Category: Uncategorized

• The International Air Transport Association is in the final stages of developing a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport for travelers.
• Most airlines have yet to announce if they’ll require passengers to show proof of getting the vaccine.
• Travelers should expect to continue wearing masks and social distancing on flights, even after getting immunized.

After grinding to a near halt during the pandemic, travel is poised to make a major comeback in 2021, once the COVID-19 vaccine becomes widely distributed.

Governments and airlines may begin requiring travelers to get the immunization and prove it with a new form of digital documentation called a vaccine passport.

Here’s what we know so far about the forthcoming vaccine passport, along with some expert insight on what to expect when traveling next year.

New document for travel

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association that represents 290 airlines worldwide, announced on Nov. 23 that it was in the final stages of developing a digital vaccine passport for travelers.

Dubbed the IATA Travel Pass, the digital health document will provide travelers with a way to get a certification of things like their vaccination status and COVID-19 test results from medical facilities and share that information with airlines and border authorities.

Travelers would carry their certified COVID-19 health information via a new contactless app from the IATA.

Alan Joyce, the chief executive officer of the Australian airline Qantas, has told journalists that he thinks getting vaccinated against COVID-19 (and likely proving they had the immunization) will be a necessity before getting on a flight.

Other airlines are still mum about possible requirements on their flights, but experts say that travelers should expect to show proof of immunization once the vaccine becomes available to most people in the United States, likely next spring.

“Airlines don’t want to be accused of serving as vectors for the virus in passengers on board,” said Dr. Robert Quigley, senior vice president and global medical director of International SOS, a health and security services firm, and MedAire, which offers training, medical equipment, and other services for flight crew and passengers.

“It’s all about protecting against the transmission of the disease and not bringing it into areas that aren’t infected,” he added.

So far, experts like Quigley believe that the vaccine passport will mainly apply to international trips, rather than domestic journeys, but travelers should keep an eye out for announcements from airlines over the coming months to ensure they have the right documentation for upcoming flights.

Travelers should also stay up to date on vaccination requirements and other measures destinations may implement on foreign visitors next year.

Proof of vaccination in the past

While the proposed vaccination passport has made headlines over the last couple of weeks, showing proof of immunization at certain borders is nothing new.

The yellow fever vaccine is sometimes required for travelers coming from or going to countries where there’s a risk of that disease, such as Uganda and Brazil.

Travelers typically show proof of their yellow fever vaccination at borders using the World Health Organization’s “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis,” a yellow booklet filled out by a physician.

“The yellow booklet for the yellow fever vaccination is sort of an obsolete solution from a time when everything was written on paper,” said Dr. Martin Krsak, an infectious disease specialist with the UCHealth Infectious Disease/Travel (TEAM) Clinic at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

What’s new about the forthcoming vaccination passport is the digitization of the health information, which would offer a more streamlined way for border agents and airlines to vet the growing number of travelers who will likely soon be required to show proof of immunizations at many more places around the world.

Precautions during travel

Just because you get the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t mean you won’t have to follow other precautions that have become common when traveling during the pandemic.

“There will be continued efforts by airlines, airports, and the travel industry as a whole to focus on hygienic best practices,” said Quigley. “That’s a good thing, it’s long overdue, and I think it will persist perhaps even forever.”

Travelers should expect to continue wearing masks and social distancing on their journeys over the next year, said Krsak.

They may be exempt from other requirements, such as quarantining at the destination, once they have proof of vaccination, though.

“Essentially the major improvement offered by the vaccination passport would be freer mobility,” he said. “Some particularly strict lockdowns would no longer apply to the carriers of such passports.”

For now, travelers should continue to monitor what’s going on in the industry in regard to the vaccine passports and other requirements.

“It’s still very fluid and we don’t know what’s going to happen with regard to these passports,” said Quigley. “They’re strongly encouraged in the industry, and that initial notice by the IATA is the first indication that something is going to change in the industry.”

It’s time to explore the stranger side of Amazon’s smart assistant with these weird Alexa skills.

Alexa Skills bring all kinds of extra abilities to Amazon’s smart voice assistant.

They can open up a whole new world of uses for the company’s Echo devices. And because it’s relatively easy to create new skills, developers aren’t shy about having fun with the technology. Alongside more serious efforts, there are some truly weird Alexa Skills available to try.

Here’s a selection of the weirdest Alexa Skills you can enable right now.

1. Chewbacca Chat

Say “Alexa, open Chewbacca Chat.”

This unofficial Star Wars skill brings the dulcet tones of everyone’s favorite Wookie to your Amazon voice assistant. Tell it what’s on your mind, and it will respond with some of Chewbacca’s best lines (if you can call them that) from the movies.

You can also ask questions, and for some of them Alexa will provide a translation of Chewie’s answer.

You can test your Star Wars knowledge by trying to find the six hidden easter eggs. Say, “Alexa, ask Chewbacca Chat to tell me about the easter eggs” to learn more.

2. Skyrim Very Special Edition

Say, “Alexa, open Skyrim.”

According to Bethesda Games Studios, this is “the version of Skyrim you never saw coming… on the platform you never asked for.” The developer promises the chance to “burn spiders,” “chase butterflies,” and “walk straight up a mountain instead of going around.”

At times, that tongue-in-cheek tone extends to the skill itself, a basic adventure game set in the Skyrim universe. One of the first enemies you may encounter is an “adoring fan” whose attacks consist of unwanted hugs.

Most of the time, however, it plays like other Alexa games you can play on your Echo, with magic, swords, and so on. But that only makes it funnier when you pick up a new sword and the game says “Ooh shiny!”

3. Sad Trombone

Say, “Alexa, play Sad Trombone”

The sad trombone is the well-worn “womp womp” sound effect used in countless movies and TV shows to signify failure. With this Alexa skill, you can summon it at will.

That’s all it does. Not exactly sophisticated but perfect for when someone in your household trips over, drops something, or has some other unexpected but hilarious calamity.

4. Rimshot

Say, “Alexa, open Rimshot.”

Apart from loud groans, nothing follows a bad joke quite as well as a rimshot. That’s the classic “badum-tish” drum effect that comes directly after a punchline.

And that’s what this skill does: it plays a sample of that sound effect. Simple and fun for everyone—except those who have to hear your jokes.

5. Random Bane Quote

Say, “Alexa, launch random Bane Quote.”

Are you eager to hear samples of Tom Hardy’s indecipherable mumbling from The Dark Knight Rises? Then good news. This skill offers more than 100 audio snippets of the notorious Batman villain. You can ask for one random quote or several in a row.

6. My Fish Feeder

Say, “Alexa, open My Fish Feeder.”

If you have trouble remembering to feed your fish, this skill is meant for you. Simply ask it whether you’ve fed your fish already, and it will tell you.

What’s weird is that all this skill does is remember a Yes/No state. When it’s feeding time, you need to tell My Fish Feeder “feed my fish”. It then remembers that ready for you to ask about it later in the day.

Extremely simple, but maybe useful if you have a memory like a fish.

7. Roast Me

Say, “Alexa, open Roast Me.”

Roast Me is one of many Alexa Skills that dishes out insults on demand. The target in this case is you.

The jokes aren’t particularly biting or even funny, but it’s a fun distraction for a couple of minutes. After every roast, it will ask if you want more, by demanding you say things like “Bring it on” or “Give me that tough love.”

8. Filter Bubble

Say, “Alexa, open Filter Bubble.”

Nobody likes being told they’re wrong. And with Filter Bubble, that never has to happen.

It’s essentially a virtual yes man. Open it up and then tell it what you believe, about absolutely anything at all (it’s not really listening). Alexa will then respond with a firm affirmation of your views, so you can remain safely in your own personal echo chamber.

“You are so right!”

Yes, we know, thank you very much.

9. Fortune Cookie

Say, “Alexa, open Fortune Cookie.”

This skill claims to offer thousands of genuine fortune cookie quotes. Among them are such pearls as “Today, your charm will have them singing like birds” and “An empty stomach is not a good political advisor.”

All the faux wisdom without any of the crumbly mess.

10. Lee Neilson

Say, “Alexa, open Lee Neilson.”

The barrier to entry for Alexa Skills developers is extremely low. According to Amazon, you can build a skill in under an hour.

As a result, there are many low-quality, pointless skills in the Alexa Skills store. Lee Neilson is an excellent example of that. However, it’s also quite charming, in its own simplistic way.

Made by the owner of a UK-based web design company, all it does is say “Hello from Lee Neilson.”

Right back at ya, Lee.

11. My Pet Cat

Say, “Alexa, open My Pet Cat.”

Get your own virtual (and invisible) feline with My Pet Cat. First, choose a color for your cat and a name. Then you can feed it, wash it, take it for walks, or let it nap. You can even take it on adventures, running into battles with dogs and other cats.

Over time, your cat can learn new skills, and it will grow and level up as you take care of it.

Best of all, there are no vet bills or fleas.

12. Chuck Norris Fan Facts

Say, “Alexa, open Chuck Norris Fan Facts.”

Did you know Chuck Norris’s phone doesn’t have auto-correct because no one corrects Chuck Norris? That’s just one of the many interesting facts this skill can tell you about Mr. Norris.

Of course, these “facts” are a joke. They’re part of the long-running “Chuck Norris facts” internet phenomenon, which celebrates the supposedly superhuman abilities of the famous martial artist.

With this skill, you can rustle up new Norris facts whenever you want them.

13. Chip Facts

Say, “Alexa, open Chip Facts.”

All this skill does is give you a randomly chosen fact about chips, the national dish of Great Britain.

Sadly, its database of facts seems to be extremely limited, repeating the same facts over and over again. Still, we did learn that “The Americans call chips french fries, but the Belgians call them Belgian fries.”

14. Celery Man

Say, “Alexa, open Celery Man.”

The Celery Man skill will have many people scratching their heads. It accepts commands like “Add sequence oyster” and “Ask Celery Man if I can see a hat wobble,” playing strange sound effects in response.

Nonsense to most folk, but to the right people, this skill makes perfect sense. Celery Man is a bizarre comedy sketch starring Paul Rudd, from the Tim and Eric Awesome Show. Its popularity on YouTube led to Celery Man becoming a meme, like so many things do, and that led to this Alexa Skill.

Why You Should Download These Weird Alexa Skills

None of these weird Alexa Skills are particularly useful. Only My Pet Cat and Skyrim Very Special Edition have any real long-term value, because they save your progress. And the joke skills are amusing but not exactly hilarious. So why bother enabling them?

Simply, they offer some easy throwaway fun, and they’re all completely free. They’re the kind of silly things that are enjoyable to share with others, even if you disable them shortly after.

So give them a try, because you’ve got nothing to lose. And if you want genuinely useful Alexa Skills, there are plenty of those to try as well.

Ljudi s margine, oni koji su spas i utehu od životnih brodoloma pronašli na ulici, najstrašnija su slika svakog grada. Na kartonima, sa starim jaknama oko sebe, obično sa činijom ili kutijom u kojoj mole za prilog, ovi ljudi svakodnevno prolaze kroz istu agoniju – da li će imati za hranu. Ono što posebno zaboli svakog čoveka jeste kad se u ovakvom položaju nađu i deca.

Jedna takva slika nastala je krajem novembra u Beogradu.

Video snimak dva maloletna dečaka koji jedva da imaju deset godina, zabeležena je od strane Jasmine Gajić u jednom od podzemnih prolaza u Beogradu. Dečaci koji su ležali na kartonu bili su prekriveni samo starom jaknom u pokušaju da se zgreju pod naletima košave koja je nemilosrdno šibala gradom proteklih dana.

“U Beogradu, jutros. Možeš li spavati, grade?”, napisala je Jasmina u opisu video snimka.

Ove dečake možete svakodnevno videti kako prose po ulicama Beograda. Sledeći put kad naletite na njih, ne okrećite glavu. Topao čaj, toplo pecivo njima znače makar malo topline. Budite ta iskra topline u njihovim očima, makar za mrvu ublažite udarac koji im je život naneo.

Pevač Adil Maksutović na društvenim mrežama oprostio se od tasta Džeja Ramadanovskog, koji je preminuo u nedelju, 6. decembra.

– Stari moj, bio si najmuzikalniji čovek kog sam poznavao, pevač sa najviše duše… Dok su drugi plakali ili se veselili uz tvoje pesme, ja sam potpuno opčinjen upijao svaku tvoju otpevanu frazu, magično si to radio… Maznuo sam sve što si mi dozvolio… Hvala ti – napisao je između ostalog.

– Znam da si se umorio, već nedostaješ svima. Tvojoj deci najviše. Raduje nas samo činjenica da si poslednji dan svog života proveo sa porodicom… sa svojim unucima… nismo ni slutili da ti je poslednji.

Adil se zatim, u nastavku objave, osvrnuo na to što sa tastom Džejem godinama nije razgovarao.

– Voljeni Džej, nikada se nismo posvađali, a godinama nismo razgovarali. Oprosti mi što sam predugo bio ljut na tebe. Onaj gore je želeo da se ovako rastanemo. Bar još koju godinu da si poživeo. I da sednemo ti i ja. Da ti zapevam “Sajbiju”. Da se zagrlimo… i isplačemo – napisao je Adil.

Džejev kum Zoran Jagodić Rule je, inače, za domaće medije otkrio da je Džej pred smrt sve oprostio Adilu.

– Džej Ramadanovski oprostio je sve zetu Adilu Maksutoviću pre smrti. On punih sedam godina nije razgovarao sa Adilom, jer je pretukao njegovu ćerku Anu – rekao je on za Informer.

Pevač Džej Ramadanovski preminuo je u nedelju, u 57. godini, a njegova smrt rastužila je ceo region.

Mladi su se okupili na Dorćolu, u kraju u kojem je živeo pevač, kako bi mu odali počast, a jedan mladi umetnik u Doboju je uradio mural u njegovu čast.

Uz pesmu “Nedelja” on je naslikao Ramadanovskog u njegovom prepoznatljivom stilu – pogled ispod obrva i tompus u ruci.

Mladi Deni Božić oduševio je naciju, a ova slika je ubrzo počela da se deli na društvenim mrežama. Reper Đus, koji je inače obožavao Džeja, takođe je podelio sliku murala na svom Instagram profilu i napisao: “Kraljevski stil“.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and state health officials announced the state’s plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations as early as Dec. 14.

Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Jinlene Chan answered questions about what Marylanders should expect once they take the vaccine.  She said they only know what has been reported from the vaccination trials.

“Pfizer enrolled over 40,000 people, which is quite a large vaccination trial, and Moderna enrolled about 30,000 individuals with some significant efforts to ensure diversity and the people that were enrolled, both in terms of age, race, and ethnicity,” Chan said.

She said according to the data released by FDA on Pfizer’s vaccine, there have been some side effects people experienced primarily in the first one or two days after getting the shot. But it’s what you might expect, including pain at the site of injection, as well as mild fever, headache, muscle aches and joint aches.

“This shows, actually, that the vaccine is working, that the body’s immune system was responding to the vaccine, to be able to produce those protective antibodies that would ultimately protect that individual against getting the disease itself,” Chan said.

She said independent groups are monitoring the data from the vaccine trials from both Pfizer and Moderna. Those groups did not flag any safety concerns through the course of the trials to date, Chan said.

She said early information shows mild to moderate impacts for about 10% to 15% of the people who took the vaccine.

Chan also addressed if the vaccine would be safe for children.

“Right now the vaccine trials have only enrolled adults,” Chan said. “And so it is anticipated that any approval or recommendations from the CDC will only be for adults at this time.”

But she said the clinical trials have already started to enroll children as young as 12. They will then enroll even younger children.

“So we anticipate that the results from future trials will provide us more insight on the efficacy and safety in children,” Chan said.

According to Gov. Hogan, there will only be 155,000 doses of the vaccine with the possibility of perhaps 300,000 by year’s end.

The vaccine could be available as early as Dec. 14, officials said.

Healthcare workers, first responders and long-term care residents and staff will be the first to get the vaccine in the state.

Ubijeni monah manastira Glogovac Stefan bio je tih, povučen i miran brat u kojem se krila širokgruda duša puna ljubavi prema svakom čoveku

Ubijeni monah Stefan biće danas sahranjen u manastiru Glogovac, gde će prethodno biti služena zaupokojena liturgija, uz blagoslov Njegovog preosveštenstva episkop bihaćko-petrovačkog Sergija.

Početak je zakazan za 9.30 časova, a sveštenstvo koje namerava da učestvuje u ovom liturgijskom molitvenom, ali i tužnom skupu, treba da ponese bele odežde, rečeno je iz manastirske uprave.

U saopštenju je navedeno da, zbog složene epidemiološke situacije i tragičnosti događaja koji je potresao javnost, posle molitvenog sabiranja oko odra monaha Stefana neće biti zadržavanja u manastiru Glogovac.

Ubijeni monah manastira Glogovac Stefan bio je tih, povučen i miran brat u kojem se krila širokgruda duša puna ljubavi prema svakom čoveku, saopšeno je ranije iz Eparhije bihaćko-petrovačke.

Njegovo preosveštenstvo episkop bihaćko-petrovački i rmanjski Sergije uputio je iskreno saučešće sestri počivšeg monaha Miri i svim njegovim srodnicima.

Vršilac dužnosti direktora Republičkog sekretarijata za vere Dragan Davidović uputio je telegram saučešća episkopu Sergiju povodom ubistva monaha Stefana, te izrazio očekivanje da će organi gonjenja brzo ući u trag počiniocu ovog nedela i izvesti ga pred lice pravde.

– Njegov iznenadni odlazak svakako je veliki gubitak za mnogostradalnu i od rata još neoporavljenu eparhiju, ali kao uteha ostaje čvrsto uverenje i nada da će ga Gospod u svom Carstvu nebeskom pribrojiti nepreglednom redu mučenika, postradalih za Hrista i veru pravoslavnu – poručio je Davidović.

Ministar za ljudska prava i izbeglice u Savetu ministara Miloš Lučić najoštrije je osudio brutalno ubistvo monaha Stefana, te izrazio nadu da će počinilac uskoro biti pronađen i kažnjen.

Monah Stefan, kojem je svetovno ime bilo Miodrag Ačić, zamonašio se 2007. godine u manastiru Ilinje. U Eparhiji bihaćko-petrovačkoj monah Stefan je od 2012. godine kada biva pridružen bratstvu manastira Glogovac.

Otac Stefan, dugogodišnji monah manastira Glogovac u mestu Babići, opština Šipovo, ubijen je u ponedeljak, 7. decembra, u večernjim časovima.

Iz banjalučkog Okružnog javnog tužilaštva saopšteno je da je lice čiji su inicijali D.Š. iz Banjaluke, prema do sada prikupljenim dokazima i obaveštenjima, nožem ubilo monaha Stefana (62) u manastiru Glogovac

Lord Pretty Flacko and Bad Gal RiRi are rumored to be in a relationship.

On Monday (Nov. 30), Page Six reported that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were seen having dinner with friends at the Beatrice Inn in New York City over the holiday weekend, further confirming the rumors they are dating.

Rumors of their relationship started after Rih split from her billionaire boyfriend, Hassan Jameel, in January. Since then, the pair have been spotted hanging out together on multiple occasions.

Back in August, fans noticed their flirtation during a video interview for GQ featuring the two artists. RiRi asked Rocky questions about skincare to help promote her own Fenty skincare line. He also shared his first red carpet look, last purchase under $20, a food he would never eat and more.

“What is your skin type?” Rihanna asked Rocky.

“Handsome,” he replied, to which Rihanna rolled her eyes.

That same month, Rocky asked Rihanna questions for Vogue to also promo her Fenty skincare line.

“My skin type is just as complicated as men are,” Rihanna jokingly said when A$AP Rocky asked about her skin type for Vogue. “Y’all always try to say women are complicated [but] it’s y’all!.”

These video interviews were cute moments between the two friends-reportedly turned-lovers and left fans wondering what a relationship between them would look like.

While this rumored relationship’s details remain a mystery, The Sun reported back in January that Rihanna and Rocky had been seeing each other romantically. Rihanna and Rocky reportedly “shared a hotel suite during that trip in New York,” a source allegedly said.

However, also in January of this year, sources told E! News that RiRi was still single and not dating Rocky.

The friendship between A$AP Rocky and Rihanna dates back to her Diamonds World Tour in 2013, where Rocky served as the opening act.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have yet to confirm their relationship status to the public.

An Italian man walked 450 kilometres for a week after having an argument with his wife. He was fined €400 (Rs 35,700) for breaching the lockdown rules.

An Italian man, who was frustrated by an argument with his wife, stepped outside his house to calm down himself and ended up walking 450 kilometres. Italians have nicknamed the unnamed 48-year-old “Forrest Gump” on social media, after the hero of a 1994 movie of the same name who ran thousands of miles across the United States.

The man who lives in Como, in the far north of Italy on the Swiss border, managed to walk all the way to Fano, a small town on the Adriatic coast, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) south.

The Italian police stopped his epic walk at 2 am in Fano for breaching lockdown rules and fined him €400 (Rs 35,700), a week after he left his home in the north. They could not believe that he could have walked so far. However, when they checked his ID, they found out that his wife had reported him as missing a week ago.

“I came here on foot, I didn’t use any transport,” he told the police, local media reported. He said, “Along the way, I met people who offered me food and drink”. “I’m OK, just a bit tired,” he said, having walked around 60 kilometres daily.

He admitted that he did not realise how far he had gone during his long walk to cool off his mind.

The man’s wife travelled to Fano to pick him up. The reports did not mention how the wife reacted after learning that he was fined €400.

Netizens said that man was heroic and criticised the fine. One user said that he should have been rewarded with a pair of shoes instead of being fined. Another user praised him for walking off to cool his anger instead of resorting to violence.

Italy has imposed a nationwide curfew from 10 pm to 5 am in an effort to curb the second wave of coronavirus infections in the country.

Dec. 4 (UPI) — A dog that went missing from her owner’s Alabama back yard turned up three weeks later when the canine wandered into a Walmart store and found her owner working at a checkout lane.

Danielle Robinette, a customer service associate at the Walmart store in Dothan, said she was baffled when a black-and-white dog wandered into the store.

“I was like, ‘What in the world is happening?'” Robinette told The Washington Post. “I’m a huge animal lover, so I just followed her, and she ran up to register No. 6.”

The cashier at register No. 6, June Rountree, was able to solve the mystery — the canine was her missing dog, Abby.

Rountree said Abby had vanished from her back yard three weeks earlier, leaving her collar behind. She said she and her husband had been searching for the dog, but were unable to find any sign of their missing pet.

“I called her name and she came to me,” Rountree said of the reunion at Walmart. “I bent over and hugged her. I completely lost it then. I couldn’t speak. I was in complete shock and just couldn’t believe it.”

Rountree said the Walmart store is more than a mile from her home. She said she has worked at the location for 10 years, but never brought 4-year-old Abby inside. She said the canine might have recognized the store from times when she would bring the dog to the store’s parking lot and the woods behind the business.

“Never in a million years did I think she would show up at Walmart,” Roundtee said.

Robinette said she was equally shocked by the outcome.

“It was beautiful,” Robinette told the Dothan Eagle. “It was so very overwhelming. I was in disbelief. I thought she was joking.”