Month: August 2020

Amid coronavirus, more than a third of US adults are using cleaning products incorrectly: CDC study

In trying to prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus, more than a third of U.S. adults are putting their health at risk by using cleaning products incorrectly, according to a recent report. The report in JAMA stated a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that 39% of adults in the U.S. reported using cleaning products and disinfectants in potentially dangerous ways while intending to limit exposure to the deadly virus. “Drinking or gargling diluted bleach solutions, soapy water, and other cleaning and disinfectant solutions” was one of the dangerous practices the authors of the survey reported. The survey also found that 19% of respondents applied bleach to food items, such as fruits and vegetables, while 18% used household cleaning and disinfectant products on their hands or skin. Some 10% reported misting their body with a cleaning or disinfectant spray, while 6% said they inhaled vapors from household cleaners or disinfectants. “These practices pose a risk of severe tissue damage and corrosive injury and should be strictly avoided,” the researchers warned. One-quarter of the approximate 502 U.S. adults who participated in the national online survey, which was commissioned by the CDC, experienced adverse reactions to cleaning products or disinfectants. Those effects included lightheadedness, headache and irritation of the eyes, skin, nose and sinuses, as well as nausea and breathing problems. Those who didn’t use the products safely were two times more likely to have detrimental effects than those who did not, according to the report. The survey authors found significant gaps in knowledge surrounding the proper use of cleaning products among the adults surveyed. The largest gaps they found involved keeping hand sanitizers stored away from a child’s reach and how to safely prepare disinfectant and cleaning solutions. The researchers cautioned that “mixing of bleach solutions with vinegar or ammonia, as well as [the] application of heat, can generate chlorine and chloramine gases that might result in severe lung tissue damage when inhaled.” “Furthermore, exposures of children to hand sanitizers, particularly via ingestion, can be associated with irritation of mucous membranes, gastrointestinal effects, and in severe cases, alcohol toxicity,” they added. The study authors also stressed the importance of storing products away from pets. The CDC conducted the survey after U.S. Poison Control Centers saw a surge in calls regarding exposure to household chemicals at the start of the pandemic. The researchers recommended health officials continue to educate the public on safe cleaning techniques as well as advising people to follow directions on the labels of their cleaning products.

Sounds like common sense..  Unfortunately, there are a lot of idiots out there.

Pompeo Expands Clean Network Initiative to Keep Americans’ Data Safe from China

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday announced the State Department is expanding its Clean Network initiative to keep Americans’ data safe from Chinese vendors looking to exploit the data. He said there are five new lines of effort. The first is “Clean Carrier” — working to ensure that untrusted Chinese telecom companies do not provide international telecommunications services between the United States and foreign destinations. “I join Attorney General Barr, [Defense] Secretary Esper, and Acting [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary Wolf in urging the [Federal Communications Commission] to revoke and terminate the authorizations of China Telecom and three other companies providing services to and from the United States,” he said. The second is “Clean Store” — removing untrusted Chinese apps from U.S. app stores. “President Trump has mentioned impending action on TikTok, and for good reason. With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat, and others are significant threats to the personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP content censorship,” Pompeo said. The third is “Clean Apps” — working to prevent Huawei and other untrusted vendors from pre-installing or making available for download the most popular U.S. apps. “We don’t want companies to be complicit in Huawei’s human rights abuses or the CCP’s surveillance apparatus,” he said. The fourth is “Clean Cloud” — protecting Americans’ most sensitive personal information and American businesses’ most valuable intellectual property — including COVID-19 vaccine research — from being accessed on cloud-based systems run by Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, China Mobile, China Telecom, and Tencent. “The State Department will work closely with Commerce and other agencies to limit the ability of Chinese cloud service providers to collect, to store, and to process vast amounts of data and sensitive information here in the United States,” he said. The fifth is “Clean Cable” — working to ensure that the CCP cannot compromise information carried by the undersea cables that connect the U.S. and others to the global internet. “Huawei Marine significantly underbids other companies on multiple procurements to connect Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and Europe using Chinese state-backed underseas technology,” he said. “We can’t allow that to continue. We call on all freedom-loving nations and companies to join the Clean Network,” he said.

Kudos to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo and the rest of the Trump Administration doing this for all of us.  Excellent!!      🙂

Las Vegas: Over 223K Mail-In Ballots Bounced as ‘Undeliverable’ in Recent Primary Election

More than 223,000 mail-in ballots sent to registered voters in Clark County, Nevada, were bounced as “undeliverable” in the state’s June primary election, newly released data reveals. According to data collected by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) from the Clark County Election Department, a total of 223,469 mail-in ballots sent to registered voters for the June 9 primary election ended up bouncing as “undeliverable” — 17 percent of the total 1,325,934 mail-in ballots that were sent out in the county. “These numbers show how vote by mail fails,” PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a statement, adding: New proponents of mail balloting don’t often understand how it actually works. States like Oregon and Washington spent many years building their mail voting systems and are notably aggressive with voter list maintenance efforts. Pride in their own systems does not somehow transfer across state lines. Nevada, New York, and others are not and will not be ready for November. For comparison, in the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 general elections, the entire state of Nevada recorded just 5,863 mail-in ballots as “undeliverable.” That data comes from U.S. Election Assistance Commission surveys. The data find that of those “undeliverable” mail ballots, 58 percent were from inactive voters and 42 percent were from active voters. Put another way, 92,337 were listed as Democrats and 53,129 are Republicans. Clark County, which went more than 52 percent for Hillary Clinton in 2016, sent out mail-in ballots to all registered voters for their primary election — unlike other counties, including Washoe, in the state’s northwest corner. Washoe County sent out a little more than a fifth of the mail-in ballots that Clark County sent for the primary election and saw far fewer “undeliverables,” less than 28,000. Unlike Las Vegas, Reno officials did not send ballots to “inactive” voters. The revelation comes as Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed legislation to send mail-in ballots to all active registered voters for the 2020 presidential election. On Wednesday, President Trump said Nevada did not have the election infrastructure to take on such a task as universal mail-in voting. Trump wrote in a post: Nevada has ZERO infrastructure for Mail-In Voting. It will be a corrupt disaster if not ended by the Courts. It will take months, or years, to figure out. Florida has built a great infrastructure, over years, with two great Republican Governors. Florida, send in your Ballots! Recent data has not shown a compelling public health justification for mail-in voting. In Wisconsin’s April election, only 52 of more than 400,000 voters and poll workers were confirmed to have contracted the Chinese coronavirus. None of those cases were fatal. This equals an infection rate below two-hundredths of one percent.

Dish TV bleeds subscribers while rivals benefit from COVID-19 lockdowns

Dish Network Corp. revenue slipped in the three months through June, with subscribers continuing to drop the service even as rivals benefited from COVID-19 lockdowns that prompted Americans to spend more time with at-home entertainment. The Englewood, Colorado-based satellite TV provider’s second-quarter revenue fell 0.6 percent from a year ago to $3.19 billion as profit rose to $452 million, or 78 cents per share, from $317 million the year prior. Wall Street analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting revenue of $3.1 billion on adjusted earnings of 58 cents per share. The number of paid Dish TV net subscribers fell by 40,000 in the three months through June while the amount of Sling TV net subscribers decreased by 56,000. A year ago, Dish TV subscribers fell by 79,000 while Sling TV subscribers rose by 48,000. Dish TV saw 45,000 of the approximately 250,000 commercial accounts, including companies in the airlines and hospitality industries that paused their subscriptions during the early days of the pandemic, resume their service. Dish Network shares fell 3.3 percent year-to-date through Thursday, trailing the S&P 500’s 3.66 percent gain.

Why unemployed Americans may owe the IRS next year

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic – and many who are claiming unemployment benefits may be faced with a surprise tax bill next year. The IRS requires people to report income received in the form of unemployment. Some states tax benefits, too. However, when you receive unemployment there’s typically no withholding, meaning individuals have to choose to have taxes withheld. And even then, it’s usually at a rate of 10 percent, which may not be enough for some people who have been receiving expanded unemployment benefits. “Unemployment withholding may not cover their actual tax liability,” Eric Bronnenkant, Head of Tax at Betterment, told FOX Business. “That $600 essentially allowed people to make more money on unemployment [than working, so] 10 percent is even less likely to cover their actual tax.” Additionally, Bronnenkant noted that people may choose not to have any money withheld because they need as much cash as possible for essential expenses. Others may look at it as a “next year problem,” he added. How prominent this issue will be next tax season depends on the future of the U.S. economy and the extent to which lawmakers decide to renew the expanded unemployment benefits in pending relief legislation. The additional $600, which was a policy under the CARES Act, expired at the end of July. The number of people receiving benefits was about 16 million as of July 25. But the tax issue stands to be problematic for many, especially those who are collecting benefits for the first time. According to a recent survey, 37% of Americans thought unemployment compensation was not considered taxable income. More than half of respondents did not know that they had to request to have taxes withheld from unemployment compensation. If you do not have taxes withheld from your checks, you may have to make quarterly estimated payments to the IRS. These payments are typically required of individuals who expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when their return is filed.

‘Mask mouth’: Dentists coin new term for smelly side effect of wearing a mask

Some bad breath just can’t be covered up. Now that dentists have reopened their doors, they’re having patients show up with a nasty set of symptoms, which the doctors have dubbed “mask mouth.” The new oral hygiene issue — caused by, you guessed it, wearing a mask all the time to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — is leading to all kinds of dental disasters like decaying teeth, receding gum lines and seriously sour breath. “We’re seeing inflammation in people’s gums that have been healthy forever, and cavities in people who have never had them before,” says Dr. Rob Ramondi, a dentist and co-founder of One Manhattan Dental. “About 50% of our patients are being impacted by this, [so] we decided to name it ‘mask mouth’ — after ‘meth mouth.’ ” The term “meth mouth” is widely used by dentists to describe the dental problems that arise among methamphetamine users. Addicts often end up with cracked, black- and brown-stained teeth because the stimulant causes sugar cravings, teeth grinding and jaw clenching. They also often neglect their oral hygiene. While mask mouth isn’t quite as obvious, if left untreated, the results could be equally harmful. “Gum disease — or periodontal disease — will eventually lead to strokes and an increased risk of heart attacks,” says Dr. Marc Sclafani, another co-founder of One Manhattan Dental. He says the stinky syndrome is triggered by face coverings since wearing a mask increases the dryness of the mouth — and a buildup of bad bacteria. “People tend to breathe through their mouth instead of through their nose while wearing a mask,” says Sclafani. “The mouth breathing is causing the dry mouth, which leads to a decrease in saliva — and saliva is what fights the bacteria and cleanses your teeth.” He adds that “saliva is also what neutralizes acid in the mouth and helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease.” People’s tendency to drink less water while masked up, as well as consume more coffee and alcohol during lockdown, have also added to the widespread dehydration he’s seeing. On the bright side, the dentists say that they’re packing in breath-conscious patients who might otherwise neglect their dental health during the pandemic. “Patients are coming into us like, ‘Wow, my breath smells, I need a cleaning.’ [But] when you smell the bad breath, you either already have periodontal disease or you have a lot of bacteria that’s sitting on your tongue because of dry mouth,” says Sclafani. While masks are not negotiable given the times, Sclafani says there are things wearers can do to avoid their grossest side effect: drink more water, cut down on caffeine, snag a humidifier (to “help moisten the air”), use an alcohol-free mouthwash, scrape your tongue and don’t smoke. And if all else fails? “Just breathe through your nose!”

Some good, common-sense, advice.  And, be sure to see your dentist for your regular check-ups.  They’re more now than ever before!

U.S. Economy Adds 1.8 Million Jobs in July, Unemployment Rate Fall to 10.2%

The U.S. economy added 1.8 million jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell to 10.2 percent, providing reassurance that the labor market has kept up some of its post-lockdown momentum. The numbers were better than anticipated. Economists had forecast an addition of around 1.5 million jobs and a decline in the unemployment rate to 10.6 percent from 11.1 percent last week. The economy has added around 9.1 million jobs in the past three months. The increase in the ranks of employed workers shows that companies ramped up hiring as the economy reopened and consumers came back to stores, restaurants, and other businesses that had been shuttered in March and April. Despite the gains, employment in July was lower than its February level by 12.9 million, or 8.4 percent The largest employment increases in July occurred in leisure and hospitality, government, retail trade, professional and business services, other services, and health care, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its monthly report on the employment situation in the U.S. The leisure and hospitality sector added 592,000 jobs in July, accounting for about one-third of the gain in total nonfarm employment in July. Restaurants and bars added 502,000 employees, following gains of 2.9 million in May and June combined. This was the hardest hit area during the pandemic lockdowns when many businesses were forced to shut their doors or saw demand plummet. Manufacturing had a strong month, in large part because of the auto sector. Employment increased by 26,000. A gain of 39,000 in motor vehicles and parts was partially offset by losses in fabricated metal products, machinery, and computer and electronic products. Although manufacturing has added 623,000 jobs over the past 3 months, employment is 740,000 lower than in February, highlighting that the recovery has brought us less than halfway back to the pandemic starting point. In a surprise, government employment rose by 301,000 in July. Typically, public-sector employment falls in July. Nonetheless, government jobs are still 1.1 million lower than the February level. It appears that some of the typical July declines happened earlier than usual this year due to the lockdowns. In one negative note in the July report, the black unemployment rate remained basically unchanged at 14.6 percent for the month, although unemployment for most other population groups improved. Prior to the pandemic, black unemployment had fallen to record lows. Yet even with the retreat, the black unemployment remains below the 16.6 percent rate hit in the second year of the Obama administration. As well, the gap between black and white unemployment is narrower than was typical before Trump’s election, when black unemployment usually ran at twice the white rate. In fact, the black-white unemployment gap is at the narrowest it has ever been in data going back to the 1970s. And black gains in employment for the month were greater than those for whites and Hispanics. A report on private payrolls from ADP and Moody’s Analytics on Wednesday estimated that businesses increased their workforces by 167,000 million in July. The ADP reports have been wildly off in recent months, apparently unable to correctly anticipate the impact of the reopening of the economy. The initial estimate for estimate June was 2.4 million jobs, which was revised up to 4.3 million. Similarly, the estimate for May initially showed a loss of 2.76 million jobs, and had to be revised up to show a gain of 3 million. The Trump administration’s aid programs appear to have worked to stave off economic disaster in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Direct relief payments to taxpayers and enhanced unemployment have kept incomes up despite the huge rise in unemployment, which in turn has boosted demand for consumer products. The Paycheck Protection Progam, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses that avoid layoffs, also seems to have supported employment and rehiring. Those programs, however, have largely run their course. The $600 a week enhancement to unemployment benefits expired a week ago. The Paycheck Protection Program was meant to support employment for just a few months and most of the funds are now exhausted. Negotiations to re-up the programs have stalled on Capitol Hill, although President Donald Trump has said he will use executive orders to maintain federal support for the economy if Congress cannot agree on a plan.

More good economic news that we’re happy to report.  For more, click on the text above.   🙂

Ratings Crash for NBA, MLB After Protest-Filled Debuts

As the NBA and MLB return from their coronavirus-imposed hiatus, it appears TV viewers are not interested in what the increasingly woke leagues have to offer. With both baseball and basketball draped in all sorts of Black Lives Matter and social justice symbolism for their opening games, a substantially smaller number of fans tuned-in to the rest of the week’s games. According to Outkick.com, neither league did well. As for the opening games, Outkick reported that the return of the NBA on TNT saw the following numbers: Lakers-Clippers: 3.4 million Pelicans-Jazz: 2.1 million ESPN’s MLB return numbers were also underwhelming: Yankees-Nationals: 4.0 million Dodgers-Giants: 2.8 million Outkick’s Ryan Glasspiegel added more ratings numbers on Twitter. “To be fair since I compared MLB vs NBA return night 1, here is night 2,” (July 24) he wrote, adding: MLB (last Friday, ESPN) Mets-Braves (4p) – 922K Brewers-Cubs(7p) – 1.0M Angels-As (10p) – 797K NBA (last night ESPN) (July 31) Celtics-Bucks (6:30p) – 1.3M Mavs-Rockets (9p)- 1.7M The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss also noted that the numbers continued to fall off for MLB: For good measure, Strauss also pointed out that baseball can’t blame the coronavirus. The virus didn’t stop people from watching Tom Brady golf with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson back in May. Indeed, the charity golf match earned record TV ratings in May. Dubbed “The Match II,” the game featuring Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning, and Tiger Woods peaked at an amazing 6.3 million viewers and raised more than $20 million for charity.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone.  Remember when the NFL started all this crap with Colin K. and his kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem?  The ratings for NFL games and “NFL Ticket” dropped like crazy as a result.  We documented that, and how many stadiums looked empty after the NFL allowed that crap to continue.  Now, in the Wuhan virus era when we can’t even physically go to games (and therefore that revenue for professional sports is not there), the NFL and MLB are seeing a similar effect…but it’s even worse because they’re playing in empty stadiums.  So, we see these whiny, self-serving, self-righteous, spoiled-brat, entitlement-minded, millionaire athletes doing this kneeling crap and wearing social justice clothing…and Americans are over it.  They’ve had it.  So, they’re just changing the channel.  What these obnoxious athletes and their coaches aren’t getting…..is that we just want to watch our sports without politics being rubbed in our faces.  If they want to protest, or speak their minds about BLM, or how oppressed they feel living in America and all…then they need to do that on THEIR time; NOT ours.  Sports used to be that one time where we could all go (regardless of political party affiliation or beliefs) and take a break from politics and just have a beer, a hotdog, and watch a ballgame and have a good time.  Not anymore.  These professional sports organizations, pandering to the liberal mobs out there, feel they have to rub their politically correct social justice politics in our faces whether we want to hear it or not.  And THAT is why more and more Americans are saying to heck with that, and changing the channel.

Clorox wipes shortage expected to continue until 2021 as coronavirus drives demand

Clorox, the world’s biggest cleaning products maker, said grocery store shelves won’t be fully stocked with its disinfecting wipes until next year, according to a report on Tuesday. The shortage was attributed to a surge in demand for many of its disinfectant products, which has increased sixfold during the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters. “Disinfecting wipes, which are the hottest commodity in the business right now, will probably take longer because it’s a very complex supply chain to make them,” Dorer said. A shortage of materials used in making the sanitizing wipes has also caused a slowdown in production. The wipes are typically made with polyester spunlace, a material currently used to make personal protective equipment such as masks and medical gowns Clorox’s expected shortage comes even though the California-based company typically holds excess supply aside for flu seasons, according to the Reuters. In May, he had expected the wipes to be restocked by the summer. “That entire supply chain is stressed. … We feel like it’s probably going to take until 2021 before we’re able to meet all the demand that we have,” Dorer said. The company reported a 21.9 percent gain in sales for the latest quarter as consumers stocked up on items due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sales in Clorox’s health and wellness segment, which includes disinfecting products in addition to vitamins, rose 33 percent. “Frankly, we thought we would be in a better position by now, but demand in Q4 exceeded our expectations,” Dorer continued during a call with analysts to discuss the company’s earnings, according to Fox 23. “We’re certainly not at all happy with our service levels for our retail customers on many products. We have a high sense of urgency on this with all hands on deck.” Linda Rendle, a 17-year veteran of the company, is set to be promoted to CEO and elected to the company’s board of directors in September. Dorer will continue serving as the board’s executive chair.

Facebook, Twitter Censor President Trump’s Fox News Interview

Facebook and Twitter censored a video clip of President Donald Trump’s recent interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends over alleged coronavirus “misinformation.” Facebook said it removed the video of the interview because President Trump claimed that children have heightened immunity to coronavirus. The Trump campaign stands by this claim, but Facebook disagrees, and used it as an excuse to prevent American citizens using the platform from hearing what their president has to say. This is despite repeated assurances from Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg that the platform will not censor politicians. In a speech at Georgetown University in October 2019, Zcukberg said “we think people should be able to hear what politicians have to say.” It seems policy has now changed at Facebook, which is now censoring what the President is saying. “This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation,” said Facebook spokesman Andy Stone in a statement attempting to justify the takedown. Twitter quickly followed Facebook’s lead, taking down the video, which had been posted by an official Trump campaign account, shortly after Facebook took action. In a statement, Courtney Parella slammed Facebook for its censorship of the President. “Social media companies are not the arbiters of truth, said Parella. According to Parella, Trump was “stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus.” Using the Chinese virus as a justification, social media platforms have over the past few months taken unprecedented steps to censor the President, his supporters, and conservative media. Last week, Facebook censored a viral video posted by Breitbart News of an organization of medical professionals, America’s Frontline Doctors, holding a press conference on coronavirus alongside Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). Other tech giants once again followed Facebook’s lead, including Twitter, which deleted Breitbart News’ post and locked it out of its account for over four days.

More of the same from liberal social media outlets Facebook, Twitter, Google, and so on..  And this despite their assurances just last week to Congress that they wouldn’t do just this.  It’s beyond outrageous.  The Justice Department (DOJ) should consider investigating these companies for election tampering…which is exactly what they’re doing.  They know they have a monopoly on the way voters get their info.  And, they’re knowingly interfering with a presidential candidate’s ability to communicate in an election year.  If that’s not election tampering, I don’t know what is.  For now, here are a couple official sites you can use to get around the liberal media.  The official Trump 2020 web site is:  http://www.donaldjtrump.com     and the official White House web site is:   www.whitehouse.gov    Of course, if you have Facebook, and want to go there knowing that they censor the sitting President of the United States..  Then, hey..  That site is:  https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/