Saturday, June 27, 2020
Thursday, August 9, 1973 Spokane Wildfires
My uncle George was in the Spokesman-Review Friday the 10th, and mentioned in an editorial Saturday the 11th.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
1937 B Street Fire
Special for Them Dam Writers online. Photos and clippings from Margaret Seaton collection except as indicated.
Fire was a frequent visitor to the booming construction towns around the site of the big dam, one of the most notable being the one called the B Street Fire. I had on my to do list researching that fire in more detail, and when Bert Smith messaged me recently asking about the date, I decided it was time to dig into it. I have a few pictures of that fire from my mother's collection, but they are only marked 1938.
My mother put together three volumes of newspaper clippings from 1933 to 1938, which I have been scanning and posting as time, energy, and ambition allow. I just finished scanning volume one, covering 1933 to August 1934. But 1937 and 1938 are in the third volume. Looking through that, I found one clipping about the fire, dated July 25, 1937, the day after the fire.
It was a sultry Saturday evening, July 24, 1937. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the heart of the business district. One of those was the office of the Grand Coulee News, which meant the loss of its entire archive, making any clipping or copy from before that date especially valuable.
The above four pictures may seem to have more light than might be expected at night, but this was the night after the full moon in July 1937 which was the 24th at 8:45 a. m. Pacific time. The next picture may show the scene the next day from another angle, although one note concerning this image suggests it may be from a different fire in the mid 1940's.
In the third of my mother's scrapbooks from the 1930's is this clipping from July 25, 1937:
GRAND COULEE, Wash., July 25.-- Six Grand Coulee business men surveyed a block of ruins today, and estimated their loss from a fire last night would amount to more than $100,000.
The flames which started in a corner grocery store late yesterday, threatened the entire business district for more than four hours as they raced down the block of buildings before a high wind.
Fire Chief Archie Elliott said the only thing that saved the town was the perfect water supply. Even with streams of water constantly wetting them, buildings across the street were scorched and a number of windows were broken by the heat. The block was on B street, one of the first in the original townsite, and was in the center of the business district.
The buildings which burned housed the Kozy Korner restaurant, the Hub Clothing company, Ross department store, public market, Stone's Market and the Grand Coulee News office and plant.
Chief Elliott said that two firemen and one woman reported hurt were only slightly injured and did not need hospital treatment.
Using ProQuest Historical Newspapers accesed through the Spokane Public Library, I found this article on page 3 of the July 26, 1937 issue of the Spokane Daily Chronicle. Transcript follows.
GRAND COULEE, July 26—(Special.)—"Sure, well publish this week," said Sidney Jackson, owner of the Grand Coulee News today after his shop and seven other business houses on B street were completely destroyed Saturday night in the dam site's most disastrous fire. Other losers have not yet decided upon rebuilding.
Damages are estimated at $l00,000 and it was only a sudden change of a stiff wind that kept the loss from mounting to double that sum or more. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery from an undetermined origin, and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the very heart of the business district.
A high wind brought on by the sultry weather swept the flames halfway across B street. "Gobs of fire, said A. D. Roberts, chamber of commerce president, a witness, "seemed to leave the main body of flames and bounce up against the buildings on the other side of the street.
Merchants began franticallv moving out their goods as windows cracked from the heat. Paint blistered on the buildings. Fires started in one or two places, quickly to be put out by the volunteer fire fighters.
Flaming Brands Afloat.
Small fires were started two to five blocks away as the high wind fanned the flames and sent pieces of burning material floating through the air.t
The fire struck quickly. "It just gave a puff and everything was afire," one man said. Two cars, one a new expensive one, could not be moved and were destroyed.
The fire consumed the Hub Clothing store, the "Kozy Korner" restaurant, which was enlarged last week, the Grand Coulee News, the "Stop and Shop grocery, the Public Market, Stone's Market, Ross' store and a beauty shop on the second floor, The Silver Dollar, Leader dry goods store, Pioneer bar were also damaged, mostly to building fronts and display windows.
It was unofficially stated that only about one-third of the actual loss was covered by insurance. It was the second time in two years' for Editor Jackson lo be burned out. The first badly scorched his building and cats in a parking lot. He plans to print for a time from Almira and Coulee City shops.
Archie Elliott, fire chief, said there was plenty of water and sufficient pressure to fight the blaze. Grand Coulee's announced water shortage apparently prevented the early control of the fire.
I do not know when this image was published; it was a loose clipping that had been stapled in another album years later.
probably from the Wenatchee World:
This scraped path down the sagebrush ultimately became boisterous B street in Grand Coulee. This photo was taken in 1934 to show a new building arising, It was the tavern and dance hall planned by Mr. and Mrs. John Pozar. The device behind the team of horses was called a "fresno". It would scrape up earth, then when the operator pulled on the handle it would tilt back, in which position it would remain until emptied. Intense business rivalry existed in the early days of construction of Grand Coulee Dam between this area,called Grand Coulee, and Coulee Center and Grand Coulee Heights.
B street in its heyday was one of the wildest places in the country, attracting not only merchants and entrepreneurs, but also prostitutes and all manner of hustlers.
Fire was a frequent visitor to the booming construction towns around the site of the big dam, one of the most notable being the one called the B Street Fire. I had on my to do list researching that fire in more detail, and when Bert Smith messaged me recently asking about the date, I decided it was time to dig into it. I have a few pictures of that fire from my mother's collection, but they are only marked 1938.
My mother put together three volumes of newspaper clippings from 1933 to 1938, which I have been scanning and posting as time, energy, and ambition allow. I just finished scanning volume one, covering 1933 to August 1934. But 1937 and 1938 are in the third volume. Looking through that, I found one clipping about the fire, dated July 25, 1937, the day after the fire.
It was a sultry Saturday evening, July 24, 1937. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the heart of the business district. One of those was the office of the Grand Coulee News, which meant the loss of its entire archive, making any clipping or copy from before that date especially valuable.
The above four pictures may seem to have more light than might be expected at night, but this was the night after the full moon in July 1937 which was the 24th at 8:45 a. m. Pacific time. The next picture may show the scene the next day from another angle, although one note concerning this image suggests it may be from a different fire in the mid 1940's.
$100,000 BLAZE HITS DAM TOWN
In the third of my mother's scrapbooks from the 1930's is this clipping from July 25, 1937:GRAND COULEE, Wash., July 25.-- Six Grand Coulee business men surveyed a block of ruins today, and estimated their loss from a fire last night would amount to more than $100,000.
The flames which started in a corner grocery store late yesterday, threatened the entire business district for more than four hours as they raced down the block of buildings before a high wind.
Fire Chief Archie Elliott said the only thing that saved the town was the perfect water supply. Even with streams of water constantly wetting them, buildings across the street were scorched and a number of windows were broken by the heat. The block was on B street, one of the first in the original townsite, and was in the center of the business district.
The buildings which burned housed the Kozy Korner restaurant, the Hub Clothing company, Ross department store, public market, Stone's Market and the Grand Coulee News office and plant.
Chief Elliott said that two firemen and one woman reported hurt were only slightly injured and did not need hospital treatment.
Using ProQuest Historical Newspapers accesed through the Spokane Public Library, I found this article on page 3 of the July 26, 1937 issue of the Spokane Daily Chronicle. Transcript follows.
JUST ONE PUFF AND ALL ABLAZE
GRAND COULEE, July 26—(Special.)—"Sure, well publish this week," said Sidney Jackson, owner of the Grand Coulee News today after his shop and seven other business houses on B street were completely destroyed Saturday night in the dam site's most disastrous fire. Other losers have not yet decided upon rebuilding.
Damages are estimated at $l00,000 and it was only a sudden change of a stiff wind that kept the loss from mounting to double that sum or more. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery from an undetermined origin, and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the very heart of the business district.
A high wind brought on by the sultry weather swept the flames halfway across B street. "Gobs of fire, said A. D. Roberts, chamber of commerce president, a witness, "seemed to leave the main body of flames and bounce up against the buildings on the other side of the street.
Merchants began franticallv moving out their goods as windows cracked from the heat. Paint blistered on the buildings. Fires started in one or two places, quickly to be put out by the volunteer fire fighters.
Flaming Brands Afloat.
Small fires were started two to five blocks away as the high wind fanned the flames and sent pieces of burning material floating through the air.t
The fire struck quickly. "It just gave a puff and everything was afire," one man said. Two cars, one a new expensive one, could not be moved and were destroyed.
The fire consumed the Hub Clothing store, the "Kozy Korner" restaurant, which was enlarged last week, the Grand Coulee News, the "Stop and Shop grocery, the Public Market, Stone's Market, Ross' store and a beauty shop on the second floor, The Silver Dollar, Leader dry goods store, Pioneer bar were also damaged, mostly to building fronts and display windows.
It was unofficially stated that only about one-third of the actual loss was covered by insurance. It was the second time in two years' for Editor Jackson lo be burned out. The first badly scorched his building and cats in a parking lot. He plans to print for a time from Almira and Coulee City shops.
Archie Elliott, fire chief, said there was plenty of water and sufficient pressure to fight the blaze. Grand Coulee's announced water shortage apparently prevented the early control of the fire.
B street under construction, 1934
I do not know when this image was published; it was a loose clipping that had been stapled in another album years later.
This scraped path down the sagebrush ultimately became boisterous B street in Grand Coulee. This photo was taken in 1934 to show a new building arising, It was the tavern and dance hall planned by Mr. and Mrs. John Pozar. The device behind the team of horses was called a "fresno". It would scrape up earth, then when the operator pulled on the handle it would tilt back, in which position it would remain until emptied. Intense business rivalry existed in the early days of construction of Grand Coulee Dam between this area,called Grand Coulee, and Coulee Center and Grand Coulee Heights.
B street in the 1930's
B street in its heyday was one of the wildest places in the country, attracting not only merchants and entrepreneurs, but also prostitutes and all manner of hustlers.
B Street at Night
Friday, June 19, 2020
In the news, Friday, June 12, 2020
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from BBC News (UK)
Coronavirus: What does a working 'test and trace' system look like?
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has expressed "renewed confidence" NHS Test and Trace will become the "world-class system" promised by the prime minister - although Mr Hancock acknowledged the system needed to get "better and better" as it developed. But what does an already world-beating test and trace programme look like? There is no need to look as far as Singapore, South Korea or even Germany for one; an extremely successful example can be found much closer to home. Guernsey has not recorded a new coronavirus case in 43 days and there are no active Covid-19 patients in the island.
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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization
NPR: “Mounting Evidence” Suggests COVID Not As Deadly as Thought. Did the Experts Fail Again?
The 'experts' may have subjected us to a blunder greater than any since the Iraq War. In 2020, central planners from around the world decided to shut down the global economy to protect people from an invisible, highly contagious virus that will result in no or mild symptoms for up to 90 percent of its carriers.
NPR: “Mounting Evidence” Suggests COVID Not As Deadly as Thought. Did the Experts Fail Again?
The 'experts' may have subjected us to a blunder greater than any since the Iraq War. In 2020, central planners from around the world decided to shut down the global economy to protect people from an invisible, highly contagious virus that will result in no or mild symptoms for up to 90 percent of its carriers.
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George Floyd Unrest and 1968 Riots—What We Can Learn, How We Move Forward
Before we declare the riots of 2020 the worst in U.S. history, we should look at the riots of 1968 that followed the wanton murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Black radicals like Stokely Carmichael ramped up the rhetoric accusing “white America” of killing Dr. King and calling on blacks to arm themselves. We can urge the leaders of all parties, faiths and colors to come together for a national summit to discuss honestly and openly the racism in America.
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from The Heritage Foundation
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
George Floyd Unrest and 1968 Riots—What We Can Learn, How We Move Forward
Before we declare the riots of 2020 the worst in U.S. history, we should look at the riots of 1968 that followed the wanton murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Black radicals like Stokely Carmichael ramped up the rhetoric accusing “white America” of killing Dr. King and calling on blacks to arm themselves. We can urge the leaders of all parties, faiths and colors to come together for a national summit to discuss honestly and openly the racism in America.
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from HumanProgress.org
Education Website
This week, our heroes are Mary Astell and Mary Wollstonecraft–two 17th and 18th century English thinkers, who are widely considered to have been the earliest pioneers of feminist philosophy. The works of Astell and Wollstonecraft gained popularity in the 19th century and helped to provide the philosophical foundation for suffragette and women’s rights movements all over the world.
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from KGMI News/Talk 790 (Bellingham)
Governor Inslee and Seattle Mayor respond to President Trump’s recent tweets about CHAZ area
Mayor Jenny Durkan fired back at the president in a news conference yesterday saying, “It is unconstitutional and illegal to send military to Seattle. If you don’t believe me you can take the word of a line of highly decorated generals who’ve said so. I’ve spoken with Governor Inslee and together we will assure the people this will not be happening.”
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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from The Washington Examiner
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, News & Media Website in Washington, DC
Trump hits Seattle mayor for allowing 'takeover' by 'terrorists'
President Trump accused Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan of allowing "terrorists" to control her city over her refusal to intervene in the "autonomous zone" set up by protesters. Trump urged Durkan and other officials to end the "takeover" of a six-block section of the city that has become known as the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," or CHAZ. He claimed Durkan, a Democrat, was allowing the city to be terrorized by brushing off the occupation as another "summer of love." "Seattle Mayor says, about the anarchists takeover of her city, 'it is a Summer of Love'. These Liberal Dems don’t have a clue. The terrorists burn and pillage our cities, and they think it is just wonderful, even the death. Must end this Seattle takeover now!" Trump tweeted.
Trump hits Seattle mayor for allowing 'takeover' by 'terrorists'
President Trump accused Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan of allowing "terrorists" to control her city over her refusal to intervene in the "autonomous zone" set up by protesters. Trump urged Durkan and other officials to end the "takeover" of a six-block section of the city that has become known as the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," or CHAZ. He claimed Durkan, a Democrat, was allowing the city to be terrorized by brushing off the occupation as another "summer of love." "Seattle Mayor says, about the anarchists takeover of her city, 'it is a Summer of Love'. These Liberal Dems don’t have a clue. The terrorists burn and pillage our cities, and they think it is just wonderful, even the death. Must end this Seattle takeover now!" Trump tweeted.
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In the news, Thursday, June 11, 2020
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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)
Broadcasting & Media Production Company in Bonn, Germany
Sieren's China: US businesses find big bucks in Beijing
Few US companies are likely to want to give up on China's market and its nearly 1.4 billion potential consumers. They need them right now — not least because unemployment is on the increase in the US. Furthermore, if US companies pull their business from China's, their rivals will quickly take their place. If, for instance, the California-based chip manufacturer Qualcomm can no longer supply the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei because of the US embargo, the company will lose its market share in the short term and the United States will lose its predominance in the long term. In view of the pandemic and the global economic situation, China will need to meet consumer demand with domestic goods and do everything to boost Chinese innovation. US companies will face tough competition.
Sieren's China: US businesses find big bucks in Beijing
Few US companies are likely to want to give up on China's market and its nearly 1.4 billion potential consumers. They need them right now — not least because unemployment is on the increase in the US. Furthermore, if US companies pull their business from China's, their rivals will quickly take their place. If, for instance, the California-based chip manufacturer Qualcomm can no longer supply the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei because of the US embargo, the company will lose its market share in the short term and the United States will lose its predominance in the long term. In view of the pandemic and the global economic situation, China will need to meet consumer demand with domestic goods and do everything to boost Chinese innovation. US companies will face tough competition.
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from The Guardian (UK)
LEFT-CENTER, HIGH, British daily newspaper published in London UK
Locals prevent removal of Baden-Powell statue from Poole Quay
A council’s plans to remove a statue of the founder of the Scout movement amid fears that it would be targeted by anti-racist activists were thwarted when it was surrounded by dozens of locals refusing to allow it to be taken away. Former scouts were among those who formed a ring around the statue of Robert Baden-Powell, a divisive figure who has been accused of support for Adolf Hitler, on the quayside in Poole. They vowed that they would not let either council workers or activists get to the statue. Supporters deny ‘vicious rumours’ about Scouting founder being pro-Hitler.
Locals prevent removal of Baden-Powell statue from Poole Quay
A council’s plans to remove a statue of the founder of the Scout movement amid fears that it would be targeted by anti-racist activists were thwarted when it was surrounded by dozens of locals refusing to allow it to be taken away. Former scouts were among those who formed a ring around the statue of Robert Baden-Powell, a divisive figure who has been accused of support for Adolf Hitler, on the quayside in Poole. They vowed that they would not let either council workers or activists get to the statue. Supporters deny ‘vicious rumours’ about Scouting founder being pro-Hitler.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
The Primacy Of Pragmatism
“A plague has occurred that is unprecedented and the likes of which we have never heard of before … it has spread throughout the country, east and west, and we have seen wonders from it in its phases and conditions for it has annihilated most of the people in the country … and the markets were closed … and the call of prayers from mosques has been disrupted … and crops have been left unharvested and dried up on the face of the earth because there was no one to harvest it.” These words came in a letter describing the impact of the plague on the city of Asyut sent on May 11, 1801, from Sheikh Hassan al-Attar, a future Sheikh of Al Azhar, to his friend the famed Egyptian historian, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti and reproduced in the latter’s magnum opus The Marvelous Composition of Biographies and Events.
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A coronavirus vaccine in 2020? Maybe. Here’s what has to go right
When President Trump announced last month that a vaccine against the new coronavirus could be available by the end of the year or sooner, his claim was met with a mix of hope and doubt. The search for vaccines often ends in failure, and the successful efforts have always taken years. So it seemed improbable, if not impossible, that researchers, who began working on vaccines for the new virus in January, could discover something so elusive and do it so quickly. But then scientists at Moderna, a pharmaceutical company, announced they had made promising early progress and claimed they could potentially have a proven vaccine by winter. So, could a vaccine in 2020 really be in the cards? Possibly, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and others involved in a program the U.S. government has set up to expedite vaccines that protect people from becoming infected by the virus.
from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
The Primacy Of Pragmatism
“A plague has occurred that is unprecedented and the likes of which we have never heard of before … it has spread throughout the country, east and west, and we have seen wonders from it in its phases and conditions for it has annihilated most of the people in the country … and the markets were closed … and the call of prayers from mosques has been disrupted … and crops have been left unharvested and dried up on the face of the earth because there was no one to harvest it.” These words came in a letter describing the impact of the plague on the city of Asyut sent on May 11, 1801, from Sheikh Hassan al-Attar, a future Sheikh of Al Azhar, to his friend the famed Egyptian historian, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti and reproduced in the latter’s magnum opus The Marvelous Composition of Biographies and Events.
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from Los Angeles Times
A coronavirus vaccine in 2020? Maybe. Here’s what has to go right
When President Trump announced last month that a vaccine against the new coronavirus could be available by the end of the year or sooner, his claim was met with a mix of hope and doubt. The search for vaccines often ends in failure, and the successful efforts have always taken years. So it seemed improbable, if not impossible, that researchers, who began working on vaccines for the new virus in January, could discover something so elusive and do it so quickly. But then scientists at Moderna, a pharmaceutical company, announced they had made promising early progress and claimed they could potentially have a proven vaccine by winter. So, could a vaccine in 2020 really be in the cards? Possibly, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and others involved in a program the U.S. government has set up to expedite vaccines that protect people from becoming infected by the virus.
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Rejoicing in Apocalypse
Plagues, while bringing devastation, have often spurred humanity to creative heights. Amidst fear, helplessness, and death, some people reach beyond their immediate plight to achieve something beautiful and lasting. Works of art produced amid pestilence offer insight into how human beings have struggled to bring out their best even while suffering the worst.
from Plough
Rejoicing in Apocalypse
Plagues, while bringing devastation, have often spurred humanity to creative heights. Amidst fear, helplessness, and death, some people reach beyond their immediate plight to achieve something beautiful and lasting. Works of art produced amid pestilence offer insight into how human beings have struggled to bring out their best even while suffering the worst.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
Sue Lani Madsen: Eviction moratorium leaves landlord-tenant law even more lopsided
The Tenants Union of Washington State and the Landlord Association of the Inland Northwest agree Gov. Jay Inslee’s moratorium on evictions is setting the housing system up for trouble. A wave of evictions may push people into homelessness this fall.
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Sue Lani Madsen: Eviction moratorium leaves landlord-tenant law even more lopsided
The Tenants Union of Washington State and the Landlord Association of the Inland Northwest agree Gov. Jay Inslee’s moratorium on evictions is setting the housing system up for trouble. A wave of evictions may push people into homelessness this fall.
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In the news, Wednesday, June 10, 2020
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from ABC
Public & Government Service in Sydney, Australia
Enlightened racism?
What if the racism that has engendered the recent waves of protest around the globe is historically indebted to Enlightenment commitments of the kind held by eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume?
Enlightened racism?
What if the racism that has engendered the recent waves of protest around the globe is historically indebted to Enlightenment commitments of the kind held by eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume?
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from BBC News (UK)
Britain goes coal free as renewables edge out fossil fuels
Britain is about to pass a significant landmark - at midnight on Wednesday it will have gone two full months without burning coal to generate power. A decade ago about 40% of the country's electricity came from coal; coronavirus is part of the story, but far from all. When Britain went into lockdown, electricity demand plummeted; the National Grid responded by taking power plants off the network. The four remaining coal-fired plants were among the first to be shut down. The last coal generator came off the system at midnight on 9 April. No coal has been burnt for electricity since.
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from EURACTIV
media network for Europe publishing free, independent policy news debates in 12 languages
‘Time to tell the truth’ on Chinese disinformation, Jourova says
The European Commission has come out with an unambiguous message against China’s efforts to spread disinformation related to the coronavirus outbreak in Europe. It is the first time the EU executive has publicly called out China for its role in spreading fake news. A communication on ‘Tackling COVID-19 disinformation’ was presented by Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and High Representative Josep Borrell on Wednesday (10 June), in which foreign actors such as Russia and China were named and shamed for their role in propagating coronavirus-related fake news.
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from Reason Magazine
Magazine in Los Angeles, California
Seattle Protesters Establish 'Autonomous Zone' Outside Evacuated Police Precinct
Is the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone a brave experiment in self-government or just flash-in-the-pan activism?
Seattle Protesters Establish 'Autonomous Zone' Outside Evacuated Police Precinct
Is the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone a brave experiment in self-government or just flash-in-the-pan activism?
from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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In the news, Tuesday, June 9, 2020
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from TheBlaze
RIGHT BIAS; TV Network
Amid the George Floyd protests and rioting in Seattle, police on Monday were preparing to abandon the East Precinct if necessary and were removing items of value, KCPQ-TV reported. A station journalist, Brandi Kruse, on Tuesday reported that "protesters have dubbed the surrounding blocks an autonomous zone, or more colloquially, 'Free Capitol Hill.'"
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from Defense News
As part of its annual Federal Scorecard, data and analytics firm Govini found that tier one suppliers in the hypersonic supply chain — seven major companies that are working most closely with the Department of Defense on the technology development — has done a good job of keeping Chinese-owned companies out of the process. But at the tier three level, where companies provide smaller but still critical components, the exposure to Chinese suppliers jumps to nearly 10 percent. And that exposure grows slightly by the time it reaches tier five suppliers, with Govini seeing signs of overlap among companies at those lower levels.
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from Forbes
National Guard Members Responding To D.C. Protests Have Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Public health officials have warned of possible spikes in the number of coronavirus cases as a result of the massive crowds gathering to protest across the U.S. Two weeks after George Floyd’s death, thousands are still gathering in major cities and suburbs alike. McClatchy DC reported that on Saturday, in the largest protest in D.C. to date, participants were packed tightly together, with many not wearing masks. Authorities estimated that around 200,000 attended the protest.
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from Foreign Affairs
Council on Foreign Relations
The Pandemic and Political Order
Major crises have major consequences, usually unforeseen. The Great Depression spurred isolationism, nationalism, fascism, and World War II—but also led to the New Deal, the rise of the United States as a global superpower, and eventually decolonization. The 9/11 attacks produced two failed American interventions, the rise of Iran, and new forms of Islamic radicalism. The 2008 financial crisis generated a surge in antiestablishment populism that replaced leaders across the globe. Future historians will trace comparably large effects to the current coronavirus pandemic; the challenge is figuring them out ahead of time. It is already clear why some countries have done better than others in dealing with the crisis so far, and there is every reason to think those trends will continue. It is not a matter of regime type. Some democracies have performed well, but others have not, and the same is true for autocracies. The factors responsible for successful pandemic responses have been state capacity, social trust, and leadership. Countries with all three—a competent state apparatus, a government that citizens trust and listen to, and effective leaders—have performed impressively, limiting the damage they have suffered. Countries with dysfunctional states, polarized societies, or poor leadership have done badly, leaving their citizens and economies exposed and vulnerable.
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Council on Foreign Relations
The Pandemic and Political Order
Major crises have major consequences, usually unforeseen. The Great Depression spurred isolationism, nationalism, fascism, and World War II—but also led to the New Deal, the rise of the United States as a global superpower, and eventually decolonization. The 9/11 attacks produced two failed American interventions, the rise of Iran, and new forms of Islamic radicalism. The 2008 financial crisis generated a surge in antiestablishment populism that replaced leaders across the globe. Future historians will trace comparably large effects to the current coronavirus pandemic; the challenge is figuring them out ahead of time. It is already clear why some countries have done better than others in dealing with the crisis so far, and there is every reason to think those trends will continue. It is not a matter of regime type. Some democracies have performed well, but others have not, and the same is true for autocracies. The factors responsible for successful pandemic responses have been state capacity, social trust, and leadership. Countries with all three—a competent state apparatus, a government that citizens trust and listen to, and effective leaders—have performed impressively, limiting the damage they have suffered. Countries with dysfunctional states, polarized societies, or poor leadership have done badly, leaving their citizens and economies exposed and vulnerable.
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from The Guardian (UK)
LEFT-CENTER, HIGH, British daily newspaper published in London UK
#Solidaritea: Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips join brands in backing BLM
First it was Adidas and Nike, the two biggest names in global sportswear, that sought to draw attention to their backing of the Black Lives Matter movement through a collaborative tweet. Now Britain’s homegrown brand behemoths are jumping on the bandwagon – with PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea uniting under the hashtag #solidaritea. The two rivals, the second- and third-biggest tea sellers in the UK, became the latest businesses to declare their support for the BLM protests that have broken out around the world since the death of George Floyd.
#Solidaritea: Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips join brands in backing BLM
First it was Adidas and Nike, the two biggest names in global sportswear, that sought to draw attention to their backing of the Black Lives Matter movement through a collaborative tweet. Now Britain’s homegrown brand behemoths are jumping on the bandwagon – with PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea uniting under the hashtag #solidaritea. The two rivals, the second- and third-biggest tea sellers in the UK, became the latest businesses to declare their support for the BLM protests that have broken out around the world since the death of George Floyd.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
The Corona Pandemic And The Middle East
The public health crisis and challenge of COVID-19’s impact on most of the Middle East, as on other parts of the non-Western World, has been limited. While the extent of the pandemic in Iran and Turkey has been significant, the figures cited by and for most of the Arab World have been low, certainly low when compared to the early concern that high density (in countries like Egypt and in the Gaza Strip) and weak public health systems could lead to an exponential spread of the disease. These modest figures derive from several factors and forces at work: limited exposure to international travel, a young median age of the population, limited testing, a sense of shame leading to concealment, and, in some cases, a deliberate government policy of reporting lower figures. Also, most governments in the region deserve credit for effective, and rigorous lockdown policies. The pandemic’s major impact on the Middle East has been economic.
The Pandemic: A Global Review
The coronavirus pandemic is not, by the standards of the great plagues of the past, a particularly deadly disease. The plague that struck the Athens of Pericles seems to have had a much higher mortality rate, though its geographical reach was restricted. The epidemic that wrecked the Emperor Justinian’s drive to re-establish imperial authority in the west was similarly responsible for more death than the current outbreak – so far. The 14th century Black Death pandemic was far more destructive of life, as were the successive waves of disease that reduced the population of pre-Columbian America to a remnant. What made COVID-19 so damaging was its rapid spread – at the speed of jet airliners rather than, as in the past, at the speed of horses and sailing ships – combined with the fragile nature of our complex economy.
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THE DEMANDS OF THE COLLECTIVE BLACK VOICES AT FREE CAPITOL HILL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
In credit to the people who freed Capitol Hill, this list of demands is neither brief nor simplistic. This is no simple request to end police brutality. We demand that the City Council and the Mayor, whoever that may be, implement these policy changes for the cultural and historic advancement of the City of Seattle, and to ease the struggles of its people. This document is to represent the black voices who spoke in victory at the top of 12th & Pine after 9 days of peaceful protest while under constant nightly attack from the Seattle Police Department. These are words from that night, June 8th, 2020.
from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
The Corona Pandemic And The Middle East
The public health crisis and challenge of COVID-19’s impact on most of the Middle East, as on other parts of the non-Western World, has been limited. While the extent of the pandemic in Iran and Turkey has been significant, the figures cited by and for most of the Arab World have been low, certainly low when compared to the early concern that high density (in countries like Egypt and in the Gaza Strip) and weak public health systems could lead to an exponential spread of the disease. These modest figures derive from several factors and forces at work: limited exposure to international travel, a young median age of the population, limited testing, a sense of shame leading to concealment, and, in some cases, a deliberate government policy of reporting lower figures. Also, most governments in the region deserve credit for effective, and rigorous lockdown policies. The pandemic’s major impact on the Middle East has been economic.
The Pandemic: A Global Review
The coronavirus pandemic is not, by the standards of the great plagues of the past, a particularly deadly disease. The plague that struck the Athens of Pericles seems to have had a much higher mortality rate, though its geographical reach was restricted. The epidemic that wrecked the Emperor Justinian’s drive to re-establish imperial authority in the west was similarly responsible for more death than the current outbreak – so far. The 14th century Black Death pandemic was far more destructive of life, as were the successive waves of disease that reduced the population of pre-Columbian America to a remnant. What made COVID-19 so damaging was its rapid spread – at the speed of jet airliners rather than, as in the past, at the speed of horses and sailing ships – combined with the fragile nature of our complex economy.
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from HumanProgress.org
Education Website
No matter what lies ahead for Hong Kong, we should admire its rise to prosperity through liberal reforms.
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from Medium
LEFT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, online social journalism publishing platform
LEFT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, online social journalism publishing platform
In credit to the people who freed Capitol Hill, this list of demands is neither brief nor simplistic. This is no simple request to end police brutality. We demand that the City Council and the Mayor, whoever that may be, implement these policy changes for the cultural and historic advancement of the City of Seattle, and to ease the struggles of its people. This document is to represent the black voices who spoke in victory at the top of 12th & Pine after 9 days of peaceful protest while under constant nightly attack from the Seattle Police Department. These are words from that night, June 8th, 2020.
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from Orthodox Christianity – orthochristian.com
Religious Organization in Moscow, Russia
Agia Sophia belongs to Turkey, and it can do with it as it pleases without Greece’s permission, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized yesterday in the latest ongoing spat between Turkey and Greece over the fate of the iconic cathedral-turned-mosque-turned-museum.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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from The Stream
CONSPIRACY-PSEUDOSCIENCE, MIXED, Christian Right news and opinion website
Facing Backlash From the Transgender Mob, JK Rowling Draws the Line: Against Abolishing Womanhood Itself
Facing Backlash From the Transgender Mob, JK Rowling Draws the Line: Against Abolishing Womanhood Itself
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from UPI News Agency (United Press International)
Media/News Company
Analysis: COVID-19 might have started in Wuhan in August, not November
The COVID-19 outbreak may have started in Wuhan, China, in August 2019 -- at least three months earlier than previously thought -- according to an analysis by researchers at Harvard University. The findings, based on satellite images of city streets and search engine use among local residents, show a marked increase in traffic outside five hospitals in Wuhan from late August to December. This coincides with a spike in online searches for symptoms like "cough" and "diarrhea," the researchers said. Chinese officials have refuted the findings, calling them "ridiculous."
Analysis: COVID-19 might have started in Wuhan in August, not November
The COVID-19 outbreak may have started in Wuhan, China, in August 2019 -- at least three months earlier than previously thought -- according to an analysis by researchers at Harvard University. The findings, based on satellite images of city streets and search engine use among local residents, show a marked increase in traffic outside five hospitals in Wuhan from late August to December. This coincides with a spike in online searches for symptoms like "cough" and "diarrhea," the researchers said. Chinese officials have refuted the findings, calling them "ridiculous."
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from Yahoo News
LEFT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, news website owned by Verizon Media
'Looney Tunes' strips Elmer Fudd of trademark guns to acclaim — and controversy
Elmer Fudd is finding new ways to shoot himself in the foot — now only figuratively speaking — in HBO Max's new Looney Tunes Cartoons series. The longtime gun-toting Bugs Bunny antagonist, just as famous for his double-barrel shotgun as he is his "wascally wabbitty" speech impediment, is no longer bearing arms on the new streamer's reboot of the Warner Bros. animated staple. "We're not doing guns, but we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme stuff. All that was kind of grandfathered in," executive producer Peter Browngardt told the New York Times. While Fudd's disarming is drawing the bulk of media attention, his fellow legacy gunslinger Yosemite Sam has also lost his trusty firearms since the new series launched late last month.
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'Looney Tunes' strips Elmer Fudd of trademark guns to acclaim — and controversy
Elmer Fudd is finding new ways to shoot himself in the foot — now only figuratively speaking — in HBO Max's new Looney Tunes Cartoons series. The longtime gun-toting Bugs Bunny antagonist, just as famous for his double-barrel shotgun as he is his "wascally wabbitty" speech impediment, is no longer bearing arms on the new streamer's reboot of the Warner Bros. animated staple. "We're not doing guns, but we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme stuff. All that was kind of grandfathered in," executive producer Peter Browngardt told the New York Times. While Fudd's disarming is drawing the bulk of media attention, his fellow legacy gunslinger Yosemite Sam has also lost his trusty firearms since the new series launched late last month.
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In the news, Monday, June 8, 2020
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from BBC News (UK)
Notre-Dame fire: Work starts to remove melted scaffolding
PICTURES: The delicate work of removing melted scaffolding from Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has got under way. When the fire broke out in April of last year, there was already work in progress on the roof of the cathedral, with a big structure of scaffolding in place around the spire. While the spire did not survive - it crashed down at the height of the conflagration - the scaffolding did. In fact in the intense heat, a lot of it melted and became attached to the building, like a great metal parasite. Now begins the exceedingly delicate operation of cutting away this metal, all 20 tons of it. The damaged scaffolding has been surrounded with yet more scaffolding, and an enormous crane has been brought in. Teams hanging from ropes 40 to 50 metres (130-164ft) in the air will be using electric saws to carve away the encrusted material piece by piece. The building is still not entirely out of danger and only when this operation is finished in three or four months' time can they start thinking about the real response to the disaster: reconstruction and maybe redesign.
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from Bloomberg
Media/News Company
A Crash in the Dollar Is Coming
The era of the U.S. dollar’s “exorbitant privilege” as the world’s primary reserve currency is coming to an end. Then French Finance Minister Valery Giscard d’Estaing coined that phrase in the 1960s largely out of frustration, bemoaning a U.S. that drew freely on the rest of the world to support its over-extended standard of living. For almost 60 years, the world complained but did nothing about it. Those days are over. Already stressed by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. living standards are about to be squeezed as never before. At the same time, the world is having serious doubts about the once widely accepted presumption of American exceptionalism. Currencies set the equilibrium between these two forces — domestic economic fundamentals and foreign perceptions of a nation’s strength or weakness. The balance is shifting, and a crash in the dollar could well be in the offing.
A Crash in the Dollar Is Coming
The era of the U.S. dollar’s “exorbitant privilege” as the world’s primary reserve currency is coming to an end. Then French Finance Minister Valery Giscard d’Estaing coined that phrase in the 1960s largely out of frustration, bemoaning a U.S. that drew freely on the rest of the world to support its over-extended standard of living. For almost 60 years, the world complained but did nothing about it. Those days are over. Already stressed by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. living standards are about to be squeezed as never before. At the same time, the world is having serious doubts about the once widely accepted presumption of American exceptionalism. Currencies set the equilibrium between these two forces — domestic economic fundamentals and foreign perceptions of a nation’s strength or weakness. The balance is shifting, and a crash in the dollar could well be in the offing.
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from The Chicago Sun-Times
18 murders in 24 hours: Inside the most violent day in 60 years in Chicago
While Chicago was roiled by another day of protests and looting in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, 18 people were killed Sunday, May 31, making it the single most violent day in Chicago in six decades, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The lab’s data doesn’t go back further than 1961. From 7 p.m. Friday, May 29, through 11 p.m. Sunday, May 31, 25 people were killed in the city, with another 85 wounded by gunfire, according to data maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
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18 murders in 24 hours: Inside the most violent day in 60 years in Chicago
While Chicago was roiled by another day of protests and looting in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, 18 people were killed Sunday, May 31, making it the single most violent day in Chicago in six decades, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The lab’s data doesn’t go back further than 1961. From 7 p.m. Friday, May 29, through 11 p.m. Sunday, May 31, 25 people were killed in the city, with another 85 wounded by gunfire, according to data maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
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from New York Times Newspaper in New York
When 511 Epidemiologists Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again
Many epidemiologists are already comfortable going to the doctor, socializing with small groups outside or bringing in mail, despite the coronavirus. But unless there’s an effective vaccine or treatment first, it will be more than a year before many say they will be willing to go to concerts, sporting events or religious services. And some may never greet people with hugs or handshakes again. These are the personal opinions of a group of 511 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists who were asked by The New York Times when they expect to resume 20 activities of daily life, assuming that the pandemic and the public health response to it unfold as they expect.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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In the news, Sunday, June 7, 2020
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from CBS News (& affiliates)
Colin Powell announces he'll vote for Biden, saying Trump "lies all the time"
Colin Powell, the former secretary of state under President George W. Bush, announced he will vote for Joe Biden over President Trump in November, saying the president "has drifted away" from the Constitution and "lies all the time." "I certainly cannot, in any way, support President Trump this year," Powell said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "I'm very close to Joe Biden on a social matter and on a political matter. I've worked with him for 35, 40 years, and he is now the candidate, and I will be voting for him."
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from The Guardian (UK)
LEFT-CENTER, HIGH, British daily newspaper published in London UK
Beaten in Uganda, abused in the UK: John Sentamu’s long struggle against injustice
As Britain’s first black archbishop preaches his final sermon, the Church of England’s former head of communication reflects on a remarkable career. Today, the Church of England loses one of its most powerful, prophetic and joyous voices as Archbishop John Sentamu, the 97th Archbishop of York, retires on the week of his 71st birthday after 15 years as the C of E’s second in command. The journey from Uganda to York, via Cambridge, London and Birmingham, has been marked by an extraordinary contribution to the life and faith of both church and nation.
Irene Triplett, last person to collect an American civil war pension, dies at 90
The last person to receive a US government pension from the American civil war has died. Irene Triplett was 90 when she died last Sunday in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Her father, Mose Triplett, fought for the Confederacy and the Union in the civil war, which began in 1861 and ended with the defeat of the slave power in 1865. He applied for his Union pension 20 years after the war and in 1930, when his daughter was born, he was 83.
Beaten in Uganda, abused in the UK: John Sentamu’s long struggle against injustice
As Britain’s first black archbishop preaches his final sermon, the Church of England’s former head of communication reflects on a remarkable career. Today, the Church of England loses one of its most powerful, prophetic and joyous voices as Archbishop John Sentamu, the 97th Archbishop of York, retires on the week of his 71st birthday after 15 years as the C of E’s second in command. The journey from Uganda to York, via Cambridge, London and Birmingham, has been marked by an extraordinary contribution to the life and faith of both church and nation.
Irene Triplett, last person to collect an American civil war pension, dies at 90
The last person to receive a US government pension from the American civil war has died. Irene Triplett was 90 when she died last Sunday in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Her father, Mose Triplett, fought for the Confederacy and the Union in the civil war, which began in 1861 and ended with the defeat of the slave power in 1865. He applied for his Union pension 20 years after the war and in 1930, when his daughter was born, he was 83.
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Comforting Abstractions
We have real people to hold accountable, and we know their names. Who is responsible for the mess in Minneapolis? The answer to that question is not unknowable – but it is, in many political quarters, unspeakable. Minneapolis’s municipal government, its institutions, and its police department are what they are not because of the abstract Hegelian forces of capital-H History, but because of decisions that have been made by people. Who these people are is a matter of public record. We know their names: Jacob Frey, Betsy Hodges, R. T. Rybak, Sharon Sayles Belton, Medaria Arradondo, Janeé Harteau, Tim Walz, Mark Dayton . . . the rogues’ gallery is practically inexhaustible.
from National Review RIGHT BIAS
Comforting Abstractions
We have real people to hold accountable, and we know their names. Who is responsible for the mess in Minneapolis? The answer to that question is not unknowable – but it is, in many political quarters, unspeakable. Minneapolis’s municipal government, its institutions, and its police department are what they are not because of the abstract Hegelian forces of capital-H History, but because of decisions that have been made by people. Who these people are is a matter of public record. We know their names: Jacob Frey, Betsy Hodges, R. T. Rybak, Sharon Sayles Belton, Medaria Arradondo, Janeé Harteau, Tim Walz, Mark Dayton . . . the rogues’ gallery is practically inexhaustible.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
White Elephant owners ending 74-year legacy in Spokane
The history of the White Elephant stores mirrors the story of Spokane: A somewhat unconventional place that provides nearly everything that matters at an affordable price. Outside the Division Street store, the mechanical elephant, which still only costs a dime, is about to offer its last ride. The Conley family has decided to close its stores in Spokane and Spokane Valley, ending its patriarch’s legacy that started 74 years ago when John R. Conley Sr. started offering Army surplus before converting the business into a sporting goods and toy destination.
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White Elephant owners ending 74-year legacy in Spokane
The history of the White Elephant stores mirrors the story of Spokane: A somewhat unconventional place that provides nearly everything that matters at an affordable price. Outside the Division Street store, the mechanical elephant, which still only costs a dime, is about to offer its last ride. The Conley family has decided to close its stores in Spokane and Spokane Valley, ending its patriarch’s legacy that started 74 years ago when John R. Conley Sr. started offering Army surplus before converting the business into a sporting goods and toy destination.
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