Coronavirus Tidbits #180 2/20/22
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
New Post:
New Nanosensor Assay Detects Viruses Like SARS-Cov-2 and Ebola
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/968479
~ ~ ~
Recommended reads:
https://twitter.com/edyong209/status/1493969707849953284?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
The Moral Danger of Declaring the Pandemic Over Too Soon
Gregg Gonsalves- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/opinion/aids-pandemic-covid.html
News
Omicron:
Only 28% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated and received a booster dose, according to a CNN analysis, and new vaccinations have hit an all-time low. (CNN)
~ ~ ~
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
— CNN International (@cnni) February 17, 2022
The findings were posted as a preprint study on the bioRxiv server, before peer review. https://t.co/uJhbcXIxyk
We still don't know enough about BA2 to make any great predictions, let alone the fear-mongering that EFD and others like to flame.
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/DataDrivenMD/status/1494741585195503618?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
~ ~ ~
the total number of hospitalized patients who contracted COVID-19 at least two weeks into their hospital stay went up 80% — from around 1,200 to 2,200 patients — according to HHS data.
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) February 18, 2022
Other news:
Challenge Trial Shows People With COVID Shed Virus After Just 2 Days
Also, of the subjects inoculated with SARS-CoV-2, 18 of 36 became infected, as detected by PCR test.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/96991
Why did some people not become infected? Hypotheses:
Cross-immunity from the four endemic human coronaviruses
Multiple genetic variations may make someone's immune system more or less susceptible to the virus.
Mucosal immunity may play an underrecognized role in mounting a defense.
Where the virus settled on the human body, how large the particle was, the amount and length of exposure, environmental factors...
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-resistance-immunity-03339ccd-e525-4897-9861-045bd68aaaec.html
~ ~ ~
Vaccination After COVID Sank Reinfection Rates
previous infection plus vaccination provided substantial protection for more than a year after the initial infection. (Delta)
Protection against infection with two doses of vaccine waned considerably after 6 months for those without prior infection, but immunity only began to wane considerably at 1 year for those previously infected and not vaccinated. Adding two vaccine doses to prior infection led to protection of more than 90% against reinfection, and that protection didn't appear to wane up to 18 months after infection
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/97234?
~ ~ ~
Long COVID Less Likely in the Vaccinated
roughly half as likely to have any symptoms lasting more than a month, 78% less likely to have symptoms lasting 12 to 20 weeks, and 13% less likely to have at least one symptom at 6 months,
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/97232?
~ ~ ~
Humidity
higher relative humidity reduced viral particles in the air by half, while leading to more viral particles on surfaces, where they are less likely to spread disease.
Mid-range humidity, between 40 and 60 percent, is probably optimal
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-ventilation-humidity-key-indoor-virus.html?
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciac006/6498295
~ ~ ~
Racist Protest 'Threatened' Patient Care, Massachusetts Medical Society Says
— Neo-Nazis targeted doctors outside Brigham and Women's Hospital
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/97163?
~ ~ ~
Was a 19th Century Global Pandemic a Case of COVID 1.0? https://t.co/79mc7JttJR
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) February 20, 2022
~ ~ ~
Coronaviruses are ‘clever’: Evolutionary scenarios for the future of SARS-CoV-2 https://t.co/vCMqH8wKr8 via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) February 20, 2022
~ ~ ~
1. Hugely important study published in Nature finds that having Covid significantly increases the long-term risk of developing a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, stroke, myocarditis, arrythmia, blood clots in the lungs. https://t.co/8OG0Y9m287
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
The authors looked at 3111 samples from 1941 animals divided across 18 different species of animals. Samples were collected in multiple locations in China (A & D). Pangolin samples were collected in 2017-2019, the rest after Feb 2020.
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) February 17, 2022
Many species are commonly sold as food. pic.twitter.com/SMzDA3WD6P
~ ~ ~
America was ranked first, on paper, for being ready for a virus outbreak. So why have we been among the worst in the world in both infections and deaths, columnist Danny Westneat asks?
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) February 16, 2022
A team at the UW may have some answers.https://t.co/EOwJOlsm1w
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs and Vaccines:
COVID-19 vaccination protective against developing long COVID
In a new rapid evidence review, the agency says eight studies show strong evidence that people who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine are half as likely to develop long COVID. Another four studies demonstrate evidence that people who are vaccinated after receiving a long COVID diagnosis see their symptoms improve.
https://ukhsa.koha-ptfs.co.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-retrieve-file.pl?
~ ~ ~
The Paxlovid pill (Nirmatrelvir) randomized, placebo-controlled trial published @NEJM:
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 16, 2022
89% efficacy vs Covid hospitalizations or deaths, and quick reduction of viral load.
The active pills had less serious adverse events or discontinuations than placebohttps://t.co/HBMRZt4wBo pic.twitter.com/LDQv41O56c
~ ~ ~
Oral Antiviral Paxlovid Reduced Severe COVID-19 Risk by 89%
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published an Original Article that concluded 'treatment of symptomatic COVID-19 with the oral nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir (Paxlovid) resulted in an 89% risk of progression to severe COVID-19 than with placebo, without evident safety concerns.
The Oral Nirmatrelvir for High-Risk, Nonhospitalized Adults with COVID-19 article, was published on February 16, 2022, based on phase 3 EPIC-HR clinical in unvaccinated persons demonstrate the efficacy of oral administration of nirmatrelvir (300 mg) with ritonavir (100 mg) every twelve hours for five days.
Note: Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) is contraindicated with the use of certain drugs because of potential adverse events.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/2022/02/17/oral-antiviral-reduced-severe-covid-19-risk-89
~ ~ ~
WHO prequalifies Roche’s tocilizumab as its first monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19
While monoclonal antibodies have made headway in some countries more than others, the World Health Organization (WHO), for the first time last week, offered prequalification to Roche’s tocilizumab treatment, smoothing the path to more widespread approval.
Prequalification guarantees that the treatment was pre-assessed for quality, safety, and efficacy by global experts, allowing many low and middle-income countries greater peace of mind when considering approval and purchase. The designation is used for medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and other critical health products, and some organizations will only purchase health items that have earned prequalification.
Tocilizumab, specifically, works by blocking the Interleukin-6 receptor within SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. That receptor is often found in high levels among critically ill COVID-19 patients, creating an inflammatory response. More traditionally, it has also been used as an arthritis treatment.
~ ~ ~
Good summary graphic pic.twitter.com/wyNVGQrVNI
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
The African continent is home to around 15 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the global disease burden. Yet only 1.1 percent of global investment in health research and development (R&D) is spent in Africa.https://t.co/sH9jO7KlJO?
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) February 19, 2022
~ ~ ~
No efficacy of ivermectin on modulating the course of covid-19 disease progressionhttps://t.co/MLJYZ48PAW via @JAMAInternalMed part of @JAMANetwork
— Eng Eong Ooi (@EngEongOoi) February 19, 2022
~ ~ ~
They seem to miss what they call “the good old days.” Do they realize that just a little over a century ago an average couple could expect to lose 2 children? (Sometimes more, like diphtheria here in 1897.) pic.twitter.com/Zb5LnsVYK8
— Lynne Eldridge MD (@AboutLungCancer) February 11, 2022
~ ~ ~
A new @CDCMMWR study out yesterday shows that COVID-19 vaccination (mRNA) during pregnancy can prevent hospitalization among infants aged <6 months. pic.twitter.com/QF2HPxoAYn
— Emily R Smith, ScD MPH (@DrEmilyRSmith) February 16, 2022
Devices:
What Do Masks Do to Kids? https://t.co/EJNRsuJgRa Follow @newrepublic
— Pierrette Mimi Poinsett MD (@yayayarndiva) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
If you want to talk about emotional damage and developmental issues it’s not masks that killed 14 of my classmates and three of my administrators.
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
Opinion | Beware: Our N95 Supply Chain Is Fragile https://t.co/GhZgIxtahT
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) February 20, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Particles Carrying Viruses Likely Travel Farther Than Previously Thought (at least than some thought)
A modeling study raises questions about how far respiratory droplets, like those that transmit the virus that causes COVID-19, can travel before becoming harmless. Can the airborne particles that carry the virus remain infectious not just for a few feet but rather more than 200 feet, farther than the length of a hockey rink?
Experiments dating to the 1930s proposed two paths for respiratory droplets like those from a sneeze or cough. Either they are big and heavy, plummeting to the ground without much chance of infecting another person. Or they are so small and light that they dry out almost instantly, remaining airborne but becoming harmless very quickly. The dryness renders “enveloped” viruses like coronaviruses unable to infect.
But a new study from scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory suggests a third option—that small respiratory particles can remain moist and airborne for a longer time and greater distance than scientists have recognized.
“There are reports of people becoming infected with a coronavirus downwind of an infected person or in a room several minutes after an infected person has exited that room,” said Leonard Pease, the corresponding author of the study. The findings were published in the February issue of the journal International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer.
The PNNL team took a long look at the mucus that coats the respiratory droplets that people spew from their lungs. Scientists know that mucus allows many viruses to travel further than they otherwise would, enabling them to journey from one person to another.
The team found that the mucus shell that surrounds respiratory droplets likely reduces the evaporation rate, increasing the time that viral particles within the droplets are kept moist. Since enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2 have a fatty coating that must be kept moist for the virus to be infectious, the slower evaporation allows viral particles to be infectious longer.
The team estimates that droplets encased in mucus could remain moist for up to 30 minutes and travel up to about 200 feet.
~ ~ ~
Wild animals prized as delicacies in China contain a bevy of threatening viruses
Wild animals sometimes found on the menu in Asian countries harbor a bewildering panoply of viruses, a new study has found—including many that can infect humans. Although none is closely related to the coronavirus that touched off the COVID-19 pandemic, the study sends a clear warning that other viral threats are lurking in the animal kingdom, scientists say.
Live-animal markets are known to have sparked outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 2 decades ago. But the study underscores the extent of the threat, showing “there is an enormous amount of unsampled viral diversity” in the animals, says Harvard University evolutionary biologist William Hanage, who was not involved in the work. “We humans need to understand that for a virus, different mammal species can look pretty alike, provided their cells have appropriate receptors.” China has clamped down on the sale of the animals sampled in the study, but other countries in the region have not.
The researchers, led by veterinarian Su Shuo of Nanjing Agricultural University, took samples from nearly 2000 animals representing 18 different species at venues in China including fur farms, zoos, and natural habitats.
~ ~ ~
Important results underscoring that workplace COVID risk isn't inevitable or even intrinsic to occupations.
— Elizabeth Wrigley-Field (@ewrigleyfield) February 17, 2022
It *is* perhaps intrinsic to workers having very little power at work, though. https://t.co/IIQ5jC7sU7
Tips, general reading for public:
StayAtHome
Wash your hands.
Rinse and repeat.
Politics:
https://twitter.com/MLS_Dave/status/1495078911247405060?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
One line is good
— Thomas A. Nguyen (@quality_nguyen) February 14, 2022
Two lines are bad
Listen to pediatricians
Ignore Vinay Prasad pic.twitter.com/uLk5raX9il
~ ~ ~
.@DrLeanaWen and the you've got to break a few eggs to make an omelette version of public health. The few must be sacrificed for the greater good. Well, some kids, the immunocompromised are on their own so we can all stop the terror of mask-wearing. OFMG. https://t.co/R3h3EZyMCF
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
Declaring We're Done With the Pandemic Is a Sign of Privilege
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/16/declaring-were-done-pandemic-sign-privilege
~ ~ ~
Roses are red.
— Nanjala Nyabola (@Nanjala1) February 14, 2022
Violets are blue.
Moderna might enforce their patents.
Even though they promised not to. https://t.co/63zXt2Pe6F
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/GYamey/status/1493428759822835719?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
~ ~ ~
And I am sure, sure there are good faith actors in the anti-masking in schools discussions, but there is also this. Not sure how I missed this story. 1/ https://t.co/219yt0kuzb
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/LadyDoctorSays/status/1494245625306787842?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
— 14 states have proposed legislation aimed at weakening boards' ability to discipline for misinfo
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/97237?
~ ~ ~
"...@TheFSMB, which created the language adopted by at least 15 state boards, is tracking legislation introduced by Republicans in at least 14 states that would restrict a medical board’s authority to discipline doctors for their advice on covid." https://t.co/3NA1MxiJBr
— Chris Hendel (@chrishendel) February 15, 2022
~ ~ ~
In 2019 I would literally have LOL'd at the prospects of such a suit. I mean, air travel is literally interstate commerce & mask mandates for such travel are so obvi connected to the control of communicable disease it's hard to imagine a more basic case.https://t.co/MGCwiDd2Bc
— Daniel S. Goldberg (@prof_goldberg) February 17, 2022
~ ~ ~
BioNTech's co-founder and top executive said the vaccine maker has no plans to enforce its intellectual property rights should organisations in Africa strike out on their own to produce unauthorised versions of the company's shot. https://t.co/6VpVqcyk4g
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
Worthwhile reading this thread:
https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1492530133101694982?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
Race:
Pamela Moses got 6 years in prison for trying to vote, Kimberly Potter got 16 months in prison for murdering Daunte Wright.
— somepeoplelikeit (@sumpeoplelikeit) February 18, 2022
You don't have to open a history book to study CRT, you can just open a newspaper.
~ ~ ~
A public school in Indiana is giving parents the option to opt their children out of learning about Black History Month. pic.twitter.com/L1QxmH9lRm
— Kolleen (@littlewhitty) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
Kim Potter only received two years for murdering Daunte Wright.
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) February 18, 2022
Black women have served similar time, and more, for falsifying their address so their children can attend school in a better district.
~ ~ ~
“Santa Rosa is doing something that’s spot on in terms of what we see as best practices,” said a representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness after inRESPONSE’s first month in the city. https://t.co/jFNeSIzwe2
— The Press Democrat (@NorthBayNews) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/janeadamsid/status/1493394414626119683?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
The stripes on this “American flag” have been replaced with rifles. They can do this to the flag but Colin Kaepernick can’t kneel. pic.twitter.com/fti9QYoRNj
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) February 13, 2022
~ ~ ~
Testing positive for discrimination, as drawn by Michael @deAdder https://t.co/OBTNO15W0Q
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
the seized goods in question pic.twitter.com/lzzHykJ9Ft
— dunkin donuts abdullah (@AShihipar) February 17, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/1494403334031220738?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
Jan 6
Here's more from Judge Amy Berman Jackson in her sentencing today of disabled Marine vet Mark Leffingwell -- worth reading in full.
— Alex Mallin (@alex_mallin) February 10, 2022
She sentenced Leffingwell, who punched officers after entering the Capitol, to six months in prison. https://t.co/jq0ucpbsrS pic.twitter.com/qBddnAEohg
~ ~ ~
If you're wondering why everyone is mad at Walgreens today, this is why: https://t.co/yweTUIMVtu
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
BREAKING: President Joe Biden has again rejected former President Donald Trump’s executive privilege claims and is ordering the release of White House visitor logs to the Congressional committee investigation the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. https://t.co/bqJTF3SHr3
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
Reality Winner got 5 years for ONE classified document. How many should a person get for 15 banker boxes? @NYTimes https://t.co/9m09kxq9d7
— @LindaFay419 (@LindaFay419) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
A U.S. District Court judge said in his Friday ruling that Trump's words during a rally before the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol were likely "words of incitement not protected by the First Amendment." https://t.co/Ideu1VSnpm
— KTVU (@KTVU) February 19, 2022
~ ~ ~
Well, that's a bit more outright theft. Ho-hum. WTF are AGs & DAs doing w/ their time?!
— BillCody (@BillCody) February 19, 2022
Trump last year directed $375,000 of small-donor money to financially troubled Trump Tower, even though his political operation has no presence there. https://t.co/YudL5F2qwp via @HuffPostPol
~ ~ ~
Whew. That’s the message. https://t.co/zwzbddp398
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump must all comply with this court order and testify before my office within 21 days.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) February 17, 2022
No one is above the law.
~ ~ ~
Attempted assassinations of politicians are always a red flag to look out for, but at a time like this, the alarm bell is blaring particularly loudly. Pay attention to this stuff, especially if it becomes a pattern.
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) February 15, 2022
https://t.co/jwmhYqLQ28
~ ~ ~
Number of articles Maggie Haberman wrote or contributed to involving Hillary Clinton’s emails, between 1/1/2015 and 12/31/2016:
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) February 11, 2022
265
Number of articles she wrote about Trump’s post-presidency relationship with Kim Jong-un or his flushing docs down the toilet:
ZERO
~ ~ ~
BREAKING: Former U.S. Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke misused his position in the Trump administration to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to government investigators.https://t.co/xiNfbiC23x
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 16, 2022
Anti-mandate protesters are holding a twitter space “emergency meeting” in response to the state of emergency.
— Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) February 14, 2022
One who was at the Windsor/Detroit border blockade tells a story of how their communications were infiltrated, leading to organizational collapse...
~ ~ ~
BREAKING:
— Demian Bulwa (@demianbulwa) February 14, 2022
San Francisco police linked a woman to a crime using DNA collected from her past rape exam, according to DA Chesa Boudin https://t.co/EQsqwyWoIq
~ ~ ~
Vote
https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1494143966735998977?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
~ ~ ~
Out of 475 units in #Florida low-income apartment complex, more than 100 people had their voter registration somehow switched from D to R in just four months. Prosecutors now investigating. https://t.co/j993v8BSPg via @BiancaJoanie & @AnaChacinc
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
Also boycotting won’t fix systemic corruption:
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) February 11, 2022
•55 Fortune 500 Corps paid $0 fed taxes
•Amazon avoided $5.2B in fed taxes
•CEO pay is at record highs
•Yet—80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
We need legislative reform that taxes billionaires & guarantees a living wage
~ ~ ~
Starbucks is raising prices after reporting a 31% increase in profits. The company’s revenue increased by almost 20% to over $8,000,000,000. Their CEO’s pay increased by almost 40% last year to more than $20,000,000.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) February 16, 2022
Do not be fooled. This is about corporate greed. It always is.
~ ~ ~
Investors are buying a record number of homes, driving up people's biggest expense.
— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) February 17, 2022
Given all the crowing about inflation you'd think politicians would do something about it. Instead they created a tax and lending environment to encourage exactly thishttps://t.co/MTXuxE7psn
~ ~ ~
The Fed has a solution for inflation, and it's going to shaft American workers — here's what you should know
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 17, 2022
(with @RBReich) pic.twitter.com/ASPeuRo3MW
~ ~ ~
Biden is expected to ask Congress for another $770 billion+ for next year's Pentagon budget. That’s more than 4x the size of the Build Back Better bill. So where’s the reporting on the effects of this spending on the national debt, or on inflation, or whether it’s even necessary?
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
"why are groceries so expensive"
— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) February 14, 2022
Kroger profits are at record highs. Its stock is up 36% in a year. Its CEO got a 45% raise to $22M and makes 909x the median worker.
75% of its workers are food insecure. 63% can't pay their bills. Many are on food stampshttps://t.co/nTiM6V0BK1
~ ~ ~
In January, the child poverty rate increased by 40% in just 1 month – jumping from 12.1% to 17% as 3.7 million children slipped into poverty. How did this happen? 50 Republicans and 1 corporate Democrat allowed the $300 a month Child Tax Credit to expire. That is morally obscene.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
NEW: Every single Republican senator refused to show up to their jobs on the Banking and Housing committee to consider President Biden's Federal Reserve nominees. The committee could not conduct business because there was not a quorum. pic.twitter.com/d1CVFZBqXp
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) February 15, 2022
~ ~ ~
Manchin, Sienma, and 50 Senate Republicans are responsible for this
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 17, 2022
Actions have consequences and these are the consequences https://t.co/63sS5ZeDMY
~ ~ ~
To date, Florida taxpayers have funded over $2 million in gun supplies for the Guardian program. No school shootings have been stopped, but at least three educators have been arrested for pawning the guns and body armor they were given. https://t.co/iSvQKB1exM
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 12, 2022
~ ~ ~
I was today years old when I found out some states are still using the gas they used in Auschwitz’s gas chambers to execute people.https://t.co/lgZXXmZShn
— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) February 18, 2022
~ ~ ~
We need to address our priorities... pic.twitter.com/uzw3DN4Mr6
— Michael Justice (@Essentialworker) February 16, 2022
~ ~ ~
This is outrageous. Enes Kanter Freedom, the only NBA player brave enough to speak out against China’s human rights atrocities gets traded from the Celtics to the Rockets and then immediately waived (ie fired). A disastrous precedent. https://t.co/QiV9UfX7eV
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) February 13, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/levar-burton-banned-books-daily-show_n_620d6faae4b0557b5a3e7225?
Feel good du jour:
To boomers from boomers, a call to engage for the greater good. “What really should scare the corporate and political bad actors is the prospect of old and young people connecting, because there is real power if we work across generations.” https://t.co/E2MOWLGVrf
— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) February 13, 2022
~ ~ ~
“A guide is one who doesn’t give you a candle to light your path, but someone who teaches you how to make fire”
— TheAstuteReader (@TheAstuteReader) February 14, 2022
Amazing video of visually impaired Runner and her guide. The trust, camaraderie and what steals the show is how subtly the guide slows down so that she finishes first. pic.twitter.com/NpY8qAVOtG
~ ~ ~
When animals are moved from high pastures to plains, baby lambs can’t make the journey so they ride on “nanny donkeys”. Happy Sunday. pic.twitter.com/ZeOtTaoLkA
— Lucy Small (@lucyleid) February 13, 2022
~ ~ ~
Over his career, California Highway Patrol officer Kevin Briggs prevented 200 people from taking their lives. In 2005, Kevin Berthia was one of them — Perhaps the man’s a real life guardian angel. pic.twitter.com/b5tNegoDql
— Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) February 13, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/TrumpluvsObama/status/1494103970226196482?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1492408057569193984?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
Comic relief:
I interview the protestors in Ottawa with a Tim Horton’s cup.
— Walter Masterson (@waltermasterson) February 15, 2022
The “Do Your Research” crowd is very perceptive. pic.twitter.com/z0cERr4Wjk
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/jessi_asli/status/1494066884962045955?s=20&t=KOtnCHDDBsdIiDgHrcr-tQ
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1492764392831791104?s=20&t=21lv_64fBmYqa3lB4H3a-Q
Perspective/Poem
Vaccinated but Not Protected—Living Immunocompromised During the Pandemic
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2781012
~ ~ ~
Here’s a snippet of his extraordinary story https://t.co/3bXqfptVTK pic.twitter.com/L9yLN03Pj1
— Katie S. Sanders (@KatieSSanders) February 16, 2022
Bits of beauty:
