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Israel-Palestinian Conflict
The escalating violence has been shocking between Israelis and Palestinians. It began earlier in the week with stone throwing by Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and then Israeli police shocked the Moslem world by firing rubber bullets and tear gas into the mosque itself.
But in the last few days a rapid rise in violence was driven by Palestinians launched hundreds of rockets from Gaza into Israel itself, striking Jerusalem, Gaza, and other Centres. That was a redline for Israel, as it would be for any sovereign nation. Israel has launched furious and thunderous attacks into Gaza killing leaders of Hamas, but also innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Air strikes, artillery barrages, and even shelling from the sea has hit dozens of buildings.
Now Israeli is talking about a possible ground invasion of Gaza and protests by Arab Israeli’s inside Israel present the possibility of a civil war. Some jews marched through an Arab area of Tel Aviv chanting “death to Arabs” and attacking anyone in their path. The situation is dire.
Hamas may have 150 thousand rockets! It has succeeded in firing 100 rockets in just a few minutes. How was Hamas able to assemble this huge arsenal and to use Gaza as a rocket launch pad against Israel?
On our podcast Back Story with Dana Lewis we talk to Israeli and Palestinians about what sparked the violence and how does it end.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8506646
Astra Zeneca - Canada
Several Provinces in Canada are suspending Astra Zeneca vaccines because of high levels of blood clots. Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table reported that the risk of VITT in Canada, as of May 8, stood at approximately one per 55,000, but that “several presumptive cases are still under investigation.” The VITT rate in Ontario breaks down to roughly one case per 60,000 doses.
Here in the UK the odds of a blood clot are said to be one in 95,000. Here’s what I am wondering after already having my first dose of AZ, can I substitute one of the other vaccines for the second dose? France has said anyone under age 55 can and should use Moderna or Pfizer for the second dose.
Also, the statistics indicate the blood clots are much more risky after the first shot. That blood clots in the UK after the second shot have been very few, about one in a million say reports.
Pandemic Avoidable
A report by an independent panel says the pandemic could have been avoided if world leaders had acted. It said preparation was inconsistent and underfunded, the alert system too slow and to meek, while the World Health Org. was underpowered. It concluded the response had exacerbated inequalities. “Global political leadership was absent,” the report said.
Clark described February 2020 as “a month of lost opportunity to avert a pandemic, as so many countries chose to wait and see”.
“For some, it wasn’t until hospital ICU beds began to fill that more action was taken,” she said. “And by then it was too late to avert the pandemic impact. What followed then was a winner takes all scramble for PPE and therapeutics. Globally, health workers were tested to their limits and the rates of infection, illness and death soared and continue to soar.”
India Variant in Britain
London’s Imperial College has run lab tests more than 127,000 swabs taken between 15 April and 3 May in England, and found that while coronavirus case rates had halved compared with March, the variant of concern known as B.1.617.2 and found in India could be spreading faster than the “Kent variant”, at least in London.
The Government Committee to control Covid will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the spread of the variant and growing concerns it could derail progress achieved through vaccinations.
Liz Cheney and Republicans
The Republican Party has chosen illusion over reality, and bitter in fighting over rejecting the BIG LIE. Republicans voted to oust Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership Wednesday.
Why does it matter? Because Cheney has openly rejected Donald Trumps lies about the election, and said her party had to choose the constitution over the BIG LIE. What her removal tells you is that the Republican party will spin lies about the election to seize power at any cost to democracy, and that signals a dangerous moment ahead.
Trump will soon start his MAGA rallies and speak to vulnerable followers about election fraud again. Those speeches created the assault on the Capitol, and Cheney’s removal is a return to that caustic political movement that will bring more extremism in an American already upside down with Trumps division and dangerous rhetoric.
Colonial Pipeline
The pipeline which delivers 45% of fuel to the East Coast of the United States was hit by a cyberattack on Friday by hackers demanding ransom. Drivers have been finding gas stations drained of fuel in Southeastern states and those with fuel quickly ran out because of stock piling of fuel by panicked buyers. Colonial now says it has started pumping gas again, but warned it will take several days for the situation to return to normal.
The incident again raises huge questions about the vulnerability of American critical infrastructure to cyber attackers. This disruption has been traced to the Russian based organized crime network called DarkSide. At one point is a State such as Russia responsible for criminals acting from its territory and what action should the U.S. take in response?
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/i-got-astrazeneca-now-what-heres-what-canadians-need-to-know-about-the-covid-vaccine
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/12/us/liz-cheney-biden#liz-cheney-ousted-voted-out
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/12/covid-pandemic-was-preventable-says-who-commissioned-report
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/13/uk-covid-scientists-variant-found-in-india-variant-may-be-spreading-faster-than-kent-strain
https://time.com/6048207/colonial-pipeline-restarts-gas-shortage/