Melissa's Musings(My opinionated view of life)

A conservative radio host who downplayed vaccines on his show is on an oxygen machine after a severe COVID-19 infection Even though I am very unhappy with his original attitude, I'd honestly have to say I'm sorry to hear he may not even make it, and that it took this for him to regret his words about the vaccine and the virus itself.  I hope he recovers.

Sweet Little Goat Learns to Walk After Animal Sanctuary Refused to Give Up on Her | GoodNews by GreaterGood : We're so proud of this spunky girl and so thankful for her caretakers, the people who believed in her and helped her get her legs under her!

A team of high schoolers built a device that allows people in wheelchairs to walk their babies - CNN : For many parents, taking their babies on a walk or cradling them to sleep is a blessing that's easy to take for granted. But for Jeremy King, it's something he feared he would never be able to do.

Natural Way Recalls Almond Butter Due to Undeclared Peanuts | FDA : Natural Way of Fayetteville, AR, is recalling its 16 ounce jars of original almond butter because they may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product contained ins

Covid summer: Fauci warns US not to ‘declare victory’ despite lowest rates in a year | US news | The Guardian

What's This About Delta Being 1,000 Times More Infectious? | MedPage Today

Coronavirus surge will get worse before it gets better, experts predict - The Washington Post : This summer surge recently surpassed last summer’s high in terms of case counts. That wave, the country’s second, crested at the end of July 2020 with a seven-day average of below 70,000 daily cases. New infections waned through August and September, and rose again into the winter.

Greater Omaha Packing recalls 295K pounds of raw beef | WGN-TV : OMAHA, Neb. — An Omaha meat processor has recalled more than 295,000 pounds of raw beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Greater Omaha Packing’s recall Thursday. The beef products, intended to be used in packages of ground beef, were produced on […]

UK virus cases rose after recent easing of rules: survey

Reluctant to be vaccinated for COVID-19? Here are six myths you can put to rest

Fatal shootings by police continue despite a pandemic, protests and pushes for reform - Washington Post : Despite reforms, on-duty police officers have fatally shot more than 6,000 people since The Washington Post began tracking such shootings in 2015. The circumstances range from what experts deem unavoidable to what prosecutors consider criminal and observers and experts contend many could have been averted with less-aggressive tactics.

Internal CDC document urges new messaging, warns delta infections likely more severe - The Washington Post : The document captures the struggle of the nation’s top public health agency to persuade the public to embrace vaccination and prevention measures, including mask-wearing, as cases surge across the United States and new research suggests vaccinated people can spread the virus. Yet no mask nor vax mandates issued by any governmental body in Illinois, where in Cook County we now have a high rate of transmission.  Lightfoot also okayed Lollapalooza with it's half a million attendees(based on previous attendance data, ) even though they knew it would most likely be a super-spreader event. Until people take it more seriously, COVID-19 will never be conquered.

Javier Baez Traded to Mets from Cubs in Blockbuster Ahead of Deadline | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

Breaking: Kris Bryant traded to Giants | CubsHQ Not happy with this, I am.  Not happy at all. Chicago sports teams like to trade their best players, and then wonder why they don't make any of the play-offs.  Da BEARS do this ALL THE TIME.

CDC says Americans should wear masks in nearly 70% of U.S. counties | Reuters

Current rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations is about three times higher in states that have vaccinated less than half of their residents -- and average case and death rates are more than double - CNN : Average Covid-19 hospitalization rates are nearly three times higher among states that have fully vaccinated less than half of their residents vs. the average among those that have vaccinated more than half of their residents, according to a CNN analysis of federal data.

CDC now says vaccinated should be tested after COVID exposure, even without symptoms

Combined effects of masking and distance on aerosol exposure potential

Israel will roll out a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to older people, citing a drop in protection against severe disease driven by the Delta variant

Chicago Cubs' Break-Up Begins As Rizzo Is Dealt To Yankees | Chicago, IL Patch   Big mistake for the Cubs.

Sunshine Mills, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Certain Products Due to Potentially Elevated Levels of Aflatoxin | FDA : Sunshine Mills, Inc. is issuing a voluntary recall of certain products due to potentially elevated levels of Aflatoxin above the acceptable limit. Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring by-product from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities. No

Cook County, Most Of Illinois Now Seeing ‘Substantial’ COVID Spread; CDC Urges Masks Indoors : Cook County and several other counties in the Chicago area are now seeing “substantial” spread of COVID-19, according to data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning fully vaccinated people are asked to resume wearing masks indoors.

Chicago Made Hot Dog History By Matching 8 Buns To 8 Wieners In A ‘Piece Treaty’ Celebrated Across The Country

Bulls announce four-game 2021 NBA preseason schedule | RSN

MLB Trade Deadline: Cubs' Kris Bryant 'prepared' for next chapter | RSN I think it would be a huge mistake to trade him.

Man Facing Federal Charges for Allegedly Sending Threatening Emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins at the National Institutes of Health | USAO-MD | Department of Justice : A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., age 56, for the federal charges of threats against a federal official and interstate communication containing a threat to harm, specifically for sending emails threatening harm to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, the current Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The criminal complaint was filed on July 26, 2021, and unsealed today upon Connally’s arrest. Connally is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan.

CDC says fully vaccinated people spread the Delta variant and should wear masks: 'This new science is worrisome' : The Delta variant makes it easier for vaccinated people to transmit the virus, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said.

Eddie Goldman thrilled to be back with Chicago Bears after one-year hiatus | Training camp 2021 : Saying that opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns “really took a toll on me,” Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman was ecstatic to practice with his teammates for the first time since December 2019.

Cahill Cheddar Cheeses Voluntarily Recalled in 44 Whole Foods Market Stores Due to Possible Health Risk | FDA : Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling Cahill Cheddar Porter and Whiskey Cheddar Cheeses from 44 stores across 22 states because of a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.

BrightFarms Announces Voluntary Recall Expansion of Packaged Salad Greens Sold in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan | FDA : BrightFarms today initiated a voluntary recall expansion of additional packaged salad greens that are past expiration date and were produced in its Rochelle, Illinois (Ogle County) greenhouse farm sold in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan due to potential contamination with Salmonella.

How relaxing COVID-19 restrictions could pave the way for vaccine resistance

Pride Parade And Market Days Should Require Masks And Other COVID Precautions — Or Cancel, Howard Brown Says

24-year-old gets double-lung transplant because of Covid-19 - CNN Video : CNN's Alisyn Camerota talks with 24-year-old Blake Bargatze and his mother Cheryl Nuclo about Blake's battle with Covid-19 that resulted in a double-lung transplant.

Pfizer data suggest third dose of Covid-19 vaccine 'strongly' boosts protection against Delta variant - CNN : A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can "strongly" boost protection against the Delta variant -- beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, suggests new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday.

Five takeaways from gripping officer testimony at the first January 6 hearing - CNNPolitics : The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack at the Capitol held its first hearing on Tuesday with harrowing testimony from four officers who shared their stories of being attacked by the rioters.

US surgeon general says putting a mask back on will help, but vaccinations will stonewall the pandemic - CNN : While people putting their masks back on indoors will help reduce the spread of Covid-19 across the country, getting more Americans vaccinated is still central to ending the pandemic, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Tuesday.

Swastika found etched into State Department elevator - Axios

Who Was Nabonidus, Last King of Babylon? | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine : Found in northern Saudi Arabia, the inscription depicts sixth-century B.C.E. ruler Nabonidus holding a scepter

Plumes of Smoke From Fires in the North American West Stretch Across the Continent | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine : Particle pollution is affecting air quality in cities thousands of miles away

Seagrass Is Harmed by Noise Pollution | Science | Smithsonian Magazine : The plant may not have ears, but that doesn’t stop sound from causing serious damage to other structures

What We Do and Don’t Know About Long COVID and Long-Haulers - COVID-19 - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health : Up to a year after having COVID-19, some people have yet to fully recover.

Voluntary Recall Notice of McCormick Italian Seasoning Products and Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Ranch Seasoning Due to Possible Salmonella Risk | FDA : McCormick & Company, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall of McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning, McCormick Culinary Italian Seasoning and Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Ranch Seasoning due to possible contamination with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal

Pterosaurs may have been able to fly as soon as they hatched | Science News

Why it’s still so hard to find treatments for early COVID-19 | Science News : Small studies, unexpected side effects and incomplete information about how drugs work can stymie clinical trials for drugs that can treat COVID-19.

Will Lollapalooza Be A Super-Spreader Event? Chicago's Top Doc Says Cases Likely, But Show Is Safe Anyway

Boys in Iowa spend their days helping turtles cross the road - The Washington Post

CDC recommends vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in some circumstances - The Washington Post : The recommendation will change guidance by the agency in May saying that vaccinated individuals did not have to wear masks indoors or out because of protection afforded by vaccines.

Atlanta police officers suspended after kicking handcuffed woman in head - The Washington Post

Coronavirus update: In these 2 US states, every county is listed as 'high transmission' - CNN : Florida and Arkansas

Natural infection vs vaccination: Which gives more protection? - Israel National News

Memory Effects Of Long COVID-19 Can Resemble Alzheimer's : Shots - Health News : NPR

If you are not vaccinated against Covid-19, you shouldn't go into a bar or restaurant, expert says - CNN : Less than half of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 -- and with cases on the rise, experts are urging a return to precautions reminiscent of the earlier days of the pandemic. People who are ignorant enough not to get the vaccine, are ignorant enough to not heed the warnings. I know someone personally, in real life, who told me she doesn't mask, and she goes to bars every weekend.

Vaccine antibody levels start to wane at around 2–3 months

Are Anti-vaxxers to Blame for the Pandemic's Resurgence? - The Atlantic : In the United States, this pandemic could be almost over by now. The reasons it’s still going are pretty clear. I'm sick of their selfishness.

Crest Hill Couple Breached Capitol At Jan. 6 Insurrection: Feds | Patch

Martin Luther King Jr., the KKK, and more may soon be cut from Texas education requirements - ABC News : The Texas Senate passed a new bill to cut several subjects concerning inequality, race and ethnicity from the Texas Education Code.

Excalibur Seasoning Company Recalls Seasoning Blend Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA

Old Soul’s Farms LLC Recalls Leafy Green Products Due to Possible Health Risk | FDA : Old Souls Farms, LLC, located at in St. Paris Ohio is initiating a voluntary recall of greenhouse leafy green products following a positive test of Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly

Vaccinations Lag As Coronavirus Surges In IL: Nearly 8K New Cases | Chicago, IL Patch

Masks Could Be Required In Chicago Again as COVID Spikes, Lightfoot Warns Numbers from Chicago and Illinois are mentioned in this article.  The numbers are increasing rapidly, and they will continue to climb.

The Most Influential Spreader of Coronavirus Misinformation Online - The New York Times : Researchers and regulators say Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician, creates and profits from misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines.

Delta variant: Pfizer Covid vaccine 39% effective in Israel, prevents severe illness

The New York games protesting Hitler’s 1936 Olympics – The Forward

Pelosi Names Adam Kinzinger To Jan. 6 House Select Committee | Patch

Jackie Mason, Who Went From Rabbi To Stand-up Comedy Star, Dies At 93 : NPR May his memory be a blessing.

Large Ivermectin Study Retracted | MedPage Today

Modern crocodile's 'grandfather,' 150 million years old, discovered in Chile fossil

30,000 in Budapest, Hungary, celebrate Pride, protest anti-LGBTQ law - UPI.com I'm interested in Hungary as I recently discovered I was genetically Hungarian.  For 50 years my parents never mentioned this ethnicity.  Crazy.

Do Dolphins Smile? | World Animal Protection

Pritzker signs bill to expand telehealth coverage | WGN-TV : CHICAGO — Illinois residents will soon have greater access to contraceptives and telehealth services. The services help providers reach more people in need of help. Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Thursday to expand telehealth coverage. But should this virtual care be reimbursed at the same rate as in-person care? Payment parity requires insurers to […]

Christian Nationalists Are Hard At Work Rewriting The History Of The Jan. 6 Insurrection | Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Capitol Riot: Injuries and trauma still plague police officers involved - The Washington Post : Officers who plan to testify before Congress say recognition of insurrection is crucial to officers’ their recovery.

Rare breakthrough coronavirus cases sicken Virginia mom, daughter - The Washington Post : Kim Marin, 51, of Fairfax County, has been fully vaccinated since mid-April and her 12-year-old daughter has been fully vaccinated since mid-June. They both tested positive for the coronavirus. '“I think the thing that’s so startling is that we have been really sick,” Marin said. “The messaging has been that cases like ours should be pretty mild. . . . We’re not in the hospital, so we’re so grateful for that. But it still has not been an easy week.”' The message is clear: Vax AND Mask.

Frustration mounts over vaccine holdouts - The Washington Post : Millions continue to refuse coronavirus shots as the delta variant drives new outbreaks

N95 masks and delta variant: What you need to know - The Washington Post

Capitol riot suspect Andrew Taake turned in by Bumble match, authorities say - The Washington Post

FBI ignored tips on Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Democrats charge | Reuters

Olympics: Munich victims honoured for first time at opening ceremony I hope this will be an Olympic tradition.

Ben & Jerry's did the right thing | Hillel Schenker | The Blogs I wish Haagen-Dazs right-wing owners didn't support the extremist(I call him, and his supporters terrorists.)  

The Ben & Jerry's boycott is not an attack on Israel. It is protesting a specific policy. - Jewish Telegraphic Agency : Those who claim that a protest against the occupation is a frontal attack on Israel itself are making a mistake, a board member of Americans for Peace Now writes. This. It sickens me when valid criticism of Israeli policies is considered "anti-Zionist" and "antisemitic."  It's the exact opposite, and those who think differently are actually spitting on Jewish values.  It figures that the right-wing(who support antisemitic Trump just because he moved the embassy, as if that's a "get out of jail free card.") It isn't.  In fact, it's lashon hara to be speaking against Ben and Jerry.  No one is making you buy or eat their ice cream.  Grow up.

Study highlights 'vital 30-day window' for hospital inpatients to get COVID-19 jab

Delta variant makes contact tracing so much harder

Making the case for intranasal COVID-19 vaccines

Decoding delta: How viruses mutate and what can be done about it | Hub

Mississippi argues Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade - ABC News Uneducated people, those who don't trust science and medicine, shouldn't have jobs in fields of law, or actually any position which affects the life and rights of women.

NFL warning to teams -- COVID-19 outbreaks among unvaccinated players could lead to forfeited games

30 Minutes: Fighting to Save a Life on the Streets of New York - The New York Times

A Chilling Cure: Facing Killer Heat, ERs Use Body Bags to Save Lives | Kaiser Health News : Doctors in Washington state used human body bags filled with ice and water to rapidly cool the sickest patients affected by record heat last month.

Officials in Michigan county used virus money for bonuses

Covid boosters: CDC group weighs third shot for immunocompromised people : A CDC advisory group is considering whether fully vaccinated Americans with weakened immune systems need a booster dose of the Covid vaccines.

How to Survive a Flash Flood | Worst-Case Scenario : Situational advice for in a car, at home, and on foot.

Production didn't stop when line worker died and more. Frito-Lay employee gives glimpse behind the scenes.

AP FACT CHECK: Biden goes too far in assurances on vaccines

The coronavirus cuts cells' cilia, which may help it invade the lungs | Science News

Jeff Bezos Just Spent $5.5B to Be in Space for 4 Minutes. Here Are 7 Things That Money Could Help Solve. I think it's disgusting when the filthy rich waste money on frivolities, when so many human beings cannot even get a COVID vaccine, or food, or clean water.  Plus he made that money off of basically slave labor.  He disgusts me.

HIS Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Miss Slim Due to the Presence of Undeclared Sibutramine | FDA : HIS is voluntarily recalling all lots and all presentations of Miss Slim (10 count & 30 count capsules) to the consumer level. HIS decided to recall Miss Slim after it was contacted by the FDA regarding the presence of sibutramine in the product.

Grimmway Farms Voluntarily Recalls Certain Retail-Packaged Carrots Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination | FDA : Grimmway Farms has voluntarily issued a recall of certain carrot products because they may have been contaminated with Salmonella. “The recall was initiated as a result of a routine, internal company test, said Grimmway Farms President and CEO Jeff Huckaby. “The health of our customers and the integ

Covid-positive man disguises himself as wife on Citilink flight in order to fly | CNN Travel

More than 91 million live in US counties with high Covid-19 infections. It's time to reset and put masks back on, experts say - CNN : With the highly contagious Delta variant spreading, particularly among unvaccinated Americans, it may be time for much of the country to put masks back on, experts said.

Breastfeeding in the First Days of Life Is Associated With Lower Blood Pressure at 3 Years of Age | Journal of the American Heart Association

Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant | NEJM

All but 43 Texas COVID-19 deaths since February were unvaccinated people | The Texas Tribune : Preliminary data shows 99.5% of COVID-related deaths in Texas were among unvaccinated people, according to the Department of State Health Services.

Experimental vaccine protects against multiple coronaviruses | National Institutes of Health (NIH) : By combining parts of spike proteins from different coronaviruses, researchers developed an mRNA vaccine that protected mice against a range of  coronaviruses. I would like to be part of the human trials.

Kentaro Kobayashi, Tokyo Olympics Opening ceremonies boss, fired over Holocaust joke - The Washington Post

Study links vaccine immune response to age

Existing drug is shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 virus

Study finds calcium precisely directs blood flow in the brain

Could COVID Shots in Secret Lure Holdouts? | MedPage Today

Phone Calls Spot Early Alzheimer's | MedPage Today