Thursday, February 3, 2022

Wake-Up Call: U-S Carries Out Raid In Syria


The U.S. carried out a counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday that the Pentagon said was a large-scale, successful operation by special forces. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said there were no U.S. casualties, but didn't provide the target of the raid or say if there were other casualties, saying, "More information will be provided as it becomes available." The Associated Press cited local residents as saying the site of the raid was a house in the village of Atmeh near the Turkish border in rebel-held Idlib province and that civilians were among the dead. CNN reported that the U.S. has repeatedly targeted al Qaeda and its affiliates in northwest Syria.

➤BIDEN SENDING 2,000 TROOPS TO POLAND, GERMANY AMID UKRAINE CRISIS:



President Biden has ordered 2,000 U.S.-based troops to be deployed to Poland and Germany, and another 1,000 moved from Germany to Romania, amid worries of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia called the development unfounded and "destructive." Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said they are intended to temporarily support U.S. and allied defense positions and reassure allies. While trying to show U.S. resolve, Biden also doesn't want to undermine diplomatic efforts to try to defuse the crisis, with AP saying he notably hasn't sent troops to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, NATO members in the eastern part of the alliance that are former states of the Soviet Union.

➤FBI...SIX JUVENILES ARE PERSONS OF INTEREST IN BOMB THREATS AGAINST BLACK COLLEGES: The FBI has identified six juveniles it described as "tech savvy" as persons of interest in bomb threats made Tuesday against more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities on the first day of Black History Month, NBC News reported yesterday (February 2nd). The threats appear to be racially-motivated. The report says the six, who are located around the country, used sophisticated methods to try to disguise the source of the threats. There had also been bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities earlier in January.

 ➤EX-STUDENT ARRAIGNED IN KILLING OF TWO OFFICERS AT VIRGINIA SCHOOL: A 27-year-old former student of Virginia's Bridgewater College was arraigned yesterday on murder charges after the shooting death at the small, private school a day earlier of two campus officers. An attorney for Alexander Wyatt Campbell, who was a student at Bridgewater from 2013 to 2017, asked that his client undergo a mental health evaluation. Campbell's mother, Cheryl Campbell, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "My son is mentally ill and he did something that I could not control and no one could come to help him. I'm sorry for what has happened. I could not prevent it. . . . I can’t help my son." Authorities have so far not given any motive for the shootings, in which 55-year-old campus police officer John Painter and 48-year-old campus safety officer J.J. Jefferson were killed.

➤SUSAN SARANDON SHARES POST COMPARING POLICE AT FUNERAL TO 'FASCISM': Susan Sarandon has received criticism after sharing a tweet that compared New York City police attending a slain officer's funeral to "fascism." Sarandon tweeted an image of someone's else social media post of a picture of large number of police officers at the funeral of one of two NYPD officers who were shot and killed recently when they responded to a domestic violence call. The person who posted the photo captioned it, "I'm gonna tell my kids this is what fascism looks like," and the hashtag #abolishthepolice was overlaid on the image. Sarandon in her post added an additional caption that said, "So, if all these cops weren't needed for CRIME that day, doesn't that mean they aren't needed ANY day?"
 

➤ARMY TO START DISCHARGING THOSE WHO REFUSE COVID VACCINE: The Army said yesterday that it will immediately begin to discharge soldiers who have refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19. While more than 97 percent of Army soldiers have gotten at least one shot, more than 3,300 have refused to be vaccinated. The Marines, Air Force and Navy have previously discharged active-duty troops or entry-level personnel at boot camps for refusing the vaccination, a total of more than 650 service members.

➤POLL: A THIRD SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA HURT POLITICS: One-third of Americans believe social media has had a negative impact on society, and 42 percent say it's damaged our political discourse, according to the new American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly poll. But there were more positive results related to their own experiences with social media. When asked how they felt when using social media, 80 percent reported feeling interested, 72 percent said they felt connected, and 72 percent felt happy. By comparison, 26 percent said they felt helpless and 22 percent felt jealous. When asked about social media's impact on their relationship with family and friends, 49 percent, said it has had no impact, while 31 percent said it's helped. Parents asked about the effect on their children's self-esteem said by 46 percent that it didn't affect it, while 23 percent said it helped and 20 percent said it had negatively affected their child's mental health. APA President Dr. Vivian Pender said, "Twenty-five years into what almost feels like a giant psychological experiment, most Americans are interacting with social media daily, and many are concerned about its effects on mental health and society." But APA CEO and medical director Dr. Saul Levin noted the poll results, quote, "seem to indicate that many Americans are finding an ability to use social media in a way that feels harmless if not helpful to their lives."

➤THE AIR QUALITY IN YOUR HOME MAY BE WORSE THAN IN YOUR OFFICE BUILDING: Some bad news if you thought working from home was much better for you than working in an office building. Texas A&M University researchers found air quality inside people’s homes might actually be worse than the air quality inside office buildings. They found air pollution indoors is most often linked to building materials and activities of people living and working in those buildings. The pollutants include volatile organic compounds from carpet and furniture, paints, and other chemicals as well as fine particulate matter, and mold. The health effects from being exposed to indoor pollutants can range from headaches and dry eyes to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer—and as a result, there’s been significant work done to improve office building indoor air quality. However, the number of people working from home has dramatically increased in the last two decades and of course since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning home indoor air quality can be considered a workplace health issue. Indoor air quality can be improved by opening windows when outdoor air quality allows it, or providing remote workers with air purifiers.

➤STUDY..KIM KARDASHIAN’S ‘SLIM-THICK’ BODY TYPE IS MORE HARMFUL THAN ‘ULTRA-THIN’:  Images of unrealistically thin models and celebrities have been a part of pop culture for decades, causing severe damage to women’s body image and mental health. Now York University researchers have found that the new body ideal may be causing even more harm than the ultra-thin “heroin chic” look that was popular in the ‘90s. 

The researchers say the pervasive imagery of the “slim-thick ideal,” which has been popularized by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Beyonce, contributes to young women’s dissatisfaction with their body. Described as “a curvier or more full body type” with a “small waist and flat stomach but large butt, breasts, and thighs” the study found that the slim-thick physique is actually more damaging to the way young women feel about their bodies compared to the ultra-thin body type. 

The experts say that the slim-thick body type appeals to women from many different backgrounds, while the thin-ideal mainly appealed to white women. But experts say unfortunately, the slim-thick body type isn’t more attainable than the thin ideal, and it would likely require plastic surgery or strategic exercises that increase muscle mass on specific body parts to achieve the look. And yet in 2021, the hashtags #thick, #thicc, and #slimthick have earned millions of posts on Instagram and millions of tags on TikTok. 

Researcher Jennifer Mills adds, “Internalized pressure to have [a] slim-thick body type can lead to risky body modification practices, such as waist trainers and plastic surgery… that have no benefit to one’s health and are solely about appearance.” Mills also suggests being proactive in monitoring our social media use if we want to try and avoid the harmful impacts of constantly being bombarded with these unrealistic, unattainable body images.

➤ARE TANNING NASAL SPRAYS SAFE? DOCTORS WARN AGAINST THIS TIKTOK TREND:  There’s a new trend on TIkTok that has people spraying a tanning solution into their noses in order to get a “tan from within.” The solutions are tanning concoctions housed in bottle form (similar to an allergy spray bottle) and are meant to be sprayed up the nose. They contain an ingredient called melanotan that stimulates your body to produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin and hair color. Physician assistant Merry Thornton says “Melanotan is a man-made chemical similar in substance to the naturally occurring melanocyte-stimulating hormone.” She adds that it’s not a regulated substance, so it’s difficult to say how manufacturers are using the ingredient in terms of concentration and interactions with other active ingredients. In addition, there’s not enough data or testing to recommend using tanning nasal sprays. Side effects of melanotan can include nausea, flushing, changes to blood pressure and headaches. It can also make moles and freckles darker, and Thronton adds, “We don’t know if melanocytes could be over-stimulated, leading to melanoma.” Typical self-tanning lotions and body sprays do not contain melanotan.

🏈DOLPHINS OWNER CALLS FLORES TANKING BONUS ALLEGATIONS 'FALSE, MALICIOUS AND DEFAMATORY': Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross responded last night to former head coach Brian Flores' allegations in his bombshell lawsuit a day earlier that Ross had offered him bonuses to lose in the 2019 season to get the draft's top pick. Ross said in a statement, "I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory." He continued, "We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully."
 

The allegation came as part of Flores' suit against the NFL, the Dolphins, the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos alleging racially discriminatory hiring practices. Flores said during a CNN interview yesterday that his lawsuit will continue even if he is hired as a head coach by a team this offseason, stating, "This is about changing the hiring practices in the National Football League[.]" But he also said he understands this lawsuit may keep him from ever coaching again. The NFL and all three teams named have denied the allegations.

🏈EX-BROWNS COACH JACKSON SAYS LOSING INCENTIVIZED IN 2016, 2017 SEASONS: The day after former Miami head coach Brian Flores' accusation that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him bonuses to lose games in 2019, former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson said on ESPN Wednesday that the team had a four-year plan that incentivized losing during the first two years, which led to him having a 1-31 record in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Jackson said bonus money was available if certain things were met, such as aggregate rankings, being the youngest team and having so many draft picks. A Browns spokesperson called Jackson's claim "completely fabricated," and said, "any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false."

🏈BELICHICK CALLS BRADY 'BEST PLAYER IN NFL HISTORY' DAY AFTER RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick highly praised Tom Brady on Wednesday, the day after Brady's retirement announcement, calling him in a statement "the best player in NFL history," and the "ultimate competitor and winner." 


Belichick, who was traveling Tuesday when Brady announced his retirement, said, "I thank Tom for his relentless pursuit of excellence and positive impact on me and the New England Patriots for 20 years." Brady later responded via Instagram Story, writing, "Thank you Coach Belichick I appreciate being coached by you the Greatest Coach in NFL History." Belichick and Brady won six Super Bowls together during Brady's 20 years at quarterback with New England.

🏈REPORT: VIKINGS TO HIRE O'CONNELL AS HEAD COACH: The Minnesota Vikings are set to hire L.A. Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach, the NFL Network reported yesterday. The 36-year-old's hiring, his first as head coach, can't be made official until after the Super Bowl, but the report said the Vikings have informed the other finalists that they're no longer in the running.

🏒OVECHKIN TO MISS NHL ALL-STAR GAME AFTER ENTERING COVID PROTOCOLS: Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin will miss the NHL All-Star Game Saturday after entering Covid protocols yesterday. Ovechkin, who's fourth on the career goals list with 759, was set to play in his eighth All-Star Game. He'll be replaced by Capitals teammate Tom Wilson, who'll be playing in his first All-Star Game.


Daily Mail graphic 2/3/22


❆BAD WEATHER GROUNDS AIPLANES: Over 3,500 flights within the US are set to be cancelled today as the country deals with snow, fleet and freezing rain from a powerful winter storm that has closed schools and led multiple governors to declare a state of emergency. 

On Wednesday, there were 3,324 delays and 2,351 cancellations across the country, with airports in the Midwest being hit particularly hard, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. 'A large, prolonged and significant winter storm will continue to impact much of the central US and move into the Northeast overnight, bringing a variety of winter weather hazards including heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain,' the National Weather Service said Wednesday night. The governors of Kentucky and Missouri have declared a state of emergency, while Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster declaration. 

On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed state agencies to prepare emergency plans before the storm hits the state on Thursday. The storm is expected to continue affecting air travel through the week. Already, 3,574 flights scheduled for Thursday have been cancelled, while 352 flights set for Friday have also been axed.




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