August 28, 2021

Charlie & Keith - Vale Charlie Watts

August 25, 2021

Of all Jacob Wohl's smear fiascos, this one was my favorite.

https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/1179823638306050053
https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1179851099978846209

August 24, 2021

Rolling Stones drummer Watts dies at 80 - publicist

Source: Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died in hospital at the age of 80, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family," the spokesperson said.

"Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/rolling-stones-drummer-watts-dies-at-80-publicist/ar-AANGX1r

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August 23, 2021

Pfizer Booster Significantly Lowers Risk Of Covid-19 Infection Among Elderly, Israeli Data Shows

Source: Forbes

A booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine significantly improved protection from infection and serious illness among people who are older than 60, findings published by the Israeli Health Ministry on Sunday showed, a finding that will likely bolster the push for deploying a third dose of the vaccine to better protect elderly and immunocompromised populations.

Among people aged 60 and older, the health ministry’s findings showed that the booster dose offered a four-fold increase in protection from infection after 10 days compared to people who have received two doses, Reuters reported.

The third dose also offered five to six times stronger protection against hospitalization or serious illness after 10 days in the same age group.

Despite having one of the widest vaccine rollouts in the world, Israel has seen a major resurgence of Covid-19 inside its borders largely fueled by the more infectious delta variant.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/23/pfizer-booster-significantly-lowers-risk-of-covid-19-infection-among-elderly-israeli-govt-finds/

August 22, 2021

GOP Maine Rep. Chris Johansen Attends Anti-Vaxx Rally Days After Wife Dies of COVID

Maine state Representative Chris Johansen attended an anti-vaccine rally on Tuesday, a little more than a week after his wife died of COVID-19.

The Daily Beast reported that the Republican legislator joined a group of fellow GOP lawmakers at a demonstration in Augusta, Maine. A crowd of around 400 people were gathered at the State House to protest Democratic Governor Janet Mills' recent mandate that all health-care workers in Maine get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Johansen has long been a vocal critic of public health measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. The Bangor Daily News reported neither he nor his late wife Cindy had been vaccinated against COVID.

https://www.newsweek.com/gop-maine-rep-chris-johansen-attends-anti-vaxx-rally-days-after-wife-dies-covid-1621673

August 21, 2021

Before Kabul fell: 'Only 37% of teenage girls can read and write'

As the Taliban Resurges in Afghanistan, Girls Are Already Losing Schools

...

According to World Bank data, the number of Afghan girls attending first grade peaked in 2011 — the second year of former President Barack Obama’s troop surge — at 65%. While statistics on the number of Afghan children in school are difficult to obtain and often contested, all indicators show girls’ education is in decline. By 2015, female first graders had fallen to 57%, the most recent data available. Current literacy rates reflect the disparity between the genders: only 37% of teenage girls can read and write, compared to 66% of adolescent boys, according to Human Rights Watch. Today, UNICEF says of the 3.7 million Afghan children out of school, 60% of them are girls.

https://fullerproject.org/story/as-the-taliban-resurges-in-afghanistan-girls-are-already-losing-schools/

August 19, 2021

The Herman Cain Freedom Awards

(a very busy subreddit)
https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAward/

The Herman Cain Freedom Award.

Qualifications for nomination:
Public declaration of one's anti-mask, anti-vaxx, or Covid-hoax views.
Admission to hospital for Covid.
Qualifications for award:
Award is granted upon the nominee's release from their Earthly shackles.

(the fine print)
Nominees / recipients must have a history of PUBLIC statements that are anti-vaxx, anti-mask, etc.
The statements must have been made public prior to the person's receiving hospital care.
"Public Statements" include media appearances / interviews, social media posts, opinion pieces in print media, etc. Post-hospitalization second-hand statements made by friends / relatives do not count.
Suffering the consequences of believing Covid misinformation is not sufficient to merit a nomination / award.
Propagation of Covid misinformation, or public declaration of being anti-vaxx / anti mask is necessary.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAward/comments/oy3yot/the_herman_cain_freedom_award_discussion/

New awards -
Pressly Stutts - Greenville SC Republican Leader.
Steve Walsh, husband of Missouri U.S. Rep, Sara Walsh
Stephen Dowden - Anti-vaxx activist and conspiracy theorist
Jim Demyan - retired rocknroller who 'partied hard in ICU for 10 weeks'.

... and many more.

August 18, 2021

Evacuation flights resume from Kabul's airport as U.S. troop levels surge to 4,000.

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Tuesday that evacuation operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport were accelerating, with additional American troops flowing in and hundreds of passengers flying out.

Overnight, nine Air Force C-17 transport planes brought in 1,000 troops, with the expectation that more than 4,000 troops would be at the airport by day’s end, Maj. Gen. William Taylor of the military’s Joint Staff told reporters Tuesday morning.

Seven C-17s left Kabul overnight carrying about 700 American citizens, citizens of other foreign countries, and Afghans who had helped the American war effort, as well as their family members, General Taylor said. About 1,400 people have been evacuated since the operation began, he said.

A day after massive crowds spilled onto the airfield, delaying flights for hours, the Pentagon’s goal over the next day or two is to conduct up to one flight per hour. Officials hope to fly out between 5,000 and 9,000 passengers a day, weather and security conditions permitting.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/17/world/taliban-afghanistan-news

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Stranded? Not so much.

August 17, 2021

Taliban Press Conference: "There is a huge difference between us now and 20 years ago"

The Taliban have held a press conference is in media center used by former government officials, taking questions from both male and female journalists. Their spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said

Government

"We are working seriously on forming the government. It will be announced after completion." "We are all going to make sure that we can include all other sides and factions. "After the government is formed we are going to decide what laws will be presented to the nation"


Unity

"We want to make sure Afghanistan is no longer a battlefield of conflict We have pardoned all those who have fought against us. Animosities have come to an end. "

"We don't want anybody [forced] to leave the country," he adds. There is an amnesty.We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability or peace in Afghanistan"


Reprisals

"When asked about contractors and translators who have worked with foreign powers, Zabihullah Mujahid says: "Nobody is going to be treated with revenge The youth who have grown up here, we do not want them to leave. They are our assets."

"Nobody is going to knock on their door and ask them who they have been working for. They are going to be safe. Nobody is going to be interrogated or chased."


Terrorism

"Afghanistan's soil is not going to be used against anybody," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says when asked about the risk of the country housing al-Qaeda fighters. We can assure the international community of that."


Press Freedom

I would like to assure the media that we are committed to the media within our cultural frameworks. Private media can continue to be free and independent.

"You in the media should pay attention to [our] shortcomings so we can serve the nation ... But the media should not work against ... the unity of the nation."


Women's Rights

"[We] are committed to the rights of women under the system of [Islamic law]"

"We do not want to have any problems with the international community"

"We have the right to act according to our religious principles. Other countries have different approaches, rules and regulations... the Afghans have the right to have their own rules and regulations in accordance with our values."

'Women will be allowed to work and study'. "They are going to be working shoulder to shoulder with us. We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-58219963

August 17, 2021

Female news anchors return to Kabul TV

As per the BBC world service male and female government employees have been asked to return to work. Zarifa Ghafari, the 29 year old female mayor of Kabul has been invited to continue in her position.
https://twitter.com/MiraqaPopal/status/1427497536219123712
Taliban urge women to join government as flights evacuate more diplomats from Kabul
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-17/taliban-urge-women-join-government-kabul-afghanistan/100385070