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FakeNoose
FakeNoose's Journal
FakeNoose's Journal
February 28, 2023
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/02/28/lucira-covid-flu-test/stories/202302280110
- more at link -
Americans for the most part have given up on wearing masks and social distancing. So there needs to be a quick and low-cost way to test at home, even for those of us who are already vaccinated. Maybe this is the answer, or at least it's a good start?
An at-home COVID-19 and flu test gets FDA emergency use authorization
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/02/28/lucira-covid-flu-test/stories/202302280110
The Food and Drug Administration has approved an at-home test that can detect and discern between COVID-19 infection and two strains of the flu, Influenza A and B, continuing the shift from clinical to home-diagnostic care that blossomed during the height of the pandemic.
Manufactured by medical technology company Lucira Health, the test uses a nasal swab to detect the presence of a virus in 30 minutes. The emergency use authorization, announced Friday in a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, followed a surge in respiratory cases in the fall that drove up hospitalizations nationwide and in Allegheny County. National and local respiratory cases now are trending downward. Two days prior to the approval, Lucira filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the hope for approval in August, prior to flu season.
The single-use test is currently only available for health care providers to purchase, at $99; a Lucira spokesperson said it is not yet known when consumers can buy the device more widely. The spokesperson said the test is expected to be at least partially, if not fully, reimbursable by insurance, depending on the consumer’s plan.
As of Jan. 15, all private health insurance members are eligible to receive up to eight at-home COVID tests at no cost.
Manufactured by medical technology company Lucira Health, the test uses a nasal swab to detect the presence of a virus in 30 minutes. The emergency use authorization, announced Friday in a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, followed a surge in respiratory cases in the fall that drove up hospitalizations nationwide and in Allegheny County. National and local respiratory cases now are trending downward. Two days prior to the approval, Lucira filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the hope for approval in August, prior to flu season.
The single-use test is currently only available for health care providers to purchase, at $99; a Lucira spokesperson said it is not yet known when consumers can buy the device more widely. The spokesperson said the test is expected to be at least partially, if not fully, reimbursable by insurance, depending on the consumer’s plan.
As of Jan. 15, all private health insurance members are eligible to receive up to eight at-home COVID tests at no cost.
- more at link -
Americans for the most part have given up on wearing masks and social distancing. So there needs to be a quick and low-cost way to test at home, even for those of us who are already vaccinated. Maybe this is the answer, or at least it's a good start?
February 28, 2023
- more at link -
Well I guess this has been hinted at for the last couple of weeks. Thank you Rep. Mark Rozzi!
Congratulations to our new Speaker Joanna McClinton!
Breaking: Joanna McClinton elected first female speaker of the Pa. House as Mark Rozzi steps down
From Spotlight:
(link) https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/02/pa-house-speaker-mark-rozzi-resigns/
HARRISBURG — Democrat Joanna McClinton was elected the first female speaker of the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday after Mark Rozzi stepped down after two tumultuous months presiding over the lower chamber. McClinton was supported by all 102 Democrats in the chamber and no Republicans.
“I’m grateful for all who fought before me … so that this day was possible,” McClinton said after taking the oath of office. “It is only on their shoulders that I stand here today.”
McClinton is the first woman and second Black person to be speaker of the Pennsylvania House, after K. Leroy Irvis. Rozzi announced he was stepping down at the beginning of the state House’s Tuesday session.
His brief time as speaker was defined by partisan fights and gridlock over the rules that govern the lower chamber. Rozzi told Spotlight PA he hopes his legacy will be a rules package that would give rank-and-file lawmakers from both major parties more say in the chamber’s agenda.
“I’m grateful for all who fought before me … so that this day was possible,” McClinton said after taking the oath of office. “It is only on their shoulders that I stand here today.”
McClinton is the first woman and second Black person to be speaker of the Pennsylvania House, after K. Leroy Irvis. Rozzi announced he was stepping down at the beginning of the state House’s Tuesday session.
His brief time as speaker was defined by partisan fights and gridlock over the rules that govern the lower chamber. Rozzi told Spotlight PA he hopes his legacy will be a rules package that would give rank-and-file lawmakers from both major parties more say in the chamber’s agenda.
- more at link -
Well I guess this has been hinted at for the last couple of weeks. Thank you Rep. Mark Rozzi!
Congratulations to our new Speaker Joanna McClinton!
February 27, 2023
- more at link -
Long story, but well worth the time to read!
Dow has run scams like this before. This time they got caught.
Dow said it was recycling American-style sneakers. Instead they went to an Indonesian flea market
Reuters Special Report
U.S. petrochemicals giant Dow Inc and the Singapore government said they were transforming old sneakers into playgrounds and running tracks. Reuters put that promise to the test by planting hidden trackers inside 11 pairs of donated shoes. Most got exported instead.
(link) https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-plastic-dow-shoes/
At a rundown market on the Indonesian island of Batam, a small location tracker was beeping from the back of a crumbling second-hand shoe store. A Reuters reporter followed the high-pitched ping to a mound of old sneakers and began digging through the pile.
There they were: a pair of blue Nike running shoes with a tracking device hidden in one of the soles. These familiar shoes had traveled by land, then sea and crossed an international border to end up in this heap. They weren’t supposed to be here.
Five months earlier, in July 2022, Reuters had given the shoes to a recycling program spearheaded by the Singapore government and U.S. petrochemicals giant Dow Inc. In media releases and a promotional video posted online, that effort promised to harvest the rubberized soles and midsoles of donated shoes, then grind down the material for use in building new playgrounds and running tracks in Singapore.
Dow, a major producer of chemicals used to make plastics and other synthetic materials, in the past has launched recycling efforts that have fallen short of their stated aims. Reuters wanted to follow a donated shoe from start to finish to see if it did, in fact, end up in new athletic surfaces in Singapore, or at least made it as far as a local recycling facility for shredding.
There they were: a pair of blue Nike running shoes with a tracking device hidden in one of the soles. These familiar shoes had traveled by land, then sea and crossed an international border to end up in this heap. They weren’t supposed to be here.
Five months earlier, in July 2022, Reuters had given the shoes to a recycling program spearheaded by the Singapore government and U.S. petrochemicals giant Dow Inc. In media releases and a promotional video posted online, that effort promised to harvest the rubberized soles and midsoles of donated shoes, then grind down the material for use in building new playgrounds and running tracks in Singapore.
Dow, a major producer of chemicals used to make plastics and other synthetic materials, in the past has launched recycling efforts that have fallen short of their stated aims. Reuters wanted to follow a donated shoe from start to finish to see if it did, in fact, end up in new athletic surfaces in Singapore, or at least made it as far as a local recycling facility for shredding.
- more at link -
Long story, but well worth the time to read!
Dow has run scams like this before. This time they got caught.
February 27, 2023
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/josh-shapiro-governor-train-derailment-budget-school-funding-20230227.html
- more at link -
Points covered in the interview:
1) His first crisis as governor is the East Palestine train derailment.
2) He’s trying to build consensus from both parties on his budget proposal before he unveils it.
3) He won’t say how he’ll get involved in the fight over extending the statute of limitations for child sex-abuse victims.
4) Fixing the state’s school funding system will take time.
5) His family is settling into life in Harrisburg.
Inquirer: We sat down with Gov. Josh Shapiro to talk about his first month. Here are our takeaways.
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/josh-shapiro-governor-train-derailment-budget-school-funding-20230227.html
No bills have come across Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk during his first month in office. But he’s kept busy.
The new Democratic governor has worked to cast himself as a leader willing to reach across the aisle in a deeply polarized state. And he’s put time into boosting his national profile, too — giving interviews to Fox News and the Washington Post shortly after taking office, and going to the Super Bowl in Arizona.
Shapiro has also called on the state legislature to abolish the death penalty, signed pro-business executive orders, visited the train derailment site near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, and attended the funeral of the Temple University police officer killed Feb. 18. He now must work with lawmakers in the state House, where Democrats hold a thin majority after a chaotic start to their session, and the Republican-controlled state Senate to accomplish his agenda.
The Inquirer sat down with Shapiro to talk about his first month, his upcoming budget address, and what he thinks he’ll be able to get done in the coming years. Here are five takeaways from the exclusive interview.
The new Democratic governor has worked to cast himself as a leader willing to reach across the aisle in a deeply polarized state. And he’s put time into boosting his national profile, too — giving interviews to Fox News and the Washington Post shortly after taking office, and going to the Super Bowl in Arizona.
Shapiro has also called on the state legislature to abolish the death penalty, signed pro-business executive orders, visited the train derailment site near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, and attended the funeral of the Temple University police officer killed Feb. 18. He now must work with lawmakers in the state House, where Democrats hold a thin majority after a chaotic start to their session, and the Republican-controlled state Senate to accomplish his agenda.
The Inquirer sat down with Shapiro to talk about his first month, his upcoming budget address, and what he thinks he’ll be able to get done in the coming years. Here are five takeaways from the exclusive interview.
- more at link -
Points covered in the interview:
1) His first crisis as governor is the East Palestine train derailment.
2) He’s trying to build consensus from both parties on his budget proposal before he unveils it.
3) He won’t say how he’ll get involved in the fight over extending the statute of limitations for child sex-abuse victims.
4) Fixing the state’s school funding system will take time.
5) His family is settling into life in Harrisburg.
February 27, 2023
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/02/26/ozempic-weight-loss/stories/202302200075
- more at link -
Wow, that plus insulin is so expensive anymore! Not good news for diabetics these days.
How use of diabetes drug OZEMPIC for weight loss has led to a shortage
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/02/26/ozempic-weight-loss/stories/202302200075
Ozempic has been catapulted into the public eye in recent months as celebrities and wellness influencers started taking it for weight loss. But Ozempic is a diabetes drug — and the craze has led to a shortage, leaving those who need it for Type 2 diabetes at a loss.
Generically known as semaglutide, it was approved to treat diabetes by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. But during clinical trials, researchers noticed a side effect: The drug led to weight loss by slowing down stomach emptying and mimicking hormones naturally produced by the intestines that signal satiety.
That led manufacturer Novo Nordisk to rebrand semaglutide as Wegovy — basically Ozempic at a higher dose, but intended strictly for weight loss. Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2021. Semaglutide’s increasing spotlight has spurred conversations about correlations between health and weight, and whether another weight loss drug is the best approach.
Proponents call Ozempic and Wegovy part of a “revolutionary” new class of drugs to treat obesity, while opponents urge for the fair treatment of fat people and argue that the end goal of a smaller waist and the manipulation of bodies is harmful no matter the outcome. At the center of it all are patients who can’t get the medication they need.
Generically known as semaglutide, it was approved to treat diabetes by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. But during clinical trials, researchers noticed a side effect: The drug led to weight loss by slowing down stomach emptying and mimicking hormones naturally produced by the intestines that signal satiety.
That led manufacturer Novo Nordisk to rebrand semaglutide as Wegovy — basically Ozempic at a higher dose, but intended strictly for weight loss. Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2021. Semaglutide’s increasing spotlight has spurred conversations about correlations between health and weight, and whether another weight loss drug is the best approach.
Proponents call Ozempic and Wegovy part of a “revolutionary” new class of drugs to treat obesity, while opponents urge for the fair treatment of fat people and argue that the end goal of a smaller waist and the manipulation of bodies is harmful no matter the outcome. At the center of it all are patients who can’t get the medication they need.
- more at link -
Wow, that plus insulin is so expensive anymore! Not good news for diabetics these days.
February 26, 2023
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/news/pa-school-funding-lawsuit-state-models-20230226.html
- more at link -
This is an analysis piece on how several states have dealt with the same problem Pennsylvania is facing right now: Texas, Kansas, New York, and Washington State. They all say it's not easy, nor is it quick. Some states such as Ohio, haven't done a blessed thing even though their school funding was ruled unconstitutional over 30 years ago. Yikes!
Pennsylvania school funding has been ruled unconstitutional. Other states show what's working ...
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/news/pa-school-funding-lawsuit-state-models-20230226.html
Pennsylvania’s school funding has been ruled unconstitutional — both for depriving children in poorer communities of the education to which they’re entitled and for shortchanging them compared to peers in wealthier districts. A fix could take years and cost the state billions of dollars, depending on how lawmakers respond to the Commonwealth Court decision.
But if you look at other states’ funding formulas and the systems supporting them, it’s clear the solutions — shaped by a patchwork of court rulings and the political dynamics at play — run the gamut. Even efforts once lauded as successful may still fail, as states don’t always follow through on what their formulas, or their courts, say is required.
In some states, that’s led to more striking interventions: The North Carolina Supreme Court, for instance, last year ordered the transfer of $1.75 billion from the state’s treasury to implement a school funding plan. Washington’s high court in 2015 fined the state’s legislature $100,000 a day for failing to make progress on a plan.
States have been repeatedly dragged back to court: In Kansas, plaintiffs’ lawyers made 13 trips to the state Supreme Court. Battles over school funding have led to improvements, advocates say. But experts say no state has a perfect system, and some remain deeply flawed.
While Pennsylvania — where state officials could still appeal the recent ruling — faces what could be a long road to reform, here’s a look at other states’ approaches and what’s working (or not) and why.
But if you look at other states’ funding formulas and the systems supporting them, it’s clear the solutions — shaped by a patchwork of court rulings and the political dynamics at play — run the gamut. Even efforts once lauded as successful may still fail, as states don’t always follow through on what their formulas, or their courts, say is required.
In some states, that’s led to more striking interventions: The North Carolina Supreme Court, for instance, last year ordered the transfer of $1.75 billion from the state’s treasury to implement a school funding plan. Washington’s high court in 2015 fined the state’s legislature $100,000 a day for failing to make progress on a plan.
States have been repeatedly dragged back to court: In Kansas, plaintiffs’ lawyers made 13 trips to the state Supreme Court. Battles over school funding have led to improvements, advocates say. But experts say no state has a perfect system, and some remain deeply flawed.
While Pennsylvania — where state officials could still appeal the recent ruling — faces what could be a long road to reform, here’s a look at other states’ approaches and what’s working (or not) and why.
- more at link -
This is an analysis piece on how several states have dealt with the same problem Pennsylvania is facing right now: Texas, Kansas, New York, and Washington State. They all say it's not easy, nor is it quick. Some states such as Ohio, haven't done a blessed thing even though their school funding was ruled unconstitutional over 30 years ago. Yikes!
February 25, 2023
- more at link -
Video at OP link shows how to find the eggs on bushes and tree bark, scrape those egg masses off with a plastic card and toss them into a plastic baggie. The more eggs we kill right now in the early spring means less damage to farm and garden crops later.
Later in the spring after the spotted lantern flies start hatching, the best thing to do is stomp it and squish it.
This is the season to scrape spotted lantern fly egg masses
(link) https://www.abc27.com/news/environment/tis-the-season-to-scrape-spotted-lantern-fly-egg-masses/
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wants you to know that now is the time to get out and scrape those lantern fly egg masses.
Jay Losiewicz, Deputy Communications Director at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said the insect will lay their egg masses in the fall, and from there they do die off. However, the lantern fly continues, and egg masses wait until spring to hatch which is why now is the time to prevent it.
“They do damage to a lot of our agricultural products. They do like grape vines, potentially some hops things like that,” said Losiewicz.
Jay Losiewicz, Deputy Communications Director at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said the insect will lay their egg masses in the fall, and from there they do die off. However, the lantern fly continues, and egg masses wait until spring to hatch which is why now is the time to prevent it.
“They do damage to a lot of our agricultural products. They do like grape vines, potentially some hops things like that,” said Losiewicz.
- more at link -
Video at OP link shows how to find the eggs on bushes and tree bark, scrape those egg masses off with a plastic card and toss them into a plastic baggie. The more eggs we kill right now in the early spring means less damage to farm and garden crops later.
Later in the spring after the spotted lantern flies start hatching, the best thing to do is stomp it and squish it.
February 24, 2023
- short article, no more at link -
It's a start, but they could do a lot more. Let's celebrate this small victory.
Breaking: Pa. House votes to allow childhood sexual abuse survivors to sue
This story will be updated.
HARRISBURG — Survivors of childhood sexual abuse scored yet another victory in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Friday in their long-awaited quest for a chance for justice against their abuser.
By a 161-40 vote, the House passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would seek to provide a two-year window for victims of child sexual abuse otherwise barred by the statute of limitations to file civil claims against their abuser and any institution that covered it up.
It also passed by a 134-67 vote a bill that would provide for that window through the regular law-making process. Neither falls in line with the legislation the Senate passed in January to provide civil legal recourse for abuse survivors, so they have no reason to celebrate yet.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana County, has indicated repeatedly that he intends the package of three proposed constitutional amendments – one of which provided for the statute of limitations reform for childhood sexual abuse survivors – to be the final time the chamber deals with that issue.
Until the two chambers can agree on the same measure to provide this legal recourse for abuse victims, there remains no chance of them getting it. First Published February 24, 2023, 11:55am
HARRISBURG — Survivors of childhood sexual abuse scored yet another victory in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Friday in their long-awaited quest for a chance for justice against their abuser.
By a 161-40 vote, the House passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would seek to provide a two-year window for victims of child sexual abuse otherwise barred by the statute of limitations to file civil claims against their abuser and any institution that covered it up.
It also passed by a 134-67 vote a bill that would provide for that window through the regular law-making process. Neither falls in line with the legislation the Senate passed in January to provide civil legal recourse for abuse survivors, so they have no reason to celebrate yet.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana County, has indicated repeatedly that he intends the package of three proposed constitutional amendments – one of which provided for the statute of limitations reform for childhood sexual abuse survivors – to be the final time the chamber deals with that issue.
Until the two chambers can agree on the same measure to provide this legal recourse for abuse victims, there remains no chance of them getting it. First Published February 24, 2023, 11:55am
- short article, no more at link -
It's a start, but they could do a lot more. Let's celebrate this small victory.
February 23, 2023
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/wage-theft-philadelphia-enforcement-judgments-20230223.html
- more at link -
More than 100,000 Philly workers get illegally cheated out of their pay each week by their bosses
After they won their wage theft cases, they waited years to get paid. Some still wait.(link) https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/wage-theft-philadelphia-enforcement-judgments-20230223.html
Two years after his boss shorted him thousands of dollars in pay for his construction work, Marcos Tlacopilco won in court. When he learned the judge had ordered his former boss to pay him $12,000, Tlacopilco, a father of four who also ran a fish shop in the Italian Market, was overcome with relief.
But nearly five years later, Tlacopilco hasn’t gotten his money. He doesn’t expect to ever get paid in full. “I trust the law in the U.S. and when I see this kind of issue, they make me feel like something is wrong with the system,” said Tlacopilco, who is 49.
Researchers at Temple Law’s Sheller Center for Social Justice estimated that every week 130,000 Philadelphia workers get illegally cheated out of their pay by their bosses. But most won’t take action to get what they’re owed. These workers are largely low-wage; many are undocumented. Some don’t know their rights or aren’t sure how to get help. They fear getting fired or reported to immigration enforcement — both illegal forms of retaliation.
Yet even when they do file a wage theft claim at the city Department of Labor or in court, it can take years to get the money they’re due, if they even get paid at all. Enforcing court judgments and city labor determinations is a problem all over the country, including in Philadelphia, despite its powerful wage theft law that gives the Department of Labor the ability to revoke or suspend business licenses of employers who steal pay.
But nearly five years later, Tlacopilco hasn’t gotten his money. He doesn’t expect to ever get paid in full. “I trust the law in the U.S. and when I see this kind of issue, they make me feel like something is wrong with the system,” said Tlacopilco, who is 49.
Researchers at Temple Law’s Sheller Center for Social Justice estimated that every week 130,000 Philadelphia workers get illegally cheated out of their pay by their bosses. But most won’t take action to get what they’re owed. These workers are largely low-wage; many are undocumented. Some don’t know their rights or aren’t sure how to get help. They fear getting fired or reported to immigration enforcement — both illegal forms of retaliation.
Yet even when they do file a wage theft claim at the city Department of Labor or in court, it can take years to get the money they’re due, if they even get paid at all. Enforcing court judgments and city labor determinations is a problem all over the country, including in Philadelphia, despite its powerful wage theft law that gives the Department of Labor the ability to revoke or suspend business licenses of employers who steal pay.
- more at link -
February 23, 2023
as candidates seek signatures to get on the primary election ballot?
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/philadelphia-election-candidate-nomination-petitions-20230222.html
- more at link -
This article focuses on Philadelphia candidates, but I'm thinking it would be handy to use this type of software in most urban areas in the country. What if this AI software had been used on a skeevy candidate's petition, like for example George Santos? He probably would have been declared ineligible before the election.
AI is everywhere these days. Can it help catch nomination petition shenanigans?
Can AI help crack down on the elections shenanigans that turn up during nomination petition season,as candidates seek signatures to get on the primary election ballot?
(link) https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/philadelphia-election-candidate-nomination-petitions-20230222.html
Candidates seeking spots on the May 16 primary ballot are now more than a week into the arduous three-week season of asking voters to sign nomination petitions. Then the real fun begins after the March 7 submission deadline, as competitors parse petitions, looking for ways to get opponents booted from the ballot.
Joe Driscoll thinks he has found a way to make it a little easier, with the help of artificial intelligence, also known as AI.
Driscoll, a former deputy city commissioner, developed a system of off-the-shelf AI products to compare petitions to voter registration records. That could help find challengeable signatures — like a Republican who signed a Democrat’s petition or a suburban voter who signed for a city candidate.
Driscoll said that could free campaigns to spend more time looking for the real shenanigans in petition season, like “kitchen-table jobs,” when petition circulators skip the circulation and use voter lists to forge names and signatures.
Joe Driscoll thinks he has found a way to make it a little easier, with the help of artificial intelligence, also known as AI.
Driscoll, a former deputy city commissioner, developed a system of off-the-shelf AI products to compare petitions to voter registration records. That could help find challengeable signatures — like a Republican who signed a Democrat’s petition or a suburban voter who signed for a city candidate.
Driscoll said that could free campaigns to spend more time looking for the real shenanigans in petition season, like “kitchen-table jobs,” when petition circulators skip the circulation and use voter lists to forge names and signatures.
- more at link -
This article focuses on Philadelphia candidates, but I'm thinking it would be handy to use this type of software in most urban areas in the country. What if this AI software had been used on a skeevy candidate's petition, like for example George Santos? He probably would have been declared ineligible before the election.
Profile Information
Name: Kathy HinsmanGender: Female
Hometown: Pittsburgh PA
Home country: USA
Current location: Pittsburgh
Member since: Sat Feb 18, 2017, 02:16 PM
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