Poland's governing parties said on Wednesday they had agreed to postpone the country's May 10 presidential election after a failed attempt to hold it via a postal vote due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Poland's parliament on Thursday passed legislation paving the way for a presidential election delayed by the coronavirus pandemic to go ahead via a postal ballot, a move the opposition said jeopardised democracy.

Germans feel "gratitude" for the Nazi defeat that ended World War II in Europe 75 years ago, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a landmark commemoration speech on Friday.

Today I wanted to share with you some paint-by-number Valentine printables. My older son Kurt asked me to design a valentine that was not so cute for his friends, so I decided on paint by numbers in heart shapes. Printed on card stock and cut out with pinking shears, I … Continue reading →

March is national Craft Month, and the folks at Jo­‐Ann Fabric And Craft Stores asked me to help celebrate by creating a DIY based on one of the latest Spring Trends. I decided to go with a mix of trends, flowers and geometric. I created a English paper pieced hexagon … Continue reading →

I had the idea to make my own signature sprinkle mix ever since I saw the Amy Sedaris sprinkle mix around Christmas time. Of course I knew I would want to hand out my sprinkles in true vintage style, so I came up with a label that works with these … Continue reading →

Last month, the president of Madagascar and the country’s Institute for Applied Research launched Covid-Organics (CVO), a drink derived from the artemisia plant they claim can treat and prevent Covid-19. Now other countries in the region are beginning to import the herbal remedy, despite a lack of scientific research to back up its billing as a miracle cure for the coronavirus.  

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and RFI, the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, discussed the Covid-19 pandemic in his country, as well as a controversial treatment developed in Madagascar that the Republic of Congo plans to use. He also talked about the economic consequences of the health crisis and asked for up to "$500 million" in aid from the IMF. Finally, he ruled out the release of two jailed political opponents, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and André Okombi Salissa, on health and humanitarian grounds.

We bring you a report from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is growing concern about the safety of prisoners due to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 100 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Kinshasa's Ndolo military prison. The UN estimates that the country's main prisons are, on average, at 432% capacity. We speak to the Central Africa Director for Human Rights Watch for his take on the situation. 

Growing up, I was indoctrinated to believe that many of the Founding Fathers of America were real people that walked the earth, not just fairytales. But now as I've grown up, I'm starting to doubt it all.

You don't want it, but brother, we've got it! Give us your money! Now! NOW!!

This notice is to be bellowed from the tops of the belfries and into every widow's hovel.

In the United States, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted glaring social inequality. Many workers cannot afford to be confined to their homes because they are not eligible for unemployment benefit and have not been able to put money aside. Those who have to go to work must find their own face masks. A Covid-19 test costs $150, while being hospitalised with the disease costs $70,000 on average. For the millions of Americans without health insurance, these amounts are beyond their means. Our correspondents report from California.

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, April 01, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Friday, April 03, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Monday, April 06, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, April 08, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Friday, April 10, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Monday, April 13, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Friday, April 17, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Monday, April 20, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, April 22, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Friday, April 24, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Monday, April 27, 2020 has been posted.

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, April 29, 2020 has been posted.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen, an epidemiologist by training, discussed his country's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, while criticising the response of China and the World Health Organization. Chen refused to rule out the "possibility" that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. He also expressed concern about a second wave of the virus appearing in autumn or winter.

The U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy.

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is warning of potential famines of "biblical proportions" as the Covid-19 pandemic affects countries in an already dire situation. In an interview with FRANCE 24, the United Nation's WFP Executive Director David Beasley said he was especially worried about a breakdown in the supply chain that allows his agency to provide food to dozens of millions of people around the globe.

In a mid-April report, the NGO Human Rights Watch cited UN statistics that the main prisons in the Democratic Republic of Congo are at 432 percent capacity, with Makala Prison in the country’s capital of Kinshasa at 461 percent. While media access to prisons in Kinshasa is denied, FRANCE 24 obtained amateur footage from Makala inmates and spoke with an NGO and a Congolese official about the potential for a major Covid-19 health crisis.

A German journalist has accused former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing of repeatedly grabbing her during an interview, and filed a sexual assault complaint with Paris prosecutors, according to French and German news reports.

Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, there has been no shortage of solidarity with those on the frontline on the pandemic. One such example comes from the French NGO Aviation Sans Frontières ("Aviation Without Borders"), which has brought together key players in the aviation sector to allow medical professionals to travel by plane free of charge from one French region to another. These flights help take some of the pressure off overwhelmed hospital staff. Our reporters Benoît Perrochais and Natalia Ruiz Giraldo went on board.

Protests against growing economic hardship erupted in Tripoli and spread to other Lebanese cities on Tuesday, with banks set ablaze and violence boiling over into a second night.

The Lebanese government on Thursday approved a long-awaited plan to rescue the economy from its worst crisis in decades following a fresh wave of angry street protests this week. Nationwide protests broke out in October accusing the country's political class of corruption and mismanagement.

Hundreds of Lebanese rallied Friday outside the central bank in Beirut and elsewhere in the country, a day after the prime minister said he would seek a rescue plan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with a spiraling economic and financial crisis.

Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Wednesday after six months without one as parties squabbled until the last minute over Cabinet seats in backroom deals.

Israeli lawmakers approved the formation of a unity government between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his erstwhile rival Benny Gantz Thursday, paving the way to an end to more than a year of deadlock.

The Iraqi parliament approved its new government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, now prime minister. The move ends six months of political vacuum, but many challenges lie ahead, including the country's struggling economy and the re-emergence of the Islamic State group. 

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1198.html

"A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs."

The GOP has traditionally stood for Grand Old Party.   I think in the age of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell, the initials should be changed.  The alteration should be made to reflect what the party has become.  Because the modern state of the Republicans would not be recognized by Ronald Reagan, although Richard Nixon would doubtless be

Continue Reading "Freak Out Friday – April 10, 2020" →

There are arguments that have been made contending Donald Trump is the anti-Christ.  I must admit, that’s a little outside of my realm of expertise.  But based upon this past week…indeed, this past year…I can certainly see the reasons for the contention. He’s certainly opposed to life.  That’s a given.  His constant ignoring of the early warnings which, had

Continue Reading "Freak Out Friday – April 23, 2020" →

Just playing with the new camera some more. 

Open science essentials in 2 minutes, part 4 Before a research article is published in a journal you can make it freely available for anyone to read. You could do this on your own website, but you can also do it on a preprint server, such as psyarxiv.com, where other researchers also share their preprints, … Continue reading "Open Science Essentials: Preprints"

The Guardian recently published an article saying “People won’t get ‘tired’ of social distancing – and it’s unscientific to suggest otherwise”. “Behavioural fatigue” the piece said, “has no basis in science”. ‘Behavioural fatigue’ became a hot topic because it was part of the UK Government’s justification for delaying the introduction of stricter public health measures. … Continue reading "Do we suffer ‘behavioural fatigue’ for pandemic prevention measures?"