So many stories, with such an overwhelming consensus on where the blame lies (Trump), with so much detail in the ongoing reporting, it’s a lot to even begin to absorb. However the headline is: a massive majority has sincerely reached the point of unmitigated and well deserved condemnation of Trump and his deluded followers.
How better to get a feel for the magnitude of the outrage than to scan the headlines the old fashioned way: by looking at the cover pages of the world’s biggest “newspapers”. The massive titles and biting subheadings show just how “done” the world press is with this malignant maniac.
The 14 day countdown to January 6th “Coup-Day” has begun
After threatening to veto the $900 billion stimulus package that was passed by congress on Monday, Trump has so far not officially done so and has not yet made further comments on the matter. The possibility of an actual veto means that the bill would not go forward without either changes to appease Trump or a vote to override the veto, if it comes to that.
Representative Peter King, in an interview, not surprisingly called Trump a turncoat, essentially:
“Why didn’t the president say this before? Why did his administration say it had to be $600? They were the ones driving this. Nancy Pelosi wanted $2,000 all along, and I’m not a Pelosi fan. Bernie Sanders wanted $2,000. The president and his administration refused to give it, and now he’s trying to somehow double back. He’s leaving Republicans out there hanging out to dry after signing off on an agreement and asking us to vote for it.”
Rep. Representative Peter King on the Joe Piscopo Show
Surprise, Trump double-crossed his Republican friends, imagine that.
This chaotic situation, so typical during the Trump years, means that there are three probable outcomes for the stimulus package so desperately needed by Americans.:
1. If Trump vetoes the Stimulus package:
The resolution of the situation could be delayed, indefinitely. The law allows 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto legislation. If he chooses not to act, the bill normally would become law.
However, in this case the stimulus package was attached to the government funding bill. Current funding expires on December 28th. Since the separate defense bill has already been vetoed by Trump (see below), there will likely be a session next week to attempt to override that veto. An additional vote could be added.
2. Trump sides with Democrats and Republicans fight this new (insane) Trump / Democrat coalition.
In this case it’s possible that the Unanimous Consent request put forth by Democrats would be voted on, even by tomorrow, and passed. Unlikely but perhaps a Christmas miracle?
3. Trump signs the bill anyway
Third possibility is that the original version of the bill is ultimately not blocked by Trump (he flip-flops), and then could go forward without an over-ride to the threatened potential veto.
“If the president truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments, he should call upon Leader McCarthy to agree to our Unanimous Consent request”
—Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Reps. Rashid Tlaib, D-Mich., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., announced on twitter that they have crafted an amendment to raise the amount of the stimulus checks.
“Me and @AOC have the amendment ready,” “Send the bill back, and we will put in the $2,000 we’ve been fighting for that your party has been blocking.”
Me and @AOC have the amendment ready. Send the bill back, and we will put in the $2,000 we’ve been fighting for that your party has been blocking. pic.twitter.com/GGXtJt77D9
“We spent months trying to secure $2,000 checks but Republicans blocked it. Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open and we’re glad to pass more aid Americans need.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
All of this along with a potential government shutdown on Monday, and today’s veto of the massive $740 billion defense bill that was already announced. The Senate voted overwhelmingly , with a veto-proof majority of 84 to 13, to approve the huge defense package but now face a necessary override vote.
Trump threatened to veto this bill because there is no repeal of Section 230 in it. A repeal of Section 230 would be huge news, though unlikely, as it is a law shielding internet companies from any liability for third party postings on their websites.
Once more defying logic Trump insists the Democrats are right for wanting bigger checks
In yet another bizarre missive, this time via video, the long fought battle over the 2nd coronavirus relief package is suddenly sent into a chaotic last minute re-do. Trump called the $600 check amount and other aspects of the current bill a “disgrace, at once criticizing the paltry sum and also stating:
“It’s called the Covid relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with Covid, Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people.”
Just how odd this announcement today is underscored by the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who along with Democrats had, for months, pushed similarly sized checks, reacted positively to the announcement:
“Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!” she said in a tweet.
Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it! https://t.co/Th4sztrpLV
Some have speculated, on twitter and elsewhere, that this was a kind of revenge move by Trump against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for having the temerity to tell the truth and acknowledge that Joe Biden is the president-elect. After tweets bashing McConnell, this is an escalation of the same tantrum by Trump.
Although the bill was passed by a large bi-partisan majority, it’s massive size — weighing in at 5,593 pages — as well as the rush with which it was passed engendered critics on the left and the right, even as it was passed within less time that many in congress could possible have read it.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, likened the rushed vote on so many unread measures to “hostage-taking,” while extreme right wing Senator Ted Cruz, said that it was “ABSURD.”
This is why Congress needs time to actually read this package before voting on it.
Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours.
As has been the case many times in the past, Trump may suddenly sing a different tune at any moment, or the Republican side might defy Trump and refuse to amend the bill.
Stay tuned for more breaking news, as it will no doubt be coming down the pike any minute now…
If you like winning, this is your chance to do it, over and over and over…
Never before has a presidential candidate won his election so many times. Never before has a loser found so many ridiculous ways to avoid conceding to the winner. Of course, it is the very fact that a loser has brazenly lied and fabricated nonsense reasons and accusations to contest at every opportunity that has created the possibility for Biden to win, again and again.
First, Joe Biden won what appeared to be a relatively narrow victory on election day with enough confirmed electoral votes, along with a lead in enough other states to create an impossibility for Trump to get to 270, the margin of votes needed to prevail.
Next Biden was declared winner in states which had held back in declaring a projected winner. Then the re-counts, court challenges and and final tallies commenced.
Pennsylvania gave him a win. That was a big win and he became President-elect. Then the Georgia re-count was another time to celebrate his victory. And Arizona, a state he flipped for the first time since 1996, and before that a Republican won there since 1948.
So, get ready everyone, on December 14th there will be another win for Joe Biden. Tired of winning yet?
In the end Biden will have, barring any absolutely and totally unlikely changes, 306 electoral votes. “A landslide” according to Trump when it was his exact winning number. Of course he did not get more than 80 million popular votes, or vanquish his opponent by more than 6 million. That’s only another unique and first in all history – big big win for Biden.
Trump lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes in 2016.
A comet, a meteor shower and a total eclipse of the sun (visible in some parts of the Earth) will all occur on December 14th. It also will be the final deadline for the Electoral College to officially confirm Joe Biden as President-elect. Are the stars, planets and even meteors in our solar system feeling like celebrating?
Florida is the only one of the four most populous states that has, as of yet, already been certified. Early in December was the deadline for the other large ones: California, Texas and New York. None of them were ever in doubt, of course.
Talk of “faithless electors” being put into action by Trump is becoming les and less likely by the day. Not 100% off the table but around 99.9999% not gonna happen.
I wonder if Trump is tired of losing yet? Gas-up the private jet. Moscow’s waiting.
Electoral College meets on Dec. 14, and all states must be certified before that, while any challenges to the results must have been resolved by Dec. 8.
Above: Photo Collage / Time Inc. / Mock up of Der Spiegel Concept
Changing America’s Story and Awarding Trump what he has Earned
On the same day that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received the “Time’s Person of the Year” designation, jointly, in another of the new twists that Time likes to feature, Trump got his own award from Germany’s ‘Der Spiegel’ magazine: Loser of the year.
While anyone who has been paying attention, noticed that Trump deserved this award most, if not, all the years of his life, this year it is particularly fitting as he earned it with the most lies and potentially, the most alleged indictable crimes.
Featuring Kamala Harris as co-Person of the year is a nice touch, since she is both a woman of color and was attacked in a particularly vicious and personal way by Trump and his Republican minions during the campaign.
Further, the possibility of real partnership to oust a misogynistic and racist foe showed that humility, dignity and compassion for others could actually win against a bully and, with Kamala Harris on the ticket, could demonstrate leadership and leaders, who are not bullies or failed human beings but empathetic and fully functioning people capable of cooperation and teamwork.
For so many, indeed, over 81.2 million, the time was right to join together and take the old saying “nice guys (or gals) finish last” and turn it on its head – This year, the best man & woman won and the world’s biggest a-hole lost big, which, though long-ish, makes for a more apt phrase to sum up 2020, in the presidential race, at any rate.
Coming a few days before Christmas this year, Jupiter and Saturn will appear within a hair’s breadth of one-another to the naked eye
Although most of us consider this to be one of the worst, if not the worst, year that we are aware of, it may close out with something miraculous. If you take the time to gaze heavenward on December 21st,, just after sunset, you might see it: A Christmas Star.
Already in early December the two giant orbs can be seen ever so gradually nearing each other, as if they are feeling some sort of mutual attraction, an odd couple. perhaps, Jupiter and Saturn.
And, according to celestial experts at NASA, they will continue to converge until they appear nearly co-joined: just 1/10th of a degree apart, with a barley perceptible gap in-between.
It was in 1226 that this could last have been witnessed
Though these couplings are known to occur in intervals of roughly 20 years, this year they will be the closest they have been to each other since 1623. In that year, however, they were too near the sun to look at, and because this year the event will take place on the winter solstice, you’d have to go all the way back to 1221 for a similar show.
These two spectacular giants, which are the largest in the entire solar system, each with a personality, astrologically speaking, so divergent that they are said to be more like opposites, rather than twins or lovers.
Jupiter, a king and believed to be bringer of good fortune, looks the part in a spectacular explosion of color and power, planet of miracles, hope, and opportunity.
Saturn, meanwhile appears mysterious, unpredictable, even dangerous. Saturn has an air of the impossible and the forbidden. Best known, in astrological circles, for the so-called “quarter-life crisis” and for unexpected challenges to the status-quo.
Across the USA, a view of the two planets coming into near-alignment is going to be most visible and best viewed, just after sunset, in the southwestern part of the sky.
In a glimpse into the relativity of all things in the universe, though this duo will appear to be close together — resembling a double star or a gleaming figure 8 shaped blob, the two planets will not , in reality, be that close.
They will actually be more than 400 million miles apart. It is only from our lonely vantage on this little blue planet that they will appear to be “close” to each other.
Since it will be 2080 before a similar spectacle will grace our view, and that means that all but those who are currently quite young will not likely be alive, it is imperative to search the southwestern sky (from the USA) both the day before, after and of course on December 21st: as this is a rare opportunity to witness a spectacular and special event, and a last chance to do so for a long, long time to come.
Witnesses of Evil and survivors deserve a decompression phase
For nearly all of 2017 the word “lie” rarely if ever appeared in an article written about the president. The reasons for this are more complex than it would first appear, and relate to the history of political journalism reaching back at least 50 years. The reason why, beginning in 2018 and early 2019, “lie” became a daily and oft used word in connection with this lying-president is a more subtle and interesting story.
As of this writing it is 100% clear that Trump has lost the election (odd to even have to say that, considering how obvious it is to any sane, rational observer) and that, ultimately, we will all benefit from forgetting about this attention-addicted-sociopath. However, with regard to something we all experienced, witnessed and endured over a period of four plus years; before forgetting there must first be a remembering.
And, for the benefit of those of us who have various forms of PTSD as a result of what he perpetrated and what we had to witness, that remembering is a healthy, necessary step.
For nearly all of 2017 the word “lie” rarely if ever appeared in an article written about the president. The reasons for this are more complex than it would first appear, and relate to the history of political journalism reaching back at least 50 years. The reason why, beginning in 2018 and early 2019, “lie” became a daily and oft used word in connection with this lying-president is a more subtle and interesting story.
As of this writing it is 100% clear that Trump has lost the election (odd to even have to say that, considering how obvious it is to any sane, rational observer) and that, ultimately, we will all benefit from forgetting about this attention-addicted-sociopath. However, with regard to something we all experienced, witnessed and endured over a period of four plus years; before forgetting there must first be a remembering.
And, for the benefit of those of us who have various forms of PTSD as a result of what he perpetrated and what we had to witness, that remembering is a healthy, necessary step.
Perhaps rushing forward to “fix” everything he broke, destroyed or tried to destroy must be combined with looking back.
Seeing some of the events that shaped the last four years through the eyes of the media and the press
The public perceptions and reactions to history during significant and extreme events are shaped over time, and meaning are not always clear until we look back. If this article was a typical “2020 Looking Back” year-end recap, and did not run 5000 words or more it’d be about the coronavirus, the election, and a skim through the various events on the periphery. Instead, we must begin on June 16th, 2015 when Donald J. Trump began his assault on America.
And, as we all remember, it started with “Mexicans”:
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best, they’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us [sic]. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Donald J. Trump, as he descended on his golden escalator
This technique of viciously attacking a particular ethic group, generally, and pandering to negative stereotypes was just getting started.
Also couching broad statements, that often included boldfaced lies, within statements that could have a tiny sliver of truth would also be a propaganda technique he would use, sometimes dozens of times in a day, over the next nearly 4.5 years.
Then came the nicknames. Again, maybe “little Marco” was not the tallest guy and “Low-energy Jeb” was not the most exciting. But Trump’s character traits that would later expand and multiply were not pretty, and were on full display even during the initial phases of the election.
Belittling opponents in an ugly personal way, pushing all dialog away from substance and toward personal attacks of the lowest form was standard operating procedure. All the signs were there of a mental sickness, one that we would all later experience more intimately, but at the time it was all an amusing diversion, since most believed he had “zero chance” of winning the 2016 presidential election.
Phase 2, 3, 4 and beyond: testing the limits of outrage
Just making a laundry list of outrageous and disgusting behavior by this man is easy, but of little value, beyond our mutual sharing of “I was there” recollections publicly. More interesting, it seems, would be an exploration of how “we”, the media, and the public, reacted and adjusted to having such a malignant presence in the White House.
It’s easy to forget that, around the time of the 2016 inauguration, many in the media went on and on about how the outrageous tactics were just a ploy, and a successful one at that, for him to get elected, and now that the election was over, Trump would magically become “Presidential”.
Then the lies began to multiply. All during 2017, however, it was very difficult to find the word “lie” in any article from a mainstream outlet that was about Trump, well, lying. The lengths that journalists went to avoid that word was, in a word, incredible. To look further into the history of not saying the word “lie” when a president lies, this Politco article from 2017 is a great deeper dive.
In the final paragraph summation the overall view at the time was encapsulated:
“Using the word “lie” promiscuously may, in the short term, score a point against a president who has shown a contempt for the facts. But over the long-term, the authority and credibility of aspirationally objective mainstream news organizations like the New York Times are best served by scrupulously trying to report the news in ways that can be trusted by readers of any political viewpoint. And it’s by upholding and reinforcing that authority and credibility that the Fourth Estate will best guide readers to the truth amid the misinformation, propaganda and lies produced by the administration of Donald J. Trump.”
David Greenberg, a professor of history and media studies at Rutgers in Politico Magazine
This viewpoint, ultimately, disintegrated and was abandoned, generally, by the middle of 2018 into the beginning of 2019. Trump literally bashed down that wall of civility with thousands and thousands of lies.
Terms and phrases like “decorum”, “deference”, “non-partisan” and “civilized discourse” became meaningless in the endless assault of lies, hate speech and outrageous acts. At Lynxotic, we made a decision fairly early that this was not a “normal” president and these were not normal times. We seriously had to ask ourselves, if this was an emerging danger to this country and to democracy itself, who would we be serving by mincing words?
And further, the news has always been, to a certain degree, opinion infused facts with a, sometimes, thin veneer of artificial authoritative eminence. And wasn’t the media often guilty of using “impartiality”, similarly to an arms dealer, selling ammunitions to both sides in a civil war?
As time went on, the incredible border “cages” scandals, then the impeachmentdrama came and went and on and on, until Trump’s massive coronavirus failures, and finally the election madness.
In the end all pretense of, and use for civility, any belief that a non-corrupt outcome was possible, revealed a truth that the choices for the nation were, and are, to jail the man famous for chants of “Lock her up” or let him continue until he destroys the democracy and possibly, ultimately the country itself.
The good thing that was bestowed upon all of us by a bad man
Of course, in all of this, he did do one good thing for the media and journalism. Not “ratings” or prosperity through scandal. No, what he did was to help us to remove the hypocrisy of the long standing “deference” to any and all sitting in the White House, just because they are there.
“When he “won” in 2016 it was on the shoulders of Russian hackers and social media “bots” that influenced the thinking of real, living, breathing humans. In 2020 those real humans showed up, 80 million strong, and took back the country.”
D.L.
The blurred lines between observation, opinion, facts and fiction are ones that have, in reality, always been blurred. To face that fact, and to grapple every day with the issues of how to communicate the hard truth, is also a legacy of this evil man.
When he “won” in 2016 it was on the shoulders of Russian hackers and social media “bots” that influenced the thinking of real, living, breathing humans. In 2020 those real humans showed up, 80 million strong, and took back the country.
That is also a lesson we owe to “The Donald”. That, if a pretender rises up, the rest of us have to rise up as well, to put him down.
The favor he did us all was to force us to examine the real facts, and make the real news and not the fake news matter, even if that news is that he is a liar, a grifter, a cheat and a criminal. And if any of his ilk come to power again, or continue to remain in power, they should be treated the same way, as needed.
Trump’s continued efforts to overturn election results: …laughable (literally)
Most of us know, that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 election. With the records showing the President-elect reached 80 million popular votes, with still more counting to be done. Yet, even though the electoral college votes, which determines the White House winner have been clearly laid out on Nov. 7 with the resounding 306-223.
Trump has done almost everything in his power to deny the facts. The “red mirage” has yet to fade for 45. He’s been seen tweeting from the rooftops that the election was rigged and riddled with fraud, he’s flat out tried to deny it, he has refused to concede or peacefully transfer power, Trump even begged battleground states for a recount of votes. None of the above was the truth; the simple fact is, he just lost.
Yet, the American people have had to bear witness to just how badly of a sore loser Trump has been. Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, all reconfirmed that Biden is the victor.
On Nov. 23, head of the GSA Emily Murphy formally approved for the transition, pushing reality even that much further, that now, perhaps the 2020 presidential elections can be finalized.
As a result, “Joe Biden winning” memes have been spreading throughout the internet wide and far, showing Biden winning multiple times while highlighting a range of feelings – hilarity, relief, to just plain absurdity of how this presidential election year has gone down.
The inauguration isn’t until Jan 20, 2021 and if you are like the majority of us, that means there, unfortunately, is still two more months of having to deal with Trump’s antics. It’s far past time for Trump to end his delusional battle and come to some sort of acceptance of the obvious election reality.
Confirmed to Reuters, by his attorney, Diego Maradona, one of, if not the, greatest soccer player of all time has died at 60. Various outlets in Latin America have reported that the cause of death was a heart attack and that he died in his home, after, two weeks prior he had undergone urgent surgery to repair a brain bleed.
Prime video documentary series chronicled his life and career
Currently in the works at Amazon Prime Video is a scripted bio-series based on his life, “Maradona: Sueño Bendito,” which is being produced by BTF Media and is directed by Alejandro Aimetta. Three actors will play Maradona in the series: Juan Palomino (adult), Nazareno Casero (adolescent) and Nicolás Goldschmidt (child). The series will cover events over the span of his entire life.
Also from Amazon Prime Video is a documentary “Diego Maradona,” which was directed by Filmmaker Asif Kapadia and released in 2019, tweeted his disbelief that the larger-than-life figure had passed away.
Trump, at the same time, said he was still not conceding
The first crack in Humpty-Trumpty’s fall is here. After more than two weeks since his victory in the electoral college was known, President-elect Joe Biden has been officially cleared to formally start his transition to the White House.
The General Services Administration, or GSA, has sent a letter and thereby formally acknowledged Biden as the apparent winner of the presidential election. This letter will allow him and his team to begin officially working on all aspects of the transition.
Non-concession concession, in a tweet, of course
“Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”
Trump in Tweet on November 23rd, 2020
Trump, in a somewhat confused tweet, appears to concede, or at least accept that he can not block what is inevitable, and yet still clings to his “I believe we will prevail” line.
However the important part: “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.” Was there for all to see in the second section of the tweet.
The president-elect cannot access federal transition funds or contact federal agencies to plan staffing, as per federal law, until the GSA recognizes him as the electoral winner.
Apparently this was all an off-the-cuff-tweet-scenario, as there were reports that various senior staff in the White House were unaware of this development, until having read the tweet themselves.
Many White House officials have said in confidence, according to reports, that they have been pushing for this next, important step, and only Rudy Giuliani was against moving forward.
“Today’s decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track”
— Johannes Abraham, transition executive director for Biden / Harris, in a statement Monday
Until now the GSA has remained silent, thus limiting the President-elect from proceeding in some aspects of the transition. Now that the GSA has acknowledged formally via this letter, Biden‘s team will have access to more than $7 million of public funds.
…fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.
Biden transition team reveals multiple top position picks, NYT reveals
According to a New York Times article, Joe Biden’s transition office said that they plan to announce multiple new top national security picks on Tuesday. The news will be accounted officially at an event in Washington.
The picks are said to include Alejandro Mayorkas, who will be the first Latino to head the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, Avril Haines is slated to be his director of national intelligence and will become the first woman to head the intelligence community.
John Kerry will be nominated to for climate czar. Kerry, who was formerly secretary of state, will also will be on the National security council, which, since it is not a cabinet position will not need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Janet Yellen will be Treasury Secretary & Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan in cabinet positions
Janet Yellen, formerly chair of the Federal Reserve, from 2014 – 2018, is said to be on the list and expected to be nominated for head of the treasury depart. and would therefore be the first woman Treasury secretary of the United States
According to the transition team President-elect Biden also plans to nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield, an African-American woman to be ambassador to the United Nations and, as a result of his intention to restore the position to cabinet-level status, will thereby also give Ms. Thomas-Greenfield a National Security Council seat.
These picks follow the announcement that Antony J. Blinken will be nominated for secretary of state, Jake Sullivan is to be White House national security adviser, also reported through sources from the transition team.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited held its annual Singles’ Day sales event and shattered its 2019 sales. The event, which is typically held on the 11th of November was extended an additional 3 days and contributed to the large number of sales.
This year, the shopping extravaganza yielded huge number with the company reporting $75.1 billion dollars (498.2 billion yuan). These numbers have already beaten the record haul that last years Singles’ Day event brought in at $40.5 billion (268.4 billion yuan).
Although it’s often dubbed as China’s equivalent to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Singles’ Day is much bigger. This year, Nov 1-3 kicked off the event, with the sales event ending midnight of 11/11.
Xiaofeng Wang, an analyst for Forrest Market Research commented on the consumer’s post-covid consumption habits, “China’s economy has seen a strong recovery and Chinese consumers’ purchase behaviors have already returned to pre-pandemic levels, if not higher”.
The origin of Singles’ Day comes from the event’s date, 11/11 or “double eleven,” which references the number one as it relates to being single and not in a relationship (one is the loneliest number after all). When it first occurred in 2009, it was a kind of an anti-Valentine’s Day when single people could splurge and purchase gifts for themselves.
In its more recent years, Singles’ Day has welcomed all, regardless of their relationship status, and has turned into a major online shopping event where consumers across the globe can buy name brand items at discounted prices.
Because of its worldwide popularity, this ‘single’-day sales event was eventually rebranded into the Global Shopping Festival in 2015 as it became more like a “holiday season celebrated by merchants and consumers worldwide.”
Although Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce site, nearly half a billion shoppers participate around the world as they bolster global reach through its multiple websites dedicated to handling sales between China and specific global regions, with Hong Kong, US, Australia, UK, and Japan accounting for some of the international buyers that take part.
Last year, the event’s launch included a countdown celebration gala with big-name musical performances from Jackson Yee, G.E.M. and Taylor Swift. Due to the stark difference from last year and China still recovering from the pandemic, Alibaba decided to scale back on live events and instead relied on live-streaming. For the 2020 event, pop star Katy Perry made an online appearance to perform one of her hit songs during the gala late Tuesday night.
Alibaba has reported stronger than previous expected earning for its fiscal second quarter, undoubtedly following China’s ease of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
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Can you miss something bad because it became familiar?
Are we going to miss DJT? He has predicted many times that we would, or at least that the media would miss the “ratings”. Now that, ever so slightly and with a surreal subtlety, his influence fades and begins to seem like a drunken nightmare from which we are awakening in a groggy stupor, bizarre thoughts appear.
Controlling the news cycle has been his thing from day 1. And, if this man has any real talent, it is for dominating the news with lies, nonsense and outrageous acts. Initially, like hostages with Stockholm Syndrome, we will struggle to adapt to a life with less drama from the White House, and, eventually, less doom-scrolling.
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Was he a clown or a monster? Both, of course. It is hard to admit or even comprehend how we were all, even the anti-trump “libs”, on some level captivated by the show and the drama.
At times laughing at him, tragic and bittersweet, as we suffer from his brutal senseless acts and incompetence, we still felt some strange enjoyment in being appalled. Ultimately, that was never anything we could accept or live with.
If only he had been even more incompetent, perhaps his buffoonery would have been harmless enough and we could have somehow tried to just go about our lives without thought of politics. But that was never the case.
Anger and Rage belie the criminality that is at the core
It was, in the end and still today, the anger, as Bob Woodward put it, the “Rage” beneath it all that made it so dangerous, so intolerable that a culture war had to happen to oust this comical criminal.
Meanwhile, 70 million are still falling for his childish nonsense conspiracy theories and his mirroring and projection of all his own negative traits. He tried, in plain sight to “rig the vote” even as he screamed constantly that the Democrats were the ones doing exactly that (they weren’t).
Click here to see “The Truths We Hold” and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
This tired playbook – a man lies constantly and at the same time shouts that the actual truth is “fake news”, which sycophants like Kellyanne Conway explain away his obvious garbage with terms like “alternative facts”.
In the end, as his toxic anger grew, the 75-150 million that are not Trump followers had to rise up and do something, no matter how entertaining his schtick might be, at times.
The remaining 70 million, those that were mesmerized or star-stuck (really?) or just shallow and dim-witted, will also have to adjust to a political landscape without the magic-clown they so love and adore.
Loving him as anti-communist Vietnamese and Cuban immigrants accepted the nonsense idea that Biden and all Democrats are communist loving socialists and that only DJT could save them from a return to the horrors they escaped under actual communism. Never mind that he is an obvious Putin lover and exchanged lovely letters with a certain North Korean dictator.
Or buying into his boasts about the economy virtually none of which were based on fact (other than the massive tax cuts for huge corporations, that the majority of his followers would not benefit from). In virtually every case there is a superficial nonsense reason that these individuals expanded into a justification for blind allegiance and even hero worship.
It’s unlikely that many of those people will be open to rethinking their views anytime soon, unfortunately.
All twerking aside, there a deeper story here
First, the imminent victories for Biden-Harris in Georgia and Arizona, after the huge win in Pennsylvania have a huge message to the GOP and all wannabe racist-tyrants.
The demographics of America do not favor populist leaders like Trump and the shift away from racism and all that Trump stood for will inevitably accelerate across the USA in the coming years.
Both Georgia and Arizona were lost to the GOP due to a demographic voting shift, one that is unlikely to reverse course.
The future is now embedded in the minds of the young after they witnessed the horrors of Trump
Tiktok recently exhibited a shift away from being a lip-syncing dance and entertainment platform to becoming a showcase for the thoughts, intelligence and gifted viewpoints of the young and politically aware.
Click to see “A Promised Land” and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
While “Trump trolls” also posted plenty during this election season, it is the depth and quality of the discourse among the left or liberal leaning that is most impressive.
A generation of Americans, particularly those currently between the ages of 15-25 have come of age during a brutal, ugly time – the last 4 years, and many have come away with a new awareness of the real costs of political apathy.
And it is precisely the challenges that affect them most – like the possibility that the planet may not survive long enough for them to live out their lives, which inspires them to be vocal and active.
Apathy will not be an option in the future, or all is lost. The young see this most clearly of all, and are demonstrating, on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, how they are going to become a bigger factor in the future of our country. Amen to that, brother.
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Almost exactly four years ago to the day, on November 8th, 2016, Trump shocked America and the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. There was already a sense of foreboding among many, based on having witnessed Trump’s behavior during the campaign and throughout his public life before entering the political arena as a candidate.
The full extent of the danger and menace he would come to embody and represent was something that unfolded, nonstop, during the years he clutched onto power like a rabid dog.
Click here to see “The Truths We Hold” and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Like traumatic witnesses to a heinous crime, many of us who have wished for the day he would be defeated are experiencing a mixture of relief, elation and post-traumatic-stress on the news that his (first) day of reckoning has finally arrived.
On the announcement that Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, and would be the 46th President of the United States, jubilant celebrations broke out across the country.
Starting around noon on Saturday, November 7th, the various news outlets began to confirm that the threshold of 270 electoral votes required for victory had been surpassed by the Biden-Harris ticket.
Unbridled joy almost instantly swept across the land, at least among the nearly 75 million that voted blue, and likely among many of those some 70+ million that did not take the time, or were unable, to mark a ballot.
Unlike other political victory celebrations, this was not a “lesser of two evils” situation for any of those mentioned in the previous paragraph. Some of the internet memes, like the brilliant “America Endgame” video mash-up that mythologizes the election as an Avengers inspired clash between ultimate good and almost unspeakableevil.
The clip, for many, was an emotional and inspirational confirmation of what they had been feeling for fourteen-hundred and fifty-nine days as a dark shadow of racist ignorance and hate cast a shadow across our lives.
Looking ahead: days to reflect, heal and rebuild
Next we must all begin to take the sudden feelings of empowerment and democratic vindication and apply that energy toward reclaiming and rebuilding all that the would-be tyrant had spend 4 years undermining and trying to destroy.
No small task, no easy road, but, nevertheless, a chance to learn from this close encounter with a near-collapse of our system and what it has meant throughout the best moments of our history.
The damage wrought by the 1,459 days of terror-tweets, and more dangerously, the behind-the-scenes dismantling of the skeleton that holds our system upright, can finally begin to be reconstructed and reclaimed.
Symbolically, the ending of our participation in the Paris Climate Accords, which ended, literally, hours before Trump’s loss was announced, marks the end of an era of destruction, and the beginning of one pointing firmly toward a possible future of survival and repair. Biden has pledged to re-join the accords as his first act as President.
And now for the 70 million + souls that, who, out of a susceptibility to propaganda and the spell of a fascist cult of personality, voted for Trump, the avalanche of lies will go silent (other than from the sycophants that remain in positions of power). Next, the country and media can, hopefully, allow real facts and information (remember those?) to flow again and reclaim at least some minds where possible.
Sadly after more than 4 years of hard-line indoctrination, only individuals under a certain age or who were only partially damaged, will be receptive to any kind of a return to a more civil national discourse.
These are all thoughts for a later date, but for now a well deserved moment of relief and celebration, and thank our stars for the 75 million of us that rose up and made it possible for the chance of a better future to emerge.
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Blast at a firework depot rocks Lebanese residents from miles away
A huge explosion has rocked Beirut, the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, causing many injuries, overturned cars, blown out windows and damaged buildings all across the city. This is a breaking and developing story so there will be additional details to follow. According to the most current information, sources on location are stating this blast was likely an accident caused by a fire from within a warehouse that holds highly explosive materials (i.e. fireworks) near the port in Beirut.
The captured video leading up to the explosion shows a large mushroom-shaped plume of billowing smoke, above a fire with crackling lights that appear to be fireworks. Seconds later, a fiery red cloud immediately follows a huge blast, sending massive amounts of smoke barreling towards the city. You can hear bystanders scream, undoubtedly trying to get to safety. The smoke and shockwave of the blast has destroyed buildings miles away from the port with final reports of the damage expected to be even worse.
Lebanese security official announces that "explosive material" was stored in a warehouse in Beirut's port (a very heavily populated area). Israel has long accused Hezbollah of storing explosive weapons in downtown Beirut. At least 15 people killed and hundreds more injured.
Residential properties as far away as 10 kilometers ( 6 miles) also experienced damage from the blow. Witnesses reported seeing the fire initially without realizing that an explosion would soon follow. Due to this confusion, the blast appears to have caused many that were in close proximity to experience temporary deafening effects. The explosion was so strong that the sound of the blast could be heard as far away as Nicosia on the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus which is 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.
This developing story likely to have dire updates To come
Hamad Hasan, Lebanon’s health minister has stated that many have been injured and hospitals are anticipated to be overwhelmed by casualties of the blast. Hasan later remarked to the news that more than 50 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured. A Lebanese Red Cross official, George Kettaneh said there were hundred of casualties – both dead and wounded but was unable to give an exact number. Marwan Abboud, the governor of Beirut spoke on its local television network explaining they did not know exactly what caused the explosion and called the event a national catastrophe.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab stated in a televised speech that those responsible for the explosion would be held accountable for its devastating results.
“I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability… Those responsible will pay the price.”
Hassan Diab / lebanon’s prime minister
BREAKING: Massive explosion in Beirut. Footage from the daily star office now in Lebanon pic.twitter.com/2uBsKP5wCH
— Ghada Alsharif | غادة الشريف (@GhadaaSharif) August 4, 2020
It has been a truly horrible time in history for Lebanon, the explosion just making matters even worse. The country is already suffering an extreme economic crisis that has left many of its population suffering from poverty. In addition the country has been in a civil war for nearly 25 years, as well as suffering due to the repeated conflicts with Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group, near Lebanon’s southern border.
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Only an illiterate thug with no concept of history would talk about people who are against Fascism in America as “terrorists”. Unfortunately, the media has joined in the hate parade and keeps stating the “fact” that “antifa” is a “far-far left” radical violent organization, and then mentioning various caveats to show they are not agreeing with the wannabe Fascist in the White House.
Many large news outlets have tried to give a “definitive” overview of the real situation regarding the violent elements of the recent unrest vs. the perception that is being pushed by the current administration. The picture news media paints is almost as warped as the government version.
Poster Art by Paramount Pictures
“Antifa” is short for anti-fascist” and, yes, there is a european history behind the resistance to the rise of fascist regimes leading up to World War II. Bizarrely, no mention is made in these “definitive” accounts of the fact that the Axis powers in Europe, Germany and Italy were in control of fascist dictators and that we, the Alliance, were the enemy of fascism and the heroic liberators of the people enslaved and killed by these dictators.
Although many have indirectly pointed to the similarities between the rise of Trump, or at least his attempted power grabs, and the early period of European history when both Hitler and Mussolini were on the rise.
They too outlawed “terrorists”, which was anyone who they believed were against them. They each had bands of thugs who were used to intimidate with illegal violence anyone that they perceived as a threat. Now we have a “private army” amassed by Bill Barr and an armed “militia” being egged on to use automatic rifles to intimidate elected officials in the Michigan state capitol and in other places.
And “antifa” are dangerous terrorists? Is that some kind of a joke?
High profile american patriots have an obligation to speak out – now
Not long ago Rachel Maddow made a speech on her show saying “The dark days are not coming, the dark days are here”. That was over six months ago and, as everyone knows, much darker days have come since.
What are we waiting for? Where are the people who can see the most obvious facts in front of their faces and then decide to stand up and declare: I am an american patriot and therefore, as has been the case throughout our storied history I stand against Fascism in any form at any time, anywhere in the world, especially here in the USA!
Where are the people who see what is happening before our eyes, journalists, celebrities, powerful public figures and politicians who are ready to say: Stop fascism and the attempt to create a fascist dictatorship now!
Do we want to wait for the country to be under marshall law and then watch while concentration camps are built to hold anyone who dares to call themselves against fascism, and therefore against the wannabe fascist in the White House?
Based on viewing social media video evidence such as the one above, along with official assessments, the two largest contingents of looters and criminals during the recent unrest across America were right wing confederates of Trump trying to start a race war and professionals, sometimes driving up in Rolls Royces and brand new Mercedes sedans, who are clearly not anti-fascists (unless they are very rich ones).
That is a point that should not even need to be debated. The point that matters is that being against fascism is the most pro-american and mainstream heroic stance anyone, from any part of society, can take and has been throughout our history.
Nonsense and lies that are dignified with any kind of measured response, rather than outright rejection, encourages dangerous propaganda that we can not afford to repeat, even to denounce
Where are the “good” fascist dictators? Where is the society that was improved by a fascist power structure? What kind of senseless idiocy is it to debate with someone, someone that has obvious designs on becoming some kind of fantasy dictator who has fascist tendencies, as to who the “real terrorist” is?
Perhaps this common sense “clear as the nose on your face” approach will not be taken seriously by the large corporate media outlets. After all, there is a consensus that “antifa is bad, just not as bad as Trump says”: that is the subtext of many articles being written about the insane pronouncement that Trump has “designated” antifa as a terrorist group.
There is no “debate” required in this discussion. Fascists are the enemy of all Americans and therefore being against fascism is being “for” America and the way of Peace and Justice.
Being against people who are against fascism is to be “for” fascism. If you are a politician talking about “rigged” elections and trying almost daily to incite riots in order to escalate state sponsored violence against peaceful protesters, your opinion of who is, or isn’t, a terrorist has been disqualified. Oh, and if you say racists are “very fine people” then you are standing in solidarity with Racism.
It is for the rest of us to decide who the “good guys” are and to stand together as one with them. Speaking out clearly as being against fascism and the wannabe fascist in our midst is the minimum requirement to patriotic citizenship in these chaotic and dangerous times.
Remote region of Nevada gets an early morning shakeup
USGS (United States Geological Service) reported a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit the Nevada early Friday, May 15th, 2020. The quake was upgraded from the first reported magnitude of 6.4 to 6.5 an hour after the initial hit. The quake happened at approximately 4:03 a.m. east of Sierra Nevada, 35 miles from Tonopah near the California/Nevada border. The first temblor, according to USGS, struck 4.7 miles deep and resulted in dozens of aftershocks, some of which were of a magnitude high enough to have been felt throughout the region – ranging from 3.0 to 5.1 with many above the 4.0 threshold.
Director of the Nevada Seismology Laboratory, Graham Kent explained that the state has not experienced an earthquake close the magnitude felt on May 15th since the year December 1954 when two temblors of 6.8 and 7.1 magnitude hit the city of Fallon, Nevada.
Tweets began to pop up from residents ranging from Salt Lake City, Utah to Central Valley in California confirming that they felt the earthquake. Due to the quake hitting near the border of Nevada and California, and although the epicenter was in a remote region, many people were able to feel the quake. USGS revealed that more than 15,000 “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted.
As yet, there have been no reports of casualties, however Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office shared photos of the US 95 Highway damage resulting in portions of US95 and Nevada 360 Junction in Mineral County being closed for repairs.
The whole town woke up to an earthquake last night. So far this is the worst damage we are aware of. Highway north of us where it happened. Expect delays. 📷 Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office pic.twitter.com/x4WynWpMfX
On July 4th and 5th of last year, a large rolling earthquake, centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, CA with a magnitude of 7.1 hit California and was felt all the way to Mexico.
Each time a quake of sufficient magnitude to get all of us to take notice occurs, we are reminded that, living near various active fault lines, it is not a question of “if” a large quake will happen, but only “when”. Therefore it is always good advice to prepare and be ready, even if we happen already to be in the middle of a different type of emergency.
Helpful tips on how to prepare for when the next big one hits
Download maps in .pdf format and store on a laptop (keep it charged). Or just get some of those old fashioned paper maps.
Learn CPR: go to a class and be the one ready to save those around you.
For homeowners: check the structural integrity of your foundation. Double-check your earthquake insurance policy.
Keep extra water (lots of it) in your home as well as food and other supplies such as medicine, first aid kit and other essentials. Keep empty, safe water containers around to fill for extra H2O. Enough for at least a week or two is advised
Be sure that there is some cash hidden for this occasion; ATM machines can also be out for extended periods after a very large temblor.
Old movies about viruses and deadly outbreaks are making a come back into the spotlight and even trending most likely as a direct result of the current novel coronavirus that has now been deemed a pandemic according to The World Health Organization (WHO).
Most notable, is the movie “Contagion” a film from 2011, that is now the 2nd most watched Warner Brothers Film so far in 2020 and has reached the 10th spot on Apple iTune’s most rented movie this year. Yet “Contagion” is only one example of other movies that share the same recurring theme of disease and viral outbreaks.
All around the world, current blockbusters are postponing release and premiere dates, which makes this a perfect time to enjoy some oldies but goodies in the comfort of your own home.
Click to Buy “Contagion” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2011. When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia. Available on Amazon and a on Walmart.
Click to Buy “World War Z ” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2013. When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses that it’s no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when, suddenly, the city erupts into chaos. A lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “12 Monkeys” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 1995. Traveling back in time isn’t simple, as James Cole (Bruce Willis) learns the hard way. Imprisoned in the 2030s, James is recruited for a mission that will send him back to the 1990s. Once there, he’s supposed to gather information about a nascent plague that’s about to exterminate the vast majority of the world’s population. But, aside from the manic Jeffrey (Brad Pitt), he gets little in the way of cooperation, not least from medical gatekeepers like Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe). Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Outbreak” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 1995. A dangerous airborne virus threatens civilization in this tense thriller. After an African monkey carrying a lethal virus is smuggled into the U.S., an outbreak occurs in a California town. To control the spread of the disease, a team of doctors is brought in that includes a contagious disease expert (Dustin Hoffman) and his ex-wife (Rene Russo). Once the Army intervenes to handle the situation, though, the doctors must fight against the clock to save the town and its residents. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Pandemic” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2016. After a devastating virus outbreak, the world is plunged into a state of chaos. Zombies roam the streets, while survivors fight to stay alive. With the human race under threat, an armed rescue team target the undead. Rachel Nichols stars as a doctor who leads a group to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. The film is shot in a first-person POV, similar to first-person shooter video games. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Mayhem” – Amazon also Available on Walmart.
Released in 2017. Derek Cho is having a really bad day. After being unjustly fired from his job, he discovers that the law firm’s building is under quarantine for a mysterious and dangerous virus. Chaos erupts throughout the office as the victims of the disease begin acting out their wildest impulses. Joining forces with a former client who has a grudge of her own, Derek savagely fights tooth and nail to get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all.
Find books on COVID-19, health and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org
The Best Method is a Combination Approach: Good Hand Hygiene and Approved Products
The Coronavirus has been transmitted as a majority from person to person. The CDC has warned that the virus can also be transmitted as a result of touching objects or surfaces that are infected. This has resulted in many people turning to every day household cleaning and disinfecting products.
To ensure that you are using the right products to stave off the virus, the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just released a list of approved antimicrobial products that officially qualify against Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19.
“Using the correct disinfectant is an important part of preventing and reducing the spread of illnesses along with other critical aspects such as hand washing.
Andrew Wheeler – epa administrator – March 5th news release
Clorox Multi-Surface Cleaner + Bleach. Available on Amazon
The news release from the EPA explained that the coronaviruses are enveloped viruses – which means they are the easier types of viruses to kill when the appropriate disinfectant products are utilized.
Below is a list of the most well known products that are now EPA approved for fighting Coronavirus. See full list here.
Clorox Multi-Surface Cleaner + Bleach. Available on Amazon.
Klercide 70/30
Lonza Formulation
Lysol Clean & Fresh Multi-Surface Cleaner. Available on Amazon.
Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist. Available on Amazon.
Lysol Heavy-Duty Cleaner Disinfectant Concentrate. Available on Amazon.
Oxy-Team Disinfectant Cleaner
Oxycide Daily Disinfectant Cleaner
Peak Disinfectant Wipes
Peroxide Multi Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant
Peroxide Disinfectant and Glass Cleaner
Purell Professional Surface Disinfectant Wipes
Sani-Prime Germicidal Disposable Wipe. Amazon on Amazon.
Sani-Prime Germicidal Spray
It is recommended to follow the directions of the approved products found on the master label in order to ensure proper directions are followed (ex: how long disinfectant should stay on treated surface to best kill off virus).
Caution is appropriate. Preparedness is Appropriate.
Below are the general guidelines for self protection and reducing the risk of infection. These are, naturally, not bad ideas for anytime, not only in the face of a potential pandemic:
Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Cover your moth when you sneeze or cough
Disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces around your house and work
Stay home if you are sick
Avoid handshakes and touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth in pubic
(If possible) steer clear from people that are sick
There is no need to wear a face mask unless you are sick
Practicing Good Hygiene is key, below are practical steps that if maintained consistently can help to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus:
Photo Image Courtesy of NASA – Curiosity Mars Rover – Highest resolution available – here –
Curiosity, NASA’s Mars rover first landed on the planet and has been there since 2004 and has taken many images of the Martian surface. None have come close to the details the rover was able to capture and NASA released March 4th, 2020. The largest and highest resolution images ever taken by the Curiosity rover is comprised of over 1,000 individual images from the Mast Camera that spanned four days and six and a half hours of footage between November 24th and December 1st of 2019. To ensure consistent lighting the collection of images were only captured each day between 12-2 p.m. Mars time.
NASA Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada guides this tour of the rover’s view of the Martian surface
The main role of the Mast Camera is to take color images and video footage of surfaces and overall terrain ahead of the rover in Mars. The images are then able to be configured to create panoramas of the landscape. Which can be seen by the image NASA released of the 1.8 billion pixel panorama.
“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes.
This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.”
-Ashwin Vasavada/ Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Panoramas shows “Glen Torridon” a region near Mount Sharp where Curiosity has been exploring. The 360 view the camera was able to obtain gives scientists a little window to another world. Even after seven years on the Red Planet – the mission to exploring Mars has just begun.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover produced this 360-degree panorama of “Glen Torridon,” a region on the side of Mount Sharp.
Mars 2020 Rover has a Name!
The next rover is set to land on Mars, February 18th, 2021 and NASA has just come up with its name…. PERSEVERANCE
Call me Perseverance.
I'm headed for Mars: driven to search for signs of ancient life, test new tech to help future human explorers, and collect the first rock samples for future return to Earth.
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) March 5, 2020
Beautiful Images and Getting Better with Higher Resolution
From NASA: “In 2013, Curiosity produced a 1.3-billion-pixel panorama using both Mastcam cameras; its black-and-white Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, provided images of the rover itself. Imaging specialists carefully assemble Mars panoramas by creating mosaics composed of individual pictures and blending their edges to create a seamless look.”
Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Curiosity’s Mastcam. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington and built the Navigation Cameras and the rover.
“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which leads the Curiosity rover mission. “This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.”
Official Movie Release and Premiere Timing Reconsidered
The 25th James Bond movie and the last one to star Daniel Craig “No Time to Die” has officially been delayed. The premiere in London was originally set for March 31st and worldwide release April 10th, yet due to the increasing global outbreaks of COVID-19, the movie and production company gave word that the film will now be released in November of this year.
The official word is said to be the result of an open letter written by a popular Bond fan website named MI6-HQ that addressed EON, MGM, and Universal about the health concerns relating to the movie release. (see link for full letter):
“With the Coronavirus reaching pandemic status, it is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events.
Major events around the world have already been canceled or postponed due to health risks. Leading tech companies have banned travel for hundreds of thousands of employees, including Amazon and Google. All before the US and UK outbreaks expand.”
quote from MI6 Staff / www.mi6-hq.com
MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd
Two days after the letter was written, @007 the official Twitter page for the Bond movie took to social media to make the announcement of the delay. All in all this seems a wise decision as the public attendance of large numbers of people for any venue is in question due to the outbreak and the danger associated with close contact in enclosed spaces.
The entire film industry, concert and music industry and even live sports face a potentially huge challenge if this situation worsens. At this stage both the spread of the virus and the extent of quarantine measures that could become mandatory in the U.S. are unclear.
In Asia, not only mainland China but also Korea and Japan can be seen as initial examples of what could be in store for us in North America. In Europe, most notably Italy and in Iran things have already progressed beyond what we have seen thus far in the U.S.
Ultimately the question remains whether the spread of the infection can be contained, and yet, it is precisely measures such as the postponement of large public events that could be seen as part of the prophylactic response, and could help to prevent the kind of tragedy that China has already experienced.
Trend in Cancellations and Postponements Rising as Concerns of Infection Increase
Click to Buy “The Ghost Map” and at the same time help Lynxotic and All Independent Local Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
The list of events being cancelled due to fears of an increase in Coronavirus cases and even a possible eventual quarantine situation arising in the U.S. is getting longer daily. Some recent examples include the South by Southwest festival (also known as SWSX), scheduled to kick off on March 13th in Austin TX and yet is considering a cancellation after both Facebook and Twitter indicated that they would not send employees to the sow this year. The huge festival’s organizers must reconsider, it seems, after a petition online has been signed by over 40,000 people calling for the cancellation of the event. In some countries there is a ban on public gatherings altogether, naturally in China but even in Switzerland where there is a ban in place on any gathering that expects attendees in excess of 1000.
The effects on vast swaths of commerce, such as the $2.5 trillion trade show industry are looming large and could have a ripple effect throughout the economy as a whole. The Mobile World Congress, now known as MWC, originally scheduled for February 24-27, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain, for example, which is the world’s largest trade show for the Mobile Phone Industry has just been cancelled, and each of these kinds of large gatherings will mean a directly correlated drop in hotel, travel and restaurant revenue in the cities affected. To date more than 24 trade shows and conferences have been cancelled or postponed worldwide due to the concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
If you’ve missed our recent coverage of the climate crisis, here’s a compilation of some of our noteworthy articles that’ll help you get up to speed on the issue, especially in regards to how global citizens and celebrities are getting involved in the movement for climate action.
