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Palo Alto Reads: One Book, One Community Initiative

Compiled by the El Reportero‘s staff

 

To support our ongoing Race & Equity conversations, the Palo Alto City Library is launching its first “Palo Alto Reads” virtual event. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein tells the history of the segregation of American communities along racial lines.

The Color of Law explores today’s ongoing inequities in housing, education, income, and health. Starting Monday, Aug. 17, free copies of The Color of Law will be available at Mitchell Park and Rinconada Libraries during Sidewalk Service hours (while supplies last) and then join us for a virtual conversation with “Color of Law” author Richard Rothstein on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.

This author event is sponsored and hosted by The Bill Lane Center for the American West of Stanford University. In addition, the Palo Alto Library is offering a series of companion events focused on race and equity for all ages.

Supporting our Seniors: Our Library’s Book to Action program continues this month! Here are some resources for reaching out to local seniors who may be suffering from isolation and ways to connect with them. The Library’s Letters of Love program is going on through Aug. 24. For more information on this program, visit here and click the Service Project Guide link. You can drop off your letters at the Rinconada and or Mitchell Park Libraries during Sidewalk Service hours Monday through Friday.

 

SF JAZZ: Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Danilo Pérez and more

Legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter had been scheduled to perform with his quartet over four nights in Miner Auditorium in January of 2019, but an illness that precluded travel prevented Wayne from appearing that week. Masterminded by piano legend and Wayne’s best friend Herbie Hancock as a tribute and benefit for Wayne’s medical expenses, an all-star roster of jazz greats assembled over those four nights to perform classic material written by the 11-time GRAMMY winner, 1998 NEA Jazz Master, and Kennedy Center Honoree, anchored by Wayne’s longtime quartet including pianist Danilo Pérez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade.

This final night of the Wayne Shorter Celebration features two generations of exploratory musicians, saxophonist Joshua Redman and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, each a Bay Area native and alumnus of the remarkable Berkeley High School jazz program.

Wayne Shorter Benefit Boasts Streams From Herbie Hancock, Kamasi Washington (Rolling Stone)

Celebrating Wayne Shorter (San Francisco Classical Voice) Recorded Jan 6, 2019

For this special broadcast, 100 percent of Tip Jar proceeds will go directly to Wayne Shorter for his ongoing medical needs.

Online Concert Series, every Friday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time

Get Access to ‘Fridays at Five’

Become a Digital Member

Starting at just $5 a month ($60 annually), you can sign up for or gift a digital membership and tune in with friends each Friday at 5 p.m. (PT) for the latest concert. Proceeds will help the SFJAZZ team prepare to reopen the SFJAZZ Center and bring you the same breadth of live concert and educational programming you’re used to. The music will outlive the virus.

https://www.sfjazz.org/membership/digital-memberships/

Rest in peace Arcelio “Malo” García

by the El Reportero news services

 

Arcelio Garcia, lead singer of the pioneering Latin rock outfit Malo, gave his soul to the Lord this past Monday, Aug. 10. He was 74.

Born in Puerto Rico, Arcelio moved to San Francisco with his family when he was 3 years old.

When he was a teenager, some friends of his had a singing group and asked him to sing with them because their baritone had gone into the army.

Arcelio didn’t know if he could sing, but said he’d give it a shot.  He found that he liked it and started to learn from his more experienced friends.

One day a car drove by while Arcelio was singing on the sidewalk with his group.  The driver told Arcelio he liked his voice and asked him if he would join his band.  Arcelio checked it out and joined the band, the Malibus, named after the sporty Chevrolet.  They went on to become a very well-known and popular band in the Bay area in the mid-60s.  At first they played mainly R&B, but later started to add Latin music to the mix.

Three or four years into the career of the Malibus, a guitarist was brought in by the name of Jorge Santana, the brother of the already famous Carlos Santana.  In 1970, The Malibus changed their name to Malo and things started happening.  By 1971, they were signed to Warner Brothers Records and recorded their first album, which was simply entitled “Malo,”, as Mark Guerrero’s blog, tells the story.

Malo is recorded in the history of Latin music in the Bay Area, as an American musical group known for its blend of Latino, rock, jazz and blues. The San Francisco-based ensemble was led by Richard Bean, Arcelio Garcia, and Jorge Santana, the brother of Latin-rock guitarist Carlos Santana.

Malo continued to play as today’s day, but due to the unexpected occurrence of the covid-19 virus, it had not been able to tour since the beginning of the year.

If you ever heard songs like Nena, Cafe, Pana, Lady I Love and Latin Bugaloo then you’ve heard the unique electrifying voice of Arcelio “Malo” García.

For the past 40 years Arcelio had led and toured the band, performing at sold-out concerts throughout the nation. Through the years Malo has featured many gifted musicians including (recently deceased) Jorge Santana on guitar, and Richard Bean who sang and co-wrote their hit song “Suavecito.”

https://youtu.be/73FP-iZXSuk

Malo’s sound–a complex brew of salsa, pop and soul–is much the same as it ever was, with an edge of contemporary R&B; now spicing up the mixture, reads a Los Angeles Times intervidwe. “I call it the California sound,” said Garcia in a recent phone interview from his San Francisco home.

If you’ve ever enjoyed any of Malo’s music, then you’ve been fortunate to experience first-hand, the true and authentic sound of Latin Rock!

Friends have requested Malo’s fans and musicians who’ve enjoyed and even played Malo’s music, to join to rally together to bless Arcelio with an awesome Malo type farewell. One that would place a smile on his face and make him feel “Suavecito.”

Thank you for sharing the many years of legendary music and for the awesome memories that will live on for generations to come. Per Arcelio’s request, may the music go on to bless many generations to come.

Malo was Arcelio’s main source of income and due to this unexpected circumstance and medical expenses, it has left his family with a financial challenge.

People are asked to contribute in a Go-Fund-Me campaign currently going, to help alleviate the burden of medical bills and funeral expenses.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/arcelio-malo-garcia?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR0B6lUEgHO2Nmt_0qrp619u194Z9VtGp1R_T4Y_1Hm98e-iBlNalYF7E60

 

In the Bible, 2Corinthians 5:8 says: Absent from the body present with The Lord. We love you brother Arcelio.

He is survived by his wife Elsa.

https://youtu.be/HgYibzL6qCE

Love to the country – my beautiful Bolivia

by Enrique Bachinelo

 

On Aug. 6, 2020, dedicated to paying tribute to the forgers of the Republic of Bolivia, passed without major significance for the first time in its history. It is a shame that a date of great significance for Bolivian citizens is tarnished by the presence of the coronavirus pandemic that settled throughout the country’s territorial extension, with its inevitable burden of deaths infected by that pandemic, dulling it. This is a symbolism that for 195 years was fulfilled with ceremonies where pride and patriotism reigned.

The National Congress paid its homage to the men of the country with a simple act and without major projections with speeches dedicated to the national date and to pay homage of respect and admiration to the men who sacrificed their lives, their fortune and family integrity.

Mrs. President Jeanine Añez expressed her tribute from her office in the Government Palace, given that, for reasons that we do not know, she did not attend the National Congress to read her speech there. The act was completed with a deranged ceremony to save with a protocol without much lights.

The president stated: “The unrest that reigns in the country is the product of opposition politicians who try to put stones in the way of their government. The people recognize and value the work accomplished by their authority and it will be the story that will record the progress achieved so far. Now she is trying to control the coronavirus with the team of advisers who know about the matter, the president said.

For his part, former President Evo Morales, gave his message of greeting from the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, highlighting that during his government the economic situation of the country has improved notably due to the entry of fresh resources to the Budget National from the companies that exploit hydrocarbons and that were nationalized, as well as other institutions integrated into the national economic order, adding that “The second economic and social independence of Bolivia is underway” thanks to the efforts made by his government.

According to the Millennium Foundation report on the state and behavior of the economy, presented by the Federation of Private Business Entities of Cochabamba (FEPC): it stated that during the administration of President Morales “The first six months of his administration the national economy registered several positive indicators that translate into regular growth of 6.1 percent and repressed inflation of 8.85 percent.”

For its part, the Central Obrera Boliviana led by the search for a Pensions Law in accordance with the needs of Labor that would take retirement and therefore should deserve an income that means their peaceful experience for the years that remain of their lives. The struggle has that cause, avoid hunger and drag an old age that forces them to wander in the streets. The current pension system that governs the country expresses the workforce, “does not match the current economic situation and the purpose is to update the income of retirees in order to alleviate the economic reality that the country is going through.”

Recalling snippets of the past, historians say that, after 16 years of struggle for the independence of the republic and the creation of a country of its own, the Marshal of Ayacucho, Antonio José de Sucre issued the Decree of Feb. 9, 1825 calling for a Deliberative Assembly that meets in that city. José Mariano Serrano, raising Potosí as president, in the vice-presidency José María Mendizábal of La Paz, together 48 representatives of the Alto Peruvian provinces begin the sessions.

The presence of the only veterans of the struggle for independence who attended the meeting were José Miguel Lanza, José Ballivián and Juana Azurduy de Padilla, who witnessed how the deliberations lasted until July 28 and later, in August to decide if the provinces of Upper Peru join Argentina or if they declare themselves autonomous from all the nations of both the new and the old world. The die was cast, Upper Peru decided to become a Bolivar Republic and forge a new nation that joins the concert of countries that were born in the heat of the struggles of the Alto Peruvian patriots and whose epilogue was initialed by Simón Bolívar.

It only remains to ask the Supreme Maker that peace and tranquility prevail in this country that, now more than ever, needs to work to overcome its everlasting poverty. God bless Bolivia.

“The love for the country is more evident than human reason.”

Superfood showdown: The health benefits of chlorella and spirulina

by Rose Lidell

 

Chlorella and spirulina are two superfoods popular among health-conscious consumers because of the many benefits they offer. Both are derived from algae, and they contain many vitamins and minerals that can help boost your overall health.

Chlorella is a single-celled green freshwater alga. There are more than 30 different species of chlorella, but two types, namely Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa, are often used in studies.

Chlorella has a hard cell wall that humans can’t digest, so it is often consumed as a supplement. The superfood is sold as capsules and tablets, but chlorella is also available in powder and extract form.

Spirulina is a type of cyanobacteria with many benefits. Often referred to as a blue-green alga and originally classified as a plant, spirulina has now been reclassified as bacteria. There are also different species of spirulina, but these three are often used in studies: Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis), S. maxima (A. maxima), and S. fusiformis (A. fusiformis).

Health benefits of chlorella and spirulina

If you’re undecided on which one to try, here are some notable differences between these superfoods, along with the health benefits associated with each.

  • Chlorella is higher in calories. It also contains more iron, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, provitamin A, riboflavin and zinc.
  • Spirulina is lower in calories, but it’s still a great source of copper, iron, riboflavin and thiamine.
  • Chlorella contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Chlorella and spirulina contain similar amounts of fat.

  • Both are rich in polyunsaturated fats, particularly omega-3s that are essential for proper cell growth and brain function. Studies have found that polyunsaturated fats are linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Omega-3s help minimize inflammation and promote bone health.

Antioxidant-rich chlorella

Chlorella is full of antioxidants, which are compounds that help fight free radical damage to your cells and tissues. In fact, studies show that chlorella supplement contains significant amounts of antioxidant vitamins C and E.

Protein-rich spirulina

Spirulina is a natural source of protein. It is even used by NASA as a dietary supplement for astronauts on space missions.

Both chlorella and spirulina are full of protein, but research suggests that certain strains of Spirulina can contain at least 10 percent more protein than chlorella.

Additionally, the protein in spirulina is highly bioavailable, meaning it can be easily absorbed by your body.

Aside from protein, spirulina is full of beta carotene, folate and iron.

Chlorella and spirulina can improve heart health, blood sugar control

Research also indicates that both chlorella and spirulina can help boost cardiovascular health by improving your blood fat composition, blood pressure and cholesterol profile.

What’s more, chlorella and spirulina offer benefits for blood sugar control. While experts have yet to determine the exact nature of these benefits, animal studies suggest that spirulina can help boost insulin sensitivity.

Insulin sensitivity measures how well your body uses blood sugar for energy. Findings from human studies reveal that taking chlorella improves blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity, which can benefit patients diagnosed with diabetes or those who have insulin resistance.

Is one healthier than the other?

Both chlorella and spirulina are full of various nutrients. However, chlorella is higher in iron, magnesium, omega-3s, riboflavin, vitamin A and zinc.

While spirulina contains more protein, research indicates that chlorella’s protein content is comparable to the former.

Overall, chlorella is the better choice because it has high levels of antioxidants, polyunsaturated fats and other vitamins.

It’s worth noting that the bulk of studies on spirulina’s health benefits have centered on animal subjects. On the other hand, scientific data on the benefits of chlorella is more extensive, involving both animal and human studies.

Before purchasing supplements, make sure you are buying from a trusted manufacturer to avoid any adverse effects.

Whether you prefer chlorella or spirulina, both these superfoods are an excellent addition to your daily routine to support your overall health.

Sources:

Healthline.com 1

Healthline.com 2

MindBodyGreen.com

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

Children’s health org sues Facebook for censoring posts critical of COVID vaccine  

The org’s leader, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., claims that the social media giant is an ‘opponent’ of ‘real science and open debate’

 

Published by (LifeSiteNews)

 

Wednesday, 19, 2020 — Children’s Health Defense, an organization dedicated to ending childhood health epidemics by eliminating harmful exposures, is suing Facebook and several fact-checking establishments for censorship and defamation, especially relating to the issue of vaccines.

“At a time when the social media platform and its creator claim to be exponents of free expression and the scientific method for discovering truth, this case reveals the opposite: that they are indeed censors, and opponents of real science and open debate,” the lawsuit states.

Led by attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is mostly known for being critical of vaccines because of their dangerous side effects. The organization also champions other causes, including the harmful effects of “climate change.”

Filed on Monday with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the complaint recounts that Democratic congressman Adam Schiff “threatened to introduce legislation to remove Facebook’s immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act unless Facebook implemented algorithms to ‘distinguish’ and suppress ‘vaccine misinformation’ and advertising.”

In response, “[t]he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (‘CDC’) and, under its aegis, the World Health Organization (‘WHO’) then collaborated at length with Facebook to suppress vaccine safety speech with a ‘warning label’ and other notices that appear to flag disinformation, but in reality censor valid and truthful speech, including speech critical of those agencies and their policies.”

“Since September 2019, Facebook and [CEO Mark] Zuckerberg have falsely denigrated CHD through a ‘warning label’ on CHD’s page, which conveys a classic false imputation of dishonesty in CHD’s trade,” the lawsuit goes on. “Since March 2019, with increasing frequency, Facebook and its affiliated ‘fact-checkers’ (their Orwellian term) have published ‘false information’ tags on CHD’s page, which materially misrepresent the accuracy of CHD’s own content.”

The lawsuit draws an analogy between censorship of newspapers centuries ago and current censorship on platforms like Facebook. “Here, government actors actively partnered with one of today’s leading ‘printing presses’ (Facebook) to censor Plaintiff’s speech critical of government policy.”

Facebook, the complaint states, has a conflict of interest in fact-checking and slapping warning labels on posts critical of vaccines and other issues like the potential dangers of wireless networks. “Less well-known are Facebook’s efforts as a seller of pharmaceutical ads, purveyor of global 5G and wireless networks and services, and developer of vaccines.”

According to CHD, the current case “arises in a pandemic when the need for public debate on health issues has never been greater. CHD’s vision is a world free of childhood chronic health conditions caused by environmental exposures.”

CHD is critical of potential coronavirus vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is an outspoken critic of vaccines. During a recent debate with renowned Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, Kennedy warned Americans to be cautious about any new coronavirus vaccine, pointing out that key parts of testing are being skipped.

“The Moderna vaccine, which is the lead candidate, skipped the animal testing altogether,” he said.

Another aspect of testing was equally unsatisfying, Kennedy explained. The Moderna vaccine was tested “on 45 people. They had a high-dose group of 15 people, a medium-dose group of 15 people, and a low-dose group of 15 people.”

“In the low-dose group, one of the people was so sick from the vaccine they had to be hospitalized,” he explained. “That’s six percent. In the high-dose group, three people got so sick they had to be hospitalized. That’s twenty percent.”

In spite of these significant problems, “they’re going ahead, and making two billion doses of that vaccine.”

Another problem with the testing of the coronavirus vaccine is that it’s tested not on “typical Americans,” but on a carefully selected group of people who don’t suffer from certain conditions.

“They use what they call exclusionary criteria,” Kennedy said. “They are only giving these vaccines in these tests that they’re doing to the healthiest people.”

“If you look at their exclusionary idea criteria: You cannot be pregnant, you cannot be overweight, you must have never smoked a cigarette, you must have never vaped, you must have no respiratory problems in your family, you can’t suffer asthma, you can’t have diabetes, you can’t have rheumatoid arthritis or any autoimmune disease. There has to be no history of seizure in the family. These are the people they’re testing the vaccine on.”

He asked, “What happens when they give them to the typical American? You know, Sally Six-Pack and Joe Bag of Donuts who’s 50 pounds overweight and has diabetes.”

Kennedy stressed several times that “any other medicine … that had that kind of profile in its original phase-one study would be [dead on arrival].”

“No medical product in the world would be able to go forward with the profile that Moderna has,” he reiterated.

Biosecurity Theatre – many unanswered questions  

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

 

Dear readers:

 

The Siracusa Principles state that restrictions on human rights under the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) must meet standards of legality, evidence-based necessity, proportionality, and gradualism.

Are our rights being violated unnecessarily in the context of stickers on the floor at the supermarket telling you exactly where to stand when lining up at the cash register. The “one-way aisles” telling you which way to walk as you do your shopping. The infrared thermometer guns pointed suggestively at your head before you enter a public building, as if such a device could actually detect a fever within a fraction of a second of “scanning.” The following article, written by investigative journalist, James Corbett, might bring light and ideas to these unanswered questions. – Marvin Ramírez.

 

by James Corbett

 

August 15, 2020 – You know about “security theatre,” right? That’s the kind of take-off-your-shoes-and-belt nonsense that was instituted at the airport post-9/11 to give passengers the feeling that the government was protecting them from those dastardly Al-CIA-da terrorists.

Of course, these measures do nothing to actually prevent terrorism. Even the MSM mouthpiece media was forced to admit that the TSA never caught a single terrorist with such practices.

But that’s not the point. These procedures are only there to give the impression that agencies like the TSA are actually keeping the public safe.

Well, guess what? As we transition from the post-9/11 “homeland security” paradigm to the post-Covid “biosecurity” paradigm, there is now an equivalent to the security theatre phenomenon taking shape: biosecurity theatre.

I know you’ve noticed it already. The stickers on the floor at the supermarket telling you exactly where to stand when lining up at the cash register. The “one-way aisles” telling you which way to walk as you do your shopping. The infrared thermometer guns pointed suggestively at your head before you enter a public building, as if such a device could actually detect a fever within a fraction of a second of “scanning.”

Of course these gadgets and procedures are not meant to stop the spread of any infectious pathogen. They are merely there to make the public feel better.

Even The Bezos Post is aware of how ridiculous this all is. As Anna Fifield recently noted in a report on how Beijing is coping with the “new normal,” the biosecurity precautions that are being put in place in China’s capital are demonstrably useless.

“Security guards with temperature guns man the gates at supermarkets and residential compounds, pointing them at the wrists of every person who wants to enter. This is largely a formality, as the reading often does not reflect reality. This reporter has recorded temperatures in the low 80s on several occasions, yet was alive enough to walk through the gate.”

Yes, that’s the essence of biosecurity theatre: it’s “largely a formality” and “does not reflect reality.”

But as ridiculous as all of this biosecurity theatre is, it just got 1000x more ridiculous.

Effective August 1st, the state of Wisconsin is requiring all state employees to wear face masks in state facilities. But the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is going one step further: the department is requiring its employees to wear face masks during teleconferences . . . even when they’re at home alone.

That’s right, people who are sitting at a computer by themselves with no conceivable possibility of spreading any sort of pathogen are being required to mask up. And why? Because, as Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole reminded DNR workers in a July 31st email, they are “set[ting] the safety example which shows you as a DNR public service employee care about the safety and health of others.”

They’re not even pretending this is about health or safety at this point. The point of this exercise is (in their own words) to shape public expectations of “acceptable” behaviour in the new biosecurity paradigm.

Talk about theatre.

But there’s a deeper level to all of this. The post-9/11 security theatre, for instance, was not just about justifying the budget of bloated agencies like the TSA. It was also there to reinforce the narrative.

“Why are these jackbooted thugs at the airports frisking octogenerians in wheelchairs, making people empty their colostomy bags and generally treating passengers like inmates during a prison lockdown? It must be because the terror threat is real! Thank goodness for those kind-hearted TSA agents keeping us safe from the big bad terror bogeymen.”

Similarly, the Covid World Order biosecurity theatre is there to reinforce the narrative of the Big Bad Virus.

“So why is everyone suddenly forced to wear masks (even in Zoom meetings from home)? Why are we all standing on social distancing stickers in line at the supermarket checkout? Why are students’ desks being encased in perspex? Why are security guards with infrared thermometers checking everybody entering office buildings and other crowded spaces? It must be because the corona threat is real! Thank goodness for those valiant government employees who are working to keep us safe from the big bad viral bogeyman.”

But in fact it’s even worse than that.

In the terror paradigm, at least the “terrorists” were identifiable bad men with evil intentions. According to the terror narrative, these were people who consciously set out to cause death and destruction. Security agencies can and do treat everyone as a potential terrorist because they can claim ignorance of people’s intentions until a thorough examination is done. But in our own mind, we know that we are not terrorists and that if we were to be accused of terrorism it would be a false charge.

But in the biosecurity paradigm people are being accused of spreading a viral pathogen. According to the health authorities, there’s no way to know if you are an “asymptomatic carrier” unless you are tested (multiple times, even). So maybe you are a biosecurity threat. If an agent of the state performs an examination and deems you to be a carrier of the deadly SARS-Cov-2 (or whatever Gates and his minions are dreaming up for “Pandemic II”), how could you refute it? In this case, your intentions don’t matter. You can protest your innocence all you want, but the tests don’t lie.

Of course, the tests do lie. But again, that’s the point. It’s like another feature of the old fashioned security theatre: the metal detectors that operators can trigger to go off at will, or the drug sniffing dogs that can be signaled to give a false alert. When the state wants to detain someone in the future, claiming that their target “tested positive” for *insert scary-sounding virus here* will be all the justification needed for most normies to go along with their incarceration.

In the end, biosecurity theatre is not as harmless as its name might imply. It is part of the societal conditioning that we are being subjected to. The social engineers hope this conditioning will train us to:

  1. a) believe in the seriousness of the biosecurity threat presented by SARS-Cov-2 (or whatever virus they tell us to fear next);
  2. b) comply with agents of the state and other authority figures in whatever tests and screenings that are required to access any given space; and
  3. c) create the uncertainty in us that anyone—even ourselves—could be a grave threat to public safety without even knowing it.

And now, as we are seeing in Melbourne, in Auckland, and in other places around the world where the public have seemingly lost their mind over the “existential threat” posed by this “deadly virus,” there are all too many who are willing to move from biosecurity theatre to biosecurity totalitarianism.

The public is being softened. And the worst is yet to come.

Measures for recycling, considered they will cause greater damage during the pandemic, rejected

by Araceli Martínez

 

Measures AB 1080 and SB 54 that seek to reduce pollution caused by plastic products such as packing containers, bowls, utensils and lids that are only used once, which often end up in the oceans and landfills, have generated a great rejection among various groups.

The opponents’ argument points out that this is not the time to approve them due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased use of plastic containers to pack food as a preventive measure against the virus.

Last year these bills, unique in the nation, that seek to require manufacturers to take responsibility for the fate of single-use products, failed to pass legislators.

Senator Ben Allen’s SB 54 and San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena González’s AB 1080 seek to eliminate 75 percent of single-use containers by 2030.

“These misguided policies threaten to ban the very products that have helped families and businesses in the midst of this crisis,” said Pastor William Smart, president of the Christian Leadership Conference for Southern California.

He found that AB 1080 and SB 54 were undoubtedly written with the best of intentions before the coronavirus turned our lives upside down to reduce waste from single-use products and bags.

However, given the current situation, he said the legislature must press the pause button on two bills that would be unsustainable for families, communities and small business owners.

And it would not only ban products that families and businesses are relying on today such as food containers, and others to keep things safe and hygienic, but it would propose a $ 50,000 fine to businesses that do not meet waste reduction standards.

“It is a fine that would disproportionately harm small businesses, which are already struggling to keep their doors open during the pandemic.”

In addition, the pastor mentioned that these bills do nothing to increase the current recycling infrastructure, which has been damaged during this health crisis.

“Increasing recycling capacity to 300 percent to meet the waste reduction goals proposed by AB 1080 and SB 54 will not happen overnight, and the measures do not include a source of funding to create the facilities. what do we need”.

In a statement, the organization Californians for Recycling and the Environment announced that they support an effective recycling solution that reduces waste in communities.

“But now is not the time to pass a flawed law that fails to fix the state’s recycling problem and drives up costs for families and restaurants.”

And they recalled that during the pandemic, restaurants have seen their sales decline by 20 percent, and given the restrictions to offer food inside, the delivery of orders in person or through home delivery, they have been critical to stay afloat.

“By doubling or tripling the costs of takeout containers, it will make it more difficult for restaurants to stay in business during these difficult times,” they said.

To all this, they concluded, we must add that SB 54 will cost the state $ 20 million in costs to start at a time when California cannot afford that luxury since it faces a budget deficit of $ 54 billion, and the possibility of severe cuts to education, housing and other key programs.

Destroying western media’s “Swedish Public Health Disaster” narrative in two simple charts

EDITOR’S NOTE

 

Dear readers:

 

One thing that no one will convince is not true is the fact that the media is the mind control apparatus that serves the elite to make us believe a reality that does not exist. The following article, written by Tyler Durden of Via SkWealthAcademuy, an investment and education blog, designed for critical thinkers, is one of those pieces that make you think and help you remove the veil that the mainstream media has covered you with your eyes, so you can’t see. – Marvin Ramírez.

 

by Tyler Durden

Via SKWealthAcademy,

 

“In order to control public opinion of the masses, the ruling class should “regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments [soldiers’] bodies.”

– Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928)

 

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized.”

– Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928)

 

Recently, the media has made stories about the public health disaster of Sweden’s no lockdown policy in order to discredit the only science-based approach to Covid-19 undertaken by any nation in the world.

There have been a lot of false and misleading stories about the failures of Sweden’s no lockdown policy and Sweden officials’ choices to not shut down businesses in Sweden, only to suggest that the elderly vulnerable population self-quarantine, and to allow for the normalization of life under these conditions.

No businesses were ordered to close, and GDP in Sweden is forecast to shrink by 4 percent. A 4 percent annual shrinkage in GDP is 1000 times more preferable to the annual pace of a 32.9 percent drop in GDP forecast in America just this past quarter.

If the most human interaction is happening in Stockholm, the most densely populated city in Sweden with a central population of 1.5M and a metropolitan population of over 2.4M, then their no-lockdown, normal-life approach was a resounding success.

Sweden’s logical, science-based approach starkly contrasted with the totalitarian, misanthropic ruling class’s approach to restrict the movements of everyone, including fully-abled healthy people with strong immune systems, and legislating mandated stay-at-home orders for large swaths of entire nations, orders.

In response to Sweden’s success rates with its no lockdown policy, the Western mass media deployed a pre-emptive counterstrike by releasing hundreds of articles about the grave “failure” of Sweden’s no lockdown policy and disseminating these articles to millions of websites online.

I’ve created Charts:

[Top]: When we compare the mortality rates of Covid-19 in Sweden v. the US, including all data until the end of July, the US’s mortality rate of Covid-19 in the age group of less than 39 years of age was 0.58 percent, more than 1,230 times greater than the 0.00047 percent mortality rate of Sweden. In the age demographics of 40-59 and 59-69, the death rate in the US from Covid-19 versus Sweden was respectively 215 times and 211 times greater than Sweden.

[Bottom] Compare Sweden’s mortality rate for different age demographics compared to the US mortality rate for the common flu. For the comprehensive age group of all ages less than 60 years of age, the Swedish mortality rate of Covid-19 is less than 1/3rd of the American mortality rate for the common flu.

As can be observed in the bottom chart, the overall Covid-19 mortality rate for Sweden’s population was skewed by nearly all Covid-19 deaths occurring in the above 70-year old demographic, with the majority of Sweden’s Covid-19 deaths occurring in those older than 80 and 90 years of age!

I created the above graphics, using official data of both the US Centers for Disease Control and Folkhälsomyndigheten, the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

Despite this scientific evidence of the Swedish approach as the most effective combined dual health and economic-based approach in the entire world, the Western media lies and propagandizes Sweden’s approach as a horrific failure.

Sweden has nearly 10 times the number of COVID-19-related deaths than its Nordic neighbors”,

“Sweden’s coronavirus death rate is nearly 6 times that of neighboring Norway and Finland”,

“A Very Swedish Sort of Failure”, and

“Sweden’s Coronavirus Experiment Has Well and Truly Failed.”

These non-scientific and non-mathematical based stories ensure that the maximum amount of people around the world remain completely unthinking, obedient slaves to State mandated, martial-law style lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, in which the consequent social isolation from others would not only produce devastating financial and psychological effects but also have the added bonus, for the ruling class, of producing a mental state among the global population extremely receptive to hate and fear.

Nearly no one died in Sweden who was under the age of 60 from this virus.

Quoting statistics should not be used when one knows that their use will paint biased, misleading views of the actual situation, yet the mass media engages in such deception with no qualms about doing so.

Sweden possessed a Covid-19 death rate six times higher than Finland and Norway because

(1) Sweden’s elderly population was much greater than the elderly population of either of those two nations; and

(2) As small as was Sweden’s mortality rates were for all age groups except the elderly, Finland and Norway’s mortality rates were even more minute.

Consequently, compare minute to minute statistics, a 6 times higher mortality rate is very easy to manufacture and can be extremely misleading.

If one country reports six deaths out of 100,000 and another country reports 36 deaths out of 100,000 and both nations have populations under 10 million people, reporting a mortality rate six times higher in the former nation versus the latter nation is truly misleading. Now if both nations had populations over 150M people and this were still the case, then it would be okay to report such a statistic as there would be much more truth in such a stat.

As is evident in the bottom chart, the bulk of deaths from coronavirus in Sweden happened in the over 70 year old demographic, but particularly in the over 80 year old category. If a nation has many more elderly citizens, percentage wise than another nation, then of course its overall mortality rate will be much higher, as its overall mortality rate will be greatly skewed by its large elderly population. This is why it would be fake science to extrapolate the high mortality rate of Covid-19 in Lombardy, a region with a high percentage of elderly, to the entire nation of Italy.

The most effective propaganda convinces the victims of the propaganda that they came to the conclusions contained within the propaganda on their own merit, and that they were not ordered to embrace such false beliefs.

Bernays stated in 1925 that for propaganda to be effective, it has to fall under the category of information for which the public has “neither the time nor the inclination to search for facts” because the facts “are not readily available.” 

Quite sadly, this pillar of disseminating effective propaganda is not even necessary today given the century of brainwashing and dumbing down of society that has taken place since 1925. Today, most people do not want to spend even two minutes of time to vet information as wrong or true when the information to do so is readily available.

Instead, society at large prefers to have the parasitic ruling class think for them and tell them what to believe.

Green tea, zinc proving to be BETTER than hydroxychloroquine

Another weapon for fighting coronavirus infections?

 

Aug. 11, 2020 by Ethan Huff

 

Back in May, The Washington Post published an article that asked the question: Why has the death toll from covid-19 apparently been lower in Asia than in Western Europe and North America? The answer, it would appear, is that Asian countries tend to drink more green tea than the rest of the world, as well as consume more zinc, both of these things being powerful antiviral nutrients.

Green tea contains a unique polyphenol known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, that research shows is a powerful zinc ionophore, meaning it helps zinc get into cells. Conversely, zinc helps to make EGCG more bioavailable, meaning the two nutrients work hand in hand to enhance each other’s therapeutic potential.

Zinc, as you may recall, is the nutrient that, taken alongside hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a pharmaceutical zinc ionophore, is showing incredible promise in helping sick patients overcome the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). But green tea and EGCG is an even better solution, and a natural one at that.

In Japan, where green tea consumption is the highest in the world, deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) have been minimal. The same is true for Vietnam and China, both of which rank second and third, respectively, for green tea consumption.

“Correlation is obviously not causation,” notes Zero Hedge. “But … there is some evidence that these Asian countries’ green tea consumption may be part of what is helping to prevent higher mortality (as it may also be doing with cancer and heart disease).”

Green tea, EGCG are powerful weapons against coronavirus

Besides not having a contentious election coming up that might be influencing the case numbers here in the United States, countries like Japan and China tend to consume more nutrient-dense foods in general. This is another potential factor influencing the case disparity domestically versus internationally.

Another thing to keep in mind about green tea and EGCG, which are heavily consumed throughout Asia, is that they are powerful Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) fighters in other ways. An Indian study found that EGCG has the ability to target numerous key structures inside the virus, disabling its functional capacity.

“EGCG showed a very high binding affinity and a low inhibition constant among all the phytoconstituents screened, especially in the case of 6vw1, which is a potential target of SARS-CoV-2,” the paper found.

“EGCG exhibited better binding with the viral proteins and hence, is expected to show better antiviral activity than the reference drugs, remdesivir and chloroquine,” it added.

Green tea also contains theanine, an amino acid that just so happens to target various coronavirus structural sites.

It is important to remember, though, that by itself, EGCG is both unstable and bio-unavailable unless coupled with nutrients like zinc that studies show help to maximize its transport into cells.

“UV-VIS spectrometry revealed that the absorption of EGCG increased and its peak became large by adding zinc,” one Japanese study found. “Zinc enhances the hepatoprotective [i.e. liver-protecting] activity of EGCG.”

Chinese scientists have also found that EGCG more easily permeates cells when in the presence of zinc. It is almost as if these two nutrients were made for one another, working synergistically to support a healthy immune system.

There is also evidence to suggest that zinc can help to reduce the oxidation of EGCG before it gets transported into cells. While more research is certainly needed to confirm all of this, it absolutely would not cause any harm to start incorporating this regimen into your daily routine for protection against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Quercetin is the nearest naturally occurring bioflavonoid to the HCQ complex,” notes one Zero Hedge commenter. “It’s also in … green tea. Quercetin and zinc. There are even combo tabs already on the market.”

More related news stories about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com

Threats reported after returning to classes at City College

by Araceli Martínez

 

San Francisco City College students and teachers denounced the threats and challenges they face with returning to school remotely for the fall 2020 semester due to the pandemic.

During a press conference, they questioned why if City College of San Francisco is key to getting back to work in a post-pandemic economy, the administration and Board of Trustees is making decisions to reduce and destroy it.

“Why in this age of the Black Lives Matter movement are they weakening the Department of Black Studies? Why in times of a global pandemic are 60 percent of teachers of English as a Second Language fired, leaving immigrant students without the resources to integrate into the economy?” they questioned.

But that was not all. They also demanded to know why in this time of the affordable housing crisis they ignored protecting the interests of the college on land that City College has used since 1946.

Malaika Finkelstein, president of the AFT 2121 union, asked the administration not to use the pandemic as an excuse to cut classes for the already suffering young people.

And she said that the rumors that the rectors and heads of departments have ordered to cut classes with less than 10 students, have been confirmed. Nor is there a tuition plan, she lamented, that takes into account the global pandemic and the economic crisis that students and the community face.

“Students and school employees are struggling to find health and child care, financial security, and how to deal with the crisis. We must be there for them. Leave classes open and give them time to sign up,” the union leader said in a letter to City College councilors and Chancellor Rajen Vurdien.

“We have to keep classes open, and fulfill our mission in times of crisis. Our community needs us more than ever. We are critical to the recovery of San Francisco,” she said.

More than a dozen librarians who recently received notices of layoffs or cuts in their hours during the fall semester urged City College administration and counselors to reconsider their decision.

The reasons for the fall layoffs are that libraries are closed and librarians do not serve students in person.

“This confirms to us that much of our valuable work is not seen. Since the school closed in March, the adjunct librarians have answered questions via our chat service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we classify online workshops with individual comments, we offer research workshops via Zoom and we give individual follow-up to students,” they said when listing the series of activities they have carried out while working from home.

Kelvin Ming Young, head of the Aging Department (OLAD), lamented that the College’s administration canceled more than 90 percent of their original schedule and left them with only five classes for the semester.

“Senior programs at San Francisco City College are among the first of their kind in the nation. They are essential services for the health and physical and mental well-being of the adults of our community through a variety of courses such as art, music, theater, literature, yoga, Tai Chi, mind and body health”.

He added that without this robust and comprehensive program, many of his adult students will face isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and physical injury.

“Now more than ever as COVID-19 continues to cause harm, we must maintain our program and classes to serve the adult residents of San Francisco.”

In an open letter addressed to the City College Board by 60 English as a Second Language (ESL) assistant teachers who were suddenly laid off this spring, they said they understand that tough decisions are needed given the nature of the current crisis.

However, they stated that COVID-19 should not serve as a scapegoat for the continued mismatch of the school’s goals with the administrative actions that are taken behind closed doors.

“Our students are the hardest hit, while they lose their classes, teachers lose jobs and students we love,” they indicated.

And they called for a change for greater transparency and communication of the present administration even towards the Board of Directors.

“We demand a change of direction from our city, our students and ourselves.”

On the other hand, they also protested against the vote of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that approved the development of a housing project on the site where the Balboa Dam was planned 100 years ago next to San Francisco City College.

The Balboa Dam was designed to fill with water to a depth of 25 feet. But it was never used, and it was left as an empty space that is currently used as a parking lot by San Francisco City College without being its property.

But the place belongs to the City of San Francisco; the president of the Board of Supervisors, Norman Yee wants houses to be built there, and he already has a project to build 1,100 new houses, 50 percent would be for essential workers supposedly to affordable prices.

It is also planned to dedicate 150 units for City College staff and faculty.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said around the project that San Francisco is in the midst of a housing shortage and they need to build more houses across the city.

“The Balboa Dam project will create more than 1,000 new homes for families, workers, and teachers, while also providing the necessary childcare facilities and open spaces,” he said in a statement.

However, dozens of community members and organizations such as CCSF4All, Our City SF, Richmond District Rising, and Defend City College Alliance among many others said that this project will cause significant damage to City College and the surrounding neighborhoods as it will make access impossible for many and very difficult for others; it will create problems with public transportation, traffic congestion and safety.

“This valuable public land should not be privatized. It should be kept in public hands and used for a project that is 100 percent accessible that meets the growing need for affordable housing, not market rates, and at the same time that it protects the City College”.

However, dozens of community members and organizations such as CCSF4All, Our City SF, Richmond District Rising, and Defend City College Alliance among many others, said that this project will cause significant damage to City College and surrounding neighborhoods by doing the access impossible for many and very difficult for others; it will create problems with public transportation, traffic congestion and safety.

“This valuable public land should not be privatized. It should be kept in public hands and used for a project that is 100 percent accessible; that meets the growing need for affordable housing, not market rates; and at the same time that it protects the City College.