Study: Black, Hispanic people in U.S. at high risk for earlier cognitive decline

Black and Hispanic people in the United States are at higher risk for cognitive decline, and at a younger age, a new study suggests. Photo by Joshua Woroniecki/Pixabay

June 23 (UPI) -- Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are more vulnerable to memory loss earlier in life than White people, a study published Wednesday by the journal BMC Public Health found.



Just over 12% of Black people age 45 years and older reported experiencing cognitive decline compared to 11% of White people and 10% of Hispanic people, the data showed.

However, Black and Hispanic people who reported cognitive decline were more likely to be younger, age 45 to 54, compared with White people, most of whom were 65 or over, the researchers said.

In addition, Black and Hispanic people with cognitive decline were likely to report functioning difficulties, such as struggling to complete household chores, according to the researchers.

"It is concerning that we found Black and Hispanic groups self-report cognitive symptoms at an earlier age," study author Sangeeta Gupta said in a press release.

The concern is amplified "considering the projected rise in minority populations in the United States by 2060," said Gupta, a professor of public and allied health sciences at Delaware State University in Dover.

By that year, the Black population in the United States is expected to increase by 172%, while the Hispanic population is expected to nearly quadruple, she said.

One in nine adults in the United States suffers some form of cognitive decline, including memory loss, with Alzheimer's disease being the most severe form, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the new analysis of nearly 180,000 U.S. adults age 45 and older, more than 19,000, or 11%, self-reported symptoms of cognitive decline such as memory loss, the data showed.

Fewer than half of Black or Hispanic people with cognitive decline in the study population, about 45% in each group, had discussed their issues with a healthcare provider.

Nearly 80% of participants who identified as Black and reported cognitive decline symptoms had at least one chronic condition, including diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the researchers.

For White and Hispanic groups, this figure was 64%.

"As we see more younger Black and Hispanic individuals developing cognitive decline symptoms, this may mean we have higher numbers in those groups not only struggling to be independent but also possibly progressing towards Alzheimer's disease and related dementia," Gupta said.

FOREVER CHEMICALS ARE FOREVER

GAO: Cost of toxic chemical cleanup at military bases to rise above estimates

An Air Force contractor prepares equipment at the former Reese Air Force Base, Texas, to remediate an area of toxic chemicals. Photo by Sriram Madabhushi/U.S. Air Force

NOT WEARING PROPER HAZMAT PPE

June 23 (UPI) -- The Defense Department's effort to rid installations of hazardous chemicals will cost more than budgeted for, a Government Accountability Office report says.

The 45-page report notes that although the Defense Department is investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and responding to contamination, it should better report cost information to Congress.

Future cleanup costs will total at least $2.1 billion, and by some estimates significantly more, but the estimates have not yet been reported to Congress.

PFAS are among toxic "forever chemicals" found in firefighting foam and other products.

The Defense Department has begun addressing PFAS-contaminated drinking water at 698 military installations, in use or abandoned, and has assessed about 129.

Sixty-six of those assessed "are proceeding to the remedial investigation and feasibility study," Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for environment and energy resilience, told the House Appropriations subcommittee on June 3.

The GAO report said the effort will "likely increase significantly" beyond the amount already estimated.

In testimony, Kidd estimated the total cost for cleanup at over $29 billion.

"The GAO report confirms two key points: that the DoD has made little progress cleaning up legacy PFAS pollution and that the cost of cleanup is going to grow," commented Scott Faber of the non-government organization Environmental Working Group.

"Congress should move quickly to set deadlines for cleanup and to provide the DoD the resources needed to get the job done," Faber said.

Biden administration ousts Rodney Scott as Border Patrol chief



Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott will step down from his role in 60 days. File Photo by Art Foxall/UPI | License Photo

June 23 (UPI) -- The Biden administration ousted Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott on Wednesday amid an increase of border crossings since the beginning of the year.

Unnamed sources told NBC News that the administration sent Scott what's known as a "3 R" letter, which allows a senior government employee to either retire, resign or relocate to another position.

Scott said the letter didn't give him a reasoning for his ouster, saying he believed it was "so the new administration can place the person they want in the position."

Former President Donald Trump's administration tapped Scott to lead Customs and Border Patrol in January 2020, replacing outgoing Chief Carla Provost. Prior to the promotion, Scott was chief of Border Patrol's San Diego Sector, which includes 60 miles of the United States' shared border with Mexico.

Scott said his resignation will go into effect in 60 days.

"I will continue working hard to support you over the next several weeks to ensure a smooth transition," he wrote in a letter to agents.

The number of migrants U.S. Customs and Border Protection "encountered" at the border in March reached a two-decade high of about 173,000. That was a 70% spike over February's encounters and a five-fold increase over the same month in 2020.

The most recent data for the month of May showed that trend was continuing, with about 180,000 encounters for the month, up from 23,237 in May 2020.

AUTHENTIC BIPARTISANSHIP

Cindy McCain nominated as U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture ambassador


President Joe Biden nominated four ambassadors Wednesday including Cindy McCain to serve as U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo

June 23 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Cindy McCain to serve as U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

McCain, the wife of late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and director of the Hensley Beverage Company Phoenix, was one of 17 nominations by Biden for key roles announced by the White House.

The White House noted that McCain is also involved in multiple organizations dedicated to combating human trafficking and "numerous other civic and philanthropic organizations."

During the 2020 election, McCain endorsed Biden, earning her censure from the Republican party, which said she "has supported globalist policies and candidates" and condemned former President Donald Trump "for his criticism of her husband and erroneously placed behaviors over actual presidential results."

Biden also nominated Claire Cronin as ambassador to Ireland, Michael Carpenter as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation Europe and Jack Markell as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

To date, Biden has announced 23 nominees for ambassadorships, with notable vacancies in ambassadors to Germany and Canada.

The White House has said it intends to maintain a 70/30 ratio between career appointees and political appointees.

US IMPERIALISM THUMBS ITS NOSE AT THE WORLD
For 29th straight year, U.N. calls on U.S. to end 1960 Cuba embargo

The United Nations rebuked the United States on Wednesday for maintaining its economic trade embargo on Cuba. Photo courtesy of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla/Twitter

June 24 (UPI) -- For a 29th year in a row, the United Nations General Assembly demanded the United States end its economic blockade of Cuba.

The assembly on Wednesday at its headquarters in New York City overwhelming approved a resolution it has approved each year since 1992 urging the United States to drop the six-decade-old blockade it enforces around the Caribbean nation. The only year the resolution wasn't voted on was last year due to the pandemic.

The resolution passed with 184 countries in favor with only the United States and Israel voting against. Columbia, Ukraine and Brazil abstained.

THAT MEANS CANADA VOTED AGAINST THE US AND WITH THE UN

¡184 países contra el bloqueo!

Una vez más, desde Naciones Unidas #ElMundoDiceNo a la agresión y a las políticas fracasadas de EEUU contra Cuba .

Es una gran victoria del pueblo cubano, de la justicia y de la verdad. pic.twitter.com/mJ10ESV4B0— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) June 23, 2021

The United States has imposed a trade embargo of economic sanctions on Cuba since 1960 with the intention to isolate the socialist government, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Under the Obama administration, the United States pivoted its foreign policy on the island nation toward engagement, but that changed once President Donald Trump entered the White House as he undid the moves of his predecessor while imposing further sanctions that have been maintained under the current Biden administration.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in mid-April told reporters that the Biden administration policy on Cuba is governed by support for democracy and human rights, though a "Cuban policy shift ... is currently not among the president's top foreign policy priorities."

Before the countries on Wednesday, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla described the blockade as a "massive, flagrant and unacceptable violation of the human rights of the Cuban people."

"Like the virus, the blockade asphyxiates and kills, it must stop," he said.

The embargo, he said, has caused Cuba to lose $9.1 billion during the pandemic-hit 2020 when tje U.S. sanctions also made it difficult for Havana to secure needed medical equipment and food.

Many of those who spoke during the discussion voiced strong opposition to the embargo, calling it a violation of the sovereign right of states with some going so far as to call it illegal and illegitimate.

Antonio Rodrigue, the ambassador to the U.N. from Haiti, said while speaking on behalf of Caribbean Community, an organization of 15 Caribbean states, that the embargo was a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

According to minutes of the meeting published by the U.N., he said CARICOM maintains close relations with Cuba but the scope of the embargo is an obstacle to furthering those ties.

Dang Dinh Quy, Vietnam's ambassador to the intergovernmental organization, called the embargo "the most unjust and prolonged system of unilateral sanctions ever imposed against a country in our modern world history."

Having once been under a U.S. trade embargo Vietnam understands the hardship they cause, he said, adding lifting the blockade will not just benefit Cuba and the United State but regional and global peace, stability and development.

Rodney Hunter, the U.S. representative to the body, defended his country's use of sanctions calling them "a legitimate way to achieve foreign policy, national security and other national and international objectives."

He said the United States understands the challenges that Cubans face, which is why it donates billions of dollars a year to the island nation in humanitarian aid.

"The United States opposes this resolution," he said. "We encourage this body to support the Cuban people in their quest to determine their own future."

"BUILDING WORKER POWER AT AMAZON"

Teamsters mount new effort to help Amazon workers unionize

"Building worker power at Amazon and helping those workers achieve a union contract is a top priority for the Teamsters Union," states a resolution that Teamsters delegates will vote on Thursday. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

June 24 (UPI) -- The Teamsters Union will stage a vote on Thursday on a plan to support unionization efforts for Amazon warehouse workers and drivers in the United States.The Teamsters, one of America's largest labor unions, will gather for its annual convention and delegates will vote on an initiative known as "The Amazon Project," which aims to create a special division to fund and assist workers with organizing, according to a resolution.

In the document, Teamsters call for "shop floor strikes, citywide strikes and actions in the streets" among Amazon workers to call attention to ongoing labor issues.

"Building worker power at Amazon and helping those workers achieve a union contract is a top priority for the Teamsters Union," the document states, according to NPR.

Complaints from drivers and warehouse workers around the world have dogged Amazon for years, including too few breaks, excessive productivity goals and unsafe working conditions.

New York filed suit against Amazon in February, accusing the company of failing to provide adequate coronavirus health and safety protocols at its distribution centers in the state. California is also investigating Amazon practices. And warehouse workers in Germany have gone on strike over the same issues.

Randy Korgan, who was appointed the Teamsters' national director for Amazon, described the Internet retail giant as "enemy No. 1."

"The Teamsters will build the types of worker and community power necessary to take on one of the most powerful corporations in the world and win," Korgan said in a video that will be played at the convention, NPR reported.

Previous efforts to unionize Amazon workers have failed.

In April, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., rejected a proposal to unionize. In that effort, more than half of workers opposed the proposal to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

Members of the union later lodged a series of 23 objections with the National Labor Relations Board and accused Amazon of interfering in the "free and fair" vote and "gaslighting" its employees.

Thursday's vote comes a couple of weeks before Jeff Bezos is set to step down as Amazon's chief executive. He will be succeeded on July 5 by Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services.

The Teamsters Union, which represents more than 1.4 million U.S. workers, sent a letter to members of Congress this week to urge them to pass a series of bills aimed at reforming federal antitrust laws.

In the letter, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa noted Amazon's dominance in the digital marketplace.

"In just a short time, Amazon has been able to use profits generated from its dominant position in AWS and retail e-commerce, coupled with anti-competitive practices enabled by market power, to become a dominant firm in the last-mile delivery portion of the logistics industry," Hoffa, the son of legendary Teamsters leader James R. Hoffa, said in a statement.

"Amazon also abuses its market power in e-commerce to restrict third-party sellers' options of last-mile delivery and logistics firms -- and in the process it is destroying middle-class jobs. These companies should not be able to choose winners and losers in the economy. We need a level playing field for the health of our economy and its small businesses, consumers and workers."

The company rolled out a plan in May to reduce worker injuries.

THIRD WORLD USA CONSTRUCTION CORRUPTION

At least 1 dead after Miami-area condo collapse; boy pulled from debris

By Darryl Coote & Zarrin Ahmed

The partially collapsed Champlain Towers condominium building is seen in Surfside, Fla., on Thursday. Authorities said a woman was killed in the collapse and a young boy was pulled from the debris. Photo courtesy Miami-Dade Fire Rescue/Twitter

June 24 (UPI) -- At least one person was killed and several others were injured after a about half of the units in high-rise oceanfront condominium building near Miami collapsed early Thursday.

Officials said a portion of the Champlain Towers building in Surfside, Fla., collapsed after 1 a.m. EDT on Thursday.

According to authorities, a woman was killed and at least 10 others were hurt. Officials said two people were pulled from the debris, including a young boy, and hospitalized. Thirty-five people were evacuated from the building, they added.

Emergency officials said search crews are working through the debris to find other possible victims or survivors.

Emergency officials said a family unification center was set up and more than 80 technical and rescue teams were at the scene.

The 12-story building was built in 1981 and has more than 130 condo units. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters at a news conference that about half of the condo units collapsed.

Surfside is located about about 3 miles north of Miami Beach and 10 miles northeast of downtown Miami.

The Miami Beach Police Department confirmed earlier that it was assisting in the rescue operation.

The cause of the partial collapse wasn't immediately known. Resident Victor Cohen, who lives near the complex, told WPLG-TV the building had been undergoing a major renovation.

SEE

 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2021/06/collapsed-miami-condo-had-been-sinking.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2021/06/experts-get-1st-clues-on-what-may-have.html

GAZA MAY 2021

PUERTO RICO POST MARIA

US Supreme Court says Pa. school wrong to suspend cheerleader over obscene post

FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT UPHELD

TO SAY FUCK ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Brandi Levy, who was upset that she didn't advance from the junior varsity to the varsity cheerleading squad, was punished by her school after sending a profane Snapchat to 250 friends while she was hanging out at a local convenience store on a Saturday in 2017. Photo by Danna Singer/via ACLU

June 23 (UPI) -- In a key freedom of speech case, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of a former Pennsylvania cheerleader who sued her high school when she lost her spot on the squad over an obscene social media post.

In the 8-1 ruling, the high court decided that Mahanoy Area High School was wrong when it suspended Brandi Levy over the social post. Levy was 14 at the time and made the post, while off-campus, in a fit of anger over not making the school's varsity cheer squad.

After Levy made the post, as a freshman in 2017, Mahanoy coaches decided that she'd broken team rules that required her to show respect for others.

Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled the school's actions to suspend her from the junior varsity team for a year violated Levy's First Amendment rights.

RELATEDCheerleader's profane Snapchat could define free speech off-campus

The justices considered whether a 1969 decision that allowed public schools to regulate certain speech applied to this case, since Levy's post occurred away from the school.

"Off-campus speech will normally fall within the zone of parental, rather than school-related responsibility," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority.

"From the student speaker's perspective, regulations of off-campus speech, when coupled with regulations of on-campus speech, include all the speech a student utters during the full 24-hour day," he added. "That means courts must bemore skeptical of a school's efforts to regulate off-campus speech, for doing so may mean the student cannot engage in that kind of speech at all.

RELATEDSenate Republicans block voting rights act in 50-50 vote

"When it comes to political or religious speech that occurs outside school or a school program or activity, the school will have a heavy burden to justify intervention."

The court also called public schools in the United States "nurseries of democracy."

Another point made by the high court ruling is that Levy's post didn't identify the school or target anyone with vulgar language and was only circulated among Levy's social followed

The lone dissenting justice was Clarence Thomas.

"Using broad brushstrokes, the majority outlines the scope of school authority. When students are on campus, the majority says, schools have authority in loco parentis -- that is, as substitutes of parents -- to discipline speech and conduct," he wrote.

"Off campus, the authority of schools is somewhat less. At that level of generality, I agree. But the majority omits important detail. What authority does a school have when it operates in loco parentis? How much less authority do schools have over off-campus speech and conduct? And how does a court decide if speech is on or off campus?"

Lower appellate courts sided with Levy, which led to her reinstatement on the Mahanoy cheer team. The school district appealed those rulings to the Supreme Court.

LET A THOUSAND CONSPRACIES BLOOM
Antivirus creator John McAfee found dead in Spanish prison cell

By Daniel Uria
JUNE 23, 2021 / 5:17 PM

McAfee antivirus founder John McAfee was found dead in a prison cell in Spain while awaiting extradition to the United States, authorities said Wednesday. File Photo by Saul Martinez/EPA


June 23 (UPI) -- Antivirus company founder John McAfee was found dead in a Spanish prison cell on Wednesday after he was ordered to be extradited to the United States on charges of tax fraud.

Authorities said they believe McAfee,75, died by suicide in his cell at a prison in Spain's Catalonia region, El Diario reported.

Pending an autopsy, police had not found any evidence of criminality connected to McAfee's death, El Pais reported.

The software mogul's death came after a Spanish court ruled that he was to be extradited to the United States where he faces charges of tax evasion and willful failure to file tax returns for failing to pay taxes from 2014 to 2018 despite earning millions from promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, speaking engagements and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary.

McAfee and his associate, Jimmy Gale Watson, have also been charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for plots to fraudulently promote cryptocurrencies qualifying under federal law as commodities or securities.

In his final tweet last week, McAfee denied hiding cryptocurrencies.

"The U.S. believes I have hidden crypto. I wish I did but it has dissolved through the many hands of Team McAfee (your belief is not required), and my remaining assets are all seized. My friends evaporated through fear of association," he wrote.

The US believes I have hidden crypto. I wish I did but it has dissolved through the many hands of Team McAfee (your belief is not required), and my remaining assets are all seized. My friends evaporated through fear of association.
I have nothing.
Yet, I regret nothing.— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 16, 2021

McAfee founded the antivirus software company, McAfee, in the 1980s and it was later purchased by Intel with him no longer associated in the country.

In 2012, he was reported fleeing his home in Belize after authorities sought to question him as a person of interest in the death of his neighbor.

He also filed paperwork to run for president in the United States in 2015

Michelangelo's statues cleaned with 

flesh-eating bacteria

Alexandra Larkin
Tue, June 22, 2021

Nearly 500 years ago, Duke Alessandro de Medici was lured with the promise of spending the night with a beautiful widow, but instead met the end of a knife from an assassin — hired by his cousin — who stabbed him to death. The ruler of Florence's body was placed in his father's tomb.

Now? He's leaking.

Italian art historians and restorers noticed in 2019 that the marble statues in the Medici Chapel, which was commissioned entirely by Michelangelo, were starting to appear dirtier than usual. Staining had been recorded as early as 1595, but the tools to remove it didn't exist then.

In November 2019, Italy's National Research Council figured out what was behind the grime: Bodily fluids leaking from the improperly embalmed corpse of Alessandro de Medici, along with other compounds accumulated over time from glue and plaster. Alessandro's fluids had seeped into the statues of Dusk and Dawn that adorned his father's tomb.

Anna Rosa Sprocati, a biologist at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, hand-picked from her catalog of more than 1,000 bacteria to test against the stains. They had successes and failures, with some of the bacteria eating not just the human remains, but the delicate Carrera marble, too. But the chapel's museum believed that bacteria would be more effective than harsh chemicals or abrasives.

One of the statues stained by Alessandro de Medici's improperly embalmed corpse, before its bacterial bath. / Credit: Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images

Sprocati's all-female team picked the eight most promising bacteria and tested them on a gridded section behind the altar of the church. The ones that worked were then put on the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo, specifically the statues of Night and Day. The bacteria successfully cleaned Night's hair and eyes of accumulated residue.

After a brief pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team released their best flesh-eating bacteria, Serratia ficaria SH7, by way of a microbial gel onto the tomb that was becoming stained. There were even button-shaped deformations.

"SH7 ate Alessandro," Monica Bietti, the Medici Chapels Museum's former director, told The New York Times.

"It ate the whole night," said restorer Marina Vincenti, according to the news outlet.

Visitors can book tickets to the Medici Chapel online.

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Save Michelangelo Sculptures From Destruction

Michael Walsh
Thu, June 24, 2021

Michelangelo
Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet (1475-1564)


“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” That’s how the great Michelangelo described his process of turning stone slabs into stunning works of art. That approach clearly worked for him. His impossibly long list of masterpieces includes “The David” and “La Pietà.”

But some of his sculptures involved more than just freeing the work within. They involved putting someone’s remains inside of them. Like his tomb where Florence’s Duke Alessandro de Medici rests. Which caused a problem even a brilliant mind like Michelangelo couldn’t foresee. Alessandro’s remains threatened to destroy the memorial the famed artist built for the Duke’s family.

That was until flesh-eating bacteria came to the tomb’s rescue.

A marble tomb from Michelangelo, with a seat sculpture above and two statues lying down on a tomb below.

CBS News reports (in a story we first heard about at DesignTAXI) on the ingenious, all-natural way Italian authorities saved one of Michelangelo’s works from decay. Duke Alessandro’s family interred him in the Medici Chapel. He’s buried in the tomb of his father, a piece sculpted by the Renaissance master. In 2019 historians and restorers recognized the tomb was much dirtier than normal. Later that year Italy’s National Research Council identified the culprit responsible: a leaky Duke Alessandro.

It turns out his body had not been properly embalmed. So, a mixture of bodily fluids and compounds of glue and plaster applied to the tomb over the last 500 years was responsible for the stains accumulating on the two statues below Alessandro’s body. Those of Michelangelo’s sculptures of Dusk and Dawn.

The curators of the chapel believed harsh chemicals and abrasives would damage the marble. Instead, they turned to biologist Anna Rosa Sprocati of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies. Forget cleaning the damage. They’d solve the problem at the source. Sprocati and her team searched through more than 1,000 bacteria to use against the issue. That involved plenty of trial and error. Some of the bacteria they tested ate both the stains and marble.

Finally, they settled on Serratia ficaria SH7, a flesh-eating bacteria. Using a microbial gel to apply it, the bacteria did the job both efficiently and thoroughly. The flesh-eating organism finished its, ahem, meal in a single night.

Michelangelo believed his sculptures already existed inside a slab of marble. He merely had to free them. In a strange way, his chisel worked the same way as this flesh-eating bacteria. Each eliminated all the parts the sculpture didn’t need.

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