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peppertree's JournalMorris Pearl: U.S. should undertake prosperity tax, like Argentina, to assist with COVID disaster
Lawmakers in Argentina, a place hit tricky by COVID-19, a short while ago took a bold phase to respond to their country’s pandemic-fueled economic crisis: they decided to tax the rich.
The United States should adhere to Argentina’s direct and support enacting a related measure to support pandemic relief efforts.
On December 4, Argentina’s Senate handed a one-time, 2% tax on all wealth of over 200 million Argentine pesos, or about $2.4 million.
This “millionaires tax” is expected to add nearly $4 billion in federal income to support offset the price tag of COVID aid, in the approach shrinking a wealth gap that has only developed amidst the COVID disaster.
Argentina may be the very first place to go a evaluate like this in reaction to the world wide pandemic - but it should not be the final.
This variety of laws should really be a no-brainer for American lawmakers hunting for means to help save the American overall economy. Because even with a booming inventory market place, the overall economy that most U.S. citizens live in desperately requires saving.
We are residing in the midst of an financial crisis of biblical proportions, and the federal governing administration, blocked by a Republican Senate that refuses to supply enough support, has only handed compromise, not-practically-ample relief expenditures since March.
At: https://wilkensonknaggs.com/us-should-really-undertake-prosperity-tax-like-argentina-to-assistance-with-covid-disaster
Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires and former director at investment fund behemoth BlackRock.
Pearl has for years supported measures to address widening inequality - greatly exacerbated by a pandemic that has cost millions of jobs while bringing billion-dollar windfalls to the well-connected.
World Nears 100 Million COVID-19 Cases
Source: Voice of America
The world is on the verge of reaching 100 million COVID-19 infections, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center statistics. More than 2 million people have died from the virus.
The coronavirus continues to create an unyielding and staggering path of illness and death across the United States. Johns Hopkins reported early Sunday that the U.S. has nearly 25 million COVID infections, with more than 417,000 deaths. Both tolls are the world’s highest.
India follows the U.S. caseload with 10.6 million infections and more than 153,000 deaths. Brazil has nearly 9 million cases and more than 216,000 deaths.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said COVID vaccines could bring the global pandemic under control, with vaccinations under way in more than 50 countries.
However, all but two of those countries are high- or middle-income countries.
Read more: https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/world-nears-100-million-covid-19-cases
A sign in Antwerp, Belgium, reminds passersby to wear masks.
Excluding microstates, the country has the world's highest per capita Covid-19 death rate so far in the now year-long pandemic.
German scientists make paralyzed mice walk again
German researchers have enabled mice paralyzed after spinal cord injuries to walk again, re-establishing a neural link hitherto considered irreparable in mammals by using a designer protein injected into the brain.
Spinal cord injuries in humans, often caused by sports or traffic accidents, leave them paralyzed because not all of the nerve fibers that carry information between muscles and the brain are able to grow back.
But the researchers from Ruhr University Bochum managed to stimulate the paralyzed mice's nerve cells to regenerate using a designer protein: hyper-interleukin-6.
"The special thing about our study is that the protein is not only used to stimulate those nerve cells that produce it themselves, but that it is also carried further (through the brain)," the team's head Dietmar Fischer told Reuters in an interview.
At: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN29Q2GC
A lab mouse in the Department for Cell Physiology at Rühr University Bochum - before, and two to three weeks after treatment with hyper-interleukin-6 cytokines.
The findings may bring hope to millions who've become paralyzed, or may have been born that way.
Dinosaur fossils in Argentina could belong to the world's largest ever creature
Experts have uncovered the remains of a gigantic dinosaur in Argentina, and believe it could be one of the largest creatures to have ever walked the Earth.
Paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur in Neuquén Province in Argentina's Patagonia, in thick, sedimentary deposits known as the Candeleros Formation.
The 24 vertebrae of the tail and elements of the pelvic and pectoral girdle discovered are thought to belong to a titanosaur, a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, characterized by their large size, a long neck and tail, and four-legged stance.
In research published in the journal Cretaceous Research, experts say they believe the creature to be "one of the largest sauropods ever found" and could exceed the size of a Patagotitan, a species which lived 100 million to 95 million years ago and measured up to a staggering 37.2 meters (122 feet) long.
The research was conducted by Argentina's Zapala, La Plata and Egidio Feruglio museums, and the universities of Río Negro (Argentina) and Zaragoza (Spain).
At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/new-patagonian-dinosaur-may-be-largest-yet-scientists.phtml
Paleontologists unearth fossilized remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur in Neuquén Province in Argentina's Patagonia.
The specimen appears to be 10-20% larger than those attributed to Patagotitan Mayorum - the largest dinosaur found to date.
Researchers said that, while they don't believe the creature to belong to a new species, they have so far been unable to assign it to a known genus of dinosaur.
Magnitude 6.4 earthquake injures 3 in Argentina; tremor also felt in Chile
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in western Argentina near the border with central Chile, injuring at least three people, authorities said Tuesday.
Two children and an adult were hospitalized in San Juan Province in Argentina after the quake hit just before midnight Monday, Gov. Sergio Uñac said.
The shaking caused the collapse of a house, damage to roads and some other buildings in several cities, as well power and water cuts, he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was 35 miles southwest of the provincial capital of San Juan, and struck at a depth of nearly nine miles.
Strong shaking was felt as far away as Córdoba (260 miles east) and in Chile's capital, Santiago (180 miles SW). Chilean officials said there were no immediate reports of damage.
At: https://www.startribune.com/earthquake-injures-3-in-argentina-tremor-also-felt-in-chile/600012394/
Damage from yesterday's 6.4-magnitude quake along a road south of San Juan, Argentina.
Touring affected areas today, President Alberto Fernández announced a 7 billion peso ($81 million) rebuilding program for the province.
Dry, mountainous San Juan Province is known as the 'earthquake capital' of Argentina; a 7.8-magnitude quake leveled the city of San Juan in 1944, leading to the storied meeting of Eva Duarte and populist leader Juan Perón in a fundraiser days later.
Argentine Tango dance master Juan Carlos Copes dies of Covid-19 at 89
Argentine Tango dancer Juan Carlos Copes, who was the first to create choreographed Tango stage shows and contributed to the worldwide revival of Tango as a dance form, died today of Covid-19 symptoms; he was 89.
Born in 1931 in Buenos Aires, Copes began frequenting Tango salons known as milongas in his teens. There, he shaped his style and met fellow dancer María Nieves Rego - with whom he won a contest at Luna Park, a vintage downtown Buenos Aires arena, ahead of 300 other couples in 1951.
He formed a dance company in 1955, and accompanied renowned 'New Tango' composer Ástor Piazzolla on his first tour of the United States in the late 1950s.
Copes later persuaded institutions such as the Julliard School, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, and the Sorbonne to incorporate the Tango in their dance programs.
He likewise taught stars such as Liza Minelli, Robert Duvall and Mikhail Barishnikov, as well as teachers at the Fred Astaire Dance Studios. He retired in 2015.
Copes' ex-wife María Nieves Rego, 86, and their daughter Johana Copes, 41, both became acclaimed Tango dancers and teachers in their own right.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagina12.com.ar%2F317751-murio-juan-carlos-copes-por-coronavirus
Argentine Tango dance master Juan Carlos Copes performing with Lorena Yácono in Buenos Aires' Ideal Café, in Carlos Saura's Tango (1998).
Ford ceasing manufacturing operations in Brazil
Ford Motor Co. is ceasing manufacturing operations in Brazil after more than 100 years of building cars in the country as part of a restructuring that will eliminate 5,000 jobs and result in about a $4.1 billion charge.
The automaker said Monday it will close two factories in Brazil immediately and a third by the end of the year, ending sales of three locally made models: the Ecosport, Ka and T4. The job losses are mostly in Brazil but also include workers in Argentina, it said.
The cuts are part of an $11 billion global restructuring started under former Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett and now continued by his successor, Jim Farley.
South America has been a persistent money loser for most of the last 16 years: The company reported pretax losses of $386 million there in the first three quarters of last year.
Ford officials announced that while its South American operations will remain headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, the rest of the continental market will be supplied from Argentina.
Ford had earlier announced a $580 million investment in Argentina to produce the Ranger pickup for the region.
At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ford-to-end-manufacturing-in-brazil-take-2441-billion-charge/ar-BB1cF2PF
Ford's São Paulo, Brazil, employees pose with an EcoSport, one of the continent's most popular crossovers.
The U.S. automaker's decision to shutter its Brazilian facilities are expected to cost 5,000 jobs - though the firm is increasing investments in its Argentine plant.
Nancy Bush Ellis, Sister and Aunt of Presidents, Dies at 94
Source: New York Times
Nancy Bush Ellis, the sister of one president and aunt of another, who for a time devoted herself to Democratic causes despite her family dynasty’s Republican lineage, died on Sunday at an assisted living facility in Concord, Mass. She was 94.
Her son Alexander Ellis 3d said the cause was complications related to Covid-19. She was hospitalized on Dec. 30 with a fever and tested positive for the coronavirus, he said. Her symptoms abated within days, he added, but her general health was failing.
Smart, athletic and outgoing, Ms. Ellis exuded the patrician charm of a bygone era, Jon Meacham, the historian and biographer of President George Bush, said in a phone interview.
She was active, he added, at a time when public service was perceived as noble and politicians from the other party were not regarded as enemies.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/nancy-bush-ellis-dead.html
Nancy Bush Ellis with her brother, President George Bush, in 1990.
Though she was a liberal Democrat, she campaigned for him enthusiastically.
Argentine study: Blood plasma reduces risk of severe Covid-19 if given early
A small but rigorous clinical trial in Argentina has found that blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients can keep older adults from getting seriously sick with the coronavirus — if they get the therapy within days of the onset of the illness.
The results, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, are some of the first to conclusively point toward the oft-discussed treatment’s beneficial effects.
Convalescent plasma, the pale yellow liquid left over after blood is stripped of its red and white cells, teems with disease-fighting molecules called antibodies. Thousands of patients have received infusions of plasma in the months since, while researchers waited for the data.
The new study is one of the first well-designed clinical trials to show that the therapy has some benefit.
CoviFab
Argentina started clinical trials in June on treating COVID-19 using hyperimmune serum developed with antibodies from horses.
The serum, produced by local biotechnology firm Inmunova, is obtained by injecting a SARS-CoV-2 protein - which causes the animal to generate a large amount of neutralizing antibodies. Plasma is then extracted from the horse, purified and processed.
After positive results in lab tests, the serum (CoviFab) was shown to be safe and effective for adult patients with moderate to severe symptoms in the Phase 2/3 clinical study - and was approved for wider use by Argentina's FDA counterpart, ANMAT, on December 21. Distribution is scheduled to begin this week.
“Horses are a bio-factory,” Fernando Goldbaum, scientific director at Inmunova, explained. “With very few horses you can get a lot of serum.”
“The effectiveness of hyperimmune serum to stop the entry of coronavirus into cells is about 100 times more powerful than convalescent plasma,” he added.
At: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/health/convalescent-plasma-covid.html
A recovered Covid-19 patient donating plasma at the Hemotherapy Institute in La Plata, Argentina.
Plasma donation in Argentina was facilitated by a law passed in June promoting this contribution from recovered Covid-19 patients - awarding donors two days of paid leave.
The bill, introduced by Congressmen Máximo Kirchner of the ruling, center-left Front for All and Cristián Ritondo of the right-wing PRO, found rare common cause in the country's sharply divided politics - and passed unanimously.
Argentina issues OAS statement in support of Joe Biden, condemning 'destabilization attempt'
The Argentine Government issued a declaration at the Organization of American States (OAS) in support of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, and condemning the "failed destabilization attempt" that took place in the form of an assault on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing rioters on January 6.
The statement, signed by Argentine Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, Ambassador to the U.S. Jorge Argüello, and OAS Ambassador Carlos Raimundi, was submitted on Thursday, and reads:
Declaration saluting President-elect Joe Biden and the American people, and denouncing the failed destabilization attempt.
The Argentine Republic celebrates the certification by the U.S. Congress of the results of that country's recent presidential elections, and reiterates our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden for his electoral triumph.
The recent incidents in Washington, DC, deserve the firmest condemnation as they were meant to distort legitimate electoral results, improbable as that may have been.
They demonstrate that no country is free from attempts, by differing means, to ignore the electorate's democratic pronouncement.
We trust in the functioning of American institutions. These events should strengthen the conviction in all nations that embrace democracy, that democracy requires the constant commitment by our peoples as we seek to affirm it.
Wednesday's violent incidents at the U.S. Capitol evoked painful memories in Argentina - which saw six military coups from 1930 to 1976, waves of political violence from both left and right-wing extremists in the 1970s, and numerous coup attempts (the last, in 1990).
An economic collapse in December 2001 featured massive riots - including the breaching and vandalism of Argentina's Congress, in scenes resembling Wednesday's Capitol assault.
More recently, right-wing riots took place in 2012 (following the re-election of President Cristina Kirchner) and in 2020 - where opposition to current President Alberto Fernández dovetailed with opposition to social distancing measures and other efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, which has killed over 44,000 in Argentina (the world's 12th-highest death toll).
The 2012 right-wing protests included a failed attempt to breach Congress, and both that year's protests and 2020's have often featured nooses, mock guillotines, placards with death threats, and a green Ford Falcon - the vehicle of choice for the abduction of dissidents and union organizers during the country's last dictatorship in the late 1970s.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.eldestapeweb.com/politica/estados-unidos/argentina-expresa-ante-la-oea-su-repudio-al-intento-de-desestabilizacion-en-los-estados-unidos-20211813310
Argentine President Alberto Fernández (right) and the country's Ambassador to the U.S., Jorge Argüello, during a meeting last year at the Casa Rosada presidential office building.
The first Latin American leader to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on November 7, Fernández issued a repudiation of Wednesday's Capitol Hill assault by Trump supporters within a few hours of the initial incidents.
Fernández - like his Vice President, Cristina Kirchner, during her 2007-15 tenure as president - has been the target of numerous right-wing protests since taking office a year ago.
These often include death threats as well as attacks on correspondents believed to be supportive of his center-left administration.
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