Trump administration finalizes coal plant pollution rollback


by Matthew Brown and Travis Loller

The Trump administration on Monday finalized its weakening of an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing polluted wastewater from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers

The change will allow utilities to use cheaper technologies and take longer to comply with pollution reduction guidelines that are less stringent than what the agency originally adopted in 2015.

It's the latest in a string of regulatory rollbacks for coal power under Trump—actions that have failed to turn around the industry's decline amid competition from cheap natural gas and renewable energy.

The latest rule change covers requirements for cleaning coal ash and toxic heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and selenium from plant wastewater before it is dumped into waterways.

Utilities are expected to save $140 million annually under the changes, which Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement would protect industry jobs in part by using a phased-in approach to reducing pollution.

But environmentalists and a former EPA officials warned the move will harm public health and result in hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants annually contaminating water bodies.

The new rule largely exempts coal plants that will retire or switch to burning natural gas by 2028.

Coal plants are responsible for as much as 30% of all toxic water pollution from all industries in the U.S. In the Southeast, that number is even higher.

"This rule is going to continue to let these coal-fired power plants pour these toxics into the nation's rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and fisheries for 2.7 million people," said Betsy Southerland, who was the science director in the EPA's water office before retiring in 2017.

The estimate of people impacted is from the analysis that was done for the Obama-era rule, she said.

The revised rule is expected to affect 75 out of 914 coal power plants nationwide, compared to more than 100 plants affected by the 2015 rule. That's in part because coal power usage has dropped dramatically over the past decade and many plants have been shuttered.

The rules also carve out an exception for a plant operated by the nation's largest public utility, the Tennessee Valley Authority. The plant in Cumberland City, Tennessee, near the Kentucky border, accounts for up to one-sixth of the wastewater released in the country from cleaning out coal plant flues, millions of gallons per day more than any other plant.

In 2015, the EPA rejected an exception for the plant after determining the benefits to human health and the environment outweighed the costs of compliance. Under Trump, the agency reversed course and removed limits on the amount of selenium and nitrate the plant can discharge into the Cumberland River.

Tennessee Valley Authority representatives were reviewing the final rule and plan to abide by it, spokesman Scott Brooks said.

Power plants that are not exempted must comply by 2025, or by 2028 if they take some additional, voluntary pollution control measures. The 2015 rule would have required compliance between 2018 and 2023 and was projected to have yielded roughly $500 million in public health and environmental benefits by reducing pollution by 1.4 billion pounds (635,000,000 kilograms) annually.

EPA officials said the revised rule would reduce pollution by an additional 1 million pounds annually. Critics said that projection was based on companies taking the additional, voluntary steps and pointed out those might not come to fruition.

America's Power, a trade organization that advocates on behalf of coal-fueled electricity, said the rule was good news and that the Obama-era rule could have forced the closure of coal plants needed to keep the power grid reliable.

"We support rules that protect the environment and human health, and we are optimistic the revised rule will not adversely affect the electricity grid," the group said in an emailed statement.

An attorney for Earthjustice, Thom Cmar, said the environmental law firm plans to challenge the rule in federal court.

Two streams of wastewater coming from coal plants were addressed in the rule.

One is the water used to clean scrubbers that remove toxic chemicals such as mercury and arsenic from smokestacks before they are released into the air. The other stream is water used to wash coal ash out of the bottom of power plant furnaces.

The 2015 rule barred the discharge of ash waters. Monday's revisions allow utilities to discharge up to 10% of the bottom ash water, with the actual amount to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

"We're using 21st century technology to remove air emissions, but if you don't take the pollution out of the water before returning it the waterways, you are defeating the purpose," said Frank Holleman, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.


Trump administration eases Obama-era rules on coal pollution


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Grain-Free Diets Have Been Linked to Serious Heart Problems in Dogs

The FDA and other researchers are investigating the link between grain-free dog food and a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. Large dogs appear to be at greater risk.


By Leslie Nemo August 31, 2020


For the past two years, the FDA has been investigating a strange development in dog health. The agency started hearing reports that more pups than usual were developing a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to weaken and grow larger.

Typically, veterinarians see this issue in large dogs. Some breeds, such as Doberman pinschers, great Danes and others, are genetically predisposed to the condition, which slowly saps the heart of its ability to efficiently pump blood. This can lead to fainting, weakness or death. But recently, dogs that aren’t considered at risk of the heart disease, like golden retrievers, started showing up to veterinarian offices with enlarged hearts. Veterinarian providers began talking amongst themselves and observed that some of these dogs were eating “grain-free” food — kibble and soft canned food formulated without corn, wheat and soy. It begs the question: Could these heart troubles stem from a dog’s diet?


That's what prompted the FDA and other research groups to investigate the health effects of grain-free dog food. For the most part, researchers have a lot to learn about this supposed relationship, which is a familiar situation for the profession. “All of us that are in this from an academic standpoint are the first to admit that nutrition of dogs and cats is woefully behind that of other animal species and humans,” says Greg Aldrich, a pet nutritionist at Kansas State University. The more investigators learn, the closer they come to gaining broader understandings about what keeps our pets healthy.
Pet Food Fads


A stroll through the ever-expanding pet care aisle could leave any owner confused about what food to buy. A few decades ago, this might not have been the case. That’s when grain-free varieties first emerged, and the products took up little shelf space. This type of dog food appeared, in part, because some breeders and owners concluded that commodity foods like soy and other grains must somehow be lower quality, Aldrich says. The science doesn’t back up that idea. But that didn't stop the product from taking off. “It emerged from nothing to a prominent part of the marketplace,” Aldrich says.


To replace starches in grain-free kibble, companies introduced substitutions like sweet potatoes, lentils and legumes. But these "new" ingredients could leave dogs with low levels of an essential protein building block called taurine. Legumes might not be an adequate source of two precursor nutrients that dogs' bodies rely on to make taurine. To add to that, it's also possible that these alternative starches can ferment in dogs' intestines and may foster taurine-degrading microbes — creating a one-two punch of nutrient deprivation. Several grain-free formulas also throw in more unusual or exotic protein sources, like lamb, duck and kangaroo — all of which might provide less taurine, or make the precursor nutrients less effective.


These possibilities are just that — possibilities, Aldrich says. Researchers have yet to conclusively prove whether or not these ingredients cause enough taurine deficiency to create heart problems in dogs. In one study, dogs on grain-free diets had some heart measurements that were larger than those of dogs on traditional kibble, but they didn’t show any taurine deficiency. When seven of the dogs that had heart abnormalities switched to traditional diets, the researchers saw their condition improve. Other research looking at beagles found that when the pups ate grain-free diets that supplemented with taurine, their taurine levels were comparable to those of dogs on normal food.


When it comes to golden retrievers, diets that cut out grains but include legumes might be especially troublesome. A 2020 study linked this type of diet with taurine deficiency and heart abnormalities in goldens that were consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy. The researchers also found that goldens with heart problems were more likely to be fed dog food produced by smaller companies.


In fact, of all the dogs with this particular heart issue reported to the FDA recently, golden retrievers are the most represented breed. The agency thinks this is because of a reporting bias, as social media pages dedicated to the breed might have encouraged owners to bring their pets to the vet, but it’s also possible that some breeds are more sensitive to taurine deficiencies.


In fact, it’s likely that a range of other life factors — beyond diet — influence whether or not dogs develop this heart problem. Researchers don’t know if obesity, diabetes or other health conditions make a dog more likely to develop dilated cardiomyopathy, Aldrich says. The influence of household chemicals or pesticides is similarly unclear.
What's In Your Kibble?


If dietary factors are to blame for dilated cardiomyopathy, it's also possible that the problem might be related to overall recipe formulations used by some brands rather than single ingredients. “What seems to be consistent is that it does appear to be more likely to occur in dogs eating boutique, grain-free, or exotic ingredient diets,” writes Lisa Freeman, a veterinarian at Tufts University, in a Cummings Veterinary Medical Center blog post. A quality, nutritious dog food needs a range of considerations, including “rigorous quality control and extensive testing,” she writes. “Not every manufacturer can do this.”


When it comes to selecting dog food, the consumer is often making an educated guess at best. Though there are basic requirements each manufacturer is supposed to meet, “there’s no Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” Aldrich says. If you’re unsure, aiming for a middle of the road dog food variety is a safe bet.


Like with humans, the standard dietary recommendations don’t work for every dog, Aldrich points out. It might be the case that nutrition recommendations should be tailored to each breed, as there’s so much variance — from tiny Yorkies to mastiffs the size of adult men. “We want to be there, but we're just not,” he says.

Rosh Hashanah on quarantine: How Uman prepares to receive Hasidic pilgrims

Author : Ksenia Tsyvirko

Source : 112 Ukraine

Will Hasidim be allowed into Uman in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic?

11:27, 27 August 2020

State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

The religious offshoot of Judaism - Hasidism - began its almost three hundred-year history precisely on the territory of Ukraine. Since then, its followers have spread all over the world, and about 20-40 000 Hasidim have a tradition to gather annually around the grave of their tzadik Rabbi Nachman in Uman: it was here, at the site of the deaths of thousands of Jews, that the rebbe bequeathed himself to be buried. A mass pilgrimage to the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah (this year it will take place on September 18-20) has become quite common for Uman people for decades, but they have no consensus on this matter.

Some do not like the noise and revelry during the celebration, others are alien to traditions, and still others make good money on this: according to various estimates, the Hasidim spend from 15 to 20 million dollars annually, turning their religious holiday into a source of income for both local entrepreneurs and for ordinary people. However, this year, when the coronavirus epidemic was raging around the world, the question of the arrival of pilgrims became even more controversial - not only for the Uman people themselves, but also for government officials. The Governments of Ukraine and Israel issued a joint appeal to refrain from travel until a more favorable situation. At one of the meetings, the State Commission for Fuel and Energy Sector and Emergency Situations instructed to prepare a plan for organizing the reception of 5-10 000 Hasidim, taking into account sanitary and epidemiological standards; and the mayor of Uman, Olexander Tsebriy, proposed to close the city for entry, setting up checkpoints around it. Wanting to draw attention to this problem, the mayor even came with a tent to spend the night under the President's Office. However, some Uman citizens saw this behavior as an attempt to "earn points" before the local elections, and not a way to protect their rights: according to them, corruption is rampant in the city, and the mayor himself also has a "pretty penny" from the arrival of pilgrims. Representatives of the Hasidic community, in turn, say that a trip to the grave of their spiritual mentor plays a big role in their life, and for this they are ready to comply with all quarantine rules: they even developed their own action plan, transferring it to the regional council and the Ministry of Health.

While there is still no final government decision on the pilgrimage this year, 112.ua figured out what passions are raging around the arrival of pilgrims and what place the coronavirus takes in this.

"Little Israel"

A walk in Uman begins from a small area of ​​the bus station, through which several dozen regular buses run daily. On weekends, it is especially crowded here: not only Ukrainian tourists, but also guests from European countries come to see the sights of the town, numbering just over 80 thousand inhabitants. In a few minutes from here, dense thickets begin - the famous Sofiyivka dendrological park. A wide alley, propped on both sides by the greenery of a wide variety of trees, is replete with walking people: among them you can hear snatches of phrases in German, Polish, English ...

If you ask local residents about the Hasidim, they will immediately point to Pushkin Street, around which a "Hasidic microdistrict" was formed for several decades. You can find it without any prompts: along the way, there are four men with sidelocks and wearing white and black kippahs on their heads, betraying Orthodox Jews as their owners. The city landscape along a kilometer-long street looks quite ordinary: shops, Soviet high-rise buildings, rickety one-story houses, cottages ... Only the inscriptions can confuse: signs, signs, advertising posters and even graffiti on fences - all exclusively in Hebrew. In the back streets of nearby district, there is a synagogue, a free canteen for those in need for 20 thousand seats and a historical and cultural center of the Hasidic movement, where the grave of Rabbi Nachman is located - all these buildings are unmistakably recognizable against the background of the rest of the building, standing out with a lush facade and incomprehensible squiggles on the tablets.

Now it is not crowded here, but from time to time a taxi drops Hasidim with suitcases on the porch of the Sharon Zion hotel. "Usually the influx is much larger, but it's too early to say. This year Rosh Hashanah is celebrated from 18 to 20 September, and the bulk of the pilgrims arrive a few days before the holiday, sometimes a week. In general, you can always meet Hasidim in Uman, because it is not the only Jewish holiday. In August, at this time, there is usually some kind of women's holiday: unmarried girls gather, dance, ask to get married and create a happy family, but now something is not visible. Over 2000 people here either have a residence permit or even Ukrainian citizenship and have settled in absolutely all districts of the city. Last year at this time there were much more pilgrims, but now there are few visible: Apparently, they are hiding somewhere in their homes, "says a local resident Olga.

State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

Usually about 30 thousand pilgrims from more than 20 countries of the world come to Rosh Hashanah - this is comparable to almost a third of the city's population. During this period, the streets in the vicinity of the grave of Tzadik Nachman are almost closely packed with people, and the area around is cordoned off by almost half a thousand security officials from all over Ukraine, as well as a dozen Israeli police officers who are sent specially to help our people during the celebration. Entry and exit through checkpoints is allowed only with a special pass or registration.

The resettlement of such a large number of Hasidim, of course, is causing great excitement. "Those who are richer stay at the Khoshen hotel. At one time, even a large Sharon Zion hotel was built, new ones are being built. The less well-off stay in cheaper and simple hostels, 10-15 people per room. In the Park of Joy some even sleep in tents. In general, the Jewish community helps those who do not have enough money to travel, and organizes the trip, taking into account the meals in their public dining room. Some Hasidim come to Uman without pre-booked accommodation, so locals always stand around the checkpoints and offer to stay with them, for about 200-300 dollars per person for the entire period of the celebration, which is quite cheap, in contrast to the prices for hotels. Someone even settled in garages. In general, this is a very good additional income: some even rent out their homes, and these days they themselves go to spend the night in a tent in the city park ", - says Olga. According to her, most of the houses on the Pushkin street and residential buildings within a radius of 3 kilometers have long been sold to the "chosen people": someone was able to offer a favorable price, and someone was tired of the noisy crowd of Hasidim. The new owners of the houses decided to convert some of them into hotels, and some simply to equip with beds, so the Hasidim often take on the issue of accommodation themselves.

“Previously, we rented our house to the Hasidim every year,” says Alla, the owner of the local hostel. “During this period, I went to live with my parents with my two children. But I don’t know how it will be this year. So far, no one is there, no one is booking. The Hasidim during the holiday, as well as on Shabbat, have no right to work. Neither use the elevator, nor turn off the lights, nor even receive phone calls. Therefore, people stand around the checkpoints and offer such different services. Someone earns an extra penny on cleaning, some are fighting for the opportunity to bring suitcases, and teenagers often come from the city and earn pocket money here on errands and "bring it, give it." The shops after Rosh Hashanah they stand half empty ... In general, I can say without exaggeration that for local residents, pilgrimage is a source of additional income, especially for people over 50 who are no longer interesting for employers"

Ban on celebrations

This time, the coronavirus epidemic made its "adjustments" to the pilgrimage program. According to preliminary estimates, from 5 to 10 000 Hasidim will come to the grave of Rabbi Nachman to celebrate the coming of 5781 according to the Jewish calendar. There is still no final government order on how the transportation of such a large number of people will be organized, who and how will be responsible for the implementation of all sanitary and epidemiological standards: the issues are under discussion. In mid-July, the Foreign Ministry announced the impossibility of the traditional celebration of Rosh Hashanah this year: Israel is in the "red" epidemiological zone, and there will not be enough beds for observation and treatment of covid-infected people; it will be difficult for law enforcement officers to control the self-isolation of the Hasidim, and indeed, mass events in Ukraine are still banned. Similar statements came from Israel, but its concern is caused by several other reasons: they fear that pilgrims will bring the coronavirus with them from Ukraine. They even remember how last year, during the measles epidemic, the Hasidim brought this virus to New York, and the city had to be quarantined ... According to official statistics, the incidence rate in Israel is 5 times higher than ours: every 91 is considered covid-infected. However, such figures can only be relied on taking into account the quality and scope of PCR testing, so the real epidemiological picture may be very different from the documented one. After all, it is not only from Israel that people come to the tzaddik's grave: the Hasidic community is developed in more than 20 countries around the world, including the United States and Europe.

Open source

The Ukrainian authorities have not yet decided to close the international traffic for the Rosh Hashanah period, so Uman is gradually filling up with pilgrims, for whom exactly the same rules apply as for other travelers. So, tourists from "red" countries on arrival must pass a PCR test at the airport or provide a fresh certificate with a negative result for Covid-19, or go for two weeks of self-isolation. However, some fear that during the period of mass pilgrimage, such methods will be ineffective: a certificate can be bought, and law enforcement officers will not have enough opportunities to track the isolation of thousands of Hasidim.

Pointing to this, the mayor of Uman, Olexander Tsebriy, proposed, in turn, to close the city with checkpoints, allowing travel only by registration. According to him, the Commission on Emergencies of the Uman City Council has already resorted to such methods at the beginning of quarantine, so the local authorities have experience. In Facebook video messages, the city mayor informs about the amorphousness of the central government in the issue of Hasidic pilgrimage and reports to the Uman people about all his actions taken: it comes to the point that Tsebriy equips himself with a sleeping bag and goes to spend the night under the President's Office (although the ban on entry and the organization of quarantine restrictions are included in the powers of the government, not Zelensky). Some local residents support the activity of the mayor and approve of even the most radical measures, but others express skepticism. And the president of the International Charitable Fund named after Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav notes in an official letter that the position of the mayor "looks like a deliberate provocation of an interethnic conflict," and the Israeli embassy, ​​at the same time, does not find manifestations of anti-Semitism in it.

At the same time, the authorities are discussing not only the ban on the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, but also the possibility of inviting guests in limited numbers. So, among other things, the State Border Service was instructed to prepare a memo for foreigners in four languages, which should explain the conditions of stay in the country and the current quarantine rules, in case of violation of which pilgrims face a ban on entry to Ukraine for several years. The Cherkasy Regional Council is developing safe routes for the transportation of pilgrims in groups to maintain social distance. The most active proposals are put forward by the Hasidim themselves from the Rabbi Nachman fund: they promise to divide the synagogue into parts, regularly disinfect the premises (it is still being carried out), provide temperature control and wear medical masks.

Related: No official ban of Hasidim arrival in Ukraine, - United Jewish Community

However, in order to celebrate the New Year at the grave of their spiritual mentor, the pilgrims are ready to make any concessions. So, if the entrance to Uman was closed, the Hasidim even suggested celebrating the holiday right on board the aircraft, making a short flight around the cultural and historical center named after Rabbi Nachman. “The Hasidim value their health in the same way as the Ukrainians, so all measures against the coronavirus will be implemented. Upon arrival, the pilgrims will be required to take a test and go to self-isolation until the results are clarified: a separate hotel has been allocated specifically for this in Uman. Each Rosh Hashanah the Hasidic quarter opens its own hospital, which will provide assistance in case of need. This year, 26 doctors from Israel will work there. We have allocated 300 thousand dollars for health care (and last year - about 100 thousand dollars), purchased ventilators. The hospital is fully equipped with beds, equipment and even has its own ambulance. So our medical care is organized at a high level, which cannot be said about hospitals in Uman," said Khaim Khazin, a representative of the Hasidic community in Uman.

Command to rejoice

It should be noted that the protest moods of Uman people about the approaching Rosh Hashanah are often only indirectly related to the fear of contracting coronavirus. "The Hasidim behave so undisciplined and riotous that during the pilgrimage period I am simply afraid to let the children out of my home. All around the streets after their Sabbaths are littered, and those who rent out apartments have to make repairs. Every year I hear Hasidim start fires, local girls are offered all sorts of obscenities for money, they use drugs ... I can't imagine how you can pacify such a crowd and oblige everyone to wear masks. Sometimes it feels like it's not them came to us, but we came to visit them ", notices Olga. The indignation of local residents is largely justified. So, during the Rosh Hashanah celebration last year, the National Police officers opened 12 criminal proceedings against the Hasidim, mainly related to drug trafficking and carrying weapons. And at the beginning of January 2020, an international scandal almost broke out: a group of Hasidim fought with the guards of the cultural and historical center of Rabbi Nachman, to which the locals came to help. According to the version of one of the parties to the conflict, the drunken Hasid asked the guard to take him home and open the doors, since the Sabbath does not allow him to do it on his own, and, having received a refusal in response, began to react aggressively. Some local residents, in their own words, are outraged by the customs of Orthodox Jews. Traces of latent cultural confrontation can be seen throughout the city. Even at a distance from the "Hasidic quarter", neo-Nazis leave their messages on the shutters of kiosks, walls and fences: swastikas, the inscriptions and sometimes there are even portraits of Hitler.

Open source

At the same time, the Hasidim themselves say that they come to Uman to have fun in the company of their spiritual leader Nachman, without having any intention of offending anyone. "People, of course, are different, but deeply religious Jews behave very dignified and respectful. The unrestrained celebration of the coming of the New Year should in fact be accompanied by a feeling of deep trepidation before God: after Rosh Hashanah comes the days of judgment, during which it will be decided, will a person survive until the end of next year.” But Rabbi Nachman urged to rejoice anyway, no matter what, - this is one of the most important commandments for the Hasidim. We strive to celebrate the New Year in Uman, where Rabbi Nachman bequeathed himself to be buried. He died, by today's standards, very young - at 38 years old - and before that he told two of his disciples: "When my days are over and I leave this world, I will intercede for everyone who comes to my grave, read 10 psalms and give alms. No matter how serious his sins or mistakes are, I will do everything in my power to save and cleanse him. I will go through the whole universe. For the sideways I will pull him out of hell. "Therefore, so many pilgrims come to the grave of the spiritual leader, who seek to enlist his support in the upcoming trial to enter the new year cleansed. It is unlikely that the threat of coronavirus can stop the flock on the way to its spiritual leader, but I am sure that all the quarantine rules will be observed. Rabbi Nathan, a disciple of Rabbi Nachman , said: “Even if the road to Uman was studded with knives and swords, I would still crawl along it to visit the grave of Rabbi.” I have come to Ukraine 5 times in different years and saved money for this trip, but, apparently will have to postpone it for another year. I will celebrate Rosh Hashanah with my family here," Israelite Jonathan Melamed shares his story.

And in conclusion, he expresses the hope that Ukrainians will begin to show less hostility and more interest towards other people's religious customs: this is the only effective formula in order to establish fruitful communication with each other.

Related: No restrictions for Hasidim to visit Uman during Rosh Hashanah

Dormition of the Mother of God: Main traditions

Author : 112.ua News Agency

Source : 112 Ukraine

The name of the holiday reflects the Christian attitude towards death 

 28 August 2020

Dormition of the Mother of God

Open source

On August 28, Orthodox Christians are celebrating the Dormition of the Mother of God. This day is believed to be the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary. People are due /supposed to prepare for this holiday with a two-week fast. The Dormition Fast is as strict as Great Lent.

History and meaning of the holiday

Dormition of the Mother of God

Open source

The holiday is called the Dormition ("falling asleep"), because the Mother of God died quietly without suffering, in a state of spiritual peace, and three days later she was resurrected by the Lord and ascended to heaven.

The name of the holiday reflects the Christian attitude towards death. Death is not the end of existence, but a dream: the deceased leaves the world for a while in order to return to life after the general resurrection.

Once, during a prayer to the Mother of God, the Archangel Gabriel appeared and said that in three days She would go to the Lord. The Blessed Virgin was waiting for this news and used the allotted three days to pray and say goodbye to everyone. The apostles witnessed the blessed end of the Holy Virgin. Christ, surrounded by many angels, appeared to receive the soul of His Mother and lead Her to paradise.

The Mother of God was buried in the tomb, where Her parents Joachim and Anne and husband Joseph had been buried before. The body of the Virgin Mary was carried in a solemn procession through Jerusalem. Saint Thomas the Apostle did not participate in the procession - the Lord did not allow him to come on time. He arrived in Jerusalem on the third day after the funeral. Saddened that he would never see the Virgin Mary again, he began to ask the apostles to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to the body. They agreed, but when the coffin was opened, there was nobody in the cave. On the same day in the evening, the Mother of God, surrounded by angels, appeared at a meal to the apostles and greeted them with the words: "Rejoice! I am with you all days."

What should not be done on the Dormition?

Ukrainian News

If this day falls on Wednesday or Friday, you can eat fish. In this case, breaking the fast is postponed to the next day. But if the Dormition falls on other days of the week, then there is no fast.

The people believe that one must not go barefoot on this day. Dew symbolizes Mary's tears, so getting your feet wet is a sign of trouble and misfortune.

It is undesirable to cook on the feast - this must be done in advance. On this day, you should not pick up piercing and cutting objects. Believers try to break even the bread, instead of cutting it.

One should not work on the day of the feast. The only exception is that work that cannot be postponed, as well as help for others. But if the work started in advance is completed precisely on the Dormition, this is a very good sign that promises good luck.

One should not wear bad shoes - old and uncomfortable. If you neglect this sign, further life will be overshadowed by various difficulties and problems.

An unmarried girl who dreams of finding her betrothed as soon as possible cannot talk to anyone on the morning of the Dormition.

On this day, one should not use foul language, conflict, and quarrel, and also think about bad things.

People do not make a fire in the house so as not to bring trouble to themselves.

What one should do on this day?

From the feast of the Dormition, girls' parents welcomed matchmakers and planned a wedding, which was usually celebrated on October, 14. According to legends, if the parents agree on a wedding, then the young people will live a long life in peace and harmony.

Also, the Orthodox holiday coincided in time with the harvest. At this time of the year, the peasants were busy harvesting. That is why, in the popular consciousness, agricultural customs were superimposed on the Church traditions of the Dormition.

On this holiday, you can salt cabbage and cucumbers.

Folk sayings of the holiday

The Dormition is the end of summer and the division of the seasons; it is popularly believed that autumn begins from that day. Two weeks after the Dormition in the old days was called the Indian summer - it lasted until September 11.

Beliefs

• A thunderstorm on the Dormition means autumn will be early and rainy.
• On the Dormition of the Virgin, frogs stop croaking.
• If a rainbow appears, the autumn will be warm and long.
• If wildflowers' scent is stronger than usual the weather will be bad.
• Good weather on the Dormition day means Indian summer will be cool.
• If there is a fog, prepare a large basket - there will be a lot of mushrooms.
• Frost means there will be short autumn and long frosty winter.
• If you did not find betrothed at the Dormition day, then you will not get married for a year.

Historian explains how Trump’s dangerous propaganda is driving people to violence

August 30, 2020 Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

Kenosha shooter (Twitter)

President Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination on Thursday before a crowd of about 1,500 on the South Lawn of the White House. In defiance of social distancing guidelines, attendees sat shoulder-to-shoulder with few people wearing masks. Trump spoke as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus neared 180,000 — by far the highest total in the world — and repeatedly defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic. Trump warned of chaos and violence if Joe Biden becomes president, but made no reference to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, or the killing of two protesters in Kenosha by a 17-year-old Trump supporter. We speak with historian Rick Perlstein, who says Trump paints a “picture of the world that bears no resemblance to reality” and that he has driven people to act violently

Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.


AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! We’re Breaking with Convention. I’m Amy Goodman. President Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination Thursday night before a crowd of about 1,500 people on the South Lawn of the White House. In defiance of social distancing rules, attendees sat shoulder-to-shoulder. Few wore masks. Trump spoke as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus neared 180,000, by far the highest total in the world. About the same number of people sat in front of him as die every day in the United States of coronavirus. During his speech, Trump repeatedly defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The United States has among the lowest case fatality rates of any major country anywhere in the world. The European Union’s case fatality rate is nearly three times higher than ours but you don’t hear that. They don’t write about that. They don’t want to write about that. They don’t want you to know those things.

AMY GOODMAN: In fact, the U.S. has the highest total death toll in the world. With a little over 4% of the world’s population, the U.S. has about 25% of the world’s coronavirus deaths. One-hundred twenty nations have a lower case fatality rate than the United States. CNN reports this was one of the more than 20 false or misleading statements in Trump’s acceptance speech. Earlier in the day, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris delivered a prebuttal to Trump’s speech and attacked his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS: Donald has failed at the most basic and important job of a president of the United States. He failed to protect the American people. Plain and simple. Trump showed what we in the legal profession would call a reckless disregard for the well-being of the American people. A reckless disregard

AMY GOODMAN: During his acceptance speech, President Trump made no reference to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, or the killing of the two protesters in Kenosha by a 17-year-old white militia Trump supporter.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: When there is police misconduct, the justice system must hold wrongdoers fully and completely accountable, and it will. But when we can never have a situation where things are going on, as they are today, we must never allow mob rule. We can never allow mob rule. In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities all, like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago and New York and many others. Democrat-run. There is violence and danger in the streets of many Democrat-run cities throughout America.

AMY GOODMAN: During her prebuttal, Kamala Harris directly addressed the police shooting of Jacob Blake and other incidents of police violence.

SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS: As Vice President Biden put it, the shots fired at Mr. Blake pierced the soul of our nation. It’s sickening to watch. It’s all too familiar. People are rightfully angry and exhausted. And after the murders of Breonna and George and Ahmaud and so many others, it’s no wonder people are taking to the streets. And I support them. We must always defend peaceful protest and peaceful protesters. We should not confuse them with those looting and committing acts of violence.

AMY GOODMAN: During Trump’s acceptance speech, he mentioned Joe Biden’s name, oh, about 41 times. He attacked him repeatedly, claiming he was a Trojan horse for socialism and a threat to the American dream.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism. If Joe Biden doesn’t have the strength to stand up to wild-eyed Marxists like Bernie Sanders and his fellow radicals—and there are many—there are many, many—we see them all the time—it’s incredible, actually—then how is he ever going to stand up for you? He’s not. Make no mistake, if you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across America. They will pass federal legislation to reduce law enforcement nationwide. They will make every city look like Democrat-run Portland, Oregon. No one will be safe in Biden’s America. My administration will always stand with the men and women of law enforcement.

AMY GOODMAN: To talk more about President Trump’s acceptance speech and the 2020 race, we are joined by historian Rick Perlstein. Over the last 20 years, Perlstein has written a four-volume series on the rise of the modern conservative movement, the final volume just published. It’s titled Reaganland: America’s Right Turn, 1976-1980. Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us, Rick Perlstein. Can you talk about the tropes, the language that President Trump used last night? But go beyond his speech last night and talk about what you see happening to the Republican Party right now. Would you say last night was just a celebration of white supremacy?

RICK PERLSTEIN: Yeah. I think that that’s a very hard conclusion to avoid. Adolf Hitler’s chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, used to say it’s easier to get the public to believe a big lie than a small one. And what he meant was, if you create such an all-encompassing completely dominating picture of the world that bears no resemblance to reality, people might think that it’s inconceivable that that could be false, right? And that’s exactly what we’ve seen this week in the Republican Convention.

The idea that this is happening while basically a young man who amounts to a stochastic terrorist, that’s basically a person committing political acts of violence believed to be inspired by the acts and wishes of a leader, has happened, is something that you cannot separate from what we saw on our screens. This young man is an impassioned Trump supporter, an impassioned police supporter. He goes to Trump rallies. He goes online and presents videos, believing himself to be an armed vigilante, protecting the nation against these dark and frightening hordes. He comes to Kenosha. And every terrorist believes or claims to believe that they are protecting something, they are protecting order.

This young gentleman goes around with the support of the police who hand him water from their riot tanks. And he shoots. He is fleeing. People are trying to disarm him. And his first instinct is to shoot another person in the head, acting basically in line with not the things that a white supremacist Nazi writer of pamphlets says, but the things that the president of the United States does. And the picture that we are looking at of course bears careful and thoughtful resemblance to the world that the Republican Party made over the last 40 years. But to understand it, we need to go back to the history of strongmen. You know, going back to a Mussolini, going back to a Hitler.

AMY GOODMAN: Johns Hopkins University Professor Narges Bajoghli wrote on Twitter last night, “Having studied production of propaganda in history and present for years, poring over endless hours dissecting how it works and looking for when it works well, the RNC convention the past three days has been some of the best produced and most effective propaganda I’ve seen.” Rick Perlstein?

RICK PERLSTEIN: Yeah. I think that it’s effective in the sense that it’s going to really motivate people who are within this kind of phony worldview, the one in which the coronavirus is referred to in the past tense and America’s economy is the most awesome dynamo the world has ever seen. But of course in order to win, he needs to reach beyond that and win the majority of electoral votes. But by the same token, I’ve made an absolute commitment not to talk about the election of Donald Trump and his attempt to retain power only by talking about voters and electoral votes. Because he is appealing so adamantly to the kind of people who will take arms, take up arms in the streets if he loses.

One of the things we need to understand when it comes to the history of authoritarian strongmen is they are so lawless and their janissaries and enablers are so lawless that they know that if they lose, they may well be called to account for their breaking of the laws. And that makes it an absolute desperate imperative that they not lose. And that is when you see the most frightening developments. The idea that you cannot allow elections to stand. That’s what we saw in Chile in 1970. They lost an election and that’s when they bombed the presidential palace. That’s in 1973 when they bombed the presidential palace, but that’s when the generals seized power by force of arms because they knew that were they to lose, they would be held responsible for the crimes that they had committed.

AMY GOODMAN: Rick, I wanted go back to the Democratic National Convention last week centering on the voices of anti-Trump Republicans but sidelining progressive Democrats, like AOC, for example—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Yes, she spoke for 60 seconds. She took 90 seconds. But she actually wasn’t invited by the DNC. She was invited by Bernie Sanders to nominate him.

RICK PERLSTEIN: Yeah. I want to give it a mixed review. It is absolutely true that they let the former governor of Ohio, John Kasich, a Republican and someone who did things like sign laws to allow guns in bars and was a very adamant pro-life activist—and they let him bait the left wing of the party, which was an absolute absurdity.

But at the same time, they really kind of went all in on a lot of this, on a lot of those nights, for Black Lives Matter. They had an unbelievably galvanizing segment about the imperative to let Dreamers stay in the United States. They had a great segment about feminism. So it was really this attempt to create this big tent.

But at the same time, does the highlighting of these Republicans cause such a contradiction that the American people say to themselves, “Well, what does this party really believe?” And it’s absolutely scandalous that the younger generation of Democrats who are, after all, organizing quite effectively to push aside very long-term incumbent congressmen, were slighted.

AMY GOODMAN: Rich Perlstein, in this last minute we have, and we’ll have you back to talk more about Reaganland, but take us back. You have been chronicling the rise of the conservative and Republican Party for decades now, wrote four books on it. Take us to Reaganland and the similarities you see—Reagan, Trump, and how Trump has taken it further.

RICK PERLSTEIN: Yeah. I’ve been trying to figure out ways to express these very subtle similarities and differences. One thing I will say right now is that Ronald Reagan would definitely say, “Two plus two equals five.” Right? There’s no question about it. But when he would say things like that, it tended to be the off-the-cuff stuff, not the stuff that his speechwriters had written. Whereas when Donald Trump takes a podium and he is reading a speech, that is when he lies the most adamantly.

And it shows that the kind of lying, deception, propaganda, authoritarianism is qualitatively more systematic than under Ronald Reagan. But at the same time that it would not have been possible without Ronald Reagan and the movement around him kind of priming the Republican electorate and Republican elected officials for this kind of lawlessness and viciousness.

AMY GOODMAN: And you of course say that Reagan was one of the most dangerous presidents in U.S. history.

RICK PERLSTEIN: There is no question. Whether a guy cuts 80% out of the public housing budget in eight years, as Ronald Reagan did, with a smile or a scowl, the effect is the same. One of the most dangerous things that Ronald Reagan did as president was something we saw all over in this Republican Convention, which is that idea that people who criticize America are not quite Americans. That is the Reagan legacy, not only to America, but to the United States. That is something that is completely unquestioned in the Republican Party.

AMY GOODMAN: Rick Perlstein, we want to thank you so much for being with us, author of a four-volume series on the rise of the modern conservative movement, the final book just published, Reaganland: America’s Right Turn, 1976-1980. When we come back, we go to the Gulf Coast. Stay with us.

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Telemonitoring may reduce heart attack, stroke rate by 50% for people with high blood pressure

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Aug 31 2020

People enrolled in a pharmacist-led telemonitoring program to control high blood pressure were about half as likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared to those who received routine primary care, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

Researchers, led by study author Karen L. Margolis, M.D., M.P.H., executive director of research at HealthPartners Institute in Minneapolis, Minn., found that a heart attack, stroke, stent placement or heart failure hospitalization occurred in 5.3% of the telemonitoring group vs. 10.4% of the routine primary care group.

Home blood pressure monitoring linked with treatment actions from the health care team delivered remotely (telehealth support) in between office visits has been shown to lower blood pressure more than routine care, and patients really like it. In addition, by avoiding serious cardiovascular events over 5 years, our results indicate significant cost savings."

Karen L. Margolis, M.D., M.P.H., study author, executive director of research at HealthPartners Institute in Minneapolis

Patients reported that they liked having support from a trusted professional, rapid feedback and adjustments to their treatment, and having someone to be accountable to.

Margolis reports that over 5 years, the savings from reduced cardiovascular disease events exceeded the telemonitoring intervention costs by $1,900 per patient.

"The findings were just short of statistical significance," said Margolis, "meaning they could have been due to chance. However, we were surprised that the figures on serious cardiovascular events pointed so strongly to a benefit of the telemonitoring intervention," she said.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is the largest modifiable risk factor contributing to death from all causes. Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, defined as equal to or greater than 130 mm Hg systolic (top number), or 80 mm Hg diastolic (bottom number). However, most adults with high blood pressure don't have their numbers under control.

450 participants with uncontrolled high blood pressure were enrolled in the study, conducted at 16 primary care clinics within the HealthPartners system in Minnesota. Participants were blinded and randomized to two groups: 222 patients were in the routine primary care group, and 228 in the telemonitoring group that also received one year of remote care managed by a pharmacist. In the telemonitoring group, patients were able to measure their blood pressure at home and send it electronically to the pharmacist, who then worked with them to make medication and lifestyle changes in their treatment.

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In clinic visits for all participants, researchers monitored blood pressure at enrollment, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 5 years; kept track of any heart attacks, strokes, coronary stents, heart failure hospitalizations and heart-related deaths that occurred; and counted all the costs of their blood pressure-related care and cardiovascular event care.

They found:

In the telemonitoring group, there were 15 serious cardiovascular events (5 non-fatal heart attacks, 4 non-fatal strokes, 5 heart failure hospitalizations, 1 CV death) among 10 patients. This group also had 2 stent placements, making the total event rate 5.3%.

In the routine primary care group, there were 26 serious cardiovascular events (11 non-fatal heart attacks, 12 non-fatal strokes, 3 heart failure hospitalizations) among 19 patients. They also had 10 stent placements, making the total event rate 10.4%.

Based on these findings, "widespread adoption of the telemonitoring model might help U.S. adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure avoid serious cardiovascular events and reduce health care costs," according to Margolis and colleagues. They recommend future studies to figure out how to increase the number of patients engaged in home blood pressure monitoring over many years, and to measure cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular events over that extended period.

The study's limitations are its relatively small size, and it was at a single medical group's urban and suburban primary care clinics, which may not represent the diversity of patients who receive care in other settings across the country.

Source:

American Heart Association

Journal reference:

Margolis, K.L., et al. (2020) Cardiovascular Events and Costs With Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring and Pharmacist Management for Uncontrolled Hypertension. Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.15492.

Low contribution of antiperspirants to total aluminum burden in humans

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Aug 31 2020

Consumers can take up aluminum compounds from various sources, including antiperspirants containing aluminum. As stated in the BfR Opinion of 2019 (045/2019) on an aluminum intake, the total burden resulting from all sources of exposure is too high in some population groups.

This finding is not affected by the current reassessment of the contribution of aluminum chlorohydrate in antiperspirants, a product group that is used daily. Their contribution to the total aluminum burden is significantly lower than previously assumed.

This is the result of the current risk assessment by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel: “Significantly less aluminum is absorbed through skin than previously calculated on the basis of the limited data available at the time.” BfR assessed absorption via the skin, i.e. dermal absorption, of aluminum salts for the first time in 2014. “At that time, we pointed out the substantial scientific uncertainty surrounding the data and drew attention to the urgent need for research,” continued Hensel. In the meantime, two human studies addressing those data gaps were conducted in 2016 and 2019. Only the latter was able to produce findings to support reassessment. Therefore, reliable data became only available five years after the BfR's request for a scientifically reliable skin absorption study.

In this case, our current risk assessment also shows just how dynamic the scientific process can be on certain issues, and that it remains a matter of continuously reducing existing uncertainties by closing data gaps."

Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, BfR President

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To the BfR-Opinion:

https://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/new-studies-on-antiperspirants-containing-aluminum-impairments-to-health-unlikely-as-a-result-of-aluminum-uptake-via-the-skin.pdf

aluminum salts are being used in antiperspirants to block sweating and inhibit malodour. Just how much of the aluminum from antiperspirants is being absorbed through the skin has long been uncertain. There are currently three human studies from 2001, 2016 and 2019 on aluminum absorption via the skin (dermal absorption or bioavailability) from antiperspirants. All three studies are based on measuring the aluminum concentration in blood and/or urine. The scientific conclusion and scientific relevance of the three studies differ considerably.

Only the study from 2019 provides reliable data on which to conclude on the absorption rate/ bioavailability. The BfR used this data as the basis for its risk assessment and from this derived the absorption via the skin in a model calculation. The result was that a significant contribution by antiperspirants to the total aluminum exposure is unlikely based on current data.

Those who wish to protect themselves from excessive aluminum absorption, should make sure that acidic and salty foods and beverages do not come into contact with aluminum, e.g. via bottles, baking trays, grill pans.

According to current scientific knowledge, excessive aluminum levels in the body can have negative effects on the nervous system, the kidneys and bone.

Source:

BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment