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Archive for November 22nd, 2020

November 22nd, 2020 - 11:51 pm § in America, Foreign Affairs, Politics

Politics in Guatemala

“Hundreds of protesters broke into Guatemala’s Congress and burned part of the building Saturday amid growing demonstrations against President Alejandro Giammattei and the legislature for approving a budget that cut educational and health spending … which protesters say was negotia[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 11:36 pm § in Donald Trump, Law and Courts, Politics

You’re fired! Trump lawyers disavow conspiracy theory nutcase lawyer

Attorney Sidney Powell (photo) claims software created by Hugo Chavez, a Venezuelan dictator who died 6 years ago, changed Trump votes to Biden votes, and promised to “blow up” Georgia with a “biblical” lawsuit. Powell even attacked rightwing Fox host Tucker Carlson when he questioned her cl[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 11:15 pm § in Health

The elderly are harder to vaccinate, but that may not be true of Covid-19

“[When] we already have a vaccine against Covid-19, world leaders will have a choice about how to deliver it to the population. The most vulnerable people, along with the nurses, doctors and care workers who look after them, are likely to be protected first. If only it were that straightforwar[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 10:44 pm § in China, Donald Trump, Foreign Affairs

U.S. admiral’s Taiwan visit irks China

This article contains liberal opinion. “A two-star Navy admiral overseeing U.S. military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan … that could vex China,” BBC reported on Sunday, November 22, 2020. “The Pentagon declined comment, as did[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 9:32 pm § in Health

The checkered history and dubious logic of herd immunity

Sweden’s experiment with Covid-19 herd immunity is now widely acknowledged as a disaster. That country now has the world’s highest Covid-19 death rate (chart; click on image to enlarge); and on November 17, 2020, their prime minister ordered the entire country into lockdown (read story h[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 8:39 pm § in Environment, Misc.

Car lanes to bike lanes

Car drivers may hate it, but more cities are converting car lanes into bike lanes, and Covid-19 is accelerating the trend. “Tabitha Combs, a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been crowdsourcing data on local actions affecting walking and cycling during the pande[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 8:08 pm § in China, Science

China wants its own moon rocks

China is going to the moon for rocks. The Chinese plan to launch an unmanned lunar probe on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, to bring back 2 kg. of moon rocks. Currently, only the U.S. and Russia have moon material. “Experts are hoping [the mission] will give a better understand how long the Moon r[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 7:44 pm § in Donald Trump, Humor

Dutch hacker claims he guessed Trump’s Twitter password

A Dutch cyber investigator, Victor Gevers, claims he got access to Trump’s Twitter account by guessing the password. “The White House denied it had happened and Twitter said it had no evidence of a hack. But Mr Gevers has now revealed more information to back up his claims,” BBC sa[...]

November 22nd, 2020 - 11:27 am § in Donald Trump, Health, Politics

Experts say tribalism is behind Trump supporters’ disconnect from reality

What drives the Trumper herd mentality? Peer pressure and social forces — longing to belong — play a determinative role in why Republicans and especially Trump supporters are impervious to reality, researchers say. This is evident in people’s responses to both the pandemic and Trum[...]