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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
jan 19, 2021
Real News Today
*WAPO PUBLISHES COLUMN CALLING ON CABLE COMPANIES TO SHUT DOWN FOX NEWS, NEWSMAX, OAN: ‘INCITED SEDITION’(Worthless Media)
*50 ancient coffins uncovered at Egypt's Saqqara necropolis
(Ancient Times)
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
comment/tweet of the day
TRUMP’S PANDEMIC DEATH TRACKER:
dc report.com
Americans Killed by Inaction, Neglect, Incompetence and Corruption
399,003
(out of 24,078,772 current cases)
---
'There will be no forgiveness': Steve Schmidt vows to make Lindsey Graham's shame 'last forever'
"There's a great flaw in this strategy," Schmidt replied. "The winners write history. And they're the losers. And they're the architects of sedition and insurrection, violence and death. 147 members of Congress -- all Republicans, all white -- rose to throw out millions of Black votes."
"They have incited violence, they have participated in the Big Lie, they have poisoned democracy," he continued. "The shame of the people around Trump who have participated in the shaping of the great American catastrophe over the last four years will be held to account." He added: "They will be held to account by the judgement of history, by the judgement of decent Americans, they'll be held to account by corporate America as they look for jobs, by corporate America as they seek donations. They will not write their history. We will write their history. And their shame will last forever. They are carved like etching into granite -- granite onto history's list of billings in this country."
Trump’s EPA Is OK With Poisoning Children
Agency Extends Time for Utilities, Cities to Replace Lead Water Pipes
By Sarah Okeson - DC REPORT
1/19/2021
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is facing criminal charges for his role in poisoning people with lead in their drinking water in Flint, Mich. Yet the Trump EPA recently released a new rule that will allow another generation of children in our nation to grow up stunted by lead poisoning.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the rule that allows lead pipes to remain in drinking water systems for up to 33 years. The pipes were supposed to be replaced within 15 years under the 1991 rule the new rule replaces.
“After the Flint, Mich., disaster, Wheeler’s EPA had a chance to give environmental justice a win, as there is no safe level of level, and this issue disproportionately affects minority communities,” said Kyla Bennett, the chief scientist for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
The rule could be rescinded by Congress and the Biden administration under the Congressional Review Act Congress, under the act, can roll back rules put in place in the last months of a previous administration.
In Michigan, Snyder and eight other former state officials have been charged criminally for failure to protect the safety and health of Flint residents. Snyder is facing two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty. He could face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
In 2014, the city began drawing water from the Flint River instead of Lake Huron to save money. The river water was more corrosive and caused lead to leach from the pipes. Six years later, Flint residents are still drinking bottled water. At least nine people died of Legionnaires’ disease.
A December study by the Government Accountability Office found that areas with older housing and families in poverty have higher concentrations of lead pipes in their drinking water systems. The EPA doesn’t know how many homes have lead services lines, the pipes from the water main to the home. But the number is estimated at 6.1 million to 10 million nationwide.
The EPA, states and local water systems share the responsibility for providing safe drinking water, but the EPA is responsible for making information available to the public about lead in drinking water.
Lead was used widely in plumbing materials, including drinking-water service lines, until 1986, when the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended to prohibit generally installing lead pipes. The dangers of lead pipes in drinking water systems were known more than a century ago, but the Lead Industries Association promoted using lead pipes and campaigned against bans.
Low levels of exposure to lead in children are linked to hyperactivity, anemia, lower IQs, physical and learning disabilities and slowed growth. In pregnant women, lead can be transmitted to the bones of the developing fetus. In adults, lead can lead to memory loss and high blood pressure. Bones can retain lead for decades.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the rule that allows lead pipes to remain in drinking water systems for up to 33 years. The pipes were supposed to be replaced within 15 years under the 1991 rule the new rule replaces.
“After the Flint, Mich., disaster, Wheeler’s EPA had a chance to give environmental justice a win, as there is no safe level of level, and this issue disproportionately affects minority communities,” said Kyla Bennett, the chief scientist for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
The rule could be rescinded by Congress and the Biden administration under the Congressional Review Act Congress, under the act, can roll back rules put in place in the last months of a previous administration.
In Michigan, Snyder and eight other former state officials have been charged criminally for failure to protect the safety and health of Flint residents. Snyder is facing two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty. He could face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
In 2014, the city began drawing water from the Flint River instead of Lake Huron to save money. The river water was more corrosive and caused lead to leach from the pipes. Six years later, Flint residents are still drinking bottled water. At least nine people died of Legionnaires’ disease.
A December study by the Government Accountability Office found that areas with older housing and families in poverty have higher concentrations of lead pipes in their drinking water systems. The EPA doesn’t know how many homes have lead services lines, the pipes from the water main to the home. But the number is estimated at 6.1 million to 10 million nationwide.
The EPA, states and local water systems share the responsibility for providing safe drinking water, but the EPA is responsible for making information available to the public about lead in drinking water.
Lead was used widely in plumbing materials, including drinking-water service lines, until 1986, when the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended to prohibit generally installing lead pipes. The dangers of lead pipes in drinking water systems were known more than a century ago, but the Lead Industries Association promoted using lead pipes and campaigned against bans.
Low levels of exposure to lead in children are linked to hyperactivity, anemia, lower IQs, physical and learning disabilities and slowed growth. In pregnant women, lead can be transmitted to the bones of the developing fetus. In adults, lead can lead to memory loss and high blood pressure. Bones can retain lead for decades.
The Money Trail For Insurrection Rally Leads Directly To The Trump Campaign
The National Parks permit granted to the group lists more than half a dozen people in staff positions for the event who just weeks earlier had been paid thousands of dollars by Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.
By Susie Madrak - crooks & liars
1/18/2021
Surprise! Trump's insurrection rally was put together by members of his failed presidential campaign.
They played "key roles in organizing the Washington rally that spawned the assault on the Capitol," Mika Brzezinski said.
"According to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president's grass roots supporters, the AP reports a pro Trump nonprofit group called Women For America First posted the Save America Rally on Jan. 6 near the White House. But an attachment to the National Parks Service public gathering permit granted to the group lists more than half a dozen people in staff positions for the event who just weeks earlier had been paid thousands of dollars by Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. Other staff scheduled to be on site during the demonstration have close ties to the White House.
"In a statement, the president's re-election campaign said it did not organize, operate or finance the event and no members were involved in the operation of the rally. It said that if any former employees or independent contractors for the campaign took part, they did not do to at the direction of the Trump campaign. The AP's review found at least three of the Trump campaign aides named on the permit rushed to obscure their connections to the demonstration.
"They deactivated or locked down their social media profile, removed tweets that referenced the rally and blocked a reporter who asked questions. Those aides include Caroline Wren, a veteran GOP fundraiser named as VIP adviser on an attachment to the rally permit between mid-March and mid-November Donald J. Trump For President Incorporated paid her $20,000 a month, according to Federal Election Commission records. And Maggie Mulvaney, a niece of Mick Mulvaney, who was listed on the permit attachment as the VIP lead. Records show Maggie was earning $5,000 every two weeks, with the most recent payment reported on November 13th.
"The personal accounts of the Capitol rioters revealed the impact of President Trump's words on his most loyal supporters. Some felt called to Washington by Trump's false claims of a stolen election, while others believed they were carrying out the president's direct orders at his rally that day. According to a criminal complaint, a retired firefighter charged with assaulting members of the Capitol police force told a friend he went to the building following, quote, 'the president's instructions.'
"And this is what a Texas real estate agent accused of breaching the capitol told a reporter about her involvement.
I thought I was following my president. I thought I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to be there, so I was doing what he asked us to do.
"All right. So --"
"She's, by the way, asking for a pardon."
(Yeah, that's the realtor who flew to D.C. on a private jet.)
They played "key roles in organizing the Washington rally that spawned the assault on the Capitol," Mika Brzezinski said.
"According to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president's grass roots supporters, the AP reports a pro Trump nonprofit group called Women For America First posted the Save America Rally on Jan. 6 near the White House. But an attachment to the National Parks Service public gathering permit granted to the group lists more than half a dozen people in staff positions for the event who just weeks earlier had been paid thousands of dollars by Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. Other staff scheduled to be on site during the demonstration have close ties to the White House.
"In a statement, the president's re-election campaign said it did not organize, operate or finance the event and no members were involved in the operation of the rally. It said that if any former employees or independent contractors for the campaign took part, they did not do to at the direction of the Trump campaign. The AP's review found at least three of the Trump campaign aides named on the permit rushed to obscure their connections to the demonstration.
"They deactivated or locked down their social media profile, removed tweets that referenced the rally and blocked a reporter who asked questions. Those aides include Caroline Wren, a veteran GOP fundraiser named as VIP adviser on an attachment to the rally permit between mid-March and mid-November Donald J. Trump For President Incorporated paid her $20,000 a month, according to Federal Election Commission records. And Maggie Mulvaney, a niece of Mick Mulvaney, who was listed on the permit attachment as the VIP lead. Records show Maggie was earning $5,000 every two weeks, with the most recent payment reported on November 13th.
"The personal accounts of the Capitol rioters revealed the impact of President Trump's words on his most loyal supporters. Some felt called to Washington by Trump's false claims of a stolen election, while others believed they were carrying out the president's direct orders at his rally that day. According to a criminal complaint, a retired firefighter charged with assaulting members of the Capitol police force told a friend he went to the building following, quote, 'the president's instructions.'
"And this is what a Texas real estate agent accused of breaching the capitol told a reporter about her involvement.
I thought I was following my president. I thought I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to be there, so I was doing what he asked us to do.
"All right. So --"
"She's, by the way, asking for a pardon."
(Yeah, that's the realtor who flew to D.C. on a private jet.)
Racial profiling leads minorities to shop online rather than in stores
In-store shoppers also adapt behaviour to avoid false accusations of shoplifting, study by French beauty company Sephora reveals
Priya Elan - the guardian
Mon 18 Jan 2021 11.21 EST
Shoppers from minority groups are more likely to shop online than go into a store, in order to avoid racial profiling, according to a new report.
The study from the French beauty company Sephora found that in order to avoid incidents such as being falsely accused of shoplifting, minority shoppers avoid touching product samples, make a point of chatting to sales assistants and make sure they are well dressed, all in order to lessen the possibility of being racially profiled when “shopping while black”.
Last summer, fashion brands were called out for alleged hypocrisy, for making public statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement while casual racism remained common on shop floors.
Staff at one chain, Anthropologie, allegedly used a codename, “Nick”, to identify black customers. Such reports led the company to say it was “deeply saddened and disturbed by reports of racial profiling in our stores” and to “apologise, profusely and unequivocally, to any customer who was made to feel unwelcome”.
In June, as protests spread after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Aurora James, the founder of the shoes and accessories brand Brother Vellies, suggested major retailers give 15% of shelf space to black-owned businesses – a figure representing the US black population.
Sephora was one of the most high-profile companies to commit to the 15% pledge.
In June 2019, after the singer SZA claimed to have been racially profiled in a Sephora store in Calabasas, California, the chain closed for diversity training.
An employee the singer named as Sandy “called security to make sure I wasn’t stealing”, SZA wrote. The store replied, saying it was “actively working with our teams to address the situation immediately”.
The new Sephora study said a lack of “top down” systemic diversity affected minority customers’ shopping experience. Racial homogeneity in employees and marketing campaigns led to such shoppers feeling excluded, the study said, even before they had entered a shop.
The report also noted that minority shoppers felt their shopping experience was informed by reactions to their skin tone and ethnicity, while shoppers who had a negative experience based on their skin colour would be unlikely to report it. Three in five minority customers said they would be unlikely to return to a shop where they experienced discrimination.
Sephora has issued a series of pledges, including doubling the amount of black-owned brands it will stock; a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination; and a new company-wide greeting system focused on attempting to created shared experience for all customers, irrespective of race.
“At Sephora, diversity, equality and inclusion have been our core values since we launched a new kind of beauty retail destination in the US over 20 years ago,” the company president and chief executive, Jean-André Rougeot, said.
“[But] the reality is the shoppers at Sephora and in US retail more broadly are not always treated fairly and consistently.”
The study from the French beauty company Sephora found that in order to avoid incidents such as being falsely accused of shoplifting, minority shoppers avoid touching product samples, make a point of chatting to sales assistants and make sure they are well dressed, all in order to lessen the possibility of being racially profiled when “shopping while black”.
Last summer, fashion brands were called out for alleged hypocrisy, for making public statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement while casual racism remained common on shop floors.
Staff at one chain, Anthropologie, allegedly used a codename, “Nick”, to identify black customers. Such reports led the company to say it was “deeply saddened and disturbed by reports of racial profiling in our stores” and to “apologise, profusely and unequivocally, to any customer who was made to feel unwelcome”.
In June, as protests spread after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Aurora James, the founder of the shoes and accessories brand Brother Vellies, suggested major retailers give 15% of shelf space to black-owned businesses – a figure representing the US black population.
Sephora was one of the most high-profile companies to commit to the 15% pledge.
In June 2019, after the singer SZA claimed to have been racially profiled in a Sephora store in Calabasas, California, the chain closed for diversity training.
An employee the singer named as Sandy “called security to make sure I wasn’t stealing”, SZA wrote. The store replied, saying it was “actively working with our teams to address the situation immediately”.
The new Sephora study said a lack of “top down” systemic diversity affected minority customers’ shopping experience. Racial homogeneity in employees and marketing campaigns led to such shoppers feeling excluded, the study said, even before they had entered a shop.
The report also noted that minority shoppers felt their shopping experience was informed by reactions to their skin tone and ethnicity, while shoppers who had a negative experience based on their skin colour would be unlikely to report it. Three in five minority customers said they would be unlikely to return to a shop where they experienced discrimination.
Sephora has issued a series of pledges, including doubling the amount of black-owned brands it will stock; a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination; and a new company-wide greeting system focused on attempting to created shared experience for all customers, irrespective of race.
“At Sephora, diversity, equality and inclusion have been our core values since we launched a new kind of beauty retail destination in the US over 20 years ago,” the company president and chief executive, Jean-André Rougeot, said.
“[But] the reality is the shoppers at Sephora and in US retail more broadly are not always treated fairly and consistently.”
proof of stupidity, it always exposes itself!!!
where facts don't matter
trump is not only the stupidest person in the headlines!
GOP's Matt Gaetz compares Democratic control of DC to bathtub suicide
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Two National Guard members removed from Biden's security detail over ties to white supremacist groups
---
Fox & Friends host: No one can deny that Trump works hard because 'he watches every show'
---
QAnon lawmaker accused Nancy Pelosi of plotting with Hillary Clinton to create 'false flag' school shootings
---
Trump supporter shocked after president commutes sentence of man who swindled him out of his life savings
---
'Start up the firing squads!' NYC conspiracy theorist charged in threats against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Dems
---
Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's Drop 'My Pillow'
Mike Lindell's seditionist comments not going over well with major retailers.
---
Fox News Tucker Carlson baselessly claims Democrats using troops as 'political weapon'
Fox News' Maria Bartiromo claims Democrats infiltrated Capitol wearing MAGA clothing — and Twitter fires back
Meaghan Ellis - ALTERNET
January 19, 2021
Fox Business news anchor Maria Bartiromo was in for a rude awakening when she attempted to blame the U.S. Capitol riots on Democrats who "infiltrated" the federal building wearing Make America Great Again (MAGA) clothing.
As she discussed the reports about possible threats of right-wing violence looming over the upcoming presidential inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, she falsely that Democrats participated in the Capitol riots, according to Media Matters.
During the broadcast, Bartiromo said, "A new report says that some far-right protesters have discussed posing as members of the National Guard to infiltrate the inauguration — the way Democrats infiltrated two weeks ago and put on MAGA clothing."
Twitter users quickly fired back at Bartiromo for the baseless claim. One Twitter user also noted how right-wing media reports would differ if there was an arrest of someone who was confirmed to be a Democrat posing as a Trump supporter and stormed the Capitol. The user said, "One would think that if a single left-winger antifa whatever was caught, they would have been arrested and paraded around of Fox News and OANN. The projection has become a parody."
Many have also argued that Bartiromo's fierce support of Trump and reporting of dangerous misinformation and falsehoods now overshadows her reputation as a business reporter.
As she discussed the reports about possible threats of right-wing violence looming over the upcoming presidential inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, she falsely that Democrats participated in the Capitol riots, according to Media Matters.
During the broadcast, Bartiromo said, "A new report says that some far-right protesters have discussed posing as members of the National Guard to infiltrate the inauguration — the way Democrats infiltrated two weeks ago and put on MAGA clothing."
Twitter users quickly fired back at Bartiromo for the baseless claim. One Twitter user also noted how right-wing media reports would differ if there was an arrest of someone who was confirmed to be a Democrat posing as a Trump supporter and stormed the Capitol. The user said, "One would think that if a single left-winger antifa whatever was caught, they would have been arrested and paraded around of Fox News and OANN. The projection has become a parody."
Many have also argued that Bartiromo's fierce support of Trump and reporting of dangerous misinformation and falsehoods now overshadows her reputation as a business reporter.
Neighborhoods with MLK streets are poorer than national average and highly segregated, study reveals
THE UNITED STATES HAS 955 STREETS NAMED AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
the conversation
January 15, 2021 9.52am EST
The big idea
Poverty rates are almost double the national average in areas surrounding streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., according to our recent study, and educational attainment is much lower.
Our geography research, published in the GeoJournal in September 2020, analyzed the racial makeup and economic well-being of 22,286 census blocks in the U.S. with roadways bearing the slain civil rights leader’s name. Streets named after Martin Luther King typically run through multiple census blocks; we identified a total of 955 such streets in the United States.
The areas surrounding MLK streets are predominantly African American, with very few white residents, we found. This is particularly true in the South and Midwest. A notable exception includes California, where MLK neighborhoods have seen a recent increase in their Latino population.
Why it matters
American cities began naming streets for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. after his 1968 assassination to commemorate the civil rights movement and King’s fight against social inequality. Chicago was the first. In 1968, Mayor Richard Daley renamed 14 miles of Grand Boulevard, in the historically Black South Side, as Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Today cities in 41 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have streets named for King.
According to the University of Tennessee geographer Derek Alderman, the streets that bear his name were selected from areas that have higher African American populations than citywide averages. MLK avenues, boulevards and drives are, the journalist Jonathan Tilove once wrote, “Black America’s Main Street.”
Most of America’s MLK neighborhoods, from east Montgomery, Alabama, to Harlem in New York City, were born of legal or de facto racial segregation. And in the second half of the 20th century, they experienced the sharpest decline in urban industry, sending local jobs from the cities to suburbs.
These historic events first caused, then structurally perpetuated, deprivation in MLK neighborhoods. Concentrated urban poverty affected the funding required to support schools, hospitals and other community services, especially after the economic recession of the 1970s. In many cities, the sinking socioeconomic status of African Americans was compounded by government neglect of their neighborhoods, leading to property devaluation, industrial pollution and disrepair.
The result is that MLK neighborhoods have become what Alderman calls a “racialized” landscape. Systematically ignored for investment and government services, they are now negatively stereotyped as marginal places where poverty, disorder, dereliction and crime are considered normal.
What other research is being done
Our study builds on Alderman’s 2000 investigation on MLK streets by revealing that the neighborhoods around them are highly racially segregated.
But they are also vibrant commercial districts.
In 2007, geographer Matthew Mitchelson and co-authors analyzed businesses on streets named after King, examining their numbers, annual sales and staff size. His study concluded these businesses are comparable in terms of revenue and jobs provided to those located on other commercial arteries – namely, Main Streets and streets named after President John F. Kennedy.
Mitchelson’s analysis also found that MLK streets have proportionally more churches and government offices than Main Streets or JFK streets.
What still isn’t known
Research on urban resilience suggests the marginalization of MLK neighborhoods could make their residents more vulnerable to natural disasters and pandemics like the coronavirus, but this connection has yet to be studied.
Finally, the arrival of Latinos to MLK neighborhoods left us wondering: Will increasing diversity bring an end to the negative stereotyping of these areas – or simply change those stereotypes?
Poverty rates are almost double the national average in areas surrounding streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., according to our recent study, and educational attainment is much lower.
Our geography research, published in the GeoJournal in September 2020, analyzed the racial makeup and economic well-being of 22,286 census blocks in the U.S. with roadways bearing the slain civil rights leader’s name. Streets named after Martin Luther King typically run through multiple census blocks; we identified a total of 955 such streets in the United States.
The areas surrounding MLK streets are predominantly African American, with very few white residents, we found. This is particularly true in the South and Midwest. A notable exception includes California, where MLK neighborhoods have seen a recent increase in their Latino population.
Why it matters
American cities began naming streets for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. after his 1968 assassination to commemorate the civil rights movement and King’s fight against social inequality. Chicago was the first. In 1968, Mayor Richard Daley renamed 14 miles of Grand Boulevard, in the historically Black South Side, as Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Today cities in 41 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have streets named for King.
According to the University of Tennessee geographer Derek Alderman, the streets that bear his name were selected from areas that have higher African American populations than citywide averages. MLK avenues, boulevards and drives are, the journalist Jonathan Tilove once wrote, “Black America’s Main Street.”
Most of America’s MLK neighborhoods, from east Montgomery, Alabama, to Harlem in New York City, were born of legal or de facto racial segregation. And in the second half of the 20th century, they experienced the sharpest decline in urban industry, sending local jobs from the cities to suburbs.
These historic events first caused, then structurally perpetuated, deprivation in MLK neighborhoods. Concentrated urban poverty affected the funding required to support schools, hospitals and other community services, especially after the economic recession of the 1970s. In many cities, the sinking socioeconomic status of African Americans was compounded by government neglect of their neighborhoods, leading to property devaluation, industrial pollution and disrepair.
The result is that MLK neighborhoods have become what Alderman calls a “racialized” landscape. Systematically ignored for investment and government services, they are now negatively stereotyped as marginal places where poverty, disorder, dereliction and crime are considered normal.
What other research is being done
Our study builds on Alderman’s 2000 investigation on MLK streets by revealing that the neighborhoods around them are highly racially segregated.
But they are also vibrant commercial districts.
In 2007, geographer Matthew Mitchelson and co-authors analyzed businesses on streets named after King, examining their numbers, annual sales and staff size. His study concluded these businesses are comparable in terms of revenue and jobs provided to those located on other commercial arteries – namely, Main Streets and streets named after President John F. Kennedy.
Mitchelson’s analysis also found that MLK streets have proportionally more churches and government offices than Main Streets or JFK streets.
What still isn’t known
Research on urban resilience suggests the marginalization of MLK neighborhoods could make their residents more vulnerable to natural disasters and pandemics like the coronavirus, but this connection has yet to be studied.
Finally, the arrival of Latinos to MLK neighborhoods left us wondering: Will increasing diversity bring an end to the negative stereotyping of these areas – or simply change those stereotypes?
Bites from Real News
*1/19/2020*
*The convenience of American amnesia
Calls to move on with a new presidency underscore a truth: Quietly abiding our ugliest elements is the American way.
*Trump’s pathetic attempt to revive American manufacturing was a stunningly dismal failure
"Even before the coronavirus outbreak, the promised benefits of the president's $1.9 trillion tax cuts hadn't materialized and manufacturing had fallen into a slump."
*New Documents Suggest J. Edgar Hoover Was Involved in Fred Hampton’s Murder Recently released FBI documents shed new light on the 1969 conspiracy to assassinate Black Panther leader Fred Hampton.
by Flint Taylor, Jeff Haas, Truthout
*America's water crisis California households owe $1bn in water bills as affordability crisis worsens
*More health inequality: Black people are 3 times more likely to experience pulse oximeter errors Thomas Valley, University of Michigan; Michael Sjoding, University of Michigan Medical School, and Susan Dorr Goold, University of Michigan Medical School
*A white supremacist coup succeeded in 1898 North Carolina, led by lying politicians and racist newspapers that amplified their lies
*Palestine Refugees Are Forced to the Back of the COVID Vaccine Line
Conditions in Palestine are an argument for prioritizing refugees for the COVID vaccine, not leaving them behind.
*The story of mambo (or mumbo) sauce, the condiment that likely fueled the civil rights movement
In this edition of "Saucy," we dive into the sticky red sauce that launched a multi-state trademark dispute
ASHLIE D. STEVENS
*For MLK, no healing without justice
Would MLK have wanted "healing" after this outrage? Not without justice
In this year above all others, set aside the sanitized version of Martin Luther King Jr. and hear his real message
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Trump Flew Into Jealous Rage Over Biden’s A-List Inauguration Guests, Says Report
GREEN-EYED MONSTER
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Published Jan. 19, 2021 6:04AM ET
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
This is the last full day of Donald Trump’s presidency. He’ll leave office after a single term in which he was impeached twice and incited a full-blown, deadly riot at the Capitol, and it could well leave him at risk of future criminal prosecution, among other legal problems. But the fact that seems to be troubling him most at this chaotic moment in time? That President-elect Joe Biden’s team has managed to persuade a bunch of A-listers to perform at his inauguration on Wednesday. According to The Washington Post, Trump is “particularly upset” that celebs—including Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Tom Hanks—have agreed to take part in the celebrations tomorrow, because celebrities shunned his inauguration four years ago. Trump is said to be spending his last days in office frothing about being treated unfairly by almost everyone—including the Biden-backing celebs.
QAnoners Mull Dressing Up as National Guard Troops to Attack Biden Inauguration, Says FBI
PLAYING SOLDIER
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Published Jan. 19, 2021 6:52AM ET
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
QAnon conspiracy nuts have allegedly discussed a plot to dress up as National Guard troops in order to infiltrate and disrupt Joe Biden’s inauguration. The Washington Post has obtained an FBI report that identifies exactly what kind of threats are facing Wednesday’s events. The document reportedly states that both “lone wolves” and QAnon extremists have discussed their plans to come to Washington for the inauguration, with some already caught downloading and sharing maps of unidentified sensitive locations around the city. “QAnon members have discussed posing as National Guard soldiers, believing that it would be easy for them to infiltrate secure areas,” the document warns. An unnamed defense official confirmed to the Post that National Guard members have been warned to look out for anyone in uniform who seems suspicious.
Tokyo Olympics Are a ‘Go’ This Summer Regardless of Vaccine Availability, IOC Says
RISKY BUSINESS
Ana Lucia Murillo - Breaking News/Cheat Sheet Intern
Updated Jan. 19, 2021 12:50PM ET
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
Despite rising rates of COVID-19 cases in many countries across the world, the Tokyo Olympics “will take place this summer” regardless of the availability of vaccines, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials say. “Our counter measures on Covid-19 are working under the assumption that we will not have a vaccine, so even if we do not, our plan is that we will be able to deliver the Games,” a spokesman for the IOC told the BBC. They also say they plan to have the venues open to at least some spectators. A recent poll showed 80 percent of Tokyo residents want to postpone the games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The games are set to begin July 23. Officials have said they will make a final announcement about exactly how the games will take place in March.
*What's Inside*
JAN 16 - JAN 18
✔POLICE ARE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO USE VIOLENCE AGAINST LEFTIST PROTESTERS THAN FAR-RIGHT: ANALYSIS(GESTAPO USA)
*ARIZONA GOP CHAIR URGED VIOLENCE AT THE CAPITOL. THE MERCERS SPENT $1.5 MILLION SUPPORTING HER.(AMERIKKKANS)
*HERE ARE THE DONORS TO TEA PARTY GROUP THAT HELPED ORGANIZE PRE-RIOT RALLY
(AMERIKKKANS)
✔TRUMP LOYALISTS WANT TO UPHOLD A LONG AMERICAN TRADITION: WHITE LICENSE
(WHITE SUPREMACY)
*‘HEALTH INSURANCE OR FOOD’: AMERICANS FACE DIFFICULT CHOICES AMID PANDEMIC
(AMERICA)
*SPECULATIVE “BLANK CHECK” COMPANIES SURROUND TONY BLINKEN, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
(BIDEN)
*AS THE REVOLVING DOOR SPINS, LOBBYISTS HIRED FOR TOP JOBS IN CONGRESS YET AGAIN
(CORRUPTION)
✔US CAPITOL PROTESTERS, EGGED ON BY TRUMP, ARE PART OF A LONG HISTORY OF WHITE SUPREMACISTS HEARING POLITICIANS’ WORDS AS ENCOURAGEMENT(HISTORY)
*RANDOM OBSERVATIONS ON AN INSURRECTION BY THE RUDE PUNDIT
(COMMENTARY)
*UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON APOLOGISES FOR ROLE IN PROMOTING EUGENICS
(WORLD)
*ASTRONOMERS HOME IN ON A PRECISE DATE FOR THE UNIVERSE'S BIRTHDAY
(SPACE NEWS)
*late news of interest*
celebrating in the land of ignorance!!!
Independent of everything: Is America too dumb for democracy?
Our nation's massive ignorance and lack of curiosity have led us into crisis. Are we smart enough to survive it?
DAVID MASCIOTRA - Salon
JULY 4, 2019 12:00PM (UTC)
Independence Day presents a good opportunity to consider that many Americans act as if their young country is independent from the rest of the world. The former popularity of the mindless slogan, “My country right or wrong,” offers a perfect summary of America’s suicidal self-absorption. When the fireworks no longer illuminate the sky, the barbecue is down to bones, and the hangovers begin to commence, a genuine act of patriotism would insist on the widespread realization that small-minded chauvinism is not virtuous. One need to look no further than the early stages of the presidential campaign to survey the damage of a country’s inability to look beyond its own borders.
The provincialism of American culture renders its politics both farcical and dangerous. While it is encouraging to see previously “extreme” and “radical” ideas, such as socialized medicine, paid family leave and debt-free higher education, become mainstream in the Democratic Party, it is also amusing to imagine a French or Canadian observer watching American politicians debate a national health care program as if it were a novel concept.
Much credit goes to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is fond of reminding his interlocutors and audiences, in a wonderful tone of exhaustion, that the United States is the “only country in the developed world” that does not achieve universal health care coverage through public funding. Sanders, and his fellow candidates for the Democratic nomination, have strenuous labor to complete considering that most Americans know and care little about the world beyond its borders.
In 2003, when Americans still had the minimal interest in international affairs necessary to understand who we were bombing, a U.S. strategic task force of Education Abroad concluded that America’s ignorance of the outside world was so great as to constitute a threat to national security.
The specific details only sharpen the image of American obliviousness. A recent National Geographic survey indicates that merely 37 percent of recent college graduates can identify Iraq on a map, most failed to identify North Korea, only one in four could identify Iran or Israel, and among Americans ages 18 to 24, 6 percent could not even point to the United States. If you are among the 6 percent, and you are reading this, that’s where you live.
Derek Alderman, president of the American Association of Geographers, argues for the urgency of a “radical geographic literacy” in the United States, expressing grave concern that President Trump’s denigration of African nations as “shithole countries” will resonate with too many citizens for comfort. He reports that the answers on advanced placement geography exams from high school students are often littered with racist stereotypes regarding Africa and Asia.
The American perspective on history is as sophisticated as one would expect in a country where Donald Trump can even run for president without eliciting of universal laughter and disgust. Three-fourths of the public is unaware why the U.S. fought a cold war with the Soviet Union, and 41 percent are unfamiliar with the term “Auschwitz.”
America’s perverted priorities of giving tax breaks to the wealthy while its public schools decline into states of disrepair, along with a shallow and superficial news media operating under the demands of corporate ownership, are largely to blame for America’s failures, but the general public is not exactly resistant.
Historian Richard Hofstadter analyzed “anti-intellectualism” in American life in his seminal 1963 Pulitzer-winning book. Decades of of compounding fatuity have created a culture where leisure reading, according to several reports, is at an all time low.
It seems unlikely that those Americans who do crack open a book are studying comparative politics or international relations. For the full picture of how pitiful American culture has become, consider that for many recent years the bestselling “historian” in the country was Bill O’Reilly.
To bemoan the spectacular incuriosity of Americans is not an exercise in snobbery, but a red alarm warning of an impending crisis. The consequences of American ignorance are not academic.
A Washington Post survey, two years after American forces invaded Iraq, revealed that 70 percent of respondents believed that Saddam Hussein was personally responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
American provincialism also functions as insulation of the brain, preventing the average citizen from seeing and hearing the warning signs that history offers into the transformation of democracy into despotic rule. Fascism is not an overnight development, and when your country is earnestly debating whether its treatment of immigrant and refugee children qualifies for the term “concentration camp,” you have already taken a few large steps down that deadly road.
The qualities of Donald Trump, and the zealotry of his worshipful supporters, resemble the images of nearly every authoritarian movement in European, Asian and Latin American history. If America’s political culture possessed some semblance of literacy, its voters would collaborate to consign Trump to the political garbage disposal. When it came to providing basic services for its own people, it would not allow intellectual titans like Chuck Todd to ask Democrats, “How are you going to pay for it?” — as if countries with far less wealth have not already managed to do so.
A friend of mine whose father recently died told me that her brother, who lives in London, took one month off with full pay to travel to Texas, make some final memories with his dad, and attend the funeral service. Britain, contrary to popular belief, is not a mythical, far-off universe from a fantasy novel.
If one wants to drift off entirely into dreamland, envision an America where its federal government invites consultants from countries with better performing health care systems, affordable universities and more effective poverty relief policies to assist in the expansion of the social welfare state.
Instead of seeking outside advice, we will continue to display the symptoms of national solipsism, bumbling along as if there is no reality outside what we can see right in front of us.
The United States of America is one year older today. Only time will tell if it is also wiser.
The provincialism of American culture renders its politics both farcical and dangerous. While it is encouraging to see previously “extreme” and “radical” ideas, such as socialized medicine, paid family leave and debt-free higher education, become mainstream in the Democratic Party, it is also amusing to imagine a French or Canadian observer watching American politicians debate a national health care program as if it were a novel concept.
Much credit goes to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is fond of reminding his interlocutors and audiences, in a wonderful tone of exhaustion, that the United States is the “only country in the developed world” that does not achieve universal health care coverage through public funding. Sanders, and his fellow candidates for the Democratic nomination, have strenuous labor to complete considering that most Americans know and care little about the world beyond its borders.
In 2003, when Americans still had the minimal interest in international affairs necessary to understand who we were bombing, a U.S. strategic task force of Education Abroad concluded that America’s ignorance of the outside world was so great as to constitute a threat to national security.
The specific details only sharpen the image of American obliviousness. A recent National Geographic survey indicates that merely 37 percent of recent college graduates can identify Iraq on a map, most failed to identify North Korea, only one in four could identify Iran or Israel, and among Americans ages 18 to 24, 6 percent could not even point to the United States. If you are among the 6 percent, and you are reading this, that’s where you live.
Derek Alderman, president of the American Association of Geographers, argues for the urgency of a “radical geographic literacy” in the United States, expressing grave concern that President Trump’s denigration of African nations as “shithole countries” will resonate with too many citizens for comfort. He reports that the answers on advanced placement geography exams from high school students are often littered with racist stereotypes regarding Africa and Asia.
The American perspective on history is as sophisticated as one would expect in a country where Donald Trump can even run for president without eliciting of universal laughter and disgust. Three-fourths of the public is unaware why the U.S. fought a cold war with the Soviet Union, and 41 percent are unfamiliar with the term “Auschwitz.”
America’s perverted priorities of giving tax breaks to the wealthy while its public schools decline into states of disrepair, along with a shallow and superficial news media operating under the demands of corporate ownership, are largely to blame for America’s failures, but the general public is not exactly resistant.
Historian Richard Hofstadter analyzed “anti-intellectualism” in American life in his seminal 1963 Pulitzer-winning book. Decades of of compounding fatuity have created a culture where leisure reading, according to several reports, is at an all time low.
It seems unlikely that those Americans who do crack open a book are studying comparative politics or international relations. For the full picture of how pitiful American culture has become, consider that for many recent years the bestselling “historian” in the country was Bill O’Reilly.
To bemoan the spectacular incuriosity of Americans is not an exercise in snobbery, but a red alarm warning of an impending crisis. The consequences of American ignorance are not academic.
A Washington Post survey, two years after American forces invaded Iraq, revealed that 70 percent of respondents believed that Saddam Hussein was personally responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
American provincialism also functions as insulation of the brain, preventing the average citizen from seeing and hearing the warning signs that history offers into the transformation of democracy into despotic rule. Fascism is not an overnight development, and when your country is earnestly debating whether its treatment of immigrant and refugee children qualifies for the term “concentration camp,” you have already taken a few large steps down that deadly road.
The qualities of Donald Trump, and the zealotry of his worshipful supporters, resemble the images of nearly every authoritarian movement in European, Asian and Latin American history. If America’s political culture possessed some semblance of literacy, its voters would collaborate to consign Trump to the political garbage disposal. When it came to providing basic services for its own people, it would not allow intellectual titans like Chuck Todd to ask Democrats, “How are you going to pay for it?” — as if countries with far less wealth have not already managed to do so.
A friend of mine whose father recently died told me that her brother, who lives in London, took one month off with full pay to travel to Texas, make some final memories with his dad, and attend the funeral service. Britain, contrary to popular belief, is not a mythical, far-off universe from a fantasy novel.
If one wants to drift off entirely into dreamland, envision an America where its federal government invites consultants from countries with better performing health care systems, affordable universities and more effective poverty relief policies to assist in the expansion of the social welfare state.
Instead of seeking outside advice, we will continue to display the symptoms of national solipsism, bumbling along as if there is no reality outside what we can see right in front of us.
The United States of America is one year older today. Only time will tell if it is also wiser.
