Non-IT News Thread
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White House 'broke law' by withholding Ukraine aid, says watchdog
The White House broke the law by withholding aid to Ukraine that had been approved by the US Congress, a government watchdog has said.
The ruling from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a blow to President Donald Trump as he faces an impeachment trial in the Senate. He is accused of freezing aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival. Ukraine has opened a probe on separate allegations linked to the impeachment."Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," the decision by the GAO said. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) "withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA)," the ruling continued. -
BBC News - Building collapse misses pedestrians by seconds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51069958 -
BBC News - Hong Kong Express Airways sorry for making woman take pregnancy test
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51141523 -
New China virus: Cases triple as infection spreads to Beijing and Shanghai
The number of people infected with a new virus in China tripled over the weekend, with the outbreak spreading from Wuhan to other major cities.
There are now more than 200 cases, mostly in Wuhan, though the respiratory illness has also been detected in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Three people have died. Japan, Thailand and South Korea have reported cases. The sharp rise comes as millions of Chinese prepare to travel for the Lunar New Year holidays. Health officials have identified the infection, which first appeared in Wuhan in December, as a strain of coronavirus. They say it has led to an outbreak of viral pneumonia, but much about it remains unknown. -
France apology after history textbook links CIA to 9/11
A French publisher has apologised after a history textbook that appeared in bookshops in recent weeks suggested the 11 September 2001 attacks were probably "orchestrated by the CIA".
The debunked conspiracy theory was apparently highlighted on social media initially by a group of schoolteachers.The book History of the 20th Century in Flash Cards is aimed at undergraduate students.On its website, the publisher said the phrase should never have appeared. "This phrase which echoes conspiracy theories devoid of any factual basis should never have been used in this work. It doesn't reflect the editorial position either of Ellipses publications or the author," it said (in French). -
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@black3dynamite said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
On the local news they pointed out that this is policy and automatic and not suggestive of there being any suspicion of wrongdoing. Mostly the officer gets a paid vacation to get some downtime because killing anyone is stressful.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@black3dynamite said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
On the local news they pointed out that this is policy and automatic and not suggestive of there being any suspicion of wrongdoing. Mostly the officer gets a paid vacation to get some downtime because killing anyone is stressful.
That is all but 100% normal for all cases of an officer firing a weapon. hitting someone or not. killed or not.
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@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@black3dynamite said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
On the local news they pointed out that this is policy and automatic and not suggestive of there being any suspicion of wrongdoing. Mostly the officer gets a paid vacation to get some downtime because killing anyone is stressful.
That is all but 100% normal for all cases of an officer firing a weapon. hitting someone or not. killed or not.
Definitely seems like the right way to handle it.
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Trump impeachment: Senate adopts rules after long debate on trial's first day
The US Senate has adopted ground rules for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, after nearly 13 hours of rancorous debate on day one.
Democratic prosecutors clashed with Mr Trump's lawyers over the process, while Republicans rejected Democratic demands for more witnesses to be called. The trial will resume on Wednesday with arguments by the prosecution, to be followed by the defence and questions. Mr Trump is the third US president to face an impeachment trial. He is charged with abuse of power and obstructing the congressional impeachment inquiry. He has denied wrongdoing and accused Democrats of trying to unseat him for political reasons. "I'd love to go and sit in the front row and stare at their corrupt faces," he told reporters at a hastily arranged press conference in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. But he said his lawyers might have a problem with that. -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Thats less than a mile from my house..... Bummer. Sucks for all involved.
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@popester said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Thats less than a mile from my house..... Bummer. Sucks for all involved.
Not that far from mine either, Denton County baby!
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Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses?
One of the abiding images of any virus outbreak is people in surgical masks.
Using them to prevent infection is popular in many countries around the world, most notably China during the current coronavirus outbreak where they are also worn to protect against high pollution levels. Virologists are sceptical about their effectiveness against airborne viruses. But there is some evidence to suggest the masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions. Surgical masks were first introduced into hospitals in the late 18th Century but they did not make the transition into public use until the Spanish flu outbreak in 1919 that went on to kill over 50 million people. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses?
One of the abiding images of any virus outbreak is people in surgical masks.
Using them to prevent infection is popular in many countries around the world, most notably China during the current coronavirus outbreak where they are also worn to protect against high pollution levels. Virologists are sceptical about their effectiveness against airborne viruses. But there is some evidence to suggest the masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions. Surgical masks were first introduced into hospitals in the late 18th Century but they did not make the transition into public use until the Spanish flu outbreak in 1919 that went on to kill over 50 million people.That surgeon mask thing has been debunked a long long time ago. The fact you still see many Asians wearing them out and about is astounding.
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@Obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
That surgeon mask thing has been debunked a long long time ago. The fact you still see many Asians wearing them out and about is astounding.
It's a cultural thing. My kids wear them because they want to "look cool". I don't think anyone imagines that it is about stopping diseases today. It's just a "thing people do in Asia".
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
That surgeon mask thing has been debunked a long long time ago. The fact you still see many Asians wearing them out and about is astounding.
It's a cultural thing. My kids wear them because they want to "look cool". I don't think anyone imagines that it is about stopping diseases today. It's just a "thing people do in Asia".
If it was zero cost - I could see that.. but it's likely not - I supposed they could be reusing them for several days... ewww.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
That surgeon mask thing has been debunked a long long time ago. The fact you still see many Asians wearing them out and about is astounding.
It's a cultural thing. My kids wear them because they want to "look cool". I don't think anyone imagines that it is about stopping diseases today. It's just a "thing people do in Asia".
If it was zero cost - I could see that.. but it's likely not - I supposed they could be reusing them for several days... ewww.
Well the ones that my kids have are not disposable. Maybe not the same, but they are just worn for looks and you just wash them.
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@Obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses?
One of the abiding images of any virus outbreak is people in surgical masks.
Using them to prevent infection is popular in many countries around the world, most notably China during the current coronavirus outbreak where they are also worn to protect against high pollution levels. Virologists are sceptical about their effectiveness against airborne viruses. But there is some evidence to suggest the masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions. Surgical masks were first introduced into hospitals in the late 18th Century but they did not make the transition into public use until the Spanish flu outbreak in 1919 that went on to kill over 50 million people.That surgeon mask thing has been debunked a long long time ago. The fact you still see many Asians wearing them out and about is astounding.
The last I study I read clearly stated it helped stop the spread of airborne contagions.
Google result from 2015 backs that up.
https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/mask
