Truck-or-Treat Halloween Spooktacular for Kids at YMCA in Koreatown, LA

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The Anderson Munger YMCA Truck-or-Treat Halloween Spooktacular will be held between 5:30 to 8:00 PM on October 29, with timed entry at 5:30 PM, 6:20 PM, and 7:10 PM. The event is to provide underserved family with a free and safe experience. The events will include experiences like trunk-or-treat, carnival games, costume parade, pumpkin carving contest and thriller dance.

YMCA will be holding the event with the help of local Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and two local restaurants.

Those interested should go to:

Anderson Munger Family YMCA in Koreatown, located at 4301 W. 3rd Street, LA 90020. Anyone interested should contact Rae Jin, the executive director of the Anderson Munger YMCA.

Vaccinated Fill Hospitals in the UK: Why?

Unlike the U.S. where some of the population is still very much against vaccination for covid purposes, the U.K. has been highly successful in getting most of its population vaccinated against Covid-19; almost 80 percent of UK citizens aged 12 and older. With this, Covid-19 deaths are at about 10 percent of previous waves (for example, 120 deaths instead of 1,200), although people may just as well be susceptible to catching Covid-19.

While the vaccines are highly effective against much of Covid-19, it is not a complete protection, as the vaccines are only 95% effective at preventing hospitalization and death from the delta variant, which is the most common variant in the UK.

While it is true that more vaccinated people are counted at the hospital than those that are not, this is missing a key feature, which is that most of the population IS vaccinated. Therefore, it stands to show that in any given population, if delta variant finds a footing, those entering the hospital will likely be vaccinated rather than not, simply due to the number of people that are vaccinated.

When the true dataset is collected, the Public Health England Covid-19 vaccine surveillance report showed that especially in the population that is older than 80 years of age, those unvaccinated likely died at 160 persons per 100,000 within 28 days of positive Covid-19 test vs. less than 60 persons per 100,000 for those vaccinated.

The key for vaccinations is not hospitalization, but rather, death.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Sudanese Democracy in Danger: Military Coup Detains PM and Dissolves Government

On Monday, the Sudanese military detained the prime minister, dissolved the government, and declared a state of emergency. It had only been two years since the Sudanese citizens marched to overthrow the longtime dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir around two years ago.

The Biden administration plans to halt the $700 million bilateral assistance to Sudan. The U.S. is calling for the military to release civilian leaders, restore civilian control, and to not use violence against protesters.

The coup came days after the U.S. envoy to the region met with military leaders and warned them the American support was contingent upon Sudan’s agreement to give power to civilian rule.

Top military leader, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appeared on state television to announce new measures but did not specifically mention the detention of the prime minister, the suspension of the government. He also didn’t talk of the transition to a fully civilian government. He did mention that the military was still on target for democratic elections by mid-2023.

However, Sudanese public is moving. Crowds are gathering in the streets in protest. Locals have reported security forces reacting to the protesters with batons and live ammunition. Many are protesting to the two and half year of democratic progress that might disappear with this takeover.

Since Bashir’s ousting, Sudan has been struggling between a balance of civilian-military power sharing, although just last month, pro-Bashir elements in the army attempted an ultimately failed coup. Sudan’s Information Ministry, which is run by civilians, has issued statement calling for the people to defend their revolution,

Sudan’s current political coalition, led by anti-Bashir forces, had made progress with the westsern governments to normalize diplomatic and economic relations after years of sanctions prior to the military overthrow on Monday.

Another alarming issue is that while the civilian government of Sudan has authorized handing Bashir over from the Sudanese jail to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the military had blocked the move.

Upcoming days will be important for the future of Sudan, quite indeed.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Had enough of Covid-19? Nipah is Next.

As the world continues to struggle with the Covid virus (delta variant this year), the scientists are now warning of a resurgence of a different virus.

Although first discovered in 1980s, it first entered human culture in 1998, it arrived in central Malaysia by air, inside furry bats that lived on the fruit trees swaying over pig farms. But The bats dropped some of their half-consumed meals, which the pigs consumed. Then, the pigs coughed and transferred it to the pig workers.

Within 8 months, 105 Malaysians or about 40 percent of those infected, died of the virus, now dubbed Nipah. It caused fevers, brain inflammation, and comas.

It was then traced back to bats for disease investigation. Nipah erupts annually in Bangladesh, killing people at even greater rate as the country increased industrialization. Sometimes, the virus even broke out in India.

This week, the WHO identified Nipah as the Disease X that could potentially cause human epidemics. Up to 75 percent of new infectious diseases impacting humans right now are related to wild animal source, as human population gets closer to wildlife and raise livestock; the livestock becoming the link between wildlife and humans in transferring dangerous diseases.

Initially, the Nipah outbreak had been linked to mosquitoes, so mosquitoes were exterminated; however, pigs were continuously exported, and those outside of Malaysia got sick. Eventually, the scientists realized they’d found a new paramyxovirus that affected the pigs.

When the investigators arrived in Malaysia, the local folks explained the fearful sound of pigs coughing, dubbed “one-mile barking cough” that one could hear a mile away, coming closer and closer to one’s own piggery, before one would also get sick.

To deal with this outbreak, the Malaysian government performed a massive culling, killing one million pigs that spring; it did stop the disease temporarily. However, ultimately, as humans get closer to wild habitats and wildlife, this is only a higher possibility every year. Recently, scientists revealed that more than 47,000 wild animals were sold in markets in Wuhan, China, in the two years prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Bats unlike other mammals do not have struggle with these quite horrific viruses, which scientists believe is due to their ability to fly, which suppresses inflammation.

Unlike other animals, bats being mammal can pose a problem for other mammals, such as pigs, dogs, and even humans due to the genetic similarity, making humans vulnerable.

Malaysia is therefore, very alert about Covid-19 because they don’t want to deal with Nipah like outbreak again.

Nipah does not yet have a vaccine or treatment.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Shortage is due to American Consumerism, not Supply Chain

Business Insider reported that despite the reports that shortages in supplies had been causing shortages on the shelves, this is actually not true: in fact, Americans have simply been purchasing more.

US imports have been at record highs at ports. National Retail Federation reported that in fact, without shortages, Americans would likely spend even more money to purchase goods.

Americans are struggling to obtain even the simplest goods, such as toilet papers, paper towels, milk, toys, and even cars.

However, ultimately, America being short of everything claim is inadequate to explain the true nature of the situation, which is that America has imported more in the past 8 months.

Country’s inventory to sales ratio shows a 10-year low, indicating that in fact, America is low on “stuff.” However, Port of Los Angeles reported at 30% uptick in incoming cargo in the first nine months of the year, although most of these items are nonfood goods. Port of Charleston, South Carolina, has seen record breaking cargo, so much so that warehouse space is “effectively sold out.”

In the first nine months of 2021, retail sales were up 14.5% over the same period in 2020. Most retailers now believe that consumer spending power is stronger than ever, and the trend should be expected to continue.

True shortages do exist. Semiconductor supply will likely be lagging behind demand for years; furniture makers are short on foam.

However, most consumer goods are not actually facing shortages. Instead, there are full warehouses, jammed ports. and record high transportation prices. Options are limited; either clear away the backlog container by container, or block up the actual supply chain by preventing further clogging by the supplier.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Unknown Chemical at One of the Largest Poultry Plant has People Quitting

Mountaire Farms poultry plant in Robeson County, North Carolina is currently seeing high number of people quitting, and it isn’t the Coronavirus.

Instead, people have been complaining of a new unknown chemical that they’d begun smelling since about 4 months ago. The chemical is unidentified, but the workers have complained that it causes a sharp, suffocating kind of odor that seems like it is “invading your brain,” according to a worker at the plant.

The chemical is reported to be stinging to the eyes and throat, as well as burning in the nasal cavity. Many are now struggling with headaches, sneezes, as well as mucus secretion and sore throat. Some workers have suggested that it is in the water with the chickens because when the mist gets into the eyes is when it stings like acid.

Poultry plants are considered to be inherently dangerous workplaces which can lower some liability, OSHA still requires the plants to properly manage risks associated with chemical use which is needed to clean and prepare massive amount of chicken carcasses every day. After the bird is slaughtered, its feathers and internals removed, the remaining meat is washed, inspected, and chilled for shipping later. Chicken is usually washed with chlorine and other disinfectants to reduce pathogens like salmonella and campylobacter, along with Peracetic acid, which is used to kill or inhibit pathogen growth.

The washing process usually involves spraying chemicals either as spray or wash, or as part of water-chilling process to lower temperature. This procedure was banned by the EU in 1997 and has led to end of importation of chicken to Europe, but it is still fine in the U.S.

The Mountaire Farms’ Lumber Bridge plant has regularly processed 540,000 chickens a day. In 2009, a fatal ammonia gas leak killed one and injured three workers. The state regulators cited the company with 20 workplace violations. In 2015, the plant was implicated with salmonella outbreak in two states, which led to recall of 1.7 million pounds of chicken.

North Carolina is ranked as the worst in the nation for wage polices, worker protections, and right to organize according to OxFam America.

The new chemical remains unidentified.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

The fired FBI official McCabe Wins Retirement Benefits and Back Pay

 

The former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe won the lawsuit to receive his retirement benefits and backpay against the federal government on Thursday. It is a huge victory for the government employees fired by former president Trump with minimal notice.

According to NPR, former president Trump had fired many government officials during his term, and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was one of them. Andrew McCabe was fired only hours before his retirement, and it was on his 50th birthday in 2018. Andrew McCabe filed a civil lawsuit and the Justice Department has agreed to restore full law enforcement benefits and provide attorney fees for him.

He has argued that his ouster was a result of a “years-long public vendetta” by former president Trump.”I think the message that you get loud and clear from the terms of the settlement is that this never should have happened,” McCabe said. “It feels like complete vindication because that’s what it is.”

Andrew McCabe worked 21 years in service at the Bureau. McCabe can return to work if he wants. He will get all his retirement benefits and back pay as well from this settlement. One of McCabe’s attorneys at the time said a senior Justice Department official told him the department was making things up as it went along.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

3% of Workforce Quit in August

According to Washington Post, job quitters continue to rise to record highs. In August, 4.3 million people quit jobs, which is about 2.9 to 3 percent of the workforce, as released by data from the Labor Department.

Some of the attributable reasons include less willingness to accommodate inconvenient hours and poor compensation, as well as quitting to find better opportunities. There were 10.4 million job openings by end of August.

Usually, labor market shifts indicate confident workers willing to risk security of the current job for new opportunity; however, Covid times have been more unpredictable than ever. Businesses have reported difficulty finding and retaining qualified employees, while others have succeeded at retention through increased pay and compensation.

Workers who lost their jobs earlier in the pandemic, might have to retrain and add skills for new careers, as those who might be displeased with low-paying jobs may find new more desirable jobs as long as they obtain the new skills necessary.

For example, almost 900,000 workers in restaurant, bars, and hotels quit, 721,000 from retail, 706,000 in professional business services, and 534,000 from health care and social assistance have left in August. In almost every sector, people are quitting, with those at the lowest wage service the most. As job openings outnumber unemployed workers, people are able to reevaluate and seek out what they might want to do instead.

While there is no specified reason for the continued number of quitting in various industries, experts are pointing to loss of confidence in the jobs coupled with stronger bargaining positions than the past.

In fact, the pandemic has brought significant disruption to the industry, with many folks feeling unappreciated by management and finding better pastures. People are now looking to find opportunities that serve them best, such as jobs that provide remote and flexible work, compensation and bonus packages, and even wider range of positions and opportunities for moving up.

In fact, Republican efforts of lessening the benefits of federal unemployment to increase employment has not been successful, as only about 194,000 jobs were added despite the number of openings.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Federal Judge Blocks 6-Week Abortion Ban in Texas

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Pitman granted the Biden administration’s request to temporarily halt the law which allows anyone to sue any medical provider or those involved in assisting anyone obtain an abortion if the fetus has a heartbeat detected, which can be early as 6 weeks. Most women are not even aware that they are pregnant at this stage of the pregnancy.

The judge called out Texas officials for creating such a law that “deprive citizens of significant and well-established constitutional right.”

As a result of this ruling, Texas’ largest abortion providers are planning to resume abortion services as soon as possible for patients up to 18 weeks into pregnancy.

Although dozens of states have passed similar laws since the inception by Texas, Federal judges have cited Roe v. Wade which guarantees the right to abortion before viability, which is usually 22-24 weeks.

Texas’ law was crafted to avoid judicial review, by allowing private individuals to take civil action against anyone helping another terminate a pregnancy after the 6-week mark.

Texas maintains that the Federal court had no jurisdiction as the actors engaged in suing abortion providers are private citizens rather than state actors; however, pro-choice groups and U.S. Attorney General are thrilled to hear of the news.

State of Texas is likely to appeal the decision.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Biden Wants ANY transfers over $600 to be Reported to the IRS

In a rulemaking proposal, the Department of Treasury supported by the Biden administration, is seeking to have any transfers over $600 be reported to the IRS. The purpose is meant to improve tax compliance. Now, the banks would be forced to report all transactional information as long as the transaction is more than $600; however, the bank would not be forced or required to identify the individuals even if the bank would still need to provide all of the transactional information.

The supporters of this rulemaking claim that the banks and financial services people use to transfer money already collect more than the information being requested by the Government; however, banks and those suspicious of the Government’s motives are adamantly opposed to the collection of this data.

This rulemaking comes as a result of a finding by the IRS that it was unable to account for $166 billion per year that are owed by businesses (not counting large corporations) and taxes actually paid.

It is interesting that the Government did not yet reveal how much discrepancy exists between the accounting of paid taxes for large corporations.

The treasury’s deputy assistant secretary for economic policy defended the small amount as making the tax system more equitable and efficient; however, those who are likely going to be targets of this transfer policy, specifically those who operate smaller businesses, will not see it this way.

This policy is projected to generate $460 billion over a decade, which would go to covering the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.

If approved, the rulemaking will become policy effective December 2022.

While the U.S. government claims that it is attempting to make the system more equitable, many see it as likely affecting those earning lower incomes disproportionately, as the amount that would trigger reporting to the IRS is at a threshold of $600.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.