Space Lasers Track Earth’s Disappearing Ice Sheets and Rising Sea Levels
Feds Consider Relaxing Infection Control in Nursing Homes ; ‘Botanical Sexism’ ; and More Picks
‘It Makes No Sense’: Feds Consider Relaxing Infection Control in Nursing Homes (Mili)
The authors write, “A rule proposed last year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would modify the amount of time an infection preventionist must devote to a facility from at least part-time to ‘sufficient time,’ an undefined term that lets the facility decide how much time should be spent.”
Yale Epidemiologist: US Handling of Coronavirus ‘Awfully Close to Genocide by Default’ (Reader Steve)
From Politicus USA: “[Gregg] Gonsalves sent a series of tweets slamming the U.S. government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. … ‘How many people will die this summer, before Election Day?’ Gonsalves asked. ‘What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of color? This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy?’”
A Native American Health Center Asked for COVID-19 Supplies. It Got Body Bags Instead. (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Abigail Echo-Hawk, the health board’s chief research officer, said she believes that the message it sends, even unintentionally, is resonating in Native American communities across the United States during the pandemic: There is a pressing lack of adequate resources and funding as promised.”
Harm of the Law (Chris)
From Artforum: “In their steadfast devotion to maintaining our obsolescent order, [police] continue to serve old warrants and mete out petty charges that could become death sentences as the novel coronavirus rampages through jails, prisons, and detention camps.”
‘Botanical Sexism’ Could Be Behind Your Seasonal Allergies (Gerry)
The author writes, “Male trees are one of the most significant reasons why allergies have gotten so bad for citydwellers in recent decades. They’re indiscriminate, spewing their gametes in every direction. They can’t help it — it’s what evolution built them for. This is fine in the wild, where female trees trap pollen to fertilize their seeds. But urban forestry is dominated by male trees, so cities are coated in their pollen.”
