July 17, 2020

The Flint Development Center is located at 4121 Martin Luther King Avenue and feature Mackenzie Patrice Croom Community Lab (click here) for water testing.

Flint - The McKenzie Patrice Croom Flint Community Water Lab, (click here) the first of its kind in the world, provides a trusted laboratory for Flint, Michigan residents for water testing of lead and other pollutants.

The Flint Water Lab has recently been recognized with the 2020 US Water Prize for Outstanding Cross-Sector Partnership.

The project’s focus is providing residents with knowledge about the safety of their water, and resources to help people trust that their water is safe, as thousands of pipes have been replaced in the City of Flint and the system continues to improve. The lab will provide free water testing and resources in Flint to help residents navigate the myriad of information they see and hear about water quality, to ensure their families’ health.

Freshwater Future and the Flint Development Center are currently in the final phases of configuration for The Flint Community Lab with a scheduled opening date of summer to early Fall 2020 (tentative opening based on current COVID-19 restrictions).

The coordinated vision for this community lab provides Flint residents a long-term trusted source for water tests, a place where residents can go to have their water tested for lead and other heavy metals at no cost....

Cessation of movement is a public health priority.

When contact tracing fails because of the sheer volume of the people testing positive and are falling ill, that is when the movement of people needs to stop. The virus is probably everywhere and driving the infection rate. It is time to shut it down.

The information of a person testing positive can be published. Not the name of the person, but, the location of where the person was in the past day or so. People do read these announcements made in public media, but, when the numbers are too great and frequently becomes a map full of contact points, then the virus is out of control. Whenever the virus is out of control, the movement of people needs to stop. The cessation of movement is the only way the virus stops infecting others. 

These parameters are allowing too much movement with the area saturated with the virus. A large number of positive tests mean the cessation of movement has to be instituted immediately to begin to end the infection rate. This is a no brainer. If there is not a call for the cessation of movement with large positive numbers that is gross malpractice of governance.

Who is writing the script? Seriously. Who is writing the script?

This is abduction. An arrest is carried out by stating why a person is being arrested. This is abduction for the purpose of instilling fear and no other reason.

July 17, 2020
By Craig Silverman

Protesters in Portland, Oregon, (click here) say federal officers deployed by President Donald Trump are increasing tensions and violating civil rights by roaming the streets in unmarked vans and detaining people without probable cause.

Videos and witness accounts detail how armed officers outfitted in camouflage and lacking identifying information on their uniforms are snatching people off the street. One viral video shared on July 15 shows two men in fatigues exiting an unmarked van, grabbing a person by their arms, and escorting them to a vehicle. The officers remained silent as bystanders asked who they were and what they were doing....

Just sayin'.

July 14, 2020
By Peter White

Survivor (click here) will no longer be part of CBS’ fall schedule (click here) as a result of the COVID-19 production shutdown as S.W.A.T moves up from midseason as part of the network’s rejig.

Producers had hoped to get Survivor up and running to hit the fall deadline, but will not make it in time. The network said that producers are continuing to work with officials in Fiji on the “appropriate time” to start production with health and safety matters its top priority.

The show, which is exec produced by Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett and Matt VanWagenen, was set to air in a 8pm slot on Wednesday. Instead, the upcoming season of The Amazing Race will move from 9pm to 8pm....

15 July 2020
By Hallie Golden

Seattle Police tackle a demonstrator who was blocking the intersection of East Pine Street and 11th Avenue on 1 July.

Seattle - Twelve protesters or their families (click here) have filed financial claims against Seattle, King county or Washington state following injuries and a death during recent anti-racist protests that they allege were caused by excessive force by police or due to law enforcement failing to protect them.

“You go to protest, you go for a cause, you go because you’re moved to make society better, you’re moved really in a selfless act, for most of these people who have just a passion and belief that something needs to change, something is not good here and it needs to change,” said Karen Koehler, whose firm represents most of the claimants.

“And you’re met with riot police.”

Malichi Howel, 17, was protesting in the early evening on 30 May when police started firing teargas at the crowd, according to the claim. Howel tried to run, but was hit by an exploding flash-bang grenade or teargas canister that partially amputated their thumb....

Many types of cancer will result in a very treatable metastatic liver disease. I am sure Justice Ginsberg is fine. 

COVID-19 is NOT THE NEW NORMAL.

If Ducey reflects the basic effort by the Republicans, they need to be removed from the office. "Living with COVID-19" is a false option. Basically, what the Republicans are saying is that their "stock holdings" are more important than American lives. The Governor of Georgia Kemp is stating the mayor of Atlanta is "harming jobs and a growing economy." End of discussion, two Republicans are placing profits before American lives. It is more than "politics over people" for the Republicans, it is about profits to cronies and padding their own stock portfolios.

A nationwide general strike is not about protesting. It is about Americans literally shutting down the country by walking away from their routines, including work. If there are few to no Americans willing to work through this health crisis the companies will shut down and wait for healthier workers to return. The idea behind a nationwide general strike is to carry out the policy that leadership in the White House never committed to in the beginning. Instead of shutting down the entire country for 16 days, the White House continually stated there was no such danger because a jet from China was contained. It was a "smoke and mirrors" trick on the American people. There has been confusion and false dedication to political movements since those deceptive statements were made.

A nationwide general strike whereby people "GO HOME" for 16 days is the only real way forward if classrooms are ever to be open anytime in the future. The vaccines may or may not be in their final stages of testing, but, computer hacking by Russia and China places a huge question on the efficacy of the research.

In the good days, all research was written in laboratory record books. I doubt seriously anyone is keeping a written record in laboratory books. Most everything in a lab is now computerized. So, until there are fresh trials proving to provide immunity, Americans need to take the matter into their own hands. There is no leadership to end the spread of SARS-CoV-2, hence the deadly disease COVID-19. Americans need to take their well being seriously and in their own hands. 

NATIONWIDE GENERAL STRIKE IS NEEDED TO END THE DEATHS AND HARDSHIP.

Understand the mixed messages from Republicans, Ducey will extend eviction prohibitions, BUT, it is the new normal for workers. There is no plan within those mixed messages.

July 16, 2020

By Maria Polletta and Catherine Reagor

Gov. Doug Ducey (click here) will extend eviction protections for tenants affected by COVID-19 through Oct. 31, the Republican leader announced Thursday.

The delay isn't as generous as the one sought by housing advocates, who wanted protections for renters through the end of the year. Beginning Aug. 21, tenants also will need to show proof they've applied for rental assistance.

But the extension will give tenants who've lost jobs or become ill an additional three months to catch up on payments and seek community assistance — something Ducey called "the right thing to do for public health and our economy."

The announcement comes as the state continues to grapple with one of the worst COVID-19 spikes in the country, which has infected more than 134,000 Arizonans and killed at least 2,492....

Isn't freedom great?

I think she is extremely brave. She is also very honest. She did the country a great service by helping tell the truth. 

I wish her happiness. She should enjoy her own celebrity. She has earned it.

Justice is important to a democracy. She stood on the side of justice through her life, why stop now?

Thank you, Ms. Trump. It was nice to listen to you speak.

McConnell is wrong!

The country should NOT be doing everything to get students back to school. The country has to vanquish SARS-CoV-2 BEFORE unwitting children are exposed to danger.

McConnell is pandering to Trump.

Parents are at wit's end realizing their children may be asked to return to school without health insurance.

The virus has to be eliminated in the USA IN ORDER to return parents to work and their employee benefits and then and only then will students be READY to return to school and be AMONG OTHER STUDENTS.

McConnell needs to address THE REAL ISSUES and not the dreamscape of Donald John Trump.

Setting the health insurance issue aside, the REGIME involved in returning students to their schools is ridiculous.

Example: A student becomes ill in school. What then? Of course, the parent(s) have to be called to take them to the doctor. Normally, that is where it ends when it comes to the school and staff being involved.

THAT IS NOT THE CASE WITH COVID-19.

When a student becomes ill in school, the others in the classroom and possibly gymnasium or auditorium have to be tested. If there are positive tests then the contact tracing has to occur as it has already begun with the ill student. That means teachers and possibly administrators have to be tested. If positives are found then more contact tracing will have to occur. Then there is the home environment of the ill student. Are parents positive and if not that means the school, bus or playground is the culprit? Now, parents may test positive after contact with their own students. Once the parent(s) is positive that means they are unable to work for at least two or three weeks while receiving medications to end COVID-19 in their lives.

So, the ill student is then tested and the student is negative and able to return to school. Is the school now SARS-CoV-2 free? Is the ill student going into school entering a school that has no virus? If not, the circus of a dangerous illness begins all over again.

THERE IS NO PLAN FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE DISEASE PROOF and COVID-19 is too dangerous to risk it.

Enough of this madness and stress.

If this mess doesn't end soon, I see a country on a countrywide general strike UNTIL the country is free of COVID-19. The general strike can last 16 days and end this virus transmission. The people can take this on themselves without anyone's help except their own resources.

It is more than likely Russia hacked Twitter.

Russian currency is worthless. Russia covets cryptocurrency because of it. So, Putin played Twitter accounts for fools to build up their treasury.

Russia is a criminal rouge nation.

From steroid doping Olympic athletes to hacking elections and now attempting to contaminate virus research with false information. Russia has earned the title of Criminal Rogue Nation. It will never make it back to the G7. This is Putin.
July 16, 2020
By Julian E. Barnes

Washington - Russian hackers (click here) are attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S., British and Canadian governments said Thursday, opening a dangerous new front in the cyberwars and intelligence battles between Moscow and the West.

The National Security Agency said APT29, the hacking group known as Cozy Bear which is associated with Russian intelligence, has been taking advantage of the chaos created by the coronavirus pandemic and targeting health care organizations seeking to steal intelligence on vaccines.

The Russian hackers have been targeting British, Canadian and American organizations researching vaccines against Covid-19. The hackers have been using spear-phishing and malware to try to get access to the research.

“We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” said Paul Chichester, the director of operations for Britain’s National Cyber Security Center....

Not all Russians are enchanted by the idea of "Ruled by Putin Forever." This tells me the recent vote to place Putin in power for decades was rigged. There is no reason to believe anything else. Putin is an international criminal. He made no secret of it when he came out on media to back Trump for president (click here). From KGB to criminal president of Russia. He is nothing to be proud of.

July 16, 2020
By Matthew Bodner

Moscow - An unlikely protest movement (click here) has become the first major challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin after he secured his political future in a contentious vote this month — and it may spell more trouble in the days ahead.

Residents of Khabarovsk, a large city near Russia's border with China, have been up in arms for days protesting the arrest of their governor on 15-year-old murder charges.

The governor whom the protests are defending, Sergei Furgal, is himself no hero.

As a member of one of Russia's two Kremlin-sanctioned opposition parties — the Liberal-Democratic Party, a nationalist outfit that is neither liberal nor democratic — Furgal has spent most of his two years as governor more or less toeing Moscow's party line in the far east, not causing any trouble. He was, essentially, a loyalist.

But Furgal committed an unforgivable sin against the regime: In the 2018 gubernatorial elections, he rebuffed Kremlin calls to fold and allow the favored United Russia party candidate to win. He then went on to legitimately win a popular contest. Many residents of Khabarovsk say they see his arrest last week as punishment....

The six hundred dollars added to the unemployment check was used wisely. Americans have increased their savings while paying bills. It is measurable.  That saving is insurance for the future should the government not protect them in the future.

Additionally, there was a transition cost that was somewhat covered by the six hundred dollars added to the unemployment check. There are issues of buying masks, as well as other items like air purifiers. Those six hundred dollars a week were used to help with chaos in lives including children that now have a requirement to be in the virtual classrooms. In families where one computer was enough, now the family needs a computer for every student to attend classrooms online.

Americans put that weekly $600 to work for them. It helped a great deal.

There are issues such as COBRA payments, too. That is not cheap.

For anyone, including the Republicans, that want to defame Americans as lazy or reluctant to return to work because of the extra $600; they are wrong and are pandering to political dogma.

A banner at a business doesn't mean they have reformed their practices.

Chase website (click here)

July 13, 2020
By Chris Hedges

Hundreds of corporations, (click here) nearly all in the hands of white executives and white board members, enthusiastically pumped out messages on social media condemning racism and demanding justice after George Floyd was choked to death by police in Minneapolis. Police, which along with the prison system are one of the primary instruments of social control over the poor, have taken the knee, along with Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of the serially criminal JPMorgan Chase, where only 4 percent of the top executives are Black. Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world whose corporation, Amazon, paid no federal income taxes last year and who fires workers that attempt to unionize and tracks warehouse laborers as if they were prisoners, put a "Black Lives Matter" banner on Amazon's home page....

There it is. Trump is tampering with the election.

July 15, 2020
By Roger Sollenberger

President Donald Trump's (click here) newly confirmed U.S. postmaster general ordered the endangered public service Monday to make major cost-cutting changes, which could slow mail delivery.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a top Trump donor who has given more than $2 million to the GOP, warned employees that the agency needed to make "difficult" decisions to stay afloat, according to a new report in The Washington Post....

Statements like, "The northerners are coming to the south to spread the virus."

Us and them.

It is to start the war of "The South shall rise again." It is racism.

Freedom of Information Act

The CDC should sue. They require this information to protect the country.

July 14, 2020
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Washington - The Trump administration (click here) has ordered hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all Covid-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning on Wednesday. The move has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public.

The new instructions were posted recently in a little-noticed document on the Department of Health and Human Services website. From now on, the department — not the C.D.C. — will collect daily reports about the patients that each hospital is treating, the number of available beds and ventilators, and other information vital to tracking the pandemic....

This is utter fraud. No one owns the Moon!

July 15, 2020

A Gaya based businessman (click here) has bought an acre of land on the moon on his birthday. Neeraj Kumar said that he had heard about Sushant Singh Rajput, Shah Rukh Khan and others owning land on the moon and he also wanted to have land on the moon. He said that while the price was not very high the process was very long. Watch this video for all the updates. 

India is solidifying a strong relationship with the EU.

July 15, 2020

By  Sparshita Saxena

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (click here) will take part in the India-EU Summit at 4:30 pm today via video conferencing. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister tweeted, “I am confident this Summit will further strengthen our economic as well as cultural linkages with Europe”.

The Summit is aimed at further broad basing ties on a range of areas including trade, investment and defence, officials of the 27-nation bloc said.

During the Summit, the two sides are also expected to kick off a process for effective cooperation between the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Europol, unveil a five-year roadmap to further expand ties and are likely to launch a separate dialogue on maritime security and for boosting trade and investment, the officials said.

The Indian delegation at the summit will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the European side will be headed by President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, news agency PTI reported....

...As the world is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the leaders will discuss global cooperation and solidarity to protect lives, to mitigate the socio-economic consequences and to strengthen preparedness and response capacities, they added.

Ahead of the virtual Summit on Wednesday, India and the European Union on Tuesday sealed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

The agreement provides for extensive cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector including in research and development for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the officials said....

July 15, 2020
By Rahul Singh

Amid the border row in Ladakh (click here) and worst tensions there since the 1962 India-China war, the government on Wednesday authorised the Armed Forces to process cases for buying urgently-needed weapons and equipment worth up to Rs 300 crore to meet their critical operational requirements, a defence ministry spokesperson said.

“This will shrink the procurement timelines and ensure placement of orders within six months and commencement of deliveries within one year,” the ministry said in a statement....

Can a household adapt to the years of COVID-19?

I think there are good-paying jobs open in the health fields. If my memory serves me well, it takes about 8 weeks for a person to learn to be a Certified Nursing Assistant. Once a person is through education there is a certification test to achieve a CNA status and be paid well.

This is an issue for the Community College. An interested person can contact their local community college and find out where the courses are being conducted to obtain the training. So much learning is virtual that I have no idea at what point a person in training then moves to the clinical environment. But, local programs will know all those requirements. I am thinking a lot of the clinical teaching is actually done on the job after a person is certified and hired.

A two-parent household could prioritize each partner's education. Deciding to become a CNA is not an empty job after two months of training. There are disabled persons due to the virus SARS-CoV-2. Their need won't go away for years to come. Even if being a CNA is a temporary measure, for now, there is always the potential to become a nurse. It is not a bad job and it is not a dangerous job if proper PPE is used in caring for patients.

The pay scale for nurses can be very interesting and has many branches to pursue a specialty, including administrative work.

This is just an example to realize the learning can be applied to a future of self-improvement and higher incomes.

At University of Maryland Global Campus, (click here) you can seamlessly transition from your community college to a bachelor's degree program. We were built from the ground up to bring higher education to students like you. One way we do that is with our alliance agreements. We have alliances with more than 90 community and technical colleges nationwide to provide

• Dual enrollment at your community college and UMGC
• No-cost, no-commitment transfer credit evaluations
• Guaranteed admission
• A waiver of the $50 application fee¹

An Associate Degree is a full two-year commitment. So, getting the CNA is a good beginning to move into a health field career.

The point to this is that there are jobs available today that may only require a couple of months of training to bring prosperity to households in the USA where social venue jobs are no longer available. Married folks with children at home to educate can work different shifts if two incomes are needed for the household.

Americans can do this. I know they can. For the folks that want to and can make a commitment to a two-year degree or four-year degree, there are Pell Grants available. Just be careful where one is enrolled for that education. There are many private institutions promising the moon and simply don't deliver real jobs at the end of the education process. It is for that reason, people interested in pursuing these paths it is best to stick to community colleges and state universities. As a rule state universities are less expensive to attend. But, before jumping into a full two year to four-year commitment think about a short term training program that delivers a good-paying job to ensure the household is okay. 

The ad below is from "The Education Connection." Before trusting these private sites talk to a career counselor, virtually, at the community college to apply. I am sure there are people to talk to. Make well-educated decisions. Pell Grants are important money. The grants should not be squandered.

Be careful who one is trusting and keep the kids safe.

For 2020-21 (click here), $6,345 is the maximum Federal Grant amount an individual student may receive based on many qualifying factors.i Don’t put off earning your degree because it seems unaffordable—it may be time to find out if you qualify for any type of financial aid. Here are the popular types of financial aid that may be available to qualified students to help pay for college:

Grants: Schools may award grants to qualified students in addition to those available through the government to those who qualify.
Scholarships: Your grades, heritage, religious affiliation, and other factors may qualify you for these.
Student loans: The advisor you speak to may know if the school you are matched with offers private loans and which federal loans you may be eligible to pursue.
Military options: If you are or were in the military, be sure to ask a representative at the school you plan to attend what your funding options may be.

A virtual reality society is going to need people in IT.

These tech jobs pay around $80,000 annually.

According to estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), (click here) computer and information technology jobs are projected to grow by 12% from 2018 to 2028—much faster than the average for all occupations. Moreover, the median annual wage for these jobs was $86,320 in May 2018, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $38,640. Surprisingly, you don’t need to have a four-year degree to succeed in this lucrative field. The highest-paying associate degree jobs in technology can earn you around $80,000 per year.

According to PayScale data, these are among the best associate degree jobs you can get in technology.

This is the reason Trump is shutting the CDC out of the loop of COVID-19

July 14, 2020
By Stephanie Soucheray

...Last week, (click here) President Donald Trump tweeted that the CDC's guidelines on school reopening were too expensive and onerous, and said they needed to be revised. He also threatened cutting funding to public schools if they do not open fully in the fall....

He is not capable of being neutral in any of the facts regarding COVID-19 to remove the CDC's authority in this matter.

Let him cut off the federal monies to schools. Governors and mayors are going to have to find the funding needed to continue the "virtual classroom." It is probably less expensive to teach in a virtual classroom. So, it won't be a hardship to continue the virtual classrooms across the USA.

Trump never accepts responsibility for anything. It is always "the other's fault." The direction in Texas, Arizona, Southern California, and Florida is horrible. They opened up their states too soon. If the states important to Trump aren't doing well it was guaranteed he would do something to blame others and show that once he has complete control everything will be better.

The only thing that will be better is the rosy picture Trump will paint through his HHS. 

Once the CDC is out of the picture the Governors will have to rely on each other to guide the country forward. Here again, the regional groups will relieve the pressure to lead within their states and know their borders are secure.

There are only 50 governors. That means a group meeting once a month or so is possible. Regional stability will reduce the movement of the virus. State health officials will never be more important. They can set up a group meeting to talk about virus activity within the state with a report to the governor as frequently as the state authorities believe it is necessary. 

The Governors can do this. They are great people that care.

The Confederate Flag is an icon that inspires hate.

There is no sovereign authority that displays the confederate flag, so what is the purpose of it?

...Courts (click here) have long held that the government cannot silence speech just because it hurts feelings or causes offense. A New York federal court just affirmed this principle last week in holding that police violated the First Amendment when they forced an anti-gay protester to leave a Pride festival. The Court said: “The First Amendment offers sweeping protection that allows all manner of speech to enter the marketplace of ideas. This protection applies to loathsome and unpopular speech with the same force as it does to speech that is celebrated and widely accepted.”...

Freedom of speech is important, but, when it inspires hate that leads to deaths, it has to be regarded as a precursor to death.

The USA has provisions in the law that punish crimes of hate. They are called "Hate Crimes." We know why these crimes happen and Freedom of Speech that inspires hate is a false choice. 

People have died at the hand of White Supremacists, including the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. The White Supremacists/White Nationalists/Alt Right have lost their right to peacefully demonstrate and have their iconic confederate flag displayed.

There isn't anything else to say. The confederate flag and the confederate military statues come down.