Tag Archives: tired

Health

Slow response to monkeypox exposes ‘tired, overworked’ US health agencies | Monkeypox

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A “slow and bureaucratic” response that has seen monkeypox spread rapidly across the US – with more than a thousand cases in New York City alone – reveals just how badly battered local health agencies have been since the Covid pandemic, advocates have said.

Once a rare African virus, monkeypox has taken hold amid the ragged patchwork of city, county, state and federal agencies that make up the US public health infrastructure.

“Unfortunately, delayed actions mean monkeypox has spread within the gay community and among other men who have sex with men,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.

“This outbreak has grown to be a public health crisis in America. We are still in a very chaotic situation at the state and local level with an organized response.”

As an explanation for the chaos, many observers point to how Covid reshaped the landscape for public health officials. Once considered neutral arbiters of information, many health officials were politically attacked following unpopular mask and vaccination policies.

Across the country, public health officials were harassed, threatened, fired or simply felt burned out and quit. The situation was not helped as resources that had once been devoted to things like tracking communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, or running routine vaccination clinics, were suddenly diverted to Covid-19.

Sexual health clinics have struggled, too, as testing and staff resources were devoted to Covid-19, hurting organizations that had already suffered years of underfunding.

The result has been worse health outcomes for many basic public health services: routine vaccinations for children have fallen; overdose deaths have exploded; and the US has posted a record-high rate of sexually transmitted infections for the sixth year running.

As monkeypox has spread, the Biden administration has attempted to respond by releasing about 1.1m vaccines and ramping up testing capacity, which has grown from about 6,000 to 80,000 per week. The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency this week, and the US could follow suit by declaring monkeypox a national public health emergency, which would release more resources to local agencies.

“The system is tired, it’s overworked, it’s underpaid, it’s understaffed,” said Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. “All the same issues that plagued us during the pandemic are still with us and haven’t gone away.

“What’s added to it, with monkeypox and beyond, is that we also have a workforce that has documented mental health trauma after the pandemic.”

Public health advocates want the president and Congress to allocate more funds to respond to the outbreak, and for sexual health clinics in general. Public facilities have proven to be the first line of defense with monkeypox, even as federal prevention funding for such work has fallen 41% since 2003.

“Local sexual health providers are being asked to respond to monkeypox on top of an already out-of-control STI epidemic in America,” said Harvey. “We are at the breaking point: we need the Biden administration and Congress to immediately fund STI public health programs and clinical services.”

Although anyone can catch monkeypox, the virus has primarily affected men who have sex with men. Sexual health clinics have often been frontline responders to the outbreak because of how monkeypox can present its symptoms, with lesions around the genitals and the anus – though sex is just one way monkeypox can spread. Any close contact with an infected person can spread the disease, including touching, kissing and cuddling, as well as sharing glasses, utensils, bedding and towels.

Although the virus, which belongs to the same family as smallpox, is rarely fatal, symptoms can be excruciating, with painful lesions and flu-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 10% of people are reportedly requiring hospitalization, , and many are showing up in emergency departments because of severe pain, said Freeman.

The situation is exacerbated because testing for monkeypox is limited. There is no home test and results can take days. There is, however, a vaccine, for which people at heightened risk may be eligible; they may also qualify for treatment with the drug tecovirimat, sold as TPOXX. But the barriers are significant, obtaining it can be tricky, and tecovirimat – usually reserved for people with severe symptoms – must be requested by doctors from the government’s national strategic national stockpile, which involves significant paperwork.

Moreover, people without insurance probably lack access to both vaccine and drug, said Freeman; about 12.7% of the LGBTQ+ community lacks health insurance compared with 11.4% of the general population, according to an analysis by federal officials. Even if you do have insurance, there are hurdles baked into the US healthcare system, such as trying to navigate between urgent care clinics, primary care providers and state health departments.

Freeman recounted a story she about a local health department that asked its state for information about a monkeypox outbreak. The state replied to check with the CDC; the CDC then redirected local officials back to the state.

“There’s a lot of finger-pointing going on here,” she said. “We should have learned. We should know more now than we knew three years ago from our Covid response [about] what we need to do here.”

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World

Tired Pope Francis says he needs to pull back on travel or possibly retire

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Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his weeklong Canadian pilgrimage was “a bit of a test” that showed he needs to slow down and one day possibly retire.

Speaking to reporters while traveling home from northern Nunavut, the 85-year-old Francis stressed that he hadn’t thought about resigning but said “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a pope stepping down.

“It’s not strange. It’s not a catastrophe. You can change the pope,” he said while sitting in an airplane wheelchair during a 45-minute news conference.

Francis said that while he hadn’t considered resigning until now, he realizes he has to at least slow down.

Pope Francis looks on during a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after visiting Canada on July 29, 2022. 

GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/POOL/AFP/Getty Images


“I think at my age and with these limitations, I have to save (my energy) to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, think about the possibility of stepping aside,” he said.

Francis was peppered with questions about the future of his pontificate following the first trip in which he used a wheelchair, walker and cane to get around, sharply limiting his program and ability to mingle with crowds.

He strained his right knee ligaments earlier this year, and continuing laser and magnetic therapy forced him to cancel a trip to Africa that was scheduled for the first week of July.

The Canada trip was difficult, and featured several moments when Francis was clearly in pain as he maneuvered getting up and down from chairs.

At the end of his six-day tour, he appeared in good spirits and energetic, despite a long day traveling to the edge of the Arctic on Friday to again apologize to Indigenous peoples for the injustices they suffered in Canada’s church-run residential schools.

Francis ruled out having surgery on his knee, saying it would not necessarily help and noting “there are still traces” from the effects of having undergone more than six hours of anesthesia in July 2021 to remove 13 inches of his large intestine.

“I’ll try to continue to do the trips and be close to people because I think it’s a way of servicing, being close. But more than this, I can’t say,” he said Saturday.

In other comments aboard the papal plane, Francis agreed that the attempt to eliminate Indigenous culture in Canada through a church-run residential school system amounted to a cultural “genocide.”

Francis said he didn’t use the term during his Canada trip because it didn’t come to mind. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined in 2015 that the forced removal of Indigenous children from their homes and placement in church-run residential schools to assimilate them into Christian, Canadian constituted a “cultural genocide.”

“It’s true I didn’t use the word because it didn’t come to mind, but I described genocide, no?” Francis said. “I apologized, I asked forgiveness for this work, which was genocide.”

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Sports

Steve Kerr: ‘I’m tired of the moments of silence,’ says Warriors coach as he makes powerful plea against gun violence

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Kerr refused to speak about basketball ahead of Game 4 of the Warriors’ series against the Dallas Mavericks, instead raising his voice as he railed against gun violence in the wake of Tuesday’s shooting.

“In the last 10 days, we’ve had elderly Black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we’ve had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, now we have children murdered at school,” Kerr told reporters at the start of the press conference.

“When are we going to do something? I’m tired. I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there … I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough.

“There’s 50 Senators right now who refuse to vote on H.R. 8, which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple years ago. It’s been sitting there for two years. There’s a reason they won’t vote on it: to hold onto power.”

Last year, the House passed H.R. 8 to expand background checks on all commercial gun sales — the first congressional move on significant gun control since the Democrats won the White House.
Currently, background checks are not required for gun sales and transfers by unlicensed and private sellers.

“I’m fed up. I’ve had enough,” Kerr, whose father was serving as the president of the American University of Beirut when he was assassinated by gunmen in 1984, continued.

“We’re going to play the game tonight. But I want every person here, every person listening to this, to think about your own child or grandchild, mother or father, sister, brother. How would you feel if this happened to you today?”

Tuesday’s shooting by a lone, 18-year-old gunman, who was killed by law enforcement, was the second mass shooting in the US in less than two weeks after a different 18-year-old gunman trafficking in White supremacist theories killed 10 Black Americans in Buffalo.

Ahead of Tuesday’s game in Dallas, which was preceded by a moment of silence, Warriors guard Damion Lee joined Kerr in calling for gun reform.

“It’s just sad,” Lee told reporters. “Obviously, everyone saw Steve’s pregame presser. Those are my exact same sentiments. It’s sad the world that we live in. We need to reform that.

“Guns shouldn’t be as easily accessible. Like, it’s easier to get a gun than baby formula right now. That’s unbelievable in this country that we live in.”

The NBA said in a statement that it is “devastated by the horrific shooting that took place today in Uvalde, Texas,” while Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said ahead of the game that his team would play “with heavy hearts.”

“We’re going to try to play the game. We have no choice. The game is not going to be canceled. But we have to find a way to be pro, find a way to win and move forward,” said Kidd.

“But the news of what’s happening, not just here in Texas but throughout our country, is sad.”

The Mavs won the game 119-109 and trail the Warriors 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.

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Technology

Dead Space Remake: Isaac’s Dialogue Will Change Based on How Tired He Is

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EA Motive has just completed another developer update for the upcoming remake of Dead Space. Aside from showing off some new early footage, the latest developer livestream focused a lot on the audio improvements, including how Isaac’s dialogue can vary depending on how tired he is.

During today’s livestream, the developers announced a new system titled “A.L.I.V.E.,” which E.A. Motive says will encompass “all components of Isaac’s breathing and heart rate, vocal excursions, and dialogue influenced by a variety of driving gameplay features.”

While elaborating further on A.L.I.V.E., the studio broke down what each letter in the acronym stood for: Adrenaline, Limbic System Response, Intelligent Dialog, Vitals, and Exertions. While each up makes up a component, the most interesting part of the new system is the “Intelligent Dialog,” in which E.A. Motive explains that Isaac’s scripted dialogue scenes will include three variations of each line “based on his current state.”

The three variations: Normal, Fatigued, and Injured, each has drastically different ways Isaac delivers dialogue in-game as the developer demonstrated stream. As you’d expect, each variation is distinct, which helps reflect the state Isaac is in — if Isaac is injured, for example, Isaac will ache subtly while delivering his line.

Of course, the change in Isaac’s breathing is nothing new if you played the original. Yet, the new audio improvements and small attention to detail in how Isaac delivers dialogue and even in how he breaths depending on the situation are nice touches to the highly anticipated remake of one of the most popular horror games from the late 2000s

Dead Space Remake is expected to launch in “early 2023.” While the game is not due until roughly another year, EA Motive has promised to do another developer update sometime in May, which will focus on Dead Space Remake’s art design.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.



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Entertainment

‘I’m tired. I’m stressed. I needed to rant’

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Ukrainian-born dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, is keeping followers updated with his experience on the ground in Kyiv during the Ukraine-Russia conflict. (Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is opening up about his experience in Ukraine as the Russian invasion has escalated.

The Ukrainian-born dancer, who emigrated to the United States in the 1990s, posted an emotional, lengthy Instagram video to his page on Sunday morning explaining what he’s going through as war has broken out.

“WAR. I’m tired. I’m stressed. I needed to rant. Thank you and please make some noise about this so the whole world starts screaming,” the Dancing With the Stars performer captioned the post, along with the hashtag #ProudUkrainianAmerican.” Wearing a black hoodie and wiping tears from his eyes, Chmerkovskiy elaborated on the stressful situation, emphasizing that while he is “very safe,” it is still an overwhelming situation.

“I just want to speak out to the world a little bit. I’m in a very safe place, but this is nuts, and I think everybody is going through a lot of emotions, and I think it’s time to expose mine a little bit in a more personal manner,” he said, assuring followers that. while he is protected from danger, he’s also “in the eye of the storm.”

“This is a war. It’s a crazy situation,” he added, clarifying that his post “is not a cry for help” despite feeling like he is losing control. “This is not about me. I just want everyone to do something.”

“What Ukrainians are doing makes me so proud,” he shared, asking followers to “please just make your voice be heard … Keep spreading the word, keep talking about this.” He asked followers to direct their attention to humanitarian services, including the work done by his friend Bethenny Frankel’s BStrong organization, which is bringing $10 million worth of aid to those affected in the invasion. He also asked people to pick up Ukrainians from the border and bring them to safety.

“This is going to escalate to human suffering on a crazy, historic level, or it’s going to stop right now,” the star continued. He concluded by saying that he “just wants to go home at this point.”

On Friday, Chmerkovskiy posted another update from Ukraine, referring to the situation as “pretty dire,” Yahoo Entertainment previously reported.

“I’m safe,” he shared on Friday on Instagram in a video post. “We haven’t been told to move, and I’m just following instructions. That’s all I can say. But the reality is that I’m also talking to my friends that are here, the Ukrainians, and the situation is pretty dire.”

He explained that the Ukrainian people are “being mobilized. The whole country has been called to go to war. Men, women, boys — people that I was judging some days ago in dance competitions” are now “getting guns and getting deployed to defend the country.”

While he has a U.S. passport and can return to the U.S., where he lives with his pro dancer wife Peta Murgatroyd and their 5-year-old son, Chmerkovskiy clarified in a second post that he isn’t “currently trying to leave” Ukraine, where he has been working on the reality competition series World of Dance Ukraine.

Back in America, his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, has taken to the streets of Hollywood to demonstrate his solidarity with Ukraine. On Feb. 24, the Dancing with the Stars winner shared photos from a protest in which he and dozens of others marched with signs calling for an end of the Russian invasion of the country, Yahoo Entertainment previously reported.

Chmerkovskiy previously penned a note on Instagram about his brother getting caught in the conflict, writing, “My parents fled this country for this exact reason. Not because it wasn’t good to them, but because they would see war eventually. It’s a cruel irony that 28 years later my brother is in a bomb shelter in Kyiv.”



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Sports

Knicks on troubling trajectory with Tom Thibodeau’s tired ways reinforced yet again in blown lead against Nets

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Last week’s NBA trade deadline — and all the change it engendered across the league — further eclipsed a painfully true reality for the New York Knicks: The honeymoon period between Tom Thibodeau and his latest team is very, very over.

The Brooklyn Nets made a big move, landing Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and picks. The Philadelphia 76ers, in that same trade, acquired James Harden. The Mavericks bolstered their Luka Doncic-led squad with Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. CJ McCollum is now a Pelican, Serge Ibaka a Buck, Montrezl Harrell a Hornet.

And the Knicks? They’re just still the Knicks. They didn’t change at the deadline. They tend not to. A fact, unfortunately, that particular long-hapless organization has in common with their hard-charging, overly demanding, talented and — inevitably, always — disappointing head coach. 

In their past 16 games, the Knicks are 3-13. The latest blow came in the form of Wednesday’s 111-106 loss to the Nets. They’re 25-34 overall, putting them 12th in the Eastern Conference. They look tired and depleted. The Thibodeau Paradox — both excellence and failure guaranteed, in rapid succession — is already at play.

The Knicks are bad, yes, for a myriad of reasons. And the mirage that Thibodeau was the answer has given way to reality. 

Some things in today’s NBA are nearly certain. Kyrie Irving’s drama will threaten to derail a locker room. LeBron James will carry a team. Erik Spoelstra’s Heat will play tough, focused, defensive-minded basketball. Steph Curry will hit a ton of 3s. Harden will want out. And Thibs, eventually, will take a promising start and grind it, and his players, down to dust.

“He just can’t help himself,” said one league source who knows Thibodeau. “He can’t change. He can’t stop. It’s just who he is.”

And that has consequences.

He’s stuck in a 1990s basketball paradigm in which minutes are things to be extracted from players rather than managed, and practices are physical and constant ordeals rather than low-key affairs that offer a shot at balancing out a long, already grueling season. One could imagine, almost, that if Thibodeau were the commissioner, he would push for back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-backs just for the sheer nonstop basketball of it, the consequences be damned.

The Knicks trajectory under Thibodeau is not new. Early on, his teams improve, and play hard and show real promise. They did in Chicago — a stretch of four largely successful seasons that still trended downward as the Thibodeau years bore down.

Yes, Derrick Rose went from the youngest MVP in league history to an injury-diminished version of his former self. But Jimmy Butler was also on those teams, and still the Chicago Bulls — good but not great — often ran out of steam.

Thibodeau moved on to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where they, too, shone in his second season as head coach. They went 47-35, made the playoffs and seemed to have turned a corner. But turning a corner has little value if you’re so worn out and ground down you have nothing left once you do it.

After another Thibodeau regression — and another quickly-severed honeymoon period — Thibs came to New York City.

Things started very well.

The Knicks played Thibodeau basketball, fighting for every loose ball, battling, being physical — competing. Last season, Thibodeau’s first in New York, the Knicks boasted the league’s third-best defense. A lackluster offense notwithstanding, Julius Randle flourished and a playoff berth arrived with bated breath for Knicks fans sure they, too, had turned a corner.

But the inevitable always arrives, especially for Thibodeau teams. This time it came in the form of a first-round loss in five games to the Atlanta Hawks. An exhausted Knicks team, without the offense needed for the playoffs or the energy to compete against a team that had one, were overmatched. 

In fact, since Thibodeau and Rose led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals in 2011, Thibodeau teams are 9-14 in the playoffs. Those teams have won just a single playoff series.

The world — the NBA — has changed. Thibodeau has not. Players are not robots, nor gladiators, and this is not the 1980s. LeBron James — and, beyond hoops, Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, etc. — understand an athlete’s body has to be carefully managed and protected to maximize both excellence and longevity. That’s a fact Thibodeau has never accepted, and a big part of the reasons the Knicks this season are an afterthought.

Take Randle, a walking avatar for a Thibodeau team. He thrived last year, the primary offensive weapon on a team focused on defense. His 24.1/10.2/6.0 season and 41.1 percent shooting on 3-point shots in 2020-21 made him an All-Star for the first time, earned him an ill-begotten comparison to Hall of Famer Chris Bosh, and brought him the Most Improved Player Award.

The regression has been fast.

Randle’s 3-point shooting efficiency has cratered to 30 percent. His scoring, of course, has also fallen to fewer than 20 points per game. He, like his team, often looks as if he’s running through sand rather than the hardcourt. The Thibodeau effect is real.

Wednesday night’s Knicks-Nets game is a reminder that you have to win the moment while playing for the future. 

Not only does the Brooklyn Nets’ future look markedly brighter than their Manhattan cousins — newly recalibrated with Simmons, Curry and Drummond, plus two first-round picks in the years ahead — they’re also ahead in the East standings despite sitting in the eighth spot at 30-27.

Yes, the Nets got Kevin Durant, Irving and Harden to play there in large part because Brooklyn’s owner is not James Dolan. Yes, the Knicks woes go well beyond Thibodeau.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Thibs is — likable and smart and dedicated as he happens to be — possibly the most disastrous thing in sports: beyond change. 

He has not evolved. He has not learned. He has not taken his foot off the pedal. Typewriters must give way to computers, horse and buggies to cars, the old ways to the new. And Thibodeau — stuck in the past — has fallen into his own predictable pattern.

The Knicks are bad, and their head coach does not have a plan or solution for anything other than full, futile steam ahead.

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Business

Amazon bets you’re tired of just buying clothes off Amazon

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It’s a physical clothing store. Like, you know, a real brick-and-mortar space where you go try on stuff, buy it and then bring it home. An IRL store. Google it if you’ve never been to one.

Amazon (AMZN) announced Thursday that it will open Amazon Style, its first clothing, shoe and accessories’ store later this year at a posh shopping complex in Los Angeles. The 30,000-square-foot store’s next door neighbors will be some of the traditional clothing and department stores Amazon has pressured over the last decade — Nordstrom (JWN), Urban Outfitters (URBN), J. Crew, H&M and others. There’s a JCPenney across the street, one of the most prominent casualties of the transformation of US retail spurred by Amazon.
It may seem surprising that Amazon, which has grown to become the largest clothing retailer in America since it started selling clothing in 2002, wants to open a physical store. But in-store purchases still make up more than 85% of US retail sales, and shoppers often want to see how clothes look, feel and fit before they buy. It can also be more difficult to find new clothing brands and styles browsing online than in person.

“Customers enjoy doing a mix of online and in-store shopping. And that’s no different in fashion,” Simoina Vasen, the managing director of Amazon Style, said in an interview. “There’s so many great brands and designers, but discovering them isn’t always easy.”

There are some novelties to Amazon Style and ways the company hopes will make shopping quicker and more personalized for customers. However, many of the ideas Amazon is using in the store are not new to the retail industry.

Most of the clothing will be kept in the back of the store and only one sample of each item will be displayed on the sales floor. To buy it, customers will scan a QR code using a mobile Amazon shopping app and then retrieve it at the pickup counter. If they want to try it on first, they can get it sent to a fitting room, which has touchscreens where customers can request different sizes or colors. As customers browse the store and scan items, Amazon’s algorithms will recommend other items they may be interested in buying.

Vasen said the store is a “truly unique experience,” but similar technology can be found at other retailers. At Nike (NKE) flagship stores, for example, Nike app members scan codes on sneakers and clothes and those items are sent directly to a fitting room. Clothing brand Reformation displays only one of each item in its showrooms, and whatever customers want to try is delivered straight to dressing rooms that have different lighting options. American Eagle (AEO) and others have tested interactive fitting rooms, where shoppers can request different sizes and styles on a tablet located in the room.
Amazon Style will offer a mix of hundreds of well-known brands (Vasen didn’t specify which) and its own private-label brands. Retail analysts have said a brick-and-mortar presence in clothing could help Amazon reach customers who want to shop in person and also drive growth of Amazon’s more profitable— but lesser-known — private labels.

Other advantages to a physical store: Customers can also drop off their Amazon returns at the store, or order online and pick them up there.

Amazon has been working on this clothing initiative for years, said Vasen, who has helped build out Amazon’s physical store presence and also directed Amazon’s Prime Now grocery delivery service. She did not say when the first Amazon Style store will open this year or how many Amazon plans to add in the future.

Amazon Style will be the company’s latest attempt to move into physical retail, an area it has struggled to crack.

In 2015, Amazon opened its first physical store, Amazon Books, in Seattle. Two years later, Amazon bought Whole Foods’ 471 stores for $13.7 billion. The company also has dozens of 4-Star stores, where it sells its highest-rated merchandise, and Amazon Go cashier-less convenience stores. It’s building a new, separate line of grocery stores, called Amazon Fresh, to chase a mid-market shopper, different from Whole Foods’ high-end customer base.
As of December 31, 2020, Amazon had 611 physical stores in North America, including Whole Foods, according to its latest annual filing.

Amazon has not enjoyed the same level of success with physical stores as it has online. Sales at Amazon’s physical stores dropped 0.18% in 2019 from the year prior to $17.2 billion and 5.6% in 2020 as more shoppers ordered online in the pandemic.

During its latest results in the nine months ending September 30, Amazon’s sales at physical stores ticked up 1.5% from the same stretch a year prior.

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Sports

Rafael Nadal tired of the ‘circus’ surrounding Djokovic’s visa cancellation

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In an interview with CNN on Saturday, the 35-year-old, who is in Melbourne ahead of next week’s Australian Open, appeared to express frustration at how Novak Djokovic’s back-and-forth visa saga has overshadowed the tournament, describing it as a “circus.”

Djokovic was detained by Australian border authorities on Saturday morning, in accordance with a court-ordered arrangement decided Friday after his visa was revoked for the second time by Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke.

The men’s world No. 1 will now spend Saturday night in pre-immigration detention before facing a Federal Court hearing Sunday morning, Australia time, in a last ditch attempt to overturn the ruling.

In justifying his decision to cancel the tennis champion’s visa, immigration minister Hawke said Djokovic’s ongoing presence in Australia could lead to an “increase in anti-vaccination sentiment” or even “civil unrest,” court filings show.

“I’m just a player seeing the circus from the outside. But, as I said, I am a little bit tired of this matter,” Nadal told CNN. “I think it went too far. I wish Novak all the very best. And that’s it, I want to play tennis.”

The former world No. 1 is looking to add to his tally of 20 majors — a record he shares with Roger Federer and Djokovic — when the tournament begins next week. Nadal confirmed he hadn’t seen or spoken to Djokovic in recent days.

When asked about the impact of Djokovic’s vaccine skepticism on members of the public who view the world No.1 as a role model, Nadal said that while he respected his competitor, “people who are in a position that can create, or can have an impact on other people need to be responsible.”

“I respect him as a person. Of course, a lot as an athlete. Even if I don’t agree with his way to thinking about how to proceed with this pandemic,” said Nadal. “I really believe in vaccination…and when you make your decisions then there is some consequences…We did a lot of things together. I think positive things for our sport and I wish him well,” said Nadal.

“What we are facing worldwide is much, much more important than tennis and tennis players…millions of people have already passed away and a lot of families are suffering the consequences of this terrible (pandemic) almost two years,” he added.

Nadal, who is returning from a foot injury, said the Australian Open would be “great with or without Novak Djokivic,” adding that there is no in the history of the sport more important than the sport itself.

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US

Biden urges Senate to eliminate filibuster in voting rights pitch: ‘I’m tired of being quiet’ – live | US news

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Joe Biden has styled himself as a defender of democracy but, critics say, is setting the worst possible example with his choice of envoy to Athens.

The US president nominated George Tsunis, a hotel developer and Democratic donor with no diplomatic experience, as US ambassador to Greece.

When Tsunis seeks confirmation at a Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Wednesday, he will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the train wreck that was his last appearance there eight years ago.

On that occasion Tsunis was Barack Obama’s nominee for ambassador to Norway. Bumbling and ill-prepared, he admitted that he had never been to Norway and referred to the country as having a president when, as a constitutional monarchy, it does not.

Tsunis also claimed that Norway’s Progress party was among “fringe elements” that “spew their hatred” and was criticized by Norway’s government. In fact, the Progress party was part of the governing coalition.

The hapless nominee withdrew from consideration after causing dismay among Norwegian Americans and earning ridicule on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Now he is getting a do-over that, critics maintain, he does not deserve.

Brett Bruen, who was global engagement director of the Obama White House and recalls Tsunis’s first foray as a “debacle” in which he was “torn to shreds” by Senator John McCain, said: “The notion that he gets a second chance just utterly shocks me because in serious circles of international affairs he’s a punchline.

“So why in the world would you send someone to a significant country like Greece – at a dangerous time – to represent us there who in the eyes of most foreign policy hands can’t keep some fundamental facts straight and does not deserve to be ambassador to Ulaanbaatar, let alone Athens?”

A lawyer, developer and philanthropist, Tsunis has donated to both Democrats and Republicans, including more than $1.3m to Obama in 2012.

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Health

CDC is Indeed Back to Demanding Americans Wear Masks, and Americans Are Tired of It

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For some weeks now, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky has been doubling down on demanding Americans continue wearing masks, adults and children alike, vaccinated or not. It doesn’t look like Americans can expect that to change. On Friday, Walensky tweeted an “Ask An Expert” video of “Why Do I Still Need to Wear a Mask?” 

“The evidence is clear,” Dr. Walensky insists. “Masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by reducing your chance of infection by more than 80 percent.” It doesn’t just apply to the Wuhan coronavirus though, but the flu and even the common cold. “In combination with other steps, like getting your vaccination, hand-washing, and keeping physical distance, wearing your mask is an important step you can take to keep us all healthy.” 

Twitter did not take too kindly to that demand, as evidenced by the way in which Dr. Walensky’s video message was massively ratioed.

Many replies and retweets amounted to calling “bullsh*t.” Others pointed to how absurd it was that the common cold was included as a reason for mask-wearing.

Some users pointed out that it’s no longer sounding like such a crazy conspiracy theory to say that the powers that be want us to mask up forever.

Others said it amounted to misinformation, leading to a lack of credibility for the CDC. 

Many questioned where the 80 percent claim was coming from. One study that cites the 80 percent figure from was reported on right around the start of the pandemic, and before vaccines were available. Chris Westfall, in his article for Forbes from May 12, 2020 cites “research and scientific models from UC Berkley’s International Computer Science Institute and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.”

And, when it comes to vaccines, while testifying before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Walensky couldn’t even tell Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is also a medical doctor, how many CDC employees have been vaccinated. 

Of course, Dr. Walensky and President Joe Biden told Americans in May that mask mandates could be relaxed for those who had been vaccinated. 



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