Virginia Tech communication professor Megan Duncan discusses why United States presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris focused on podcasts in their voter outreach, and what benefits such media bring.

[Domestic] :
The number of patients with the bacterial disease scrub typhus has increased eightfold over the past three weeks, prompting health authorities to urge caution. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Friday, the number of scrub typhus patients jumped from 58 between October 13 ...

[more...]

[Domestic] :
A death from whooping cough or pertussis has been reported in South Korea for the first time since the government began compiling related data in 2011. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Tuesday, an infant less than two months old died from the disease on November 4. The ...

[more...]

[Politics] :
A local court has decided not to permit a live broadcast on Friday, when it is set to deliver a critical verdict in a case against main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung.    The Seoul Central District Court announced the decision Wednesday, saying it first carried out a comprehensive ...

[more...]

Podcasting may be the ultimate democratization of radio. Anyone with an Internet connection and some inexpensive audio equipment can produce their own podcast and make it available online.

Washington DC among US cities most vulnerable to space weather, scientists say  The Royal Astronomical Society

A new lanthanide coordination polymer, poly[[tri­aqua­bis­(μ4-phthalato)(μ3-pyridine-2,5-di­carboxyl­ato)dipraseodymium] monohydrate], {[Pr2(C7H3NO4)2(C8H4O4)(H2O)3]·H2O}n or {[Pr2(phth)2(pydc)(H2O)3]·H2O}n, (pydc2− = pyridine-2,5-di­carboxyl­ate and phth2− = phthalate) was synthesized and characterized, revealing the structure to be an assembly of di-periodic {Pr2(pydc)(phth)2(H2O)3}n layers. Each layer is built up by edge-sharing {Pr2N2O14} and {Pr2O16} dimers, which are connected through a new coordin­ation mode of pydc2− and phth2−. These layers are stabilized by inter­nal hydrogen bonds and π–π inter­actions. In addition, a three-dimensional supra­molecular framework is built by inter­layer hydrogen-bonding inter­actions involving the non-coordinated water mol­ecule. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the title compound is thermally stable up to 400°C.

Housing activists erect a sign in front of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott, Mass., on Oct. 14, 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended a moratorium on evictions until the end of July.; Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended a moratorium on evictions until the end of July. The ban had been set to expire next week, raising concerns that there could be a flood of evictions with some seven million tenants currently behind on their rent.

The Biden administration says the extension is for "one final month" and will allow time for it to take other steps to stabilize housing for those facing eviction and foreclosure. The White House says it is encouraging state and local courts to adopt anti-eviction diversion programs to help delinquent tenants stay housed and avoid legal action.

The federal government will also try to speed up distribution of tens of billions of dollars in emergency rental assistance that's available but has yet to be spent. In addition, a moratorium on foreclosures involving federally backed mortgages has been extended for "a final month," until July 31.

In announcing the extension of the eviction moratorium, the CDC said that the COVID-19 "pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation's public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19."

The CDC first issued the moratorium last September. It was extended once already in March, until June 30.

But landlords have been pushing back, arguing that they've taken a huge financial hit over the past year, losing billions of dollars a month in rent. Several business groups have sued the CDC and won, though court decisions to lift the moratorium have been stayed pending appeal.

The Alabama Association of Realtors, which brought one of the cases, argued that the CDC exceeded its authority in issuing the ban. The group is seeking relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices have yet to respond.

In its petition, the Realtors association called the CDC's "continued insistence that public-health concerns necessitate that landlords continue to provide free housing for tenants who have received vaccines (or passed up the chance to get them)...sheer doublespeak."

Housing advocates have argued that the moratorium is still very much needed. They note that $46 billion in emergency rental assistance approved by Congress has been slow getting into the hands of those it was intended to help. The money is supposed to cover rent that tenants currently owe.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that in some states, less than five percent of the funds have been distributed so far. The group pushed the administration to extend the ban to give states and localities more time to get the money out.

Despite the moratorium, thousands of renters have still faced the threat of eviction because of loopholes in the law. Many are the lowest income tenants and disproportionately people of color. A new study by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University has found that communities with the lowest vaccination rates tend to have the highest eviction filings, raising additional health concerns.

"Allowing the moratorium to expire before vaccination rates increase in marginalized communities could lead to increased spread of, and deaths from, COVID-19," a group of more than 40 House lawmakers wrote in a letter this week to President Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, urging them to extend the moratorium.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Facemasks remain worn as firefighter paramedic Jorge Miranda, holding syringe, speaks with Eduardo Vasquez, who has lived homeless on the streets of Los Angeles since 1992, before administering the one-shot Johnson and Johnson' Janssen Covid-19 vaccine as part of outreach to the homeless by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department's Covid Outreach unit on June 14, 2021 in Los Angeles.; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. 

Topics today include:

• Two weeks after reopening, LA County’s new COVID-19 cases have doubled

• CDC: Infected vaccinated people carry less COVID-19 virus

• Delta variant is now detected in all 50 states

• J&J: “At present, there is no evidence to suggest need for a booster dose to be administered”

• Novavax claims vaccine’s overall efficacy is 89.7%

• Another respiratory virus is spreading in the U.S.

• Curevac’s final trial show shot is far less effective than other vaccines

• Can we now live with the coronavirus?

• Israel scrambles to curb rising COVID-19 infection rates

• Is it time to rethink “one-size-fits-all” approach for masking?

Guest:

Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets @PCH_SF

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Robin Heilweil, 6, wears a mask while swinging around with her kindergarten class this month at Kenter Canyon School in Los Angeles.; Credit: Sarah Reingewirtz/Los Angeles Daily News/Southern California News Group via Getty Images

New research released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforces an old message: COVID-19 spreads less in schools where teachers and staff wear masks. Yet the study arrives as states and school districts across the country have begun scaling back or simply dropping their masking requirements for staff and students alike.

With the majority of school-age children still too young to qualify for vaccination, Friday's research is the latest salvo in a simmering fight between public health officials and politicians — with parents lining up on both sides.

The new study comes from Georgia and compares COVID-19 infection rates across 169 K-5 schools. Some schools required teachers, staff and sometimes students to wear masks; some did not.

Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 11, researchers found that infection rates were 37% lower in schools where teachers and staff members were required to wear masks. The difference between schools that did and did not require students to wear masks was not statistically significant.

This is one more study showing that masking, among other mitigation efforts, "can reduce infections and ultimately save lives," said Dr. Sean O'Leary, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado and vice chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

O'Leary points to a previous CDC study, of schools in Florida, that also found "a strong association with student mask requirements and lower rates of infections in students."

Like any study, Friday's release comes with caveats. Only 12% of schools invited to share their data did so. And it's always worth remembering: Correlation is not causation. Still, the results offer an important warning to states and school districts that are now lifting their school-based mask requirements, especially for adults: It's safer if you don't.

The latest, and perhaps broadest effort to change schools' masking policies comes from Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Tuesday banning all mask mandates in the state's public schools. After June 4, the order says, "no student, teacher, parent or other staff member or visitor may be required to wear a face covering."

For Abbott, and many opponents of mask mandates, the move is about restoring a balance between safety and freedom. "We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans' liberty to choose whether or not they mask up," he said in announcing the order.

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, called the move "unconscionable" in a statement. "The governor's new verdict takes a blanket approach to addressing what is still extremely dangerous for some Texans — a return to school unmasked."

And Texas isn't alone. On Thursday, Iowa's Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, also signed a law banning schools from requiring masks. The justification is similar: "I am proud to be a governor of a state that values personal responsibility and individual liberties," Reynolds said in a statement.

"Whether a child wears a mask in school is a decision that should be left only to a student's parents," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said last week as he issued an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of school-based mask requirements.

Public health experts have been quick to sound the alarm.

"All along in this pandemic, we have seen the tragic consequences when politics start to play a role in public health decisions. And to me, this kind of maneuver smells like politics — to ban the requirements that are ultimately there to save lives," O'Leary said. "The body of evidence shows us that masks work."

And Dr. Aaron Milstone, a professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins, likens the banning of mask mandates to having a variable speed limit.

"Unfortunately, with contagious diseases the decisions I make impact someone else," Milstone said. "It would be like saying: You can drive 55 mph if you think that's safe for you, but if someone else thinks they can safely drive 90 mph, their choice may wind up risking your life."

While the CDC recently scaled back its masking guidance for people who are fully vaccinated, the agency also reiterated that schools should continue to require universal masking, at least through the end of the current school year. Though one vaccine has been approved for use for 12- to 15-year-olds, those kids won't be considered fully vaccinated for another month.

Milstone said it's simply too early to talk about schools without masking. "Until vaccines are eligible for all children, it's hard to abandon the practices that we know work the best to prevent the spread of COVID."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, told CNBC this week that it is conceivable the CDC could recommend that middle and high schools be mask-free in the fall — if, that is, enough students 12 years of age and older get vaccinated.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The U.S. Supreme Court; Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to lift a ban on evictions for tenants who have failed to pay all or some rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

By a 5-to-4 vote, the court left in place the nationwide moratorium on evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and which was challenged by the Alabama Association of Realtors.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who cast the fifth and deciding vote, wrote in a concurring opinion that he voted not to end the eviction program only because it is set to expire on July 31, "and because those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution" of the funds that Congress appropriated to provide rental assistance to those in need because of the pandemic. He added, however, that in his view Congress would have to pass new and clearer legislation to extend the moratorium past July 31.

The Biden administration has said it does not plan to extend the moratorium any further.

Also voting to leave the program intact until July 31 were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Dissenting were Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. They would have blocked the moratorium from continuing for another month.

The decision comes at a time when roughly 7 million American households say they are still behind on their rent. Many suffered job loss during the pandemic. And delays have stopped more than $46 billion in congressionally approved rental assistance from reaching many people facing eviction who need it.

Housing groups have been warning that pulling the CDC eviction protections away from people before that congressional aid can reach them would spark a wave of evictions that could otherwise be avoided.

Evictions often send families into a downward financial spiral. It can be very hard to find another place to live with an eviction on your record. People can end up living in their cars, motels when they can afford it or in homeless shelters. Research has found there's also a disparate impact on people of color.

During the pandemic, public health experts have warned — and research showed — that evictions result in more coronavirus cases because people end up living in more crowded situations, where they are more likely to catch or spread the disease.

At the outset of the pandemic, Congress adopted a limited, temporary moratorium on evictions. After Congress' moratorium lapsed last July, however, then-President Donald Trump asked the CDC to step in and issue a new eviction ban, which it did in September. In March, President Biden extended that ban, which was to expire at the end of June. Then on June 24, the Biden administration notified the Supreme Court that it had extended the moratorium until July 31. It also said that barring a rise in coronavirus cases, the "CDC does not plan to extend the Order further."

Landlords have long argued that the CDC order was an overreach and that the agency doesn't have the power to, in effect, take control over their own properties away from them.

A group of the nation's landlords challenged the eviction ban and on May 5, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the CDC has exceeded its authority. The judge, however, blocked her own decision from going into effect to give the government time to appeal. On June 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the stay, prompting the landlords to go to the Supreme Court.

Keeping the status quo in place "will prolong the severe financial burdens borne by landlords under the moratorium for the past nine months," the property owners said.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

We are concerned deeply by a report that staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were instructed not to use certain words in budget documents. As leaders of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we are especially stunned that “evidence-based” and “science-based” are reportedly among the barred terms.

The CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine should create an effective and innovative quarantine station model to confront new challenges in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the U.S., and requires new investment and regulatory reforms to do so.

The I-SOON data leak confirms that this contractor is involved in cyberespionage for China, while Iran-aligned groups step up aggressive tactics following the Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023

As security challenges loom large on the IoT landscape, how can we effectively counter the risks of integrating our physical and digital worlds?

The world of Android threats is quite vast and intriguing. In this episode, Becks and Lukáš demonstrate how easy it is to take over your phone, with some added tips on how to stay secure

ESET researchers discuss HotPage, a recently discovered adware armed with a highest-privilege, yet vulnerable, Microsoft-signed driver

ESET researchers discuss how they uncovered a zero-day Telegram for Android exploit that allowed attackers to send malicious files posing as videos

How do analyst relations professionals sort through the noise to help deliver the not-so-secret sauce for a company's success? We spoke with ESET's expert to find out.

“Hey, wanna chat?” This innocent phrase can take on a sinister meaning when it comes from an adult to a child online – and even be the start of a predatory relationship

Learn how a rather clumsy cybercrime group wielding buggy malicious tools managed to compromise a number of SMBs in various parts of the world

In an interview with the BBC last month, CEO Elon Musk said he had fired more than 6,000 people since taking over Twitter.

STT GDC India, in which Tata Communications holds a minority stake, has 28 data centres across 10 cities, with a combined capacity of more than 318 megawatt of IT load. It has about 1,000 enterprise customers.

Amazon's shares were 1.2% higher at $128.84 in early afternoon trading.

The PCS market includes infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. Public Cloud adoption in India continued to rise as enterprises preferred public cloud services for their digital transformation initiatives, application modernization, and productivity enhancements.

Grey is getting back in to Magic, Myke got the app he wanted, and they both feel excited by WWDC21.

Columbus Craft Meats has released a Handcrafted Charcuterie Board, available as a pre-order through Walmart's deli department or as a grab-and-go option that requires assembly by the customer.

The all-natural popcorn snacks are now available at stores in the Sunshine State.

The gourmet brand will now be sold in 90 locations of the North Carolina chain.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that nearly half of children’s sodium intake comes from 10 foods, including bread and rolls.

INDCO HS-100 and HS-300 series benchtop dispersers can mix up to 5 gallons of materials at a time, making them ideal for a wide range of high shear applications within labs, pilot plants, and small-scale production environments.

INDCO HS-100 and HS-300 series benchtop dispersers can mix up to 5 gallons of materials at a time, making them ideal for a wide range of high shear applications within labs, pilot plants, and small-scale production environments.

The Readco Process Control System (RCS) from process equipment manufacturer Readco Kurimoto, LLC, York, Pa., integrates mixing, heating, cooling and feeding into a single, touch-screen HMI.

Lars Wismer, director of A+A, International Trade Fair for Safety, Security and Health at Work, talks to us about the world’s leading trade show for the occupational health and safety industry and what makes it stand apart from other events.

What is it like to be a senior EHS officer at the remote Los Alamos National Laboratory — home of the atomic bomb — in the New Mexico desert? 

Doug Backinger of Caster Concepts discusses the growing trend of automation and ergonomics in the materials handling industry.

The construction industry has seen a significant shift towards the use of technology to improve safety management.

The CDC yesterday confirmed another infection with 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States in California. The patient is among a group of people under a federal quarantine order because of their recent return to the U.S. on a State Department-chartered flight that arrived on February 7, 2020. All people who have been in Hubei Province in the past 14 days are considered at high risk of having been exposed to COVID-19 and subject to a temporary 14-day quarantine.

Shawn Galloway, CEO of ProAct Safety and author of several books on workplace safety, training and culture, talks to ISHN about this.

CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will host a special virtual event on Thursday, Nov. 18 with NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and other national experts from labor and medicine on the mental health of the nation’s critical health workforce.

In this episode, editor-at-large Dave Johnson interviews behavioral psychologist Dr. E. Scott Geller. Dr. Geller discusses the uses and misuses of behavior-based safety, why the psychology of safety is more important today than ever, and the need for safety and health professionals to practice empathy, positive psychology, one-on-one conversations, and Actively Caring For People (AC4P).

Psychic Power Blazes YouTube! Forget scripted psychic drama, Hosts Riz & Oriah, shaman power couple, ignite 3 Meta Mystic Podcasts on YouTube. Their mind-bending wisdom & charisma spark an online spiritual revolution!

www.internationalartist.com * www.americanartcollector.com * www.westernartcollector.com * www.nativeamericanartmagazine.com * www.americanfineartmagazine.com

Esteemed educator, author, and podcaster, Barbara Taber, EdD, has delivered the highly anticipated season finale of Take It Or Leave It, against impossibly high expectations, following the landmark achievement of her previous three episodes.

Erika Kathryn Provost is recognized for her expertise as an advisor for geospatial systems integration for Guidepoint

Imagining the Indian explores the impact that stereotyping and marginalization of Native history have had on Native people. It chronicles the long social movement to eliminate mascoting. KC area interviews are included in the documentary.

Luxe Life Discovered and 30A Media will produce, develop and distribute the prestigious lifestyle content.

Patricia Blake's new podcast, "To Protect and to Serve," debuts with a pair of engaging episodes, while anticipation builds for the upcoming release of the "SEND ME!" theme song in May, and more songs to follow this year.

Join Vivz and Amy for the latest insights, reviews, and reactions on the world of Anime in Dubai's Premier Podcast