#Judges Test COVID-19 Positive

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Crooked politicians dodging the bullet in the corrupt legal system once again: Despite multiple emails proving that Cuomo had a personal hand in undercounting covid deaths in nursing homes across the state in order to speed up the relaxing of covid mitigations, the case has been dismissed.

By Ali Bauman

NEW YORK -- A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Norman Arbeeny was an 89-year-old Korean War veteran living in a Brooklyn nursing home in March 2020.

"A man full of life and love," plaintiff Daniel Arbeeny said.

Soon after, then-Gov. Cuomo issued a directive on March 25, requiring nursing homes accept patients who tested positive for COVID. Norman Arbeeny tested positive, himself, and died. He was one of the 15,000 seniors who died from COVID in New York nursing homes.

"It's so easy to see the web of lies and deceit our governor went through for years to cover that up," Daniel Arbeeny said.

Daniel Arbeeny filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Cuomo two years ago. However, a judge dismissed the case on Monday. Her reason for doing so has not yet been released.

"We can't let this happen again to our most loved people, our grandparents and parents, in nursing homes. We can't and if we don't learn now, we're never gonna learn and it's gonna happen again," Daniel Arbeeny said.

Earlier in September, the former governor testified before Congress about his handling of the pandemic, following a House committee report that accuses Cuomo of intentionally underreporting the number of nursing home deaths.

"You are culpable for this. My question is when were you negotiating for your multi-million dollar advance for your book deal while seniors were dying in nursing homes?" Rep. Elise Stefanik said.

"You can't just make up facts, congresswoman," Cuomo replied.

In a statement Monday about the lawsuit's dismissal, Roch Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, said, in part, "The debate over COVID in nursing homes has been weaponized, distorted and contorted beyond recognition by those using this situation for their own politics. However, any time this gets taken out of the political arena, the truth wins."

Daniel Arbeeny is vowing to appeal.

"It's a hard case, but we're not afraid of it because we have the truth," he said.

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Kamala/ James Arthur Harris

James Arthur “Kamala” Harris was a professional wrestler best known for his professional wrestling persona, Kamala, a fictional Ugandan giant. Harris was born on May 28, 1950, to Jessie Harris and Betsy Mosely in Senatobia, Mississippi. He had four sisters as well. Harris grew up in Coldwater, Mississippi where his family owned a furniture store. When he was four years old, his father was murdered after a dice game. Growing up, he worked as a sharecropper to help provide for the family. Harris dropout out of high school in the ninth grade and became a burglar.

In 1967, on the advice of police, Harris left Mississippi and moved to Florida where he worked a truck driver and fruit picker. He next moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan where he met a professional wrestler Bobo Brazil who became his trainer. In 1978, Harris made his professional wrestling debut as “Sugar Bear” Harris. One year later, in 1979 he won his first professional wrestling championship in the National Wrestling Association (NWA) Tri-State Tag Team competition with wrestler Oki Shikina. In 1980 he joined Southeastern Championship Wrestling as “Bad News” Harris and later that year won its championship. In 1982, Harris joined the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) after being offer by a job by promoter Jerry O’Neal “The King” Lawler.

While wrestling for CWA, Lawler and another wrestling promoter, Jerry Winston Jarret, created a new wrestling character for Harris. This character, named Kamala, was a stereotypical Ugandan headhunter with face and body painting who was supposed to be the bodyguard of former President of Uganda Idi Amin. Harris then joined Mid-South Wrestling owned by promoter William Harris and remained with the organization until 1986.

Harris wrestled with other wrestling organizations during his career including World Class Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE), and World Championship Wrestling before retiring in 2010 at the age of 60.

Despite his long successful wrestling career, Harris had numerous personal and health related issues. In 2011, had his left leg amputated below the knee due to complications from high blood pressure and diabetes. A year later, his right leg was also amputated below the knee. As a result of the amputations, a charity fund was set up to help with his financial needs.

In 2016, Harris was part of a class action lawsuit filed against World Wrestling Entertainment claiming that wrestlers received traumatic brain injuries during their time with WWE. Unfortunately for Harris and other wrestlers, the lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in 2018.

Harris was married twice during his lifetime, first to Clara Freeman. That marriage ended in divorce. He later married Emmer Jean Bradley and that marriage lasted until his death. He was also father six children, five daughters and one son.

In 2017, Harris underwent lifesaving emergency surgery to clear fluid from around his heart and lungs. His health problems continued. He was hospitalized on August 5, 2020, after testing positive from COVID-19 during the pandemic in Mississippi. Four days later, on August 9, Harris died from complications from diabetes and COVID-19 in Oxford, Mississippi. He was 70.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/kamala-james-arthur-harris-1950-2020/

[meditating-dog-lover]

Why I think it came from a lab

Note: before you judge me for what I'm about to say, just know I am speaking from a scientific and biological standpoint. I'm a cell biologist who works in virology, and have a BSc in Anatomy and Cell Biology and MS in Neuroscience. I'm a scientist, not your 40 year old conservative MAGA uncle on Facebook. I absolutely hate how the pandemic was politicized as you should never introduce bipartisan nonsense to indisputable and factual matters like science and diseases.

So coronaviruses are nothing new. There have been previous coronavirus strains that infected the world. There is the one that caused SARS in 2002 and the other that caused MERS in 2012. And yes, bats do spread them. They are species capable of zoonotic infections (between species), including rats (spread the bubonic plague) and cattle. However, COVID-19 was a lot more devastating than the other 2 outbreaks. With all the modern knowledge and technology we have on disease prevention/control and vaccines/drugs, the fact that this outbreak was devastating to the point of causing a global pandemic is suspicious. There is no way something as cataclysmic came from nature given our current immunological and microbiological advancements in the 21st century. And judging how bats have spread coronaviruses in the past, it was never this catastrophic.

This leads me to think there was gain of function research involved using animal models in a lab (the Wuhan Institute of Virology). I do have a theory as to how they conducted their research, but it could be wrong. But gain of function research was definitely taking place. I believe they had animals in the lab that were positive for coronavirus (either bats or rats). They took nasal swabs and/or saliva samples from them to be able to harvest cells that had coronavirus RNA replicated in them. One strange thing about some viruses is that they do not possess any DNA. They contain RNA, which is the nucleotide chain that is generated from DNA during a process known as transcription. And most RNA sequences are converted to proteins via translation. Why some viruses lack DNA, however, I never really knew why.

Now in this day and age, we have the technology to modify the sequence of DNA/RNA. This process is known as gene editing. You would have to cut the sequence at specific nucleotide junctions, either insert or remove nucleotides, and then glue the sequence back together. One famous method of doing so is using the CRISPR technique. But there are many other ways to modify DNA/RNA sequences. These modifications do have an effect on the function of the virus. By editing the virus' RNA sequence, you can either cause the virus to weaken (loss-of-function) or to strengthen (gain-of-function). Some modifications lead to no changes in the viral strength and activity. Weakened viruses are used in traditional vaccines, so this is when RNA editing can be beneficial. However, I do believe gain-of-function gene editing was performed in the lab by using the coronavirus RNA sequences harvested from these animals that tested positive for the virus.

This is one theory as to how the gain-of-function research was conducted. There are many ways to do it, we can never be sure as to how it was exactly performed with these coronavirus samples in the lab.

Now how it spread from the lab to the rest of the world, I have no idea. Obviously, infections spread between people who interact with one another. How it expanded from a single lab to the whole world is a complex process to understand.

So this is my theory as a cell biologist regarding the origins of COVID-19. Yes it came from a lab. I fail to believe something this infectious and destructive came naturally from bats. We have the technology and immunological knowledge to aid in minimizing the spread of illness and creating effective drugs and vaccines. Looking at previous trends where bats have spread coronaviruses to other animals and humans, they did not result in global pandemics to this extent. So I think the virus was genetically modified to become more infectious. What was the reasoning behind this? What was the hypothesis they were trying to test? I don't know.

Here in the US, there are strict regulations as what type of research you can conduct in a lab. In theory, you can create almost anything in a lab, from drugs, to explosives, to deadly bioweapons. However, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. While that strictness is enforced here, it is not in other countries unfortunately.

I am devastated by the destruction the pandemic caused. From a single viral outbreak, to illness, disease, lockdowns, crashing economy, closing of small business, politicization of science and biology, anti-Asian hate, etc... Had we had the knowledge beforehand, this would have fared better for us.

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeal of a Minnesota woman who said she was wrongly denied unemployment benefits after being fired for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 because of her religious beliefs.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development determined she wasn’t eligible for benefits because her reasons for refusing the vaccine were based less on religion and more on a lack of trust that the vaccine was effective.

The case shows that the vaccine debate continues to smolder after the pandemic and after the Supreme Court in 2022 halted enforcement of a Biden administration vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers but declined to hear a challenge to the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care facilities that receive federal funding.

Still pending is an appeal from military chaplains who challenged the military’s vaccination requirement. Although that requirement was later rescinded at the direction of Congress, the chaplains argue they lost out on training opportunities and promotions because they requested religious exemptions.

'Cancel culture' Supreme Court rejects case on dust-up between Catholic student and Native American

Minnesota said the unemployment benefit appeal denied Monday wasn’t worth the Supreme Court’s time because benefits have been given to others who were found to have a sincerely held religious objection to the vaccine, so there’s no overarching question to address.

Lawyers for the Upper Midwest Law Center, which represented Tina Goede, had argued she was treated differently by the Minnesota courts than others who successfully appealed their denial of benefits. 

Refusing to get vaccinated, fired from a pharmaceutical company

After refusing to get vaccinated, Goede was fired in 2022 from her job as an account sales manager for the pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca. Her position had required her to meet with customers in hospitals and clinics, some of which required proof of vaccination.

She told the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development her religious beliefs prohibit injecting foreign substances into her body, which is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.”

A Catholic opposed to abortion, Goede also objected to the COVID-19 vaccine because she believed it was manufactured using or tested on an aborted fetal-cell line. (A cell line from an abortion decades ago was used to create Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. Fetal cells were used in the early testing, though not in the production, of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.)

But Goede told the unemployment law judge she wouldn’t receive the vaccine no matter how it was made “because it doesn’t work.”

The judge said Goede was declining to take some vaccines, but not others, “because she does not trust them, not because of a religious belief.”

Goede’s attorneys said the judge had interrogated her religious beliefs with “unfair `gotcha’ questioning."

“He couched his denial of benefits in Ms. Goede’s credibility and then discounted her religious beliefs by determining that her secular beliefs outweighed them,” the lawyers told the Supreme Court.

At the same time the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld that decision last year, it reached the opposite conclusion for two others who had been denied benefits after asserting religious objections.

Goede’s lawyers said her case presented a question that will reoccur: how to analyze a religious objection to an employer policy when those objections coincide with secular beliefs.

[vizthedatum]

Masking is a valid public health precaution, but it is hard for me emotionally. I will be masking more in public though.

As someone with an epidemiology background, this is so painful for me to admit:

I am heavily emotional about masking due to the relationship I had with my ex-spouse, who (to my knowledge) was more able-bodied and immuno-NOT-compromised.

If infection rates are low, masking is not required, and I believe I'm in a group of mostly vaccinated individuals, I will not mask.

I will also not morally judge anyone for having having any sort of infection. I understand that this is a controversial take to my fellow disabled friends and colleagues - but many of them also abide by these guidelines. Even though I've been unmasked on many occasions this year, I have still abided by reasonable and respectful masking (and isolating) policies that MANY of my immunocompromised friends abide by. I am not being completely reckless, and I must keep reminding myself of that.

--

However, reported rates of respiratory infections are currently up in my area (not just COVID-19 but flu, RSV, and colds). And my place of employment is returning to full-time masking on the 20th.

I will, of course, comply, and intellectually, I also have no qualms about masking more in public spaces apart from my workplace. I am ready and stocked up on masks!!!

--

Masks are just another reminder of the unfair, emotionally abusive, and, frankly, ill-informed (and scientifically unsound) ways my ex-spouse enforced control over me. The measures we were taking were more extreme than those of my friends who were severely immunocompromised - it was frankly offensive, and people thought we were very, very ill. And yeah, I did get COVID-19 for both of us (as far as I'm aware, I'm the one who got infected and transmitted it even though I have my suspicions that there could have been other ways we got it) - and I was penalized for it. I am not regretful of my actions that led me to get infected. Also - they would not have gotten it from me if they hadn't told me that isolating from them (when I took those risks) was causing them to be suicidal. They never even tested if they had it when I tested positive. We both had the privilege to access (and receive) medical care - we never had symptoms that progressed beyond that of a mild flu/cold. And they made it seem like I was going to kill people with my behavior (I made sure to not be in contact with anyone else during my infection). It was mind-fuck after mind-fuck, and I have every right to be angry about it all.

--

It was never really about the masks or risk - it was limitation upon limitation on my behavior that impacted my emotional and physical health... and caused me to isolate from my loved ones (who were also practicing safe-covid practices). I had to justify so much (even before I publicly became poly! Honestly, polyamory during our relationship actually got me, with permission (ugh), to get out of the house more, enabling me to get a better grip on my mental health). And... I get that it's part of their own mental health shit, but it wasn't right to do all of that to me.

[12digitalmarketing]

Noah Lyles OLY is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. His personal best of 19.31 seconds in the 200 m is the American record and makes him the third fastest of all time in the event. He is a one-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion.

Noah Lyles, a top sprinter, was expected to win the 200-meter race at the Olympics but finished third, surprising many. Despite his third-place finish, some commentators unfairly criticized him, questioning his abilities and effort without understanding his situation. Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 before the race and has a history of asthma, which significantly impacted his performance.

After the race, Lyles collapsed and was taken away in a wheelchair, yet some still accused him of faking his condition to excuse his performance. The situation highlights the importance of not judging others without understanding their experiences, particularly in cases involving neurodivergent individuals.

[orchuris]

People really need to get it together and wear masks. Not in an offensive ‘if you haven’t been doing so you’re a piece of shit’ because that’s just. rude. but wearing masks saves *lives.* Places should give out the *good* masks. N-95s, goggles/visors, etc. Especially for those who can’t afford buying/shipping costs. If everyone in the world took COVID seriously and wore masks + visors when it *first appeared*, we’d be significantly closer to it being eradicated IF NOT already over it by now. And no, I don’t describe ‘over it’ as pretending its ok while people are still dying of it every single day. I don’t describe ‘over it’ as ‘slightly less people are dying’. The amount of times we’ve gone to a location and we’re the only ones wearing a mask and visor set is ABSURD. If you really want COVID to end, remember: Masks and Tape - N-95 or better, layered with a black basic airfilter mask on top. Use either masking tape or basic doublesided tape. Wear it at ALL TIMES over your nose and mouth, and don’t take it off to eat or ‘breathe better’. As someone who’s been using masks since 2019 when the pandemic started + can get out of breath fairly easily, you can breathe fine.

Vaccination - Make sure to stay up to date on vaccinations and booster shots. They save lives, including yours. Goggles/Visors/Glasses - Eyes are just as much of a transmission point as breathing air carrying the virus. Wearing something to protect your eyes, even if it’s just glasses or basic lab goggles, greatly reduces the transmission risk via your eyes. Keep yourself informed - Stay up to date on outlets covering COVID. Information is power, and knowing when a surge or new strand is occurring helps you judge where and how to participate in events. Go the distance - Maintain social distancing whenever possible. 6 feet apart. If someone is displaying symptoms of COVID, do not make contact with them if avoidable. For the LOVE OF CREATION. If you display symptoms of COVID-19 please make sure to self isolate and stay away from others. If you make contact with a group or suspect you have it, take a test. Knowing this information and acting accordingly upon it saves lives. And no, you can’t tank it. Even catching newer strands of COVID once has been proven to change your brain chemistry NEGATIVELY. And most lab tests on mice have shown that they do not survive the 10th infection. For those of you in fandoms such as Project Arrythmia, Hollow Knight, JSaB, etc: Treat it like the Infection. The Corruption. The Tokyo Flu. PROTECT YOURSELF. PLEASE. Anyone with further information, please reblog with it as so. People reblogging to actively attack myself, OP, or anyone adding helpful or positive information will be reported and blocked.

Please reblog to reach a further audience.

world's best athletes catching covid and collapsing at the olympics left and right . this is not normal how is everything going on as if it's normal

[uicscience]

Virtual doctor visits earn mostly positive reviews from patients

One of the many technological adaptations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a shift to telehealth – virtual doctor appointments conducted over a computer or phone. According to one report, telehealth visits increased over 8,000% in the first few months of the national shutdown, and they remained elevated even after doctor’s offices and hospitals returned to normal activity.

But do patients get what they need from these virtual experiences? To answer this question, a team of researchers from UIC Business, led by Ranganathan Chandrasekaran, scraped more than 5,000 reviews from the medical booking site Zocdoc. They then used data science techniques to analyze the text of those reviews for sentiment and common themes of praise or complaints.

Overall, the feedback on video visits was favorable: almost 90% of the reviews reflected positive sentiment. And the objections to the online format appeared to decrease over the time period that the researchers examined, which ran from April 2020 to March 2022. 

Patient reviews most often mentioned communication and medical expertise as important factors for how they judged their virtual visit. “Patients favored those physicians who listened to their concerns, answered questions and provided clear and easily understandable information,” the authors wrote. They propose a new concept of “webside manner,” behaviors that medical providers should follow to “make patients comfortable in virtual settings.”

On the negative side, patients pointed out issues with long wait times, technical issues, and difficulty with follow-up information and appointments. The authors also could not use the current dataset to test whether patients preferred video visits to the in-person variety, they said. 

The research article appeared in the open-source Cell Press journal Heliyon in early June. Additional UIC co-authors were Prathamesh Bapat and Pruthivinath Jeripity Venkata.

[caleebw]

President DONALD TRUMP from CALEEB A WATSON on Vimeo.

Check out My VIMEO site { LINK BELOW } vimeo.com/752085347 Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in 1968. He became president of his father Fred Trump's real estate business in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization. Trump expanded the company's operations to building and renovating skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. He later started side ventures, mostly by licensing his name. From 2004 to 2015, he co-produced and hosted the reality television series The Apprentice. Trump and his businesses have been involved in more than 4,000 state and federal legal actions, including six bankruptcies.

Trump's political positions have been described as populist, protectionist, isolationist, and nationalist. He won the 2016 United States presidential election as the Republican nominee against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton but lost the popular vote,[a] becoming the first U.S. president with no prior military or government service. His election and policies sparked numerous protests. The 2017–2019 special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller established that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit the Trump campaign, but did not establish that members of the Trump campaign "conspired" or "coordinated" with Russia. Trump promoted conspiracy theories and made many false and misleading statements during his campaigns and presidency, to a degree unprecedented in American politics. Many of his comments and actions have been characterized as racially charged or racist, and many as misogynistic.

Trump ordered a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, diverted military funding towards building a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border, and implemented a policy of family separations for apprehended migrants. He signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which cut taxes for individuals and businesses and rescinded the individual health insurance mandate penalty of the Affordable Care Act. He appointed 54 federal appellate judges and three United States Supreme Court justices. In foreign policy, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal, and he initiated a trade war with China. Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times, but made no progress on denuclearization. He reacted slowly to the COVID-19 pandemic, ignored or contradicted many recommendations from health officials in his messaging, and promoted misinformation about unproven treatments and the need for testing.

Trump lost the 2020 United States presidential election to Joe Biden but refused to concede defeat, falsely claiming widespread electoral fraud and attempting to overturn the results by pressuring government officials, mounting scores of unsuccessful legal challenges, and obstructing the presidential transition. On January 6, 2021, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol, which many of them then attacked, resulting in multiple deaths and interrupting the electoral vote count.

Trump is the only federal officeholder in American history to have been impeached twice. After he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden in 2019, he was impeached by the House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in December. The Senate acquitted him of both charges in February 2020. The House of Representatives impeached Trump a second time in January 2021, for incitement of insurrection. The Senate acquitted him in February, after he had already left office. Scholars and historians rank Trump as one of the worst presidents in American history.[1][2] Following his presidency, Trump has remained heavily involved in the Republican Party, including through fundraisers and by making over 140 political endorsements.

[cassflorence]

1, 2 Step your way to wellbeing with exercise

For a long time in my life exercise was a daily if not twice daily activity that I assumed was something that I loved and came easy to me, this was until I went through the biggest transition of my life. I left the Australian Army after 9 and a half years, exercise was a part of my daily routine, not to mention part of my readiness for my job role. We got tested twice a year on our fitness, so you had to maintain it. I didn’t always love it but I could feel the benefits, physically and mentally. For me exercise meant high physical activity, running until you threw up, carrying 60 plus kilos on your back and walking in a big circle for hours, or lifting weights far heavier than your body weight and this was rewarded so naturally you keep doing it, what I didn’t realise is the lasting impacts this would have for my wellbeing.  

For the majority of my 20’s this was normal and expected (which makes complete sense, the military has very high expectations for physical fitness for excellent reasons) but I didn’t realise that this was very abnormal for a big percentage of the population, exercise means so many different things to different people (Knuttgen, 2003). Because I knew the benefits of exercise and felt them, it increased my mood (Ferraioli et al, 2018; Hewel et al, 2019; Brick et al, 2023; Calogiuri et al, 2019; Coon et al; 2011; Kuykendall et al, 2017), especially after a hard training session. It gave me a better outlook on the rest of my day, especially on the tough days when the stakes were high.

This shifted once I transition out of the military, no longer was I required to exercise as part of my job, I was able to press the snooze button, make wonderful excuses as to how I would exercise later I the day. I began to enjoy my freedom, there were more beautiful dinner dates with my partner, I enjoyed trying new food and wines and then loved sleeping in. COVID-19 occurred at the same time, so lockdowns were real for all of us, and the motivation for exercise lowered, I forgot the benefits, I forgot how it made me feel, I became ashamed of my body and how I looked because I wasn’t judged for it anymore, but I kept judging.

My sense of wellbeing was poor, and I struggled to find a way to exercise that wasn’t military driven and I didn’t enjoy it. When I started studying for my Masters is positive psychology I re-leant the benefits of exercise, and that can be any form of exercise, such as walking, running, even work and leisure activities have a direct impact on your wellbeing ( Ferraioli et al, 2018; Hewel et al, 2019; Brick et al, 2023; Calogiuri et al, 2019; Coon et al; 2011; Kuykendall et al, 2017).

So how do you exercise when its hard? Start small such as going for a walk surrounded by nature, exercising in a natural environment can increase your mood, self esteem and even bring greater enjoyment to exercising (Calogirui et al, 2019; Coon et al, 2011). When walking be present in the moment, notice the sounds, the trees and flowers, any wildlife that may be around. You will find that the focus will be drawn away from the exercise and be on the beauty of nature.

References

Ahmad, W., Taggart, F., Shafique, M. S., Muzafar, Y., Abidi, S., Ghani, N., Malik, Z., Zahid, T., Waqas, A., & Ghaffar, N. (2015). Diet, exercise and mental-wellbeing of healthcare professionals (doctors, dentists and nurses) in Pakistan. PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), 3, e1250–e1250. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1250

Knuttgen, H. G. (2003). What Is Exercise?: A Primer for Practitioners. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 31(3), 31–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2003.11440567

Wiese, C. W., Kuykendall, L., & Tay, L. (2018). Get active? A meta-analysis of leisure-time physical activity and subjective well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1374436

Thompson Coon, J., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M. H. (2011). Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing than Physical Activity Indoors? A Systematic Review. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(5), 1761–1772. https://doi.org/10.1021/es102947t

Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., & Sorrentino, G. (2018). Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 509–509. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509

Klaperski, S., Koch, E., Hewel, D., Schempp, A., & Müller, J. (2019). Optimizing mental health benefits of exercise: The influence of the exercise environment on acute stress levels and wellbeing. Mental Health & Prevention, 15, 200173–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2019.200173

Lahart, I., Darcy, P., Gidlow, C., & Calogiuri, G. (2019). The Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8), 1352–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081352

Breslin, G., Hillyard, M., Brick, N., Shannon, S., McKay-Redmond, B., & McConnell, B. (2023). A systematic review of the effect of The Daily MileTM on children’s physical activity, physical health, mental health, wellbeing, academic performance and cognitive function. PloS One, 18(1), e0277375–e0277375. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277375

[newscountryindia]

2 Judges Test Positive For Coronavirus In West Bengal: Health Officials 2 judges have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bengal, the health department said (Representational) Kolkata: In the first such instance in West Bengal two judges of a city court have tested positive for COVID-19 following which people who had come in contact with them have been advised to proceed on home quarantine, state health department sources said today.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Summer COVID-19 wave arrives in St. Louis. The scale is tough to judge. - Published Aug 14, 2024

ST. LOUIS — A summer wave of COVID-19 has swept across the country and into St. Louis, finding a region far better-equipped to face the virus than in years past but still vulnerable to its disruptions.

Because fewer people are getting sick enough to require hospitalization — and the bulk of COVID-19 tests are now administered in the privacy of peoples' homes rather than at clinics, hospitals and pharmacy drive-thru windows — experts are finding it difficult to judge the scale of the wave.

But it is clear that more people are catching the virus now compared with earlier this summer.

Virus levels in wastewater, detected through sewershed testing, have jumped. BJC HealthCare reported seeing more COVID-positive patients. And officials advise the area's residents to take stock of their vaccination plans for this summer and fall.

"I think we don't really have the full picture yet because it is still ongoing," said Dr. Hilary Babcock, an infectious disease expert at Washington University who serves as vice president and chief quality officer for BJC. "It hasn't been a really sharp spike. ... It kind of slowly rose and just kind of keeps slowly inching up locally."

Babcock said BJC has seen a consistent rate of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 through most of the year, and the number has remained flat during the recent uptick of cases. Statewide, however, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show an increase in the portion of hospitalized patients with the virus.

Marc Johnson, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine who is involved with the state's wastewater testing efforts, said there haven't been any obvious changes in the way recent virus variants behave. Whenever a new variant emerges, experts look for changes in its ability to transmit from person to person, cause severe illness and overcome built-up immunity from vaccines and previous infections.

"But," he added, "those are things that are hard to tease out. It's usually much later that you can kind of look retrospectively and see, 'Oh, delta (an early variant) had much more of this or that.'"

Since the onset of COVID-19, doctors have questioned whether the virus would eventually settle into a regular, seasonal pattern like the flu, which circulates year-round but peaks between December and February.

Babcock said that including the recent summer wave, the virus is showing clear signs of seasonality, defined by a winter surge and a summer surge.

Each winter, COVID-19 cases have spiked to varying degrees. And the summers have also seen waves — though last year the increase was smaller and began later.

"People are still trying to understand what drives the surges that we have each year for all respiratory viruses, honestly, including flu," Babcock said. But the virus that causes COVID-19 seems to mutate quickly. The summer infections hit almost a year after most people have received the vaccine, new versions of which are typically rolled out in autumn.

"The summer surge kind of falls into this funny place, from an immune perspective," she said.

An updated vaccine is expected this fall and will offer stronger protection against the most recent versions of the virus. But some people might consider getting the shots that are currently available, Babcock said, in light of the recent uptick.

During pregnancy, for instance, people are at higher risk of complications and severe illness from COVID-19, Babcock said. Plus, some of the benefits from the vaccine can be passed along to the child. People who are about to travel or who are at risk for severe complications from COVID-19 might talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated now, Babcock said, or simply exercise more precautions while awaiting the updated shots.

Babcock said she hasn't made any changes to the precautions she takes day to day. She has continued to wear masks in airports and on airplanes, where it's not possible to distance oneself from others.

"I think the most important thing for people is to be sure that they don't go out themselves if they're sick," she said, "and that they stay home to minimize the risk to others around them."

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 6 February 1976, Native American activist Leonard Peltier was captured in Canada on the basis of fictitious affidavits generated by the FBI. He was later extradited to the US, where he is still in prison supposedly for the killing of two FBI agents. One of the affidavits was signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, and stated she was Peltier's girlfriend and witnessed the killings. However according to other witnesses she was not present at the scene, nor did she know Peltier. Poor Bear herself claimed she was threatened by the FBI and pressured into giving the statements, and she attempted to testify to this at Peltier's trial; however the judge barred her testimony. Peltier tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago and is currently in isolation. More info about the campaign to free Leonard Peltier here: https://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/ https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.1819457841572691/1915622565289551/?type=3

[12digitalmarketing]

Noah Lyles OLY is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. His personal best of 19.31 seconds in the 200 m is the American record and makes him the third fastest of all time in the event. He is a one-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion.

Noah Lyles, a top sprinter, was expected to win the 200-meter race at the Olympics but finished third, surprising many. Despite his third-place finish, some commentators unfairly criticized him, questioning his abilities and effort without understanding his situation. Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 before the race and has a history of asthma, which significantly impacted his performance.

After the race, Lyles collapsed and was taken away in a wheelchair, yet some still accused him of faking his condition to excuse his performance. The situation highlights the importance of not judging others without understanding their experiences, particularly in cases involving neurodivergent individuals.

[robertreich]

The Delta Variant and the Trumper Blame Game

As the highly contagious Delta variant surges, public health officials are trying to keep the focus on the urgent need for more vaccinations.

But with increasing vehemence, Trump Republicans are falling back on their old game of deflecting attention by blaming immigrants crossing the southern border.

Last week, Trump issued a characteristic charge: “ICYMI: "Thousands of COVID-positive migrants passing through Texas border city," linking a New York Post article claiming that “nearly 7,000 immigrants who tested positive for COVID-19 have passed through a Texas city that has become the epicenter of the illegal immigration surge.”

You may recall Trump employing this racist-nationalist theme before. For years he fixed his ire on Mexicans and Central Americans from “shitholes,” as he has so delicately put it. He began his 2016 campaign by charging that “criminals, drug dealers and rapists” were surging across America’s southern border, and then spent much of the subsequent four years trying to erect a fence to keep them out.

Trump acolytes are adopting the same demagoguery for the Delta surge. As hospitalizations in Florida soared past 12,000 this week, exceeding a record already shattered last weekend, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused President Biden of facilitating the virus by not reducing immigration through the southern border.

“Why don’t you do your job?” DeSantis snapped after Biden suggested DeSantis stop opposing masks. “Why don’t you get this border secure? And until you do that, I don’t want to hear a blip about Covid from you, thank you.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also been quick to blame the Delta surge on immigrants crossing into Texas from Mexico, while barring Texas municipalities from mandating masks or inoculations.

On July 28 Abbott issued an order allowing state troopers to stop vehicles suspected of carrying illegal immigrants on the grounds they might be spreading COVID. (The order was subsequently blocked by a federal judge.) Days later, Abbott issued the order prohibiting Texas counties, cities, or universities from mandating masks or inoculations.

The Trumpist media is quickly falling in line behind this nativist rubbish. In the last week, Fox News’ Sean Hannity has asserted the “biggest super-spreader” is immigrants streaming over the southern border rather than the lack of vaccinations.

The National Review claims “Biden’s border crisis merges with his Covid crisis” and asserts that “the federal government is successfully terrifying people about COVID while it is shrugging at the thousands of infectious illegal aliens who are coming into the country and spreading the virus.” A headline in the Fort Worth Star Telegram demands we “Stop pretending that crush of immigrants at Texas border isn’t driving COVID cases.”

Hold it. Can we please look at the actual data?

The Delta variant was first detected in India in December, and then moved directly to the United States in March and April according to the CDC.

GISAID, a nonprofit organization that tracks the genetic sequencing of viruses, has shown that each of the four variants now circulating in the United States arrived here before spreading to Mexico and Central America. International travel rather than immigration over the southern border brought the viruses to America.

Haven’t we had enough demagoguery and deflection? Haven’t Trump and his ilk done enough damage already?

The blame game must stop. Let’s be clear. The best way to contain deaths and hospitalizations from Covid is to get more Americans vaccinated. Period.

[snarp]

Me and Mom are starting a home COVID test kit review blog. QuickVue At‐Home OTC Covid-19 Test: thumbs down.

(Yes, this could be a deliberate manufacturing decision, and that amount of fluid could be fine given the pointy shape of the bottom of the well. The issue is that it's a very bad idea to distribute medical supplies with inaccurate visuals. This sort of design problem invariably

1) Leads people to treat other parts of the instructions as inaccurate or optional, thereby lowering effectiveness;

2) Makes it impossible to judge whether the vials were mishandled and suffered leakage at some point; and

3) Causes mistrust of test results, both negative and positive.)