Coronavirus Tidbits #218 11/6/22
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.
ELECTIONS Need HELP please:
If you’re looking for a critical swing state where you can have a big impact right now, check out Wisconsin which is in trouble. These races are very close, and the votes we save there have the potential to save the day, just as they saved Biden in 2020. We are recommending that you BALLOT CURE in Wisconsin from NOW through NOV 8. If we lose Wisconsin in 2022 there is almost no chance we will win it in 2024 when the future of our democracy will be even more precarious.
WISCONSIN: Cure Remotely through November 7th
Voters need your help fixing errors on their absentee ballots! Join WisDems for a brief overview of their cure program, followed by a cure phonebank.
Phonebank, Daytime, Afterhours, Weekends
When:
Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm CT (2-3pm ET/ 11am-12pm PT)
How:
Sign up here: wisdems.org/curephonebank
NEVADA is also in a heap of trouble (Catherine Cortez Masto is the most endangered Democratic incumbent in the country right now) and NV is able to ballot cure through November 14. We recommend that after Nov 8 you virtual ballot cure in NEVADA. Every single vote will count there! Here is link to sign up for NV ballot curing
https://www.mobilize.us/demvic
If there is a US Senate runoff election in GA keep in mind that the runoff will be on Dec 6, so GEORGIA will need our help after Nov 8, all the way through Dec 6. If you would like to get some practice virtual ballot curing ahead of the runoff contact Katie Kaufman at kaufman@dscc.org and put “Ballot Curing in GA” in the subject line. They are busy ballot curing right now and would greatly appreciate assistance.
Other critical states that are also doing ballot curing are NC, PA and MI. Here are ballot curing links and/or info for them:
● Pennsylvania Go to Ballot Cure Phonebank! for Pennsylvania Working Families Party
Michigan: Many dates and times
https://www.mobilize.us/midemsvopro/event/492768/
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Post:
I had an unfortunate experience with Medscape this week. They has said they liked my blogs to be provocative, but removed my latest post:
I can't even access the full article via Wayback Machine. Here are screenshots of my draft, minus some of the hyperlinks, if of interest. Guess he didn't really mean it when my editor told me to blog when I was angry...
If anyone is curious, let me know and I'll enlighten you.
News
SARS-CoV-2 aerosols likely spread through the walls and floors
COVID vaccine hoarding might have cost more than a million lives
Low- and middle-income nations would have had lower death rates if vaccines had been shared more equitably.
More than one million lives might have been saved if COVID-19 vaccines had been shared more equitably with lower-income countries in 2021, according to mathematical models incorporating data from 152 countries1.
The impact of vaccine sharing would have been even greater if the distribution of more vaccines to poorer countries happened alongside wealthier countries keeping other mitigation measures — such as smaller gatherings and mask wearing — in place for longer. In that case, the models suggest, as many as 3.8 million lives could have been saved.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03529-3
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COVID-19 virus increases risk for other infections by disrupting normal mix of gut bacteria
by NYU Langone Health NOVEMBER 1, 2022
Infection with the pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2, can reduce the number of bacterial species in a patient's gut, with the lesser diversity creating space for dangerous microbes to thrive, a new study finds.
The study builds on the realization that widespread use of antibiotics to fight infections with disease-causing bacteria in recent decades, by killing off species most vulnerable to available drugs, has left in place more species that are resistant to antibiotics. In addition, disruptions in gut bacterial ratios have previously been linked to more severe COVID-19.
However, researchers say, it has remained unclear until now which came first, the coronavirus infection disrupting the gut microbiome or an already weakened gut making the body more vulnerable to the virus. The new study appears to favor the former explanation. The new investigation also revealed that antibiotic-resistant species can escape into the bloodstream, putting patients at greater risk for life-threatening secondary infections.
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the investigation involved 96 men and women hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2020 in New York City and in New Haven, Conn. Results showed that the majority of patients had low gut microbiome diversity, with a full quarter dominated by a single type of bacteria. At the same time, populations of several microbes known to include antibiotic-resistant species increased, possible due to widespread antibiotic use early in the pandemic.
These antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in the gut were also observed to have migrated into the bloodstream in 20% of patients. The study authors note that further research is needed to uncover why this group was at higher risk for a secondary infection while others remained protected.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-covid-virus-infections-disrupting-gut.html
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“So if someone is already pre-disposed to Parkinson’s, having COVID-19 could be like pouring more fuel on that ‘fire’ in the brain,” Woodruff said. “The same would apply for a predisposition for Alzheimer’s and other dementias”https://t.co/zy9F2cO9O1
— charlos (@loscharlos) November 1, 2022
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https://twitter.com/drclairetaylor/status/1588288494618939393?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
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Monkeypox:
Monkeypox Vaccinations Exceed One Million in US
The CDC recently confirmed 28,302 monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases during the monkeypox virus outbreak in the U.S.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/2022/11/01/monkeypox-vaccinations-exceed-one-milliion
~ ~ ~
Meta-analysis suggests 14% hospitalization rate for monkeypox patients
Oct 31 EClincalMedicine study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/11/news-scan-nov-02-2022
~ ~ ~
Monkeypox might spread before symptoms show
People infected with monkeypox may be able to transmit the virus to others before they notice symptoms, a new British study says, which could explain many infections in the current international outbreak. The analysis, published yesterday in BMJ, relied on data from 2,746 people infected in the U.K. from May 6 to Aug. 1. As many as 53% of transmission events could have occurred before the person transmitting the virus developed symptoms, the researchers conclude.
While some experts have pushed back on that figure, Esther Freeman of Harvard Medical School said pre-symptomatic transmission at that level or less points to a need for vaccination policies. “We know that there could be some pre-symptomatic or pre-people-noticing-their-symptoms transmission,” she told STAT’s Helen Branswell. “The way to handle this is to not wait till people know they've been exposed to be vaccinated but to have pre-exposure vaccination.” Read more.
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'A silent killer': COVID-19 shown to trigger inflammation in the brain
Research led by The University of Queensland has found COVID-19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson's disease.
The discovery identified a potential future risk for neurodegenerative conditions in people who've had COVID-19, but also a possible treatment.
The UQ team was led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr. Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda from UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences, and virologists from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
"We studied the effect of the virus on the brain's immune cells, 'microglia' which are the key cells involved in the progression of brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's," Professor Woodruff said.
"Our team grew human microglia in the laboratory and infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
"We found the cells effectively became 'angry,' activating the same pathway that Parkinson's and Alzheimer's proteins can activate in disease, the inflammasomes."
Dr. Albornoz Balmaceda said triggering the inflammasome pathway sparked a "fire" in the brain, which begins a chronic and sustained process of killing off neurons.
"It's kind of a silent killer, because you don't see any outward symptoms for many years," Dr. Albornoz Balmaceda said.
"It may explain why some people who've had COVID-19 are more vulnerable to developing neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease."
The researchers found the spike protein of the virus was enough to start the process and was further exacerbated when there were already proteins in the brain linked to Parkinson's.
"So if someone is already pre-disposed to Parkinson's, having COVID-19 could be like pouring more fuel on that 'fire' in the brain," Professor Woodruff said.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-silent-killer-covid-shown-trigger.html
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Ebola:
https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1587497722231259137?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
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RSV/Other:
Not sure I've seen purple used on the ILI map before... pic.twitter.com/RGyNxgHNVv
— Caitlin Rivers, PhD (@cmyeaton) November 4, 2022
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#RSV is surging. Here's what to watch for and answers about treatment options --reasonable, but doesn't mention prior damage fr #Covid as a possible/likely explanation for incr in RSV @vanromo https://t.co/T5tVzE6lgF
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 6, 2022
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https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1588202430730313730?s=20&t=PQDZLVjojOM-yLNzLW-KSw
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https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1587059290535231488?s=20&t=PQDZLVjojOM-yLNzLW-KSw
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1/ As we face a difficult winter, w/ multiple respiratory viruses running rampant (flu, COVID, RSV)... it is time to remember that airborne protection measures work for all of them. https://t.co/5RrgNSRBxD
— Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez (@jljcolorado) November 5, 2022
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs and Vaccines:
Study shows more vaccine side effects following COVID-19 infection
A new large Canadian study finds that adults with previous moderate or severe COVID-19 infections were more likely to have an adverse event sufficient to limit routine activities or require medical assessment in the week following each COVID vaccine dose. The study was published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The study was based on 684,998 vaccinated Canadian adults who received COVID-19 immunizations from Dec 22, 2020, to Nov 27, 2021. Participants were sent an electronic questionnaire 7 days after dose 1, dose 2, and dose 3 vaccination asking for details about previous COVID-19 infections and reactions to their immunization.
adverse effects for SARS-CoV-2 previously infected individuals prior to vaccination."
Oct 31 Clin Infect Dis study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/10/covid-19-scan-oct-31-2022
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More on the results, why 4-fold increase is very good, augmented response seen in people age 55+https://t.co/GkKlYHJnLd by @HelenBranswell @STATnews w/ @florian_krammer (excerpt below) pic.twitter.com/VvnxPUyv8w
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 4, 2022
Devices:
Epidemiology/Infection control:
COVID ‘variant soup’ is making winter surges hard to predict
Descendants of Omicron are proliferating worldwide — and the same mutations are coming up again and again.
Nature Ewen Callaway 28 October 2022
Some call it a swarm of variants — others refer to it as variant soup. Whatever it’s called, the current crop of immunity-dodging offshoots of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is unprecedented in its diversity. This complexity makes it harder to predict coming waves of infection. It might even lead to a ‘double wave’ in some places, as first one variant and then another overtakes a population.
But amid the chaos, patterns are emerging. The swarm has helped scientists to pinpoint a handful of immunity-evading mutations that power a variant’s spread. Globally, a few heavyweight variants have emerged, yielding different outcomes in different regions — at least, so far.
In Europe, North America and Africa, the prevalence of Omicron offshoots in the BQ.1 family is rising quickly, even as overall cases seem to fall. In Asian countries including Singapore, Bangladesh and India, a lineage called XBB has already set off fresh waves of infection. Scientists are closely watching several regions where both are circulating, to see which has the edge.
“In the end, probably, some variants are going to dominate, but it’s less decisive than it was in the past,” says Cornelius Roemer, a computational biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03445-6
~ ~ ~
State Republican majority tied to higher COVID death rates after vaccine rollout
After the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to adults, Americans living in states with Republican-controlled governments were at an 11% higher risk of COVID-19 death than those in Democrat-led states, and residents of right-leaning states had a 26% higher death rate than those in states with a left-leaning voter majority.
The observational findings were published yesterday in The Lancet Regional Health.
Harvard investigators analyzed age-standardized COVID-19 death rates and local intensive care unit (ICU) patient loads for all 435 US Congressional districts after the vaccine rollout from April 2021 to March 2022, while controlling for sociodemographic factors, population density, COVID-19 vaccination rates, rates of diabetes and obesity, and voter political lean.
Oct 31 Lancet Public Health study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/11/covid-19-scan-nov-01-2022
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A school near me has a clear, simple, data-driven mask policy. When wastewater levels above a threshold, high-quality masks required. They started year mask optional, required for a few weeks, now back to optional. Not complicated, protective but not restrictive. It can be done.
— Jon Levy (@jonlevyBU) October 30, 2022
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A Chinese business consultant in a Ted-style talk justified zero-Covid policy by saying that in 10 years the West will be brought to its knees b/c long-Covid, which will decimate most of its labor force. pic.twitter.com/kQRTDYE813
— Yanzhong Huang (@YanzhongHuang) October 30, 2022
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Tooth loss happened from pandemic influenza:
— Lee Altenberg, Ph.D. (@AltenbergLee) November 1, 2022
"Less well-known is that the flu affected the entire constitution. Teeth and hair fell out. People reported dizziness, insomnia, loss of hearing or smell and blurred vision."https://t.co/dGM8WpySR6
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Likely transmission between different rooms of a hotel through cracks in walls and ceilings, shared air through plenum above drop ceiling shown by tracer gas. Future studies of outbreaks should also assess ventilation. https://t.co/TI9k86RRka https://t.co/kVWAIRzQeI
— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr) November 4, 2022
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Monkeypox
In Africa's monkeypox outbreak, sickness and death go undetected
YALOLIA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct 31 (Reuters) - At a village clinic in central Congo, separated from the world by a tangle of waterways and forests, six-year-old Angelika Lifafu grips her dress and screams as nurses in protective suits pick at one of hundreds of boils that trouble her delicate skin.
Her uncle, 12-year-old Lisungi Lifafu, sits at the foot of her bed, facing away from the sunlight that pours through the doorway and pains his swollen, weeping eyes. When nurses approach, he raises his chin, but cannot look up.
The children have monkeypox, a disease first detected in Congo 50 years ago, but cases of which have spiked in West and Central Africa since 2019. The illness received little attention until it spread worldwide this year, infecting 77,000 people.
Global health bodies have counted far fewer cases in Africa during the current outbreak than in Europe and the United States, which snapped up the limited number of vaccines this year when the illness arrived at their shores.
But the outbreak, and death toll, in Congo could be much greater than recorded in official statistics, Reuters reporting shows, in large part because testing in underequipped, rural areas is so limited and effective medicines are unavailable.
During a six-day trip to the remote region of Tshopo this month, Reuters reporters found about 20 monkeypox patients, including two who had died, whose cases were not recorded until reporters visited. None of them, including Angelika and Lisungi, had access to vaccines or anti-viral drugs.
The shortage of testing facilities and poor transport links makes tracing the virus nearly impossible, more than a dozen health workers said.
Asked about undercounting, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that its data did not capture the full extent of the outbreak.
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As a “result of the continued consequences of an outbreak of monkeypox cases across multiple states,” @SecBecerra renewed the US Public Health Emergency for monkeypox. https://t.co/vsuhTBEgfC
— Madison Muller (@g0ingmad) November 4, 2022
Other:
This week on a Georgia physician group - “this morning there were no PICU beds in GA, AL, TN, FL or SC for us to transfer kids to. We were boarding PICU patients.”
— emily gray (@emilygraymd_mph) November 2, 2022
(also true in DC/MD area)
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
LONG COVID CLINICS:
https://twitter.com/betsyladyzhets/status/1588306575898312705?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
Politics:
Covid:
Follow-up daily testing of cast all this past week. The show ran for 10 performances to packed, sold-out houses…
— laurie allee (@laurieallee) October 31, 2022
=> No Covid
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It's truly depressing to see that the antivax #Nuremberg2 narrative is now a mainstream @RandPaul campaign promise. If you still doubt that @GOP is now fully antivax, doubt no more. pic.twitter.com/uu9YWYUHdH
— David Gorski, MD, PhD (@gorskon) November 3, 2022
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New from me in @EXPOSEDbyCMD:
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) November 3, 2022
A Koch-funded litigation outfit is suing the Biden administration to protect the spread of online COVID misinformation even as the virus kills thousands every month. https://t.co/JA3lfYJNcZ
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Election/Voter suppression:
So, let me get this straight.
— John Collins (@Logically_JC) October 29, 2022
You can’t hand out water and snacks to people waiting in line to vote, but you can station yourself armed, in full tactical gear, and intimidate people trying to drop off a ballot?
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FYI: The federal judge who refused to enjoin armed, masked people from monitoring legal drop boxes in Maricopa County, AZ is a Trump nominee who previously served as Gen. Counsel in Doug Ducey's office and a staff attorney for the Fed. Elections Commission. 1/
— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) October 28, 2022
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Two-thirds of Republican county election officials in New York were prepared to violate the law by refusing to process absentee ballots. We sued one county (Albany). Ten minutes later, they all started to back down. Today AP reported they all counted.https://t.co/lN1XiRtYxo
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) October 29, 2022
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This divide should shape how this moment in American history is contextualized by the press. https://t.co/cLO1OmUxJz
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) October 30, 2022
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— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) October 31, 2022
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3 ex-Proud Boys hired as Miami-Dade poll workers. One of the three tossed a couple weeks ago after Election Chief found out he's about to go on trial for Jan 6 felonies. https://t.co/0wxx9NXcjR
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 31, 2022
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— Sharon M Winner (@sharonmwinner) November 5, 2022
Antisemitism:
This was projected at end of Florida/Georgia game in Jacksonville. DeSantis was also at game and am sure he will say nothing about this as usual. pic.twitter.com/NIZF6m5ZGj
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) October 30, 2022
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The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ. We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police. pic.twitter.com/e64XSmQvNc
— FBI Newark (@FBINewark) November 3, 2022
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Between Kanye and the Midterms, the Unsettling Stream of Antisemitism
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 4, 2022
Gifting this article via https://t.co/pLQ5nm4Jl0
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Churches/Taxes:
This is an actual letter I received from the archdiocese of Detroit. This is a clear violation of their tax exempt status. Please kindly refer me to which agency I need to report this to. pic.twitter.com/JFxxTpwe7T
— ellalopezstanwhobelivedAnitaHill (@CHANCLASCONTRA1) October 29, 2022
GOP:
Kevin McCarthy’s silence about the assassination attempt against Nancy Pelosi is another reminder of why this small man should never become Speaker of the House. #pelosiattack
— Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 29, 2022
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"There is no place in a functioning democracy for anyone to resort to the use of terror," said the head of the local League of Conservation Voters affiliate after group was sent a "potent toxin used in terrorist attacks." https://t.co/Zb6rLFFuSY # via @HuffPostPol
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) October 30, 2022
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https://twitter.com/AndrewJBates46/status/1587763038345740288?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
Jan 6/TFG:
THREAD: Thanks to @politico, we now have the 8 emails Judge Carter ordered Eastman to hand over to the 1/6 committee. And they are DAMNING. First, Eastman agrees with Cheesebro that JUSTICE THOMAS is their best bet to get a ruling to delay the 1/6 certification. 1/ pic.twitter.com/ZCDqilZs52
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) November 2, 2022
Greed:
Oil prices in April 2010: $85.66/barrel ⁰Gas prices in April 2010: $2.85/gallon⁰⁰Oil prices now: $85.90/barrel
— Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@RepJimmyGomez) October 28, 2022
Gas prices now: $3.85/gallon ⁰⁰This is the result of price gouging and corporate greed.
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J.M. Smucker, the maker of Jif peanut butter, revealed that it will increase prices by $1.2 billion, while input costs are rising by less than $900 million.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) October 29, 2022
Corporate greed is driving inflation, not wage increases for workers or government spending.
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What does this mean?
— Marisa Pyle (@marisapk) October 31, 2022
- worse outcomes for patients
- longer wait times and travel times for care
- stress on GA’s already overburdened remaining hospitals
Kemp’s refusal to expand Medicaid and address GA’s hospital crisis is deadly. In ONE WEEK, we can vote him out.
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Corporate profits are at their highest rate in more than 70 years.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) November 1, 2022
Corporations are jacking up prices, blaming inflation, and padding their margins.
If Dems want to win on November 8th, they must continue calling this out.
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Daily reminder that a vial of insulin keeps me alive for a week and, in the US, costs the same as an Xbox Series S. Imagine being forced to buy an Xbox every single week for the rest of your life in order to not die.
— Laura Marston (@Kidfears99) October 31, 2022
This is reality for 7 million insulin dependent Americans. pic.twitter.com/iFt8of9LhW
Racism:
By firing #TiffanyCross two wks after she was targeted by Tucker Carlson, @MSNBC has further empowered a dangerous man who has a huge platform, emboldening him to target others.Many of us have had our turn as Tucker’s target of the night & endured the response of his minions.
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) November 5, 2022
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https://twitter.com/ask_aubry/status/1588392500997156864?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
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Reproduction/Abortion:
Governor Gretchen Whitmer just now: “If you don’t think the right to choose is an economic issue, you don’t have a uterus.”
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) October 29, 2022
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SCOTUS:
Justice Kagan to the lawyer challenging affirmative action: All over your brief is the claim that "it just doesn't matter if our institutions look like America ... uh... DOESN'T IT???"
— Leah Litman (@LeahLitman) October 31, 2022
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“They had a damn insider on SCOTUS”: Experts alarmed after Trump lawyer emails inadvertently leak https://t.co/rvOpeTRzkp
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 3, 2022
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Twitter:
Sharpest piece I've read yet on Elon's purchase of Twitter, and how the endgame is not to make money, build community, or promote "free speech," but to destroy democracy by making the global information space toxic with Putin's help. By @davetroy. https://t.co/DRmcaW42Y8
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) October 30, 2022
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The second largest investor in Twitter is...Saudi Arabia. The bone saw-loving kingdom that just sentenced a 72-year-old American man to 16 years in jail for his tweets. pic.twitter.com/dY3UIwU2JW
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) October 29, 2022
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Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia sentenced a 72 year old American citizen to 16 years in jail for tweets critical of the regime he sent while in America.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 30, 2022
This week, the Saudis partnered with Elon Musk to buy Twitter.
Do you think the Saudis bought it to promote free speech? pic.twitter.com/DAHOvG8iuE
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Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter is paid for by the same country that few planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on 9/11.
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) November 1, 2022
The ones who owned a significant chunk of Trump Tower apartments.
The ones who paid Jared Kushner $2 billion.
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Hey Twitter employees getting laid off tomorrow! IMPORTANT INFO from a CA employment attorney (me):
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) November 4, 2022
CA's "WARN" law requires Twitter to give you 60 days notice of a massive layoff.
A layoff of 50+ employees within a 30 day period qualifies.
I know you didn't get that notice.
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russian govt buying a few thousand verified twitter accounts at $8/pop to promote disinfo feels like a no-brainer.
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 5, 2022
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Twitter shut its operations in Ireland today, putting thousands of people out of work with no notice. Oops. Elon broke the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977–2015. And the thing about Ireland…they ain’t the United States. They don’t slobber all over people for just being rich. Ugly.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 5, 2022
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Musk fired the twitter teams dealing with human rights and facilitating disability access. pic.twitter.com/MFzfWZekUU
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) November 4, 2022
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ben sums it up quite nicely here https://t.co/rdbLm90LgG
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) November 4, 2022
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https://twitter.com/PalmerReport/status/1589031184654565378?s=20&t=PQDZLVjojOM-yLNzLW-KSw
Alabama:
I should add that they also reduced the need of students to take writing intensive courses from 2 to 1, because you know, student come to college with excellent writing skills that don’t need to develop. Who needs writing anyway?
— Juan José Ponce Vázquez (@jjponcevazquez) October 30, 2022
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Georgia:
Georgia poll workers are being equipped with a new tool designed to help protect them — a text alert system to report any threats at their polling places.https://t.co/3FOO6ji0Fa
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 18, 2022
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More than 65,000 voter registrations across Georgia have been challenged based on a belief that voter lists are inaccurate and vulnerable to fraud, @markniesse reports. County election boards have upheld about 3,200 of the challenges and tossed the rest.https://t.co/lz1bFmFgoI
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 1, 2022
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https://twitter.com/IsaacHayes3/status/1587575692472074242?s=20&t=PQDZLVjojOM-yLNzLW-KSw
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North Carolina:
Well, this is a new one. Bo Hines, running for House in NC, "wants victims of rape and incest to be allowed to get an abortion on a case-by-case basis through a community-level review process outside the jurisdiction of the federal government."https://t.co/7fLXJ0S8xK
— Christina Reynolds (@creynoldsnc) November 1, 2022
Texas:
(This is mostly about college voters.) Most early voting locations were removed from college campuses not long after the 2018 election. For historically Black colleges and universities, nearly 80% of them. /2
— Rain Perry (@rainperry) November 1, 2022
Off campus early voting ranges from a mile to in one case 17 miles from campus, and one case is across a busy freeway with no pedestrian bridge.
It’s illegal to politically campaign on campus so no parties or voting rights organizations can hand out leaflets informing students how to vote. /4
Some campuses allowed voter registration on campus and many did not. /5
Early voting goes through November 4, but there is no voting on the final weekend before election day. Many students are not informed about this and assume they can go home to vote on the weekend before the election.
Because of no campaigning on campus, many students are not aware that they can register to vote at their college address even if it’s temporary. /8
Some colleges have voting on campus on election day and many do not. /9
In almost all cases, the early voting centers are different locations from the election day centers. Again, organizers are prevented from passing out any leaflets informing students where they are supposed to vote and when. /10
Virginia:
More Virginia voter registration issues are being reported. State election officials say information from 149,000 voters who updated registration at DMVs was never sent to local election offices. Now those local registrars have to try to get the info processed by Election Day.
— Julie Carey (@JulieCareyNBC) October 31, 2022
Wisconsin:
Obama on Ron Johnson: "His adult children bought not one, not two, but three private planes. Because apparently carpooling wasn't an option. You need 3? Meanwhile, [he] voted to raise the retirement age to 70." pic.twitter.com/7wKuEkFLdE
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 29, 2022
~ ~ ~
Obama: I know that there are some folks who think, and I know his answer running this way, but just because Mandela's name is Mandela -- just because he is a Democrat with a funny name, he must not be like you. Mandela get ready to dig up that birth certificate pic.twitter.com/a9UWxrlA9q
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 29, 2022
~ ~ ~
"Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I’m elected governor.”
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 1, 2022
~ ~ ~
HOLY S***: Kimberly Zapata, the deputy director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission has just been fired for committing election fraud by obtaining fake military ballots and sending them to Assembly Elections Committee chairwoman Janel Brandtjen.
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) November 3, 2022
UK:
Sorry but who *didn’t* go to halloween as the lettuce that outlived Liz Truss? pic.twitter.com/yLZhjoTJYu
— Alex Young (@alexdeboo) October 29, 2022
Ukraine:
⚡️⚡️Russia says it 'suspends participation' in U.N.-brokered grain deal with Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 29, 2022
It will supposedly stop allowing Ukrainian grain exports via Black Sea ports over Oct. 29 drone attack on the Russian-occupied port city of Sevastopol. Russia blames Ukraine for the attack.
Feel good du jour:
This is a remarkable story I did not know.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) October 29, 2022
Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King
paid the hospital bill for Julia Roberts birth.
Her parents were friends with MLK+Coretta.
She shares the story with @GayleKing and I am sharing it from @ZaraRahim.pic.twitter.com/3SCdm2OrCf
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/BeeForGeorgia/status/1587985916194324481?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
~ ~ ~
The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died this year. The darker one is a younger male who lost his partner two years ago. Biologists have followed them as they meet every night to comfort each other. They stand for hours together watching the lights. 1/? pic.twitter.com/DSeLHxSojU
— Summer Stolarcyk (@summerstoli) November 2, 2022
~ ~ ~
https://twitter.com/DuddridgeClaire/status/1588305718062747648?s=20&t=PQDZLVjojOM-yLNzLW-KSw
Comic relief:
https://twitter.com/DannyDeraney/status/1586031752048320515?s=20&t=ILIhaBQbpz4DhNu9FMB05Q
~ ~ ~
Preparing the trick for treat pic.twitter.com/T3k3Hb3Ye1
— Channa Prakash (@AgBioWorld) October 31, 2022
~ ~ ~
A couple of weeks ago we had an icebreaker during my graduate seminar and the question was "What is your irrational fear?" My answer was "hammerhead sharks". And today in class I walked in and saw this: pic.twitter.com/xUWcZrgqSr
— Dr. Jeff Amato (@ZirconsForever) November 3, 2022
Perspective/Poem
Free-Gift article--perspective fr @Craig_A_Spencer: We May Have Only a Few Months to Prevent the Next Pandemic https://t.co/kXSBdb06Fe
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 6, 2022
~ ~ ~
Mussolini and Hitler never had temerity to tell voters that once they seized power, their parties would never lose another election.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 2, 2022
But in 1934, Mussolini's party "won" 99.85 percent.
In 1936, Hitler's Nazis "won" 98.8 percent.
We are watching how democracies are murdered.
Bits of beauty:
