Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
BigmanPigman
BigmanPigman's Journal
BigmanPigman's Journal
March 30, 2022
Some good news regarding the Oscars.
"The Academy Awards paid tribute to the late actress and animal rights activist Betty White on Sunday by urging people to adopt pets from the nonprofit Paw Works. After Jamie Lee Curtis took the stage with a puppy to announce the initiative, a famous friend took part in a big way."
"Actor John Travolta and his son Ben adopted a dog. But not just any dog — they chose MacNCheese, the dog Curtis brought on stage."
"A MAGICAL ending to the story from last night," Curtis wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of Travolta and and his son. "At the Oscars I reconnected with my friend, John Travolta. We starred together in the movie PERFECT back in 1984."
Curtis explained she had already left the Dolby Theatre when she got a text of a photo of Travolta with the dog in the green room before he presented the award for best actor. "I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little Mac & Cheese and are taking her home today," she wrote."
"The actress, 63, said it was "an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White."
"Travolta and Paw Works also shared photos of the dog and its new family on Instagram."
John Travolta and his son adopted the puppy from the Oscars' Betty White tribute
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-travolta-adopted-puppy-from-oscars-betty-white-tribute/Some good news regarding the Oscars.
"The Academy Awards paid tribute to the late actress and animal rights activist Betty White on Sunday by urging people to adopt pets from the nonprofit Paw Works. After Jamie Lee Curtis took the stage with a puppy to announce the initiative, a famous friend took part in a big way."
"Actor John Travolta and his son Ben adopted a dog. But not just any dog — they chose MacNCheese, the dog Curtis brought on stage."
"A MAGICAL ending to the story from last night," Curtis wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of Travolta and and his son. "At the Oscars I reconnected with my friend, John Travolta. We starred together in the movie PERFECT back in 1984."
Curtis explained she had already left the Dolby Theatre when she got a text of a photo of Travolta with the dog in the green room before he presented the award for best actor. "I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little Mac & Cheese and are taking her home today," she wrote."
"The actress, 63, said it was "an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White."
"Travolta and Paw Works also shared photos of the dog and its new family on Instagram."
March 30, 2022
Did Putin have plastic surgery?
He looks pretty puffed up to me. I thought it was steroids but Bill Maher made it seem like common knowledge.
March 25, 2022
Am I the only one whose eyes notice only 4 women at the NATO meeting?
I am a very visual person and whenever I see a photo of leaders (political, financial, spiritual) I always notice how obvious the lack of women is. I always wonder if an alien came to Earth and saw these groups they would think that 90% of Earthlings are white men. And this is 2022. One step forward, one step back?
March 24, 2022
It seems like a pretty mixed bag.
What do Russian citizens think about the Special Operation?
It seems like a pretty mixed bag.
March 23, 2022
COVID-19 is surging again in Europe thanks to the BA.2 subvariant and is likely to spread to the US
COVID-19 is surging again in Europe thanks to the BA.2 subvariant and is likely to spread to the US soon
https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-europe-surge-ba2-us-wave-likely-coming-2022-3
This article has good charts too.
Coronavirus cases in Europe are rising again as the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron spreads.
COVID-19 waves in Europe typically precede the US by a couple of weeks.
Experts say the US could even get it worse, as booster uptake in the US has been low.
The US could get a worse wave
Some experts warn that the US could get a worse BA.2 wave than Europe, with unboosted vulnerable and older people at more risk than those in Europe.
The uptake of booster vaccines has been poorer in the US: As of March 13, only one in three in the US population had received a third shot, compared to about 60% in the UK, Germany, and Denmark.
Wastewater surveillance suggests there may be more COVID-19 cases than are being reported. Some sites in the US reported over a 1,000% increase in the levels of genetic material from the coronavirus detected in sewage compared with 15 days earlier, as shown below.
March 16, 2022
Question: Are the weapons being sent to Ukraine equal to providing a No Fly Zone?
I don't know anything about military issues and weapons so I am asking in good faith. Since the US and NATO won't provide a No Fly Zone do the new weapons have the ability to do what a No Fly Zone would?
March 15, 2022
Public health officials and scientists are closely monitoring BA.2, which has been described as a “stealth” variant because it has genetic mutations that could make it harder to distinguish from the delta variant using PCR tests, compared with the original omicron variant, BA.1
Now, Danish scientists believe that the BA.2 subvariant is 1½ times more transmissible than the original omicron strain, and is already overtaking it. The BA.2 variant is now responsible for over half of the new cases in Germany and makes up around 11% of cases in the U.S.
That number is expected to rise further, as it has in Europe.
“It’s clear that BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 and this, combined with the relaxation of mitigation measures and waning immunity, is contributing to the current surge in infections,” Lawrence Young, a professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University, told CNBC on Monday.
“The increased infectiousness of BA.2 is already out-competing and replacing BA.1, and we are likely to see similar waves of infection as other variants enter the population.”
As long as the virus continues to spread and replicate, particularly in populations which are under-vaccinated or where vaccine-induced immunity is decaying, “it will throw up new variants and these will remain a continual threat even to those countries with high rates of vaccination,” Young noted. “Living safely with Covid doesn’t mean ignoring the virus and hoping it will go away forever.”
What do we know about BA.2
Initial data show that BA.2 is a little more likely to cause infections in household contacts, when compared with BA.1. It’s not believed currently that the BA.2 variant causes more severe illness or carries an increased the risk of being hospitalised, however further research is needed to confirm this, according to a U.K. parliamentary report published last week.
Hospitalizations have also risen in a number of European countries as Covid infections have risen in recent weeks, but deaths remain far lower than in previous peaks thanks to widespread vaccine coverage.The UKHSA has done a preliminary analysis comparing vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease for BA.1 and BA.2 infections and found that the levels of protection are similar, with efficacy of up to 77% soon after a booster shot, although this wanes over time.
Covid cases are rising as omicron's 'stealth' subvariant spreads around the world
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/15/is-omicron-subvariant-bapoint2-to-blame-for-rising-covid-cases.htmlPublic health officials and scientists are closely monitoring BA.2, which has been described as a “stealth” variant because it has genetic mutations that could make it harder to distinguish from the delta variant using PCR tests, compared with the original omicron variant, BA.1
Now, Danish scientists believe that the BA.2 subvariant is 1½ times more transmissible than the original omicron strain, and is already overtaking it. The BA.2 variant is now responsible for over half of the new cases in Germany and makes up around 11% of cases in the U.S.
That number is expected to rise further, as it has in Europe.
“It’s clear that BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 and this, combined with the relaxation of mitigation measures and waning immunity, is contributing to the current surge in infections,” Lawrence Young, a professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University, told CNBC on Monday.
“The increased infectiousness of BA.2 is already out-competing and replacing BA.1, and we are likely to see similar waves of infection as other variants enter the population.”
As long as the virus continues to spread and replicate, particularly in populations which are under-vaccinated or where vaccine-induced immunity is decaying, “it will throw up new variants and these will remain a continual threat even to those countries with high rates of vaccination,” Young noted. “Living safely with Covid doesn’t mean ignoring the virus and hoping it will go away forever.”
What do we know about BA.2
Initial data show that BA.2 is a little more likely to cause infections in household contacts, when compared with BA.1. It’s not believed currently that the BA.2 variant causes more severe illness or carries an increased the risk of being hospitalised, however further research is needed to confirm this, according to a U.K. parliamentary report published last week.
Hospitalizations have also risen in a number of European countries as Covid infections have risen in recent weeks, but deaths remain far lower than in previous peaks thanks to widespread vaccine coverage.The UKHSA has done a preliminary analysis comparing vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease for BA.1 and BA.2 infections and found that the levels of protection are similar, with efficacy of up to 77% soon after a booster shot, although this wanes over time.
March 14, 2022
A pregnant woman and her baby have died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth, The Associated Press has learned. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher had circled the world, epitomizing the horror of an attack on humanity’s most innocent.
In video and photos shot Wednesday by AP journalists after the attack on the hospital, the woman was seen stroking her bloodied lower abdomen as rescuers rushed her through the rubble in the besieged city of Mariupol, her blanched face mirroring her shock at what had just happened. It was among the most brutal moments so far in Russia’s now 19-day-old war on Ukraine.
The woman was rushed to another hospital, yet closer to the frontline, where doctors labored to keep her alive. Realizing she was losing her baby, medics said, she cried out to them, “Kill me now!”
* MSNBC said that Russia has reported that this ia fake.
Ukraine: Pregnant woman hit by Russian bombing of Mariupol maternity hospital dies with her baby
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-health-europe-c0f2f859296f9f02be24fc9edfca1085A pregnant woman and her baby have died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth, The Associated Press has learned. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher had circled the world, epitomizing the horror of an attack on humanity’s most innocent.
In video and photos shot Wednesday by AP journalists after the attack on the hospital, the woman was seen stroking her bloodied lower abdomen as rescuers rushed her through the rubble in the besieged city of Mariupol, her blanched face mirroring her shock at what had just happened. It was among the most brutal moments so far in Russia’s now 19-day-old war on Ukraine.
The woman was rushed to another hospital, yet closer to the frontline, where doctors labored to keep her alive. Realizing she was losing her baby, medics said, she cried out to them, “Kill me now!”
* MSNBC said that Russia has reported that this ia fake.
March 14, 2022
Russians are trying to sell McDonald's menu items online, following branch closures.
Popular items like Big Macs and McMuffins have been offered at inflated prices.
One listing on a classified ads website offered McDonald's packaging for up to $373.
Russians are attempting to sell McDonald's menu items online at highly inflated prices, following the closure of more than 800 restaurants in the country.
One Moscow-based seller advertised a Big Mac for the equivalent of around $36. The figure is based on exchange rates at time writing. In Russia, the burger would usually cost 135 roubles, or around $1, according to The Economist's Big Mac index.
Another seller recently posted a "McDonald's Breakfast," including McMuffins, potato pancakes, and sauces for around $18.
In a listing translated into English, the seller said they were offering the items to "those who want to enjoy the last taste of a bygone era."
Russians try to sell Big Macs for around $36 each....
https://news.yahoo.com/russians-trying-sell-big-macs-122120599.htmlRussians are trying to sell McDonald's menu items online, following branch closures.
Popular items like Big Macs and McMuffins have been offered at inflated prices.
One listing on a classified ads website offered McDonald's packaging for up to $373.
Russians are attempting to sell McDonald's menu items online at highly inflated prices, following the closure of more than 800 restaurants in the country.
One Moscow-based seller advertised a Big Mac for the equivalent of around $36. The figure is based on exchange rates at time writing. In Russia, the burger would usually cost 135 roubles, or around $1, according to The Economist's Big Mac index.
Another seller recently posted a "McDonald's Breakfast," including McMuffins, potato pancakes, and sauces for around $18.
In a listing translated into English, the seller said they were offering the items to "those who want to enjoy the last taste of a bygone era."
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayHometown: Phila.,PA
Home country: USA
Current location: San Diego, CA
Member since: Wed Mar 1, 2017, 09:12 PM
Number of posts: 51,584