Health care workers receive bouquets of thanks – WKOW

Posted on by

MADISON (WKOW) Bouquets of well-deserved thanks were delivered Friday afternoon to the health care workers at UW Health in appreciation of their dedication and sacrifice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 2,000 colorful flowers daffodils, hyacinths, snapdragons and more courtesy of Hilldale and its landscaping firm, David J. Frank, were given to health care workers to take home as they ended their shifts.

Earlier in the day, the flowers were arranged in three large heart displays for employees and patients to see.

Healthcare workers are the true heroes, every single day, said Nanci Horn, General Manager of Hilldale in a news release. We wanted to show our appreciation to these dedicated professionals who are working so hard to care for all of us during these difficult times and flowers always put a smile on someones face.

Landscape company CEO David R. Frank echoed Horns appreciation.

Our health care workers do so much for so many and we wanted to thank them for their selflessness and commitment to serving their communities. We know firsthand the benefits of flowers and we hope they bring a little joy and happiness into the lives of these hardworking professionals," he said.

See the original post:

Health care workers receive bouquets of thanks - WKOW

Will 5G benefit the health care industry? – Fox Business

Posted on by

Fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless technology is expected to have a significant and positive impact on the health care industry in the near future.

Technology likevideo conferencing appsarebeing used to connect hospital patients with friends and family during the coronavirus crisis using 4G wireless, and those capabilities will continue to develop with 5G, which is a faster and more reliable form of wireless service that countries around the world are rapidly adopting.

WHAT IS 5G?

One way 5G will change health care technology is by offering a better connection to the internet throughout hospitals and health clinics. Large buildings and campuses connected to one wireless network can experience service issues in different areas, causingcommunication errors. Since 5G uses higher radiofrequency and antennas that are built closer to buildings than cell towers, this technology will meet demand for rapid service throughout buildings or campuses.

On a more advanced level, 5G will enhance data-collecting capabilities because it will be easier for health care workers to download and share larger files, workers will be able to store more data on cloud services, and remote and virtual patient care will be more reliable with faster connections, especially in rural areas.

Google Meet telehealth call / Google blog

"5G has the potential to unlock new connections between patients and health services,"Evan Kohn, chief business officer of artificial intelligence (AI) customer service solutionPypestream, told FOX Business."Implementing 5G in rural areas, some of which are still relying on dial-up, will allow patients better access to telemedicine."

HOW WILL 5G IMPACT US AGRICULTURE?

5G will also support AI tools that will make it easier for health care workers to communicate with patients and speed uppatient trajectories and diagnoses.

He added that using 5G telehealth services could offer "[high-resolution]face-to-face video interviews with doctors" or "automated and AI-driven messaging experiences that may have originally required an in-person visit or a phone call."

"Previously, patients would have gone through the process of scheduling an appointment in advance, waiting for the visit and hoping the doctor has the right answers. Now, 5G paves the way for instant healthcare coverage, providing a clear connection and accessibility for more people than ever before," Kohn said.

ANTI-5G GROUP PLANS GLOBAL PROTEST

Battery life, general accessibility and visual graphics, including those used for augmented reality used for staff education and training, will also improve with 5G wireless.

This Feb. 25, 2019 file photo shows a banner of the 5G network is displayed during the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain. The U.S.(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

"Ultimately, 5G will improve accessibility, quality of coverage and convenience. Much of that has to do with enhanced patient experiences," Kohn said. "Service providers will connect more easily with remote patients, allowing for immediate access augmented by reliable automation."

5G will also make it easier for patients and doctors to optimize the insurance processes, "avoiding additional unnecessary steps and accelerating workflows," Koh added."For example, e-signature capabilities can be provided within conversational AI experiences and 5G-powered automation can answer health questions securely, quickly and accurately, easing the strain on providers while patients gain access to instant service."

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The Trump administration and Federal Communications Commission have dedicatedbillions of dollars toward building up the United States' 5G infrastructure.

"It will makeAmerican farms more productive, American manufacturing more competitive and American health care better and more accessible," the president said in April of last year.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie announced in February that a VA hospital inPalo Alto, California, became the United States' first-ever 5G-capable hospital, according to health news website Healthcare Dive.

"What 5G will deliver is richer, more detailed three-dimensional images of patients' anatomy. The resolution is so clear and consistent that it will give us reliable means of delivering telesurgery services to veterans across the nation," Wilkie said at the time, according to Healthcare Dive. "That means we will have the capacity to allow VA's best physicians to consult during surgery even if they are not in the same room, or are halfway across the country."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Excerpt from:

Will 5G benefit the health care industry? - Fox Business

Health care workers urge people to remain cautious as businesses reopen – KFYR-TV

Posted on by

Health care providers say now that businesses are reopening, it might be appealing to relax your precautions against COVID-19.

However, they say it's especially important for the elderly and immunocompromised people that you continue.

Those groups are more susceptible to the virus because their immune systems are compromised and are more likely to develop serious infections after contracting COVID-19.

Doctors say most coronavirus cases in North Dakota are younger individuals, but the mortality rate is highest among people over 60.

They say this is because they typically have obesity, hypertension and diabetes, which are three known risk factors.

"It's very important to maintain your guard and be cautious out there because the virus is still out there. The pandemic is not over," says Sanford Health Infectious Disease Consultant Dr. Noe Mateo.

Mateo says you can help protect the elderly, immunocompromised and yourself while out by continuing to social distance, wearing a mask, washing hands frequently, and adhering to the health requirements in place at businesses.

He says immunocompromised and elderly people should avoid crowds and indoor group settings, get groceries delivered, use video conferencing and telemedicine technology and try to have people run errands for you.

See original here:

Health care workers urge people to remain cautious as businesses reopen - KFYR-TV

Health care services to resume, but some patients will need patience – Press Herald

Posted on by

Dan Cunninghams right hip has been worsening for months, and he doesnt know yet when he will be able to have the hip replacement surgery that was postponed in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Maine.

But the Brunswick resident might be able to reschedule his surgery soon, as health services unrelated to the pandemic start to return Friday in the first phase of Gov. Janet Mills reopening plan. That means delayed services such as elective surgeries, colonoscopies, mammograms, physicals, cataract surgeries, cancer biopsies, rehabilitation and others will resume.

The pent-up demand will be enormous. For example, Maine doctors perform more than 4,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries per year just for Medicare patients age 65 or older, according to federal data.

The reopening will be gradual, state and hospital officials have cautioned, so patients should not expect that everything will be up and running immediately. Priorities will be given to patients with the most acute needs.

We need to first take care of people who have more urgent needs that affect their day-to-day health, said Dr. James Jarvis, medical specialist for Northern Light Healths incident command. Northern Light is the parent company of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, as well as other hospitals in Maine. There wont be an announcement we are just doing (certain health services) today and anybody who needs them can come in today.

For instance, some joint replacements, among the most common elective surgeries across the country and in Maine, could still be postponed. Age and health of patient, how much pain the patient is in, and how well the patient can move will be considered.

Cunningham, 68, of Brunswick, said he will be calling his MaineHealth doctors office on Friday, but his case could fall into a gray area. Cunningham said his condition has deteriorated over the past month to where he now has to use a cane to move around. He also wakes up frequently during the night because of pain. He will find out soon whether his case is severe enough, compared to other patients, to put him at the front of the line.

Its frustrating, but I dont blame anyone. Everyone is sacrificing, and Im willing to do my part, said Cunningham, a retired finance director who has hiked all the 4,000-foot mountains in New England.

Dr. Herb Cushing, chief medical officer at South Portlands Spectrum Healthcare Partners, which does many joint replacement surgeries in southern Maine, said resuming surgeries wont be like flipping a switch. Some patients are almost bedridden, and in elderly people such reduced movement could cause death, so those patients will be rushed to the front of the line, Cushing said.

What was maybe an elective surgery in February probably isnt anymore, Cushing said.

John Porter, spokesman for MaineHealth, parent company of Maine Medical Center in Portland and eight other Maine hospitals, said the system expects to resume operations in a phased approach.

In the coming days, MaineHealth will evaluate which doctor visits, procedures and surgeries are most urgent and can safely be undertaken even as we maintain readiness in the event of a surge in new COVID-19 patients, Porter said in a statement.

Hospitals and health care systems across Maine postponed nonessential health care services starting in March to save capacity for a surge in COVID-19 cases. Now that cases have flattened, and current hospitalizations have declined from 87 on April 7 to 32 on Wednesday, health care services can start to re-open.

In Maine, because COVID-19 hasnt spiked to a crisis point and now appears to be on a slow downward slope, hospitals have the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients and can start returning to doing other services. Other restrictions will remain, though, such as strict limits on visitation and keeping COVID-19 patients separated from other patients.

Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association, said patients will benefit from the gradual reopening. But for hospitals, especially rural, independent facilities, it will be a needed financial lifeline.

Two hospitals, Calais Regional Hospital and Penobscot Valley Hospital in Maine, are now in bankruptcy. Several hospitals in Maine including Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston and St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor have announced furloughs or layoffs as many services were sidelined and revenue fell. Michaud said hospital rescue packages approved by Congress totaling $175 billion nationally helped but were not sufficient.

It was nowhere near enough, Michaud said The only answer is to get up and running.

Invalid username/password.

Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Previous

Next

Go here to read the rest:

Health care services to resume, but some patients will need patience - Press Herald

The unlikely alliance trying to rescue workplace health insurance – POLITICO

Posted on by

"Not only would health insurance corporations make massive profits off the planprofits that come at the cost of the American taxpayersbut it would still leave tens of millions uninsured or underinsured," the former Democratic presidential candidate wrote. "And during this pandemic, a lack of insurance means more Covid-19 transmissions and more deaths."

Americas health care system since World War II has relied on the increasingly costly employer insurance market. But with 26 million people rapidly losing their jobs amid a massive health crisis, the idea of tying coverage to the workplace is facing its biggest stress test yet.

Employers, health care groups and unions badly want the employer system to emerge from the health crisis unscathed, believing it would ward off any new expansion of government health care. Joe Bidens rise to becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee was a relief to the health care industry, which has spent the past two years attacking Medicare for All. Health care groups also oppose other more incremental government expansions, like a public option Biden and other moderate Democrats support.

This crisis will be over not soon enough, but it will be over and we need to fundamentally keep that highway back to jobs and job-provided health care open, said Ilyse Schuman, senior vice president of health policy for the American Benefits Council, which represents major employers. Thats what Congress needs to do now, and employer-sponsored insurance plays a big role in that.

Experts estimate the job-based insurance market has likely already lost millions of customers as unemployment skyrockets, and a growing number of insurers hoping to retain business are offering grace periods on premium payments. Few people losing their jobs sign up for temporary workplace insurance, known as COBRA plans, unless they desperately need the coverage. And it's both complicated and extremely costly, since it comes without employer subsidies that typically cover the lions share of monthly premiums.

Newly unemployed people losing health insurance can often find cheaper or even free coverage through the Obamacare insurance markets or Medicaid. However, President Donald Trumps refusal to broadly reopen the Obamacare markets or make enrollment easier for those eligible may limit the safety nets reach. Many of the poor won't be eligible for Medicaid in the remaining 14 states that have not expanded the programs under Obamacare.

While the health industry and Democrats still want to bolster Obamacare, an unusual bloc is pressuring Congress to fully subsidize workplace premiums for the uninsured. Corporations would benefit because the employer-based system supplies a big tax break for benefits they can use as a recruiting tool. Unions would keep the generous coverage they have negotiated with corporations. And hospitals and doctors could maintain the big payouts from private insurance, which are far higher than the Medicare and Medicaid rates paid by government.

Such an idea could hit the political sweet spot on Capitol Hill. Workplace plans, which covered an estimated 160 million Americans before the pandemic, remain popular. Democratic leaders in Congress know Republicans have little appetite for broadly expanding government coverage, and Biden has endorsed temporarily subsidizing workplace plans. Republicans, despite railing against insurer bailouts in Obamacare for years, are friendlier to employer-based insurance and may be more receptive to a deal that could prevent millions of people joining the Medicaid rolls.

The health care industry is spooked by a widely circulated projection that between 12 million and 35 million people could lose their employer health plan in the economic fallout from coronavirus. The same analysis from consulting group Health Management Associates predicts the uninsured ranks could swell from 28 million to 40 million people, while Medicaid rolls in expansion states would also grow. That prospect worries the hospital industry, which endorsed COBRA aid on Tuesday, since the safety net program typically pays much less than Medicare.

Meanwhile, the health care industry is also trying to win back Americans trust about the affordability of the system, just months after hospitals and physician groups helped derail an effort to ban exorbitant surprise medical bills. Big insurance companies are waiving deductibles and copays for their commercial plans and the Trump administration is offering Medicare payments to hospitals so they dont charge uninsured coronavirus patients.

Industry experts downplay the idea the pandemic poses an existential threat to employer insurance, noting that once the economy rebounds the same dynamics that have made the market attractive will remain unchanged.

Still, the market has already taken a hit. Additionally the yearslong trend of small businesses dropping employee coverage will likely accelerate, either because they will have shuttered or need to cut costs.

Ultimately, the future of employer-based insurance will be steered by large corporations that are the backbone of the market, said Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute. The uncertain prospects for recovery from this crisis, however, remain a wild card.

I think a lot remains to be seen with regard to how strongly the labor market bounces back and how long it takes, she said.

Unions, major insurers, hospitals and the consumer advocacy group Families USA have banded together through a group called the Alliance to Fight for Health Care, and are lobbying Congress to subsidize COBRA through the next stimulus package.

Supporters said COBRA aid would provide a backstop to hospitals and physicians, whose finances have been hurt by the cancellation of elective procedures during the crisis. Congress has already approved $175 billion to health care providers with few strings attached.

Hospitals and providers are seeing tremendous expense and increase in uncompensated care and uninsured individuals coming in, while also seeing drops in elective procedures, so I think its money well spent in protecting employees in a time of crisis, said Katie Mahoney, vice president of health policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first pitched COBRA subsidies a month ago in a proposed alternative to the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that was ultimately approved by Congress. House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) earlier this month unveiled standalone legislation fully subsidizing employer premiums for laid-off or furloughed workers.

Support from unions puts pressure on progressive Democrats, the driving force behind Medicare for All, to back the policy.

Unite Here, representing mostly service workers, said Congress must subsidize workplace plans. The unions international president, D. Taylor, estimates 95 percent of its members are unemployed during the crisis.

The health care crisis of a lifetime requires full emergency health care coverage for those millions of hardworking Americans who, through no fault of their own, have become unemployed," Taylor said.

But the effort has raised eyebrows among some liberal policy experts, who say Democrats are overlooking the health care law theyve spent the past 10 years defending. They said Democrats should be trying to expand that safety net at a time when health coverage independent from a workplace is more important than ever.

The laws individual market plans are expensive but are still ultimately cheaper for the government to subsidize than employer coverage. Medicaid plans, which offer full coverage for lower-income adults in expansion states, are cheaper still. And analysts question whether the subsidies would be money well spent when they only buy temporary certainty for workers and their families, who may ultimately have to turn to the Affordable Care Act if the economy is slow to recover.

At a time when you dont know if people are going back to work, or where theyll go back to work, getting them better ACA coverage would be more expedient, said Arielle Kane, director of health policy at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Moreover, experts note, COBRA subsidies come with a huge price tag and ultimately help the middle- and higher-income people, rather than lower-income people more likely to work retail and service jobs affected by shutdowns.

Almost no matter the employment outlook or time horizon, COBRA subsidies are unlikely to be the most cost-effective way of expanding coverage or relieving financial hardship, said Matt Fiedler, former chief economist of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration. Theyre just not targeted on the right people.

Congress subsidized COBRA in the last recession, before Obamacare was passed. The aid had limited reach only about one-third of those eligible for subsidies signed up for coverage, according to a 2015 Labor Department review. Congress at the time agreed to a 65 percent premium subsidy. This time, groups are pushing to cover the entire amount.

Tom Leibfried, a health care lobbyist for AFL-CIO, acknowledged some progressives would rather expand government coverage through the crisis, but he stressed that it would be easier to work within the existing system to deliver faster relief.

So as happened in 2009, during the Great Recession, its just more practical to turn to existing institutions and use those to make sure people get the care they need and dont face financial hardship, he said.

Original post:

The unlikely alliance trying to rescue workplace health insurance - POLITICO

See the governor and elected officials thank health care workers in Bridgeport – CTPost

Posted on by

Gov. Ned Lamont, left, U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, center, and Mayor Joe Ganim speak together during a thankyou rally in front of Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport, Conn. May 1, 2020. Several elected officials stopped at Northbridge Friday to thank the staff, where dozens of COVID-19 patients have been sent for recovery.

Gov. Ned Lamont, left, U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, center, and Mayor Joe Ganim speak together during a thankyou rally in front of Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport, Conn. May 1, 2020. Several

Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

Gov. Ned Lamont, left, U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, center, and Mayor Joe Ganim speak together during a thankyou rally in front of Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport, Conn. May 1, 2020. Several elected officials stopped at Northbridge Friday to thank the staff, where dozens of COVID-19 patients have been sent for recovery.

Gov. Ned Lamont, left, U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, center, and Mayor Joe Ganim speak together during a thankyou rally in front of Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport, Conn. May 1, 2020. Several

See the governor and elected officials thank health care workers in Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT Several elected officials including Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim stopped at Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport on Friday to thank the staff, where dozens of COVID-19 patients have been sent for recovery.

See the original post:

See the governor and elected officials thank health care workers in Bridgeport - CTPost

11-year-old CEO switches gears to help health care workers with ear savers – KMOV.com

Posted on by

'); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append('"+val.ihtml+""); $("#expandable-weather-block .weather-index-alerts").show(); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body h2").css({"font-family":"'Fira Sans', sans-serif", "font-weight":"500", "padding-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body p").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body span.wxalertnum").css({"float":"left", "width":"40px", "height":"40px", "color":"#ffffff", "line-height":"40px", "background-color":"#888888", "border-radius":"40px", "text-align":"center", "margin-right":"12px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body b").css("font-size", "18px"); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body li").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"18px", "margin-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body ul").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body pre").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body img").css({"width":"100%", "margin-bottom":"20px", "borderWidth":"1px", "border-style":"solid", "border-color":"#aaaaaa"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).css({"borderWidth":"0", "border-bottom-width":"1px", "border-style":"dashed", "border-color":"#aaaaaa", "padding-bottom":"10px", "margin-bottom":"40px"}); }); } function parseAlertJSON(json) { console.log(json); alertCount = 0; if (Object.keys(json.alerts).length > 0) { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").empty(); } $.each(json.alerts, function(key, val) { alertCount++; $("#mrd-wx-alerts .alert_count").text(alertCount); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").append(''); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } else if (val.fips != "" && val.fipsimg != "") { // $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } // } //val.instr = val.instr.replace(/[W_]+/g," "); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(val.dhtml+"

Instruction

Read the rest here:

11-year-old CEO switches gears to help health care workers with ear savers - KMOV.com

Nurse who worked at Signature HealthCARE in Newburgh dies from COVID-19 complications – Courier & Press

Posted on by

Share This Story!

Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about

A 65-year-old woman who was a nurse at Signature HealthCARE in Newburgh from COVID-19 complications Friday, Warrick County Coroner Sarah Seaton said.

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. A 65-year-old woman who was a nurse at Signature HealthCARE in Newburgh died from COVID-19 complications Friday, Warrick County Coroner Sarah Seaton said.

The deathwill be the first attributed to Spencer County because the woman was a resident there, Spencer County Coroner Rachel Gentry said.

Gentry said the Indiana Department of Health said the woman was one of thefive confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus that had been reported in Spencer County so far.

She also said that there was no indication where the woman contracted the coronavirus,. Twelve residents at Signature HealthCARE, where the nurse worked, have died of COVID-19 complications.

A statementfrom Signature HealthCARE about the death had not been received by deadline Friday afternoon.

According to the Warrick County Health Department, 12 residents and one nurse at Signature Healthcare of Newburgh at 5233 Rosebud Lane in Newburgh, Ind., have died from complications of the COVID-19 virus. This picture was made April 7, 2020.(Photo: DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS)

The death is the 13th COVID-19-related death from Signature'slong-term care facility since the coronavirus pandemic began. The other COVID-19 deaths there have all been residents.

Gentrysaid the woman actually died at aVanderburgh County hospital, although she worked in Warrick County and was a Spencer County resident.

More: Number of Vanderburgh County coronavirus cases jumps to 143, state shows 55 new deaths

As of Friday, there was only one COVID-related death recorded in Vanderburgh County and 16 total in Warrick.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/local/2020/05/01/signature-healthcare-nurse-dies-covid-19-complications/3068225001/

May 1, 2020, 4:43 p.m.

May 1, 2020, 3:30 p.m.

May 1, 2020, 4:46 p.m.

May 1, 2020, 4:15 p.m.

May 1, 2020, 2:01 p.m.

May 1, 2020, 3:41 p.m.

Read more:

Nurse who worked at Signature HealthCARE in Newburgh dies from COVID-19 complications - Courier & Press

F-35 team from Hill AFB salutes Utah health care workers, residents with flyover – KSL.com

Posted on by

SALT LAKE CITY Many Utahns all over the state stood outside to watch as four jets from Hill Air Force Bases 388th Fighter Wing zipped by in the sky above Thursday afternoon.

The Air Force F-35A Lightning II demonstration team jets flew all over the state, saluting medical workers for their service and Utah residents for staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Capt. Kip Sumner, spokesman for the F-35 demo team, explained on Wednesday that the jets would try to reach as many hospitals and health care facilities as possible along the Wasatch Front.

The team of four jets made their way from Hill Air Force base through the Wasatch Front down to St. George before they turned back north, flying past Park City up to Logan and then back to Hill Air Force base. The entire trek lasted a couple of hours.

While the flyover lasted just moments for most Utahns, the thought meant a lot. Young children cheered as the jets raced past the Utah Capitol toward the University of Utah Hospital.

#UtahStrong indeed! Thanks @F35demoteam for todays flyover #SLC to honor our first responders, healthcare heroes and all those on the frontlines of #COVID19 working to help #FlattenTheCurve. We see you! We appreciate you!THANK YOU!@slcmayor@slcCouncil#utpol@UtahGov@SLCoGovpic.twitter.com/x6bODVqGGC

Did you see the @HAFB@388fw@F35demoteam flyover? This was our view from @KSLChopper5 for @KSL5TV as Beo and the team flew over @UofUHealth as part of their salute to frontline healthcare workers. Keep an eye on the sky as they head south! #avgeekpic.twitter.com/1bkgypyEiz

"I love it," one health worker said, standing on Primary Children's Hospital's rooftop as the jets thundered by. That moment was recorded in a video sent to KSL.com by Caitlin Nash, an advanced EMT who works for Life Flight at the hospital.

Another image sent to KSL.com by Briana Terry showed LDS Hospital workers standing on the rooftop of the hospital to watch the fighter jets, as well.

A similar scene played out at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. Several doctors and nurses stepped outside and cheered as the brief show roared above.

"I think it's an incredible show of support," Gary Brunson, assistant nurse manager at Intermountain Health Center, told KSL TV. "I have staff that's working in the respiratory surge area every single day and this is a nice way to acknowledge what they're doing day in and day out."

Share your photos of the flyover by sending them to web@ksl.com and well pick some to feature in this story. You can view more of the photos sent to us in the attached gallery.

Contributing: Alex Cabrero, KSL TV

Here is the original post:

F-35 team from Hill AFB salutes Utah health care workers, residents with flyover - KSL.com

CHARLOTTE DE WITTE BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN TECHNO AND TRANCE WITH TWO-PART REMIX TREATMENT OF JEROME ISMA-AE’S ‘HOLD THAT SUCKER DOWN’ – – VENTS…

Posted on by

There arent a lot of artists out there who can turn one of dance musics greatest classics into a genre-crossing masterpiece, but Charlotte de Witte is clearly one of them and has outdone herself once more. Today, the widely acclaimed Techno starlet presented not one but two brand-new renditions of Jerome Isma-Aes Hold That Sucker Down, with both the Rave Remix and Trance Remix set to appease Techno lovers and Trance enthusiasts alike.

Listen to both versions of Jerome Isma-Ae Hold That Sucker Down (Charlotte de Witte Remix)

Already played by Armin van Buuren during his A State Of Trance 950 warm-up set, Charlotte de Wittes remix of Hold That Sucker Down is a timeless classic turned contemporary crowd favorite. Turning Jerome Isma-Aes spin on The O.T. Quartets 1994 original into a nostalgia-infused floor-thriller, the Belgian tastemaker does what she does best: crafting up records for the sole purpose of dance floor domination.

Charlotte de Witte: Remixing a classic is something that always feels extremely honorable and rewarding to me. While remixing Jerome Isma-Ae, I decided to aim for two different remixes. One would respect the massive trance lead and vibe of the original, while the other would be faster and more stripped down, bringing forward the techno that I love so much.

Originally posted here:

CHARLOTTE DE WITTE BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN TECHNO AND TRANCE WITH TWO-PART REMIX TREATMENT OF JEROME ISMA-AE'S 'HOLD THAT SUCKER DOWN' - - VENTS...

The 10 Best Aussie Rave Deep Cuts of the ’90s – Mixdown

Posted on by

B(if)tek - We Think Youre Dishy

Hailing from Canberra and comprised of Kate Crawford and Nicole Skeltys, B(if)tek were associated with the Clan Analogue collective in the early 90s, which birthed a great many of the decades best acts. We Think Youre Dishy was one of the duos defining tracks, marrying a funky house groove with a cascading synth sequence, string stabs and icy vocoders to create one bizarre dance floor odyssey. The music video, filmed at Sydneys iconic Club Kooky, is an absolute hoot as well - it absolutely screams late 90s Rage.

Honeysmack - Walk On Acid

A world-recognised authority in the art of acid house, Honeysmacks knack for hardware and give-no-fucks attitude saw him become a bona fide hero of Melbournes electronic scene - a status that lingers even to this day. Walk On Acid saw Honeysmack sample Burt Bacharachs classic Walk On By and obliterate it with a thumping kick and slippery 303 bassline, and was so adored by the scene that it was nominated for an ARIA in 1999. If youre a keen electronic fan, be sure to check out his live hardware sets on YouTube: this mans an absolute master of his machines.

Zen Paradox - Say Goodbye To The Dark Place

Trance music might not be viewed favourably by todays critical consensus, but back in the day, it was all the rage - remember, these were early days for ravers. One choice cut from this era is Zen Paradoxs sublime 1994 track Say Goodbye To The Dark Place. Zen Paradox is considered an OG of Australian trance, and on this track its easy to tell why, with the artist utilising twinkling arpeggios, a heavy bass groove and droning, suspenseful strings to create a transcendental experience unlike any other.

Endorphin - Satie 1

Sometimes, even ravers have got to take it easy. Arriving to the scene amidst the trip-hop boom of the late 90s, Endorphins breezy productions became a favourite comedown soundtrack for many punters, and Satie 1, the first track from his 1998 debut Embrace exemplifies this. Driven by a IDM influenced beat and embellished with washy new-age pianos, Satie 1 is absolute post-rave euphoria of the finest kind, and sounds way ahead of its time: as if those synths dont sound like theyre torn straight from the Kevin Parker playbook?

DJ HMC - 6 AM

DJ HMC is regarded by many as the godfather of Australian techno, and was a pivotal force in the 90s scene. LSD and Marauder might be bigger club hits, but its the hypnotic squelch of 6 AM that takes the cake for me. Here, DJ HMC works with the bare essentials, pushing a very low corrosive bassline and a TR-909 drum machine to their limits to make one of the nastiest acid techno tracks of the era. Listen to the way the 303 is panned throughout the track: it's absolutely genius.These days, HMC makes funky disco edits under the moniker Late Nite Tuff Guy, a beloved project that even further asserts his legendary status in dance music.

FSOM - Track Six

Naming your group Future Sound of Melbourne could be considered as cocky to some, but FSOM were just that. The combination of Steve Robbins, David Carbone and Josh Abrahams were reponsible for some of the Souths filthiest techno cuts of the decade, a prime example of which is 1993s Track Six. While Track Six is a good 15-20bpm slower than most techno cuts today, theres no denying that its evil bassline and classic 909 hi-hat pattern would have been dangerous on the dancefloor.

Vision Four 5 Everything You Need

Formed at Queenslands Griffith University in 1990, Vision Four 5 fused hard-hitting electronic sounds with cutting edge visuals, utilising a live camera feed and interactive animation system to create a lucid backdrop for ravers to trip out to during their live performances. You can see graphic prowess this in action throughout the video for Everything You Need, a true late night Rage classic and a club stomper in its own right. Featuring a classic Detroit-inspired vocal sample and psychedelic synthesisers courtesy of some cleverly sequenced SH-101s, Everything You Need is peak 90s techno.

Chili Hi Fly Is It Love

Disco might have been a bit of a dirty word in the ears of most techno purists, but you cant argue against the universal appeal of Chili Hi Fly. Although it didnt achieve major chart success overseas until the new millennium, the Sydney collectives signature track Is It Love originally dropped back in 1998, and is considered by many as a certified standout of Australias late 90s house bloom. Of course, youve got to give credit to that irresistible sample from Kool & The Gangs Be My Lady, but man does this one slam.

Voiteck - Corkscrew

Another Melbourne electronic stalwart, Voiteck was renowned for his furious improvised techno sets at institutions like Lounge and Revolver Upstairs, and held a fruitful collaborative relationship with the aforementioned Honeysmack: the duo even appeared together on ABCs Recovery in 1996. Corkscrew is one of the artists earlier cuts from 1992, but it might just be one of his hardest, with Voiteck pushing the tried and true 909/303 combination to electrifying heights for a heavy dosage of acidic techno.

Itch-E & Scratch-E - Point Of No Return

It goes without saying that Itch-E and Scratch-E are one of the most legendary electronic groups Australias ever produced. While many know the duo for their mighty 94 hit Sweetness and Light (to which Paul Mac dedicated to the ecstasy dealers of Sydney upon winning the inaugural ARIA Award for Best Dance Release in 1995), you cant go past the hypnotic trance of their 1993 track Point Of No Return. Its furiously rhythmic yet oddly melodic, and Ill pay any track that samples Russel Crowe and turns it into a raveanthem. Superb stuff.

Revisit our ten favourite deep cuts of Australian '70s rock.

Originally posted here:

The 10 Best Aussie Rave Deep Cuts of the '90s - Mixdown

Charli XCX Parties In An Alternate Dimension In The Video For ‘Claws’ – Broadway World

Posted on by

Today Charli XCX unveils the music video for 'claws', the Angel-selected second single from her forthcoming new album, 'how i'm feeling now'.

Watch below!

Directed by Charli and Charlotte Rutherford, the visual transports Charli to multiple alternate realities from the comfort of her home while she's self-isolating. Using a green screen, Charli parties with a metallic snake, hovers above groups of people below her, performs as a severed head and more, finding a place to leave it all behind in hyperreality before the video's glitched-out final moments.

Yesterday Charli held her fourth weekly Zoom conference for 1000 fans, taking questions on the album's songwriting process from the likes of Drag Race winner Aquaria, LA based musicians Simi + Haze, NME Radar award winner Beabadoobee and sex positive icon Sophie Anderson. Watch the session back here.

A short, sharp burst of energy, 'claws' crackles with futuristic spirit. Produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, the track blends pop, hip hop, electronica and trance with Charli flowing dexterously over the top of the track's unrelenting instrumental. Exploring the feeling of being close to the one you love every day - 'claws' captures the manic jubilation of love in lockdown in a refreshing way; with synths teetering on the edge of discordance, full bodied 808s and Charli's innocent delivery juxtaposing and complimenting each other simultaneously before descending into a trance-infused euphoria.

To be released on May 15th 2020, Charli XCX's forthcoming new album 'how i'm feeling now' is a completely unique project. Written, recorded and released in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album invites collaboration in a new way, welcoming fans to give feedback on every aspect of the record; from contributing to videos, to songwriting choices, to single selection and more.

To support those suffering with the effects of COVID-19 if you are in a position to, please consider donating to the following charity:

LA ALLIANCE

LA Alliance are an organization that fights for the rights and protection of homeless peoples in Los Angeles who are currently campaigning for their protection from COVID-19. More info on what they do here.

To donate to the LA Alliance: click here

The rest is here:

Charli XCX Parties In An Alternate Dimension In The Video For 'Claws' - Broadway World

Van Helsing Season 5: Do We Finally Got The Release Date! – The Digital Wise

Posted on by

Van Helsing has spared its fans from estimating if the December 20 Season 4 finale will stay as the series finale, given Syfys announcement of a fifth season, which will fill in as the shows last packaging.

The TV series has demonstrated Van Helsing to take an exceptional turn. The show is set in a not all that far off future where vampires have managed over the world. The series has portrayed Vanessa Han Helsing to pursue the vampire basically like her predecessors.

The fifth season of Van Helsing doesnt yet have a precise release date yet is depended upon to show up at some point in late 2020. The series set to start production work in mid-2020, it is apparently on track to appear as a fall offering like its previous four seasons.

Source: Den Of Geek

The series stars Kelly Overton as Vanessa van Helsing.

The series is set very quickly, and the vampires have expected command over the world. Vanessa wakes from a 3-year long trance-like state like state and is the last trust in humanity. She is gifted with the ability to change vampires into individuals. The vampires are attacking her, be that as it may, she gets spared by Marine.

Also ReadHoley Moley Season 2: Release Date And The Amazing Story leaks.

She makes an outing far east to join her sister, and the pursuit of vampires continues. As revealed in Season 4, Vanessa isnt, now, the only one with stand-out vampire renewing capacities. Season 5 will be starting from a cliffhanger and will offer a response to all the requests from the past seasons. Season 5 Will be energizing to watch.

Read more here:

Van Helsing Season 5: Do We Finally Got The Release Date! - The Digital Wise

A Brief History of the Drug War | Drug Policy Alliance

Posted on by

This video from hip hop legend Jay Z and acclaimed artist Molly Crabapple depicts the drug wars devastating impact on the Black community from decades of biased law enforcement.

The video traces the drug war from President Nixon to the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws to the emerging aboveground marijuana market that is poised to make legal millions for wealthy investors doing the same thing that generations of people of color have been arrested and locked up for. After you watch the video, read on to learn more about the discriminatory history of the war on drugs.

Many currently illegal drugs, such as marijuana, opium, coca, and psychedelics have been used for thousands of years for both medical and spiritual purposes. So why are some drugs legal and other drugs illegal today? It's not based on any scientific assessment of the relative risks of these drugs but it has everything to do with who is associated with these drugs.

The first anti-opium laws in the 1870s were directed at Chinese immigrants. The first anti-cocaine laws in the early 1900s were directed at black men in the South. The first anti-marijuana laws, in the Midwest and the Southwest in the 1910s and 20s, were directed at Mexican migrants and Mexican Americans. Today, Latino and especially black communities are still subject to wildly disproportionate drug enforcement and sentencing practices.

In the 1960s, as drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent, the government halted scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and efficacy.

In June 1971, President Nixon declared a war on drugs. He dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants.

A top Nixon aide, John Ehrlichman, later admitted: You want to know what this was really all about. The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what Im saying. We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.Nixon temporarily placed marijuana in Schedule One, the most restrictive category of drugs, pending review by a commission he appointed led by Republican Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer.

In 1972, the commission unanimously recommended decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use. Nixon ignored the report and rejected its recommendations.

Between 1973 and 1977, however, eleven states decriminalized marijuana possession. In January 1977, President Jimmy Carter was inaugurated on a campaign platform that included marijuana decriminalization. In October 1977, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use.

Within just a few years, though, the tide had shifted. Proposals to decriminalize marijuana were abandoned as parents became increasingly concerned about high rates of teen marijuana use. Marijuana was ultimately caught up in a broader cultural backlash against the perceived permissiveness of the 1970s.

The presidency of Ronald Reagan marked the start of a long period of skyrocketing rates of incarceration, largely thanks to his unprecedented expansion of the drug war. The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law offenses increased from 50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 by 1997.

Public concern about illicit drug use built throughout the 1980s, largely due to media portrayals of people addicted to the smokeable form of cocaine dubbed crack. Soon after Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, his wife, Nancy Reagan, began a highly-publicized anti-drug campaign, coining the slogan "Just Say No."

This set the stage for the zero tolerance policies implemented in the mid-to-late 1980s. Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, who believed that casual drug users should be taken out and shot, founded the DARE drug education program, which was quickly adopted nationwide despite the lack of evidence of its effectiveness. The increasingly harsh drug policies also blocked the expansion of syringe access programs and other harm reduction policies to reduce the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS.

In the late 1980s, a political hysteria about drugs led to the passage of draconian penalties in Congress and state legislatures that rapidly increased the prison population. In 1985, the proportion of Americans polled who saw drug abuse as the nation's "number one problem" was just 2-6 percent. The figure grew through the remainder of the 1980s until, in September 1989, it reached a remarkable 64 percent one of the most intense fixations by the American public on any issue in polling history. Within less than a year, however, the figure plummeted to less than 10 percent, as the media lost interest. The draconian policies enacted during the hysteria remained, however, and continued to result in escalating levels of arrests and incarceration.

Although Bill Clinton advocated for treatment instead of incarceration during his 1992 presidential campaign, after his first few months in the White House he reverted to the drug war strategies of his Republican predecessors by continuing to escalate the drug war. Notoriously, Clinton rejected a U.S. Sentencing Commission recommendation to eliminate the disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences.

He also rejected, with the encouragement of drug czar General Barry McCaffrey, Health Secretary Donna Shalalas advice to end the federal ban on funding for syringe access programs. Yet, a month before leaving office, Clinton asserted in a Rolling Stone interview that "we really need a re-examination of our entire policy on imprisonment" of people who use drugs, and said that marijuana use "should be decriminalized."

At the height of the drug war hysteria in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a movement emerged seeking a new approach to drug policy. In 1987, Arnold Trebach and Kevin Zeese founded the Drug Policy Foundation describing it as the loyal opposition to the war on drugs. Prominent conservatives such as William Buckley and Milton Friedman had long advocated for ending drug prohibition, as had civil libertarians such as longtime ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser. In the late 1980s they were joined by Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, Federal Judge Robert Sweet, Princeton professor Ethan Nadelmann, and other activists, scholars and policymakers.

In 1994, Nadelmann founded The Lindesmith Center as the first U.S. project of George Soros Open Society Institute. In 2000, the growing Center merged with the Drug Policy Foundation to create the Drug Policy Alliance.

George W. Bush arrived in the White House as the drug war was running out of steam yet he allocated more money than ever to it. His drug czar, John Walters, zealously focused on marijuana and launched a major campaign to promote student drug testing. While rates of illicit drug use remained constant, overdose fatalities rose rapidly.

The era of George W. Bush also witnessed the rapid escalation of the militarization of domestic drug law enforcement. By the end of Bush's term, there were about 40,000 paramilitary-style SWAT raids on Americans every year mostly for nonviolent drug law offenses, often misdemeanors. While federal reform mostly stalled under Bush, state-level reforms finally began to slow the growth of the drug war.

Politicians now routinely admit to having used marijuana, and even cocaine, when they were younger. When Michael Bloomberg was questioned during his 2001 mayoral campaign about whether he had ever used marijuana, he said, "You bet I did and I enjoyed it." Barack Obama also candidly discussed his prior cocaine and marijuana use: "When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently that was the point."

Public opinion has shifted dramatically in favor of sensible reforms that expand health-based approaches while reducing the role of criminalization in drug policy.

Marijuana reform has gained unprecedented momentum throughout the Americas. Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington State, and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for adults. In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legally regulate marijuana. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans legalize marijuana for adults by 2018.

In response to a worsening overdose epidemic, dozens of U.S. states passed laws to increase access to the overdose antidote, naloxone, as well as 911 Good Samaritan laws to encourage people to seek medical help in the event of an overdose.

Yet the assault on American citizens and others continues, with 700,000 people still arrested for marijuana offenses each year and almost 500,000 people still behind bars for nothing more than a drug law violation.

President Obama, despite supporting several successful policy changes such as reducing the crack/powder sentencing disparity, ending the ban on federal funding for syringe access programs, and ending federal interference with state medical marijuana laws did not shift the majority of drug policy funding to a health-based approach.

Now, the new administration is threatening to take us backward toward a 1980s style drug war. President Trump is building a wall to keep drugs out of the country, and has called for harsher sentences for drug law violations and the death penalty for people who sell drugs. He has also resurrecteddisproven just say no messaging aimed at youth.

Progress is inevitably slow, and even with an administration hostile to reform there is still unprecedented momentum behind drug policy reform in states and localities across the country. The Drug Policy Alliance and its allies will continue to advocate for health-based reforms such as marijuana legalization, drug decriminalization, safe consumption sites, naloxone access, bail reform, and more.

We look forward to a future where drug policies are shaped by science and compassion rather than political hysteria.

Link:

A Brief History of the Drug War | Drug Policy Alliance

The War on Drugs has failed. But a profit-driven legal market is not the answer – Open Democracy

Posted on by

The idea that certain drugs should be prohibited by law is often viewed as simple common sense, but it is actually a recent social phenomenon. The first international laws prohibiting drugs only appeared at the start of the twentieth century, and it wasnt until the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961 that banning the non-medicinal trade in drugs like cannabis, cocaine and opiates was accepted across the world.

Since then, the War on Drugs has become a huge driver of the worlds ever-growing prison population. In the UK, more than 1 in 8 of all prisoners currently incarcerated in British prisons are serving their sentences for drug offences. Furthermore, in the UK black people are over-represented in cannabis prosecutions, with over 20% of those convicted for cannabis offences being black, even though they comprise less than 4% of the UKs total population.

However, the 21st century seems to be showing signs of a change in direction. In December 2013, Uruguay became the first nation-sate to legalise cannabis. Uruguay was soon followed by Canada in 2018, with countries such as New Zealand and Mexico currently working on legislation to allow a recreational market to be implemented over the coming year. Furthermore, in the USA, the country that drove the War on Drugs for most of the twentieth century, a host of states from California and Alaska have also legalised recreational cannabis markets.

However, Britain is still yet to have a serious national conversation about what is being referred to as the green rush the 21st century growth of a legal cannabis trade. The creation of a legal regulated market for cannabis in North America has become big business in a short space of time. According to marijuana business daily, the legal cannabis industry is estimated to generate between $8 billion to $10 billion in annual retail sales already, and is projected to rise to $22 billion annually by 2022. In the American states that have legalised the drug, California has generated the largest revenues with over $2.75 billion in cannabis sales. Smaller states such as Oregon and Washington have also produced large markets, with Oregon registering $500 million in recreational sales and Washington over $975 million through its recreational market. Some of the biggest cannabis corporations to emerge in this new marketplace include Canada based companies Aurora Cannabis (market cap of over $7billion) and Canopy Growth (market cap of over $12 billion). However, on its current trajectory, it appears that the emergence of a profitable cannabis market may not necessarily challenge economic and racial inequality across society.

In North America, those who have suffered the most under the War on Drugs are also being excluded from the wealth that is being generated in its transition to a legal market. Across many of the states that have legalised cannabis, people with Federal convictions (which includes most drugs crimes) are excluded from gaining cannabis business licences. With the drug war criminalising racial minorities disproportionately, those communities find themselves being punished twice-over once by prohibition and again by being banned from the legal market.

As well as the legal blocks, there are also significant financial barriers to entry. The major banks are reluctant to lend to this new industry, meaning that many of the people able to enter this new industry are independently wealthy already. Furthermore, cannabis companies in North America have often been reliant on seed cash and private capital investment, not only bank loans. Therefore, individuals with the knowledge of how to raise private financing and who are already embedded in networks of wealthy individuals and institutions are often highly present within these cannabis companies. This helps explain why companies and individuals from industries such as tech, pharmaceuticals and mining have been drawn to cannabis.

Recently there have been some exciting new initiatives launched in North America. This includes proposals such as Real Action for Cannabis Equity, or RACE, launched in Boston in September 2019. RACE is a coalition of actors that seeks to promote the interests of entrepreneurs and workers of colour as they try to gain entry into the legal cannabis marketplace. Another organisation aiming at similar changes is the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA). Founded in late 2015, MCBA understands itself as aiming to serve the specific needs of minority cannabis entrepreneurs, workers, and patients/ consumers.

The work of these organisation and other advocates, lawyers and politicians has resulted in more innovative and exciting plans for greater economic equity being included in some cannabis legalisation laws over recent years. For instance, in 2017, the city of Oakland launched its equity programme, through which cannabis business permits would give priority to equity applicants, a category that was defined as either someone whose annual income is less than 80% of the citys average income, someone who is from one of the 21 areas where drug arrests were most prevalent, or someone who has been convicted for a cannabis-related crime after November 5 1996.

In addition, even non-equity applicants that do not fit within this criteria can improve their own chances of gaining permits if they commit to helping equity applicants with free rent or real estate. In 2018, the neighbouring city of San Francisco followed suit with a similar equity programme established through a city ordinance, which included amnesty for weed-related crimes, wiping out or reducing the sentencings for all cannabis-related crime convictions dating back to 1975. This helps empower people who might have been convicted decades ago but are still barred from certain jobs or housing. Most recently, Californias biggest city, Los Angles, has also adopted a social equity program which offers priority application processing and business support to individuals who can show they were disproportionately impacted by the previous laws prohibiting cannabis during the War on Drugs.

As well as initiatives to try to diversify ownership in the cannabis industry, there are also moves towards exploring cooperative forms of ownership of dispensaries. Massachusetts has considered co-op models where people in the city can pool resources and enter into a competitive market. Currently the law allows co-ops to cultivate and deliver cannabis to high-street dispensers, but not to own or operate them.

In terms of consumption, the co-ops have a collection of members who are able to use cannabis together and pool resources in terms of cultivation. In Washington State, it is only legal to set up a co-op for medical marijuana, with each co-op allowed a total of four members. Members must be over 21 and not give away or sell any cannabis they grow to non-members.

However, there has also been a backlash against cannabis co-ops. Colorado, for instance, recently pushed back against the co-op form. Until 2017, recreational cannabis users could group their maximum personal allowance of six cannabis plants into large co-ops, but in April 2017 the state criminalised the practice of individuals growing cannabis for other people as these large co-ops could not be adequately supervised.

If overly marketized, there is a real danger that a legal cannabis market could just create new processes of exclusion and inequality. A profit-driven legal cannabis market could easily be accompanied by even more punitive controls on the black market. This could lead to the worsening of social and racial inequalities in wealth, economic opportunities and criminal justice that emerged during the twentieth century drug war.

On the other hand, cannabis legalisation may offer a rare opportunity to introduce policies that could rebalance some of those inequalities that have plagued society for too long. This opportunity should not be overlooked.

This article is a shortened version of a report that was published by Common Wealth.

See the rest here:

The War on Drugs has failed. But a profit-driven legal market is not the answer - Open Democracy

Meat Supply Disruptions Are the Bitter Harvest of the Non-Essential Worker Fallacy | Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan – Foundation for Economic…

Posted on by

A central theme of our recent book, Cooperation & Coercion, is that all governments are hamstrung when they attempt to fix problems. Policymakers suffer from the knowledge problem: they dont know enough to foresee every eventuality that will follow from what they do. Politicians see a problem, speak in sweeping statements, then declare what will happen, assuming their edicts will settle matters. But that is always just the beginning. More often than not, all manner of unintended consequences emerge, often making things worse than they were before their policies went into effect.

Consider the United States three high-profile wars against common nouns over the past half-century. Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty in the 1960s, Richard Nixon a War on Drugs in the 1970s, and George W. Bush declared a War on Terror in the early 2000s.

How are those wars working out? Because a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that we have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $23 trillion in our attempt to eradicate poverty, drugs, and terror. Not only have we not won any of these wars, it is unclear that any of them can be won. These three so-called wars have managed to saddle future generations of taxpayers with unprecedented debt. And, as is the case with all coercive endeavors, policymakers ask us to imagine how bad things would have been had we not spent the trillions we did spend. And then they ask for even more money. So now we have unwinnable wars along with institutionalized boondoggles to support them.

We see the same sort of thing happening now in the face of the COVID-19 threat that has induced the largest panic attack in world history. In the name of safety, policymakers have shut down myriad productive endeavors. And there will be a raft of unintended consequences to follow. We are already seeing them manifest, and they portend potential disaster as supply chains fail.

The first cracks in US supply chains appeared in the meat industry. Smithfield Foods, reacting to a number of workers contracting the virus, shut down its Sioux Fall plant. Kenneth M. Sullivan, President and CEO, explained in a press release that, the closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply. But its not just the meat plant thats implicated. Its everyone from the cattle farmer to the person who cooks dinner, and there are a number of people who have a place in that process who might first escape attention. The people who make packing materials needed to ship food, the maintenance workers who service machines up and down the supply chain, the truck drivers who move product from one place to another, the grocers who sell the product, the daycare workers who care for the grocers children so the grocers can work, and many, many more are all at risk.

This is by no means simply a Smithfield Foods problem. In full-page advertisements published in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Tyson Foods Chairman John Tyson warned, "The food supply chain is breaking." And small producers are in the same boat as the industry giants.

Millions of pounds of food are simply disappearing from the American pipeline. Chicken, hogs, and cattle are being destroyed, and farmers are dumping milk, eggs, and produce because restaurants have been forced to close. The price of oil went negative because travel restrictions have reduced the demand for oil in the US by so much that oil has gone from being a valuable commodity to a nuisance of which businesses cant rid themselves.

Predictably, politicians have jumped into the fray, with Senators Mike Lee, (R-Utah), and Amy Klobuchar, (D-Minn) leading this charge. They recently sent a letter to top members of President Donald Trumps Cabinet, including Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, asking for a probe into the nations food problems.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they wrote, has exposed troubling vulnerabilities in our meat supply chain that are harming both American livestock producers and consumers. We urge you to work to identify the root cause of these disruptions so we can work together to implement solutions.

Lee and Klobuchar might be the only two people in the United States who cannot identify the root cause of the vulnerabilities in the meat supply chain. Its the same root cause that has yielded every other product shortage we have experienced since the COVID-19 response began. Its the virus, Senators, coupled with political hubris. In the political classs zeal to contain the virus, any number of things found their way to the back burner, including the nations food supply. This happened because of two fundamental misunderstandings on the part of politicians: what supply chains and essential workers actually are. Policymakers who brought the force of government to bear in managing the economy have demonstrated that they dont actually understand what the economy is.

In declaring some jobs necessary and others not, in focusing on one supply chain versus another, policymakers show how little they know about the nations economy. In their view, they can simply declare things they want to happen, and then those things will happen. But that is not how economies work. An economy is the sum total of everyones activities, and when the government declares that something must happen, all kinds of other things happen too.

Consider how all the non-essential workers have been sent home for the past two months. Who gets to declare which workers are non-essential to the economy, and by what standard? Most assumed that politicians had the correct answers to these questions. But, as we are discovering, there is no such thing as non-essential workers. All workers are essential. How do we know? Because their jobs existed. Profit-driven businesses do not create non-essential jobs. Those peoples jobs were essential to their employers. Further, those peoples jobs were incredibly essential to the people themselves. They need their wages to pay the rent, buy their food, make their car payments, and for everything else that makes their lives livable.

But policymakers simply declared them non-essential, as if there would be no fallout from that decision.

In the same way that each person is supposedly connected to every other by no more than six degrees of separation, each business is connected to every other in exactly the same way. We cannot declare one business unnecessary without, by extension, declaring unnecessary every other business that relies on it, and every business that relies on those businesses. Food is necessary, and because of that delivery trucks are necessary, and because of that engine fuses and wiper blades are necessary, and because of that plastic packaging in which fuses and blades are sold is necessary, and on and on. Our economy is not a series of individual supply chains. It is a single, unified supply web. Cut the web in any place and the whole structure weakens.

And politicians have been cutting the web in myriad ways since this began. And what has happened? Food is not being delivered, and now politicians wonder why. What they really need is a mirror and an introductory economics text.

Normal people understand that there is only so much any person, or any group of people can know. But politicians rarely think of themselves as normal people do. Politicians seem to think they can solve any problem simply by declaring the solution. But solutions never play out in vacuums. Here in the real world, every action inspires multiple reactions. To think things will work any other way is just more of the same hubris that got us into the current mess.

So whats the correct answer? It is to leave people alone so that they can arrive at their own solutions. People know the relative risks and tradeoffs they face, and it should be up to them to act in their own best interests, knowing as many of the details as possible. Will this yield perfect outcomes? Probably not.

But it wouldnt yield food shortages and bankruptcies to the extent we now have them, either.

Continued here:

Meat Supply Disruptions Are the Bitter Harvest of the Non-Essential Worker Fallacy | Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan - Foundation for Economic...

Former police chief of Honduras accused of trafficking drugs to US – The Guardian

Posted on by

US federal prosecutors have accused the former national police chief of Honduras of trafficking tonnes of cocaine to the US on behalf of the countrys president, Juan Orlando Hernndez, and his brother, who was convicted of similar charges in October.

Hernndez was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the trial of his brother Juan Antonio Tony Hernndez, but the US has continued to call him an ally in its war on drugs.

According to the complaint filed on Thursday by the Southern District of New York, the former police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla participated in extreme violence, including the murder of a rival trafficker, to further the conspiracy.

Prosecutors also allege that Bonilla was entrusted with special assignments, including murder by President Hernndez who is identified as a co-conspirator and his brother, Tony.

Bonilla, an imposing figure known as El Tigre (the Tiger), was appointed as national police chief in May 2012 at a time when Honduras had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

In the role, Bonilla collaborated with US counter-narcotics forces operating in Honduras and helped to create a special unit of the police that works with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), leading to the indictment of numerous high-profile drug traffickers including the presidents brother.

Bonilla, who was also identified as an alleged co-conspirator of Tony Hernndez last year, has repeatedly cited his relationship with the DEA as evidence of his innocence.

The US pushed for his removal from the police job in 2013 owing to persistent allegations of violence, including that Bonilla had participated in death squads targeting suspected gang members.

Bonilla was previously the regional police chief of the Copn department on the border with Guatemala, one of the most crucial points on the drug trafficking route.

During that time, prosecutors allege, he orchestrated the murder of a rival drug trafficker who was threatening a route controlled by Tony Hernndez and an associate.

Bonilla has denied all allegations, telling a local news station on Thursday: I am not a villain. I am a former officer of the national police with the rank of general who served my country and served society.

It is unclear if the US has formally requested Bonillas extradition. If so, the president would be faced with a dilemma of whether to order the capture of a person who could some day testify against him in court.

Experts believe Bonilla is likely to follow the example of others who have been indicted on drug trafficking charges and turn himself in to the DEA.

US prosecutors allege that President Hernndez received millions in bribes from drug traffickers including Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the notorious former leader of Mexicos Sinaloa cartel.

The president has vigorously denied all allegations of ties to drug traffickers, referring to them as fairytales.

See the original post:

Former police chief of Honduras accused of trafficking drugs to US - The Guardian

Covid’s war on women – Politico

Posted on by

COVIDS WAR ON WOMEN During this plague year, there is almost never good news, only degrees of bad news. Even so, the pandemic has been different (and worse) for girls and women.

Its true that more men are dying than women from Covid-19 around the world but thats not exactly cause for celebration.

Another ambivalent data point: More workplace risk is falling on women, who are more likely to be considered essential workers. The upside to that is still having a job, but at what price? Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde pointed out today in a POLITICO interview that 70 percent of those working in health care and elderly care are women.

More of the daily grind tends to fall, on average, on women: From the increased cleaning and chores that come with more time spent in the home, which falls disproportionately to so many female household members, to the extra education and childcare work created through closures of school and day care, where men have also been known, on average, to skimp.

The real-life examples are heartbreaking: Alice Jorge, a woman living with a disability in Belgium who needs support from her sister and a visiting nurse, was recently asked to choose between keeping her Covid-19 positive caregiver or going without professional care. Three women bound to suffer no matter what choices they took.

Domestic violence is up sharply: A new research report by a consortium that includes Johns Hopkins University confirms this: 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence can be expected globally if lockdowns last for an average of six months.

Travel to shelters may be restricted, and a simple phone call to a helpline can itself trigger new violence. Support services are overwhelmed with requests: from a 47 percent increase in calls to Spains national hotline to a 113 percent spike at U.N.-supported hotlines in Ukraine.

We can expect 7 million unplanned pregnancies in 144 low- and middle-income countries, thanks in part to restricted access to contraception, not to mention the 2 million female genital mutilations and countless child marriages projected to increase by the United Nations population agency. The pandemic is deepening inequality, UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said, slamming the Swiss cheese of a safety net she sees in most countries.

Kanem speaks of childbirth horror stories: pregnant women unable to access caesarian procedures (many of which are unplanned) or blood pressure medication because of redeployed health care resources, or the woman gets to the clinic (and) the midwife isnt there, because theyre also redeployed or sick. Up to two-thirds of maternal and neonatal deaths globally occur because of the absence of properly trained midwives in better times.

During World War II, women on the U.S. homefront think Rosie the Riveter entered the workforce out of a call to sacrifice for the common good. During this pandemic, women are being called back but this time to the frontlines.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. Of course Matthew McConaugheys mask says just keep livin. Reach out with tips: [emailprotected] or on Twitter at @renurayasam.

A message from PhRMA:

In these unprecedented times, Americas biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. We are working with governments and insurers to ensure that when new treatments and vaccines are approved, they will be available and affordable for patients. Explore our efforts.

THE COVID DOCTRINE For much of the nations 100 days at war with the coronavirus, Donald Trump has been a commander in chief in search of an exit strategy, Adam Cancryn writes. The president has promised the virus will simply disappear, touted unproven treatments as miracle cures and fantasized about a near future of economic resurgence and rapid return to normalcy. Yet as the White House shifts its focus away from the public health response and toward rebuilding an economy ravaged by the pandemic, there remains little clear sense even within his own administration of how close the U.S. is to victory, and what winning the war even looks like.

PINS AND NEEDLES Our executive health editor Joanne Kenen emails: Theres some good news on the vaccine front including word that the country is getting a new vaccine leader. Peter Marks has emerged as the Trump administrations unofficial vaccine czar (minus the cross and pearls) at the FDA, filling in the gap created by the abrupt ouster of Rick Bright from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Marks will advise BARDA and other agencies on vaccine and gene therapy approval, health care reporter Sarah Owermohle reports.

News of Marks growing involvement comes amid a spate of heartening though still, we cant emphasize enough, very preliminary news about vaccine development, here and abroad. Oxford has a candidate vaccine thats safe in humans; its still testing whether it can create a strong enough immune response to combat the coronavirus. Three other companies have announced accelerations of clinical trials, though widespread availability in the best possible scenario is still months away.

Even if we get a vaccine, Joanne writes, big questions have to be answered.

Who gets it second? First responders will get it first. But how are we going to define a first responder? Anyone who works at a hospital? Only doctors and nurses? Doctors in the community? Police? Firefighters? The military?

But then who gets it second? The elderly and immune compromised because they are vulnerable? The young and healthy because they transmit it? Essential workers because theyre essential? The well-connected? And who decides?

Its possible several vaccines will come on the market at around the same time in different countries, so there could be multiple answers to this question. But this is going to be a huge bioethical knot, colliding with geopolitics. Theres no guarantee that a U.S. company will get to market first and if the World Health Organization has a role in vaccine allocation, we can anticipate some obvious conflicts.

How effective is it? If we get a good but not great vaccine like the seasonal flu shots it will still reduce transmission, but it wont wipe out the virus completely. Well still have to deal with Covid-19, though on a more manageable scale.

Who pays for it? Even if insurers, governments or, in countries other than our own, national health systems pay for immunization, the costs can be passed on indirectly through higher taxes or higher premiums.

How much does it cost? Some of the companies say they dont plan to make a profit, but vaccines are expensive. In the U.S., Trump has largely shunned national approaches, leaving states to fend for themselves as they try to acquire lab testing supplies, protective gear, ventilators and other essential pandemic-fighting goods. A similarly fragmented approach could make vaccine acquisition more expensive and complicated.

How do we make enough of it? One of BARDAs roles is to help ramp up production, and theyve started addressing this. But to make 7 billion vaccines, enough for everyone around the globe, will require commitment, creativity and cooperation that the world hasnt been very good at of late.

How fast will poor countries get access? Good question.

Will the anti-vaxxers take it? Well see. Best guess is that some will, and some wont, because not everybody who opposes vaccines does so for the same reasons or with the same intensity. Some people who dont want their child to get a measles shot may weigh the costs and the benefits differently for a coronavirus vaccine. Amid rising fears of bioterrorism after 9/11, a poll found deep but not overwhelming support for a smallpox vaccination campaign. But that was a hypothetical threat. This one is all too real.

A SMALL BREAKTHROUGH More than three decades ago, researchers made their first big breakthrough against HIV, when they showed that the drug AZT could slow the progression of the virus. Its a moment that Anthony Fauci compared to todays results about the drug remdesivir, which a clinical trial showed could help Covid patients recover more quickly.

Faucis reference to AZT was a bit like a secret code, Sarah Owermohle tells us. He was suggesting that the remdesivir results were a breakthrough, but a modest one. AZT is the shorthand for azidothymidine, a drug that won FDA approval in March 1987, when HIV patients were desperate for any treatment even one with rough side effects that was dogged by questions about whether it actually extended life. It took another decade before the development of drugs that turned HIV from a death sentence into a chronic condition.

HIV and Covid-19 are complex, but distinctly different, viruses, and drug development times are a lot faster now than they were in the 1980s and 90s. But Faucis implication was clear: Remdesivir could be a good first step in fighting Covid, but probably isnt a miracle drug.

A SICK ECONOMY The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 percent annual rate last quarter as the pandemic shut down much of the country. A huge percentage of the decline came from the health care industry, with a halt in elective procedures harming profits.

CLAIMS DENIED As businesses in Georgia, Texas and other states throw open their doors, many employees are scared that their employers arent taking proper health precautions. Yet if they refuse offers to return to their jobs theyll be ineligible for unemployment, reporter Megan Cassella tells us.

Trump has declared meatpacking plants essential businesses even as they spawn outbreaks across the country. Frontline health workers are having trouble getting masks, gloves, gowns and other protection equipment, so what hope do nail salons and restaurants have of getting the gear they need?

But for now, Covid fears arent a valid reason not to go back to work.

Some states are trying to take steps so that workers who feel unsafe arent forced to choose a paycheck over their health. Colorado and New York are looking at how to give workers more flexibility. In Georgia, the state labor agency is encouraging employers to negotiate back-to-work plans with employees so that if a business partially reopens, workers who feel unsafe can continue to collect unemployment. In Texas, advocates are asking the workforce commission to add voluntarily leaving work due to COVID-19 as a valid reason to claim assistance.

But other states, like South Carolina and Tennessee, are telling workers they will lose unemployment aid the same week they turn down an offer.

Even in boom times, states reject a high share of unemployment claims. Well probably learn Thursday that another 3.5 million people filed for unemployment assistance last week. Thats on top of the 26 million whove already lost their jobs in the past five weeks.

Our question for readers this week: Seeing any interesting, fun or meaningful signs related to the coronavirus? Snap a photo sometime this week and send it to Renu at [emailprotected], and well share the best ones on Friday.

GRAND OLD PACHYDERM Matt Wuerker dives into an old question on partisan symbols in the latest edition of Punchlines: Why is the elephant the symbol of the Republican Party?

MASS HYSTERIA Italian politicians clash with the Catholic clergy at their own peril, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has risked doing just that by keeping churches closed because of coronavirus. The prime minister's decision to extend the ban on all religious ceremonies until further notice, except for funerals, has infuriated religious officials. When the lockdown started, most priests quietly accepted the need to suspend services and found alternative ways to connect with their flocks, such as holding ceremonies by video or taking confession by the roadside. But now that other places are gradually reopening, the clergy don't see why they should be last on the list.

82,000

The number of job losses forecast in the bus industry, according to a report released last week by the American Bus Association. The industry could see losses of up to $14 billion. Many of the 3,000 private bus companies in the U.S. are small, serving a range of uses from taking kids to school, sporting events and field trips, ferrying seniors on weekend getaways and connecting small towns with major destinations. (h/t transportation reporter Tanya Snyder)

Portuguese army chief of staff Gen. Jos Nunes da Fonseca attends a briefing of school workers on disinfection procedures. | Armando Franca/AP Photo

DEEP FRIED STATE Belgium, the North Sea homeland of moules frites and mayonnaise, is the world's biggest exporter of frozen fries, but it has been hammered by the pandemics trade slowdown. The Belgian potato industry has warned that more than 750,000 tons of potatoes could be thrown away more than 40 percent of the harvest. And though Belgium's potato industry has urged patriots to take a high-calorie hit for the team by heading down to their local friteries twice a week to help reduce the spud surplus, it's increasingly clear that 11 million Belgians won't be able to handle the deep-fried mission alone. With restaurants and bars closed, and large summer events canceled, fries wont be as ubiquitous as they often are this summer. "Our entire sector is facing a big crisis. We don't just invite all Belgians to eat more fries, but the entire world," said Ward Claerbout from Agristo, a potato processing company in the west of Belgium.

Correction: Tuesdays edition of POLITICO Nightly incorrectly stated which tracks Iowa will open without spectators. The state will reopen certain race tracks without spectators but not horse and dog tracks. We regret the error.

A message from PhRMA:

In these unprecedented times, Americas biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. The investments weve made have prepared us to act swiftly: Working with governments and insurers to ensure that when new treatments and vaccines are approved, they will be available and affordable for patients Coordinating with governments and diagnostic partners to increase COVID-19 testing capability and capacity Protecting the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and keeping our plants open to maintain a steady supply of medicines for patientsExplore our efforts.

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

View original post here:

Covid's war on women - Politico

No, COVID-19 Isn’t Like the Vietnam War. It Isn’t Like Any War. – Reason

Posted on by

After weeks of downplaying the threat posed by COVID-19 as it spread across the world and into the United States, President Donald Trump was finally taking it seriously on March 18.

"I view it as, in a sense, as a wartime president," he told reporters in the White House's briefing room that day. "I mean, that's what we're fighting," he said, before invoking a now-oft-repeated metaphor about the virus as "an invisible enemy."

Framing the pandemic as a war serves mostly as a way for the presidentand the government more generallyto sweep aside skepticism and dodge difficult questions about handling the crisis. Should we think twice before imposing export restrictions that will weaken global resilience to the virus? No time, this is a war! Should the government be able to order workers to stay home, then order them back to work against their will? Generally no, but this is war! Can we protect privacy while building a massive surveillance apparatus to track the spread of the disease? That might be nice, but this is war!

Some of that might make sense during an actual waryou don't want your domestic manufacturers selling goods to your enemies, for onebut it misses the point in our current crisis. There is no us-versus-them happening here. A virus cannot be cowed. It doesn't want our land or to change our regime, and it cannot be forced to surrender by throwing bodies at it.

As Daniel Larison noted in an excellent piece for The American Conservative earlier this month, "declaring war on abstractions and inanimate objects has become a bad habit" for the American government.

Indeed, America has spent 20 years fighting an amorphous "war on terror" that's outlived all of our initial enemies, consumed trillions of taxpayer dollars, and actually created new enemies by destabilizing the Middle East and North Africa. The federal government's "wars" on poverty and drugs have been equally unsuccessful and now serve mostly as federal jobs programs for bureaucrats and cops.

Less than three months after the first American died of COVID-19, and six weeks after Trump declared himself a wartime president, the disease has now claimed more than 58,318 American livesthe number that perished in the Vietnam War. Passing that symbolic threshold provides a useful way to comprehend the severity of the disease, but it doesn't make the war analogy useful.

Writing at The Bulwark, Jonathan Last notes that both the Vietnam War and the COVID-19 pandemic were made worse by incompetent government officials who lied to the American people. That's a worthwhile observation. Both crises undermined Americans' trust in institutions and presidents, and both overlapped and amplified existing cultural faultlines.

But the metaphor's usefulness ends there. For starters, Vietnam killed mostly young Americans, while COVID-19 is mostly killing the olda distinction that might seem callous, but one that nevertheless changes how the crisis effects the national psyche. In many other senses, the war metaphor actually primes Americans to expect more bad government. Unlike an actual war, we shouldn't be calling for the government to do whatever it takes to keep us safe. Not only can it not actually do that, but its record of trying to is also rather bad.

"Comparing the pandemic to war is also somewhat demoralizing when we reflect on our government's record of waging war over the last half-century. There are scarcely any true successes in that record that we can point to that would give us confidence that the government can 'win' now," Larison writes. "Unfortunately, the only things that the government's response has in common with previous war efforts is that the U.S. was badly unprepared for what came next and the president had an unrealistic expectation of how quickly the problem would be taken care of."

See the original post here:

No, COVID-19 Isn't Like the Vietnam War. It Isn't Like Any War. - Reason

US inmate with coronavirus dies weeks after giving birth on a ventilator – The Guardian

Posted on by

A pregnant Native American woman incarcerated in a federal prison in Texas was diagnosed with coronavirus and died in federal custody on Tuesday, officials said.

Andrea Circle Bear, 30, had been sentenced to more than two years in prison on a drug charge this January. She delivered her baby by caesarean section while on a ventilator in a Texas hospital on 1 April, and died there on 28 April.

Circle Bears child survived, but officials declined to provide any additional information on the babys condition or where the child is now, out of respect for the family and for privacy reasons, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman said.

The 30-year-old woman had a pre-existing medical condition that made her more at risk for a severe case of coronavirus, according to federal officials, who did not specify what the condition was.

Andrea should never have been in jail in the first place. Period, the Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said on Wednesday during a discussion hosted by the Appeal, a criminal justice news site.

That she was there at all is cruel and negligent, Pressley said, calling Circle Bear one of many people trapped inside of prison systems because of systemic inequities and a failed war on drugs.

Circle Bear had admitted to selling 5.5 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, over two different days in April 2018, according to court documents. She pleaded guilty to the charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

This January, Circle Bear, who was already five months pregnant, according to court documents, was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison by Judge Roberto A Lange.

Her sentencing documents note that Circle Bear had a history of substance abuse and recommended her as a candidate for a prison substance abuse treatment program. The documents also recommended that she be placed in a prison medical facility, given that she was pregnant, and due to deliver her child in early May.

The Department of Justice touted Circle Bears sentencing in a January press release. Dont let yourself or your property get mixed up in the world of illegal drugs. It ends badly, the US attorney Ron Parsons said in a statement.

Circle Bear is the 29th federal inmate to die in the Bureau of Prisons custody since late March. As of Tuesday, more than 1,700 federal inmates have tested positive for Covid-19. About 400 of those inmates have recovered.

On 20 March, Circle Bear had been transferred from a local jail in South Dakota, to FMC Carswell, a federal prison medical facility in Fort Worth, Texas, officials said.

The prison medical facility was more than 1,000 miles away from Circle Bears home of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, which is part of the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian reservation.

As a new inmate in the federal prison system, Circle Bear was quarantined as part of the Bureau of Prisons plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to a press release from the bureau.

Eight days after she arrived, she was taken to a local hospital for potential concerns regarding her pregnancy, but was discharged from the hospital the same day and brought back to the prison, officials said. Three days later, prison medical staff members decided she should be brought back to the hospital after she developed a fever, dry cough and other symptoms, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Circle Bear was put on a ventilator the same day she arrived at the hospital and her baby was born the next day, officials said. She tested positive for Covid-19 days later.

Federal and state prison records listed Circle Bears race as Native American. A spokesperson for the Cheyenne River Sioux tribal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An attorney who represented Circle Bear also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Circle Bears pregnancy made her high risk for the virus, but she would not be considered priority for release under the Bureau of Prisons and justice department guidelines on releasing prisoners to home confinement to help stop the spread. She was already on a ventilator when an expanded home confinement memo was handed down by the justice department in early April.

William Barr, the US attorney general, ordered the increased use of home confinement and the expedited release of eligible inmates by the Bureau of Prisons, with priority for those at low- or medium-security prisons, starting with virus hotspots. Under the Bureau of Prisons guidelines, the agency is prioritizing the release of those who have served half of their sentence or inmates who have 18 months or less left and who served at least 25% of their time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Read more:

US inmate with coronavirus dies weeks after giving birth on a ventilator - The Guardian