Aggregated News & Opinion
Recent posts in bigger type.
Recent posts in bigger type.
Obama's ACA didn't fix this:
The US wastes $1.8 Trillion per year on health care spending compared to the average of 2017 total per capita costs of comparable yet profit-controlled advanced countries. Let's end price gouging and adopt profit-control practices too. To the point, 2017 US out-of-control per capita health care spending was $5322 more per person than in France, the highest rated system based on patient outcomes.
Advisory panel will meet on Friday to decide whether to recommend the vaccine be authorized
Jessica Glenza and agencies | The Guardian | 21.02.25
The big blackout lie: Australia was the first casualty of the big blackout lie blaming wind power – the US could be next [Find what and who caused the infrastructure vulnerability and fix it.]
As climate impacts intensify, power grids stuffed with ageing fossil fuel infrastructure crumble
Ketan Joshi | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Environment: Beaver believers: Native Americans promote resurgence of 'nature's engineers' [Maximize benefit from fresh water before it flows away. Capturing flood waters for use during drought would be smart too.]
The rodents are often considered ‘nuisance animals’, but they can play a vital role in maintaining healthy landscapes
Lucy Sherriff | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Scientists say there is significant risk of resurgence until all age groups are immunised
Natalie Grover | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Make decisions based on the science, not Murdoch's baseless "news": Joe Biden's climate envoy admits US and Australia not on 'same page' [Pretend you're a live crab in a pot coming to boil.]
John Kerry’s comments, including a call for a faster exit from coal power, add to pressure on the Coalition to do more
Daniel Hurst and Adam Morton | The Guardian | 21.02.24
During a global pandemic, 87 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured. Many are frontline workers who cannot practice social distancing
Reverend William Barber | The Guardian | 21.02.23
Disinformation: Lead With Facts, Not Punditry: Journalists and the Looming Superstorm of Climate Disinformation [Lazy journalists and politicians frame issues as between black and white, but even the simplest problems are more complicated.]
Journalists must shirk the habit of framing everything as a two-sided debate.
by Andrew McCormick | Common Dreams | 21.02.25
Media: Facebook reverses Australia news ban after government makes media code amendments [2:55 video]
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announces a compromise has been reached at the 11th hour as the legislation is debated in the Senate
Amanda Meade, Josh Taylor and Daniel Hurst | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Bad journalists are howled at
BOB SOMERBY in The DailyHowler | EVERY DAY
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Virtual Nations [An editorial promoting an anti-despot/fascist ideal]
Instead of NATION-STATE-POLITICIANS essentially owning and controlling people (and their descendants ad infinitum) in "their" Nation State, wouldn't it be better if adults world-wide could contract with UN-certified professional agencies to perform nation-level fiduciary functions (certifications being updated at least annually).
— State, City and county governments would continue unchanged —
Marc Cherbonnier | The Baltimore Chronicle | Ref.
| With Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine close to distribution in the US, the end of the pandemic seems a big step closer. But not everything will return to normal right away by Jessica Glenza and Alvin Chang | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January 2021. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images Abetting Trump’s coup: What the arrests of Beverly Hills residents say about the US Capitol attack Of the 14 Californians charged in connection with the pro-Trump riot, three are from the wealthy LA county enclave Lois Beckett in Los Angeles | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 A voter completes his ballot inside a privacy booth at a polling station inside Knapp elementary school on election day in Racine, Wisconsin, 3 November. Photograph: Bing Guan/Reuters Dishonest elections: Rightwing group nearly forced Wisconsin to purge thousands of eligible voters [We need more severe penalties for election fraud] New state data shows removal of almost 17,000 eligible voters ahead of 2020 election could have been disastrous Sam Levine and Alvin Chang in New York | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 A healthcare worker checks on patients inside an oxygen tent outside the emergency room in Huntington Park, California, on 29 December 2020. Photograph: Bing Guan/Reuters At least one in eight health workers lost in the pandemic died after the vaccine became available, analysis shows Erin McCormick | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 Study suggests a 10% increase in green space inside a prison could reduce prisoner-on-prisoner assaults by 6.6%. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Researchers say England and Wales study shows demonstrable benefits for prisoners in all categories Patrick Barkham | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 The hill of Lycabettus after rare heavy snowfall in Athens, Greece, this month. Further weakening of the AMOC could lead to more intense winters across Europe. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Environment: Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists [And Polar Vortexes will be going where they shouldn't be...] Decline in system underpinning Gulf Stream could lead to more extreme weather in Europe and higher sea levels on US east coast Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 A prescribed burn at Cedar Grove in California. Studies have shown how frequent fires reduce the levels of nutrients in soil. Photograph: Tony Caprio/Nature Ecology & Evolution Environment: Fiercer, more frequent fires may reduce carbon capture by forests [We'll have to become smarter in lots of ways to conserve life on our planet!] Global study shows blazes diminish forest density and tree size, making woods likely to sequester less carbon Patrick Barkham | The Guardian | 21.02.26
 A man rides a bicycle along a street in heavy smog in Delhi. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Health & Environment: It's not just oceans: scientists find plastic is also polluting the air [What rate of intake makes us die how much faster?] New research links Delhi’s thick smogs to burning of plastics Gary Fuller | The Guardian | 21.02.26
| Butterflies had bad year after four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging and extreme climate conditions  The butterflies’ population covered only 2.1 hectares (5.2 acres) in 2020, compared to 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) the previous year. Photograph: Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images AP in Mexico City | The Guardian | 21.02.26
Commentary: Russian diplomats leave North Korea on hand-powered rail trolley [0:26 video; The cruel insanity affecting millions of people of North Korea must peacefully end!] Coronavirus pandemic meant the envoys and their families had to travel home in an unconventional way In normal times, most diplomats can expect to end a foreign posting with an official – if not always fond – farewell from their hosts and a comfortable journey back to their native country.... Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies | The Guardian | 21.02.26
Ban on violence against children will only apply in Islamabad, but campaigners hope rest of the country will follow suit  A rally against child abuse in Islamabad, Pakistan. The new law against corporal punishment for children comes after years of lobbying. Photograph: BK Bangash/AP Shah Meer Baloch in Islamabad | The Guardian | 21.02.26
Intimate violence & abuse: Assume Nothing: new book details alleged abuse by former New York attorney general  Tanya Selvaratnam describes her relationship with Eric Schneiderman as one of ‘entrapment, isolation, control, demeaning, and abuse’. Photograph: Tanya Selvaratnam Tanya Selvaratnam describes alleged intimate violence by Eric Schneiderman in the form of ‘entrapment, isolation, control, demeaning, and abuse’
Edward Helmore | The Guardian | 21.02.26
Surge in armed militancy in north of country has led to widespread breakdown of security  A rally in December in protest against the kidnapping of schoolchildren in the north-western state of Katsina. Photograph: Kola Sulaimon/AFP/Getty Images Reuters in Kano | The Guardian | 21.02.26
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Fair minimum wage: 'Not Gonna Fly': Jayapal Warns Democrats Against Using Advice of Unelected Parliamentarian as Excuse Not to Pass $15 Wage "When people vote in the midterms, you're not gonna be able to say, 'Well I'm sorry we couldn't raise the minimum wage because the parliamentarian ruled that we couldn't do it.'" by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.02.25
Governance: 'DeJoy Should Be Sent Packing': Biden Postal Board Nominees Urged to Press for Removal of Postmaster General [Are there legal or investigatory reasons for delaying his dismissal?] "Our entire country is fed up with USPS leadership." by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.02.25
Opinion: Biden is already backtracking on his promises to provide student debt relief [Why not forgive up to a fixed amount per year attended?] Let’s be clear: whatever he may say, Biden absolutely has the power to unilaterally cancel all federal student debt Astra Taylor | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Restoring sanity: Biden reverses Trump actions on green cards, architecture and 'anarchist jurisdictions' Move undoes actions that blocked many immigrants from entering the US and sought to cut funding to cities Trump deemed ‘lawless’ Guardian staff and agency | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Ignored infrastructure repair: Biden urged to back water justice bill to reverse decades of underinvestment Water Act proposes injection of federal dollars to overhaul ageing infrastructure, create jobs and address inequalities Nina Lakhani in New York | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Cult: ‘The base is solidly behind him’: Trumpism expected to thrive at CPAC [Their actions speak for themselves.] Lineup at annual gathering features former president’s allies – and Trump himself – suggesting his dominance is undiminished by his election loss David Smith in Washington | The Guardian | 21.02.25
| The burden to pay for people in retirement is too great on those facing debt, job insecurity and an uncertain future Minouche Shafik | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Practical and ethical concerns are valid, but a well-designed policy with the right legal safeguards could make a valuable difference Editorial | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Impending crisis: Number of Hong Kong residents moving to Taiwan nearly doubles in 2020 [What are the logical & rational reasons for China’s conduct?] Wave of migration comes amid worsening crackdown on freedoms following the introduction of Beijing’s national security law Helen Davidson in Taipei | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Hong Kong: Close loopholes so only 'patriots' can run Hong Kong – Chinese official [1:34 video; People will only pretend to change if it’s against their self-interests.] Speculation grows China seeking to block opposition candidates and overhaul judiciary Agence France-Presse | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Saudi Arabia: British arms sales prolonging Saudi war in Yemen, says Oxfam [What can go wrong when you sell the most lethal weapons to people infamous for barbarity?] UK exports including air-to-air refuelling equipment will prolong conflict, say campaigners Dan Sabbagh | The Guardian | 21.02.24
| Illegal chokehold death: US navy veteran having mental health crisis died after officer knelt on his neck Family of Angelo Quinto said police officer knelt on his neck for almost five minutes after they called for help Ed Pilkington in New York and agency | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Reuters reports that intelligence assessment of murder of journalist will find that Mohammed bin Salman was complicit Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | The Guardian | 21.02.25
Technology theft: SolarWinds hack was work of 'at least 1,000 engineers', tech executives tell Senate [We must invent better technology or lose dominance.] True scope of the breach, which affected 100 companies and several federal agencies, is still unknown Kari Paul and agencies | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Eyad al-Gharib found guilty of aiding and abetting a crime against humanity ....A few weeks shy of the 10th anniversary of Syria’s revolution, the verdict in his case in Koblenz marks a groundbreaking moment of justice for the hundreds of thousands of people who have disappeared in the regime’s state-run torture system.... Bethan McKernan in Istanbul | The Guardian | 21.02.24
Outlawing ecocide would hold governments and corporations accountable for environmental negligence. We can’t wait Jojo Mehta and Julia Jackson | The Guardian | 21.02.24
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