All posts tagged: masks

Childish Media Games: How The SPD’s “Germany Food Basket” Masks State-Driven Inflation

Childish Media Games: How The SPD’s “Germany Food Basket” Masks State-Driven Inflation

Submitted By Thomas Kolbe Party politics today is essentially a mélange of media strategy, personality cult, and the constant struggle to expand one’s own sphere of power. At the Willy Brandt House, the Social Democrats’ command center, a two-track media strategy appears to have been agreed upon for this year: taking and giving. From the wealthy, the party intends to take—by expanding inheritance taxes on corporate assets—what, according to the Social Democrats’ moral code, never truly belonged to them. To the citizen, meanwhile, they want to give a basket of cheap groceries. After years of steadily rising food prices, SPD strategists believe they have discovered the perfect marketing instrument—and behold: suddenly it’s about the purchasing power of “ordinary people.” Of “Ordinary People” and the Emotionally Unstable Yes, you heard that correctly. The ordinary man—that obscene phrase of left-wing salon arrogance, barely concealing its deep-seated contempt for real lives—is once again being invoked in a fight for survival. Lars Klingbeil and the self-appointed champions of social justice signal a return to their roots. After years spent …

A tense calm on the streets of Caracas masks a multitude of fears and uncertainty for Venezuelans

A tense calm on the streets of Caracas masks a multitude of fears and uncertainty for Venezuelans

This article is by F. Brinley Bruton reporting from Bogotá, Colombia, and a Caracas-based reporter who is not being identified because of safety concerns. CARACAS, Venezuela — Days after Venezuela’s capital was rocked by explosions and the country’s leader was seized in a U.S. operation, the streets of this city were eerily quiet. Few people are venturing from their homes, although businesses have begun to reopen and the long lines that had snaked outside the few pharmacies and supermarkets that were operational over the weekend are disappearing. Those trying to get to work using the public bus system seem to be struggling as it seems to be on a skeleton schedule. The more than half a dozen people who spoke to NBC News said that there has been an increased presence of government security forces as well as armed civilian paramilitaries loyal to the government. Officials have called for the arrest of anyone involved in the weekend’s attack. For those who quietly oppose the Maduro government, they hope they’re finally seeing the end of a …

Swalwell says he’ll strip driver’s licenses from ICE officers who wear masks if governor

Swalwell says he’ll strip driver’s licenses from ICE officers who wear masks if governor

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) vowed Wednesday that if elected governor he’d strip driver’s licenses from federal immigration officers wearing masks in California.  “If the governor has the ability to issue driver’s licenses to people in California, if you’re going to wear a mask and not identify yourself, you’re not going to be eligible to drive… Source link

From hero sleep masks to the perfect secateurs: the things you loved most in 2025, and what they say about you | New year

From hero sleep masks to the perfect secateurs: the things you loved most in 2025, and what they say about you | New year

The urge to hibernate through winter is perfectly understandable, but all year? Judging by the products you loved (and bought) most over the past 12 months, you wanted to sleep through 2025. And given that it was the year of Trump 2.0, Kim Kardashian’s acting and the Coldplay kiss cam, we can hardly blame you. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Your favourite item overall was our top-rated mattress, the Otty Original Hybrid. By Otty’s own admission, it’s suffering seasonal delivery delays, so we’ll resist the temptation to spotlight it again here, at least for now. Even without it, the list of your most-loved items reads like a hotel suite inventory, from an electric toothbrush via a silky sleep mask to a sunrise alarm clock – plus an overnight bag to keep them in. All tucked in and ready? Here’s our rundown of the things you loved most this year. Everything you loved most in 2025 The electric toothbrush that cleaned up …

Should we wear masks this flu season? Here’s what the evidence says

Should we wear masks this flu season? Here’s what the evidence says

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter With flu season arriving early and NHS leaders encouraging people with symptoms to wear masks in public, a question arises: do masks actually work against the flu? The short answer is that the evidence remains surprisingly weak. Studies conducted before the COVID pandemic generally found that masks made little to no difference in the spread of flu in everyday settings. There is little reason to think this has changed, although the COVID pandemic has taught us more about when masks can be helpful in reducing the spread of respiratory diseases. This matters because flu cases began rising earlier than usual this year and are higher than we would normally expect at this point in the season. While the number of people being admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of flu is …