"The Catholic Church still governs the care that can be delivered to millions in those hospitals each year, using religious directives to ban abortions and limit contraceptives, in vitro fertilization, and medical aid in dying......over time, focus on margins led the hospitals to transform into behemoths that operate for-profit subsidiaries and pay their executives millions, according to hospital tax filings" More at KFF Health News ➜
Public Posts
"On 29 October 1969, two scientists established a connection between computers some 350 miles away and started typing a message. Halfway through, it crashed. They sat down with the BBC 55 years later"......"I was on the phone with Bill when we tried this. I told him I typed the letter L. He told me he had received the letter L and echoed it back. I told him that it printed. Then I typed the letter O. Again, it worked fine. I typed the letter G. Bill told me his system had crashed, and he would call me back"..... Read more at The BBC ➜
UN Secretary-General António Guterres Statement - October 27, 2024
• 10/27/24 at 10:47PM •"The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in North Gaza is unbearable. Just in the past few weeks, hundreds of people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, and more than 60,000 others have been forced to flee yet again, many fearing not being able to return.
The Secretary-General is shocked by the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction in the north, with civilians trapped under rubble, the sick and wounded going without life-saving health care, and families lacking food and shelter, amid reports of families being separated and many people detained.
Repeated efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies essential to survive – food, medicine and shelter – continue to be denied by the Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in peril. The postponement of the final phase of the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza is putting the lives of thousands of children at risk.
The Secretary-General warns that the widespread devastation and deprivation resulting from Israel’s military operations in North Gaza – especially around Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – are making the conditions of life untenable for the Palestinian population there. This conflict continues to be waged with little regard for the requirements of international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General underscores that the parties to the conflict must respect and protect civilians, including humanitarian workers and first responders whose vital work must be facilitated and protected – not impeded and jeopardized.
In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General reiterates his calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and accountability for crimes under international law."
"A new type of absorbing material developed by chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, could help get the world to negative emissions. The porous material — a covalent organic framework (COF) — captures CO2 from ambient air without degradation by water or other contaminants, one of the limitations of existing DAC technologies." More at UC Berkeley News ➜
"The legacy of slavery in America remains a divisive issue, with sharp political divides. Some argue that slavery still contributes to modern economic inequalities. Others believe its effects have largely faded. One way to measure the legacy of slavery is to determine whether the disproportionate riches of slaveholders have been passed down to their present-day descendants"..."We found that legislators who are descendants of slaveholders are significantly wealthier than members of Congress without slaveholder ancestry"... More at The Conversation ➜
"A growing number of students in public schools – right now, about 15% of them – are eligible for special education services. These services include specially designed instruction for students with autism, learning or physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries. But going into the current school year, more than half of U.S. public schools anticipate being short-staffed in special education. More at The Conversation ➜
"Israeli Authorities Censor Film About 1948 Depopulation of Palestine. Lyd (2023), produced by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, explores a future without Israeli occupation through archival footage and sci-fi elements." More
"When Anna Nusslock showed up at her local hospital 15 weeks pregnant and in severe pain earlier this year, she said, a doctor delivered devastating news: The twins she and her husband had so desperately wanted were not viable. Further, her own health was in danger, and she needed an emergency abortion to prevent hemorrhaging and infection.......Providence St. Joseph Hospital, in the small Northern California coastal city of Eureka, refused to provide the care she required because doctors could detect fetal "heart tones," Nusslock said"..... More at The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) ➜
A Comment by Loy
Disturbing!
"The U.S. military trained him in explosives and battlefield tactics. Now the Iraq War veteran and enlisted National Guard member was calling for taking up arms against police and government officials in his own country"... More at AP NEWS ➜
..."Since deer move, some experts predict 1.5 million accidents yearly. Other sources suggest that deer collision statistics are much higher" On average, 440 people die. There were over 1.8 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. in one year, and State Farm reported 1,288,714 deer collisions. On top of deer-vehicle accidents"..... More at the World Animal Foundation ➜
"How does poverty in the US compare with what’s going on in similar economies? ... ..."The U.S. has one of the highest rates of poverty among Western industrialized nations. Whether the focus is on working-age adults, children, people over 65 or the population as a whole, the U.S. is near the top in terms of the extent and depth of its poverty. More at The Conversation ➜