Mediaboss Marketing

Neil Young poses for a portrait at Lost Planet Editorial in Santa Monica, Calif. on Sept. 9, 2019. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP, File)

(NEXSTAR) Singer Neil Young reportedly asked for his songs to be removed from Spotify, a streaming service for music and podcasts, over false information about vaccines.

In an open letter posted to his website, Young called on his management team and record label to remove his music, Rolling Stone and Stereogum report. As of Monday evening, the letter appeared to have been removed from Youngs site.

According to reports, Young wrote, Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.

He added that Spotify can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both, Rolling Stone reports.

Recently, 270 health care professionals signed an open letter to Spotify calling for the service to take action against the misinformation being shared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals,the letterstated.

Health care professionals highlighted an episode featuring virologist Robert Malone, who they say promotes misinformation about COVID-19. This episodehas been heavily criticized by many experts for remarksregarding the pandemic and how the coronavirus impacts people, especially those who are younger, The Hill reports.

One of the doctors who signed the letter, Dr. Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, told On Balance that they were not calling for censorship or removal of the podcast. Instead, they want Spotify to create a policy on how to moderate misinformation.

As of Monday evening, both Youngs music and Rogans podcast are available on Spotify. Youngs label Warner Records and Spotify did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more from the original source:
Neil Young calls for his music to be pulled off Spotify over Joe Rogan vaccine misinformation: reports - WPIX 11 New York

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) Deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office cited the driver caught on camera losing control of his Mustang and crashing into a crowd of people Friday night. It happened outside Lamborghini Sarasota on Clark Road. The dealership was hosting an after-hours car meet.

In video posted to social media, cars were seen zooming past the crowd on Clark Road until a black Mustang leaving the parking lot veered off course, ramming into several people.

A sheriffs office report said six people were hit in the crash. The report also showed the driver of the Mustang turned 16 last month.

Robert McKahan was one of the people struck by the vehicle. He was suffering from neck pain and a broken foot.

I just saw a Mustang heading right toward me and I couldnt really get out of the way with the crowd around me, said McKahan.

He said the driver tried apologizing to him after the crash. He told the teen to learn from his mistakes.

Witnesses said its a miracle no one was killed or seriously injured.

I was expecting to probably get run over as well as other people. It was going pretty quickly, but the curb stopped it a little bit, but I thought it was gonna be a lot worse than what it was, thankfully it wasnt, said McKahan.

The dealership declined to speak with 8 On Your Side Monday. A manager directed us to its parent company, Morgan Automotive Group, but could not provide a name or contact information when asked. The automotive group did not respond to our requests for comment as of 5:30 Monday evening.

The dealership promoted the after-hours event on Facebook. In the messaging online, the dealership asked for attendees to be respectful. The post said, Please no revving, burnouts, high-speed flybys or other activities that might be considered dangerous or disrespectful to others.

McKahan said the dealership hosts the car meets on a monthly basis. Hes enjoyed attending them each month.

You just park, show off your car and meet new people, talk to people, said McKahan. It is a very welcoming family-friendly event also and it just turned out bad in that situation, he continued.

The sheriffs office told 8 On Your Side that it was not aware of these car shows until the incident occurred this weekend and this video was released. They looked through past calls for service and say it appears there have never been any prior reported issues.

On Monday, the sheriffs office Patrol Bureau supervisors visited the Lamborghini dealership to educate their team and see if they needed any additional support in the form of special detail deputies or anything else.

A spokesperson with SCSO tells 8 On Your Side it was their understanding that the dealership is postponing any future events at this time.

Excerpt from:
16-year-old driver cited for careless driving after slamming into crowd in Sarasota - WFLA

Almost $1 million in grants has been handed to projects that will improve the health and habitat of the Swan and Canning rivers under the fifth round of the Community Rivercare Program.

Successful schemes ranged from sea scouts improving nearby water bird habitat to foreshore revegetation by friends of local waterways.

Since its inception in 2018-19, the McGowan Government's Community Rivercare Program has funded 46 projects through 29 volunteer-based community groups.

Projects sharing among the $915,143 in funding from the latest round include:

More information can be found at https://pws.dbca.wa.gov.au/rivercare

Comments attributed to Environment Minister Reece Whitby:

"It's wonderful to see the involvement, passion and commitment of community groups in caring for our waterways.

"There are so many positive environmental and social outcomes from these projects, which enhance the natural values of the Swan and Canning rivers.

"The McGowan Government is committed to delivering funding to community-led projects which not only improve the health of waterways but also increase public enjoyment of these recreational areas."

Minister's office - 6552 6300

Read more from the original source:
Perth waterways benefit from nearly $1 million for Community Rivercare Program - Media Statements

Many of us stopped disinfecting surfaces as a strategy to fight COVID-19 long ago in the pandemic. Should the omicron variant change that? (Photo: Getty Images)

(NEXSTAR) Most of us stopped wiping down our groceries and disinfecting all our possessions much earlier in the pandemic, when we learned the real risk of COVID-19 transmission was in the air. Does the arrival of the omicron variant change that calculus?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory transmission is still the primary concern. It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low, the agency says.

I have no reason to expect that omicron will act any differently [than other variants] with risk of transmission via surfaces, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

How long can the virus last on surfaces? If the surface is porous, like cotton, for example, studies report inability to detect viable virus within minutes to hours, says the CDC. If the surface isnt porous, like glass, stainless steel or plastic, studies have been able to detect the virus after days or weeks.

However, under typical indoor environmental conditions, studies have found a 99% reduction in infectious coronavirus in three days or 72 hours. That timeline speeds up by a lot when you factor in ventilation, like an open window.

Disinfectant solutions have been proven to work against the virus, as well, but experts dont believe that cleaning should be the main focus. The risk of fomite transmission (getting sick from a surface that has virus particles on it) is very low, the CDC says, and the risk of respiratory transmission (getting sick from breathing in virus particles) is quite high especially in indoor environments where people arent wearing masks.

I have never cleaned my groceries at any time in the pandemic before and I dont expect to ever during COVID surges, said Chin-Hong. The air is the issue and we should be laser-focused on that rather than be distracted with surfaces.

Can the virus survive in the air even after an infected person has left a room? Research suggests the answer is yes: Particles can linger for anywhere from minutes to hours, the CDC says. It all depends on the air flow in the room, the temperature, humidity and other factors.

I dont get nervous, when I go into a room, about whos been in the room before me, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UCSFs epidemiology and biostatistics department in an interview with CapRadio. But I do get nervous anytime Im inside a room thats not that well-ventilated, about even people who are across the room, or people who might be much further from me than I would generally think about. Because the air thats there is just not circulating in the way that is really designed to keep me safe. Those viral particles are sort of hanging in the air.

Go here to see the original:
How long does omicron last on surfaces and in the air? - RochesterFirst

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Woodlands, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.

After a quarter century in office, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Woodlands, is retiring.

That's led to a crowded primary contest for Texas' 8th Congressional District, which stretches across nine counties north of Houston. The primary sheds some light on how the Texas GOP is evolving in the aftermath of the Trump presidency.

Eleven Republicans are vying to claim the party's mantle in the district which encompasses north Houston and the Woodlands and most would not have dared to challenge the retiring congressman.

This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity for Republican hopefuls, said Montgomery County voter and drone technology consultant Nick Madincea. So many people have been waiting on Kevin Brady to retire, and we really love Kevin Brady in this in this part of the country. Hes without a doubt, I think, one of the most underappreciated Republicans in our nation.

Brady took office in 1997 and rose to the chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee before Republicans lost control of the House in 2018.

But the GOP imposes term limits on its chairs. Even if Republicans regain control of the chamber this fall, Brady wouldn't retake the gavel. That may have played a role in his decision to step down.

As crowded as the field looks, there are definitely some front-runners.

One of those front-runners is Christian Collins, a conservative activist with the backing of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Collins previously worked on Cruz's campaign staff.

Madincea, who said he's planning to vote for Collins, called him a young, energetic guy."

I think that Christian is the future face of the Republican Party and a really great kind of a symbolic figure for what the Republican Party will look like in decades to come, Madincea said. You cant put a price on that.

Collins has built a strong following among younger Texas Republicans as the founder and organizer of the annual Texas Youth Summit. That's how Coby Lobaugh first encountered him. Lobaugh, a mass communications and graphic design student at Sam Houston State University, didn't consider himself politically active until last August, when a friend invited him to the 2021 summit.

The roster of speakers included Cruz, Donald Trump, Jr., and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Attendees ranged in age from about 14 to 25. Lobaugh himself is 21.

"Shortly after that summit," Lobaugh said. "He announced he was running for Congress, and it just seemed like a no-brainer to support his campaigns and vote for him."

Collins' most serious competitor is former Navy SEAL Morgan Luttrell. If the name sounds familiar, that may be because his twin brother, Marcus, was also a Navy SEAL who wrote a bestselling memoir, Lone Survivor.

Julie Faubel, a retired PR executive, met Morgan Luttrell at a Lake Conroe-area Republican Women's Club meeting.

Of course, I knew of him, Faubel said. I knew of his brother. I have seen them at various political functions over the years, so it was a little bit like meeting a celebrity, but theres no celebrity with him. He is very honest, very straightforward, very genuine.

Faubel cited Luttrell's wartime experience as the biggest factor that convinced her to vote for him.

If hes willing to fight for me on the battlefield, I have no doubt that he is willing to fight for our conservative values and our deep love for our country, she said.

Douglas Griffith can't vote for Luttrell himself he lives in Congressman Troy Nehls' district but as the president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, his endorsement holds weight.

Hes a big supporter of law enforcement, Griffith said. Obviously, thats something thats dear to my heart, being an officer for 31 years. He also believes in the rule of law and the fact that we need to start doing something in this country to hold these judges accountable for their actions when they release people on low bonds or no bonds.

Luttrell also has some heavy hitters in his corner. He previously worked for former governor and Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Both Perry and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick endorsed Luttrell.

Some call the contest between Collins and Luttrell a microcosm of the Texas GOP post-Trump.

What is the new breed of Texas conservative? asked University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus. As weve seen so far, its been a bit of a hybrid between a kind of Trump-based politics and some mixture of the old guard of the kind of Republican Party that came to power in Texas in the 1990s.

Neither Collins nor Luttrell is purely Trumpist or purely old guard Republican. There's not a lot to differentiate the two in terms of platforms: Both are strongly anti-abortion, support stricter voting laws that they call "election integrity," and oppose the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

But the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus endorsed Collins, while U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston who recently denounced the caucus as "performance artists" and "grifters" endorsed Luttrell.

Austin Bussing, an assistant professor of political science at Sam Houston State University, said that gave Collins an opening to paint Luttrell as less than a true believer.

A sort of framing that Christian Collins specifically is trying to use here is a kind of establishment vs. anti-establishment frame, which has typically been a sort of winning strategy in primaries, Bussing said.

Endorsements are only part of the reason Collins and Luttrell are viewed as the most serious contenders for Brady's seat. There's also money: Luttrell has already raised more than $737,000, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission.

"It's going to be an expensive primary," Rottinghaus said. I think you're going to expect to see Chris Collins raising a lot of money, too.

While Luttrell can claim strong national security credentials, he's not the only veteran in the race. There's also retired naval aviator Dan McKaughan and former U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Jonathan Hullihan.

It could be that theres money there that could be influential in shifting a few votes towards them, Rottinghaus said.

The other contenders for the Republican nomination include surgical technician Betsy Bates, businesswomen Candice C. Burrows and Jessica Wellington, pipeliner Jonathan A. Mitchell, self-employed Chuck Montgomery, telecom executive Michael Philips, and Willis City Public Works Director Taylor M. Whichard IV.

With 11 contenders in the field, it's unlikely either Luttrell or Collins will snag the 50% of the vote plus one thats needed to claim victory in the first round, which means a likely runoff.

Whoever wins that contest will face the sole Democratic candidate, former San Jacinto County Democratic Party chair Laura Jones, in the fall.

"This district has changed in in this last round of redistricting in a way that makes it maybe slightly more moderate because it went down and picked up some of northwestern suburban Harris County," Austin Bussing said. "But its still a solidly and really, I think, safely Republican district."

Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.

View post:
11 GOP candidates crowd the race to replace Woodlands Congressman Kevin Brady - Houston Public Media