US Could Have Averted 40% of COVID Deaths; Using Instagram and Acrobatics, Thieves Targeted VIPs in Milan ; and More Picks 2/15
US Could Have Averted 40% of COVID Deaths, Says Panel Examining Trump’s Policies (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from Covid-19, had the country’s death rates corresponded with the rates in other high-income G7 countries, according to a Lancet commission tasked with assessing Donald Trump’s health policy record. Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world. In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for not taking the pandemic seriously enough soon enough, spreading conspiracy theories, not encouraging mask wearing and undermining scientists and others seeking to combat the virus’s spread.”
The Pandemic Hit Undocumented Restaurant Workers Hard. These Bartenders Swooped in to Save Them. (Russ)
The author writes, “Before the pandemic, Va’La Hospitality’s 1,000-square-foot Los Angeles office served as a sleek creative headquarters for the bar consulting agency. The brick-lined room’s bar and lounge area were adorned with a mid-century modern hutch and glassware. Nowadays, it’s crammed with commercial refrigerators, hundreds of crates and thousands of pounds of beans and rice. The space has become the hub for No Us Without You, a small nonprofit group that has been providing food security for nearly a year to a group of people forgotten amid the pandemic: undocumented restaurant workers.”
No Indictment for Two Buffalo Police Officers Charged for Pushing 75-Year-Old Protester (Dan)
From the Buffalo News: “It was the push seen around the world. But eight months after two Buffalo police officers were suspended and charged with felonies for pushing a 75-year-old protester as they cleared the front of City Hall, a grand jury decided not to indict them. A video of the June 4 incident, showing protester Martin Gugino getting pushed to the ground, hitting his head and blood pouring from his ear, was captured by a WBFO reporter and went viral on Twitter. The video drew millions of viewers overnight and swift condemnation of the Buffalo Police Department from around the world. A grand jury voted not to indict the two Buffalo police officers for what happened in front of City Hall, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn Jr. said Thursday.”
Looking to Avert Evictions, L.A. Seeks $46 Million to Buy Chinatown Apartment Building (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “The Los Angeles City Council moved forward on Wednesday with a plan to buy a 124-unit apartment building in Chinatown, instructing the city’s financial analysts to find the nearly $46 million they say would be needed to carry out the purchase. The council voted 14 to 0 to start the process of acquiring Hillside Villa, where major rent increases have fueled fears that tenants could be pushed out once the coronavirus is under control and restrictions on evictions are lifted — or possibly sooner than that. Councilman Gil Cedillo, whose district includes Chinatown, unveiled a plan in November to tap surplus federal COVID-19 relief funds for the purchase, saying the move would protect renters while also allowing the owner to ‘make out like a bandit.’ But budget analysts quickly concluded the purchase would not be eligible for those funds, since Cedillo proposed the idea before L.A.’s coronavirus health emergency began.”
Stonehenge: Did the Stone Circle Originally Stand in Wales? (Mili)
The author writes, “Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the Waun Mawn site in Pembrokeshire’s Preseli Hills. They believe the stones could have been dismantled and rebuilt 150 miles (240 km) away on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. The discovery was made during filming for BBC Two’s Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed. The Welsh circle, believed to be the third biggest in Britain, has a diameter of 360ft (110m), the same as the ditch that encloses Stonehenge, and both are aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise.”
Using Instagram and Acrobatics, Thieves Targeted VIPs in Milan (Dana)
The author writes, “Eleonora Incardona’s opulent posts of herself on the beach or dressed to the nines with chunky watches and golden necklaces were intended to catch the eye of her 470,000-plus followers on Instagram. But her meticulous documenting of the glamorous lifestyle of an internet influencer seems also to have grabbed some unwanted attention. This week, the police in Milan arrested a group on suspicion of having taken tens of thousands of euros in watches, scarves, designer bags and jewels from the apartments of Milanese V.I.P.s. Prosecutors said the evidence against them included security camera footage of the gang climbing gutters and stolen merchandise found in their possession.”
