Links 8/24/2020 – Church Security

‘The mystery is over’: Researchers say they know what happened to ‘Lost Colony’ The Virginian-Pilot

Gandhi’s glasses left in letterbox sell for £260k BBC

Low blow: Sydney’s new ferries won’t fit under bridges while passengers on top deck Oops! Reminds me of the tunnel – or it may have been an overpass – with low-clearance in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Every year, the occasional driver lost the top of her/truck truck the s/he failed to fit into the top of the tunnel – and IIRC the errant drivers were often out-of-towners ferrying junior to university. I wonder whether this is still the case, or have the enlarged the tunnel. MA readers?

THE INSIDE STORY OF THE $8 MILLION HEIST FROM THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY Smithsonian

A Detailed Look at the Downside of California’s Ban on Affirmative Action NYT (RM)

Preserving Trees Becomes Big Business, Driven by Emissions Rules WSJ

#COVID-19

Coronavirus is putting the whole idea of fashion out of fashion Guardian

Hong Kong third wave: city’s top officials unite behind universal Covid-19 testing scheme even as some in opposition camp hope to derail it SCMP

Italy tops 1,000 daily coronavirus cases for first time since May Thomson Reuters

If Trump Had Followed Vietnam’s Lead on COVID, US Would Have Fewer Than 100 Dead TruthOut

Trump considers fast-tracking UK Covid-19 vaccine before US election FT. Why do I think this is not going to end well.

Airplane mode and prepaid SIMs: some Israelis dodge COVID-19 tracking Thomson Reuters

The two largest democracies in the world are the sickest now Scroll

Tempers Flare Over German Mask Requirement Der Spiegel

Covid 19 coronavirus: Why New Zealand might never know how virus came back New Zealand Herald (PR). A contact tracing failure.

Gear and Garments: California Awaits the Next Pandemic Capital & Main

NHS managers told care homes to put blanket ‘do not resuscitate’ orders on ALL residents at height of Covid crisis, report shows Daily Mail

New York City will rise again New York Post

Science/Medicine

FDA, under pressure from Trump, expected to authorize blood plasma as Covid-19 treatment Stat

India to get Covid vaccine by end of year if all goes well, says Harsh Vardhan The Print

Inflammation: the key factor that explains vulnerability to severe COVID The Conversation

The UK exam debacle reminds us that algorithms can’t fix broken systems MIT Technology Review

Johnson urges parents to send children back to school as unions warn plan to reopen classrooms ‘negligent in the extreme’ Independent

California Burning

America repays these folks by making sure their past mistakes will never, ever be erased from their records, no matter how hard they work on rectifying them. A society without a heart. https://t.co/lAvBAqAniC

— Constantin Gurdgiev (@GTCost) August 23, 2020

Class Warfare

The Building Trades Unions Aren’t Just Home to Trump-Loving Conservatives Teen Vogue. Kim Kelly.

A poorer retirement is pandemic’s hidden legacy FT

The Battle for Decatur Intercept

Time for action on America’s uneven debt drought FT

How the ‘Useful Idiots’ of Liberal New York Fueled Income Inequality
NYT (UserFriendly)

Culture

2009: 1st Black President
2010: 3 women in SCOTUS
2015: Same-sex marriage legal
2020: 1st WoC nom for VP

Federal Minimum Wage

2009: $7.25
2010: $7.25
2011: $7.25
2012: $7.25
2013: $7.25
2014: $7.25
2015: $7.25
2016: $7.25
2017: $7.25
2018: $7.25
2019: $7.25
2020: $7.25

— Aisha Ahmad (@aishaismad) August 23, 2020

2020

Joe Biden Would Likely Use a Familiar Tool—Executive Powers—to Reverse Trump Immigration Policies WSJ

Ralph Nader: Here are 8 glaring issues Democrats are avoiding in 2020 AlterNet

How the Emmy-Winning Team Behind the Tonys Created the 2020 Democratic National Convention (EXCLUSIVE) Variety

Republicans Rush to Finalize Convention (‘Apprentice’ Producers Are Helping) NYT. So, duelling TV producers.

Trump campaign announces speakers for Republican convention Politico (The Revi Kev)

President Trump to speak every night of RNC this week as full lineup revealed NYPost Can’t Wait! Pass the popcorn.

Donald Trump and Barack Obama agreed on one thing in dueling Pa. visits: Win, or it’s the apocalypse Philadelphia Inquirer.

Roaming Charges: Conventional Weapons at the DNC Counterpunch

Alex Morse Was Accused,Condemned and Then Vindicated. Will His Experience Change Anything? NYT

Biden: ‘No new taxes’ for anyone making under $400K The Hill

Trump is going to war on low-income housing in suburbs. He once embraced it. Politico

India

Ahead of Monday CWC Meet, Sonia Gandhi Tells Congress to Find a New Chief The Wire. A big, big deal. But who?

Congress Working Committee meet: All you need to know Times of India

China?