Monday, January 4, 2021

Our Republic In The News

 Over the last two weeks we may have caught wind of a number of developments in our nation's current events. Take a moment to share a link of a news story that you wish others to know about. The only criteria I ask for is that it be something that appears credible. : )

Please reply to two others' links with comments.


70 comments:

  1. https://www.npr.org/2020/12/31/952536531/pharmacist-arrested-accused-of-destroying-more-than-500-moderna-vaccine-doses

    This is an article about a Wisconsin pharmacist who was arrested for tampering with hundreds of vials of the vaccine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was written by Carmela, I think I fixed the issue.

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    2. Wow that is crazy

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    3. That's so insane. I wonder what the pharmacist's motive was? Why would they purposefully ruin the vaccine???

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    4. This is a strange story, and likewise to Kaela, I wonder why the pharmacist did what they did, and purposefully sabotaged and ruined the vaccine doses. Why would you work in the healthcare industry if you do not want others to receive this vaccine, this cure for what has been ravaging humanity for the past year or so?

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    5. This is really strange. Why would anyone do something like this and what could someone possibly gain from doing this? I also feel bad for the people who got the ineffective vaccine.

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    6. This is really peculiar. What did the pharmacist want to gain out of this? It doesn't really make any logical sense other than wanting to delay the public's access to a stable vaccine for the corona virus.

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    7. That is messed up. That could kill thousands of people

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    8. I guess it just goes to show that even the most educated people who we put so much faith into can still fall prey to misinformation, with really unfortunate consequences.

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    9. I actually heard about this, and honestly I could not feel anything but indifference, because it is a known. fact that there are people like this in the world, they probably did this, to create propaganda, like the "vaccine doesn't work", or that it will kill you if you take it, and then people would question the whole concept of vaccines.

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  2. here is an interesting article about what Trump has been doing lately

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/opinion/trump-voter-suppression.html

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    Replies
    1. This was very disheartening to read, and also terrifying to see how power has become so incredibly prominent in politics.

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    2. (Sakari)
      disappointed but not surprised honestly.

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    3. I was also not surprised because over the course of these 4 years I started to notice patterns and so I was not surprised.

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    4. Anyone remotely shocked lives under a rock I'm sorry but it is true.

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  3. https://www.nbc12.com/2020/04/13/va-governor-signs-per-month-insulin-cap/

    I thought this was a good article about a pretty uplifting story that passed the Virginia Legislature. The Virginia Senate and House all voted almost unanimously to cap the price of insulin at 50$ a month.

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    Replies
    1. I think this is great since drug prices are way to high in America, and many people are having to choose between food and paying for their medications. This should not be happening, so any effort to change this system is extremely beneficial to all Americans.
      Ethan Lader

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    2. It was a huge win for those with diabetes although there is still such a long way to go as far as making healthcare accessible to all. This will save many lives, but there are many more changes that must be made.

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    3. It's important that this vote was almost unanimous, because I think that despite conflicting beliefs in this country, we need to be able to come together on universal issues that will help the greater good.

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    4. Sakari
      I am super happy that insulin is becoming somewhat more available to people!!! It honestly should be really cheap or free, since it's something people need to LIVE, but it's a step in the right direction :)

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    5. This was a really heart-warming article which brought some light into these hard times. Diabetes does not have to be a debilitating disease, and Virginia is taking some big steps in the right direction to help people with diabetes to live life more normally.

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    6. This is a great thing because many people have lost their jobs and this make just make their lives that much better.

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    7. Like most others, I agree with this because I believe that health is one of the most important issues that our government can tackle so this is a good step forward.

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  4. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/business/economy/second-stimulus-package.html?name=styln-coronavirus-live&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&impression_id=11962893-4e91-11eb-87ba-9391b728c5d1&variant=1_Show

    About the stimulus package Trump finally signed.

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    Replies
    1. I find it extremely surprising that Trump is siding with the Democrats only after the stimulus bill made it to his desk after many months of debate. It just seems like he is trying to complicate an already complicated process where many people have struggled economically.

      Ethan Lader

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    2. I think that Trumps last minute sidings with the democrats in upping the stimulus check was just a way to save face. He wants his loyal supporters that are economically struggling right now to think that he is helping them, when in reality he still ended up signing for the $600.

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    3. Finally Trump grew some sort of conscience and decided to do something good for the country.

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    4. This just goes to show that giving aid to Americans is still a bipartisan issue.

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  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/us/politics/trump-raffensperger-call-georgia.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

    About the tapes where Trump was pressuring the Ga Secretary of State to "find votes" for him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a very sure sign that our democratic systems need updating. Trump, given how much he has overturned and messed with, has been a blessing, in that he has allowed us to see how many of our institutions were simply held together by precedent and were vulnerable to even a minimal level of opportunistic finagling. Trump was light in comparison to what could have occurred given the state of these systems. What if a Viktor Orban, or a Vladimir Putin, or a similarly extreme populist opportunistic leader got into power here?

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  6. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-pelosi-reelected-house-speaker-117th-congress/

    About Nancy Pelosi being reelected as house speaker.

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    Replies
    1. The close ratio of Democrats to Republicans in Congress clearly creates such a distinct division and tension

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    2. This was a very good overview of what is currently happening with Congress and the Senate in a time of such instability.

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  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/02/opinion/sunday/education-department-cardona-biden.html?smid=em-share

    About the destruction of the Education Department and the transition into a new education secretary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trump left the education dpt in shambles, which is not good at all.

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    2. It's really frustrating because education is the backbone of a society. This is literally the process where we teach our kids and prepare them to be the next leading generation of America, and yet our system is a mess. Now of all times we need a strong leader for the Education Department. Hopefully Mr. Cardona will be able to fill in that role.

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  8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-raffensperger-call-georgia-vote/2021/01/03/d45acb92-4dc4-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/nyregion/nyc-covid-vaccine-rollout.html?auth=login-email&login=email
    This is about the distribution of the vaccine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that sucks. Hope Cuomo and others can pick it up soon!

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    2. The vaccine rollout should be sped up to be vaccinating people 24/7, in my opinion. This has been a worldwide emergency, and it is also concerning that the doses may expire before it can get administered to people. Hopefully, after the frontline/healthcare workers are vaccinated, more people can be opened up to getting it offered to them as well.

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  10. Sakari

    Everything here is pretty depressing, so I'm gonna link two articles, one for Elliot Page and another for cryptids, because my heart be like <elliot and cryptids and anime3 ok

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elliot-page-thanks-fans-after-announcing-he-is-transgender/

    https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633922/cryptids-from-around-the-world-list-show

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is truly inspiring to see such a famous actor come out and show everyone the real them. I know how hard it is to be able to be your authentic self, and seeing Elliot doing so makes be feel much more confident in true myself.

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  11. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/18/us-blood-donation-gay-men-coronavirus

    About gay, recovered corona virus patients who aren't being allowed to donate blood to help other patients recover.

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    Replies
    1. That is insane! How can gay men be turned down from donating blood

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    2. That is really terrible. The assumptions they made based on stereotypes are really awful, and it is crazy how science and medicine is really advanced in someways but really behind in others.

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    3. This is pretty annoying considering the fact that it's socially accepted now, but gay men are still being discriminated against.

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    4. Ugh, this made me mad to read. If it interests you, I'd look up Stuart Semple's work on this. You can read about it at http://bloodisbloodshirt.org/, but basically they protested by making ink out of the donated blood of gay men, and printed that on t-shirts.

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    5. This is really terrible. You might think that gay people are finally being accepted, but this shows how there is still so much discrimination towards the gay community.

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  12. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/us/politics/georgia-senate-trump.html

    About the Senate elections in Georgia, which will be extremely influential over which party gets a control on the majority of the Senate, and if the results will be a sign of things to come in the future.

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    Replies
    1. Funny. It's 2021 and in some ways, the 2020 election is still going on. Interesting to see how Georgia's senate election will pan out and influence the future of American politics!

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    2. I'm curious on how this election will pan out. It will be interesting to compare these results to those of the presidential election in 2020.

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  13. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/health/coronavirus-variant-transmission.html

    This article is about Covid survivors who lost the senses of smell and taste.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very interesting, i enjoyed reading this.

      Delete
  14. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/asia/india-vaccine-roll-out-intl-hnk/index.html

    This article talks about the country-wide effort to get people vaccinated (for covid-19) in India. It is great to see such a large country working so hard, with limited resources.

    ReplyDelete
  15. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/us/politics/trump-call-georgia.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is about President Trump's call to the Georgia senator.

      Delete
  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  17. nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/04/upshot/voting-wait-times.html
    This is about the difference in the time in-person voting time took in richer and poorer areas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow. It really speaks to the inequality and injustice we are still facing in our country that voting wait times have such a correlation with your income and race.

      Delete
  18. https://www.wsj.com/articles/listen-to-the-full-trump-ga-call-11609713527
    Trump's phone call with Georgia's Secretary of State and others; part of his attempts to overturn the election.

    ReplyDelete
  19. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/04/new-york-new-covid-strain-more-contagious

    New York has confirmed its first case of a more contagious covid-19 strain.

    ReplyDelete
  20. England is in lock down for a new strain of corona virus.

    https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/01/04/british-prime-boris-johnson-imposes-national-lockdown-for-england-to-combat-new-covid-variant.html

    ReplyDelete
  21. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/us/politics/trump-call-georgia.html

    Trump's call with Raffensperger.

    ReplyDelete
  22. https://gothamist.com/news/coronavirus-updates-only-1-nyc-residents-have-been-vaccinated-so-far

    Cuomo is making heavy decision on what to do with vaccine that is available at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  23. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/health/coronavirus-black-hispanic-vaccination.html

    Think that this showcases a really important issue going forward for both minority communities and mistrust of the health system as a whole, which is often well warranted, and needs to be combated for it to function.

    ReplyDelete
  24. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-raffensperger-call-georgia-vote/2021/01/03/d45acb92-4dc4-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html

    This is about the recorded phone call in which Trump tried to pressure the Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor.

    ReplyDelete
  25. https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/06/25/covid-19-impacts-climate-change/ I made this question to myself but what changes have been observed in climate change after covid, so I found this page

    ReplyDelete

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