Thursday, October 28, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Pushes To Get Building Back Better Deal

President Biden will be on Capitol Hill this morning to urge Democratic senators to finally get the Build Back Better legislation agreed to before he leaves the country later in the day for international summits in Rome and Scotland. He tweeted late yesterday, "Let's bring these bills over the finish line." AP reported last night that top Democrats had signaled that a deal was within reach on the social services and climate change bill, but that appeared to fade some as another key progressive priority, paid family leave, was apparently taken out and a proposed tax on billionaires that had been floated to help pay for the package also appeared to be dropped. However, the bill appears to be coming in at a still hefty $1.75 trillion, down from the original $3.5 trillion.

Biden will be attending the Group of 20 (G-20) meeting in Rome first and then the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.

➤CHEAP, WIDELY AVAILABLE ANTIDEPRESSANT PROMISING IN TREATING EARLY COVID-19: The results of a study showed that a cheap, widely-available antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization in high-risk adults with Covid-19 who were given it early in their infection. Fluvoxamine, which is used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, was tested because it's known to reduce inflammation. The results were so strong that experts monitoring the study recommended ending it early because the results were clear. Researchers have given to the results to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which publishes treatment guidelines, and are hoping to get a recommendation for it from the World Health Organization.

 
➤U-S, ARGUING FOR ASSANGE EXTRADITION, SAYS COULD SERVE JAIL TIME IN NATIVE AUSTRALIA: The U.S. argued to judges in Britain yesterday in favor of Julian Assange being extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges over the publication of secret U.S. military and diplomatic documents, saying the WikiLeaks founder could service any prison sentence in his native Australia. The U.S. is making its argument to the High Court in London that it appealed to after a lower British court refused the extradition request, finding Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh prison conditions in the U.S. The U.S. also promised that Assange wouldn't be held before trial in a top-security Supermax prison or be subject to strict isolation. Assange's attorney accused the U.S. of trying to, quote, "minimize the severity of Mr Assange’s mental disorder and suicide risk." He also said Australia hadn't yet agreed to allow Assange to serve his prison sentence there if he's convicted, and said the legal process in the U.S. could take as long as 10 years, during which Assange would be detained. Assange is currently being held in a high-security prison in Lodnon, where he's been since being arrested in 2019 for skipping bail in separate rape and sexual assault cases, during which time he spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London.
 

➤U-S ISSUES FIRST PASSPORT WITH 'X' FOR GENDER: The U.S. has issued its first passport with an "X" for gender, indicating someone who doesn't identify as male or female, and the State Department said yesterday that it expects to offer the option more broadly next year. The State Department didn't identify the passport recipient, but the Associated Press spoke to a Colorado intersex activist, Dana Zzyym, who said they'd received it. The 63-year-old Zzyym has been battling since 2015 to have a passport that didn't require indicating either male or female gender. According to court filings, Zzyym was born with ambiguous physical sexual characteristics, but was raised as a boy and had several surgeries that failed to make Zzyym appear fully male. The State Department said in June it was moving toward adding a third gender marker for intersex, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people.


🏫NY STATE SCHOOL BANS 'SQUID GAME' HALLOWEEN COSTUMES:  A school district in upstate New York has banned Squid Game Halloween costumes in its elementary schools, citing the mature content and violence in the hit Netflix show. Fayetteville-Manlius School Distrcit Superintendent Dr. Craig Tice told CBS News that their guidelines don't allow Halloween costumes with items that can be interpreted as weapons, like toy guns or swords, or that are "too gory or scary." Squid Game is rated for mature audiences by Netflix, but Tice said some elementary school students in the district have been reenacting games from the show at recess. Principals have asked families to speak with their children and, quote, "reinforce the school message that games associated with violent behavior are not appropriate for recess." In Squid Game, people who are financially struggling play deadly, violent versions of children's games in hopes of winning a cash prize.

🍲STUDY..FOOD TEXTURE FILLS IN DURING LOSS OF SMELL, TASTE AFTER COVID-19:  People who’ve lost their senses of smell and taste due to COVID-19 have ways to cope with their situation, finds a new study. University of Cincinnati researchers found losing the two senses can lead to anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life, but that some had also found creative ways to cope. Study author, Dr. Katie Phillips says, “Crunchiness was one of those things that people mentioned along with texture, and then the temperature and carbonation was brought up in multiple interviews, too.” For example, strawberries were among the foods the women reported eating because they could sense the texture of the fruit. Other strategies included going to a candle store or a coffee shop to experience strong smells. Phillips adds, “It’s more about how people in that situation can compensate. I don’t think it’s a treatment mechanism for taste and smell loss. It’s more how you deal with this loss.”


🐶WHY DOGS TILT THEIR HEADS:  Some dogs are smarter than others, and a new study finds that dogs who learn the names of their toys will tilt their heads upon hearing their owners requesting a toy. Study co-author Shany Dror says only the smartest dogs they looked at could learn the names of multiple toys and exhibited the head tilt when their owners asked for a toy by name, suggesting there’s an association between head-tilting and “processing relevant and meaningful stimuli.” The experts say we still do not have a full understanding as to why or when head-tilting in dogs takes place, but that a study like this is the first step in the direction of showing how the behavior could be related to the presence of “meaningful and salient auditory stimuli for the dog.”

➤STARBUCKS UPPING PAY, IMPROVING WORKING CONDITIONS: Starbucks announced Wednesday that it's raising pay for U.S. workers -- for the third time in 24 months -- and is taking steps to improve working conditions. All hourly pay workers will now make at least $15 an hour and average nearly $17 by next summer, and employees with two or more years of service will get a five percent raise. To boost hiring, a $200 recruitment bonus is being offered. Starbucks also said it will increase training time and redesign its "Barista Basics" guide. Complaints from employees who've been trying to unionize in certain locations have included inadequate training, along with consistent understaffing.

➤STUDY..WE’RE NOT AS SMART AS GOOGLE MAKES US THINK WE ARE:  It seems using Google to answer all our questions is making us think we’re smarter than we actually are. University of Texas researchers say though humans have long relied on external knowledge sources, online search has made the break between internal thought and external information faster and more seamless, making it harder for us to tell what came from our own brains. In addition, the process of searching Google is a lot like searching our own memories, which can cause people to confuse information found online with information in their own heads. The experts say this all suggests that we should be careful, as this could make us believe we are smarter than we really are, which could lead us to rely on our own knowledge in risky situations and could even make us more entrenched in our views of science and politics. Lead researcher Adrian Ward adds that when we immediately jump to Google we “don’t do the remembering. We’re not exercising those muscles.”

⚾ASTROS BEAT BRAVES 7-2 TO EVEN WORLD SERIES AT 1-1: The Houston Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 7-2 last night before their home fans at Minute Maid Park to even the World Series at one game each. Jose Altuve hit a leadoff double and scored in the first inning, and later added a solo home run in the seventh. It was a special night for rookie outfielder Jose Siri, who made his MLB debut on September 3rd after being in the minor leagues since 2013. He beat out an infield single in the second inning to score Kyle Tucker from third and put the Astros ahead 2-1. Martín Maldonado then hit a single that scored Yuli Gurriel and Siri headed to third. But the Braves misplayed the ball and it went in to foul territory, allowing Siri to dash home and score, putting the Braves up 4-1. Game 3 will be Friday in Atlanta.

🏈CARDINALS' J.J. WATT TO HAVE LIKELY SEASON-ENDING SURGERY: Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt will undergo what's likely to be season-ending shoulder surgery, ESPN reported last night (October 27th). Watt injured his shoulder in the second quarter against the Houston Texans Sunday, but was able to play the rest of the game. The news about Watt came the day before tonight's match-up between the 7-0 Cardinals and the 6-1 Green Bay Packers.

🏒PANTHERS TOP BRUINS TO GO 7-0-0, 14TH IN NHL HISTORY TO START SEASON: The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 last night, becoming just the 14th team in NHL to start the season with a 7-0-0 record. The latest victory came one day before head coach Joel Quenneville is scheduled to meet today with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after he was named in a report about the Chicago Blackhawks improperly handling a sexual assault claim a player made against an assistant coach in 2010, when Quenneville was their head coach.

The player who claimed the sexual assault came forward yesterday to reveal himself. Kyle Beach is now 31 and playing professionally in Germany.

⚾ROLLER DERBY TEAM SUES MLB'S INDIANS OVER NEW 'GUARDIANS' NAME: MLB's Cleveland Indians announced in July that it would be changing it name to the "Guardians" for the 2022 season, after years of criticism from Native Americans and other critics over its name and Chief Wahoo logo. But now a roller derby team that's called itself the Cleveland Guardians since 2013 sued the team yesterday, charging that the new name infringes on its trademark. The lawsuit stated, "There cannot be two 'Cleveland Guardians' teams in Cleveland, and, to be blunt, Plaintiff was here first." The Indians said in a statement, "We believe there is no conflict between the parties and their ability to operate in their respective business areas." Negotiations between the two team over rights to the name broke down on Tuesday.

⚾REPORT: TRUMP TO ATTEND GAME 4 OF WORLD SERIES: Former President Donald Trump will attend Game 4 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, USA Today reported yesterday. Braves CEO Terry McGuirk said the team was surprised when Trump called the league to request tickets, stating, "Of course, we said yes. We are apolitical. We’re open to anyone coming. It’s great that he wants to come to our game." McGuirk said Trump will be in a private suite.
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