The LuLac Edition #4,335, June 25th, 2020
WHITE HOUSE ORDERED NIH TO CANCEL CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH FUNDING, FAUCI SAYS
THE RESEARCH WAS THE TARGET OF A CONSPIRACY THEORY ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE NEW CORONAVIRUS.
The scientific community believes that the coronavirus causing COVID-19 jumped from bats to humans likely in Wuhan where the COVID-19 pandemic began. There are now allegations that the current crisis was precipitated by the release from Wuhan Institute of Virology of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Given these concerns, we are pursuing suspension of Wuhan Institute of Virology from participation in federal programs.
The funding was terminated on April 24. In a termination letter to EcoHealth, the NIH wrote: “At this time, NIH does not believe that the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities.”
Following Dr. Fauci’s revelations Tuesday, EcoHealth President Peter Daszak tweeted that it was an “obvious case of political interference.”
“Eventually, we’ll all how the shoddy truth of how a conspiracy theory pushed by this administration led @NIHDirector to block the only US research group still working in China to analyze COVID origins,” he wrote. “Thanks to this China can now do the research, we can’t!”
Scientists, meanwhile, have roundly refuted claims that the WIV was the source of the new coronavirus, noting that natural spillover from animals is the most likely source.
In an April 18 comment to ScienceInsider, the WIV virologist working with EcoHealth—Shi Zhengli—also disputed the link, saying that “the closest progenitor of COVID-19 virus is still mysterious and it’s definitely not from my lab or any other labs... It’s a shame to make the science so complicated.”
Scientists also continue to express dismay at the apparent political interference. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) released a statement Wednesday saying that such orders to cancel funding “will undermine the integrity of science funding and public trust. We urge Congress to use its oversight authority to ensure that the integrity of government science agencies is not compromised.”
TIS THE LAW
The Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets kicked off the 2020 Triple Crown June 20 at the shortened distance of 1 1/8 miles, and Tiz the Law delivered a dominant victory in New York.
The late Bruce Phillips was part of the ownership team. Here's an earlier recap of this very special horse owned by a special member of our community.
LOCAL GOP YOUNG REPUBLICANS GATHER
(Photo: Eryn Harvey Facebook page)
The Luzerne County young Republicans are ramping up its support for the President. There is headquarters set up on Public Square and a crew of dedicated volunteers are eagerly working for Mr. Trump. Left front row: Andrea Raffle, Haley Haddle, Kendra Radle, Congressman Dan Meuser, Eryn Harvey Left second row: John Lombardo, Brandon Pernot, Alec Ryncavage
L.A. TARONE GONE @ 3
CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES OVER $6 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE WRIGHT CENTER
Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education received $6,054,730 from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Payment Program.
“The Wright Center has a long history of training doctors and meeting the health care needs of our vulnerable citizens,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Now more than ever, we need strong community partners like them to have what they need so they can continue offering accessible, affordable and quality medical care provided by a well-trained, compassionate work force. When we invest in high-quality education for physicians, and when we work to expand access to health care, we all benefit.”
While many medical residency programs base training in hospitals, the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program trains residents in community-based primary care settings. For the 2018-2019 academic year, the THCGME program supported 728 residents in 56 primary care residency programs in 23 states. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has been at the forefront of community-based graduate medical education for over forty years, proudly educating over 800 physicians.
“The Wright Center remains a grateful steward of mission-critical funding bestowed by the HRSA and shepherded home to Northeastern Pennsylvania by Congressman Cartwright,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health. “We are very grateful to HRSA and thank Congressman Cartwright for his past and future support of the Teaching Health Center legislation that enables us to train the next generation of physicians while providing comprehensive primary care services to our region’s most vulnerable populations.”
HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides health care to people who are geographically isolated, and/or economically or medically vulnerable. The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Payment Program is a multi-year grant program that provides funds to support the teaching of residents in community-based primary care centers, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
SENATOR BOB CASEY CALLS FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTH AS A HOLIDAY
Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)
U.S. Senator Bob Casey released a statement calling for the federal government to recognize Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in America, as a national holiday. In his statement, Sen. Casey says:
On Juneteenth, we commemorate President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on the day—June 19, 1865—when news of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas. This day came two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, a gap which represents a delay in justice that persists to this day. Slavery was officially abolished across the Nation several months later in December of 1865 with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Juneteenth is a celebration and an inspiration for this generation and future generations to come. It is a day to celebrate Black culture and history across our Commonwealth and our Nation. And it is a day for allies like myself to pledge to lift up Black Americans year-round. As we celebrate Juneteenth in the midst of cries for justice, we are called to listen, learn and take action to create change. It is not enough to recognize one important date in history. Once we spend this day in reflection and celebration, we must act. We must propel our Nation forward toward progress.
I’m proud that Pennsylvania is one of 47 states which recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, and I believe our Nation should recognize this important day in American history as a federal holiday. But commemorating Juneteenth is not a substitute for taking decisive action to protect the lives of Black Americans. Recent events in our Nation highlight that we have yet to overcome all the vestiges of slavery. Black Americans continue to be disproportionate victims of hate crimes and police brutality, and the recent murders of George Floyd and others underscore the inadequacy of passivity and the cruel impact that slavery, and much of its aftermath, has had on our country and its citizenry.
Though Juneteenth celebrations may look different this year, the significance of the day is not diminished. Let us celebrate and elevate our Black communities, and let us use this day to reflect on the work that remains to conquer racism in America. We cannot accept a system—informed by centuries-old prejudices and racial bias—that turns a blind eye to injustice and disregards the value of Black life.
It is past time for our federal government to formally recognize the day when Major General Gordon Granger proclaimed that Americans who had been enslaved in the Confederacy were now emancipated. June 19, 1865 was the dawn of a new era, a jubilant day which has come to represent the strength and resilience of Black Americans. 155 years later, I see this strength and resilience in Black Pennsylvanians. And on this Juneteenth, I am thinking critically about the ways our government has failed Black communities since that fateful day in Galveston, when those who were enslaved were promised freedom and equality. Now, we must not only strive toward better, fairer policies, but we must work every day to pass them into law. Our entire Nation will be stronger for it.
This Juneteenth, and every day, Black Lives Matter.
MEDIA MATTERS
WALN TV
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
This week's guest will be Bob Durkin, President/CEO of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on The Mothership 1340/1400 am, 100.7 and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on The River 105 and 103.5.
ECTV PREVIEW
Check out our interview this Saturday with ECTV’s David DeCosmo who did his final show last week.
BUDDY RUMCHEK
Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:20 and 8:20 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”
BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP
SUNDAY NIGHTS!
1980
Our 1980 logo.
Augusta AVA becomes the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area…. The United States Supreme Court ruled in Diamond v. Chakrabarty, 5 to 4 that genetically modified organisms can be patented. Chemist Ananda Chakrabarty had developed a bacterium for cleanup of oil spills that could "eat crude oil more quickly and efficiently than natural bacteria" while he was employed at the General Electric A bomb exploded at a political rally for Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, shortly before he was scheduled to give an address. Although Bishop was unhurt, a woman and two children were killed, and 25 other people were wounded. Although the explosive had been placed directly beneath the floor of the pavilion where Bishop and the Cuban Ambassador to Grenada were sitting, its force spread sideways into the crowd, rather than directly above. Police killed the person suspected of planting the bomb, former Grenadan Army Sergeant John Phillips, in a shootout Company in 1972….. A 75-day long heat wave began in the United States, as a high-pressure system stalled over Texas. The temperature in Dallas moved from a morning low of 75°F and then rose to 104°. For 42 consecutive days, temperatures in Dallas and most of Texas reached "triple digits", rising above 100 °F (38 °C) every day for the rest of the month, and then through all 31 days of July, before abating on August 3. The hottest day of the heat wave was June 28, when the thermometer went no lower than 92 °F (33 °C) and then climbed to 112 °F (44 °C). Before it abated on September 6, the heat wave claimed 1,700 lives….. Sanjay Gandhi, the 33-year old eldest son of India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and an upwardly-mobile politician, was killed in a plane crash. Sanjay, considered the likely successor of his mother, had taken off from New Delhi with his flight instructor, Subhash Saxena, in a Pitts Special SA-2 biplane and was reportedly performing aerial acrobatics, including loops, when the plane's engine stalled and the aircraft went into a spin and struck trees near Sanjay's home… The Muslim Brotherhood failed in an assassination attempt against Syria's President Hafez al-Assad. The Syrian leader, who was hosting the visiting President of Niger, was slightly injured by a bomb explosion as he stepped out of his limousine. Assad retaliated by sending the Syrian Army on an unsuccessful mission to destroy the Muslim Brotherhood. France's President Valery Giscard d'Estaing announced that his nation had successfully developed its own neutron bomb, designed "to destroy living beings with short-lived radiation emissions, while avoiding major blast and heat effects." The Olympic committees of 13 Western European nations announced jointly that, although they would participate in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, they would not participate in the opening or closing ceremonies and would use the International Olympic Committee flag rather than their own flags at medal ceremonies. Nations participating were Andorra, Belgium, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, by an 8–1 vote, affirming a decision of the U.S. Court of Claims and upholding compensation of $105,000,000 to the Sioux Nation in return for the U.S. seizure of seven million acres (11,000 square miles (28,000 km2)) of the Black Hills of South Dakota. he British rock band Queen released its best-selling studio album The Game, which included "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". and forty years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “The Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia.
posted by David Yonki @ 5:03 PM
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