With end-of-season baseball action filling stadiums — and the virus still a concern around the country — why are very few Masks seen? wonders Grumpy Editor.
At packed, close-seating 50,000-seat Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, for example, only two people with masks were observed in behind-home-plate TV shots.
On the other hand, on many TV channels, lone news presenters in the studios — or reporting alone standing streetside outside — are wearing masks.
Yet to gain entrance to a doctor’s office, even when empty or with few people waiting — wearing a mask is mandatory.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
NORTH KOREA TERMS MISSILE TEST NORMAL. Communist North Korea says its test of a “new type” of submarine-launched ballistic missile last week should be considered “normal activities” for the country and that it poses no threat to the United States.
FENTANYL LEADS IN OVERDOSE DEATHS. Fentanyl – 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine – now is the leading cause of Overdose Deaths in the U.S. along with other synthetic opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Overdose deaths hit a new record in the U.S. at 96,779 from March 2020 to March 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
GOVERNMENT URGED TO RESTRICT FALSE INFORMATION. Roughly half of U.S. adults (48 percent) say the government should take steps to restrict false information, even if it means losing some freedom to access and publish content, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 11,178 adults. That is up from 39 perent in 2018. At the same time, the share of adults who say freedom of information should be protected – even if it means some misinformation is published online – has decreased to 50 percent from 58 percent.
COAL REMAINS KEY POWER SOURCE. Coal, accounting for about 20 percent of U.S electricity last year, is on track to generate roughly 24 percent of the nation's power this year largely because natural gas, coal's main competitor, is pricier, says the Energy Information Administration.
WAITING CARGO SHIPS SET RECORD. The backlog of more than 100 Cargo Ships anchored outside Los Angeles and Long Beach ports reaches an all-time high as a supply chain crisis continues to overwhelm America’s busiest port complex. The bottleneck is expected to continue into next year.
WOMEN DEPART WORK FORCE. More than 300,000 women age 20 and over departed the work force last month, says an analysis from the National Women's Law Center. It is the largest drop in this age group no longer working or looking for work since the same month last year.
GREYHOUND GETS GERMAN OWNER. Dallas-based Greyhound Lines, largest intercity bus operatior in the U.S. serving large and small cities and dating back to 1914, has a new owner — from Germany. The bus line has been hurt by the pandemic, low-cost airlines and ride-sharing services.
SURGE IN PET ADOPTIONS CREATES BUSY VETS. Many veterinarians point out that a surge in pet adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in business at vet hospitals, leading to long wait times, vet burnout and frustrated pet owners.
