Washington | October 27, 2021
Senators Put YouTube, TikTok, Snap on Defensive on Children’s Use
Washington | October 27, 2021
Senators put executives from YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat on the defensive Tuesday, questioning them about what they’re doing to ensure young users’ safety on their platforms.
Citing the harm that can come to vulnerable young people from the sites—ranging from eating disorders to exposure to sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs—the lawmakers also sought the executives’ support for legislation bolstering the protection of children on social media. But they received little firm commitment…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
Washington | October 18, 2021
Hundreds of Boeing Workers Protest in Washington State After Company Tells Workers They Must Be Vaccinated
Washington | October 18, 2021
Hundreds of Boeing Co employees protested in Washington state on Friday after the company told workers they must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Roughly 200 workers gathered in protest outside of the company’s Renton and Everett locations just days after the planemaker announced the new mandate.
On Oct. 12, the planemaker announced that employees must be vaccinated by Dec. 8 in line with the deadline set by President Joe Biden requiring federal employees as well as companies that are contractors and subcontractors of the government to receive the shots.
The policy will apply to roughly 125,000 employees in the United States, of which about 57,000 are in Washington state, The Seattle Times reported.
“To ensure compliance with President Biden’s executive order for federal contractors, Boeing is requiring its U.S.-based employees to either show proof of vaccination or have an approved reasonable accommodation, based on a disability or sincerely held religious belief, by Dec. 8,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement to The Epoch Times…. (Excerpts from Epoch Times)
Washington | October 3, 2021
Gender Ideology Run Amok
Washington | October 3, 2021
By Abigail Shrier, Author, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. In 2007, America had one pediatric gender clinic; today there are hundreds. Testosterone is readily available to adolescents from places like Planned Parenthood and Kaiser, often on a first visit—without even a therapist’s note. How did we get to this point? How is it that we are all supposed to pretend that the only way you can know I’m a woman is if I tell you my pronouns? How did we get to an America in which a 13-year-old in the State of Washington can begin “gender affirming” therapy without her parents’ consent? How did we get to an America in which a 15-year-old in Oregon can undergo “top surgery”—elective double mastectomy—without her parents’ permission? And what can we do about it?… (Excerpts from Imprimis)
Washington | September 17, 2021
Coach Fired for Post-Game Prayer Takes Case to Supreme Court: ‘Right This Wrong’
Washington | September 17, 2021
A high school coach who was fired for praying at the 50-yard-line after football games is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved and protect not only his religious liberty but also the freedoms of thousands of other teachers in the region. Joe Kennedy, whose case has gained nationwide attention, was not retained as an assistant coach by Bremerton (Wash.) High School following the 2015 season after he prayed, multiple times, in violation of a district policy. Kennedy’s post-game prayers typically involved him kneeling silently at midfield.
Kennedy lost his case at the district court and at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court declined in 2019 to get involved, although four of the justices expressed openness to hearing the case at a later date after the lower courts better developed the record. Those four justices at the time said the Ninth Circuit’s reasoning “is troubling and may justify review in the future.”.. (Excerpts from the Christian Wire)
Washington | August 27, 2021
Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases
Washington | August 27, 2021
Microsoft on Thursday warned thousands of its cloud computing customers, including some of the world’s largest companies, that intruders could have the ability to read, change or even delete their main databases, according to a copy of the email and a cyber security researcher. The vulnerability is in Microsoft Azure’s flagship Cosmos DB database. A research team at security company Wiz discovered it was able to access keys that control access to databases held by thousands of companies. Wiz Chief Technology Officer Ami Luttwak is a former chief technology officer at Microsoft’s Cloud Security Group. Because Microsoft cannot change those keys by itself, it emailed the customers Thursday telling them to create new ones…. (Excerpts from Reuters)
Washington | August 26, 2021
Nurses Warn of Staff Shortages Due to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Washington | August 26, 2021
A nationwide shortage of nurses and health care workers may soon worsen as thousands of medical staff face losing their jobs by refusing to obey new COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“It will be really terrible. We’re already understaffed,” said one veteran registered nurse who works at a health care facility north of Seattle.
She said she will lose her job after her employer’s Aug. 31 mandated vaccine goes into effect unless she complies with the requirement.
She estimates that as many as 400—20 percent—of the health center’s 2,500 employees refuse to take the vaccine. That number will likely shrink due to the financial hardship of job loss, she said, though “even losing 5 percent would be devastating to the community,” she told The Epoch Times.
The nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her only solution is if her employer grants her a religious exemption, which appears unlikely at this point…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)