Sunday, August 16, 2020

8-16: It's not a wave—it's a wildfire

Newsweek apologizes for op-ed questioning Harris eligibility -- Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned Sen. Kamala Harris’ U.S. citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden’s running mate, a false and racist conspiracy theory which President Donald Trump has not dismissed. Mark Kennedy  Associated Press -- 8/16/20

The op-ed was written by [Chapman U's] John Eastman, a conservative attorney who argues that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship. Eastman sowed doubt about Harris’ eligibility based on her parents’ immigration status. Harris’ mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica. 
(Re Eastman, see See Pal o' Wagner: hysterical homophobic demagoguery)
As Colleges Move Classes Online, Families Rebel Against the Cost -- After Southern California’s soaring coronavirus caseload forced Chapman University this month to abruptly abandon plans to reopen its campus and shift to an autumn of all-remote instruction, the school promised that students would still get a “robust Chapman experience.” “What about a robust refund?” retorted Christopher Moore, a spring graduate, on Facebook. Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 8/16/20

John Eastman
Michael Cohen releases new details about his forthcoming memoir.
NYT

 

House accelerates oversight of USPS as uproar grows, demand top officials testify at ‘urgent’ hearing

House Democrats have been calling for a hearing — the chamber is currently on recess — as fears have grown that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is implementing policies that are slowing the mail and could create election havoc.

WashPo

 

Pandemic forces Chinese students to rethink their American dreams

WashPo


'They've jumped the gun': scientists worry about Russia's Covid-19 vaccine

Rising chorus of concern over Sputnik V vaccine stems from opaque development and lack of mass testing

Guardian UK

 

We're thinking about Covid-19 the wrong way. It's not a 'wave' – it's a wildfire

Like a wildfire, the virus relentlessly seeks out fuel (human hosts), devastating some areas while sparing others. It will continue spreading until we achieve sufficient herd immunity – when 50 to 70% of the population has developed protective antibodies – to significantly slow transmission. We will achieve herd immunity either through widespread infection or an effective and widely available vaccine. No amount of official happy talk will change that course.

Guardian UK

1 comment:

Bob said...

Wildfire, gigantic wave, tornado--all appropriate but what are folks doing about it? Wearing masks? About half whom I see. Washing hands? Don't know. Keeping distances away? Some.

We need to think of others and ourselves: good MD advice out there but how few are taking it. What may that suggest about what our educational institutions are teaching?

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...