Tracker

Republicans would "rather end democracy" than turn away from Trump, says Harvard professor Co-author of "How Democracies Die" says the GOP is ready to seize power. But they might not be able to keep it. It can happen here. The "it" ought to be obvious by now: an authoritarian or even fascist regime in the United States. That was a big reason why Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, along with his colleague Daniel Ziblatt, published the 2018 book "How Democracies Die." They wanted to warn Americans of the dangerous signs they saw in Donald Trump's presidency that followed the authoritarian playbook. So where are we now in terms of our democracy? I spoke with Levitsky recently for Salon Talks, and here's one line that really stood out: Levitsky told me, "Five years ago I would have laughed you out of the room if you suggested our democracy could die." But today, he added, we see the Republican Party apparently focused on breaking our democracy. In a nutshell, Levitsky believes the threat to our democracy is more acute today than when Trump was in the White House, since the GOP is desperate to retain its fading power in the face of hostile demographic change. Levitsky describes today's GOP as "clearly an authoritarian party." Worse yet, it's no longer all about Trump. He sees the GOP continuing on its anti-democratic path for years to come, saying that even the contested term "fascist" is becoming more defensible given the GOP's defense or denial of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Republicans would "rather end democracy" than turn away from Trump, says Harvard professor | Salon.com

Merck's new COVID-19 drug could be a pandemic "game-changer" Imagine if an unvaccinated person with COVID-19 could go to the pharmacy and get a pill that could reduce their risk of dying from COVID-19 by 50 percent. This scenario could drastically reduce the number of needless COVID-19 mortalities, and it could become a reality as soon as 2022. On Monday, pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. announced that it submitted its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of the first antiviral pill targeted to treat COVID-19. If approved, the pill — called Molnupiravir — could be a major milestone in ending the pandemic as an effective at-home treatment option. The concept behind the drug is that those with high-risk conditions could take the pill to prevent their COVID-19 case from worsening and progressing to hospitalization or death. According to an announcement by the company earlier this month, the results in its clinical trials cut hospitalization and death by 50 percent in patients who had at least one high-risk factor for COVID-19. "More tools and treatments are urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become a leading cause of death and continues to profoundly affect patients, families, and societies and strain health care systems all around the world," said Robert M. Davis, chief executive officer and president of Merck & Co. in a statement. "With these compelling results, we are optimistic that Molnupiravir can become an important medicine as part of the global effort to fight the pandemic." Indeed, the pill's clinical trial results are quite compelling, though they have yet to be peer-reviewed and published. According to the company's news release, its late-stage clinical trial was so successful that it stopped enrolling subjects after discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Based on the participants with available viral sequencing data (approximately 40% of participants), Molnupiravir was consistently effective in treating the variants gamma, delta, and mu. Similarly, the side effects were comparable among patients who received the drug and those in a testing group who received a placebo pill. Merck has not publicly detailed the types of problems reported, but they will likely be an important part of the FDA's review. Merck's new COVID-19 drug could be a pandemic "game-changer" | Salon.com

Collaros and his life insurance agent already know what would happen to him playing behind a bad O-line. He hasn't had to pick himself up very often since arriving here.

Bomber kicking game being worked on:

At least we are holding steady and the ICUs are beginning to empty of COVID cases.

The two about posts stress a) the value of succession planning in the quarterback position (including game experience for backups) and b) the degree of dumbness in the Rider management. Every player has a "best before" date stamp and good NI linemen are valuable and rare. There will be much wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in Riderland soon.

I have a hunch that Harris will be doing a lot of running through (very big) right side gaps). *rubs hands together*

I was expecting Vernon Adams to have a breakout year, but he looks to have regressed. He does not seem to be able to read an offence or go through his progressions. His injury might actually help the Larks.

Politics has trumped (appropriate reference) science and common sense in many places, including a lot of Albertans and Saskatchewanites.

Yes! *rubs hands together*

Any port in a storm.

'Cuz its where I see them.

I guessing that its because Cornelius has better healthcare coverage.

Watching the Monday games confirmed for me two things: 1. LaPolice has a lot of chicken feathers on that team. 2. Non of these teams have a quarterback My CFL Rankings: 1. Bombers 8. Riders, Stamps, Lions, TiCats 9. Elks, Alouettes, RedBlacks, Argos

It is inevitable if nothing changes, and I am doubtful if the will is there. It is going to be messy no matter which way it goes, but the longer it takes, the worse it will be,

This game is more like a pillow fight than a competitive football game. Fighting to stay awake or even interested. I feel for the fans who paid to see this.

That was their original outlet. They moved to Pembina at Grant.

The mindsets of military, paramilitary, conspiratorialists and fundamentalists is such that they are predisposed to acting without questioning. These all tend to believe that their way is righteous enough that it can be imposed on the unbelievers "for their own good".

I do not follow the NFL all that closely, but from reports, Hajrullahu did not wow anyone there. He was OK, but not outstanding, and unless there is a spate of kicker injuries, he is unlikely to be re-signed in the NFL. That said, unless he has a change of heart in the next week or two, we will not see him in blue and gold this year at least.

That is inevitable in my opinion, and the sooner it comes to that, the better the chances of America retaining some form of recognizable democracy. If the American Civil War had come 20 or 30 years later, it would have been bloodier and more protracted, as the South would have had more time to prepare. As it is now, the right wing is busy getting ready while the center-left is waiting for a Disney-like epiphany to come to the neo-fascists. Fanatics cannot be placated with anything short of complete submission and will take advantage of any perceived weakness of their foes and attribute concessions as fear.

The only hope America has of surviving as a nation is if their Department of Justice starts aggressively prosecuting Trump and every one of the GOP and all those involved in the attempted coup. The January 6th incident was a trial run and those involved in organizing are still free. They are organizing subversion at the school board, civic and state levels to challenge any elections result they lose and to disqualify as many Democratic voters as possible.

Agreed that recycling is not THE answer- it is part of the answer. Other measures need to be in place- for example, in Europe, one chain of stores has installed equipment that allows people to refill their own containers with shampoo and conditioner for a great deal cheaper. This and other yet to be discovered means will help. but manufacturers have to do their part.

'Cuz they couldn't find anyone better. For now at least.

It would be better if each party had to report annually on how they were living up to their campaign commitments, but I have little doubt that they would weasel out of this. Gary Filmon made all kinds of promises because the province was doing so well economically, but soon after the election, the reported economic outlook deteriorated so badly that he "reluctantly" backed out of all his promises.