Following a new wave of island-wide protests in Cuba over the past several days, there are worrying indicators that the authorities are repeating the repressive tactics they used for decades and also during the crackdown on protesters on 11 July last year, said Amnesty International today.
“In the latest wave of protests that have lasted several days, Cubans are exercising their simple but historically repressed rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Alarmingly, it seems the authorities are repeating the tactics of repression they used last year to detain and silence protesters, hundreds of whom remain in prison,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
“The international community must condemn the cycles of repression we are seeing in Cuba in the strongest possible terms. It is unacceptable for authorities to keep intimidating, threatening, detaining, stigmatizing, and attempting to silence anyone who demands necessities like electricity, food, and freedom.”
Since the start of protests in late September, Amnesty International has received reports of on-going internet interference, deployment of police and military, including cadets, to repress the protests, and arbitrary detentions.
Starting on the evening of 29 September, the Cuban authorities appear to have intentionally shut down internet access throughout the country. The internet outage lasted for at least two consecutive nights.
Cuban authorities control the country’s only telecommunication network and have often restricted internet access during politically sensitive times or moments of protests.
Alarmingly, it seems the authorities are repeating the tactics of repression they used last year to detain and silence protesters, hundreds of whom remain in prison.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International
Amnesty International has heard that the latest internet outages have made it hard for families to communicate following the passage of hurricane Ian, at a time when many people have had their homes damaged. They have also impacted the ability of independent human rights observers, including Amnesty International, and independent journalists to document the human rights situation in the country. Journalist Luz Escobar told Amnesty International that her internet was cut three nights in a row, impacting her ability to work, and that as of 4 October, several other journalists working at her independent online newspaper, 14 y medio, were without internet.
Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab has also analysed several videos that did not appear online before these protests. One video which Amnesty International analysed was filmed on Street 41, at the corner of 66 in Havana, Cuba, and appears to show the deployment of plain-clothed military cadets, armed with baseball bats, chanting pro-government slogans, including “I am Fidel.”
Another video, which also first appeared online in the context of the protests, and which is consistent with other videos Amnesty International has verified from the protests, appears to also show cadets with baseball bats chasing and then detaining protesters.
The Cuban authorities have developed a sophisticated machinery for controlling any form of dissent and protest, as previously documented by Amnesty International. While state security officials often carry out surveillance and arbitrary detentions of critics, the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (local members of the Communist Party who collaborate with state officials and law enforcement agencies) also provide the state with information about, what is considered, “counter-revolutionary activity.” “Acts of repudiation” – demonstrations led by government supporters with the alleged participation of state security officials – are also commonplace and aimed at harassing and intimidating government critics.
While communication with Cuba remains stunted due to internet interference, Justicia J11, a group established following the crackdown on protesters in July 2021 – has reported 26 detentions since 30 September, mostly of young people and artists, 19 of whom they reported remained in detention as of 4 October 2022.
Cuban authorities criminalized nearly all those who participated in the protests in July 2021, including some children, but flatly denied any human rights violations, and placed the blame for the economic situation almost exclusively on the US economic embargo. Similarly, on 2 October 2022, President Díaz-Canel downplayed the widespread nature of the latest protests and suggested that a minority of “counter-revolutionaries” with connections outside Cuba, had carried out “acts of vandalism such as blocking roads or throwing rocks” and would be dealt with with the “force of the law.”
Background
Following the passage of hurricane Ian, the electricity has been cut in multiple parts of the island, adding to the frequent electricity outages in recent months. NASA night-time light data showed a significant decrease in lights between 23 September, before the passing of Ian, and after, on 30 September.
Electricity outages have exacerbated violations of economic and social rights in the country, as in recent months Cubans have had to line up for many hours to buy food and other necessities, in the context of widespread food shortages.
The recent protests have occurred just 14 months after the similar widespread protests on 11 July 2021, which were followed by a crackdown on dissent. Hundreds remain imprisoned for the 11 July protests, including three prisoners of conscience: artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez, as well as leader of the non-official opposition, José Daniel Ferrer García. Other prisoners of conscience named by Amnesty International at the time were released on the condition of going into exile.
The post Cuba: Tactics of repression must not be repeated appeared first on Amnesty International.
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Vatican To Host Fauci, Chelsea Clinton, Vaccine Company CEO’s
The Vatican is co-hosting a health conference in May that will showcase speeches by Bill and Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea Clinton, vaccine guru Dr. Anthony Fauci, guru Deepak Chopra, and the Pfizer and Moderna chief executive officers who are mass-producing vaccines for the public. Pope Francis has been criticized in the past for straying into leftist politics, and this conference won’t help turn around his image. What exactly is the religious significance of mass vaccination? Regardless, the Fifth International Vatican Conference will be focused on pandemic matters, and how to “Unite To Prevent.”
The May 6-8 conference, “Exploring the Mind, Body & Soul: A Global Health Care Initiative: How Innovation and Novel Delivery Systems Improve Human Health,” is part of a conference with speakers including Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and moderators including Katie Couric. The event is set up by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Cura Foundation, a Vatican organization. “Bridging Science and Faith” is a featured conversation at the conference.
Minnesota bishop resigns at pope’s request after abuse coverup
Bishop is first in U.S. disciplined under new Vatican policies.
Steve Ruark – Associated Press
Hoeppner is the first U.S. Catholic bishop to be disciplined under new Vatican protocols for reviewing and sanctioning bishops for sex abuse or coverups. The 2019 guidelines were put in place to enforce greater accountability of bishops when there are reports of abuse by clergy under their supervision.
Hoeppner, 71, was accused of pressuring a former deacon candidate to recant his statement that he was sexually abused as a teen by the Rev. Roger Grundhaus, a popular diocesan priest. Grundhaus has denied the abuse and Hoeppner has denied he tried to cover up the abuse claim.
Herpes Infection Possibly Linked to COVID-19 Vaccine, Study Says
Herpes Infection Possibly Linked to COVID-19 Vaccine, Study Says
Herpes infections may be a side effect of a COVID-19 vaccine, experts have revealed.
Scientists in Israel identified six cases in a new study of patients developing a skin rash known as herpes zoster — or shingles — after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study in the Rheumatology journal.
Herpes zoster starts off as a small, itchy skin rash, but if left untreated, it could cause nerve damage and pain, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Opinion: The CDC finally admits it was wrong about surface transmission of COVID-19
Contaminated surfaces have never been driving the COVID-19 pandemic, and the CDC finally clarified that this week. Though it is conceivable that you could be infected by touching an infected doorknob or pen, the CDC now admits that “the risk is generally considered to be low.” It’s so low that even if you were unlucky enough to touch a doorknob immediately after someone with COVID, you might have to touch an average of 10,000 doorknobs to get infected!
The new statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are crucial and could provide a game-changing breath of fresh air. The scientific brief gives a final endorsement for us to finally move on from excessive cleaning of surfaces, which steals precious money, time, and energy, but does little to protect from infection.
Hypervigilant surface cleaning was an understandable human response to an invisibly-spread, frightening global pandemic. Cleaning gave us a visible way to join the fight against the virus. In the beginning of the pandemic, cleaning surfaces was also one of the only actions that gave a sense of control and peace. So we hoarded Clorox wipes and bleach, and we poured ourselves into cleaning with passion and fervor. Products like disinfectant foggers, were pitched at a terrified public, desperate to fight the spread.
The problem with surface cleaning is that SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a respiratory virus that travels primarily through the air, and cleaning surfaces does very little to stop that spread. By now, we are all weary of the fight: business and family budgets are broken, energy is waning, and attention is divided. Spending any extra energy or money on ineffective efforts distracts us from the real battle against an airborne virus. Now we can finally put all our energy into things that really protect us. To get past COVID we need to keep efforts focused on preventing airborne spread, and we can stop wasting effort on over-cleaning.
Respiratory aerosols can be inhaled no matter where you are in a room. If you are standing within a few feet from someone infected, you breathe in a high concentration of virus and the risk is highest. Even if you are standing on the other side of the room, the virus can still infect you. At first, most public health agencies wrongly assumed that COVID-19 was spreading primarily through touch or droplets. It still could be possible to get sick by shaking hands with an infected person, but increasingly deep and wide evidence has shown that inhalation of these smaller aerosols drives the majority of COVID spread.
By admitting that COVID-19 is transmitted primarily through inhalation of virus-containing aerosols, at both short distances and after mixing into the rest of the room, we can take appropriate steps to prevent it from spreading. Wearing tight-fitting masks is important because it means that aerosols can’t leak into the room or your inhaled breath through the gaps around your nose or under your chin. Keeping a few feet of distance from others is important so you back away from the exhalation zone of a potentially infected person. Reducing time indoors with other potentially infected people is important because your overall risk goes up with the number of breaths of potentially infected air you take in. Increasing ventilation and filtration is important because this helps remove the aerosols that build up indoors.
To be clear, washing your hands and doing standard cleaning of high-touch surfaces with soap is important because some spread is possible through close or frequent interactions. And getting a vaccine as soon as possible is important to protect yourself and others against worrying virus variants.
MyPillow Sues Dominion to Contest $1.3 Billion Vote-Fraud Claim
MyPillow Inc. Chief Executive Mike Lindell escalated a legal fight over his debunked claims of U.S. election fraud, filing a lawsuit that seeks $1.6 billion from Dominion Voting Systems Inc., which had earlier accused him of defamation.
Researcher Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Stealing Trade Secrets to Sell in China
A hospital researcher on April 19 was sentenced to 33 months in prison for conspiring to steal trade secrets from an Ohio children’s hospital to sell in China, according to the Justice Department. Zhou Yu, 51, pleaded guilty in December 2020 to stealing at least five trade secrets relating to exosome research from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio, where he had worked for 10 years until 2017. Exosomes are small sacs of fluid released from cells that have increasingly been used in the research, identification, and treatment of a range of diseases, including liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Zhou’s co-conspirator was his wife, Chen Li, 48, who also worked as a researcher at another lab in the institute. She was sentenced in February to 30 months in prison for her role in the scheme after also pleading guilty. “Zhou and his wife executed a scheme over the …
Nancy Pelosi hit for thanking George Floyd ‘for sacrificing your life’
Twitter users pounced on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday after she publicly thanked George Floyd “for sacrificing your life for justice.” “Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice. For being there to call out to your mom — how heartbreaking was that — call out for your mom, ‘I can’t breathe,’”…
WATCH: BLM Chants ‘F**k the National Guard’ After Chauvin Verdict in Minneapolis
Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis chanted “F**k the National Guard” after taking to the streets. Their march immediately followed the conviction by a Minnesota jury of former police officer Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd nearly one year ago.
“F*** the National Guard!” chants from protesters gathered outside the courthouse this afternoon #Minneapolis #ChauvinTrial pic.twitter.com/xodtNcv1z6
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) April 20, 2021
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sending National Guard to southern border
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday he is sending 250 National Guard troops to the state’s southern border with Mexico amid the increased arrivals of migrants. The announcement came the day Customs and Border Protection held an open house at a new tent-like migrant processing center in the border community of Yuma. It…
Virginia cop fired after donating to Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund
A police officer in Virginia was fired after donating to a legal defense fund for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, officials said Tuesday. Norfolk Police Lt. William Kelly anonymously gave $25 to a fundraiser for Rittenhouse in September, using his city email address, according to The Guardian. The donation reportedly came with a comment that read:…
Three other former cops still slated to face trial in connection with the death of George Floyd
A jury on Tuesday returned a verdict finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd last year, but three other former officers have yet to go on trial.
The three men, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, are all free on $750,000 bail and the trial is slated to start later this year on August 23, according to the New York Post.
“They face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter over the May 2020 death of Floyd. They face up to 40 years in prison on the top charge,” the outlet noted.
Arizona Governor Issues Declaration of Emergency, to Deploy National Guard on Border
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a Declaration of Emergency (pdf) and announced he’s deploying the Arizona National Guard to the state’s southern border to assist law enforcement dealing with the growing amount of illegal crossings. “The situation in our border communities is just as bad—if not worse—than the coverage we’ve been seeing,” Ducey, a Republican, said […]
The post Arizona Governor Issues Declaration of Emergency, to Deploy National Guard on Border appeared first on NTD.
RAW FOOTAGE: Police Shoot Knife Wielding 16-Year-Old Columbus Girl Fighting With Another Teen
The full body cam video of the officer involved shooting of Columbus teen Ma’Khia Bryant on Tuesday afternoon was released during a press conference held by the Columbus Department of Public Safety. The video shows the young teen charging an individual with a knife before being shot by police.
16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer as she lunged at another woman during what appeared to be a large melee after police were called to the home. Bryant’s family member says police were called to end the fight happening on the property per local media WKYC. Bryant was shot by police after lunging at another woman with a knife, and was later pronounced dead in a local hospital.
About 6 minutes and 40 seconds into the video posted to YouTube, viewers can see that Bryant was wielding what appears to be a knife as she charges another individual. Right before Bryant appeared to be in the process of stabbing the individual, she was fatally shot by police. The knife apparently held by Bryant can be seen on the ground repeatedly after the shooting.
Widely circulated videos of the aftermath of the shooting have led to massive protests and unrest in Columbus, Ohio. The police urge calm even as Black Lives Matter protesters take to the streets.
Demonstrators are blocking Broad and High streets. Police are encircling the block. pic.twitter.com/NwuLSD3LUq
— The Lantern (@TheLantern) April 21, 2021
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther weighed in by saying “it is clear the officer took action to protect another young life,” at the cities press conference.
The news comes as the nation reels from the aftermath of the verdict reached in the Derek Chauvin trial, in which jurors found the officer guilty on all counts for the murder of George Floyd.
“The jury came to the verdict after nine hours of deliberations, with the Chauvin being found guilty of murder in the second and third degree. Chauvin was also found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree. The trial had lasted just under a month, with proceedings starting at the end of March.”
BREAKING: The jury finds former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd: 2nd degree intentional murder, 3rd degree murder, and 2nd degree manslaughter pic.twitter.com/FW5XDAZwob
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 20, 2021
Dr. Harvey Risch Reveals Over Half of the United States Has Already Reached Herd Immunity | Video: 10 Minutes 7 Seconds
Doctor Risch joins Pandemic Warroom to explain that North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Utah in October and November last fall developed herd immunity naturally and symptomatic infection rates were coming down well before any vaccine. . . the CDC did blood testing and found approximately 6 times the official number were infected, most being asymptomatic and unaware they had been infected. He also explains that the vaccines are actually only 50% to 60 % effective in containing the spread of the virus, not 90% or 95%. What this means is the lockdowns have been counterproductive.
April 20, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 53 Minutes 31 Seconds
The fate of former police officer Derek Chauvin has been decided, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that creates tougher penalties for rioting, and police have caught the suspect who allegedly opened fire at a crowded New York grocery store.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded April 20, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 52 Seconds
Antifa Commander Maxine … (w/ Marjorie Taylor Greene, Darren Beattie, John Fredericks). “We have a sitting US congresswoman threatening a jury before they were even going into deliberations,” Greene said. “She is completely unhinged and out of control.”
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded April 20, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 52 Seconds
Big Media’s Next Propaganda Pivot … Lies About Lock Downs, Covid, and Climate. Guests are: John Tamny, Dov Hikind.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded April 20, 2021 | Video: 49 Minutes 59 Seconds
Chauvin Trial Reaction and the Ongoing Marxist Revolution. “Does anybody believe that the merits of the case were considered by the jury,” asked Kassam. “Or were they just frightened by the riots that would ensue and the doxxing that they endured by the media in the last week?” Guests are: Bernie Kerik, Tracey Anthony, Boris Epshteyn, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Faddis.
Swimmer beats leukemia and qualifies for the Olympics | Video: 53 Seconds
Rikako Ikee qualified for the Olympics for Japan just eight months after returning to competition!
The Underground Vegetable Farm Thriving In Wartime Bunkers Below London
Deep beneath London’s suburbs lies a gigantic vegetable garden farming hundreds of thousands of the capital’s freshest microgreens.
Since 2015, Growing Underground has adopted one of eight underground World War Two bomb shelters to grow plentiful, pesticide-free produce. The farming happens entirely indoors, away all from traditional means of harvesting greens.
The project burst into the fresh produce market as the “world’s first subterranean farm” and hasn’t looked back since.
Shreve Elementary fifth-grader creates Kindness Closet for students in need
SHREVE Last year, a friend confided in Anderson “Andi” Musser that she wished she had some girls’ clothing to wear to school.
The student had brothers and was used to wearing their hand-me-downs, Andi said.
“I went to my closet and got the clothes (and shoes) that I had outgrown,” the Shreve Elementary fifth-grader recalled. “I gave them to her at school the next day. And she was really happy.”
The warm gesture – and her friend’s happy tears – sparked Andi’s idea for a Kindness Closet, a place students can visit during the school day to “shop” for a few new or gently worn garments. Andi, 10, is working to stock and organize the closet for students from families with limited incomes or simply in need of essentials.
Family, community celebrates WWII veteran’s 100th birthday with 100-vehicle parade in Frisco | Video 1 Minutes 3 Seconds
Burnett “Burnie” Sutter is the proud grandfather of three and the great-grandfather of eight.
Nature & Animal Lovers Rejoice! | “From 75 In 1905 To 3600 In 2020! India’s Rhino Population Has Increased By 35 Times In 115 Yrs”
While India’s efforts and struggles to conserve tiger population has been known, here is one of India’s most successful conservation stories: the population of one-horned rhinos has grown manifold over the years.
Inhabitat
From a population of barely 75 in 1905, there were over 2,700 Indian rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) by 2012, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature–India (WWF-India), a global wildlife advocacy. The figure has now gone well past 3600 in 2020.
Greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros once roamed from Pakistan to the Indo-Burmese border, and in parts of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. But by the beginning of the 20th century, hunting and habitat loss had reduced the species to fewer than 200 individuals in northern India and Nepal. Thanks to strict protection implemented by Indian and Nepalese authorities, the population has rebounded to more than 3,600 today.
In 2012, more than 91 per cent of Indian rhinos lived in Assam, according to WWF-India data. Within Assam, rhinos are concentrated within Kaziranga national park, with a few in Pobitara wildlife sanctuary. Kaziranga is home to more than 91 per cent of Assam’s rhinos – and more than 80 per cent of India’s count — with a 2015 population census by Kaziranga park authorities revealing 2,401 rhinos within the park.
IRV
Special Books For Special Kids | The Story of SBSK from Founder Chris Ulmer’s Perspective
SBSK has grown into one of the largest disability platforms in the world, with over two billion views across social media. It is a space where disabled and neurodiverse people of all backgrounds share their story. This was not my original intention, however. SBSK started as a classroom project when I was a teacher of children with various disabilities; including autism, traumatic brain injury, speech apraxia, and agenesis of the corpus callosum.
You return $10,000 found on Issaquah road: Your reward? | Good Samaritan
Steve Harrison was headed to Costco from his Issaquah home the other week when he spotted some papers fluttering in the road and pulled over to investigate.
It was money. Lots of it. One $100 bill after another, spread across the pavement, some in small stacks. Harrison snatched them up in a bit of a frenzy, and then found something that stopped him short.
A wallet containing a license with the name and address of the man who was surely missing something: Michael King, who lived just a mile away.
Statewide testing positivity rate has fallen or held steady for five consecutive days after full month of upticks (LIVE UPDATES)
Positivity rate falls again with 3,194 latest Illinois COVID-19 cases
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Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Public health officials on Saturday announced 3,194 new COVID-19 cases, lowering Illinois’ testing positivity rate to 4.1% and offering a potential sign of optimism that the state is easing down from its latest surge in infections.
The positivity rate, which indicates how rapidly the virus is spreading, is still up sharply compared to the all-time low of 2.1% the state reached last month, while an average of more than 3,200 residents have tested positive each day over the past week — nearly double Illinois’ case rate in early March.
But the statewide positivity rate has now fallen or held steady for five consecutive days after a full month of troubling upticks.
Chicago’s regional positivity rate has fallen slightly over the past few days to 5.6%, and it’s dipped to 5.5% in suburban Cook County.
Eating Leafy Green Vegetables Every Day Could Boost Muscle Strength
Green, leafy vegetables are good for overall health, but new research shows that they could also boost muscle strength. The study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) found that people who consume a nitrate-rich diet had significantly better muscle function in their lower limbs. Many older adults suffer from poor muscle function, leading to a greater risk of falls and fractures. It can also be considered a key indicator of general health. With around one in three seniors suffering a fall each year, it’s essential to find alternative ways to prevent these events, as they can sometimes have serious consequences. 12-Year Study Researchers analyzed data from 3,759 Australians who took part in Melbourne’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute for the study. Over the 12 years of the study, it was found that those with the highest regular nitrate consumption had 11 percent stronger lower limb strength than those with the lowest …
New zinc-fortified wheat set for global expansion to combat malnutrition
MEXICO CITY – Scientists at a leading global grains research institute expect to sharply ramp up new wheat varieties enriched with zinc that can boost the essential mineral for millions of poor people with deficient diets, the institute’s head told Reuters. Martin Kropff, director-general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), said he…
NASA Scores Wright Brothers Moment With First Helicopter Flight on Mars
NASA’s miniature robot helicopter Ingenuity performed a successful takeoff and landing on Mars early on Monday.
The post NASA Scores Wright Brothers Moment With First Helicopter Flight on Mars appeared first on NTD.
UAE selects first Arab woman for astronaut training
DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates has selected the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut, as the Gulf country rapidly expands into the space sector to diversify its economy. Emirati national Nora al-Matrooshi, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate currently working at Abu Dhabi’s National Petroleum Construction Company, will join NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Candidate…
NASA has selected SpaceX’s Starship as the lander to take astronauts to the moon
Later this decade, NASA astronauts are expected to touch down on the lunar surface for the first time in decades. When they do, according to an announcement made by the agency, they’ll be riding inside SpaceX’s Starship vehicle.
NASA’s award of a $2.9 billion contract to build Starship, first reported by the Washington Post on April 16 and later confirmed by NASA, is a huge achievement for the space company founded and run by billionaire Elon Musk, as well as a massive blow to the hopes of its rivals.
The lander: SpaceX bills Starship as a next-generation spacecraft meant to take humans to the moon and, one day, Mars. Measuring around 160 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter, Starship is a reusable vehicle that’s designed to take off and land on the ground vertically. The plan is for it to launch separately and station itself in lunar orbit until NASA astronauts arrive aboard the agency’s Orion crew capsule. Starship would simply ferry astronauts to the moon’s surface and back.
Surprising selection: Last year, NASA awarded three different groups contracts to further develop their own proposals for lunar landers: $135 million to SpaceX, $253 million to defense company Dynetics (which was working with Sierra Nevada Corporation), and $579 million to a four-company team led by Blue Origin (working with Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Draper).
SpaceX didn’t just receive the least amount of money—its proposal also earned the worst technical and management ratings. NASA’s associate administrator (now acting administrator) Steve Jurczyk wrote (pdf) that Starship’s propulsion system was “notably complex and comprised of likewise complex individual subsystems that have yet to be developed, tested, and certified with very little schedule margin to accommodate delays.” The uncertainties were only exacerbated by SpaceX’s notoriously poor track record with meeting deadlines.
What changed: Since then, SpaceX has gone through a number of different flight tests of several full-scale Starship prototypes, including a 10-kilometer high-altitude flight and safe landing in March. (It also exploded a few times.) According to the Washington Post, documents suggest NASA was enamored with Starship’s ability to ferry a lot of cargo to the moon (up to 100 tons), not to mention its $2.9 billion bid for the contract, which was far lower than its rivals’.
“This innovative human landing system will be a hallmark in spaceflight history,” says Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA’s program manager for the lunar lander system. “We’re confident in NASA’s partnership with SpaceX.”
Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe Sues Twitter for Defamation After Permanent Ban
Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe filed a lawsuit on April 19 alleging that Twitter had defamed him by claiming that he operated fake accounts on the platform. The lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court of New York in Westchester County, claims that Twitter knowingly defamed O’Keefe in a statement the company issued explaining his permanent suspension from the platform. “The false accusation that Mr. O’Keefe operated ‘fake accounts’ is particularly damaging for Mr. O’Keefe because Mr. O’Keefe is a journalist. As such, his reputation for transparency and accurate reporting is fundamental to his profession,” the lawsuit states. Twitter permanently banned O’Keefe on April 15 without advance notice or an explanation. Shortly after, the social media giant had disseminated a statement to journalists accusing O’Keefe of “operating fake [Twitter] accounts.” Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of his suspension from the platform, O’Keefe had …
Ronnie Milsap 1987 Texas Performance Live – Broadcast Nationwide | Sometimes We Need To Put The News Down & Just Enjoy This Beautiful Life | Video: 56 Minutes 9 Seconds
Many Americans are asking how to set aside their anxiety. Sometimes, it’s okay to put away the news for an hour, a day, a week and just enjoy the goodness this world can provide. When elections are improperly run, riots seem to be never ending and illness seems to be knocking on our door like a biblical plague, it can seem as if goodness doesn’t exist. Music can ground us while lifting our spirits. Do not despair. There is always hope. . .
“Once in every life … someone comes along,
And you came to me … it was almost like a song.”
Commentary: Too Much Data, Too Little Wisdom
by Christopher Roach
Every day, we are bombarded with information. A police shooting under questionable circumstances. A tense encounter between people of different races. A flood of statistics on COVID-19 cases, mortality, and vaccine effectiveness.
We receive the data in the form of easily digested soundbites and a never-ending reel of videos. We are supposed to respond by taking a stand and making a judgment. If there is any doubt as to what that stand should be, the mood music on the news and the explicit narratives on social media make it plain what we are supposed to feel and think.
Objectively speaking, these videos present as many questions as they present answers. Maybe it’s grainy and fast moving. Maybe the lens is distorting perspective. With YouTube, we can slow it down, rewind, and enhance the color. Ah ha! See! The kid dropped the gun a tenth of a second before the officer’s shot went off, says the know-it-all.
We are ill equipped to make these judgments. In fact, too much data can result in worse decision-making. To make sense of information in general, background knowledge, moral sense, personal life experience, empathy, contemplation, and critical thinking are needed. Do we know what happened before the video started? Do we see what’s happening away from the camera? Do we know how fast humans can react, without the benefit of slow motion, rewinding, and all the rest? Do we know if the person claiming, “I didn’t do nothing,” is credible?
Times are tense. The pace of life fuels that tenseness. All of this information is being dumped upon people increasingly unable to make good use of it. Indeed, those with an agenda, benefit from this information dump. They tell you what to think, and they tell you what you are seeing. Before you have time to explore what just happened, some new story is coming at you and your assent with the prevailing narrative is demanded.
If American’s Weren’t Confused Enough | “CDC Says ‘No Evidence’ COVID-19 Vaccines Caused 3,005 Deaths Reported by VAERS”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that it has not found evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines caused the 3,005 deaths reported in its vaccine safety monitoring system as of April 13. “A review of available clinical information including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records revealed no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths,” the CDC stated on its updated web page covering reported adverse reactions. Between Dec. 14, 2020, and April 12, 2021, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) received 3,005 reports of fatalities among individuals in the United States who had received one of the three COVID-19 vaccines issued under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). More than 189 million doses of the vaccine were administered during this time. The two-dose messenger RNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech were granted an emergency authorization in December 2020, and the Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) one-dose adenovirus vaccine was authorized …
Arizona Governor Bans Government-Mandated Vaccine Passports
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order on Monday that bars the state and local governments from requiring that residents show COVID-19 “vaccine passports” to enter an area or receive a service. “The residents of our state should not be required by the government to share their private medical information,” the Republican governor said in […]
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April 19, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 53 Minutes 36 Seconds
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick’s Cause of Death Revealed; Chauvin Case Now With Jury. The Derek Chauvin trial comes to a close, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is vowing to take action against Congresswoman Maxine Waters after she told anti-police protesters in Minnesota to “get more confrontational,” and two unaccompanied migrant children are rescued from the Rio Grande.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded April 19, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 52 Seconds
Guests are: Cpt. Maureen Bannon, John Fredericks, Dan Schultz, Boris Epshteyn.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded April 19, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 52 Seconds
The Walls Are Closing in On Dr. Fauci … True Herd Immunity and the Vaccine Bait and Switch. Guests are: Cpt. Maureen Bannon, Dr. Harvey Risch, Ben Bergquam.