In The News (8)

Stacey Abrams on minority rule, voting rights, and the future of democracy In 2020, democracy is on the ballot.

Why Trump is suddenly replacing Pentagon officials with loyalists It seems scary, but the answer may be simpler than you think.

Ecocide: Should killing nature be a crime?

My Daughter’s New Friends (and Their Parents) Are Terribly Racist What should we do?

Google Photos is ending free unlimited storage in 2021 — so what are your options?  all photos uploaded before June 1 next year will still be available under the free unlimited storage option. ....... Google Photos, which has more than 1 billion users, has offered free unlimited storage for high-quality photos (read: compressed) for users across platforms. ........ Photos hosts more than 4 trillion pictures and videos, with users uploading 28 billion every week. It added that while media uploads would count towards your 15GB free data cap, 80 percent of users won’t reach that limit for 10 years.  ......... Luckily, the Big G said that it’ll roll out a new storage management tool for Google Photos next year, so that you can easily clear up images that might not be worthy. .......... Plans start from $1.99 per month for 100GB of storage ...... Then there’s Dropbox, which offers 2TB space for an annual plan of $9.99 per month for individuals. ....... Google Photos’ unlimited storage has been a beloved feature all across the world.

Fauci: COVID-19 won’t be pandemic ‘for a lot longer’ thanks to vaccines

Wearing a mask isn’t just about protecting other people, the CDC says. It can help you — and might prevent lockdowns. As part of a push for stronger messaging, the agency acknowledged masks work both as ‘source control and personal protection’ ........... Masks are neither completely selfless nor selfish — they help everyone. ............  the widespread wearing of face coverings can help prevent the need for national lockdowns. ...........  the more people wearing masks in the community, the greater the individual benefit. ........... “Wearing a mask blocks you from inhaling potential virus-containing particles in the air.......But most of the benefit to a mask is to block particles coming out of people who don’t know they are infected from exposing others.” ..........  Masks create a barrier that stops some of the droplets from flying outward when someone breathes, talks, sings or coughs. ......... in experimental conditions, simple fabric masks blocked about three-fourths of the particles expelled by coughing volunteers.........  masks can filter out the types of incoming particles able to carry virus .......... personal protection for the mask-wearer is not absolute. “The real benefit is when all of us do it, that’s how we bring down the viral load of covid-19 in communities”  .............  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in late June putting on a mask was the “single most important thing you can do” until vaccines were available. ......... conservatives are strongly motivated by a personal responsibility to care for themselves. ...............  laboratory, epidemiological and population-based studies all showed “very substantial benefits” of mask-wearing .............. science suggests face coverings “of higher thread count, more than one layer, and those that employ ‘electrostatic filtration’ like surgical masks” provide the best protection. ............ the dose of virus that people are exposed to may impact the seriousness of disease ..............  face coverings could filter enough droplets to lead to asymptomatic or mild illness in some cases — and lead to some immunity.