the E-95 highway but noticeable to passing truckers, a force is gathering in Belarus more potent than anything seen in the country since the fall of the Soviet Union, officials and military analysts say....

 

Ah, yes, the Americans that still believe civil war is an answer.

Bowie is on lockdown. The students are getting a real feel of racism in the USA. My guess is that this is a high school student trying out his wings as a White Supremacist. A recruit.

January 31, 2022
By Paul P. Murphy

At least six historically black colleges and universities (click here) received bomb threats Monday morning, disrupting campus operations and launching police investigations.

Southern University and A&M, Howard University, Bethune-Cookman University, Albany State University, Bowie State University and Delaware State University all received bomb threats this morning, according to campus spokespeople or social media posts.

CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment.

Five schools continue to investigate the threat and remain either on lockdown or have issued shelter in place orders....

There is not one Supreme Court Justice qualified...

 ...to make decisions regarding the health of a nation. Not one. To do so, is not only laymen quackery, it is playing god.

People seeking liberty among a pandemic are sure to die of their own ignorance and have over and over as testimony on social media in the USA.

I should have answered my own question.

The fact is that COVID-19 and delta and omicron have a death rate of 1.19 percent of all cases of all ages.

But, what would the country look like with a spike in cases of the deadliest form of the virus, and not just Boston?

It would be a plague.

The country may very well lose all purpose in it's government. The United States of America would fall due to the loss of civlized society whereby the authority is correct and best in determining the way forward.

If the loss of life were that enormous it wouldn't be safe to be in public. What would happen to the hospitals? They would be laid bare of staff and treatment. There would be little ability to carry out day to day lives. Where would the food be distributed? Would the farmers be able to process their grains because the factories would be empty?

In the immediate terms there would be survivers hold up in their own homes. But, in the long term? They would have far shorter longevity without the benefit of a society to assist in their regular health needs.

All the complaining around schooling of children is so stupid compared to the outcomes of ultimately having them ill, maimed or dead. Those with long term COVID would perish in the wake of the most dealy wave of the virus. They are, from what I can tell, completely disabled from normalcy and in need of regular medical care.

That viral wave in Boston is probably the least worse of the country. Boston is a sophisticated city with people that care about each other and bond over social activity. If one places Boston as the city with the best outcome the rest of the country will lay in devastation and there would be little to no ability to call out the National Guard or the military to end the confusion of life turned on it's head.

The allies would not be able to do anything because they are somewhat better off with citizens reasonably cautious. They would survive better than the people of the USA. Their leadership is still regarded as important and vital. They would be in better condition.

There is just no reason to be to the extreme right in the USA. It is a very dangerous and deadly place to be. Americans need to reclaim their sanity and return to reasonable activity to end the POTENTIAL of the next variant ever being given a chance to develop. I do not write this lightly. It is exceptionally alarming to me to realize such a potent wave as omicron ever existed.

This graph absolutely terrifies me.

This is what a level three virus looks like (click here).

I was looking through my entires here and my notes...

 ....and besides the climate I can't think of any other issue so threatening than Omicron.

The graph from Boston will be up at 8:35 pm and it is one of the most terrifying graphs that I would not have imagined in a million years. We have never in recent history faced a global pandemic. This is the first time in my lifetime it ever occurred.

What I know about viruses is perhaps a little more than most laymen that pay attention. This graph as I look at it and realize the number of people this level three virus has been exposed to only makes me worried for the next one. If omicron is any indication of the ability of this mRNA to mutate to become more prolific in it's attack on people, the American people must take this more seriously.

This virus, if in a new mutated form makes a nearly invisible appearance, the people exposed in Boston could be facing a killer virus. 

BA2 is an omicron virus variant (click here). It is nearly invisible to scientists and medical investigators. We know the path this virus is headed and it is not encouraging to be loose and fast with protections.

This global pandemic was introduced to the American people completely wrong. It was minimized to promote a strong Wall Street and keep people spending. There were all sorts of wild ideas outside of mainstream medicine introduced as a potential and legitmate treatment. It was all quackery.

The protests about restrictions is all quackery. All of it. There is no legitimate complaint. The lawsuits and Supreme Court decisons regarding masks and vaccines are all quackery. All of it.

That graph from Boston is pure genius to have begun to record it in the beginning. But, it tells the tale of a virus that is mastering it's victims and there is no predicting the outcomes. There is very little treatment that works against omicron because it has mastered the human immune system.

If there is one issue facing Americans today to consider with greater brevity than online schooling and delayed acceleration in home studies, it is this virus and it's potential to destroy all we have worked as a nation to build.

The USA is out of control. It lacks a moral compass. The people must take seriously the words spoken to them by authorities. The authorities care and want people safe.

I can honestly say this is the one problem that face Americans that has the potential to be a greater danger than the climate crisis in the immediate future. If that graph from Boston were of a killer virus, what would Boston look like today?

Americans need to grow up and fast

Good night.

Why obey ethical standards and licensure laws when so much money can be made with the politically oppressed?

There are so many questions that come to mind. Like, what inspired a police officer and pediatric nurse practioner such a scheme? Were they caught within their own political oppression and needed a way to make it all work? Were they actually vaccinated? What mass spreading events occurred because of greed? How fast can the State of New York shut down this contaminated pediatric clinic?

Amazing the lack of morality that exists with permission because of wayward political dogma. In some circles I am sure these two are heroes and that is only the scarey part.

29 January 2022
By Alyssa Guzman

A Long Island pediatric nurse practitioner (click here) and her employee are accused of making $1.5 million from selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, and her NYPD officer husband is reportedly facing an internal probe for his potential involvement.

Nurse practitioner Julie DeVuono, 49, who owns Wild Child Pediatrics Healthcare on Long Island, and her employee Marissa Urraro, 44, a practical nurse, are accused of selling fake vaccination cards after undercover detectives obtained one 'on one or more occasions.'

DeVuono allegedly charged $220 for adults and $85 for children to enter falsified information to the New York State Immunization Information System - reportedly making $1.5 million in just three months, according to CBS New York....

This is the reality of capitalism in the free world. Death means nothing and money is everything. It is a very sad situation in the world, when icons of health, such as Mr. Fox, are corrupted with power that serves no one well.

January 29, 2022

Thousands of protesters (click here) gathered in Canada’s capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.

Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial, others carried signs and flags with swastikas and the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox was defaced, sparking widespread condemnation.

“Parking on this sacred ground that includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sign of complete disrespect,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson tweeted.

Protestors compared vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The statue of Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with a upside down Canadian flag with a sign that said “mandate freedom.”...

There is still consternation over the Flint Water Crisis and any criminal charges filed to bring about justice.

The original investigation of Flint's poisoned water was based on a racketeering statute. Those indictments changed after the new Attorney General came into office. The article below goes on and on about it, which is why I decided to write about it here.

In those first investigaitons the findings ended with the emergency managers as the problem in the Flint Water Crisis. We know for a fact the former Governor Snyder was involved in all those decisions regarding many Michigan communities that fell under the Emergency Manager Law even after a referendum ended the law.

The picture below is of Mr. Earley at the US House hearings about the Flint Water Crisis. (click here)

17 January 2022

By Jordon Chariton and Charlie LeDuff

A team of prosecutors (click here) and investigators leading the investigation into the Flint water crisis from 2016 through 2018 were assembling a racketeering case against the architects of a bond deal that residents and experts say sparked the health disaster, sources familiar with the criminal investigation have told the Guardian.

The case – which would have come under the Rico (racketeer-influenced and corrupt organizations) laws often used to charge organized crime groups – was widespread and set to implicate additional state officials who played a role in the poisoning of Flint, according to these sources.

But when the team was suddenly broken up and the investigation restarted with a new set of investigators, the Rico case never materialized....

Many measures have been in place since the initial poisoning. Those measures included a settlement that is two-thirds of a billion US (click here). The settlement will assist many people who need the relief now and can't wait for other measures. At least that is what is expected to occur. 

There has been continuing examination of the water to Flint residents by the US EPA. I am sure the State of Michigan under Governor Whitmer tests it as well, but, this is the City of Flint's webpage regarding water quality (click here).

The change in direction of the Attorney General of Michigan is worrisome to people. It would be best if AG Nessel were more forthcoming about what exactly happened with the Flint prosecutions. It may be difficult given the trials are still continuing and some are hopeful they continue until there is still yet more elections, but, the issue is still fresh enough to address it.

This is the Earley indictment (click here). One might recognize the charges "Misconduct in Office" which are the same charges Snyder currently faces. In this indictment those charges can recieve upto 5 years and/or $10,000 fine for each charge. Snyder is now facing two.

Bringing those charges against the former governor is more than appropriate, especially considering, the law governing Emergency Managers was changed under Snyder. The law then, when defeated in a referendum by the people of Michigan was reinstated. Both the change in the statute and the reinstatment were signed by the Former Governor Snyder. His name is all over that law and it was that law under his watch that resulted in the poisoning of the people of Flint. 

I need to review the Congressional hearing and the focus of previous indictments, but, these questions are still out there and need to be addressed. It would be  better if they were addressed by the current AG, but, if that isn't possible for ethical reasons then perhaps the press and laymen interested in justice can conduct their own findings.

There is an element missing in these proceedings and that is the egregious condition of the Flint River water before it was diverted. That river was well known to environmentalists and conservationists. It was a filthy river.

The use of the Flint River was just wrong. There is no way anyone is going to say that river was fit for consumption and yet the river was divereted into the pipes of Flint homes. Considering Snyder was a resident of Michigan and went on to be Governor brings about the level of INTENT he carried out his demands for Emergency Managers to balance the books at any cost. Any Michigander would recoginize the name of the Flint River and be repulsed by  the idea of drinking the water. This is not a new condition and was decades old for that river and brings with it the idea that "What the heck is this?"

The last people guilty of any crime are those that worked at the Water Treatment Plant. They were told to conduct the switch and they did what was asked of them by their superiors. You can say what you want, but, facing losing one's job can be a terrifying experience if they are invested in that job. A worker at the plant committed suicide after his indictment. That was just wrong and the Snyder administration was focusing on removing any shadow of the deaths and maiming from responsibility by the Governor.

That suicide should be hung around Snyder's neck along with all the other wrong doing in this profound tragedy of Legionaire's Disease and lead contamination of children and expectant parents. 

The indictments in the Flint River tragedy as issued by Nessel's office seems so insufficent considering the POLITICAL PRIORITIES of the then GOP of Michigan. There is something very palpable about the Flint poisoning and yet there is so little palpable about the justice being sought. 

It is time for a review. People need justice and the proceedings going forward just doesn't feel right.

California is correct. The shots need to be mandated, including boosters.

January 29, 2022

State lawmakers have introduced two bills that would help do that: (click here)

SB 871would require treating COVID-19 vaccines like any other mandated inoculations for attending California’s K-12 schools. Medical exemptions, which are rare, would be allowed. And personal belief exemptions, which anti-vaxxers used as a giant loophole until they were outlawed in California, would also be barred for COVID vaccines.

SB 866 would allow children age 12 or older to get vaccinated without parental consent. California law already allows them on their own to get vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B and to access reproductive and mental health care services. Many students want to be vaccinated to protect themselves and those close to them from COVID. Sen. Scott Weiner’s legislation would expand youth access to all vaccines that have been fully approved by the federal government.

It’s time to stop endangering lives by perpetuating misinformation about vaccines that have proven to be safe and effective. The Legislature should pass both bills....

There is precedent to bring medical care to minors of all ages. Parents are not allowed to be a danger to their children no matter the cultural or religious issues at hand. 

California has also passed a gun control bill that will hold up to constitutional demands. The state is asking for money, as a tax, for those that purchase and keep guns. It is also mandatory. It is time to price guns out of the American budget. California has a method that other states should consider.

Levying taxes is very constitutional. The Democrats should be passing gun taxes as well.

Liability insurance for guns is now mandatory in California. Many gun owners already purchase liability insurance that is linked to a lawyer within the association so that when an owner finally uses the gun there is a lawyer there to defend them.

Other insurance companies should consider selling MANDATORY gun liability insurance that includes a lawyer network as part of their homeowners or renters policies.

I think the NRA has a policy for $19.00 PER MONTH. I know the USCCA asks nearly $30.00 PER MONTH. There are perks that come with that, including monthly magazines and instructional videos.

Owning a gun is a priviledge and not a right in the USA, regardless of Amendment 2 to the USA Constitution. Guns can be legislated in their use and the people permitted to purchase them. No legislator should be worried about good gun laws that protect the public.

A car can be a weapon and so can a gun. The number of privately owned guns in the USA is a tragedy that happens everyday. It is time to act to pass laws that provide for the well being of the public.

January 28, 2022

San Jose - A California city (click here) voted Tuesday night to require gun owners to carry liability insurance in what’s believed to be the first measure of its kind in the United States.

The San Jose City Council overwhelmingly approved the measure despite opposition from gun owners who said it would violate their Second Amendment rights and promised to sue....

This graph of Boston waste water measurements show an incredible spike in cases.

Boston Waste Water Measure (click here)

It is coined in the newspaper as good news that the spike is decreasing rapidly. Sure, that is good news. But, the spike is unbelieveable and due to irresponsible social behavior of a very capable virus.

This graph begins March of 2020. This is omicron. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Omicron is deadlier than Delta. The US Navy needs to be careful at ports of call.

The other states are reporting the same phenomena. Omicron is getting deadlier in a shorter period of time. There was a death reported a couple days ago of a health care worker that died the same day he was diagnosed.

January 28, 2022

Illinois health officials reported 123,812 new COVID-19 cases (click here) over the past week, along with 843 additional deaths and over 310,000 new vaccine doses administered, marking yet another drop in cases but a rise in deaths from the previous week.

Last week, the state reported 183,722 new cases and 746 deaths.

The drop in cases comes after state officials report the omicron peak has been reached, particularly surrounding hospitalizations.

In all, 2,897,174 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state since the pandemic began, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The additional deaths bring the state to 30,688 confirmed COVID fatalities....

This is the most recent reporting of cases and deaths (click here).

The top graph is the number of cases. Previous to omicron the graph grew steadily day after day. Omicron came along and the number of cases (yes, this is globally) began to increase significantly. The reason for the increase is omicron. It transmits past the body's defenses. 

The chart below is the number of deaths. It has been consistently increasing day after day at about the same rate as with delta. The percentages of cases to deaths is going to look different because the death rate will look watered down in relation to the cases, but, COVID-19 and it's variants are taking the lives of people regularly. The deaths have not abated and it proves this virus is not going away. It continually is exposed to human beings and it is still killing at the same rate day after day.

The variant omicron has a different strategy in that it can infect more people, but, it is just as deadly as delta. The reason there is a spike in the USA in deaths compared to delta is because the USA is heavily infested with the virus and now that omicron has arrived and the LOOSE MORALS surrounding this faster spreading virus continue and there is THE OLD WIVES TALE that this virus is a walk in the park, the deaths are escalating compared to delta. Delta was taken seriously, now that omicron spikes quickly and the return to work is half of delta there is looser and looser social behavior.

Not me. I am now doing Palates exercises at home rather than going to the gym. I wear an N-95 mask supplied to me by Mid-Michigan hospital. I wear it everytime I go anyway and that is kept to a minimum.

This ain't over and the increased death rate in the USA needs to be a wake up call to the ever present and deadly virus. 

We now have B2-A (I think that is the name) and Americans are not paying attention.

Ireland needs the Patriot Missile System. It will be good practice for them.

The fishermen are out there because NATO isn't. First BREXIT occurred and they were insured their fishing waters and now Russia is surrounding NATO with every boat they can muster and there needs to be a clear understanding what Russia will face at the very least in such plans Putin psychotically draws.

Israel has them, now Ireland should have them. Where is the Prime Minister at another party? The live missile drills as they are called is a perfect opportunity to practice with the Patriots. Russia is an enemy of NATO and it is only prudent to move such defense in place. We already know the Russians are horrible soldiers and they just might demonstrate it, too.

January 26, 2022

The chief executive of the Irish South (click here) and West Fish Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) has said the area is "very important" for members.

Patrick Murphy says they want to protect biodiversity and marine life.

But Russia's Ambassador to Ireland says controversy around the exercise is "hugely overblown".

On Monday, Yury Filatov held a press conference at the Russian Embassy in Dublin.

He said the planned exercises by Russian naval vessels was "not in any way a threat to Ireland or anybody else" and that no harm was intended by it.

Mr Filatov said three or four ships would be involved, but he did not know if missiles or submarines would be used.

He said: "There is nothing to be disturbed, concerned or anguished about and I have extensively explained that to our Irish colleagues."

Mr Filatov also said the exercise was a "non-story" which has become part of a "propaganda campaign" about an alleged Russian threat to Europe....

In his delirium about returning the Soviet Union to it's old luster, he is sending warships to surround NATO and this is practice? It is not practice when he is amassing troops at Ukraine's border. Putin is taunting NATO to act and if it doesn't he will go even further. This is an act of war and not practice.

It is impossible to make speeches about reconstituting the Soviet Union and believe this is practice. The denial of the facts disputes sanity in believing this is practice.

An enormous amount of carbon will also be released into the troposphere at a time when it is expanding and squeezing the stratosphere. This is insane from every aspect it can be looked at.

January 26, 2022

By Dzirhan Mahadzir

More than 140 warships (click here) and support vessels, along with 60 aircraft and a total of 10,000 personnel, will participate in the drills, according to the Russian MoD.

But the exercises have sparked alarm within Western nations in light of tensions over Ukraine. NATO countries have been surging out ships and aircraft and are accelerating planned deployments in response to Russia’s massing of troops on its border with Ukraine. Ireland protested over Russia’s plans to hold live fire exercises 240 kilometers off the Irish coast in February. Irish fisherman have pledged to disrupt the exercise, according to the BBC.

“We are letting them know that we will be fishing in our traditional fishing areas and if this has an impact on their exercise this would be considered a peaceful protest,” Patrick Murphy, chief executive of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organization, said.
“We should be entitled to go fishing there, and if we’re fishing there then these boats, these warships, shouldn’t be having war games.”...

Putin is an absolute idiot. Worse then his soldiers, he actually believes the borders of the 1990s can be reconstituted. He makes no sense. Sentiment is not a valid reason for war. Dealing with him and his psychotic tendancies is a fool's errand.

Enemies don't play games!

The environmental and economic damage that comes with these idiotic games is intolerable and it should not be allowed. Place the sanctions and get it over with.

26 January 2022

By Lorna Siggins

Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan (click here) says he is “ deeply concerned” at the news that military exercises are to be conducted by Russia within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Area due to the impact on marine mammals.

In a statement last night, Noonan said he had written to both Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and the Russian Ambassador to Ireland to express his concerns.

“While we do not know the nature of these exercises, we do know that underwater sounds such as active military sonar can have devastating consequences for cetaceans including some of our rarest marine mammal species, notably the deep-diving and rarely-seen Blue whale, Sperm whale and beaked whales,” Noonan said....

The continuing resolution that Congress is currently operating under is grossly insufficient in funding the US Navy (click here). McConnell is to blame. McConnell is effecting readiness.

January 28, 2022
By John Grady

Putting an American aircraft carrier strike group (click here) under alliance control should be a “clear message to Russia” that its 30 members are unwavering in their commitment to come to each other’s defense if attacked, NATO’s secretary general said Friday.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general since 2014, – when the Kremlin annexed Crimea and openly supported separatists in eastern Ukraine – said he expected the same hand-over of command from the United Kingdom and France as the countries move naval, air and ground forces into member nations on the Black Sea.

Stoltenberg “was reluctant now to go too far” in detailing NATO’s options if the Ukrainian crisis escalates to armed conflict.

On the alliance build-up on its borders, “they are there to defend NATO allies,” not attack Russia, he said.

He welcomed news of the United States putting 8,500 soldiers and airmen on alert for deployment to Europe. In “times of uncertainty,” it was important that “North America and Europe stand together.”...

There was an accident in the Pacific today regarding the landing of a jet on a carrier. There is too much tension among the US Navy. Someone needs to find out what is going on and back down the tension. Mistakes need to be taken seriously. We may need retired generals to speak to the sailors and soldiers about this. Many of some of our most valuable leaders left the military under piss-poor leadership in Washington, DC and the White House. That has to be reversed in consultation work and soon.

The lousy virus could be at play, too.

Did the Department of Education ever think it would have to protect teachers?

Republicans need to stop making lives of children a political issue.

August 10, 2022

Washington, DC - A day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (click here)  threatened to withhold salaries of superintendents and school board members if schools defy his executive order against mask mandates, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Department of Education is looking at a range of options to help protect teachers, students and school leaders in Florida.

"I do want to call out the courage and boldness of a number of leaders in Florida," Psaki said Tuesday. "People who are stepping up to do the right thing to protect students and keep schools safe and open."

Florida's COVID cases and hospitalizations are currently among the highest in the nation.

In her press briefing Tuesday, Psaki said CARES Act money could "certainly" be used to pay the salaries of anyone who DeSantis strips funding from in Florida's school system for imposing a mask mandate....

If local authorities find it best to require masks, then it needs to be left alone. They only want to protect the lives of their students, staff and teachers. There is nothing wrong with that. 

In many instances Masks = Life. I am fairly certain there are many teachers that have retired because of all this. Why make the situation worse? Allow people and children to feel secure. Radical right endangerment of human beings is a human rights violation.

Having schools open is not a heroic act as there are still virus in the air. Having a school system open does not mean the students will attend or teachers report to work or staff come in to their jobs. There is a lot more to school openings than simply declaring war on School Boards and Superindentents. 

Press Secretary Psaki is making the comment that Florida has not done enough. There is a huge definition in that other than unlocking the doors.

There is a reason why Ms. Psaki stated monoclonal antibodies don't work. It is not a lie.

Most every scientist involved in tracking and treatments for the virus and it's variants have been saying over and over that the longer the virus is among people it will continue to mutate until it has superior ability for transmission as a Level Three virus. Omicron is PROOF of their steadfast assertions.

The fact that omicron has developed a resistence to treatment is not a good sign as it will continue to mutate to fight the efforts of human beings to end the spread.

This virus has come a very long way in circumventing efforts to end the pandemic. It has been among the people since 2019. It is beginning to reach it's pinnacle of development to continue to spread. 

KNOCK IT OFF!

In November 2021, (click here) the B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in South Africa. Since then, omicron has rapidly spread around the world. On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization designated omicron as a variant of concern. The omicron variant was found to have at least 33 mutations (29 amino acid substitutions, 1 insertion of three amino acids, and 3 small deletions) in its spike (S) protein, as compared with early SARS-CoV-2 strains identified in Wuhan, China. Notably, 15 of the 29 substitutions were in the receptor-binding domain of the S protein, which is the primary target for monoclonal antibody–based therapy. This finding suggests that the monoclonal antibodies that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may be less effective against the omicron variant....

The Democrats have the best agenda and the country should understand that.

I don't know if the Secret Service can provide for a hospital visit while the president is there.

January 29, 2022

By Rachel Triesman

At least 10 people (click here) were injured when a snow-covered bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed early Friday, just hours before President Biden was due to visit the city to highlight his push for infrastructure improvement.

Pittsburgh Public Safety confirmed the collapse in a tweet just before 7 a.m. ET. The bridge covers a wooded ravine and creek within the city's Frick Park, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

A short time later, Pittsburgh Public Safety said there was a strong smell of gas in the area and confirmed that a gas line had been cut. It added that the Red Cross had been contacted for "victim assistance."....

President Biden is a great president. He is so much secure in his leadership people love to pick on the guy.

Viktor Yushcenko (click here) Much of the reform movement under the current administration has been successful. It would be very disappointing to have it occur again.

This response to Ukraine is absolutely correct. It is unfortunate Ukraine didn't move forward with NATO membership. It is perfectly obvious that Russia wants all the old and oppressive Soviet Union back, so preventing any violence spillover into NATO territory is important. 

If Putin wants conventional war with the USA, the NATO countries are his target. He must know we would respond. The pressure on Ukraine is unfortuante. There is nothing worse than feeling the oppression of a communist regime. It forces people to be different than who they are and provides for black markets and opposition that breeds civil unrest. Ukraine has been here before to the point where Yanyakovych disarmed the naitonal military and plugged in militia units into local cities and towns. The oppression was horrible and I am sure many in Ukraine are feeling it already.

The yellow rose symbolizes friendship which is the path Ukriane wants with Russia. I just have a feeling when Russia invakes it will spark a return or a movement out of the old Orange Revolution. The country's leadership needs to be prepared for such an uprising. Russia in Ukraine will not go over well. Putin is wrong, but, it is his politics that continues the assault. Most likely after the Olympic games in China whereby Russia has a loyalty seat.

January 26, 2022

...This week a video went viral in Ukraine, of an older man,  (click here) possibly in his 50s, speaking with heartfelt stoicism that he was ready to defend his family and his country from any potential Russian invasion.

"I'll take a gun and I'll go off to fight. I'm ready to taste the earth," he told the TV crew from the Russian-speaking TV news channel, Current Time.

He went on to describe how his contingency plan is already in place and that after taking his family to their summer house he would return to the city of Kharkiv and take up arms.

Situated less than an hour's drive from the Ukrainian-Russian border, and with thousands of Russian troops currently positioned just over the border, many commentators including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have warned of the possible threat to the majority Russian-speaking city of Kharkiv....

President Biden has won his first strike against Russia.

Putin in public comments yesterday stated the sanctions to be placed by NATO is more damaging to Russia.

He admitted if NATO imposed the sanctions they are threatening that it would damage Russia in ways he never anticipated even with his own effort for economic allies.

President Biden and NATO countries have been victorious now knowing that their economic threats are taken seriously by Putin. It is probably now that the peace process regarding Ukraine and Russia can be most successful since it is the only method open to Putin to end current economic measures, prevent any others and open the potential of Third World Russia to move back into a global economy.

I think President Biden has a peace initiative before him that few expected, but, are glad it is while securing the Post-Soviet countries into their sovereign and peaceful status. This is definately a victory. It is time to move forward with peace, nuclear disarmament globally and begin a whole Earth economy that will reverse the climate crisis.

Russia (click here) has the largest amounts of leaking methane. It is Siberian area that is opening up once frozen holes into the Earth that is leaking. Those have to be closed and can be closed.

The United States of America has no pride in this matter. There are enormous leaks especially along pipelines that ultimately delivers to consumers that sometimes brings about dangerous explosions of methane leaks. Among the most expensive leaks occurred in Massachusetts as the leaking methane simply kept moving down the pipeline and exploding home after home after home.

...“It is widely known that the self-reported country estimates are not the highest quality,” said Tia Scarpelli, leader of the effort and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh. “Our maps provide researchers with a spatial representation of methane emissions so that they can be compared with observations of methane concentrations from satellites.” Such maps are critical for monitoring changes in greenhouse gas emissions because the data tell scientists where to look and where to expect the most emissions....

It is time country leaders come to terms with what is important. Ending the climate crisis is paramount to any other issue this Earth faces. Democracy in Russia is welcome and Putin needs to allow it to happen naturally. The pandemic needs to end. There is only one method shown to be capable of ending the pandemic and that is shutdowns of movement of people. Currently, there are deer being tested around the USA for the spread of COVID as well. Those results are proving that animals contract the virus due to similar capacities of their bodies in relation to the functions of people. 

The former president of the USA has brought about this pandemic and it is up to the current president to bring about leadership to end the pandemic. Ending movement does not mean ending the economy either. It is time we recognize our connectedness with all people on Earth and bring about a reversal of circumstances caused by the fossil fuel industry. The last thing Earth needs now to sustain life on it, is a foolish war based in ideology. There is no ideology that is welcome as a priority in the world. The only method going forward with any economy is the NEW focus of eliminating overly abundant greenhouse gases from Earth's troposphere.

President Biden has won the war against Russia and it is time to allow peace to bring about a stable planet as well as highly sustainable economies without fossil fuels.