Cut to the News Weekend - February 20-21, 2021
Published: Sat, 02/20/21
Free and independent thinkers, I have top 7 reads for you today:
An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg: Requesting explanation from the Thought Police to clarify how the Orwellian minions at Facebook decide what is 'false information' . . . Everett Piper writes an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, in response to a notification he received from Facebook, warning him that he was guilty of "repeatedly sharing false information.” Piper's professional FB page contained references to historically accurate information, such as about China's Chairman Mao Zedong's ' Red Guard,' canceling, i.e., killing purveyors of “false information”; 1993 Germany where university students burnt more than 25,000 books, including the works of authors like Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway; and German minister of Public Enlightenment, Joseph Goebbels proudly declaring that Germany was "commit[ting] to the flames the [unwanted ideas] and evil spirit of the past.” By Everett Piper Washington Times
YouTube Takes Down New Trump Interview . . . YouTube took down a newly recorded interview with former President Donald Trump in Google’s latest action against conservatives. A Newsmax spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email that the company was told the Feb. 17 interview was removed because it violated YouTube’s community guidelines. Epoch Times
I got my second COVID-19 vaccine dose — what can I really do now? . . . Inoculated at last, your antibodies abound, you may wonder what, exactly, is it safe for you to do now that you are fully vaccinated? Is it safe to have some fun yet? To find out, the author spoke with Dr. Anthony Harris, the lead COVID doctor at national health company WorkCare. Here’s what he says the growing vaccinated class (which the CDC warns you don’t qualify for until two weeks after you’ve had both doses) should and should not feel empowered to do. New York Post
For Better Health During the Pandemic, Is Two Hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps? . . . The physical and mental damage inflicted by Covid has doctors, researchers and others racing to tap into nature’s therapeutic effects. As people spend more time indoors, a mountain of scientific research says spending time in nature is critical to health and increases longevity. That means being in fresh air, under trees and away from cars and concrete—on a regular basis. And, no, the Peloton doesn’t count. Wall Street Journal
Biden's 'commonsense gun law reforms' are the lies of the anti-2nd Amendment left . . . President Joe Biden, on the anniversary of the horrible tragedy called the Parkland school shootings, promised his administration would forever protect innocent Americans from similarly senseless crimes and soon enough, with Democrats holding majorities in both House and Senate, pass “commonsense gun law reforms.” What he means by that, of course, is the end of the Second Amendment as we know it. By Cheryl Chumley Washington Times
Home intruder killed by armed 12-year-old; hero saves grandmother . . . A 12-year old boy who jumped to his grandmother’s defense during a North Carolina home invasion managed to kill one of two intruders. The two masked suspects forced their way into 73-year-old Linda Ellis’ home Saturday, shooting her in the leg she informed them there was no money on hand. It was then that the young boy used a family gun to defend his grandmother. One of the suspects, Khalil Herring, 19, died of his injuries shortly thereafter. There are no plans to charge the child for firing the weapon. Washington Times
Tips on Going Freelance During the Covid-19 Pandemic . . . As coronavirus accelerates moves to contract, gig and ‘on-demand’ work, here’s advice if you’re considering becoming your own boss. And as more people consider working from home for themselves, here are also some tips for success. Wall Street Journal
What an amazing presence of mind, quick reaction, and perfect skill/accuracy - all under extreme pressure. This 12-year old could teach many of us how to keep your cool under stress.
Working from home during COVID-19? Here’s what that means for your tax returns . . . When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy last March, about half of U.S. workers suddenly shifted to remote work. Now that tax filing season is underway, some might ask whether they'll get a tax break from working from home – or if they'll see a bigger tax bill. Unfortunately, the bottom line is many workers may not be able to take deductions for their home offices. USA Today
And here are a few more good ones, if you'd like to keep reading:
Top 10 recent examples of cancel culture . . . We’re in a sad place as a society when somebody’s firing and/or cancellation is celebrated more than their life’s work. It doesn’t matter how long ago a person made their irredeemably “offensive” comments, or how passionate their apologies are — the social media mob takes no prisoners. Below is a list of the top 10 cancellations that have occurred within the last year. Many on this list are notable names, people who will find other work and/or have the position and power to stand up to the woke crowd. Washington Times
How ‘fact-checking’ can be used as censorship . . . What can be a powerful tool in the fight against online falsehoods is often abused. When Donald Trump said last May he was “confident” that a vaccine would be ready by the end of 2020, the US president was upbraided by NBC with what has become in recent years a popular journalistic and political device: the “fact check”. “Experts say he needs a ‘miracle’ to be right,” the broadcaster declared. But it wasn’t facts that were being checked. Perhaps Trump had no evidence to justify his confidence. But to “fact-check” his views is the politicisation of a device meant to support objectivity. Fact-checking can be a powerful tool in the fight against online falsehood. But it can be used as a means of censorship if not only facts but also opinions and narratives are checked. Financial Times
When will Black History Month be … history? . . . Apart from the bizarre notion that educators should set aside one month to salute the historical achievements of one race apart from and above the historical achievements of other races, Black History Month appears to omit a lot of black history. About slavery, do our mostly left-wing educators teach that slavery was not unique to America and is as old as humankind? Are students taught that generations of civil rights leaders opposed illegal immigration and raised questions about legal immigration? After the Civil War, abolitionist Frederick Douglass implored employers to hire blacks over new immigrants. By Larry Elder Daily Signal
Physical Activity Guidelines for School-Aged Children, Adolescents, and Adults . . . The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services, recommend that children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Regular physical activity promotes health and fitness, including brain health. Adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week. Older adults, as part of their weekly physical activity, should also do multicomponent physical activity that includes balance training as well as aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. See more details on CDC website. CDC
The Era of Limbaugh . . . Florida governor Ron DeSantis spoke to Rush Limbaugh last fall at a gala dinner for the National Review Institute. The radio host was there to receive the William F. Buckley Jr. award. "He actually gave me one of the greatest compliments I've ever had," Limbaugh told his audience the next day. "He listed five great conservatives and put me in the list." DeSantis's pantheon: William F. Buckley Jr., Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Limbaugh. By Matthew Continetti Washington Free Beacon
Woke Politics are a Disaster for Minorities. The Biden Administration is on track to stiff our desperate working class . . . Bill Clinton may have been lionized as the “first black President,” and Barack Obama actually was half African, but no politician in American history owes more to African-American leadership and voters than Joe Biden. His campaign never smoldered, much less caught fire, until he was embraced by South Carolina’s heavily black Democratic electorate. African Americans paced his path also through states such as Texas, where he did far less well among whites and Latinos. By Joel Kotkin American Mind
Amid Capitol riot, FBI released files from Kennedy-era investigation into Nancy Pelosi's father . . . While Washington, D.C. was riveted Jan. 6 on events at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI quietly released a trove of files from an "urgent" — yet seemingly controlled — investigation 60 years ago into Nancy Pelosi's father. In a 1961 memo to the White House, an agent summarized allegations that Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. took payoffs from applicants to the police force, and helped to hinder the investigation and prosecution of crimes. Just the News
What’s the Best Way to Cook a Steak? . . . Anyone who has ever lifted a skillet has an opinion on the wildly subjective matter of the best way to cook a steak. Some swear by the charcoal grill. Some geek out over their sous-vide setup. We assembled a panel of top meat purveyors to answer this question. Turns out it comes down to four simple steps. Wall Street Journal