Tuesday, May 21

Tag: first

A First-Century Roman Tyrant Is Probably Linked To The Mark Of The Beast – But No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not
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IMPACT

A First-Century Roman Tyrant Is Probably Linked To The Mark Of The Beast – But No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not

The mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has led to concerns from some people that can be described as rational: What are the side effects? How effective will the shot be? And then there are those who are worried that the vaccine will brand people with the “mark of the beast” as described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation. A medieval tapestry, which shows John, the Dragon and the Beast of the Sea. Kimon Berlin, user:Gribeco, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA The mark of the beast – a cryptic mark in Revelation which indicates allegiance to Satan – has been invoked by fringe Christian figures throughout the pandemic in reference to what they deem to be the evil of masks and vaccines. It ranges from the seemingly metaphorical likening of vaccine passports by a Republican House representa...
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Survivors, First Responders And Millions Of Others Are Left With Emotional And Mental Scars By Mass Shootings
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HEALTH & WELLNESS, SOCIETY

Survivors, First Responders And Millions Of Others Are Left With Emotional And Mental Scars By Mass Shootings

The deadly shootings of eight people in Atlanta on March 16 and 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22 brought heartache and grief to the families and friends of the victims. These events also take a toll on others, including those who witnessed the shooting, first responders, people who were nearby – and even those who heard about the shooting in the media. I am a trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too. First, the immediate survivors Like other animals, we humans get stressed or terrified when exposed to a dangerous event. The extent of that stress or fear can vary. Survivors of a shooting may want to avoid the neighborhood where the s...
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I Think Big Tech Should Be Left Alone – And I’m A First Amendment Scholar
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BUSINESS

I Think Big Tech Should Be Left Alone – And I’m A First Amendment Scholar

Twitter’s banning of Trump – an action also taken by other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat – has opened a fierce debate about freedom of expression and who, if anyone, should control it in the United States. I’ve written and taught about this fundamental issue for decades. I’m a staunch proponent of the First Amendment. Yet I’m perfectly OK with Trump’s ban, for reasons legal, philosophical and moral. The ‘spirit’ of the First Amendment To begin, it’s important to point out what kind of freedom of expression the First Amendment and its extension to local government via the Fourteenth Amendment protect. The Supreme Court, through various decisions, has ruled that the government cannot restrict speech, the press and other forms of communications ...
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Biden Will Find It Hard To Undo Trump’s Costly ‘America First’ Trade Policy – Here’s Why
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POLITICS

Biden Will Find It Hard To Undo Trump’s Costly ‘America First’ Trade Policy – Here’s Why

Since becoming president-elect, Joe Biden has signaled that restoring America’s leadership on the world stage is among his highest priorities – an intention aptly demonstrated by his Cabinet picks. Biden’s nominees are “ready to lead the world, not retreat from it,” he said on Nov. 24. “America is back.” Perhaps nowhere is this return more urgent than in trade policy, a topic I follow closely as a scholar of international political economy. Over the past four years, President Donald Trump has ripped up trade deals, launched damaging trade wars and gunked up the workings of international trade organizations. All of this has ceded global economic leadership to China, as we can see from the trade negotiations Beijing recently oversaw with 14 other Asian nations. In November, the countries ...
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The First Black Person To Head The NAACP A Century Ago, James Weldon Johnson
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SOCIAL JUSTICE, VIDEO REELS

The First Black Person To Head The NAACP A Century Ago, James Weldon Johnson

In this moment of national racial reckoning, many Americans are taking time to learn about chapters in U.S. history left out of their school texbooks. The early years of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights group that initially coalesced around a commitment to end the brutal practice of lynching in the United States, is worth remembering now. An interracial group of women and men founded the group that would soon become known as the NAACP in 1909. A coalition of white journalists, lawyers and progressive reformers led the effort. It would take another 11 years until, in 1920, James Weldon Johnson became the first Black person to formally serve as its top official. As I explain in my forthcoming book “Nonviolence Before King: The Politics of Being...
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Here’s What To Consider First If You Want To Document A Protest
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Journalism

Here’s What To Consider First If You Want To Document A Protest

Seasoned community journalists have some words of wisdom before you decide to livestream your next protest. Often working with just their phones, community journalists can shine light on movements, expose police brutality, and help protect activists from getting “disappeared” by an authoritarian government. At the same time, the wrong tweet—or especially livestream—can leave people in the street exposed to increased police surveillance. From “snatch and grab” arrests in unmarked vans, to raids on the homes of perceived organizers, activists have good reason to be concerned. From Portland, Oregon, to Philadelphia, law enforcement acknowledge using livestreams and other social media to gather evidence. As activists begin to face serious charges from the most recent wave of protests, there’...
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A Conspiracy Of Silence Led By Baseball’s First Commissioner To Preserve The Color Line
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Journalism

A Conspiracy Of Silence Led By Baseball’s First Commissioner To Preserve The Color Line

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America recently announced that it would remove former Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name from the plaques awarded to the American and National League MVPs. The decision came after a number of former MVPs, including Black award winners Barry Larkin and Terry Pendleton, voiced their displeasure with their plaques being named for Landis, who kept the game segregated during the 24 years he served as commissioner from 1920 until his death in 1944. The Brooklyn Dodgers ended the color line when they signed Jackie Robinson to a contract in October 1945, less than a year after Landis’ death. Landis has had his defenders over the years. In the past, essayist David Kaiser, baseball historian Norman Macht, Landis biographer David P...
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Video: Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine first?
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COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Video: Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine first?

A committee of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is readying a report with recommendations for equitable distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. In this Q&A, bioethicist Dr. Nicole Hassoun of Binghamton University breaks down the elements in the recently published draft report from the committee and explains the key questions around vaccine distribution. Why is there a need for guidelines on how to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine? It’s clear that there won’t be enough vaccines for everybody initially. It just takes a long time to get 300 million doses of vaccine made, and if we’re looking at November as a potential date for a new vaccine, then people start thinking about, “Well, what are we going to do when there’s not enough?” And that’s where this proposal and o...
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First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights
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SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

On May 30, 2020, millions of Americans watched the inaugural SpaceX Crew Dragon launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. This mission marked two significant events: First, the return of launch to orbit capability for human spaceflight from the United States. Secondly, it successfully demonstrated private sector capability to build and operate a launch vehicle for human spaceflight. While SpaceX may be the first private space company to accomplish this, it is not alone. Boeing’s Starliner and Lockheed’s Orion capsule are also being developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and training has begun for safety operations on the spacecraft. As an aerospace lawyer working and teaching on human spaceflight law and policy for over a decade, I have a professional and personal...
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How the Hubble Space Telescope opened our eyes to the first galaxies of the universe
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TECHNOLOGY

How the Hubble Space Telescope opened our eyes to the first galaxies of the universe

How the Hubble Space Telescope opened our eyes to the first galaxies of the universe The launch of Hubble Space Telescope on April 24, 1990. This photo captures the first time that there were shuttles on both pad 39a and 39b. NASA   The Hubble Space Telescope launched on the 24th of April, 30 years ago. It’s an impressive milestone especially as its expected lifespan was just 10 years. One of the primary reasons for the Hubble telescope’s longevity is that it can be serviced and improved with new observational instruments through Space Shuttle visits. When Hubble, or HST, first launched, its instruments could observe ultraviolet light with wavelengths shorter than the eye can see, as well as optical light with wavelengths visible to humans. A maintenance mission in 1997 added an in...
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