You can display the Full post on your Blog Page
Old Ironsides gave a 21-gun salute on Presidents’ Day that popped everyone’s ears.
President George Washington named the USS Constitution after the document that defines our nation.
USS Constitution was undefeated in battle and destroyed or captured 33 opponents. The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs
were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Every year in Sacramento legislators submit hundreds to thousands of bills for consideration. One such bill currently submitted is AB315. In California our legislators could spend their time addressing any number of so many clearly evident problems – homelessness, crime and public safety, wildfires, energy issues, skyrocketing costs of living, etc. – so many issues that are driving residents from this state. Instead, though, they have chosen to manufacture a problem that doesn’t exist. They have chosen to target, discriminate, misrepresent, and patently assert factually incorrect information about certain community clinics licensed by the California Department of Public Health. Clinics that the data shows actually do a better job than the ones being favored by these same Sacramento politicians.
However, facts and rigorous, analytical studies do not matter to them – not if it goes against their narrative. If it contradicts their cult-like obsession to target these certain clinics whose only aim is to offer hope, help, and compassion for those who come through their doors as they navigate what might be difficult, stressful, or uncertain time. This help comes in the form of free services such as pregnancy tests, limited ultrasounds, peer mentorship, classes, and even material goods such diapers, baby hygiene items and clothes, along with connections to a wide array of other community resources. What isn’t offered by these clinics are abortion services, and because they do not perform or refer for terminations, they are vilified by politicians who believe a clinic must do so to garner their support.
In a state with as many problems as California, wouldn’t it seem as though politicians have better bills to write and more important things for the California State Legislature to concern itself than authorizing “the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney to file for injunctive relief or seek a civil penalty” or to “authorize a private right of action seeking injunctive relief, a monetary penalty of at least $1,000” against these clinics?
Apparently, these politicians must think that prosecutorial backlog has been eliminated, crime eradicated, and public safety ensured. Or perhaps because they’re without excuse for the real failures plaguing the state that they think congesting court calendars with ludicrous lawsuits will serve to misdirect the people’s attention away from the real issues on which they should be concerned.
In short, what these legislators are doing is really a near inconceivable irony. The “Sacramento elite” reject giving women a choice to obtain important information to consider before making an irreversible decision and to ascertain possible alternatives to abortion just because it challenges the preconceived notions of these politicians.
Legislators use women as their bargaining chip in claims they make, all while ignoring the fact that twice as many women as men experience depression the largest abortion mental health study of over 877,000 women conducted by the British Journal of Psychiatry has shown that, “Women who had undergone an abortion experienced an 81% increased risk of mental health problems, and nearly 10% of the incidence of mental health problems was shown to be attributable to abortion.” Not to mention that this is taking place all while there are record high cases of anxiety, depression, and despair with 75% of Generation Z saying that they need more emotional support.
In this world of great need, this is nearly the equivalent of supporting the suing of soup kitchens because they don’t offer the flavor of soup that someone wants. Meanwhile, state-run programs, such as the EDD, have resulted in billions of dollars in fraud, yet instead of fixing what’s fouled up in government, they attack clinics offering hope and help. Crazy!
While George Washington’s actual birthday is Feb. 22, large crowds gathered at his estate outside Alexandria, Virginia, to celebrate and learn a little more about the nation’s first president.
As part of the ceremonies, visitors learned about one thing Gen. Washington was very familiar with — musket fire.
Mount Vernon’s bowling green was marched upon by the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, who demonstrated 18th century battlefield tactics, including a bayonet charge.
The Old Guard also assisted by laying the annual ceremonial wreath at Washington’s tomb located on the expansive Potomac-backed estate.
While many enjoyed the day’s free entrance, most wished to learn a little more about the nation’s first president.
“We really enjoyed going inside the house and just lying on the back of the lawn and overseeing the Potomac. It was beautiful,” one visitor, who was accompanied by his young daughter, told WTOP.
Matt Briney, the vice president of media and communications at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, said the location was primed to celebrate the president’s 291st Birthday, especially since the previous two years were affected by COVID precautions.
“I think it’s a wonderful way to come out here, celebrate at Mount Vernon, learn a little bit more about the man and try to emulate a little bit of his life,” said Briney.
Staff at Mount Vernon call the estate George Washington’s autobiography. It’s a place where you will learn lesser-known facts about the first president, such as his excellent skills as a horseman and as a dancer.
The most important lesson about the man that Briney and the estate hoped visitors took away from the day was Washington’s enduring example of handing over power.
“What he really gave to the world was the act of giving up power… After the Revolutionary War, he stepped aside, resigned his commission return to private life,” Briney told WTOP. “And then, during the presidency after his second term, he gave up power establishing that tradition that there would be no king for America.”
He added, “I think these are the things that are very unique when you look at other countries and republics around the world and their revolutions sometimes lead to a dictatorship or a king for life.”
But what does Washington think about all the hoopla and celebrating of him and other presidents?
“It is most humbling, I hope to be worthy of such approbation. But I cannot imagine that there’s any man who would,” Washington told WTOP. (OK, it was actually a reenactor but the resemblance was uncanny). “We are simply citizens who have been elevated to office. We are not kings, we are not emperors and we are certainly not gods.”
“Washington” was also on site posing with visitors for self-portraits. He gave them words of advice from his presidential experience:
“What is most important is that one always try to do what is right,” he said. “Whether you will succeed or fail is not of consequence. What matters is that you tried to do what is correct.”
Source
NEW YORK CITY – “Natural immunity” granted by previous COVID-19 cases can provide protection that is comparable to Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccines, according to a new study that was released last week.
The study, entitled “Past SARS-CoV-2 infection protection against re-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” was conducted by a group of researchers that make up the COVID-19 Forecasting Team, and was published in The Lancet on February 16.
Researchers analyzed a total of 65 studies across 19 countries.
Infection by the original strain of COVID-19 – as well as the alpha, beta and delta variants – yielded the most protection from reinfection, which remained at over 78 percent effective 40 weeks later.
However, the protection granted by “natural immunity” was less robust against the omicron BA.1 variant, which dropped to 36.1 percent effectiveness 40 weeks after infection.
Protection against severe cases of COVID-19 that could result in hospitalization or death also enjoyed enhanced protection – even against omicron variants – of 78 percent or more 40 weeks later.
The level of protection did decline over time, however, with effectiveness dropping the fastest against the omicron variant.
The study indicates that “natural immunity” granted by previous COVID infection offers comparable protection to two doses of mRNA vaccines.
“This finding also has important implications for the design of policies that restrict access to travel or venues or require vaccination for workers,” the study says. “It supports the idea that those with a documented infection should be treated similarly to those who have been fully vaccinated with high-quality vaccines.”