As Seen from Afar 06/07/2020

 Posted by at 10:03 pm  Politics
Jun 062020
 

BLACK LIVES MATTER ACROSS THE WORLD

The Largest Demonstrations In Australia Despite The Coronavirus Pandemic

Protesters rallied in Canberra on Friday, ahead of more than 60,000 Australians taking part in rallies in the nation’s three biggest cities, with Brisbane attracting the largest crowd of about 30,000 people on Saturday.

Despite the federal and state governments pleading with people not to attend these demonstrations and avoid new outbreaks of COVID-19, Australia saw the largest protest gatherings in decades.

Crowds gather in Brisbane for a Black Lives Matter protest. (ABC News: Tim Swanston)

“It was a peaceful protest, without any real concerns, and we were happy with how it went,” a Queensland Police spokesperson told the ABC. “Police were even handing out face masks to people.”

The Sydney rally of around 20,000 people came after the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a last-ditch attempt to lawfully authorise a Sydney protest. The last-minute decision meant those marching in Sydney were immune from prosecution for breaching public health orders.

Indigenous Black Lives Matter Too

Current events in the United States had inevitably refocused attention on Australian Indigenous issues. And the call to protest has resonated because of it. These are demonstrations of solidarity highlighted by local injustices and problems.

Events in the United States following the death of George Floyd have inevitably refocused attention on Australian Indigenous issues.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

[In Australia] deaths of Indigenous people in custody continue — more than 400 over the past three decades — as does excessive use of force on occasion (which happened this week with a policeman’s reaction to the threatening language used by an Aboriginal youth in Sydney).

The high rate of incarceration of Indigenous Australians remains unaddressed; appalling conditions exist in many communities. Labor’s spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, herself Indigenous, said this week that “in some parts of Australia, particularly in the north, the incarcerated population — adult and juvenile — are almost all Indigenous”.

 Australian Government’s Reaction to Protests

Senior Federal Government Minister Mathias Cormann has taken aim at Australian Black Lives Matter protesters, dubbing their actions “selfish”, “self-indulgent” and “reckless” amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said his comments were tone-deaf.

“I don’t feel like I’m in a position to say to Indigenous Australians, who are protesting against that, that this is a selfish and indulgent act,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program. “I felt uncomfortable about the mass gathering but I’m not about to engage in that kind of judgement of those who did it.”

Protests In European Countries

¨Large numbers of people took to the streets in European cities on Saturday to demonstrate in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, some defying restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protests in capitals such as London, Paris and Berlin were the latest in a global wave of anger and revulsion at racism and police brutality, following the killing of black American George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

UK

People hold placards during a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square in London, Saturday, June 6, 2020.   –   Copyright  AP Photo/Frank Augstein

Thousands of people gathered outside the UK Parliament and the US embassy in London to protest against racism, despite official warnings to stay away for fear of spreading COVID-19 infections. Many wore face masks but the density of the crowd made it impossible to observe social distancing.

Demonstrators take part in a Black Lives Matter rally in Parliament Square in London, Saturday, June 6, 2020.AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali

The rallies were largely peaceful but in the early evening, some protesters clashed with police near Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence. Police brought out riot gear and mounted police charged at demonstrators to clear them from the area.

More demonstrations took place in Manchester and other cities in England, in the wake of similar protests during the week. Rallies are planned in Scotland on Sunday.

France

Another large demonstration took place in Paris, despite a police ban on the protest, the authorities citing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and fears of public unrest. The police decree noted that social distancing regulations ban gatherings of more than 10 people.

Preparing for the eventuality that protesters would ignore the ban, French police sealed off roads around the US Embassy early on Saturday.

A communique from the Prefecture noted that several calls had gone out on social media calling for demonstrations near the Eiffel Tower against “police violence”, despite a ban for public health reasons.

Crowds also turned out to demonstrate in other cities in France, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Rennes and Marseille — where some skirmishes were reported. The interior ministry estimated the number of protesters in France at 23,300, of whom 5,500 were in Paris.

Germany

Protesters in Cologne

Germany saw the largest crowds demonstrating in Europe. In Berlin, police estimated that 15,000 people gathered in the city centre for a Black Lives Matter rally on Saturday afternoon. As elsewhere, protesters held up signs with slogans such as “No justice, no peace”. The scenes were calm, though overnight on Friday police said several store windows were smashed and walls were painted with slogans referring to George Floyd’s death. Protesters also gathered in München (20,000),  Hamburg (14,000), Cologn and other cities.

Black Lives Matter demonstrations were also reported from Italy, The Netherlands, South Korea

References:

ABC News: Mathias Cormann criticises Black Lives Matter protesters for gathering amid coronavirus By political correspondent Brett Worthington

ABC News: Coronavirus killed Indigenous referendum, delivers likely mortal blow to religious discrimination legislation. The Conversation / By Michelle Grattan

EuroNews: Black Lives Matter: Large anti-racism protests in Europe despite pandemic restrictions. By Alasdair Sandford with AP, AFP

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Saturday Smiles: The Mother of Invention

 Posted by at 11:17 am  Politics
May 162020
 

When China was the epicenter of the coronavirus, until Trump’s bungling mismanagement stole their title (“We’re #1! – We’re #1! – We’re #1!”) … like here in the USA now, masks we’re in short supply.

In fact they became so valuable, they took the place of poker chips!

But as the saying goes: “Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention!” And it appears that the Chinese were quite inventive.

Far away the most popular transformer was those giant water bottles:

Of course there always a show-off who takes the water bottle to a whole other level:

But not far behind water jugs was the Produce section of your local market, with cabbage, lettuce and oranges leading the way:

Then there always are those who follow the “Out of an abundance of caution” dictum, and take no chances:

Not sure exactly how this one functions, but it does look quite comprehensive – if a little too Tin-Foil-Hatish:

And there was one who compromised virus safety by accommodating his smoking addiction with a closable port:

I suppose anything in a pinch will do – I just hope it was a new sponge:

It seems that women’s products could also serve a double purpose. I thought I was being cautious by inserting a coffee filter between the layers of my homemade mask – but I guess you use what’s at hand:

And a farmer here in the USA used part of his wife’s bra:

In fact there were quite a few How-To videos on repurposing a bra for a mask. But sadly, this nurse’s efforts fell hilariously short:

 

And one just because I found it so cute:

Most of us are now weeks and weeks into self-quarantining, and are suffering from “Quarantine Fever”.  So I want you to be honest, and confess what stage you now find yourself:

 

 

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Saturday Smiles: COVID-19 Potpourri

 Posted by at 8:56 am  Politics
Apr 042020
 

To begin, I want to share an important and helpful PSA video of how to put away your groceries to avoid contamination. It’s by a family physician, and although long, it’s well done.

Having done my good deed for the day, let’s enjoy some amusing aspects of the impact of Coronavirus – as it’s always good to see the humor in things.

Who knew that Shakespeare would have a take on this pandemic:

And we wouldn’t want the visual fine arts to feel left out, so here’s Albrecht Dürer’s famous “Praying Hands” sketch– but with a timely update.

But there’s an obvious downside to overdoing it. My aunt sent me this picture of her hands after washing them 73 times yesterday:

I went to Costco today (wearing my red “Cowboy” bandana for a face-covering – and over half of the people were wearing a face-covering of some type), and it looks like we’re seeing at least some relief from the TP shortage. But one never knows – it could rear its ugly head again with scenes like these:

In the Meat section of your grocery store:

A grocery store in Denmark or Finland (I forgot which) developed a clever way to stop the hoarding of hand sanitizer:

Now that folks are stuck at home, tempers can become short – even involving our beloved Critters

But for some, it’s given them time to develop a real talent for creativity.  (I like the second one better):

If you’ve decided you’d rather test your creativity in the kitchen with some new gourmet recipes, you just might want to start following Justine on her Twitter account. While she’s no Julia Child, she does have a flair for the innovative:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a parting shot at the A$$hole in the Oval Office whose gross incompetence has literally cost lives.

As you probably know, the CDC is now recommending that everyone wear a facemask of some type when they go out.  They asked *Rump if he would agree to appear in a PSA photo promoting the wearing of facemasks.

As you know, if you say “photo” and “promote” in the same sentence, Donnie will jump at the chance.

Unfortunately, the CDC forgot to factor in that *Rump is dumber than a bag of rocks:

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Friday Fun: War Against the Zombies!

 Posted by at 3:24 pm  Politics
Mar 272020
 

We truly are at War … against two Zombies.

One is an ugly, almost invisible microscopic Zombie that is currently wreaking havoc not only in the United States, but around the world – and about which we’ve heard a great deal:

The other is also an ugly, but way too visible fat Zombie that is also wreaking havoc not only in the United States, but around the world – and from whom we’ve heard WAY TOO MUCH:

I’m bringing this up because there’s an excellent overview article in WaPo about how viruses function that’s aimed at laymen.  And it’s FREE to be read and shared as part of WaPo’s effort (like The New York Times and The Atlantic magazine, and I’m sure other publications) to help educate the public about Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 (which is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

Viruses are a true conundrum for scientists, many of whom actually refer to them as “Zombies” – because they really do NOT fit the criteria of a living thing.

Specifically, viruses are problematic for biologists because they don’t have cells, and therefore do not belong to the three main groups of life that all other organisms do: Bacteria, Archaea (a different form of microbe) and Eukaryota (plants, animals, fungi, etc. – organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed in a membrane).

This diagram might be too technical, but it’s an overview of how a virus hijack’s a cellular host’s machinery:

Viruses are basically just rogue genetic material (either DNA or RNA) housed in a protein shell called a capsid. They are unable to reproduce on their own, and so they use their protein shell to invade the host cells in order to insert their DNA or RNA into the host’s cells, and commandeer the host’s “machinery” to produce more of their own DNA or RNA viruses.

As noted in the WaPo article:

There is a certain evil genius to how this coronavirus pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans without them knowing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its replicas everywhere, moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some but mild enough in others to escape containment. And for now, we have no way of stopping it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

So paraphrasing from a Comment, we can see a striking similarity between the Coronavirus Zombie as detailed above, and the Trump Zombie detailed below:

There is a certain evil genius to how this Trumpublican pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans who know nothing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its lies and hatred everywhere through Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, etc. – before moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some “hosts” causing them to run over protesters with their cars, but mild enough in others to make them merely vote for the GOP. And, for now, we have no way of stopping it.

But come November 3rd we’ll be able to decapitate (it’s the only way to kill one) that Trump Zombie  with our votes – and DESTROY IT!

(Have I hinted enough that I would truly encourage you to read the WaPo article to gain an overview to how a virus functions?)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/23/coronavirus-isnt-alive-thats-why-its-so-hard-kill/

BUT I also want to share some absolutely wonderful ads that are being produced from a variety of sources to attack *Rump – with many using his own words as a petard on which to hoist him.

I hope you’ll feel free to share them with like-minded friends, and those fence-sitters who are amenable to common sense.

This one is from Mike Bloomberg:

 

Documenting how *Rump Failed to Act

 

This is the Priorities USA one (again, using his OWN WORDS) that *Rump’s lawyers have sent a “Cease & Desist” letter to try stop it from airing.

NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN!

In fact George Conway (Kellyanne’s husband) is leading the charge in getting into as wide circulation as possible:

 

We know that all presidents at some point will face a true crisis – *Rump FAILED!

A timeline calendar of Trump trying to minimize the Pandemic

This is Biden’s most recent excellent ad put out just a couple of days ago:

Enough of this Doom & Gloom. Let’s close with a smile!

Since people are hunkered down, it’s amazing how inventive they’ve been in entertaining themselves. One theme I’ve seen repeated several times involves folks doing their own DJing. (Is that even a word?)

PSA Heads Up: If you have a cat, be careful what you employ in your bag of tricks:

 

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Saturday Smiles: Lemonade Out of Lemons (COVID-19 Version)

 Posted by at 9:26 am  Politics
Mar 212020
 

During Trump’s self-proclaimed “Democratic HOAX” that has morphed into an actual PANDEMIC, the world needs a leader who can be taken BOTH literally AND seriously. Sadly, Trump fails on both counts.

We’ll try to find some enjoyment – hopefully at Trump’s expense. But let’s first begin with some FACTS & TRUTHS – both of which are clearly anathema to Donnie:

Now let’s enjoy some humorous takes on Trump’s gross mismanagement of COVID-19 beginning with a microscopic view of the virus that explains a lot:

One does have to wonder why Trump put Pence in charge of dealing with the Coronavirus (other than to ensure that they’d BOTH go down together). But apparently in his own unique way, Pence is on top of it:

It looks like Trump and Pence are finally taking the Pandemic seriously:

Here are a couple of Tweets that provide a PSA about the virus:

 

And this would be Mitt Romney’s favorite PSA:

 

Taking hoarding to a whole new level!  Maybe we can do this poor soul a favor and provide a few recipes using boxes and boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and dozens of bottles of 1000 Island Dressing.

If you’re wondering where Trumpkins are getting their medical care …

And if you’re looking for that unique gift to commemorate the Pandemic:

Ones that I particularly got a kick out of:

And to close, my favorite: There are two types of Costco shoppers with different approaches in preparing to hunker down:

 

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Friday: Empty Venues Worldwide

 Posted by at 9:24 am  Politics
Mar 132020
 

Since this is (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic crisis, I felt it would be fitting to memorialize in pictures the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on daily life.

(I know it will be large – but we should feel the impact of it.)

JFK Airport:

Dodgers Spring Baseball Game:

Madison Square Garden Last Night (NBA Season Now Canceled):

Soccer Game in Europe:

Louvre, Paris:

String Quartet Concert, Venice:

Duomo Cathedral Piazza, Milan:

Pigeons gather on Piazza del Duomo by Milan’s cathedral on March 10, 2020 in Milan. – Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people on March 10, 2020 to control the deadly coronavirus, as China signalled major progress in its own battle against the global epidemic. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Galleria Shopping Center, Milan:

TOPSHOT – A general view shows a woman walk across the deserted Vittorio Emanuele II galleria shopping mall on March 10, 2020 in Milan. – Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people on March 10, 2020 to control the deadly coronavirus, as China signalled major progress in its own battle against the global epidemic. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Paper Products Section, Costco:

A customer walks past mostly empty shelves that normally hold toilet paper and paper towels at a Costco store in Teterboro, N.J., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ginza Shopping District, Tokyo:

TOKYO, JAPAN – FEBRUARY 26 2020 Virus frightens visitors at Japan’s shopping district of Ginza. Image of empty street in the heart of the luxury hub of the capital.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Massimo Rumi / Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Massimo Rumi/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Super-Highway, Hong Kong:

St. Peter’s Square, Rome:

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – MARCH 8: A view of empty chairs at St Peter’s Square before the live-broadcasting of Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus prayer during the Coronavirus emergency, on March 8, 2020 in Vatican City, Vatican. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of the Italian region of Lombardy in an attempt to stop the ongoing coronavirus epidemic in the Italian country. The number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus COVID-19 disease in Italy has jumped up to at least 5,883, while the death toll has surpassed 230. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Church Pews:

Mecca:

TOPSHOT – An aerial view shows an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, on March 6, 2020. – An eerie emptiness enveloped the sacred Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, where attendance at Friday prayers was hit by measures to protect against the deadly new coronavirus. (Photo by Bandar ALDANDANI / AFP) (Photo by BANDAR ALDANDANI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Friday Fun: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

 Posted by at 2:13 pm  Politics
Mar 062020
 

You probably recall that Monty Python admonished us to “Always Look on the Bright Side” …

Of course, there is absolutely NO bright side to the suffering, pain and loss the *Rump administration has inflicted on Americans with their devastating mishandling, mismanagement and malfeasance of the Coronavirus.

No doubt this stems from Trump’s cutting $15 BILLION from National Healthcare spending that had been approved by Congress back in 2018. Exacerbated by his firing of the entire US Pandemic Response Team.

But some folks have managed to provide a few smiles and chuckles courtesy of the Keystone Kops incompetence in the Oval Office.

So let’s see if we can look on the bright side …

THIS IS THE BEST (BUT VERY WEIRD) IDEA MIKE HUCKABEE HAS EVER HAD

And I think *Rump is capable of that, if this picture is any indication:

If you needed any further proof that *Rump has absolutely NO idea what he’s talking about – here’s yet another example he doesn’t have a clue:

Well, to be perfectly honest – that’s actually a translation of Trump’s real words, courtesy of a linguist fluent in Argle-Bargle (scroll down):

I believe we should give God the last Tweet – and trust He’s not teasing us with his hopeful prescient prediction:

As for me:

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