Daily Archives: February 11, 2021

2021-02-11: News Headlines

Fight Back (2021-02-11). Chicago Teachers Union ratifies framework agreement for return to in-person learning. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – After midnight on Wednesday, February 10, the Chicago Teachers Union officially certified ballot results ratifying an agreement between the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that will provide a framework for returning to in-person learning in Chicago Public Schools. The vote to ratify the agreement passed by just over a two thirds majority. However, the union has been clear that they do not feel that this plan is what the teachers or students and community deserve. They say it is disgraceful that the Chicago Public School System could not delay reopening for a few weeks t…

Workers World Party (2021-02-11). PDF of February 11 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Haiti: Struggle intensifies Black History Month: Salute to Rosa Parks, Harry Haywood, Ben Fletche ALSO: Nurses, autoworkers, teachers on the move! Reparations for racist pandemic!; Capitalist accumulation and agriculture; GameStop bubble; COVID: comparing economic systems. Editorial: Dangling the carrot. GLOBAL: Sanctions Kill. Yemen: Bait and switch. . . . |

F. William Engdahl (2021-02-11). Coronavirus Scandal Breaking in Merkel's Germany. False Positives and the Drosten PCR Test. globalresearch.ca First posted by Global Research on December 11, 2020 | The widely-praised German model of the Angela Merkel regime to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is now engulfed in a series of potentially devastating scandals going to the very heart of …

Torsten Engelbrecht (2021-02-11). COVID-19 PCR Tests Are Scientifically Meaningless. globalresearch.ca First published on June 29, 2020 | Lockdowns and hygienic measures around the world are based on numbers of cases and mortality rates created by the so-called SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests used to identify "positive" patients, whereby "positive" is usually equated with …

Greta Anderson — Dave Parsons (2021-02-11). Of Mexican Wolves and Their Habitat. counterpunch.org The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been busy promoting recently published research which documents ample habitat for Mexican wolves in Mexico. This supports the recovery criteria in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's official recovery plan and the Department's desire to assume management of Mexican wolves, which will occur when the delisting criteria have been met. It

Pedro A. Noguera (2021-02-11). Education Will Be Critical in the Fight for Democracy and Anti-Racism. zcomm.org What is the role of education in creating a critically-minded public that is unafraid to resist lies and deceptions perpetuated by anti-democratic forces?

news.un (2021-02-11). 'If I can do it, so can you': women scientists on the power of education to reach gender equality. news.un.org Women are extremely under-represented in science, but a UN research centre in The Netherlands is trying to address the gender imbalance, by raising awareness of the leading role that women researchers play in tackling global problems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Israel relaxes lockdown restrictions to partially reopen schools. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Hundreds of thousands of kindergarten and elementary school students returned to in-person learning for the first time in a month on Thursday as Israel continued easing its lockdown restrictions despite climbing daily coronavirus cases. The partial school reopening only affects 20 percent of the students in Israel, while the remaining 80 …

yenisafak (2021-02-11). Merkel warns of aggressive coronavirus mutations. yenisafak.com New mutations of coronavirus first seen in the UK, South Africa and Brazil are more aggressive and more dangerous, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday.Addressing lawmakers in parliament, Merkel said it was necessary to extend the country's coronavirus lockdown until March 7, as new variants of the virus could lead to a more dangerous third wave of the pandemic."Not all the research has yet been finalized, but we'd be well advised to listen to what so many experts both in Germany and abroad tell us," she told lawmakers, referring to the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants, which were also detected…

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Study blames Trump policies for high US Covid-19 mortality rate. laprensalatina.com New York, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Former President Donald Trump's administrative healthcare failures caused 461,000 deaths prior to the pandemic in the United States and tens of thousands more over his Covid-19 and air pollution policies, a study published Thursday said. In the study, published in the scientific journal The Lancet 33 researchers said the US …

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Malaysia posts biggest GDP contraction since 1998. laprensalatina.com Bangkok, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 5.6 percent in 2020, its worst contraction since the 1998 crisis when it had fallen by 7.4 percent, due to the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the country's statistics bureau said Thursday. The construction sector plummeted by 19.4 percent while net exports …

yenisafak (2021-02-11). Double masks provide double protection against COVID-19. yenisafak.com Wearing a double mask provides twice as much protection against COVID-19 as a single one, according to a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).In the study released Wednesday, two artificial heads with a breathing function were outfitted with one masks or two, and particles the same size as COVID-19 particles were sprayed on them from a distance of about 2 meters (6.5 feet).The researchers found that 40% of the particles sprayed on the artificial head wearing one mask were blocked, while 80% were blocked on the artificial head wearing two.If everyone in the same environment wears a…

Stephen Lendman (2021-02-11). Biden Regime Wants Julian Assange Crucified for Truth-Telling. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | At the behest of Trump regime hardliners, truth-telling investigative journalist/whistleblower Assange …

Joan Walsh (2021-02-11). If Republicans Have a Conscience, They'll Convict Trump. Most Don't. thenation.com If Republicans Have a Conscience, They'll Convict Trump. Most Don't.

yenisafak (2021-02-11). BioNTech, Turkey in talks on opening research center in country. yenisafak.com German-based BioNTech is in talks with Turkey to set up a research center in the country, the Turkish industry and technology minister told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.Ugur Sahin, the Turkish-German co-founder of BioNTech, "wants to work on cancer research in Turkey, and continues to negotiate with the authorities to build a center," said Mustafa Varank."We discussed with Sahin what can be done in Turkey apart from vaccine development work. He's preparing his plans now and wants to set up a cancer research center here."Sahin and Hasan Mandal, head of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TU…

Esther W. Chan, Kim S.J. Lao, Lam Lam, Sik-Hon Tsui, Chun-Tat Lui, Chi-Pang Wong, Colin A. Graham, Chi-Hung Cheng, Tong-Shun Chung, Hiu-Fung Lam, Soo-Moi Ting, Jonathan C. Knott, David M. Taylor, David C.M. Kong, Ling-Pong Leung, Ian C.K. Wong (2021-02-11). [Research Paper] Intramuscular midazolam, olanzapine, or haloperidol for the management of acute agitation: A multi-centre, double-blind, randomised clinical trial. thelancet.com Midazolam resulted in faster sedation in patients with undifferentiated agitation in the emergency setting compared to olanzapine and haloperidol. Midazolam and olanzapine are preferred over haloperidol's slower time to sedation and potential for cardiovascular and extrapyramidal side effects.

John C. A. Manley (2021-02-11). Twenty Reasons Mandatory Face Masks are Unsafe, Ineffective and Immoral. globalresearch.ca First published by Global Research on January 23, 2021 | Nine Potential and Proven Dangers to Muzzling Yourself: | 1. Cavities: New York dentists are reporting that half their patients are suffering decaying teeth, receding gum lines and seriously sour breath from …

Manlio Dinucci (2021-02-11). "Strategic Dialogue" Between Italy and Saudi Arabia. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The fact, that Matteo Renzi was received in Riyadh by His …

Global Research News (2021-02-11). Towards A Police State in Germany? Live Video of Police Raid into Home of Dr. Andreas Noak. globalresearch.ca First published on GR on November 24, 2020 | This is what is happening in Germany. It is a matter of concern to people Worldwide. Freedom of Expression is being brutally suppressed. | . | Police break into the home of Dr. Andreas …

Alexandra McInturf (2021-02-11). Hundreds of Fish Species, Including Many that Humans Eat, Are Consuming Plastic. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Trillions of

Henry A. Giroux (2021-02-10). Jan 6th, Fascistization, and Education. zcomm.org Interview on the events of Jan 6th, the destruction of public education and degeneration of mass culture…

Karen Conner (2021-02-10). Consumer Price Index: Jump in Gas Prices Pushes Overall CPI up 0.3 Percent in January. cepr.net (This is a compilation of Dean Baker's quick-take analysis over Twitter. Follow @DeanBaker13 on Twitter to get his quick-take analysis of government data immediately upon release.) The overall inflation picture looks good. Inflation in the problem areas (rent, medical care, and education) continues to be under control. We will see a bounce back in hard hit sectors like …

Sheila Velazquez (2021-02-10). The Desiccated Hearts and Souls of Working-class Americans. dissidentvoice.org Desiccate: deaden, devitalize, lobotomize, castrate — Merriam-Webster In the United States the average man and woman has been dismissed, devalued and manipulated by both parties and the financial system. They have been prevented access to healthcare, decent-paying jobs, affordable education and food security. And their hopes and dreams have been crushed by the absence of …

Nyla Ali Khan (2021-02-10). Why I Wrote "Educational Strategies for Youth Empowerment in Conflict Zones" counterpunch.org In a world that continues to be carved up into the false binary of West vs. East, there is an abundance of scholarly work on trauma, healing, and rebuilding solidarities in Europe and the United States, but a dearth of such scholarly work and literature about regions in South Asia, mainland Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

WSWS (2021-02-10). Johnson government's homicidal drive to reopen UK schools justified by feigned concern for children's welfare. wsws.org The Johnson government's professed concern for children's education and welfare is belied by decades of cuts to children's services and rising child poverty.

WSWS (2021-02-10). Brazilian teachers and students support Chicago teachers' struggle against school reopenings. wsws.org "It is up to workers from all over the world to coordinate this great mobilization for life. All support to the struggle of the Chicago teachers!"

Sarah Lahm (2021-02-10). Midwest Dispatch: Can Sam's Club Vaccinate Our Teachers? progressive.org As educators and staff are forced to return to schools, many are wondering if and where they will receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Betsey Piette (2021-02-10). Philadelphia teachers defy return to classroom order. workers.org Credit: Joe Piette Thousands of Philadelphia public school teachers defied an order from school Superintendent William Hite Jr. to return to their classrooms Feb. 8 for the first time since schools became fully virtual in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Across the city, educators demonstrated outside closed . . . |

imperial.ac.uk (2021-02-10). Imperial graduate inspires engineers and coders of the future. imperial.ac.uk SAM Labs, founded by Imperial graduate Joachim Horn, provides hands-on coding and technology teaching resources to schools across the world.

RT (2021-02-10). South Africa to give up to 500,000 health workers Johnson & Johnson Covid jab amid AstraZeneca efficacy concerns. rt.com Between 350,000 and 500,000 health workers in South Africa are to be given the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, a top government medical adviser said, amid concerns over the AstraZeneca jab's efficacy against the local strain. | The government is hoping to take delivery of around 80,000 doses every seven to 14 days as part of its role in a global J&J "implementation study," the president of the South African Medical Research Council, Glenda Gray, told Reuters. | Gray is the co-lead investigator of the South Africa part of the study, which will further scrutinize the J&J jab in a similar way to Phase IIIB st…

Betsey Piette (2021-02-10). Biden's 'prison reform': Smoke and mirrors. workers.org Alabama Students Against Prison demonstrate against state plans to construct three new private prisons, Dec. 30, 2020, Birmingham, Ala. In an executive order signed Jan. 26 as part of his "racial equity" plan, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Justice not to renew contracts . . . |

Editor (2021-02-10). 'This Is for You, Dad': Interview With an Anonymous GameStop Investor. scheerpost.com By Matt Taibbi / TK News Thursday, January 21st was a critical day in the story of the video game chain GameStop (ticker name: GME). Retail investors, including many subscribers to a Reddit forum called wallstreetbets, pushed the company's stock from $6 to $43.03, but experts said playtime was over. It was time for the big shots to clean up. According to Citron Research, one of many funds that had… |

yenisafak (2021-02-10). Turkish charity supports children's education in Syria. yenisafak.com The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) has provided education opportunities to nearly 8,000 children in Syria.Ihsan Acik, the second chairman of the board of trustees of the TDV, said that the charity has developed projects for the child victims of Syria's bloody civil war to continue their education."We provide opportunities for education to nearly 8,000 students with a total of 12 educational projects, including a kindergarten, eight elementary schools, two high schools and a university computer laboratory in Idlib and Azaz regions in Syria," Acik stated.Noting that TDV also distributes stationery and books perio…

yenisafak (2021-02-10). Biden administration peers at the Eastern Mediterranean: analysis. yenisafak.com Dean Acheson prefaced his collection of political essays, A Democrat Looks at His Party, with a quote from the esteemed US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.: "And it seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure." Holmes's quote provided an effective summary of what Acheson, writing only two years after the end of his tenure as US Secretary of State, explained in the rest of the text.While serving as the secretary of state, Acheson carried out one of the boldest and most visionary foreign policy initiatives of an era dominated by bold and visio…

Collin Binkley (2021-02-10). Dems try to push through school funding, wage increase. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Tuesday muscled past Republicans on portions of President Joe Biden's pandemic plan, including a proposed $130 billion in additional relief to help the nation's schools reopen and a gradual increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Democrats on the Education and Labor Committee say schools won't …

yenisafak (2021-02-10). Chicago teachers accept to return to in-person learning. yenisafak.com Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in the US state of Illinois has backed a tentative deal to return to in-person learning amid coronavirus pandemic, the union said in a statement Wednesday.The decision was taken by 13,681 members voting in favor, and came after weeks of negotiations between the CTU and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system. 6,585 members voted against the deal.Although the sides agreed on returning to classrooms, the union voiced concern about the safety of schools."This plan is not what any of us deserve. Not us. Not our students. Not their families. The fact that CPS could not delay reopening a few sh…

RT (2021-02-10). Biden sets low bar on school reopenings, targets resuming in-person teaching at half of schools 'ONE DAY A WEEK' by late April. rt.com In a likely blow to parents' expectations, the Biden administration has said its pledge to reopen most K-8 schools within its first 100 days means "at least one day a week" of in-person classes for over 50 percent of schools. | "His goal that he set was to have the majority of schools — so more than 50 percent, open by day 100 of his presidency, and that means some teaching in classrooms," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. "So, at least one day a week, hopefully it's more, and obviously it is as much as is safe in each school and local district." | White House: Our goal is t…

sputniknews (2021-02-10). School Student Protests in Sudan Reportedly Turn Into Riots. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Protests by Sudanese high school students against rising food prices in the East Darfur and West Kordofan provinces have escalated into robberies and riots, the SUNA news agency reported.

The Canary (2021-02-10). Boris Johnson warned he risks leaving children 'languishing in poverty'. thecanary.co Ian Blackford MP urged the prime minister to tackle child poverty by making the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit during the Covid-19 pandemic permanent. The Scottish National Party (SNP) Westminster leader told Boris Johnson he risks leaving "a generation of children languishing in poverty" if he proceeds with plans to cut Universal Credit. | Raising the issue at Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs), Blackford said that Johnson has the powers to address poverty in the country. | "Truly shocking": | He told the Commons: New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the baby bank charity, Littl…

news.un (2021-02-10). 'Women and girls belong in science' declares UN chief. news.un.org Closed labs and increased care responsibilities are just a two of the challenges women in scientific fields are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief said in his message for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on Thursday.

RT (2021-02-10). 'Just like a flu shot': People may need to take Covid-19 vaccine annually 'for the next several years', says Johnson & Johnson CEO. rt.com Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, has said people may need Covid-19 vaccines annually for the next several years following his company applying for emergency use authorization for its own one-dose shot. | In a Tuesday interview with CNBC, Gorsky said it's "likely" that "for the next several years, we'll be getting a COVID-19 shot just like we would a flu shot." | In this near future, Gorsky sees science keeping "pace" with the virus, but vaccines will allow people to "keep on living [their] lives." | Johnson & Johnson could be introducing their Covid vaccine as early as this month. They applied for emerge…

RT (2021-02-10). 'Even prisoners get to exercise!' UC Berkeley bans solo outdoor exercise for dorm-bound students. rt.com Students at the University of California, Berkeley are banned from outdoor exercising as the campus extends its lockdown due to a reported spike in Covid-19 cases. Initially set to finish on Monday, it no longer has an end date. | University media revealed on Monday that students living on the Berkeley campus can no longer leave their dorms to exercise, explaining that the baffling new regulation is an expansion of a so-called "self-sequester mandate" imposed last month after an uptick in Covid-19 cases on campus. | Obesity is probably the best-known comorbidity for Covid-19 complications, and even the harsh q…

Staff (2021-02-10). Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha Blain on Impeachment, White Supremacist Violence & Holding Trump Accountable. democracynow.org As the impeachment trial of Donald Trump proceeds, we speak with two historians about the importance of accountability for the January 6 insurrection and white supremacist attacks in the United States. The scenes of violence at the U.S. Capitol were "familiar" to Black people, says Ibram X. Kendi, author, professor and founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. "We have consistently, over the course of 400 years, faced white supremacist mob violence." We also speak with Keisha Blain, an author and associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, who says Trump must b…

Staff (2021-02-10). Trump Must Be Held Accountable for Inciting the Capitol Insurrection. truthout.org As the impeachment trial of Donald Trump proceeds, we speak with two historians about the importance of accountability for the January 6 insurrection and white supremacist attacks in the United States. The scenes of violence at the U.S. Capitol were "familiar" to Black people, says Ibram X. Kendi, author, professor and founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. "We have consistently, over the course of 400 years, faced white supremacist mob violence." We also speak with K…

South Front (2021-02-10). Video: Trump's Maximum Pressure Campaign Lives on Under Biden's Command. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps received 340 new speedboats during a …

Brian Berletic (2021-02-10). UK Bans China's CGTN for Being Too Much Like the BBC. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The British Office of Communications (Ofcom) has pulled the license for …

Steve Watson (2021-02-10). Report: UK Government Considering Knocking on Doors of Vaccine Refusniks. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The UK government is considering a plan to despatch council staff …

commondreams (2021-02-10). Student Action on Student Debt Cancellation: We Need More. commondreams.org ______________________________…

imperial.ac.uk (2021-02-10). Women in Science award and bronze statue for innovative bioengineering professor. imperial.ac.uk Professor Molly Stevens has won the FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award in recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements.

John W. Whitehead (2021-02-10). Don't Impeach Trump. Impeach the Deep State for Its Conspiracy to Kill the Constitution. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | "All that was required of them was a primitive patriotism which …